[Episode 11: Nine Schools Competition - Part 4]

"Right, I'll be heading out now," Tatsuya said as he finished preparing the equipment for tomorrow's competitions. As he stepped out of the engineers' bus where he had been working, he felt that something was off. Using Elemental Sight, he was able to see three people running down the garden path...judging from the equipment they were boasting, they weren't military, which made them enemies. This conclusion was supported by the fact that a First High student was chasing them, preparing a spell. Upon closer inspection, Tatsuya saw that the student was, in fact, Yoshida Mikihiko, and that the spell he was readying would take out the three enemies. Tatsuya decided to join Mikihiko, just in case anything went wrong; nothing did, however, and Mikihiko's plan worked flawlessly. It wasn't until Mikihiko had apprehended the three criminals that he noticed Tatsuya standing behind him.

"Who's there?"

"Mikihiko, it's me," Tatsuya said.

"Tatsuya?"

"Not dead," Tatsuya said as he checked the pulses of the three unconscious men. "That was masterful! From a blind position, you neutralized your targets in one shot, without fatally wounding them. That's the best possible outcome."

"Thank you, Tatsuya. I've heard rumors about what you can do - and for you to say that...it means a lot to me."

"I understand, Mikihiko. These rumors...could you tell me about them? I'd like to know what people are saying about me behind my back."

"Someone said that you can heal the gravest of injuries; another mentioned that it was you who partnered with Mayumi to destroy those terrorists back in April, and Erika once said that you're quite the genius."

"If I were to tell you, with all possibly modesty, that every single one of those things were true, would you be interested in accepting a job from me?"

"I would, indeed."

"I'm expecting more suspicious occurances, like this attempted break-in, to occur over the course of the NSC. I'd like you to keep your eyes open, and tell me if you see anything suspicious. You should work together with Mizuki; her eyes and your magic make a great combination." It wasn't like Tatsuya to play matchmaker, but hey, desperate times. "Also, I'd like you to do so with no questions asked."

"That's fine with me. Do you have someplace for me to start, or would you like me to roam around and follow any trails I find?"

"If you could start by reporting this to Security, that would be fine. Other than that, I'll leave it to your discretion."

"Oh - of course, Tatsuya. I'll get right on that," Mikihiko said as he used an agility-enhancing spell to leap back over the hedge and run towards the security office.

"My, my, Tatsuya. Outsourcing now, are we?" This time it was Tatsuya's turn to be surprised by a voice from behind, though he wasn't surprised for long.

"He's a valuable asset, Major Kazama," Tatsuya replied as he saluted. "Even though he lacks the self-confidence and self-reflection that would give him better control over his powers, he knows how to get things done, and understands the importance of not asking questions. Those are probably the result of being raised in the Yoshida family."

"For someone so inclined to do things himself, that's unusual, Special Officer," Major Kazama said, returning Tatsuya's salute. "Did he strike some chord in you? After all, that boy does seem to share your inward struggles."

"I've already graduated from that level of struggles," Tatsuya replied.

"In other words, you remember what it was like, eh?" Kazama's quick analysis of Tatsuya's actions was accurate.

~August 3rd, 2095~

"At last, the time has come to open the National Magic High School Goodwill Tournament of Magic Skills," the announcer said over the loudspeaker, "better known as the Nine Schools Competition. This year's tournament will follow the usual format, with five days each of official matches and rookie competitions, for a total of ten days. This year, all eyes will be on First High School - have they recovered from the terrorist attack in spring, and will that affect their performance in the competition? Will they get their third straight title, or will Third High School break that streak, in the same way that First High broke their streak two years ago?"

Tatsuya and his friends were watching the qualifying rounds for the Girls' Battle Board event, which was a combination of racing and surfing, with magic thrown in for an extra twist. One contestant from each school would participate in a three-lap race around a course that would be dangerous for regular surfers, including jumps over fifty feet high and many sharp and sudden turns. For the official girls' competition, First High's representative was Watanabe Mari, while the representative for the rookie girls' competition was Mitsui Honoka.

"Honoka, how are you doing physically?" Tatsuya asked as the racers were preparing. She would be competing later in the week, and it was imperative that she be in peak physical condition.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I've been training to build up my stamina, and I've also been getting more sleep."

"Honoka's getting quite muscular these days, you know!" Miyuki added.

"Come on, don't say it like that, Miyuki!" Honoka complained. "I'm not planning to turn into that kind of macho woman, okay?" At this, Tatsuya gave a brief chuckle. "See! Now even Tatsuya's laughing at me!"

"The only reason he laughed was because you chose a weird way to put it," explained Shizuku.

"Now you're joining in, Shizuku?" Honoka clearly felt betrayed. "Fine! I'm the odd one out, anyway. Unlike you two, I don't get to have Tatsuya watching my events."

"Well, but I will be doing the fine-tuning for you in Mirage Bat," Tatsuya interjected.

"But I can't ask you to take on my Battle Board match, right?" Honoka said. "Though Miyuki and Shizuku will have you for both their events."

"But I did take part in your practice sessions," Tatsuya replied, "and we came up with your battle plan together, so you're not being left out in any..."

"Tatsuya, that's not what Honoka is trying to tell you," Mizuki interrupted.

"Really, Tatsuya," Miyuki said, "I think you're being a bit too clueless."

"Oh, but you should have seen him yesterday with Mayumi!" cried Erika, before she realized what she had said would hurt Honoka. "Oh...wait...I mean...it's the one flaw you never knew Tatsuya had?" Even though Erika was trying to comfort Honoka, she still burst into tears. Helpless in the current situation, Tatsuya looked to Leo and Mikihiko for advice, but they both shrugged their shoulders as if to say "I don't know what to do, that's never happened to me before, lucky!" Leo may have been displaying that attitude more that Mikihiko was, but the end result was the same. Fortunately, the entire situation was put to rest by the event's announcer.

"Welcome to the Official Girls' Battle Board event. The third match of the trials will begin shortly. Athletes, please take your positions," she said, before reading off a list of the participants.

"Huh! She's just as snotty as ever," Erika said as she watched Mari, partly to distract Honoka from her earlier blunder and partly to emphasize how much she disliked Mari.

"First High School, third year, Ms. Watanabe Mari," the announcer read. A large group of the First High students - excluding Tatsuya and his friends, as they were not into overt displays of school loyalty - burst into cheer at this remark. To silence them, Mari lifted her arm and gave the audience a couple waves.

"I see she has some devoted fans," Tatsuya commented.

"It's understandable," replied Miyuki. "After all, Ms. Watanabe is quite cool."

"On your mark..." the announcer said.

A blank round from a pistol was fired, indicating the start of the race. Magic circles and designs appeared below the contestants' surfboards as they leapt - or rather, surfed - into action. One of the contestants activated a spell and directed it behind her; a large plume of water erupted in the middle of the racers, leaving nearly everyone off balance at the beginning of the race.

"A self-destructing spell?" Erika observed as Mari emerged from the chaos, unharmed and in the lead.

"Most likely, she was trying to throw off the other contestants by creating a huge wave," Tatsuya replied.

"Hey, they're back in the game!" Leo said as the other racers started picking up speed. In response, Mari cast another spell and gained an even greater lead over the others.

"Applying Fortification Magic while multi-casting Movement Magic, huh?" Tatsuya mused.

"Fortifying magic?" asked Leo, who always perked up at any mention of Fortification Magic. "What is she fortifying?"

"She's anchoring her relative position to her board to keep from falling off," Tatsuya replied, before deciding to explain in more detail. "Fortifying Magic isn't a spell for strengthening a substance. It's a spell for anchoring the relative position of components, usually on the atomic level, to keep them from moving. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Well, yeah," Leo responded, "since I actually use it myself."

"Ms. Watanabe has made herself and her board a single object comprising one component," Tatsuya continued, "and with that spell, she's anchoring its relative position. And she's casting Movement Magic on herself and the board, as a single entity."

"Oh?"

"Still, that's an interesting application," Tatsuya remarked. "So she's also using Vibration Magic? Impressive. She's multi-casting three to four types of magic spells continuously. She's quite the strategist."

"No, she's just not a nice person," Erika replied.

"Well, we know who's coming in first," Leo said as Mari's lead became even more prolonged.

"Yeah," Tatsuya replied.

~Later That Day~

The military officer escorting Tatsuya knocked on the door of the hotel room.

"Major Kazama, you have a guest."

"Come in."

"Excuse me," Tatsuya said as he entered the room.

"There you are," replied Major Kazama. "Hey, have a seat." Kazama and other officers were gathered around the dining table in Kazama's hotel room, with a spot left open for Tatsuya.

"No, I'm fine right here," Tatsuya replied, adhering to military discipline.

"Tatsuya, we didn't call you here today as Special Officer Ooguro Ryuuya, Strategic-class Magician," one of the officers said. "We invited you as our friend, Shiba Tatsuya. If you stand on ceremony with us, we won't know what to do."

"Captain Sanada..." Tatsuya said. "Very well. Excuse me." He bowed and took a seat.

~Elsewhere~

Mayumi was wondering what she had just witnessed. Tatsuya had approached the one of the military clerks and had said something to him; whatever Tatsuya said caused the clerk to bow - in respect - and lead Tatsuya to an elevator, after which Mayumi lost track of him. She only knew what floor he was on, and that wasn't very specific. What could Tatsuya have said to that man to inspire such respect? Mayumi wondered. He wouldn't have revealed his identity as Taurus Silver to some random officer if he didn't voluntarily reveal it to a member of the Ten Master Clans...but what else could it be?

~Major Kazama's Room~

"Teacups don't really capture the spirit, but how about a toast?" The young woman who had just spoken while setting a teacup in front of Tatsuya was Fujibayashi Kyouko, the granddaughter of Kudou Retsu and cousin to Angelina Kudou Shields; nicknamed the "Electron Sorceress," she was a powerful magician in her own right. Most of the people in the room had some form of magical expertise, for that matter.

"About last night's incident," Major Kazama said after the tea had been poured, "there's no question that those intruders are with the No-Head Dragons, which I mentioned to you the other day."

"Are they targeting the NSC, as you suspected?" Tatsuya inquired.

"That's still being investigated," the Major replied. "I'll let you know when we find out."

"Please do," Tatsuya said.

"Still, I'm amazed that you happened to be right there on the spot," Kyouko commented. "Were you on the lookout for something?"

"I was taking a walk when I happened to sense their presence, that's all," Tatsuya responded.

"At such a late hour?" Kyouko was being persistent.

"Well, I'd been fine-tuning our CADs for the matches," Tatsuya explained.

"Your teammates..." one of the other officers said, "do they know about 'Silver'?"

"Saegusa Mayumi and Watanabe Mari are aware, Major Yamanaka," Tatsuya replied. "They were persistent in their digging, but after I warned them off, they stopped looking for information on me. My connection to this unit and certain other factions remains a secret."

"And I take it that's why they wanted you as an engineer?"

"Indeed, Ms. Fujibayashi," Tatsuya replied.

"That's to be expected," she said. "But did they want you to actually compete? With your Flash Cast skills, I think you'd do pretty well. Of course there's Material Burst, but you also have Mist Dispersion."

"Dispersing substances at the molecular level as you do with Mist Dispersion is a Rank A Destructive Spell," Captain Sanada interjected, "so he can't use it at the NSC."

"What's this, Captain Sanada?" Kyouko said. "Didn't you know? NSC restrictions are placed on events that might have antipersonnel-related repercussions. Speed Shooting and Ice Pillars Break are exempt."

"Either way," interrupted Major Kazama, "casting top secret military-grade magic in a public tournament isn't a good idea, is it now? Tatsuya..."

"I understand, Major," he replied. "However, it seems very unlikely that an engineer like myself would end up competing."

"That's a matter of mindset," the Major responded. "All I need to know is that you're on the same page."

"One more thing, Tatsuya," Kyouko said. "As I'm sure you know, my cousin is here as an exchange student from America. She is slated to compete in both Monolith Code and Ice Pillars Break, opposite your sister."

"At the same time, we've noticed increased STARS activity in Japan," Major Yamanaka added. "Specifically, unsanctioned activity has spiked five percent since Ms. Shields' arrival; that's a five percent increase in the total amount of unsanctioned activity. Meaning that before Ms. Shields came to Japan, we could not detect any STARS agents in the country."

"It might be just a coincidence," Kyouko said. "But considering my cousin's heritage and magic power, she might have been recruited by STARS to spy on Japanese magic society. I hate to think such a thing, but..."

"Ms. Fujibayahi," Tatsuya said, "do you know why I chose the name Taurus Silver?"

"Didn't you base it off of your initials, when written in English?"

"That's right," he replied. "'Tatsuya Shiba' became 'Taurus Silver'...it's not especially creative, but no one's made that connection thus far."

"What about Ms. Watanabe and Ms. Saegusa?" asked Major Yamanaka.

"They were alerted to my identity by my ownership of two Silver Horns," Tatsuya replied. "I think that they still haven't figured out how I chose my alias, but that doesn't matter right now. As I understand it, Ms. Fujibayashi is concerned that her cousin Angelina Kudou Shields might be involved in STARS. Tell me - what is the name of STARS' current commander?"

"Angie Sirius."

~Outside The Hotel Room~

Mayumi had been searching the floor for a sign of Tatsuya, with no results. Suddenly, however, she heard the sound of a door opening down a nearby hall, along with the sound of voices, one of which she recognized as Tatsuya's. He was talking with a young woman, and what sounded like an older man - possibly a group of men. She managed to snap a picture of the woman from around the corner, but then she had to retreat as Tatsuya started walking in her direction. I'll send this to Mari, and have her forward it to Chiba Naotsugu later, thought Mayumi. Who was... her thoughts were interrupted as she looked up and saw Tatsuya standing in front of her. He had the same serious look on his face as he always did, but Mayumi sensed special concern attached to this expression.

"Mayumi, I understand that Mt. Fuji is a deluxe vacation spot, but wouldn't it be better to take pictures outside rather than inside?" His astute observation of her actions caused Mayumi to blush; she had been caught red-handed.

"I-I-I was just testing it out, Tatsuya! Besides, how funny is it that we ran into each other up here..."

"You could have just as easily 'tested it out' in the lobby of the hotel, Mayumi." He didn't fall for her misdirection.

"Ehh?" This made her even more embarassed; the fact that Tatsuya knew she had followed him from the front desk. How did he know...? she thought to herself.

"Either way, it would be best to delete any useless photos, wouldn't it?" he said. While this was phrased like a suggestion, it sounded more like a command, or even a threat.

"I...like...photos of hotels. They help me...design...things...?" As an excuse, hers was not up to par.

"Mayumi," he said, taking her by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes, "Trust me when I say that you should delete that picture." She was caught in a trance for a moment, looking into his eyes, before she regained her senses.

"No, Tatsuya! I told you, I like photos of hotels. Besides, it's my camera, and I can handle myself. I'm a really strong magician, you know. And I want to know - no, I need to know - if you're someone I can trust, or if you're someone who will break my heart, and since you won't tell me anything about yourself, you leave me no choice."

"I understand, Mayumi," he said, "and I'm sorry."

"You are?" she almost couldn't believe her ears. Was Tatsuya about to explain himself because of her emotional outburst? ...if so, then perhaps she should do that more often, despite the inherent impoliteness of such an act.

"I am, indeed, deeply sorry for this," he reaffirmed, before slicing his hand through the air. A beam of blue light went through the camera, and it exploded into its various individual components.

"Tatsuya...!" Mayumi was shocked that he would, that he could, do such a thing. "...that was my phone, Tatsuya! What did you do to my phone?!"

"I really am sorry, Mayumi, but as you yourself said, you left me no choice."

"If that's how it's going to be, then fine!" she said as she stormed off. "I now know which kind of person you are!"

What's going on with her? Tatsuya wondered. The other day she was happy and wanted to talk with me, but today she's angry. He thought about this for awhile, before coming to the conclusion that she must have been under a lot of stress and/or pressure from her family, and had been taking it out on him. Still, that doesn't explain the attempted espionage...

"Really, Tatsuya, I think you're being a little too clueless." Miyuki's words rang in Tatsuya's ear as he was pondering Mayumi's outburst. She had said something about breaking his heart...no, him breaking her heart. Did I say something to make her suspicious of me? Tatsuya thought. That's too broad of a question; many of the things I've said should have made her suspicious of me. Maybe this wasn't about me...maybe this was about Mayumi trying to make sense of...well, me. I have to make it up to her somehow, he resolved.

~Later That Day~

Mayumi had the unfortunate luck of having to compete that same day in the Speed Shooting qualifying rounds, which could easily be stressful in and of themselves, due to the high speed and accuracy required demanded from the atheletes; this was only compounded by the emotional turmoil Mayumi was experiencing. As she was walking out to the competition area, she was glancing at the crowd. In her mind she wasn't looking for anyone in particular, though subconsciously she was looking to see if Tatsuya was in the audience. And he was. With Miyuki, of course. And Chiba Erika...that brat. And a whole host of Tatsuya's other friends; some she had met, some she hadn't. As soon as she saw this, she turned an indignant shoulder to the crowd and stepped up to the platform where she was to stand for the competition. I'll show him, she thought. I'll show him that I'm a very capable magician. I've done this a hundred times before, and I've achieved a perfect score every single time. I could do this in my-"

The warning buzzer sounded. Mayumi put her thoughts aside - or so she thought - and shouldered her rifle-shaped specialized CAD. The countdown began...and then the green light turned on, accompanied by a buzzer of its own. The competition began. Within a second, the sky was filled with flying discs - clay pidgeons, they were called, and they were most commonly used for shotgun target practice or competitions. Over the one minute of competition time, one hundred clay pidgeons would be shot across the target zone, the ultimate goal being to destroy each one with magic. Harder versions of this sport, like the one Mayumi was competing in, had two contestants compete against one another using different-colored clay pidgeons, requiring the contestants to destroy only their own color of disc.

Mayumi was off to a good start. She already had thirty marks by the time her opposition had ten...but then she missed one. Her opponent was firing at a much slower rate, but she didn't miss; then again, the rate of accuracy wasn't a factor in this competition, so it didn't particularly matter. Mayumi was able to shoot another thirty before missing again; I'll bet this is Tatsuya's fault, she thought as she missed yet another clay pidgeon. By the end of the competition, Mayumi had a score of 94, with a total of six missed discs. Her opponent had a paltry score of thirty, and the victory easily went to Mayumi. Though she was glad that this was only a preliminary round and not the final, Mayumi was still upset with herself for missing six times. I haven't done this poorly in Speed Shooting since my training round for my very first Nine Schools Competition two years ago, she thought angrily. This was all Tatsuya's fault!

~Later That Day~

The Student Council was gathered in Mayumi's room for a celebratory cup of tea, which was going splendidly until Azusa made the mistake of asking Mayumi about why she missed some in Speed Shooting. That set Mayumi off on a rant about Tatsuya that lasted for quite a while; Mari was desparately trying to silence Mayumi before she said something that would alert Azusa and Suzune to Tatsuya's identity, considering Azusa's big mouth and Tatsuya's warnings against doing so. Suffice it to say, Azusa and Suzune were confused about the whole situation in general.

"...and then he used his stupid Ninjutsu magic to destroy my phone. My favorite phone, too!"

"But, Chairwoman, Tatsuya's not the kind of person to just randomly destroy a phone..."

"I don't care! He did it! Just go ask him yourself, A-chan, and he'll tell you."

"Chairwoman, if Mr. Shiba were to do such a thing, he must have had good reason..."

"Rin-chan. If he needed my phone destroyed, for any reason, the least he could have done was ask beforehand! Maybe there was another solution that he didn't think of!"

"Now, now, Mayumi. Don't get too heated over Tatsuya. You still have competitions to win."

"Fine, Mari. Just because First High's honor is on the line."

During all of this, Miyuki was awkwardly sitting off to the side, trying to avoid saying anything that could get her roped into the discussion. She did not want to have to try to defend her brother when she clearly didn't have all of the facts; she didn't even want to try to defend her brother at all, not when Mayumi was in such a state. Eventually, Mayumi became tired from her rant, and left to use the restroom.

"Mari, we need to get them to reconcile. I can't stand another minute of this, let alone a week."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Suzune. What events does Tatsuya have tomorrow?"

"He's free for the next two days."

"That's handy. Now we need to find some way to get him to work Mayumi's crowd ball event tomorrow."

"I know that Hanzo would like to tweak his CAD with Kinoshita from the technical staff tomorrow."

"Good thinking, Suzune! All right, Miyuki, will you let Tatsuya know?"

"Hai!"

~Elsewhere~

"So, what did you find on Shiba Miyuki?"

"Absolutely nothing, Angie. We couldn't find anything, from relatives, to an address, even to what school she attended before First High."

"That's impossible. She has to live somewhere. She's not a ghost."

"I was nearly caught just accessing her school records, Sirius. It is possible."

"What did her school records show?"

"She has a brother. Nothing special about him - he just barely passed the entrance exam, though he got a perfect score on the written portion of the test. School therapist's notes indicate that he wants to become a magic engineer. Other than that, I got nothing from the school records, at least nothing that you didn't already know."

"Sylvia, I think that this 'Shiba Miyuki' might be the undisclosed Strategic-class magician from that Okinawa incident, judging purely from the high level of secrecy surrounding her...not to mention her insanely high activation speed."

"But intelligence says that the magician you're looking for is male."

"I know, and I can definitely say that it's not Ichijou Masaki. But unless I find out who it actually is, Ichijou will be targeted."

"You want to frame this 'Shiba Miyuki,' don't you?"

"Aside from the fact that she's basically a walking secret, her level of magic power makes her a potential threat to the USNA."

"Don't try to justify this course of action, Angelina. Will you just give up the search if Shiba is framed?"

"Well, no..."

"You'd have to, otherwise you'd alert STARS that you lied."

"Then in that case, Sylvia, yes, I would give up searching for the Strategic-class magician."

"But that would leave the USNA vulnerable to attack from this unnamed superweapon, since they presume him to be dead when in fact he is not."

"But Sylvia...!"

"No buts, Angie. You didn't think this through before deciding on this course of action. You didn't even consider other solutions, such as ACTUALLY FINDING THE MAGICIAN. I daresay that would work ten times better than framing some innocent high school girl."

"Fine. But if I sense anything while battle Shiba Miyuki in Monolith Code, I want her investigated. Fully. No holds barred."

"Now that's a plan. But first, we should go over what we do know about the mystery magician."

"Hai."

~Later That Night~

"Is that why you came here so late at night?" Miyuki had just explained the Student Council's request to Tatsuya. Needless to say, he seemed kind of irritated.

"Oh, I'm so sorry if I'm inconveniencing you," Miyuki said sarcastically.

"No...it's not that," Tatsuya said with a chuckle. "It's just...is this a request from the Student Council or from the Chairwoman?"

"The Chairwoman is not aware of the details," Miyuki replied with a smirk. "She just knows that Kinoshita has been called away tomorrow, but that the Student Council has already found a replacement."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What do you mean, Tatsuya?"

"Well," he began, "are you sure this won't just make her even more mad at me?"

"Yes, I am," replied Miyuki. "As a matter of fact, just what did you do to enrage her so? Please tell me she didn't confess her love for you, but your serious face rebuffed her?"

"Nothing like that, Miyuki," Tatsuya replied. "If that was the case, I very well might not be alive right now. No, I caught her spying on me. She took a picture of me with Ms. Fujibayashi on her phone."

"Oh no..." said Miyuki, no longer feeling playful.

"I suggested that she delete the picture, but she was insistent."

"Tatsuya, you didn't..."

"I had no choice, Miyuki," said Tatsuya gravely. "When she wouldn't delete the picture, I just destroyed the phone."

"I can see why she would be mad, Tatsuya," said Miyuki, "but I can also understand why you did that. Our aunt-"

"Ahem."

"-my aunt wouldn't like it if your connection to the military was discovered," Miyuki said. "I can't imagine the military would be too happy, either."

"So you see-"

"But I do think there might have been a better way to resolve the situation, Tatsuya!" Miyuki said. "Ms. Fujibayashi is the Electron Sorceress, with the power to hack into nearly any system undetected. She could have easily just replaced - or deleted - the photo."

"But who is to say that the photo would not have spread during the time it took for me to contact Ms. Fujibayashi?" Tatsuya argued. "Mayumi could have sent it to Mari, who could have sent it to her Chiba boyfriend, who would probably recognize Ms. Fujibayashi. Someone from the Saegusa family probably could have recognized her, no less!"

"Really, Tatsuya..." Miyuki seemed annoyed with her brother. "Ms. Fujibayashi was standing maybe fifty feet behind you...she wasn't that far away."

"Either way," Tatsuya continued, "the point is moot. What's done is done. Our secrets are safe, and Mayumi is kept out of danger."

"So..." Miyuki said with a twinkle in her eye, "are you saying that one of your priorities was to keep 'Mayumi' safe?"

"Miyuki, please don't become Erika," Tatsuya said. "It's hard enough to shrug off her teases without you helping her."

"Fine, Tatsuya," Miyuki relented. "But we've strayed from the original question. Will you work on the Chairwoman's CAD tomorrow?"

"Miyuki..."

"If you don't want to do it to patch your relationship with Ms. Saegusa," Miyuki said, "then do it for the sake of the Student Council. Ms. Watanabe is fed up with trying to control Ms. Saegusa's outbursts out of fear that the Chairwoman might accidentally reveal something."

"Fine," said Tatsuya. "Now, since that's done, I'll walk you back to your room.

"Oh, no, I'll be fine on my own," Miyuki replied. "I can't trouble you any more than I already have...besides, the only girl you should escort to her room is 'Mayumi!'" Miyuki was having too much fun teasing her brother.

"I may have been in the middle of something," Tatsuya said, ignoring Miyuki's teasing, "but I was just fooling around, so don't worry about it. Besides, you've been here so long already, there's nothing more you could do to distract me from it."

"Okay," Miyuki said before looking at the screen behind Tatsuya. "Isn't that a CAD program?"

"It's got nothing to do with the NSC," Tatsuya said. "Plus, the program itself is pretty much a toy."

"A toy?"

"That's right. We'd better get going to your room now, otherwise we'll just keep talking and never get any sleep."

"Okay," replied Miyuki. "You know, it's nice to be able to talk to you like this."

"It is very nice," said Tatsuya. "And to think, just a month ago, you were ashamed to be around me."

"I still am, you know," Miyuki deadpanned. "I mean, it's a natural side effect: you're too clueless and always stumble into embarassing situations; how could I not feel ashamed?"

Tatsuya looked at her and blinked.

"Just kidding!" she said. "Mostly, whenever you do that, I just feel annoyed that I have to educate you in the ways of women. Again. And again. And again and again and again..."

"Well, in that sense, we're just like a regular brother and sister."

"Yes...isn't that a novel concept?"

~August 4th, 2095~

Mayumi's Crowd Ball qualification match would be taking place in about an hour. Tatsuya had arrived early to calibrate her CAD, with the intent of hopefully finishing before she arrived. Just in case she did show up, however, he had used a small portion of the large Yotsuba fortune to buy a top-of-the-line phone as a gift for Mayumi. It's the only thing I can do to make reparations, he thought, as I can't tell her the truth. Unfortunately for Tatsuya - or fortunately, depending on the perspective - he wasn't finished by the time Mayumi arrived to begin warming up.

"Tatsuya, what are you doing here?"

"The Student Council asked me to fine-tune your CAD before your Crowd Ball qualification match."

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go kill Mari."

"Mayu-" Her sharp gaze stopped him from using her name. "Chairwoman, I have something for you," Tatsuya said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. It was in a white box with green and black ribbon - First High's colors. Carefully, Mayumi took the box and opened it. She narrowed her eyes when she saw what was inside.

"This model hasn't been released yet. How'd you get it?"

"I have connections."

"What connections?"

Tatsuya didn't answer. He couldn't.

"Were you even listening to me yesterday, Tatsuya?" For some reason, the phone seemed to make Mayumi angry. "I'm not mad because you broke my phone, even though that was extremely rude and inconviencing. I'm mad because I don't know anything about you, and you never talk about yourself."

"I understood that perfectly, Chairwoman," Tatsuya said. "It was my intent to make reparations, but since I cannot answer your questions, the most I could do was replace your phone."

"How considerate of you," Mayumi said coldly.

"Look, Chairwoman-"

"Mayumi is fine," she interrupted. Progress.

"Mayumi, I promised you that I would answer your questions as soon as I could," Tatsuya said. "But I also warned you of what the effects of looking into my identity could be, and I know you understood the risks."

"I am the ojou-sama of the Saegusa clan, Tatsuya," Mayumi said. "I can handle myself pretty well in a fight, for your information."

"Mayumi," Tatsuya said, "the request that I made of you that day, and the one I made yesterday - they were not out of concern for my own safety." Tatsuya didn't say anything after that; he let the implication sink in.

"I, too, understand perfectly, Tatsuya," Mayumi replied. "But as we've been talking - which I have enjoyed immensely, I do admit - I've also been thinking. First of all, my family would not approve of a relationship with someone who is not from the Ten Master Clans. Second, I am not going to put myself in a position where my heart could be easily broken because I do not know who someone is; I'm smarter than that. So aside from our...familial differences...I still don't think there's much of a future for us if I can't trust you. Yesterday's incident just opened my eyes to that fact, Tatsuya."

"What does this mean, Mayumi?"

"I will always have your back, Tatsuya - as I do with every student of First High - and I hope you'll have my back," Mayumi replied. "But I don't think we should meet up on the side anymore."

"Very well," said Tatsuya. "Does this mean that you will never look into my affairs again?"

"Yes, you insensitive fool, it does," Mayumi said with a sigh.

"Then you are safe," Tatsuya replied, "and that's all I can ask for."

"Tatsuya..."

"Good luck with your Crowd Ball match, Chairwoman," Tatsuya said with a bow. "It's a shame I can't attend the round, but there are other duties which the Student Council has assigned me, so..."

"I understand, Tatsuya," said Mayumi. "Do your best - we're counting on you, Shiba Tatsuya!"

...Mayumi easily won the Crowd Ball match.

~Later That Day~

Tatsuya was watching Chiyoda Kanon's Ice Pillars Break competition from a special viewing box with Isori Kei, Shizuku, and Miyuki. Ice Pillars Break was a contest to see who could decimate their opponents' field of ice pillars - large, rectangular blocks of ice - first while protecting their own field from such decimation. Each field consited of twelve pillars arranged in a three by four grid, positioned so that the athletes stood on raised platforms behind their own field and in between the second and third columns of the field. Like Monolith Code, Ice Pillars Break was a crowd favorite because it was a great display of a student's magic power, though the reason it returned year after year at the NSC was not because of its popularity: the competition staff loved it, as it had the easiest cleanup of any event. The debris was simply water.

"How's Ms. chiyoda's condition?" asked Tatsuya as Kanon reached the top of the podium on which she stood.

"She's pretty pumped up," Kei replied.

"I hear she won the first round with the shortest time," said Tatsuya.

"Well, you know Kanon's personality," replied Kei.

"It's starting," interjected Shizuku.

"Landmine Source," Tatsuya observed as Kanon cast her first spell.

"That's right," affirmed Kei. "The Chiyoda family is known to be skilled in Long-range Solid Matter Vibration Type Magic, and especially in spells that cause the earth to vibrate." Two of the enemy's pillars cracked and fell to pieces.

"It looks like she bolstered her defenses, but she can't handle Ms. Chiyoda's attacks," commented Shizuku as another pillar cracked and tumbled down. Two more fell after that, and then even more; when the girl opposite Kanon was down to only four pillars, she changed tactics and began attacking Kanon instead of defending her remaining pillars. This startled Miyuki and Shizuku, while Tatsuya only noticed it as a casual observation.

"It looks like her opponent has switched to an offense-first strategy, but..." Tatsuya did not need to finish the sentence. Kanon's victory was becoming ever so sure as he spoke.

"Either she's really decisive," said Kei, "or her methods are slipshod... Take them out before you get taken out yourself. That's Kanon for you." At that moment, Kanon obliterated her opponent's last remaining ice pillar, winning the round.

"Well, no," disagreed Tatsuya. "As a strategy, I don't think it's wrong."

~Later That Day~

After her victory in Ice Pillars Break, Kanon, Kei, Tatsuya and Shizuku went to First High's command tents, stationed in a field just outside of the competition area. These tents, of which each school had one, served as the command center for each school's team during the day, as they were in a location central to each event. When they entered, they saw a group of students huddled over a laptop, including Ichihara Suzune.

"What's going on?" asked Kei.

"Since the Boys' Crowd Ball results weren't what we hoped for, we've been recalculating our projections for winning the overall title," replied Suzune.

"Considering our current lead, if we win the Official Girls' Battle Board, Boys' Ice Pillars Break, Mirage Bat and Monolith Code events, it should be safely within our reach," a student said.

"In other words, of the six remaining official matches, we have to win at least four of them?" asked Tatsuya.

"They may only be worth half the points," answered Suzune, "but it looks like our results in the rookie matches will sway our chances for the overall title."

~That Evening~

"Who knew that he'd build it and send it over in half a day?" Tatsuya said to himself as he examined the sleek black case in front of him. Just then, he heard a knock at the door.

"Tatsuya, would it be all right if I came in?" Miyuki said through the door.

"Come on in," Tatsuya replied.

"Excuse me," Miyuki said, opening the door halfway. To any ordinary viewer, it would appear that Miyuki was trying to hide something; Tatsuya, however, was no ordinary viewer thanks to Elemental Sight. He fully expected and was not surprised by what came next: Miyuki opened the door fully, and his friends followed her into the room.

"We've come over to play!" said Erika.

"Excuse me!" said Mizuki, which was promptly mirrored by Shizuku and Honoka.

"Hey, coming in!" said Leo.

"Excuse me," said Mikihiko.

"Miyuki dragged me into this," said the blushing Mayumi as she entered the room.

"Tatsuya, is this a Weaponized Integrated CAD, by any chance?" Erika, who had been one of the first in the room, was looking at the object inside the black case. At the mention of a Weaponized Integrated CAD, or simply a CAD that was built into a weapon, the entire room's interest was piqued.

"Correct," replied Tatsuya.

"Is that the toy you mentioned?" whispered Miyuki.

"Yeah," Tatsuya whispered back before going over the case and closing it. "Leo!" he said, throwing the case to his friend.

"Whoa!" Leo said as he caught it. "Tatsuya, look out, will you?"

"Don't you want to try it out?" he replied.

"Who, me?" Leo was suddenly interested.

"That's right," Tatsuya said. "I think it would be up your alley."

"I'm game..." Leo said after opening the case. "Sure, I'll be your guinea pig."