[Episode 14: Nine Schools Competition - Part 7]
"I'm Ichijou Masaki, a first year at Third High School."
"And I'm Angelina Kudou Shields, also a first year at Third High School."
"I'm Shiba Tatsuya, a first year at First High School."
"I'm Saegusa Mayumi, third year and Student Council President of First High School."
"So tell me," Tatsuya continued, "what do the Crimson Prince and Angie want with us? It must be serious, to break etiquette in such a manner." The way Tatsuya stressed 'Angie' and 'serious' immediately put Lina on alert, as it seemed like he was referencing Angie Sirius. She had previously been trying to avoid looking at Tatsuya for...personal reasons...but now she stared him down, trying to guess what he knew. Tatsuya only smiled. "Or is it Ms. Shields? I'm sorry if I was too presumptuous by calling you Angie. That is the common nickname for Angelina, is it not?"
"Huh?" Lina said, as Tatsuya's question broke her concentration. "Oh...yes, Angie is the common nickname, but I prefer Lina. You can call me Ms. Shields, however, since I don't know you."
"Very well, Ms. Shields." To Tatsuya, Lina's reaction confirmed her identity as Angie Sirius: not only had her attitude changed when he said 'Angie - serious,' but she also went out of her way to emphasize the fact that her nickname was Lina, not Angie. "But, if I may return to my original question, what do you want with us?"
"We want to congratulate both you and Ms. Saegusa," Ichijou said. "Sweeping the podium like that is no easy feat, especially when the athletes are only of the average variety."
"If our athletes are only average, Mr. Ichijou," said Mayumi, "then what level are your athletes at, since they didn't even place?"
"Make no mistake, Ms. Saegusa," Lina interrupted, "we would have won if Mr. Shiba had not been the engineer for the Speed Shooting event. He's likely the most prodigious engineer in the history of the Nine Schools Competition." She turned to Tatsuya. "We know it's probably rude to do this before the match, but we came to see what you looked like."
"When she says 'we,' she means that she wanted to see you," said Ichijou. "I actually just wanted to ask you something."
"Masaki! Why'd you..." Realizing it was in bad form to get mad at Masaki in public, Lina didn't finish her sentence.
"I'm humbled that Ms. Shields, with her renowned beauty, would want to see what I looked like," Tatsuya replied, "but as I said earlier, it's unorthodox. Now, if there's nothing else..."
"One last thing, Mr. Shiba," Ichijou said. "We'll be competing in Monolith Code tomorrow. What about you?"
"I'm not in charge of that event," replied Tatsuya. "But I do know the contestants, and I have confidence in my school's Monolith Code team."
"Is that right?" Lina said with mock disappointment. "That's unfortunate. We'd love to compete against your players one day. Though, needless to say, we'd be sure to win." She said this with a playful smile.
"Sorry to take up your time," said Ichijou. "Ms. Saegusa, Mr. Shiba, good luck. We'll be looking forward to the next time." And with that, Masaki and Lina walked away without looking back.
After they were out of earshot, Mayumi spoke up.
"Tatsuya, what was that about?"
"Do you want to know what I hope or what I think it really was?"
"Let's start with what you hope."
"Well, Mayumi, I hope that they were trying to find out if I was in charge of Monolith Code because I intimidated them, meaning that we might actually have a chance at beating them."
"But that's not what you really believe?"
"No. I think that they were the ones trying to be intimidating, and the fact that I'm not in charge of Monolith Code was simply a bonus."
"Oh... By the way, did you mean to stress the words 'Angie' and 'serious' the way that you did, right after I introduced myself?"
"If I did, why does it matter?"
"One of the Thirteen Apostles - the thirteen publicly-recognized Strategic-class magicians - is named Angie Sirius, which sounds an awful lot like 'Angie Serious.'"
"Right...that was just a hunch of mine that I was testing."
"A hunch, Tatsuya?"
"Do you know how I chose the name Taurus Silver?"
"No...I assumed that it was given to you as a nickname or something..."
"I chose it based on my English initials, TS. Coincidentally, did you know that Kudou is Ms. Shields' middle name? Meaning that her initials are AS."
"...Angelina Shields, or Angie Sirius...I see it now. So what was the result of your test?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Is she Angie Sirius or not?"
~August 7th, 2095~
"Too bad for you, huh, Shizuku?"
"Yeah...I'm bitter that I lost."
"Shizuku..."
"From the start, I didn't think I had a chance of winning."
"I see..."
"But I was way overmatched! I feel so bitter, Honoka!"
"I'm so sorry... Hey, want to go have some tea? I'm getting a little hungry."
"Thank you, yes."
~August 8th, 2095~
Today would be a busy day for Miyuki. First, she had the Rookies' Girls' Ice Pillars Break final round, and then she would go straight into the second Monolith Code qualification round. But first, Honoka had the Rookies' Girls' Battle Board finals, and Leo, Mikihiko, Erika and Mizuki were there to support her.
"Is it just me," Erika began, "or is this, like, totally freaky? All the players wearing shades!"
"Well, why wouldn't they?" replied Mikihiko. "To counter Ms. Mitsui's Optical Magic, it's the most affordable sure-fire strategy. What's your problem, anyway?"
"Well, because!" Erika said. "They're just playing right into Tatsuya's hands, aren't they? I can't believe they'd go cheap and use goggles..."
"Do you think she'll try to blind them with the spray this time?" asked Mizuki.
"I don't know about that," replied Mikihiko. "I just don't see Tatsuya stooping to a simplistic strategy like that."
"On your marks..."
The pistol fired, and the race began. Honoka took off a second behind the other racers, worrying her friends.
"Late start?"
"No, she's keeping pace!"
As the racers approached the first turn, Honoka, who was in second place, cast an Illusion spell which created a large, dark shadow on the course. Honoka surfed right through it, while the other girls went around it; by the time the turn was past, Honoka was in first place. This anticlimactic power play puzzled the crowd.
"What the heck was that?" asked Leo.
"It looked like a shadow dropped onto the course," responded Erika.
They watched as Honoka repeated the maneuver at the next turn; observing her, Mikihiko had a mild epiphany.
"I see, so that's where she's going with this."
"Huh? What is it?" asked Erika.
"Because they're wearing dark-colored goggles, her opponents' field of vision is dark," Mikihiko explained. "So they're under the false impression that the water route ends at the border between the light and dark areas, and they end up trying not to enter the dark areas."
"Who knew that you could use Illusion Magic that way!" Erika exclaimed in amazement.
Honoka easily won the Rookies' Girls' Battle Board event.
~Elsewhere~
"Miyuki, this isn't going to be easy," Mayumi said. "Initially, we weren't sure of how strong she was, but after Ms. Shields defeated Ms. Kitayama in Ice Pillars Break...that gave us a ballpark estimate of her power."
"I wasn't able to see that match because of the possibility that Shizuku and I might face each other...what was Shizuku's strategy?" asked Miyuki.
"She tried using overwhelming force," Mayumi replied. "Tatsuya had given her a second CAD that was equipped with Phonon Maser, a quantum heat ray, to try to melt the ice while Ms. Shields was distracted with an all-out heat magic attack."
"How did that turn out?"
"Well," said Mayumi hesitantly, "it seems that Ms. Shields was imitating your strategy. She cast Inferno, albeit a less powerful version, and then re-froze the ice pillars to make them explode, just like you did." Mayumi paused for a second. "It kind of seemed like she was calling you out, Miyuki."
"Why are you telling Miyuki this, Mayumi?" asked Tatsuya. He had been listening to the conversation without interjecting, as Mayumi was talking primarily to Miyuki, but his curiosity got the best of him.
"Because I don't want Miyuki to strain herself before the Monolith Code event," Mayumi replied. "As you know, Monolith Code has a greater point value than Ice Pillars Break, because, frankly, it's more popular. That being said, we will already gain a fair amount of points from Ice Pillars Break if Miyuki places second, as Ms. Kitayama has placed third...we get more points because both of our players will be on the podium. Therefore, I want to Miyuki to focus on Monolith Code, since that is where her magic powers will really be tested."
"I understand, Chairwoman," Miyuki said, "but I can give Ms. Shields a run for her money, right? I don't have to fight slowly or lazily in Ice Pillars Break, do I?"
"No, no! That's not what I meant at all," Mayumi said, waving her hands back and forth to emphasize her point. "By all means, wear her out...just don't wear yourself out in the process." Mayumi appeared to be thinking for a second. "I think that's all I had to say. Tatsuya? Do you have any input for Miyuki?"
"Miyuki, I think that you can beat her if you really wanted to," Tatsuya said, "but I would advise that you listen to Mayumi. Do your best, either way; that's all I have to say."
"Excellent!" said Mayumi. "Now, Miyuki, hadn't you better get ready? The match starts pretty soon..."
"Hai!"
~A Half Hour Later~
Miyuki was standing atop the four meter high platform, staring down Angelina Kudou Shields before the match. The crowd was larger than usual; maybe because both Miyuki and Lina were reputed to be very beautiful, or maybe because this would be a foreshadowing of the Monolith Code finals, but either way, the crowd was completely silent. They understood that what they were about to witness was not on the high school level of competition...these two girls could have each singlehandedly beat every other Ice Pillars Break contestant if they wanted to.
The starting buzzer sounded, and the match began.
Miyuki planned to make the first move, but Lina was too fast. Miyuki's field was instantly covered in fire.
"Muspelheim?!" Mayumi said, shocked. "And her activation speed is faster that Miyuki's?!"
Miyuki wasn't one to give up quickly, however. Faster than Lina could say "Sirius," Miyuki had blanketed Lina's own field in liquid nitrogen.
"Niflheim?" Mari said incredulously. "Just who are these girls, Mayumi?"
"I'm starting to think that we barely know them at all," Mayumi agreed, as both Muspelheim and Niflheim were Rank A spells that were very difficult to program, let alone cast. She looked over at Tatsuya, who was watching from the private box with a furrowed brow.
Even though Lina had a head start, Miyuki began to overpower her in terms of raw magic power - Miyuki's liquid nitrogen, created by Niflheim, had engulfed nearly every square inch of Lina's pillars. As soon as they were covered, Miyuki would use Inferno to rapidly heat up the liquid nitrogen, causing the same explosive effect that Lina used against Shizuku, but with much greater force.
Lina, however, anticipated this, as she had used the same move to defeat Shizuku. Instead of letting it happen, Lina launched a freezing spell of her own right when Miyuki activated Inferno.
In one second, both fields of pillars were completely destroyed. Not a trace of an ice pillar was left, and the crowd - though already silent - was left speechless.
"Wha...what just happened, Mayumi?" asked Mari.
"I don't know," came the confused reply.
It seemed that the judges were just as confused, as there was no winner displayed on the monitor. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the monitor changed.
"DRAW," it read.
Miyuki and Lina looked at each other across their empty fields. Each now held a certain respect for the other, but they were also each more determined to defeat the other the next day in the Monolith Code finals. Sure, they both still had to advance to the finals, but given their power that would be no big deal. But since Miyuki's next Monolith Code match was in just a couple hours, she had to go prepare.
~Later That Day~
"Tatsuya, are you going to grab a bite to eat before watching Miyuki's match against Fourth High?" asked Mayumi.
"Indeed, Mayumi," he replied. Sensing her intent, he decided to follow up his answer with a question. "Would you care to join me?"
"I'd be delighted!" she replied.
They walked in silence for a minute. I'm having deja vu, Tatsuya thought. This feels exactly like last night. Except Mayumi seems more cheerful...there we go, that's what I'll talk about.
"You seem to be in better spirits today, Mayumi," he said tentatively.
"Well, I'm on a mission today, you see."
"This doesn't have anything to do with me, right? You know how dangerous that would be..."
"It is about you, Tatsuya. But not the other you, not Silver."
"I can't describe how glad I am to hear you say those words, Mayumi. It seems that ever since we arrived here, all you have tried to do is dig into my past..."
"Well, my mission sort of concerns your past..."
"No. Whatever it is, I'm probably not going to tell you."
"...I'm joking, I'm joking, okay? Half-joking, at least. My mission is to get you to recognize the love in your heart."
Tatsuya sighed.
"Mayumi, I've already told you...the accident messed up my brain chemistry. I don't have the capacity for strong feelings like love anymore."
"But that's where you're wrong, Tatsuya. Love doesn't come from the brain...it comes from here," she said, laying a hand on his heart.
"Physiologically speaking, the heart does not produce emotions. It pumps blood."
It was Mayumi's turn to sigh.
"Tatsuya, sometimes it's best to hold your tongue when a girl is saying something romantic."
"Sorry, Chairwoman!"
"Hey! Are you mocking me?"
"I would never dare such a thing," he said with a smile. "I do value my life, after all."
"So you are mocking me," she said, blushing from embarassment.
They walked the rest of the way to the hotel restaurant in silence. This is forming a pattern, Tatsuya thought. I should probably break it.
"We don't have much time before Miyuki's match, so let's just sit at the bar, okay, Chairwoman?"
"Nonsense, Tatsuya. If you want me to forgive you for mocking me, then we're going to have a proper lunch. Miyuki will understand; after all, this isn't the final round or anything."
"Very well, Mayumi..."
"That's better!"
~A Half Hour Later~
"That was a delicious lunch! Thanks, Tatsuya!"
"My pleasure, Mayumi. Shall we head to Miyuki's match now?"
"Sure. We'll miss the first few minutes, but it will still be fun to see the end."
"Ready? Let's go."
They left the hotel, and started walking towards the stands that had been set up for the Monolith Code event. Since Monolith Code took place over a large area - called a stage - that generally changed for every single round to give variety, the audience wasn't able to watch every single match in person. Rather, the stands were set up around a large monitor that would livestream the battle from various perspectives.
Mayumi and Tatsuya kept talking as they walked, as people tend to do, and Tatsuya felt a rare moment of happiness. It wouldn't last, however.
About halfway to the audience seating, Tatsuya felt something break. Not something physical, something mental. Like a dam that had shattered because it was no longer being supported. At the same time, pure Psions started flowing out of Tatsuya in vast amounts. The entire area around him was bathed in the blue glow from the Psions, including Mayumi, who stood there with a worried expression on her face.
"Tatsuya! What's wrong, Tatsuya? Are you okay?"
Even though this was the first time feeling such a sensation, there was only one thing that it could be.
"Miyuki's in trouble."
"What? How do you know?"
Mayumi didn't get an answer to her question. Tatsuya took off, running away from the audience seats and in a random direction. Mayumi would have followed, had she not heard Erika's obnoxious voice calling her name.
"Mayumi! Mayumi! Where's Tatsuya?" she asked, out of breath. It appeared she had been running all the way from the stands.
"He ran that way, saying something about Miyuki being in trouble," replied Mayumi. "Why? What's wrong?"
"There was an accident during the Monolith Code match," said Erika hurredly. "Miyuki, Jumonji, and Mari were caught underneath falling rubble. They cut the feed from the video, but they all looked to be unconscious."
"No...not Mari and Jumonji as well!" cried Mayumi. "Where's the stage located? The President of First High's Student Council should be there."
"It's in the direction that Tatsuya ran," replied Erika. "Let's go! Quickly, Mayumi! ...And by the way, what were you and Tatsuya doing together?"
"THIS IS HARDLY THE TIME FOR THAT," Mayumi said before her ojou-sama instincts kicked in and made her finish the sentence: "...MS. CHIBA!"
~Later That Day~
Tatsuya knocked on the door of the hospital room. Miyuki and Mari had both been hospitalized at the Susono Base for the injuries they sustained during the Monolith Code match. Jumonji had apparently been offered treatment, and had accepted a sling for his broken arm, but refused anything beyond that and had reportedly left to talk to the tournament committee.
"Come in."
"Hey, Miyuki."
"Tatsuya!"
Tatsuya rushed to the bed and hugged his little sister tightly...but not too tightly, lest he undo the doctors' hard work.
"How are you feeling, Miyuki?"
"Much better, Tatsuya. Erika and the others came to see me earlier." She winced as she sat up.
"You know...I can make this go away..."
"But you won't do that, will you?" The Shiba siblings, surprised by the third voice, turned suddenly to see Yotsuba Maya standing in the corner, draped in her trademark black cape and cowl.
"Why not, okaa-sama?" Tatsuya asked with vehemence.
"Watch your tone, Tatsuya," said Maya. "Her injuries aren't major...they won't impact her future as a magician, and they'll heal in a few days. Soon enough for Miyuki to compete in Mirage Bat, of course."
"Mirage Bat...?" said Miyuki. "But Ms. Watanabe is participating in Mirage Bat!"
"Not after today, she isn't," replied Maya. "She won't be able to do any strenuous exercize after she's released today. She fractured some ribs, you know. You were lucky to get off with only a fractured arm...and it wasn't your dominant arm, either. You will easily be able to take Ms. Watanabe's place in Mirage Bat."
"You haven't answered my question, okaa-sama." Tatsuya was not happy, to say the least.
"It would be suspicious if Miyuki healed too quickly, don't you think?" Maya said. "And besides, coming back from an injury in order to seize the day...makes for quite the endearing story, wouldn't you agree, Miyuki?"
"Fine," said Tatsuya, I will not heal Miyuki, okaa-sama."
"That's the spirit! Now, my orders still stand, so go be a show off, Tatsuya! Oh, and by the way...make sure you reinstitute the Pledge as soon as possible, Miyuki. I'm trusting you to do this without me; don't let me down." With that, Maya turned and walked out the door, as silently as she had come in. Now Tatsuya was in a predicament...Maya's orders - to 'show off' - seemed purposeless, but the purposeless orders were often the ones with the greatest importance. If he obeyed them, and looked for places to demonstrate his abilities, there was no telling what could happen. On the other hand, if he intently avoided doing so, Maya was sure to react unpleasantly. Either way, it's a moot point, he thought, as I'm not in any situation which would present such an opportunity. He decided that he would leave those thoughts for another day.
"She's mean to you, Tatsuya," said Miyuki, once they were sure Maya was out of hearing.
"She's mean to you as well, Miyuki."
The siblings didn't get much alone time, as there was another knock on the door. They turned and saw a depressed Mayumi standing in the doorway.
"Please, come in, Chairwoman," Miyuki said. Mayumi walked in silently, then dropped to her knees at the foot of Miyuki's bed and started sobbing."
"I'm so sorry, Miyuki!" she cried. "This is all my fault...I pushed you into doing this, despite Tatsuya's warning that something like this could happen."
"Chairwoman, there's no need to apologize," Miyuki said. "After all, I was the one who signed up in spite of my brother - you didn't force me to do anything! I was perfectly aware of the risks." Hearing this, Mayumi then turned to Tatsuya.
"Regardless of what your sister says, Tatsuya, she wouldn't have been able to sign up in the first place had I not ignored your warning," she said, trying to wipe a tear from her eye. "As both a Saegusa and the President of the Student Council, I failed both you and Miyuki. I understand if you want nothing more to do with me, but please accept my apology." She bowed deeply. Tears dripped onto the floor. Tatsuya had no choice.
"Mayumi..." Tatsuya said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "you heard what Miyuki said. There's nothing to apologize for, but if it'll make you feel better, of course I accept your apology. If you go talk to Ms. Watanabe, I'm sure she'll feel the same way. Now, let's talk about something else...dwelling on this too much isn't good for you, Mayumi."
"But Tatsuya, I'm-"
"You are not responsible for this, Mayumi," Tatsuya said forcefully. "I know who is responsible, and believe me, their days are numbered. So let's talk about something else."
"What else is there to talk about?" Mayumi asked, taken aback by Tatsuya's insinuation that he was going to kill the party responsible.
"Details," Tatsuya replied. "I have yet to hear details of what happened. Please describe the accident for me, with as much detail as you can muster."
"Well, to begin with..." Mayumi said, wiping her eyes, "...it wasn't an accident. Miyuki..." she had to take a breath here, otherwise she would have started crying again. "Miyuki, Mari, and Jumonji were subjected to a Battering Ram attack inside a deserted building. They were together - they were blitzed right after the match began, impossible without Fourth High making a false start - and got buried under the rubble."
"I see...then the tournament staff is sure to be in a panic," said Tatsuya.
"Because they couldn't prevent them from making that false start?" asked Miyuki.
"That's not really much of an issue," replied Tatsuya. "Rather, because a case could be made that the direct cause of this accident was the fact that they set the starting point of this event in a decrepit abandoned building. My guess is that the tournament staff wants to call off the Rookie Division Monolith Code event itself."
"True, there were some calls for cancellation," said Mayumi, having regained her composure. Such a quick recovery time was necessary for the ojou-sama of the Saegusa clan. "But the prelims are going on without us and Fourth High, anyway. Worst case scenario, we'll just have to forfeit our second preliminary match."
"Worst case or not, I don't think we have any choice but to forfeit," Tatsuya replied.
"Well, about that, Jumonji's negotiating right now," Mayumi said.
"Really?" asked Tatsuya. "That guy...he's freshly injured, and he's using it as a bargaining chip, I assume?" Mayumi nodded. "Speaking of, how was Jumonji injured in the first place? Couldn't he have used Phalanx to protect the team?"
"That's true," Mayumi replied. "I even asked him as much...he said that he tried to, but his CAD wouldn't work. Sound familiar?" She let this question hang there before continuing. "Tatsuya...I want you to know how horrible I feel about my involvement in this," she said. "I want to try to make it up to you and Miyuki-"
"Nonsense."
"What?"
"Mayumi, you have a responsibility to every single student here. You're their leader. It won't do to have their leader preoccupied with other matters during the remainder of this competition."
"But...Tatsuya..."
"If you want to make it up to me, focus on the NSC."
"But what about Miyuki?"
"I feel exactly the same, Chairwoman."
"I guess I have no choice, then," said Mayumi. "I will find a way to make this right, though...I promise you that, Shiba Tatsuya." She turned and walked to the door, before turning again to face the siblings. "By the way, I saw someone in a black cloak on my way in. Was that the same person you met with after the Blanche incident, Tatsuya?"
"Mayumi...we've talked about this..."
~That Night~
The No-Head Dragons were meeting again.
"How did it turn out?"
"Just as we'd planned. First High has no choice but to withdraw from Monolith Code."
"Out of all the events, Monolith Code commands the most points. The points earned in the Rookie events may only be half that of the Official events, but they'll still feel the blow."
~Elsewhere~
"Hey, did you hear, Masaki?"
"Yeah, the First High Monolith Code team was wiped out by an illegal attack. The've postponed the remaining qualification matches - and the competition by extention - until the 10th."
"I'm not complaining, as our victory is pretty much assured, but don't you feel bad for them?"
"I heard that even though their injuries were severe, with the 'magic' of modern medicine, the team will be discharged tomorrow, but only Shiba will be able to compete - and not in time for the last Monolith Code qualification round."
"Are you glad she's okay?"
"Well, yeah. Even though she's our enemy at the moment, in the future she might prove to be a valuable ally."
"You call your future wife a 'valuable ally?' You're so romantic, Masaki."
"You're one to talk, Lina, considering that you practically confessed your love to Tatsuya when we talked with him."
"Oh, don't you start!"
~August 9th, 2095~
"It's not as if your approach is going to change compared to the prelims," Tatsuya said to Honoka and the other Rookie Mirage Bat contestant. Miyuki had insisted on him returning to work, since he needed to get Miyuki's backups to the podium in just one day. They had already won the preliminary rounds during the daytime matches, and now it was time for the nighttime final. "At the end of the day, Mirage Bat is all about stamina. Under no circumstances should you try to wear down your opponents. All you need to do is to stay calm and pace yourselves. Both of you - as long as you focus on playing to your own strengths, you'll be fine. Don't worry. We've got a one-two finish in the bag."
"Right! Very well."
"Yeah, I hear you!"
Mirage Bat was a fairly simple game. Several players would stand on tall, wide pillars that protruded out of a circular pool of water, and holographic spheres - the 'mirages' in Mirage Bat - would be projected in the sky above these pillars. Using magic, girls would jump into the air and swat these spheres with a 'bat,' and the spheres would disappear, before reappearing after a set amount of time had passed. Whoever had the highest amount of mirages batted after the time limit was up won. Consequently, speed was a major element of Mirage Bat, and Tatsuya had figured that into First High's strategy: he made the Activation Sequences for the spells as small as possible, allowing Honoka and the other girl to cast the spells faster than the other girls. Using this strategy, First High easily won the Rookie Mirage Bat event; another victory for Shiba Tatsuya.
~Later That Night~
Tatsuya and Miyuki had both been called into a conference room at the behest of the Student Council. The entire Council, plus Jumonji, Kirihara, and Isori Kei was gathered around the table in the center, with some sitting and some standing.
"Miyuki, we'll start with you," Mayumi said. "Since the doctors say that you're okay to compete again, we're going to have you fill in for Mari in the Official Mirage Bat event."
"But, Chairwoman, there must be athletes who are entered in only one event. Why choose me, and not one of them?"
"It's simple," Mari interjected, "due to my own pride, we never had a backup for Mirage Bat, and you're the best rookie that we've got. Since we have the OK from the doc, we're going to use the best tool to get the job done."
"Very well, Ms. Watanabe, Chairwoman," Miyuki said. "I'll compete in the Official Mirage Bat."
"Hey, that went down easily!" Mari said. "I half-expected you to fight a little more than that. You Shiba types don't like promotion, after all."
"It's because I kind of assumed that something like this would happen in the back of my mind," explained Miyuki, though Maya's visit was closer to the front of her mind than the back. "Anyway, you said that you'd start with me...does that mean you want to speak to Tatsuya, as well?"
"Indeed," replied Mayumi. "First of all, good work today, Tatsuya. I know it must have been difficult to concentrate in light of Miyuki's condition, but First High appreciates your dedication. Also, the results you produced exceeded our expectations, and we thank you for that."
"It's thanks to the players and their efforts," Tatsuya said in response.
"Of course it's their achievement for working so hard," Mayumi admitted. "But every one of us here recognizes how significant your contribution was."
"Thank you very much."
"According to the current standings, First High is tops in points scored," Mayumi continued. "Third High is in second place, and in terms of just the Rookie events, they're fifty points behind us. Even if we were to withdraw from Monolith Code now, we'd be assured of a second-place finish in the Rookie Division. Before the Rookie events started, I would've been satisfied with that, but now that we've come this far, I'd like to shoot for first place in the Rookie events, as well. You know that Ichijou Masaki and Angelina Shields will be competing for Third High in Monolith Code. With those two teamed up, there's little chance that they'd suffer an upset in this tournament. Our plan was to face them with Miyuki, Jumonji, and Mari, but as the three of them can't return to Monolith Code due to their injuries, we are at an impasse. And so, Tatsuya... Can we ask you to compete in Monolith Code?"
"Would it be all right to ask you two questions?"
"Yes. What would they be?"
"The two remaining preliminary matches have been postponed until tomorrow, is that right?"
"That's right. In light of the situation, they've agreed to change tomorrow's schedule."
"I was under the impression that players couldn't be replaced even in the case of debilitating injury."
"They've made an exception for that as well."
"Why was I chosen?"
"Well, because I felt that you would be the best possible substitute."
"Mayumi - Chairwoman, are you trying to repay me for your involvment in Miyuki's accident?"
"Wha-what? No!" Mayumi said, aghast...but whether she was shocked that Tatsuya figured it out, or that he assumed something that wasn't true, no one knew. "But I'm not saying that I'm not going to repay you..." Her confusing doubly negative sentance trailed off into nothingness, and Mayumi sighed. "Tatsuya, just help me out here and just say yes. Please?"
"But, Chairwoman, aren't there Course 1 first year students who are only entered in one event? If they get passed up for a Course 2 student, it's sure to leave lasting psychological damage."
"Forget about your scores on the actual skills test," Mari interrupted. "In terms of live combat skills, you're probably number one among the first year students."
"Monolith Code isn't live combat," Tatsuya said pettily. "It's a Magic Competition in which physical attacks are banned."
"In terms of magic-only battle strength, too, I do think that you're in a class of your own," Mari replied.
"But I'm not a player," Tatsuya said as his last line of defense. "If it's a replacement you need, I'm sure-"
"Don't be such a child, Shiba!" Jumonji said with force. "We don't need a replacement, we need a winner. Besides, you're already a member of this team. Regardless of what role you're currently filling, you're one of twenty-one students chosen from among the two hundred first years. And due to our current crisis, our team leader, Saegusa, has chosen you as a substitute. As long as you're a member of this team, you'll fulfill your duty as a member."
"But-" Tatsuya objected.
"As long as you're a member, there'll be no defying our leader's decisions," Jumonji continued. "If you believe that one of those decisions is flawed, then those of us who serve as the leader's assistants will be the ones to block it. Aside from us, no other member has the right to raise any objections. That's right...no matter who they might be."
This caused Tatsuya to inwardly panic. Has Jumonji discovered my identity?
"Don't use your status as a Course 2 student as your way out," Jumonji said, clearing Tatsuya's worries. "Don't allow yourself to wallow in the ranks of the weak, Shiba. Substitute or not, as long as you've been chosen, then fulfill that mission."
Tatsuya's day of reckoning had come quicker than he expected. He was now forced between obeying Mayumi, and Maya by extension, risking unknown peril in the process, or disobey both Maya and Mayumi, and risk the known peril of Maya's wrath. I don't trust Maya's plans at all, he thought, and this surely isn't going to turn out well, but I don't see any other way to keep everybody safe.
"Very well," he said. "I'll carry out my duty." No one else except Miyuki understood, or even recognized, Tatsuya's double entendre. "So who are the other team members besides myself?"
"You decide yourself," Jumonji replied. "We'll leave the selection of the other two members to you. If you need time, then come back here in an hour."
"No, there's no need for that," Tatsuya said. "But...I'm not sure that they'll agree to do it."
"We'll be present if you need to 'persuade' them," Jumonji said.
"Can it be anybody?" asked Tatsuya. "Even if I choose from outside the team?"
"I don't think that would be-" Mayumi began, before Jumonji cut her off.
"It's fine," he said. "We've already made enough exceptions for this. Especially with the special rules concerning non-first year and female participants; one or two more exceptions won't matter."
"Jumonji..." muttered Mayumi.
"Then my picks are Saijo Leonhard of Class 1-E, and Saegusa Mayumi of Class 3-A," Tatsuya said with a grin.
"What? Me?" blurted out Mayumi. "Why was I chosen?"
"Because I felt that you would be the best possible person for a teammate," Tatsuya replied, smiling. Mayumi, meanwhile, was upset at having her own words turned back at her.
"That's fine," said Jumonji.
"Tatsuya, would you mind telling us the reason why you chose Mr. Saijo and Mayumi?" Mari asked.
"Of course not," he replied. "Ms. Saegusa was a natural choice, seeing as how she is the only one of the top three magicians in the school who is not currently injured. Aside from that, our friendship will make for good teamwork. Likewise, Mr. Saijo and I are not only classmates, but also friends. He's also someone who Mayumi knows and has seen fight...just a few days ago, I gave him a new weapon that I designed, and Mayumi and I watched him test it. I think it'll be perfect for Monolith Code."
"Sheesh," sighed Mari. "Every time I think I know everything about you, I learn something new. So you're a magic weapon designer, too? Just who have you gotten yourself into, Mayumi?"
"M-Mari! Don't say things like that..." Mayumi stammered. "Tatsuya, do you really want me on your team?"
"Consider it my way of saying you're forgiven, that there's nothing to pay back."
"Tatsuya..."