Sorry for the late update from now on I will try to update regularly

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August 1st.

The departure date for the Nine Schools Competition finally arrived.

Otaru's Eighth High and Kumamoto's Ninth High would leave earlier due to their respective locations, whereas First High, conveniently located on the eastern outskirts of Tokyo, usually departed for the competition dormitories the day before the contest began.

Rather than attaching any strategic importance to this, it was mainly because the remote schools had priority access to the training facilities.

The official competition arena was restricted until the day of the competition, so there was no real reason to arrive earlier—

"That's how it is."

"Is that so... At any rate, thank you for your simple explanation."

Tatsuya wanted to ask Mari, in a tone laden with sarcasm, if there was any reason she was telling him all this, but he patiently waited for her to finish her explanation and quickly shook his head to dispel this ridiculous impulse that wouldn't serve anyone.

Mikihiko said that he would come later separately.

"Sorry!"

One and a half hours later, everyone was finally here.

"Mayumi, you're so slow."

"Sorry, sorry."

Both the reprimand and the apology were just as concise.

The two of them proceeded to embark on the bus as if nothing had occurred.

Miyuki and Kanon were the first two to discover the situation.

"Watch out!"

Kanon was the one who shouted out.

Following her voice, just about everyone in the car looked out the window on one side of the bus.

From the opposite direction, a large vehicle — this was a smaller bus used for leisurely pursuits — was sliding towards them on the ground, scattering sparks everywhere.

Someone shouted that the tires burst.

Another agitated passenger claimed that the tires fell off.

There was no sense of danger in their voices.

There was a central divider between the two sides of the highway, further fortified by a protective barrier.

Basically, there was no way for the accident to spread over here.

In their young and inexperienced eyes, this disaster on the other side was only something to stimulate them.

A stimulation — that lasted for one second.

Someone shrieked.

Maybe more than one person.

This was hardly their fault.

The large vehicle suddenly spun as it collided with the central divider and, for some reason, flipped into the air towards them.

The bus slammed on the brakes, sending everyone careening forward.

The screams of pain were likely caused by the students who ignored the safety regulations and failed to buckle their seat belts.

The bus stopped.

Thankfully, they stopped short of impact.

However, the fallen vehicle was still sliding towards the bus while aflame.

"Let me shove it back!"

"Disappear!"

"Halt!"

"Oh!"

There was no panic aboard the bus, which was something worthy of praise.

But that only served to worsen the situation.

Without warning, several instances of magic shot forward and all tried to apply the phenomenon rewriting ability at the same time on the same object.

The only thing this would achieve would be to scramble all the magics against each other and do nothing to prevent the incoming disaster.

"You idiots, stop now!"

Mari quickly realized this.

Fortunately, everyone was still in the activation process and had not finished yet.

So everyone was forced to recall their half-formed magic, leaving a few precious seconds for some sort of meaningful defense.

They needed a powerful magic to instantly rewrite the current phenomenon.

Everyone gathered on board were the saplings and seeds of future Magicians, but they were all capable of doing this.

However — if they were able to logically follow Mari's orders, they wouldn't have tried to recklessly use magic.

Also, in order to overwrite the original effects of the magic and achieve the desired result, they had to use a stronger magic to forcibly overwrite the currently activated magic—

"Juumonji!"

Mari summoned a Magician capable of performing this feat.

Katsuto was currently readying his magic.

But Mari almost despaired at seeing his pale and agitated visage.

Mari understood as well.

This pocket of space where Magic Sequences were running amok was just like what would happen during "Calculation Interference".

Even Katsuto had no way of handling both the oncoming impact and roaring flames at the same time...

"Leave the flames to me!"

The slim and beautiful figure of a 1st Year student rose near the window.

Her magic was already prepped and ready.

Seeing this, Katsuto immediately started designing the Magic Sequence for a fortifying barrier.

Yet, regardless of how incredibly talented she was, was this 1st Year student able to use her magic in this veritable storm of psions—?

For a second, Mari thought she was hallucinating.

She was a Magician fully capable of understanding magic, but she still questioned her own senses there.

Just as Miyuki was about to invoke her magic with the flaming metal hulk bearing down on them...

The rampaging Magic Sequences all disappeared in an instant.

As if waiting for this moment to occur, Miyuki immediately activated her magic.

She wasn't freezing the flaming vehicle nor cutting off the air supply to suffocate the driver (though in this case, the chance that the driver survived was remote), she was efficiently using magic to dramatically lower the temperature to extinguish the flames.

Mari could not help but applaud her choice of action.

At the same time, this proved that Mari's magic perception ability was working normally.

Katsuto spread out the protective barrier magic — this was a Movement-Type Systematic Magic that creates a force field that renders any object that enters its boundaries immobile — causing the already ruined vehicle to crumple upon impact. Mari looked elsewhere when she heard the sound of impact (Mari trusted that Katsuto's magic would be able to hold the incoming vehicle).

What the heck just happened?

The interfering remnants of Magic Sequences suddenly disappeared just before magic was applied to avoid the accident, but what the heck caused that?

Was it Mayumi's magic?

Mari immediately rejected this notion that floated into her head.

It was true that Mayumi was able to handle the rampant Magic Sequences.

However, Mayumi's Counter Magic (magic deployed specifically against magic) was shaped like psion bullets that used copies of Magic Sequences to tear them apart.

That type of magic couldn't completely annihilate every Magic Sequence down to the last iota.

If Mayumi's magic was synonymous to precision anti-aircraft guns, then the earlier magic (if it was magic at all) was something that would have carpet bombed the entire district. Not a single pillar would be left standing, steel would turn molten, the foundations and cement would scatter everywhere from the explosions, rendering this entire area into complete rubble — that was how violent that attack was.

While Mari and Katsuto were both frozen before the primal chaos of the rampaging Magic Sequences, Miyuki seemed to know from the start that this situation would fade and activated her magic without any hesitation.

Did she know who cast that "magic"?

Hold on, was that magic...?

"Is everyone alright?"

Mari was staring at the storage vehicle — currently parked behind them — that was following them, and only recovered herself and turned around upon hearing Mayumi's steady voice.

"That was cutting it a little close, but there's no need for concern. Juumonji and Miyuki-chan's excellent performances saved us from disaster. Anyone who's hurt better realise how important safety belts are, so make sure to buckle up next time."

Mayumi added "so long as there isn't a next time" with a smile, causing laughter to fill the bus.

Everyone shook off the intense anxiety and terror and resumed a more relaxed expression.

"Juumonji, thanks, you're just as dependable as ever."

"No... Thanks to the fire quickly being extinguished, I could focus solely on stopping the vehicle. Also, did Saegusa get rid of the rampant Magic Sequences?"

Hearing Katsuto's question, Mayumi's eyes drifted awkwardly.

"Ah! I only noticed after the bus stopped..."

Speaking of which, Mayumi was sleeping up until the moment of the accident.

"Ah, Miyuki-chan as well. Your execution was flawless. You were able to use such a narrow window to construct a perfect Magic Sequence. That's an accomplishment that even us 3rd Year students would be hard pressed to emulate."

Katsuto and Mari both nodded in agreement at Mayumi's words.

All three of them knew very well that being able to correctly choose the appropriate magic and modulate it under such critical circumstances was no small feat.

Mayumi's praise caused Miyuki to blush deeply.

"President, I am honored by your praise. However, thanks to Ichihara-senpai's powerful assistance in halting the bus, I had sufficient time to construct the Magic Sequence, otherwise even I'm afraid that I may have hurried my move in such a trying condition. Ichihara-senpai, thank you."

Miyuki gravely bowed in thanks, to which Suzune silently nodded in response.

Kanon, who was sitting in front of Miyuki, turned around in her chair with an utterly gob smacked expression.

Mari was also unable to hide her astonishment.

Just as Miyuki said, there was no way the bus could've come to a halt in time with the brakes alone.

The moment the driver slammed on the brakes, it wasn't hard to imagine someone also using Speed Magic to help out.

But Mari only noticed everyone using magic to stop the incoming vehicle and was wholly ignorant of Suzune casting magic to stop the bus.

While everyone was preoccupied with visually confirming the danger, she accurately made the correct response.

Suzune's proficiency in magic was said to rival Mari and company, and today she more than sustained that reputation. Also, Miyuki was the only one who detected Suzune's magic while everyone else remained ignorant; her talent was truly awe-inspiring.

"In comparison, you..."

"Ow! Mari-senpai, why did you hit me?"

Suddenly being knocked atop the head, Kanon complained tearfully.

"Stuff it, Kanon, do you have any right to complain? Morisaki and Kitayama both panicked and used magic to complicate the situation, but that's only to be expected since they're 1st Year students. But what's the deal with you as a 2nd Year student panicking first!"

"Uh, but my reaction was the fastest, I just didn't expect anyone else to overlap on magic..."

Kanon's explanation caused both Morisaki and Shizuku to droop in shame.

Quite a few others revealed awkward expressions.

"Fastest isn't always better! At least evaluate the situation first, then make some sort of rudimentary communication between each other to avoid ambiguity, alright? On top of that, based on the fact that you still didn't deactivate your magic even after noticing the conflicting situation proves that you had already lost your objectivity."

"...I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Seeing Kanon's dejected state, Mari didn't go any further.

Even with this lecture, without the requisite training and experience, it was very difficult to remain calm under those circumstances.

When taking that into account, it was even more amazing that Miyuki was able to clearly communicate her decision to extinguish the flames.

This wasn't something that relied on talent alone. Usually, geniuses tend to try and stick out too much, which actually hurts more since it compromises communication.

By this definition, Kanon possessed an exemplary genius mentality.

Miyuki must have gone through extensive and arduous training.

Her serene patience in waiting for the bus to resume moving was perfectly suited for her experiences, or completely unsuitable at the same time.

"Speaking of which, Shiba."

"Yes."

Mari called Tatsuya by name, but referred to Miyuki by surname.

ns such as Mayumi, Kanon, and members of the Public Morals Committee by their name. To her, Tatsuya was someone who she was especially close to.

"Do you know how those Magic Sequences... No, never mind, don't worry about it, you performed magnificently."

"Ah? Thank you for your compliment."

Even though the fire was put out, the possibility that the ethanol-based gasoline would re-ignite was not zero.

Behind the 3rd Year students trying to cut out the door, a 1st Year student was using a camera to record the evidence.

Realising that her eyes were continuously following his back, Mari swiftly averted her gaze.

After the incident, including the time spent during police interviews and assisting with clean up so that the bus could pass, roughly 30 minutes elapsed since the incident ended. Figure in the delay from the start of the trip, the group arrived at the dorms shortly after noon.

A certain 1st Year student from the technician team quickly accomplished his objectives. Pushing a cart full of luggage forward and being accompanied by a smiling female student walking next to him, a sight that caused Hattori to shake his head with a heavy expression on his face.

"Hattori, what's up? Take a look at your hangdog expression."

Behind him, a warm voice struck up a conversation.

"Kirihara... Nah, it's nothing."

Hattori turned around and verified that the man was indeed his good friend based on his voice, and reflexively responded with a vague answer.

"Really? At least you look like something's awry."

He probably noticed himself.

Hattori didn't continue to deny Kirihara's words and let out a masochistic smirk.

"I've... lost some confidence."

"Oh please, the competition is the day after tomorrow, what's with the doom and gloom?"

Kirihara was only responsible for "Crowd Ball" on the second day, but Hattori was scheduled for "Battle Board" on the first and third days as well as "Monolith Code" on the ninth and tenth days.

Hattori was on a different competition tier than Kirihara and was one of the primary aces for the 2nd Year cohort.

If his status was anything short of excellent, this would severely impact the overall team strategy.

Thus, it was surprising for Kirihara to panic at this stage.

"So why are you so depressed?"

In Kirihara's eyes, Hattori Gyoubu was a studious young man bursting with confidence, or maybe someone who worked arduously to earn that confidence.

Just in his second year alone, Hattori possessed the strength just second to the big three. This distinction was not earned on talent alone, although this did feed his arrogance — a point that his friend didn't try to defend — and was the subject of much misinterpretation, but his diligence matched his abundant talent at the highest level. At least, that was how Kirihara had always seen Hattori.

Hard working, talented and accomplished. With these three under his belt, there was no reason why he should suddenly lose the wind in his sails...

"Looks like you haven't noticed, how I envy you..."

"What is this? Are you insinuating that I'm stupid?"

"No, but I do think you're slow."

"Hey!"

Hattori's usual mocking smile that was easily misunderstood by others returned.

He appeared to have recovered his balance.

That Hattori was able to improve his mood by digging Kirihara put a sour taste in Kirihara's mouth, but at least he wasn't worried any more.

"...This isn't like you, right? What exactly has dragged you down recently?"

Kirihara asked again with the full intention of returning the favour.

Hattori was not dull enough to misunderstand his friend's clumsy concern.

"That earlier incident..."

"Ah~, that was too close."

"Yeah, and if nothing happened, I think a lot of people would've been hurt or even lost their lives."

"But didn't the President and company handily deal with it? Isn't worrying about nonexistent injuries a sign of general anxiety? This sort of reverse thinking is harmful to mental health."

Kirihara's forthright comment caused Hattori to laugh lightly.

"Kirihara, I really envy your ability to let it go, but that's not what I'm considering."

Hattori stopped for a moment then shook his head again.

"...At the time, I couldn't do anything at all."

"That's because if you acted without thinking, that would only worsen the situation. I think that holding back shows that you maintained a level head during a crisis."

Kirihara's words were meant to be comforting and not superficial lip service at all. From his objective analysis of the situation, Hattori also acknowledged his words.

Even so, Hattori's expression remained heavy.

"However... Shiba-san adopted the correct choice of action. She chose the appropriate task based on her expertise and did not forget to alert everyone of her actions. Even if the conflicting Magic Sequences did not suddenly disappear before she invoked her magic, she should have been able to team up with Group Leader Juumonji to handle the situation."

"At the time, Chief Watanabe also didn't act. Given that Shiba-san specialises in Freezing-Type Magic, isn't this just a matter of magic suitability?"

"Watanabe-senpai's expertise lies in anti-personnel combat, so she was holding back as a method of self-restraint for the benefit of the whole. In that situation, I am able to accomplish more objectives.

...No, the question at hand isn't about Magic Power. Watanabe-senpai instantly made the correct assessment that she was not the correct person to do the job and called on Group Leader Juumonji to assist. Before she even said anything, Group Leader Juumonji already realised that this was a situation he would be called upon and was already constructing his Magic Sequence. They also came to the conclusion that just the Group Leader alone was insufficient to combat this threat, but didn't panic and use magic haphazardly. Shiba-san calmly determined what she could do and verbalised this to everyone.

The problem is not just about strong or weak Magic Powers or the ability to use diverse or powerful magics or simply a technical issue, but as a Magician, are you able to use the appropriate magic in the right circumstances — yes, the problem isn't 'magic' talent, but the 'Magician's' talent. There is no doubt her Magic Power is staggering and on pure strength alone there's an 80% chance I would lose to her. However, until today, I've never worried about that point, because a Magician's quality is not measured solely by the level of their Magic Power. But — when compared to my underclassman, I am not only lacking magic talent, but also in talent as a Magician... This is thoroughly depressing."

Hattori once more turned a glum expression while Kirihara adopted a "what am I going to do with you" look.

"Ah~ that's a matter of life experiences, and that's where I think that pair of cousins are particularly special."

"cousins?"

"That cousins of hers... I'm guessing he's offed someone before."

"Offed?"

Hattori's incredulous voice carried a note of shock.

"Yes, he's killed someone before, and not just one or two people."

"...You don't actually mean homicide, do you? You're referring to actual combat experience?"

"He does give people that feeling... You know that my dad was in the marines right?"

"Yeah, I remember he had been deployed to Tsushima Island several times?"

This felt like an abrupt change in topic, but Hattori didn't dwell on this point and continued with Kirihara's conversation.

"Dad was only a corporal, but on the other hand, because he was a low-ranking officer, he was deployed to the front lines where he got to know a lot of soldiers who spent their days in the trenches. Occasionally, some of Dad's old war buddies would come over to my house, and they give off a completely different vibe from normal people. Regardless of whether it's kenjutsu or shooting, no matter how much we train in combat tactics and martial techniques, the sheer killing intent given off by soldiers who have killed in the heat of combat differs from athletes that haven't. Do you know the details behind the incident in April?"

Another change in topic.

"Why did you bring this up... I heard that was caused by anti-magic terrorists. I only know that the terrorist cell was cleared out by Juumonji."

Hattori was displeased with the abrupt change in direction but kept a lid on his annoyance. Instinctively, he felt this was all connected.

"Is that so... Then I can't go into too much detail... Although since it's you, I think I can take it to this level. I was present at the suppression of the terrorists, as well as the Shiba cousins ."

"...Really?"

"I can understand why you would ask that, but that's the truth. There, I think I saw the older Shiiba's natural instinct."

"Natural instinct?"

Compared to Kirihara's current words, his voice also carried a tinge of trepidation, which caused Hattori to immediately fire back a question.

"Yes, natural instinct, or at least a part of it. It was terrifying. He had the same quality the soldiers on the front line had but his killing intent was several times more intense, like a thick coating of killing intent covering him like a great coat. He was dangerous enough to cause a shiver to run down my spine, enough to make me wonder what a guy like that's doing in high school."

Kirihara's mouth may have said this, but his expression seemed very agitated.

"...There should be no way to hide his age."

Hattori was feigning naivety. This slightly off-tangent impression was a better gauge of his astonishment than the expression on his face.

"This only goes to show that age doesn't equate to experiences."

Kirihara could understand why his friend was so stunned, but because he had also been in the same position he didn't make light of Hattori's tangent and only smiled wryly in reply.

Hattori looked to ask again, but this time there was a blatant hesitation in his voice.

"...Shiba-san as well?"

This hesitation was largely born from an "unable to believe" mentality. On the other hand, Kirihara seemed immune to this thought — probably heavily influenced by his girlfriend since spring — and answered his friend's question in a frank manner.

"I didn't witness exactly what Miyuki san did, but given that Shiiba was willing to bring her to the combat zone, she definitely isn't an ordinary girl. You know from today that the most beautiful rose has her own thorns, but not only that, she's probably more like the peacock that possesses both the sharp talons and malevolent beak capable of hunting poisonous serpents, right? Pursuing her is like having a death wish. Ignorance is bliss, eh?"

Kirihara's last two sentences weren't for Hattori's ears, but a subtle hint for the hapless male students surrounding Miyuki in the car.

"But I never thought that the Hattori with 'that kind of personality' would say something like this."

Hattori was still digesting all of this information while Kirihara sent a bemused smirk his way.

"...What do you mean?"

The hidden meaning behind Kirihara's smirk rubbed Hattori the wrong way, prompting his displeased rejoinder.

However, Kirihara's delighted smirk was not diminished in the slightest.

"A Magician's quality is not measured by their Magic Power alone, eh? Wouldn't the President be very pleased upon hearing that you personally said those words?"

"Huh...!"

Hattori glared darkly at Kirihara.

Yet, Kirihara maintained his bright smile, no, thanks to Hattori's overreaction, his smile grew even wider, which caused Hattori to be the first one to turn aside.

"Let's table quality for the moment, but Magic Power is definitely not the only indicator of strength."

Hattori took a step forward without any warning at all, clearly signifying his intent to leave Kirihara behind. Still, Kirihara ignored this blatant protest and followed Hattori's footsteps as he continued.

"The difference between Blooms and Weeds lies in the difference in technical scores on the entrance exam. Certainly there are Course 1 students who progress rapidly, but there are also people stagnating as well. Take Chiyoda for example, she's completely different from her arrogant self last summer who rested her laurels on talent. The Course 2 students are the same, and, so long as they don't self-destruct, surely some of them would become stronger? ...No, this isn't pure speculation, there are quite a few 'capable' guys in Course 2 right now, and doubly more so in this year's batch. Oh by the way, I'm not saying this just because I lost to the older Shiba."

Hattori's shoulders shook violently.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Oh right, this guy also got his ass handed to him on a platter."

"At any rate, I admit that he's stronger than me right now. But even if that guy is approaching cheating levels in terms of strength, I don't plan on always admitting defeat. I will continue to train myself and triumph the next time I challenge him. If I give up solely because I'm not as capable now, then I'm always a loser.

Currently, many Course 2 students give up because they're not as capable as others, hence why they've never improved. We have no obligation to accept them as our equals. On the other hand, for those that seek greater strength and better themselves along the way, we have no reason to scorn them either."

Hattori still had no response as he quickly advanced towards his own room without a word.

Kirihara shrugged and turned to see the pair of cousins who were the topic of their discussion.

Not far behind Kirihara, the younger Shiba was solemnly watching her cousin.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Let's hope nothing troublesome happens".

And promptly mocked himself for this random thought.

"Then, according to you, that earlier incident was not accidental...?"

His cousin frowned as she asked this question, to which Tatsuya subtly nodded in reply as he pushed the cart forward.

"The vehicle's trajectory was too unnatural and the investigation yielded the expected results. There were remnants of magic left on the vehicle."

Tatsuya modulated his volume to avoid eavesdroppers and Miyuki emulated her older cousin's soft tones.

"But I didn't see anything..."

While the literal meaning of those words were a denial, Miyuki never doubted her cousin for a moment.

She had a front row seat to the "accident" from the start.

And until the last moment, she never felt a trace of the other side using magic.

Her cousin was different. Miyuki could only see the "present", but all of the "past" were within her cousin's purview.

Miyuki knew that if her cousin had determined "there were remnants", then that was the truth of the matter.

"At the time, they used small scale magic within the tightest time frames possible, which is a high level technique designed to avoid leaving remnant psions from the Magic Sequence at the scene. Our opponent was likely an agent who had undergone specialised training, which is all the more pitiful given that he was a sacrifice."

"A... sacrifice?"

That sentence had an ominous meaning, causing Miyuki's voice to be weaker than she intended.

"Magic was used three times during the incident, first the magic that burst the tire, second the magic that caused the vehicle to spin, and the last to apply force diagonally upwards in order to use the protective railing as a launch pad.

All three were cast within the vehicle in order to hide the fact that they used magic. In reality, most of the Magicians on hand didn't detect this, including you as well. 'At the time', I was also unaware, that's how well this was played. Especially the last technique, for the Magician to be aboard a spinning vehicle and still be able to pinpoint the exact moment of impact with the railing must have required intense training."

"Then, the one who used magic was..."

"The culprit is the Magician in the driver's seat. In other words, a suicide attack."

Miyuki stopped short and lowered her head.

Her shoulders were slightly trembling.

"How despicable...!"

This was not an expression of sadness, but fury.

His cousin did not bear a misguided sense of compassion towards the criminal, but a deep sense of anger at the mastermind who gave the order. Satisfied, Tatsuya nodded.

"Criminals and terrorists originally are the scum of the Earth, and their leaders are rarely the type to gamble with their own lives, which can easily be seen from this example. There would be no end if we became enraged every time this occurred. Besides, I'm more concerned with the intent behind all of this."

Tatsuya gently patted his cousin back a few times to comfort her, then resumed pushing the cart forward.

Miyuki swiftly followed behind.

—And stopped not ten steps away.

A young lady sitting on a couch near the wall waved at them. She wore a pair of shorts and braided sandals that showed off her toned legs, as well as a vest that clearly revealed both shoulders.

Tatsuya also came to a stop alongside Miyuki and glanced over at his friend who then stopped waving and rose from the sofa. She apparently mistook this location for a tropical beach resort.

"It's been a week, how have you guys been?"

"Hm, not bad... Speaking of which, Erika, why are you here?"

"To cheer you guys on, of course."

After a short exchange of greetings, Miyuki asked in a bewildered manner, to which Erika replied frankly.

Of course, Miyuki anticipated this sort of answer but was also unable to accept it.

"But the competition starts two days from now."

"Yep, I know."

Erika's personality veered towards that of a mischievous child who delighted in teasing others, often making it very hard to get to the point.

"Miyuki, I'm leaving first. Erika, see you around."

Tatsuya immediately elected to abandon further questioning and, leaving Miyuki and Erika in the lobby, moved the overflowing push cart towards the room reserved for the technician team.

"Ah, uh, see you later... Hold it, at least let me say hi?"

"Sorry, the senpais from the technician team are waiting for him. So why are you here two days early?"

Miyuki apologised on behalf of her cousin before asking further.

"Tonight's the meet and greet, right?"

"..."

"..."

"...So?"

Miyuki waited for Erika to reply, but she felt that no matter how long she waited, she still wouldn't get a full answer, so Miyuki was forced to change the subject.

"I should probably caution you. Unrelated personnel are not permitted access to the dinner, and that includes students."

"Ah, don't worry, we got that covered."

"Ah? You said..."

"Erika, the key to the room... Eh, Miyuki-san?"

Miyuki wanted to ask "You said something about having it covered?", but was interrupted by a voice of an approaching young lady.

"Mizuki, you came too?"

"Miyuki-san, good afternoon... What is it?"

Mizuki heard Miyuki questioning Erika and warmly greeted her, but noticed that Miyuki was staring at her in place of a greeting, causing her to smile awkwardly.

"...Quite conspicuous."

"Uh... really?"

Mizuki glanced at herself uneasily. Today, she was wearing an upper garment with thin shoulder straps plus a skirt that was several inches higher above the knees. For some people, she was probably more tempting than Erika.

On first impulse, Miyuki thought something like "Did everyone mistake this for a summer resort?".

"Erika said not to dress too conservatively, so..."

"Is that so..."

Miyuki wanted to say a few choice words to Erika, but seeing her feign ignorance and turn her head, Miyuki gave this up as a lost cause.

Miyuki could now sympathise why her cousin often sighed when dealing with Erika.

"Mizuki, I'm saying this for your benefit, but you might want to get changed. The getup is adorable and suits you perfectly, but I think there's a better time and place."

However, Miyuki didn't just smile and nod. Her personality was slightly more righteous than her brother, and more obstinate as well.

"Is that... so? ...Really?"

"Yes, you should."

Mizuki peered at Erika as she asked her, while Miyuki also watched Erika as she nodded in assent.

"Eh~ Really~?"

Erika finally stopped acting and disagreed with a huff.

"Speaking of room keys, where are you guys staying?"

...This time, it was Miyuki's turn to ignore that sally.

"Yes."

Mizuki answered while Erika was fuming by the side, but she didn't press Miyuki.

During the past months, Erika learned from their mutual interactions that this beautiful young lady that looked like she would show leniency towards even bugs possessed a strong and ruthless personality.

"I can't believe there are barred rooms... No, even more importantly, it's amazing how the hotel actually lets you guys stay. I thought ordinary people are barred from access..."

"Here's where you call on your connections."

Her mood restored, Erika revealed the answer without any guilt whatsoever, forcing Miyuki to burst into laughter.

"That's the Chiba Family for you."

While her tone was still joking, Miyuki was in no way paying superficial praise, but actually touching upon the truth.

Erika came from the Chiba Family, which was one of the primary families within the "Numbered Family System".

The Chiba Family was renowned for using personal Speed and Weight Magic in close quarters combat. The Chiba Family's strength lay not in the fact they could adeptly use spells, but in the new system they pioneered for the training and development of close combat Magicians.

Presently, of the Magicians serving as policemen or infantry in the military, it was rumored that half of them were directly trained under the Chiba Family's system. This was the case for the navy and air force as well. Any unit that could encounter close combat situations often petitioned the Chiba Family for training.

If solely dependent on connections within active duty troops, the Chiba Family's influence may eclipse that of the Ten Master Clans.

"But is that OK? I thought Erika loathed using the family as backup..."

"I dislike other people simply seeing me as a 'daughter of the Chiba Family'. Connections are made to be used, it's your loss if you ignore it."

If this was anyone else, this answer could cause a combative atmosphere, but because the two others were Miyuki and Mizuki, they didn't take it to heart.

"Hehe, you're right. Now, I should go organize my luggage. I don't know how you guys are a part of this, but I'll see you at dinner."

Miyuki walked towards the elevator with Erika waving at her and Mizuki looking on.

"Hey, Erika, can't you carry your own bags?"

"Shibata-san, I have your baggage over here. I apologize for bringing it without permission, but there were too many people at the counter."

Halfway there, Miyuki heard two young men call out to Erika and Mizuki.

So it wasn't two girls, but two pairs of men and women.

Miyuki secretly smiled without stopping or turning her head.

Of the people participating in the Nine Schools Competition, there were 360 contestants alone and over 400 members if the auxiliaries were added in.

On the surface, the attendance of all members is mandatory, but there were many who found some reason to decline.

Even so, this was still a large scale fellowship event that well exceeded 300 people.

The meeting area had to be large enough to accommodate the large number of guests and servants.

As expected, just the hotel's employees and the support from the local base were not sufficient to cover everything. There were also many temporary employees that were obviously teenagers specifically hired for this event walking around in servant uniforms, which was not surprising in the least.

However — finding a familiar face among these temporary employees definitely constituted a surprise.

After a short keynote speech — thankfully this speech was short enough not to induce boredom — Tatsuya immediately headed for the dining area when a familiar voice rang out behind him.

When a familiar voice asked "Would you like a drink?", Tatsuya turned around to find Erika holding a serving tray carrying drinks with one hand.

"So that's what you meant by having it covered..."

"Ah, you heard from Miyuki? So, surprised?"

"...Very."

Erika flashed a pleased smile while Tatsuya had no excess processing power to come up with a witty retort, so he merely nodded in response.

"I can't believe you actually infiltrated here... Belay that, it's just like you to do this."

After all, that's just what this kind of place is.

Even if they hired hourly interns, they wouldn't easily hire high school students.

Other than that, there's an age restriction as well. Even with a banquet where alcoholic beverages are forbidden, they wouldn't relax the restrictions either. Actually, most of the servants and waitresses circulating the area looked to be in their twenties.

He should probably say "as expected of the Chiba Family".

But she appeared to have used her connections in the wrong place.

"By the way..."

"Hm? What's up?"

"Never mind..."

Tatsuya's tone was muddled, which was entirely unlike him.

After all, it's probably impolite to say "By the way, you've changed a lot" in front of the person in question.

Erika should also be aware that her age was a little different.

Her makeup was considerably more mature.

Even at close range, she looked to be the same age as the other waitresses.

Usually, Erika gave off the impression that she was a lively and beautiful young lady that matched her age perfectly, but her slim figure was also perfectly suited for a more mature look.

Tatsuya noticed to his dismay that his thoughts were slightly uncoordinated.

Erika didn't come alone.

Mizuki should also be here.

Mizuki disliked places with too many people so it was hard to say that she was suited for dealing with customers, so would she be able to serve in this type of situation?

"Hey, Erika, your dress is adorable. I see what you meant by you had it handled."

Miyuki joined the conversation and conveniently covered for the lull in the conversation due to Tatsuya's silence.

"That's how it is. Well, isn't this cute? But Tatsuya-kun seems unwilling to comment on it."

Erika twirled left and right, causing the Victorian-style servant uniform with a miniskirt to lightly dance back and forth with an unhappy tone in her voice.

With Tatsuya suddenly under siege, his naturally agile mind immediately began to formulate a retaliation, but Miyuki beat him to it.

"Erika, it's useless to ask him for these things."

Miyuki smiled and shook her head and, compared to Tatsuya, it was Erika who was taken aback as she watched Miyuki.

"Miyuki, there you are."

"Tatsuya-kun is also here."

As the cousin's glanced towards the direction Erika vanished off to, a pair of female students struck up a conversation.

"Shizuku, were you looking for me?"

"Honoka, Shizuku... You two are always together?"

Speaking of which, Tatsuya had always seen the two of them moving in concert, so this question was only out of curiosity and had no intent of probing deeper.

"That's because we're friends, so we have no reason to be apart."

"That's right."

Shizuku answered without any sense of shame, which caused Tatsuya to chuckle wryly at his foolish question.

Starting last month, Tatsuya started to refer to the two of them by name.

The one who "demanded" he do so was Honoka, but from Tatsuya's perspective, he was pressured into accepting by Shizuku's overpowering silence.

"And the others?"

Miyuki was the one who asked.

But her tone was slightly odd.

"Over there."

In the direction that Honoka pointed, a crowd of male students quickly looked elsewhere.

The 1st Year female students in the representation team also stood frozen in the same place.

"They probably want to approach Miyuki, but won't dare with Tatsuya-kun lurking nearby."

"What is this, am I a watchdog now...?"

Shizuku's speculation elicited a helpless sigh from Tatsuya.

There was a high chance she was correct, so he couldn't just laugh it off.

"Everyone must be in the dark about how to approach Tatsuya-kun."

Honoka's words were meant to be comforting, but Tatsuya knew this was highly possible.

He was self-conscious of the fact that he was an "outlier".

Usually, he was the one who should initiate contact with others, but...

"Bullshit, everyone here is a student of First High and also on the same team..."

This bombshell was dropped by a new voice.

"Chiyoda-senpai."

Kanon joined Tatsuya's group with a glass (without alcohol of course) held in one hand.

Also holding a glass, Isori was following right behind her.

"Kanon, even though they know better, the body still refuses to obey, that's just human nature."

"Kei, that kind of obstinacy is only allowed in certain venues."

Kanon and Isori referred to each other directly by name.

After all, since they were already engaged, doing so was perfectly natural.

"Both of you raise good points, but currently there is an even easier solution."

Tatsuya suspected that both of them were also busybodies, but if he got dragged into a debate over such a trivial subject, he would be quite unhappy with himself.

Unwilling to interfere with the couple's conversation, Tatsuya sought to deal with this as soon as possible.

"Miyuki, you should meet up with the rest, teamwork is very important."

"See me in the evening, the only roommate I have is a machine."

"Excuse me, where is Nakajou-san?"

"Storage vehicle #1. The VIPs are about to speak, so quickly finish what you need to do and drag Nakajou back here. The unimportant VIPs are one thing, but it would be terrible for the school's reputation if we missed the Patriarch's words."

"That's true, I understand."

"Mari-senpai, we're heading out."

Isori followed his orders and quickly departed the premises with Kanon naturally on his heels. Seeing the two of them leave, Mari turned around to face Tatsuya.

"Looks like the measurements are perfect."

"Just a little tight under the arms."

Mari commented as she took in the suit that Tatsuya was wearing and Tatsuya responded while looking down at himself.

"Nothing we can do about that, since this is a backup. Even if the measurements are the same, there's no way to take all the individual differences into consideration. If you wore a larger size, the waist would look terribly large."

"That's true, so there is nothing I can do."

Mari's words sounded like she was smiling wryly while her tone sounded like she was shrugging — although she didn't actually make those motions — so Tatsuya mirrored her as well.

"Wouldn't it be better to purchase a new one?"

There was no ill intent behind Mari's words.

"It's too wasteful to buy a new suit only to wear it twice. If this was a cloth emblem that could be removed when worn then it would be fine, but this..."

As he said this, Tatsuya glanced downwards at his left breast.

At the emblem with the eight petals.

This was a meeting with other schools, so it was integral to identify one another based on school emblem — hence why Tatsuya was forced to wear this uniform.

"Might not just be twice. There's the thesis competition in the fall, so there's no way of guaranteeing that you won't get promoted to Course 1."

Mari was smiling as she said this, but her eyes were dead serious.

Tatsuya scowled as he replied:

"Even if I am selected for the thesis competition, wearing my own uniform shouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, there's no way I can get promoted to Course 1, because to this day there's no precedent or even a rule for it."

Tatsuya's words drew a laugh out of Mari.

"Precedent? I think your current status is already unprecedented, right? History has never seen a Course 2 student like you, so you cannot deny the possibility by saying there's no precedent for it. Rather than saying unprecedented, you should aim to become that 'precedent' and pave the way for future underclassmen like you."

"..."

Seeing Tatsuya's pained expression, Mari once more burst into delighted laughter.

"Well, I'm off to find the brass from the other schools, want to join me?"

"...No thanks, Erika should be looking for me."

The moment Tatsuya brought up Erika, a flicker of doubt flashed across Mari's eyes.

This should probably be saved for future ammunition, eh? Such a thought crossed Tatsuya's mind, but the two of them shared a considerable history, so this was probably inappropriate for joking.

Tatsuya silently watched Mari depart.

"Ichijou, look, isn't that girl rad?"

"Who the heck says rad these days... In which generation did you attend high school?"

"Shut up, I wasn't asking you. So, Ichijou, what do you think?"

"Why are you so excited... It's no use, that level of beauty is out of your league, so don't bother trying."

"Man, would you quit it, even if I can't, Ichijou should be no problem, right? Because Ichijou's got the looks and brains and is a member of the Ten Master Clans to boot, surely we can get on his coattails, right?"

"I'm amazed you can speak so brazenly with a straight face..."

In reality, they were conversing in this manner — which was very much like regular highschoolers.

"Masaki, what is it?"

However, the male student in the center of the group did not respond to the enthusiastic endorsement and focused all his attention on the female student in question.

Instead of focusing on his charming visage, his handsome aura stood out and perfectly matched the description of a "young and handsome warrior" in the archaic fashion. Standing near 180 cm in height with a thick set of shoulders, compact waist and slender legs... 1st Year student Ichijou Masaki of Third High was just as his teammates described, a man whose physical appearance was quite popular with the ladies.

"...Masaki?"

Bewildered, Masaki looked towards the person who called his name. The other person was also a male 1st Year student from Third High whose build was well-trained but not overly tall.

"...George, do you know who she is?"

"George" was a nickname, as his outer appearance was thoroughly Asian and his real name Kichijouji Shinkurou was purely Japanese. Upon hearing Masaki's question, this student immediately replied without further consideration.

"Hm? Oh, I think you can tell from the uniform, she's a 1st Year student from First High. Her name is Shiba Miyuki, and she's participating in 'Icicle Destruction' and 'Fairy Dance', so she must be the 1st Year ace from First High."

"Whew, so both talented and beautiful, eh?"

Ichijou Masaki ignored his teammate who was bending back in a comical fashion and muttered to himself.

"Shiba Miyuki, eh..."

This sound caused the male student known as George to turn a curious eye on Masaki.

"It's quite rare for Masaki to show interest in the ladies, isn't it?"

The other students expressed their agreement.

"Now that you mention it, that's quite right."

"With Ichijou's merits, usually the ladies approach him directly, so he's usually not the pursuing one, right?"

"You have no idea how many people are jealous of this fellow."

This surrounding environment gradually turned into one where "single men were starting to get angry", but Masaki remained silent.

He would continue to observe Miyuki during several unobtrusive intervals.

His gaze possessed considerable warmth.

As the VIPs began speaking, the high school students that were the focal point of the day stopped what they were doing and paid overly serious attention to the adults speaking — or pretended to do so at any rate.

After Erika returned to her station, Tatsuya had no one left to speak with and finally obtained a modicum of peace.

Just taking in the famous figures from the magic community was a sufficient way to spend the time.

Some he beheld for the first time, others had only been seen on TV.

Of course, there were also people he had met before or sat with in the same room, but not conversed with.

Among these people, the one who held most of Tatsuya's interest was the elder from the Ten Master Clans known as the "Patriarch".

Kudou Retsu.

He was one of the most important figures from the Ten Master Clans in the 21st century and, until around twenty years ago, was acknowledged to be one of the strongest Magicians in the world.

After this elder, once renowned as one of the strongest, retired from the front lines, he rarely appeared in public events but for some reason chose to appear every year at the Nine Schools Competition. This detail was public knowledge.

Likewise, Tatsuya had never met this man, but had seen him on video.

In his heart, Tatsuya discovered an excitement akin to witnessing a historical figure striding into the light.

After the various VIPs finished encouraging or lecturing the crowd, it was finally Elder Kudou's turn.

He must be over 90 years old now.

How much of that once astonishing Magic Power still remained?

Did he possess a physical body still capable of wielding magic?

As Tatsuya considered this, the master of ceremonies formally introduced the elder's name.

Not just Tatsuya, every high school student held their breath as they waited for Elder Kudou to take the stage.

The appearance of this famous figure made Tatsuya forget to breathe out.

The person who appeared beneath the congregated lights was a young, blonde woman wearing a formal gown.

This immediately threw the audience into an uproar.

Tatsuya was not the only one shocked by this.

This incredibly unexpected turnout caused discussions to break out throughout the audience.

Wasn't Elder Kudou supposed to take the stage?

Why was a young woman appearing in his place?

Did something happen, forcing her to speak in his place?

(—No, that's not it.)

Tatsuya finally realized the truth.

The woman wasn't the only person on stage.

An elderly man stood behind her.

Everyone's attention was only drawn towards the outwardly captivating young lady.

(—Sensory Interference Magic.)

The elder likely invoked a large scale magic that covered the entire meeting place.

By using an obvious distraction to capture everyone's attention, this sort of "change" doesn't qualify as phenomenon rewriting, as it was a "phenomenon" that occurred naturally.

The magic's scale was large enough to impact everyone present at the same time, yet subtle enough to escape detection.

(So this was the man once called the strongest... No, the "Sly Warlock" hailed as the "pinnacle" and "craftiest" — the magic of Kudou Retsu...)

He must have noticed Tatsuya's gaze.

The elder behind the young woman cracked a smile.

A smile that would not be out of place on a mischievous young man.

The woman in the formal gown stepped aside after receiving the elder's quiet instructions.

As the spotlight fell upon the elder, a huge commotion spread throughout the crowd.

Almost everyone believed Elder Kudou materialized out of thin air.

The elder's eyes once more locked onto Tatsuya.

Tatsuya subtly returned the greeting with his eyes.

The elder's eyes displayed a very satisfied smile.

"First of all, allow me to express my sincere apologies for creating this subterfuge."

Even discounting the microphone's presence, his voice remained loud and clear — in definite contrast to his advanced age.

"This was just a small sideshow that was more like a magic trick than true magic, but based on my observations, only five people detected the truth behind the facade. In other words..."

Many high school students were deeply drawn into the elder's words and intent behind his words.

"If I was a terrorist planning to destroy you all and smuggled chemical weapons or explosives under the guise of a visitor, only five people would be able to reach out and deny me. That's just how it is."

The elder's words did not possess any particular emphasis or reprimand.

However, a different sort of stillness enveloped the meeting area.

"To our youth studying magic.

Magic is a means, magic itself is not the end goal.

I created this little game hoping to remind everyone of this very point.

The magic I just used was on a large scale, but low in strength.

By Magic Power standards, this belongs to lower level magic.

Yet, everyone succumbed to this weak magic and could not discover my presence, despite knowing that I would appear.

It is vital that you continue to train in magic.

You must diligently raise your Magic Power without relent.

Still, just this is insufficient. I pray that everyone here carves that into their hearts.

An inappropriately used large magic cannot compare to a meticulously prepared and executed small magic.

Remember, everyone, the Nine Schools Competition that begins two days from now is a battlefield that is fought with magic, as well as a battlefield where the use of magic is equally important.

To our youth studying magic.

I highly anticipate what brilliant schemes you will display in this competition."

The audience burst into applause.

Unfortunately, this applause didn't spread throughout the audience.

Among the bemused but clapping teenagers, Tatsuya was also applauding. Except, he differed from other youths in that he wore a quiet smile.

To propose that the use of magic was more important than the level of magic ran counter to everything the upper strata of modern magic society was espousing. The value of magic comes from its proper use, which hinted that magic should only be seen as an independent tool.

This old Magician stood near the pinnacle of magical society within the country, but still advised everyone to go against the norms established by modern magic society. From another perspective, this attitude was very irresponsible, because his influence was enough to shake the foundations of modern magic society.

If Kudou Retsu's speech was only empty words, Tatsuya would have balked, yet this elder used a simple and easy to understand method to demonstrate his point. He used a superlative technique far beyond Tatsuya's means to use magic as a flexible and agile tool.

—So this is the "Patriarch"...

Kokonoe Yakumo, Kazama Harunobu, as well as this Kudou Retsu, this country still contained many Magicians that Tatsuya needed to learn from. Surely there were many other subjects worthy of study, except Tatsuya didn't know of them yet. This was something he couldn't learn in the FLT research labs.

And he thought high school would be boring.

Tatsuya ruminated on this at the same time.

After that the 9SC begen naturaly

Tatsuya and the gang watched Mayumi's and mari's first matchs

Battle Board's preliminary stage was slated for today and after lunch — only the fourth through sixth rounds were left. After deciding to watch the semifinals and finals for Speed Shooting, Tatsuya bid farewell to his friends.

He returned to the hotel and walked towards the rooms reserved for higher-ranking officers. This is to fulfill the promise he made to Kazama last night.

Kazama held the rank of major, but his experiences and the unique nature of the troops under his command granted him treatment above his official rank. In this suite that was normally restricted to colonels and higher, Kazama was enjoying a quick break with the officer cadre while enjoying the tea and snacks ordered from room service.

"So you're here, come, sit."

Tatsuya was brought into the room by the soldiers on duty (not soldiers from this base, but under Kazama's direct command) and even though Kazama extended a cordial invitation for him to be seated, Tatsuya hesitated upon seeing who the officers were.

Tatsuya's rank "Special Lieutenant" was not a "commissioned officer" but "a non-commissioned officer recognized as a soldier by international standards" (presently, this country's battalions no longer possessed the "associate officer" system). Soldiers that were not restricted by the military's ranking system but still maintained the right to participate on the front lines could only be found in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion's command structure during active duty. However, even without a built-in ranking system, everyone present was still a superior officer and, more importantly, an elder, so he couldn't casually accept such an invitation.

"Tatsuya, today we're not treating you as 'Strategic-Class Magician Special Lieutenant Ooguro Ryuuya', but as our good friend 'Shiba Tatsuya', so being too formal would only be inconvenient."

"It's also difficult to converse with you standing all the time, so why don't you take a seat?"

At this time, the two officers at the table also motioned for Tatsuya to sit.

"Captain Sanada, Captain Yanagi... Understood, pardon my interruption."

Friendship that transcended age prompted Tatsuya to abandon his overly formal attitude to avoid being impolite. After a round of greetings, he sat directly across from Kazama.

They were seated at a round table.

The afternoon tea time for the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was for them to relax and unwind.

Even though Tatsuya's seat was closest to the door, the adults still welcomed him as one of them.

"First of all, long time no see. I know we shouldn't use tea cups for this, but cheers."

"Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi, thank you."

The female officer serving as Kazama's adjutant — more like secretary — handed him a tea cup, which Tatsuya accepted on a small plate while signaling with his eyes.

Today, she was in casual clothes rather than in uniform, which gave off the aura of "a young secretary from a major corporation".

Not just her, but everyone was in suits or casual garb where the shirts didn't match the jacket.

"In reality, we met earlier, but let's cut Fujibayashi some slack."

"Dr. Yamanaka, you don't need to force yourself."

"No, I'm not that unsociable to ruin the moment when we raise cups to celebrate our reunion."

"...The doctor's just looking for a reason to pour some brandy into the teacups, right?"

"The situation demands alcohol."

"Really... I thought 'doctors not treating themselves' meant something else entirely..."

The one who leisurely replied to Captain Yanagi's confusion was doctor and first class healer — Combat Medic Yamanaka.

Including Kazama, there were 5 people in total who shook their heads in exasperation, which were all the officers from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion who greeted Tatsuya.

"Captain Yanagi, Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi, it's been a while. Captain Sanada, thanks for your recent support."

Tatsuya started off with greeting the two he hadn't seen for some time, then finished with thanking Captain Sanada who assisted him at the base last month.

"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Only you are capable of handling 'Third Eye's' long range precision targeting system."

"That's because that CAD was originally designed for this one to use... Speaking of which, Doctor Yamanaka, I haven't received the examination results from last time."

"...Tatsuya, am I the only one being treated differently?"

"Doctor... I don't think anyone could view a doctor who directly asked for permission to conduct human experimentation in a positive light."

Fujibayashi retorted at Yamanaka's words.

Yamanaka deliberately turned his head to one side.

Laughter suffused the round table.

Though they claimed that it had been a while, in reality it's not like they haven't seen each other for years.

Yanagi was the one who had been absent the longest at approximately six months, while Sanada and Yamanaka were last seen about a month ago.

Owing to their similar age, the one Tatsuya spoke with the most in this group was of course Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi. Thanks to her military training, she possessed a magnificent figure that most people dared not to look at too openly, yet her amicable attitude and mundane wardrobe and make up allowed Tatsuya to comfortably converse with her.

"No wonder you're participating as a member of the technician team. Do your teammates know about 'Silver'?"

"Negative, that remains a secret."

Tatsuya shook his head as he replied to Yamanaka's question.

"Given the class difference, am I the only one who thinks that you serving as a CAD engineer in a high school contest constitutes cheating?"

"Captain Sanada, Tatsuya is a bona fide high school student."

Sanada grinned as he brought up a legitimate complaint. Fujibayashi smiled as well as she deflected Sanada's comment and turned back to Tatsuya.

"Why didn't you enter as a participant? I think that you would enjoy considerable success with your flash cast abilities. If necessary, even excluding 'Material Burst', you at least have 'Mist Dispersal' to fall back on."

"No, not only are both 'Material Burst' and 'Mist Dispersal' classified, their destructive power also exceeds the limits set by the competition. In addition, 'Material Burst' is only accessible with 'Third Eye'."

"But you brought the 'Trident' along, right?"

"That's also against the rules, specifically the ones regarding competition-use CADs. Furthermore, flash cast is one of the Yotsuba Family's secret techniques."

Tatsuya smiled wryly as he refuted Fujibayashi's suggestion.

Immediately afterwards, Yanagi continued in a helpless tone:

"Fujibayashi... You're actually suggesting we use Strategic-level 'Disintegration' Magic — 'Material Burst' in a high school competition. I'm calling shenanigans."

"I also don't believe that there will be an opportunity to use 'Material Burst' in the Nine Schools Competition. However, in last year's competition, the scion of the Juumonji Family used 'Phalanx' and the young lady from the Saegusa Family cast 'Magic Shooter', so I don't think using 'Mist Dispersal' is out of bounds."

"Fujibayashi-san, the Juumonji Family's 'Phalanx' ability is defensive magic, so there's no destructive power involved. Likewise, the greatest advantage in the Saegusa Family's 'Magic Shooter' is its sheer flexibility in force applied, so its destructive power also varies. On the other hand, 'Mist Dispersal' is indisputably an A-rank magic in destructive power that is able to reduce an object down to its molecular level, so they cannot be compared side by side."

"Aha, Captain Sanada, didn't you know? Destructive power is only measured in the events of the Nine Schools Competition that could affect the players themselves, so Speed Shooting and Icicle Destruction are not within its jurisdiction. Interestingly enough, the handbook that emphasizes safety first glosses over this point."

The Nine Schools Competition was changed to the current format 10 years ago. Of all the people present who had participated in the Nine Schools Competition, the only who had fought under the current rules was Fujibayashi, who assisted Second High in claiming the crown in her year.

Just as the two of them were about to embark upon a heated debate regarding their specialties, Kazama halted them in their tracks.

"Regardless, we cannot reveal any magic that constitutes a military secret before so many witnesses, so there's no point in discussing this, is there?"

Kazama intervened in his subordinates' debate like a man fighting off a headache.

Suddenly, his face assumed an emotionless mask as he turned on Tatsuya in a voice like cold steel:

"Speaking of which, Tatsuya, you understand that if you are called upon to serve as a participant..."

"Major, this one understands. If forced into a situation where 'Mist Dispersal' must be deployed, this one will choose to forfeit and accept his defeat."

Even with the sword still in its scabbard, Tatsuya could still tell the difference between real blades and bokkens. At any rate, seeing Kazama's serious attitude with a merciless blade lurking behind him, there was no way Tatsuya could misread Kazama's intention.

Kazama and Tatsuya both learned from the same master and there was a definite bond of friendship between the two. Yet, their mutual apprenticeship and friendship were not the first priority in Kazama's mind. If necessary, Kazama would abandon Tatsuya without any hesitation, and Tatsuya would do likewise.

"...However, this one cannot imagine any situation where he would be forced to participate as a player."

"That's a mental block. So long as you understand the situation."

Among everyone else's laughter, Kazama and Tatsuya fixed each other with an intense look and ended the conversation.

As the saying goes, "only God knows", but even with this in mind, Tatsuya's perspective was the more logical possibility. Both of them were of one mind on that point.

Nevertheless, neither Kazama nor Tatsuya were completely confident in Tatsuya's assessment of his own predicament.

After the day's events had drawn to a close, Tatsuya found Kirihara near the hotel's rest area close to dusk.

Outwardly, he looked perfectly normal.

Sayaka was sitting next to Kirihara.

Kirihara was working hard to keep up a cheerful appearance, but Tatsuya could tell at a glance that he was forcing a smile.

"Kirihara-senpai, thanks for your hard work."

"Ho, so it's Shiiba."

Of course, Tatsuya could have chosen to pass by the rest area without saying a word, but he didn't do so.

"I was taken out early in the second round, and quite badly at that."

He was definitely putting on a strong front, but he recovered faster than Tatsuya suspected.

Maybe athletes were more accustomed to victory and defeat and were more resilient when it came to dealing with the bitterness of defeat.

Tatsuya always lost when he was trading blows with his master so he didn't have any real "competitive" experience, and could only rely on logic to explain this.

Tatsuya was unable to judge whether this was an appropriate moment to offer words of comfort, so he elected to speak the truth.

"Senpai was unlucky to draw Third High's ace that was favored to win the event in the second round and only lost by a grand total of eight points after losing three out of five matches. This favored player was exhausted from the long struggle with senpai and was promptly eliminated in the third round, so this was a Pyrrhic victory for him as well."

"...Man, you're one blunt guy."

Tatsuya never bothered to sugarcoat the defeat and delivered a cold analysis that didn't smack of comfort, but Kirihara wasn't angry.

"You never thought that I would be depressed?"

Kirihara's tone and expression were more teasing than anything else.

"I did, but I couldn't think of any consolation."

The scene was dead silent for a few seconds.

Kirihara suddenly burst into laughter.

And he was laughing to the point that he was bent over the sofa.

Enough to thoroughly discomfit Sayaka by his side.

Tatsuya continued to watch him without any expression.

"Shiiba... You really are an interesting guy. Usually, now would be the time to wear a totally~ awkward expression and quickly pass me pretending not to see me, not the time to actually sit down and talk."

That choice — intentionally overlooking him — was also on the table, but Tatsuya believed that wordlessly passing by wasn't cordial enough. However, this time it looked like Tatsuya was being a "busybody".

Tatsuya realized that he shouldn't even be taking how cordial he was into consideration since that didn't jibe with his personality, but...

"Still, I feel a lot better thanks to you. Since you said it was a 'Pyrrhic victory', then that must be how it was. This shows that I've still got a lot of potential."

...Looks like that wasn't the case.

Whether Kirihara truly believed that was immaterial.

Likewise, whether this was truly the result Tatsuya was aiming for was also immaterial.

Tatusya watched all the senpai's matchs and enjoyed it mainly with his friends.

"Tatsuya san , is this a good time?"

The leader and the one who spoke up first was his little cousin.

Tatsuya pushed the door open and beckoned everyone inside. Erika, who was following Miyuki, came close enough that the two of them were almost touching.

Next, Honoka, Shizuku, Mizuki, and Leo came in, with Mikihiko bringing up the rear.

Rather than saying ladies first, it would be more appropriate to say this was how the pecking order went.

Still, while this was a double room for the sake of storing equipment, it was still a squeeze with so many people piling in at once.

Just the chairs and bed weren't enough, someone even had to sit on the table — which was neatly ordered and not the least bit sloppy, so Tatsuya had no complaints.

Erika was the one sitting on the table, so of course she was the one who noticed the "sword" on the table, and it naturally aroused her interest.

"Tatsuya-kun, is that... a blade replica? Except it looks more like a sword."

"Negative."

"Then an iron whip?"

"Also negative... I don't think the samurai of this country would use weapons like iron whips."

"Who uses the term samurai in this day and age... Then what is it? ...Ah, is it a Houki?"

Erika flipped it over and examined both sides and asked again upon noticing the trigger on the handle.

"Correct, to be precise, this is a Weaponized Integrated CAD, commonly known as weaponized calculation devices. The CAD is specifically attuned to use one type of magic only that can also double as a close combat weapon that uses aforementioned magic."

"Wow..."

The reason why Erika made this sound wasn't because the Weaponized Integrated CAD was incredibly rare, but because this was the first time she saw one in the form of a "sword". Erika wasn't the only one gazing at the sword in her hand, both Honoka and Shizuku were looking on with deep interest.

Miyuki's face revealed an "Ah, so that's what it was" expression, clearly because she remembered the conversation from last night.

Neither Mizuki nor Mikihiko expressed any interest, probably because they preferred familiar objects rather than foreign materials.

Tatsuya glanced at the other person standing to the side and smiled mischievously as he plucked the prototype from Erika's hands.

"Leo."

And tossed it towards Leo, who was standing off to one side with his face averted.

"Whoa! Tatsuya, isn't that kind of dangerous?"

In reality, Leo was burning to give it a go, but he feigned disinterest due to his ongoing cold war against his nemesis Erika, so while he was outwardly frantic, he eagerly grabbed hold of the sword hilt.

Tatsuya completely ignored his protest and sent a challenging smirk his way.

"Want to give it a try?"

"Eh, me?"

Leo's mouth split into a wide grin.

To the side, Erika wore a "This guy is easy to read..." expression, to which Tatsuya spared only a single glance before directing his attention back to Leo.

"This weaponized calculation device was created by merging a striking weapon with the Fortifying Magic that Watanabe-senpai used during the 'Battle Board' event, with the blade also serving as a slashing weapon after being reforged, so I think this suits you very well."

"So Tatsuya made this?"

"Yes."

"Hold on."

Mikihiko inserted himself into Leo and Tatsuya's conversation.

Initially, he wore an apathetic expression, but he was paying attention to the entire conversation.

"Watanabe-senpai's event was yesterday, so you made this in one day? This doesn't look like a ready-made product."

"The components themselves are all commonplace. The outer frame is also a generic alloy, so there are no special materials involved."

"But this still isn't something you can manually forge, right? You shouldn't have that much spare time..."

"Why of course, I only came up with the design, then had a familiar factory construct this using automatic assembly devices."

Miyuki overheard the entire conversation and when she heard the term "familiar factory", she almost burst into laughter. Thankfully, she regularly prepared several masks for occasions like these, so she didn't draw any attention to herself or her brother.

"So Leo... Want to give it a try?"

Tatsuya's words were like the sweet whispers of the demon Mephistopheles.

Even while knowing something was afoot, the lure was irresistible.

"...OK, I'll be your guinea pig."

"He fell for it."

Shizuku's soft whisper succinctly reflected everyone's inner thoughts.

Next, Tatsuya pulled out a HMD with light refracting mirrors and a speaker attached.

"This is the instruction manual."

Seeing the HMD in front of him, Leo seemed to not comprehend Tatsuya's words as a question mark sprouted on his head.

"Take a look, the user's manual for the weaponized calculation device is recorded within."

"Ah? Oh..."

This object that Tatsuya handed him (more like tossed to him) appeared to have images and sound files stored on it, which included the Weaponized Integrated CAD instruction manuals. Leo let out an "I get it now" expression and accepted the HMD from Tatsuya's hands.

"This counts as a virtual terminal device, right?"

Honoka, who asked the question, wasn't the only one wondering about this.

Virtual information terminal devices posed considerable harm to immature Magicians.

With this in mind, First High forbade students from using virtual terminal devices.

Tatsuya himself insisted on using a material terminal device, but asked his friend to use a virtual terminal device. Even if the device was restricted to visual and hearing, everyone held the same misgivings.

"It's nothing that outrageous, but they do share some similarities."

"...Is this OK?"

"Huh? Oh... You're referring to the harm caused by the virtual terminal device?"

"Uh... Yeah."

"There's no need to worry on that account. The risks from virtual terminal devices arise from the user's inexperience. If used strictly for testing realistic conditions, then it's actually quite a valuable tool."

"I don't follow..."

Honoka's tone towards Tatsuya was very polite, but there were traces of Miyuki's influence mixed in.

"Magic is a skill that uses perception to temporarily alter reality. Virtual terminal devices create illusions that people mistake for reality."

Tatsuya's explanations were always attentive and exhaustive, which possibly was a reflex on his part.

"The two of them share the distinction that they project an unnatural phenomenon into reality. On the other hand, by experiencing the phenomenon through the virtual terminal device, there's no need to expend energy to rewrite reality, nor is there a risk for spell failure. Herein also lies the risk for virtual terminal devices."

Tatsuya temporarily stopped at this point.

Because he felt that he was being overly loquacious.

However, his friends that were arrayed in front of him wore equal parts understanding and incomprehension on their faces, so he felt that his explanation wasn't detailed enough and plodded on.

"Virtual terminal devices would cause a Magician to hallucinate and believe that they can effortlessly alter reality with no consequence. People incapable of using magic wouldn't run into this problem in the first place. Skilled Magicians would be able to differentiate what they are capable of, but immature Magicians may confuse the difference between what they experienced in the virtual world with what they can actually accomplish and overestimate their abilities.

Once immature Magicians have become accustomed to altering reality without the concepts of hard work or failure, they become unable to reflect upon why they cannot use magic to successfully rewrite reality and lose the ability to think critically and the drive to do so. Hence the popular belief that immature Magicians still studying magic experience harm from using virtual terminal devices."

Tatsuya paused again to survey his friends' faces.

Additional explanations were probably unnecessary, but he'd still conclude as a precaution.

"In other words, the problem lies in whether the user believes he or she has accomplished something they were previously unable to. Utilizing virtual terminal devices to test the waters isn't a problem in and of itself. That type of virtual experience actually benefits the planning phases for constructing Magic Sequences. At the end of the day, it remains extremely challenging to pick out only the benefits, so I feel that a global ban on virtual terminal devices made perfect sense."

"Is that so... I actually learned a lot from that."

Tatsuya felt that Honoka's nodding was overly zealous and also believed he said too much.

Even if she heavily relied on him, he had no way of responding...

Those were Tatsuya's heartfelt words.

Next day mari had a accident.

Tatsuya and his friends decied to keep an eye out for any future compatetions

Next Tatsuya was in charge of shizuku's speed shooting

He had created a new magic for this perpose.

And as all of them wished the victory was garanteed

The moment all the lights came on, a clay target flew into the air.

And the moment it entered the scoring area, it was blown apart.

The next target was shattered in the middle of the area.

Next, two were simultaneously destroyed at either end.

The 3rd Year trio washaving the same conversation at the same time.

"As you know, the effective scoring area in Speed Shooting is a cube of 15 meter proportions set in the air. Shiba-kun's Activation Sequence sets another cube within this which is 10 meters on each side, with the vertices and the center, nine points in total, being designated as epicenters."

The one who had first made that explanation was Tatsuya. Suzune had been shown the plan.

"Each point is labeled with a number, and when that number is entered into the live Activation Sequence, virtual waves spread from that point.

The reach of the waves is six meters. In other words the moment the magic is activated, all targets within a six meter radius from the epicenter will be destroyed."

"...it rather feels like it's using unnecessary force... is Kitayama alright with those settings?"

"Although it has to be said that Kitayama-san is better known for her power than her precision..."

At Mari's pause, Suzune was wearing her typical cool poker face. But within her eyes, the shadow of a sympathetic laugh could be found.

"The aim of this magic is not to compensate for accuracy, but rather to increase speed at the expense of accuracy."

"...In other words, you're implying that a more pinpoint aiming solution is possible right? Please elaborate?"

"The feature of this magic is that it is coordinated by numbers."

Returning her gaze to the 1st Year before them, Suzune began her explanation to Mayumi's question. Her fluent reply was probably because she had gotten an answer after earlier asking the exact same thing.

"In Speed Shooting, the position of the contestants and the distance, direction and size of the scoring area is always the same. In other words the focal points necessary in this magic to set the virtual cube in relation to the distance, and viewing angle of the player, are constants.

Therefore there is no need to enter variable coordinates separately each time, but instead you can simply input into the Activation Sequence the number you desire and instantly invoke the magic. For this rough degree of aim, using the auxiliary aiming systems built into the CAD, it's possible for the optimal point to be automatically picked out.

Furthermore, this magic doesn't require changes in duration or power either. There isn't any need. In truth, they're treated as constants by the Activation Sequence. The contestant, just by selecting a point with the aid of the CAD without needing to think of any other variables, can simply pull the virtual trigger and end up destroying the target."

The shoot was approaching the end.

Not a single target had been missed.

"Since there's no need to physically interface with the controls, merely invoking the magic will fully realise the potential of effect. I do believe the continuous Activation utilises Multicast as well."

The shoot drew to a close.

Final result, perfect.

"The proper name of the magic is 'Active Air Mine'. It seems to be a Shiba-kun original. Well, all the numerous elements jammed in make the final Activation Sequence quite a beast, but Kitayama-san's formidable magic power makes up for it."

"...it's pretty much the exact opposite of Mayumi's magic isn't it?"

"...coming up with a sequence like this is quite something."

Mayumi's voice held not so much admiration as outright amazement.

"Still... it's rather intriguing."

On the other hand, Mari's voice was filled with interest.

"In battle the relative position between you and your opponents will by no means remain the same, so from the view of marksman magic it's not quite combat worthy, but... if instead of setting the cube in the air, you centre it as a sphere around yourself, wouldn't it serve very admirably in all directions as an active shield?"

"The problem is activation duration. If you set it too short the timing will be difficult, but too long and you risk yourself being caught in the area of effect."

All of the people he was responsible for had won all their matches

Tatsuya was walking to the icicle destruction arena when he sensed a

familiar presence.

"Hello mitsugu san what do I owe this pleasure"

The man frowned as his presence should not be sensed by anyone.

"Toushu-sama request your presence"

"Where is she?"

"HERE"

Tatsuya was shocked as far as he knew his mother had not left the Yotsuba village for 16 years except for the meeting with sponsors.