Userunfriendly here. This is a new, updated version of chapter 1. No major changes, just added text. Yes, it is silly how many times I've rewritten chapter 1, but while working on chapter 2 which should be out by Friday the latest, I realized that the part about the Third Great Puzzle and my interpretation of it couldn't be added to the existing story structure (unless added to chapter 1) until chapter 5. And since I really like my ideas on the Third Great Puzzle, I decided to update chapter 1. AGAIN. Sorry about the delays in updating, but real life sucks. Also chapter 2 is proving to be quite difficult, as it is mostly exposition about magic based thermal nuclear reactors...and panties. REALLY. Please enjoy!
BTW: I am not a physicist, so if I've committed any egregiously bad errors, please feel free to PM me or comment. I appreciate it. :)
Tuesday, April 15, 2097 Common Era
This was soon after the beginning of Shiba Tatsuya and Miyuki's final high school year. This year's crop of freshmen didn't excite any special comment, except for the fraternal twins Kosaka Kyosuke and Kosaka Kirino who exhibited a noticeable degree of sis-con and bro-con behavior. Some of the more silly minded third year students, Tatsuya and Miyuki's classmates, had mock growled to them to "stop doing their Shiba impersonation!" However, even this was halfhearted, as the joke lost its humor when the Kosakas requested an explanation. Besides, the Shibas had completely changed their status from siblings to cousins and engaged… And of course, they were YOTSUBA.
The Kosaka twins were also distinguished by them both being the Freshman Class Representatives. They had tied their entrance exams, with Kyosuke scoring higher on the technical and Kirino higher on the theory. Student Council President Shiba Miyuki had decided to invite both of them to join the Student Council, as Secretaries, along with Minami. This may not have been Miyuki's secret plan all along, but now Tatsuya, who had the ambiguous title of "Chief of Secretaries", was now often referred to as "Secretary General"(with Minami, Kyosuke and Kirino as his "army"). Despite the U.N. being long gone since WWIII, the International Society of magicians having taken over much of their function, in Miyuki's Peculiar Little Mind, her beloved "Tatsuya-sama" (obviously "Onii-sama" was no longer suitable for a fiancé) now outranked her, a mere "President". There had also been a lot of grumbling from the clubs that "as usual" the Student Council had "poached" the best Freshmen…"this time TWO of them"! Of course none of this was said in front of Miyuki, because despite all the rumors still buzzing around the school, concerning her connection to the Yotsuba, she continued to have the entire Student Body completely enthralled with her beauty and poise…
Last week, starting the second Monday of April, had been the "Week of Unbridled Shenanigans". The Moral Committee, under the leadership of Yoshida Mikihiko, had joined with Igarashi Yousuke, of the Club Management Group, and the combined forces, 30 strong, had patrolled the Freshman Recruitment Week in overwhelming numbers. They both studiously ignored the muttered complaints from the clubs, who claimed "this goes against school tradition!" contenting themselves by pointing out the reduced incidence of visits to the Infirmary compared to previous years. This was well, since this year both Shiba Tatsuya and Shiba Miyuki were notably missing for most of the "Week of Unbridled Shenanigans", claiming "pressing personal business", ("Not Family!") even leaving campus early. Fortunately, because of the decreased workload due to the Moral Committee and Club Management teaming up, Vice President Saegusa Izumi, and the other members of the Student Council were able to cope.
10:27 AM:
This session of First Magic High School's Student Council would be remembered as the "AWOL" one. Shortly after the start of the meeting, everyone promptly…deserted. First to leave had been Miyuki, Minami and to his surprise, Kyosuke. Miyuki had called a Student Body Assembly for the fifth period, and she had declared they would need the wall size video monitors set up in the Auditorium for the "special presentation". Kyosuke had been drafted to "move the monitors around so they'd be just so". Since the monitors were on motorized castors, simply using the remote control would have been fine, but Kyosuke's objections were overruled because it was "the duty of the boys to move things around for the girls." Despite his grumbles, he, like every other boy in school, dutifully did as Miyuki asked. He pretended to not notice Kirino's not-too-well-hidden smirk.
Tatsuya was the second to take his leave. He had been troubled all day, with the air of an expected and unavoidable doom hanging over his head. Tatsuya muttered something about "working the freshmen in the Mountain Club" and grabbing his jacket, strode off.
"Hey, why didn't Miyuki-san grab Tatsuya-san to set up the monitors? Oh…sorry." Said Karino as she realized to Miyuki, such tasks were beneath her "Tatsuya-sama".
Izumi was next to leave as she quickly finished up her paperwork to chase after Miyuki. Kirino giggled as she imagined her cute brother's face as yet another person who could just as easily operate the remote control to setup the monitors would join Miyuki and Minami to issue preemptory orders to "move that monitor just a few centimeters to the left…no, you idiot, the OTHER left!" He really was hopeless…
This just left Honoka and Kosaka Kirino in the Student Council Conference Room. Now was her chance…
"Erm…Mitsui-sempai, could I ask you something?"
"Sure, Kosaka-san, what's up?" Honoka looked up from her terminal. Despite the firm "taken to task" of the various clubs by Mikihiko and Igarashi-san, Freshman Recruitment Week still managed to exceed every year the previous year's costs in terms of breakage…
"Well, you're close to the Shibas, right? Since I started, I've heard so many rumors, and I've been wondering which are true…"
This was rather inevitable. The sheer number of rumors concerning Tatsuya and Miyuki among this year's Freshmen was staggering…not to mention that the truth would make the rumors pale in comparison…no strike that, if the revelations from last night were added, Kirino's jaw would literally hit the floor…
"Ok, but just the rumors. They're my friends, and I'm not going to speak about them behind their back."
Kirino actually pulled out a tablet and pulled up a list. Honoka grinned as this reminded her of herself and her habit of taking things seriously…too seriously sometimes.
"First, is it really true they're YOTSUBA?" Kirino and her brother, like Honoka, came outside of the Hundred Families. Her father was a high ranking police official, a powerful magician. Because he was an orphan, he had no idea who his birth parents were, and he deliberately chose not investigate. His policy of not wanting to get involved in the Clans was probably very wise. He did maintain cordial relations with the Chibas, like so many police officers did, and both Kirino and Kyosuke called Erika "sempai".
"Yes, they are. And Miyuki has been named as the Clan heir." Kirino's eyes widened at Honoka's simple statement.
"Wow. But Miyuki-san is so incredibly gorgeous! She's such a Yamato Nadeshiko! And the Yotsuba have such an unsavory reputation. "Kirino's voice dropped to a whisper at the last part. Kirino knew she was pretty; she had even done some modelling in junior high. Not serious stuff, just catalog shots for junior miss magazines, but she had been awestruck the first time she had seen Shiba Miyuki in person. That such…perfection even existed!
"Well, at least her cousin looks ordinary."
"No, Tatsuya-san…isn't even remotely ordinary at all. Even compared to his…fiancé."
Korino crossed off another entry in her checklist. So the rumors were true. Mitsui-sempai liked Tatsuya-san…
"Yes, I've heard that too. The rumors are…just too hard to believe. Did he really subdue 30 members of the Kenjitsu club in his freshman year without using magic? Is it really true he knows more about magic than the instructors? Is it true that his athletes in the Nine Schools Competition were invincible? Is it true…?"
"Whoa, one at a time Kosaka-san. First it was only 14 members of the Kenjitsu club he subdued, and he didn't have to hit anyone, and he didn't even bother to use magic. I didn't see it, but Erika did, so you can ask her about it directly. It's also true that every athlete, including myself, that he was engineer for in the Nine Schools Competitions have been unbeatable." Honoka smiled. Satomi Subaru's impertinence in challenging Tatsuya's "invincibility" last year had been answered by her with a decisive victory.
"Now, as for knowing more magic than the instructors? Yes, in certain areas. I think Tatsuya-san is superior in CAD programming, and in certain parts of Magical Theory, he knows more." Honoka grinned at Karino's expression. If she only knew the truth!
"I've seen Tatsuya-san's incredible performance two years ago on the NSC…and Kyosuke joined the Magic Martial Arts Club, and he tells me Chief Tomitsuka says that Tatsuya-san is the best combat magician in the school…but rumors says he's been in actual live COMBAT. REAL combat!" Kirino's voice dropped to an even lower whisper than when she asked about Miyuki and Tatsuya's connection to the Yotsubas.
"I'm not going to answer that, Kosaka, because I would be betraying a confidence. Let me think for a bit." Honoka knew she just had, but that was unavoidable. How to…smooth things over?
"Did you hear about the Blanche disturbance we had when I was a freshman? Tatsuya-kun was one of the students who fought against them, and he and Erika-san, and Leo-san helped in capturing them."
"Oh…I see."
"Disappointed, Kosaka?" So, she just really wanted to know if Tatsuya-san was "dangerous". How pitiful, if she sought that kind of thrill.
"No, it's not that at all! My father is a police officer, and he was afraid that the Magic High Schools would be attacked like the Magic Association offices in Yokohama and Kyoto. He…was worried. I mean, the riots have stopped for now, but Dad is still very concerned about it flaring up again, and…Mitsui-sempai, I'm scared of violence." Kirino wasn't like Erika-sempai; she simply didn't have any aptitude for, much less training in combat. Unlike her brother, who liked and was good at Magic Martial Arts, she really was just a normal Japanese teenage girl.
Honoka took a look at Kirino. She realized that Kirino was very much like herself. Despite having one of the best technical scores in the school, and thus being a powerful magician, Honoka didn't handle violence well. She remembered the time that she had gone with Tatsuya, Miyuki and Pixie and after the Parasites, and she had used "Evil Eye" Magic, without needing to. Tatsuya had never reprimanded her for it, but afterwards she realized her mistake. She should have waited for his command, or waited until there was a real need to use it, for example if they had been discovered by the agents who were watching for their presence. Her desire to be helpful to Tatsuya, to show off (to him), to show she could be valuable (more than Miyuki), could have compromised the mission…and put herself (and him!) in danger!
It had taken Honoka a while to accept the fact that she could never go into battle with Tatsuya, unlike Leo, Erika, or Mikihiko…or even Miyuki. She was more valuable behind him, to "watch" his back with her special skill that of an "Elemental" with the affinity for Light-based magic. But no matter what her level of power, she lacked the training and above all else, the determination to win (and survive) a life and death struggle.
"Kosaka-san…no, Kirino-san, I'm just like you. I'm scared of violence too, so I've been developing a number of Activation Sequences to flash light, very bright light, if I'm in a bad situation. I bet you have a skill or ability that could defend you in a dangerous situation, or just something that will give you time to run away. Don't you?"
"My family's trademark spell is Oriemo which is a Movement and Convergence type compound magic, which allows me to grab everything within reach, and fling it at someone. Kyosuke and I used to have fights with all the stuffed animals in my room when we were little. That's why all my teddy bears are bandaged."
Honoka giggled, and Kirino joined in, as Honoka imagined Kirino's room with the piles of stuffed animals on the bed, (just like her and Shizuku's rooms) but looking as if they had been in a war zone.
"Hey, Mitsui-sempai…" Kirino began.
"Honoka, please, Kirino-san."
"Honoka-sempai, I just had a great idea. We really should have a Magical Self-Defense class here in school for girls who…have good magic, but don't know how to recognize when they should use it, how to defend themselves, or just use their magic so they can run away from danger. Don't you think that would be a good idea? Maybe even Miyuki-san would be interested in joining…"
"Urm…no, not Miyuki-san. She doesn't look it, but she's one of the better combat-trained magicians here in the school. As for Tatsuya-san, he's…in a level that is unbelievable. His specialty is 'Gram Demolition' and both his martial arts and combat magic skills are literally unmatched."
Kirino's eyes widened at the mention of "Gram Demolition". So that's what he used in his freshman year at the NSC! She remembered the glorious, magnificent sight of Tatsuya-san unleashing his magic to blast away Ichijou-san's magic in Monolith Code. She should have made the connection! She remembered her Father swearing under his breath in admiration and awe. Well, she only learned about "Gram Demolition" her last year of Junior High…
"Ok, I feel better. Just knowing that someone of that caliber is a classmate, so if something happens, he would be there, puts me at ease. Honoka-sempai…can I ask you something?" Kirino twisted her stylus in her hand…
"Of course, Kirino-san."
"Why do they hate us? Non-magicians, I mean."
"That's a really hard question, Kirino-san. Or rather, Tatsuya-san once told me, it's a simple question disguised as a complex one. Wanna hear his answer?" At Kirino's nod, Honoka tried to remember his words, as best as she could. She was still shocked at the magnitude of the revelations from the night before, and this may explain why she was saying more than perhaps she should. Honoka was determined that she not reveal Tatsuya-san's "surprise" before the fifth period…when the Whole World would literally cry out "UWA!" Honoka grinned to herself. She and Shizuku had spent the whole night yakking on the phone, unable to keep quiet between each other about the incredible secret that Tatsuya-san had entrusted to them…
"Sorry, Kirino-san, I'm just remembering something." Of course, Tatsuya's thoughts on the problems between magicians and Non-magicians were so…cynical! And it was incredibly ironic that someone who was so pessimistic and jaded about the nature of the world toward those with magic and those without would be the one to help them understand each other more than anyone else in History! Now, how to reassure Kirino without scaring her with Tatsuya's cynicism…
"Anyway, Tatsuya-san says the reason non-magicians hate us is because of fear and envy. Because they don't understand magic, they think that magicians have the power of life and death over them. They think that magicians are all powerful, capable of snuffing out their lives with just a wave of the hand. Because they fear us, they call us 'soulless monsters' or 'things' to dehumanize us, so they can justify their hatred of us. They also can't stand the fact that they envy us." Honoka refilled her teacup from the thermos on the counter. Tatsuya-san also had this to add, that hatred and violence between groups would tend to be more intense than between individuals because once people identified themselves with a group, and identified a "enemy", fear of what would happen to them if they fell into the hands of the "enemy" was always magnified. "Because added to the natural fear of falling into the hands of the 'enemy' is the awareness of What They Themselves Would Do if they caught a member of the 'enemy'. This creates a positive feedback effect, where one group's escalation in violence causes a disproportionate increase in fear from the other side. And this would naturally cause a repeat of this process from the side that Had Not escalated." Tatsuya could be so much like a professor even when he's discussing such a fearful thing as violence and hatred! This was the reason why certain "Blanche" members had such a horror of being caught by magicians. Even their fellow magicians, once they joined "Blanche" were so afraid. Tsukasa Hajime was said to be in a psych ward being driven to the point of a complete mental breakdown by the events in their freshman year…and this was why the Only Real solution for the tensions between magicians and non-magicians is to somehow change the group called magicians to include non-magicians…
"They envy us?"
"We can fly. You've tried the Taurus Silver Flying CAD, right?" At Kirino's enthusiastic nod, Honoka smiled. Flying above the Practice Field behind the school was very popular, despite the disapproval of the chiefs of the various Clubs who denounced "wasting time when you could be practicing for this year's NSC!" Because of the generous donation from Four Leaves Technology, 10 Sustained Gravity Control Type Flying CADs were made available to each Magic High School. Each device was usually booked days in advance, to allow a First High student to experience the joys of flying like a bird…
Borrowing a flying CAD when you had a bit of free time was unofficially known as "going golfing." This was a high school after all, and this included regular non-magic classes like history. This joke referred to James the Second banning golf in England at 1457, because it distracted yeoman from archery practice. A student blowing off practice in the Clubs to "go golfing" was always guaranteed to annoy the Chief of any Club with aspirations of putting members in this year's NSC team…not to mention the razzing they got when a Club's Chief got caught sneaking off to "go golfing"...smark!
"Ok, that I can understand…"
"They also think that just because we're magicians, we're going to be paid more. They know intellectually, that magic, like anything else in life, requires hard work, and for those of us planning a military career or security, risking our lives, but they want to believe that magic gives us an 'unfair advantage'." The worst part, Tatsuya had added, was that non-magicians KNEW that magical ability was hereditary…they could NEVER, EVER have magic themselves. He then went on to mention both the French Revolution (when the hereditary French Aristocracy got their heads cut off) and the Spartacus Revolt, (all the captured slaves after his defeat were crucified) as two potential results of either Blanche won, or if magicians (pressed against the wall by Blanche) conquered the world, making non-magicians a "lesser" class. NEVER, EVER?! How…DROLL to hear that coming out of his mouth, out of Tatsuya's mouth!
"That's just stupid! Don't they understand that hard work in any field will increase pay?"
"They know that, but it's so much easier to just dismiss it as being 'unfair' rather than look at their own lives and their own inadequacies and failures. But you know, Korino-san, as bad as the fear and envy of non-magicians toward us, do you know what an even bigger problem is?"
"Urm…no?"
"We fear them even more. We know there are a thousand of them to one of us, if you look back at history, a lot of bad things have happened to small, privileged groups that held the power or wealth. And magic isn't something a non-magician could ever have." Though that was about to change…
"This is why the Clan system is so important in this country. Clans can barter with the government with a lot more power than an individual. By being part of a Clan, a single magician gains the legal protections and rights he needs to survive in a world where he's outnumbered a thousand to one. This is why so many of our classmates who belong to one of the Hundred Families consider their Clan to be all important." This was why magicians had tolerated things like the Institutes… This was why magicians had tolerated human experimentation and genetic modification to make the Clan stronger, by creating more powerful magicians, so they could protect the Clan better. Greater magic power in a Clan member translated to better bargaining position when dealing with the Government. Even the Yotsuba, which operated on two simple rules, of defense (never seeking temporal power for themselves) and revenge (no matter the cost, wrongs done to the Yotsuba would always be answered) they constantly sought to create more powerful magicians as their answer to a world that was largely hostile (as the Yotsuba saw it) to those who had magic. And Tatsuya and Miyuki would know…
"I see. I don't belong to one of the Hundred Families…"
"But like me, you have something like it. For example my best friend Shizuku, her father is one of the wealthiest industrialists in Japan."
"And my father is a senior Police Commissioner in the Metropolitan Tokyo Police Force. And that's why we can be outside the Clan system…"
"Darn, it's almost 11! I've got Magic Geometry soon! Gotta go, Kirino-san!" Honoka grabbed her stuff, to join Shizuku in Magic Geometry. And they could help each other from screaming out loud "I'VE GOT A SECRET! THE WHOLE WORLD'S ABOUT TO CHANGE!" Maybe it would help just to hold Shizuku's hands and giggle (for apparently no reason) in front of their classmates.
The Mountain Club 10:44 AM:
Because of the pitiful cries of "Don't let me die!" and "Please take it easy on us!" and even one "But I haven't even kissed a girl yet!" Tatsuya and Chief Saijou sneered at the moaning mess of First, Second and Third Year students, and ran the fourth lap alone. Tatsuya was using a combination of movement magic and running, Leo just doggedly keeping up with his (preposterous) physical abilities.
"Come on, you've had your rest! How about another lap!" Leo was practically born to be the Chief of the Mountain Club, and with his mixture of open, frank comradeship and a full body bellow that according to Mountain Club legend was amplified by a hidden CAD, he was usually very good at getting the "Sluggards" up and on their feet. However, after making the First Years run two laps, the Second and Third Years three laps of the 10 kilometer course, Tatsuya and Leo had just run the Mountain Club into the ground…
"One more lap, Tatsuya?"
"No, Leo, not if we want to take a shower before Lunch."
"Race you to the showers!"
"You're on, Leo!"
As Leo and Tatsuya dashed off toward Small Gymnasium 2, they were followed by shouts of "Monsters!" "We just ran a Marathon…someone kill me!" and the ever popular "I can't move!"
Of course as soon as Tatsuya and Leo were out of sight of the complaining Mountain Club, they both slowed down, and finding a convenient building, collapsed, their backs to the wall…
"I think I just about died on the last lap!" panted Leo.
"Me too! And who's idea was it for the fourth lap!" gasped Tatsuya.
"Well, at least you're not stressing about 'The Announcement' anymore." Smirked Leo.
"If I could move, I'd hit you, Leo!"
"I want to see that!" exclaimed Erika as she and Mizuki showed up…
"What are you doing here? Here to enjoy my suffering?"
"Ahohohoho! I've just heard that a couple of idiots were trying to run the whole Mountain Club into the ground. As you're the only two who could possibly be that dense, Mizuki and I came to watch. And Mizuki even brought a present." Mizuki approached with two half full buckets of water. At Tatsuya's and Leo's vigorous nods, due to the warm spring morning, Erika took great pleasure in dousing the pair.
"Danke! I'm alive again!"
"Thank you, Erika, Mizuki!"
Erika pulled Tatsuya up, grunting at his weight, and Tatsuya pulled Leo up, as Erika refused to haul "all that muscle and bone… especially between his ears!" Tatsuya and Leo staggered off to the showers in Small Gymnasium 2, while Mizuki and Erika headed to the Cafeteria.
"I can understand this." said Erika in response to Mizuki's puzzled look.
"Leo and Tatsuya are like me. When things get too complicated, working out our bodies is best. It helps not to think about things when they're this…Weird."
At Mizuki's vigorous nodding, Erika realizes that Mizuki was probably going to lose it, holding in the secret revealed by Tatsuya last night…
Monday, April 14, 2097 Common Era (Yesterday, after school)
4:53 PM:
When Tatsuya offered to treat, there was no hesitation. They were High School Students after all. Despite several leading hints dropped by Leo, of all people, Tatsuya and Miyuki failed to discuss whatever "project" they had been involved last week, during Freshman Recruiting.
The topic of conversation was about the legislation before the Diet, the one that was unbelievably repressive toward magicians that would require them to wear special markings in public to identify themselves. Tatsuya had explained this was a distraction for the real attack, by deliberately invoking images of the Nazis making German Jews wear the "Mogen David" on their clothing before the Holocaust. No, the real attack was the second legislation that would make all Japanese magicians register with the government…
"How is that bad? I mean we're all registered with the Magic Association and our schools…" asked Leo confusedly.
"That's because the Magic Association databases are under some of the most sophisticated anti-hacking security in the world. Some of the files are quantum locked, so you can only access them locally. That's why they tried to break into the Magic Association in Yokohama two years ago." said Erika.
"And this would set a dangerous precedent. Magicians would be seen as having fewer rights than non-magicians, because of the compulsory registration. Not to mention that the Humanist groups would finally have what they always wanted, the names and addresses of every magician in Japan. You can bet that some bureaucrat would hand over a copy of the government database on magicians with a hefty enough bribe." said Tatsuya coldly.
"But can't the government…" began Mizuki.
"The Moderates under Prime Minister Kusanagi are caught between a rock, the Humanist parties, and a hard place, the Hardliners against the GAA who favor crushing the Humanists Movement. The Moderates are going to lose the next General Election without making an alliance with either the Hardliners or Humanists. Frankly, the Humanists are the lesser of two evils, since the Hardliners want to resume hostilities with the GAA. That's why this legislation is going to pass." said Tatsuya.
"Pitiful." said Miyuki condemning the Moderates.
"Can't the 10 Master Clans do something?" asked Mikihiko.
"Not since Ichijou Gouki used Rupture on those Puppets on TV. Right now, the public are more terrified of the 10 Master Clans than just about any time since its inception. And it's not just us; the Human Ideologists movement in the USNA is stronger than ever since Jiedo Hiegu's attack."
"Can't we do anything?" asked Honoka.
Tatsuya looked at Miyuki. Their eyes met, and to everyone's surprise, Miyuki had a merry look in them, as if there was a huge private joke between the two…
"Say, do you guys want to see my 'Mad Scientist's Lab'?" asked Tatsuya out of the blue.
"Tatsuya-kun, you actually have a 'Mad Scientist's Lab'?" asked Shizuku.
"Yes, the basement of our house has my CAD laboratory. Come." By now, all of Tatsuya's and Miyuki's friends knew that Tatsuya was planning something, and the best course was to simply follow and be patient for his reveal…
An Hour Later at the Shiba residence, basement:
"HOLY COW! Tatsuya, you really do have a 'Mad Scientist's Lab'! This stuff is insane!"
"Holy…Tatsuya, this is better equipment than the school has!"
"Yes, by several generations. The stuff the school has is seriously antiquated. I'm going to have to replace this soon though. There's a newer generation of CAD Development Workstation coming out soon from FLT. I was thinking of donating this stuff to the school…"
"NO YOU WON'T Onii-sama! This has to go to the Shiba Tatsuya Museum!" Miyuki, when it was just their friends used "Onii-sama" still. They all knew Tatsuya and Miyuki were actually cousins, but they had spent their whole lives believing they were siblings.
"Yes, you're right Miyuki. As much as I hate the thought, this will have to go to a museum." said Tatsuya with a sigh.
Looking at the nonplussed and puzzled expressions on his friends, Tatsuya took a deep breath and dropped his first bombshell…
"After all, I did create Generalized Flying Magic on this Workstation."
"Urm…Tatsuya, didn't Taurus…OH MY GOD!" shouted Mikihiko.
"I'm Taurus Silver. Actually, I'm one half of Taurus Silver, Silver. Taurus is my Director of Research at FLT, Ushiyama. You see, I developed Loop Cast when I was 13, so to apply for the International Patents, I had to cosign with an adult."
"UWA! Are you freaking kidding me? Oh wait, that makes sense…"
"No, it doesn't Erika! Tatsuya-kun, you're TAURUS SILVER?!"
"Yes, he is, Mizuki." Miyuki's immense grin lit up her whole face.
"Are you kidding me…no, you're not! Tatsuya-san, you're TAURUS SILVER!"
"Guilty as charged, Honoka." Tatsuya smiled. Maybe going public wouldn't be so bad…no, these were their friends. Both Tatsuya and Miyuki had decided to tell their friends before the announcement tomorrow that would literally change their very world…
"I suspected." Shizuku had somehow managed to keep her trademark deadpan expression, despite all her friends looking as if they had been gob-smacked.
"Shizuku, you suspected?" asked Honoka of her best friend.
"I showed that CAD Tatsuya created for me our first year, to the Magic Engineer my father hired. He recommended we hire Tatsuya, at almost any price, because he must be as brilliant as 'Taurus Silver'. Next year, a generalized CAD with auxiliary sighting appeared on the FLT catalog. I suspected."
"Ugh, that's a bad memory. Sorry Shizuku, let me explain. You see my father and his mistress basically created their whole career at FLT by stealing credit for Onii-sama's inventions and innovations. Occasionally, Onii-sama has to 'horse trade' something to keep them off his back. This time it was generalized CAD with auxiliary sighting built in to be released under the FLT brand. Otherwise, Onii-sama would have released it as a product of the Third Division, the 'Silver Division' where everyone is loyal to Onii-sama."
"Woah, Miyuki, 'mistress'?" Erika would naturally be more sensitive to the word, because of her own family situation.
"Uncle Tatsurou was cheating with my Step-Aunt Sayuri the whole time he was married to Aunt Miya. They got married just six months after Aunt Miya died. Miyuki was very close to Aunt Miya, and I share Miyuki's distaste for Uncle Tatsurou. That's why I am so looking forward to tomorrow's announcement…" at this cryptic statement, Miyuki immediately smiled, (in a very evil fashion) and nodded.
"Slow down a bit, Tatsuya. What announcement?"
"Leo." Tatsuya tossed a thick, octagonal silver box about the size of a dinner plate to Leo to catch.
"Whoa, Tatsuya, isn't that kind of dangerous?" said Leo with a broad grin. Everyone was reminded of the Last Time Tatsuya had tossed over a new piece of technology he had invented, in their freshman NSC. (Leo still had the "Mini-Communicator" hanging on the wall of the Mountain Club) The silver box was unusually heavy, and had the logo of Four Leaves Technology etched on the face.
"Tomorrow, we're going public with my identity, and we're going to announce this. This is a Non-linear-Logic Lattice-based External-psion Magic Sequence ROM. Leo, you're holding the core of a Pulse-based Compound-Magic Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor in your hands." Tatsuya smiled in triumph.
This produced as strong or stronger reaction to Tatsuya's earlier admission that he was Taurus Silver…
"Tatsuya…you've solved the SECOND GREAT PUZZLE OF WEIGHT SYSTEMIC MAGIC!"
"Of course, Mikihiko. Onii-sama solved the first one after all." Miyuki smirked.
"But that's not even the biggest news. Why do non-magicians hate magicians? Onii-sama says that quite simply, non-magicians can never have magic. Tomorrow, in our announcement, Onii-sama is going to give Magic to non-magicians."
At the blank and frankly mentally overloaded faces of their friends, Tatsuya and Miyuki smiled to each other, and led them upstairs to the living room to watch the broadcast they had prepared the previous week, during Freshman Recruiting, while Miyuki and Minami prepared tea and cookies for their friends…
Tuesday, April 15, 2097 Common Era
The Cafeteria 12:14 PM:
"Geeze, I wonder what the Special Assembly is about." asked Kosaka Kyosuke. After "moving" all the monitors according to the whims and dictates of Saegusa Izumi, Shiba Miyuki and a surprisingly opinionated Sakurai Minami, Kyosuke had an aggrieved face when he looked toward Miyuki's table. As usual, "the Shiba" table was crowded with the familiar faces of Mikihiko, Erika, Leo, Mizuki, Honoka, Shizuku, Minami, Tatsuya and Miyuki. Transcending Course 1 and Course 2, as well as Magic Engineering, Student Council, Moral Committee, the Clubs and even the 10 Master Clans, this group was a legend among the freshmen. Right now, as usual, Erika or Leo had managed to provoke the other, and they were arguing it out standing up from their seats, the food forgotten. Some fool of a freshman had shouted "Get a room!" last week, and been chased out of the Cafeteria at high speed by BOTH Erika and Leo…
"No one knows except for Miyuki-san. I wish it wasn't fifth period though…" remarked Kosaka Kirino.
"Why? What's happening at 2?"
"Well, FLT's website has been shouting 'World Shaking News!' all last week and the announcement is set for 2pm today."
"It's just hype, you know. It's probably just a new CAD model. Not that I wouldn't mind it if it were." said Kosaka Kyosuke. His pride and joy was a Silver Cestus, a somewhat extravagant birthday present last week from their parents, to celebrate his joining of the Magic Martial Arts Club. A specialized CAD designed exclusively for Magic Martial Arts, after seeing Kyosuke lovingly polish it even during dinner, Kirino had taken blackmail pictures of Kyosuke sleeping with his precious toy later that night. In case, of course, Kirino needed another late night "Life Counseling" session…
"Hey guys, guess what! My second cousin's girlfriend's brother's nephew, who works at FLT says they're planning to announce who Taurus Silver is!" Bubbly cheerful and (annoyingly) hyper Himeji Mizuki rushed up to join her two friends, nearly spilling the contents of her tray on Kirino's lap in her haste to spout her (usual) half-baked rumors and the contents of various gossip sites…
"Mizuki, where have you been?"
"Tsuzura-sensei was on one of his 'oh, this reminds me' ramblings. Well? Do you think it's true?!"
"Not a chance. The whole 'mystery super genius' thing is probably just a gimmick to sell more CADs. Our Dad thinks Taurus Silver is actually a hidden department in FLT and he's really several Magic Engineers. I mean come on, Loop Cast, Generalized Flight Magic, and Thought Controlled CAD? There is no way a single person did all that." Kirino touched her birthday present, a Silver Thought Controlled CAD. It had paired perfectly with her year old Silver Torus, her favorite CAD and though it was hard learning to use it properly, she loved being able to use her Magic with just a thought.
"Aw, come on! I betcha Taurus Silver really is real! I wonder when we'll find out what he's like…"
"You're obsessed Mizuki. I doubt we'll ever find out who he is. And if we do, he's probably really old, and looks funny." Kirino had a secret. She was even more obsessed with Taurus Silver than her friend Mizuki, and even more embarrassingly, she frequented a doujinshi (self-published) site. Her newest obsession/addiction was Taurus Silver Yaoi (Boy's love) Manga. NOT PORN! So not porn…it was beautifully drawn, a work of art! So NOT porn! Ok, it was PG-13 with just an occasional rated R. Still SO not porn!
The artist who drew her favorite manga, "Silver-dono!" had given the blond and blue eyed protagonist (obviously the artist's fevered imagination) the body of an Adonis…drawn in such loving detail…no, no, no! So not PORN!
"Yeah, Mizuki, Kirino's right. I bet if Taurus Silver was really real, he's gotta be middle aged, and squints."
"Oh, that would be SO disappointing…oh my FREAKING GOD!" Mizuki had just set her tablet to the FLT website, to see if there was anything new about the announcement scheduled for today, and it said in big bold letters "Taurus Silver to announce solving of the Second Great Puzzle of Systemic Weight Magic in Person! Today, Japan time, 1400!"
"Mizuki, what's wrong?!"
"LOOK!"
"OH MY GOD!" shouted Kirino to the whole cafeteria!
"EVERYONE! PULL OUT YOUR TABLETS AND GO TO THE FLT WEBSITE!"
"Are they kidding? No, they're not kidding! Whoo! Yeah, Taurus Silver rocks!" The babble of hundreds of high school students as they excitedly commented on this literally World-Shaking news filled the Cafeteria. Miyuki could be seen pulling out her tablet and typing rapidly…
Then there was a sudden cacophony of beeps as everyone's personal tablets received a mass text from the First Magic High School Student Council.
"Dear Students, I guess you've all heard the news from FLT. Well, because of Tatsuya-sama's job as a beta-tester, and paid intern at Four Leaves Technology, we received advance notice of this Event which will happen at 2pm. This broadcast is what today's special Assembly is all about. So please, don't be late, and we can all watch together! Thank you, Shiba Miyuki."
There was a sudden and spontaneous clapping as all the students in the Cafeteria realized they were all going to watch History being made in the Auditorium with their friends and classmates.
"I'm going to kill Director Ushiyama…"
"It's ok, Miyuki, he just jumped the gun updating the website a bit early. When I talked to him this morning he could barely contain himself. Hey, this is fine; the news will spread worldwide like we planned, so people will be watching. Calm down, ok?" Tatsuya stroked Miyuki's hair, and as she leaned to each caress, the stress faded from her eyes with a sigh.
"Um…come on guys, we're in the Cafeteria! Miyuki, is this part of the plan?"
"Yes, we want to have most of the planet watching when we broadcast. We planned to update the website at 12:30 to give just enough time for the news to spread without making FLT a target for every freelance and investigative journalist in Japan. Oh well, it's almost 12:30 anyway." Miyuki smiled at Erika as she shifted her chair a bit closer to her Onii-sama…
"Well, we also did want to ruin Uncle Tatsurou's lunch, so we scheduled it just as he and Sayuri would normally sit down. Close enough, I guess." smirked Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya-kun, paid intern?" asked Shizuku.
"That's my official title. I still don't have a license as a Magic Engineer, right?" Shizuku was reminded again of the time she had tried to hire Tatsuya for her family. Her dad had supported her idea, because he had wanted to challenge FLT's domination in the CAD market, and he thoroughly understood the value and rarity of genius…they both agreed that first hiring Tatsuya as Shizuku's personal CAD Technician would be the perfect way to gradually offer him more and more…
"Onii-sama's full title is 'Senior Paid Intern, Senior Engineer in Charge of Advanced Magic Engineering and Research, and Senior Engineer in Charge of Advanced CAD Design and Architecture." While it may have started out as a joke to assign him the title of "Senior paid intern" when Tatsuya had started working for FLT, because of his age, (Tatsuya was 14 when he started at the Third Division, by far the youngest working there and the only "intern") and in contrast to how everyone called him "Young Master", it quickly became evident that Tatsuya was in fact one of the Senior Engineers at the Third Division, in knowledge and expertise. So it became official, carrying on the joke, when Tatsuya was recognized after the first year as the Third Division's best Core Developer.
"We'll, as long as he's SENIOR paid intern." Honoka giggled at Leo's remark.
"Well, I'm still a minor, no high school degree…" everyone at their table grinned.
Four Leaves Technology, Corporate Offices:
"TATSUROU, DID YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!"
"Calm down, Sayuri! What are you…are you FREAKING KIDDING ME!" Tatsurou Shiba picked up his phone and called his son…his nephew's phone number.
"TATSUYA, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!"
"Now, now Tatsurou-san, is that any sort of tone to take with my most beloved son?" the velvety voice of the Demon Lord of the Far East, and the most feared magician in the world answered Tatsuya's phone.
"I deeply apologize, Maya-sama. I was expecting to talk to my nephew." Tatsurou started to shake as soon as he realized that he had raised his voice to a woman who could end his life as easily as he would step on a bug…and with far less hesitation…Sayuri turned pure white in raw terror…
"Well, I guess it was an honest mistake. But Tatsurou-san, remember in the future that raising your voice to my Tatsuya is the same as raising your voice to me. Now, remember your value to the Yotsuba is purely as a non-incompetent manager for our business interests, and you and your charming wife are completely replaceable. If at some point I or MY SON decide you're of more utility to the Yotsuba as human medical experimentation subjects, well, let's just skip that unpleasant thought, shall we?" The girlish giggle at the end was more terrifying than anything else Tatsurou had ever heard in his life…
"Tatsurou-san, here's my best, and kindest advice to you. Did you know my beloved niece and heir despises you and Sayuri-san? Her biggest problems with the two of you is in trying to steal the credit for my brilliant son's inventions and innovations in the past and how you treated my late sister, Miyuki's mother. Well, as you know, as children grow up their priorities change, and if you were counting on familial love to spare you and Sayuri-san, her response might surprise you. She may be a Shiba now, but someday she will be Yotsuba Miyuki. That name comes with responsibilities in acting a certain way to maintain respect, and she may decide you'll both be more useful as 'examples'. Nothing messy I trust, it's so gauche to order your blood kin…well, never mind. But Miyuki may decide spending the rest of your lives in abject poverty may be appropriate. I'm quite inclined to let both of you stay right where you are, as in this economy, even non-incompetent managers may require some effort to find. You may even keep your income from the common stocks you inherited from my sister. Tatsuya cares very little about money, except as a useful tool for his research projects, and it will all revert to Miyuki when she turns 19 anyway. Both of you should be humble, be polite to your BETTERS like MY SON and MY NIECE, work hard and you should be fine." Every word spoken by Maya was that of a kind and benevolent relative, giving good advice to kin. And each word was literally chilling…
"Oh, yes. Do both of you be dears, and watch the broadcast at 2. This broadcast is going to be incredible…my, I literally cannot believe just how proud I am of my son…he will change the world! I also recommend not trying to contact Tatsuya or Miyuki-chan for a while. For the rest of your lives will do. Ta-ta! Kiss, kiss! Toot-a-loo!" It was grotesque to hear Maya chirp her goodbye.
Tatsurou ran over to his personal bathroom as soon as he heard the click, and threw up the entire contents of his stomach…and dry heaved for the next half an hour. Sayuri simply curled up in a ball and shook silently.
Magic University, Cafe:
"Rin-chan, are you…are you bitter?"
"Not really, Mayumi. Actually, all I've really hoped for was to work on the team that would solve Gravity Control-Type Thermonuclear Fusion after my graduate studies were complete. I am not deluded about my talent. I'm not a genius. I'm just good enough to recognize it…" Ichihara Suzune bowed her head.
"Do you really think we'll find out who Taurus Silver is from this broadcast?" asked Watanabe Mari.
"I doubt it, Mari, I mean, 'the Mysterious Super Genius Taurus Silver' is such a good sales gimmick for Four Leaves Technology, right? And every time he pulls off something like this, it makes him seem even more mysterious and fascinating. A-chan could give you volume and verse…" said Mayumi with a saucy grin.
"I will tell you that I would be bitter, very, very bitter, if we do find out who he is, and it turns out he's young. If he's in his early thirties, or late twenties, I may lose it." remarked Suzune, lifting her head.
"No way, Rin-chan. I can barely read the technical books on Loop Casting, and the combination of electronics and magic for the Flying Device is just so hard to understand…"
"Yeah, gotta be, right? I mean, I can barely understand a page here and there in the technical papers he's published. His knowledge of magic has to be immense! That amount of knowledge must have taken decades to acquire. I bet he's over fifty." said Mari.
"At least sixty. Probably has a cane."
"Nah, he's over seventy, has a wheelchair or walker, and probably smells bad."
"Gotta be!" giggled Suzune.
"Kay, girls, I've gotta go. 1:45 at Suzune's apartment, right? Who else is going to be there?"
"Just A-chan. A-chan will be a bit late, though, she's got class."
"Ok, I've got to go too. I'll bring snacks! See you!"
Third Magic High School:
"Excited, George?"
"Oh, come on Masaki, there is no way that they're going to reveal the true identity of Taurus Silver. He's too good a publicity for FLT remaining as the 'Enigmatic Genius'. Though I have to admit, Gravity Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor…maybe they'll reveal it after all. He'll just have solved not one but two of the Great Puzzles in Weight Magic. The man has got to be…awesome."
"Well, since we'll find out in a couple of hours…the prep going well for the new magic?"
"Slow, but safe. I mean this is new magic, after all. Herd control is just not documented well."
"Do not worry about it, George. It would be absolutely ok if we dropped the 'Shotgun'. Don't worry about the money my dad spent to buy the activation sequence; we still have a few months to go yet. If you can get it to work with your Invisible Bullet, that's fine, but if not, it's not. We'll focus on the other stuff we've prepared."
"I know you can't talk about the times you've spent with 'him', because it's Clan business, but how is 'he' in real battle?"
"Brilliant, terrifying, and enigmatic. I still have NO idea about half the magics he used. I'll tell you this, George, if we faced him in real battle, no restrictions, we'd lose for sure. The guy casts magic faster than I'd thought possible, and whatever the hell he used…I really, really wish I could tell you everything, George. My grades say I'm a good magician, and I thought I understood magic well, but seriously…I feel like an idiot." Kichijouji Shinkurou had never asked any questions about the time Masaki had joined Juumonji Katsuto and of course, "him" in hunting down Jiedo Heigu. His expression had been…harrowed. From what little Masaki had been willing to talk about, Jiedo Heigu had been cornered in a block of old abandoned warehouses…but it had actually been a trap. The warehouses had been filled with magical and mechanical Death Traps…and Masaki's eyes had been haunted as he simply stopped talking at that point. He then rubbed his left arm as if…something. George would wait, until Masaki was ready, or even if he was never ready, that was fine.
"Well, Masaki, with Non-Systemic, they say every single magic in that group is its own exception. Anyway, this year is a LOCK!"
"This year for sure! I'll tell you this, George, just between you and me, I don't care if we win the NSC this year, as long as we beat Shiba Tatsuya in Monolith Code, I will count my high school years a triumph."
"I'm sorry Masaki, since I get two cracks at him and you only one. I really wish you could help in the Thesis Competition…"
"That's completely fine, George. I know I'm a physical type. Anyway, we're going to take 2 brand new magic's with us to this year's NSC. Three if you can get 'Shotgun' to work. I think that's enough, eh?"
"Unless the guy manages to hire Taurus Silver, we're going to win for sure. Meet you in the Common Room before 2pm?"
"See you."
USNA, Arlington, Virginia:
"Hello?"
"Lina? It's Sylvie. Did you hear the news?"
"Yep, I got some snacks, did my homework and unless I'm summoned, I'm going to veg out on my couch and watch. Wanna come?"
"Sure. At this point, everyone should just watch the broadcast. I mean, there's already too damned much speculation for my nerves here at Data Analysis. I just want to slap some of the people on the back of the head and say 'you moron! Those are just WAGs!'(Wild Ass Guesses) Well, WHOEVER Taurus Silver is, he's stirred up a huge ruckus. I hear there's already an analysis and response group forming in the Pentagon. Are they just stupid? Nobody knows anything right now! Gah!"
"That's why I'm in my quarters. Isn't 'Military Intelligence' an oxymoron?" snarked Angelina Kudo Shields.
"Well, you're in the military too. By the way, Lina, don't you have a FLT CAD?"
"Yep, and don't I get razzed about having a personal CAD made in Japan. I really like my SilverPad. And it's not even like I don't use the issue stuff, but your personal should be your choice, right?" Lina touched the Silver Thought Control CAD around her neck. It had been a very pleasant surprise this Christmas to receive it addressed from the Shibas. As frustrating as her mission had been, she had made some good memories…good friends and rivals…and met an incredibly dangerous, frustrating, and mysterious boy…no, man…
"Well, whatever. It's not like it's going to hurt Maximilian Industries if they lose one sale. I just wanted to know if you were excited."
"To see them solve the Second Great Puzzle of Weight Magic, yes, but there's just no way they'll reveal Taurus Silver's identity without a lot more hoopla. I mean he's already solved the First Great Puzzle, right? And I bet it doesn't hurt FLT's sales to keep him mysterious and unknown. He'd be a lot less interesting if everyone knew who he was."
"Yeah, you're right. Ok, I'll see you in a bit."
"Could you bring some yogurt covered pretzels? I forgot to pick up some."
"No prob."
"Thanks!"
First Magic High School, 1:56 PM:
The entire Student Body was seated and already getting impatient as they saw the Four Leaves Technology logo on the big wall monitors that Kosaka Kyosuke had set up, with a lot of extraneous "advice". And where was Shiba Tatsuya? He was offstage, sitting calmly, enjoying what may be the last quiet moment of his life…
"Are you ok, Tatsuya-san?"
"I'm just…thinking, Honoka. My old life is ending, and I'm about to walk forward to...I'm remembering all the good times and the bad ones, and the all the memories we all made together. " Honoka sat down next to Tatsuya, and smiled. Tatsuya had actually been reviewing on all the plans that he, Youtsuba Maya, and Major Kazama had made. This whole operation was incredibly complex and depended so much on factors they couldn't control, on events that they could not predict, and of course, there was no way to know what was going to happen. But this didn't mean that he couldn't give Honoka a response that would make her feel better…to hopefully make HER less nervous. They had prepared as best as they could, they had prepared as many contingencies as could be foreseen, the rest depended on their skill in improvisation to counter the unexpected. Despite the upper limit to Tatsuya's emotions, he wouldn't be human unless he did feel at least some of the tension and stress before something like THIS…
"It's going to be ok, Tatsuya-san. You know we're always going to be there for you, right?"
"Thank you, Honoka. Please excuse me." Tatsuya got up to head for the bathroom, intending to splash some cold water on his face. He had read in one of the fiction books that Miyuki had given him (in order to help him understand normal human relationships) that this is what people do before pivotal moments in their lives. While he was skeptical to its efficacy, it was worth a try. This was the last calm before the storm…
"Onii-sama!" Tatsuya motioned Miyuki to stay as he continued on…
"Nerves." Said Honoka succinctly (and incorrectly) as Miyuki looked worried. At this Miyuki smiled, though not for the reason that Honoka thought. "It is so not true that Onii-sama doesn't feel anything." Books on psychology that she's read about people who have had parts of their brain injured or removed by surgery indicated that in some cases (age being the most important factor), the patients gradually recovered lost cognitive functions over time…and though Mental Interference Magic wasn't the same thing, she always had hoped her beloved would gradually gain back what he had lost when he was 6 years old…
In truth, the person who was the most on edge, closest to losing it or exhibiting symptoms of an uncontrollable manic state was…Miyuki. For years, even their friends had dismissed her attitude of "Onii-sama is perfect in every way" attitude, ascribing it as mere "hard-core brocon complex". Now, after last night, they've finally been introduced to the incredible towering genius that he is, achievements that have been praised throughout the Entire World, it was all they could do to keep from showing their awe at the friend they thought they knew...this was merely what should be. When her Onii-sama had won against all the odds against one of the strongest combat magicians of his generation, the Ichijou "Crimson Prince", when he destroyed Blanche almost single handed, when their friends were helping Onii-sama hunt parasites, hunt Zhou Gongjin, and were breathless at seeing his matchless skills in combat…this was merely what should be. Now the whole world would be shaken by his footsteps, as he shows them the new Technology he had literally created from nothing, as his ideas and inventions heralds a new age for all of Mankind…this was merely what should be. Now her Onii-sama and she would live the rest of their lives, as man and wife, this is what should be!
But the world didn't work as it should. Miyuki had wept for her Onii-sama, denied the proper recognition for so many years, and the worst part was his complete indifference to the acclaim that should have been his. Miyuki cared not for the mindless adulation of the masses, or the vulgar hordes desperately seeking time with her precious Onii-sama out of self-interest or gain, but it was criminal that he would be denied the place he had ALREADY earned in the history books, under an ALIAS!
Miyuki wasn't the type to have a false sense of reality. Onii-sama had patiently explained his logic, and his reasoning, and promised her a "Year of Glory" as he stepped forward from the concealing shadows. Their secrets would inevitably come out, as the attention of the Entire World focused on the couple…that much was as inevitable…her love that was forbidden, that would be the object of scorn and disgust, and his power that the world would not, COULD not dare to allow the existence of, a power that held a loaded gun to every man, woman and child on this planet…inevitably they would find no place in the world of men and women. His conclusion from this was as inevitable, as was the solution elegant…and heartbreaking. But that would be then, this was the NOW…
Honoka watched Miyuki and Tatsuya-san lean closer to converse before heading off to their seats in the auditorium. She thought back to the first times she had met Shiba Tatsuya, and even then (as now) her fingers had twitched in an almost uncontrollable urge to try to tame the trademark cowlick on his forehead. (a lock of hair that grows in a direction different from the rest and that resists being combed flat) Now, her (though she knew it had never been true) Tatsuya-san was literally about to become a figure in the history books. Honoka had never deluded herself as to who she was, just an ordinary girl with the extraordinary gift of strong magic. He literally was an existence she could never understand. They say that genius was the ability to comprehend very complex things in a very simple fashion, and Honoka had seen that yet again last night, after they had all watched the previously prepared broadcast that would air for the entire world in just a few minutes, with the almost throwaway comment by Shiba Tatsuya that he knew how to solve the last Great Puzzle of Weight Magic…
Monday, April 14, 2097 Common Era (after watching the footage of what would be broadcast the following day, still at the Shiba residence):
"Tatsuya-san, you…you know how to solve the Third Great Puzzle of Weight Magic?"
"Actually I've known since our freshman year. It's just that the technology to actually implement it has been lacking, until we made the breakthroughs in February and now it's possible to actually build it."
"Tatsuya-san, you've known since your freshman year?!"
"Sorry Honoka, can I interrupt? I've never really understood the Third Great Puzzle. I mean what perpetual motion has to do with interplanetary travel…"
"And I've never quite understood either." Everyone trusted and liked Tatsuya's explanations. This had always been true; they relied on him to explain concepts in magic they had trouble with. And it was always fun to watch Tatsuya-kun go professor mode…
"Ok, guys. First, from an engineering viewpoint, all three of the Great Puzzles are about solving the problems in interplanetary and interstellar travel. For example, in this context Generalized Flight magic is really all about a way to move the larger components of an interplanetary craft to outside the Earth's gravity well. This way, you only need to build a craft with an interplanetary drive, rather than build and use multiple ascent engines to move your major components into orbit. You don't have to worry about streamlining, because you're going to float your components outside the atmosphere, and you don't have to build each part it with the structural integrity to survive the high g-forces generated from an orbital ascent. Whether or not you use a rocket or the Kilimanjaro mass-driver, an orbital ascent generates hundreds of G's stress to the frame, and internals. The idea is to use Generalized Flight magic to float your interplanetary vehicle to a Lagrange point, outside of the Earth's effective gravity well. This way you don't have to worry about the Earth's orbital velocity, no need to assemble your vehicle in Earth orbit. And you don't have to worry about changing from one to another inertial frame of reference…"
"Urm…help? Inertial frame of reference?"
"The Earth is orbiting the sun at about 30 kilometers a second. Let's say you want to travel to Mars. Mars orbits the sun at 24 kilometers a second. For the Mars expedition of 2051, they built the vehicle in low earth orbit, which is about 7 kilometers per second. Each of these orbits is their own inertial frame of reference, and to travel from one to another, like from Earth to Mars require fuel. Not only do you have to travel the distance from Earth to Mars, you also have to match the orbit of Mars around the Sun. What Generalized Flight Magic does is similar to Flash Step (personal inertial reduction magic), in that the magic TEMPORARILY renders an eidos exempt from the current inertial frame of reference. Once the magic terminates, it goes back to the original frame of reference. This is why when Flash Step terminates, you stop instantly. If you move an object from the Earth's surface to a Lagrange point with Generalized Flight Magic, once the magic ends, it will stay at the Lagrange point, because like the Earth, a Lagrange point is a stable point in the Earth's orbit around the Sun. While it is impractical to use Generalized Flight magic to put objects into EARTH orbit, it is completely practical to use Generalized Flight magic to put objects into SOLAR orbit. You start out with the inertial frame of reference of an object on earth, which orbits the sun, and you end with the same inertial frame of reference of an object orbiting the sun, at a Lagrange point. You don't even need to expend fuel to move from Earth orbit to a solar orbit, which requires you to dump the velocity generated to reach Earth orbit. A zero sum equation. An engineering dream…" Tatsuya smiled. If only dealing with people could be as simple as physics…
"Urm…Lagrange point?"
"Stable points in the orbit of the earth around the sun where if you put satellites, their orbits will never decay. Now, that's Generalized Flight Magic. Incidentally, we can't really use Generalized Flight Magic for building up the current near Earth orbital infrastructure. We can't put up satellites with Generalized Flight Magic, because while we can use Flight magic to leave the atmosphere, we still need to generate the 7 kilometers per second velocity to achieve a geosynchronous or low Earth orbit. Otherwise, it falls straight down. But once you leave the Earth's gravity well using Generalized Flight magic, Lagrange points are no problem, because you've never lost your original orbital velocity of an object orbiting the sun."
Tatsuya suddenly looked thoughtful, and scribbled something on his pad.
"Um?"
"Sorry, a thought. While you can't use Generalized Flight magic to put satellites into low earth or geo-synch orbit, you might be able to use it as a method to generate a gravity assist to achieve the delta-v for a Molniya orbit (a highly elliptical earth orbit) if you drop your payload at about a million kilometers away, so it falls toward the earth…I wonder how much additional thrust it would need to generate the 3 kilometers per second needed…no, simpler to use Field Equations rather than classical Newtonian mechanics to describe…because you're outside the orbit of the moon, you'd have to use the barycenter of the Earth and Moon…"
Erika wrapped her arms on her head, and everyone (except Tatsuya, who was still thinking, and Miyuki who was watching Tatsuya-kun enraptured) smirked. This was in reference to the group's joke about how "Tatsuya's head must hurt all the time because he's always thinking really hard things."
"And the second Great Puzzle?"
"That's simple enough. Once beyond the orbit of Mars, solar radiation falls dramatically, so you need something other than solar cells to power your spaceship."
"Ok, development of a perpetual motion device using the…"
"Development of a perpetual motion device based on the model of unlimited inertial expansion."
"Thanks."
"Let's look at the wording. A perpetual motion device has only one meaning to a physicist. A Perpetual Motion Device is something that violates the first and second laws of thermodynamics, covering the conservation of energy, and the tendency of entropy to increase. Not possible. The universe just doesn't work that way. But to an engineer, it violates something even more fundamental. It violates the rules of TANSTAAFL, and this is why it fascinated and still fascinates engineers today."
"TANSTAAFL?"
"A term from before space flight, comes from a USNA author? (Robert A. Heinlein, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress") TANSTAAFL stands for 'There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". Despite the double negative in the original English, it means in engineering there is no way to do something without cost. All Perpetual Motion Machines imply extracting energy from…nothing. Of course, magic constantly seems to violate the first and second laws, though that may simply be due to the fact we don't know enough laws…"
"And the Infinite Inertial Expansion?"
"Inertial contraction is increasing mass, inertial expansion is decreasing mass. It all comes down to Classical Relativity. The closer and closer you get to the speed of light, your spacecraft increases in mass. Eventually, near the speed of light, your spacecraft will become almost infinite in mass, infinite inertial COMPRESSION. So this sets up a limiter. The faster you travel, the more outrageously powerful your engines have to be. And by the time you get to really useful velocities, enough to visit the nearer stars in a human lifetime, your starship will require almost infinite energy to accelerate. So the idea is to somehow use inertial reduction or expansion, to bypass this vicious cycle…in effect, a contradiction in physics, a way to DECREASE the energy needed as your spacecraft goes faster and faster...a true perpetual motion… "
"Huh?"
"Classical Relativity tells us that as your velocity increases, your mass increases. So it takes more and more energy the greater the inertial compression. Let's invert that. If you DECREASE the inertial mass, it should be able to extract velocity from the inertial expansion. Simple and elegant, it turns out that the Lorentz Transformation equations to describe both contraction and its inverse, expansion, solves correctly. Remember also I'm talking about real space velocity, not the 'pseudo' velocity when using Flash Step or other inertial reduction magic. That falls under the category I described before, as an exemption from your local inertial frame of reference. You lose that velocity when the magic ends. So a fully realized solution to the Third Great Puzzle is a real space propulsion system that actually uses LESS power the faster it goes, inverting the limits imposed by Classical Relativity, extracting energy from itself, a true perpetual motion machine, using the magic for inertial expansion."
This actually wasn't correct. A full solution for the Third Great Puzzle was "infinite inertial expansion" or reducing the rest inertial mass of a spacecraft to zero…which according to General Relativity would instantly accelerate the space craft to light speed. As this was impossible (the spacecraft would immediately assume infinite mass when the magic ends, and most likely instantly collapse smaller than its Schwartzchild radius, becoming a black hole…travelling at near light speed!), it was implied that a full solution could never be achieved. That is why magic engineers sought a partial solution, a "realizable" solution, something they could actually build…
"And there's a magic to do that?"
"Yes, and it depends on the answers to three questions. First of all, I have to order two satellites, in geosynchronous orbit above the earth's magnetic poles. Its long been speculated, that due to the fact that psions are affected by magnetic fields, that the earth's north and south magnetic poles are super saturated in un-individualized psions. The Earth's population is around 6 billion, and as you all know people produce psions, even if they're not magicians. Those psions have to go somewhere, and we've always suspected that the Earth's Van Allen belt acts like a collector."
"Van Allen belt?"
"The center of the Earth is a giant sphere of molten iron. Due to the fact that the Earth is rotating, it is rotating as well, due to Coriolis Effect. This generates the Earth's magnetic poles. Like any magnet, the earth is thus surrounded by a magnetic field, the Van Allen belt. This field is actually vital to the earth being inhabitable, in that it deflects solar wind. Otherwise, like Mars, which lost its magnetic field millions of years ago, solar wind would have eventually abraded away most of our atmosphere, like the Mars of today. Now, we all know that despite not fitting the Standard Model of Physics, psions are still affected by electrical and magnetic fields, right? Otherwise CADs couldn't work. The speculation among Magic Researchers has always been that the Van Allen belt collects all the un-individualized psions generated by the Earth's population, and it would concentrate them above the North and South poles."
"Tatsuya-kun, if this is so, why hasn't anyone tried to use this source of psions?"
"Un-individualized psions, or psions that are not generated by a single magician, or under his or her control, is just Cast Jamming. Magicians can't use them, but this can." Said Tatsuya, holding up a "Silver Stone".
"So, the idea is that we put collectors over the North and South magnetic poles, and we can power the magical devices in our interplanetary, and eventually, interstellar ships using the aggregate psions from everyone on Earth. This is the real reason I've called this project 'ESCAPES'. It really stands for 'Extra Solar Communications And Propulsion for Exploration and Settlement'. Even while working on the Generalized Gravity magic, I've been aiming at and I've always been aiming for the Stars." On Earth, Tatsuya's ability to decompose matter into energy was an unimaginable and intolerable threat to humanity. On an interplanetary or interstellar craft, as the Chief Engineer, or more specifically the Engine of such a craft, converting matter into energy was an unimaginable asset and necessary to make such a craft practical. Given the unimaginably vast distances involved in just Solar System travel, much less interstellar travel, you absolutely needed incredible power sources. Or do you? It had been a complete shock to Tatsuya when he realized the potential in his solution to the Third Great Puzzle, which could be MORE efficient than even a spacecraft powered by "E=MC^2"… Tatsuya found it ironic that he personally had created technology that made his designs for a fusion powered, or TC powered (Total Conversion of matter into energy) explorer pretty much obsolete…Tatsuya had created and worked on multiple projects called "ESCAPES" over the years, each really a subproject of his one overriding dream, of exploring the very stars themselves…to justify his very existence. Even in his private documents, he had always laid out the project goals for ESCAPES (version 1, 1.4, 2.2 and so on) as a way for magicians to "escape" their fates as living weapons… this would of course, include himself.
Everyone was speechless for a few seconds. Miyuki, who more than anyone appreciated her Onii-sama's incomparable intellect and the depth and breadth of his imagination, was again reminded of T. E. Lawrence. She softly quoted, "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."
"Um…um…the other two questions, Tatsuya-kun?"
Tatsuya grinned evilly, and looked at Chiba Erika.
"What?"
"Erika, do you have full legal ownership and copyright over the Chiba family magic 'Yamatsunami'? And what kind of a bribe would you accept? That's it, those are the three questions."
"'Yamatsunami'? Tatsuya-kun, what are you talking about?"
"The Chiba family magic 'Yamatsunami' can allow us to achieve Jupiter orbit in less than 100 days of travel time and it could eventually give mankind the Stars."
"Tatsuya, what the heck?!"
"When I helped you refine 'Yamatsunami Tsubamegaeshi', I realized that unlike every other inertial-reduction magic I knew, 'Yamatsunami' somehow stores the inertial energy, and instead of the enhanced slash at the end with Orochimaru, this can be modified to generate velocity in real space."
Tatsuya kept quiet about his personal speculations on the exact mechanism used by Yamatsunami to "store" the inertial energy. Tatsuya suspected that Yamatsunami somehow stored the inertial energy as superimposition of several eigenstates, and generated a wave function collapse, or a quantum decoherence at the end. As none of his friends had studied Quantum Mechanics, it would only serve to confuse them. And anyway, the idea that Yamatsunami exhibited quantum mechanical properties at a MACRO level was still a shock to Shiba Tatsuya. Tatsuya sighed mentally. There were so many demands on his schedule, and it would be a while before he could allot some time to investigate this lovely little puzzle…All magic engineers rigorously studied physics and the other "hard" sciences. As magic was the ability to "deftly deceive the world" you have to have a pretty good understanding of how the world works normally before setting out to "con" it…
"Tatsuya-kun, 'Yamatsunami' doesn't work that way…"
"I'm sorry Erika, it does work that way. At the end of 'Yamatsunami' you're enhancing the inertial of 'Orochimaru'. Your slash can reach up to ten metric tons of force, right? From a physics viewpoint, enhancing the slash of your sword is exactly the same as propelling your body forward. 'Yamatsunami' multiples the mass and velocity of your sword at the end, why not change the magic to multiply the mass and velocity of your body at the end? As I said, the equations are the same. So, let's say you want to go to Mars. You generate real velocity using your engines, and after you've reached a certain velocity, you activate 'Yamatsunami'. Naturally, you'd cover a huge distance in a flash, due to the inertial reduction. Then when 'Yamatsunami' terminates, the stored inertial energy from the inertial reduced 'run' can be used by the magic to add velocity to the spacecraft in real space. I like the term 'Yamatsunami Drive' for the magical device that would be used, but Miyuki likes the term 'pushmipullyu' that she got from some children's book she read years ago. She says it's more descriptive." (pushmipullyu is the two headed animal from "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle" by Hugh Lofting)
"I kinda have to agree with Miyuki, since if you're using this propulsion system, you're constantly running on inertial reduction, and extracting real space velocity, then going back on inertial reduction, and extracting real space velocity. In fact, from my tests, this is a positive feedback system, so the faster you go, the MORE velocity you extract this process is. As you move faster and faster, your mass increases, making this process progressively more and more effective. Beautiful… In effect, the 'Yamatsunami' drive becomes a velocity multiplier. I did some initial tests a while back, and every time you run the sequence, you're multiplying your velocity by 1.84 times. In under a solar year, just by running the 'pushmipullyu' ten times a day, a spacecraft can reach a significant fraction of light speed using this… There are maybe too many questions that have to be answered before we launch the first interstellar ship for our lifetimes, for example, does the velocity multiplication continue at significant fractions of the speed of light, what to do about interstellar dust accelerated to relativistic speeds hitting our interstellar craft, and visible light Doppler shifted to hard gamma killing the crew, but the technology is sound and it does work." A propulsion system that actually becomes MORE powerful the faster you go…unbelievable. And a direct contradiction of all common sense. (at least to a physicist) No wonder that this system was described as "Development of a PERPETUAL MOTION DEVICE based on the model of unlimited inertial expansion."
Everyone had looked at Tatsuya as if he had grown a second head. (Mizuki loved Douglas Adams) To dream of the stars when you're just a teenager, and to ACTUALLY develop the magical technology to realize his dream…
Of course, we could always leave it to Leo to have the last word…or at least attempt to.
"So, Tatsuya, you've created not just one but TWO space drives that use the hybrid of magic technology and real technology?" Leo was referring to the fact that Tatsuya had already revealed a magic based spacecraft AND aircraft propulsion system during his presentation that actually didn't use the Third Law of Motion… (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) he called the "Impulse Drive"…
"Baka! Aho! Magic technology IS real technology!"
"There's no way I'll accept that from the person who scored worse than me in theory, Erika!"
"Two point difference, Leo!" As everyone sighed at the usual thing, Leo and Erika went at it again…
Mitsui Honoka had realized last night that Shiba Tatsuya would, could never be hers. She remembered vividly the very instant she had fallen in love with Tatsuya. It happened when Tatsuya had displayed his kindness in saving her from suspension or even being expelled in that confrontation with Morisaki in her freshman year. It was a gradual, slow awareness over the years as she realized that he wasn't just a kind, thoughtful person, but that he was truly and honestly exceptional and…brilliant beyond her comprehension. He was flying away from her at the speed of light, and she lacked the wings to follow. (to be more accurate, he was flying away from her at a significant fraction of light speed, but then again, Honoka had good grades in physics) Now, in just a few moments, Shiba Tatsuya would join Einstein, Tesla, Darwin and other Names throughout history whom had changed the world itself with their ideas…
Mitsui Honoka would never realize that this was the real reason why she would never "be" with Shiba Tatsuya. She thought herself as someone ordinary, who had no "right" to someone as extraordinary as he was. She simply lacked the courage to see herself as being "worthy" to follow Tatsuya, to become more than she thought she was, or thought she could be. And this would be a sadness that she would feel the rest her life and a deep regret that she would never quite understand…
Tuesday, April 15, 2097 1:59 PM First Magic High School, Main Auditorium
Thirty seconds before 2:00 PM, a countdown timer appeared in the center of the Four Leaves Technology logo…
"Five, Four, Three, Two, One!" everyone counted down…as the timer reached "0" a picture filling the whole screen appeared on the monitor.
The first image seen by the students, and simulcast to the entire world showed a crudely assembled collection of electronic parts with a simple card identifying this as "Proof of Concept: Prototype for Loop Cast System, November 8, 2092 CE. Actualized by Taurus Silver, FLT."
The next image showed a simple CAD, a T-7 type FLT Sagittarius Series, with the astonishing information "First Sustained Gravity Control Flying CAD, working Prototype, July 19, 2095, CE. Programmed by Taurus Silver, FLT." To think they'd ever see the first working prototypes of the devices that literally revolutionized Modern Magic…
The third and final image caused a simultaneous gasp from all the Third and Second year students seated in the Auditorium. It was pictures of the Stellar Furnace Experiment, clearly showing Shiba Tatsuya as the coordinator, with two unbelievable sentences identifying it. "Stellar Furnace Experiment, Sustained Gravity Control Type Magic Sequences Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor, April 25, 2096 CE. Experiment designed by Taurus Silver, FLT."
While Einstein had disproved the concept of two events separated by physical distance happening simultaneously(due to the speed of light) as all the second and third years in First High School gaped in shock at the monitor as they recognized the pictures from the Stellar Furnace Experiment, several things happened at the exact same time…
Ichijou Masaki and Kichijouji Shinkurou stood up in disbelieve as they saw a picture of "him" on the monitor in Third High's Common Room. What does Shiba Tatsuya have to do with Taurus Silver…?
Angelina Kudo Shields choked on a yogurt covered pretzel at seeing a picture of Shiba Tatsuya on the monitor in her apartment. Now, had events happened even slightly differently, Shiba Tatsuya might have further changed the Military Balance of the Entire World by being responsible for the death of yet another Strategic Class magician, Angie Sirius, but fortunately a well-timed thump on back by Sylvia Mercury First averted yet another Geo-Political Military Crisis…Whack!
"What the…" exclaimed Saegusa Mayumi in stunned disbelief. This had to be a mistake of some kind… Ichihara Suzune, and Watanabe Mari, who were visiting Suzune's apartment to watch this broadcast, mirrored her expression of utter disbelief.
Human beings, when confronted with a sight that they cannot believe, experience a sensation metaphorically like tilting a pinball machine. They refuse to process any more data until a correction was made…of course, if further information provided was even more unbelievable, various and unusual noises tend to come out of their mouths…
"TATSUYA-KUN?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! NO WAY! SHIBA IS TAURUS SILVER?! 'HE' IS TAURUS SILVER?! MY TARGET WAS TAURUS SILVER?! OUR TARGET WAS TAURUS SILVER?! BUH! UWA! GUH! " were shouted by Saegusa Mayumi, Ichihara Suzune, Watanabe Mari, Ichijou Masaki, Kichijouji Shinkurou, Angelina Kudo Shields, Sylvia Mercury First, and the entire Student Body of First Magic High School, (the three different incoherent shouts came from the Student Body of First High School) as the cutaway revealed a conference room, decorated with a prominent FLT logo, and a young man and woman dressed in the uniform of First Magic High School they all recognized instantly…
"Hello, my name is Shiba Tatsuya. I am one half of the composite individual known as Taurus Silver; I am the Magic Engineer Silver. The other half of Taurus Silver is the director here at Third Division of FLT, Mr. Ushiyama. He is Mr. Taurus. This arrangement was created not for any nefarious reasons, but simply because when I created the non-systemic magic sequence that makes Loop-Cast possible, I was 13, and when I created Generalized Gravity Controlled Flight Magic, I was 16. I was too young to sign the papers for the International Patents necessary for commercial use of the technology created by my designs. As you can see by my uniform, I am still a student at First Magic High School, but as I will be turning 18 later this month, the conditions necessary for joint signatures no longer apply."
Turning to his side, Tatsuya grinned at the sight of Shiba Miyuki holding up a simple sign that read "Dear Friends and Acquaintances, please close your mouths lest an insect fly in!" Miyuki was grinning like an urchin, with dancing, merry eyes. The Auditorium at First Magic High rang with the sound of six hundred jaws snapping shut…
"This is my cousin, fiancé, and of course part time tsukkomi (comic straight man) Shiba Miyuki." Miyuki grinned at her Tatsuya, stuck out her tongue, and put away the sign.
"I'm here to talk to you today about Magic. Much of what you all thought you knew about Magic is quite simply false…"
-To Be Continued-