In the Yotsuba main house Miya sat opposite of Maya as they both drank tea that was prepared by Hayama like always.
"How are doing niisan?"
"I'm fine, how are you Maya?
"How are things going with FLT?"
"FLT is fine due to Tatsuya's silver series"
"Oh my that's very good"
"I wanted to ask you about that. Why is he even in the school?, he does not even need to attend school he is already one of the most powerful Magician in the family if not all of japan"
"He wanted to go so why wouldn't I allow it."
"Is that all"
"Yes he said he wanted to change the way the that world treats magician as a weapon and that the first step in the plan is to change the course 2 system of the first high"
"Changing the world eh now that's ambitious"
"Well for a being who can treat the physical laws of the world as trivial suggestions he sure does think with in the system"
"Well isn't that a good already a whole nation is even afraid of uttering even his name after okinawa and you made the families power even stronger recently by using the success of children's efforts in stopping the war the infamy of the family only increased around the world"
"Well that is also a good thing don't you agree now there will not be many problems when my Tatsuya's plans are executed"
"Alright then all of us will only have the wait and see what happens"
"By the way niisan Miyuki san will be assigned a guardian soon i was thinking of assigning someone from the sakurai series but since the genetic alteration program has been stopped to perfectly remove all the side effects she will have to undergo some more treatments before she can be assigned"
"Well that shouldn't be a problem but what about Tatsuya kun's guardian?"
"Do you really think he needs a guardian"
"No but wouldn't the branch families make a fuss about that"
"They already did, what can I do! he won't listen when I bring up this topic, he says a guardian will only slow him down"
"That is true"
"Since he healed us the branch families seems to think I just returned to the sweet little girl I was" Maya said smirkingly
"Well you are more agreeable than before"
"That's because now the family has nothing to fear about afterall now it's not only my reputation that's keeping the family safe"
"Yes now that the Queen of night has a son and that son is even more terrifying, at least you see reason but a single order from you and we don't know what continent will vanish in the fires of material bust"
"Well that is to be expected from a son after all he is the personification of all the prayers and hope of the Yotsuba whether they accept it are not"
"Yes that is true"
"When do you plan on announcing to the world that he is your son after all the elder must already know why hasn't he made any moves yet"
"Well he definitely knows as for why he hasn't made any move he is afraid that we will leave the ten master clan system and start a different faction"
"Oh I see that's what he is thinking is that why you allowed Tatsuya's connection the 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion so as to keep a check on his movements by giving power to the major general saeki"
"Well still they can only request him to help, that special officer title is just for show, he has the ultimate power to decide. I want him to grow his name and fame first after that i will claim him as mine"
"It's not like you to give this much power and freedom to someone else"
"It's not someone else he is my son and I want what's best for him and he will not do anything that will harm the family are me"
"He has increased the profits by a large margin and pushed us forward into the pioneers of of CAD development"
"Now that the genetic modification process has been refined to the point that there are no drawbacks to the process we could refill the fighting force that was lost 30 years ago."
"What do you plan to do regarding the blanch group that is infiltrated first high."
"Well I plan on assigning that job to your daughter"
"You know that she was not raised to be a combatant right"
"Yes I know you raised her to be the princess of the yotsuba and my successor but still she should be able to solve it. She is the only one that does not have any achievement to her name."
"Ok then I will inform her of the mission"
"She can ask for Tatsuya help if she wants"
"alright "
In the cafe Tatsuya and the gang were sitting and talking about the day's events as it was already the talk of the school.
"I can't believe that you took on the entire kenjutsu club and defeated them without any problem" leo stated
"Are you alright though Tatsuya san" a worried mizuki asked
"Don't worry Mizuki this many people can't hurt him"
"You sure seem to take this all well, Miyuki , weren't you worried?"
"No after all he is trained by yakumo sensei there is no one that can defeat him"
"But Tatsuya kun, how can you use lord's haki?" Erika asked
"What the hell is lord's haki?"
"Don't interrupt people moran"
"Who are you calling a moran"
As usual Erika and Leo started fighting for a while, from the group's perspective they were like a couple that fights to express themselves.
After sometime
"Well Erika why don't explain"
"Ehh….. Alright lord's haki is a technique that enables the user to make people surrender by putting enormous amount of pressure on them using psions it can only be used by people who have absolute control over their psions but you already mastered it, guess there is more than what meets eyes ha"
"Well like you said Erika it was indeed lord's haki and you do need absolute control over your psions, for example when magic interference is used just psions are emitted in the space in a specific way so that other people can't use magic it's just a next level of that you just have to instil a 'will' or a 'fighting spirit' and using that you can make others surrender."
"I don't get it what do you mean by a 'will' "
"Well when you use systematic magic without a CAD you think of all the steps right"
"Yes "
"It's the same you just have to make it emmite a pressure psion don't directly interact with the physical world normally but you can anti magic like gram demolition right its you can see the anti magic bullet that blows away the magic sequence, like that if you just change that a little bit you can make psion interact with the physical world without using systematic magic this is essentially what non systematic magic"
"So what your saying is that you make psions physically exist in the physical world and that puts the pressure on the target" Erika surmised it
"Yes"
"If you want I can teach you"
"Yes that will be great"
"Can you teach me as well"
"Yes "
After returning to the house both of them were asked to assemble in the living room for a call from Maya
"Good evening obaue"
"Good evening okasama"
"Good evening Tatsuya, good evening Miyuki chan"
"What do you want from us Okasama"
"Well I mainly called to talk to Miyuki chan"
"To me obaue?"
"Yes Miyuki chan trust you already know about the organisation called "Egalite" that is operating within first high"
"No obaue"
"Tatsuya do you know about this"
"No okasama we didn't receive any information regarding them yet"
"Well then even though your both in the student council and the public morals committee respectively you have yet to receive any info"
"Yes okasama would you mind getting to what you want from us "
"Ara ara Tatsuya is that any way to speak to your mother"
"..."
"Alright then Miyuki chan I will send you all the information that the family has on the organisation and your job is to resolve the issue"
"The issue obaue ?" Miyuki asked hesitantly
"Your mission is to locate them and eradicate them in any manare you see fit"
"..."
"Okasama isn't this better suited for me"
"No Tatsuya you have gone on enough mission's other children also need experience and this will be a good and easy one for Miyuki chan and you can assist if you want only assist do not go over the bounds"
"Alright okasama"
"I will complete this mission Obaue"
"And Tatsuya you seemed to have found some great bunch of friends?"
"Well mother you already seem to know everything is there any problem"
"No problem and can't understand how they managed to hide a talent like that"
"That is also one of my concern maybe the family should start with some investigation"
"We should…"
"Umm what are you talking about Tatsuya san?"
"Ara Miyuki chan you should already know these things"
"I'm sorry obaue, but i don't know"
"Miyuki, do you remember the incident that happened on the first day?"
"Yes…."
"Do you remember where Erika was"
"Yes she was near me so.."
"Miyuki chan try to understand what happened during that time"
"Remember that Erika moved nearly 5 ft in an instance and she used a harding magic at the moment of the contact all this before Morasaki could even activate his magic using a specialist CAD"
"Yes.."
"I could only think of maybe 3 fighters that can do that and until we enrolled in first high the family didn't know about her at all"
"Don't forget about a the boy"
"Yes leo is also a third generation modified magician of the "First type"-Burg Folge series, he and his grandfather are the only one that survived"
"Mizuki also has her sensitivity for Pushions"
"Sakurai you should probably start training Miyuki chan in combate and awareness"
"Yes madam"
"All of those people and you didn't even have to do anything you have a way of attracting trouble "
"Ah Okasama I will also be creating a new club and train them in non systematic magic"
"This is going to be interesting and what about the guy that you humiliated during your first week? And what does the student council think about this idea of yours?"
"I haven't talked to them about this but it should be fine, saegusa seems to like me for some reason so it will be easy enough"
"Saegusa Mayumi eh well this might just be fun for me also"
"Mother at least for now you promised me freedom of action if I believe it will be enjoyable for you will inform you"
"Ok then you going to school seems to be more of a fun experience for me than you and good luck to you Miyuki chan complete the mission successfully ask nisan for the all the details"
"Thank you obaue"
"Good night oksama"
"Good night everyone"
"Good night Maya"
After the screen went black Miyuki let out a sigh, suddenly now she has to go on missions, she was trained in magic combate but not for a mission, she was trained for one on one combate.
"Miyuki you should pay more attention to what happens around you"
"Sorry Okasama"
"Sakurai san you will start Miyuki's training for tomorrow"
"Yes madam"
Miya could do nothing but sigh as she had raised Miyuki as princess and not as an operative of the Yotsuba. She was supposed to be the next head of the Yotsuba and act as a deterrent to Tatsuya. She was made perfect so she will be the most powerful magician in the family so that she could kill Tatsuya without any hesitation. But now all of this is gone into disarray as Tatsuya, this invincible being who was born into the family out a prayer for protection.
But they didn't understand the power and they feared him and ostracised him
But now he has become the most important person in the family and after Okinawa he has become a god of destruction. His name itself is fear for an entire nation, his infamy has become more than that of the Yotsuba.
"Tatsuya kun your personality has started to become more and more like Maya"
"Eh…."
"What do you mean ehhh…"
"Your using those friends as an experiment aren't you"
"..."
"You want them to learn and become powerful enough to change the current system now that you started to train them in non systematic magic that branch of magic will become the more and more famous after all that is your favourite branch of magic you use that even more than your own ultimate creation magic"
"Why do you do that Tatsuya san"
"Well Creation requires more pison non the less using that will not change the current system, but non systematic magic will only increase the power and control of the user"
"So you just want to show off" Sakurai asked smirking
"Haha I never said that"
Next day Miyuki's training begins and Tatsuya is going to train with Yakumo like always. In the afternoon Tatsuya went to the student council and asked for process of creating a new club
"Welcome Tatsuya kun what do you want"
"What is the process for creating a new club?"
This one question causes the entire room to turn silent as there has never been A club that was designed specifically for course 2 student till now no one has even tried to start a club
" why did you want to know that"
" I want to start a new club"
" what kind of club are you talking about"
"A club that gives magic training for students"
" so could you tell me what kind of process is it "
"There is no specific process for it"
" you just have to to get the approval of the student Council and the faculties,
if you need financial aid"
" we don't need financial aid or anything I just need a place for practising magic"
" then you just need to get the approval of the student Council"
"alright then your mind giving the permission for my club?"
Mayumi could do nothing but stare at this as this is not what she expected from him. She wanted to change the course 2 system but she could do nothing.
" we will decide on this after Consulting with the club management"
In the evening after completing his rounds Tatsuya came back to the Student Council to ask about his request there he was given permission for the club.
Tatsuya knew that he was a walking natural disaster, even though he could understand that not having emotions was a necessary evil, if he ever had an emotional distress as a child his magic could have destroyed a few nations at the least.
But getting his emotions was also not a bad thing now he was not a slave for the family he could decide what he want to do, but still his training takes effect whenever he enters battle… no emotions, no hesitation, just doing what was the logical response needed for the battle.
So having friends and training them in non systematic magic is necessary for them to surpass their deficiencies. In this world power alone will not be enough to change the system, you need political power, also for this to work he needs more like minded allies.
One week has passed.
For Tatsuya, recruitment week had been like the stormy season.
Within the Public Morals Committee, the busiest person was probably him.
And after school training with the gang has been going great.
now almost all of them can control their pison to a good degree
On petrol he met with Miyuki and as they were walking together to the student council room.
When walking alongside Miyuki, up until last week, the primary intent behind the malicious gazes would be scorn.
Now, behind the enmity was, with careful discernment, fear.
a fear of strength, a fear of the unknown.
Also, those who should feel less bitter about his "activities", the Weeds, felt the same way.
Because of that, this became the first time they were called out to by someone unfamiliar.
"Shiiba-kun."
Both Tatsuya and Miyuki looked back at the same time.
It was somewhat husky, but definitely a female voice.
"Good afternoon. Should I start by saying, pleased to meet you?"
Her semi long hair done in a ponytail, she was a rather attractive girl.
The hairstyle had changed, but her face was somewhat familiar to Tatsuya.
"Ah, nice to meet you too. Mibu-senpai, correct?"
To Tatsuya, she was the 2nd Year student from the Kendo club who had kicked off a whole week of headaches.
The Kendo club had been the other party in the incident that had broken out.
She rapidly approached the stationary Tatsuya without a hint of hesitation.
It could be because she wasn't the shy type, or not worried since he was an underclassman — or simply because she was taking him lightly.
Regardless, this was strangely less unbelievable than if she had reservations.
"I'm Mibu Sayaka. In class E, same as Shiiba-kun."
Tatsuya's eyes were naturally drawn to her left breast.
Sewn onto the green blazer was a green, plain pocket.
The meaning of 'same' was rapidly deduced by Tatsuya.
"Thanks for earlier. Even though I was saved by you, I never properly expressed my gratitude."
Bound by that friendly smile, most males of the same age would immediately be drawn in.
"I wanted to properly thank you, as well as have a little talk with you…
Is it possible for you to accompany me for a bit?"
"I can't now."
Being rejected so unceremoniously, she didn't seem so much offended as simply taken aback.
"If 15 minutes later is alright with you..."
At Tatsuya's follow up line, Sayaka's expression fell, or rather, she slipped on a blank expression, and after blinking a few times, she finally seemed to take in what had just been said.
"Um, then, I'll be waiting in the café."
While the response was totally different to what she had expected, Sayaka at least successfully managed to extract that one promise from Tatsuya.
Tatsuya accompanied her only as far as the Student Council room entrance.
"I'll be waiting for you in the library then."
"The library is it?"
However Miyuki, who should have known that, questioningly tilted her head to one side. It didn't help that she seemed to be slightly suspicious.
"…That's the plan, but why the doubt?"
"No, it's just that I had thought you would now have a meeting with Mibu-senpai at the cafeteria"
"I won't be having such a long conversation with her. In any case, she's probably simply going to try to recruit me to her club and this will be a easy way to check for 'that' "
He soon found the one he was to meet up with.
"In any case, let's sit down. We can talk from there."
"It's not that crowded, so it would be better to sit after we buy some drinks."
Tatsuya got a coffee, while Sayaka had juice; then they sat down face to face at a vacant table.
"You don't need to thank me. I was just doing my job."
"No, it's not just for stopping Kirihara-kun."
However, that formal answer didn't seem to put off Sayaka.
"Despite having such a wild duel, the one who spared not just me and Kirihara-kun from punishment, but both the Kendo and Kenjutsu clubs as well, was due to Shiiba-kun's insistence, wasn't it?"
"The truth is, it wasn't such a big deal. Apart from Mibu-senpai and Kirihara-senpai, no one else was injured. The subsequent brawl was entirely the fault of the Kenjutsu club, so the Kendo club couldn't be blamed in the least."
"The reason it wasn't a big problem was because of you. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to prevent further injuries to the bystanders. They may have been able to overpower the offender without harm, but even now I still almost can't believe that you pulled it off without incurring extraneous damage. Even though I think you went easy on them, the Kenjutsu club has plenty to be grateful to you for. Along that point, I hurt Kirihara-kun but… I've often heard the excuse, and Shiiba-kun may think 'you're just a girl'… if I knew martial arts to that degree, it's something I'd feel as well. The appeal to not suppress your strength, and display your power openly for all to see, would definitely be there.
Shiiba-kun, do you recall that?"
"That's right. I know what you mean."
That was a lie.
Or at least, half of it was.
He had no concept of having practitioner martial arts.
What he had learnt was merely the concept of combat. He could see the appeal of gaining the efficaciousness to complete objectives, but had no desire to simply show off that strength in any way.
"Right?"
However, naturally for Sayaka, who only began speaking with Tatsuya today, there was no way to know that.
"And yet, it seems like so many people have a problem with that. Even now, there are many students who keep going on about the incident over and over. The Public Morals Committee is trying to score points or something aren't they?"
"…Actually, I'm also a member of that committee… I apologise."
"Ah, s, sorry! I didn't mean it like that, honestly!"
"What I wanted to say was, Shiiba-kun is different from those people. It's because of that that you saved me, and uhm, it's not like I wanted to say bad things about the Public Morals Committee, the only ones I dislike are those guys, and, uh, huh?"
"In any case, what was it that you wanted to discuss with me?"
"…I'll say it bluntly."
"Shiiba-kun, won't you join the Kendo club?"
"I'm going to have to refuse."
"…Could I please hear the reason?"
"Let me ask you why you want to recruit me instead. The abilities I possess are completely different to those that are required in kendo. Someone as skilled as Mibu-senpai should definitely know that, right?"
"At a magic academy, the performance of magic is paramount… I knew that from the start, and I certainly did enrol with that in mind, but for that to be the be all and end all, don't you think that's wrong?"
"Please go on."
"It's a certain fact that we're discriminated against in class. Simply because we have no ability. But, a high school life shouldn't involve just that. For magic to be prioritised so much over clubs is totally wrong."
"Just because I can't use magic well, they go as far as to mock my swordsmanship. I can't stand being disregarded any longer. Everything about me shouldn't be denied just because of magic."
"People like us sought solace in clubs that didn't require magic. There are also many people who think like this in the Kendo club. This year, we want to create a different club organisation and tell the management of our ideas. Magic shouldn't be everything. For that, won't Shiiba-kun lend us his strength?"
"I see…"
"Mibu-senpai."
"What?"
"After telling your thoughts to the school, what would you do then?"
"…Eh?"
The lunch scene in the Student Council Room had changed a lot compared to the beginning — which was 2 weeks ago.
"Tatsuya-kun."
"Yes, Chief?"
"Is it true that you were 'hustling' Mibu from the Kendo Club?"
"...There was no such thing."
"Oh, is that so?
"It appears that the movements of the Public Moral Committee have caused some level of backlash amongst the students."
Those last words cast a pall of gloom over Mari and Mayumi's faces.
"But, to say that we're doing this to score points, is this true?
At the very least, I have not heard of such a thing in the past week."
"Neither have I. Due to my position, I have not inspected the actual premises, but given the disorderly state of things, it would be more appropriate to say that the Public Moral Committee has been overly lax."
"That would be Mibu's misunderstanding. Maybe she was just overthinking things. The Public Moral Committee is a purely honorary position, meaning there are no achievements or awards to speak of. Just like in actual combat situations, the evaluation of practice manoeuvres holds no additive value."
"...That being said, it is true that they hold considerable power on school premises. Especially for students that are dissatisfied with the school system, the Public Moral Committee members responsible for maintaining school rules are no better than being the dogs of those in power. In other words, someone is manipulating this impression from the shadows."
Tatsuya could not feel unsurprised at Mayumi's words.
"Do we know their identity?"
For him, this was the logical next step.
"Eh? No, because of the source of the rumours, it's not very easy to find out..."
"...If we act on the individual in question, it is true that we may stop it."
But, to Mayumi and Mari, this was an unexpected line of questioning.
Mayumi's earlier comment was also something she let slip on accident.
Tatsuya looked directly into Mayumi's eyes.
Immediately, Mayumi turned aside to avoid his gaze.
This was the first time Tatsuya saw Mayumi faltering like this.
"What I'm asking is not the identity of the rumormongers, but the identity of the manipulator behind them."
Tatsuya felt something tugging on his sleeve.
As he shifted his vision, he found Miyuki tugging his sleeve beneath the table.
She was probably hinting that the conversation was too confrontational.
However, Tatsuya had no intention of backing down at this point.
In his mind, the vision of the individual who fled after attempting to ambush him arose. Also, he could not forget the red and green bracelet that some of the students wore.
"For example, a 'Blanche'-like organisation?"
Faltering transformed into utter shock.
Mayumi, with Mari alongside her, froze.
Azusa's eyes widened as she stared at the two of them.
From her reaction, Azusa had no idea what was going on — Tatsuya thought.
"How do you know that name..."
"It's nothing really, since it's hardly classified information. Even if there is censoring involved, frankly it's impossible to completely stifle any and all leaks from the source."
From Tatsuya's perspective, for Mayumi to be shocked to this level was even more amazing.
"...In other words, given the President's position, the only thing you can do is deal with this business in secret."
"okey"
"Okay... It's about time to return to class. Let's go, Miyuki."
Yesterday in the cafeteria, Sayaka was unable to answer the question Tatsuya posed.
—After telling your thoughts to the school, what would you do then?
Sayaka could only make an "Ah" or "Oh" type of sound, and was unable to frame a meaningful answer.
Thus, Tatsuya left her with some homework.
He would listen to her again after she had sorted through her thoughts.
"Because of our earlier conversation, I feel that this isn't something we can ignore."
"—We're relying on you."
"There's no need for that. I'm not sure what this is about yet."
"As long as it's within your capabilities."
"It's kind of hard to tell whether there are expectations riding on this or not... Forget it, I can accept it if it's only this level."
"Within my ability, I shall do my utmost."
As she watched Tatsuya respond and Miyuki bow in departure before leaving, Mari softly muttered to herself.
"That would probably bring about the best result."
Due to the nature of the job, Public Moral Committee members did not need to report to headquarters every day.
Just like reading a stopwatch, the screen chimed an incoming message notification.
It even included the school emblem.
In other words, this was not something that students could ignore — a summoning notification that usually entailed a lesson from the staff.
Tatsuya adjusted his posture in the chair and, of course, did not ignore the message and opened it.
The sender's name was "Ono Haruka".
"Sorry for calling you here out of the blue."
"No, I didn't have anything urgent on my end."
"Well? Have you acclimated to school life yet?"
She shouldn't be able to hear Tatsuya's thoughts — naturally, that was impossible, Tatsuya thought — so Haruka asked a typical question.
"No."
On the other hand, Tatsuya gave an atypical answer.
"...Have you encountered any difficulties?"
"There were a lot of unexpected situations that distracted me from studying."
"So, why was I called here?"
"Today, I wanted to ask Shiiba-kun to help with our work."
"Your work, eh?"
"Yes, us, as in the work of the Life Counselling Department."
Haruka told him directly, though he probably already saw through it.
"The mental orientation of the students changes every year.
For example, Shiiba-kun uses the term 'myself' to address yourself.
For magical students who aspire to join the military, this isn't anything strange. Given that, students only referred to themselves as 'myself' after the victory at the Okinawa Defence Battle three years ago.
Changes in society bring about subtle changes within student personalities. This is especially the case after a major incident, causing individuals to view their age or relation to others differently."
"So every year we examine roughly 10% of the students.
The goal is to properly examine and counsel the students' primary impressions and ideologies."
"In other words, we are specimens for observation?"
"For a specimen, I don't think I fit the mould very well."
"That's true. I also think that Shiiba-kun is not a typical student.
But because of this, I hope that you are willing to help.
You may be the first example to break the barrier between Course 1 and 2 students, but there's no guarantee you will be the last."
"...In that case, we'll treat it like that then."
Counselling was a line of work that heavily emphasised privacy. Confidentiality was an important part of work. That being said, it was still dependent on the topic involved. A third party may be involved to assist in the matter, but Haruka's request for assistance was unlikely to touch on the privacy of individuals outside of campus. The fairly straightforward questions involved the events between the day of enrollment and now.
Following Tatsuya's description of the disturbances on campus, Haruka's response was:
"...Thank you very much.
...Oh yes, while it's not a question related to counselling..."
"What is it?"
"Is it true that Shiiba-kun was asked out by Mibu-chan from 2nd Year?"
"...Truly an unrelated question."
Tatsuya could not hide his dumbfounded expression.
Haruka quickly followed up.
"If it's Mibu-chan, then there are some concerns about... Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to divulge them."
"Learning of other people's privacy would cause me difficulties as well.
So, where did Sensei hear these rumours?"
"So they're... rumours?"
"Just rumours, or is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all... Hm, I just wanted to ask you a favour if Shiiba-kun decided to go out with Mibu-chan.
However, if Shiiba-kun isn't planning on it, then don't worry about it."
"I've already said that the so-called going out was a mere rumour.
So, where did these things come from?"
At Tatsuya's repeated question, Haruka dropped her gaze to the floor.
"I'm sorry, that's confidential."
Tatsuya did not pursue it.
"In that case, I will take my leave."
Rather than pursuing, he chose to stand up from the seat, and headed towards the door without waiting for a reply.
"If there's anything troubling that happens with Mibu-chan, please feel free to discuss it with me."
Haruka's voice rang out as if she firmly believed in it.
After dinner, Tatsuya was facing the console in his room when a voice came from the other side of the door.
"Tatsuya san, it's Miyuki."
"Come in."
"Where is obaue" asked Tatsuya
"She is working in FLT today"
"Ok so what do you need"
"I wanted to talk about Blanche and the mission obaue gave me"
"Data File, Blanche, Open."
"The members call themselves a citizen's movement. In secret they're quite the infamous terrorist group.
Also, it looks like it's true that members of this group are active within the school. Subordinate to Blanche is another organisation called Egalite. During my time as a Public Moral Committee member, I saw the number of students that possibly joined Egalite."
Miyuki was initially surprised at Tatsuya's words, then nodded her head.
"Pro Anti-Magic students in a magic high school?"
"Your scepticism is natural."
At Miyuki's confusion, Tatsuya nodded to indicate his agreement.
"Not just in First High. People believe that magic schools can help them improve their magic, thus leading them to attend. Whether they are trying to advance themselves or for someone else is another story.
Thus, for students at a magic high school to reject magic seems self-contradictory."
"While taking the obvious logical path would make this seem odd...
It's precisely because this organisation does follow the 'obvious logic' that they are able to spread so fast."
"...Why is that the case?"
"If you consider this through the traditional lens, you would only run into a dead end.
Rather than staying inside the box, consider this from another angle.
The first item for consideration is, why do they proudly wave their anti-magic ideology banners, but never directly reject magic itself."
"Now that you mention it... That's true."
"Their proposal is to abolish the differences in society caused by magic. Just this, by itself, is an unimpeachable and correct idea."
"...Yes."
"In that case, what is this so-called difference?"
"An individual's talent or hard work does not reflect adequate compensation from society...?"
"I just said, Miyuki, think outside the box."
As he said this, Tatsuya picked up the remote control from the table, and turned to the screen.
There were sixteen different pictures, one of them was brought forward and magnified.
"Blanche is a political organisation on the surface. Their evidence for Magicians receiving preferential treatment comes from the difference in salaries between Magicians and non-Magicians.
The difference they speak of is the difference in mean wages.
But that's nothing more than an average, a single result.
They do not consider the extent of hardships that Magicians go through to obtain their high salaries.
They also ignore the fact that Magicians are only allowed to work in fields pertaining to magic, even if these backup Magicians would receive lower salaries than ordinary office workers."
"No matter how capable or strong, so long as society does not need that magic, monetary compensation and recognition remain impossible."
"There is a reason why Magicians have such a high mean salary. That is because society requires certain specialised Magicians. Because there are a small number of outliers that throw off the average, the mean salary becomes so high.
Next, for Magicians active on the frontline and capable of contributing to society — no, that's overly embellishing it. It is because Magicians can provide society some sort of benefit, monetary or otherwise, that grants them larger compensation, and not merely for the fact that they are born Magicians.
The world of Magicians is not naive enough to believe that simply being born with magical talent guarantees prosperity.
This, I think we are well aware of.
Right, Miyuki?"
"Yes... Very well aware."
"Thus, Blanche proposes to abolish the difference in salaries caused by magic, but in the end is really advocating the abolishment of using magic to obtain monetary compensation.
In other words, they are asking Magicians to selflessly contribute to society."
"...That's quite the self-centered proposal.
Everyone needs money to live, regardless of whether or not they can use magic. But, they don't allow Magicians to use magic for a living, even people who are capable of using magic must use other skills to make a living...
In the end, just because they don't know how to use magic, they don't want magic to become the measuring stick for a person's value?
Are they saying that it's okay if Magicians' hard work cannot receive compensation? It should be obvious that their hard work is not valued...
Or do these people not know that simply being born with magical talent is not enough? That using magic requires many years of intense studying and training?"
"No, they know.
They know, but don't say it.
Because if they don't say it or think about information that contradicts them, they are able to use equality to lie to themselves and others.
Miyuki asked this in the beginning.
Why would magic students join the activities of Anti-Magic Organisations like Blanche or Egalite?"
"Hm... Is it because they don't know the real philosophy behind the anti-magic parties?"
"People that can't use magic cannot learn it no matter how hard they try, and thus feel that it is unfair for society to reward Magicians for using magic.
Then, how about the students who can use magic, but lack the talent to catch up to the truly outstanding students regardless of their diligence, and in turn are looked down upon — this type of thinking would be perfectly reasonable, right?
Differences in talent are not unique to magic. This is apparent in other fields, such as the arts or athletics.
Even if they don't have talent in magic, maybe they have talents in other areas.
If they cannot bear to have no talent in magic, then they should find another path."
"I believe that people who learn magic reject the 'differences' caused by magic, because they are unwilling to abandon magic.
Unwilling to give up, but unable to accept being second-rate.
Unable to accept the truth that there are people with such talent that are completely beyond their grasp.
Unable to accept the possibility that putting in many times more work still puts them out of reach.
Thus, they reject using magic as an assessment.
The fact is, they know that the people with talent also put in the same amount of work. This is evident before their eyes. But, they choose to ignore this and pile all the responsibility on inborn talent, and reject it.
Well... It's not like I can't understand that sense of weakness. I had similar thoughts myself."
Miyuki could see the pain in his eyes.
"But this is all the info shared by the family"
"So I do believe that Sayaka is a member of Egalite"
"They are trying to enrol as much member's as possible into Egalite from first high"
"And my job is to destroy them from japan" Miyuki sighed
One day after class.
At this time, students that participated in clubs were heading for the storage compartments to retrieve their uniforms and store their other school equipment, while those that were heading home prepared to leisurely depart.
"Attention, fellow students!"
A roar came across the loudspeakers.
"What the hell is going on!"
"Dude, relax. You're annoying enough as it is, don't start yelling too."
"...I think Erika-chan needs to calm down too."
Just when many students were milling about in confusion,
"Apologies, fellow students!"
The same speech started again from the loudspeakers.
"They probably messed up on the volume the first time."
"No, I'm pretty sure now's not the time to comment on that."
Erika's keen ears picked up on Tatsuya's soft muttering, and immediately retorted.
Erika-chan is the same too, Mizuki thought, but did not verbalise.
"We are the Aspirants Alliance who wish to abolish the differences within the school."
"Aspirants..."
"Towards the Student Council and Club Management Group, we demand to negotiate on an even footing."
"I say, don't you need to be somewhere?"
Although she didn't hear his unpleasant mumbling, Erika's exuberant voice nagged at the still seated Tatsuya who was staring at the loudspeaker.
"That's true."
While Erika's attitude was, in a way, prudent, Tatsuya didn't say anything because what she said was correct.
"Inappropriate use of the Public Announcement Room is without question.
There should be committee members on their way there right now."
Just as Tatsuya said this, a message arrived at the personal terminal he carried in his pocket, and not the data terminal in the classroom.
"Heh, speak of the devil. Then, I'm off."
"Ah, yes, please be careful."
"Miyuki, you've been summoned as well?"
"Yes, the President said to meet in front of the Public Announcement Room."
Tatsuya met up with Miyuki along the way, and headed towards the Public Announcement Room.
However, their pace was not particularly fast.
"Is this Blanche's work?"
"Not sure if it's the organisation itself, but it matches their modus operandi."
The two of them continued their conversation until they reached the door to the Public Announcement Room together.
Before the doorway, Mari, Katsuto, Suzune, and members of the Public Moral Committee and Club Management Group could be seen.
"You're late."
"My apologies."
Both sides went through the motions for reprimanding and apologies, then started to verify the current situation.
The broadcast was probably curtailed by cutting the power.
Given that they hadn't charged in, the door was likely locked. It appeared that their opponents somehow managed to obtain the Master Key.
"Isn't this blatant criminal activity?"
Using the ends to justify the means, this type of thinking clearly showed that these guys were model "activists".
"Just so. Thus, we have to be prudent here, so we don't force them into doing something drastic."
Although Tatsuya was speaking to himself, Suzune still replied.
"Even if we approach this prudently, there's no guarantee that they will back down.
I believe that we should take the rougher approach, with the intent of ending this as soon as possible."
Immediately, Mari interrupted.
It looks like we're deadlocked by two competing approaches.
For crisis management, this is the worst possible situation.
"What does Club Leader Juumonji think?"
Tatsuya's question drew quite a few surprised looks.
Tatsuya himself felt that this question did bring a "who're you to ask questions" feeling, but even then, this was preferable to remaining at an impasse.
It's not like he was an adult.
And he didn't plan on asking adults for assistance in this matter.
"I believe that there's no harm in agreeing to their demands to is only a more radical attempt at what we've seen in the past. As long as we calmly refute their claims, we should be able to quell this without further concerns."
"So, we just sit here and wait?"
"There's not enough information to make a call at this point.
Although we can't just ignore illegal activity, on the other hand, unless this is a dire condition, damaging school facilities is also a criminal activity.
We've petitioned the faculty to use the security system override to open the door, but they've refused."
While he was not coerced into action by this gaze, he still took out the portable terminal from his pocket and changed it to calling mode.
The circumstances forced them to wait, but just waiting in perpetuity was no solution.
After five attempts...
"Is this Mibu-senpai? This is Shiiba."
Whoosh, quite a few looks turned this way.
"...So, where are you senpai?"
The number of gazes directed towards Tatsuya increased.
"Ah, so you're in the Public Announcement Room, that's quite... Thank you for your hard work."
Next, Tatsuya furrowed his brows, because a large sound that defied any attempts towards volume control came across the speaker.
Because the voice from the other side was almost entirely covered from the other listeners, they could only guess at the conversation.
"No, I'm not treating senpai like a fool.
Senpai as well, can you please stay calm about the situation... Ah, I'm sorry.
Then, shall we cut to the chase?"
Mari and Suzune, as well as a few others, perked up their ears in order to catch every one of Tatsuya's words.
"Club Leader Juumonji has agreed to negotiate.
As for the opinion of the Student Council President, we haven't confirmed... no, the President has also agreed."
Seeing Suzune's hand signal, Tatsuya immediately made the correction.
"Speaking of which, I would like to first discuss the negotiation site. Details like date and time... Hm, now. Before the school intercedes... No, I will guarantee senpai's freedom. We're not the police, so we have no authority to confine students... Then, that's all."
Tatsuya pulled out the earplugs and replaced the portable terminal into his pocket before turning to Mari.
"Looks like they're going to come out right away."
"Was that Mibu Sayaka just now?"
"Yeah. Earlier, she passed me her personal number to set up a meeting, not guessing that it would come in handy in this situation."
"You do move quickly, do you..."
"You misunderstand."
Tatsuya couldn't tell if Mari's words were going to end in fortune or misfortune.
"Compared to that, I think we should prepare a bit."
"Prepare?"
What are you talking about? Mari used this expression to look at Tatsuya.
What are you asking about? Tatsuya blankly stared back at Mari.
"I am, of course, alluding to preparations to arrest all the occupants inside. Given that they managed to steal the keys, it is well within reason that they are also equipped with CADs or other weapons."
"...I say, didn't you say you would guarantee their freedom?"
"I said I would guarantee the freedom of one, Mibu-senpai.
Also, I never mentioned that I was negotiating on behalf of the Public Moral Committee."
Not just Mari, but even Suzune and Katsuto were astounded at Tatsuya's words.
Naturally, there was one exception who lightly scolded Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya san, you're evil."
"It's a little too late to say that, Miyuki."
"Ho ho, that's true."
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Whether it was just as expected or only a matter of course, Tatsuya was being interrogated by Sayaka.
Including her, there were five people that had taken control of the Public Announcement Room.
As Tatsuya surmised, they all had CADs, but did not prepare any firearms or blades.
From Tatsuya's point of view, despite their determination, the fact that none of them even considered he could be lying, thus ultimately causing them to be treated like amateur wannabes, was a foregone result.
Aside from Sayaka, the four others were all arrested by Public Moral Committee members while she was relieved of her CAD.
This was because Mari took Tatsuya's reputation into account.
Even though Tatsuya himself felt that verbal agreements were hardly binding in the first place.
Sayaka reached out to grab Tatsuya's collar, but her wrists were intercepted by Tatsuya's hands.
After easily countering the hands that were directed towards his collar, Tatsuya blankly watched Sayaka vent her feelings.
"How dare you lie to us!"
Watching the furiously struggling Sayaka, Tatsuya simply relaxed his hands.
Behind Sayaka, who was menacingly approaching Tatsuya, a voice called out.
"Shiiba did not lie to you."
Sayaka flinched at the heavy, forceful voice.
"Club Leader Juumonji..."
"I have heard your demands. I have agreed to negotiate.
However, listening to your petition and agreeing with your methods are two different things."
Sayaka's fighting spirit disappeared.
In front of one responsible for managing all extracurricular activities, Katsuto, and his resolve, Sayaka could only swallow her resentment.
"While that's the case, can't we just release them?"
But at the same time, accompanying the above comment, a petite figure imposed herself between Tatsuya and Sayaka.
Her back was to Tatsuya as if to protect him.
"Saegusa?"
Katsuto asked in astonishment.
"However, Mayumi."
Mari disagreed.
Nonetheless, Mayumi cut right through them.
"I understand what you're trying to say, Mari. But, if we're only speaking to Mibu-san alone, there's no way we can negotiate. As long as they're still students of the school, there should be no chance that they would run away."
"We definitely won't run!"
At Mayumi's words, Sayaka reflexively responded back.
"I've already spoken with the supervising teachers. The Student Council will take responsibility for the theft of the keys as well as the unauthorised use of the loudspeakers."
Mayumi lightly sketched out the reason for her tardiness as well as their current situation.
Despite this, Sayaka and her companions did not betray a trace of fear, though if anyone were to weigh the pros and cons, they would come out vastly ahead, Tatsuya thought.
"Mibu-san, regarding the topics that we will be negotiating about, I would like to speak with you in private. Could you follow me, please?"
"...Yeah, no problem."
"Juumonji-kun, I'll take my leave."
"I understand."
"Sorry, Mari, I somehow feel that I stole your thunder."
"Mentally, no, I never felt that way. But in reality, this is how it's supposed to be,
So don't worry about it."
"That's great.
Then, Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki, the two of you can go home now."
"...Then, President, we'll take our leave."
After a short period of time.
The first one to recover was Miyuki.
Following his cousin's solemn bow, Tatsuya wordlessly bowed, then left the scene.
After dinner, during a time that's usually reserved for unwinding any stress incurred over the day, Tatsuya was currently driving a newly purchased electric motorcycle.
The destination was Yakumo's temple.
He wasn't running because this was neither early morning nor late in the night, and there were many drivers or pedestrians on the road. Use of magic without a legitimate reason was subject to penalties and fines. Even minors couldn't avoid substantial punishment.
This time, there was no violent reception from the disciples. The goal of this trip was not for further practice, so there was no need for any sort of grandiose welcome after calling ahead of time to schedule the appointment. The two of them headed directly for the cloister.
Yakumo's room was fashioned after civilian cottages seen in the early half of the 20th century. Actually, it might even be an authentic building from that time, but Tatsuya and Miyuki had no way of knowing for certain.
The fact that the temple did not shed a single ray of light around its surroundings was most likely not caused by the age of the building.
It wasn not just the exterior, but even the interior of the building allowed no light to pass through. It was pitch black inside the temple, with dense clouds obscuring any source of starlight against the moonless sky while the tall outer walls blocked off the street lamps.
It shouldn't be time for bed yet, unless the monks turned in earlier than usual? That was hard to imagine, considering ninjas that were early to bed and early to rise were unheard of, not to mention there was no reason for him to roll out of bed after they called ahead to schedule the appointment.
The temple interior wasn't particularly narrow or spacious, so the two of them quickly reached the vestibule leading to the living quarters. There was no sign of a speaker or even a doorbell — this was definitely intentional. Just as Tatsuya was about to open the door and announce their arrival,
- "Tatsuya-kun, this way."
From a completely silent spot not far away, a voice called out to Tatsuya.
The hand gripping Tatsuya's sleeve shook as its owner jumped in surprise while Tatsuya smiled helplessly. Seriously, even at his age, that guy still didn't tire of childish acts like sneaking around in the darkness and spooking people.
That being said, the only frightened person there was Miyuki, since Tatsuya felt practically nothing. On this level, Yakumo's "plan" was only partially successful — if there was a "plan" in the first place.
Yakumo stood with his waist leaning against the wall with both legs carelessly hanging out.
If he were meditating in a normal sitting position, he could easily be mistaken for any other monk, but that precisely was Yakumo's specialty. Even after being acquainted for two and a half years, Tatsuya still felt that the monk was a hard man to read.
"Good evening, Sensei, are you headed to bed?"
"Ah, good evening, Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki-chan. How can that be, because no matter how casual I am, there's no way I'd leave an appointment hanging and go off to bed."
Tatsuya's complaint was quickly written off by Yakumo. Originally expecting Yakumo to make a big deal out of this, Tatsuya was rather confused by his response.
"Sensei, I apologise for calling at this hour. So... since you aren't going to sleep, why are the lights out?"
"Hm? Ah, that's just a habit. If there's no need to, I keep the lights off. I am a ninja after all."
It appeared that Tatsuya was mistaken in his assumption that it was for practical jokes. No matter how many precedents there were, he had to be wary of jumping to conclusions when examining a situation, Tatsuya reflected briefly.
Of course, he wouldn't do something like that in front of Yakumo.
Yakumo detected that Tatsuya was questioning his integrity. He squinted at the cousins, then launched into his aimless rambling.
"All the same, the spiritual aura that you cousins give off is simply beautiful. Being able to view it in a place without light is even better on the eyes."
"Spiritual aura, you say?"
"In your jargon, I think you would call it Pushion light."
Towards Miyuki, who was tilting her head, Yakumo spoke with a singularly serious expression.
For him to squint his pair of incredibly narrow eyes was not just simply for show, but to properly capture something that's normally difficult to see.
"Miyuki's spiritual aura shines forth with immeasurable brilliance without wasting a single drop, while Tatsuya's aura accurately traces his silhouette."
"Sensei."
Tatsuya immediately cut short Yakumo's rambling. Yakumo's squinting eyes returned to normal, his face adopting a sheepish expression.
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot this is taboo."
"No, I was the one being impertinent."
Tatsuya slightly dipped his head, signifying that the conversation ended there. Naturally, there was no way Yakumo missed that.
"So, what did you need to see me for?"
"Actually, there's something I wanted sensei to look into."
Using this as an introduction, Tatsuya explained to Yakumo regarding the circumstances surrounding Tsukasa Kinoe.
"That 3rd Year student is definitely a member of Egalite, though I have reasons to believe that he is also connected to Blanche.
Unfortunately, I am uncertain what Blanche hopes to gain from using Tsukasa Kinoe."
"Egalite and Blanche, eh... Just this much wouldn't be too difficult to find."
At Tatsuya's request with a question phrased at the end of it, Yakumo frankly nodded. His words would normally be seen as overly proud or self-confident, but from his mouth they appeared almost natural.
Of course, Tatsuya knew that for Yakumo, asking him something like investigating the activities of terrorist organizations operating within the country was simply "a piece of cake".
"However, I am a monk, so I cannot step too far into the secular realm.
Also, given the depth of the analysis, wouldn't it be more expedient to ask Kazama-kun? I thought the daughter of the Fujibayashi family was with him too."
"Asking the Colonel would be a little..."
"That wouldn't go well with your mother, huh."
After a short period of silence, Yakumo curtailed the difficulties Tatsuya voiced — to the very end, Tatsuya could not say it aloud.
"If that's the case, I guess I'm your only shot."
Tatsuya wordlessly bowed his head, not in appreciation towards the acceptance of his request, but in thanks to the other side's understanding.
Yakumo casually waved his hand to signify there was no need for that, then sat down, signalling Tatsuya and Miyuki to do the same.
Tatsuya sat next to Yakumo, while the more apprehensive Miyuki sat next to Tatsuya. Seeing this, Yakumo began,
"Tsukasa Kinoe, previously known as Kamono Kinoe."
And jumped directly into the explanation.
"His parents and grandparents showed no genetic predisposition towards magic. On the surface, a purely 'mundane' family, but they're actually a side branch of the Kamo family. Despite being a side branch, it was a very distant relation, making them no different from a mundane family. Kinoe-kun's 'eyes' most likely reflect an earlier ancestor."
Yakumo's words seemed as if he had foretold Tatsuya's request ahead of time, causing Miyuki's eyes to widen in astonishment, whereas Tatsuya remained impassive.
If he was going to be amazed every time this sort of thing happened, there was no way he could have befriended Yakumo.
But, only this comment had to be said.
"Sensei, have you ever heard of 'personal privacy'?"
"I understand the literal definition."
Clearly not caring that it was his own request that invaded another's privacy, Tatsuya directly censured Yakumo. In comparison, Yakumo was completely calm as he replied.
Both Tatsuya and Yakumo blatantly ignored Miyuki, who had raised a hand in question.
"Nonetheless, did you know ahead of time that I would request a background check on Tsukasa Kinoe?"
Yet, Tatsuya's way of changing the subject was clear evidence that he was not completely ignoring his cousin.
And Yakumo, also treating the earlier situation as if it hadn't happened, did not object.
"No, why I know about him was wholly unrelated to your request."
"...Is there a reason?"
"While I am the caretaker of this temple, at the same time, no, once upon a time, I was a ninja. Much like how fish cannot survive away from water, ninjas cannot survive without constantly staying in the information loop. At any rate, if there is a place that needs investigating, or people that are worth checking, I've taken a look already."
Tatsuya squinted his eyes.
"Our situation as well?"
Yakumo laughed heartily.
"I've inquired into it, but wasn't able to unearth any noteworthy secrets. The intelligence manipulation surrounding the two of you is truly invincible. Or should I say, worthy of its high reputation."
The air around Tatsuya and Yakumo grew tense.
Noticing the volatile atmosphere between the two, Miyuki quickly interjected.
"Sensei, regarding the relationship between Kinoe-senpai and Blanche...?"
At Miyuki's utmost effort, both Tatsuya and Yakumo relaxed simultaneously. Neither actually intended to come to blows, content to only glare at one another. The nervousness in the air caused by their fabrication quickly disappeared.
"Kinoe-kun's mother remarried, and the spouse brought with him a child from a former marriage. This adopted brother is the current leader of Blanche's Japanese branch.
In addition, he's not just a leader in appearances only. He directs the 'inner' side's work as well."
In spite of Yakumo's calm facade, his response was not such a relaxing thing.
"Kinoe-kun probably entered First High at the behest of his adopted elder brother. Most likely it's to incite the recent activities... But, what they are actually planning to accomplish remains unknown.
At any rate, there's no doubt that they're up to no good."
"I see..."
After listening to Yakumo's words, Tatsuya thoughtfully nodded.
"I'm sorry I wasn't about to help at such a critical juncture."
"No, this can be used for reference."
"Speaking of which, sensei. What level is Tsukasa Kinoe's 'eyes' at?"
At Tatsuya's question, Yakumo rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
"Yes... He's probably at the level that can identify any released spiritual motions. He shouldn't be able to read the spiritual aura hidden within the body.
At the very least, he doesn't possess the same powerful spiritual sight that Tatsuya-kun's classmate has."
Yakumo's last sentence caused Tatsuya to furrow his brow.
"You investigated Mizuki as well?"
Hearing Tatsuya's question, Yakumo revealed the most mischievous smirk of the night.
"Aren't you interested in her too?"
Tatsuya scowled. The fact that Yakumo called him on it meant that he already let it slip, and the fact that he revealed this only showed his naivety.
The aforementioned interest was nothing sweet like romance. In a word, it meant that Tatsuya was also wary of Mizuki. Just as Yakumo pointed out, she may have the ability to read the "spiritual aura hidden within the body".
"The results speak for themselves. I don't think there's any need to be on guard."
Yakumo was more than satisfied with Tatsuya's sour expression.
He was no longer laughing. Although his bland tone and flighty attitude did not change, his expression was no longer joking.
"Even if she could see your spiritual aura, that girl would not be able to understand it. If she were adept enough with magic to read your secrets, then she would not be so troubled over her own 'eyes'."
The day of the forum quickly arrived.
Half the school was congregated in the auditorium.
"It's surprising how many students gathered today."
"I think unexpected would be a better way to describe it."
"There are a lot of idle students around campus... Looks like we should petition the school for a more rigorous curriculum."
"Stop it with the lame jokes, Ichihara..."
The order of speech was Miyuki, Tatsuya, Suzune, then Mari.
They were staring at the interior of the auditorium from the wings of the stage.
Hattori and two others stood near Mayumi.
On the opposite wing, there were four 3rd Year students under the watchful eyes of the Public Morals Committee.
There was no sign of Sayaka.
"So the core members of their mobile forces are elsewhere...?"
Mari murmured as if speaking to herself.
However, that was only "as if", and she was obviously not speaking to herself.
"I agree."
Incidentally, Tatsuya was thinking the same thing, so his reply was made with that understanding.
He made a cursory examination of the grounds.
Ratio of Course 1 to Course 2 students was about fifty-fifty. Ignoring Suzune's sarcasm for a moment, there was a surprisingly large number of students, whether Course 1 or 2, who were deeply concerned about this issue.
Among them, about ten students who were members of the Alliance could be identified.
None of them appeared to be the ones who invaded the Public Announcement Room.
"Even though we have no idea what they're planning... it's not like we can actually make a move on them."
That was obvious even without saying it aloud.
Usually, they were the ones who made the first move, while we could only react after discerning their objectives.
"Just focusing on defence might sound laid back..."
"Chief Watanabe, please don't presume that this will end in violence... It's starting."
"President, I have a question regarding this season's budget allocation for club activities. According to our data, clubs that engage in magic competitions and have a higher percentage of Course 1 students receive significantly greater budgets than clubs directed towards non-magic competitions that have a higher percentage of Course 2 students. This is evidence of Course 1 students receiving blatant favouritism in extracurricular activities as well as classes! If the President truly wishes for equality amongst Course 1 and 2 students, I hope she can address this imbalance."
"The budget allocation for club activities is based on the number of registered club members as well as the group's accomplishments, which is decided in a meeting between all the club leaders. The generous allocations for clubs involved in magic competitions reflect their positive results in intramural competitions. I'm sure everyone here is also aware that clubs involved in non-magic competitions that have competed with distinction at the national level, such as legball and other clubs, have received similar allocations. The idea that clubs with more Course 1 students are favoured is a simple misunderstanding."
Faced with the questions raised by the Alliance, Mayumi represented the Student Council's rebuttal, and things progressed in this manner.
That being said, the Alliance didn't make any concrete demands. The only item they insisted on was the "equal" allocation of the budget, but they made no move to propose any specific clubs in need of additional allocations.
Originally, their purpose was to incite and cajole Tatsuya into joining them.
"On every level, Course 2 students are treated worse than Course 1 students. The Student Council has tried to hide this!"
"While this criticism is frequently levelled at this office, realistically speaking, do you have any examples to support this? As I mentioned earlier, usage of facilities and the allocation of materials have been equally distributed throughout Classes A to H."
Even if one side's slogan was meant to whip the crowd into a frenzy, onstage their words were nothing more than unsubstantiated theories. When faced with Mayumi's counter charge that their argument was nothing more than empty words and unverified data, this groundless slogan quickly floundered.
The forum rapidly dissolved into a platform for Mayumi to deliver her speech.
"... I cannot deny that the idea of differential treatment that the Alliance refers to exists among our students. However, that is merely the solidification of a sense of superiority and inferiority. This is fundamentally different from the situation where the privileged, fearing the loss of their special rights, act in defence of these rights by instituting systemic segregation.
The terms Bloom and Weed are banned by the school, the Student Council, and the Public Morals Committee, but unfortunately, many students still continue using them daily.
However, the problem lies not just with Course 1 students calling themselves Blooms and derogatorily labelling Course 2 students as Weeds. The problem is also compounded when Course 2 students refer to themselves as Weeds, continuing the vicious cycle of self-depreciation and resigning themselves to the idea that this is inevitable. This lamentable culture truly exists here."
At this, several hissing sounds arose, but no one could truly repudiate those words.
With a bewitching, devilish smile, Mayumi silenced the hisses before adopting a more serious expression as she earnestly defended her position. Before her, the Alliance's resistance quickly disintegrated.
"This wall of consciousness is the true problem.
While the difference between Course 1 and 2 students is written into the school system, this only reflects the lack of educators at the national level, and thus was a temporary solution with this background in mind.
Should everyone receive a subpar education, or should half the students receive a full education?
This school adopted the latter method.
It is true that there is a difference in treatment here.
This is something that cannot be averted no matter what we do.
This is also a mandatory ruling forced onto the students if they choose to study here.
But other than this, there is no difference in the system.
This might come as a shock to some people, but Course 1 and 2 students enjoy the same curriculum.
While there is a difference in pacing, lectures and practical exercises are entirely the same."
It wasn't just Tatsuya, but even Miyuki was completely amazed by this revelation.
Tatsuya involuntarily let out an "Eh..." sound, while Miyuki silently offered her agreement.
Seeing this, Suzune's mouth twitched into a smile.
"For extracurricular activities, both the Club Management Group and the Student Council strive to equally assign the rights and access to the facilities.
It cannot be denied that there is a higher emphasis placed on clubs with greater membership. Yet, when taking into consideration that everyone should have an equal opportunity, we cannot ignore the fact that not all clubs are on equal footing. This is what we think.
This is definitely not the case where extracurricular activities relating to magic competitions receive higher priority.
Just now, the Alliance members pointed out that the magic competition clubs receive a considerable slice of the budget.
The result is exactly that, except that this allocation takes into account the successes garnered by these activities, as everyone saw on the display.
Other than the problem with teachers, the reason behind the separation of Course 1 and 2 students can be
It doesn't matter if you are a Course 1 or 2 student, you are still a student of this school. For the students of this campus, the three years spent here are absolutely irreplaceable to them."
"To eliminate the difference in the system, but without causing that difference to reverse in direction, I think we can all accept the above two points. This is an excellent opportunity and I would like everyone to listen to what I hope to achieve.
To tell the truth, the differential treatment between Course 1 and 2 students also lingers in the Student Council.
I am referring to the nomination of student council members other than the Student Council President.
Under the current system, aside from the President, only Course 1 students may join the Student Council.
This ruling can only be changed during the annual Student Council President election, when the Student Body Meeting takes place.
I will abolish this ruling when I formally step down as President during the meeting. This is the last service I can render as the President."
It was as if the entire audience let out a breath. The students completely forgot to hiss and were busy whispering to one another. Mayumi silently waited for the chatter to end on its own.
"... Only half of my term is over. Even if I wanted to make this an official promise, our hearts and minds cannot be gathered together with force, or it may be more appropriate to say that external force has no business altering them in the first place... Thus, the only thing I wish to do is try and improve the situation, even if only a little."
The auditorium burst into applause.
On some level, the atmosphere approached the reception that only idols could induce. Irrespective of whether they were Course 1 or 2 students, they were clearly supporting Mayumi, and not the Alliance.
What Mayumi spoke of was rising above prejudice.
The activities of the Alliance truly moved in the direction of abolishing inequality on the campus. Nonetheless, this reformation progressed in a fashion vastly different from their expectations.
Revolutionaries, in general, are not satisfied with merely achieving their goals.
They insist on obtaining their heart's desire by their own hands.
This conclusion, rather than just being unsatisfactory to the Alliance members, would be more troublesome for those that manipulated the situation from the shadows.
—Moreover, the one inciting Sayaka's group from behind the scenes never planned on stopping here.
Abruptly, a loud blast rattled the windows of the auditorium, shaking the applauding students from their reverie.
The mobilised members of the Public Morals Committee sprang into action.
Normally, they never expected their training to actually bear fruit. On orders from their Chief, they swiftly apprehended the Alliance members that were tagged ahead of time.
The window shattered as a spindle-shaped object came hurtling in.
As soon as the grenade hit the ground, it began spewing out white smoke. Before the white smoke could fully spread out, the grenade was quickly rewound like someone hitting the rewind button on a video cassette player, and quickly disappeared back out the window.
Tatsuya let out an appreciative gaze, while Hattori jerked his head away in displeasure.
Seeing this, Mayumi started chuckling to one side.
Mari pointed one arm towards the entrance.
Several invaders wearing gas masks swarmed in, but due to their difference in level, they were quickly subdued.
The anticipated surprise attack was quelled according to plan, though no one expected them to use something as over-the-top as explosives and chemical weapons.
Thus, the situation was completely brought under control without throwing the auditorium into panic.
"I'm going to take a look at the Practical Skills Building."
"Tatsuya san, I'm going with you!"
"Be careful!"
After Mari finished speaking, the cousins headed towards the area where the sound of the blast originated.
Due to the need for constant magic supervision, magic schools usually had Magicians staffed as teachers at all times.
First High, being the authority in magic schools, boasted a teaching staff composed of first class Magicians.
The school alone had the strength to repel the military might of a small nation.
Of course, even though there was a conscious understanding that possible attackers did exist, this was still beyond their expectation.
A complete lack of danger was the real cause behind the relaxing of the guard.
The place to come under attack by the invaders was the Practical Skills Building, as could be seen from its blackened walls and cracked windows. Tatsuya could also hear further blasts, like the sound of small explosives being set off. Facing the flammable liquid that was still burning as it clung stubbornly to the walls, two teachers were engaged in firefighting activities.
"What the hell is going on?"
The prowling boy responsible for protecting the teachers shouted out as he caught sight of Tatsuya.
Miyuki's fingers began dancing in a beautiful fashion.
She single-handedly operated the CAD shaped like a portable terminal.
Instantaneously, the Psion Information Aide spread out, completed the design, and activated.
The flash was the magical light that could only be seen by "magisters" like Magicians and Magic Engineers.
The three men surrounding Leo were immediately blown away. The three of them were wearing electric technician uniforms and were obviously not students nor staff.
It was as if they had stepped on a landmine, but Leo, who had been in the centre of it, was left unscathed.
This sort of pinpoint selectivity was one of the biggest advantages of magic.
"Terrorists have invaded the campus."
While Miyuki conversed with the teachers about the situation, Tatsuya quickly cut to the chase and stated the pertinent details to Leo.
"That's pretty damn serious, huh."
Leo consented to the situation just like that — his agreement was because he understood that this was a chance to join in the subjugation.
Right now, the most important matter was the presence of enemies who had to be eliminated.
"Leo, your Houki! ... Or rather, reinforcements have arrived I guess."
At that moment, Erika appeared on the other side, from the direction of the office. Recognizing the forms of Tatsuya and co, she stopped hurrying.
"No worries. You got here in plenty of time."
"There's plenty to worry about. Like not getting killed and dying."
"What the hell!
... No, now isn't the time for that. Gimme my CAD. Crap, don't just throw it!"
CAD is a type of precision equipment, but would retain its utility even in the midst of complex situations such as these. There would be no problem even if dropped onto a soft surface like tennis courts. Erika threw the CAD with this in mind, so she naturally ignored Leo's objection. —Even if there was some sort of damage, it was likely that Erika would ignore that too.
"Did Tatsuya do this? Or was it Miyuki?"
Erika spoke succinctly as her merciless gaze swept over the moaning invaders who were crawling away slowly.
"It was Miyuki"
"There's no need to hold back if they aren't students."
Tatsuya calmly replied with a comment that subtly changed the direction of the conversation. Hearing this, Erika laughed.
"Aha, and I thought high school would be a boring place."
"Scary. So this is what a bloodthirsty woman looks like."
"Shut up."
Erika raised her right hand halfway, but self-consciously pulled back from stabbing forward with the special police baton.
"Speaking of which, what are the two of you doing at the Practical Skills Building at this hour?"
Unless they were staying after school for additional practice, students usually would not return to the Practical Skills Building after class.
This wasn't a teasing retaliation, but an innocent question instead.
"Eh? No, that, well, how do I put it?"
"Eh, uh, well, that, what was it again?"
That being said, for the two of them to falter this badly was quite the unexpected turnout.
"... What are you two doing together?"
A serious question.
However, no one knew Tatsuya quite as well as Miyuki. As soon as Miyuki saw her cousin's serious expression that carefully masked an evil smirk, she quickly figured it out.
"The two of us alone?"
Erika's voice could not conceal her astonishment.
"That's a misunderstanding!"
It would not be an exaggeration to describe Leo's response as a roar.
"I just came for more practice in non systematic magic that you taught us! This woman came afterwards!"
"When I came to practice, this brazen fellow was already there."
"What do you mean brazen!"
"Ah, I understand. I got it. I won't take it the wrong way."
At this point, there was no longer any profit in this matter, but Tatsuya was thoroughly satisfied with the reactions elicited from the two of them.
Tatsuya quickly curtailed that thought.
"Have you found any other trespassers?"
"The teachers are guarding the other side. No wonder they're teachers, seeing as all the trespassers have already been apprehended."
Tatsuya solemnly watched Erika as he said this. Erika pretended as if the earlier interruption hadn't occurred as she replied back in a heavy tone that was neither solemn nor joking.
Leo was able to switch gears fairly quickly as well.
"I know coming from me it's a little sketchy, but those guys were only third-rate Magicians at best. I've just never trained in 3 on 1 magic."
Leo tried to downplay what happened, but handling three opponents at the same time was no mean feat.
The competency of Tatsuya's peers had surpassed his original expectations.
"Erika, any problems near the Office Buildings?"
At Miyuki's question, Erika nodded.
"They looked like they were prepared a long time ago. By the time I got there, the teachers had already subdued the attackers. Probably because all the expensive equipment is over there."
"... The labs and library!"
"So, the attack over here is a diversion? But the scale is far greater than we imagined. Unless the secret meetings to organise the protests during the forum were in itself the diversion."
Regarding Miyuki's questions, Tatsuya shook his head.
"No, I think they're all real. Someone may be using the Alliance for their own purposes."
"Let's table this for now. So, what should we do next?"
There were 3 choices.
Their first option would be to split their forces.
Alternatively, they could all head for the Science Building.
Or, head for the library.
"Their target is the library."
This newly acquired intelligence decided their strategy.
"Ono-sensei?"
She was wearing a pair of low-heeled boots with a long pair of jeans, with a gleaming sweater tucked inside her jacket.
Today's wardrobe, a getup that emphasised mobility, was quite different from the one she wore several days before.
The lustre denoted that the fabric was probably a fibre strengthened with bulletproof and anti-blade qualities.
Her expression was tense and nervous, giving off an air as if she wasn't entirely herself.
"The enemy's main force has already penetrated the library. Mibu-san is also there."
Three gazes focused on Tatsuya.
However, Tatsuya's eyes were fixed on Haruka.
Less than a second passed before he spoke.
"I'll explain everything after this is all over, is that acceptable?"
"Rejected. Despite me saying that, since I know you're going in there anyway, may I ask you a favour instead?"
"What is it?"
Although Haruka had a hesitant expression, she wasn't stumbling over her words, nor doing anything else that wasted valuable time.
"I would like to make a request as Counselor Ono Haruka. Please give Mibu-san a chance. Since last year began, she has been burdened by the dissonance that comes from her status as a valued kendo athlete versus the value assigned to Course 2 students. Even though she's asked to see me several times... I was incapable of offering her comfort. In the end, that created the opportunity for those guys to get to her."
"Do not spoil her."
Haruka's request probably came from her sense of professional duty.
However, Tatsuya ruthlessly rejected this request.
"Come, Miyuki."
"Yes."
"Wait, Tatsuya."
Following that, toward his friends who did not have the heart to refuse her, Tatsuya offered this honest warning.
"Being overly sentimental will only bring harm to yourself."
Time was of the essence, so he couldn't elaborate.
Tatsuya delivered this ominous warning as he walked ahead, his back to his friends.
In front of the library, small knots of people were still fighting.
Beside CADs, the aggressors also carried daggers and other projectile weaponry. While there was a small group of students mixed in, the majority were from the outside — in other words, invaders.
The 3rd Year students that anchored the defensive line didn't have CADs, but possessed an overwhelming advantage in Magic Power.
Even without CADs, they could still use magic and handheld weapons to deny the enemy. With this level of skill, no wonder they were the young birds that aimed to become Magicians. (It might be more appropriate to call them young tigers than birds.)
Seeing this, Leo was the first to charge in.
"Panzer!"
With a roar, he plunged into the melee.
There was a reason behind that roar.
"I guess it takes a rare specimen to differentiate between sounds..."
"That guy, even his magic is old school..."
Erika snarled furtively, pretending to be ignorant of the fact that her Engravement Magic was also a type of magic prevalent in the past. Thankfully, Leo didn't catch these words while he was locked in combat.
Using a hefty, bracer-shaped CAD worn on his forearm, he blocked the incoming staff and retaliated with his own attack.
Originally, a defensive type CAD would have no need to expose any movable parts or sensors on the outside, hence the voice recognition system.
That being said...
"Considering how he uses it, it's a miracle that it's still in one piece!"
"The CAD itself must have been enhanced with Fortify Magic.
Fortify Magic stabilises the relative coordinates of molecules within a narrow area.
No matter how powerful the force, so long as the relative coordinates are spot on and the outer shell isn't broken, there's no chance of the CAD breaking."
"Something that can hold together no matter how violent you are. That type of magic suits him perfectly."
Completely ignoring Erika and company standing off to the side as well as their comments or insults, Leo recklessly charged into battle as if he was venting all of his frustration.
His hands, wrapped in a pair of black gloves, shattered stone, rubble, and ice alike, while staves forged of metal and carbon-based resin crumpled before him.
Occasionally, contact with a concealed stun baton would emit a small shower of sparks.
Daggers that couldn't be avoided and darts fired from spring mechanisms cunningly worn in the sleeves all bounced off Leo's white and green school uniform.
"So he's hardened every inch of clothing on him. It's as if he's striding around in a full suit of armour."
This was not an exaggeration for magic that one excelled in.
He would easily be accepted as an effective fighting force, even on the front lines of the military, if it was for this type of close quarters combat where the usage of firearms was restricted.
"Leo, we're going on ahead!"
"I got it!'
Tatsuya left this location in Leo's hands.
Silence greeted them in the library interior.
If Haruka was correct, this wasn't because the attackers had been repulsed, but because the defenders were subdued.
Aside from the regular employees, there were also security personnel posted at the library, but they had probably all been eliminated by now.
Based on this alone, the skill level of the main force must have been substantially higher.
Tatsuya temporarily hid himself in the vestibule, reached out with his searching range and scanned for life signs.
There were no indications of any life signs.
"There are four in the Special Browsing Room on the second floor, two at the foot of the stairs, and two at the top..."
"Nice. With Tatsuya-kun here, all ambushes become meaningless. In live combat, this is definitely an incredible advantage."
"What are they doing in the Special Browsing Room?"
"This is too quiet for their purpose of destruction. They're probably trying to steal the classified research materials held by the magic universities. If they are in the Special Browsing Room, they can easily access the unpublished materials that are inaccessible in ordinary browsing areas."
Hearing Tatsuya's explanation to Miyuki's question, Erika's expression turned glum.
"Erika, your expression seems to say that this isn't what you were expecting."
Hearing Miyuki's question, Erika shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated manner.
"That's because~, this is a high school revolt, a veritable youth revolution. But now you're telling me that the truth of the matter is something as boring as stealing research data... Don't destroy my beautiful dream with such an unpleasant truth! That's how I feel. What do you think?"
"Don't ask me. By the way, your dream was biassed in the first place."
"Didn't you just answer me?"
Ugh, Tatsuya couldn't deny that. Miyuki hurriedly interjected.
"Come on, let's hurry to the Special Browsing Room. I'll handle the ambushers."
"No, leave that mission to me."
Erika sang out that she would deal with the situation, then charged out of cover before anyone could reply.
Silently, she glided over to the foot of the stairs.
The retractable police baton with an embedded CAD was already fully extended.
The ambushers ended up being ambushed.
The second that the police baton struck the enemy, Erika had already passed them.
She felled two opponents instantly.
In complete contrast to Leo's brutal approach to combat, she finished the battle.
The sound of their allies hitting the ground finally alerted the guards on top of the stairs that they were under attack.
One of them charged straight down, while the other started an Activation Sequence.
However, just as the Psions started flashing, the Activation Sequence shattered.
The Magician gaped as his magic was denied.
The stiffness in his body was very unnatural, and after a second of watching, he lost his balance and toppled down the stairs.
"Ah..."
"Don't worry."
Hearing his cousin's cute voice, Tatsuya replied as he returned the pistol-shaped CAD to its holder.
Humanoids often make minute adjustments to their centre of balance in order to stand upright.
Everything was within reason up to this point. Miyuki was probably caught off guard by the person rolling down the stairs.
Well, it looked like his collarbone wasn't fractured, so all he'd get out of that would be a concussion and several broken ribs. That was what he meant by "don't worry".
On the other side, the attacker was equipped with a bona fide short-sword rather than a dagger as he charged towards Erika.
This seemed familiar.
It was just like Sayaka's opponent during the kendo demonstration. A green and white ribbon was tied onto the right wrist that stretched forward to deny Erika. It appeared that the kendo club was the first to be corrupted.
"Tch. Tatsuya-kun, we have to hold back against the students, don't we?"
Her voice shook a little since she was asking in the heat of combat.
Given the differences in height and wrist strength, this could heavily influence a deadlocked situation.
"There's no need to force yourself to be merciful."
At the same time that he said this, Tatsuya stepped forward,
"Ha! I don't need your help!"
Erika stopped him.
"I didn't come to help i'm going upstairs, im not stupid enough to get in your way"
The boy was wary of being assaulted from both sides, so he dropped to a half crouch.
However, in the eyes of Tatsuya and Miyuki, this student had already ceased to exist.
Tatsuya forcefully launched off the ground.
Miyuki lightly stepped off the floor.
Tatsuya leapt onto the walls,
While Miyuki flew into the air.
Both of them quickly landed on the second floor.
"Whew"
Erika whistled in admiration and the Alliance student gaped in shock as Tatsuya and Miyuki charged towards the Special Browsing Room.
The next instance all the enemies before Erika were swiftly taken down.
Tatsuya and Miyuki used the Yotsuba secret technique to communicate by converting their thoughts into psions and passed it to Miyuki.
"I will handle all the talking why don't you take care of the headquarters of the enemies"
"Okey but don't go overboard it is still my mission"
"I got no problem with that"
"... Okay, it's open."
Someone chartered softly.
He hurriedly brought out a Solid Cube used for storage.
Her companions — Sayaka detected a strong sense of "desire" imprinted on their faces, causing her to avert her eyes.
Towards the door.
So, she was the first one to notice.
"The door!"
Hearing her outburst, the other members turned to look.
Before their very eyes, the square doors broke apart and collapsed into the room.
"Impossible!"
The dismayed gasps that they let out were, based on the situation at hand, actually quite conservative.
Objects that have been fortified have eidos that are much harder to manipulate. Even dual reinforced doors that could withstand a krak missile could be destroyed by magic.
"I suppose it's more appropriate to refer to you as industrial spies? Your plans end here."
A familiar figure casually declared this as he strode forward with pistol-shaped Specialised CAD in his right hand that flashed silver with every step.
Behind him, a slim figure gracefully followed him with a terminal-shaped CAD held in one hand.
"Shiiba-kun..."
Sayaka softly whispered while someone raised a right hand.
It wasn't a gesture of surrender. It was a male companion pointing a gun at her kohai.
This man wasn't a student from First High.
He wasn't a student at all.
He was someone who came along on behalf of Tsukasa's older brother their leader.
This companion who had been specifically recommended by their leader was obviously intent on committing murder.
Sayaka let out a soundless scream of terror.
She wanted to stop this, but was unable to cry out. Her hands were frozen.
She was going to become an accomplice to murder; Sayaka was so terrified that she shrugged into a ball.
However, the bullets that could easily take life were not spat out of the barrel.
His right hand tightly gripped the pistol, no, the pistol was stuck to his hand.
The man's right hand was covered in purple swelling.
"Don't be stupid, Please desist from any more foolish actions."
Her voice was deathly quiet, and equally solemn.
It was like she was a completely different person.
She gave off an aura of invincibility, as if any act to defy her would be fruitless.
Just hearing her voice caused resistance to crumble.
This time, it was Tatsuya's cruel words that drifted into the ears of a terrified Sayaka.
"This is reality. Mibu-senpai."
"Eh...?"
"A world where everyone can be treated equally is inherently impossible. If there were truly an equal world that completely discounted talent and adaptability, then everyone should receive an equally cold reception from the world.
In truth, Mibu-senpai already knows this, right?
No one is capable of treating everyone equally. That only exists in carefully crafted lies in order to mislead others."
Sayaka's originally despairing visage tightened.
In the blank eyes of her kohai standing before her, she could detect a tiny trace of -
"Mibu-senpai, you were only being used so they could steal the unpublished research data stored by the magic universities. This is the truth behind your lofty ideals."
- Pity?
"Why? Why did it turn out like this?"
The moment she realized this, the complex emotions within Sayaka burst forth.
"Is it wrong to eliminate the differences?
Is it wrong to dream of equality?
The differences truly exist here!
This can't just be my misunderstanding.
I truly was despised.
I was exposed before their scornful stares.
And I heard all their stupid names for me.
To remove all of these, is there something wrong with that?
Aren't you the same?
They compared you against your cousin's superlative talents too.
You have also gone through that degradation.
You have also been labeled an idiotic fool!"
Sayaka's screams seemed to spring forth from within.
From within the well of her soul.
Yet, none of these piteous cries reached Tatsuya. His heart did not resonate with those words. That was because to Tatsuya, "these things" were simply acceptable aspects of reality.
So Tatsuya merely understood the literal "meaning" behind her words as well as the "phenomenon" she was screaming about. Here was a young lady in despair. That was the only thing he took away.
The pity that Sayaka thought she saw in his eyes, were merely the delusions brought upon her by her extreme wretchedness.
Sayaka's screams did not reach the young man's heart — but passed into the heart of the young woman standing next to him.
"Him weaker than me have you forgotten what happened when you met"
"Mibu-senpai, you are truly a pitiful person."
"What did you say?"
Her volume rose slightly.
But it was a lifeless voice. It was a voice devoid of both feelings and thoughts.
"Aren't there people that acknowledge you?
Is magic the only way people see you?
No, that's impossible.
I know of at least one person who doesn't do this.
Do you know who that is?"
"..."
"Tatsuya san has acknowledged you. Your swordsmanship, your beauty."
"... These are only appearances."
"Exactly, these are just appearances. But, isn't this a part of senpai as well, senpai's charisma and sense of individuality?"
"..."
"Of course, appearances are only natural.
Including the two meetings at the cafe and the time in front of the Public Announcement Room, this is the fourth time you've spoken with my cousin. You've only met him four times, how much did you expect him to understand?"
"That..."
"In the end, more so than anyone else, you were the one who saw yourself being treated differently.
More than anyone else, you were also the one who viewed yourself as an inferior student and derogatorily used the term 'Weed' towards yourself."
"Mibu, use the ring!"
It came from a cowardly man cowering shamelessly behind a 16 year old girl.
This man suddenly shouted out.
Accompanying this scream, his wrist also swung downwards.
A small spark ignited, along with dense white smoke.
At the same time, there were several piercing sounds that could not be heard.
It was the background noise from the Psions.
They were attempting to stop magic from invoking by using Cast Jamming - Sorcery Disruptor.
In the smoke, three separate sets of footsteps could be heard.
Tatsuya reached out twice.
And struck twice with the palm of his hand into the smoke.
With his eyes completely closed.
There were two meaty sounds of impact, along with the sounds of two bodies hitting the floor.
"Miyuki, stop!"
When Tatsuya gave out this order.
The Magic Sequence Miyuki designed swiftly morphed into another object.
It gathered the white smoke together like a tornado.
The dust clouds were compressed to the size of ping pong balls, then fell to the ground locked inside triangular ice blocks that materialised out of thin air.
Now that vision was no longer obstructed, the room revealed three men lying on the ground.
One of them was rolling around on the ground, trying to fight back the hideous pain of frostbite.
Two others bore bruises on their faces and lay there unconscious.
"Tatsuya san, is it alright to let Mibu-senpai go?"
Miyuki wondered aloud.
She had no doubts regarding whether Tatsuya had any ulterior motives.
Miyuki clearly understood that Tatsuya was not the type to bring personal feelings into the mix.
"I don't doubt your skills, but there is always the possibility of a mishap when vision is obstructed.
I don't want you to run that risk, so let Erika handle Mibu-senpai."
The fastest point of egress from here would inevitably lead directly to Erika on the first floor. Given Sayaka's current state, she was in no condition to seek alternate routes.
"I don't think Erika has any vested interest in this..."
"Perhaps, if her opponent were anyone other than Mibu-senpai."
Miyuki didn't really comprehend what it meant to fixate on your opponent.
For her, combat was something to be avoided initially, but if pressed, victory overrode all other concerns.
It didn't matter who her opponent was.
For her opponent's identity, a simple label of "enemy" was sufficient, anything else became meaningless.
That being said, from a purely intellectual perspective, she acknowledged that there were people out there who placed special meaning on who their opponents were.
"Is that so? If it's Erika, then there should be no problems."
So let's leave Sayaka to Erika, Miyuki thought as she moved forward to help her cousin bind the thieves in a way usually reserved for terrorists.
Sayaka was now entirely relying on her subconscious for movement.
The Antinite ring was her trump card when the time came to escape.
Having gone through the education for "Magisters", she knew the nature and limits of Cast Jamming.
No, in regards to the knowledge surrounding this ring, Sayaka knew more about it than your average Magician.
This ring did not possess the power to strike down other Magicians.
It only had the power to interfere with magic through Cast Jamming. Aside from providing a method for avoiding magic attacks, there was no other purpose.
You cannot defeat that 1st Year student.
At that time, I witnessed glorious techniques that I'd never seen before.
When their leader gave her this ring, he repeatedly cautioned her with the above warning.
This ring is used solely for running away.
The deeply imprinted scene in her brain and the echoes of those powerful words reverberated in her ears, prompting her limbs to keep moving.
There were no footsteps behind her.
No one was following her.
In her heart, she understood that her companions had been taken down.
However, her paralyzed mind would not allow her to make the conscious decision to go back and help them.
Her mind consumed by the failure of their plan and the subsequent urge to flee the campus to their temporary base, Sayaka fled through the corridors and headed straight down the stairs.
At that moment, her feet came to a dead stop.
"Senpai, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
A young woman — probably a 1st Year student, given that she called her "senpai" — was smiling before her with both hands held behind her back.
"... Who are you?"
Her wariness forced out a sound.
However, that 1st Year student's cheery expression didn't dim in the slightest.
"1st Year, Class E, Chiba Erika.
I want to confirm something just in case. You are Mibu Sayaka-senpai, who took silver in last year's National Middle School Women's Kendo Competition, correct?"
The words struck Sayaka like an invisible blow.
The darkest corners of her consciousness and the deepest depths of her heart stung as if struck with a shinai.
"... And what of it?"
Suppressing the sudden pain, Sayaka replied back.
"It's nothing, nothing at all.
I just wanted to be sure."
Erika kept her hands behind her back.
However, there were no weak points anywhere on her body.
Her slim figure was incapable of blocking the corridor entirely, but there were no detectable "gaps" for a person to pass through anywhere.
And on top of that... Were the hands hidden behind her back empty?
Is she really not holding anything?
"... Suddenly showing up here. You aren't planning to let me pass."
There was no sign of pursuit to her rear.
Be that as it may, given the man in question, concealing his presence was probably a piece of cake.
Sayaka reined in her anxious emotions and strove to speak in an even manner.
She knew that her chances of breaking through unharmed were zero from the beginning.
"Where are you going?"
"That's none of your business."
"You don't want to answer... is that right?"
"Yes."
"Negotiation breakdown."
Erika happily declared.
Although the words seemed a little farfetched, but Sayaka knew very well that she never planned on letting her go in the first place.
Sayaka quickly glanced left and right.
Unfortunately, she didn't have a weapon on hand.
While she was equipped with a CAD, she would have to yield her Cast Jamming in order to use magic.
A silvery grey rod appeared in the corner of her vision.
It was a stun baton that belonged to one of Sayaka's companions.
The baton was a little shorter than what she was accustomed to, but it would serve as a suitable replacement for her usual weapon.
Sayaka slowly lowered her center of gravity.
She concentrated all her strength into her feet.
And abruptly sprang away.
After grabbing the stun baton on the ground, Sayaka fell into a crouch to greet the other woman.
On the other hand, Erika just stood there gaping at Sayaka's antics.
"There's no need to be in such a hurry, I was going to give you time to locate a weapon..."
Sayaka flushed.
This wasn't a solo performance! In an effort to hide the awkwardness and embarrassment brought on by her actions, Sayaka glared at Erika and shouted,
"Get away from there! Otherwise you're going to get hurt!"
"Self defense established! Well, I never intended to use that excuse anyways,"
Erika said in a very excited tone as she brought her hands from behind her to the front.
Her right hand held a retractable police baton, while the left carried an actual short-sword.
Following that, she casually tossed the weapon in her left hand to one side.
"Shall we begin, senpai?"
Erika raised her right arm.
Sayaka also took a combat stance. Her weapon was pointed directly at her opponent, her right hand placed above her left.
On one side, Sayaka with the central two-handed style. On the other, Erika in a half curved stance with the one-handed style.
The match started in a flash.
Contact was made between the blades, but their swings emitted no sounds.
The instant she saw movement, Erika swung her baton at Sayaka's neck.
Sayaka furiously raised her arm.
She dashed backwards, reflexively adopting a defensive posture as she was barely able to take this blow. At the same time, her opponent had already looped to her rear.
To parry the next blow, Sayaka instinctively raised her baton.
The shock of the blow reverberated down the stun baton into her hand. Sayaka was more than ready to close into melee range but her opponent had already retreated out of range.
"Personal Speed Magic...?"
Sayaka softly murmured.
Erika did not reply.
"... Just like Watanabe-senpai?"
However, her next words stopped Erika cold.
Although it was only a momentary hesitation, that was sufficient to shift the momentum.
Erika, who once again advanced, was forced to stop by the piercing noise that filled the corridor.
This was Psion noise, noise that normal ears could not hear.
Seeing Erika's face contort in discomfort, Sayaka immediately charged.
She would not give her opponent an instant to catch her breath.
Face, face, forearm, abdomen, diagonal slash, uppercut, face, reverse diagonal slash...
This series of sword strikes was obviously not developed solely for kendo training, as it included several techniques from ancient kendo styles.
Her attack was as swift as fire.
Just as the proverb Fūrinkazan dictated, her attack was as fierce as flame.
At some point, the Psion noise disappeared.
The reason behind this was obvious.
In order to activate Cast Jamming, a constant influx of Psions into the Antinite was required.
If the influx of Psions stopped, the noise would stop as well.
The noise that originally filled the room gradually died away.
Because Sayaka had thrown everything she had into her blows, maintaining Cast Jamming was frankly impossible.
So long as one was capable of using magic, no matter how fierce or powerful the attack was, nothing could match the speed of magic.
While she clearly knew this, Erika didn't plan on using magic.
She probably didn't have the time to design a Magic Sequence.
Erika was a Course 2 student that didn't excel in compiling technical skills.
Even so, Erika's CAD was a specialized model that was fortified for high speed combat and possessed a form that Erika was well accustomed to.
In addition, her Engravement Magic was a type that could still channel Psions even under the effects of Cast Jamming.
If she could create enough separation, then she would be able to use magic attacks.
However, Erika didn't try to break away, nor did she press forward.
In direct opposition to the high praise of the fierce flame, Sayaka's attack could only be described as fairly clumsy.
On the other hand, Erika was using precise and fluid motions to defuse each of her opponent's attacks.
Her eyes betrayed no trace of agitation.
Her breath remained perfectly even.
The first one to start breathing raggedly was actually Sayaka, who had expended all her energy on the attack.
The momentum reversed in an instant.
The attacker and defender roles were swapped.
Erika sidestepped her opponent's final blow, then immediately retaliated against Sayaka's motionless stun baton.
The stun baton, which was by design more fragile than bokkens or staves, snapped upon impact to its base.
"..."
Sayaka stared weakly at the police baton pointed at her.
Her eyes still burned with her fighting spirit.
"Please pick it up."
Erika said without moving her weapon.
"..."
Unable to comprehend her words, Sayaka made no response.
"Pick up the short-sword on the ground and show me your true strength.
I will shatter that woman's illusion that binds you."
Sayaka ignored the police baton before her eyes and bent her knees.
She picked up the short-sword that Erika discarded, then once again fell into a stance.
Afterwards, Sayaka remembered something, fell out of her stance and put her left hand atop her right.
She removed the flashing bronze ring on her right hand.
And threw it to the floor.
"I don't need to rely on that.
I will use my own strength to break your technique."
Sayaka removed her uniform jacket.
At First High, female students wore sleeveless gowns beneath their uniform jackets.
Sayaka's arms were exposed from the shoulder down, which guaranteed her complete freedom of movement.
Sayaka turned the edge of the blade skywards.
Slashing with the back of the blade was a method that completely disregarded the structural properties of the weapon, and only served to increase the risk of the blade breaking.
Even with this disadvantage, Sayaka was unwilling to allow her hesitation towards murder to dull the speed of the blade's tip, hence she assumed this position.
"I understand."
They stood in the ready position facing one another.
"Your techniques seem to come from the same style as Watanabe-senpai."
"Do not speak of my blade in the same sentence as that woman's sword. We are on completely different levels."
Each side exchanged one sentence, heralding the start of the verbal spar.
Thereafter, silence dominated the scene.
Silence turned into anxiety, and anxiety turned to urgency.
Just as the urgency reached a crescendo, Erika's figure vanished.
The exchange was over in an instant.
The crisp sound of metallic contact rang out.
It was practically impossible for the naked eye to discern, but Sayaka truly managed to defend herself against one of Erika's magically accelerated attacks.
She managed to hold off the "longsword's" first attack.
The short-sword slid from Sayaka's nerveless hands.
Subsequently, Sayaka pressed her right arm and fell to one knee.
"My apologies, senpai.
That's probably a fracture."
"... The bone cracked.
It's fine. I don't think you were holding back."
"Yes, senpai, you can hold your head up high.
That's because you faced a woman from the Chiba Family and lost."
"I see... So, you're a member of the Chiba family."
"That's the truth of the matter.
By the way, Watanabe Mari is a disciple of our family as well.
I was the one who oversaw her certification.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, I am the superior one."
Hearing this, Sayaka finally smiled.
It was a brief, carefree smile.
"Is that so...?
I say, although the loser has no right to ask for a boon, could you call a stretcher for me?
I feel like my consciousness is fading, ah..."
Sayaka crumpled to the ground.
Erika carefully scooped her up.
She softly whispered into the ears of the unconscious Sayaka.
"Don't worry, senpai.
Because your gentle kohai will take senpai away from here."
Tsukasa made his decision based on this assumption, but unfortunately for him, fate had other ideas.
"If it isn't Tsukasa from the kendo club. Are you headed home?"
Just as Tsukasa was about to waltz out the main gate, someone called out to him from behind.
It wasn't a friend. He did not know that voice.
When he turned around, what stood before him was a swarthy individual of medium height who could be comfortably described as boorish. Like Tsukasa, he was a large, robust 3rd Year student. He wore the emblem of the Public Morals Committee on his wrist.
"Tatsumi... Uh, aren't club activities canceled because of the riots? That's why I decided to head home!"
Faltering due to poor acting would be troublesome. Consciously ordering his body to cooperate, Tsukasa replied back in an even tone.
"Is that so? Well, that's okay. Club activities are probably canceled all around campus."
"Ah, that's it. So-"
Goodbye. The word was on the tip of his tongue, but Tsukasa never got the chance to say it.
"Wait a second. There's something I wanted to ask you."
His heart raced.
"Ask me?"
Barely managing to contain his wavering, Tsukasa managed to fake an astonished expression.
"Yeah, I need to ask you specifically, Tsukasa."
Tatsumi's voice seemed to fan the flames of Tsukasa's agitation. Tsukasa felt as if that tone knew everything he was up to.
"My Chief has an amazing special technique."
All of a sudden, the conversation changed entirely — at least that's what it sounded like — but the same sense of wariness from the beginning did not diminish in the slightest.
"By manipulating the air currents and adding some enhancements, we can create truth serums without resorting to illegal drugs."
A scream was about to force its way out of his throat, but Tsukasa fought it down.
However, he was only wasting his time.
"You don't have to fake any ambivalence, Tsukasa. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?
We already have proof, evidence that you ordered them to do these things."
Tsukasa didn't reply.
While he was a Course 2 student weak in technical skills, thanks to his extensive training in kendo he had plenty of confidence in his own Speed Magics. Both of them looked fairly swarthy and Tatsumi was one of the few 3rd Year students capable of putting out some speed, but Tsukasa was confident he had the edge in a pure footrace.
All of this was in Tsukasa's calculations, but his plans were dashed before they came to fruition.
"Tsukasa-senpai! Please come with us for a moment!"
A somber but powerful voice rang out. To be precise, the owner of this voice was standing directly in his path.
"Sawaki... Why the hell are you two here?"
Tsukasa hoarsely shouted. When the riots broke out, both of them should have been at the library. Why the heck were two members of the active combat division stationed all the way out here? It was only natural for Tsukasa to wonder about that.
"You haven't noticed yet? Our job is solely to keep an eye on you today, with some support from long range Sensory System personnel. We would've wasted our time if you didn't cave in the end, but we finally figured out your escape route."
As Tatsumi was happily explaining behind him, Tsukasa made the conscious decision to forcibly break through here.
The breakthrough would have to occur in Sawaki's direction. In this situation, returning to campus was suicide.
That being said, even though Sawaki was a 2nd Year student, he specialized in a form of magic close combat called Magic Martial Arts. Unarmed, Tsukasa had no chance — in a straight up fight, that is.
Tsukasa removed the scarf tied around his right arm.
Inside, there was a bronze colored bracelet. The Antinite Bracelet.
He activated Cast Jamming.
Tsukasa knew that by spreading the Cast Jamming waves, he was alerting their allies to his location. However, this wasn't the time to worry about that. The most important thing was to break out of the current trap and establish a link with his older brother — this powerful thought dominated Tsukasa's actions.
Tsukasa charged towards Sawaki, who furrowed his brows. At the end of the day, Magic Martial Arts was a technique that used magic to reinforce the physical body, to enable the usage of powerful combat abilities. In a scenario where no magic was used, Sawaki should have no chance of overcoming a kendoist such as himself, even if he was unarmed, without the aid of magic. With this in mind, Tsukasa struck out at Sawaki.
Sawaki easily dodged his chop.
His flank suffered a furious blow. Sawaki's elbow dug deeply into Tsukasa's abdomen.
"Tsukasa, you moron, I don't think you understand."
As Tsukasa collapsed to the ground, Tatsumi said this in a sympathetic manner.
"Sawaki is a tough opponent even without magic. There are a lot of people who misunderstand me, though those guys are incapable of doing anything without magic, and are unable to move freely without an unnecessary thing like magic."
Moaning in pain, Tsukasa couldn't reply. Sawaki silently bound Tsukasa securely.
In the Nurse's Room, they were listening to Sayaka's side of the story.
Her right arm needed treatment, so it was best not to upset her too much. While the school doctor forbade this, it was currently Sayaka who wanted to tell her story.
Mayumi, Mari, and Katsuto were all gathered to hear this. The mastermind Tsukasa Kinoe had been captured, and the riot had been suppressed on the surface, but the exact details behind the attack were still unknown. The off-campus invaders that had been captured had already been handed over to the police by the faculty, and thanks to the efforts of the School Council, Club Activities Group and Public Morals Committee, no students were affected.
Currently, Tsukasa was in no condition to be interrogated. Taking this into consideration, Sayaka's confession became the only source of information, so it wasn't odd for Mayumi and the others to be present.
The tale began when Sayaka was first introduced to her other companions.
Last year, shortly after Sayaka entered the school, she struck up a conversation with Tsukasa. At that time, there were a lot of sympathisers in the kendo club. It wasn't just the kendo club, but students were also forming magic training clubs with similar philosophies. It came as a huge shock to discover that the time and scale of the operations far exceeded Mayumi and co.'s expectations. The one who took it hardest was probably Mari. Mayumi, Mari, and Katsuto were all struck differently by this revelation in the beginning.
Same as before Tatsuya and Miyuki were communicating with each other using the psion method
"Do you want to take and follow up or should I just play the bad guy"
"You can carry on. I will take care of all the things there, do we really have to keep up with the farce."
"If you want you can take charge and be the bad guy"
"You can deal with this I will stay behind the scene"
Then
"Just as we foresaw."
"It was so accurate that it got boring."
"That's just how reality is, Chief.
However, the real problem comes next."
Tatsuya spoke as if he had already charted out the next course of action.
"... Tatsuya-kun, are you planning to fight them?"
"That's an incorrect way to put it. I'm not going to fight them, I am going to annihilate them."
Hearing Mayumi's trepidation, Tatsuya bluntly replied back with the most incentive method possible.
"That's dangerous! You've already gone above and beyond the call of duty for students."
The first one to object was Mari.
Even within the confines of the campus, Mari was someone who was constantly doing firefighting, so her sense of danger was particularly sharp, which was only natural given the circumstances.
"I object as well. You should leave off-campus cases to the police."
Mayumi solemnly shook her head.
However,
"Is this before or after we release the details surrounding Mibu-senpai's attempted robbery and hand her over to the family court's jurisdiction?"
At Tatsuya's words, Mayumi froze and was unable to utter another word.
"I see. So you don't want the police to intervene.
And that's why this is something you can't ignore.
In order to prevent future repetitions from occurring.
Is that right, Shiiba?"
Katsuto's burning gaze caught Tatsuya's eyes.
"Your opponents are terrorists. If you let down your guard, you will die.
It doesn't matter if it's me, Mayumi or Watanabe, we will not let students from this campus run that risk."
"Of course."
Despite that, Tatsuya did not cower before that gaze, and immediately replied.
"From the beginning, I never planned to request assistance from the Public Morals Committee or the Club Activities Group."
"... You plan on going alone?"
"That was the plan."
"I'm going with you."
"Me too."
"And me."
Miyuki, Erika and Leo both stepped forward, expressing their intent to join the battle.
"Shiiba-kun, if you're doing this on my behalf, I beg you to reconsider.
Just as the President said, please leave this to the police.
I'll be alright. I will just be punished for what I've done.
Compared to that, if Shiiba-kun got hurt because of me, I wouldn't be able to take it."
Sayaka hurriedly tried to stop him, but Tatsuya's expression was not very welcoming.
"This isn't for Mibu-senpai."
These cold words stopped Sayaka short, causing her to lower her head.
"As someone whose personal life has been imperiled by terrorists, I too have a stake in this. I will exterminate any and all sources of harm directed towards my family. This is the highest priority for me."
His piercing, chilly gaze alone was enough to convince them of that.
There was no anger, no aroused fighting spirit, just calmly stating his intent to annihilate the terrorists. Before Tatsuya's confidence — or maybe determination — even Katsuto could say nothing more.
"However, Tatsuya san, how do we completely exterminate Blanche root and branch?
They should have already evacuated from the temporary base that Mibu-senpai spoke of, so I don't think there will be many clues left behind."
Only Miyuki was able to converse with her cousin normally.
"That's true, Tsukasa-senpai would likely say the same thing.
Rather than saying no clues were left behind, it would be more appropriate to say that we never had any clues in the first place."
"Then, what should we do?"
Although there were no clues to be had, Miyuki continued to question without a trace of dismay on her features.
"In order to understand the unknown, the only thing that needs to be done is to ask someone who is familiar with the subject."
"... Someone familiar with the subject?"
"Do you have an idea, Tatsuya?"
Tatsuya did not reply to Erika and Leo's questions. He merely opened the doors leading to the exit.
"Ono-sensei?"
Mayumi smiled in a bemused manner at the sight of Haruka in a pantsuit.
"... I can't believe I was naive enough to try and conceal my presence against Yakumo-sensei's favourite student..."
She forced a smile as she said this in an uncaring tone. Her target was obviously Tatsuya.
An apathetic Tatsuya responded in a slightly surprised voice.
"You never intended to conceal your presence in the first place.
Thanks to all the untruths you've spoken, I can't tell whether you're telling the truth anymore."
"I will take that into account."
Tatsuya made a welcoming motion to usher her inside, while Haruka slowly paced towards the bedside.
She bent down and matched gaze with Sayaka, who was sitting on the bed.
"You look like you're okay..."
"Ono-sensei..."
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to offer any assistance."
Sayaka shook her head as Ono-sensei placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. After a short time, she directed her gaze to the bedside.
"Someone get a map. It's much faster this way."
Tatsuya silently pulled out an information terminal.
He opened the screen and set it to map mode.
Haruka also pulled out a terminal — much more graceful and suave than Tatsuya's motion — and set it to directional transmission.
After receiving the signal, a flashing light appeared on the map.
"... That's literally right under our noses!"
"... Are they mocking us?"
The reason behind Leo and Erika's outrage lay in the fact that the enemy's lair could be reached by foot within an hour.
The image was magnified before switching over to a more detailed layout.
The location was the hills outside of the city proper, near the abandoned factories for the chemical dye industry.
"... been confirmed that the factory was the hideout of the Eco-Terrorists, which was abandoned when they fled."
Tatsuya was reading the additional notes.
"They returned to this location without being detected by law enforcement officials."
"So they're the same group?"
Although phrased as a question, given the looks on Mari and Mayumi's faces, their inner thoughts were hardly a secret.
"Were toxic materials transported to this location during this time period?"
"Hm, according to our investigation, there are no BC (biochemical) weapons on site."
Hearing Katsuto's comment, Haruka nodded.
"We should have no problems with transportation."
"Have they detected our magic?"
"Even if they did detect us, they wouldn't change their plans anyways. They're probably dug in and waiting for us to show up."
"Full frontal assault?"
"That would probably be the tactic the enemy least expects."
Tatsuya didn't need to say anything. The moment Miyuki announced such a warlike declaration, the two of them had already devised their strategy.
Katsuto agreed on this point.
"Yes, that is an acceptable tactic. Let me get the car ready."
"Eh? Juumonji-kun is going as well?"
Mayumi's question was probably mirrored in Tatsuya's thoughts.
Katsuto definitely didn't seem like the type who would bar his subordinates from fighting, only to charge off to the front line on his own.
"This is the duty of the Juumonji family who bear the name of the Ten Master Clans.
But before that, I am still a student of First High, so there's no way I could watch this pass by without lifting a finger.
I cannot leave this in the hands of the underclassmen alone."
"... Then me too."
"Saegusa, you can't go."
"Mayumi, the situation would be problematic if the Student Council President wasn't available."
"... I understand."
It took the two of them combined to barely persuade Mayumi to reluctantly accept their proposal.
"Then, if that is the case, Mari, you can't go either. There may be remnants still lurking on campus. As the Public Morals Committee Chief, leaving your post at this critical juncture would also cause difficulties."
Now it was Mari's turn to grudgingly accept that condition.
Completely ignoring the two women who were glaring (?) at one another, Katsuto turned his gaze on Tatsuya.
"shiiba, are you leaving immediately? If we wait any longer, we may be forced to fight in the darkness."
"This won't take too long. The battle will be over by dusk."
"Is that so?"
Katsuto probably saw something in Tatsuya's adamant attitude.
Thus, he didn't say anything further. He left the Nurse's Office after mentioning that he'd get the car.
"Yo, Shiiba."
"Kirihara-senpai."
"You don't seem very surprised."
"... No, I'm actually quite surprised."
The primary source of shock came from his greeting, though it must be owed that the flower dangling from his lips helped.
"Hey bro, I'm coming too."
"Do as you wish."
Tatsuya was completely unable to comprehend the state of mind necessary for Kirihara to utter those words.
Regardless, daylight was burning.
And so, Tatsuya got into the all-terrain vehicle, with his cousin and friends closely behind.
In a world dyed in a madder red,
A large all-terrain vehicle reflected the rays of the setting sun as it sped through the city,
Before smashing through the main doors leading to the factory.
"Nice work, Leo."
"...Nah, that was nothing."
"Man, that was exhausting."
All of a sudden, Leo was asked to encompass the entirety of a large all-terrain vehicle speeding along above 100 kilometres per hour with high level Fortify Magic at the moment of impact, an extremely taxing task that consumed all his reserves.
"Shiiba, this is your plan. Call it."
Tatsuya accepted the authority and responsibility that Katsuto offered without any hesitation.
"Leo, you remain here on guard.
Erika, support Leo and take care of anyone trying to flee."
"...Is it okay to not apprehend them?"
"There's no need for such a risky action. To ensure minimal risk, just take them out.
Kirihara-senpai and the Group Leader should loop around the left to the back entrance.
Miyuki and I will enter here."
"Understood."
"OK, let's do it. I'll take care of every single one of the stragglers."
"Tatsuya, be careful."
"Miyuki, don't force yourself."
Leo and Erika both accepted this arrangement, so they did not reveal any displeased expressions.
With blade in hand — but not drawn — Kirihara charged away, with Katsuto leisurely following behind.
Tatsuya and Miyuki both walked into the dark interior of the factory with the same ease as if they were entering a convenience store.
They encountered the enemy much sooner than expected.
Heedless of cover, Tatsuya advanced fearlessly out into the open, where their opponents stood in neat lines in the centre of the meeting ground area.
"Welcome! Nice to meet you, Shiiba Tatsuya-kun!
And this hime-sama must be your cousin, Miyuki-kun, right?"
"You must be the branch commander of Blanche."
Tatsuya coldly interrogated the man who had his arms spread out in an exaggerated welcoming motion.
Roughly 30 years of age. Unusually young for this line of work.
He wore rimless glasses atop his tall, lanky figure. From his outward appearance, he seemed like some sort of scholar or lawyer.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness.
Just as you said, I am the commander of Blanche's Japanese branch, Tsukasa Hajime."
There was no sense of pressure, but that may have been a biassed opinion. In Tatsuya's mind, this man gave off the impression that he was an intellectual of a failed revolution.
However, based on those ridiculous actions and mesmerised tone of voice, a glimmer of emotions as dark as the deepest abyss could be detected.
"Is that so?"
Even though he had seen through his opponent's wild antics, Tatsuya didn't flinch. It didn't matter which of the seven Hells he was in; Tatsuya would've already become accustomed to it. He did not need to ascertain the relationship between this man and Tsukasa Kinoe of the Men's Kendo Club, so all he did was ask this question, then firmly nodded his head.
Although he didn't verbalise it, his attitude was enough to express his intent. Tatsuya removed the silver CAD from its holster.
"Hm, a CAD. I thought you would bring firearms at least.
That being said, you're a bold one. You came forward without any heed to nearby cover.
No matter what kind of Magician you are, you can still be killed by bullet wounds!"
"I am no Magician."
Tatsuya's reaction was completely unlike someone under the threat of a sniper, causing the Blanche commander to stare at him with widened eyes.
"Oh, so that's how it is. You're still a student.
I forgot that detail after seeing you charge in like that."
"You talk too much.
Well, for you to incite these people, there must be some angle behind it."
"For your age, you're pretty good.
Using such a penetrating attitude to view things at your age makes you too rigid. At this rate, you're going to be an old-timer very quickly."
Ridiculous movements and tone. Along with those self-delusional words.
That being said, Tatsuya had no intention of playing along with Tsukasa Hajime's nonsense.
"At any rate, I advise you to surrender.
All of you, throw down your weapons and place your hands on your heads."
"Ha ha ha ha, aren't you a Weed that doesn't excel in magic?
Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't use such a taboo term.
But, where exactly does your confidence come from?
If you think that magic is the be all and end all, then you're making a terrible mistake."
As he was laughing, the wilderness surrounding Tsukasa Hajime seemed to multiply as he raised his right hand.
To the left and right, some twenty odd members of Blanche raised their weapons at the same time.
Apart from pistols, they also had assault rifles and semi-automatics mixed in.
"You have to be equal to even reach the bargaining table, so I'll give you another chance.
Shiiba Tatsuya-kun, join us.
I heard from my little brother that you can use Cast Jamming without resorting to Antinite. I am very interested in that ability.
In regards to this exercise, I have spent a considerable time preparing for it. A lot of time and resources went into indoctrinating those damnable students so they would do my bidding. I am greatly aggravated by the waste of all that time and effort, but if you are willing to join us, I am willing to overlook all that."
"As expected, this was your goal.
Having Mibu-senpai approach me and ordering your little brother to ambush me was to test the depths of that Cast Jamming ability?"
"Hm, I do like smart children.
But to understand so much and still waltz into here without a care in the world reveals that you are still a child.
Nevertheless, children can still be stubborn.
Even when they know they have no chance of winning, they still refuse to obey."
"And what of it?"
"Yeah... Then, let's do this."
His movements were more like those of a con artist than of a scholar.
He threw the fake pair of rimless glasses aside, raised his forehead, and caught Tatsuya's gaze.
"Shiiba Tatsuya, become one of our companions!"
Tsukasa Hajime's eyes took on a strange glow.
Tatsuya's already few expressions disappeared, his right hand holding the CAD dropped as if every ounce of strength had been sapped away.
"Ha ha ha ha ha, and now you are one of us!"
Tsukasa Hajime abandoned any pretence of hiding the wildness about him. Even though the aura about him did not command respect or awe, it was still something worthy of a leader's mantle.
"The first thing you shall do, is to personally execute the cousin that came along with you!
This wasn't acting any more. He had already become accustomed to giving out orders.
Truly, he had already forced many people to obey him.
His twisted smile revealed his complete confidence in his own abilities.
"...It's about time to stop with the monkey antics. Anyone who even sees you would be embarrassed on your behalf."
However, that expression was transfixed with Tatsuya's mocking words.
"Consciousness Interference Type Non-Systematic Magic, Evil Eye.
Even with that lofty name, the truth is that the light emitted from the eyes sends out hypnotising waves, using the speed of light to bypass the limits of human sensory abilities, directly influencing the opponent through sight using light wave oscillation type magic.
It is merely a tangent from brainwashing techniques, a skill that could be replicated with a projector: hypnotism.
While this ability voids the need for lugging a machine about and is able to control an opponent's consciousness, at the end of the day, that's all it is.
Prior to the formation of the New Soviet Federation, this was a technique that White Russia developed after extensive research."
This wasn't magic. Tatsuya froze his opponents with his words alone.
"Mibu-senpai's memory was probably rewritten in the same way."
"Using the right hand to remove the glasses to draw attention from the left hand manipulating your CAD. Did you think such cheap tricks would work against me?
As long as the Activation Sequence can be seen, then I know what magic you are using and can easily defeat it.
For something as trivial as your magic, removing a small portion of the Activation Sequence is sufficient. Without the hypnotism component, Evil Eye is nothing more than a simple light show."
Tatsuya had already lost interest in the con artist whose tricks had been unravelled.
"How can this be...? To do this... Who the hell are you...?"
"Speaking of which, 'you' refers to two people, right? Being too verbose will remove that monster mask from you as well."
At this time, Tsukasa Hajime finally realised.
The youth's features and muscles slackened only after he judged Tsukasa Hajime's magic to be completely neutralised.
From the very beginning, this young man never considered Tsukasa Hajime to be on the same level as a human being.
He didn't see Tsukasa Hajime as a human. Tsukasa Hajime's features, name, personality, even consciousness were immaterial to this young man. Tsukasa Hajime finally realised that.
For this young man, Tsukasa Hajime was nothing more than an "enemy". An "obstacle".
And now, after determining the appropriate solution, all that remained was to remove this obstacle.
"Fire, damn you all, fire!"
This was not the time to act regal or majestic.
He didn't even have time to recognize the confused looks in the eyes of his companions, no, subordinates.
Thoroughly consumed by the fear that even primitive animals dread, Tsukasa Hajime gave the order to shoot.
But—
"W-what..."
"What the hell is this?"
—Not a single bullet was fired.
Full blown panic erupted in the area.
With a clatter, the various pistols, rifles and semi-automatics collapsed into pieces.
Just as the men squeezed the triggers, their weapons were broken down to their components.
In the midst of the chaos,
Only Tsukasa Hajime possessed the composure to flee.
Not a single one of his companions followed him.
"Tatsuya san, please pursue immediately.
I will handle this."
"Understood."
Before the young girl's slim figure, two rows of men stood there, unable to move at all.
Both mentally — and physically.
The floor was covered by a solid layer of white frost.
The only place that shared the same season as the outer world was a small circle that spread around where the young girl stood.
The white mist condensed into a tornado.
The frost turned the air bitterly cold.
She raised her right hand.
In this reality, she stood like the Queen of Ice about to render judgement upon the damned.
"You are all very unfortunate."
Her tone was entirely different from usual.
However, these words that were filled with majesty, judgement, and authority were in no way incompatible with her appearance.
"You should of stayed away from japan"
The cold air slowly rose.
Gradually, the cold corroded their bodies.
The faces of the men were contorted with sheer terror and utter despair.
"I am not merciful like him."
The white mist rose to throat level.
"Pray. Pray that you will retain your pitiful lives."
The chilling air that utterly covered the men from head to toe abruptly turned the atmosphere solemn.
Wide Area Oscillation Speed Magic "Niflheim".
Silent screams permeated the deepening mist.
No one lay in ambush.
So his opponent already considered whether to split his forces, Tatsuya thought.
For Tatsuya, who could readily detect any existences around him, ambushes were meaningless.
In the next room, ten remaining members of the terrorist cell were waiting for him.
With ten assault rifles.
Tatsuya clicked the trigger of his CAD from the other side of the wall.
Physical obstacles were no impediment to magic.
Tatsuya was only able to freely manipulate two magics. The first was "Decomposition", which was able to render assault rifles into psions.
Panicked sounds were heard once more.
Relying on his sensory ability, his magic was able to disassemble not just Magic Sequences, but Activation Sequences as well. It was a side effect from a wholly different magic.
Identify the design, decompose the design.
As long as it was an object, he could translate the physical object into signals, and then rewrite or erase the base design at his leisure.
If it was an Information Body, then he could directly disassemble the design.
This was one of the most difficult magics imaginable, able to directly interfere with the design information.
And it was because he was born with such an ability, that Tatsuya was unable to use other magics.
He was only able to use imitation and theoretical magic.
His Magic Calculation Area was completely dominated by those two highly difficult magics.
However, he didn't need diverse magics today.
The first peerless magic was already sufficient for him to rule the field of battle.
There were no longer any weapons in his opponents' hands.
As Tatsuya advanced into the innermost depths of the room, what greeted him was not bullets, but hollow laughter accompanied by an inaudible sound.
"How is it, Magician? This is true Cast Jamming."
That wild laughter no longer possessed the same darkness that threatened to devour one's consciousness.
Tsukasa Hajime's ridiculous laughter was merely a front.
Backed into a corner, the only thing supporting Tsukasa Hajime's will was the bronze Antinite bracelet worn around his right wrist.
The other ten men also wore similar rings on their fingers.
Antinite was a military resource limited by its production location.
These areas were certain parts of the ancient Aztec Empire, somewhere in the Mayan ruins, central Tibet, the highest peaks of Scotland, and a portion of the high plains of Iran.
In other words, only areas with ancient civilizations that dwelt in the mountains could produce Antinite.
It was just like manufactured goods that could only be produced at high elevation.
"It appears that they've prepared quite a large amount of Antinite," Tatsuya said softly.
"The employer is a breakaway faction from the remnants of White Russia. Their backer is the East Asian Union."
Faltering emotions were also passed along.
Tedium welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Calling them third rate was probably overrating them.
Then again, nothing fit the criteria any better.
"Kill him!
A Magician without any magic is nothing more than a child!"
Using his fists would be too much of a hassle, so Tatsuya raised his right arm and squeezed the trigger on his CAD.
This wasn't a gun. It could only fire bullet-like projectiles that were composed of small lasers and electrically-charged particles.
Even so, every man that was hit by the shots collapsed with blood spewing from their thighs.
There were two small points - one in the front and one in the back.
There was a tiny hole the size of a needle that severed the nerves and completely penetrated the thigh.
Tatsuya kept squeezing the trigger.
Wounds appeared on shoulders and legs as men fell left and right.
In the line of fire formed by Tatsuya's Magic Sequence, the parts that formed the human body, including skin, flesh, nerves, body fluids, bones, and cellular structures were decomposed at a molecular level, creating a piercing hole.
He was only able to rewrite a small portion of the entire Information Body.
This was one of the most challenging techniques in modern magic. In recompense for using such a precise ability, Tatsuya's Magic Calculation Area was completely focused on this technique to the exclusion of all others.
"Why?"
Exactly how many times had this man uttered this line?
It seemed excessively foolish to search one's memory for the answer.
"Why are you able to use magic while under Cast Jamming?"
Cast Jamming was a type of Non-Systematic Magic able to create psion noise that disrupted other people from casting magic. The psion noise caused by Antinite was designed to interfere with the formation of Magic Sequences.
Tatsuya simply decomposed that design and changed the oscillations of the psion noise.
Cast Jamming was an obstacle that obstructed the path of Magic Sequences. It was precisely this obstacle that Tatsuya used magic to dissolve.
But, it wasn't only that.
The man who used Evil Eye couldn't even comprehend that.
Since he was about to take care of him, there was no time for any explanations.
Just then,
The wall behind Tsukasa Hajime split open.
The oscillating steel reflected light everywhere, releasing tiny sparks of silvery light.
This was the edge of oscillation-type magic Sonic Blade.
"Eeeek~~!"
His hips giving out, Tsukasa Hajime leapt to one side in dismay.
The one who took his place was Kirihara Takeaki.
Looked like he had charged in from the rear entrance and literally cut his way here.
"Yo, were you the one who took all those guys out?"
There was no other answer.
Before Tatsuya could give his assent, Kirihara nodded several times.
"Nicely done, bro.
So, who's this guy?"
Kirihara's gaze was scornful as he jerked a thumb at the man cowering against the wall.
"That's Tsukasa Hajime, the Blanche commander."
"This guy is...?"
The change was instantaneous.
The fury flowing from every pore on Kirihara's body would be enough to give Tatsuya pause.
"You were the one!
The one who deceived Mibu!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Seeing the furious Kirihara approach, maybe the fight part of the fight or flight instinct finally kicked in as psion noise several times more potent than before flooded the area.
Originally, Kirihara's Sonic Blade should be rendered useless.
Against such a strong dose of Cast Jamming.
However,
"Because of you, Mibu is!"
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The blunt edge of Kirihara's blade sheared off Tsukasa Hajime's right arm with the Antinite bracelet from the elbow down.
Katsuto appeared in the gaping hole in the wall that Kirihara came through.
He frowned slightly before starting to manipulate the CAD in his left hand.
It was a Generalized CAD shaped like a portable terminal, just like the one Miyuki carried.
After a short delay to numb all five senses...
There was the acrid smell of burning flesh, accompanied by a halt to the blood loss and the screams.
Tsukasa Hajime, foaming at the mouth and wetting himself, fainted.
The cleanup of the case was handled by Katsuto.
The actions of Tatsuya and co could be construed as excessive self defense at best, or unlicensed use of magic causing injury and attempted murder at worst, but the arm of the law would not extend to them. -
The power of the Ten Master Houses ascends beyond that of judicial authorities.
Once it was known that talent in modern magic is influenced by one's genetic predisposition, as a matter of course, lengths were taken to strengthen one's blood.
That means, for countries that systematically classified magic as the form of national power, throughout all these countries in the world, there are already differences from the age when magic was still unknown.
Of course, that also applies to this country.
The result was the formation of a new group to oversee the magic realm in the country.
Those are the 10 Master Houses.
Their history is less than a century old, so the hierarchy is still fluid.
However, the fact is, in the families called the Ten Master Houses, a barrier has already appeared between them and others, one that is hard to overcome.
By repeatedly reinforcing their blood with ties between the Houses, the Ten Master Houses, along with the related 100 Families, possess a marked difference from those who are not of them.
The Ten Houses do not stand in the center of politics in any way.
They do not have any power on paper.
Rather, by using their magic as soldiers, officers, administrators, they are the forefront supporting group of the country.
In exchange, instead of visibly possessing power, they gain inviolable ascendancy on the other side of politics.
This is the path chosen by modern mages in this country.
Currently the two most influential families within the 10 Houses are the Yotsuba and the Saegusa.
Coming in at third are the Juumonji.
- In this case involving the eldest child of the Juumonji, ordinary police would not even be considered to be involved.
Since Yotsuba is the black ops of Japan the family didn't feel like getting involved in this small matter, this is why Tatsuya and Miyuki wanted to play their sempai so that they don't have to expose them.
And thus Miyuki completed her mission by playing everyone of their friends so that she doesn't have to deal with anything.
She was praised by both Miya and Maya for her efforts and for her ability to play the events to her favour.
