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Casting Assistance Device

Shorthand: CAD. Also known as Device, Assistance, Houki. They vary


greatly and exist in two types: general purpose and specialized. Activated
in order to cast incantations and chars, udr!, agic spells" an
alternative to the traditional techni#ues and eans $ound in agic
text%ooks, it&s an essential device re#uired in order to aster odern day
agic. Activation ritual speed, and aount o$ in$oration deploya%le, is
decided %y the CAD&s hard disk a%ility" 'ust how uch the re$ineent and
e$$ectiveness o$ activation can %e expanded %y is dependent on the
per$orance o$ the so$tware %uilt into the CAD. (ven an in$erior
per$orance CAD, %y sipli$ying the activation ritual, can increase the
power o$ the agic processing section, %ut that is a high level skill and in
general, the processing power o$ the CAD is the priary constraint on how
$ast agic can %e activated.
The general purpose CAD places ephasis on diversity" regardless o$ the
co%ination o$ systes it can install up to )) kinds o$ activation rituals.
The %racelet $or is the ost widely used, %ut o%ile coputer type ones
are also in circulation, and they are pre$erred %y senior agic asters who
dislike having %oth hands occupied while operating.
Specialized CADs ephasize speed at the expense o$ diversity, and aiing
support integrated su%systes are ainstrea. The syste co%ination
allows the installation o$ the sae activation ritual up to ) ties. They
o$ten take the $or o$ handguns and ri$les. *n the %arrel where aunition
would norally go auxiliary sighting systes are incorporated, and CADs
with extended +%arrels, have had their auxiliary sighting $unction
enhanced. The one possessed %y Shi%a Tatsuya, a tuned up Silver Horn
odel +Trident,, is one o$ these.
Chapter 6
-ust %e$ore the school gates closed, in the clu% head#uarters.
.The situation is concerning the /en'utsu Clu%&s %arging in on the /endo
Clu%&s deonstration $or new e%ers..
Tatsuya, having witnessed and experienced the event, provided details
concerning the attepted %rawl 0 including how a$ter 1i%u Sayaka and
/irihara Takeaki started arguing, he had stepped in their struggle and
personally challenged the /en'utsu clu% 0 to the three people standing
%e$ore hi.
.(ven so, a$ter taking on ore than ten opponents, it&s a wonder you&re
still so well..
2acing hi to the right, the Student 3ody president, Saegusa 1ayui.
.To %e exact there were $ourteen people. As expected o$ /okonoe4sensei&s
disciple * guess..
*n the centre, the one who in a sense is his %oss, the 5u%lic 1orals
Coittee chie$, 6atana%e 1ari.
7aughing interestedly 0 not in the sense o$ 8strange8, %ut in the sense o$
8ausing8 0 while coenting ade her words rather ironic. Though her
expression was soewhat insincere, she8s pro%a%ly praising hi.
6hat ost ipressed 1ayui and 1ari 9:; was, a$ter overpowering
/irihara, Tatsuya had only de$ended against the $renzied o% o$ /en'utsu
clu% e%ers without attacking. However, Tatsuya had not shown o$$ any
techni#ues worth praising.
He seeed to have the skill o$ an average high school student, %ut they
didn&t know o$ what level.
That was why those attackers $ared that uch worse than the <akuo
teple students 0 they had no idea he could anage $ourteen opponents
at once and sustain no in'uries and how valua%le that was.
*nstead, Tatsuya&s awareness was $ocused on the =rd <ear ale student, on
the le$t side.
*t&s likely that he is the Clu% 1anageent >roup 7eader, -uuon'i
/atsuto. 3earing the nu%er 8?@8 in his nae, the eldest child o$ the
-uuon'i house.
9He looks pretty steep alrightA;
Standing up, he was a%out ?BC c. That alone didn&t ake hi a %ig an
to %e looked up upon.
Dather, it was the thick chest and %road shoulders and the rippling uscles,
easily recogniza%le even under a uni$or.
*t wasn&t 'ust his physical $eatures" every eleent that akes up a huan
seeed to %e condensed in hi, giving his character an incredi%ly heavy
sense o$ presence.
As expected o$ one who stands alongside 1ayui and 1ari as part o$ the
2irst High School 3ig Three, Tatsuya thought, understanding 'ust $ro his
appearance and ipression.
.<ou didn&t see the incident&s %eginning circustances:.
3eing #uestioned %y 1ari, who had changed her expression, Tatsuya
snapped %ack to reality. Ence again, he recalled the event o$ the report he
had 'ust $inished and replied a$$iratively to her #uestion.
.That&s right. 6hether /irihara4senpai had provoked the /endo clu% or the
/endo clu% had earlier caused soe grievance against the /en'utsu clu%,
we cannot say $or certain..
6hat he had seen was $ro the point when 1i%u and /irihara had %een
#uarreling. Along with (rika, they were %ehind the stands and were a%out
to exit the gy when they heard the %uzz o$ an arguent %reaking out, %ut
they hadn&t heard the contents. 3y the tie he had waded through the
crowd and arrived on the scene, %oth 1i%u and /irihara were at swords&
points already.
.*s that why you didn&t act straight away:.
That #uestion was $ro 1ayui.
/atsuto seeed to have assued the listener&s position.
.* intended to intervene only i$ * deeed things %ecae too dangerous. *$
they only ended up %ruising each other, that&s a pro%le %etween
theselves..
Tatsuya answered 1ayui&s #uestion conditionally.
As 1ayui said, Tatsuya had initially taken the attitude o$ a %ystander
since he didn&t know who he should stop.
<ou could possi%ly say that he had the option to siply stop %oth, %ut
since that would result in hi gaining the reputation and notoriety o$
de$eating %oth o$ the, that case wasn&t considered.
However, that wasn&t the only reason. The duties re#uested o$ hi %y the
5u%lic 1orals Coittee was the prevention o$ agical violence. Feither
/irihara nor 1i%u, when they started sparring, had used agic. Had
/irihara not used the agic .Sonic 3lade., it was likely that Tatsuya
would have siply watched until the end.
.A6ell it&s $ine. *t&s certainly a $act that we don&t have the personnel to
intervene in every $ight..
The trou%le during recruiting was how clu% head#uarters generally
handled things. 1ari&s reark was %ased on that, so neither 1ayui nor
/atsuto o%'ected.
.Then, what did you do with /irihara:.
./irihara&s collar%one was $ractured, so * handed hi over to the Health
Coittee. That level o$ in'ury was easily healed rapidly with agic. He
aditted his error in the in$irary, so * didn&t 'udge any $urther action to
%e re#uired..
The truth was that while the %low /irihara sustained $ro the shinai
cracked the %one, it was Tatsuya&s sla that %roke it. Tatsuya didn&t $eel
the need to add such an extraneous detail.
And as 1ari had not actually seen /irihara&s condition, there would %e no
way to tell.
.HA very well. 5rosecution is le$t to the discretion o$ the apprehender,
a$ter all..
Fodding at Tatsuya&s words, 1ari turned her eyes towards /atsuto.
.*t&s as you heard, -uuon'i. As the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee head, *
don&t intend to %ring this atter to the Disciplinary Coittee..
.*& grate$ul $or your leniency. To have used a highly lethal agic such as
Sonic 3lade in such a place, even though no one got hurt, we had thought
that a suspension at least was unavoida%le. *& sure the person in #uestion
hisel$ realized that. 6e&ll give hi a $ull lecture, and ake sure he takes
this lesson to heart..
.6e&ll leave it to you..
/atsuto gave a light %ow, which 1ari returned.
.3ut, is the /endo clu% satis$ied with that:.
.They share the sae o$$ense o$ provocation. They&re in no position to
ake a $uss..
1ari %rus#uely disissed 1ayui&s concern. 1ayui didn&t re$ute her.
This was a atter under the 'urisdiction o$ the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee
chie$. The Clu% 1anageent >roup 7eader accepted it, and the Student
3ody president didn&t o%'ect. 6ith this, the incident was closed.
Tatsuya paid no attention to the exchange. *t was not his 'o% to co%at the
soldering $ires o$ discontent.
.Chie$, *& sorry $or %eing discourteous..
3y that, Tatsuya was signaling to 1ari that he wanted perission to leave.
.Ah, %e$ore that, there&s one thing * want to con$ir..
1ari also had no intention o$ detaining Tatsuya $ro his duties 9although
that would pro%a%ly %e it $or today;, so her #uestion was %rie$.
.6as /irihara the only one who used agic:.
.That is correct..
Tatsuya answered 1ari&s #uestion siply.
To %e precise, /irihara was the only one who success$ully activated agic,
is what he should have said, %ut Tatsuya had no intention o$ going into
such a detailed explanation.
.* see. Thanks $or your hard work..
Deceiving perission, Tatsuya turned around and le$t the clu%
head#uarters.
G G G
A$ter coing out o$ the clu% head#uarters, Tatsuya turned to head towards
the Student Council roo.
Sunset was only a little while away.
However skilled one was at agic, it was iproper $or a girl to go out
alone at this tie, and 1iyuki had earlier re#uested Tatsuya to return hoe
with her.
His plans were to eet her hal$way along the road.
The clu% HH was in a %uilding separate $ro the ain %uildings the
Student Council roo was in.
*n order to get $ro HH to the Student Council roo, it was necessary to
leave the capus $or a oent 9although there was no need to change
shoes, the phenoena known as indoor shoes was rarely seen anyore;
and walk around to the ain entrance, %ut there were already soe
$ailiar $aces waiting there.
.Ah, good workI.
.Enii4saa..
(rika called out $irst, %ut it was 1iyuki who rushed over to hi.
The others stared aazed at that unexpected agility.
.Thanks $or all your e$$orts. Today was rather tiring wasn&t it..
.*t wasn&t a %ig deal. >ood work today as well, 1iyuki..
As 1iyuki stood %e$ore hi with %oth hands clasped onto her %ag in $ront
o$ her, Tatsuya, with a $ond look, gently stroked her hair two, three ties.
1iyuki hal$ closed her eyes in pleasure as she gazed up at her %rother, and
their eyes et.
.* realize that they&re si%lings, %ut you knowA.
As they walked towards the two, with an e%arrassed expression, 7eo
uttered to hisel$.
.*t&s alost like a scene out o$ a paintingA.
3eside hi, 1izuki, with her $ace red, stared at the two as i$ to devour
the.
At that, (rika narrowed her eyes towards 7eo and 1izuki.
.Hey, you guysA 'ust what are you expecting $ro those two:.
Shrugging exaggeratedly with %oth hands extended $ro her %ody, shaking
her head leisurely $ro side to side would have looked rather contrived
norally, %ut soehow suited (rika.
.As you said, they&re si%lings right:.
Her expression, along with those lines, seeed to %ring the two %ack to
their senses. *n a panic, 7eo and 1izuki reacted to that incident in an
a%solutely elo#uent anner.
.D4D4D4D4Don&t say such o%vious thingsJ *, * wasn&t expecting anything
at allJ.
.<4<4<eah that&s right, (rika4chanJ D4Don&t say weird thingsJ.
.A<es yes, *&ll leave it at that..
1ost likely, i$ not $or (rika&s cha$$ing retort, %oth 7eo and 1izuki
wouldn&t have known where to stop with their isunderstanding.
Knaware o$ (rika&s lone struggle, Tatsuya at long last took his hand $ro
his sister&s head and turned to the three.
1iyuki, with a reluctant expression, $ollowed her %rother.
Seeing that expression, one would de$initely get weird delusions.
However, Tatsuya ade no such color$ully suspicious guise and, with a
sincere $ace, called out to his $riends apologetically.
.Sorry, *&ve kept you guys..
The delicate atosphere dispelled, 7eo shook his head with a crisp sile.
.Don&t %e so distant, Tatsuya. There&s no need to apologize..
.* 'ust cae $ro the end o$ clu% orientation. * haven&t %een waiting at all
you know..
1izuki agreed with a so$t sile, and also insisted that she didn&t re#uire an
apology.
.She&s also 'ust coe $ro her clu%. Don&t worry a%out it..
(rika laughed ischievously as usual, and gave a %iting reark.
7eo, 1izuki, and (rika" each o$ the three greeted Tatsuya with their own
siling $ace.
Tatsuya iediately perceived that their words were contrary to the truth,
%ut he didn&t want to waste their thought$ulness.
.Since it&s this late already, why don&t we go eat: *$ it&s under ?@@@ yen
each, it8s on e..
The current value o$ currency was worth around twice what the
denoination would have %een ?@@ years ago.
2or a high school student, ?@@@ yen was a %it ore than usual, %ut still
reasona%le.
*nstead o$ swallowing his apology $urther, he o$$ered an invitation.
There wasn&t anyone here who didn&t understand that, or $elt the need $or
any unnecessary reserve.
G G G
En the next day o$ the entrance cereony, the $ive talked a%out the days
happenings 0 clu%s they 'oined, %oring housekeeping atters, people who
asked their naes in an attept to hit on the, all sorts o$ experiences, %ut
in the end the topic that drew the ost interest was the draa involving
Tatsuya.
.That Lnd <ear, /irihara, he used a rank 3 lethal agic didn&t he: *t&s a
wonder you weren&t hurt..
.(ven though you say it has lethality, in the end, Sonic 3lade is a agic
with liited application. Apart $ro having an untoucha%le %lade, it&s
pretty uch no di$$erent $ro a sharp sword. *t&s not such a di$$icult agic
to deal with..
Desponding to a visi%ly ipressed 7eo, Tatsuya replied in a tired anner.
.3ut, didn&t you stop soeone using it seriously with 'ust your %are hands:
6asn&t that dangerous:.
.*t&s $ine, 1izuki. *$ it&s Enii4saa, there&s no need to worry..
.<ou&re considera%ly cal a%out this aren&t you, 1iyuki:.
As 1iyuki reassured the now so%er 1izuki, (rika drew attention to her
unnatural con$idence.
.Certainly, * can only praise Tatsuya4kun&s prowess in %eing a%le to handle
ore than ?@ opponents in elee, %ut /irihara4senpai&s weapon was %y no
eans a %lunt sword. Dather, it&s ore like he ended up slipping out $ro
the idst o$ all those people.
1iyuki, weren&t you worried at all:.
3eing accused %y (rika, 1iyuki&s reply was siply,
.E$ course not. There is no one at all who can de$eat Enii4saa..
An answer without the slightest hesitation.
.0KhhA.
(ven (rika could only %e at a loss $or words.
She had seen Tatsuya&s techni#ues up close at that tie.
(ven through her eyes, (rika could tell that /irihara&s swordsanship was
$lawless. And Tatsuya should also have realized that the cutting edge was
not in$erior to that o$ a real sword. Fot only that, %ut Tatsuya also hadn&t
tensed any part o$ his %ody 0 that showed that he hadn&t $elt any anxiety
or $ear even on a su%conscious level 0 and had reached up $aster than
/irihara could %ring down the shinai, gra%%ed the hilt and slaed hi
down %y the wrist with essentially Aiki'utsu. Fo, rather than Aiki'utsu, it
ight %e called Fo Swords style.
*t was no exaggeration to say that such techni#ues are on the level o$ an
expert. 7ong %e$ore his current age, Tatsuya had already astered enough
techni#ues to %e called, i$ not a aster, then soething very close. <et
even with that, (rika wasn&t a%le to 'ust con$idently shrug things o$$
without worrying.
.A* don&t ean to dou%t Tatsuya4san&s a%ility, %ut Sonic 3lade is $ar $ro
'ust a noral sword. * ean it eits ultrasonic waves, doesn&t it:.
.Coe to think o$ it, *&ve heard o$ soething siilar. There&re
practitioners who wear earplugs in order to %lock out ultrasound.
Although, you&d have to %e prepared $or that $ro the start..
.That&s not it. *t&s siply that Enii4saa&s Tai'utsu is superior..
1iyuki laughed lightly as she replied to 7eo and 1izuki&s concerns.
.Countering agic rituals is Enii4saa&s specialty..
(rika iediately latched onto 1iyuki&s words.
.Countering agic rituals: Fot 'ust Data 2orti$ication or Mone
*nter$erence:.
.<es..
7ooking %etween 1iyuki who was nodding proudly and Tatsuya who was
chuckling with a look o$ .it can&t %e helped., (rika could only utter in
shock with an adiring expression.
.That&s got to %e an aazingly rare skill..
.That&s right. Er at least, it&s not soething taught at high school. And
even i$ you&re taught, that doesn&t ean anyone can do it. (rika, 'ust a$ter
Enii4saa 'uped out, do you ree%er an illusion as i$ the ground
shook:.
.<eIah, it wasn&t such a %ig deal $or e, %ut it seeed like there were
nuerous students su$$ering syptos siilar to severe otion sickness.
Coe to think o$ it, it wasn&t 'ust at the start, %ut also $luctuated during the
course o$ the %attleA:.
.That was Enii4saa&s doing. Enii4saa, you used Cast -aing, didn&t
you:.
2aced with 1iyuki&s %road sile, Tatsuya could only sigh in resignation.
.*& una%le to atch you as always, huh..
.Eh coe on. *$ it&s a%out Enii4saa, 1iyuki knows everything..
.Fo no no no..
7eo interrupted the two as they exchanged siles and laughter.
.That&s not a conversation %etween si%lings is it: *n $act that goes %eyond
the level o$ lovers..
.<ou think:. .*s that so:.
A$ter a second, $aced with Tatsuya and 1iyuki who were in per$ect
harony, 7eo $ell $lat onto the ta%le.
.ATrying to throw a tsukkoi against these lovey4dovey si%lings will %e a
di$$icult task. <ou stood no chance $ro the %eginning..
To the regret$ul (rika:
.Ahh, * was wrongA.
7eo responded reorse$ully, while rising.
.*& very uch opposed to those words..
Tatsuya o%'ected 9:; with a tone one could think was terri%ly reluctant,
and,
.*t&s not a pro%le. *t&s siply a $act that Enii4saa and * share a strong
%ond o$ si%ling love..
1iyuki lightly soothed her %rother.
This tie, it was (rika and 7eo whose $aces hit the ta%le at the sae tie.
.>ahhhJ.
7eo expressed his $eelings with a sound e$$ect siilar to a spray o$ %lood.
.That&s %ecause * love and respect Enii4saa ore than anyone else in this
world..
1iyuki didn&t stop there. *n $ull view o$ their $riends, she nudged her chair
closer and snuggled up to Tatsuya, looking up at her %rother&s close $ace
with a $lushed expression.
.Ahh * think *&ll go hoe now..
6ith her cheek still $irly pressed to the ta%le, (rika %egan to sulk.
.1iyuki, there&s no need to get carried away alright: 6e&re with people
who don&t $ully understand that we&re 'ust playing around..
.A. .A. .A.
As Tatsuya siled wryly while chiding 1iyuki, 1iyuki, (rika, and 7eo&s
gaze turned to the one person le$t.
.A(h: (h: 5laying around:.
1izuki, whose $ace was dyed red, %egan shi$ting her eyes restlessly at the
sudden silence as everyone held their %reath.
.A6ell, this is pretty uch a characteristic o$ 1izuki..
.AuuA.
At (rika&s sypathetic urur, 1izuki&s $ace went red $or a di$$erent
reason.
.A*n any case, you were talking a%out soething like Cast -aing:.
Fot a%le to put up with the un%eara%ly prickly atosphere any longer, 7eo
$orci%ly returned to the previous topic.
.Since it&s already %een revealed, that&s right..
To Tatsuya, this was a less than desira%le su%'ect, %ut ore than that, he
too wanted to do soething a%out this atosphere. 6ith nothing $or it, he
'oined 7eo&s conversation.
.Cast -aing, is it soe sort o$ electroagnetic wave that hinders
agic:.
.*t&s not exactly electroagnetic..
.That was a $igure o$ speechJ.
At 7eo&s retort, (rika sacked hi with a straight $ace, then glanced over
at Tatsuya as i$ nothing had happened.
Cast -aing is also a agic ritual, %ut it&s a kind o$ agic that inter$eres
with the phenoenon4altering echanis o$ (idos. *n a %road way o$
speaking, its nature is siilar to that o$ a agic cancelling syste.
There&s a siilar agic that disa%les the opponents agic called .Mone
*nter$erence.. This procedure a$$ects a $ixed area with the caster at its
centre without %ringing a%out a change in in$oration, and the techni#ue is
such that i$ the strength o$ inter$erence is less than that o$ the de$ined
agic ritual, then the inter$erence will %e shut out. *n contrast, Cast
-aing scatters vast aounts o$ eaningless 5sion waves, and as such, it
is a techni#ue that prevents rituals $ro a$$ecting (idos.
Mone *nter$erence in a sense does not reserve agic, %ut rather directly
prevents the opponents& agic, and it is $undaental that the strength o$
inter$erence %e greater than that o$ the opponents& agic.
En the other hand, Cast -aing works %y overwheling a 1agician8s
data with a large aount o$ extra data, greatly reducing the speed o$ a
1agician8s data upload to his %ase station. There$ore, the strength o$ the
inter$erence is not so iportant. *nstead, the 5sion noise propagates
randoly and rapidly across all the eight varieties o$ the $our Systeatic
$re#uencies, and essentially %ecoes an antennae that %locks all
transissions.
.3ut $or soething like that, don&t you need soe special kind o$ stone:
AntiA anti soethingA.
As (rika struggled to ree%er the renant o$ the word, it was a
soewhat revived 1izuki who cae to her rescue.
.*t&s Antinite, (rika4chan. Tatsuya4san, you have Antinite: * thought it was
soething really expensive..
Antinite is known to $ul$ill the sae conditions %y eitting 5sion noise. *n
theory, it is possi%le $or a agician to evoke noise $or Cast -aing %y
theselves, %ut in practice it&s exceedingly di$$icult.
Knlike Mone *nter$erence, under the in$luence o$ Cast -aing, the user&s
own agic would also %e a$$ected, since even i$ the agician in #uestion
consciously tries to tune the noise o$ Cast -aing, his su%conscious
would re'ect it. 91agic processing takes place in the su%consciousness, and
thus the actions o$ the su%conscious have priority over the conscious.;
3ecause o$ that, it is thought that in order to use Cast -aing, it&s
essential to use Antinite, which satis$ies the condition o$ eitting 'ust
5sion noiseA %ut Tatsuya&s reply overturned that coon sense.
.Fo, * don&t. *n the $irst place, Antinite is a ilitary resource. 5rice
notwithstanding, it&s not soething a civilian would %e a%le to o%tain..
.(h: 3ut, you said you used Cast -aingA.
*t was not 'ust (rika aking a con$used $ace as she spoke out, %ut 7eo and
1izuki as well.
.Ah *&d like to keep this conversation o$$ record alright:.
>iving Tatsuya puzzled looks as he lowered his voice and leaned over the
ta%le, the three nonetheless $ollowed suit.
.To %e precise, it&s not Cast -aing. 6hat * used is a practical
application o$ Cast -aing, NSpeci$ic 1agic -aing&..
At Tatsuya&s words, 1izuki&s $ace %lanked out as she %linked a $ew ties.
.KhA there&s such a agic:.
.* don&t think so..
*t was (rika who answered 1izuki&s #uestion directly.
.Then, doesn&t that ean it&s a theoretically new agic:.
(rika&s voice this tie carried not so uch a nuance o$ adiration or
surprise, %ut rather total shock.
The nu%er o$ 1agicians who use original agic is not insigni$icant.
There are also nuerous expert 1agicians who have %een devising
original agic since childhood. However, that&s 'ust instinctively, and in a
way intuitively working out one&s own natural agic, and the 1agicians
who can devise theoretically entirely new agic are $ew indeed.
1agic is highly dependent on the su%conscious.
(ven though it&s siple to work %ack towards the theory on agic one&s
su%conscious can use, to ake up a new agic theory, even i$ it&s 'ust a
variation o$ an existing agic, re#uires a $ull intiate understanding o$ the
structure and operating principles o$ that agic.
*t&s not exaggerating to say that devising theoretically new agic at a high
school age is insane.
.*t&s pro%a%ly ore accurate not to say devised, %ut rather that * discovered
it %y chance..
At (rika&s honest reaction, Tatsuya laughed as he answered.
.<ou guys know that when you use two CADs siultaneously, 5sion
waves are given out and it&s ipossi%le to use agic in ost cases right:.
.Ah, *&ve had that experienceJ.
7eo nodded at Tatsuya&s words.
.Kwah, how arrogantJ.
(rika responded in shock to 7eo&s line.
.The hellJ.
.Ksing two CADs at the sae tie.... were you trying to pull o$$ a parallel
cast: Thinking you could do soething so high tech, *8 at a loss $or
words..
.Shut up. * thought * couldJ Ene day, i$ the conditions are right *&ll
de$initely %e a%le to do itJ.
.Fo way you&re 'oking stop it .
.A* get that you&re aking $un o$ e, so could you please stop with that
tone: *t&s incredi%ly annoyingJ.
.<, you two, let&s 'ust listen to Tatsuya4san&s explanation alright: Fe:.
.A.
.AHph..
(rika and 7eo looked away $ro each other.
As 1iyuki $lusteredly glanced a%out %ack and $orth %etween the two,
Tatsuya gave a shrug.
.* think that&s pretty uch enough a%out e %utA you want e to
continue: 6ell, that&s also $ine * guessA
The point is, when using two CADs siultaneously, the incident 5sion
waves rese%ling Cast -aing envelope a 1agician and eit *dea
containing (idos phenoena. *$ you initiate an inter$erence agic
activation ritual with one o$ those CADs, and start a reverse ritual in the
other, those two activation rituals will apli$y one another without
needing to %e translated into agic rituals. Then i$ you release those 5sion
waves as a Fon4Systeatic 1agic, each CADs developed activation ritual
will naturally %uild up and the two types o$ agic rituals that are the result
can cause inter$erence to soe extent.
(ven a persistent agic, such as Sonic 3lade, cannot %e sustained
inde$initely with 'ust one agic ritual. A$ter soe tie, the $orula ust
%e recast. So * siply catch it at that point..
*n a sall voice, 7eo whispered .<ou gotta %e kiddingA. The utter lack o$
in$lection along with his stunned look showed that he was utterly serious.
A%ruptly, 1izuki %egan to cough. 3ecause she kept sucking on her straw
a$ter her glass %ecae epty, it seeed she8d choked. Ence the coughing
$it su%sided and she regained coposure, her expression settled into that o$
shock.
(rika crinkled her %row and conteplated in silence. 2ro her gri
expression, she wasn&t en'oying it uch, %ut it didn&t see like she was
recalling soething %ad.
.A* have no idea how to actually do it, although * guess * kinda
understand the theory %ehind it. 3ut why is this all o$$4record: *$ you
patent it, *& sure it would %e very pro$ita%le..
To 7eo, who had recovered his $aculties soewhat, Tatsuya presented an
inscruta%le expression.
Tatsuya siled %itterly as he answered 7eo, who was tilting his head, and
it was evident that the %itterness ran deep.
.2or a start, this techni#ue is still incoplete. *t can only %e used on agic
the opponent is in the idst o$ casting, and oreover it&s not like they
can&t use it, it&s 'ust ore di$$icult. Also, o$ course * can&t use any agic
whatsoever ysel$. That alone is $atal enough, %ut oreover, %eing a%le to
inter$ere with agic without using Antinite is a pro%le in itsel$..
.A* don&t see how that&s a pro%le:.
As 7eo asked with not so uch con$usion as dissatis$action, (rika scolded
hi in earnest.
.Don&t %e an idiot. The reason is huge. *n ters o$ national de$ense and
security, agic is now indispensa%le. *$ the a%ility to disa%le agic
without great agical strength or the exceedingly expensive Antinite
%ecae widespread, the $oundations o$ society could cru%le..
.* also %elieve exactly what (rika said. 6ithin the world, there are
supreacists who discriinate against agic, as well as extreists who
conden it. <et since the production o$ Antinite is so sall, they reain
%elow the sur$ace and are not a real threat. Kntil a way is $ound to counter
that, * have no intention to pu%licise this ock Cast -aing..
6hether he was $inally convinced or not, 7eo %owed his head nuerous
ties. 2or soe reason, 1izuki was also nodding her head in a siilar
$ashion.
.That&s aazingA to have thought so $ar..
An adiring %reath escaped her lips.
.*$ it were e, *&d pro%a%ly 'up at the chance $or $ae..
As 7eo continued to sigh, 1iyuki siled so$tly and gave a odest laugh.
.Enii4saa&s over thinking things a %it, don&t you think: *n the $irst place,
%eing a%le to read the activation ritual your opponent is in the iddle o$
and pro'ecting CAD inter$erence waves, it&s not like 'ust anyone could do
it. 3ut then, y Enii4saa&s like that * suppose..
.AAre you iplying *& an indecisive weakling:.
At his sister&s point, Tatsuya ade a $ace %est descri%ed as no ercy.
.6ho knows: (rika, what do you think:.
6ith an o$$hand attitude, 1iyuki passed the %all to (rika.
.Fo idea: * think *&d like to hear 1izuki&s opinion on this..
(rika, with a deli%erate tone, passed the %all to 1izuki.
.(ehh: *, uh, that isA.
.So no one&s denying itA.
1iyuki averted Tatsuya&s eyes with a cheer$ul sirk, as (rika hid her $ace
%ehind a enu and 1izuki&s nervous gaze hovered a%out everywhere. 3ut
no help cae $ro any direction.
G G G
Ene week had passed.
2or Tatsuya, recruitent week had %een like the story season.
6ithin the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee, the %usiest person was pro%a%ly hi.
0*n addition, his duties had changed slightly $ro %e$ore.
En the $irst day, he had overpowered /irihara Takeaki, one whose co%at
agic had %een aongst the ost proising in the school.
3y the tie Tatsuya had stepped in, he had already taken daage $ro
1i%u Sayaka, so there are soe who view that as the reason he was taken
down so easily, %ut those who had not known the circustances o$ the
atch were only interested in exaggeratedly touting that a ?st <ear student,
and a 6eed at that, had de$eated a regular co%atant.
As a result0
.Tatsuya, do you have coittee work today as well:.
As Tatsuya got ready, 7eo handed hi his %ag.
.*& o$$ duty today. Sees * $inally get a %reak..
.<ou&ve done a great 'o% huh:.
.That doesn&t ake e the least %it happy..
As 7eo stood %e$ore Tatsuya, who was sighing in disappointent, he ade
a $ace as i$ %arely suppressing a laugh.
.<ou&re a real $aous guy now, Tatsuya. The enigatic ?st <ear student
who de$eated a swathe o$ 1agicians without agic, you are..
.6hat&s up with the 8enigatic8A.
.According to one theory *&ve heard, Tatsuya4kun is an assassin sent %y the
agic deniers..
5opping her head up unexpectedly, (rika was $inishing her preparations to
leave as well.
.6ho the heck is spreading all these irresponsi%le ruorsA.
.1eI.
.HeyJ.
.-ust 'oking o$ course..
.>ive e a %reakA that was too uch..
.3ut, the contents are really true..
Hearing the particulars o$ the ruor $ro (rika, Tatsuya once again let out
a sigh.
*t&d %e nice to think that there wasn&t a single person who would %elieve
such a hoax, %ut enough had 'uped on the %andwagon to alost lend
credi%ility to the stories.
.That was a pretty %ig sigh 'ust now:.
.>etting all worked up over other people&s a$$airsA *&ve $elt like * was
gonna die three ties this week already..
.That&s pretty %ad..
At 7eo, who wasn&t even trying to hide his aused expression, Tatsuya
had the urge to ake a $ist, %ut eventually settled $or a third sigh.
The /en'utsu clu%&s next ace, Lnd <ear /irihara Takeaki, whose strength
was widely viewed as top class, had %een de$eated %y a ?st <ear 6eed.
As stated earlier, this news had greatly startled the ones who %elieved in
the .per$ect. agic evaluation process, and caused a not inconsidera%le
uproar.
They had directed their unreasona%le anger and utual hostility against
Tatsuya, even going as $ar as to take isguided retaliation.
1eaning that their con$lict ade hi the target o$ their purge.
(ven $or those who didn8t know the speci$ics, it was easy to guess that the
5u%lic 1orals Coittee chie$ was on Tatsuya&s side, and that %oth the
Student 3ody president and the Clu% 1anageent >roup 7eader would
coe to his de$ense.
*$ so, then what should %e done:
At ties like this, the esta%lished tactic is to ake it look like an accident.
6hich is what they did.
They would wait $or Tatsuya to approach as he went on patrol, then cause
a cootion.
6hen he went to intervene, they&d shoot o$$ agical attacks under the
pretense o$ isaiing.
That was how the pattern pretty uch went.
2ro Tatsuya&s perspective, it siply seeed like distur%ances were
%reaking out one a$ter the other, and they were taking their toll.
Due to his position as a 5u%lic 1orals Coittee e%er, he couldn&t
'ust pass %y, and had to try to settle the situation.
En top o$ that, agic randoly cae $lying his way daily. 1ost o$ the
could %e avoided or negated %e$ore they took e$$ect, %ut there were always
soe that couldn&t %e %locked in tie.
He had realized that he was %eing targeted within a day, %ut until he could
$ind evidence o$ collusion it was out o$ his hands, and %y the tie he did a
week had already passed.
*n other words, he was constantly only a%le to escape $ro their traps.
He had only caught soeone red handed on the $ourth day, %ut in the end,
that person escaped.
As expected o$ students $ro the prestigious 2irst High school, in general,
their tricks were success$ul. *t rather $elt like they were using all their
strength to deonstrate their excellent capa%ilities at the entirely wrong
tie, place and purpose, %ut still.
.ACoe to think o$ it, *&ve coe out o$ that rather well, haven&t *A.
.2ro today, restrictions on devices will coe into e$$ect, so you shouldn&t
need to worry anyore, right:.
.* sure hope so..
At 1izuki&s co$orting words, Tatsuya wearily nodded.
G G G
(ven when o$$ $ro the Student Council, one wasn8t o$$ duty. *t was not a
shi$t %ased syste in the $irst place.
1iyuki had work in the Student Council roo today as well.
<et $or the si%lings, the concept o$ leaving the other and going %ack $irst
siply didn8t exist.
07ooking at it o%'ectively, there wasn8t even any point teasing the with
la%els such as .%rocon. or .siscon. anyore.
(ven so,
.*& terri%ly sorry, Enii4saa. *8ll %e aking you wait all this tieA.
-ust %y having these concerns, like $eeling guilty $or keeping the other
waiting, showed that they ay still %e a%le to %e saved.
.(ven i$ * say soething like don&t worry a%out it, it pro%a%ly wouldn&t
workA.
7aughing a$$ectionately, Tatsuya OponO OponO lightly tapped his sister&s
head.
Dather than saying tapped, it was pro%a%ly ore accurate to say stroked,
and, at the tender chastiseent, 1iyuki hal$ closed her eyes with a look o$
utter %liss. Ether students were also 'ust happening to %e walking %ack and
$orth along the corridor on their way hoe.
Con$ronted with this scene, which was sure to cause isunderstandings
everywhere 9:;, there were nuerous hostile glances directed at the two
headed towards the Student Council roo. However, there was a arked
di$$erence in the $eelings directed at the couple with the too good
relationship, with Tatsuya single4handedly soaking up all the aniosity.
6hen walking alongside 1iyuki, up until last week, the priary intent
%ehind the alicious gazes would %e scorn.
Fow, %ehind the enity was, with care$ul discernent, $ear.
Fot a $ear o$ strength, %ut a $ear o$ the unknown.
Also, those who should $eel less %itter a%out his .activities., the 6eeds,
$elt the sae way.
3ecause o$ that, this %ecae the $irst tie they were called out to %y
soeone un$ailiar.
.Shi%a4kun..
3oth Tatsuya and 1iyuki looked %ack at the sae tie.
*n ters o$ physical specs, Tatsuya $ar exceeded her.
<et the reason they reacted at the sae tie in spite o$ that was %ecause
while 1iyuki turned re$lexively, Tatsuya had spent a period o$ tie
de%ating whether the voice had %een intended $or hi.
*t was soewhat husky, %ut de$initely a $eale voice.
.>ood a$ternoon. Should * start %y saying, pleased to eet you:.
Her sei long hair done in a ponytail, she was a rather attractive girl.
The hairstyle had changed, %ut her $ace was soewhat $ailiar to Tatsuya.
.Ah, nice to eet you too. 1i%u4senpai, correct:.
To Tatsuya, she was the Lnd <ear student $ro the /endo clu% who had
kicked o$$ a whole week o$ headaches.
The /endo clu% had %een the other party in the incident that had %roken
out.
She rapidly approached the stationary Tatsuya without a hint o$ hesitation.
*t could %e %ecause she wasn&t the shy type, or not worried since he was an
underclassan 0 or siply %ecause she was taking hi lightly.
Degardless, this was strangely less un%elieva%le than i$ she had
reservations.
1iyuki, despite %eing a 3loo, had earlier stopped in $ront o$ her %rother
%ut now oved to the %ack.
Standing in such a way as to not %e in Tatsuya&s view i$ he needed to
$ocus, yet naturally 'ust within eyeshot, such was her position.
.*& 1i%u Sayaka. *n class (, sae as Shi%a4kun..
Tatsuya&s eyes were naturally drawn to her le$t %reast.
Sewn onto the green %lazer was a green, plain pocket.
The eaning o$ 8sae8 was rapidly deduced %y Tatsuya.
.Thanks $or earlier. (ven though * was saved %y you, * never properly
expressed y gratitude..
3ound %y that $riendly sile, ost ales o$ the sae age would
iediately %e drawn in.
44 These are words that coe easily to one well versed in the use o$ agic,
%ut it would pro%a%ly %e ore appropriate to use the literary ter that they
8contained the power to su%tly char one&s ind8, although when saying
literary, it&s re$erring ore to popular literature.
.* wanted to properly thank you, as well as have a little talk with youA
*s it possi%le $or you to accopany e $or a %it:.
She was pro%a%ly well aware o$ the power o$ her sile to captivate the
ale students, whether consciously or su%consciously.
However, as Tatsuya constantly had an all too %eauti$ul little sister %y his
side, he di$$ered in that slight advantage.
.* can&t now..
3eing re'ected so uncereoniously, she didn&t see so uch o$$ended as
siply taken a%ack.
.*$ ?C inutes later is alright with you....
At Tatsuya&s $ollow up line, Sayaka&s expression $ell, or rather, she slipped
on a %lank expression, and a$ter %linking a $ew ties, she $inally seeed
to take in what had 'ust %een said.
.K, then, *&ll %e waiting in the ca$P..
6hile the response was totally di$$erent to what she had expected, Sayaka
at least success$ully anaged to extract that one proise $ro Tatsuya.
G G G
Tatsuya accopanied her only as $ar as the Student Council roo
entrance.
*$ he entered, the possi%ility o$ eeting up with Hattori was too high.
Since neither would %e particularly happy at such turn o$ events, naturally,
Tatsuya siply avoided the Student Council roo in which he had no
duties.
.*&ll %e waiting $or you in the li%rary then..
Kp until yesterday, it had %een 1iyuki waiting $or Tatsuya.
Today was the $irst tie $or Tatsuya to %e waiting $or 1iyuki, %ut he had
already siulated such a situation even %e$ore adission.
He had known that without a dou%t, 1iyuki would hold soe position o$
o$$ice.
There$ore, he was not at a loss as to what to do with his tie.
Ene o$ the reasons he had originally coe to this school was %ecause o$
the presence o$ a large aount o$ private literature one couldn&t access
unless they were soehow connected to the Fational 1agic Kniversity
organization.
.The li%rary is it:.
However 1iyuki, who should have known that, #uestioningly tilted her
head to one side. *t didn&t help that she seeed to %e slightly suspicious.
.AThat&s the plan, %ut why the dou%t:.
.Fo, it&s 'ust that * had thought you now have a eeting with 1i%u4senpai
at the ca$eteriaA.
1iyuki&s glance $ocused on a region around Tatsuya&s throat.
.1iyuki:.
(ven at Tatsuya&s call, she didn&t raise her head.
*t seeed she wouldn&t eet his gaze.
Dather, she was averting her eyes.
As to why his sister would take such an attitude, Tatsuya was at a total
loss.
Thinking rationally, this would %e considered sulking, %ut concerning this
particular sister, it couldn&t siply %e 'ust that.
(ven i$ he asked, they were standing right in $ront o$ the Student Council
roo, and they were starting to hold people up.
.* won&t %e having such a long conversation with her. *n any case, she&s
pro%a%ly siply going to try recruit e to her clu%..
*t $elt rather like he was guessing in the entirely wrong direction.
However, a chance to de$use the situation nonetheless appeared.
.A*s that, really all:.
.6hat:.
.*& wondering i$ she&s really only trying to recruit you.
* have a di$$erent $eeling.
*& not sure why.
3utA 1iyuki is worried.
That Enii4saa would have such a reputation akes e very happyA %ut
i$ your true power is $ound out, there would %e any who $lock to you out
o$ sel$ interest or gain.
Surely, those that do not would %e the exception.
5lease, %e very care$ul..
*t would %e a siple atter to laugh that o$$ as needless worry.
*$ he had not %een Shi%a Tatsuya.
*$ she had not %een Shi%a 1iyuki.
.AThere&s no need to worry. 6hatever happens, *&ll %e $ine..
.That&s whyJ That is exactly what *& a$raid o$J.
At last, Tatsuya %egan to $aintly understand what was worrying his sister.
.AThere won&t %e a pro%le. 6hatever happens, * won&t cause any grie$..
.A*t&s a proise, Enii4saa..
.>ot it.
ASpeaking o$ which, 1iyuki, saying that * have gained a reputation
siply $ro high school coittee activities is a %it uch..
.A*t&s $ineJ
There&s nothing wrong with that, is there:
To e, Enii4saa&s nae has the %est reputation out thereJ.
As 1iyuki spun around and swiped the card reader, her cheeks, hidden %y
her $lowing %lack hair, seeed to $aintly glow with a red tinge.
G G G
He soon $ound the one he was to eet up with.
The reason was %ecause Sayaka was standing to the side o$ the crowd.
.* think it would have %een %etter i$ you sat down to wait..
.*$ * did, then Shi%a4kun ight not have $ound e, right: * was the one
who invited you. *t would %e a $ault on y part..
6hether it was a $einine thing or %ecause she was concerned as a senior,
this person really didn8t see to understand hersel$, Tatsuya thought. She
stood out a%out as uch as one possi%ly could.
Fow another trou%lesoe ruor couldn&t help %ut sur$ace.
To be greeted so eagerly by an upperclassman. As such thoughts eerged,
Tatsuya sighed inwardly,
Then again, even i$ only outwardly, he was not one to carelessly pretend.
1eeting $or the $irst tie with a lady, it would %e rude to keep her waiting.
.*n any case, let&s sit down. 6e can talk $ro there..
.*t&s not that crowded, so it would %e %etter to sit a$ter we %uy soe
drinks..
That was neither a #uestion, nor a suggestion, %ut an assertion.
He $aintly ree%ered soething startling.
However, he didn&t diso%ey.
Tatsuya got a co$$ee, while Sayaka had 'uice" then they sat down $ace to
$ace at a vacant ta%le.
Sipping at his co$$ee, Tatsuya sat up with his cup in hand and eyed the
opposite seat.
Sayaka was sipping dazedly away through a straw at a %right red li#uid.
A$ter $inishing o$$ alost two thirds o$ her drink, she $inally looked up.
Their eyes et.
Her expression was vacant, %ut her cheeks were red.
*t alost looked like the 'uice had coe up and dyed her $ace.
.ADo you like it:.
Tatsuya asked a siple #uestion, %ut,
.KuA 6hat&s wrong with liking sweet things:J <ou can say *& childish
as uch as you wantJ.
Suddenly getting angryA or rather, pouting.
*$ you&re going to get that e%arrassed, then you shouldn&t have ordered it
in the $irst place, Tatsuya thought.
To properly cover her e%arrassent, he $elt that it ay %e soehow
necessary to correct her de$enselessness.
3ut what he said lay in a di$$erent direction.
.* like sweet things too. * haven&t had that particular one %e$ore, %ut * o$ten
drink 'uice at hoe..
.*s that so:.
.<eah.
.* seeA.
That&s not really the case, %ut the Sayaka who was looking down at her
chest right now didn&t see like an elder. *t was #uite the di$$erent
ipression $ro last week.
.K, *&ve %een rethinkingA
Thanks again $or last week. *t&s thanks to Shi%a4kun that * didn&t get
seriously in'ured..
She placed her hands on her knees and, correcting her posture, gave a %ow.
6hether to say it was soething to %e expected o$ a .kendo
swordswoan., she changed nota%ly $ro the .cute schoolgirl. she was
'ust a while earlier.
.<ou don&t need to thank e. * was 'ust doing y 'o%..
Tatsuya, sei autoatically processing his thoughts whilst paying no
actual attention, gave a %land reply.
.Fo, it&s not 'ust $or stopping /irihara4kun..
However that $oral answer didn&t see to put o$$ Sayaka.
.Despite having such a wild duel, the one who spared not 'ust e and
/irihara4kun $ro punishent, %ut %oth the /endo and /en'utsu clu%s as
well, was due to Shi%a4kun&s insistence, wasn&t it:.
.The truth is, it wasn&t such a %ig deal. Apart $ro 1i%u4senpai and
/irihara4senpai, no one else was in'ured. The su%se#uent %rawl was
entirely the $ault o$ the /en'utsu clu%, so the /endo clu% couldn&t %e
%laed in the least..
.The reason it wasn&t a %ig pro%le was %ecause o$ you. Anyone else
wouldn&t have %een a%le to prevent $urther in'uries to the %ystanders. They
ay have %een a%le to overpower the o$$ender without har, %ut even now
* still alost can&t %elieve that you pulled it o$$ without incurring
extraneous daage. (ven though * think you went easy on the, the
/en'utsu clu% has plenty to %e grate$ul to you $or. Along that point, * hurt
/irihara4kun %utA *&ve o$ten heard the excuse, and Shi%a4kun ay think
8you&re 'ust a girl8A i$ * knew artial arts to that degree, it&s soething *&d
$eel as well. The appeal to not suppress your strength, and display your
power openly $or all to see, would de$initely %e there.
Shi%a4kun, do you recall that:.
.That&s right. * know what you ean..
0That was a lie.
Er at least, hal$ o$ it was.
He had no concept o$ having practitioned artial arts.
6hat he had learnt was erely the concept o$ co%at. He could see the
appeal o$ gaining the e$$icaciousness to coplete o%'ectives, %ut had no
desire to siply show o$$ that strength in any way.
.Dight:.
However, naturally $or Sayaka, who only %egan speaking with Tatsuya
today, there was no way to know that.
.There&s no need to ake such a %ig deal.
*n any case, i$ too any people had coe out in'ured $ro that elee, then
it&s likely there would have %een nuerous issues, %ut the only one who
seeed to have had sustained any in'uries at all really was 'ust /irihara4
kun. 3oth /irihara4kun and * were prepared $or the possi%ility o$ getting
hurt, so that&s not really anyone else&s concern..
That&s incorrect, Tatsuya thought. Ene o$ the pro%les was that /irihara
had %roken the rules %y using a high risk agic. The principle during
recruitent was to let the clu%s handle their own trou%les internally. *$
Sayaka and /irihara had only %een swinging shinai at each other, Tatsuya
would not have intervened, and it&s likely 1ari would not have $elt any
need to get involved either.
This was what he thought, %ut he didn&t voice it out loud.
.And yet, it sees like so any people have a pro%le with that. (ven
now, there are any students who keep going on a%out the incident over
and over. The 5u%lic 1orals Coittee is trying to score points or
soething aren&t they:.
.AActually, *& also a e%er o$ that coitteeA * apologize..
.Ah, s, sorryJ * didn&t ean it like that, honestlyJ.
7ooking down at the %owing Tatsuya with a panicked $ace, Sayaka, who
had %ecoe $lustered all o$ a sudden, launched into a hurried explanation.
.6hat * wanted to say was, Shi%a4kun is di$$erent $ro those people. *t&s
%ecause o$ that that you saved e, and uh, it&s not like * wanted to say
%ad things a%out the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee, the only ones * dislike are
those guys, and, uh, huh:.
Tatsuya had %een expressionlessly watching the wildly gesticulating
Sayaka.
A3ut his eyes were,
$illed with laughter.
The ra%ling series o$ words gradually petered out to a halt until Sayaka
was 'ust silently opening and closing her outh, having $inally noticed
Tatsuya&s sile, and the e%arrassent really started to settle in.
.AHey, Shi%a4kun, is actually #uite a %ullyA:.
Those were words that were #uite $ailiar.
.* don&t possess any such specialized trait..
A little white lie. Then straight %ack to the point.
.*n any case, what was it that you wanted to discuss with e:.
.A*&ll say it %luntly..
Her lips were $oring di$$erent sounds, %ut whether it was %ecause she had
resigned hersel$, or regained her sense o$ purpose,
.Shi%a4kun, won&t you 'oin the /endo clu%:.
Sayaka, at length, cut to her original intention.
6hile this didn&t exceed his expectations, and it could not %e denied this
was rather anticliactic in a sense, his answer was already ready. *$ she
had 'ust coe out and said it $ro the start, they could have $inished o$$
nice and #uickly, %ut now with a hint o$ irritation, Tatsuya iediately
replied with his prepared answer.
.*& going to have to re$use..
.ACould * please hear the reason:.
At that instant answer without even a hint o$ consideration, Sayaka
couldn&t hide her shock.
.7et e ask you why you want to recruit e instead. The a%ilities *
possess are copletely di$$erent to those that are re#uired in kendo.
Soeone as skilled as 1i%u4senpai should de$initely know that, right:.
His voice held neither roughness nor provocation, %ut there was a de$inite
edge to it that would not $orgive any concealent.
Sayaka&s glance wandered away.
6ith such a gesture, it was like she was desperately searching $or an
escape route.
*n a sense, that was pro%a%ly exactly right.
At length she uttered a sigh and, with a resigned look, opened her outh.
.At a agic acadey, the per$orance o$ agic is paraountA * knew
that $ro the start, and * certainly did enroll with that in ind, %ut $or that
to %e the %e all and end all, don&t you think that&s wrong:.
.5lease go on..
.*t&s a certain $act that we&re discriinated against in class. Siply
%ecause we have no a%ility. 3ut, a high school li$e shouldn&t involve 'ust
that. 2or agic to %e prioritized so uch over clu%s is totally wrong..
2ro what Tatsuya had seen this week, he could understand that clu%s that
did not involve the use o$ agic received un$air treatent. *ndeed, the
clu%s that did received various %ackings $ro the school.
However, that was a sort o$ propaganda to raise the pro$ile o$ the
Acadey, and done so %y the school anageent.
Thinking a%out it, the passionate girl was not aking a distinction %etween
.pre$erential treatent. and .%eing snu%%ed..
However, such a conclusion seeed hasty.
.-ust %ecause * can&t use agic well, they go as $ar as to ock y
swordsanship. * can&t stand %eing disregarded any longer. (verything
a%out e shouldn&t %e denied 'ust %ecause o$ agic..
6ithout thinking, she took a strong tone.
6ithin those words, was soething %eyond conviction %ordering on
o%session. Tatsuya certainly sensed it.
6hile it seeed like she $ound it unco$orta%le to look into Tatsuya&s
eyes, she nonetheless cleared her throat and continued.
.5eople like us sought solace in clu%s that didn&t re#uire agic. There are
also any people who think like this in the /endo clu%.
This year, we want to create a di$$erent clu% organization and tell the
anageent o$ our ideas.
1agic shouldn&t %e everything.
2or that, won&t Shi%a4kun lend us his strength:.
.* seeA.
He had siply considered her an idol, %ut she was closer to a crusader.
Tatsuya laughed at his own %lindness.
.AAre you aking $un o$ e:.
Sees she had isunderstood.
*$ he had le$t it at that, it would have saved hi a lot o$ trou%le later, %ut
Tatsuya went on to say soething unnecessary.
.Fot at all. * was siply laughing at y own ignorance. * had thought o$
senpai as erely a %eauti$ul /endo girl, so * couldn&t see %eyondA.
He had said the latter portion to hisel$.
Since he had entered, he had et one %eauti$ul girl a$ter another who were
di$$icult to deal with, so why was he expecting this one to %e noral: He
$elt like laughing at hisel$.
.3eauti$ulA.
Since his thoughts were $acing inwards, Tatsuya rather $ailed to notice that
Sayaka was suspiciously %lushing $uriously and u%ling.
.1i%u4senpai..
.6ha, what:.
Sti$ling the ipulse to laugh without even noticing, Tatsuya changed his
expression.
Sayaka&s voice as she responded was rather heated, %ut Tatsuya didn&t
register it.
Then $inally, Tatsuya uttered one last unnecessary line.
.A$ter telling your thoughts to the school, what would you do then:.
.A(h:.
Chapter 7
The lunch scene in the Student Council Doo had changed a lot copared
to the %eginning 0 which was L weeks ago.
2irst o$ all, there was no longer any need $or the Dinner Server 1odule.
A$ter 1iyuki $ollowed 1ari8s lead, now even 1ayui was %ringing her
own %ento.
6hile there was soe initial skepticis towards 1ayui8s previously
unheard o$ culinary skills 9that suspicion only cae $ro 1ari;, as her
skill level rose, she was now $ully iersed in the practice o$ exchanging
desserts.
Also, the nu%er o$ participants had increased.
Knless speci$ically invited, Azusa usually ate with her peers in the
classroo. That %eing the case, she had %een suoned to the Student
Council Doo on a daily %asis recently.
The will$ul reason %ehind this, i$ it could even %e called that, was that
apparently having only ?st and =rd <ear students would upset the %alance.
*n the $ace o$ this, Azusa could only stew ipotently over such a
developent 0 which was very like her.
2or the record, the ratio o$ en to woen was one to $our.
*$ %alance was actually an issue then the su%'ect was dooed $ro the
start, %ut this appeared not to %e the pro%le.
.Tatsuya4kun..
.<es, Chie$:.
-ust as everyone had $inished eating lunch, 1ari called out Tatsuya8s nae
$ro across the ta%le. 9The seating arrangeent was as $ollows: 1iyuki sat
next to Tatsuya, 1ari was across $ro hi, 1ayui across $ro 1iyuki,
and Azusa on 1ayui8s other side.;
1ari tried to keep her $ace $ree o$ any $acial expression, %ut could not hide
her ischievous sile.
<et, despite having such an expression, she still reained a handsoe
young lady.
.<esterday, is it true that you were hustling 1i%u $ro Lnd <ear:. (!)
Thank goodness we already $inished eating, Tatsuya thought.
If there was still anything in my mouth, that would be a horrible mistake.
.Surely using such coarse language like 8hustling8 is un$itting $or a lady
such as Senpai..
.Ha ha ha, thanks $or the reinder. Tatsuya4kun is pro%a%ly the only one
who sees e as a lady..
.*s that so: To not see his own girl$riend as a lady, it appears that Senpai8s
%oy$riend isn8t uch o$ a gentlean either..
.That8s not trueJ Fao is....
At this point, 1ari closed her outh" her expression clearly said .That8s
torn it..
.....
Towards his iediate superior 0 even though it was 'ust the school8s
Chie$ o$ the 5u%lic 1oral Coittee 0 Tatsuya8s $ace reained %lank as
he stared %ack.
.....
.....
....6hy aren8t you saying anything:.
....Anything you would like to coent on:.
*n 1ari8s peripheral vision, a head o$ thick, wave4like %lack hair was
%o%%ing up and down.
(ven though she didn8t want to, 1ari still directed her gaze towards it.
-ust as she expected.
1ayui8s %ack was to her as her shoulders shook uncontrolla%ly.
She stared at this $or hal$ a second.
And iediately looked elsewhere.
Her eyes caught Tatsuya8s gaze.
....So, is it true that you were 8hustling8 1i%u $ro the /endo Clu%:.
*t looked like she was trying to erase the previous scene.
Tatsuya glanced %ehind 1ari.
1ayui %rought her laughter under control and shrugged her shoulders
like an actress.
0There was no avoiding it.
Here, it8s pro%a%ly %etter to go with the $low, Tatsuya thought.
.That %eing said, can we stop using the ter 8hustling8... This sets a poor
exaple $or 1iyuki....
....K, Enii4saa: 3y any chance, are you istaken a%out 1iyuki8s
age...:.
1iyuki reluctantly voiced her o%'ection, %ut #uickly retreated at Tatsuya8s
gaze.
Ence again, silence returned to the scene.
Kn$ortunately, the dice had already %een cast.
*$ this were shogi, there ight have %een soe way to avoid it.
3ut given the ood at the scene... Alas, even Tatsuya could do nothing to
change it.
3y de$inition, perspective was soething operated %ehind the scenes to
%ring a%out a certain outcoe.
....There was no such thing..
.Eh, is that so:
* heard that soeone witnessed 1i%u %lushing $uriously in a certain
soeone8s copany..
Tatsuya suddenly $elt a cold dra$t eanating $ro %eside hi.
.Enii4saa...: 5lease, what is she talking a%out:.
This was not a isconception. Centered around 1iyuki, the roo8s
teperature was dropping draatically.
.14agic...:.
Azusa yelped in surprise.
1odern agic theory has spread to the doain o$ Superpower research.
*n other words, one %ranch o$ odern agic $ocuses exclusively on the
developent o$ Superpowers.
The %iggest di$$erence %etween Ancient 1agic and Superpowers is the
need $or additional activation steps %eyond ere thoughts.
An exaple o$ this would %e that odern agics do not re#uire a CAD to
activate.
At the sae tie, this does not ean that odern agics are the sae as
Superpowers.
>enerally speaking, .Superpower Ksers. can only use one type" any ore
would only %e variations o$ the original.
.Superpowers. systeatized odern agic. 3y using Activation
Se#uences as raw aterials and 1agic Se#uences as the ethod, this
allowed the nu%er o$ di$$erent agics to grow exponentially.
However, odern agics have also %een overly di$$erentiated, so i$
easured %y the sae standards as Superpowers, there would only %e
roughly twenty or thirty types. (ven then, this would %e an
overwhelingly larger nu%er.
1odern 1agicians use 1agic Se#uences to create ela%orate agics. At the
sae tie, $or 1agicians to use ultiple types o$ agics, in addition to
using 1agic Se#uences as a ediu, they also need to use their own spirit
to adapt to the.
Specialized agic, i$ re$ined to the point where it is on par with
Superpowers wielded %y 1agicians, could %e activated %y pure thought
without the need $or intent or will.
However, $or 1agicians that use dozens o$ types o$ agic, to %e a%le to
activate agic without intent is pretty uch ipossi%le.
6hile 1agic Se#uences are processed in the su%conscious, it still operates
with intent, %ecause unintentionally creating a 1agical Se#uence and
su%se#uently activating it is ipossi%le.
*$ a 1agician capa%le o$ ultiple types o$ agics unintentionally activated
agics...
.That phenoena rewriting a%ility is #uite strong....
*n response to 1ayui8s ururing, Tatsuya could only reply with a
$orced sile.
(ven a$ter expending the %ulk o$ the .Superpower., the reainder still had
the phenoena rewriting a%ility to change .reality..
Accidental agic, while a sign o$ agical iaturity, is also clear
evidence o$ super% agical a%ility.
.Delax, 1iyuki. * was 'ust starting to explain. 2irst, rein in your agic..
.*8 terri%ly sorry....
Hearing her %rother8s voice, 1iyuki drooped her head in shae as she
started to regulate her %reathing.
The roo teperature stopped dropping.
.There8s no need $or air conditioning in the suer..
.*t only takes an instant $or the heat o$ suer to turn into $rost%ite..
Dather than trying to sooth things over, 1ayui8s coent was phrased
as a 'oke to resettle hersel$, to which Tatsuya glossed over.
A$terwards, Tatsuya conveyed Sayaka8s conversation to everyone present.
.*t appears that the oveents o$ the 5u%lic 1oral Coittee have
caused soe level o$ %acklash aongst the students..
Those last words cast a pall o$ gloo over 1ari and 1ayui8s $aces.
.3ut, to say that we8re doing this to score points, is this true:
At the very least, * have not heard o$ such a thing in the past week..
.Feither have *.
Due to y position, * have not inspected the actual preises, %ut given the
disorderly state o$ things, it would %e ore appropriate to say that the
5u%lic 1oral Coittee has %een overly lax..
*n response to Tatsuya and 1iyuki8s coents, 1ayui expressed a
$orlorn expression while 1ari shook her head and replied.
.That would %e 1i%u8s isunderstanding. 1ay%e she was 'ust
overthinking things.
The 5u%lic 1oral Coittee is a purely honorary position, eaning there
are no achieveents or awards to speak o$. -ust like in actual co%at
situations, the evaluation o$ practice aneuvers holds no additive value..
....That %eing said, it is true that they hold considera%le power on school
preises.
(specially $or students that are dissatis$ied with the school syste, the
5u%lic 1oral Coittee e%ers responsi%le $or aintaining school
rules are no %etter than %eing the dogs o$ those in power.
*n other words, soeone is anipulating this ipression $ro the
shadows..
Tatsuya could not $eel unsurprised at 1ayui8s words.
Knexpectedly, pro$ound words.
.Do we know their identity:.
2or hi, this was the logical next step.
.(h: Fo, %ecause o$ the source o$ the ruors, it8s not very easy to $ind
out....
....*$ we acted on the individual in #uestion, it is true that we ay stop it..
3ut, to 1ayui and 1ari, this was an unexpected line o$ #uestioning.
1ayui8s earlier coent was also soething she let slip on accident.
Tatsuya looked directly into 1ayui8s eyes.
*ediately, 1ayui turned aside to avoid his gaze.
This was the $irst tie Tatsuya saw 1ayui $altering like this.
.6hat *8 asking is not the identity o$ the ruorongers, %ut the identity
o$ the anipulator %ehind the..
Tatsuya $elt soething tugging on his sleeve.
As he shi$ted his vision, he $ound 1iyuki tugging his sleeve %eneath the
ta%le.
She was pro%a%ly hinting that the conversation was too con$rontational.
However, Tatsuya had no intention o$ %acking down at this point.
*n his ind, the vision o$ the individual who $led a$ter attepting to
a%ush hi arose. Also, he could not $orget the red and green %racelet that
soe o$ the students wore.
.2or exaple, a 83lanche84like organization:.
2altering trans$ored into utter shock.
1ayui, with 1ari alongside her, $roze.
Azusa8s eyes widened as she stared at the two o$ the.
2ro her reaction, Azusa had no idea what was going on 0 Tatsuya
thought.
.How, do you know that nae....
.*t8s nothing really, since it8s hardly classi$ied in$oration. (ven i$ there is
censoring involved, $rankly it8s ipossi%le to copletely sti$le any and all
leaks $ro the source..
2ro Tatsuya8s perspective, $or 1ayui to %e shocked to this level was
even ore aazing.
The *nternational Anti41agic 5olitical Erganization .3lanche..
Their ani$esto called $or an end to political systes that treated
1agicians as superior, and eliinating the di$$erence in treatent caused
%y the presence o$ agical a%ilities.
However, the idea that this country8s 1agicians received pre$erential
treatent $ro the political syste was $alse.
To %e precise, since 1agicians were treated like tools to %e used %y the
ilitary and other governent %ranches, to say it was .inhuane.
treatent would %e closer to the truth.
This was %ecause when copared to the neigh%oring country with the
highest population in the world, there was no other way to atch the sheer
di$$erence in the nu%er o$ troops that could %e o%ilized %esides
adopting a #uality over #uantity approach.
*t was true that 1agicians serving in the ilitary or the governent
received a higher salary, %ut that was in copensation $or increased la%or
as well as expended li$e energy.
The criticiss leveled %y the Anti41agic Erganizations $ocused solely on
the lack o$ their own %ene$its, and thus created anti4esta%lishent
organizations, o$ which .3lanche. was the ost active.
Thanks to the political $reedo guaranteed within this country, criticis
directed towards the governent was not %anned or suppressed.
Historically, the Anti41agic 1oveent had always %een easily linked with
criinal activity. *n reality, there were several exaples o$ Anti41agic
Erganizations delving into terroris.
The present incarnation o$ 3lanche, an organization that put the
Departent o$ 5u%lic Sa$ety on high alert, was such an exaple.
Also, the %racelet worn %y the student that attepted to use agic to
a%ush Tatsuya %ore the e%le %elonging to .(galite., one o$
.3lanche8s. su%ordinate organizations.
5resently, there was no direct link %etween 3lanche and (galite, %ut using
the 3lanche nae was an e$$ective advertising ethod $or attracting anti4
esta%lishent youth.
Anyone reotely $ailiar with the proceedings would know this.
The total nu%er o$ people that had in$iltrated the capus was currently
unknown, not to ention that the a%ushing student ay have %een the
one responsi%le $or all this.
However, given that the in$iltrators were personnel with actual co%at
capa%ilities and not ere ideological sypathizers, it was very likely that
they had ade extensive preparations $or 2irst High.
.Fothing positive can coe out o$ trying to cover these things hal$4
heartedly. H, * wasn8t criticizing the 5resident, it8s 'ust that the
governent8s approach is too ine$$ective..
Despite Tatsuya8s co$orting words, 1ayui8s expression did not
%righten.
....Fo, it8s 'ust as Tatsuya4kun said.
Since organizations that view 1agicians as eneies already exist, no
atter how unreasona%le they are, rather than using inappropriate ethods
to cover their existence, we should %ring the truth to light and proote
in$oration exchange on %oth sides...
6e avoided the direct con$rontation 0 no, we escaped $ro it..
Fow, her tone turned sel$4reproach$ul.
.That can8t %e helped..
The li%erating response was tinged with a cold tone.
.This school is a state4run $acility.
6ith our status as students, despite not %eing actual pu%lic servants, we
cannot escape the $act that any school4related activities or student council
e%ers are liited %y governental policies..
.(h:.
*n a voice devoid o$ warth, as i$ the incoing coent could not %e
properly processed in the %rain, 1ayui stared %lankly at Tatsuya.
....*n other words, given the 5resident8s position, the only thing you can do
is deal with this %usiness in secret..
As she stared at Tatsuya, who looked away, 1ari %ent her lips.
.Ho ho, so even Tatsuya4kun has a gentle side..
.3ut, the one who kept #uestioning the 5resident was Shi%a4kun.... Azusa
so$tly urured.
1ari iediately $ollowed up the attack.
.3ring the down then pull the up %y yoursel$, that8s #uite the gigolo8s
trick. (ven 1ayui is not iune to such a display. *t looks like we can8t
underestiate Tatsuya4kun..
.64wait, 1ari, don8t say such strange thingsJ.
.<our $ace is red, 1ayui..
.1ariJ.
The Student Council 5resident and Chair o$ the 5u%lic 1oral Coittee
started going %ack and $orth.
During this tie, Tatsuya looked skywards with an unreada%le expression.
(ven knowing that his sister was coldly gazing at hi this entire tie, the
only thing he could do was pretend not to see it.
.Ekay... *t8s a%out tie to return to class.
7et8s go, 1iyuki..
Tatsuya expressed his intent to return towards the still %ickering 1ayui
and 1ari, and then rose $ro his seat.
1iyuki8s $oul ood was thank$ully dispelled %y Tatsuya8s earnest
co$orting.
(ven though he saw a copletely red Azusa $lee towards the console in
the corner o$ the roo, this was not soething Tatsuya paid any extra
attention to.
.Ah, Tatsuya4kun, wait a second.
* say, 1ayui, stop, stop, * have soething iportant to say..
....*t8s pro%a%ly %est to wait until a$ter school, then we can have a proper
conversation..
.>ot it, got it... Deally, didn8t think he8d care that uch...
So Tatsuya4kun, how did you reply in the end:.
.*8 the one waiting $or a reply, and * will decide a$ter hearing that..
<esterday in the ca$eteria, Sayaka was una%le to answer the #uestion
Tatsuya posed.
0A$ter telling your thoughts to the school, what would you do then:
Sayaka could only ake an .Ah. or .Eh. type o$ sound, and was una%le to
$rae a eaning$ul answer.
Thus, Tatsuya le$t her with soe hoework.
He would listen to her again a$ter she had sorted through her thoughts.
.3ecause o$ our earlier conversation, * $eel that this isn8t soething we can
ignore..
.06e8re relying on you..
.There8s no need $or that. *8 not sure what this is a%out yet..
.As long as it8s within your capa%ilities..
.*t8s kind o$ hard to tell whether there are expectations riding on this or
not... 2orget it, * can accept it i$ it8s only this level..
This was truly soething that couldn8t %e ignored, and Tatsuya wasn8t 'ust
%eing polite. *n ters o$ the activities $ro Anti41agic Erganizations, i$ it
reained only at the systeic level, then there would %e no need $or hi
to inter$ere, %ut violence directed towards people in iportant positions
was another story. As the representative $or all ?st <ear Students, there was
no guarantee that 1iyuki would not %e a target. >ranted, he didn8t %elieve
that any cheap parlor tricks $ro criinals could har 1iyuki, %ut it was
%etter to err on the side o$ caution.
.6ithin y a%ility, * shall do y utost..
As she watched Tatsuya respond and 1iyuki %ow in departure %e$ore
leaving, 1ari so$tly uttered to hersel$.
.That, would pro%a%ly %ring a%out the %est result..
G G G
Due to the nature o$ the 'o%, 5u%lic 1oral Coittee e%ers did not
need to report to head#uarters every day.
(ven the Chair spends ost o$ her tie in the Student Council Doo.
3ecause ost o$ the e%ers were selected $or their artial skills, work
skills and organization were not their $orte. Add on the lack o$ input $ro
anageent, and this was how the roo turned into a disaster zone.
5rior to Tatsuya8s intercession during the recruitent week, he was the
only one with a %ackground in work skills, and thus 0 regardless o$ his
desire 0 this had esta%lished his position within the 5u%lic 1oral
Coittee.
Today, despite %eing his day o$$, Tatsuya had %een called in %y 1ari to
help organize and write the reports $or the recruitent week incidents. 0
(ven though he was called in to help, in reality he was the only one
working on it.
This situation was truly out o$ his control.
He originally planned to use the tie a$ter school to %rowse the unreleased
$iles stored in the agic universities and a$$iliated agic high schools
using the terinals in the school li%rary, %ut thanks to this and that, his
research had gone nowhere.
9At any rate, let8s $inish all the reports %y today...;
Despite knowing that it was eaningless, Tatsuya couldn8t stop hisel$
$ro sighing. He planned on logging out o$ the terinal, then eeting up
with 1iyuki.
-ust like reading a stopwatch, the screen chied an incoing essage
noti$ication.
*t even included the school e%le.
*n other words, this was not soething that students could ignore 0 a
suoning noti$ication that usually entailed a lesson $ro the sta$$.
Tatsuya ad'usted his posture in the chair and, o$ course, did not ignore the
essage and opened it.
The sender8s nae was .Eno Haruka..
G G G
.Sorry $or calling you here out o$ the %lue..
.Fo, * didn8t have anything urgent on y end..
*n the Counseling Doo, to Haruka8s copletely guilt $ree sile and
apology, Tatsuya erely replied %landly.
To tell the truth, suoning hi actually threw a wrench in his plans.
Although it wasn8t urgent, %ut to re$use 1ari8s re#uest and apologize $or
the inconvenience only led to piling up ore work $or hi.
And when he told 1iyuki he had to cancel walking hoe together, while
she reained outwardly cal, 'ust thinking a%out how to cal her ood
when he got %ack was giving hi a headache.
To top it all o$$, there was no reason why he needed to see the school
counselor.
Tatsuya really wished she would tell hi why he was called here.
.6ell: Have you accliated to school li$e yet:.
She shouldn8t %e a%le to hear Tatsuya8s thoughts 0 naturally, that was
ipossi%le, Tatsuya thought 0 so Haruka asked a typical #uestion.
.Fo..
En the other hand, Tatsuya gave an atypical answer.
....Have you encountered any di$$iculties:.
.There were a lot o$ unexpected situations that distracted e $ro
studying..
*n other words, get to the dan point and stop wasting y tie.
(ven i$ she couldn8t hear this voice, she could ore or less detect his
un$riendly attitude. Haruka8s sile grew a little $orced as she crossed her
legs.
3eneath the ini4skirt, the derriere wrapped in silk stockings could alost
%e seen.
2or the two people sitting $ace to $ace with one another, there were no
o%stacles to o%struct vision.
According to odern decoru, it was advisa%le to keep revealed $lesh to a
iniu.
3ecause woen usually wore thick stockings that covered everything
%eneath their dresses, even when exuding aturity, this sight was #uite
stiulating to the eyes. 9Also, thanks to the advanceents in $i%er
aterials, even wearing this during the heat o$ suer would yield no
disco$ort.;
Speaking o$ which, she was also wearing a rather open shirt, where the
lines o$ the undergarents could %e seen.
2or a $aculty e%er to wear this in $ront o$ a student was overly
$lirtatious.
....6hat is it:.
Haruka ischievously asked Tatsuya, who had unknowingly %een staring
at her.
He would hurriedly shi$t his line o$ sight and reply in a distracted voice 0
i$ he was any ordinary an.
.2ro the perspective o$ the odern dress code,
* $eel that Eno4sensei8s appearance is slightly overkill..
.*4*8 sorry..
At Tatsuya8s cold gaze and copletely unexcited vocal warning, Haruka
#uickly returned to her ordinary posture.
Ksing teptation to cause the opponent to $alter was one o$ the ost
coon tactics $or seizing the initiative in conversations. *t was likely that
Haruka chose this particular wardro%e with this in ind. 3ut this student
9Tatsuya; %etrayed no expression as he replied.
Fo way to control hi.
Haruka was perplexed at her ina%ility to seize the initiative.
.So, why was * called here:.
(ven though it was suppressed, there was still a hint o$ a repriand in the
tone.
*t couldn8t %e that this attitude was all within his calculation, could it:
Haruka thought to hersel$.
He was only sixteen, %ut precisely %ecause she wanted to avoid this hu%ris,
she $orced hersel$ to use a teptation ethod she was not accustoed to.
However, at this point she was $orced to a%andon this rounda%out tactic.
Haruka ade up her ind and turned to Tatsuya once again.
.Today, * wanted to ask Shi%a4kun to help with our work..
.<our work, eh:.
His intellect was $orida%le, %ased on the entrance exaination scores
alone.
Despite that, i$ she were to cut into the heart o$ the pro%le right away, it
ay put hi on guard even ore.
.<es, us, as in the work o$ the 7i$e Counseling Departent..
Haruka told hi directly, though he pro%a%ly already saw through it.
However, given that she had already said .the work o$ the 7i$e Counseling
Departent., the only thing she could do was $inish her sentence.
.The ental orientation o$ the students changes every year.
2or exaple, Shi%a4kun uses the ter 8ysel$8 to address yoursel$.
2or agical students who aspire to 'oin the ilitary, this isn8t anything
strange. >iven that, students only re$erred to theselves as 8ysel$8 a$ter
the victory at the Ekinawa De$ense 3attle three years ago.
Changes in society %ring a%out su%tle changes within student personalities.
This is especially the case a$ter a a'or incident, causing individuals to
view their age or relation to others di$$erently..
A$ter saying this, Haruka studied the young an8s expression.
Tatsuya8s $ace %etrayed no con$usion, though it ight %e ore correct to
say that her words went in one ear and out the other.
.So every year we exaine roughly ?@Q o$ the students.
The goal is to properly exaine and counsel the students8 priary
ipressions and ideologies..
.*n other words, we are speciens $or o%servation:.
3lunt and straight to the point, %ut there was no sense o$ outrage or $ury
accopanying it.
.*$ that8s all there is, * have no pro%le with it. However, what is Sensei8s
true purpose:.
6ith a slight sile, he responded with his own #uestion.
Haruka used every ounce o$ willpower to resist $altering.
....<ou think * have an ulterior otive: *8 #uite hurt. *8 not that kind o$
scheing woan, you know:.
The co#uettish, alost 'oking tone, rather than %eing conciliatory, was in
$act used to help re$ocus her panicking sel$.
.2or a specien, * don8t think * $it the old very well..
.That8s true. * also think that Shi%a4kun is not a typical student.
3ut %ecause o$ this, * hope that you are willing to help.
<ou ay %e the $irst exaple to %reak the %arrier %etween Course ? and L
students, %ut there8s no guarantee you will %e the last..
....*n that case, we8ll treat it like that then..
Haruka relaxed a$ter $inally persuading hi. (ven though he didn8t see
copletely convinced, helping coplex personalities was part o$ the 'o%
description $or counselors, Haruka said to hersel$ 0 with a hint o$
escapis.
.7ooks like y iaturity has caused Shi%a4kun to distrust e. Such a
shae.
...So, do you ind i$ * ask a $ew #uestions:.
.Ah, please go ahead..
(ven knowing that he was still wary against her, they couldn8t waste any
ore tie.
Haruka %rought out the prepared #uestions and went down the list with
Tatsuya.
Counseling was a line o$ work that heavily ephasized privacy.
Con$identiality was an iportant part o$ work. That %eing said, it was still
dependent on the topic involved. A third party ay %e involved to assist in
the atter, %ut Haruka8s re#uest $or assistance was unlikely to touch on the
privacy o$ individuals outside o$ capus. The $airly straight$orward
#uestions involved the events %etween the day o$ enrollent and now.
2ollowing Tatsuya8s description o$ the distur%ances on capus, Haruka8s
response was:
....Thank you very uch.
Speaking o$ which, you pulled through $airly well.
A$ter going through such intense ental pressure, even su$$ering a ental
%reakdown wouldn8t %e a surprise..
The opinion was spoken with a doctor4like expression.
*n reality, Tatsuya used the title .Sensei. %ecause Haruka was a licensed
psychologist, %ut her current capacity should %e a student counselor.
.2ro a edical perspective, that ay %e the case.
3ut even $or statistical data, there will %e exceptions..
At the assertion that clinical data was nothing ore than the %yproduct o$
statistical data, Haruka shae$ully averted her gaze.
As her gaze dri$ted, Haruka noticed Tatsuya was gazing at the anti#ue 9or
ay%e wrong era; clock on the wall 0 o$ course, this was %ecause Tatsuya
intentionally wanted Haruka to notice 0 and hurriedly shi$ted her gaze
%ack.
.Kh, that8s all * have $or today.
...Eh yes, while it8s not a #uestion related to counseling....
.6hat is it:.
.*s it true that Shi%a4kun was asked out %y 1i%u4chan $ro Lnd <ear:.
....Truly an unrelated #uestion..
Tatsuya could not hide his du%$ounded expression.
Haruka #uickly $ollowed up.
.*$ it8s 1i%u4chan, then there are soe concerns a%out... Kn$ortunately, *8
not allowed to divulge the..
.7earning o$ other people8s privacy would cause e di$$iculties as well.
So, where did Sensei hear these ruors:.
.So they8re... ruors:.
.-ust ruors, or is there soething wrong:.
.Fo, nothing at all... H, * 'ust wanted to ask you a $avor i$ Shi%a4kun
decided to go out with 1i%u4chan.
However, i$ Shi%a4kun isn8t planning on it, then don8t worry a%out it..
.*8ve already said that the so4called going out was a ere ruor.
So, where did these things coe $ro:.
At Tatsuya8s repeated #uestion, Haruka dropped her gaze to the $loor.
.*8 sorry, that8s con$idential..
Tatsuya did not pursue.
.*n that case, * will take y leave..
Dather than pursuing, he chose to stand up $ro the seat, and headed
towards the door without waiting $or a reply.
.*$ there8s anything trou%ling that happens with 1i%u4chan, please $eel $ree
to discuss it with e..
Haruka8s voice rang out as i$ she $irly %elieved in it.
6hy did it $eel like she was assured that .soething trou%ling. will
happen.
Tatsuya was not interested in the reason %ehind her $aith, so he kept
walking without turning around once. His personality wasn8t cute enough
to %ite at this kind o$ %ait.
G G G
A$ter dinner, Tatsuya was $acing the console in his roo when a voice
cae $ro the other side o$ the door.
.Enii4saa, it8s 1iyuki..
*n reality, there were only Tatsuya and 1iyuki in the house.
Her identity was o%vious even i$ she didn8t say anything a$ter knocking.
Siply calling out was su$$icient.
(ven so, 1iyuki would still solenly pronounce her nae.
As i$ she wanted to carve her nae onto Tatsuya8s heart.
As i$ she was terri$ied that Tatsuya would $orget her nae.
.Coe in..
Tatsuya said while still $acing the screen.
2ro outside the doorway, the console appeared to %e e%edded into the
side wall.
6hile swi$tly %rowsing through the long lines o$ text, Tatsuya also caught
his sister8s silhouette through his peripheral vision.
.The cake Enii4saa wanted is here... 6ould you like soe tea:.
The invitation tinged with a little hesitation was intended to arouse her
elder %rother8s notice.
To Tatsuya, it was only a cake, %ut this polite attitude was one o$ his
sister8s erits 0 whether anyone else could display the erit to this level
was another story.
Also, a hundred years ago no one would use the phrase .the cake is here.,
%ut now this has %ecoe a coon stock phrase.
6ith the advanceents in the logistics syste, .carrying around luggage.
has %ecoe a thing o$ the past.
(ven sall ites such as cake can %e delivered $ree o$ charge.
E$ course, $or the stores in #uestion, receiving orders and then delivering
the goods were weighed against the two advantages o$ .reducing
overstock. and .raising custoer $low., thus leading to the service today.
.*8 on y way..
A$ter replying, Tatsuya saved the intelligence on the screen as one o$ the
hoepage %ookarks.
A$ter savoring 1iyuki8s $avorite chocolate cake and washing down the
reaining sweetness with soe %itter co$$ee, Tatsuya shi$ted the living
roo8s console to data viewing ode.
....1ay * take a look as well:.
Tatsuya hadn8t $inished eating his cake yet, not to ention 1iyuki who
was even slower.
However, Tatsuya still opened the data $iles, signi$ying his assent.
.E$ course..
(ven a$ter doing so, he still gave a clear veri$ication to 1iyuki, who was
seeking perission, allowing her to sit down.
.The su%'ect would not %e %roached norally during $aily tie, %ut go
ahead. *t8s not like this has nothing to do with you, so it8s %etter $or you to
know as soon as possi%le.
...Fo, * ean, you don8t have to %e so nervous..
Seeing his sister put down her $ork and adopt a proper posture, Tatsuya
indicated that there was no such need.
At Tatsuya8s %itter sile, 1iyuki replied with an e%arrassed sile and
once again picked up her $ork.
.Data 2ile, 3lanche, Epen..
E$ course, there was no key%oard on the dinner ta%le used $or $ood.
6hile he didn8t like it, Tatsuya still used voice coands to direct the
syste to list the $iles o$ the investigation results on the screen.
.*s this the political organization that engages in anti4agic activities that
we talked a%out during lunch:.
.The e%ers call theselves a citizen8s oveent. *n secret they8re #uite
the in$aous terrorist group.
Also, it looks like it8s true that e%ers o$ this group are active within the
school. Su%ordinate to 3lanche is another organization called (galite.
During y tie as a 5u%lic 1oral Coittee e%er, * saw the $igure o$
students that possi%ly 'oined (galite..
1iyuki was initially surprised at Tatsuya8s words, then nodded her head.
.5ro Anti41agic students in a agic high school:.
.<our skepticis is natural..
At 1iyuki8s con$usion, Tatsuya nodded to indicate his agreeent.
.Fot 'ust in 2irst High. 5eople %elieve that agic schools can help the
iprove their agic, thus leading the to attend. 6hether they are trying
to advance theselves or $or soeone else is another story.
Thus, $or students at a agic high school to re'ect agic sees sel$4
contradictory..
Copletely sel$4contradictory. 2ro Tatsuya8s perspective, even though
society had applied the in$erior la%el to hi, %ut $ro the viewpoint o$ a
agical researcher, he had no intention o$ re'ecting agic.
.6hile taking the o%vious logical path would ake this see odd...
*t8s precisely %ecause this organization does $ollow the 8o%vious logic8 that
they are a%le to spread so $ast..
....6hy is that the case:.
.*$ you consider this through the traditional lens, you would only run into a
dead end.
Dather than staying inside the %ox, consider this $ro another angle.
The $irst ite $or consideration is, why do they proudly wave their anti4
agic ideology %anners, %ut never directly re'ect agic itsel$..
.Fow that you ention it... That8s true..
.Their proposal is to a%olish the di$$erences in society caused %y agic.
-ust this, %y itsel$, is an unipeacha%le and correct idea..
....<es..
.*n that case, what is this so called di$$erence:.
.An individual8s talent or hard work does not re$lect ade#uate
copensation $ro society...:.
.* 'ust said, 1iyuki, think outside the %ox..
As he said this, Tatsuya picked up the reote control $ro the ta%le, and
turned to the screen.
There were sixteen di$$erent pictures, one o$ the was %rought $orward
and agni$ied.
.3lanche is a political organization on the sur$ace. Their evidence $or
1agicians receiving pre$erential treatent coes $ro the di$$erence in
salaries %etween 1agicians and non41agicians.
The di$$erence they speak o$ is the di$$erence in ean wages.
3ut that8s nothing ore than an average, a single result.
They do not consider the extent o$ hardships that 1agicians go through to
o%tain their high salaries.
They also ignore the $act that 1agicians are only allowed to work in $ields
pertaining to agic, even i$ these %ackup 1agicians would receive lower
salaries than ordinary o$$ice workers..
Tatsuya8s voice was %land and alost copletely eotionless. However, a
tiny trace o$ elancholy could %e detected.
.Fo atter how capa%le or strong, so long as society does not need that
agic, onetary copensation and recognition reain ipossi%le..
1iyuki pain$ully lowered her gaze.
Tatsuya stood, paced a $ew steps, then tenderly placed a hand on his
sister8s shoulder.
.There is a reason why 1agicians have such a high ean salary. That is
%ecause society re#uires certain specialized 1agicians.
3ecause there are a sall nu%er o$ outliers that throw o$$ the average, the
ean salary %ecoes so high.
Fext, $or 1agicians active on the $rontline and capa%le o$ contri%uting to
society 0 no, that8s overly e%ellishing it. *t is %ecause 1agicians can
provide society soe sort o$ %ene$it, onetary or otherwise, that grants
the larger copensation, and not erely $or the $act that they are %orn
1agicians.
The world o$ 1agicians is not naive enough to %elieve that siply %eing
%orn with agical talent guarantees prosperity.
This, * think we are well aware o$.
Dight, 1iyuki:.
.<es... Rery well aware..
1iyuki nodded as she put her hand atop her elder %rother8s hand.
.Thus, 3lanche proposes to a%olish the di$$erence in salaries caused %y
agic, %ut in the end is really advocating the a%olishent o$ using agic
to o%tain onetary copensation.
*n other words, they are asking 1agicians to sel$lessly contri%ute to
society..
....That8s #uite the sel$4centered proposal.
(veryone needs oney to live, regardless o$ whether or not they can use
agic. 3ut, they don8t allow 1agicians to use agic $or a living, even
people who are capa%le o$ using agic ust use other skills to ake a
living...
*n the end, 'ust %ecause they don8t know how to use agic, they don8t want
agic to %ecoe the easuring stick $or a person8s value:
Are they saying that it8s okay i$ 1agicians8 hard work cannot receive
copensation: *t should %e o%vious that their hard work is not valued...
Er do these people not know that siply %eing %orn with agical talent is
not enough: That using agic re#uires any years o$ intense studying and
training:.
Tatsuya oved away $ro 1iyuki8s %ack and returned to his seat with a
thin sile on his lips.
.Fo, they know.
They know, %ut don8t say it.
3ecause i$ they don8t say it or think a%out in$oration that contradicts
the, they are a%le to use e#uality to lie to theselves and others.
1iyuki asked this in the %eginning.
6hy would agic students 'oin the activities o$ Anti41agic Erganizations
like 3lanche or (galite:.
.H... *s it %ecause they don8t know the real philosophy %ehind the anti4
agic parties:.
.5eople that can8t use agic cannot learn it no atter how hard they try,
and thus $eel that it is un$air $or society to reward 1agicians $or using
agic.
Then, how a%out the students who can use agic, %ut lack the talent to
catch up to the truly outstanding students regardless o$ their diligence, and
in turn are looked down upon 0 this type o$ thinking would %e per$ectly
reasona%le, right:
Di$$erences in talent is not uni#ue to agic. This is apparent in other
$ields, such as the arts or athletics.
(ven i$ they don8t have talent in agic, ay%e they have talents in other
areas.
*$ they cannot %ear to have no talent in agic, then they should $ind
another path..
*$ soeone who was only super$icially ac#uainted with Tatsuya heard
these words, they ight have thought he was saying this to hisel$. 3ut
1iyuki, the only person present, would never ake that kind o$ istake.
.* %elieve that people who learn agic re'ect the 8di$$erences8 caused %y
agic, %ecause they are unwilling to a%andon agic.
Knwilling to give up, %ut una%le to accept %eing second4rate.
Kna%le to accept the truth that there are people with such talent that are
copletely %eyond their grasp.
Kna%le to accept the possi%ility that putting in any ties ore work still
puts the out o$ reach.
Thus, they re'ect using agic as an assessent.
The $act is, they know that the people with talent also put in the sae
aount o$ work. This is evident %e$ore their eyes. 3ut, they choose to
ignore this and pile all the responsi%ility on in%orn talent, and re'ect it.
6ell... *t8s not like * can8t understand that sense o$ weakness. * have siilar
thoughts ysel$..
.There is no such thingJ.
1iyuki knew that Tatsuya was not really depreciating hisel$. (ven so,
1iyuki could not control her own voice.
.Enii4saa possesses skills that no other person can eulate, and while
you don8t have the sae talents as other people, haven8t you still put in
exponentially ore hard work to get to this point:.
Tatsuya did not possess any undane skills, %ut possessed talents that $ar
exceeded anyone else8s. This, 1iyuki knew %etter than anyone. And, even
i$ it was Tatsuya hisel$, 1iyuki would allow no one to deny it.
.That8s 'ust %ecause * have other talents as well..
.Ah....
3ut Tatsuya was soeone who, while understanding 1iyuki8s stateent,
could still .understand that sense o$ weakness.. 1iyuki %lushed when she
realized how shallow her re%uttal was.
.*$ soeone isn8t talented enough in odern agic, then use soe other
ethod to ake up the di$$erence.
3ecause that is possi%le, then they can o%'ectively ake an assessent as
a third party.
*$ that8s not possi%le... Then it8s not surprising $or the to sink into that
delicious $antasy called 8e#uality8. (ven knowing that it8s all an illusion in
the end..
.....
1iyuki could not re$ute any o$ her %rother8s cold words. She already
understood what Tatsuya was trying to express. He was not %eing
sentiental or pitying towards others, erely talking a%out the .weakness
that lies within people., including hisel$.
.2or people without talent, to escape the $act that they cannot copare to
others, they loudly sing the praises o$ e#uality.
2or those without agic, to avoid the $act that agic is erely one type o$
talent, they coat that %elie$ with 'ealousy.
A$ter understanding these %asics, what is the purpose o$ the one inciting
the to action %ehind the scenes:
The e#uality that they are re$erring to is e#ual treatent regardless o$ the
presence o$ agical a%ility.
A%olishing the societal di$$erences caused %y agic, is the sae as not
assigning agic any value.
The end result is that agic would lose any and all eaning in society.
*n a society where agic has no value, agic cannot advance or iprove.
Standing %ehind the 1agicians and ordinary people who are calling $or an
end to the di$$erences caused %y agic, is a $orce that plans to a%olish
agic $ro this country..
.Then what...:.
.Degardless o$ good or %ad, agic is power. (conoics is power,
technology is power, ilitary strength is power.
1agic can %ecoe the sae power as %attleships or $ighter 'ets. 5resently,
every country is researching agic8s ilitary utility.
There are any ilitary spies active around agic skills and in$oration..
.Then, while the initial goal o$ the anti4agic parties is to a%olish agic in
this country, the $inal o%'ective is reduce the nation8s power:.
.1ost likely.
Thus, they would even resort to ethods like terroris.
Fow, a$ter the nation8s power has %een reduced, who stands to %ene$it the
ost:.
.<ou ean... 5ut it that way, %ehind the is....
.That8s exactly how it is.
6hen it coes to these people, the Ten 1aster Clans won8t leave the
alone.
(specially the <otsu%a Clan.
So, $ro now on, we have to %e extra care$ul..
A$terwards, nothing ore was said.
2or these two people, nothing ore needed to %e said.
Her expression copletely pale, 1iyuki nodded towards her elder %rother.
Chapter 8
6ith the end o$ recruitent week, the various enrollent activities cae
to a close.
2or Tatsuya8s class, their technical skills curriculu started to get serious.
Although the actual agical education was done through the various
classes, ost students already had soe sort o$ %ackground in agic, as
9could %e; seen through the technical portion o$ the entrance exaination.
This was the %asis $or how classes were conducted, %ut even $or students
with a proper $oundation in systeic education, those not adept in co%at
skills o$ten $elt that they could not keep up in class. 2ro a certain
perspective, the separation o$ Course ? and L students was intended to
prevent this $eeling $ro negatively a$$ecting the two groups 0 in other
words, a%andoning one side.
G G G
.)S@ s. <ou passed, Tatsuya4kunJ.
.2inally... This is the third tie already. Thank goodness it8s over with..
Tatsuya siled tiredly at 1izuki, who was excited $or hi as i$ she had
done it hersel$.
Currently, Tatsuya8s class was practicing technical skills in agic.
Today8s lesson involved copiling a single Systeatic agic, then
activating the agic within the tie liit in teas o$ two.
*t involved reading the Activation Se#uence, then %asing what was read
and using the 1agic Coputation Degion in the 1agician8s
su%consciousness to then construct the 1agic Se#uence and activate it.
This was the syste $or odern agic.
6hat happens in this Schee 0 trans$oring the Activation Se#uences,
that could %e recorded as nu%ers %y achines, into a $or o$ agic that
achines could not create in reality, uses a process known in *n$oration
(ngineering as .copiling.. 3y #uanti$ying the processes needed $or
agic invocation, trans$oring the into Activation Se#uences, then
using Schees to revert the %ack into 1agic Se#uences, odern agic
iproved in precision, sta%ility, and varia%ility.
The price was that they sacri$iced the speed that coes $ro only using a
$ew words in .Superpowers..
Since the coplicated ethod $or constructing 1agic Se#uences already
exists, this was all that could %e done.
However, while the tie lag $or constructing 1agic Se#uences could not
%e reduced to zero, it could %e in$initely reduced to near zero.
There is a reason why odern agic ephasizes speed $or constructing
1agic Se#uences.
Eriginally, CADs were only used as storage $or recording Activation
Se#uence nu%ers, %ut they #uickly %ecae the ethod $or accelerating
1agic activation speed.
2or the CADs used in today8s class, %ecause they had not %een ad'usted $or
individual di$$erences, no additional speed %oosting echaniss were
added. The purpose o$ this class was to use this $actory condition CAD to
undergo high speed copiling training.
*$ one e%er o$ the duo could not pass, then %oth students had to reain.
1izuki passed on her $irst try, %ut she let out an explosive sigh and patted
her chest in co$ort at Tatsuya.
.That8s #uite surprising. Tatsuya4kun really isn8t good at technical skills....
2or today8s topic, .Single Systeatic Single 5rocess. agic, $ro reading
the Activation Se#uence entirely to actually invoking the agic, an
exceptional 1agician would only need C@@ s.
2or Tatsuya, who needed three tries to get under the ?@@@ s tie liit,
even the kindest description could not approach exceptional.
.That8s surprising... * thought *8ve said it #uite a $ew ties %e$ore:.
.*t8s true that *8ve heard it a $ew ties... %ut *8ve always thought that was
'ust %eing hu%le.
3ecause Tatsuya4kun looks like soeone who can do anything, it8s hard to
%elieve that you8re not $luent with technical skills..
1izuki tilted her head and expressed her heart$elt aazeent, to which
Tatsuya could only sile wryly 0 not that there was any other option.
....*t ight %e a little ridiculous to say it ysel$, %ut i$ * had that level o$
technical skills, * wouldn8t %e in this class..
Tatsuya ade sure to keep any loathing out o$ his tone and language.
6hile he did not know how e$$ective it was, 1izuki $rankly nodded her
head.
.That8s true. *$ Tatsuya4kun were also capa%le in technical skills... That
would give o$$ an overly4per$ect, unapproacha%le vi%e..
As she said this, 1izuki expressed a care$ree sile.
* wonder i$ * should sile along with her, Tatsuya thought.
.However, Tatsuya4kun... don8t you $eel, a little unsatis$ied:.
....Towards what:.
1izuki %ent her head, her expression unreada%le. *t was %ecause o$ this
that Tatsuya was con$used as to how to respond to her.
.*$ you have the talent, %ut have %een evaluated as having no talent,
norally this would %e #uite galling.
*$ it were e, * wouldn8t %e surprised i$ * $elt unsatis$ied. *$ * had Tatsuya4
kun8s level o$ skill, * would %e $urious at %eing called a 6eed... %ut
Tatsuya4kun looks like he doesn8t care....
That was #uite a di$$icult #uestion to answer.
Taking 1izuki8s personality into account, it was unlikely she would spread
negative ruors or speak to others regarding this su%'ect, %ut i$ he didn8t
give her an answer that she could accept, it was possi%le that she ay dig
deeper into his %usiness.
.(xecution speed is also a talent.
And it8s a rather iportant $actor as well.
There are situations where one second can ean the di$$erence %etween
li$e and death. So y evaluation o$ %eing unskilled is not incorrect..
*$ 1izuki were any other ordinary Course L student, this would have %een
an accepta%le answer.
3ut,
.*$ this was an actual co%at situation, Tatsuya4kun would have soe way
to iprove invocation speed..
She was soeone who possessed special .eyes..
....6hat akes you think so:.
(ven knowing that saying so indicated a con$ession this was true and that
he was capitulating, his wavering %rain could not think o$ a %etter
response.
.*n the technical portion earlier, each o$ Tatsuya4kun8s three tries looked
like you were $orcing yoursel$.
3ecause y other is a translator, *8ll use this exaple: it8s like soeone
a%le to use (nglish to think and reply to an (nglish #uestion was $orced to
use -apanese to reply, and then translate it %ack into (nglish.
2ro the start, Tatsuya4kun a%andoned the coplete 1agic Se#uence and
started copiling again, right:
6hen looking at the tie, reading the Activation Se#uence occurs at the
sae tie as constructing the 1agic Se#uence.
A$ter seeing that, * thought that.
*t can8t %e that, Tatsuya4kun, $or agic o$ this level, you can construct
1agic Se#uences without looking at the Activation Se#uence:.
To not use Activation Se#uences, also known as skipping CADs altogether,
and still use agic at the sae speed. *n regards to this techni#ue, he had
strict orders to keep this a secret.
However, it looked like soeone saw through this a$ter the $irst practice.
As i$ his %rain had %een plunged into cold water, he caled down.
Despite his wariness %eing raised to the ax and his $altering reaching a
peak, these only served to restore hi to noral.
2or soeone who rarely $altered to this extent, this was a good experience
$or Tatsuya.
.* didn8t think that soeone could see this $ar.
That8s #uite an ipressive pair o$ eyes..
This tie, it was 1izuki who turned pale. As expected, 1izuki was trying
to hide the truth a%out her own .eyes..
That was a slightly evil way to say it as the corners o$ Tatsuya8s outh
turned upwards. 3ut $ro 1izuki8s reaction, the chances that his own
hidden skill set had %een discovered had %een drastically reduced.
*n reality, Tatsuya had another idea. Since she already $igured out that he
had a techni#ue that %ypassed Activation Se#uences to use agic, as long
as she thought that it wasn8t a personal skill %ut ore o$ a Systeatic one,
then everything would %e $ine. So long as he could sate her sense o$
curiosity, she would have no $urther pro%les.
.*t8s true. 2or single systes, it8s $aster to directly construct the 1agic
Se#uence.
This can only %e used $or agics with $ew processes. 2or e, $ive
processes is y liit..
5rocesses in odern agic has two eanings: the steps that lead to agic
invocation, and the coponents $or agic used in phenoena rewriting.
The .$ive processes in agic. that Tatsuya entioned here re$ers to when
$ive agic executions co%ine to change soething.
2or exaple, in order to use agic to trans$er an egg $ro the kitchen to
the dining ta%le, this re#uires $our steps: *ncrease Speed 9Acceleration;,
1oveent, Deduce Speed 9Deverse Acceleration;, and Stop 9end o$
oveent;.
1oveent agic is a type o$ agic that changes an o%'ect8s speed and
path, so i$ the *ncrease Speed process was reoved, this would cause the
o%'ect to speed up without regard to inertia, ost likely causing the egg to
%reak up.
*$ the 1oveent process was reoved and only relied on *ncrease and
Deduce Speed to ove the egg, the egg would shoot out in a linear
$ashion, thus necessitating coplex deceleration to anipulate. Thus, even
though another process was added, it8s actually ore siple to use a
co%ination o$ Speed and 1oveent agics to anipulate oveent.
*n coparison, when using agic that %lows away an opponent in anti4
personnel co%at, only one siple process would %e enough. The intent is
to cause har to the eney, so there8s no need to reduce the ipact
incurred.
.* think that $ive processes would %e su$$icient $or co%at4related
agic....
>enerally speaking, agic used %y civilians re#uired any ore processes
than co%at agic.
-ust as 1izuki said, agics that involved one to $ive processes covered
over hal$ o$ the known co%at agics.
.That8s %ecause * didn8t learn agic $or co%at reasons.
*n order to #uickly invoke agic with ore processes, Activation
Se#uences are still a ust, so *8 not unsatis$ied with the $act that y
lower technical skills have received the appropriate evaluation..
Tatsuya siled as he said this, then noticed that $or soe reason 1izuki
was staring at hi with teary eyes.
Tatsuya suddenly $elt that soewhere, soehow, an epic isunderstanding
had occurred.
*ediately, the result caused %y this isunderstanding was displayed
%e$ore Tatsuya.
.That8s aazingJ Tatsuya4kun... you are truly worthy o$ y respectJ.
6ith her hands in $ront o$ her chest, 1izuki8s delirious voice said
soething that 9$or Tatsuya; could not %e ignored a$ter %eing heard.
.Ha:.
.2or ost people, they %ecoe 1agicians siply %ecause they can use
agic... %ut, Tatsuya4kun has his own goals, so he learns agic $or that
reason....
.K, well, while that8s true....
.*, have %een enlightenedJ.
.That....
.Eriginally, * learned agic only %ecause * wanted to control this pair o$
.eyes., and * never considered how to use agic, %ut $ro now on, * will
seriously consider itJ.
Kh: Didn8t this woan want to hide her eyes in the $irst place: 6hile
Tatsuya was thinking this, 1izuki8s awe inspiring spirit overwheled his
urge to retort.
.(rr, 1izuki4chan:.
.*t8s true. As long as you have a clear goal, you wouldn8t retreat a$ter
encountering such $ee%le attacks.
As long as you can achieve your drea, school grades are erely
accessories.
This should %e what people pursue in li$e.
5eople need to endlessly chase their dreas....
.1y word, 1izuki, what are you so excited a%out:.
1izuki8s solilo#uy 0 even while class was ongoing 0 continued until
(rika8s retort.
2inally noticing her classates odd gazes 9ore like %lank stares;, 1izuki
%lushed as she dropped her head.
Seeing 1izuki like this, Tatsuya adopted a solen expression to ask
what he was $eeling inside.
A person8s hopes and dreas:
*t wasn8t soething as %eauti$ul as that.
2ro the %eginning, he never had a chance at a li$e that was unrelated to
agic.
He didn8t %ecoe a 1agician %ecause he could use agic" he %ecae a
1agician precisely %ecause he couldn8t use agic.
2or hi, agic was a curse cast upon hi the oent he was %orn.
(ven i$ it was trans$ored into soething that he could accept, to hi, it
was still a struggle.
That %eing said, i$ it was as siple as people %ecoing 1agicians siply
%ecause they could use agic, then it was not surprising that the %otto
$eeders aongst 1agicians would choose to deny agic.
1ay%e he had the wrong idea.
0 Tatsuya suddenly thought this way.
G G G
*t was tie $or lunch %reak.
*n the end, even Tatsuya was persuaded to stay.
0 5ersuaded %y (rika and 7eo8s %egging.
.?@T@ s... >ood, keep it up. -ust a little ore..
.S4Still so $ar... * never knew that @.? seconds was such a $ar distance....
.*diot, you don8t use 8$ar8 to easure tie. <ou8re supposed to say 8long8..
.(rika4chan... ?@CL s..
.AhhhhhJ
Don8t say itJ
* 'ust anaged to start thinking positivelyJ.
.*4*8 sorry....
.Fo, it8s E/, 1izuki.
Fo atter how desperate reality is, we can8t choose to escape $ro it. This,
is our destiny....
....<our %oring solo acts are none o$ y %usiness, %ut it8s a%out tie to end
this horseplay..
The co%ination o$ (rika and 7eo could not aintain a $riendly
relationship $or ore than a second, even in class.
So they asked Tatsuya $or guidance.
.* say, 7eo, you8re spending too uch tie aiing.
*n this situation, there8s no need $or precision targeting..
.6hile * understand that....
To 7eo8s li$eless response, Tatsuya nodded sypathetically.
.6ell, that8s true...
There8s nothing $or it, so you ight as well use a little trick. 6hy don8t you
settle your ai %e$ore reading the Activation Se#uence:.
.Kh: *s that legal:.
.That8s why it8s a trick. There8s no %ene$it to technical expertise, %ut in this
situation it8s pro%a%ly the last idea * can think o$, not that * wanted to tell
you in the $irst place....
.6hatJ 5lease, TatsuyaJ * don8t care i$ it8s a asterstroke or a cheat, i$ it
can get e through this, teach it to eJ.
As he watched 7eo %egging with %oth hands clasped a%ove his head,
Tatsuya let out a deep sigh.
.Don8t say it like that. *t8s not like we8re cheating or anything.
...Deally, * already said that *8 not adept with technical skills. *$ you need
pointers, why not ask an expert:.
.(ven i$ you8re not adept, you8re still %etter than e, right:
Also, you are the only one who knows the copiling co%ination and is
a%le to point out any errors..
.*8ll teach you even without the $lattery...
Fext, it8s (rika8s turn..
.6hat, what: * don8t care i$ it8s a asterstroke or cheating or whatever, 'ust
give it to eJ
*8 starving over here..
.* see, so it sounds even worse when the two o$ you are %egging together.
AhI 2or (rika... * can8t understand where your pro%le is exactly..
.(h:.
.To %e precise, * don8t understand why you ade these istakes.
<ou should %e $ar %etter at copiling than * a..
.How can this %e:J Tatsuya4kun, don8t a%andon eJ.
As he looked at the teary4eyed 0 with soe parts acting ixed in 0
(rika with her hands tightly clasped as i$ in prayer, Tatsuya sighed again.
These two are practically irror iages o$ one another, Tatsuya thought,
%ut did not say it aloud.
.>ot it, (rika. 6hen you8re reading the Activation Se#uence, put your
right hand over your le$t on the %oard..
.(h:.
Kpon hearing this, not 'ust (rika, %ut 1izuki was also con$used.
....*s that all there is to it:.
.*8 not copletely certain. As $or the reason, *8ll explain it i$ it works..
.Eh, h... let e try..
(rika teporarily set aside her dou%t and turned towards the internally
installed CAD.
Seeing this, Tatsuya started tutoring 7eo.
A$ter the $lash o$ 5sion light dissipated, a set o$ nu%ers a%out the size o$
a large %all appeared a%ove. This was the highest pressure calculated
through the casting o$ single syste weight agic. The tier %egan
9stopped:; only a$ter the calculated nu%er exceeded the %ase liit $or
pressure.
.?@?@ s.
(rika4chan, you iproved %y S@ s in one tryJ
<ou8ve only got a little ore le$t to go..
.<esJ
*t $eels like *8ve got y otivation %ackJ.
.?@?T. Don8t hesitate, 7eo. <ou already know the target location. There8s
no need to visually check the target each tie..
.*4* understand.
Ek, *8ll get it this tieJ.
Tatsuya and 1izuki went to reset the recording devices while (rika and
7eo closed their eyes or waved their ars, using a variety o$ ethods to
keep up their orale.
At this oent, a nervous voice $loated in $ro %ehind Tatsuya8s %ack.
.Enii4saa, are you %usy...:.
The owner o$ the voice was his own sister, and there was no need to turn
around to veri$y this.
(rika heard $ootsteps that %elonged to ore than one person and turned
around.
.1iyuki... Along with 1itsui4chan and /itayaa4chan:.
.(rika, don8t get distracted.
Sorry, 1iyuki. 6e8re alost done. -ust give us a second..
.(h:.
.* understand. *8 terri%ly sorry, Enii4saa..
1iyuki siled pleasantly and %owed at Tatsuya8s apologetic voice.
2eeling as i$ the pressure had %een ultiplied any $old $or soe
unknown reason, 7eo $urrowed his %rows.
The other two $ollowed 1iyuki out the doorway.
Seeing this, Tatsuya nodded.
.E/, you two, this is it..
Although the voice wasn8t loud, it seeed to sti$le any o%'ection.
.<eahJ.
.E/, let8s $inish thisJ.
Their orale at a peak, %oth o$ the glanced at the CAD display.
.6e ade itI.
(rika8s cheer turned into the %ell that $inally announced the end o$ the
class.
.6hew... Danke U?V, Tatsuya..
Tatsuya raised a hand to acknowledge 7eo8s thanks, then waved 1iyuki in.
Her $ace $lushed with happiness, 1iyuki walked towards hi.
*n coparison, 1iyuki8s classates were ore reserved 0 1itsui Honoka
and /itayaa Shizuku stepped $orward with slight siles on their $aces.
.(xcellent work, you two.
Enii4saa, *8ve %rought the goods as you instructed... *s this enough:.
3ecause he was 'ust speaking with (rika and 7eo, Tatsuya shook his head
at 1iyuki8s #uestion.
.Fo, %ut there8s not uch tie le$t anyway, so this is per$ect. >ood work,
1iyuki. 1itsui4san and /itayaa4san as well, thank you $or lending a
hand. * appreciate it..
(ven though they had spoken previously, these two were only 1iyuki8s
ac#uaintances, so in Tatsuya8s eyes, they weren8t copletely $riends yet.
Thus, his tone was overly $oral.
.FoJ *t8s nothing at allJ.
.Don8t worry a%out it. Despite looking like this, *8 actually #uite strong..
Towards Honoka8s unexpectedly excited answer and Shizuku8s seeingly
'oking response, Tatsuya once again expressed his thanks and relieved
the o$ their plastic %ags.
.Catch..
And tossed the ites $or (rika and 7eo to catch, 'ust like that.
.6hat is it:.
.Sandwiches...:.
The %ags contained sandwiches and drinks sold in the school ca$eteria.
.*$ we headed $or the ca$eteria now, we wouldn8t ake it in tie $or the
a$ternoon class..
As he said this, Tatsuya took his prepared %ento $ro 1iyuki.
.Thank youI *8 starving..
.Tatsuya, you8re the %estJ.
Siling wryly at his $ood4o%sessed $riends, Tatsuya also took a seat in a
near%y chair. At this tie, 1izuki8s unwary voice dri$ted to his ears.
....3ut, is this okay: Aren8t we prohi%ited $ro eating in the classroos:.
.2ood is only %anned in areas with data terinals.
The school rules don8t prohi%it eating in classroos..
.(h, is that so:.
.H, you would know this i$ you seriously read the school rules. * used to
think it was prohi%ited too, so * was a little surprised,. Tatsuya replied, as
he pulled out a pair o$ chopsticks.
1izuki said .*n that case., and reached out a hand.
7eo unwrapped the sandwich and took a deep %ite.
.<ou didn8t care $ro the %eginning..
(rika retorted as she savored the ex#uisitely ade sandwich.
A peace$ul ta%le... was actually replaced %y several chairs %ecause there
was no ta%le as Tatsuya and copany started their tardy lunch %reak.
1iyuki and Tea Appreciation also 'oined in with their drinks.
.1iyuki4chan, did you already $inish eating:.
.<es. Enii4saa said to coe over a$ter eating..
At 1izuki8s concerned #uestion, 1iyuki replied with this.
.(h, *8 a little surprised. * thought 1iyuki would say .* won8t %egin
unless Enii4saa picks up his chopsticksJ. or soething like that..
(rika8s coent was accopanied %y $ull %lown laughter rather than ere
giggling.
2ro her expression, it was clear that she was purely 'oking. Fo one
present gave it a serious thought.
0(xcept $or one person.
.Ah, that8s exactly right, (rika.
Forally that would %e the case, %ut today was %ecause o$ Enii4saa8s
orders.
E$ course, * would never do soething on y own that would go against
Enii4saa..
....8Forally8 she would....
.<ep..
....8E$ course8... (h:.
.H, yes:.
A crap developed in (rika8s sile as she watched 1iyuki earnestly shake
her head. The ood suddenly turned very heavy.
As i$ seeking to dispel this strange atosphere, 1izuki spoke up at an
unnaturally high volue.
.1iyuki4chan8s class is also starting in technical practice, right: 6hat8s it
like:.
Honoka and Shizuku glanced at one another.
*t was a pair o$ concerned expressions.
6ithout paying heed to her peers8 attitudes, 1iyuki took the straw away
$ro her outh as she replied.
.*t should %e the sae as your class, 1izuki. Ksing a slow achine and
tasked with a %oring practice like calculation..
The $ive people apart $ro Tatsuya revealed shocked expressions.
Her $ierce, serpent4like tongue was copletely incopati%le with her lady4
like deeanor.
.<ou appear very displeased..
.E$ course *8 displeased. That kind o$ exercise is only good $or practicing
alone..
At her elder %rother8s teasing words, 1iyuki replied in a hu$$, %ut her voice
was tinged with a $lirtatious tone.
.H... (ven teaching hand over hand is %ound to have soe good and
soe %ad..
.* adit *8 %eing treated di$$erently. *8 terri%ly sorry i$ *8ve upset (rika
%ecause o$ this..
.Fo, * don8t ind at all..
At 1iyuki8s honest apology, (rika lightly waved her hand.
.*t8s only natural to try and $ind the students with potential. *t8s the sae
with the do'o that y $aily runs 0 those that have no potential are set
aside and $orgotten..
.(rika4chan8s house is a do'o:.
.A little %it o$ ancient style ken'utsu, although that8s 'ust the side 'o%..
.Ah, that8s why.... 1izuki nodded as i$ she understood soething.
She was pro%a%ly thinking o$ the tie when (rika used a retracta%le rod to
disar 1orisaki8s CAD.
.Chi%a4san... Thinks that8s only natural:. This tie, it was Honoka who
inter'ected with trepidation.
.(rika is $ine. Actually, please call e that..
.6hy are you putting on airs like soeone iportant.... 7eo8s aazed
retort created a per$ect %u$$ering oent $or Honoka.
.Then, (rika, please call e Honoka..
.E/, E/.
That %eing said, when you said natural, are you re$erring to when Course ?
students are supervised %y teachers, and Course L students can8t catch up:.
....<eah, that..
Honoka hesitated, then nodded.
.*$ it8s that, then o$ course..
(rika nodded without any hesitation whatsoever.
.3ecause it8s a atter o$ course, 1iyuki and Honoka don8t need to %e
trou%led a%out it:.
....<ou8re #uite cal a%out it.. 7eo replied in response to (rika8s
declaration.
.Ah: *s 7eo4kun the one who is unsatis$ied with the situation:.
.Fo, * 'ust $eel that there8s nothing * can do a%out it....
7eo8s voice was coparatively lackluster.
.* seeI.
* don8t think that 8there8s nothing * can do8, * think that 8it8s a atter o$ $act8
instead..
(rika8s tone was relaxed as she said this.
.1ay * ask your reasoning %ehind this:.
At Honoka8s #uestion, (rika tilted her head.
A$ter a short period o$ silence to collect her thoughts, with her index $inger
pressed against her teple, she %egan her reply.
.H... 3ecause *8ve always thought that it8s so natural up to this point, so
it8s hard to explain...
2or exaple, in our do'o, the earliest we would teach any techni#ues to the
students would %e at least T onths a$ter enrollent..
.Eh..
Tatsuya nodded his head with interest.
Huestion arks $loated a%ove the heads o$ Honoka, Shizuku, and 1izuki.
.*n the %eginning, the only thing we teach is $ootwork and practice swings.
A$ter we deonstrate once, the rest is up to individual practice.
A$terwards, we start teaching those that look like they8ve grasped the
proper anner o$ swinging..
....Then, wouldn8t there %e students that never iprove no atter how
uch tie has passed...:.
.<es, that has happened..
(rika nodded in response to Honoka8s #uestion.
.Fext, those people have to relentlessly practice.
Second, i$ your physical %ody isn8t suited $or waving a sword, then it
would %e a waste o$ tie to ipart any strong techni#ues anyways..
.Ah.... 1izuki #uietly gasped.
As she watched 1izuki, (rika continued to speak.
.3ecause o$ this, the only thing you can do is keep practicing your swings.
6atch what other people do, and carve it into your eory.
That is %ecause you8re surrounded %y specialists o$ the sword.
<ou8re 'ust wasting your tie idling i$ you wait $or soeone to teach you.
Enly the utterly naive would %elieve that they could receive lessons $ro
the start.
6hether it8s the Sensei or assistants, ree%er that everyone there is
soeone currently in training.
(veryone has their own personal training regien.
Those that cannot learn $ro the people around the and solely rely on
%eing taught, are utterly delusional..
A$ter she $inished speaking, her eyes took on a tepting glint.
As he watched (rika %ecoe ore aniated during speaking to the point
o$ lecturing, Tatsuya $elt his spirit soar a %it.
....(ven though your words were pretty %adass, %ut didn8t you and * need
Tatsuya to teach us 'ust now...:.
.EuchJ
*t hurts when you say that..
(rika $urrowed her %rows at 7eo8s point, %ut her relaxed voice didn8t
change.
.Those are two di$$erent things, apples and oranges... Although there have
%een situations where the tutor and the tutored were o$ di$$erent levels,
which usually ends in disaster.
Actually, a real disaster would %e where the one %eing tutored was at a
higher level than the tutor..
Tatsuya revealed an evil sirk.
.Alas, * guess today #uali$ies as a true catastrophe then.
(rika8s $inal record was $aster than ine %y ?@@ s..
(rika was suddenly covered in cold sweat.
.Kh, no, what * wanted to say wasn8t that...
S4Speaking o$ which, * still don8t understandJ
6hy did overlapping the hands iprove y tie %y so uch:.
2orci%ly changing the su%'ect.
(veryone knew she was trying to uddy the waters, %ut i$ anyone asked
too closely then it would %e trou%lesoe, so Tatsuya shrewdly let it slide.
.Fothing uch. *t8s actually #uite siple. (rika is used to holding the
CAD with one hand..
.Kh:. Although Tatsuya8s .explanation. had 'ust started, (rika already
interrupted the proceedings with ore #uestions.
.How did you know:. was written clearly all over (rika8s $ace, %ut $or
Tatsuya, this was soething that was iediately discerni%le. A$ter their
con$lict with 1orisaki Shun and taking into account the shape o$ the CAD,
this was a siple result to arrive at. *gnoring (rika8s exaggerated reaction,
Tatsuya continued .explaining..
.So * thought, i$ she put %oth hands on the CAD %oard in the classroo, it
ight %e di$$icult $or her to use..
.So that8s why you told her to cover one hand with the other, creating a
single handed grip....
1izuki nodded her head in aazeent. She was not the only one with that
expression on her $ace.
.(ven though there were soe posture pro%les gripping it with one hand,
that didn8t atter once she %ecae otivated to grasp it with %oth hands,
eaning the di$$iculty she encountered was siply a ental %lock..
....So that8s why. *t looks like Tatsuya4kun can see right through e..
(rika could not resist a wry sile, causing everyone to %urst into laughter.
.*t $eels like *8ve lost all y energy...
3y the way, did Class A use the sae CAD:.
.<es..
1iyuki did not hide her disgust as she nodded, propting (rika8s curiosity.
.-ust $or re$erence, could you tell e how long you took:.
.(h: 1e:.
1iyuki8s eyes widened as she pointed at hersel$ and (rika intentionally
nodded in an exaggerated otion.
1iyuki glanced at Tatsuya.
.>o ahead.. Tatsuya nodded with a wry sile.
.*$ Enii4saa says so....
1iyuki hesitated, then agreed.
1izuki, who was closest to the achines, started setting the easuring
e#uipent.
As i$ she were preparing to play the piano, 1iyuki lightly placed her
$ingers on the %oard.
1easureent, start.
The reaining psion light $lashed across.
1izuki8s $ace $roze.
7osing patience at her $riend who wasn8t announcing the result, (rika
urged her on.
....L=C s....
.Kh...:.
.That8s insane....
Their sti$$ expressions started to spread.
.Fo atter how any ties * hear it, it8s still an astounding score....
.1iyuki8s technical a%ilities are nearing the liit $or huan reaction
speeds..
(ven the Class A students could not help %ut sigh.
Enly her elder %rother didn8t see surprised.
He even looked soewhat disappointed as he wrinkled his %row.
.The old odels used $or education can only do so uch. There8s nothing
you can do, 1iyuki..
.There8s no other choice, * have to use these alad'usted Activation
Se#uence $illed with %ackground noise... *t8s really irritating.
As expected, y real strength can only %e revealed %y the CADs
aintained %y Enii4saa hisel$..
Hal$way %etween throwing a tantru and %eing co#uettish, 1iyuki lay her
head against Tatsuya8s side. Tatsuya gently patted her head like he was
co$orting a child.
(veryone who was watching this scene did not tease the like they usually
would.
The si%lings8 strength and words were displayed %e$ore their very eyes.
3e$ore the di$$erence displayed %y the pair, 'ealousy was soething only
idiots would $eel.
G G G
A$ter school, Tatsuya sat in the ca$e and stared %lankly at the passing
students.
The ixed atosphere in the roo was likely the reason why the a'ority
o$ the students $re#uented this place.
According to 1ari, the ca$e saw the highest aount o$ tra$$ic shortly a$ter
the school ter %egan.
A$ter students $ailiarized theselves with the capus, they %egin to seek
out places like clu% roos, the central #uad, or epty classroos to spend
their spare tie.
6ell, since the ca$e wasn8t $or pro$it anyways, the loss in tra$$ic was not a
a'or concern.
The co$$ee atop the ta%le had already turned cold.
The situation was the exact reverse o$ their previous eeting.
The only detail that was the sae was that soeone invited the other
person.
Tatsuya was waiting $or Sayaka in order to hear the results o$ her
.hoework..
Although he was irritated %y the spying gaze looking at hi, Tatsuya did
not ake any distinctive otions. Although he was con$ident that he could
detect the target no atter how hard they hid, pu%licly su%duing the target
in the iddle o$ the ca$e was inadvisa%le, so he chose to avoid any violent
action and erely pretend to cally wait without detecting anything.
2i$teen inutes a$ter the arranged tie.
She $inally appeared.
.*8 sorryJ Did you wait very long:.
.Fo worries, * got your essage anyways..
That wasn8t erely 'ust %eing polite.
Tatsuya8s terinal did receive Sayaka8s essage saying that she would %e
a%out ten inutes late.
Also, %y the tie he received the essage, it was only $ive inutes %e$ore
the appointed tie. Since it wasn8t as i$ there was a a'or change in the
arrangeent, no atter i$ it was ten or twenty inutes, it was only waiting.
The $act that he thought this way was pro%a%ly %ecause he had
considera%le patience.
.*s that so: Thank goodness.
* was 'ust thinking what * was going to do i$ Shi%a4kun le$t..
Sayaka patted her chest in an exaggerated $ashion.
7ooked like today was also the .cute girl. type.
Tatsuya tilted his head and thought, in her ind, exactly what was
supposed to draw his interest:
.6hat is it:.
Sayaka was %e$uddled.
7ooks like he accidentally expressed his ental thoughts.
.*t8s nothing. -ust that when senpai turns into a 8cute girl8, this iage
greatly di$$ers $ro the tie you8re holding a sword..
.Deally, you eanie... Stop picking on e..
She $rantically looked elsewhere.
Tatsuya was una%le to deterine whether this was her honest reaction or
ore acting on her part.
Kn$ortunately, the results were announced %e$ore he could arrive at any
conclusion.
.*8 sorry..
He siled in apology.
This was his acting.
(ven though he didn8t have too uch con$idence in it, that is.
.Deally... *s Tatsuya8s real personality that o$ a $lirt:.
.And not o$ a 1agician, at least, not yet..
Taking a sip o$ cold co$$ee, Tatsuya turned around. He wasn8t avoiding
Sayaka8s gaze, %ut instead, was looking towards the silhouette hidden
aongst the plants.
.6atana%e4senpai....
Sayaka sucked in a %reath and noticed that $igure. 3ut her sound was very
light and insu$$icient to travel to that person.
.Eh, Tatsuya4kun..
The $irst one to respond was 1ari. However, it was o%vious that her gaze
was reprianding Tatsuya. *$ he had not speci$ically directed his gaze
over, then she could have approached without drawing notice 0 since this
was the only way she could have erased her own presence.
.*8 not %eing lazy here..
1ari $orced a sile at Tatsuya8s reply. *t was hard to tell whether Tatsuya8s
line eant .he was o$$ duty today. or purely a 'oke.
.Don8t worry, it8s not like *8 reinding you as a coittee e%er since
*8 'ust passing through..
Fow that Tatsuya entioned it this way, 1ari8s appearance would see
unnatural. 1ari, who did not iss this opportunity to cover this, was #uite
suave a%out this as well.
.* apologize i$ * was %othering the two o$ you. 1i%u, sorry..
.Fo, it8s nothing like that....
Sayaka8s reply to 1ari was slightly sti$$. 6as it %ecause she was nervous
responding to an upperclassan, or %ecause o$ negative $eelings towards
the 5u%lic 1oral Coittee.
Tatsuya $elt that 9n;either one was incorrect.
This ipression was only strengthened %y the power$ul gaze Sayaka
directed at 1ari8s retreating $igure.
.So regarding what we talked a%out last tie....
A$ter 1ari8s silhouette le$t the ca$e, Sayaka $inally started talking a%out the
ain su%'ect.
Tatsuya was thinking a%out .Didn8t she say that it8s in y hands now.... or
.She speci$ically cae to o%serve %ecause.... and .1onitoring would %e
another thing altogether., %ut he did not ention the aloud.
.*n the %eginning, erely expressing our ideas to the school was
su$$icient..
Her ar shook as she clasped her hands into $ists %eneath the ta%le.
.3ut, as expected, 'ust this is not enough.
6e want the school to iprove the way we are treated..
She's in quite deep, Tatsuya thought.
6as she earnest: Er 'ust saying so %ecause he perked her interest:
*$ this created a ruckus, it ay lead to the reverse e$$ect.
.*n ters o$ iproveent, do you have any concrete changes in ind:.
.That is... (verything in ters o$ treatent..
.(verything, like actual lessons:.
....That8s also one o$ the..
.The priary di$$erence %etween Course ? and L would %e the presence o$
instructors, so is senpai suggesting the school increase the nu%er o$
$aculty e%ers:.
Such a thing was ipossi%le.
Eriginally, the policy was created precisely %ecause there weren8t enough
people capa%le o$ e$$ectively using agic.
The Course L syste was a necessary evil to help ensure the nu%er o$
1agicians and 1agic Arti$icers.
.* didn8t plan on taking it so $ar....
As expected, the returning coent was a lackluster denial.
.Then, are you re$erring to clu% activities:
* recall that the /endo and /en'utsu clu%s have e#ual access and privileges
to the gynasiu:.
According to Tatsuya8s investigation yesterday, the surprising result was
that the /endo and /en'utsu clu%s had an e#ual aount o$ days in the
gy.
.Er, is it pro%les with the %udget:
6hile it is true that clu%s a$$iliated with agic contests receive a higher
aount o$ $unding, %ased on the results o$ the %udget division, this is
soething coonly seen in noral high schools as well..
.That... 1ay%e that is...
Then, Shi%a4kun doesn8t $eel dissatis$ied:
Asides $ro agic technical skills, no atter i$ it8s agic theory, ordinary
su%'ects, physical capa%ilities, or actual co%at a%ility, even i$ you surpass
the Course ? students in all o$ these areas, %ut are la%eled a 6eed solely on
your poor technical score, are you truly a%le to resign yoursel$ to that:.
As he watched Sayaka desperately trying to $ind words to shore up her
arguent, Tatsuya $elt that he was too harsh.
His resignation and regret were copletely unrelated to her thoughts.
*$ you want to change, why don8t you use your own thoughts to persuade
others:
.E$ course *8 not resigned..
Then he should,
.*n that caseJ.
.However, * have no reason to change the school..
Speak o$ his own thoughts.
.6hat:.
.* do not have that any expectations on this state4sponsored school..
These were his true thoughts, without a single hint o$ hypocrisy.
.The only things * want are access to the undisclosed data $iles stored
within the agic universities and related organizations and to graduate
$ro agic high school. 3eyond that, * have no $urther desires..
Sayaka was du%$ounded at Tatsuya8s retaliatory response.
.Fot to ention that * have no intention o$ putting the %lae $or 8using
%anned words on capus to hurt others8 or the iaturity o$ our peers on
the school itsel$..
2ro the sur$ace, this coent appearred to criti#ue the incorrect
ideology leading Course ? students to re$er to Course L students as
.6eeds., %ut in reality, this was a repriand aied at those who could not
eet their own expectations and sought the easy way out %y %laing
others $or their weakness. Tatsuya let Sayaka clearly understand that.
.Alas, it looks like senpai and * have $undaentally di$$erent ideologies..
A$ter saying this, Tatsuya rose $ro his seat.
.6ait... 6ait a inuteJ.
He turned around and glanced at the still sitting 0 or ay%e, una%le to
stand 0 Sayaka, whose $ace had lost all color, whose eyes searched $or
support, and raised her head to look at hi.
This was de$initely not a glare, %ut an earnest, desperate gaze.
.How... can you %e so cal:
6hat is it that supports Shi%a4kun:.
.1y drea is to develop a >ravity Control4Type Theronuclear 2usion
Deactor.
7earning agic is nothing ore than a single stepping stone along the
way..
Sayaka8s $ace turned %lank.
1ost likely, she was utterly una%le to coprehend Tatsuya8s words.
The realization o$ a >ravity Control4Type Theronuclear Deactor, along
with the .actualization o$ >eneralized 2lying4Type 1agic., and the
.developent o$ a perpetual otion device %ased on the odel o$
unliited inertial expansion. are known collectively as the .Three >reat
5uzzles o$ 6eight Systeatic 1agic..
2or the $uture goal o$ a Course L student, this was siply too grandiose o$
a concept.
Tatsuya did not anticipate a utual understanding, so he said nothing.
He no longer paid any attention to Sayaka and, once again, turned and le$t.
G G G
A week o$ peace and #uiet passed %y.
As he went on patrol as a 5u%lic 1oral Coittee e%er, he no longer
encountered the a%ushes that cropped up during the recruitent week. *t
was a peace$ul tie, 'ust as 1izuki predicted 9:;.
2inally, Tatsuya o%tained a sta%le high school li$e 0 at least, that was how
it looked $ro the sur$ace.
This was nothing ore than the cal %e$ore the stor.
Ene day a$ter class.
At this tie, students that participated in clu%s were heading $or the
storage copartents to retrieve their uni$ors and store their other
school e#uipent, while those that were heading hoe prepared to
leisurely depart.
.Attention, $ellow studentsJ.
A roar cae across the loudspeakers.
.6hat the hell is going onJ.
.Dude, relax. <ou8re annoying enough as it is, don8t start yelling too..
.....* think (rika4chan needs to cal down too..
-ust when any students were illing a%out in con$usion,
.0Apologies, $ellow studentsJ.
The sae speech started again $ro the loudspeakers.
.They pro%a%ly essed up on the volue the $irst tie..
.Fo, *8 pretty sure now8s not the tie to coent on that..
(rika8s keen ears picked up on Tatsuya8s so$t uttering, and iediately
retorted.
Erika-chan is the same too, 1izuki thought, %ut did not ver%alize.
.6e are, the Aspirants Alliance who wish to a%olish the di$$erences within
the school..
.Aspirants....
Tatsuya so$tly repeated the words he heard delivered %y a asculine voice
over the loudspeakers. 3ased on the conversation in the ca$e last week, this
%roadcast was ost likely what Sayaka re$erred to as .an attept to
iprove treatent.. However, was there a precedent where e%ers o$ a
political clu% or organization la%eled theselves as .aspirants., Tatsuya8s
thoughts unintentionally went on a tangent.
.Towards the Student Council and Clu% 1anageent >roup, we deand
to negotiate on an even $ooting..
.* say, don8t you need to %e soewhere:.
Although she didn8t hear his unpleasant u%ling, (rika8s exu%erant voice
nagged at the still seated Tatsuya who was staring at the loudspeaker.
.That8s true..
6hile (rika8s attitude was, in a way, prudent, Tatsuya didn8t say anything
%ecause what she said was correct.
.*nappropriate use o$ the 5u%lic Announceent Doo is without #uestion.
There should %e coittee e%ers on their way there right now..
-ust as Tatsuya said this, a essage arrived at the personal terinal he
carried in his pocket, and not the data terinal in the classroo.
.Heh, speak o$ the devil. Then, *8 o$$..
.Ah, yes, please %e care$ul..
1izuki rose $ro her chair and spoke to Tatsuya in a voice $illed with
unease. Suddenly ind$ul o$ his surroundings, Tatsuya took a cursory look
around the class. 6hile there were students %oth in and out o$ their chairs,
very $ew o$ the opted to leave the classroo. There were very $ew
students who $ound the situation interesting like (rika, or, were in$ected %y
7eo8s curiosity. The a'ority o$ the students wore expressions o$
restlessness and were conteplating i$ it was appropriate to leave.
G G G
.Ah, Enii4saa..
.1iyuki, you8ve %een suoned as well:.
.<es, the 5resident said to eet in $ront o$ the 5u%lic Announceent
Doo..
Tatsuya et up with 1iyuki along the way, and headed towards the 5u%lic
Announceent Doo.
However, their pace was not particularly $ast.
.*s this 3lanche8s work:.
.Fot sure i$ it8s the organization itsel$, %ut it atches their odus
operandi..
The two o$ the continued their conversation until they reached the door
to the 5u%lic Announceent Doo together.
3e$ore the doorway, 1ari, /atsuto, Suzune, and e%ers o$ the 5u%lic
1oral Coittee and Clu% 1anageent >roup could %e seen.
.<ou8re late..
.1y apologies..
3oth sides went through the otions $or reprianding and apologies, then
started to veri$y the current situation.
The %roadcast was pro%a%ly curtailed %y cutting the power.
>iven that they hadn8t charged in, the door was likely locked. *t appeared
that their opponents soehow anaged to o%tain the 1aster /ey.
.*sn8t this %latant criinal activity:.
Ksing the ends to 'usti$y the eans, this type o$ thinking clearly showed
that these guys were odel .activists..
.-ust so.
Thus, we have to %e prudent here, so we don8t $orce the into doing
soething drastic..
Although Tatsuya was speaking to hisel$, Suzune still replied.
.(ven i$ we approach this prudently, there8s no guarantee that they will
%ack down.
* %elieve that we should take the rougher approach, with the intent o$
ending this as soon as possi%le..
*ediately, 1ari interrupted.
It looks like we're deadlocked by two competing approaches.
or crisis management, this is the worst possible situation.
.6hat does Clu% 7eader -uuon'i think:.
Tatsuya8s #uestion drew #uite a $ew surprised looks.
Tatsuya hisel$ $elt that this #uestion did %ring a .who8re you to ask
#uestions. $eeling, %ut even then, this was pre$era%le to reaining at an
ipasse.
*t8s not like he was an adult.
And he didn8t plan on asking adults $or assistance in this atter.
.* %elieve that there8s no har in agreeing to their deands to negotiate.
This is only a ore radical attept at what we8ve seen in the past. As long
as we cally re$ute their clais, we should %e a%le to #uell this without
$urther concerns..
.So, we 'ust sit here and wait:.
.There8s not enough in$oration to ake a call at this point.
Although we can8t 'ust ignore illegal activity, on the other hand, unless this
is a dire condition, daaging school $acilities is also a criinal activity.
6e8ve petitioned the $aculty to use the security syste override to open the
door, %ut they8ve re$used..
*n other words, they didn8t want to $orci%ly end the issue.
/atsuto8s idea ended up paralleling Suzune8s proposal.
*n that case, there8s nothing else they could do except stay there and wait.
At Tatsuya, who saluted %rie$ly %e$ore %acking away, 1ari directed a
displeased gaze.
6hile he was not coerced into action %y this gaze, he still took out the
porta%le terinal $ro his pocket and changed it to calling ode.
The circustances $orced the to wait, %ut 'ust waiting in perpetuity was
no solution.
A$ter $ive attepts...
.*s this 1i%u4senpai: This is Shi%a..
6hoosh, #uite a $ew looks turned this way.
....So, where are you senpai:.
The nu%er o$ gazes directed towards Tatsuya increased.
.Ah, so you8re in the 5u%lic Announceent Doo, that8s #uite... Thank
you $or your hard work..
Fext, Tatsuya $urrowed his %rows, %ecause a large sound that de$ied any
attepts towards volue control cae across the speaker.
3ecause the voice $ro the other side was alost entirely covered $ro
the other listeners, they could only guess at the conversation.
.Fo, *8 not treating senpai like a $ool.
Senpai as well, can you please stay cal a%out the situation... Ah, *8
sorry.
Then, shall we cut to the chase:.
1ari and Suzune, as well as a $ew others, perked up their ears in order to
catch every one o$ Tatsuya8s words.
.Clu% 7eader -uuon'i has agreed to negotiate.
As $or the opinion o$ the Student Council 5resident, we haven8t
con$ired... no, the 5resident has also agreed..
Seeing Suzune8s hand signal, Tatsuya iediately ade the correction.
.Speaking o$ which, * would like to $irst discuss the negotiation site.
Details like date and tie... H, now. 3e$ore the school intercedes... Fo, *
will guarantee senpai8s $reedo. 6e8re not the police, so we have no
authority to con$ine students... Then, that8s all..
Tatsuya pulled out the earplugs and replaced the porta%le terinal into his
pocket %e$ore turning to 1ari.
.7ooks like they8re going to coe out right away..
.6as that 1i%u Sayaka 'ust now:.
.<eah. (arlier, she passed e her personal nu%er to set up a eeting, not
guessing that it would coe in handy in this situation..
3ehind Tatsuya, 1iyuki dipped her head slowly. Although it wasn8t
o%vious enough to ake anyone think it as unnatural, %ut Tatsuya
iediately understood that his sister was using her long hair to cover her
$acial expression.
.<ou do ove #uickly, do you....
.<ou isunderstand..
Tatsuya couldn8t tell i$ 1ari8s words were going to end in $ortune or
is$ortune. At any rate, 1iyuki wasn8t soeone who couldn8t read the
ood and would iediately attack Tatsuya8s %ack in a $it o$ 'ealousy.
.Copared to that, * think we should prepare a %it..
Tatsuya didn8t turn around 9to 1iyuki;, %ut $ocused his attention on urging
1ari, Suzune, and /atsuto to action.
.5repare:.
6hat are you talking a%out: 1ari used this expression to look at Tatsuya.
6hat are you asking a%out: Tatsuya %lankly stared %ack at 1ari.
.* a, o$ course, alluding to preparations to arrest all the occupants inside.
>iven that they anaged to steal the keys, it is well within reason that they
are also e#uipped with CADs or other weapons..
....* say, didn8t you say you would guarantee their $reedo:.
.* said * would guarantee the $reedo o$ one, 1i%u4senpai.
Also, * never entioned that * was negotiating on %ehal$ o$ the 5u%lic
1oral Coittee..
Fot 'ust 1ari, %ut even Suzune and /atsuto were astounded at Tatsuya8s
words.
Faturally, there was one exception who lightly scolded Tatsuya.
.Enii4saa, you8re evil..
.*t8s a little too late to say that, 1iyuki..
.Ho ho, that8s true..
However, 1iyuki8s scolding was delivered with a delighted tone.
.That %eing said, Enii4saa: Degarding the $act that you speci$ically
saved 1i%u4senpai8s personal nu%er to your terinal, it8s still not too late
now $or you to tell e every last detail, is it:.
Her $ace illuinated with %y her sile, 1iyuki8s pleased voice added this
onto the end.
G G G
.6hat is the eaning o$ this:J.
6hether it was 'ust as expected or only a atter o$ course, Tatsuya was
%eing interrogated %y Sayaka.
*ncluding her, there were $ive people that had taken control o$ the 5u%lic
Announceent Doo.
As Tatsuya surised, they all had CADs, %ut did not prepare any $irears
or %lades.
2ro Tatsuya8s point o$ view, despite their deterination, the $act that
none o$ the even considered he could %e lying, thus ultiately causing
the to %e treated like aateur wanna%es, was a $oregone result.
Aside $ro Sayaka, the $our others were all arrested %y 5u%lic 1oral
Coittee e%ers while she was relieved o$ her CAD.
This was %ecause 1ari took Tatsuya8s reputation into account.
(ven though Tatsuya hisel$ $elt that ver%al agreeents were hardly
%inding in the $irst place.
Sayaka reached out to gra% Tatsuya8s collar, %ut her wrists were intercepted
%y Tatsuya8s hands.
A$ter easily countering the hands that were directed towards his collar,
Tatsuya %lankly watched Sayaka vent her $eelings.
.How dare you lie to usJ.
6atching the $uriously struggling Sayaka, Tatsuya siply relaxed his
hands.
3ehind Sayaka, who was enacingly approaching Tatsuya, a voice called
out.
.Shi%a did not lie to you..
Sayaka $linched at the heavy, $orce$ul voice.
.Clu% 7eader -uuon'i....
.* have heard your deands. * have agreed to negotiate.
However, listening to your petition and agreeing with your ethods, are
two di$$erent things..
Sayaka8s $ighting spirit disappeared.
*n $ront o$ one responsi%le $or anaging all extracurricular activities,
/atsuto, and his resolve, Sayaka could only swallow her resentent.
.6hile that8s the case, can8t we 'ust release the:.
3ut at the sae tie, accopanying the a%ove coent, a petite $igure
iposed hersel$ %etween Tatsuya and Sayaka.
Her %ack was to Tatsuya as i$ to protect hi.
.Saegusa:.
/atsuto asked in astonishent.
.However, 1ayui..
1ari disagreed.
Fonetheless, 1ayui cut right through the.
.* understand what you8re trying to say, 1ari.
3ut, i$ we8re only speaking to 1i%u4san alone, there8s no way we can
negotiate.
As long as they8re still students o$ the school, there should %e no chance
that they would run away..
.6e de$initely won8t runJ.
At 1ayui8s words, Sayaka re$lexively responded %ack.
.*8ve already spoken with the supervising teachers.
The Student Council will take responsi%ility $or the the$t o$ the keys as
well as the unauthorized use o$ the loudspeakers..
1ayui lightly sketched out the reason $or her tardiness as well as their
current situation.
Despite this, Sayaka and her copanions did not %etray a trace o$ $ear,
though i$ anyone were to weigh the pros and cons, they would coe out
vastly ahead, Tatsuya thought.
.1i%u4san, regarding the topics that we will %e negotiating a%out, * would
like to speak with you in private. Could you $ollow e, please:.
....<eah, no pro%le..
.-uuon'i4kun, *8ll take y leave..
.* understand..
.Sorry, 1ari, * soehow $eel that * stole your thunder..
.1entally, no, * never $elt that way. 3ut in reality, this is how it8s supposed
to %e,
So don8t worry a%out it..
.That8s great.
Then, Tatsuya4kun, 1iyuki, the two o$ you can go hoe now..
....Then, 5resident, we8ll take our leave..
A$ter a short period o$ tie.
The $irst one to recover was 1iyuki.
2ollowing his sister8s solen %ow, Tatsuya wordlessly %owed, then le$t the
scene.
Chapter 9
The next day, Tatsuya and 1iyuki le$t the house a little earlier than usual.
Dather than to get to school earlier, they wanted to arrive earlier at the train
station.
7uckily, they didn8t need to wait $or very long at the train station.
.>ood orning, 5resident..
Aongst woen, 1ayui8s $igure would de$initely %e rated as petite, %ut
that did not ean she would %e %uried within the crowds. (ven in a crowd,
her uni#ue aura ena%led Tatsuya to locate her iediately.
.Tatsuya4kun: And 1iyuki too. 6hat is it:.
Although the situation was o%vious, 1ayui was copletely %lindsided
%y the possi%ility o$ eeting the two o$ the here, so her attitude did not
re$lect her usual 'oking nature and was a ore noral reaction.
However, today8s purpose was not to surprise 1ayui. Tatsuya skipped
the prea%le and dived right into the heart o$ the atter.
.*8 very concerned a%out what happened yesterday a$ter we le$t. Can you
tell e the results o$ the conversation %etween 5resident and 1i%u4
senpai:.
At Tatsuya8s re#uest, 1ayui8s eyes widened in shock.
.How astounding..
*t was not 'ust her expression, %ut her tone was $illed with astonishent as
well.
.Tatsuya4kun de$initely doesn8t see like the type to care a%out other
people8s %usiness..
.*$ it was only other people8s %usiness, * couldn8t care less. Kn$ortunately,
the $ates have decreed otherwise..
.Fo wonder..
At Tatsuya8s response, 1ayui nodded in acceptance. Tatsuya was already
involved in the %usiness with the .Activists Alliance.. (ven i$ he wanted to
keep hisel$ clear o$ the ess, it was already $ar %eyond the point o$ no
return.
He de$initely possessed the right to know what was to coe, 1ayui
thought 0 even i$ this wasn8t the case, the results would %e announced
toorrow orning anyway.
.They asked that Course ? and L students receive e#ual treatent, %ut it
appears that they never considered how to put this into practice. To %e
precise, it $eels like they want the Student Council to coe up with the
concrete details. 6ell, thanks to that, it8s ore like a HWA session now.
Eriginally, we only planned to discuss the negotiation details yesterday,
%ut we ended up with a pu%lic $oru that will %e held in the auditoriu
toorrow a$ter school..
.Developents are happening at a %reakneck pace....
Tatsuya expressed a dull surprise, since to hi this was an inevita%le .*s it
$inally here:. Thus, he wasn8t overly surprised. Tatsuya originally thought
that the ost e$$ective strategy was to directly con$ront the e%ers and
drag the out to %e dealt with, even at the expense o$ letting soe
renants slip through the cracks. That %eing said, his reaction was
pro%a%ly in the decisive inority. 2or exaple, even 1iyuki was in a daze
at how #uickly things were oving along.
.6hile * understand that strategy gives the opponent little tie to prepare,
this way, we8re also in the sae predicaent. 6ho is going to represent the
Student Council in the $oru:.
At Tatsuya8s #uestion, 1ayui revealed a sile that clearly said .>ood
#uestion., and pointed to hersel$.
....So, it8s 'ust going to %e the 5resident alone:.
Tatsuya8s voice was still skeptical, not to ention 1iyuki8s stunned
silence.
.Although Hanzo4kun will also %e onstage, * will %e the only one
speaking. -ust as Tatsuya4kun said, there8s no tie to prepare, so i$ only
one person is speaking, there shouldn8t %e any concerns a%out stepping on
one another8s toes. *8 also worried a%out leaving an overly %elligerent
ipression..
.*n other words, you de$initely won8t lose in a traditional de%ate:.
As Tatsuya said this, 1ayui con$idently nodded her head.
.There8s another thing,. 1ayui8s light voice was tinged with an air o$
expectation.
.*$ they truly possess the a%ility to overcoe y arguents, wouldn8t it %e
wonder$ul $or the to pass it onto the school as well:.
*n Tatsuya8s ears, 1ayui seeed to %e hoping that they8d deolish her
side.
G G G
At the announceent that a copletely unprecedented $oru was going to
%e held toorrow, the Alliance 9short $or .Activists Alliance $or the
A%olishent o$ School4wide Di$$erential Treatent.; suddenly cae alive
with activity.
6hile it was un$air to say that any $actions were involved, it was true
that the sight o$ Alliance e%ers actively stuping $or supporters could
%e seen around capus %e$ore, during, and a$ter class.
(very one o$ the wore the white %racelet with green and red stripes. Had
they given up on hiding: Er were they unaware o$ the eaning %ehind the
e%le...: Tatsuya %elieved it was the latter. E$ course, Tatsuya did not
support the idea that .the ignorant are not responsi%le $or their cries.. He
%elieved that responsi%ility was not easured %y awareness, %ut %y actions
instead.
Despite that, he did not plan on inter$ering with the Alliance. Trying to
gather the highest nu%er o$ supporters %e$ore the .negotiation. was a
natural course o$ action. 6hile he wasn8t una$$iliated with the situation, he
wanted nothing to do with eotionally iature high school students that
could %e easily provoked %y passionate words into actions that would
hurtle the into the %ottoless a%yss 9decisions that were wrong on
ultiple levels;.
En the other hand, i$ the situation involved people he knew 0 Tatsuya
was also a student at 2irst High" it was ipro%a%le $or hi to know
a%solutely no one 0 and attepted to deceive or entice the, he would
not reain idle.
.1izuki..
A$ter school, the day %e$ore the $oru. Tatsuya greeted his classate, who
wore a $ace o$ con$usion, while she was speaking with a young an who
wore that %racelet on his right ar, and was pro%a%ly a =rd <ear student .
1izuki hugged several %ooks to her chest, which were pro%a%ly clu%
aterials that needed oving. The $act that they were using aterials that
weren8t digitized was an indication that any students in the Arts clu%s
pro%a%ly shared the sae interests he did. However, that was a
conversation $or another day.
.Ah, Tatsuya4kun..
Kpon recognizing Tatsuya, 1izuki let out a sigh o$ relie$. 2ro her
reaction, she had %een caught in this tangle $or #uite soe tie.
2irst, Tatsuya care$ully exained the upperclassan. He had a tall and
lean %uild, with signs o$ training in artial arts.
Degarding his particular %ody type, Tatsuya had a certain recollection.
6ithout a dou%t, he was the one who $led a$ter attepting to agically
a%ush Tatsuya during the ruckus in recruitent week.
.* a Shi%a o$ the 5u%lic 1oral Coittee. Continuing to %other other
students ay %e construed as harassent. 3e sure not to overdo it..
Tatsuya had no need to veri$y the details $ro 1izuki, and walked directly
towards the upperclassan to ake this known. <et, he did not interrogate
the student regarding his activities during recruitent week. There was no
reason to %elieve that the upperclassan would answer upon %eing asked,
and %adgering hi would only achieve the reverse e$$ect. Tatsuya silently
iposed hisel$ %etween 1izuki and the upperclassan and directly
con$ronted hi.
The opposing side did not wear a $lower over his le$t %reast.
He wore a sall pair o$ glasses on his $ace, %ut they did not appear to %e
ordinary glasses.
.* understand, then *8ll %ack o$$.
Shi%ata4san, i$ you change your ind, could you please let e know:
Anytie is $ine..
The upperclassan retracted his hand in a very gentleanly anner, then
le$t %y way o$ the stairs at the end o$ the hall. Tatsuya took this oent to
ask 1izuki what happened %e$ore he arrived.
.He8s the ace o$ the /endo Clu%. * think his nae was Tsukasa /inoe4kun.
...He8s the sae as e, soeone who is a$$licted %y 8oversensitivity to
spirit particle eission8, so he asked i$ * wanted to 'oin a clu% led %y
soeone who has the sae di$$iculty..
Tatsuya did not expect 1izuki to voluntarily ention her own .eyes..
However, he veri$ied her oversensitivity to spirit particle eission a long
tie ago, so this was not surprising.
.So this was to share each other8s experiences. Did * get that right:.
.Fo, /inoe4senpai said that a$ter 'oining the clu%, his syptos have
iproved a lot, so ay%e it could help e too....
.That8s....
Didiculous. Tatsuya did not $inish his sentence aloud.
(ven without saying so, he could tell 1izuki held the sae opinion.
The only way to lessen the har $ro %eing overly sensitive to agic4
%ased sensations was to care$ully control the *n#uisitive Sensory A%ility. *n
order to keep that a%ility properly in hand, the shortest path to success was
de$initely proper training.
2or exaple, even $or classes with no supervising teachers, the lessons
learned in class were the next closest thing to .proper training.. *t was
a%surd to think that a clu% esta%lished %y students could provide a training
regie that was ore e$$ective than taking classes. E$ course, it was
another atter altogether i$ that clu% was directed %y a e%er o$ the
$aculty, %ut the school syste clearly did not have enough teachers already,
as evidenced %y the Course ? and L syste.
.(ven though *8ve re'ected hi ultiple ties in the past on grounds o$
8*8 satis$ied with trying y hardest in class8..
.That8s exactly right. There8s no need to hurry. Taking one sure step at a
tie is a per$ectly accepta%le choice..
1izuki nodded towards Tatsuya in anner that said .<ou8re right., then
walked towards the clu%roo.
As Tatsuya walked in a di$$erent direction than 1izuki8s path, his ind
was racing. *t was only a coincidence that he caught 1izuki when he did.
3ut, excluding that detail, he didn8t think this was a coincidence. 6hile
actively recruiting ore clu% e%ers in nae only, or ore like
.%aiting., their true purpose was to rope in 1izuki as one o$ their
copatriots. Taking into account the skill level o$ the individual who
a%ushed Tatsuya %e$ore Alliance activities %egan, this =rd <ear student
was the .real deal.. At the very least, he wasn8t soeone that was %eing
.%aited., %ut instead actively .$ishing. instead.
9The ace o$ the /endo Clu%, Tsukasa /inoe.;
De$initely need to in#uire a%out that upperclassan, Tatsuya thought.
G G G
A$ter dinner, during a tie that8s usually reserved $or unwinding any stress
incurred over the day, Tatsuya was currently driving a newly purchased
electric otorcycle.
The destination was <akuo8s teple.
He wasn8t running %ecause this was neither the early orning nor late in
the night, and there were any drivers or pedestrians on the road. Kse o$
agic without a legitiate reason was su%'ect to penalties and $ines. (ven
inors couldn8t avoid su%stantial punishent.
Also, driving an electric otorcycle was not illegal any ore. *n L@)C,
tra$$ic laws allowed anyone who was a .iddle school graduate. to o%tain
a license $or electric otorcycles. The re#uireents were no longer %ased
on age, %ut on whether or not the individual had copleted copulsory
education instead.
Around his waist, a so$t pair o$ hands gently wrapped theselves around
hi. En his %ack, his sister8s twin or%s were pressed against hi. (ven
though she was still developing, at the very least, $ro a per$ectly
o%'ective point o$ view, they were undou%tedly a%ove average $or a $i$teen
year old 91iyuki was %orn in 1arch;.
That %eing said, Tatsuya8s heart rate did not increase violently. >iven that
this was his sister %y %lood, that was only natural.
*n addition, the ride lasted only ten inutes. Fo ioral activities,
whether ental or physical, occurred along the route to <akuo8s teple.
This tie, there was no violent reception $ro the disciples. The goal o$
this trip was not $or $urther practice, so there was no need $or any sort o$
grandiose welcoe a$ter calling ahead o$ tie to schedule the
appointent. The two o$ the headed directly $or the cloister.
<akuo8s roo was $ashioned a$ter civilian cottages seen in the early hal$
o$ the L@th century. Actually, it ight even %e an authentic %uilding $ro
that tie, %ut Tatsuya and 1iyuki had no way o$ knowing $or certain.
The $act that the teple did not shed a single ray o$ light around its
surroundings was ost likely not caused %y the age o$ the %uilding.
*t wasn not 'ust the exterior, %ut even the interior o$ the %uilding allowed
no light to pass through. *t was pitch %lack inside the teple, with dense
clouds o%scuring any source o$ starlight against the oonless sky while
the tall outer walls %locked o$$ the street laps.
*t shouldn8t %e tie $or %ed yet, unless the onks turned in earlier than
usual: That was hard to iagine, considering nin'as that were early to %ed
and early to rise were unheard o$, not to ention there was no reason $or
hi to roll out o$ %ed a$ter they called ahead to schedule the appointent.
1iyuki gently reached out a hand towards Tatsuya. The hand was not
shaking, and her grip on his sleeve was not very strong. However, $or
1iyuki, whose nocturnal vision was not nearly as re$ined as Tatsuya8s, it
should coe as no surprise that she $elt uneasy in the darkness 0 6ell,
since it was only a hand, she could do as she pleased. *$ there was any
actual danger, Tatsuya would use his own agic to handle it.
The teple interior wasn8t particularly narrow or spacious, so the two o$
the #uickly reached the vesti%ule leading to the living #uarters. There
was no sign o$ a speaker or even a door%ell 0 this was de$initely
intentional. -ust as Tatsuya was a%out to open the door and announce their
arrival,
44 .Tatsuya4kun, this way..
2ro a copletely silent spot not $ar away, a voice called out to Tatsuya.
The hand gripping Tatsuya8s sleeve shook as its owner 'uped in surprise
while Tatsuya siled helplessly. Seriously, even at his age, that guy still
didn8t tire o$ childish acts like sneaking around in the darkness and
spooking people.
That %eing said, the only $rightened person there was 1iyuki, since
Tatsuya $elt practically nothing. En this level, <akuo8s .plan. was only
partially success$ul 0 i$ there was a .plan. in the $irst place.
2or a oent, Tatsuya toyed with the idea o$ turning around with 1iyuki
and leaving, %ut tonight he had %usiness to conduct. Tatsuya swallowed his
displeasure, and walked towards the source o$ the voice.
<akuo stood with his waist leaning against the wall with %oth legs
carelessly hanging out.
*$ he were editating in a noral sitting position, he could easily %e
istaken $or any other onk, %ut that precisely was <akuo8s specialty.
(ven a$ter %eing ac#uainted $or two and a hal$ years, Tatsuya still $elt that
the onk was a hard an to read.
.>ood evening, Sensei, are you headed to %ed:.
.Ah, good evening, Tatsuya4kun, 1iyuki4kun. How can that %e, %ecause
no atter how casual * a, there8s no way *8d leave an appointent
hanging and go o$$ to %ed..
Tatsuya8s coplaint was #uickly written o$$ %y <akuo. Eriginally
expecting <akuo to ake a %ig deal out o$ this, Tatsuya was rather
con$ounded %y his response.
.Sensei, * apologize $or calling at this hour.
So... since you aren8t going to sleep, why are the lights out:.
.H: Ah, that8s 'ust a ha%it. *$ there8s no need to, * keep the lights o$$. * a
a nin'a a$ter all..
*t appeared that Tatsuya was istaken in his assuption that it was $or
practical 'okes. Fo atter how any precedents there were, he had to %e
wary o$ 'uping to conclusions when exaining a situation, Tatsuya
re$lected %rie$ly.
E$ course, he wouldn8t do soething like that in $ront o$ <akuo.
<akuo detected that Tatsuya was #uestioning his integrity. He s#uinted at
the si%lings, then launched into his ailess ra%ling.
.All the sae, the spiritual aura that you si%lings give o$$ is siply
%eauti$ul. 3eing a%le to view it in a place without light is even %etter on
the eyes..
.Spiritual aura, you say:.
.*n your 'argon, * think you would call it 5ushion light..
Towards 1iyuki, who was tilting her head, <akuo spoke with a
singularly serious expression.
2or hi to s#uint his pair o$ incredi%ly narrow eyes was not 'ust siply $or
show, %ut to properly capture soething that8s norally di$$icult to see.
.1iyuki8s spiritual aura shines $orth with ieasura%le %rilliance without
wasting a single drop, while Tatsuya8s aura accurately traces his silhouette.
And then, connecting the two....
.Sensei..
Tatsuya iediately cut short <akuo8s ra%ling. <akuo8s s#uinting
eyes returned to noral, his $ace adopting a sheepish expression.
.Sorry, sorry, * $orgot this is ta%oo..
.Fo, * was the one %eing ipertinent..
Tatsuya slightly dipped his head, signi$ying that the conversation ended
there. Faturally, there was no way <akuo issed that.
.So, what did you need to see e $or:.
.Actually, there8s soething * wanted sensei to look into..
Ksing this as an introduction, Tatsuya explained to <akuo regarding the
circustances surrounding Tsukasa /inoe.
.That =rd <ear student is de$initely a e%er o$ (galite, though * have
reasons to %elieve that he is also connected to 3lanche.
Kn$ortunately, * a uncertain what 3lanche hopes to gain $ro using
Tsukasa /inoe..
.(galite and 3lanche, eh... -ust this uch wouldn8t %e too di$$icult to $ind..
At Tatsuya8s re#uest with a #uestion phrased at the end o$ it, <akuo
$rankly nodded. His words would norally %e seen as overly proud or sel$4
con$ident, %ut $ro his outh they appeared alost natural.
E$ course, Tatsuya knew that $or <akuo, asking hi soething like
investigating the activities o$ terrorist organizations operating within the
country was siply .a piece o$ cake..
.However, * a a onk, so * cannot step too $ar into the secular real.
Also, given the depth o$ the analysis, wouldn8t it %e ore expedient to ask
/azaa4kun: * thought the daughter o$ the 2u'i%ayashi $aily was with
hi too..
.Asking the Colonel would %e a little....
.That wouldn8t go well with your aunt, huh..
A$ter a short period o$ silence, <akuo curtailed the di$$iculties Tatsuya
voiced 0 to the very end, Tatsuya could not say it aloud.
.*$ that8s the case, * guess *8 your only shot..
Tatsuya wordlessly %owed his head, not in appreciation towards the
acceptance o$ his re#uest, %ut in thanks to the other side8s understanding.
<akuo casually waved his hand to signi$y there was no need $or that,
then sat down, signaling Tatsuya and 1iyuki to do the sae.
Tatsuya sat next to <akuo, while the ore apprehensive 1iyuki sat next
to Tatsuya. Seeing this, <akuo %egan,
.Tsukasa /inoe, previously known as /aono /inoe..
And 'uped directly into the explanation.
.His parents and grandparents showed no genetic predisposition towards
agic. En the sur$ace, a purely 8undane8 $aily, %ut they8re actually a
side %ranch o$ the /ao $aily. Despite %eing a side %ranch, it was a very
distant relation, aking the no di$$erent $ro a undane $aily. /inoe4
kun8s 8eyes8 ost likely re$lect an earlier ancestor..
<akuo8s words seeed as i$ he had $oretold Tatsuya8s re#uest ahead o$
tie, causing 1iyuki8s eyes to widen in astonishent, whereas Tatsuya
reained ipassive.
*$ he was going to %e aazed every tie this sort o$ thing happened, there
was no way he could have %e$riended <akuo.
3ut, only this coent had to %e said.
.Sensei, have you ever heard o$ 8personal privacy8:.
.* understand the literal de$inition..
Clearly not caring that it was his own re#uest that invaded another8s
privacy, Tatsuya directly censured <akuo. *n coparison, <akuo was
copletely cal as he replied.
3oth Tatsuya and <akuo %latantly ignored 1iyuki, who had raised a
hand in #uestion.
.Fonetheless, did you know ahead o$ tie that * would re#uest a
%ackground check on Tsukasa /inoe:.
<et, Tatsuya8s way o$ changing the su%'ect was clear evidence that he was
not copletely ignoring his sister.
And <akuo, also treating the earlier situation as i$ it hadn8t happened, did
not o%'ect.
.Fo, why * know a%out hi was wholly unrelated to your re#uest..
....*s there a reason:.
.6hile * a the caretaker o$ this teple, at the sae tie, no, once upon a
tie, * was a nin'a.
1uch like how $ish cannot survive away $ro water, nin'as cannot survive
without constantly staying in the in$oration loop.
At any rate, i$ there is a place that needs investigating, or people that are
worth checking, *8ve taken a look already..
Tatsuya s#uinted his eyes.
.Eur situation as well:.
<akuo laughed heartily.
.*8ve in#uired into it, %ut wasn8t a%le to unearth any noteworthy secrets.
The intelligence anipulation surrounding the two o$ you is truly
invinci%le. Er should * say, worthy o$ its high reputation..
The air around Tatsuya and <akuo grew tense.
Foticing the volatile atosphere %etween the two, 1iyuki #uickly
inter'ected.
.Sensei, regarding the relationship %etween /inoe4senpai and 3lanche...:.
At 1iyuki8s utost e$$ort, %oth Tatsuya and <akuo relaxed
siultaneously. Feither actually intended to coe to %lows, content to
only glare at one another. The nervousness in the air caused %y their
$a%rication #uickly disappeared.
./inoe4kun8s other rearried, and the spouse %rought with hi a child
$ro a $orer arriage. This adopted %rother is the current leader o$
3lanche8s -apanese %ranch.
*n addition, he8s not 'ust a leader in appearances only. He directs the 8inner8
side8s work as well..
*n spite o$ <akuo8s cal $acade, his response was not such a relaxing
thing.
./inoe4kun pro%a%ly entered 2irst High at the %ehest o$ his adopted elder
%rother. 1ost likely it8s to incite the recent activities... 3ut, what they are
actually planning to accoplish reains unknown.
At any rate, there8s no dou%t that they8re up to no good..
.* see....
A$ter listening to <akuo8s words, Tatsuya thought$ully nodded.
.*8 sorry * wasn8t a%out to help at such a critical 'uncture..
.Fo, this can %e used $or re$erence..
This wasn8t erely %eing polite, since he didn8t anticipate getting all the
answers here anyway. 3esides, %eing a%le to elevate .soeone who ay
%e dangerous. into .soeone who is de$initely dangerous. was pro$ita%le
enough in its own right. Toorrow, he should nonchalantly noti$y 1ari
that Tsukasa /inoe needed watching long %e$ore the $oru would %egin 0
Tatsuya entally planned out his itinerary.
A$ter considering this, Tatsuya suddenly realized there was one ore ite
he needed to discuss.
.Speaking o$ which, sensei. 6hat level is Tsukasa /inoe8s 8eyes8 at:.
At Tatsuya8s #uestion, <akuo ru%%ed his chin and $ell into thought.
.<es... He8s pro%a%ly at the level that can identi$y any released spiritual
otions. He shouldn8t %e a%le to read the spiritual aura hidden within the
%ody.
At the very least, he doesn8t possess the sae power$ul spiritual sight that
Tatsuya4kun8s classate has..
<akuo8s last sentence caused Tatsuya to $urrow his %rows.
.<ou investigated 1izuki as well:.
Hearing Tatsuya8s #uestion, <akuo revealed the ost ischievous sirk
o$ the night.
.Aren8t you interested in her too:.
Tatsuya scowled. The $act that <akuo called hi on it eant that he
already let it slip, and the $act that he revealed this only showed his
naivety.
The a$oreentioned interest was nothing sweet like roance. *n a word, it
eant that Tatsuya was also wary o$ 1izuki. -ust as <akuo pointed out,
she ay have the a%ility to read the .spiritual aura hidden within the
%ody..
.The results speak $or theselves. * don8t think there8s any need to %e on
guard..
<akuo was ore than satis$ied with Tatsuya8s sour expression.
He was no longer laughing. Although his %land tone and $lighty attitude
did not change, his expression was no longer 'oking.
.(ven i$ she could see your spiritual aura, that girl would not %e a%le to
understand it.
*$ she were adept enough with agic to read your secrets, then she would
not %e so trou%led over her own 8eyes8..
That was pro%a%ly intended to set hi at ease. Tatsuya8s ood changed
su%tly.
Although <akuo never intended it, Tatsuya still $elt that he had a $resh
understanding o$ the $act that he was an atypical 1agician.
Chapter 10
The day o$ the $oru #uickly arrived.
Hal$ the school was congregated in the auditoriu.
.*t8s surprising how any students gathered today..
.* think unexpected would %e a %etter way to descri%e it..
.There are a lot o$ idle students around capus... 7ooks like we should
petition the school $or a ore rigorous curriculu..
.Stop it with the lae 'okes, *chihara....
The order o$ speech was 1iyuki, Tatsuya, Suzune, then 1ari.
They were staring at the interior o$ the auditoriu $ro the wings o$ the
stage.
Hattori and two others stood near 1ayui.
En the opposite wing, there were $our =rd <ear students under the watch$ul
eyes o$ the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee.
There was no sign o$ Sayaka.
.So the core e%ers o$ their o%ile $orces are elsewhere...:.
1ari urured as i$ speaking to hersel$.
However, that was only .as i$., and she was o%viously not speaking to
hersel$.
.* agree..
*ncidentally, Tatsuya was thinking the sae thing, so his reply was ade
with that understanding.
He ade a cursory exaination o$ the grounds.
Datio o$ Course ? to Course L students was a%out $i$ty4$i$ty. *gnoring
Suzune8s sarcas $or a oent, there was a surprisingly large nu%er o$
students, whether Course ? or L, who were deeply concerned a%out this
issue.
Aong the, a%out ten students who were e%ers o$ the Alliance could
%e identi$ied.
Fone o$ the appeared to %e the ones who invaded the 5u%lic
Announceent Doo.
.(ven though we have no idea what they8re planning... it8s not like we can
actually ake a ove on the..
That was o%vious even without saying it aloud.
!sually, they were the ones who made the first mo"e, while we could only
react after discerning their ob#ecti"es.
.-ust $ocusing on de$ense ight sound laid %ack....
.Chie$ 6atana%e, please don8t presue that this will end in violence... *t8s
starting..
*ndignant, 1ari looked like she was a%out to reply, %ut she directed her
gaze towards the stage at Suzune8s words.
Since it was a $oru4style discussion, it was only natural that they %egan
with the cause o$ the $oru.
.5resident, * have a #uestion regarding this season8s %udget allocation $or
clu% activities. According to our data, clu%s that engage in agic
copetitions and have a higher percentage o$ Course ? students receive
signi$icantly greater %udgets than clu%s directed towards non4agic
copetitions that have a higher percentage o$ Course L students. This is
evidence o$ Course ? students receiving %latant $avoritis in
extracurricular activities as well as classesJ *$ the 5resident truly wishes
$or e#uality aongst Course ? and L students, * hope she can address this
i%alance..
.The %udget allocation $or clu% activities is %ased on the nu%er o$
registered clu% e%ers as well as the group8s accoplishents, which is
decided in a eeting %etween all the clu% leaders. The generous
allocations $or clu%s involved in agic copetitions re$lect their positive
results in intraural copetitions. *8 sure everyone here is also aware
that clu%s involved in non4agic copetitions that have copeted with
distinction at the national level, such as leg%all and other clu%s, have
received siilar allocations. The idea that clu%s with ore Course ?
students are $avored is a siple isunderstanding..
2aced with the #uestions raised %y the Alliance, 1ayui represented the
Student Council8s re%uttal, and things progressed in this anner.
That %eing said, the Alliance didn8t ake any concrete deands. The only
ite they insisted on was the .e#ual. allocation o$ the %udget, %ut they
ade no ove to propose any speci$ic clu%s in need o$ additional
allocations.
Eriginally, their purpose was to incite and ca'ole Tatsuya into 'oining
the.
.En every level, Course L students are treated worse than Course ?
students. The Student Council has tried to hide thisJ.
.6hile this criticis is $re#uently leveled at this o$$ice, realistically
speaking, do you have any exaples to support this: As * entioned
earlier, usage o$ $acilities and the allocation o$ aterials have %een e#ually
distri%uted throughout Classes A to H..
(ven i$ one side8s slogan was eant to whip the crowd into a $renzy,
onstage their words were nothing ore than unsu%stantiated theories.
6hen $aced with 1ayui8s counter charge that their arguent was
nothing ore than epty words and unveri$ied data, this groundless
slogan #uickly $loundered.
The $oru rapidly dissolved into a plat$or $or 1ayui to deliver her
speech.
.... * cannot deny that the idea o$ di$$erential treatent that the Alliance
re$ers to exists aong our students. However, that is erely the
solidi$ication o$ a sense o$ superiority and in$eriority. This is
$undaentally di$$erent $ro the situation where the privileged, $earing the
loss o$ their special rights, act in de$ense o$ these rights %y instituting
systeic segregation.
The ters 3loo and 6eed are %anned %y the school, the Student Council,
and the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee, %ut un$ortunately, any students still
continue using the daily.
However, the pro%le lies not 'ust with Course ? students calling
theselves 3loos and derogatorily la%eling Course L students as 6eeds.
The pro%le is also copounded when Course L students re$er to
theselves as 6eeds, continuing the vicious cycle o$ sel$4depreciation and
resigning theselves to the idea that this is inevita%le. This laenta%le
culture truly exists here..
At this, several hissing sounds arose, %ut no one could truly repudiate
those words.
6ith a %ewitching, devilish sile, 1ayui silenced the hisses %e$ore
adopting a ore serious expression as she earnestly de$ended her position.
3e$ore her, the Alliance8s resistance #uickly disintegrated.
.This wall o$ consciousness is the true pro%le.
6hile the di$$erence %etween Course ? and L students is written into the
school syste, this only re$lects the lack o$ educators at the national level,
and thus was a teporary solution with this %ackground in ind.
Should everyone receive a su%par education, or should hal$ the students
receive a $ull education:
This school adopted the latter ethod.
*t is true that there is a di$$erence in treatent here.
This is soething that cannot %e averted no atter what we do.
This is also a andatory ruling $orced onto the students i$ they choose to
study here.
3ut other than this, there is no di$$erence in the syste.
This ight coe as a shock to soe people, %ut Course ? and L students
en'oy the sae curriculu.
6hile there is a di$$erence in pacing, lectures and practical exercises are
entirely the sae..
*t wasn8t 'ust Tatsuya, %ut even 1iyuki was copletely aazed %y this
revelation.
Tatsuya involuntarily let out an .(h.... sound, while 1iyuki silently
o$$ered her agreeent.
Seeing this, Suzune8s outh twitched into a sile.
.2or extracurricular activities, %oth the Clu% 1anageent >roup and the
Student Council strive to e#ually assign the rights and access to the
$acilities.
*t cannot %e denied that there is a higher ephasis placed on clu%s with
greater e%ership. <et, when taking into consideration that everyone
should have an e#ual opportunity, we cannot ignore the $act that not all
clu%s are on e#ual $ooting. This is what we think.
This is de$initely not the case where extracurricular activities relating to
agic copetitions receive higher priority.
-ust now, the Alliance e%ers pointed out that the agic copetition
clu%s receive a considera%le slice o$ the %udget.
The result is exactly that, except that this allocation takes into account the
successes garnered %y these activities, as everyone saw on the display.
Ether than the pro%le with teachers, the reason %ehind the separation o$
Course ? and L students can %e clearly explained.
* think everyone can understand any situation with a $oundation $irly
rooted in logic.
Although there are other reasons, as we all know, they are all caused %y the
wall o$ consciousness that arose %etween Course ? and L students a$ter the
separation..
The hissing started again.
This tie, it cae in two varieties. At the hissing o$ the Alliance
supporters, a noticea%le .Alliance e%ers, shut the hell up. aura was
welling up near the place where Course L students were standing, a clear
sign that the tide was turning.
.As this school8s Student Council 5resident, * a copletely unsatis$ied
with this situation.
Towards this wall that at ties incites our students to con$lict, * wish to
$ind a way to dispel it.
However, this does not iply that the only solution lies in changing the
current syste. (ven i$ Course L students receive di$$erential treatent,
applying the sae conditions to Course ? students would solve nothing.
*t doesn8t atter i$ you are a Course ? or L student, you are still a student
o$ this school. 2or the students o$ this capus, the three years spent here
are a%solutely irreplacea%le to the..
Applause greeted these words. There weren8t enough people to use the
ter .thunderous applause. to descri%e the reception, %ut even then it
wasn8t as i$ the applause was scattered. Aong the applauding students,
there was no distinction %etween Course ? and L students.
As the applause $aded, tran#uility returned to the auditoriu. *rrespective
i$ they were Course ? or L students, whether they applauded or not,
everyone %reathlessly awaited 1ayui8s next words as she seeed to
tower a%ove the on that podiu.
The Alliance representative that took the stage with 1ayui could only
look on $illed with unease and envy.
.To eliinate the di$$erence in the syste, %ut without causing that
di$$erence to reverse in direction, * think we can all accept the a%ove two
points. This is an excellent opportunity and * would like everyone to listen
to what * hope to achieve.
To tell the truth, the di$$erential treatent %etween Course ? and L students
also lingers in the Student Council.
* a re$erring to the noination o$ student council e%ers other than the
Student Council 5resident.
Knder the current syste, aside $ro the 5resident, only Course ? students
ay 'oin the Student Council.
This ruling can only %e changed during the annual Student Council
5resident election, when the Student 3ody 1eeting takes place.
* will a%olish this ruling when * $orally step down as 5resident during the
eeting. This is the last service * can render as the 5resident..
*t was as i$ the entire audience let out a %reath. The students copletely
$orgot to hiss and were %usy whispering to one another. 1ayui silently
waited $or the chatter to end on its own.
.... Enly hal$ o$ y ter is over. (ven i$ * wanted to ake this an o$$icial
proise, our hearts and inds cannot %e gathered together with $orce, or it
ay %e ore appropriate to say that external $orce has no %usiness altering
the in the $irst place... Thus, the only thing * wish to do is try and
iprove the situation, even i$ only a little..
The auditoriu %urst into applause.
En soe level, the atosphere approached the reception that only idols
could induce. *rrespective o$ whether they were Course ? or L students,
they were clearly supporting 1ayui, and not the Alliance.
6hat 1ayui spoke o$ was rising a%ove pre'udice.
The activities o$ the Alliance truly oved in the direction o$ a%olishing
ine#uality on the capus. Fonetheless, this re$oration progressed in a
$ashion vastly di$$erent $ro their expectations.
Devolutionaries, in general, are not satis$ied with erely achieving their
goals.
They insist on o%taining their heart8s desire %y their own hands.
This conclusion, rather than 'ust %eing unsatis$actory to the Alliance
e%ers, would %e ore trou%lesoe $or those that anipulated the
situation $ro the shadows.
01oreover, the one inciting Sayaka8s group $ro %ehind the scenes never
planned on stopping here.
G G G
A%ruptly, a loud %last rattled the windows o$ the auditoriu, shaking the
applauding students $ro their reverie.
The o%ilized e%ers o$ the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee sprang into
action.
Forally, they never expected their training to actually %ear $ruit. En
orders $ro their Chie$, they swi$tly apprehended the Alliance e%ers
that were tagged ahead o$ tie.
The window shattered as a spindle4shaped o%'ect cae hurtling in.
As soon as the grenade hit the ground, it %egan spewing out white soke.
3e$ore the white soke could $ully spread out, the grenade was #uickly
rewound like soeone hitting the rewind %utton on a video cassette player,
and #uickly disappeared %ack out the window.
Tatsuya let out an appreciative gaze, while Hattori 'erked his head away in
displeasure.
Seeing this, 1ayui started chuckling to one side.
1ari pointed one ar towards the entrance.
Several invaders wearing gas asks swared in, %ut due to their
di$$erence in level, they were #uickly su%dued.
The anticipated surprise attack was #uelled according to plan, though no
one expected the to use soething as over4the4top as explosives and
cheical weapons.
Thus, the situation was copletely %rought under control without throwing
the auditoriu into panic.
.*8 going to take a look at the 5ractical Skills 3uilding..
.Enii4saa, *8 going with youJ.
.3e care$ulJ.
A$ter 1ari $inished speaking, the si%lings headed towards the area where
the sound o$ the %last originated.
G G G
Due to the need $or constant agic supervision, agic schools usually had
1agicians sta$$ed as teachers at all ties.
2irst High, %eing the authority in agic schools, %oasted a teaching sta$$
coposed o$ $irst class 1agicians.
The school alone had the strength to repel the ilitary ight o$ a sall
nation.
E$ course, even though there was a conscious understanding that possi%le
attackers did exist, this was still %eyond their expectation.
A coplete lack o$ danger was the real cause %ehind the relaxing o$ the
guard.
The place to coe under attack %y the invaders was the 5ractical Skills
3uilding, as could %e seen $ro its %lackened walls and cracked windows.
Tatsuya could also hear $urther %lasts, like the sound o$ sall explosives
%eing set o$$. 2acing the $laa%le li#uid that was still %urning as it clung
stu%%ornly to the walls, two teachers were engaged in $ire$ighting
activities.
.6hat the hell is going on:.
The prowling %oy responsi%le $or protecting the teachers shouted out as he
caught sight o$ Tatsuya.
1iyuki8s $ingers %egan dancing in a %eauti$ul $ashion.
She single4handedly operated the CAD shaped like a porta%le terinal.
*nstantaneously, the 5sion *n$oration Aide spread out, copleted the
design, and activated.
The $lash was the agical light that could only %e seen %y .agisters. like
1agicians and 1agic (ngineers.
The three en surrounding 7eo were iediately %lown away. The three
o$ the were wearing electric technician uni$ors and were o%viously not
students nor sta$$.
*t was as i$ they had stepped on a landine, %ut 7eo who had %een in the
center o$ it was le$t unscathed.
This sort o$ pinpoint selectivity was one o$ the %iggest advantages o$
agic.
.Terrorists have invaded the capus..
6hile 1iyuki conversed with the teachers a%out the situation, Tatsuya
#uickly cut to the chase and stated the pertinent details to 7eo.
.That8s pretty dan serious, huh..
7eo consented to the situation 'ust like that 0 his agreeent was %ecause
he understood that this was a chance to 'oin in the su%'ugation.
Dight now, the ost iportant atter was the presence o$ eneies who
had to %e eliinated.
.7eo, your HoukiJ ... Er rather, rein$orceents have arrived * guess..
At that oent, (rika appeared on the other side, $ro the direction o$ the
o$$ice. Decognizing the $ors o$ Tatsuya and co, she stopped hurrying.
.Fo worries. <ou got here in plenty o$ tie..
.There8s plenty to worry a%out. 7ike not getting killed and dying..
.6hat the hellJ
... Fo, now isn8t the tie $or that. >ie y CAD. Crap, don8t 'ust throw
itJ.
CAD is a type o$ precision e#uipent, %ut would retain its utility even in
the idst o$ coplex situations such as these.
There would %e no pro%le even i$ dropped onto a so$t sur$ace like tennis
courts. (rika threw the CAD with this in ind, so she naturally ignored
7eo8s o%'ection. 0(ven i$ there was soe sort o$ daage, it was likely
that (rika would ignore that too.
.Did Tatsuya do this: Er was it 1iyuki:.
(rika spoke succinctly as her erciless gaze swept over the oaning
invaders who were crawling away slowly.
.*t was 1iyuki. * couldn8t have applied it that well..
.*t was e. There is no need $or Enii4saa to concern hisel$ with such
sall $ry..
Tatsuya and 1iyuki %eside hi spoke up at the sae tie.
.E/, E/, what an envious si%ling relationship... *s it really alright to send
those guys $lying without so uch as a warning:.
.There8s no need to hold %ack i$ they aren8t students..
Tatsuya cally replied with a coent that su%tly changed the direction
o$ the conversation. Hearing this, (rika laughed.
.Aha, and * thought high school would %e a %oring place..
.Scary. So this is what a %loodthirsty woan looks like..
.Shut up..
(rika raised her right hand hal$way, %ut sel$4consciously pulled %ack $ro
sta%%ing $orward with the special police %aton.
.Speaking o$ which, what are the two o$ you doing at the 5ractical Skills
3uilding at this hour:.
Knless they were staying a$ter school $or additional practice, students
usually would not return to the 5ractical Skills 3uilding a$ter class.
This wasn8t a teasing retaliation, %ut an innocent #uestion instead.
.(h: Fo, that, well, how do * put it:.
.(h, uh, well, that, what was it again:.
That %eing said, $or the two o$ the to $alter this %adly was #uite the
unexpected turnout.
.... 6hat are you two doing together:.
A serious #uestion.
However, no one knew Tatsuya #uite as well as 1iyuki. As soon as 1iyuki
saw her elder %rother8s serious expression that care$ully asked an evil
sirk, she #uickly $igured it out.
.The two o$ us alone:.
(rika8s voice could not conceal her astonishent.
.That8s a isunderstandingJ.
*t would not %e an exaggeration to descri%e 7eo8s response as a roar.
.* 'ust cae $or ore practice in practical skillsJ This woan cae
a$terwardsJ.
.6hen * cae to practice, this %razen $ellow was already there..
.6hat do you ean %razenJ.
.Ah, * understand. * got it. * won8t take it the wrong way..
At this point, there was no longer any pro$it in this atter, %ut Tatsuya was
thoroughly satis$ied with the reactions elicited $ro the two o$ the.
Tatsuya #uickly curtailed that thought.
.Have you $ound any other trespassers:.
.The teachers are guarding the other side. Fo wonder they8re teachers,
seeing as all the trespassers have already %een apprehended..
Tatsuya solenly watched (rika as he said this. (rika pretended as i$ the
earlier interruption hadn8t occurred as she replied %ack in a heavy tone that
was neither solen nor 'oking.
7eo was a%le to switch gears $airly #uickly as well.
.* know coing $ro e it8s a little sketchy, %ut those guys were only
third4rate 1agicians at %est. *8ve 'ust never trained in = on ? agics..
7eo tried to downplay what happened, %ut handling three opponents at the
sae tie was no ean $eat.
The copetency o$ Tatsuya8s peers had surpassed his original expectations.
.(rika, any pro%les near the E$$ice 3uildings:.
At 1iyuki8s #uestion, (rika nodded.
.They looked like they were prepared a long tie ago. 3y the tie * got
there, the teachers had already su%dued the attackers. 5ro%a%ly %ecause all
the expensive e#uipent is over there..
The a'ority o$ the valua%les were kept in the o$$ices $or sa$ekeeping, so it
was $airly o%vious to see why it would %e a tepting target.
That %eing said, the 5ractical Skills 3uilding only contained outdated
CADs.
*$ anything signi$icant should %e pointed out $or the sake o$ arguentation,
it would %e that the heat4resistant, earth#uake4proo$, and shock4resistant
%uilding was only %lackened slightly a$ter taking direct hits $ro grenades.
(ven i$ the %uilding was daaged, it would only result in delaying classes
%y a%out one onth.
*n other words, in order to copletely sa%otage the school and prevent the
$acilities $ro operating, the logical course o$ action would %e to disa%le
vital e#uipent that were di$$icult to replace on a short notice, as well as
speciens and research data...
.... The la%s and li%raryJ.
.So, the attack over here is a diversion: 3ut the scale is $ar greater than we
iagined. Knless the secret eetings to organize the protests during the
$oru was in itsel$ the diversion..
Degarding 1iyuki8s #uestions, Tatsuya shook his head.
.Fo, * think they8re all real. Soeone ay %e using the Alliance $or their
own purposes..
$ow pitiful, Tatsuya thought %ut he kept that to hisel$. *$ they were
accused o$ this without %eing given any chance to de$end theselves, it
would pro%a%ly %e gravely insulting to the ones who truly wanted to
change the syste $or the %etter.
.7et8s ta%le this $or now. So, what should we do next:.
There were = choices.
Their $irst option would %e to split their $orces.
Alternately, they could all head $or the Science 3uilding.
Er, head $or the li%rary.
.Their target is the li%rary..
This newly ac#uired intelligence decided their strategy.
.Eno4sensei:.
She was wearing a pair o$ low4heeled %oots with a long pair o$ 'eans, with
a gleaing sweater tucked inside her 'acket.
Today8s wardro%e, a getup that ephasized o%ility, was #uite di$$erent
$ro the one she wore several days %e$ore.
The luster denoted that the $a%ric was pro%a%ly a $i%er strengthened with
%ulletproo$ and anti4%lade #ualities.
Her expression was tense and nervous, giving o$$ an air as i$ she wasn8t
entirely hersel$.
.The eney8s ain $orce has already penetrated the li%rary.
1i%u4san is also in there..
Three gazes $ocused on Tatsuya.
However, Tatsuya8s eyes were $ixed on Haruka.
7ess than a second passed %e$ore he spoke.
.*8ll explain everything a$ter this is all over, is that accepta%le:.
.De'ected. Despite e saying that, since * know you8re going in there
anyway, ay * ask you a $avor instead:.
.6hat is it:.
Although Haruka had a hesitant expression, she wasn8t stu%ling over her
words, nor doing anything else that wasted valua%le tie.
.* would like to ake a re#uest as Counselor Eno Haruka. 5lease give
1i%u4san a chance. Since last year %egan, she has %een %urdened %y the
dissonance that coes $ro her status as a valued kendo athlete versus the
value assigned to Course L students. (ven though she8s asked to see e
several ties... * was incapa%le o$ o$$ering her co$ort. *n the end, that
created the opportunity $or those guys to get to her..
.Do not spoil her..
Haruka8s re#uest pro%a%ly cae $ro her sense o$ pro$essional duty.
However, Tatsuya ruthlessly re'ected this re#uest.
.Coe, 1iyuki..
.<es..
.6ait, Tatsuya..
2ollowing that, toward his $riends who did not have the heart to re$use her,
Tatsuya o$$ered this honest warning.
.3eing overly sentiental will only %ring har to yoursel$..
Tie was o$ the essence, so he couldn8t ela%orate.
Tatsuya delivered this oinous warning as he walked ahead, his %ack to
his $riends.
G G G
*n $ront o$ the li%rary, sall knots o$ people were still $ighting.
3eside CADs, the aggressors also carried daggers and other pro'ectile
weaponry. 6hile there was a sall group o$ students ixed in, the
a'ority were $ro the outside 0 in other words, invaders.
The =rd <ear students that anchored the de$ensive line didn8t have CADs,
%ut possessed an overwheling advantage in 1agic 5ower.
(ven without CADs, they could still use agic and handheld weapons to
deny the eney. 6ith this level o$ skill, no wonder they were the young
%irds that aied to %ecoe 1agicians. 9*t ight %e ore appropriate to
call the young tigers than %irds.;
Seeing this, 7eo was the $irst to charge in.
.5anzerJ.
6ith a roar, he plunged into the elee.
There was a reason %ehind that roar.
.* guess it takes a rare specien to di$$erentiate %etween sounds....
.Enii4saa, 'ust then, did his agic design and spread occur at the sae
tie:.
.H, they spread out gradually in succession. That is a techni#ue that was
popular ?@ years ago..
.That guy, even his agic is old school....
(rika snarled $urtively, pretending to %e ignorant o$ the $act that her
(ngraveent 1agic was also a type o$ agic prevalent in the past.
Thank$ully, 7eo didn8t catch these words while he was locked in co%at.
Ksing a he$ty, %racer4shaped CAD worn on his $orear, he %locked the
incoing sta$$ and retaliated with his own attack.
Eriginally, a de$ensive type CAD would have no need to expose any
ova%le parts or sensors on the outside, hence the voice recognition
syste.
That %eing said...
.Considering how he uses it, it8s a iracle that it8s still in one pieceJ.
.The CAD itsel$ ust have %een enhanced with 2orti$y 1agic.
2orti$y 1agic sta%ilizes the relative coordinates o$ olecules within a
narrow area.
Fo atter how power$ul the $orce, so long as the relative coordinates are
spot on and the outer shell isn8t %roken, there8s no chance o$ the CAD
%reaking..
.Soething that can hold together no atter how violent you are. That
type o$ agic suits hi per$ectly..
Copletely ignoring (rika and copany standing o$$ to the side as well as
their coents or insults, 7eo recklessly charged into %attle as i$ he was
venting all o$ his $rustration.
His hands, wrapped in a pair o$ %lack gloves, shattered stone, ru%%le, and
ice alike, while staves $orged o$ etal and car%on4%ased resin crupled
%e$ore hi.
Eccasionally, contact with a concealed stun %aton would eit a sall
shower o$ sparks.
Daggers that couldn8t %e avoided and darts $ired $ro spring echaniss
cunningly worn in the sleeves all %ounced o$$ 7eo8s white and green school
uni$or.
.So he8s hardened every inch o$ clothing on hi. *t8s as i$ he8s striding
around in a $ull suit o$ aror..
This was not an exaggeration $or agic that one excelled in.
7eo8s 2orti$y 1agic siultaneously executed the Activation Se#uence as
well as the design and invocation stages o$ the 1agic Se#uence and spread
out in succession while aintaining a constant state o$ agic renewal.
(ven with weapons, it was extreely unlikely that these invading
terrorists, who were %arely a step a%ove coplete aateurs in ters o$
skill, would have any way o$ penetrating that aror.
To top it all o$$, those $ists that would norally %e restricted %y the liits
o$ the huan %ody were instead strengthened %y Speed and 1oveent
1agics, creating a truly terri$ying $orce o$ sheer destruction.
He would easily %e accepted as an e$$ective $ighting $orce, even on the
$ront lines o$ the ilitary, i$ it was $or this type o$ close #uarters co%at
where the usage o$ $irears was restricted.
.7eo, we8re going on aheadJ.
.* got itJ8
Tatsuya le$t this location in 7eo8s hands.
G G G
Silence greeted the in the li%rary interior.
*$ Haruka was correct, this wasn8t %ecause the attackers had %een repulsed,
%ut %ecause the de$enders were su%dued.
Aside $ro the regular eployees, there were also security personnel
posted at the li%rary, %ut they had pro%a%ly all %een eliinated %y now.
3ased on this alone, the skill level o$ the ain $orce ust have %een
su%stantially higher.
Tatsuya teporarily hid hisel$ in the vesti%ule, reached out with his
searching range and scanned $or li$e signs.
There were no indications o$ any li$e signs.
1odern agic is capa%le o$ inter$ering with natural phenoena and its
accopanying signals, which includes the existence o$ the phenoena and
the eidos.
All users o$ odern agic could access the in$oration diension 0 the
in$oration ediu o$ the universe, the plat$or that linked all eidos, as
de$ined in the >reek philosophical concept o$ .in$oration. 0 in order to
identi$y other eidos.
That %eing said, very $ew people could clearly identi$y and di$$erentiate
the.
6hat radically separated Tatsuya $ro ordinary agic users was his
incredi%le aptitude in sensory a%ility, to the point that he could identi$y
each and every eidos encopassed in the in$oration diension.
.There are $our in the Special 3rowsing Doo on the second $loor, two at
the $oot o$ the stairs, and two at the top....
.Fice. 6ith Tatsuya4kun here, all a%ushes %ecoe eaningless. *n live
co%at, this is de$initely an incredi%le advantage..
.6hat are they doing in the Special 3rowsing Doo:.
.This is too #uiet $or their purpose to %e destruction. They8re pro%a%ly
trying to steal the classi$ied research aterials held %y the agic
universities. *$ they are in the Special 3rowsing Doo, they can easily
access the unpu%lished aterials that are inaccessi%le in ordinary %rowsing
areas..
Hearing Tatsuya8s explanation to 1iyuki8s #uestion, (rika8s expression
turned glu.
.(rika, your expression sees to say that this isn8t what you were
expecting..
Hearing 1iyuki8s #uestion, (rika shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated
anner.
.That8s %ecauseI, this is a high school revolt, a verita%le youth revolution.
3ut now you8re telling e that the truth o$ the atter is soething as
%oring as stealing research data... Don8t destroy y %eauti$ul drea with
such an unpleasant truthJ That8s how * $eel. 6hat do you think:.
.Don8t ask e. 3y the way, your drea was %iased in the $irst place..
.Didn8t you 'ust answer e:.
!gh, Tatsuya couldn8t deny that. 1iyuki hurriedly inter'ected.
.Coe on, let8s hurry to the Special 3rowsing Doo. *8ll handle the
a%ushers..
.Fo, leave that ission toI e..
(rika sang out that she would deal with the situation, then charged out o$
cover %e$ore anyone could reply.
Silently, she glided over to the $oot o$ the stairs.
The retracta%le police %aton with an e%edded CAD was already $ully
extended.
The a%ushers ended up %eing a%ushed.
The second that the police %aton struck the eney, (rika had already
passed the.
She $elled two opponents instantly.
*n coplete contrast to 7eo8s %rutal approach to co%at, she $inessed the
%attle.
The sound o$ their allies hitting the ground $inally alerted the guards on
top o$ the stairs that they were under attack.
Ene o$ the charged straight down, while the other started an Activation
Se#uence.
However, 'ust as the 5sions started $lashing, the Activation Se#uence
shattered.
The 1agician gaped as his agic was denied.
The sti$$ness in his %ody was very unnatural, and a$ter a second o$
watching, he lost his %alance and toppled down the stairs.
.Ah....
.Don8t worry..
Hearing his sister8s cute voice, Tatsuya replied as he returned the pistol4
shaped CAD to its holder.
Huanoids o$ten ake inute ad'ustents to their center o$ %alance in
order to stand upright.
(verything was within reason up to this point. 1iyuki was pro%a%ly
caught o$$ guard %y the person rolling down the stairs.
6ell, it looked like his collar%one wasn8t $ractured, so all he8d get out o$
that would %e a concussion and several %roken ri%s. That was what he
eant %y .don8t worry..
En the other side, the attacker was e#uipped with a %ona $ide short4sword
rather than a dagger as he charged towards (rika.
This seeed $ailiar.
*t was 'ust like Sayaka8s opponent during the kendo deonstration. A green
and white ri%%on was tied onto the right wrist that stretched $orward to
deny (rika. *t appeared that the kendo clu% was the $irst to %e corrupted.
.Tch. Tatsuya4kun, we have to hold %ack against the students, don8t we:.
Her voice shook a little since she was asking in the heat o$ co%at.
>iven the di$$erences in height and wrist strength, this could heavily
in$luence a deadlocked situation.
.There8s no need to $orce yoursel$ to %e erci$ul..
At the sae tie that he said this, Tatsuya stepped $orward,
.HaJ * don8t need your helpJ.
(rika stopped hi.
.* can easily handle this kind o$ opponent when *8 serious..
She teporarily raised the pressure, then #uickly slid to one side.
Having switched places with her o$$4%alanced opponent, (rika hurriedly
urged Tatsuya onwards.
.7eave this place to eJ.
.>ot itJ.
The %oy was wary o$ %eing assaulted $ro %oth sides, so he dropped to a
hal$ crouch.
However, in the eyes o$ Tatsuya and 1iyuki, this student had already
ceased to exist.
Tatsuya $orce$ully launched o$$ the ground.
1iyuki lightly stepped o$$ the $loor.
Tatsuya leapt onto the walls,
6hile 1iyuki $lew into the air.
3oth o$ the #uickly landed on the second $loor.
.6hewI.
(rika whistled in adiration and the Alliance student gaped in shock as
Tatsuya and 1iyuki charged towards the Special 3rowsing Doo.
G G G
Sayaka8s ind was a %lur as she watched what was going on in $ront o$
her.
*n $ront o$ the only terinal that could access the highest level o$ research
0 restricted research 0 in this country, her copanions 0 e%ers o$
.3lanche. 0 were currently hacking into the syste.
Hal$ a year ago, they were introduced %y Tsukasa, the ace o$ the en8s
kendo tea. 2or soe reason, Tsukasa did not %ring Sayaka to (galite, to
which he was a$$iliated, %ut to 3lanche instead.
Eriginally, Sayaka had no intention o$ %ringing their activities outside o$
capus, nor did she have any wish to participate in any law%reaking
activity. The only reason she saw the was out o$ consideration $or
Tsukasa, who o$ten took care o$ her. Tsukasa8s older %rother, who was the
head o$ 3lanche8s -apan %ranch, told her any things, such as how the
di$$erences on capus caused %y agical talent could not %e resolved.
Despite knowing this, Sayaka8s $oreost worry reained how Course L
students were treated di$$erently on capus.
*n truth, Sayaka really wanted to attend the $oru. Fot only did she want
to attend, %ut she also dreat o$ expressing her opinions. *t was only
%ecause she was $ailiar with the details o$ this ission that she allowed
Tsukasa to persuade her otherwise.
6hat the heck was she doing: 44 Sayaka thought. Taking the keys without
perission, %eing the accoplice to a %reak4in... 6as this really what she
should %e doing:
Her thoughts were headed in an unco$orta%le direction. Dealizing this,
Sayaka #uickly gathered hersel$ %ack onto the ission in $ront o$ her.
$owe"er, our goal is to abolish the differential treatment brought on by
magic, so why do we need the most cutting edge magical research%
Tsukasa's older brother said that publici&ing the research results was the
first step to abolishment.
'That being said, wouldn't it be meaningless to publici&e magic theories to
people who can't use magic...%(
The #uestions that were chasing each other around in her ind once ore
cae to the $ore$ront.
2or people who couldn8t use agic, agic theory had no point whatsoever.
En soe level, agic theory was grounded in scienti$ic theory, thus
separating it $ro other ind4%ased disciplines like theology.
*$ people who wanted the ost advanced agic research data truly did
exist, wouldn8t they %e the ones who could use agic...:
9Fo, research data that can %ene$it people who can8t use agic ust exist,
and it is hidden here...;
This was the reason she ust $ollow. This reason allowed her to continue
on the path she was currently on.
However, no atter how any ties she repeated it in her heart, she still
couldn8t $ully accept those words.
.... Ekay, it8s open..
Soeone chattered so$tly.
He hurriedly %rought out a Solid Cu%e used $or storage.
Her copanions 0 Sayaka detected a strong sense o$ .desire. iprinted
on their $aces, causing her to avert her eyes.
Towards the door.
So, she was the $irst one to notice.
.The doorJ.
Hearing her out%urst, the other e%ers turned to look.
3e$ore their very eyes, the s#uare doors %roke apart and collapsed into the
roo.
.*possi%leJ.
The disayed gasps that they let out were, %ased on the situation at hand,
actually #uite conservative.
E%'ects that have %een $orti$ied have eidos that are uch harder to
anipulate. (ven dual rein$orced doors that could withstand a krak issile
could %e destroyed %y agic.
However, to accoplish that it usually re#uired a coplicated 1agic
Se#uence that repeatedly used 1ass and Ri%rate 1agics to dissolve the
door. Fo one could accept that a dual rein$orced aror door could %e
silently destroyed like this.
The en $roze at this sight that so thoroughly ipugned their general
understanding o$ the world. At this oent, the recording Solid Cu%e
shattered in their hands.
*ediately a$terwards, the hacking terinal dissolved as i$ caught in a
tie warp that swi$tly returned it into its coponent parts.
2ollowing that, the signal $ro the Device also halted, rendering the
3rowsing Doo into a dorant state.
.* suppose it8s ore appropriate to re$er to you as industrial spies: <our
plans end here..
A $ailiar $igure casually declared this as he strode $orward with pistol4
shaped Specialized CAD in his right hand that $lashed silver with every
step.
3ehind hi, a sli $igure grace$ully $ollowed hi with a terinal4shaped
CAD held in one hand.
Feither si%ling allowed a trace o$ exciteent to grace their $eatures,
causing the to $orget that they were in the iddle o$ a crie scene.
.Shi%a4kun....
Sayaka so$tly whispered while soeone raised a right hand.
*t wasn8t a gesture o$ surrender. *t was a ale copanion pointing a gun at
her kohai.
This an wasn8t a student $ro 2irst High.
He wasn8t a student at all.
He was soeone who cae along on %ehal$ o$ Tsukasa8s older %rother
their leader.
This copanion who had %een speci$ically recoended %y their leader
was o%viously intent on coitting urder.
Sayaka let out a soundless screa o$ terror.
She wanted to stop this, %ut was una%le to cry out. Her hands were $rozen.
She was going to %ecoe an accoplice to urder" Sayaka was so
terri$ied that she shrugged into a %all.
However, the %ullets that could easily take li$e were not spat out o$ the
%arrel.
His right hand tightly gripped the pistol, no, the pistol was stuck to his
hand.
The an8s right hand was covered in purple swelling.
.5lease desist $ro any ore $oolish actions. 2or e to %e erci$ul
towards those that intend Enii4saa any har, * don8t think * can do that..
Her voice was deathly #uiet, and e#ually solen.
*t was like she was a copletely di$$erent person.
She gave o$$ an aura o$ invinci%ility, as i$ any act to de$y her would %e
$ruitless.
-ust hearing her voice caused resistance to cru%le.
This tie, it was Tatsuya8s cruel words that dri$ted into the ears o$ a
terri$ied Sayaka.
.This is reality. 1i%u4senpai..
.(h...:.
.A world where everyone can %e treated e#ually is inherently ipossi%le.
*$ there were truly an e#ual world that copletely discounted talent and
adapta%ility, then everyone should receive an e#ually cold reception $ro
the world.
*n truth, 1i%u4senpai already knows this, right:
Fo one is capa%le o$ treating everyone e#ually. That only exists in
care$ully cra$ted lies in order to islead others..
Sayaka8s originally despairing visage tightened.
*n the %lank eyes o$ her kohai standing %e$ore her, she could detect a tiny
trace o$ 44
.1i%u4senpai, you were only %eing used so they could steal the
unpu%lished research data stored %y the agic universities. This is the
truth %ehind your lo$ty ideals..
44 5ity:
.6hy: 6hy did it turn out like this:.
The oent she realized this, the coplex eotions within Sayaka %urst
$orth.
.*s it wrong to eliinate the di$$erences:
*s it wrong to drea o$ e#uality:
The di$$erences truly exist hereJ
This can8t 'ust %e y isunderstanding.
* truly was despised.
* was exposed %e$ore their scorn$ul stares.
And * heard all their stupid naes $or e.
To reove all o$ these, is there soething wrong with that:
Aren8t you the sae:
They copared you against your sister8s superlative talents too.
<ou have also gone through that degradation.
<ou have also %een la%eled an idiotic $oolJ.
Sayaka8s screas seeed to spring $orth $ro within.
2ro within the well o$ her soul.
<et, none o$ these piteous cries reached Tatsuya. His heart did not resonate
with those words. That was %ecause to Tatsuya, .these things. were siply
accepta%le aspects o$ reality.
So Tatsuya erely understood the literal .eaning. %ehind her words as
well as the .phenoenon. she was screaing a%out. 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 erely the
delusions %rought upon her %y her extree wretchedness.
Sayaka8s screas did not reach the young an8s heart 0 %ut passed into
the heart o$ the young woan standing next to hi.
.* will never despise Enii4saa..
She cally said.
However, this voice contained enough eotion to #uell Sayaka8s screas
0 an eotion o$ raw $ury, hidden %eneath the layers o$ cal.
.(ven i$ every other huan %eing insults, slanders, despises y %rother,
the love and respect * %ear $or Enii4saa will never change..
.... <ou....
Sayaka was una%le to speak.
3e$ore 1iyuki8s proud declaration, Sayaka was not only struck speechless,
%ut rendered una%le to think as well.
.The love and respect * %ear do not coe $ro the strength o$ one8s agic.
*n the eyes o$ the world, y agic is any ties greater than Enii4saa8s.
(ven then, these things will not in$luence the love and respect * %ear
towards Enii4saa in the slightest.
3e$ore y $eelings towards Enii4saa, all o$ these things %ecoe trivial
and eaningless.
That is %ecause * know that this only constitutes a sall part o$ Enii4
saa..
.....
.Anyone can insult Enii4saa:
To e, this is truly insu$$era%le e$$rontery.
*t is true that there are ignorant $ools that vili$y Enii4saa.
3ut at the sae tie, when copared with the nu%er o$ such trash, there
are 'ust as any, no, any ore people who acknowledge Enii4saa8s
transcendent talents.
1i%u4senpai, you are truly a piti$ul person..
.6hat did you say:.
Her volue rose slightly.
3ut it was a li$eless voice. *t was a voice devoid o$ %oth $eelings and
thoughts.
.Aren8t there people that acknowledge you:
*s agic the only way people see you:
Fo, that8s ipossi%le.
* know o$ at least one person who doesn8t do this.
Do you know who that is:.
.....
.Enii4saa has acknowledged you.
<our swordsanship, your %eauty..
.... These are only appearances..
.(xactly, these are 'ust appearances.
3ut, isn8t this a part o$ senpai as well, senpai8s charisa and sense o$
individuality:.
.....
.E$ course, appearances are only natural.
*ncluding the two eetings at the ca$e and the tie in $ront o$ the 5u%lic
Announceent Doo, this is the $ourth tie you8ve spoken with Enii4
saa.
<ou8ve only et hi $our ties, how uch did you expect hi to
understand:.
.That....
.*n the end, ore so than anyone else, you were the one who saw yoursel$
%eing treated di$$erently.
1ore than anyone else, you were also the one who viewed yoursel$ as an
in$erior student and derogatorily used the ter 86eed8 towards yoursel$..
Her words were undenia%le.
Fo urge to repudiate this arguent eerged.
This repriand struck Sayaka like a terri%le %low, causing her ind to go
%lank.
-ust as her ind ground to a halt,
-ust as she was a%out to a%andon the will to go on,
This soulless shell allowed the devil8s so$t hiss to wor in.
Fo, in this case, it was ore like the puppeteer8s light whispers.
.1i%u, use the ringJ.
*t cae $ro a cowardly an cowering shaelessly %ehind a ?T year old
girl.
This an suddenly shouted out.
Accopanying this screa, his wrist also swung downwards.
A sall spark ignited, along with dense white soke.
At the sae tie, there were several piercing sounds that could not %e
heard.
*t was the %ackground noise $ro the 5sions.
They were attepting to stop agic $ro invoking %y using Cast -aing
4 Sorcery Disruptor.
*n the soke, three separate sets o$ $ootsteps could %e heard.
Tatsuya reached out twice.
And struck twice with the pal o$ his hand into the soke.
6ith his eyes copletely closed.
There were two eaty sounds o$ ipact, along with the sounds o$ two
%odies hitting the $loor.
.1iyuki, stopJ.
6hen Tatsuya gave out this order.
The 1agic Se#uence 1iyuki designed swi$tly orphed into another
o%'ect.
*t gathered the white soke together like a tornado.
The dust clouds were copressed to the size o$ ping pong %alls, then $ell
to the ground locked inside triangular ice %locks that aterialized out o$
thin air.
Fow that vision was no longer o%structed, the roo revealed three en
lying on the ground.
Ene o$ the was rolling around on the ground, trying to $ight %ack the
hideous pain o$ $rost%ite.
Two others %ore %ruises on their $aces and lay there unconscious.
.Enii4saa, it is alright to let 1i%u4senpai go:.
1iyuki wondered aloud.
She had no dou%ts regarding whether Tatsuya had any ulterior otives.
*n 1iyuki8s ind, there was little chance $or Tatsuya to develop any
relationship with woen that surpassed si%ling %anter.
1iyuki also clearly understood that Tatsuya was not the type to %ring
personal $eelings into the ix.
.* don8t dou%t your skills, %ut there is always the possi%ility o$ a ishap
when vision is o%structed.
* don8t want you to run that risk, so let (rika handle 1i%u4senpai..
The $astest point o$ egress $ro here would inevita%ly lead directly to
(rika on the $irst $loor. >iven Sayaka8s current state, she was in no
condition to seek alternate routes.
.* don8t think (rika has any vested interest in this....
.5erhaps, i$ her opponent were anyone other than 1i%u4senpai..
1iyuki didn8t really coprehend what it eant to $ixate on your opponent.
2or her, co%at was soething to %e avoided initially, %ut i$ pressed,
victory overrode all other concerns.
*t didn8t atter who her opponent was.
2or her opponent8s identity, a siple la%el o$ .eney. was su$$icient,
anything else %ecae eaningless.
That %eing said, $ro a purely intellectual perspective, she acknowledged
that there were people out there who placed special eaning on who their
opponents were.
.*s that so: *$ it8s (rika, then there should %e no pro%les..
So let8s leave Sayaka to (rika, 1iyuki thought as she oved $orward to
help her elder %rother %ind the thieves in a way usually reserved $or
terrorists.
G G G
Sayaka was now entirely relying on her su%conscious $or oveent.
The Antinite ring was her trup card when the tie cae to escape.
Having gone through the education $or .1agisters., she knew the nature
and liits o$ Cast -aing.
Fo, in regards to the knowledge surrounding this ring, Sayaka knew ore
a%out it than your average 1agician.
This ring did not possess the power to strike down other 1agicians.
*t only had the power to inter$ere with agic through Cast -aing. Aside
$ro providing a ethod $or avoiding agic attacks, there was no other
purpose.
)ou cannot defeat that *st )ear student.
+t that time, I witnessed glorious techniques that I'd ne"er seen before.
6hen their leader gave her this ring, he repeatedly cautioned her with the
a%ove warning.
This ring is used solely for running away.
The deeply iprinted scene in her %rain and the echoes o$ those power$ul
words rever%erated in her ears, propting her li%s to keep oving.
There were no $ootsteps %ehind her.
Fo one was $ollowing her.
*n her heart, she understood that her copanions had %een taken down.
However, her paralyzed ind would not allow her to ake the conscious
decision to go %ack and help the.
Her ind consued %y the $ailure o$ their plan and the su%se#uent urge to
$lee the capus to their teporary %ase, Sayaka $led through the corridors
and headed straight down the stairs.
At that oent, her $eet cae to a dead stop.
.Senpai, it8s a pleasure to eet youJ.
A young woan 0 pro%a%ly a ?st <ear student, given that she called her
.senpai. 0 was siling %e$ore her with %oth hands held %ehind her %ack.
.... 6ho are you:.
Her wariness $orced out a sound.
However, that ?st <ear student8s cheery expression didn8t di in the
slightest.
.?st <ear, Class (, Chi%a (rika.
* want to con$ir soething 'ust in case. <ou are 1i%u Sayaka4senpai,
who took silver in last year8s Fational 1iddle School 6oen8s /endo
Copetition, correct:.
The words struck Sayaka like an invisi%le %low.
The darkest corners o$ her consciousness and the deepest depths o$ her
heart stung as i$ struck with a shinai.
.... And what o$ it:.
Suppressing the sudden pain, Sayaka replied %ack.
.*t8s nothing, nothing at all.
* 'ust wanted to %e sure..
(rika kept her hands %ehind her %ack.
However, there were no weak points anywhere on her %ody.
Her sli $igure was incapa%le o$ %locking the corridor entirely, %ut there
were no detecta%le .gaps. $or a person to pass through anywhere.
And on top o$ that... 6ere the hands hidden %ehind her %ack epty:
*s she really not holding anything:
.... Suddenly showing up here. <ou aren8t planning to let e pass..
There was no sign o$ pursuit to her rear.
3e that as it ay, given the an in #uestion, concealing his presence was
pro%a%ly a piece o$ cake.
Sayaka reined in her anxious eotions and strove to speak in an even
anner.
She knew that her chances o$ %reaking through unhared were zero $ro
the %eginning.
.6here are you going:.
.That8s none o$ your %usiness..
.<ou don8t want to answer... is that right:.
.<es..
.Fegotiation %reakdown..
(rika happily declared.
Although the words seeed a little $ar$etched, %ut Sayaka knew very well
that she never planned on letting her go in the $irst place.
Sayaka #uickly glanced le$t and right.
Kn$ortunately, she didn8t have a weapon on hand.
6hile she was e#uipped with a CAD, she would have to yield her Cast
-aing in order to use agic.
A silvery gray rod appeared in the corner o$ her vision.
*t was a stun %aton that %elonged to one o$ Sayaka8s copanions.
The %aton was a little shorter than what she was accustoed to, %ut it
would serve as a suita%le replaceent $or her usual weapon.
Sayaka slowly lowered her center o$ gravity.
She concentrated all her strength into her $eet.
And a%ruptly sprang away.
A$ter gra%%ing the stun %aton on the ground, Sayaka $ell into a crouch to
greet the other woan.
En the other hand, (rika 'ust stood there gaping at Sayaka8s antics.
.There8s no need to %e in such a hurry, * was going to give you tie to
locate a weapon....
Sayaka $lushed.
This wasn8t a solo per$oranceJ *n an e$$ort to hide the awkwardness and
e%arrassent %rought on %y her actions, Sayaka glared at (rika and
shouted,
.>et away $ro thereJ Etherwise you8re going to get hurtJ.
.Sel$ de$ense esta%lishedJ 6ell, * never intended to use that excuse
anyways,.
(rika said in a very excited tone as she %rought her hands $ro %ehind her
to the $ront.
Her right hand held a retracta%le police %aton, while the le$t carried an
actual short4sword.
2ollowing that, she casually tossed the weapon in her le$t hand to one side.
.Shall we %egin, senpai:.
(rika raised her right ar.
Sayaka also took a co%at stance. Her weapon was pointed directly at her
opponent, her right hand placed a%ove her le$t.
En one side, Sayaka with the central two4handed style. En the other, (rika
in a hal$ curved stance with the one4handed style.
The atch started in a $lash.
Contact was ade %etween the %lades, %ut their swings eitted no sounds.
The instant she saw oveent, (rika swung her %aton at Sayaka8s neck.
Sayaka $uriously raised her ar.
She dashed %ackwards, re$lexively adopting a de$ensive posture as she was
%arely a%le to take this %low. At the sae tie, her opponent had already
looped to her rear.
To parry the next %low, Sayaka instinctively raised her %aton.
The shock o$ the %low rever%erated down the stun %aton into her hand.
Sayaka was ore than ready to close into elee range %ut her opponent
had already retreated out o$ range.
.5ersonal Speed 1agic...:.
Sayaka so$tly urured.
(rika did not reply.
.... -ust like 6atana%e4senpai:.
However, her next words stopped (rika cold.
Although it was only a oentary hesitation, that was su$$icient to shi$t
the oentu.
(rika, who once again advanced, was $orced to stop %y the piercing noise
that $illed the corridor.
This was 5sion noise, noise that noral ears could not hear.
Seeing (rika8s $ace contort in disco$ort, Sayaka iediately charged.
She would not give her opponent an instant to catch her %reath.
2ace, $ace, $orear, a%doen, diagonal slash, uppercut, $ace, reverse
diagonal slash...
This series o$ sword strikes was o%viously not developed solely $or kendo
training, as it included several techni#ues $ro ancient kendo styles.
Her attack was as swi$t as $ire.
-ust as the prover% 2Xrinkazan dictated, her attack was as $ierce as $lae.
At soe point, the 5sion noise disappeared.
The reason %ehind this was o%vious.
*n order to activate Cast -aing, a constant in$lux o$ 5sions into the
Antinite was re#uired.
*$ the in$lux o$ 5sions stopped, the noise would stop as well.
The noise that originally $illed the roo gradually died away.
3ecause Sayaka had thrown everything she had into her %lows,
aintaining Cast -aing was $rankly ipossi%le.
So long as one was capa%le o$ using agic, no atter how $ierce or
power$ul the attack was, nothing could atch the speed o$ agic.
6hile she clearly knew this, (rika didn8t plan on using agic.
She pro%a%ly didn8t have the tie to design a 1agic Se#uence.
(rika was a Course L student that didn8t excel in copiling technical skills.
(ven so, (rika8s CAD was a specialized odel that was $orti$ied $or high
speed co%at and possessed a $or that (rika was well accustoed to.
*n addition, her (ngraveent 1agic was a type that could still channel
5sions even under the e$$ects o$ Cast -aing.
*$ she could create enough separation, then she would %e a%le to use agic
attacks.
However, (rika didn8t try to %reak away, nor did she press $orward.
*n direct opposition to the high praise o$ the $ierce $lae, Sayaka8s attack
could only %e descri%ed as $airly clusy.
En the other hand, (rika was using precise and $luid otions to de$use
each o$ her opponent8s attacks.
Her eyes %etrayed no trace o$ agitation.
Her %reath reained per$ectly even.
The $irst one to start %reathing raggedly was actually Sayaka, who had
expended all her energy on the attack.
The oentu reversed in an instant.
The attacker and de$ender roles were swapped.
(rika sidestepped her opponent8s $inal %low, then iediately retaliated
against Sayaka8s otionless stun %aton.
The stun %aton, which was %y design ore $ragile than %okkens or staves,
snapped upon ipact to its %ase.
.....
Sayaka stared weakly at the police %aton pointed at her.
Her eyes still %urned with her $ighting spirit.
.5lease pick it up..
(rika said without oving her weapon.
.....
Kna%le to coprehend her words, Sayaka ade no response.
.5ick up the short4sword on the ground and show e your true strength.
* will shatter the $einine illusion that %inds you..
Sayaka ignored the police %aton %e$ore her eyes and %ent her knees.
She picked up the short4sword that (rika discarded, then once again $ell
into a stance.
A$terwards, Sayaka ree%ered soething, $ell out o$ her stance and put
her le$t hand atop her right.
She reoved the $lashing %ronze ring on her right hand.
And threw it to the $loor.
.* don8t need to rely on that.
* will use y own strength to %reak your techni#ue..
Sayaka reoved her uni$or 'acket.
At 2irst High, $eale students wore sleeveless gowns %eneath their
uni$or 'ackets.
Sayaka8s ars were exposed $ro the shoulder down, which guaranteed
her coplete $reedo o$ oveent.
Sayaka turned the edge o$ the %lade skywards.
Slashing with the %ack o$ the %lade was a ethod that copletely
disregarded the structural properties o$ the weapon, and only served to
increase the risk o$ the %lade %reaking.
(ven with this disadvantage, Sayaka was unwilling to allow her hesitation
towards urder to dull the speed o$ the %lade8s tip, hence she assued this
position.
.* understand..
They stood in the ready position $acing one another.
.<our techni#ues see to coe $ro the sae style as 6atana%e4senpai..
.Do not speak o$ y %lade in the sae sentence as that woan8s sword.
6e are on copletely di$$erent levels..
(ach side exchanged one sentence, heralding the start o$ the ver%al spar.
Therea$ter, silence doinated the scene.
Silence turned into anxiety, and anxiety turned to urgency.
-ust as the urgency reached a crescendo, (rika8s $igure vanished.
The exchange was over in an instant.
The crisp sound o$ etallic contact rang out.
*t was practically ipossi%le $or the naked eye to discern, %ut Sayaka truly
anaged to de$end hersel$ against one o$ (rika8s agically accelerated
attacks.
She anaged to hold o$$ the .longsword8s. $irst attack.
The short4sword slid $ro Sayaka8s nerveless hands.
Su%se#uently, Sayaka pressed her right ar and $ell to one knee.
.1y apologies, senpai.
That8s pro%a%ly a $racture..
.... The %one cracked.
*t8s $ine. * don8t think you were holding %ack..
.<es, senpai, you can hold your head up high.
That8s %ecause you $orced a woan o$ the Chi%a 2aily to go all out..
.* see... So, you8re a e%er o$ the Chi%a $aily..
.That8s the truth o$ the atter.
3y the way, 6atana%e 1ari is a disciple o$ our $aily as well.
* was the one who oversaw her certi$ication.
*n ters o$ pure swordsanship, * a the superior one..
Hearing this, Sayaka $inally siled.
*t was a %rie$, care$ree sile.
.*s that so...:
* say, although the loser has no right to ask $or a %oon, could you call a
stretcher $or e:
* $eel like, y consciousness, is $ading, ah....
Sayaka crupled to the ground.
(rika care$ully scooped her up.
She so$tly whispered into the ears o$ the unconscious Sayaka.
.Don8t worry, senpai.
3ecause your gentle kohai will take senpai away $ro here..
G G G
.So, you want e to carry 1i%u4senpai out o$ here:.
Degarding Tatsuya8s natural #uestion, (rika nodded her head as i$ she
couldn8t care less.
.*t8s okay, she8s not that heavy..
.Fo, that8s not the issue..
.Fow you can legitiately hug a cute girl to yoursel$, so why don8t you
'ust happily accept already:.
.* have no interest in %eing happy a%out such a trivial atter... Fo, that8s
still not the issue..
.... <ou know, * 'ust had an inkling a%out this. *s Tatsuya4kun uninterested
in woen:
7ike, do you swing in that direction:.
.6hat do you ean %y that direction:.
.>ayJ.
.Don8t %e ridiculousJ
That8s why * said this isn8t the issue. 6e can easily call $or a stretcher, so
why ust * %e the one to carry her:.
1iyuki laughed errily at this scene.
Tatsuya was siultaneously dealing with his ounting exhaustion while
trying to decipher (rika8s logic at the sae tie. 0At this point, he had
already hal$4given up on the inside.
.*t would o%viously ake 1i%u4senpai very happyJ.
At soe point, Tatsuya stopped replying.
6hile he still $elt that the proposal was illogical, he was also resigned to
the $act that using logic to convince (rika was going to %e an extreely
challenging task.
The conversation had reached its conclusion, so to speak.
.*sn8t this wonder$ul, Enii4saa:
Although her in'ury isn8t dire, it is true that the earlier she can %e treated
the %etter.
* think that the ost e$$icient ethod would pro%a%ly %e $or Enii4saa to
carry her.
At any rate, there8s no use trying to explain it $urther.
<our opponent is (rika, a$ter all..
.6ait, 1iyuki, what8s that supposed to ean:.
.<eah, that8s true. Eh, well..
.6ait, Tatsuya4kun, what the heck is this, hitting people when they8re
down:
Don8t you guys think that going two on one is a little treacherous:.
.Ara, *8 o%viously (rika8s ally hereJ.
.7iesJ 3latant liesJ.
6hen $aced with (rika8s shouting, 1iyuki erely siled pleasantly in
acceptance. 6ith this conversation as the 3>1, Tatsuya care$ully picked
up Sayaka.
This action wasn8t an a%rupt one, nor did he waver when doing so.
*t was ore like he had no idea where to place his strength to per$or this
action.
.H, 'ust as expected, Tatsuya4kun is #uite capa%le..
2or soe reason, (rika expressed this opinion as she nodded several ties.
Since responding to her words would only waste ore tie, Tatsuya
decided to start walking.
Sayaka8s unconscious $ace looked like she was in a deep slu%er.
G G G
A$ter learning o$ the capture o$ the li%rary in$iltrators through the screen o$
his porta%le terinal, Tsukasa o$ the 1en8s /endo Division knew that he
had to link up with his older %rother, the current head o$ 3lanche8s -apan
%ranch, and seek $urther instructions. This had to %e accoplished in the
shortest tie $rae possi%le.
6hile technically his older %rother, he was only a step%rother $ro his
$ather8s second arriage at the end o$ the day. However, Tsukasa always
trusted his older %rother as i$ they were directly related %y %lood. There
was no sense o$ awkwardness %etween the two o$ the a$ter the arriage
initially, so how did they get to this point: He 'ust couldn8t recall how.
6henever he thought o$ this ystery, it was iediately %uried %eneath
other thoughts. The oent Tsukasa thought o$ this, he shook his head,
%ecause now wasn8t the tie to consider it. *t was too dangerous to use the
wireless network $or contact. He wasn8t worried a%out %eing overheard" he
'ust didn8t want to use such a noral ethod o$ counication, %ut this
was a critical situation. Any in%ound essage, whether wired or wireless,
ran the risk o$ %eing intercepted, so thinking like this was only natural.
Tsukasa wasn8t expecting any pro%les %y leaving capus. (ven though
this was a critical situation, it was not war tie nor was it a period o$ civil
war. There was no way a gun$ight would %reak out on capus. Although
people una$$iliated with clu%s had to undergo strenuous exaination, this
generally did not a$$ect students.
Tsukasa ade his decision %ased on this assuption, %ut un$ortunately $or
hi, $ate had other ideas.
.*$ it isn8t Tsukasa $ro the kendo clu%. Are you headed hoe:.
-ust as Tsukasa was a%out to waltz out the ain gate, soeone called out
to hi $ro %ehind.
*t wasn8t a $riend. He did not know that voice.
6hen he turned around, what stood %e$ore hi was a swarthy individual
o$ ediu height who could %e co$orta%ly descri%ed as %oorish. 7ike
Tsukasa, he was a large, ro%ust =rd <ear student. He wore the e%le o$
the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee on his wrist.
.Tatsui... Kh, aren8t clu% activities canceled %ecause o$ the riots: That8s
why * decided to head hoeJ.
2altering due to poor acting would %e trou%lesoe. Consciously ordering
his %ody to cooperate, Tsukasa replied %ack in an even tone.
.*s that so: 6ell, that8s okay. Clu% activities are pro%a%ly canceled all
around capus..
.Ah, that8s it. So44.
>ood%ye. The word was on the tip o$ his tongue, %ut Tsukasa never got the
chance to say it.
.6ait a second. There8s soething * wanted to ask you..
His heart raced.
.Ask e:.
3arely anaging to contain his wavering, Tsukasa anaged to $ake an
astonished expression.
.<eah, * need to ask you speci$ically, Tsukasa..
Tatsui8s voice seeed to $an the $laes o$ Tsukasa8s agitation. Tsukasa
$elt as i$ that tone knew everything he was up to.
.1y Chie$ has an aazing special techni#ue..
All o$ a sudden, the conversation changed entirely 0 at least that8s what it
sounded like 0 %ut the sae sense o$ wariness $ro the %eginning did not
diinish in the slightest.
.3y anipulating the air currents and adding soe enhanceents, we can
create truth serus without resorting to illegal drugs..
A screa was a%out to $orce its way out o$ his throat, %ut Tsukasa $ought it
down.
However, he was only wasting his tie.
.<ou don8t have to $ake any a%ivalence, Tsukasa. <ou know what *8
talking a%out, don8t you:
6e already have proo$, evidence that you ordered the to do these things..
Tsukasa didn8t reply.
6hile he was a Course L student weak in technical skills, thanks to his
extensive training in kendo he had plenty o$ con$idence in his own Speed
1agics. 3oth o$ the looked $airly swarthy and Tatsui was one o$ the
$ew =rd <ear students capa%le o$ putting out soe speed, %ut Tsukasa was
con$ident he had the edge in a pure $ootrace.
All o$ this was in Tsukasa8s calculations, %ut his plans were dashed %e$ore
they cae to $ruition.
.Tsukasa4senpaiJ 5lease coe with us $or a oentJ.
A so%er %ut power$ul voice rang out. To %e precise, the owner o$ this
voice was standing directly in his path.
.Sawaki... 6hy the hell are you two here:.
Tsukasa hoarsely shouted. 6hen the riots %roke out, %oth o$ the should
have %een at the li%rary. 6hy the heck were two e%ers o$ the active
co%at division stationed all the way out here: *t was only natural $or
Tsukasa to wonder a%out that.
.<ou haven8t noticed yet: Eur 'o% is solely to keep an eye on you today,
with soe support $ro long range Sensory Syste personnel. 6e
would8ve wasted our tie i$ you didn8t cave in the end, %ut we $inally
$igured out your escape route..
As Tatsui was happily explaining %ehind hi, Tsukasa ade the
conscious decision to $orci%ly %reak through here.
The %reakthrough would have to occur in Sawaki8s direction. *n this
situation, returning to capus was suicide.
That %eing said, even though Sawaki was a Lnd <ear student, he
specialized in a $or o$ agic close co%at called 1agic 1artial Arts.
Knared, Tsukasa had no chance 0 in a straight up $ight, that is.
Tsukasa reoved the scar$ tied around his right ar.
*nside, there was a %ronze colored %racelet. The Antinite 3racelet.
He activated Cast -aing.
Tsukasa knew that %y spreading the Cast -aing waves, he was alerting
their allies to his location. However, this wasn8t the tie to worry a%out
that. The ost iportant thing was to %reak out o$ the current trap and
esta%lish a link with his older %rother 0 this power$ul thought doinated
Tsukasa8s actions.
Tsukasa charged towards Sawaki, who $urrowed his %rows. At the end o$
the day, 1agic 1artial Arts was a techni#ue that used agic to rein$orce
the physical %ody, to ena%le the usage o$ power$ul co%at a%ilities. *n a
scenario where no agic was used, Sawaki should have no chance o$
overcoing a kendoist such as hisel$, even i$ he was unared, without
the aid o$ agic. 6ith this in ind, Tsukasa struck out at Sawaki.
Sawaki easily dodged his chop.
His $lank su$$ered a $urious %low. Sawaki8s el%ow dug deeply into
Tsukasa8s a%doen.
.Tsukasa, you oron, * don8t think you understand..
As Tsukasa collapsed to the ground, Tatsui said this in a sypathetic
anner.
.Sawaki is a tough opponent even without agic. There are a lot o$ people
who isunderstand e, though those guys are incapa%le o$ doing anything
without agic, and are una%le to ove $reely without an unnecessary thing
like agic..
1oaning in pain, Tsukasa couldn8t reply. Sawaki silently %ound Tsukasa
securely.
G G G
*n the Furse8s Doo, they were listening to Sayaka8s side o$ the story.
Her right ar needed treatent, so it was %est not to upset her too uch.
6hile the school doctor $or%ade this, it was currently Sayaka who wanted
to tell her story.
1ayui, 1ari, and /atsuto were all gathered to hear this. The asterind
Tsukasa /inoe had %een captured, and the riot had %een suppressed on the
sur$ace, %ut the exact details %ehind the attack were still unknown. The o$$4
capus invaders that had %een captured had already %een handed over to
the police %y the $aculty, and thanks to the e$$orts o$ the School Council,
Clu% Activities >roup and 5u%lic 1orals Coittee, no students were
a$$ected.
Currently, Tsukasa was in no condition to %e interrogated. Taking this into
consideration, Sayaka8s con$ession %ecae the only source o$ in$oration,
so it wasn8t odd $or 1ayui and the others to %e present.
The tale %egan when Sayaka was $irst introduced to her other copanions.
7ast year, shortly a$ter Sayaka entered the school, she struck up a
conversation with Tsukasa. At that tie, there were a lot o$ sypathizers
in the kendo clu%. *t wasn8t 'ust the kendo clu%, %ut students were also
$oring agic training clu%s with siilar philosophies. *t cae as a huge
shock to discover that the tie and scale o$ the operations $ar exceeded
1ayui and co.8s expectations. The one who took it hardest was pro%a%ly
1ari. 1ayui, 1ari, and /atsuto were all struck di$$erently %y this
revelation in the %eginning.
.*8 sorry, * never iagined this could happen, %ut....
(rika stared intently at the %linking 1ari.
However, 1ari had no tie to care a%out this gaze.
.1i%u, is what you said true:.
Hearing 1ari8s $altering #uestion, Sayaka lowered her head $or less than a
second.
Daising her head, Sayaka nodded cally, and replied in the sae cal
anner.
.Fow that * think a%out it, * ight have %een too proud o$ %eing called
8kendo %elle8 in iddle school.
There$ore, shortly a$ter * cae to school, * saw 6atana%e4sepai8s
incredi%le agic swordsanship during the clu% recruitent week. *
petitioned $or personal lessons $ro you, %ut was coldly re%u$$ed, and that
one cut really deep...
* couldn8t %e your opponent pro%a%ly %ecause * was a Course L student.
Ence * thought o$ this, * lost all y otivation..
.6ait... -ust a second.
7ast year8s recruitent week, when * went over%oard during the ken'utsu
lessons:
* ree%er that incident.
* didn8t $orget that you petitioned to %e y opponent.
3ut, * don8t recall harshly re'ecting you:.
.*t8s coon $or people to have di$$iculty understanding the $eelings o$
the re'ected..
(rika reprianded 1ari in an ironic tone, who stood there with a solen
expression and head lowered.
.(rika, %e #uiet $or a %it..
3ut she was stopped %y Tatsuya.
.6hat: *s Tatsuya4kun on 6atana%e4senpai8s side as well:.
.* 'ust want you to $inish listening to her. <ou can chew people out or
de%ate a%out this a$ter you hear everything..
Hearing this re%uke, (rika revealed a displeased expression, %ut #uieted
down regardless.
A$ter a short period o$ silence, Sayaka pain$ully continued.
.Senpai, you said that * couldn8t %e your opponent, so * shouldn8t waste y
tie and go seek soeone who could atch e... To hear this $ro y
respected senpai 'ust a$ter coing to school....
.6ait... Fo, wait a inute.
That8s a isunderstanding, 1i%u..
.(h:.
.*t8s true that * said that.
0 *8 sorry, %ut y swordsanship can8t copete against yours, so it8s a
waste o$ your tie. So that8s why you should go search $or a worthy
opponent $or yoursel$ 0 that8s all.
6asn8t that how it was:.
.(h, that... Then, i$ that8s the case....
.*n other words, this is why * said 8* can8t %e your opponent8.
*t8s %ecause you are uch stronger than e in swordsanship..
Sayaka wore a slack4'awed expression as 1ayui turned to ask 1ari.
.-ust a oent, 1ari.
<ou ean that you turned down 1i%u8s re#uest %ecause she was uch
stronger than you, did * get that right:.
.That8s exactly it.
6hile it is true that * have the edge a$ter you add agic into it...
The techni#ues that *8ve learned are all eant to %e used in con'unction
with agic. * underwent physical and weapons training in order to %etter
grasp how to use y agic ore e$$ectively.
There8s no way * could %e a%le to stand up to 1i%u in ters o$ pure
swordsanship..
.So... *t was y isunderstanding... all along...:.
An awkward silence $looded the Furse8s E$$ice.
.* $eel like such an idiot...
* sel$ishly isunderstood senpai8s intentions... put ysel$ down....
Enly Sayaka8s whipers prodded the silence.
.* don8t think it8s a waste..
Kntil Tatsuya shattered it with his words.
.... Shi%a4kun:.
Sayaka li$ted her head and gazed directly at Tatsuya, who continued to
speak in a vague tone.
.That was what (rika said a$ter seeing senpai8s techni#ues.
To the %est o$ (rika8s knowledge, you were vastly stronger than the 8kendo
%elle8 that took silver in the iddle school copetition.
*t ight %e sad that your new $ound strength cae $ro resentent and
hate.
3ut, it is without #uestion that 1i%u4senpai8s swordsanship iproved
through your own dedication and diligence.
<ou were not consued %y hatred, nor were you overwheled %y despair
as you spent the last year training yoursel$ to the next level. So * don8t
think it was wasted..
.....
.There are any 'unctures in growing stronger.
There are a yriad reasons %ehind hard work.
<ou only truly waste your tie i$ you deny the hours, hard work, and
results that cae $ro what you8ve done, isn8t that right:.
.Shi%a4kun....
Tears welled up her eyes as Sayaka looked upwards at Tatsuya.
However, this tie, she siled.
.Shi%a4kun, * have a re#uest..
.6hat is it:.
.Can you coe a little closer:.
.*s this enough:.
.A little ore..
.Ha..
The atosphere changed" the once tense atosphere %ecae $luid.
However,
.Then, please..
*t #uickly,
.-ust stand there and don8t ove..
Turned %ack into a nervous atosphere.
Sayaka tightly gripped Tatsuya8s clothes, and %uried her $ace into Tatsuya8s
chest.
.6ah, wah....
The sni$$ling #uickly turned into $ull %lown so%%ing.
5ressed into Tatsuya8s chest, Sayaka was %awling her eyes out.
(veryone looked at one another in disay as Tatsuya wordlessly held her
sli shoulders. Seeing this, 1iyuki lowered her head.
A$ter $inally settling down, Sayaka started explaining what she knew a%out
3lanche, the organization that %acked the alliance.
.-ust as you $oresaw, Enii4saa..
.*t was so accurate that it got %oring..
.That8s 'ust how reality is, Chie$.
However, the real pro%le coes next..
Tatsuya spoke as i$ he had already charted out the next course o$ action.
.... Tatsuya4kun, are you planning to $ight the:.
.That8s an incorrect way to put it. *8 not going to $ight the, * a going
to annihilate the..
Hearing 1ayui8s trepidation, Tatsuya %luntly replied %ack with the ost
incentive ethod possi%le.
.That8s dangerousJ <ou8ve already gone a%ove and %eyond the call o$ duty
$or students..
The $irst one to o%'ect was 1ari.
(ven within the con$ines o$ the capus, 1ari was soeone who was
constantly doing $ire$ighting, so her sense o$ danger was particularly
sharp, which was only natural given the circustances.
.* o%'ect as well. <ou should leave o$$4capus cases to the police..
1ayui solenly shook her head.
However,
.*s this %e$ore or a$ter we release the details surrounding 1i%u4senpai8s
attepted ro%%ery and hand her over to the $aily court8s 'urisdiction:.
At Tatsuya8s words, 1ayui $roze and was una%le to utter another word.
.* see. So you don8t want the police to intervene.
And that8s why this is soething you can8t ignore.
*n order to prevent $uture repetitions $ro occurring.
*s that right, Shi%a:.
/atsuto8s %urning gaze caught Tatsuya8s eyes.
.<our opponents are terrorists. *$ you let down your guard, you will die.
*t doesn8t atter i$ it8s e, 1ayui or 6atana%e, we will not let students
$ro this capus run that risk..
.E$ course..
Despite that, Tatsuya did not cower %e$ore that gaze, and iediately
replied.
.2ro the %eginning, * never planned to re#uest assistance $ro the 5u%lic
1orals Coittee or the Clu% Activities >roup..
.... <ou plan on going alone:.
.That was the plan..
.*8 going with you..
Hearing his sister8s iediate answer, Tatsuya revealed a %itter sile.
.1e too..
.And e..
(rika and 7eo %oth stepped $orward, expressing their intent to 'oin the
%attle.
.Shi%a4kun, i$ you8re doing this on y %ehal$, * %eg you to reconsider.
-ust as the 5resident said, please leave this to the police.
*8ll %e alright. * will 'ust %e punished $or what *8ve done.
Copared to that, i$ Shi%a4kun got hurt %ecause o$ e, * wouldn8t %e a%le
to take it..
Sayaka hurriedly tried to stop hi, %ut Tatsuya8s expression was not very
welcoing.
.This isn8t $or 1i%u4senpai..
These cold words stopped Sayaka short, causing her to lower her head.
.As soeone whose personal li$e has %een iperiled %y terrorists, * too
have a stake in this.
* will exterinate any and all sources o$ har directed towards 1iyuki
and ysel$. This is the highest priority $or e..
6as he intentionally shouldering all the responsi%ility in order to lighten
Sayaka8s sense o$ guilt: 0 *t seeed unlikely, given his current
expression. 7acking 1iyuki8s insight on her %rother8s thoughts, 7eo, (rika,
1ayui and 1ari concluded that Tatsuya was speaking earnestly $ro the
heart.
His piercing, chilly gaze alone was enough to convince the o$ that.
There was no anger, no aroused $ighting spirit, 'ust cally stating his
intent to annihilate the terrorists. 3e$ore Tatsuya8s con$idence 0 or ay%e
deterination 0 even /atsuto could say nothing ore.
.However, Enii4saa, how do we copletely exterinate 3lanche root
and %ranch:
They should have already evacuated $ro the teporary %ase that 1i%u4
senpai spoke o$, so * don8t think there will %e any clues le$t %ehind..
Enly 1iyuki was a%le to converse with her %rother norally.
.That8s true, Tsukasa4senpai would likely say the sae thing.
Dather than saying no clues were le$t %ehind, it would %e ore appropriate
to say that we never had any clues in the $irst place..
.Then, what should we do:.
Although there were no clues to %e had, 1iyuki continued to #uestion her
%rother without a trace o$ disay on her $eatures.
.*n order to understand the unknown, the only thing that needs to %e done
is to ask soeone who is $ailiar with the su%'ect..
.... Soeone $ailiar with the su%'ect:.
.Do you have an idea, Tatsuya:.
Tatsuya did not reply to (rika and 7eo8s #uestions. He erely opened the
doors leading to the exit.
.Eno4sensei:.
1ayui siled in a %eused anner at the sight o$ Haruka in a pantsuit.
.... * can8t %elieve * was naive enough to try and conceal y presence
against <akuo4sensei8s $avorite student....
She $orced a sile as she said this in an uncaring tone. Her target was
o%viously Tatsuya.
An apathetic Tatsuya responded in a slightly surprised voice.
.<ou never intended to conceal your presence in the $irst place.
Thanks to all the untruths you8ve spoken, * can8t tell whether you8re telling
the truth anyore..
.* will take that into account..
Tatsuya ade a welcoing otion to usher her inside, while Haruka
slowly paced towards the %edside.
She %ent down and atched gazes with Sayaka, who was sitting on the
%ed.
.<ou look like you8re okay....
.Eno4sensei....
.*8 sorry * wasn8t a%le to o$$er any assistance..
Sayaka shook her head as Eno4sensei placed a hand on her shoulder and
looked into her eyes. A$ter a short tie, she directed her gaze to the
%edside.
.Haruka4chan, do you know where 3lanche is currently located:.
,ho are you talking to% 44 Eno4sensei decided to $orgo her noral
playacting.
.Haruka4chan:.
.Ah: Tatsuya, didn8t you know:.
The #uestion itsel$ was o%vious, %ut now that he was on the receiving end,
Tatsuya was hesitant on how to $ield it.
.Eur classates re$er to sensei as such.
Haruka4chan also says she doesn8t ind..
.*t8s not everyone, only a portion o$ the %oys.
Tatsuya4kun, you8ve %een tricked..
.Ah....
This unexpected draa #uickly de$used the tense atosphere in the roo.
That %eing said, rather than ishandling the situation and causing tensions
to rise, this was pro%a%ly the %etter alternative, Tatsuya thought to hisel$.
At any rate, this was an explanation he could soewhat accept.
.0Then, Eno4sensei..
.<ou can call e Haruka4chan i$ you like..
He couldn8t %elieve that he was in such a predicaent %ecause o$ this
woan8s playacting. The only thing Tatsuya could do was rein in his
annoyance.
.0Eno4sensei, given the situation, you can drop the act..
.Fo sense o$ sentientality whatsoever..
.....
.... Cough..
The opa#ue gaze directed at Tatsuya was #uite clusy no atter how you
sliced it, %ut a$ter that coughing sound 0 an overly exaggerated coughing
sound 0 Haruka changed her posture.
.Soeone get a ap. *t8s uch $aster this way..
Tatsuya silently pulled out an in$oration terinal.
He opened the screen and set it to ap ode.
Haruka also pulled out a terinal 0 uch ore grace$ul and suave than
Tatsuya8s otion 0 and set it to directional transission.
A$ter receiving the signal, a $lashing light appeared on the ap.
.... That8s literally right under our nosesJ.
.... Are they ocking us:.
The reason %ehind 7eo and (rika8s outrage lay in the $act that the eney8s
lair could %e reached %y $oot within an hour.
The iage was agni$ied %e$ore switching over to a ore detailed layout.
The location was the hills outside o$ the city proper, near the a%andoned
$actories $or the cheical dye industry.
.... %een con$ired that the $actory was the hideout o$ the (co4Terrorists,
which was a%andoned when they $led..
Tatsuya was reading the additional notes.
.They returned to this location without %eing detected %y law en$orceent
o$$icials..
.So they8re the sae group:.
Although phrased as a #uestion, given the looks on 1ari and 1ayui8s
$aces, their inner thoughts were hardly a secret.
.6ere toxic aterials transported to this location during this tie period:.
.H, according to our investigation, there are no 3C 9%iocheical;
weapons on site..
Hearing /atsuto8s coent, Haruka nodded.
.6e should have no pro%les with transportation..
.Have they detected our agic:.
.(ven i$ they did detect us, they wouldn8t change their plans anyways.
They8re pro%a%ly dug in and waiting $or us to show up..
Tatsuya re$erred to hisel$ as .soeone who was involved. not %ecause
all the victis were students a$$iliated with 2irst High. The terrorists aied
to seize unpu%lished agic research and techni#ues. 6ith that in ind, his
own personal techni#ue ay also %e targeted %y the terrorists. Tatsuya
in$erred that Tsukasa /inoe a%ushed hi in the $irst place to ascertain
how e$$ective his techni#ue was.
.2ull $rontal assault:.
.That would pro%a%ly %e the tactic the eney least expects..
Tatsuya didn8t need to say anything. The oent 1iyuki announced such
a warlike declaration, the two o$ the had already devised their strategy.
/atsuto agreed on this point.
.<es, that is an accepta%le tactic. 7et e get the car ready..
.(h: -uuon'i4kun is going as well:.
1ayui8s #uestion was pro%a%ly irrored in Tatsuya8s thoughts.
/atsuto de$initely didn8t see like the type who would %ar his
su%ordinates $ro $ighting, only to charge o$$ to the $ront line on his own.
.This is the duty o$ the -uuon'i $aily who %ear the nae o$ the Ten
1aster Clans.
3ut %e$ore that, * a still a student o$ 2irst High, so there8s no way * could
watch this pass %y without li$ting a $inger.
* cannot leave this in the hands o$ the underclassen alone..
.... Then e too..
.Saegusa, you can8t go..
.1ayui, the situation would %e pro%leatic i$ the Student Council
5resident wasn8t availa%le..
.... * understand..
*t took the two o$ the co%ined to %arely persuade 1ayui to
reluctantly accept their proposal.
.Then, i$ that is the case, 1ari, you can8t go either. There ay %e renants
still lurking on capus. As the 5u%lic 1orals Coittee Chie$, leaving
your post at this critical 'uncture would also cause di$$iculties..
Fow it was 1ari8s turn to grudgingly accept that condition.
Copletely ignoring the two woen who were glaring 9:; at one another,
/atsuto turned his gaze on Tatsuya.
.Shi%a, are you leaving iediately: *$ we wait any longer, we ay %e
$orced to $ight in the darkness..
.This won8t take too long. The %attle will %e over %y dusk..
.*s that so:.
/atsuto pro%a%ly saw soething in Tatsuya8s adaant attitude.
Thus, he didn8t say anything $urther. He le$t the Furse8s E$$ice a$ter
entioning that he8d get the car.
.The 5resident and Clu% Activities >roup 7eader are %oth e%ers o$ the
Ten 1aster Clans, this * know... So what8s Haruka4chan8s %ackground:.
.6e can talk a%out that later. 7et8s ove..
7eo8s overly ipetuous #uestion was casually %rushed aside %y Tatsuya.
*ediately $ollowing Tatsuya and 1iyuki, 7eo and (rika le$t the Furse8s
E$$ice.
A large all4terrain vehicle was parked outside the school doritories.
An additional e%er occupied the passenger seat in the $ront row.
.<o, Shi%a..
./irihara4senpai..
.<ou don8t see very surprised..
.... Fo, *8 actually #uite surprised..
The priary source o$ shock cae $ro his greeting, though it ust %e
owed that the $lower dangling $ro his lips helped.
.Hey %ro, *8 coing too..
.Do as you wish..
Tatsuya was copletely una%le to coprehend the state o$ ind necessary
$or /irihara to utter those words.
Degardless, daylight was %urning.
And so, Tatsuya got into the all4terrain vehicle, with his sister and $riends
closely %ehind.
Chapter 11
*n a world dyed in a adder red,
A large all4terrain vehicle re$lected the rays o$ the setting sun as it sped
through the city,
3e$ore sashing through the ain doors leading to the $actory.
.Fice work, 7eo..
.......Fah, that was nothing..
.1an, that was exhausting..
All o$ a sudden, 7eo was asked to encopass the entirety o$ a large all4
terrain vehicle speeding along a%ove ?@@ kiloeters per hour with high
level 2orti$y 1agic at the oent o$ ipact, an extreely taxing task that
consued all his reserves.
.Shi%a, this is your plan. Call it..
Tatsuya accepted the authority and responsi%ility that /atsuto o$$ered
without any hesitation.
.7eo, you reain here on guard.
(rika, support 7eo and take care o$ anyone trying to $lee..
.......*s it okay to not apprehend the:.
.There8s no need $or such a risky action. To ensure inial risk, 'ust take
the out.
/irihara4senpai and the >roup 7eader should loop around the le$t to the
%ack entrance.
1iyuki and * will enter here..
.Knderstood..
.E/, let8s do it. *8ll take care o$ every single one o$ the stragglers..
.Tatsuya, %e care$ul..
.1iyuki, don8t $orce yoursel$..
7eo and (rika %oth accepted this arrangeent, so they did not reveal any
displeased expressions.
6ith %lade in hand 0 %ut not drawn 0 /irihara charged away, with
/atsuto leisurely $ollowing %ehind.
Tatsuya and 1iyuki %oth walked into the dark interior o$ the $actory with
the sae ease as i$ they were entering a convenience store.
G G G
They encountered the eney uch sooner than expected.
Heedless o$ cover, Tatsuya advanced $earlessly out into the open, where
their opponents stood in neat lines in the center o$ the eeting ground
area.
.6elcoeJ Fice to eet you, Shi%a Tatsuya4kunJ
And this hie4saa ust %e your sister, 1iyuki4kun, right:.
.<ou ust %e the %ranch coander o$ 3lanche..
Tatsuya coldly interrogated the an who had his ars spread out in an
exaggerated welcoing otion.
Doughly =@ years o$ age. Knusually young $or this line o$ work.
He wore riless glasses atop his tall, lanky $igure. 2ro his outward
appearance, he seeed like soe sort o$ scholar or lawyer.
.Eh, $orgive y rudeness.
-ust as you said, * a the coander o$ 3lanche8s -apanese %ranch,
Tsukasa Ha'ie..
There was no sense o$ pressure, %ut that ay have %een a %iased opinion.
*n Tatsuya8s ind, this an gave o$$ the ipression that he was an
intellectual o$ a $ailed revolution.
However, %ased on those ridiculous actions and eserized tone o$ voice,
a glier o$ eotions as dark as the deepest a%yss could %e detected.
.*s that so:.
(ven though he had seen through his opponent8s wild antics, Tatsuya didn8t
$linch. *t didn8t atter which o$ the seven Hells he was in" Tatsuya
would8ve already %ecoe accustoed to it. He did not need to ascertain
the relationship %etween this an and Tsukasa /inoe o$ the 1en8s /endo
Clu%, so all he did was ask this #uestion, then $irly nodded his head.
Although he didn8t ver%alize it, his attitude was enough to express his
intent. Tatsuya reoved the silver CAD $ro its holster.
.H, a CAD. * thought you would %ring $irears at least.
That %eing said, you8re a %old one. <ou cae $orward without any heed to
near%y cover.
Fo atter what kind o$ 1agician you are, you can still %e killed %y %ullet
woundsJ.
.* a no 1agician..
Tatsuya8s reaction was copletely unlike soeone under the threat o$ a
sniper, causing the 3lanche coander to stare at hi with widened eyes.
.Eh, so that8s how it is. <ou8re still a student.
* $orgot that detail a$ter seeing you charge in like that..
.<ou talk too uch.
6ell, $or you to incite these people, there ust %e soe angle %ehind it..
.2or your age, you8re pretty good.
Ksing such a penetrating attitude to view things at your age akes you too
rigid. At this rate, you8re going to %e an old4tier very #uickly..
Didiculous oveents and tone. Along with those sel$4delusional words.
That %eing said, Tatsuya had no intention o$ playing along with Tsukasa
Ha'ie8s nonsense.
.At any rate, * advise you to surrender.
All o$ you, throw down your weapons and place your hands on your
heads..
.Ha ha ha ha, aren8t you a 6eed that doesn8t excel in agic:
Eh, *8 sorry, * shouldn8t use such a ta%oo ter.
3ut, where exactly does your con$idence coe $ro:
*$ you think that agic is the %e all and end all, then you8re aking a
terri%le istake..
As he was laughing, the wildness surrounding Tsukasa Ha'ie see to
ultiply as he raised his right hand.
To the le$t and right, soe twenty odd e%ers o$ 3lanche raised their
weapons at the sae tie.
Apart $ro pistols, they also had assault ri$les and sei4autoatics ixed
in.
.<ou have to %e e#uals to even reach the %argaining ta%le, so *8ll give you
another chance.
Shi%a Tatsuya4kun, 'oin us.
* heard $ro y little %rother that you can use Cast -aing without
resorting to Antinite. * a very interested in that a%ility.
*n regards to this exercise, * have spent a considera%le tie preparing $or
it. A lot o$ tie and resources went into indoctrinating those dana%le
students so they would do y %idding. * a greatly aggravated %y the
waste o$ all that tie and e$$ort, %ut i$ you are willing to 'oin us, * a
willing to overlook all that..
His $ace revealed a $rivolous sirk, the wildness tucked %ehind a ask o$
righteousness. *t was a $ace that would have inspired terror in 1iyuki had
Tatsuya not %een there. *$ she wasn8t with Tatsuya, 1iyuki undou%tedly
would have $elt her hackles rise at this an.
.As expected, this was your goal.
Having 1i%u4senpai approach e and ordering your little %rother to
a%ush e was to test the depths o$ that Cast -aing a%ility:.
.H, * do like sart children.
3ut to understand so uch and still waltz into here without a care in the
world reveals that you are still a child.
Fevertheless, children can still %e stu%%orn.
(ven when they know they have no chance o$ winning, they still re$use to
o%ey..
.And what o$ it:.
.<eah...... Then, let8s do this..
His oveents were ore like those o$ a con artist than o$ a scholar.
He threw the $ake pair o$ riless glasses aside, raised his $orehead, and
caught Tatsuya8s gaze.
.Shi%a Tatsuya, %ecoe one o$ our copanionsJ.
Tsukasa Ha'ie8s eyes took on a strange glow.
Tatsuya8s already $ew expressions disappeared, his right hand holding the
CAD dropped as i$ every ounce o$ strength had %een sapped away.
.Ha ha ha ha ha, and now you are one o$ usJ.
Tsukasa Ha'ie a%andoned any pretense o$ hiding the wildness a%out hi.
(ven though the aura a%out hi did not coand respect or awe, it was
still soething worthy o$ a leader8s antle.
.The $irst thing you shall do, is to personally execute the little sister that
cae along with youJ
To die at the hands o$ your %eloved Enii4saa is pro%a%ly your $ondest
wishJ.
This wasn8t acting any ore. He had already %ecoe accustoed to giving
out orders.
Truly, he had already $orced any people to o%ey hi.
His twisted sile revealed his coplete con$idence in his own a%ilities.
.......*t8s a%out tie to stop with the onkey antics. Anyone who even sees
you would %e e%arrassed on your %ehal$..
However, that expression was trans$ixed at Tatsuya8s ocking words.
.Consciousness *nter$erence Type Fon4Systeic 1agic, (vil (ye.
(ven with that lo$ty nae, the truth is that the light eitted $ro the eyes
sends out hypnotizing waves, using the speed o$ light to %ypass the liits
o$ huan sensory a%ilities, directly in$luencing the opponent through sight
using light wave oscillation type agic.
*t is erely a tangent $ro %rainwashing techni#ues, a skill that could %e
replicated with a pro'ector: hypnotis.
6hile this a%ility voids the need $or lugging a achine a%out and is a%le to
control an opponent8s consciousness, at the end o$ the day, that8s all it is.
5rior to the $oration o$ the Few Soviet 2ederation, this was a techni#ue
that 6hite Dussia developed a$ter extensive research..
This wasn8t agic. Tatsuya $roze his opponents with his words alone.
.1i%u4senpai8s eory was pro%a%ly rewritten in the sae way..
.Enii4saa, i$ that8s the case.......
At his little sister8s wide4eyed #uestion, Tatsuya nodded without any
expression on his $ace.
.The errors in 1i%u4senpai8s eory were too extree $or it to %e entirely
natural.
*$ this was %rought a%out %y soething she had isheard, it is true that this
result ay occur.
However, this sort o$ isunderstanding should disappear and cool down in
tie..
.......<ou, despica%le scoundrel..
1iyuki8s proper outh %it out this $urious sentence.
1ay%e the $laes o$ $ury had elted the ice within.
.......<ou, why.......
Tsukasa Ha'ie groaned, speaking as i$ struggling with astha. The wild
sile was gone $ro his $ace. 6ithout it, the only thing that reained was
a $rail scholar used to giving out orders, %ut unwilling to dirty his own
hands.
.6hat an insipid $ellow..
Tatsuya did nothing to cover his %iting words.
.Ksing the right hand to reove the glasses to draw attention $ro the le$t
hand anipulating your CAD. Did you think such cheap tricks would
work against e:
As long as the Activation Se#uence can %e seen, then * know what agic
you are using and can easily de$eat it.
2or soething as trivial as your agic, reoving a sall portion o$ the
Activation Se#uence is su$$icient. 6ithout the hypnotis coponent, (vil
(ye is nothing ore than a siple light show..
Tatsuya had already lost interest in the con artist whose tricks had %een
unraveled.
.How can this %e......: To do this...... 6ho the hell are you......:.
.Speaking o$ which, 8you8 re$ers to two people, right: 3eing too ver%ose
will reove that onster ask $ro you as well..
At this tie, Tsukasa Ha'ie $inally realized.
The youth8s $eatures and uscles slackened only a$ter he 'udged Tsukasa
Ha'ie8s agic to %e copletely neutralized.
2ro the very %eginning, this young an never considered Tsukasa
Ha'ie to %e on the sae level as a huan %eing.
He didn8t see Tsukasa Ha'ie as a huan. Tsukasa Ha'ie8s $eatures,
nae, personality, even consciousness were iaterial to this young an.
Tsukasa Ha'ie $inally realized that.
2or this young an, Tsukasa Ha'ie was nothing ore than an .eney..
An .o%stacle..
And now, a$ter deterining the appropriate solution, all that reained was
to reove this o%stacle.
.2ire, dan you all, $ireJ.
This was not the tie to act regal or a'estic.
He didn8t even have tie to recognize the con$used looks in the eyes o$ his
copanions, no, su%ordinates.
Thoroughly consued %y the $ear that even priitive anials dread,
Tsukasa Ha'ie gave the order to shoot.
3ut0
.64what.......
.6hat the hell is this:.
0Fot a single %ullet was $ired.
2ull %lown panic erupted in the area.
6ith a clatter, the various pistols, ri$les and sei4autoatics collapsed into
pieces.
-ust as the en s#ueezed the triggers, their weapons were %roken down to
their coponents.
*n the idst o$ the chaos,
Enly Tsukasa Ha'ie possessed the coposure to $lee.
Fot a single one o$ his copanions $ollowed hi.
.Enii4saa, please pursue iediately.
* will handle this..
.Knderstood..
Tatsuya strode towards the deepest part o$ the $actory.
The crowd parted autoatically around hi.
Tatsuya did not pay any attention to the, reaining $ocused on the
$leeing Tsukasa Ha'ie alone.
*$ they let hi pass, the reaining 3lanche e%ers could only sit around
and wait to %e arrested.
Enly one o$ these e%ers thought to hurtle the kni$e in his hand at
Tatsuya.
The instant that thought crossed his ind.
.2oolish ple%eian..
Forally, this voice would %e %oth charing and cute, %ut now it only
%rought despair.
.-ust punish the a little.
These people aren8t worth any ore o$ your tie..
.<es, Enii4saa..
A statue copletely covered in $rost tilted and $ell over %etween the two
conversing si%lings.
G G G
Enly one o$ the dared to raise a hand towards 1iyuki8s Enii4saa.
That asinine an was already $rozen.
However, $or her, this level o$ retri%ution could %e said to %e su$$icient, %ut
at the sae tie unsatis$actory.
A su$$icient reason.
An unsatis$actory result.
3e$ore the young girl8s sli $igure, two rows o$ en stood there, una%le to
ove at all.
3oth entally 0 and physically.
The $loor was covered %y a solid layer o$ white $rost.
The only place that shared the sae season as the outer world was a sall
circle that spread around where the young girl stood.
The white ist condensed into a tornado.
The $rost turned the air %itterly cold.
She raised her right hand.
*n this reality, she stood like the Hueen o$ *ce a%out to render 'udgeent
upon the daned.
.<ou are all very un$ortunate..
Her tone was entirely di$$erent $ro usual.
However, these words that were $illed with a'esty, 'udgeent, and
authority were in no way incopati%le with her appearance.
.*$ you had not raised your hand against Enii4saa, * had planned to go
easy on you..
The cold air slowly rose.
>radually, the cold corroded their %odies.
The $aces o$ the en were contorted with sheer terror and utter despair.
.* a not erci$ul like y Enii4saa..
The white ist rose to throat level.
.5ray. 5ray that you will retain your piti$ul lives..
The chilling air that utterly covered the en $ro head to toe a%ruptly
turned the atosphere solen.
6ide Area Escillation Speed 1agic .Fi$lhei..
Silent screas pereated the deepening ist.
G G G
Fo one lay in a%ush.
So his opponent already considered whether to split his $orces, Tatsuya
thought.
2or Tatsuya, who could readily detect any existences around hi,
a%ushes were eaningless.
*n the next roo, ten reaining e%ers o$ the terrorist cell were waiting
$or hi.
6ith ten assault ri$les.
Tatsuya clicked the trigger o$ his CAD $ro the other side o$ the wall.
5hysical o%stacles were no ipedient to agic.
Tatsuya was only a%le to $reely anipulate two agics. The $irst was
.Decoposition., which was a%le to render assault ri$les into psions.
5anicked sounds were heard once ore.
Delying on his sensory a%ility, his agic was a%le to disasse%le not 'ust
1agic Se#uences, %ut Activation Se#uences as well. *t was a side e$$ect
$ro a wholly di$$erent agic.
*denti$y the design, decopose the design.
As long as it was an o%'ect, he could translate the physical o%'ect into
signals, and then rewrite or erase the %ase design at his leisure.
*$ it was an *n$oration 3ody, then he could directly disasse%le the
design.
This was one o$ the ost di$$icult agics iagina%le, a%le to directly
inter$ere with the design in$oration.
And it was %ecause he was %orn with such an a%ility, that Tatsuya was
una%le to use other agics.
He was only a%le to use iitation and theoretical agic.
His 1agic Calculation Area was copletely doinated %y those two
highly di$$icult agics.
However, he didn8t need diverse agics today.
The $irst peerless agic was already su$$icient $or hi to rule the $ield o$
%attle.
There were no longer any weapons in his opponents8 hands.
As Tatsuya advanced into the innerost depths o$ the roo, what greeted
hi was not %ullets, %ut hollow laughter accopanied %y an inaudi%le
sound.
.How is it, 1agician: This is true Cast -aing..
That wild laughter no longer possessed the sae darkness that threatened
to devour one8s consciousness.
Tsukasa Ha'ie8s ridiculous laughter was erely a $ront.
3acked into a corner, the only thing supporting Tsukasa Ha'ie8s will was
the %ronze Antinite %racelet worn around his right wrist.
The other ten en also wore siilar rings on their $ingers.
Antinite was a ilitary resource liited %y its production location.
These areas were certain parts o$ the ancient Aztec (pire, soewhere in
the 1ayan ruins, central Ti%et, the highest peaks o$ Scotland, and a portion
o$ the high plains o$ *ran.
*n other words, only areas with ancient civilizations that dwelt in the
ountains could produce Antinite.
*t was 'ust like anu$actured goods that could only %e produced at high
elevation.
.*t appears that they8ve prepared #uite a large aount o$ Antinite,. Tatsuya
said so$tly.
.The eployer is a %reakaway $action $ro the renants o$ 6hite Dussia.
Their %acker is the (ast Asian Knion..
2altering eotions were also passed along.
Tediu welled up $ro the %otto o$ his heart.
Calling the third rate was pro%a%ly overrating the.
Then again, nothing $it the criteria any %etter.
./ill hiJ
A 1agician without any agic is nothing ore than a childJ.
Ksing his $ists would %e too uch o$ a hassle, so Tatsuya raised his right
ar and s#ueezed the trigger on his CAD.
This wasn8t a gun. *t could only $ire %ullet4like pro'ectiles that were
coposed o$ sall lasers and electrically4charged particles.
(ven so, every an that was hit %y the shots collapsed with %lood spewing
$ro their thighs.
There were two sall points 4 one in the $ront and one in the %ack.
There was a tiny hole the size o$ a needle that severed the nerves and
copletely penetrated the thigh.
Tatsuya kept s#ueezing the trigger.
6ounds appeared on shoulders and legs as en $ell le$t and right.
*n the line o$ $ire $ored %y Tatsuya8s 1agic Se#uence, the parts that
$ored the huan %ody, including skin, $lesh, nerves, %ody $luids, %ones,
and cellular structures were decoposed at a olecular level, creating a
piercing hole.
He was only a%le to rewrite a sall portion o$ the entire *n$oration 3ody.
This was one o$ the ost challenging techni#ues in odern agic. *n
recopense $or using such a precise a%ility, Tatsuya8s 1agic Calculation
Area was copletely $ocused on this techni#ue to the exclusion o$ all
others.
.6hy:.
(xactly how any ties had this an uttered this line:
*t seeed excessively $oolish to search one8s eory $or the answer.
.6hy are you a%le to use agic while under Cast -aing:.
Cast -aing was a type o$ Fon4Systeic 1agic a%le to create psion
noise that disrupted other people $ro casting agic. The psion noise
caused %y Antinite was designed to inter$ere with the $oration o$ 1agic
Se#uences.
Tatsuya siply decoposed that design and changed the oscillations o$ the
psion noise.
Cast -aing was an o%stacle that o%structed the path o$ 1agic
Se#uences. *t was precisely this o%stacle that Tatsuya used agic to
dissolve.
3ut, it wasn8t only that.
The an who used (vil (ye couldn8t even coprehend that.
Since he was a%out to take care o$ hi, there was no tie $or any
explanations.
-ust then,
The wall %ehind Tsukasa Ha'ie split open.
The oscillating steel re$lected light everywhere, releasing tiny sparks o$
silvery light.
This was the edge o$ oscillation4type agic Sonic 3lade.
.(eeekIIJ.
His hips giving out, Tsukasa Ha'ie leapt to one side in disay.
The one who took his place was /irihara Takeaki.
7ooked like he had charged in $ro the rear entrance and literally cut his
way here.
.<o, were you the one who took all those guys out:.
There was no other answer.
3e$ore Tatsuya could give his assent, /irihara nodded several ties.
.Ficely done, %ro.
So, who8s this guy:.
/irihara8s gaze was scorn$ul as he 'erked a thu% at the an cowering
against the wall.
.That8s Tsukasa Ha'ie, the 3lanche coander..
.This guy is......:.
The change was instantaneous.
The $ury $lowing $ro every pore on /irihara8s %ody would %e enough to
give Tatsuya pause.
.<ou were the oneJ
The one who deceived 1i%uJ.
.AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhJ.
Seeing the $urious /irihara approach, ay%e the $ight part o$ the $ight or
$light instinct $inally kicked in as psion noise several ties ore potent
than %e$ore $looded the area.
Eriginally, /irihara8s Sonic 3lade should %e rendered useless.
Against such a strong dose o$ Cast -aing.
However,
.3ecause o$ you, 1i%u isJ.
.AhhhhhhhJ.
The %lunt edge o$ /irihara8s %lade sheared o$$ Tsukasa Ha'ie8s right ar
with the Antinite %racelet $ro the el%ow down.
/atsuto appeared in the gaping hole in the wall that /irihara cae
through.
He $rowned slightly %e$ore starting to anipulate the CAD in his le$t hand.
*t was a >eneralized CAD shaped like a porta%le terinal, 'ust like the one
1iyuki carried.
A$ter a short delay to nu% all $ive senses...
There was the acrid sell o$ %urning $lesh, accopanied %y a halt to the
%lood loss and the screas.
Tsukasa Ha'ie, $oaing at the outh and wetting hisel$, $ainted.
Chapter 12
The cleanup o$ the case was handled %y /atsuto.
The actions o$ Tatsuya and co could %e construed as excessive sel$ de$ense
at %est, or unlicensed use o$ agic causing in'ury and attepted urder at
worst, %ut the ar o$ the law would not extend to the. 44
The power o$ the Ten 1aster Houses ascends %eyond that o$ 'udicial
authorities.
Ence it was known that talent in odern agic is in$luenced %y one8s
genetic predisposition, as a atter o$ course, lengths were taken to
strengthen one8s %lood.
That eans, $or countries that systeatically classi$ied agic as the $or
o$ national power, throughout all these countries in the world, there are
already di$$erences $ro the age when agic was still unknown.
E$ course, that also applies to this country.
The result was the $oration o$ a new group to oversee the agic real in
the country.
Those are the ?@ 1aster Houses.
Their history is less than a century old, so the hierarchy is still $luid.
However, the $act is, in the $ailies called the Ten 1aster Houses, a
%arrier has already appeared %etween the and others, one that is hard to
overcoe.
3y repeatedly rein$orcing their %lood with ties %etween the Houses, the
Ten 1aster Houses, along with the related ?@@ 2ailies, possess a arked
di$$erence $ro those who are not o$ the.
The Ten Houses do not stand in the centre o$ politics in any way.
They do not have any power on paper.
Dather, %y using their agic as soldiers, o$$icers, adinistrators, they are
the $ore$ront supporting group o$ the country.
*n exchange, instead o$ visi%ly possessing power, they gain inviola%le
ascendancy on the other side o$ politics.
This is the path chosen %y odern ages in this country.
Currently the two ost in$luential $ailies within the ?@ Houses are the
<otsu%a and the Saegusa.
Coing in at third are the -uuon'i.
44 *n this case involving the eldest child o$ the -uuon'i, ordinary police
would not even %e considered to %e involved. At the close o$ the incident,
Haruka went on a long ter %usiness trip.
The reason %ehind her treatent, such as it was, steed not $ro the
truth.
That person still had not yet given an answer to 7eo8s #uestion.
Considering a replaceent counselor had not yet %een appointed" it would
see she planned to coe %ack soetie.
As part o$ the cleanup, the door to the li%rary which Tatsuya had destroyed
with 8decoposition8 was instead said to have %een destroyed %y the
3lanche operatives.
(ven the school did not pursue the atter $urther due to the carelessness o$
the anageent. 02urtherore, ore than hal$ o$ the did not truly
%elieve that Tatsuya alone could have %lown through the coposite arour
o$ the door. They also hid the $act that another student had stolen the key.
*n any case, the presence o$ 2irst High School students in that place had
already %een written o$$.
As $ar as the adults were concerned, Sayaka8s attepted espionage was a
non issue.
Sayaka had %een aditted to the hospital $or a while.
Although the $racture in her right ar was not soething to %e hospitalised
over, %ecause it was $ound out that the 3lanche leader was a user o$ the
systeatic wave vi%ration agic 8(vil (ye8, she was taken in to ensure that
there was no reaining ind control in$luence.
6hilst in the hospital, Tatsuya only visited her once. (rika went ultiple
ties, and they %ecae pretty close.
The leader o$ the kendo clu%, Tsukasa /inoe, was also considered
innocent. This was %ecause he had %een under the in$luence o$ serious
ind control.
He wasn8t expelled %ut took a long leave o$ a%sence, the reason %eing a
voluntary withdrawal.
2ro the start he had not wanted to %e a age, %ut siply su$$ered
ipairent to his everyday li$e due to his hypersensitivity to particle
eissions.
Tsukasa had attended a agic high school 'ust to learn use$ul agic in
order to keep his agically perceptive eyes in check. A$ter the resolving o$
the ind control, he went %ack to what he really had wanted to do 4 kendo.
Tatsuya8s extraordinary agic a%ilities, with the exception o$ his corades
who had accopanied hi to the a%andoned $actory, reained largely
unknown.
Feither 1ayui nor 1ari were aware.
His $riends 1izuki, Honoka, and Shizuku likewise reained ignorant.
*n truth, %oth 7eo and (rika also didn8t realise the $ull extent o$ his power.
Tatsuya didn8t know what /atsuto was thinking nor why /irihara didn8t
say a word, %ut he was grate$ul all the sae.
That particular agic o$ his was, as o$ now, still unknown to the pu%lic.
*n any case, %oth 1ayui and 1ari vaguely seeed to suspect soething.
1iyuki was depressed $or a week a$terwards.
En the sur$ace she was the sae per$ect %eauty as ever, %ut she was seen
%urying her $ace in %oth hands every now and then.
She did this to soe extent at hoe too.
As expected, it seeed she repented her use o$ 8Fi$lhei8 as having %een
too uch.
2ortunately, due to the 3lanche e%ers %eing caught %y chance in a cold
sleeve 9owing to the nature o$ the agic, the internals o$ the e%ers had
%een snap $rozen in the %link o$ an eye, avoiding e%rane rupture;, it
seeed they had not su$$ered irreplacea%le losses to their $lesh .
During that tie, Tatsuya had endlessly co$orted 1iyuki, until she had
coe out o$ her depressed ood such that she could sile again despite
her so%re condition.
2or Tatsuya, school was %usiness as usual, with work $or the 5u%lic 1orals
Coittee and the Student Council taking up uch o$ his tie, %ut as the
entrance period $inally drew to a close, he was $inally a%le to settle into a
#uiet learning environent.
G G G
*t was now 1ay.
Today was the day o$ Sayaka8s discharge.
Tatsuya, along with 1iyuki, visited the hospital to cele%rate. 9They had
taken leave $ro their orning classes. Ene o$ the a'or %ene$its o$
learning $ro terinals was the lack o$ a teacher, granting a greater degree
o$ $reedo to students.;
*n that place was......
.*sn8t that /irihara4senpai:.
As 1iyuki spoke needlessly, Tatsuya was already aware.
Dressed in noral everyday clothes, Sayaka stood in the entrance hall
surrounded %y $aily and nurses.
*n that gaggle, standing next to Sayaka was /irihara8s $ace, tinged
soewhat with e%arrassent, and looking rather nervous.
.They see to %e getting along:.
1iyuki naturally also knew o$ the series o$ events du%%ed the 8/endo
dispute incident8.
/nowing that, and seeing the $riendly interaction %etween Sayaka and
/irihara, was certainly a strange $eeling.
.*t alost sees like /irihara4senpai had coe every day..
.Heh, that8s correct..
Kpon turning around to eet that voice which had coe out o$ the %lue, he
was $aced %y (rika with a %ored look on her $ace.
.Che, as * thought, it really is ipossi%le to surprise you..
.Fo, * was certainly surprised. * didn8t think /irihara4senpai had such a
diligent character..
.That8s not the pointJ.
Faturally, Tatsuya also knew he was changing the su%'ect, so he siply
gave a deceptive sile at (rika8s pout.
.Hph. *t8s %ecause you8re always doing sly things like that all the tie,
you got duped %y Saya as well..
Tatsuya was not terri%ly concerned a%out %eing duped or such.
This was not a %oast, %ut the nu%er o$ $eale students who had captured
his interest was zero.
1ore iportantly0
.(rika...... when you say 8Saya8, you8re re$erring to 1i%u4senpai correct:.
1iyuki voiced the #uestion slightly $aster.
.Fn: That8s right.
.......<ou see to have %ecoe #uite intiate..
.7eave it to eJ.
87eave what:8 6as stuck in his throat, %ut since that seeed likely to
devolve the situation $urther, he decided to leave it %e and swallow it.
1ore iportantly, they were here on a hospital visit.
.1i%u4senpai..
3ringing along 1iyuki and (rika in the rear 0 whether %ecause (rika had
suddenly atured, or was uneasy, she seeed excessively anxious 0
Tatsuya hailed the group o$ people.
.Shi%a4kunJ <ou cae:.
As the crowd dissolved, surprised at this unexpected developent and
gossiping away with sidelong glances at hi, Sayaka eerged and greeted
Tatsuya with a wide sile.
0Fext to her, /irihara, $or a oent, wore a hu$$y expression, %ut even
that was a pleasant spice to the peace$ul day.
.Congratulations on your discharge..
1iyuki passed her the %ou#uet in %oth hands.
At $irst Tatsuya had intended to $ollow the custo o$ odern ties, and
siply have the sent via delivery, %ut 1iyuki had insisted that .these are
soething you should deliver with your own handsJ. in an unusually $ir
and strong tone, so pushed %y that threatening attitude, he decided to %ring
the along.
The iage o$ 1iyuki holding that %ou#uet was a heart achingly %eauti$ul
sight, seeingly $ar reoved $ro the %leary grey o$ everyday, and
watching Sayaka8s cheer$ul $ace as she received the $lowers, Tatsuya
decided it was a good thing he listened to his sister.
.<ou8re Shi%a4kun aren8t you:.
Taking a step %ack and watching the girls talking to each other, Tatsuya
was relegated to a %ackground role, when a iddle aged an called out to
hi.
Although he had %een called %y his last nae, the target o$ his gaze eant
there was no roo $or isunderstanding.
-udging $ro his honed %ody and sharp posture, he was well versed in the
artial arts.
His $eatures also iplied a kinship with Sayaka.
.* a 1i%u <uuzou, Sayaka8s $ather..
.*t8s nice to eet you, *8 Shi%a Tatsuya..
.* a his sister, Shi%a 1iyuki. Fice to eet you..
Foticing Tatsuya exchanging greetings, 1iyuki cae up and %owed
politely %ehind Tatsuya.
He seeed to gape a little at her elegant regal anner, %ut his expression
iediately tightened a$ter as %e$itting a artial artist.
*t was ost likely that Sayaka had taken up swordsanship $ro her
$ather.
.1iyuki, would you please go look a$ter (rika:.
As Tatsuya looked %ack and spoke, /irihara had cornered (rika in the
talks.
.<es. E'i4saa, *8ll take y leave..
The person who 1iyuki had re$erred to as .E'i4saa., Sayaka8s $ather,
couldn8t help seeing slightly upset, %ut...
Soehow he anaged an innocuous reply.
E$ course, %oth Tatsuya and 1iyuki pretended to not have noticed.
Ence again, Tatsuya turned to $ace Sayaka8s $ather.
As Sayaka8s $ather $ull well understood that Tatsuya had sent 1iyuki away
so he could have Tatsuya8s undivided attention, he didn8t waste tie with
any unnecessary preludes.
.Shi%a4kun, * a in your de%t. The reason y daughter was a%le to recover
was thanks to you..
.* didn8t do anything.
The ones who convinced 1i%u4senpai were Chi%a and y sister.
Then the ones who gave her strength while she was in hospital were Chi%a
and /irihara4senpai.
As one who only coldly took her to task, * $eel * should %e resented, uch
less deserve thanks..
.*$ you say that, then * a the one who was una%le to take her to task.
* knew y daughter was %itter at her lack o$ progress in agic, %ut *
disregarded it as an uniportant atter. * was %linded %y y own %elie$
that evaluation o$ agic skills and true co%at a%ility were separate
things, and * did not truly realise the extent o$ y daughter8s su$$ering.
*nstead, * took cover %ehind the excuse o$ %eing %usy, and didn8t $ace y
daughter even as she %egan associating with a shady copany. *8 a
$ailure as a $ather.
* heard $ro her everything that happened during this incident.
She said that listening to your words, she ree%ered what she had lost
long ago.
That %ecae the chance $or her to wake $ro her nightare.
1y daughter is very grate$ul to you.
She asked e to tell you that your words were not in vain.
*8 not $ully aware o$ what that eans, %ut what * do know is that her
$eelings are genuine.
6hich is why * want to tell you this.
Thank you..
.......Deally, there8s nothing to %e thank$ul $or..
Tatsuya shook his head slightly in e%arrassent, and Sayaka8s $ather
gave a slight chuckle.
.......<ou8re 'ust as /azaa says..
Those words were enough to penetrate even Tatsuya8s coolness.
.......<ou know 1a'or /azaa:.
.* a retired now, %ut we had shared any days in the %arracks as
corades together. 6e8re also the sae age. (ven now, we are close
$riends..
He knew that the word 8close8 didn8t represent the $ull truth. He knew only
too well.
A siple $riend 0 even a close $riend 0 was not soeone /azaa would
talk to a%out Tatsuya.
.Kpon $inding out that Sayaka held you in high regard, * thought it was
divine providence. *$ possi%le, * had hoped that a an like you could
continue to support Sayaka in the $uture.......
.......* a not a person in any position to support anyone 'ust yet..
.......Then let8s leave it at that.
That was 'ust the hopeless ra%lings o$ a parent, so please $orget it.
And o$ course * have told no one a%out the things * heard $ro /azaa,
y daughter included, so rest easy.
* 'ust wanted, to you as the person who could, and did indeed save y
daughter, to say this one thing.
Deally, thank you so uch..
Saying so, without waiting $or a reply 0 saving Tatsuya the need $or any
$urther hu%le reply 0 Sayaka8s $ather went %ack to re'oin his wi$e.
Shaking his head slightly, putting his considera%le dis#uiet out o$ his ind,
Tatsuya also re'oined his sister.
.Ah, Shi%a4kun. 6hat did you talk with y dad a%out:.
*ediately, sensing in hi a $loundering an grasping $or a straw,
Sayaka spoke to hi.
*t seeed that 1iyuki alone was una%le to suppress (rika.
.* learnt $ro hi that he was a close $riend o$ soeone who had taken
care o$ e..
.(h, is that so:.
.<es, it8s a sall world a$ter all..
.*t sees there really is a deep connection %etween Tatsuya4kun and Saya
huh:.
(rika iediately stepped up to the plate.
*t seeed that she was in top $or today.
.Ei, Saya. 6hy did you switch to /irihara4senpai $ro Tatsuya4kun:
<ou liked Tatsuya4kun didn8t you:.
.He, hey (ri4chan:.
6atching Sayaka getting $lustered, Tatsuya thought o$ soething rather
di$$erent.
9(ri4chan is it......;
These two are "ery compatible, Tatsuya thought, as i$ it were soeone
else8s %usiness.
.(rika, * think you8re getting carried away a %it too uch today..
Despite 1iyuki8s chiding, she paid no attention whatsoever.
*t was insu$$icient to penetrate her peak condition.
.*n ters o$ looks, *8 sure Tatsuya4kun coes out on top..
.......<ou8re a pretty dan insolent woan aren8t you..
.Feverind. /irihara4senpai, you don8t even coe close,.
.......<ou8re trying to ake e cry aren8t you:.
.1aIy%e.
6ell then Saya, was the deciding $actor his $aith$ulness:
Did this guy8s clusy kindness $inally win you over:.
Sayaka8s $ace was %right red $ro ear to ear.
She tried to look away nuerous ties, %ut every tie (rika would
#uickly step in $ront o$ her 0 pro%a%ly even using agic at ties 0 until
$inally Sayaka looked like she was on the verge o$ tears.
.(rika, that8s enough0.
8Already8, he had eant to say.
Thinking that, 'ust as he prepared to $orci%ly intervene,
.<eah...... * guess, it8s as (ri4chan said..
*n a weak voice, Sayaka %egan to con$ess, and it was too late.
*t seeed she had hit her stress liit, and all her ental %arriers cae
tu%ling down.
.* think, * really was in love with Tatsuya4kun.......
.6haaa:.
At Sayaka8s con$ession, $or soe reason the one who was ost surprised
was actually (rika.
.3ecause he had a peerless strength, which * had always longed $or.
3ut even as * longed, * was scared..
At 1iyuki8s look o$ concern, Tatsuya gave a light sile.
2or soe reason, his sister was convinced he was a an o$ delicate
sensi%ilities.
.However hard * run, * will de$initely never catch up to Shi%a4kun. To try
and %ecoe as strong as Shi%a4kun, * could run and run $orever, and no
atter how uch * run, *8d never %e a%le to %e that strong......
This ay %e disrespect$ul $or Tatsuya4kun, who has so uch power, %ut
it8s what * truly think..
.......* know what you ean. There are certainly ties when * think o$
Tatsuya4kun like that..
./irihara4kun...... The $irst tie * had a proper conversation with hi was
when he $irst cae to visit e, %ut * thought, i$ it8s hi, then even i$ we
$ight, we8d always %e advancing at the sae pace.
And so.......
......ThanksULV..
6hile disagreeing with her goo$y turn o$ phrase, at heart, Tatsuya thought
the sae as (rika.
The Sayaka %e$ore hi at that tie was no longer a .seeingly cute girl.,
%ut truly a .%eauti$ul girl..
.Hey, what a%out you /irihara4senpai:
2ro when did you start liking Saya:.
.......<ou8re a nosy woan. That8s not soething iportant.
*t8s got nothing to do with you anyway..
.That8s right, (rika. *t doesn8t atter $ro when anyway..
Fot stopping there, as (rika paused with a #uestion ark over her head,
Tatsuya went on to show the all over why so any people had
coplained he was a terri%le person.
.6hat8s iportant is that /irihara4senpai is now totally head over heels in
love with 1i%u4senpai..
.6hatJ <ou4:.
.(hh.......
.* won8t go into details due to privacy, %ut......
/irihara8s %ravery as he $aced the leader o$ 3lanche, is soething which *
think de$initely wouldn8t lose to anyone..
.* see......
Hey, Tatsuya4kun..
.<eah:.
.Tell e all a%out it later..
.Chi%a, you %astardJ
Shi%a as well, i$ you tell her a%out it *8ll de$initely knowJ.
.* won8t tell her..
.(eh, it8s $ine right:.
.Dan you woaanJ.
As /irihara raged and (rika pretended to run a%out shouting .kyaa kyaa.,
Sayaka8s parents, the nurses, and Sayaka hersel$ looked on and laughed
warly.
As the two o$ the %egan chasing in earnest, and Tatsuya looked on with
war, or rather, lukewar eyes, 1iyuki so$tly cae up to stand %eside
hi.
.Enii4saa..
.<es:.
He answered with his gaze $ixed on (rika and the others.
.1iyuki will $ollow you always Enii4saa, wherever you ay go.
(ven i$ you ran away at the speed o$ sound.
(ven i$ you pierced the sky, and ascended to the stars theselves..
.......However you look at it, *8 not a%out to do soething like that..
At that oent, Tatsuya gave a truly war sile.
.2or now, * think *8ll keep y $eet $irly on the ground rather than ai $or
the heavens..
1iyuki returned with a ischievous sile.
.Shall we head %ack to school then:.
.<eah. *$ * don8t get to the a$ternoon training, *8ll %e stuck there all
weekend..
1iyuki understood that it was eant as a 'oke. That was why she could
laugh along.
<et, even so, this tie, there was soething 1iyuki had to con$ir, that
which she had to ask.
.Enii4saa...... is school not hard on you: *n the $irst place, with your
a%ilities, you have no real need to go to school yet......
<ou still coe, %earing all that contept and scorn, 'ust $or e.......
.1iyuki..
Her #uestion was interrupted %y Tatsuya8s voice.
.* a not attending reluctantly. * understand $ully well that everyday is
soething that can only %e experienced at this oent.
3eing a%le to %e a noral student, with you, is very en'oya%le to e..
.Enii4saa.......
.And so with that, let8s go %ack to our noral 8everyday8 $ro here..
6ith a hint o$ e%arrassent, Tatsuya held out his hand to 1iyuki.
Delightedly, 1iyuki took that hand.
0 At the end o$ the day, (rika cae crying to hi a%out issing the
practice in the a$ternoon, and he really did end up %eing detained $or the
weekend.
Afterword
The $act that you are reading this a$terword would ean that this %ook has
already %een success$ully pu%lished. To actually %e a%le to see y own
work $inally turning into a physical %ook, * a still in a daze as to whether
this is reality or not.
As $or the reason that * a saying this, it is %ecause this novel is y de%ut
work, and * actually used such a %old ethod to %egin it with %y splitting
the $irst arc %eing split into L volues right $ro the get go, and what8s
ore those L volues were to %e pu%lished in two consecutive onths, as
* a writing this a$terword, * a still una%le to see the end o$ this light
novel.
The oent * proposed to .release the L volues one a$ter the other., *
knew it was an exceedingly di$$icult re#uest, there$ore when the
scheduling was so tight that * had screaed out in coplaint to the
heavens, * could only say that it was well deserved.
However to Stone4saa as well as the rest who were helping out, to get
involved9:; in y sel$ish re#uest, * can only apologise pro$usely $or
aking such an unreasona%le re#uest.
Honestly speaking, as soeone who is a coplete new%ie in this industry,
to suddenly want to do soething like .to %e continued in the next
volue., is this kind o$ outrageous ove really okay: * a actually
$eeling a lot o$ $ear towards this.
This novel was originally pu%lished on the internet and there$ore the
nu%er o$ pages then did not atter, * know that when adapting it into a
physical light novel * had to either $asciculate it or prune out soe o$ the
content, and * a extreely thank$ul that * was a%le to get the perission
to .not prune. $ro (ditor4saa, however * still had plenty o$ concerns.
Since this was an irregular product, there will %e any uneasy eleents
that ay arise, and * have to recognise that is the case. However it is
precisely %ecause there exists such eleents, when (ditor4saa gave the
goal o$ releasing L volues in consecutive onths, * did not say uch and
'ust agreed to it...
Speaking o$ irregular things, a%out the ain characters in the story o$
.1ahouka /oukou no Dettousei., although they do have a certain degree
o$ di$$erence $ro others, however they are also an irregular %unch o$
teenagers.
Speaking o$ which, the concept o$ the ain protagonist, Tatsuya, is .due to
%eing una%le to esta%lish a $rae work $or evaluation, there$ore has %een
%randed with the la%el o$ %eing a poor per$oring student., the group o$
people around hi also have their irregularities.
The other protagonist, the younger sister 1iyuki, who is %eing rated
di$$erently, is also the sae, although she8s an honors student %ut she is
de$initely not ordinary. ...However i$ you, the readers have already read
through the %ook, then in actual $act * didn8t really need to ephasise on
this point again.
However, $or %oth the ale and $eale protagonist8s groups, with regards
to the atter o$ the %elonging in the irregular group, they do not $eel
uneasy or upset a%out it. 2or the protagonists as well as the other a'or
characters, they are already enlightened %y the indset o$ .so what:.. Fo,
perhaps * should say that they even lack the idea o$ %eing enlightened.
The re%els will use tough and extree easures, in order to let theselves
%e a%le to advance %ravely.....and this pro%a%ly has iplications that * look
$orward to seeing.
There is a certain char in re%els re$using to %ow down to the traditional
syste and $ighting desperately to the last drop o$ %lood %e$ore $inally
withering away in de$eat. En the other hand, * also $ind it very di$$icult to
part with the topic o$ re%els who shout .So what:. and pierce through the
high walls o$ orthodoxy to advance $orward.
Tatsuya and 1iyuki, 7eo and (rika, 1ayui and 1ari, as well as the
any other honor students and poor per$oring students, using such
irregular characters to create a truly exciting and wonder$ul story...
* thought it would %e nice i$ * can write such a story.
* guess * will stop talking a%out y dreas here.
To the *shida4saa who drew such wonder$ul and %eauti$ul illustrations,
and also Stone4saa who patiently handled all y re#uests, as well as all
the others who were involved in the creation o$ this light novel, really
thank you so uch, all o$ you.
(specially 14saa, since * had ade any unsatis$actory portions here
and there, please allow e to sincerely apologise here.
And ost iportantly, * want to sincerely thank all the readers that picked
up this %ook.
* hope that * will have the honor o$ seeing all o$ you again in the next
volue .1ahouka /oukou no Dettousei = 4 Fine Schools Copetition
9*;..
9Satou Tsutou;

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