The Black Dragons

by Code 089

Blanche, The No Head Dragons, these groups use magic to defy the law and do as they please. In the criminal underworld, respect is earned through strength, and there is no one stronger than the Black Dragons and its two enigmatic heads. However, when those two heads disappear they think it's their time to rule the underworld. But who said disappear meant gone forever?

2. Chapter 2: Enrollment II

Irregular at Magic High School: The Black Dragons

Chapter 2: Enrollment II

Watanabe was glaring at Tatsuya, but to his credit, he wasn't showing the slightest sign of discomfort. Miyuki then ran and stood next to him.

"It was just a misunderstanding. I apologize for causing you any trouble." Miyuki said, and she bowed.

This caused Watanabe to become a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed for some reason. "Her innocence does have its benefits." Kurisu thought.

Mayumi then walked in between Watanabe and Tatsuya and leaned down.

"That should do, Mari, don't you think?" She looked back at Tatsuya. "Tatsuya…it really was just a learning experience for you, right?" Mayumi said.

"She's using Bewitching Face. Smart." Jonasan thought.

Mayumi then turned to address the group in general.

"It's not as if students are prohibited from teaching each other, but the implementation of magic entails some detailed restrictions. It would probably be a good idea to refrain from any self-schooling that involves magic activation."

Watanabe then cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back.

"Since the president herself seems to be so inclined… I'm going to look the other way, this time."

Everyone bowed to them for making such a lenient decision.

"Make sure this doesn't ever happen again." Watanabe concluded.

As Watanabe began to walk away she turned and looked at Tatsuya.

"What's your name?"

"Class 1-E, Shiba Tatsuya."

"And you two?" she asked looking at the Cosmos.

"Class 1-A, Cosmos Kurisu"

"Class 1-A, Cosmos Jonasan."

She gave them a long look before continuing on her way but not before giving one final remark.

"I'll remember those names."

She walked away, and Mayumi soon joined her.

"You better not be thinking that I owe you, alright?" Morisaki said.

"Will you just shut up you idiot, you are getting on my last nerves." Jonasan mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes became tinted with red.

"I don't think that I have anything over you, so don't worry." Tatsuya said.

"My name's Morisaki Shun. I'm a member of the main Morisaki branch." Morisaki then pointed a finger at Tatsuya. "Don't think for a second that I acknowledge you, Tatsuya Shiba!"

Miyuki walked over and clung to Tatsuya's arm.

"Ms. Shiba should be hanging with us." Morisaki said.

"Oh, for the love of god, just fucking leave already!" Jonasan said, fed up with his pointless posturing.

Morisaki glared at him.

"Try it, I fucking dare you." Jonasan said as his hand slid down toward his second CAD, Phantom.

Kurisu grabbed his arm. "Enough."

Morisaki sent him one more glare before starting to walk away. Tatsuya looked at the brothers for a moment before addressing Morisaki.

"So, you're addressing me like that from the get-go?"

Morisaki paused for a moment and it sounded like he was restraining himself from replying before continuing to walk away, the other Blooms following him.

"Brother, why don't we go home now?" Miyuki said.

"Good idea." Tatsuya said.

"Umm…" Honoka said.

The group turned their attention toward the two Blooms as they walked up to Tatsuya and Miyuki. The two paused for a moment.

"I'm Mitsui Honoka! I'm sorry for what just happened!" she and Shizuku bowed to them.

"And like that, the tension shatters like glass." Jonasan thought while sweatdropping.

The two straightened up. "Thank you for covering for me. I know what Morisaki said, but it was thanks to you that the situation didn't escalate. Onii-sama." Honoka said.

"You're welcome." Tatsuya said. "But hey, don't call me 'Onii-sama'. We're both first years, after all."

"Very well. Then what should I call you?" she asked rather eagerly.

"You can just call me Tatsuya."

"Alright!"

"So...um...uh..."

"What is it?" Miyuki asked.

"Would it be okay if I walked with you to the station?" Honoka asked.

There was a collective 'Huh?'

…

"Then…It's Tatsuya who keeps your CAD in working order, Miyuki?" Honoka asked.

The group was walking down to the station. After getting through all the introductions, they started talking about random subjects and somehow had stumbled onto the fact that Tatsuya was the one who worked on Miyuki's CAD.

"Yes. Because there's no better way to set my mind at ease than to have him do it." Miyuki said.

"I just make some minor adjustments, that's all." Tatsuya said.

"Yes, but you wouldn't be able to do that unless you had the knowledge to understand how the OS works, right?" Mizuki said.

"Not to mention you need the skills to access the CAD's basic system." Leo, Tatsuya's brown-haired friend said. "Amazing."

"Would you mind taking a look at mine, too, Tatsuya?" Erika asked.

"I couldn't. I'm not confident enough to mess around with a unique CAD like that." Tatsuya said.

"You really are amazing, aren't you, Tatsuya!"

"In what way?"

"To recognize that this," She said pulling out the nightstick from earlier. "Is a CAD."

"If you wouldn't mind me, I could look at it Erika." Jonasan said.

"You work on CAD's too?" Miyuki asked.

Kurisu nodded. "He maintains his as well as my own."

"Interesting." Mizuki said.

…

The group had stopped at a food stand just down from the station to grab a bite to eat and Erika had taken that time to explain how her CAD worked.

"An Engraving-type spell?" Leo asked.

"Right. That's why it's all hollow, except for the hilt." Erika said.

"But that means that you have to constantly feed it Psions." Jonasan said, it didn't look like she had that many Psions available to her.

"How do you not run out of gas?" Leo asked.

"Hey, I knew that was your area of expertise! But unfortunately, I'm not quite there yet. It doesn't use up that much if I only transmit the Psions at the moment of extension and impact. It's like the principle helmet-splitting." Erika said.

It was then that Jonasan noticed that everyone else except for Kurisu had backed off.

"What's up with you guys?" Erika asked.

"Erika, I think that helmet-splitting is a technique categorized under secret skills or the arcane arts, but it's way more than a matter of having a huge amount of Psions." Miyuki said.

"Could it be that civilians are rarer at our school?" Mizuki asked.

"I don't believe there are any civilians at Magic High School." Shizuku said.

"There aren't, we checked. It was one of their requirements that we had to meet before they let us take the examination." Kurisu thought.

…

The next morning, as the Cosmos brothers were walking to school, Jonasan heard someone come running up behind them.

"Jonasan! Kurisu!"

Looking back, they saw that Mayumi was running toward them.

"Good morning, President." Jonasan said.

"I need to borrow you two for a moment." She said and grabbed their arms and kept running, dragging the two behind her.

"Woah!" Kurisu said.

As they were pulled along, they saw that Mayumi was running straight toward Tatsuya and Miyuki.

"Tatsuya-kun!" she shouted.

Turning around, Miyuki did her best to suppress the giggle that tried to escape as she saw the Cosmos brothers being pulled behind Mayumi. When they approached Tatsuya and Miyuki, Mayumi released the two brothers.

"Morning, Tatsuya! And good morning to you, too, Miyuki." Mayumi said.

"She hasn't changed." Jonasan whispered to Kurisu.

"Not a bit." He whispered back.

"Good morning, President, Jonasan, Kurisu." Tatsuya said.

"Good morning." Miyuki said bowing. "Good morning to you too, Jonasan, Kurisu"

"Good morning." The Cosmos said back.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with Miyuki, you too Jonasan. What are your lunch plans for this afternoon?" Mayumi asked.

The Cosmos just looked at each other and shrugged. "We're free." Kurisu said.

The Shiba siblings looked hesitant but soon said they were free as well.

…

That Afternoon

Student Council Office

*Knock, Knock*

"Come in."

"Excuse me." Tatsuya, Jonasan and Kurisu said.

The four of them entered a large office space with a large table in the center. Seated at the table, were Mayumi, Ms. Watanabe and two others they didn't know.

"Don't be shy. Come on in!" Mayumi said.

They stepped into the room and closed the door.

"Excuse me." Miyuki said, bowing as she entered behind the three men.

At that moment the sun decided that it wanted to shine brighter for a moment and that light fell on Miyuki, making her look like an angel. This caused Ms. Watanabe and the honey blond girl next to her to suck in a breath. Jonasan was awestruck.

*Ahem* The girl on the other side of Ms. Watanabe cleared her throat breaking the illusion.

The group gathered their lunches before Mayumi began to speak.

"We introduced ourselves at the matriculation ceremony, but just in case… Sitting next to me is our treasurer, Ichihara Suzune, a.k.a Rin!"

"You're the only one who ever calls me Rin, President." Suzune said.

"You know who's sitting next to her, right? That's Watanabe Mari, Chairwoman of the Disciplinary Committee."

"We meet again." Mari said to Jonasan and Tatsuya.

"And that's our secretary, Nakajo Azusa, a.k.a A-chan!" Mayumi finished.

"President…I beg of you, please don't call me A-chan in front of the underclassmen!" the honey blond, Azusa, said. "I have a reputation to maintain, too, you know!"

"And along with Hanzo, our Vice President, that's our Student Council this semester." Mayumi said.

Azusa sighed while Mayumi finished speaking.

"Looks like she never stopped with that silly naming habit of hers." Kurisu thought. "Although I'm glad we were never caught in the crossfire of that one."

"Although I'm not a member…" Mari said winking at Tatsuya.

"Ms. Watanabe…" Miyuki asked. "Did you make that boxed lunch yourself?"

"Yes, I did…Is that such a surprise?"

No, not at all…" Tatsuya said. "We can tell by looking at your hands whether or not you cook on a regular basis."

Jonasan then noticed the bandage on one of her fingers. Mari hid her hands in embarrassment.

"Nothing to be ashamed of Ms. Watanabe, you're still learning." Jonasan said.

"Jonasan or I would be more than happy to teach you if you need it." Kurisu offered.

"No thank you." she said with a blush.

"Very well." Kurisu said.

"I know, brother! Starting tomorrow, why don't we bring boxed lunches, too?" Miyuki said.

"That sounds very appealing, but I can't think of a place where we can be alone…" Tatsuya said.

"I can think of quite a few. The roof being the best option." Jonasan thought.

"You two sound more like lovers than siblings." Suzune said.

"Do we? Well, I do admit…" Tatsuya said.

Jonasan and Kurisu raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"…That it's crossed my mind before. That if only we weren't related by blood, I'd want her as my lover."

It seemed that Tatsuya and Miyuki were surrounding in a bubbly pink background. The Cosmos brother's eyebrows went even higher. Suzune, Watanabe and Azusa all had massive blushes on their faces.

And then Tatsuya destroyed the mood.

"Needless to say, I'm joking."

Azusa faceplanted onto the table. Miyuki seemed shocked as well. Jonasan tilted his head at her, did she not see that he was joking?

…

After lunch, they got down to official business.

"Why don't we get down to business, then? At this school, the Student Council President is chosen by election, but the other officers are chosen or dismissed by the president. With some exceptions, the president also has the power to appoint or dismiss the chairmen of each committee." Mayumi explained.

"One such exception is my own Disciplinary Committee. The members of the Disciplinary Committee appoint three officers each to the Student Council, the Extracurricular Activities Federations, and the Faculty Committee, but the chairman is chosen in an internal election." Mari said.

"Now then, in keeping with our annual tradition, we appoint the first-year student representative to the Student Council. Miyuki, I'd like you to join the Student Council. Will you accept the appointment?" Mayumi asked.

Miyuki looked to Tatsuya for a moment and he nodded, and she nodded back.

"Jeez, she relies on him for everything doesn't he?" Jonasan thought.

Miyuki then slammed her hands on the table.

"President, do you know about my brother's entrance exam scores?"

Jonasan saw Tatsuya's eyes widen in shock.

"Calm." Jonasan muttered to him. "Despite your sister's best intentions, you can't be elected to the council right now."

"If the Student Council is looking to recruit a talented individual, I believe my brother is a better choice than me." Miyuki then stood. "I am deeply honored that the Student Council wishes me to join their ranks. It would be my pleasure to join you at the foot of your table, but is there any way that you could bring my brother on board as well?"

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible. The officers of the Student Council are chosen from among the Course 1 students. This is not an unwritten law, but rather a regulation. To overturn this rule, the entire student body would have to vote for an overhaul of the system." Suzune said.

Miyuki looked shocked.

"My apologies." She said and bowed. "Please forgive me for being so forward, and so out of line."

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Let's see…" Mayumi said, trying to get the meeting back on track. "Then are we agreed that you'll be joining us on the Student Council this semester as our secretary, Miyuki?"

Once again, Miyuki looked at Tatsuya who shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes. I will do everything I can to serve you to the best of my abilities, to please allow me to join you." she said with a bow.

Mayumi nodded. "A-chan will explain the specifics of your duties, all right?"

"On to the next order of business." Mari said. "Jonasan."

"Hm?"

"You have been recommended by the Faculty to fill one of the two remaining spots on the Disciplinary Committee, will you accept?"

Jonasan narrowed his eyes. "What were their reasons?"

"Their reasons were the scores that you got on the practical exam as well as the entrance exam." Mari said.

Jonasan's mind was racing. It would be an ideal opportunity, but he would have to run it past his mothers.

"You don't have to decide immediately, just think on it." Mari said. "Also, Mayumi, the Student Council still hasn't filled their remaining spot on the Disciplinary Committee, left by a departing graduate."

"Mari… I told you, we're still in the middle of the selection process." Mayumi said with a worried look on her face.

Jonasan saw a smile flicker on Ms. Watanabe's face as she glanced toward Tatsuya. "Oh boy."

"If I'm not mistaken, selecting a Course 2 student as a Student Council nominee for the Disciplinary Committee wouldn't be in violation of the rules," she said and looked at Tatsuya's shocked face. "Right?"

Mayumi suddenly stood up and pointed at Mari. "Nice going!"

"Huh?" Tatsuya said.

"That's right, for the Disciplinary Committee, it would pose no problem! Mari, the Student Council hereby nominates Tatsuya Shiba to the Disciplinary Committee." Mayumi said.

Tatsuya suddenly stood. "Hold on a second, please! Don't I have any say in this?"

"Probably, but it isn't going to help you now." Kurisu muttered.

"In the first place, you haven't even explained to me what it is that the Disciplinary Committee does!"

"Well, we still haven't told your sister what her specific duties as a Student Council member are either." Suzune calmly retorted.

"Well, that's true, but…" Tatsuya said.

"Now, now, Rin, it's all right. Tatsuya, the Disciplinary Committee maintains order at this school."

Tatsuya looked at her. "Is that all?"

Mayumi frowned. "Excuse me?"

He then looked at Rin, who didn't budge. Next to Ms. Watanabe who looked uncomfortable but didn't crack. Jonasan decided to speak to save poor Azusa.

"The duties of the Disciplinary Committee are to charge those in violation of the school regulations regarding the use of magic, and to crack down on disorderly conduct involving magic." Jonasan said in a bored tone, this was, once again, a part of the research that their parents required them to do before they took the entrance examination.

"Thank you." Tatsuya said to him, he then looked at Mari.

"Just in case, I'd like to confirm one thing…"

"What is it?" She asked.

"If I understand correctly, whenever a fight breaks out, the Disciplinary Committee has to stop it by force…is that right?"

"More or less."

"And that holds true even if magic is being used…"

Kurisu smirked, seeing where he was going with this. "That's not going to work Tatsuya." He muttered.

"Ideally, we'd stop it before they use any magic."

"Excuse me, but… I'm a Course 2 student because of my miserable scores in the practical exam!"

"That's fine. They have me to deal with tests of strength."

"Your grasping at straws, Tatsuya." Jonasan said with a smile.

Then the bell was heard.

"Right, I'd like to continue this after school. Is that all right?"

"Fine by me…" Tatsuya sighed.

…

"Why the long face, Tatsuya?" Jonasan asked that afternoon.

They had met in a connecting hallway to the Student Council Room and were waiting on Miyuki.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Tatsuya said.

Jonasan then noticed that Tatsuya was looking at the emblem on his shoulder.

"Tatsuya, don't tell me your feeling inferior to me. The Mahesvara should not have such a look on his face." Jonasan thought.

"Actually Jonasan, may I speak with you for a moment?" Tatsuya asked.

Jonasan looked a Kurisu. "I'll go see if I can find Miyuki." Kurisu said and walked off leaving the two.

"Yes, Tatsuya, what would you like?"

"Tell me, how many classes do you and your brother share with Miyuki?"

Jonasan tilted his head. "All of them, why?"

"Then please," Tatsuya said and bowed to him, "Help me protect Miyuki."

"Once question. Why?" Jonasan asked.

"Despite her kind nature and skills, Miyuki is reckless. In case I am not present or am unavailable I need someone to help me protect her."

Jonasan began to mull the offer over. On one hand, it was a major boon to them. Miyuki was a target of the Black Dragons for years but was deemed unattainable due to the Mahesvara's presence and Yotsuba security. With this offer, it would put that opportunity within reach, but Tatsuya's presence was still a problem. On the other hand, it meant that they were responsible for Miyuki whenever Tatsuya wasn't around. And Jonasan knew that they weren't the only ones that had eyes on Miyuki.

"Alright, she travels with us for the most part anyway, so I don't see it as an issue." Jonasan said.

"Thank you." Tatsuya said.

Tatsuya straightened up just as they heard a pair of footsteps approaching them. Coming around the corner were Kurisu and Miyuki.

"I'm sorry for making you wait Onii-sama!" Miyuki said as she ran toward Tatsuya.

The group then proceeded to the Student Council Room. Kurisu and Jonasan held back a bit so that Tatsuya and Miyuki couldn't hear them talking.

"What did Tatsuya want to talk to you about?"

Jonasan smiled, it was an evil smile. "We just got handed a goldmine."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been asked to guard Miyuki."

"Kidnapping?" Kurisu asked as he fought down a grin.

"No that would bring Tatsuya's wrath down on our heads. However, she has information. We know that she makes visits to FLT with Tatsuya, if we get her to accidentally slip the right codes…"

"All their designs would be ours." Kurisu finished with a grin.

"The only downside is that we have to keep our competition away from her. We'll have to have a couple of the boys shadow us around whenever we are out and about." Jonasan said.

"Not a problem, I'll have them do a rotating shift, so they all have a turn. This also gets us closer to that bitch." Kurisu said.

The group soon arrived at the Student Council Room's door.

*Knock, Knock*

"Excuse us." Tatsuya said.

The room was full of activity. Azusa and Suzune were working on the computers, Mari and Mayumi were pouring over the various paperwork they had to do, and Hanzo was just standing there, staring out the window.

"It's Tatsuya Shiba."

"It's Miyuki Shiba."

"It's Jonasan Cosmos."

"It's Kurisu Cosmos."

"Hey, you made it!" Mari said.

"Welcome, Miyuki, Jonasan, Kurisu." Mayumi said. "And thanks for coming, too, Tatsuya."

Hanzo turned away from the window and faced the newcomers. He walked forward and deliberately walked around Tatsuya and introduced himself to Jonasan, Kurisu, and Miyuki.

"I'm the Vice President, Gyobu Hattori. Welcome to the Student Council, Miyuki Shiba. And congratulations on your recommendation to the Disciplinary Committee, Jonasan Cosmos. It is nice to see you as well Kurisu Cosmos."

Jonasan subtly clenched his fists. They were not the only ones here damn it! Miyuki glared at him as well before bowing. Hanzo then turned and walked away.

"Let's get started, then. A-chan, if you please." Mayumi said.

Azusa nodded. "Right." She then stood up.

"Kurisu, do you mind helping me a moment? I'm practically drowning in paperwork." Mayumi said.

"Of course." Kurisu said, the amount that she had to deal with was a paltry amount compared to the amount that the brothers had to deal with in running their criminal empire.

"Okay, then why don't we get moving you two." Mari said looking at Jonasan and Tatsuya.

"Where to?" Tatsuya asked.

"The Disciplinary Committee headquarters. Since it would probably be easier for you two to watch and learn." She then started to head out the door.

"Ms. Watanabe, please wait a moment." Hanzo said.

"What is it, Vice President Hanzo Gyobushojo Hattori?" Mari asked.

"Please don't call me by my full name!" he said, embarrassed.

"Okay, then – Vice President Hanzo Hattori." Mari said with a small smile.

"It's Gyobu Hattori!"

"That's not a name, it's a government post of your family, right?"

"We no longer hold that office. At this school, I'm registered as Gyobu Hattori… No, that's not what I meant to say!"

"Then what is it?"

Hanzo then glared at Tatsuya.

"I am opposed to that first year being appointed to the Disciplinary Committee. No Weed has ever been appointed to the Disciplinary Committee before."

Mari, who had been looking at Tatsuya during his little spiel, suddenly snapped toward him when she heard the word 'Weed'. Jonasan's hand slowly crept down to Nightmare, his eyes gained flecks of red.

"It's forbidden to refer to the Course 2 students as Weeds…" Mari said. "You have some nerve, uttering that term in front of me."

"Glossing over it won't do any good. Or do you intend to bust over a third of the entire student body?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurisu saw Miyuki keeping an eye on Tatsuya as well as the arguing pair. Kurisu grabbed Jonasan's arm to prevent him from drawing Nightmare. "Calm yourself."

"The Disciplinary Committee's job is to crack down on students in violation of the rules using practical skills. While a Bloom would be just fine, a Weed couldn't hack it - their skills are inferior."

"It's true that the Disciplinary Committee is meritocracy-based, but there's more than one kind of practical skill."

Mari then pointed to Tatsuya.

"Tatsuya has the eyesight and brains to read activation sequences directly, and accurately identify which spell is about to be activated."

"I can do that too but I'm not telling them that." Jonasan thought.

"Impossible… Even an Essential Singularity-type activation sequence is loaded with data- as much as 30,000 letters of the alphabet!" Hanzo said in shock. "There's no way that he could read it in an instant!"

"Common sense tells us that there's no way. That's precisely why his skills so valuable." Mari said. "He's sure to become a powerful deterrent… towards all those would-be violators who keep getting off easy because we can never establish their crimes. Also, there's one more reason why I want him on my committee. Just as you say, at this school, there's an emotional chasm between the Course 1 and Course 2 students. The Course 1 students police the Course 2 students, but it's never the other way around. This system has only served to deepen the rift."

"Who watches the watchers." Jonasan said.

Mari nodded at him. "Right. And I'm just not a fan of the notion of allowing the committee that I lead to foster such a sense of discrimination."

Hanzo scoffed.

"President." Hanzo said turning toward Mayumi. "As Vice President, I am against appointing Tatsuya Shiba to the Disciplinary Committee." He said standing at attention with his hands behind his back. "A Course 2 student lacking magical power would be in over his head on the Disciplinary Committee!"

"Just a minute!" Miyuki said.

Tatsuya looked at her in shock. "Oh no." Kurisu thought.

"It's true that my brother's practical test scores were sub-par, but only because his skills were incompatible with the method of assessment! In an actual battle, my brother would never lose to anyone." Miyuki said.

"Ms. Shiba! A magician must recognize everything as it is, calmly and rationally. Because we possess the power to make the impossible possible, we are expected to train ourselves rigorously to serve the public interest. An aspiring magician cannot allow her judgement to be clouded by nepotism." Hanzo said.

Jonasan let out an audible growl, causing everyone to look at him. Kurisu was visibly straining to keep Jonasan from pulling Nightmare on Hanzo for that remark. Tatsuya looked at Miyuki for a moment and then walked forward. As he did so, Miyuki walked over to Jonasan. Miyuki placed a hand on his shoulder and muttered something in his ear, as she did so, Kurisu watched in shock as the anger drained out of Jonasan's eyes and he calmed down. It was just like when she calmed him down which left Kurisu confused. Tatsuya walked toward the window and adjusted his tie before speaking.

"Vice President Hattori…" Tatsuya looked at Hanzo. "will you take me on in a simulated battle?"

"What?" Hanzo said and the entire room, aside from Miyuki and the Cosmos, looked at him in shock.

Hanzo was trembling in rage. "Don't be so arrogant! You mere reserve!"

Tatsuya chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Hanzo asked.

"You said it yourself just now… Magicians must strive to be calm, am I right?" Tatsuya said.

The Cosmos chuckled.

"Not that I want to be on the Disciplinary Committee or anything…" Tatsuya looked at Miyuki who was looking down in shame. "But if I'm to prove that my sister's judgement isn't clouded, I have no choice."

"Fine." Hanzo said, his eyes twitching. "I'm going to show you just how much you need to know your place!"

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Jonasan muttered to Kurisu.

"Agreed. Bets?" Kurisu said with a smile.

"Tatsuya, of course." Jonasan said.

Mayumi tapped something on her tablet.

"Okay, I've booked the third practice room. You have one hour to prepare." Mayumi said.

…

Everyone, minus Tatsuya and Miyuki, were in the practice room. As they were waiting for the missing two to arrive, Kurisu asked for bets.

"Bets, anyone?"

Mari looked uncomfortable for a moment. "10 on Hanzo."

"15 on Tatsuya." Mayumi said.

"Anyone else?" Jonasan said, looking at Suzune and Azusa.

Silence.

"Alright then."

About that time, Tatsuya and Miyuki walked in the door. Tatsuya set down a case on a table within the room and opened it. Inside the case, Jonasan saw twin pistols as well as several ammo cartridges, even though they carried no ammo.

"Silver Horn." Jonasan thought.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Tatsuya said, walking to face Hanzo.

"Do you always carry around multiple storage devices?" Mari asked.

"Yes. Since I don't have sufficient processing skills to master a general CAD."

Tatsuya and Hanzo seemed to have a stare down. Then, Mari stepped forward and got their attention.

"I'm going to explain the rules now. Spells that prove fatal, as well as those that cause your opponent irreparable damage are forbidden. Direct attacks should never cause your opponent any more than a sprain. Weapons are prohibited. Bare-handed attacks are permitted. The winner will be declared either when one party acknowledges defeat, or when the referee determines that one party is unable to continue. I myself will be using sheer force to deal with any infractions of the rules, so be prepared! That's it."

Tatsuya and Hanzo had a long stare down. Jonasan smirked.

"He is preplanning, he's going to regret that." He muttered.

In a magician's battle, preplanning is the worst mistake that a magician can make. You should never assume anything about your opponent before a battle. That usually ends up with you on the ground and your opponent being victorious.

"Are you ready?" Mari asked.

The two tensed up.

"Begin!"

It was over within 5 seconds. As Hanzo prepared his spell, Tatsuya simply leaned forward and vanished. Hanzo then fell over. It was revealed that Tatsuya was behind him, pointing Silver Horn at him. Everyone except for Miyuki and the Cosmos looked shocked.

"Flash step, although it is much smoother than mine due to my preference of using Shadow Step or Wraith." Jonasan thought.

Tatsuya lowered Silver Horn and looked at Mari, she blinked for a moment before mentally shaking herself.

"The winner is… Tatsuya Shiba!" Mari said.

Tatsuya simply bowed.