Editing The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume3 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 8===

“Ugh,” groaned Shiroyama Kyousuke on the wet floor.

The sprinklers must have stopped automatically because he was surrounded by silence. The room’s breaker must have tripped because none of the appliances seemed to be functioning.

Isabelle was closest, so he checked her pulse first and then dragged his aching body into the living room. He secured Lu Niang Lan. After checking her pulse as she lay sprawled out on the floor, he used an extension cable to tie up her wrists and ankles.

The room was soaked and the breaker had tripped, but he spotted the light of a tablet on the glass table. That was thanks to its waterproof cover and internal battery. It had received a few emails from Government. One of them was about Girl’s Backdoor, so Kyousuke grabbed the tablet.

The writing was stiff and formal, but he recognized the sender: Government Award 109, Academia. Her real name was Maria Heartocean. She was the top researcher in the field of spiritual damage and the woman he had been tasked with protecting during that midair battle over the Pacific.

She had seemed like a gentle school doctor then, but she was apparently able to display different personalities in different situations. Although Kyousuke was not sure if the difference was between work and private or between online and real life.

''To Official Award 870, Hikikomori.

''I am sending you a progress report on the analysis you requested.

''I have put off breaking down the black box in the core, so I will begin with what I have discovered through nondestructive tests along the surface of the device.

''The Girl’s Backdoor behaves much like a device that allows a human target for a vessel’s ability to intervene in a Material’s mind and take limited control of the Material. The mental capacity of a Material is so much greater than a human’s that the vessel can never take complete control, but I estimate a human can take nearly perfect control when the target is another human.

''There is still a lot I do not know as to why it only works with young girls, but it may be somehow related to the fact that all Unexplored-class Materials have female forms.

''After some clinical trials on recruits within Government, I have revealed a few specific uses and conditions for the Girl’s Backdoor.

''1: Girl’s Backdoor is shaped like a glove and the target is set by wearing it and pointing at the target’s face or head.

''2: Girl’s Backdoor works by inputting data. The target is controlled with tree-style settings that provide a programmed flowchart of what to do when certain things do or do not occur.

''3: When inputting the data, the user can move the fingers of the glove to display a keyboard interface in empty air. The flowchart can also be formed as a combination of movements: run, jump, land, etc.

''4: When putting together the flowchart, there is no need to start from scratch and mention every little movement of the target’s fingers. The user can draw on and use the target’s skills and knowledge. For example, telling a chef to cook a meal or telling a safe keeper to open the lock.

''5: There are no real risks or dangerous side effects of using Girl’s Backdoor.

''6: Girl’s Backdoor can control up to three people at once. If the user attempts to control a fourth or more, their existing stock will be released in the order at which they were initially controlled.

''7: Girl’s Backdoor can only control girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 25. The effects continue even if a controlled vessel transforms into a Material.

''8: When someone controlled by Girl’s Backdoor is released, they lose their memories of being controlled.

''9: There are multiple ways for someone controlled by Girl’s Backdoor to be released: the user announcing that they are released, the user attempting to control a fourth person, or the controlled person being knocked unconscious.

When Kyousuke saw that knocking someone unconscious would free them from Girl’s Backdoor’s control, he breathed a small sigh of relief. Tying up Lu Niang Lan had apparently not been necessary. And since she would lose her memories of being controlled, he had a feeling she would make something of a misunderstanding.

However, that relaxed thought was quickly swept away by what Maria Heartocean wrote next.

''I will now address some of my thoughts concerning the application of Girl’s Backdoor.

''Girl’s Backdoor can only control three people at once, but I have revealed that it can spread.

''That is, not only can Source X directly control three people, but Source X can control A, A can control B, and B can control C. Of course, a new flowchart tree must be written each time, so it is a lot of effort. Without time for that work, this method is only viable for simple commands.

''And in this case, only Source X needs to be equipped with a Girl’s Backdoor.

''The upper limit of three seems to remain. For example, if Source X controls A, B, and C and then tries to control D via C, the original A will be released.

''Also, if it goes from A to B and then B to C, if control of B in the middle is lost because she is knocked out, a chain reaction will cause C to also lose consciousness and be released.

''Releasing A would also release B and C in that case, so trying to control a fourth person that way would release all of them.

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

Kyousuke slowly looked away from the tablet.

There were still two individuals whose pulse he had yet to check.

One was the white liger.

And the other…

“Ai…ka?”

He received no response.

Why had the enemy spreading Girl’s Backdoors around the city come to Toy Dream 35 in the first place? If it was only to crush the vessel mass-production facilities known as Anthills, would they have needed to send Lu Niang Lan to attack Aika’s apartment?

And if control could spread from Source X to A and from A to B…

Why had Aika passed out?

Because Lu Niang Lan had attacked her? Because of the electrical current Kyousuke had sent out?

''And if it was neither of those…

“…”

Kyousuke hesitantly approached Aika.

The collapsed girl held a smartphone in her hand.

The words “Message Sent” danced across the screen.

“What message?”

Shiroyama Kyousuke’s voice was quiet.

“And to who!?”

But it quickly grew to a shout.