Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 4 - Chapter 2

It was the fifth day of the Nine Schools Competition and the second morning of the Newcomers Division.

Tatsuya arrived in front of the arena that was busy preparing for the Newcomers Division’s Icicle Destruction.

Several large cranes were unloading 1 meter x 1 meter x 2 meter icicles from large battlefield vehicles specially modified for this purpose. Seeing this would naturally cause people to believe that the days where super robot anime became reality were not too far off.

"......If we could completely ignore energy efficiency, that is."

"Onii-sama? What are you talking about?"

As if to reject this outrageous line of thinking, Tatsuya involuntarily started muttering to himself.

"No, it's nothing."

She did not pursue this vague answer. "Let's go quickly."

"Yes."

Originally, this was only a stopping point along their route to the competition location.

Tatsuya urged Miyuki onward towards the resting area located on the top floor of the Arrow Tower.

◊ ◊ ◊

There was still 30 minutes until the start of the first round in the morning.

When Tatsuya entered the arena, there was still plenty of spare time. "Good morning!"

......Still, the players for the first round were already there.

"Good morning......

Sorry for making you wait so long."

"Oh please, I was the one who came too early."

The player for the first round of Icicle Destruction, Akechi Eimi, smiled as she shook her head and swept a lock of her ruby red hair back from her face.

"Good morning, Eimi. How early did you get up?"

"Good morning, Miyuki. For some reason, I woke up before the alarm went off. It's like I haven't recovered from yesterday's excitement."

Her other name was Emilia Goldie. Her full name was Akechi Emilia Goldie Eimi. Eimi was a quarter British stock. Her nickname "Emmy", rather than originating from her Japanese name "Eimi", probably came from her British name "Emilia".

A Magician's ability was heavily influenced by genetics.

Due to the connection between magic and national power, each country jealously guarded its magic bloodlines and either officially or unofficially forbade international marriages between Magicians. (This country that superficially allowed freedom of marriage belonged in the "unofficial" category.)

Yet, in the generation of Tatsuya's grandparents, allied countries actively encouraged international marriages between Magicians. The goal was to "cross"

"excellent stock" to "develop" superior Magicians.

The ensuing result was that over half of the current students at magic high schools boasted bloodlines from Western Europe or India.

Leo was one of them, and the female student known as Akechi Eimi was another.

As could be inferred from her words, she also appeared in yesterday's Speed Shooting competition. This was the second day in a row she was working alongside Tatsuya. Besides Miyuki and the two others, Eimi was the first one on the Women's Team to jell with Tatsuya. For Tatsuya, she was also the most relaxed young lady on the team.

After the two of them exchanged greetings, they delved into girl talk as Tatsuya smoothly removed the CAD from the case he was carrying, performed a cursory examination, and handed it to Eimi.

This was a clumsy looking, shotgun-shaped Specialized CAD that measured 50 cm in length and completely dwarfed a young lady's hand.

The weapon looked quite heavy, but because recoil wasn't an issue, the weight was significantly lower than a normal firearm thanks to its lightweight materials. Yet Eimi's movements were like something straight out of a Western flick as she swung the gun around and took aim out the window.

"......Eimi, you're not British, but American, aren't you?"

"How many times do I have to say this, no. Now even Miyuki is saying this too? My grandmother's family was knighted by the Tudors themselves."

Contrary to the content of her words, her tone remained unperturbed.

She maintained her current posture and started to supply the CAD with psions. Somewhere along the way, the safety was removed. Just like Morisaki's Quick Draw, this was an entirely different type of pristine CAD drawing.

"How is it?"

"Hm...... Now I know how Shizuku feels."

Everyone in the 1st Year Women's Team knew about the fact that the Ojou-sama from the wealthy Kitayama Family wanted to "reserve" Tatsuya.

"Are there any problems?"

"Yep, it's perfect!"

Eimi relaxed her posture and smiled in delight.

Apart from her ruby hair and moss green pupils, her outward appearance was thoroughly Japanese. Even among her peers, she was the one who had the most childish impression. Rather than calling her earlier smile "delightful", a more innocent "teehee" was probably closer to the mark.

"I have no idea what you're talking about......"

Eimi tilted her head at Tatsuya's muttering, but her smile didn't fade in the slightest. One of the chief reasons was likely because she had no idea what he was talking about.

"At least let me run a few calibrations. Can you put on the ear set?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Eimi...... In truth, you didn't get up early, but didn't sleep at all, right?"

At being asked this sudden question, Eimi's smile grew a tad forced. "......How could you tell?"

Seeing Eimi's widened eyes, Tatsuya silently nodded and, in response, took the CAD from her hands and restarted the calibration process.

"......You're sharper than my parents."

Eimi obediently put on the headphones used for measurement while nagging with an "I can't believe you" and placing her hands on the measuring pads.

Seeing the numbers scrolling down the screen, Tatsuya's expression darkened.

With Tatsuya's minute facial changes, Eimi's body also started to curl up. This scene didn't escape Miyuki's eyes.

"Well, Onii-sama?"

There was no reprimand hidden in her words, but when Tatsuya heard her words, he raised his head in realization and smiled as he rubbed the space between his brows with two fingers.

"Unless Eimi also forgoes Sound Sleep?"

"Also? You mean Shiba-kun does that too?"

Eimi's reaction prompted Tatsuya's expression to soften somewhat as he nodded.

"Wow, I discovered a comrade. How should I put this, doesn't that give you an uncomfortable feeling? Especially those weird sound waves."

"There's no actual health risk...... But I do agree that it is quite uncomfortable. I do make an exception for sleepless nights though. Especially if I have a competition the next day."

"OK~."

Eimi's response was perfect for a child that had just been scolded by a parent. Tatsuya could only smile wryly at this.

"Then, I'll raise the feedback loop a little higher...... This might be a little irritating, so bear with it for a little bit. Certainly you wouldn't want to be accused of 'losing the contest owing to lack of sleep', right?"

"I'll bear with it, please! If that really happened, they'll never let me live this down."

There was nothing worthy of note in her tone. Eimi blushed as she pressed her hands against several interesting points on her pants. Tatsuya paused and was frozen for a solid second.

"I really didn't want to bring this up, but, Miyuki......

What do you people do in your rooms?"

"N, nothing, Onii-sama, Miyuki hasn't done anything shameful!"

"Oh, really~? Miyuki's room is a complete safe house."

"Eimi! Do not speak of such strange nonsense in front of Onii-sama!"

An awkward silence covered the resting area. To break this stalemate, an abrupt change in the conversation was inevitable. He wasn't entirely sure who this excuse was directed to, Tatsuya thought to himself.

"......Fortunately, the first round is in the early morning so you can take a nap before the second round begins. Sorry, Miyuki, but could I trouble you to prepare the 'Sleeping Dock' for immediate use?"

"I understand. I will be right back."

After Miyuki departed to setup the sensory inhibitory dock (soundproof, shockproof, light-shielded, sealed single bed), Tatsuya started CAD calibration.

◊ ◊ ◊

Although the first round got a little tense at one point, victory was finally achieved with three icicles still left in allied territory.

Speaking of which, the ending result was that Eimi was currently deep in dream land without any opportunity to complain that "It's too dark~" or "It's too cramped~".

This was the fifth event, which was the second event for the female students from First High. They were currently in the resting area before the match began.

(I seem to recall saying something very similar recently.) Tatsuya thought of this, but was still forced to say it aloud.

"Shizuku...... Are you really wearing that uniform during the competition?"

"Yeah?"

When Shizuku replied with an "Is something wrong?" expression on her face, Tatsuya really wanted to cover his head and was completely at a loss.

Icicle Destruction involved the players standing on four meter tall platforms and defending the 12 icicles in their own territory that measured 12 square meters while simultaneously knocking down or destroying all their opponent's 12 icicles.

The players were strictly using long range magic, so there was no need to move their physical bodies.

In other words, the player's wardrobe played no role in this event. (Besides the uniforms that hinder the grip on their CADs.)

The only criterion for wardrobe was that it "must be decent".

And the ensuing result was that — while unintentional — at some point Women's Icicle Destruction became a fashion show.

In addition, when Kanon appeared for the Official Division on the second and third days, she was wearing a fairly normal sports uniform. She wore tights, a mini jacket, an adequate shirt, as well as long socks and tennis shoes.

On the other hand, Eimi was dressed like a jockey, complete with a white collared shirt, red riding jacket on the upper body, tight women's pants and black riding boots below, along with a black duck-billed hat.

Still, those still fell within normal boundaries and didn't qualify as anything particularly gaudy.

Then, there was Shizuku

......

"Uh, Shizuku......"

"Yes?"

"Wouldn't the tamoto......

Get in the way?"

Yes.

No need to flog the dead horse, but that was a "tamoto" from a kimono.

"There's no problem. The sleeves are short enough, and I also have the obi."

Speaking of which, Shizuku deftly tied the obi in front of Tatsuya.

Such a fluid motion clearly showed that she had plentiful experience in a kimono.

Yet—

(If you needed to use the obi to keep the tamoto in check, wouldn't you be better off forgoing the kimono in the first place?)

Tatsuya thought of this, but managed to hold his retort in.

There wasn't much time before the next round, so Tatsuya quickly gave up on persuading her otherwise — after all, this was the "official garb" for boosting one's spirits. In that case, he'll just have to turn a blind eye.

Shizuku chose — correction, the CAD that Tatsuya chose for her was a Generalized CAD.

This implied that the event demanded a careful energy allocation that possessed a balanced strategy.

It wasn't like Tatsuya could keep pulling rabbits out of a hat. To be precise, Tatsuya himself had no interest in creating devious tactics.

For him, it was all about providing the players with the most appropriate tools and the strategy that could bring about their maximum potential, and nothing more. In light of this, if direct assault was the most effective strategy, he would ruthlessly adopt that as his course of action.

Just like this match.

The moment Shizuku appeared on the platform, the audience raised a clamor likely due to her outfit.

However, the person in question was steady even if a light breeze had grazed her face as she lifted her left arm before her chest, the tamoto held firmly in place by the obi.

Shizuku's CAD was just like the one she normally used, with the command console facing the inside of her arm.

In the recent age, most female Magicians used CADs with command consoles facing towards the outside. Despite the height of fashion, Shizuku still preferred to use the feminine inward facing console, which befitted her status as an Ojou-sama. Still, given her usual taciturn and emotionless nature as well as the occasional merciless snarking, this honestly gave people an incompatible feeling.

If voiced aloud in front of aforementioned young lady, this would undoubtedly end with a beating. Tatsuya adjusted the focal point on the monitoring device and set these thoughts aside.

In the following time period,

Shizuku's mission was to focus entirely on this match. Tatsuya's mission was to gather his attention entirely on her.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Miyuki......

Aren't you going where Tatsuya-kun is?"

Honoka piped up from beside her. At this time, Miyuki was sitting in a different section of the stands reserved for players and auxiliaries that was not part of the normal audience stands and was patiently waiting for the match to begin.

Just as she did during Eimi's match in the first round, the moment Tatsuya entered the monitoring room, Miyuki split apart from him.

It was perfectly natural for players from the same school to cheer on their teammates from the monitoring room, but—

"Icicle Destruction is a solo performance. Sooner or later, Shizuku and I will meet on the field, so wouldn't it be unfair for me to sneak a peek at her trump card?"

In terms of trump cards, there were certainly opportunities during practice to see them. Even First High wasn't extravagant enough to prepare several large scale practice facilities for the Nine Schools Competition.

So, what Miyuki was actually referring to was something else.

They were fated to be opponents. Miyuki didn't want to see Tatsuya, who was serving as their mutual technician, worry needlessly about such trivialities. This was probably Miyuki's real concern.

At the same time, she didn't want Shizuku to be distracted by her presence.

Honoka and Shizuku were close friends and rivals since elementary school. Until middle school, Honoka saw Shizuku as her strongest opponent and conversely, Shizuku also saw Honoka as her most formidable opponent.

In their cohort and circle of friends, no one could match them in terms of magical talent.

Upon entering high school and receiving official magic training, both Honoka and Shizuku yearned to meet someone other than each other who could push them to their limits. Yet, somewhere in the depths of their hearts, a stubborn belief that could not be eradicated told them that they would never meet someone who mirrored their talents.

In the same school, in the same tutoring class, there were no children from the Ten Master Clans, but several children from the "Numbers System". Still, none of them was worthy of being a new rival.

However, upon entering the high school entrance examination, their "conceit" was thoroughly annihilated.

By this divinely crafted young lady sitting next to her.

Based on their grades on the standardized magic tests, Honoka was fourth place behind Miyuki, Shizuku, and Morisaki. In Honoka's opinion, even if Shizuku didn't count, she didn't feel that she was any weaker than Morisaki.

The first subject in the high school standardized exam was a simple technique involving ten processes. (Only someone of Honoka's caliber would be able to call "ten processes" as simple.)

There was no real stress from the technique and Morisaki only seized the advantage because of his superior speed. If this was a more complex technique with additional processes, Honoka was adamant that she would have outperformed him.

Yet Miyuki was an "exception".

She possessed the overwhelming ability and strength that made jealousy itself ludicrous.

Even if someone claimed she was from the Ten Master Clans, Honoka would undoubtedly hold that to be true.

But that was only natural.

—That was what Honoka thought when she first beheld Miyuki's magic in the entrance examination area.

Honoka was completely unaware how close she was to the truth, proving beyond doubt how utterly Miyuki's magic astounded and overwhelmed her.

This impression followed her for the next four months in school and, rather than being diluted, only intensified even more.

Honoka felt that even the solitary Shizuku would not be able to calmly manipulate her magic normally if Miyuki stood before her.

When she learned that Miyuki was being switched to Mirage Bat for the Official Division, and thus avoided meeting her on the field, Honoka let out a huge sigh of relief.

As she thought back to the time of the entrance exam, Honoka was naturally reminded of the first time she saw "him".

In reality, Honoka's first encounter with Tatsuya was not the incident that occurred shortly after the day of enrollment. It was not the time when Erika and company were arrayed against them, with Honoka casting magics against school rules that would have landed her in a world of trouble with the Public Morals Committee Chief had Tatsuya not intervened. Honoka had encountered Tatsuya long before this incident.

Coincidentally on the day of the entrance examination, not just Miyuki, but Tatsuya was also in the same testing group as Honoka.

This pair of siblings was not outwardly similar.

Honoka didn't possess the excess mental finesse to remember everyone's names.

The reason Tatsuya left a lasting impression on Honoka wasn't because he was Miyuki's older brother.

His technical scores were only so-so.

Regardless of speed, strength, scale, every subject was thoroughly mundane and unappealing, to the point that they could be labeled as below average.

However, his magic was so beautiful it was breathtaking!

Honoka was incapable of analyzing Magic Sequences like Tatsuya.

Neither was she like Mizuki in her sensitivity towards psions and pushions.

When compared to normal Magicians, Honoka, who specialized in light wave oscillation magic, was only acutely sensitive towards the magical side effects that created light wave background noise.

An overabundance of interference or remnants of Magic Sequences would all form into surplus psion surges and oscillate in the empty air. When photons interact with these responses, the ensuing result is light wave noise.

But this cacophony was wholly undetectable in his magic.

In other words, there were no excess materials in his Magic Sequence. His Magic Power was expanded to its limit and entirely devoted towards phenomenon rewriting, making for a magic that was calculated down to the last detail.

Honoka thought that it was a work of pure art.

Hitherto, she had never seen such a beautiful piece of magic.

Afterwards, even though she bore witness to Miyuki's dominating magic, she still couldn't forget that magic.

That's why Honoka felt deeply betrayed when she saw the lack of the eight petal flower on Tatsuya's breast during the student orientation.

This was the reason why Honoka nursed an overly antagonistic attitude towards Tatsuya's group that day.

—Why are you on that side (Course 2)!? —Why aren't you on this one (Course 1)!? Honoka's eyes were blurred by this illogical fury.

True, in terms of speed, strength and scale, every category clearly set him far from the standards (of a Course 1 student).

Yet, the fact that "he" who could weave such wondrous magic had to be satisfied with being a mere "substitute (Weed)", Honoka felt that this was utterly unforgivable.

"......Honoka, what's wrong?'

Shocked, Honoka turned to her side to find Miyuki watching her in confusion.

She must have noticed that Honoka had fallen into an odd state of silence in the middle of their conversation.

"S-Sorry, it's nothing."

Even she would suspect herself if something of that sort had happened. When she considered her actions as well as her misdirected "anger displacement" and the reason why she consciously noticed "him", Honoka blushed to the roots of her hair and drooped her head.

◊ ◊ ◊

"It's finally Kitayama's match."

"Looks like she's carrying a Generalized CAD."

Two ladies from the Women's Team brass were hunched shoulder to shoulder in front of a screen at the pavilion. Suzune, who was overloaded with work from the unending stream of results, sighed as she beheld this sight.

Yet, the two of them blatantly ignored this obvious sign of displeasure. "I wonder what trick he's got up his sleeve this time."

"Hard to say. Maybe he's intentionally playing mind games with us and will launch a full frontal assault precisely because we're thinking that way."

Mayumi and Mari were congregated in front of the widescreen monitor just like two young children sharing their favorite television show.

Suzune had long since given up. Sighing once more, she accepted the inevitability of working alone.

Neither Mayumi nor Mari batted an eyelid at Shizuku's choice of wardrobe.

For three time Nine Schools Competition veterans like them, this didn't qualify as anything outlandish.

In fact, they may be thinking "Huh, there are actually less of them this year!"

Also owing to this reason, Shizuku was someone who came to watch the Nine Schools Competition every year, so she wasn't embarrassed by her dress either.

"Ho, we're starting."

The two of them edged closer to the screen.

◊ ◊ ◊

The lights next to the flanks of the arena flashed red.

The lights advanced to yellow, and the moment when the lights turned green—

Shizuku's ring started dancing along the command console. Toward her own 12 icicles.

She set all of them as targets and fired the Magic Sequence.

Immediately afterward, her opponent's magic came rushing towards Shizuku's field.

This was a popular tactic involving Move-Type Magic to blitzkrieg the opponent's field.

Except Shizuku's icicles stood rock solid against her opponent's magic and didn't shift at all.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Ho, Data Fortification."

Every HQ was equipped with a widescreen monitor that could analyze the magic being used as well as the type of magic used and its strength. Much like a heat display, the various displays were expressed through various shades of color.

Using this function, it was a simple matter to determine the offensive and defensive positions.

Data Fortification.

Eidos was a record of the current status of an information body. Through this information body, parts of the information or even the entire whole could be replicated and projected back into the target to protect the Eidos from being altered any further. This was known as Data Fortification within the Counter Magic field. The copied portions from Data Fortification possess the ability to prevent magic from affecting the target.

Shizuku used Data Fortification to emphasize the target's location "right there". As the screen plainly displayed, her opponent's Move- Type Magic was nullified by Shizuku's magic.

"Quite the direct confrontation."

"Wasn't this precisely how Mari predicted?"

Suzune, who overheard the conversation, couldn't help but think: "Not really, I hardly think that this strategy was created solely to play with your heads......" Of course, this thought couldn't be passed to the mesmerized observers.

"Still, I think that for Magicians with high interference strength like Kitayama-san, rather than using Data Fortification, she should use wide area interference as a 'frontal assault'."

"Based on yesterday's results, Kitayama also has high magic capacity that is hard to find. She shouldn't feel any stress from copying the Eidos. Also, for Interference-Type Magic, Data Fortification is more efficient compared to wide area interference."

On the screen, her opponent once again tried to use Move-Type Magic to attack, but was nullified just as before.

Simultaneously, just as the attacking magic faded away— Three of the icicles in the opponent's field shattered.

"......What just happened right now? Mayumi, did you catch that?"

Mari asked in confusion, but Mayumi turned around without any confidence in her expression.

"I can only guess based on the data from the screen......"

Obviously, observing the analysis was vastly different from feeling the magic from the front lines.

"I think, that may have been the application of 'Resonance'."

The monitor was unable to keep up with the effects of indirect magic on the target, so the only way to narrow down what magic was used was through the surrounding environment.

"She shifted the irregular frequency from the Oscillation Magic into her opponent's field and locked the frequency just as it started to resonate with the icicles and raised the output at the same time, thus creating resonance. I think that's how it was."

"So that's how she did it...... To avoid Counter Magic, she didn't directly attack the icicles using magic attacks, but used the ground as a medium. While they both used the ground as a medium, when compared to Kanon's 'Mine Genesis' that relied purely on physical power, this is a much higher level technique. Sometimes I really can't tell who the upperclassman is."

"Precisely because finding the resonance point takes some time, she used Data Fortification to buy time. She looks very adept with manipulating the oscillation frequency."

"Indeed."

Mayumi and Mari were both thinking about the Non-Systematic Magic Tatsuya used to crush Hattori. It also utilized precisely manipulated psion surges to create overlapping oscillations.

What was being displayed on the monitor wasn't just Shizuku's artistic ability, but the hand of Tatsuya working from behind the scenes. On that point, neither of them disagreed.

◊ ◊ ◊

(As expected of Shizuku, she's doing admirably......

)

Tatsuya quietly nodded as he surveyed the players from the opposite side of the screen.

Four icicles had already fallen in the opposing field. All 12 icicles were still standing in the allied field.

The biological displays on the screen revealed only minor exhaustion, so there was no impact on the ability to maintain magic invocation.

There was no trace of any symptoms that could exhaust a player like the ones Eimi displayed. And regardless of whether it was "Data Fortification" or "Resonance", her performance was just as expected. Nay, her performance surpassed what she could do in training.

Half of Mayumi and Mari's hypothesis was spot on, but the other half was incorrect. Shizuku's mother was the one who specialized in "Resonance". Before teaming up with Tatsuya, Shizuku was already well versed in that technique (by a high school student's standards).

By using magic that raised the oscillation frequency at irregular levels and directly projecting that on the target while synchronizing the frequencies, this destroyed the target using precise oscillation frequencies at the exact moment when resistance was the weakest. Originally, "Resonance" was this type of two-stage process. When applying oscillation-type magic onto the target object, a Magician can feel out the resonance point based on the Eidos' resistance to the interfering Magic Sequence; if using regular intervals, then an alternate method would have to be used to identify the target's resonance.

This was not reliant on monitoring devices, but done while compiling Activation Sequences into Magic Sequences. That was the part that Tatsuya was responsible for.

This technique was created by adding a new process into the "Resonance" magic that Shizuku was familiar with. Yet, Shizuku was able to wield this at will. Obviously, this level of skill was not obtained by just training in school, but honed through long hours of practice outside of class.

As another icicle collapsed in the enemy's field, one of the allied icicles collapsed as well.

However, this was only her opponent's "last gasp". Tatsuya could tell with a glance.

The opposing player threw everything she had into that last attack. She most likely knew the writing on the wall, but desperately wanted to avoid being defeated without knocking down a single icicle.

Tatsuya watched Shizuku's back with his own eyes and not through the monitor.

The psions she was releasing were not ruffled in the slightest.

No sense of wavering, no hint of pride. At the same time that she vigorously defended her own territory, she retaliated against her opponent's field.

Probably because she wasn't fixated on her opponent for some bizarre reason. She was fighting in a manner that put anyone watching her at ease.

Her opponent, who had expended all her energy, did not put up any futile resistance.

The three icicles in the enemy's territory shattered apart like a sand castle standing against the incoming tide.

◊ ◊ ◊

Miyuki's match was the last one in the first round.

This was a long wait from early morning, but since lunch time was also figured into the time, this didn't feel that long for her.

Speaking of Tatsuya, he was also up since morning and this was his third match, so he was hardly "waiting".

Miyuki and Tatsuya were the only ones in the resting area for players. Honoka and Shizuku were nowhere in sight.

They had mentioned during lunch that they would be cheering her on during the match. Now, they probably already met up with Erika's crew.

In recompense, which was hardly the issue at hand, Isori and Kanon as well as Mayumi and Mari came to support her.

(It's a huge cheerleading party......)

Tatsuya wore a helpless look on his face as he murmured in the privacy of his mind. Of course, he actually said something else.

"I'm glad that you all came to cheer on Miyuki, but......

Chief, shouldn't you be in bed?"

"What, even you're treating me like an invalid? It's not like I have to hop around and dance, so there's no problem."

Yet, it was still a serious injury. Tatsuya swallowed those words and directed the conversation towards Mayumi.

"Oh...... Then shouldn't the President be at the pavilion? I thought the

Men's Team is still in the middle of their event."

"No problem. I left that to Hanzou-kun. I'm also stepping down two months from now, so it's not a good idea to rely on me for everything."

This was a valid argument, but smacked of someone feigning silliness.

Still, their presence wasn't going to negatively affect the match, so continuing this conversation would do more harm than good.

"Miyuki, we have so many reliable senpais here to cheer you on, make sure you're not more anxious than usual."

Pfft, someone was snickering in the back, but Tatsuya chose to ignore that.

Apparently, he was doting on Miyuki too much. But for Tatsuya, his sister was always (logically) going to be his sister.

"Please do not concern yourself. Because Onii-sama is by my side."

Following that, Miyuki raised her head and gazed at her brother whom she had complete faith in. In her ears, all other sounds became inaudible.

◊ ◊ ◊

Miyuki's appearance on the platform threw the crowd into pandemonium.

"That, incredibly, that is......"

"But suits her quite well. What do you think, Kanon?"

"I say, that's simply gorgeous."

Tatsuya tuned out Kanon and Isori's conversation like it was a BGM and focused on preparations to monitor Miyuki's status. In the blink of an eye, the preparations were complete. Tatsuya peered towards Miyuki and suddenly realized: "Right, that's what everyone is staring at."

Miyuki was dressed in a fine white hakui paired with a crimson hakama. Her hair was held back by a white strap.

True, the hairstyle was slightly different and if in place of a CAD she held bells or a sakai, she would be even more stunning. It was that kind of garb.

Originally, she was already gorgeous and now paired with this wardrobe, she gave off an almost divine aura.

No, perhaps she had already surpassed divine possession and was now approaching the realms of the gods themselves.

"Ouch, her opponent seems to have been submerged."

"Nothing they can do about that. Even I must admit that I can't hold a candle to that. ......

Ah, unless that was the goal all along?"

Mayumi and Mari's voices from behind him were plainly directed towards himself. Tatsuya turned around and replied.

"By goal, you mean what? There's nothing particularly astounding about using that attire for magic ceremonies."

Still, his answer was literally the answer to a literal question, but there was clearly a mismatch in what both sides wanted to communicate.

"......Tatsuya-kun's family follows the Shinto system?"

This time the question was even more off the mark. After Mayumi's unrelenting pursuit, Tatsuya didn't hesitate as he shook his head.

"Hardly, it's simply because we're Japanese."

"......Really, maybe, fine."

Mayumi reluctantly nodded. Tatsuya left with a "Let's end the conversation here" and turned back towards the monitors.

Tatsuya's words themselves were hard to deny and were fairly logical.

Yet, if someone witnessed the entire process, they would immediately be able to tell that he wasn't being uniform the entire time.

They were both kimonos, but Tatsuya had a conflicted view of Shizuku's tamotos yet didn't question his own sister's miko getup. Tatsuya's sensibilities on this — objectively speaking — were indeed suspicious.

◊ ◊ ◊

Miyuki was wholly unaware of the drama unfolding on the back stage

—well, that was only to be expected — as she calmly waited for the start signal.

"False starts" were a major violation of the rules.

Being overly enthusiastic could subconsciously activate magic, which was your own fault. Well aware of this fallacy, Miyuki wasn't fired up during the waiting period like all the other players, but was concentrating on restraining herself.

......In the eyes of others, this was a "posture of silence".

The signal lights on both ends of the arena flashed red.

Miyuki opened her faintly closed eyes and gazed directly at the enemy field.

A sigh arose from the audience.

And not just in one area either, but from nearly the entire arena.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the young men, but the young women who were mesmerized by that fiery gaze.

This was no longer the atmosphere expected from mere spectating.

With apologies to the other player, the entire audience was fixated on Miyuki's every move.

The signal light flashed yellow, and just as it turned green—

An intense psion light flooded the entire area without heed to allied or enemy territories.

Yet, the arena — had turned into two different seasons. An absolute chill enshrouded Miyuki's field.

A burning heat wave flooded her opponent's field. The icicles in her opponent's field started to melt.

Her opponent was desperately trying to apply cooling magic with no apparent effect whatsoever.

Her own position had turned into a frozen hell that surpassed the winds of winter.

Her opponent's field transformed into a scorched purgatory that rivaled summer's might.

Still, all of this lasted only the briefest of moments. Swiftly,

Her field was completely enveloped in chilling mist.

While her opponent's field was devoured by the rising steam.

◊ ◊ ◊

"That can't be......"

"Inferno

......?"

Behind him, Tatsuya could hear Mari and Mayumi's murmurs and groans.

They were certainly spot on, Tatsuya thought, yet he didn't turn around.

Tatsuya's gaze was still locked on the display of Miyuki's back from the monitoring device.

Medium-Scale Oscillation-Type Magic "Inferno".

By dividing the target area into two sections and decreasing the kinetic and rotational energy of all objects within one section, this surplus energy could be released into the other section in the form of heat. This way, conservation of energy was still maintained while applying the principle of reverse entropy from thermodynamics.

Occasionally, this magic served as the test for A-Rank Magicians. Many testers shed bitter tears at their inability to wield this highly difficult magic, but for Miyuki, this was merely a triviality that she could manipulate at will.

Since this was originally an area-of-effect magic, there was no need to worry needlessly about magic leaking outside and breaking the rules. Still, the very definition of magic forced Magicians to be extremely careful even with the simplest of techniques. If an incident were to occur, she would immediately be disqualified from the match, which would prompt him to intervene by any means necessary. This was what was running across Tatsuya's mind as he watched Miyuki.

However, he appeared to be agitated over nothing.

The temperature in the enemy's field rocketed past 200 degrees Celsius.

Flash freeze icicles that were formed in a hurry were nothing more than rough ice cubes with countless pockets of air within. These pockets would rapidly expand when heated, causing the icicle itself to crack despite the icicle becoming more fluid under the heat.

Suddenly, the temperature stopped rising.

Immediately afterwards, a shock wave burst spread across the enemy field.

Miyuki had switched magics.

She was compressing and releasing the air.

Every frail icicle within the enemy field shattered as one.

◊ ◊ ◊

There were a total of 360 contestants and 72 technicians. While some schools waived their right to tactical advisors, the number of total participants in the Nine Schools Competition still exceeded 450 students. If there was a ball (or even banquet), this number of people could still be managed, but that was practically impossible to achieve on a daily basis during the main event.

Breakfast was done buffet style on a first come, first serve basis. Lunch consisted of bentos being delivered to each school's pavilion or engineering vehicles, though some people chose to take them back to their rooms. Dinner was served in the three dining halls over three separate sessions, with each school getting one hour to dine. (The schools dined separately to avoid their tactics leaking to other schools.)

Actually, dinner was the only opportunity for the entire school team to congregate in the dining hall.

This one hour of dinner was an invaluable time for sharing the day's triumphs and regrets.

Tonight, at the First High tables, a clear line was drawn between light and darkness.

Darkness covered the corner where the 1st Year male players were gathered.

Light enshrouded the corner where the 1st Year female players were gathered.

And among the dense jungle of female players, the small dash of red (or maybe green is more appropriate in the jungle?) was, of course,

Tatsuya.

"Miyuki, that was totally awesome."

"So that's 'Inferno'? The senpais were completely shocked. It's said that even A-Rank Magicians have problems with that ability."

"Eimi, nicely done! Your first match was a little tight though."

"Cavalier gear with carbine stance, nice!"

"Shizuku was great too! Your kimono with tamoto was simply beautiful, then you forced your opponent steadily into a corner. Cool~!"

While the Newcomers Division Crowd Ball only clinched one Second Place and one Sixth Place, yielding a "so-so" result, the dominating performance from the Icicle Destruction players allowed all three to advance to the third round, continuing the triumphant performance from the Speed Shooting event. This caused the female players to bask in a festive mood.

The format of the Icicle Destruction event had 24 players in total, with 12 matches in the first round and 6 matches in the second round. With three people advancing to the third round, First High laid claim to fully half of the players still in the field.

The three victors from the third round would then engage in a round robin to decide the ultimate victor, though based on the current situation, there was a strong possibility that all three of those positions may be claimed by players from First High. If so, that would truly be an astounding feat. The very fact that this remained a distinct possibility made it "impossible" for them not to be beside themselves with joy.

The upperclassmen all wore smiles that said "What are we going to do with you guys" as the underclassmen danced around in joy.

"Shiba-kun, Shizuku's ability was a 'Resonance' variant, right?"

The 1st Year female student who came over was not one of the players Tatsuya was responsible for. He was aware of who she was, but was not overly familiar. Wholly ill at ease (Miyuki vetoed his request to sit elsewhere) as he dined, Tatsuya was suddenly the center of attention and finally managed a somewhat ordinary reply. "That is correct."

Quite the detached reply but even so, his voice was slightly gentler than usual. While they were peers in the same cohort, the other person was a Course 1 female student that he rarely interacted with normally. Tatsuya was taking precautions not to frighten her off by accident.

Unfortunately, this caution brought about a crescendo in response. "So the Activation Sequence was really designed by Shiba-kun?"

"I heard that Shiba-kun developed the technique Shizuku used during Speed Shooting, right?"

"Shiba-kun also devised the strategy for Inferno too."

"Rumor has it that Shiba-kun was also the mastermind behind Honoka's flashbang strategy."

The continuous stream of questions gave him no room to maneuver and continuously drained his mental facilities, not that there was anything Tatsuya could do about it. Still, they were currently in a stimulated state which likely used the current festive mood as stress relief for the continuous anxiety from the competition. From another perspective, this exaggerated praise may even be seen as flaunting in order to raise their self-confidence to combat that feeling of unease that couldn't be easily dispelled. Tatsuya could understand that feeling, so he intentionally avoided dampening their enthusiasm and patiently continued to listen.

"That's great......

If Shiba-kun was my support, I could probably win too."

However, this phrase was still taking things too far and couldn't be ignored.

Despite this, he probably shouldn't be the one who pointed this out. Tatsuya glanced subtly at Miyuki, who was sitting beside him.

"Nanabi, I think there's something wrong with that sentiment."

Upon being gently reprimanded, this female student immediately realized that her words could be easily mistaken for her dissatisfaction with her supporting technician.

Her attitude did a complete 180 as she frantically rose to her feet, babbling the entire time, and searched the upperclassmen for the engineer responsible for her. Upon discovering the engineer smiling and waving at her, she finally let out a deep sigh of relief, bowed deeply in apology, then returned to her seat.

"I-I spoke poorly."

"Nana, you can't place your own inadequacies all on the CAD."

"Teehee...... Reflecting."

The volume level for the young ladies' conversation had dropped considerably, but didn't nearly qualify as whispering.

"But there is no doubt that thanks to Shiba-kun, I'm performing much better than usual."

This time it was Takigawa, a female student that took Third Place in Speed Shooting, who spoke up. Eimi nodded excessively at this.

"On some level, CAD calibration is the same thing as telling your darkest secrets, isn't it? And towards a male engineer to boot......

While I did think like that in the beginning, but to have Shiba-kun be my engineer is simply incredible! Here's to the boys who were willing to yield Shiba-kun to us!"

Tatsuya could only smile wryly at the massive misunderstanding hidden behind that innocent smile.

However, there were also people who couldn't muster even a wry smile.

"Ah, hey!"

With a violent "bang", one of the boys stood up.

Heedless of anyone trying to stop him, Morisaki picked up his silverware and headed towards the catering area before leaving the dining hall altogether.

◊ ◊ ◊

Coincidentally at the same time.

Though it wasn't a sumptuous feast, there was an entire array of high class Chinese cuisine — far more lavish than any high school banquet

—spread across the table that was surrounded by a crowd of dismal expressions. There was a colossal difference between the luxurious gold and red decorations and the dour faces of the men present.

"......Wasn't Third High supposed to be favored for the Newcomers

Division?"

They were conversing in English.

"We finally managed to force Watanabe to bow out, but...... If this continues, wouldn't First High triumph again?"

However, the people present showed clear signs of mixed European and East Asian heritage.

"If the favored candidate wins, the house will be hemorrhaging money!"

"There are a lot of VIPs in the casinos this time. Even if we do pay out, this isn't a small sum for us. We'll probably be facing a gaping deficient in the beginning of the business quarter. If that's the case......"

The men peered at one another with grave expressions.

"......Everyone here will be purged by headquarters. Based on the size of our loss, the head may do the honors himself!"

One of the men murmured softly as he peered at the snaking dragon embroidered with gold thread in the middle of the hanging axle.

A heavy silence fell over all the men.

"Dying might be the best thing that could happen to us......"

Someone muttered.

In a voice quaking with terror.

◊ ◊ ◊

Unlike magic related sports events, gender differences didn't really impact magic competitions.

Even so, when taking into account that physical abilities still hold the decisive edge in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, the Newcomers Division separated the genders from this year forth.

In other words, this was the first year that the men and women competed separately in the Newcomers Division.

Until last year, there was no separation by gender, so men usually competed in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, while women chose to participate in events such as Icicle Destruction or Speed Shooting that were less taxing on the physical body. Thanks to this (the ratio favored male participants due to school differences), the audience was generally split between watching two different types of events.

So which was more popular, the Men's competition or the Women's competition?

Based on the Official Division from previous years, the average spectator usually observed the Women's events, while the military, police, firefighters, and university related personnel paid closer attention to the Men's competition.

—Then again, speaking of this year's Newcomers Division.

"There are a lot of people here......"

"There were plainly more open seats during the Men's competition."

Two young ladies were sitting in the empty reserved observation area and cast pitying gazes across the spectator stands that were filled to capacity.

They were Mayumi and Mari.

"Somehow, I feel that there are a lot of people from the universities." Mayumi said this as she directed her gaze towards the VIP stands.

"After seeing that yesterday, they wouldn't be satisfied with just a recording, would they?"

Mari completely agreed.

"Exactly. Aren't we here to watch as well?"

To preserve all fairness, the order of the matches was reversed from yesterday.

It was the sixth day of the Nine Schools Competition and third day of the Newcomers Division.

The first match of the third round in Icicle Destruction was about to take place.

Mayumi glanced at the time and waited for Miyuki to take the stage.

◊ ◊ ◊

Turn back the clock for a few moments.

As Tatsuya and Miyuki were headed towards the resting area for Icicle Destruction, two students from Third High appeared before them.

Both of them were male students.

One of them matched Tatsuya's physique in terms of height and shoulder width, to the point that it was extremely difficult to tell the difference. However, that student had a much more stunning appearance.

The other student was significantly shorter. Thanks in part to the school's reputation for emphasizing martial abilities, this did not give off a weak impression.

They appeared to have noticed Tatsuya at the same time and directly walked towards him.

"I am Ichijou Masaki, Third High, 1st Year." The taller one spoke first.

For people that have just met for the first time, his tone was slightly overbearing, but amazingly, Tatsuya didn't seem to mind.

While both of them were 1st Year students, Ichijou Masaki naturally fit into a leadership role and seemed to exude the charismatic aura of a true leader.

Both his eyes were focused on Tatsuya.

"Likewise, Kichijouji Shinkurou, also from Third High’s 1st Year."

The shorter youth spoke politely and identified himself with a more traditional air, though his eyes teemed with a challenging glint.

"First High, 1st Year, Shiba Tatsuya. So, the 'Crimson Prince' and 'Cardinal George' in the flesh, what may I do for you?"

No sense of malice.

Slightly different from sheer enmity.

Still, there was no question that this was not a friendly attitude. Strictly speaking, it was a naked fighting spirit.

Just like Masaki, Tatsuya also responded in a tone that would be considered overly rude for first acquaintances in his usual manner.

Tatsuya felt that putting on a mask of false friendship would be insulting to these two.

"Ho...... So you know of George's reputation as well as mine? Well that makes this simple."

"Shiba Tatsuya...... A hitherto unknown name, but I shall never forget this name. You are probably the most ingenious technician since the advent of the Nine Schools Competition. I'm afraid we are lacking in manners here, but all we wished for was to meet you once."

"I am honored to be called a 'genius' by the prodigy that discovered the Cardinal Code at age 13...... But you are right in that this is against the norm."

As for his own manner of speaking, he replied back in a frank and straightforward fashion.

Yet, neither of them appeared irritated. They came with absolute determination and maintained a posture one usually reserves for a serious opponent.

"Miyuki, go ahead and prepare."

Tatsuya did not lift his eyes from these two as he gave his instructions to Miyuki. Tatsuya estimated that they would be here for a while.

"I understand."

Miyuki bowed towards Tatsuya and departed for the resting area without sparing Masaki a single glance, as if the pair did not exist within her dimension. There wasn't even a hint that she was intentionally avoiding them — that was how perfectly she rendered them to non-existence.

For an instant, Masaki's eyes followed Miyuki, but swiftly reverted back to Tatsuya.

"......'Prince', isn't your side about to begin?"

The split second of wavering and reluctance did not escape Tatsuya's eyes. Inwardly, he let out a small breath.

Unwavering, Tatsuya's eyes forced Masaki to reply. "......We will appear in tomorrow's Monolith Code."

Yet, the one who replied for him was Kichijouji.

Kichijouji was the champion for the Newcomers Division Speed Shooting event, while Masaki was favored to clinch the crown for the Newcomers Division Icicle Destruction event. Naturally, it was expected that each school would commit their aces to the Monolith Code event.

"What are your plans?"

Although he wanted to ask what he was referring to, there wasn't enough time left.

"I'm not responsible for that."

That being said, he had no obligation to reveal any details, so he went with the abstract answer.

"Is that so...... That's unfortunate. One day, I wish to line up against the players you're responsible for. Of course, we will triumph."

Kichijouji's words caused Tatsuya to feel "Are you throwing down now?". But he quickly thought otherwise, since these guys originally came to challenge him in the first place.

"Sorry for taking your time. We look forward to meeting on the field of battle."

Before Tatsuya could respond to Kichijouji, Masaki made this declaration and walked past Tatsuya with Kichijouji.

—So they're still a rude bunch in the end. Tatsuya thought as he headed towards the resting area where Miyuki was waiting for him without turning his head in the slightest.

"What were they up to?"

The first thing Miyuki asked when she came out of the changing room was about the earlier scene.

"Scouting, I think? Still felt pointless though."

Tatsuya tilted his head and chose to reply in neutral terms and handed Miyuki the CAD he had prepared for her while she was changing.

If there were any extraneous distractions before the match, this would only negatively impact the match itself, so Tatsuya moved to curtail the conversation with haste. Yet, after Miyuki heard Tatsuya's reply, she burst into laughter as if finding some profound meaning in his words.

"I think that's their declaration of war, Onii-sama."

He wasn't ignorant of what his sister was referring to. He himself felt those two came to specifically challenge him.

But in Tatsuya's eyes, this was a pointless gesture. "......You don't believe me?"

Even though Miyuki rolled her eyes upward and pouted sulkily, this wasn't something he was going to let slide so easily.

"No, well...... I'm not a contestant, right? I don't believe these two renowned individuals who have extended their reputations beyond the scope of magic high school students would view a nameless person like myself a rival."

"Rival" was based on the assumption that they acknowledged that both sides were equal.

Objectively speaking, from outward appearances, he wasn't even in the same strata as those two. Superficially, comparing themselves with him was a ridiculous notion. Furthermore, they didn't appear to have discovered his secrets either.

Ordinarily, it was frankly impossible for the "Crimson Prince" or "Cardinal George" to see him as an opponent — Tatsuya thought.

Upon seeing her older brother actually thinking this way and not out of humility, the sister sighed deeply.

"......Onii-sama, underestimating your own abilities would be fatal in battle. Exactly how highly you are valued, how greatly you are watched, even how much other schools view Onii-sama — how fiercely their antagonism burns because of Onii-sama's skills and strategies — I think Onii-sama should consider all of this objectively once more."

For Miyuki, this was an exceedingly rare, and blunt, counsel.

This was a completely unexpected boldness and unimaginable reproach. Tatsuya could only stand there and watch her blankly.

This was the third time Miyuki used her mysterious beauty to captivate the hearts of the audience at the same time that she wielded her terrible might to vanquish the enemy.

◊ ◊ ◊

On the waves where Battle Board would be decided, the first round of the Women's semifinals was about to begin.

The players were already at their starting positions. Honoka's figure was among them.

"Hm~"

"............"

"That's a little

......"

"............"

"OK, that, uh......"

"............"

"What the heck are you two doing?"

All three players were side by side at the starting line. In the stands, Erika was humming in frustration while Mizuki was utterly silent by her side. Finally caving, Leo asked reluctantly.

"Isn't that just~, a little strange? All the players are wearing sunglasses."

"Erika-chan, those are called 'goggles'......"

Indeed, just as Erika and Miyuki said, not just Honoka, but the other two were wearing dark protective goggles as well.

"Isn't that obvious? This is the most reliable countermeasure to Honoka-san's light magic."

Mikihiko's analysis was grounded in common sense, causing Erika to adopt a "How boring~" expression as she laughed mirthlessly.

"......What's wrong with that?"

"But~, doesn't that mean they fell for Tatsuya-kun's strategy? Battle Board players don't use goggles because the water droplets may interfere with their sight. This is a key reason. Yet they quickly adopted goggles after being flashed once......

There should be other ways to counter light magic......"

"Is Honoka-san planning on using the water to obscure their vision?" Erika nodded in disinterest.

However.

"That's hard to say......

I doubt that Tatsuya will rely on such a mundane tactic."

"......Possibly."

Mikihiko's words seemed to rouse some of Erika's interest.

This time, no flash occurred immediately after the start. "She's slow out the gate!?"

"No, she's right behind!"

As they navigated the snaking tunnel in front of the observation deck, Honoka was in second place entering the first sharp curve.

"Eh?"

At this location, the player in first place took an odd route.

Not only did she massively reduce speed, she even drew close to the middle of the route.

Honoka also decelerated, but took a steeper angle that just barely cleared the bend and snatched first place from the player who took the roundabout route.

"What, just happened?"

Normally, players either reduced speed drastically and hugged the inside route, or took a wider angle but controlled their deceleration.

The route taken by the other player could be described as amateurish. Not only did she drastically reduce speed, she also left a huge passing lane.

"......There seem to be shadows floating in the waterways."

Following Leo's observation, Erika squinted and shouted out. "Ah, there it is again!"

This time it was a wide arc way.

The player that Honoka passed once again left a huge gap between her and the wall and slowed down more than necessary to pass the angle. The ensuing result left her farther and farther behind Honoka.

"......No wonder, so that's how it is."

"Eh, what?"

Erika asked Mikihiko, who was nodding in appreciation.

"Tatsuya's intent was to have the other players don goggles that are shaded against light. This point coincided with Erika's guess."

Mikihiko spoke with animation, as if completely abandoning his usual irrational stubbornness.

"However, this isn't for using the water spray to occlude their sight, but to make the dark areas harder to perceive."

"So that's why! Illusions can also be used like this......!"

"Indeed. By turning the lit areas darker, you are able to manipulate

your opponent's moves. Ultimately, magic depends on application......"

"......Would the two of you care to enlighten me as well instead of

amusing yourselves."

At Leo's displeased voice, Mikihiko finally stirred from his daydream.

"Sorry, sorry. In other words, Tatsuya's strategy is......"

◊ ◊ ◊

"Shiba-kun's strategy is very simple.

He used light wave oscillation magic to control the light along the water route.

The protective goggles already restricted vision considerably. This is now compounded by the darkened route, causing people to misjudge the distance to the edge, hereby forcing the opposing players away from the darkness....... In summation, he narrowed the area the players dared to navigate through."

Hattori, with Kirihara in tow, was holding the fort in place of Katsuto, who had gone to observe the Men's Icicle Destruction event. They were currently listening to every word of Suzune's explanation.

"Even if the mind says otherwise and claims that the water's surface shoulder is wider, it remains a difficult task to override physical perception. At the same time, regardless of who the player is, anyone would have a harder time raising their speed along a narrow corridor. Thus, this strategy is grounded in denying the other players from bringing out their full potential."

"......But, wouldn't Honoka-san be affected herself?"

"That's why she has repeatedly trained under similar conditions." Hattori's question prompted a simplistic answer.

"......Generally, the user remains unaffected by the magic itself, so no worries."

"Don't relax just yet. Shiba-kun said that 'the width of the water way is fixed, so use your body rather than your eyes to memorize it'."

Hearing Suzune's reply, Kirihara muttered.

"......So rather than being a clever strategy, it turned out to be a full frontal assault anyway.......

This could only come from someone with one hell of a mean streak."

Kirihara's impression caused Suzune to burst into laughter.

◊ ◊ ◊

After the morning matches, the pavilion reserved for First High turned into an ocean of festivities.

All three participants in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction third round won.

In the round robin portion of the event during the afternoon, every player came from First High.

Honoka also advanced to the finals for Battle Board. This was a result that could only be described as "dominating".

The only people who couldn't join in the fun were the ten players from the 1st Year Men's team.

If they competed normally, the male members would surely achieve similarly impressive results. That being said, their blind animosity led to repeated mental errors that only increased as their numbers dwindled and their frustration mounted, throwing them into a vicious cycle of self-destruction.

Among them, the three players from Icicle Destruction — Miyuki, Shizuku, and Eimi, as well as Tatsuya, the technician responsible, were not present because they were summoned to one of the hotel's conference rooms.

"We're pressed for time, so I'll keep this short."

Mayumi was the one who called them here. She was the only one waiting for them.

"Until now, no school has ever monopolized the round robin portion of this event. Shiba-san, Kitayama-san, Akechi-san, your performances have been exemplary."

Politely, calmly, and frantically, the three of them displayed three different attitudes as they bowed in thanks to Mayumi's praise.

"In recognition of this feat, the board has a proposal. They say that regardless of what the standings for the round robin are, our school will receive all the points anyway, so there's no need to play this out. All three of you will share First Place collectively."

The three of them looked at one another, with Tatsuya smiling sardonically in the back.

No matter how they tried to disguise this, the board was obviously trying to lighten his workload.

"It is up to all of you whether to accept the board's proposal. The only criterion is that you don't have much time to consider this. Please make a decision here and now."

Upon hearing Mayumi's words, Eimi started fidgeting as her eyes roamed around.

With her skill level, she was well aware that she had no chance against either Miyuki or Shizuku.

Up until this point, she was satisfied with Third Place, but it was simply human nature for people to desire First Place. It was too much of a stretch for her not to want this to happen.

Miyuki glanced at Tatsuya.

Shizuku also looked towards Tatsuya.

"Tatsuya-kun, what is your opinion? If all three were to fight it out, you would have a hard time managing all three."

So, Mayumi wished for the three of them to share First Place together, Tatsuya thought.

In truth, this was the most desirable outcome from the leadership's perspective.

"To be honest, based on Akechi-san's current condition, she would be better off avoiding the next round. The third round was too heated and it's hard to imagine that she can recover in one or two hours."

From Tatsuya's perspective, he didn't feel that he has to worry on this account. He was just speaking candidly.

"Is that so......

Akechi-san, do you agree with what Tatsuya-kun said?"

"Well, that......

Before I heard what you said, I was already ready to give up anyway. It is true that I'm not in optimal condition, so I was planning on bowing out after talking it over with Shiba-kun anyway......

Because Shiba-kun knows me better than I know myself."

Her tone was diffident, likely because she felt that she was shirking her responsibilities by accepting the board's proposal.

"Really."

Mayumi smiled to console her and nodded before turning to Miyuki and Shizuku.

"I......"

Shizuku spoke up first. "Want to compete."

Her eyes burned with fiery determination as she looked Mayumi in the eye.

"After this, how many opportunities will I have to go all out against

Miyuki......

I don't want to miss this chance."

"How unfortunate......"

Mayumi dropped her gaze to the ground and sighed. "What does Miyuki-chan think?"

"If Kitayama-san wishes to compete against me, I have no reason to refuse."

Mayumi knew very well that Miyuki was made of sterner stuff that belied her appearance, so she was completely unsurprised by this response.

"I understand...... Then, I will report to the board that Akechi-san has withdrawn whereas Shiba-san and Kitayama-san will engage in a duel to decide the final round. The match should be the first one of the afternoon, so you had best take this opportunity to prepare."

After Mayumi finished speaking, the first one to bow was Tatsuya.

As he left the conference room, Miyuki and Shizuku immediately bowed to Mayumi and left right behind him. Eimi frantically bowed as well and said: "I'll take my leave."

◊ ◊ ◊

The stands were overflowing with spectators.

The changes in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction event were quickly announced and intentionally set as the first match of the afternoon to avoid conflicting with other events.

Not just the normal stands, but even the reserved seating area for members was quickly filled.

There, Tatsuya could be seen sandwiched between Mayumi and Mari.

After finishing the calibrations for both their CADs, Tatsuya didn't accompany either Miyuki or Shizuku, but sat in the last row of the reserved seating area.

Before leaving, he left the two of them with these words. The words, "Do your best".

"But in reality, you wanted to stay by Miyuki's side, didn’t you?"

Alas, the rare "well meaning words" took on a different connotation when delivered from her lips as Mayumi revealed an evil smirk. For some reason, whenever she was with Tatsuya, her fiendish side seemed to rise dramatically.

"Yeah."

Undoubtedly because she was annoyed by Tatsuya's wooden reaction. "......You sure admitted that easily."

Although she gave pretense to being mean, Mari's real nature was — perhaps — much kinder than Mayumi as she interjected with her almost signature retort.

"Do you know what Sister Complex means?"

"I don't think I follow. How does cheering on your own kin constitute being a sis-con?"

His direct rebuttal while feigning ignorance had long since become customary.

Except Mayumi and Mari had wised up to his tactics.

"Wow, did you hear that Mari? This child is actually confident in his own cause!"

"Looks seriously ill to me. Is it hopeless?"

Isn't it pointless to loudly gossip about the person stuck between them? Tatsuya thought. He was thoroughly helpless against this special way of "bullying the underclassman".

This short skit was nothing more than the appetizer before the curtains were drawn.

As if to prove this, when both players took the stage, the entire audience fell into complete silence.

In the arena, two young women stood facing one another.

On one side, her white hakui and crimson hakama filled the eyes. On the other side, tamotos the color of water flooded the vision. Miyuki didn't bind her hair; Shizuku didn't bring an obi.

The long, wavy hair and silk tamotos fluttered in the slight winds of summer.

The two young women were suffused with a suffocating silence.

This was the chilling "fighting spirit" that shared the name of this purely magical contest and was far removed from its burning counterpart.

The preparation signal light lit up.

The colors changed, and at the moment the beacon responsible for starting the match went off—

Magic flooded outward at the same moment. A heat wave rushed towards Shizuku's field. Yet, the icicles stubbornly resisted the incursion.

The wide area heat wave from "Inferno" was denied by the "Data Fortification" magic that stopped the changes in the icicles' temperature.

The earth groaned as magic rushed towards Miyuki's field.

But the oscillations were stamped out the moment they tried to resonate.

Wide area magic prevented oscillations and movement within her own field and extended across the earth's surface and below it as well.

The two of them went back and forth, taking turns using phenomenon rewriting on the other's icicles. This was a perfect stalemate, worthy of the praise from all the pundits and experts — on the outside.

But the combatants involved didn't think so.

(I can't get in......

! As expected of Miyuki!)

Shizuku's "Resonance" was completely rejected by the enemy field. In comparison, Miyuki's heat wave was enveloping Shizuku's field.

"Data Fortification" is a counter magic used to prevent magic from passing through and altering the Eidos.

It was unable to prevent the physical effects from magic.

Even if the magic couldn't directly influence the icicles' temperature, the heated air would cause the icicles to melt. It was only a matter of time.

(In that case!)

Shizuku stuck her left wrist with the CAD attached into her right sleeve.

She pulled out a pistol-shaped Specialized CAD in her hand.

This was the final trump card that Tatsuya had prepared for Shizuku.

Shizuku pointed the muzzle towards the front row of icicles in Miyuki's field and pulled the CAD's trigger.

(Dual-wielding CADs!? Shizuku, you managed to accomplish that?)

Seeing Shizuku's left hand also holding a pistol-shaped CAD, Miyuki inwardly wavered.

Wielding multiple CADs simultaneously was her brother's trademark ability. It was an extremely difficult technique that was almost "unique".

Miyuki believed that, for someone who could so easily lose control of magic like herself, it was far too soon for her to challenge that ability that demanded absolute control of her psions. At the same time, she was terrified of infringing upon her brother's favored technique.

However, at the current moment, Shizuku was wielding a second CAD before her very eyes.

Without arousing interference from the psion signal waves, the second CAD completed its Activation Sequence.

Instantly, Miyuki's magic stopped.

The sustained magic was curtailed in mid translation. Now, Shizuku's new magic stormed forward.

"Phonon Maser!?"

Hearing Mayumi's gasp, Tatsuya privately applauded as if this new magic had nothing to do with him: "She certainly is well versed in magic!"

The front row of icicles in Miyuki's field started to give off white steam.

For three rounds, Miyuki's icicles were untouched — at the magical level — by her opponents, and were now damaged for the first time by enemy attack.

Oscillation-Systematic Magic "Phonon Maser" — a high level magic that raises the number of supersonic oscillations to form a quantum heat ray.

Even if this was the tactic that Tatsuya gave Shizuku to defeat

Miyuki......

His expression remained oddly dark.

Not because Miyuki was in danger of being defeated.

But because he knew better than anyone else that relying on this level of strength to surpass that sister of his was nothing more than a pipe dream.

She faltered for all of one second.

Acting in concert with Shizuku's newly sustainable magic, Miyuki also switched magics.

The rising steam from the icicles — the sublimation of ice halted.

Not because she blocked the heat ray formed by the shooting supersonic waves, but because an absolute chill that surpassed the heat of "Phonon Maser" had materialized itself.

Miyuki's field was instantly enshrouded in a sublime, white mist. The mist gradually drifted towards Shizuku's field.

Miyuki knew that Shizuku would raise the inference strength on "Data Fortification".

Despite this. Regardless.

(......Alas, you are too naive, Shizuku!)

The flowing mist was "cold air". Temperature change — magic that prevented melting had no effect on this magic.

"......

'Niflheim'

.......That's impossible, right? What magical dimension are we in here......"

Mari said in amazement.

Tatsuya shared that sentiment, but remained silent on the issue. Wide Area Freezing Magic "Niflheim".

At the basic level, this technique ignored heat and appearance, using magic to uniformly cool down all the objects within a set area. Even so, in terms of practicality, this magic could be used to create Diamond Dust, Dry Ice Particles, or even large clouds of nitrogen gas in a pinch that could be advanced towards the target.

Likewise, its strength was building towards the strongest level.

The nitrogen mist passed through Shizuku's field and vanished near the other end of the arena.

On one side of Shizuku's icicles — the side facing Miyuki that is, nitrogen was coated on its surface, creating "dynamite" on the icicles.

Miyuki disabled "Niflheim" and once again activated "Inferno".

Shizuku's "Data Fortification" could only affect objects that originally existed within the area and thus had no impact on newly applied materials.

Lowering the temperature of nitrogen gas produced a cooling effect. Likewise, rapidly heating nitrogen liquid at temperatures far exceeding normal room temperature would instantly evaporate the nitrogen.

Expanding it to 700 times its size.

With a huge roar, Shizuku's icicles collapsed as one. It was unknown whether the roar came from the icicles hitting the earth or the roar itself caused the icicles to fall, or even if it was caused by the gas explosion.

The very fact that the icicles were shattered into tiny pieces testified to the ferocity of the explosion.

The judges were probably stunned by this scene unfolding before their eyes.

Hence they hesitated briefly before announcing the end of the match.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."

Shizuku, who had returned to their room first, congratulated Honoka, who was fresh from her post-event medical examination.

"Thank you......

It was a nice try, Shizuku."

"Yeah......

But I can't accept it."

Her soft words would likely prompt some people to suspect: "Is that true?" But Honoka was her close friend from childhood, and there was no way she could misinterpret Shizuku's meaning.

"Shizuku......"

Honoka wrapped her arms around the slightly shorter Shizuku and pulled her into a hug.

Arms dangling, Shizuku dove into Honoka's embrace.

"Even though I never thought I had a chance from the beginning."

"Really......"

"But, there was nothing I could do."

"............"

"I still can't let it go, Honoka......"

"......You gave it your all."

This persisted for some time. "......Thanks. I'm OK now."

Shizuku said as she separated from Honoka.

There were no tear tracks on her face.

"Is that so

......? Shizuku, want to grab some tea? I'm a little hungry."

"......OK."

"Give me a second to change, alright?"

Shizuku smiled in embarrassment and nodded as she watched Honoka's sunny attitude.

The moment Honoka stepped into the cafeteria, she was immediately caught between a rock and a hard place and struck immobile.

She locked gazes with Miyuki, who had arrived beforehand.

They couldn't just retreat like this, but even so, it's not like they could just nonchalantly sit down next to her. This terrible situation almost caused Honoka to burst into tears.

"Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."

While Miyuki's warm smile was no less brilliant than usual, there was still a little stiffness in her upper lip. They were unable to "act normally" and, while there were some degrees of difference, Miyuki was no exception to this either.

"Honoka, congratulations."

If Honoka hesitated now or put on a stilted smile, this would only worsen the mood. In order to deny her that opportunity, Tatsuya immediately addressed her in his usual tone and simultaneously dispelled the awkward atmosphere around them. However, by doing so he also cut off Honoka's path of egress.

"Ah, err, thank you very much......"

"Tatsuya-kun, may we sit with you?" Shizuku broke the ice here.

"Of course, please do."

Tatsuya said as he rose and stepped behind an empty chair. Miyuki picked up the teacups and moved the tray before sitting down in an adjacent seat from her previous position opposite Tatsuya.

"Please."

"Thank you."

Shizuku didn't hesitate and sat down in the chair Tatsuya pulled out for her — directly across from Miyuki.

Honoka blushed as Tatsuya did the same for her and sat down.

After Honoka and Shizuku ordered a cake set from the waitress that just happened to pass by, Tatsuya once again looked over the two of them.

"This one's on me. Let's call this the celebration for taking First and Second Place."

"Eh, really?"

"......Then, I'll do just that."

While Honoka hesitated briefly, Shizuku merely nodded in acceptance. She seemed to comprehend that Tatsuya's real intention was to console her, so there was no reason to refuse.

Seeing her friend rebound faster than she expected, Honoka breathed a sigh of relief and finally focused her attention on her own situation.

"Um, well......"

"Hm?"

"Well, I was able to win all thanks to Tatsuya-kun! Thank you so much!"

After all the attention was drawn back to herself, Honoka faltered even more than earlier when she realized that she hadn't thanked Tatsuya for everything yet. She was finally able to deftly do so after great personal difficulty.

Seeing her like this, Tatsuya smiled and nodded his head. "Just a little."

He wasn't being humble nor was he denying her words, he just didn't want to blow it out of proportion. Honoka didn't take issue with the words "just a little" probably because she understood the meaning behind his smile.

After verifying this, Tatsuya wiped away his smile and turned his gaze on Shizuku.

"However, I do need to apologize to Shizuku."

"Eh?"

Shizuku stared at Tatsuya with a "I have no idea what you're talking about" expression.

"Disregarding the final outcome, this could have turned into a more even contest...... My estimation was too naive. It was too strenuous a demand for you to completely master 'Phonon Maser' in two short weeks."

"Ah, that...... No, that's not Tatsuya-kun's fault at all. Also, without that, I would have had no chance to retaliate at all."

Fully comprehending why Tatsuya was apologizing, Shizuku vigorously shook her head.

"It was my fault I couldn't control it. I should be the one apologizing. If I could wield it at will, that would have made for a much better match. As an inept opponent, I also extend my apologies to Miyuki as well."

"Please don't be like that. At the time, I was very surprised. You were able to use such an advanced magic ability while dual-wielding CADs at the same time."

Miyuki smiled and shook her head. Afterwards, she teasingly glared at Tatsuya.

"Onii-sama, were you really trying to make me lose?"

At this fairly complex to answer question, Tatsuya immediately responded.

"......I just wanted the both of you to bring out your maximum potential."

And the result was this dignified but brilliant rejoinder. Pompous, but it was no lie.

Miyuki knew this very well, but understanding this was one thing, being satisfied with this answer was another thing altogether.

"Seriously......

Does this person not care about his own sister?"

"I do believe you would be truly indignant if I went easy on you."

Anyone could encounter their friend teasing an older sibling, but this was an extremely rare occurrence for Miyuki. Her words not only brought about Tatsuya's rebuttal, they also caused Honoka and Shizuku to burst into laughter.

◊ ◊ ◊

It was the seventh day of the Nine Schools Competition and the fourth day of the Newcomers Division.

Today was the preliminaries of the Newcomers Division Monolith Code event, which was widely regarded as the most important event within the Nine Schools Competition. Yet, the audience's attention was completely concentrated on Mirage Bat.

Since this was an event that only young ladies participated in, their uniforms consisted of colorful spandex that was covered by flowing miniskirts and sleeveless vests or jackets. When compared to the fashion show (cosplay contest?) that Women's Icicle Destruction presented, this was another feast for the eyes of a different caliber.

Rather, the young women in these uniforms were dancing through the skies.

In terms of sheer beauty, this event was undoubtedly first among all magic competitions.

Thus, it was perfectly natural to receive massive attention (and scrutiny) from the male fans.

That being said — if this wasn't Tatsuya's mental reaction, he felt that he was also the subject of many a curious gaze.

This was no lustful gaze that he was fighting against, but the collective (prickly) hostile gazes filled with enmity.

"......You're certainly dimwitted when it comes to your own affairs."

The player that completed her preparations for the first match spoke to Tatsuya in a teasing manner.

"While I don't deny that I'm a little slow in some regards......

You have some idea, Satomi?"

"Of course!"

She was Satomi Subaru from First High 1st Year Class D, and, of course, a Course 1 student. Satomi was actually her surname, as the two of them were not close enough for Tatsuya to call her by her actual name.

"Everyone came to see Shiba-kun."

She was a young lady that was somewhat similar to Mari. To be precise, they were both more popular among their own gender than with those of the opposite gender.

However, at the end of the day, they were only "somewhat" similar. Also, if the two of them stood side by side, they would still give off different impressions to others.

Let's assume both were dressed in swallowtail suits.

Mari would give off a "beautiful lady dressed in men's clothes" vibe.

While Subaru would definitely categorize as a "beautiful young man from the troupers".

Regretfully, that was probably their defining difference.

It remained a mystery as to whether Subaru was conscious of this point, but it was true that her tone and mannerisms had a masculine tinge to them.

Even so, this was hardly a "rude" impression, but as her previous words implied, she was an extremely perceptive young lady.

"In both Speed Shooting and the subsequent Icicle Destruction, we seized all three of the top spots. I think anyone watching could see that highly efficient CAD software played an integral part in that. That's why everyone wants to know who the technician responsible is."

"......But, anyone can find out who the technician on duty is without much research."

"That's true. Shiba-kun, the other schools are now very wary of you."

If what Subaru said was true — and there was no reason to think otherwise — then things were rapidly progressing in the direction that Tatsuya wanted to see the least.

Generally, people are forced to act in conditions where they are not fully prepared. That's just "how life works".

Despite that, he was woefully unprepared for this situation.

According to the plan, "Shiba Tatsuya" was only supposed to be revealed post graduation.

"Then...... It's my turn to take this by storm. Honestly, with this CAD in hand, there's no reason I can be defeated in the preliminaries."

As she paced continuously towards the entrance, Subaru raised her right arm with a "bracelet" that seemed to flash in the sunlight. Over one shoulder, she revealed a daring smile.

Tatsuya gave her a thumbs up and watched her depart.

As she said herself, Subaru was practically guaranteed to triumph in the preliminaries.

Using the CAD he calibrated.

While he didn't want to be in the public eye so much, he couldn't exactly just mail it in either.

As a Course 2 student — as a Weed in the system, nobody save for one person placed high expectations on him, but now he was out of options.

Now, he had Mayumi and Mari who nominated him for the Nine Schools Competition, Katsuto who supported this decision, Hattori who backed him despite his own personal feelings and Kirihara who was willing to be a guinea pig despite the danger. Then there were Honoka, Shizuku, and all the other female players who were depending on him as well as — and Miyuki, who unconditionally believed and supported him.

Once entwined, these social links could not be so easily "dissolved", even by him.

◊ ◊ ◊

Mirage Bat involved four people at a time in the preliminary round, with the six victors from each round advancing to the next round.

Even though this was the event in the Nine Schools Competition with the least amount of matches, this did not imply that this was an easier task for the players.

Taking into consideration that there were three rounds, each lasting 15 minutes at a time, this was the longest event in the Nine Schools Competition. Including the five minute breaks spaced between, the event could last approximately one hour. Compared to Icicle Destruction and Monolith Code that had no time restrictions, this was an especially long duration.

Also, during the match itself, the players had to use sustainable magic and continuously leap into the air. The stress placed on the players themselves easily rivaled that of a marathon.

And to top it all off, there were two matches in one day alone.

In terms of physical stamina, this was a more punishing event than Crowd Ball or Monolith Code.

With the players' exhaustion in mind, there was a large interval for resting between the preliminary and elimination rounds, which could be said to be a unique feature of this event.

The first match was set at 8 AM. With two arenas going at the same time, the preliminaries would be finished around noon.

The elimination round would start at 7 PM. This was the only night time event in the entire Nine Schools Competition.

Some may question why the Nine Schools Competition forced the preliminary and elimination rounds into one day rather than splitting them across two days. There was, of course, a method to the madness.

Mirage Bat was an event that involved swinging a bat towards the orb- shaped holograms (Strictly speaking, they were three dimensional orb images. Modern imaging techniques technically possessed fundamental differences with holograms). In other words, the player had to identify the illusion floating ten meters off the ground while still grounded, otherwise there was no way to complete the event. This event was not suited to be conducted under the burning sun. Hence an airship was deployed during the third match to avoid letting the sun interfere with the event.

Mirage Bat was designed to be conducted during night time.

In order to avoid letting the players' bodies cover the projecting lights, the 3D projector was set atop the cylindrical light towers that surrounded the arena. From this alone, one could fully understand this was intended to be a night event.

◊ ◊ ◊

After the end of the second match — as expected, both Honoka and Subaru advanced — Tatsuya was headed back to his room to take a quick nap.

The two players had already returned to their rooms and were sound asleep.

In this event, restoring lost stamina was absolutely critical.

As the technician, Tatsuya didn't need to rest physically, but this was a good opportunity to relax his nerves. He toyed with the idea of using the Sleeping Docks, but elected to yield that to the players first and returned to his room, pulled the curtains, and lay on the bed.

Right now, the third match of Mirage Bat was progressing. He was very fortunate to be assigned the first and second matches. Even though it was only one more hour, this hour had a huge impact on refreshing himself mentally and physically.

He also wished that Miyuki's Official Division preliminary was early as well, but that was out of his hands. Tatsuya abandoned that thought after taking into account how meaningless that consideration was.

His physical body wasn't tired, so he didn't have to force himself to sleep, but allowed his mind to wander.

As he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, Tatsuya thought back to the scene from yesterday morning.

Ichijou Masaki and Kichijouji Shinkurou — while they were of the same age as he was, they were both prodigies that were renowned in the world of magic.

Ichijou Masaki — Three years ago, when the Great Asian Alliance invaded Okinawa, the New Soviet Union also took military action on Sado, where the young man of a mere 13 years volunteered for the front lines and, alongside the current head of the Ichijou Family, Ichijou Gouki, used "Rupture" to annihilate many enemy soldiers. He was a Magician who possessed live combat experience.

While the scale of the battle was quite small (to this day, the New Soviet Union denies their connection with the militants that invaded Sado), he was awarded the title "the Crimson Prince of the Ichijou Family" for his exploits. (Here, "Crimson" praised him for the fact that "he was bathed in blood and fought to the last" rather than being a derogatory "bloodthirsty" label.)

Kichijouji Shinkurou — A genius Magician that identified the "Cardinal Code", which had only existed in theory, at age 13. Based on his surname Kichijouji and the "Cardinal Code" he discovered, he was given the title "Cardinal George" and was held to be one of the rising stars behind theoretical Magic Sequences who were known throughout the field.

The fact that both of them registered at the same school in the same cohort was a coincidence that bordered on criminal.

For the two of them to team up during Monolith Code was already an invincible combination, at least for the Newcomers Division.

Morisaki and company deserved to be pitied. Tatsuya viewed things that were not connected to him more mercifully.

If only there was some way to close the gap.

("Rupture" is a magic that possesses A-Rank destructive power......

Maybe.)

The Ichijou Family's far-famed ability "Rupture" was a Dispersal- Systematic Magic that vaporized all fluids within the target's body.

Once the fluids from a biological target were vaporized, the body would tear apart.

For internal combustible machines, once the fuel evaporated, the car would immediately explode. This was also the case for battery liquid. Even if there were no flammable liquids on board, there was still engine oil, lubricants, coolant. There was practically no machine that didn't use some sort of fluid. Thus, as long as "Rupture" was activated, the Ichijous could destroy any machine at will.

This was the perfect magic for both anti-personnel and anti-armor combat. "Rupture" was designed solely for military use, so naturally it infringed upon the rules for Monolith Code.

(That being said, he is still the next head of house for one of the Ten Master Clans and possesses the proud title "Crimson Prince", so he wouldn't just rely on "Rupture" as his trump card...... Speaking of which...)

He shifted his thoughts from two people who signed up for Monolith Code and declared war in front of him to the Monolith Code event itself.

He didn't have to devote all his energy into creating countermeasures for Third High yet.

Right now, First High's second match was about to start.

(They already took the first match and the second match is against the lowly Fourth High. Even they can't screw this up that bad......

)

Tatsuya's eyes remained closed as he surrendered to his drowsiness and drifted off to sleep.

◊ ◊ ◊

Tatsuya woke up shortly after noon and headed for the competition area, only to find the area covered by a rattled atmosphere.

Scratch that, it was a complete state of panic that enveloped the pavilions.

First High's pavilion was the center of it all. "Onii-sama!"

The moment he stepped into the pavilion, Miyuki ran over to him as if this was a predetermined event. Shizuku was right alongside her.

"Miyuki......

Shizuku too, weren't you two with Erika's group?"

According to the plan, before Honoka got up — she had to prepare for the finals around 5 PM — Miyuki and Shizuku should have been watching Monolith Code with Erika and the others.

Yet, the two of them were here, which implied that......

"What's going on? Did something happen during Monolith Code?"

Without waiting for an answer, Tatsuya immediately followed up with another question.

There was no reason to ask if something had occurred, the very mood testified that an incident occurred.

Tatsuya had an inkling that this was likely worse than he had feared. "Yes, there was an accident, but......"

"Miyuki, that was no accident!"

As Miyuki hesitated to speak, Shizuku forcefully overrode her words as she interrupted.

"That was intentionally overkill. It was blatantly against the rules."

Although she kept a tight rein on her tone, Shizuku's eyes betrayed her fury.

"Shizuku...... This is not the best time to make wild accusations. We don't have proof that Fourth High intentionally did this."

"Indeed, Kitayama-san."

Behind them, Mayumi interjected into the conversation.

"It is hard to imagine that this was purely an accident...... Even so, we cannot jump to the conclusion that this was premeditated. If we hurtle suspicions around blindly, some people who do not know any better may assume that's the truth."

This may be a little impolite, but that was certainly a worthy argument from the upperclassman leadership.

As he saw Shizuku reflect upon that gentle reprimand, Tatsuya also thought, "The President does have a few tricks up her sleeve".

......Unfortunately, Mayumi immediately squinted at him from the side.

"......Is there a problem?"

"......You were just thinking something impolite, weren't you?"

(H-how sharp......!)

Tatsuya faltered slightly at how adeptly she saw through him.

Still, when he stood there, his life experiences belied his actual physical appearance.

"No, I was just thinking, as expected of the Student Council President......"

He wore a mask of honesty and feigned that he was being unjustly suspected in order to carefully gauge her reaction.

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

While her eyes remained suspicious, Mayumi reined herself in at least. Not only was she unable to find any chinks in Tatsuya's acting, she also felt this wasn't the right time to pursue this issue.

"Then, what's our injury situation?"

"So you realized from the conversation alone that Morisaki-kun and the others are injured......"

Mayumi sighed, her expression had "what a troublesome issue" written all over her face.

"......They are seriously injured. The event was held in an urban setting and they were crushed beneath the rubble from a ruined building that crumbled when the attacks from 'Battering Ram' struck."

"......If used against people in closed environments, the magic

"Battering Ram" rates as A-rank in destructive power. This is on a completely different level than the danger encountered during Battle Board and is a blatant violation of the rules."

The "Battering Ram" that the two were speaking of was also known as "Point Burst", which was a magic developed through PK research. This magic functions by rewriting the Eidos of the target object and applying a massive Weight-Type Magic on a single point. When used against buildings, the target requirement was usually a wall or the ceiling, or at least a "single surface" that was separated from any pillars and also required a colossal magic capacity as well as high interference strength.

If simply destroying a building was the goal, it was more efficient to use Move-Type Magic and sling a hammer around. In comparison, "Battering Ram" was a highly demanding magic that, besides BS Magicians, was not something that could be casually treated like a toy.

"Agreed...... Even if they were wearing military-use protective equipment, that's not going to help against tons of rocks and dirt falling on top of you. Thanks to the protective helmets and the observers casting Light Weight Magic in time, disaster was averted......

The three of them have undergone magic healing, but even then this will take two weeks. They are confined to bed for the next three days."

Still, Mayumi avoided making a judgment on whether the accident was truly intentional and subtly altered the direction of the conversation.

"......It's more serious than I imagined."

Tatsuya could sympathize with Mayumi's stance on not voicing an opinion and thus avoiding the need to pursue the issue.

"Indeed. This may be a little rash, but once I saw the magic healers going, that was a horrible sight."

Just as she said, this was a somewhat harsh opinion regarding the injured members.

At any rate, the fact that Mayumi faltered so badly was also a clear indication that she was probably not on guard against Tatsuya.

"Wait, I'm still unclear on this point. Were all three in the same building?"

This may not have been a matter Tatsuya needed to worry about, but in Monolith Code, the typical strategy called for either one person on the attack and two on the defense or vice versa. Tatsuya had a hard time figuring out what situation would call for all three members of the team to be struck down by the same attack.

"They immediately suffered a surprise attack once the match was under way. It wasn't that they couldn't find anyone before the start signal, but it was that they didn't have a chance to. Setting aside 'Battering Ram' for now, there's no question that jumping the gun is a clear violation of the rules."

The one who answered was the fuming Shizuku.

"I see......

In that case, then the board will be busy too."

"Because they weren't able to prevent it......

Right?"

Seeing Tatsuya grin evilly, Miyuki tilted her head as she asked in confusion.

Miyuki was too sincere and honest to comprehend Tatsuya's twisted line of logic.

"This isn't anything too important. Rather, setting an easily destructible ruin as the starting location was one of the key causes of this accident — we'll call it an accident for now. The board may elect to scrap Monolith Code from the Newcomers Division altogether."

"......That's also true."

Miyuki nodded in profound agreement to Tatsuya's reasoning. At this time, Mayumi jumped back in.

"There are indeed calls for a halt to this. However, the ending result is that the preliminaries are still going on for all the schools besides us and Fourth High. The worst case scenario is that our school will be treated as withdrawn from the second round of the preliminaries."

Hearing Mayumi's words, it was Tatsuya's turn to turn his head.

"What do you mean worst case scenario? The players are unable to compete any longer, so aside from withdrawing, I don't see any other options......"

"On this point, Juumonji-kun is currently negotiating with the board."

"Really......"

After the commencement of the Nine Schools Competition, changing players was forbidden. In other words, since the other side violated the rules, they were going to request an exception?

Even so, the Monolith Code team members consisted of the 1st Year male students with the top three magic technical scores. Even if they found replacements, victory remained elusive. Rather than looking for replacements, a better option would be an unorthodox request to remove the scores from Monolith Code from the aggregate score. Behind these vague responses, Tatsuya made this consideration.

Naturally, Mayumi had no idea what dark plots were running through

Tatsuya's mind.

"—Tatsuya-kun, I wish to speak with you."

Mayumi's voice contained coquettish overtones. She must be thoroughly unnerved by this chain of accidents and was subconsciously looking for something or someone to rely on.

At practically the same time, his sister fixed a burning gaze on Tatsuya. He really wanted to dig a hole and hide as he thought “I didn't do it, don't glare at me, why aren't you glaring at Mayumi?”. But there was no way he would be caught dead saying that.

"Can you come with me for a moment?"

Does this mean she was worried about other people overhearing their private conversation?

The burning gaze doubled in intensity, but Tatsuya feigned ignorance as he followed right behind Mayumi.

◊ ◊ ◊

Although they were inside the pavilion with a wall separating them from the outside, it was only made of cloth after all. From this perspective, this served as a poor sound barrier.

Yet, this was the realm of magic that reversed the laws of reality. Mayumi slowly built up a magical barrier that prevented their voices from traveling outside.

"Quite the perfect sound barrier."

"Really......? Hm hm, thank you."

Mayumi sat down with a slightly embarrassed expression while Tatsuya also pulled up a chair and sat.

"Then, let's cut to the chase......"

"Very well."

"............"

Even though Mayumi claimed time was of the essence, she refrained from speaking. Since the two of them alone would arouse all sorts of problems, Tatsuya finally opened up.

"You suspect that this accident is also related to the previous sabotage incident?"

"......Yes. On that topic, I would like to hear Tatsuya-kun's opinion.

Tatsuya-kun mentioned before that Mari's incident had a high probability of the CAD being tampered with, right?"

Mayumi finally worked up the courage to ask, to which Tatsuya nodded and replied: "Yes."

"If they were using the same tactic this time, that would fully explain Fourth High's actions...... How do you think we should go about proving this?"

"Our only option is to catch them red handed, all other options are not viable."

"Can't we...... Borrow Fourth High's CADs and look them over?"

"This would be fine if traces of the rewritten Activation Sequence remained

...... But given the ominous silence from the already disqualified Seventh High, this seems unlikely."

"Really......"

Mayumi's gaze dropped down to her ten interlaced fingers on the table top.

Tatsuya watched her pose and considered that he caused her some disappointment here. Mayumi didn't raise her eyes and continued asking.

"......If this played out according to Tatsuya-kun's assumptions and our school is the subject of sabotage...... What do you think the motive is?

Vengeance? Revenge for the incident in spring?"

So that's the real item that Mayumi was concerned about, Tatsuya thought.

Tatsuya possessed the intelligence in his hands to dispel this concern. He knew that this situation was not caused by remnants of "Blanche", the terrorist organization that they shattered, or any related organizations. If he revealed everything that he knew, he would be able to alleviate Mayumi's anxiety.

Yet, whether revealing everything was truly the best choice, he hesitated briefly over this decision.

"......This is unrelated to the incident in spring."

Finally, Tatsuya elected to play one card from his hand. "Eh? What makes you say that?"

Mayumi quickly raised her head and asked back, her voice betraying her hopes and prayers that he had some basis for saying so.

Tatsuya possessed the power to realize that hope. At the same time, he was denied the option of laying everything out on the table.

"The day before commencement...... No, the date had already changed. At any rate, the night before the opening ceremony, several miscreants sought to infiltrate the dorms. There were a total of three, each equipped with firearms."

"......That's the first I've heard of this!"

"That's because a gag order has been issued. By pure coincidence, I was on station when this occurred and may have supplied some assistance...... I also have some passing familiarity with their background. The ones who struck at this year's Nine Schools Competition appear to be a criminal organization out of Hong Kong."

The classified portions were filled in with a few white lies.

Mayumi didn't suspect his words at all.

"This time may have been coincidental......

But please refrain from such dangerous behavior in the future."

"If pressed for an answer, I feel that I'm always getting dragged into things."

Mayumi gazed suspiciously at Tatsuya shrugging his shoulders. But, as she quickly realized, this wasn't the time for that.

"OK...... Haven't you been asked to keep this under wraps? Thank you for telling me."

"In return, please don't let this spread."

"I know. I promise."

Mayumi raised her right hand as if she were solemnly swearing a vow.

At this perfectly natural yet mischievous action, Tatsuya almost burst into laughter.

"......Even though I know I shouldn't say this but I still want to say, I feel a lot more relaxed."

"......Indeed, those words cannot be heard anywhere else."

"No worries. I only say that in front of Tatsuya."

Keh, how should he interpret that? Tatsuya agonized over that point.

Don't tell me that she was linking this back to the "trustworthy little brother" line from several days ago?

As usual, Mayumi's thought pattern remained a complete mystery to Tatsuya.

◊ ◊ ◊

"What's the situation?"

"Just as planned. First High will have to withdraw from Monolith Code."

Yokohama, China Street, the highest floor in some hotel. Five men were seated around a round table with tea sets in a large room chiefly decorated in red and gold.

On the wall, there were images of a dragon in flight sewn with gold thread.

"Monolith Code is the single most valuable event. Even though the Newcomers Division is only worth half the points from the Official Division, this is still a major blow."

The men nodded with smiles plastered on their faces. However, their pallor was terrible and every one of their smiles was forced.

◊ ◊ ◊

Afterwards, Mayumi requested: "In order to avoid panic from spreading throughout the 1st Year female students, I'm counting on your support." Tatsuya remained in the pavilion...... Except he had no clue how to accomplish this.

He felt that it was the duty of the female upperclassmen to care for the mental status of their female underclassmen.

He deeply regretted his lackadaisical acceptance of this charge, so while he wore an expression that claimed "nothing had happened", he devoted himself thoroughly to CAD calibration for the upcoming events.

That was all he did, but for some reason, he became surrounded by the 1st Year female players.

This may simply be because Miyuki, who was one of the leaders of the 1st Year female players, stuck to him like glue. Initially, Tatsuya thought this was the case but unfortunately, he was not dull enough to believe this without question.

Their eyes were actually focused entirely on him.

These were not flirtatious looks. He was not narcissistic enough to misinterpret that, nor was he wilted enough to be able to not notice them.

At the same time, he was slightly bemused as to the exact meaning behind them — that was the only area where he was slow in.

Completely besieged by these silent gazes, this was an irritating condition to work under, but it's not like he could shoo them away either.

He refrained from engaging in conversation not because he was hindered by them. Lacking any other options, he elected to ignore them and adopt his usual procedure of silently continuing his work.

An eternally unchanging appearance. An eternally enduring object.

He had no idea what value this possessed.

For someone who had always labored under restrictive conditions and was well aware of the intermittent nature of the world like Tatsuya, few things were truly eternal.

Even so, the young ladies quieted down gradually as they watched him work as if nothing had happened. All of this Miyuki beheld with her own eyes as she nodded in place of her brother and revealed a satisfied smile.

The greatest beneficiary from his normalcy — or even feigned normalcy — and its ensuing effect, was actually Honoka.

Initially, after hearing the "incident" surrounding Morisaki and the others, her face had turned completely pale. Yet, after watching Tatsuya plug away and attend the tactical meeting as if nothing had occurred, she gradually settled down as well.

The change was so complete that now Tatsuya was the uneasy one.

"There are no strategic adjustments from the preliminary round. In the end, Mirage Bat is a test of stamina."

Still, even if he felt uneasy, there was nothing he could do at this point.

The match was about to begin. He was pressed for time at the moment, so he could only table his unease and focus his concentration on the battle ahead.

"Avoid getting into a battle of attrition. The only thing you need to do is calmly make any necessary adjustments."

Under Tatsuya's watching gaze, Subaru nodded in an exaggerated fashion.

"Honoka, don't expend energy on excess techniques. Just as we practiced, there are fakes created from illusion magic that serve to waste your stamina."

Forewarned, it was Honoka's turn to nod.

"The only thing the two of you should be thinking is how to release your specialties to the fullest. Don't worry, know that we already own First and Second place right here."

At Tatsuya's daring proclamation of victory, both of them nodded in delight.

◊ ◊ ◊

While it was the height of summer, the longest days had already passed.

By 7 PM, the sun had long since set and the blue sky had been replaced by the hanging stars.

The surface of the lake reflected the overhanging starlight, causing the entire scene to flash brilliantly.

Among the stars, six young ladies stood on several raised pillars.

The thin uniforms that traced their figures did not include any amazing accessories or designs, but over the shimmering waves, they gave off an almost fey like aura. —That's why there were a lot of male fans flooding the stands.

Mirage Bat used special bats to strike away at the projections that floated 10 meters above the ground, with the highest total determining the victor.

While they said strike, in reality there was no sense of impact nor did the orbs shatter into pieces.

The reason behind this was because the bats in the players' hands would interact with the CAD and release a signal at the same location as the projections. Once they overlapped, the orb projections would automatically terminate upon registering the impacting signal and add the score to the striking player's column.

Winning this event required two skills.

The ability to swiftly leap to the same height as the floating projections.

And the ability to even more hastily locate each and every orb's location.

Of the two, it was the second that could be easily and unexpectedly overlooked. Since nothing was faster than light, immediately taking off after verifying the projection location was usually the swiftest choice. But — there were a few exceptions.

There were a few milliseconds of delay before the projection materialized in the air. If someone could detect the oscillations of the light waves even an instant earlier, they would be able to move towards the location of the light waves before the orb had even formed.

Honoka was extremely adept at reading light waves – strictly speaking, the subtle changes in the Eidos of the light waves. This gave her a tremendous advantage during the elimination round.

The instant before the red orb materialized, Honoka had already activated her magic.

The other players could only watch helplessly as she seized the initiative.

The next orb materialized.

The color was blue. That color was lit for the longest time, so they were the easiest points to score.

Five players started their Activation Sequences. The first into the air was Subaru.

Everyone started their Activation Sequence at the same time, but the first two to finish them were the players from First High.

Compared to the players in the event, it was the technicians on the outer perimeter that were furious at this outcome.

Since the difference was so splendidly displayed before their eyes, they were forced to admit the cause was the differences in CAD performance.

Since every school had an upper ceiling in terms of machinery, there was no significant difference in hardware capability.

Thus, the only difference lay in software performance. In other words, the strength of the technician.

"Damn it! How can he fit such a complicated action into such a tiny Activation Sequence!"

Someone choked out in the back. They were probably using a Kirlian filter (a filter that could bring the psion density and activity into the visible spectrum) to take pictures of Honoka and Subaru activating and processing (from the start of the Activation Sequence to the beginning of the processing phase).

They leaped straight into the air — completely ignoring the effects of gravitational deceleration — towards the projections, stopped at the orbs, then immediately returned along the same axis after scoring the point and landed after expending all inertia.

Throughout this chain of movements, regardless of whether it was Honoka or Subaru, they never manipulated the CAD once. In other words, everything from the player leaping into the sky thanks to the Activation Sequence onward was completely written into the CAD.

The smaller the Activation Sequence, the faster the processing speed.

Likewise, the less Activation Sequences that needed to be processed, the less strain was placed on the player as well.

They were using the minimal Magic Power to accomplish phenomenon rewriting at the fastest possible speed.

"It's as if we're up against Taurus Silver himself out here!" No one knew who made that comment in the ensuing ruckus.

"A-chan, what's wrong......?"

Azusa turned around to find Mayumi studying her strangely. Studying the wide-eyed, petrified her.

"No......

It's nothing."

Seeing Azusa curl into a ball, Mayumi replied with an "Is that so?", and turned back to observing the contest.

Azusa's reaction was well within the normal boundaries of her behavior, so there probably wasn't anything to it.

However, what was different was that something other than her usual embarrassment currently captured her heart.

(......As if, we're up against "Taurus Silver"?)

Somewhere, someone made that complaint.

Mixed into the middle of all the shrieks of delight and dismay, for some reason these particular words wormed their way into Azusa's ears.

(That fully manual Activation Sequence adjustment...... Connecting the main systems from the Generalized model to the subsystems of the

Specialized model is the current cutting edge research......

The ability to use Loop Cast on Generalized CADs......

"Inferno"......

"Phonon

Maser"......

"Niflheim"......

Every one of these are high class magics that have never had their Activation Sequences published......

)

For someone who was also aiming to become a Magic Artificer, Azusa started thinking back on each "tour de force" that shocked the crowd time and time again.

(As if? We're up against Taurus Silver?

No, that......

If it wasn't Taurus Silver himself, this is simply impossible......

)

—I wonder how shocking it would be if he turned out to be a Japanese teenager like us —

Suddenly, his voice rang out through Azusa's memories.

"......

What's the matter? If you're not feeling well, go take a break!"

"No, really, it's nothing......"

Mayumi's anxious and concerned gaze was drawn towards Azusa who had suddenly leapt out of her seat. Yet, Azusa was beyond caring at this point.

The words that clearly rang out from her recollection. Maybe, that wasn't a guess at all......

(How is it possible? How is it possible how is it possible? How is it possible how is it possible how is it possible how is it possible?)

Those words occupied all of Azusa's consciousness.

Far away from those troubled thoughts, two of her underclassmen raced out to a dominating lead to greet the end of the first session.

◊ ◊ ◊

In the end, Mirage Bat for the Newcomers Division turned out just as Tatsuya predicted, with Honoka and Subaru in sole possession of First and Second Place. Immediately after the end of the match, Tatsuya was summoned to the conference room without any opportunity to partake in the fruits of victory.

Inside, the upperclassmen waiting for Tatsuya were wholly unlike his (female) peers who were delirious with joy, upperclassmen who were the utter masters of their emotions and hid them beneath solemn expressions.

Mayumi, Mari, Katsuto, Suzune, Hattori, Azusa. Everyone from high command in First High was present. In addition, Kirihara and Isori were also on the flanks.

Given that team members just suffered serious injuries, it was only natural that they could not appear delighted, but even so their expressions were a little stiff — as if dreading what was coming next. Especially Hattori, who apparently was at wit's end about what expression to adopt, so he chose to form a mask with his own face, with a thoroughly ill at ease expression.

This could not turn out well, so Tatsuya mentally fortified himself.

"Good work. Thanks to you, we obtained a far better result than any we could've hoped for."

Mayumi used a normal — more like official — choice of words.

Before she said this, Tatsuya's keen senses picked up how she and Katsuto exchanged a glance in a blink of an eye.

"That's all thanks to the players' diligence."

Tatsuya also replied back in a vague fashion. He hadn't felt this sort of tense atmosphere since he first enrolled here.

"Of course, credit is due to Mitsui-san and Satomi-san as well as all the other students who tirelessly trained to achieve this result.

However, everyone acknowledges that Tatsuya-kun's contribution is nothing short of outstanding.

We didn't suffer a single setback in any of the three events you were responsible for...... In terms of points, the fact that we are guaranteed at least Second Place in the Newcomers Division is all thanks to Tatsuya-kun."

"......Thank you very much."

Tatsuya executed a short and prudent bow.

They kept their eyes from matching as they waited for the other person to speak. Yet, Mayumi didn't cut to the chase.

Tatsuya slowly raised his eyes to find Mayumi using her eyes to stop Katsuto.

There appeared to be something difficult to speak of that Katsuto wanted to clarify.

What was it that warranted such a level of indecision?

Finally noticing that Tatsuya was intently watching her, Mayumi seemed to cave and briefly shut her eyes.

"As I said earlier, even if we withdrew from Monolith Code, we are still guaranteed Second Place in the Newcomers Division. Right now, there's a 50 point difference between First High and Third High. If Third High takes Second Place or higher in Monolith Code, they would take First Place overall in the Newcomers Division. We would retain First Place if they only achieve Third Place or below."

This way, there wouldn't be a huge gap in the rankings for the Newcomers Division, which was Tatsuya's objective all along for the combined score.

So what were they so anxious about?

Also, why was he summoned in the first place? Tatsuya was also starting to fret now.

"Before the Newcomers Division, didn't we assume this would be enough......"

Mayumi could already detect his growing displeasure from his voice. In the midst of her suppressed expression, there were hints of a slightly harried look. What came out was an anxious, frantic voice.

"Since we've come so far,"

Even so, she wasn't settling down to re-examine the situation, but rushing for the finish line.

At this point, Tatsuya finally realized what they were going to ask of him.

"We wish to charge for First Place overall in the Newcomers Division."

At some point, Mayumi's tone had reverted to her normal level.

"Are you aware that Third High is dispatching Ichijou Masaki and Kichijouji Shinkurou for Monolith Code?"

At Mayumi's question, Tatsuya replied with a succinct "Yes".

"Exactly...... Setting aside Ichijou-kun for the moment, Tatsuya-kun may know more about the details surrounding Kichijouji-kun. With those two teaming up, the chances of them being upset in the elimination round is extremely remote. If we withdraw from Monolith Code, our chances of triumphing in the Newcomers Division vanish as well."

So, they wanted him—

"So Tatsuya-kun...... May we rely on you to replace Morisaki-kun and the others in Monolith Code?"

—The "thing" that Mayumi wanted him to do coincided exactly with what Tatsuya surmised.

"......May I ask two questions?"

"Of course, what is it?"

He was already 90% certain, but this was a good opportunity to verify things, Tatsuya thought.

"There are still two matches in the preliminary round that have been extended until tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes, you're right. Owing to this, tomorrow's schedule will change as well."

"I thought that replacing players are forbidden even if the starters suffered injuries?"

"After carefully considering the situation, a special exception was made."

What an unsurprising answer.

Still, even if all these answers were anticipated, accepting them was an entirely different story. "......Why me?"

This was no question, but a subtle rejection in and of itself. It was just that he was facing upperclassmen, so he had to at least observe the forms and could not simply say "No".

Mayumi probably predicted that Tatsuya would answer this way and still hadn't come up with a method to persuade him, hence she kept beating around the bush. Currently, she wore a forced smile pasted on her miserable expression.

"I just thought that Tatsuya-kun was the strongest candidate......"

"Disregarding your grade in technical skills, in live combat ability alone you are undoubtedly the mightiest among the 1st Year male students."

Mari, who until this moment had left the negotiations to Mayumi, noticed that the situation was turning bleak from Mayumi's vague response, and threw her weight behind the "persuading" side.

"Monolith Code is not 'live combat' — it is a 'magic competition' where hand to hand combat is forbidden. I'm sure everyone is well aware of this without me pointing it out."

Despite this, Tatsuya still didn't capitulate.

"On magical fighting strength, I think you are also in the highest tier as well."

Mari glanced at Hattori, who knitted his brows with a thoroughly miserable expression.

This was a merciless, but effective angle of attack, so Tatsuya was forced to abandon his excuse of being "incapable". However, he still had another card up his sleeve.

"But I'm not a player. In terms of replacements, we should still have other players that have only competed in one event."

Now, even Mari was at a loss.

"Even if we ignored the pride from the Course 1 students, by grabbing a replacement 'player' from the ranks of the 'auxiliaries', you would damage the confidence of future participants as well."

This was probably the issue that was causing them the most headaches and also the one they didn't want to address.

The Newcomers Division did wonders for educating new students. Even if they triumphed this year, they could not guarantee that this would not negatively impact the Official Division in the ensuing years, which was essentially putting the cart in front of the horse.

If the replacement for one of the primary players turned out to be an auxiliary, and a Course 2 student to boot, this would have a shattering impact on not just the other players, but also the pride of the collective body of Course 1 students.

Mayumi and the others had no rejoinder for this.

He was the master of the field, Tatsuya judged. Now was the time for him to tactfully decline and bow out, and—

"Don't be naive, Shiba!" Katsuto's booming voice rang out.

For a time, Tatsuya was unable to respond.

He was temporarily unable to discern exactly why he was being scolded.

While it was true that his words were sophistry laden with logic, it was logic nonetheless.

If they deployed him, even if victory over Third High wasn't attainable, Second Place in Monolith Code was still possible.

The difference between gold and silver in Monolith Code was a paltry 40 points. If they captured Second Place, then they would likely carry the Newcomers Division.

But in that case, no matter how you sliced it, Tatsuya would become the key contributor that made the Newcomers Division victory possible.

This would be an absolutely unacceptable result to the Course 1 students still dwelling in their elitist world. Even if he was eliminated during the preliminary round, they would not suffer a Course 2 student like him to represent them in Monolith Code.

"You are already a member of the representative team."

However, Katsuto's words fell precisely on the weakest point of Tatsuya's defense.

"Regardless of whether you are a player or auxiliary, that is not important. You are one of the 20 representatives selected out of the 200 1st Year students."

Katsuto's alternate meaning.

In other words, Tatsuya's presence had already dealt a huge blow to the Course 1 students and brought about severe shock and panic.

"In light of this emergency, our leader Saegusa has selected you as the replacement.

As a member of the team, once you have accepted this responsibility, you also have the obligation to fulfill your duty as a member."

"But......"

Even so, he still had to respond. Otherwise, they......

"As a member, you should not go against your leader's decisions.

If the judgment was erroneous, then we who aid the leadership will bring it to a halt.

Members other than ourselves have no place to object.

Indeed......

Regardless of whether it's myself, the person in question, whoever!"

Tatsuya stared at him blankly and dropped what he was going to say. Tatsuya finally comprehended what Katsuto really wanted to express.

The message Katsuto was driving across was that regardless of who objected and regardless of what the outcome was, the brass would take full responsibility for the fallout.

"Do not cower, Shiba. Do not worry that you are a substitute. Since you have been selected, go out there and do your duty."

These words were not just restricted to the Nine Schools Competition. The Nine Schools Competition never had a replacement policy in the first place.

—Do not use your status as a Course 2 student as an escape route. —Do not look for excuses.

—Do not put yourself in a position of weakness and wallow in despair.

Do not worry that you are a substitute — that's what this meant. Do not concern yourself with your substitute (Weed, Course 2 student) status, these are what those words entailed.

All his egress routes had been denied.

Also — since they've already gotten to this point, he had no plans to back down.

"......Understood. I shall do my best."

Mayumi and Mari both relaxed. Katsuto solemnly nodded.

"Then, who are my teammates?"

In front of the upperclassmen, his tone was noticeably softer.

To be precise, he was intentionally using a firmer tone than usual up until now.

"That's up to you."

"Ah......?"

Tatsuya was not feigning ignorance. He was once again unable to comprehend what was being said.

"The last two members will be decided by you."

The same instructions were repeated in a different manner. Katsuto added a few words as if he had just thought of something.

"It would be best if you could decide now, but if you need some more time to consider, then come back an hour from now."

Hearing Katsuto's words, Tatsuya almost blurted out, "You're just the same."

This was the case in April when they sacked "Blanche's" base. He gave full authority to an underclassman as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

If he could avoid taking full responsibility, then this would only be a tactic to preserve himself. Yet for Katsuto, the only thing he had was responsibility here, so there's no reason he could treat this so cavalierly. Rather than calling this a byproduct of his leadership training, it may be more appropriate to say this was his nature......

Abandoning these useless thoughts, Tatsuya focused back on the topic at hand.

"No, if I just need to choose, I don't need any time......"

Tatsuya had already selected two replacements in his head from the roster.

"I just don't know if they will agree."

"Let us handle that."

......Again, refusing was not an option.

Today was the first time Tatsuya learned that the eldest son of the Juumonji Family had such a forceful personality.

"Is anyone alright? Even if I choose people from outside the team?"

Tatsuya's mood lightened considerably as if he was allowed to be as frivolous as possible.

"Eh? That's a little......"

"That's fine. This is already an unprecedented exception, so by now, no one will care if two more are added."

"Juumonji-kun......"

Mayumi helplessly glanced at Katsuto. On his part, Katsuto was wholly unperturbed by this.

"Then, I choose Yoshida Mikihiko from Class 1-E and Saijou Leonhart, also from Class 1-E."

"Hey, Shiba!?"

Hattori quickly tried to interject, but was held back by Suzune's raised hand.

"That's fine. Nakajou."

"Yes, present!"

Katsuto didn't bat an eyelid at Azusa's exaggerated response. "Please call Yoshida Mikihiko and Saijou Leonhart here. The two of them should be at this hotel, though not with the normal cheering squads."

At first glance, he was bold and unconstrained — while this was also true, he was also someone who paid attention to the minute details. That being said, it was true that unofficial members and students that weren't part of the cheering squads and were also residing in this hotel did count as oddities. For people doing their due diligence, this was something worthy of devoting some attention to, so it was hardly surprising that he knew. Even so, Tatsuya was still impressed with Katsuto's knowledge.

"......Tatsuya-kun. Can you tell us why you chose them?"

Since she abandoned the responsibility for persuading Tatsuya to Katsuto, Mari was in no position to object at this point.

Nevertheless, she was still unable to accept this answer, maybe even suspicious that something was afoot as she asked this.

"Of course. A big reason is that I have practically not trained or interacted with any of the male team members."

Tatsuya was only responsible for calibrating the Women's team, so it was true that he had never observed any of the men practicing.

"I am utterly unfamiliar with their proficiency and weaknesses. The competition is tomorrow. It is by far too late to start investigating, devising strategies, or doing calibration."

"......Do you know these two very well?"

"Yes. We're not just in the same class — we also understand each other very well."

"Hm...... You have a point. Since we can rely on other technicians for calibration, if teammates don't understand each others' strengths and weaknesses, teamwork would become a serious issue."

As Mari considered this, she suddenly revealed a completely unexpected, mischievous expression.

"Then, that's not the biggest reason, so what is it?"

At Mari's curious question, Tatsuya didn't hesitate and immediately made a stand.

"Ability."

"Wha?"

This intrepid answer caused Mari, Mayumi, Katsuto, and Suzune to look upon Tatsuya with profound interest.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Hey, Tatsuya......

Is it true?"

Rather than being confused, Leo wore a forlorn expression as he repeated this question for the umpteenth time.

"Setting aside President Saegusa for the moment, do you think Group Leader Juumonji would spin such a complicated lie?"

Tatsuya was getting ready to give up answering this question. "Even if you said setting aside the President, I still don't understand......

Oh, so it's really true."

Until now, Leo was still skeptical as he heaved a deep sigh.

To his side, Mikihiko was highly distracted as his eyes drifted, evidently unsure where to look.

"Miki, settle down a bit."

"My name is Mikihiko."

After conversing with Erika as if prearranged, a disgruntled Mikihiko sat down on the bed.

They were in Tatsuya's double room. The entire brass went and persuaded the two of them to accept — more like coerced — and Tatsuya called them over to make plans for the future.

With Erika and Mizuki following along, this does seem a little "prearranged".

Miyuki, Honoka, Shizuku were tied up by Eimi, Subaru, and their teammates and were currently locked in a spiral of "madness".

"But......

Haven't Mikihiko and I made no preparations whatsoever?"

"Exactly......

Forget about the CAD, I don't think we even have uniforms?"

Mikihiko's face was a little pale. Owing to his sudden selection, he was a little timid and mystified at his completely unexpected elevation as a Course 2 student to starter for the Newcomers Division. Not that Mikihiko would ever be caught dead admitting that.

Leo's coloring was normal, but he had shaken off his usual joking expression. He didn't look particularly energetic.

Besides Mikihiko, Tatsuya was surprised to find that even Leo was a little daunted, but he didn't choose to alter the plan of attack. Don't even dream of throwing everything to me, Tatsuya thought.

"Relax. They didn't prepare a uniform for me either."

"Wait, that's hardly a comforting thought."

Tatsuya waved his hand at Leo's ready retort.

"It'll be OK. Even if there's nothing we can do about it, just relax."

"No, that's not what I meant."

This time it was Erika's turn to snark.

Those two certainly share the same interests, Tatsuya thought.

"Fine, you're right. Honestly, that's all I can say. Don't worry about it. We've already put Nakajou-senpai in charge of the protective gear and tunics. Appearances can be pretty deceiving and she's quite a competent person. I'm sure she'll have the perfect uniforms for us."

Nobody had any comment for that. Not that anyone was going to call into question whether her competence belied her appearance.

"I'll handle the CADs. I guarantee that I'll only need an hour per person."

Completely calibrating a CAD from scratch to the point that it was customized for a Magician usually required triple the amount of the time.

Yet, neither Leo nor Mikihiko seemed particularly astounded.

On one hand, they weren't wholly aware how impressive "one hour" actually was, and on the other hand, they had already seen so many "shockers" in the past four days that they already thought "Tatsuya's omnipotent".

"Is that OK? Isn't it already 9 PM? You still need time for your gear, right?"

Erika was the only one of the four who was aware how time- consuming CAD calibration was. Thus, she was the only one looking on with concerned eyes.

"That'll be fine. I only need 10 minutes."

Looks like their worries were groundless. Once more experiencing first-hand how ridiculous he was, Erika heavily sighed.

"Ten minutes, eh, ten......

Why do I even bother worrying about you."

"Unfortunately, in reality, we don't have that much time."

"Eh?"

Erika comically portrayed a carefree expression, but upon hearing Tatsuya's bleak words, she quickly became anxious again.

"Regardless of how you describe this, we are an impromptu lineup with no tactical planning.

We have no time to practice, so we must do our fine tuning in battle.

Charging into the fray with only a rough battle plan is like heading in there blind.

For me, this is simply the last resort."

Rather than saying that Tatsuya was discouraged, it was more like he was ranting.

Erika relaxed somewhat and nodded.

"......So that's how it is. Trickery is Tatsuya-kun's specialty."

"That's going a little too far."

Tatsuya could only droop his shoulders and smile at Erika's overblown description of his shortcomings.

"Well...... It's pointless to complain any further about something that has already been decided. While Ichihara-senpai and Nakajou-senpai are scrounging up the necessary materials, let's go over our strategy."

"You were the one who said we couldn't come up with a plan."

Seeing Erika nitpicking Tatsuya's words, Mizuki barred her path with a vexed expression on her face. (She was just standing in front of her.)

"Erika-chan...... At the very least, please don't hinder Tatsuya-kun."

"Ouch! Mizuki, I was just trying to liven up this totally deadbeat~ atmosphere......"

"Yes, yes, as this deadbeat~ atmosphere is fading away, please be quiet. He already said we're running out of time, Erika."

Recently, Mizuki had finally figured out the key to dealing with her friend, so she wasn't being pulled this way and that like she was in the past.

"Hm......"

Erika puffed her cheeks at being scolded, but mercifully remained silent. No matter what she said or what attitude she adopted, she stayed because she was sincerely worried about Tatsuya, Leo, and Mikihiko.

"Our first topic is the formation itself."

Tatsuya completely ignored the interruption and kept going.

"I'm on offense, Leo is on defense, while Mikihiko will use guerrilla tactics."

"OK. But what am I supposed to do on defense?"

"I want to know too. What do you mean by guerrilla?"

At this point, Leo and Mikihiko had either accepted their fate or were earnestly getting excited. The highest probability was that they were just trying to muddle through it. Regardless of the reason behind their completely different and proactive attitude, Tatsuya continued his fluid explanation.

"The defense's job is to protect allied territory from enemy assault. Everyone knows the victory conditions for Monolith Code, right?" At this question, Leo answered without much confidence.

"To render the opposing team unable to continue, or transfer the code hidden within the monolith into the terminal, right?"

"That is correct. In order to transfer the code hidden within the monolith, a special Nonsystematic Magic must be inputted into the monolith. The special Magic Sequence serves as a key and splits the monolith in two. Once the monolith has been split, the team is forbidden from using magic to reseal the break. However, using magic to prevent the monolith from splitting is valid. Also, there is a requirement stating that the special Magic Sequence must be used within 10 meters of the monolith and would immediately stop upon leaving that range."

"......In other words, the defense's job is to prevent the enemy from getting within 10 meters of the monolith, and even if the special (key) Magic Sequence has been inputted, their goal then becomes preventing the monolith from opening or disrupting the enemy from reading the code, these three points?"

"Full marks."

Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction at Leo's answer.

"Generally, Counter Magic can be used to prevent the 'key' from activating, but even without that ability, Fortifying Magic is sufficient to prevent the monolith from opening. Strictly speaking, even if the monolith has been split, but if the two halves are still stuck together, this status can be maintained indefinitely. This way, because the monolith wasn't reattached after separation, this is not a violation of the rules."

Leo revealed a powerless expression swiftly followed by a suspicious glance towards Tatsuya.

"I really don't want to say this, Tatsuya, but isn't this the standard definition of 'trickery'......

?"

Still, Tatsuya wasn't going to surrender to this level of sarcasm (even if it was only joking among friends).

"Leo and Erika say the exact same thing." The first one to waver and shout out was Leo. "Who do you take me for!"

"What are you talking about!"

Erika immediately set off a chain reaction.

"OK, OK, Erika-chan, relax a little. Leo-kun, please don't get too excited."

Thanks to Mizuki's intercession, the two of them avoided a head on conflict.

"......So I understand the 'key' portion. But how do we go about denying the enemy?"

Leo recovered his composure and asked a new question.

"Is kicking and punching off limits as well? I'm not exaggerating here, but long range magic is not my strong point."

"Then use this."

As he said this, Tatsuya pulled out that "sword".

"......Wait, I thought direct contact was forbidden?"

When Leo said this, Tatsuya handed him a thin little booklet. "A manual?"

Why are you handing me this? Just as he was about to ask, Leo noticed a dog leaf on one of the pages and abandoned his question to flip open that page.

"Rules for Monolith Code, eh

......?"

The printed rules for Monolith Code were all over the page, ranging from a simple explanation to newcomers without any preconceived notions to a more detailed play-by-play of an actual competition.

"It's enumerated here that attacks caused by objects under the effect of magic are not against the rules."

"So......

If an object is in flight due to magic......

Isn't that......

I got it."

The basic setup of this "sword" involved separating the blade in the middle, with half of the blade maintaining a set distance from the other half and flying through the air at will. From a magic systems perspective, it may be more appropriate to describe this as the blade extending through the air. From outward appearances, this was half of a broken sword flying to and fro through the sky. Since there was no physical connection between the two halves, this fulfilled the condition for "objects in flight due to magic".

"Tatsuya, did you create this thing because you knew about this ahead of time?"

At Leo's sincere query, Tatsuya could only chuckle wryly and shake his head.

"You overestimate me too much...... This was made purely on a whim.

I'm not in the habit of creating malicious tricks day and night."

It seemed that neither Leo nor Erika was wholly satisfied with Tatsuya's explanation, but time was of the essence, so he chose to ignore it.

"This Weaponized Integrated CAD — 'Mini Communicator' has already been calibrated for Leo's personal use. I've already adjusted the variability of the distance and duration like we spoke of earlier, so don't mess up the controls."

"Eh? You mean we're doing a live test in combat!?"

"Everything tomorrow would be the same thing as live combat."

Tatsuya switched his tone and paused before adopting an enigmatic smile.

"Besides, I guarantee that this time it'll be far easier to use than last time."

"Fine, hopefully this won't be a problem."

Facing Tatsuya's evil smirk, Leo fearlessly took the "Mini Communicator" from him.

"Next is Mikihiko's role......"

"Yep, Tatsuya, what should I do?"

Mikihiko rose from the bed. Although he was initially indecisive, he was now very proactive, or maybe he was simply motivated now. Being roused to action was infinitely preferable to how he was before, but Tatsuya didn't touch on this and focused on his mission briefing.

"Guerrilla tactics will entail providing support to either the offense or the defense."

After delivering this simplistic answer, Tatsuya continued to ask. "You are capable of other long range magic like the earlier lightning- based magic, correct?"

"Well, yeah......"

Mikihiko vaguely replied.

Families that had inherited Ancient Magic had a strong tendency to hide their own magic abilities.

In modern magic, thanks to the categorization and systems approach to magic, with a notable exception for a few BS Magicians, confidentiality has become a mere formality. However, due to the ingrained values system, this could still be seen at the subconscious level.

Nonetheless, they were headed into battle tomorrow, so if they couldn't be honest with one another now, they would be in dire straits.

"The destructive power for lightning magic is C-Rank, right?"

"......That's a magic that was only meant to disable the target, so it only rates as C-Rank. Since it hasn't been publicized yet, there is no actual record in the rankings."

"Unpublished, huh......

Wouldn't that be a huge problem if we used that tomorrow?"

"No......

There should be no problem. The theory behind it is not secret, but the Activation process is. If I avoid talismans and only use a CAD, we should be OK. ......Tatsuya."

"What's up?"

"Tatsuya......

You said this before, right? My......

The Yoshida Family's technique is too verbose, so I cannot wield magic in the way I desire."

"That is correct."

Erika stared at them with widened eyes. Next to her, Tatsuya decisively — more like ruthlessly — nodded.

Mizuki covered her mouth with both hands. Even Leo was struck speechless.

The technique that the famous line of Ancient Magic users had laboriously developed over many generations had just been judged to be a "blemished product!" Without a certain degree of confidence, no one dared to make that assessment.

Otherwise, they were fools of the highest order that believed solely in the superiority of their own techniques.

Obviously, Tatsuya did not belong in the latter category.

"......Then Tatsuya, can you tell me a more efficient technique?"

"I won't tell you, I will configure one."

"......I'm sorry, the difference escapes me."

"The magic you used was likely a variant of 'Thunder Child'. What I can do is remove the unnecessary portions within the technique and reduce the number of computations while maintaining the phenomenon rewriting ability and alter the Activation Sequence to make that Magic Sequence possible, that's all. At the end of the day, this is still the magic that Mikihiko is comfortable with."

"......So you weren't joking when you said you can comprehend anything you see. It is a variant of 'Thunder Child'. In order to hide the weakness of the technique, additional layers were added on to disguise the original ability. However, this may tie into the unnecessary portions that Tatsuya spoke of."

"There was a time when longer casting times required certain defenses to avoid interference. Nevertheless, with the advent of CADs and the rise in casting speed for modern magic, individual counter spells have become obsolete since the magic that is being activated remains unknown. Thus, the real counter to modern magic doesn't lie in the type of magic, but counter magic that can eradicate its effectiveness in the first place."

Mikihiko made a small noise.

Amazingly, his smile was in no way self derogatory.

"Haha, so that's how it is...... Ancient Magic was supposed to possess superior firepower, but now they cannot stand against modern magic."

"That's incorrect, Mikihiko."

"Eh?"

"Ancient Magic and modern magic are not separated by superiority or inferiority, but by their individual strengths and weaknesses.

In a head-to-head match-up, modern magic commands a devastating advantage in casting speed, but from the perspective of surprise attacks, Ancient Magic boasts superior firepower and secrecy.

Didn't Elder Kudou also say this? The key is how you use magic. The reason I recommended you was because I thought that your magic would serve as an incredible ambushing tool."

"Ambushing tool, eh......

That's the first time I've heard of that."

Mikihiko closed his eyes and ruefully murmured. Afterwards, as if dispelling all his doubts, he opened his eyes again.

"I understand. I will use this technique without the talismans, so I'll rely on the CAD instead. Tatsuya, we'll go with your suggestion. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Mikihiko. Since you said that, there's one other thing I wanted to ask of you."

"Sure. This can't be helped, right? Not that I planned to keep it a secret anyway. My father was the one who brought me here, so even if our secret got out, it's not like they have the right to complain."

"Don't worry on that account, my lips are sealed."

"Ah~ ......

Me too. I promise that I'll never let this spread."

"Likewise."

"I'm good for that too, as you know."

Besides Tatsuya, everyone present who had been silent until now affirmed their intent to keep his secret.

After viewing the last person (Erika) with considerable suspicion, logic finally trumped emotion as Mikihiko nodded towards Tatsuya.

"I'll keep this short. Can you use 'Visual Tuning'?"

Mikihiko replied after a short pause not because he was unwilling, but because he was totally shocked.

"......You know about that too? Did Kokonoe-sensei tell you that as well?"

"Maybe."

"......You certainly gave me a scare there, Tatsuya. Well, the answer is a definite yes. While I'm incapable of performing 'Five Sense Tuning', if it's only two at a time, I can still use 'Sense Tuning'."

"Visual is good enough, Mikihiko. In that case, our plan of attack is......"

Tatsuya didn't noticeably change his volume, but Mikihiko seemed to naturally crouch closer.

As promised, the calibration of Leo's CAD took less than an hour to finish.

After receiving his personal CAD and weaponized calculation device from Tatsuya, Leo opted to do some training to get used to the new model. Erika volunteered to be his sparring partner as they headed for the outdoor training facility.

The hour was late, but Erika said that with Leo around, nothing would happen to her or otherwise. So Tatsuya compromised.

Presently, Tatsuya was calibrating Mikihiko's CAD at lightning speed. Next to him, Azusa was staring at him in shock. As the user, Mikihiko was also present as he stared wide eyed at Tatsuya's unique calibration method and typing speed. Yet, the subject that astounded Azusa was not so superficial.

Right now, Tatsuya was assembling an Activation Sequence that took into account the traditional requirements for Ancient Magic and adapting them for use in modern magic. "Translating" the technique itself wasn't a particularly daunting task. Much like using a clumsy machine translation, awkward details and minor errors would be scattered all over the place.

Even Azusa was able to fix errors like those.

Yet the calibration being displayed before her eyes was nothing short of a complete rewriting of the Activation Sequence.

By fully comprehending the transformation process from Activation Sequence to Magic Sequence, he was rewriting the Activation Sequence without sacrificing any efficiency from the Magic Sequence.

The Activation Sequence is the blue print for the Magic Sequence. Rewriting the Activation Sequence implied that the Magic Sequence was also being rewritten. Not only did the magic have to be finely tuned to the individual Magician, the excess details in the Magic Sequence also had to be pruned to increase efficiency. That level of rewriting had long surpassed "revision" or "configuration" and had ascended to the realm of "innovation", which was the same thing as improving the very magic itself.

Before he began, Azusa honestly wondered whether this was even possible when she learned from Tatsuya what he was attempting to accomplish. Yet before Azusa's own eyes, he bypassed any experimental verification or live testing and proceeded directly to extracting the very essence of magic from the Activation Sequence and began cutting away at the unnecessary portions and redesigning the Activation Sequence. This was precisely what was unfolding on the editing machine.

Even Azusa, who had volunteered as Tatsuya's aide in place of the usual technician responsible for the Newcomers Division's Monolith Code event, felt powerless before this insane industry. Right now, the only thing she could do was examine the coding language for the freshly minted Activation Sequence as her gnawing doubts steadily solidified into conviction.

He — Shiba Tatsuya — had exceeded the standards of a high school Magic Artificer.

Scratch that, he had long since surpassed the boundaries of what it meant to be a Magic Artificer.

He must be—

Leaving Azusa milling in confusion behind him, Tatsuya used one full hour to completely rewrite Mikihiko's personal Activation Sequence.

It was the fifth day of the Nine Schools Competition and the second morning of the Newcomers Division.Tatsuya arrived in front of the arena that was busy preparing for the Newcomers Division's Icicle Destruction.Several large cranes were unloading 1 meter x 1 meter x 2 meter icicles from large battlefield vehicles specially modified for this purpose. Seeing this would naturally cause people to believe that the days where super robot anime became reality were not too far off."......If we could completely ignore energy efficiency, that is.""Onii-sama? What are you talking about?"As if to reject this outrageous line of thinking, Tatsuya involuntarily started muttering to himself."No, it's nothing."She did not pursue this vague answer. "Let's go quickly.""Yes."Originally, this was only a stopping point along their route to the competition location.Tatsuya urged Miyuki onward towards the resting area located on the top floor of the Arrow Tower. There was still 30 minutes until the start of the first round in the morning.When Tatsuya entered the arena, there was still plenty of spare time. "Good morning!"......Still, the players for the first round were already there."Good morning......Sorry for making you wait so long.""Oh please, I was the one who came too early."The player for the first round of Icicle Destruction, Akechi Eimi, smiled as she shook her head and swept a lock of her ruby red hair back from her face."Good morning, Eimi. How early did you get up?""Good morning, Miyuki. For some reason, I woke up before the alarm went off. It's like I haven't recovered from yesterday's excitement."Her other name was Emilia Goldie. Her full name was Akechi Emilia Goldie Eimi. Eimi was a quarter British stock. Her nickname "Emmy", rather than originating from her Japanese name "Eimi", probably came from her British name "Emilia".A Magician's ability was heavily influenced by genetics.Due to the connection between magic and national power, each country jealously guarded its magic bloodlines and either officially or unofficially forbade international marriages between Magicians. This country that superficially allowed freedom of marriage belonged in the "unofficial" category.Yet, in the generation of Tatsuya's grandparents, allied countries actively encouraged international marriages between Magicians. The goal was to "cross""excellent stock" to "develop" superior Magicians.The ensuing result was that over half of the current students at magic high schools boasted bloodlines from Western Europe or India.Leo was one of them, and the female student known as Akechi Eimi was another.As could be inferred from her words, she also appeared in yesterday's Speed Shooting competition. This was the second day in a row she was working alongside Tatsuya. Besides Miyuki and the two others, Eimi was the first one on the Women's Team to jell with Tatsuya. For Tatsuya, she was also the most relaxed young lady on the team.After the two of them exchanged greetings, they delved into girl talk as Tatsuya smoothly removed the CAD from the case he was carrying, performed a cursory examination, and handed it to Eimi.This was a clumsy looking, shotgun-shaped Specialized CAD that measured 50 cm in length and completely dwarfed a young lady's hand.The weapon looked quite heavy, but because recoil wasn't an issue, the weight was significantly lower than a normal firearm thanks to its lightweight materials. Yet Eimi's movements were like something straight out of a Western flick as she swung the gun around and took aim out the window."......Eimi, you're not British, but American, aren't you?""How many times do I have to say this, no. Now even Miyuki is saying this too? My grandmother's family was knighted by the Tudors themselves."Contrary to the content of her words, her tone remained unperturbed.She maintained her current posture and started to supply the CAD with psions. Somewhere along the way, the safety was removed. Just like Morisaki's Quick Draw, this was an entirely different type of pristine CAD drawing."How is it?""Hm...... Now I know how Shizuku feels."Everyone in the 1st Year Women's Team knew about the fact that the Ojou-sama from the wealthy Kitayama Family wanted to "reserve" Tatsuya."Are there any problems?""Yep, it's perfect!"Eimi relaxed her posture and smiled in delight.Apart from her ruby hair and moss green pupils, her outward appearance was thoroughly Japanese. Even among her peers, she was the one who had the most childish impression. Rather than calling her earlier smile "delightful", a more innocent "teehee" was probably closer to the mark."I have no idea what you're talking about......"Eimi tilted her head at Tatsuya's muttering, but her smile didn't fade in the slightest. One of the chief reasons was likely because she had no idea what he was talking about."At least let me run a few calibrations. Can you put on the ear set?""Eh? Why?""Eimi...... In truth, you didn't get up early, but didn't sleep at all, right?"At being asked this sudden question, Eimi's smile grew a tad forced. "......How could you tell?"Seeing Eimi's widened eyes, Tatsuya silently nodded and, in response, took the CAD from her hands and restarted the calibration process."......You're sharper than my parents."Eimi obediently put on the headphones used for measurement while nagging with an "I can't believe you" and placing her hands on the measuring pads.Seeing the numbers scrolling down the screen, Tatsuya's expression darkened.With Tatsuya's minute facial changes, Eimi's body also started to curl up. This scene didn't escape Miyuki's eyes."Well, Onii-sama?"There was no reprimand hidden in her words, but when Tatsuya heard her words, he raised his head in realization and smiled as he rubbed the space between his brows with two fingers."Unless Eimi also forgoes Sound Sleep?""Also? You mean Shiba-kun does that too?"Eimi's reaction prompted Tatsuya's expression to soften somewhat as he nodded."Wow, I discovered a comrade. How should I put this, doesn't that give you an uncomfortable feeling? Especially those weird sound waves.""There's no actual health risk...... But I do agree that it is quite uncomfortable. I do make an exception for sleepless nights though. Especially if I have a competition the next day.""OK~."Eimi's response was perfect for a child that had just been scolded by a parent. Tatsuya could only smile wryly at this."Then, I'll raise the feedback loop a little higher...... This might be a little irritating, so bear with it for a little bit. Certainly you wouldn't want to be accused of 'losing the contest owing to lack of sleep', right?""I'll bear with it, please! If that really happened, they'll never let me live this down."There was nothing worthy of note in her tone. Eimi blushed as she pressed her hands against several interesting points on her pants. Tatsuya paused and was frozen for a solid second."I really didn't want to bring this up, but, Miyuki......What do you people do in your rooms?""N, nothing, Onii-sama, Miyuki hasn't done anything shameful!""Oh, really~? Miyuki's room is a complete safe house.""Eimi! Do not speak of such strange nonsense in front of Onii-sama!"An awkward silence covered the resting area. To break this stalemate, an abrupt change in the conversation was inevitable. He wasn't entirely sure who this excuse was directed to, Tatsuya thought to himself."......Fortunately, the first round is in the early morning so you can take a nap before the second round begins. Sorry, Miyuki, but could I trouble you to prepare the 'Sleeping Dock' for immediate use?""I understand. I will be right back."After Miyuki departed to setup the sensory inhibitory dock soundproof, shockproof, light-shielded, sealed single bed, Tatsuya started CAD calibration. Although the first round got a little tense at one point, victory was finally achieved with three icicles still left in allied territory.Speaking of which, the ending result was that Eimi was currently deep in dream land without any opportunity to complain that "It's too dark~" or "It's too cramped~".This was the fifth event, which was the second event for the female students from First High. They were currently in the resting area before the match began.I seem to recall saying something very similar recently. Tatsuya thought of this, but was still forced to say it aloud."Shizuku...... Are you really wearing that uniform during the competition?""Yeah?"When Shizuku replied with an "Is something wrong?" expression on her face, Tatsuya really wanted to cover his head and was completely at a loss.Icicle Destruction involved the players standing on four meter tall platforms and defending the 12 icicles in their own territory that measured 12 square meters while simultaneously knocking down or destroying all their opponent's 12 icicles.The players were strictly using long range magic, so there was no need to move their physical bodies.In other words, the player's wardrobe played no role in this event. Besides the uniforms that hinder the grip on their CADs.The only criterion for wardrobe was that it "must be decent".And the ensuing result was that while unintentional at some point Women's Icicle Destruction became a fashion show.In addition, when Kanon appeared for the Official Division on the second and third days, she was wearing a fairly normal sports uniform. She wore tights, a mini jacket, an adequate shirt, as well as long socks and tennis shoes.On the other hand, Eimi was dressed like a jockey, complete with a white collared shirt, red riding jacket on the upper body, tight women's pants and black riding boots below, along with a black duck-billed hat.Still, those still fell within normal boundaries and didn't qualify as anything particularly gaudy.Then, there was Shizuku......"Uh, Shizuku......""Yes?""Wouldn't the tamoto......Get in the way?"Yes.No need to flog the dead horse, but that was a "tamoto" from a kimono."There's no problem. The sleeves are short enough, and I also have the obi."Speaking of which, Shizuku deftly tied the obi in front of Tatsuya.Such a fluid motion clearly showed that she had plentiful experience in a kimono.YetIf you needed to use the obi to keep the tamoto in check, wouldn't you be better off forgoing the kimono in the first place?Tatsuya thought of this, but managed to hold his retort in.There wasn't much time before the next round, so Tatsuya quickly gave up on persuading her otherwise after all, this was the "official garb" for boosting one's spirits. In that case, he'll just have to turn a blind eye.Shizuku chose correction, the CAD that Tatsuya chose for her was a Generalized CAD.This implied that the event demanded a careful energy allocation that possessed a balanced strategy.It wasn't like Tatsuya could keep pulling rabbits out of a hat. To be precise, Tatsuya himself had no interest in creating devious tactics.For him, it was all about providing the players with the most appropriate tools and the strategy that could bring about their maximum potential, and nothing more. In light of this, if direct assault was the most effective strategy, he would ruthlessly adopt that as his course of action.Just like this match.The moment Shizuku appeared on the platform, the audience raised a clamor likely due to her outfit.However, the person in question was steady even if a light breeze had grazed her face as she lifted her left arm before her chest, the tamoto held firmly in place by the obi.Shizuku's CAD was just like the one she normally used, with the command console facing the inside of her arm.In the recent age, most female Magicians used CADs with command consoles facing towards the outside. Despite the height of fashion, Shizuku still preferred to use the feminine inward facing console, which befitted her status as an Ojou-sama. Still, given her usual taciturn and emotionless nature as well as the occasional merciless snarking, this honestly gave people an incompatible feeling.If voiced aloud in front of aforementioned young lady, this would undoubtedly end with a beating. Tatsuya adjusted the focal point on the monitoring device and set these thoughts aside.In the following time period,Shizuku's mission was to focus entirely on this match. Tatsuya's mission was to gather his attention entirely on her. "Miyuki......Aren't you going where Tatsuya-kun is?"Honoka piped up from beside her. At this time, Miyuki was sitting in a different section of the stands reserved for players and auxiliaries that was not part of the normal audience stands and was patiently waiting for the match to begin.Just as she did during Eimi's match in the first round, the moment Tatsuya entered the monitoring room, Miyuki split apart from him.It was perfectly natural for players from the same school to cheer on their teammates from the monitoring room, but"Icicle Destruction is a solo performance. Sooner or later, Shizuku and I will meet on the field, so wouldn't it be unfair for me to sneak a peek at her trump card?"In terms of trump cards, there were certainly opportunities during practice to see them. Even First High wasn't extravagant enough to prepare several large scale practice facilities for the Nine Schools Competition.So, what Miyuki was actually referring to was something else.They were fated to be opponents. Miyuki didn't want to see Tatsuya, who was serving as their mutual technician, worry needlessly about such trivialities. This was probably Miyuki's real concern.At the same time, she didn't want Shizuku to be distracted by her presence.Honoka and Shizuku were close friends and rivals since elementary school. Until middle school, Honoka saw Shizuku as her strongest opponent and conversely, Shizuku also saw Honoka as her most formidable opponent.In their cohort and circle of friends, no one could match them in terms of magical talent.Upon entering high school and receiving official magic training, both Honoka and Shizuku yearned to meet someone other than each other who could push them to their limits. Yet, somewhere in the depths of their hearts, a stubborn belief that could not be eradicated told them that they would never meet someone who mirrored their talents.In the same school, in the same tutoring class, there were no children from the Ten Master Clans, but several children from the "Numbers System". Still, none of them was worthy of being a new rival.However, upon entering the high school entrance examination, their "conceit" was thoroughly annihilated.By this divinely crafted young lady sitting next to her.Based on their grades on the standardized magic tests, Honoka was fourth place behind Miyuki, Shizuku, and Morisaki. In Honoka's opinion, even if Shizuku didn't count, she didn't feel that she was any weaker than Morisaki.The first subject in the high school standardized exam was a simple technique involving ten processes. Only someone of Honoka's caliber would be able to call "ten processes" as simple.There was no real stress from the technique and Morisaki only seized the advantage because of his superior speed. If this was a more complex technique with additional processes, Honoka was adamant that she would have outperformed him.Yet Miyuki was an "exception".She possessed the overwhelming ability and strength that made jealousy itself ludicrous.Even if someone claimed she was from the Ten Master Clans, Honoka would undoubtedly hold that to be true.But that was only natural.That was what Honoka thought when she first beheld Miyuki's magic in the entrance examination area.Honoka was completely unaware how close she was to the truth, proving beyond doubt how utterly Miyuki's magic astounded and overwhelmed her.This impression followed her for the next four months in school and, rather than being diluted, only intensified even more.Honoka felt that even the solitary Shizuku would not be able to calmly manipulate her magic normally if Miyuki stood before her.When she learned that Miyuki was being switched to Mirage Bat for the Official Division, and thus avoided meeting her on the field, Honoka let out a huge sigh of relief.As she thought back to the time of the entrance exam, Honoka was naturally reminded of the first time she saw "him".In reality, Honoka's first encounter with Tatsuya was not the incident that occurred shortly after the day of enrollment. It was not the time when Erika and company were arrayed against them, with Honoka casting magics against school rules that would have landed her in a world of trouble with the Public Morals Committee Chief had Tatsuya not intervened. Honoka had encountered Tatsuya long before this incident.Coincidentally on the day of the entrance examination, not just Miyuki, but Tatsuya was also in the same testing group as Honoka.This pair of siblings was not outwardly similar.Honoka didn't possess the excess mental finesse to remember everyone's names.The reason Tatsuya left a lasting impression on Honoka wasn't because he was Miyuki's older brother.His technical scores were only so-so.Regardless of speed, strength, scale, every subject was thoroughly mundane and unappealing, to the point that they could be labeled as below average.However, his magic was so beautiful it was breathtaking!Honoka was incapable of analyzing Magic Sequences like Tatsuya.Neither was she like Mizuki in her sensitivity towards psions and pushions.When compared to normal Magicians, Honoka, who specialized in light wave oscillation magic, was only acutely sensitive towards the magical side effects that created light wave background noise.An overabundance of interference or remnants of Magic Sequences would all form into surplus psion surges and oscillate in the empty air. When photons interact with these responses, the ensuing result is light wave noise.But this cacophony was wholly undetectable in his magic.In other words, there were no excess materials in his Magic Sequence. His Magic Power was expanded to its limit and entirely devoted towards phenomenon rewriting, making for a magic that was calculated down to the last detail.Honoka thought that it was a work of pure art.Hitherto, she had never seen such a beautiful piece of magic.Afterwards, even though she bore witness to Miyuki's dominating magic, she still couldn't forget that magic.That's why Honoka felt deeply betrayed when she saw the lack of the eight petal flower on Tatsuya's breast during the student orientation.This was the reason why Honoka nursed an overly antagonistic attitude towards Tatsuya's group that day.Why are you on that side Course 2!? Why aren't you on this one Course 1!? Honoka's eyes were blurred by this illogical fury.True, in terms of speed, strength and scale, every category clearly set him far from the standards of a Course 1 student.Yet, the fact that "he" who could weave such wondrous magic had to be satisfied with being a mere "substitute Weed", Honoka felt that this was utterly unforgivable."......Honoka, what's wrong?'Shocked, Honoka turned to her side to find Miyuki watching her in confusion.She must have noticed that Honoka had fallen into an odd state of silence in the middle of their conversation."S-Sorry, it's nothing."Even she would suspect herself if something of that sort had happened. When she considered her actions as well as her misdirected "anger displacement" and the reason why she consciously noticed "him", Honoka blushed to the roots of her hair and drooped her head. "It's finally Kitayama's match.""Looks like she's carrying a Generalized CAD."Two ladies from the Women's Team brass were hunched shoulder to shoulder in front of a screen at the pavilion. Suzune, who was overloaded with work from the unending stream of results, sighed as she beheld this sight.Yet, the two of them blatantly ignored this obvious sign of displeasure. "I wonder what trick he's got up his sleeve this time.""Hard to say. Maybe he's intentionally playing mind games with us and will launch a full frontal assault precisely because we're thinking that way."Mayumi and Mari were congregated in front of the widescreen monitor just like two young children sharing their favorite television show.Suzune had long since given up. Sighing once more, she accepted the inevitability of working alone.Neither Mayumi nor Mari batted an eyelid at Shizuku's choice of wardrobe.For three time Nine Schools Competition veterans like them, this didn't qualify as anything outlandish.In fact, they may be thinking "Huh, there are actually less of them this year!"Also owing to this reason, Shizuku was someone who came to watch the Nine Schools Competition every year, so she wasn't embarrassed by her dress either."Ho, we're starting."The two of them edged closer to the screen. The lights next to the flanks of the arena flashed red.The lights advanced to yellow, and the moment when the lights turned greenShizuku's ring started dancing along the command console. Toward her own 12 icicles.She set all of them as targets and fired the Magic Sequence.Immediately afterward, her opponent's magic came rushing towards Shizuku's field.This was a popular tactic involving Move-Type Magic to blitzkrieg the opponent's field.Except Shizuku's icicles stood rock solid against her opponent's magic and didn't shift at all. "Ho, Data Fortification."Every HQ was equipped with a widescreen monitor that could analyze the magic being used as well as the type of magic used and its strength. Much like a heat display, the various displays were expressed through various shades of color.Using this function, it was a simple matter to determine the offensive and defensive positions.Data Fortification.Eidos was a record of the current status of an information body. Through this information body, parts of the information or even the entire whole could be replicated and projected back into the target to protect the Eidos from being altered any further. This was known as Data Fortification within the Counter Magic field. The copied portions from Data Fortification possess the ability to prevent magic from affecting the target.Shizuku used Data Fortification to emphasize the target's location "right there". As the screen plainly displayed, her opponent's Move- Type Magic was nullified by Shizuku's magic."Quite the direct confrontation.""Wasn't this precisely how Mari predicted?"Suzune, who overheard the conversation, couldn't help but think: "Not really, I hardly think that this strategy was created solely to play with your heads......" Of course, this thought couldn't be passed to the mesmerized observers."Still, I think that for Magicians with high interference strength like Kitayama-san, rather than using Data Fortification, she should use wide area interference as a 'frontal assault'.""Based on yesterday's results, Kitayama also has high magic capacity that is hard to find. She shouldn't feel any stress from copying the Eidos. Also, for Interference-Type Magic, Data Fortification is more efficient compared to wide area interference."On the screen, her opponent once again tried to use Move-Type Magic to attack, but was nullified just as before.Simultaneously, just as the attacking magic faded away Three of the icicles in the opponent's field shattered."......What just happened right now? Mayumi, did you catch that?"Mari asked in confusion, but Mayumi turned around without any confidence in her expression."I can only guess based on the data from the screen......"Obviously, observing the analysis was vastly different from feeling the magic from the front lines."I think, that may have been the application of 'Resonance'."The monitor was unable to keep up with the effects of indirect magic on the target, so the only way to narrow down what magic was used was through the surrounding environment."She shifted the irregular frequency from the Oscillation Magic into her opponent's field and locked the frequency just as it started to resonate with the icicles and raised the output at the same time, thus creating resonance. I think that's how it was.""So that's how she did it...... To avoid Counter Magic, she didn't directly attack the icicles using magic attacks, but used the ground as a medium. While they both used the ground as a medium, when compared to Kanon's 'Mine Genesis' that relied purely on physical power, this is a much higher level technique. Sometimes I really can't tell who the upperclassman is.""Precisely because finding the resonance point takes some time, she used Data Fortification to buy time. She looks very adept with manipulating the oscillation frequency.""Indeed."Mayumi and Mari were both thinking about the Non-Systematic Magic Tatsuya used to crush Hattori. It also utilized precisely manipulated psion surges to create overlapping oscillations.What was being displayed on the monitor wasn't just Shizuku's artistic ability, but the hand of Tatsuya working from behind the scenes. On that point, neither of them disagreed. As expected of Shizuku, she's doing admirably......Tatsuya quietly nodded as he surveyed the players from the opposite side of the screen.Four icicles had already fallen in the opposing field. All 12 icicles were still standing in the allied field.The biological displays on the screen revealed only minor exhaustion, so there was no impact on the ability to maintain magic invocation.There was no trace of any symptoms that could exhaust a player like the ones Eimi displayed. And regardless of whether it was "Data Fortification" or "Resonance", her performance was just as expected. Nay, her performance surpassed what she could do in training.Half of Mayumi and Mari's hypothesis was spot on, but the other half was incorrect. Shizuku's mother was the one who specialized in "Resonance". Before teaming up with Tatsuya, Shizuku was already well versed in that technique by a high school student's standards.By using magic that raised the oscillation frequency at irregular levels and directly projecting that on the target while synchronizing the frequencies, this destroyed the target using precise oscillation frequencies at the exact moment when resistance was the weakest. Originally, "Resonance" was this type of two-stage process. When applying oscillation-type magic onto the target object, a Magician can feel out the resonance point based on the Eidos' resistance to the interfering Magic Sequence; if using regular intervals, then an alternate method would have to be used to identify the target's resonance.This was not reliant on monitoring devices, but done while compiling Activation Sequences into Magic Sequences. That was the part that Tatsuya was responsible for.This technique was created by adding a new process into the "Resonance" magic that Shizuku was familiar with. Yet, Shizuku was able to wield this at will. Obviously, this level of skill was not obtained by just training in school, but honed through long hours of practice outside of class.As another icicle collapsed in the enemy's field, one of the allied icicles collapsed as well.However, this was only her opponent's "last gasp". Tatsuya could tell with a glance.The opposing player threw everything she had into that last attack. She most likely knew the writing on the wall, but desperately wanted to avoid being defeated without knocking down a single icicle.Tatsuya watched Shizuku's back with his own eyes and not through the monitor.The psions she was releasing were not ruffled in the slightest.No sense of wavering, no hint of pride. At the same time that she vigorously defended her own territory, she retaliated against her opponent's field.Probably because she wasn't fixated on her opponent for some bizarre reason. She was fighting in a manner that put anyone watching her at ease.Her opponent, who had expended all her energy, did not put up any futile resistance.The three icicles in the enemy's territory shattered apart like a sand castle standing against the incoming tide. Miyuki's match was the last one in the first round.This was a long wait from early morning, but since lunch time was also figured into the time, this didn't feel that long for her.Speaking of Tatsuya, he was also up since morning and this was his third match, so he was hardly "waiting".Miyuki and Tatsuya were the only ones in the resting area for players. Honoka and Shizuku were nowhere in sight.They had mentioned during lunch that they would be cheering her on during the match. Now, they probably already met up with Erika's crew.In recompense, which was hardly the issue at hand, Isori and Kanon as well as Mayumi and Mari came to support her.It's a huge cheerleading party......Tatsuya wore a helpless look on his face as he murmured in the privacy of his mind. Of course, he actually said something else."I'm glad that you all came to cheer on Miyuki, but......Chief, shouldn't you be in bed?""What, even you're treating me like an invalid? It's not like I have to hop around and dance, so there's no problem."Yet, it was still a serious injury. Tatsuya swallowed those words and directed the conversation towards Mayumi."Oh...... Then shouldn't the President be at the pavilion? I thought theMen's Team is still in the middle of their event.""No problem. I left that to Hanzou-kun. I'm also stepping down two months from now, so it's not a good idea to rely on me for everything."This was a valid argument, but smacked of someone feigning silliness.Still, their presence wasn't going to negatively affect the match, so continuing this conversation would do more harm than good."Miyuki, we have so many reliable senpais here to cheer you on, make sure you're not more anxious than usual."Pfft, someone was snickering in the back, but Tatsuya chose to ignore that.Apparently, he was doting on Miyuki too much. But for Tatsuya, his sister was always logically going to be his sister."Please do not concern yourself. Because Onii-sama is by my side."Following that, Miyuki raised her head and gazed at her brother whom she had complete faith in. In her ears, all other sounds became inaudible. Miyuki's appearance on the platform threw the crowd into pandemonium."That, incredibly, that is......""But suits her quite well. What do you think, Kanon?""I say, that's simply gorgeous."Tatsuya tuned out Kanon and Isori's conversation like it was a BGM and focused on preparations to monitor Miyuki's status. In the blink of an eye, the preparations were complete. Tatsuya peered towards Miyuki and suddenly realized: "Right, that's what everyone is staring at."Miyuki was dressed in a fine white hakui paired with a crimson hakama. Her hair was held back by a white strap.True, the hairstyle was slightly different and if in place of a CAD she held bells or a sakai, she would be even more stunning. It was that kind of garb.Originally, she was already gorgeous and now paired with this wardrobe, she gave off an almost divine aura.No, perhaps she had already surpassed divine possession and was now approaching the realms of the gods themselves."Ouch, her opponent seems to have been submerged.""Nothing they can do about that. Even I must admit that I can't hold a candle to that. ......Ah, unless that was the goal all along?"Mayumi and Mari's voices from behind him were plainly directed towards himself. Tatsuya turned around and replied."By goal, you mean what? There's nothing particularly astounding about using that attire for magic ceremonies."Still, his answer was literally the answer to a literal question, but there was clearly a mismatch in what both sides wanted to communicate."......Tatsuya-kun's family follows the Shinto system?"This time the question was even more off the mark. After Mayumi's unrelenting pursuit, Tatsuya didn't hesitate as he shook his head."Hardly, it's simply because we're Japanese.""......Really, maybe, fine."Mayumi reluctantly nodded. Tatsuya left with a "Let's end the conversation here" and turned back towards the monitors.Tatsuya's words themselves were hard to deny and were fairly logical.Yet, if someone witnessed the entire process, they would immediately be able to tell that he wasn't being uniform the entire time.They were both kimonos, but Tatsuya had a conflicted view of Shizuku's tamotos yet didn't question his own sister's miko getup. Tatsuya's sensibilities on this objectively speaking were indeed suspicious. Miyuki was wholly unaware of the drama unfolding on the back stagewell, that was only to be expected as she calmly waited for the start signal."False starts" were a major violation of the rules.Being overly enthusiastic could subconsciously activate magic, which was your own fault. Well aware of this fallacy, Miyuki wasn't fired up during the waiting period like all the other players, but was concentrating on restraining herself.......In the eyes of others, this was a "posture of silence".The signal lights on both ends of the arena flashed red.Miyuki opened her faintly closed eyes and gazed directly at the enemy field.A sigh arose from the audience.And not just in one area either, but from nearly the entire arena.Surprisingly, it wasn't the young men, but the young women who were mesmerized by that fiery gaze.This was no longer the atmosphere expected from mere spectating.With apologies to the other player, the entire audience was fixated on Miyuki's every move.The signal light flashed yellow, and just as it turned greenAn intense psion light flooded the entire area without heed to allied or enemy territories.Yet, the arena had turned into two different seasons. An absolute chill enshrouded Miyuki's field.A burning heat wave flooded her opponent's field. The icicles in her opponent's field started to melt.Her opponent was desperately trying to apply cooling magic with no apparent effect whatsoever.Her own position had turned into a frozen hell that surpassed the winds of winter.Her opponent's field transformed into a scorched purgatory that rivaled summer's might.Still, all of this lasted only the briefest of moments. Swiftly,Her field was completely enveloped in chilling mist.While her opponent's field was devoured by the rising steam. "That can't be......""Inferno......?"Behind him, Tatsuya could hear Mari and Mayumi's murmurs and groans.They were certainly spot on, Tatsuya thought, yet he didn't turn around.Tatsuya's gaze was still locked on the display of Miyuki's back from the monitoring device.Medium-Scale Oscillation-Type Magic "Inferno".By dividing the target area into two sections and decreasing the kinetic and rotational energy of all objects within one section, this surplus energy could be released into the other section in the form of heat. This way, conservation of energy was still maintained while applying the principle of reverse entropy from thermodynamics.Occasionally, this magic served as the test for A-Rank Magicians. Many testers shed bitter tears at their inability to wield this highly difficult magic, but for Miyuki, this was merely a triviality that she could manipulate at will.Since this was originally an area-of-effect magic, there was no need to worry needlessly about magic leaking outside and breaking the rules. Still, the very definition of magic forced Magicians to be extremely careful even with the simplest of techniques. If an incident were to occur, she would immediately be disqualified from the match, which would prompt him to intervene by any means necessary. This was what was running across Tatsuya's mind as he watched Miyuki.However, he appeared to be agitated over nothing.The temperature in the enemy's field rocketed past 200 degrees Celsius.Flash freeze icicles that were formed in a hurry were nothing more than rough ice cubes with countless pockets of air within. These pockets would rapidly expand when heated, causing the icicle itself to crack despite the icicle becoming more fluid under the heat.Suddenly, the temperature stopped rising.Immediately afterwards, a shock wave burst spread across the enemy field.Miyuki had switched magics.She was compressing and releasing the air.Every frail icicle within the enemy field shattered as one. There were a total of 360 contestants and 72 technicians. While some schools waived their right to tactical advisors, the number of total participants in the Nine Schools Competition still exceeded 450 students. If there was a ball or even banquet, this number of people could still be managed, but that was practically impossible to achieve on a daily basis during the main event.Breakfast was done buffet style on a first come, first serve basis. Lunch consisted of bentos being delivered to each school's pavilion or engineering vehicles, though some people chose to take them back to their rooms. Dinner was served in the three dining halls over three separate sessions, with each school getting one hour to dine. The schools dined separately to avoid their tactics leaking to other schools.Actually, dinner was the only opportunity for the entire school team to congregate in the dining hall.This one hour of dinner was an invaluable time for sharing the day's triumphs and regrets.Tonight, at the First High tables, a clear line was drawn between light and darkness.Darkness covered the corner where the 1st Year male players were gathered.Light enshrouded the corner where the 1st Year female players were gathered.And among the dense jungle of female players, the small dash of red or maybe green is more appropriate in the jungle? was, of course,Tatsuya."Miyuki, that was totally awesome.""So that's 'Inferno'? The senpais were completely shocked. It's said that even A-Rank Magicians have problems with that ability.""Eimi, nicely done! Your first match was a little tight though.""Cavalier gear with carbine stance, nice!""Shizuku was great too! Your kimono with tamoto was simply beautiful, then you forced your opponent steadily into a corner. Cool~!"While the Newcomers Division Crowd Ball only clinched one Second Place and one Sixth Place, yielding a "so-so" result, the dominating performance from the Icicle Destruction players allowed all three to advance to the third round, continuing the triumphant performance from the Speed Shooting event. This caused the female players to bask in a festive mood.The format of the Icicle Destruction event had 24 players in total, with 12 matches in the first round and 6 matches in the second round. With three people advancing to the third round, First High laid claim to fully half of the players still in the field.The three victors from the third round would then engage in a round robin to decide the ultimate victor, though based on the current situation, there was a strong possibility that all three of those positions may be claimed by players from First High. If so, that would truly be an astounding feat. The very fact that this remained a distinct possibility made it "impossible" for them not to be beside themselves with joy.The upperclassmen all wore smiles that said "What are we going to do with you guys" as the underclassmen danced around in joy."Shiba-kun, Shizuku's ability was a 'Resonance' variant, right?"The 1st Year female student who came over was not one of the players Tatsuya was responsible for. He was aware of who she was, but was not overly familiar. Wholly ill at ease Miyuki vetoed his request to sit elsewhere as he dined, Tatsuya was suddenly the center of attention and finally managed a somewhat ordinary reply. "That is correct."Quite the detached reply but even so, his voice was slightly gentler than usual. While they were peers in the same cohort, the other person was a Course 1 female student that he rarely interacted with normally. Tatsuya was taking precautions not to frighten her off by accident.Unfortunately, this caution brought about a crescendo in response. "So the Activation Sequence was really designed by Shiba-kun?""I heard that Shiba-kun developed the technique Shizuku used during Speed Shooting, right?""Shiba-kun also devised the strategy for Inferno too.""Rumor has it that Shiba-kun was also the mastermind behind Honoka's flashbang strategy."The continuous stream of questions gave him no room to maneuver and continuously drained his mental facilities, not that there was anything Tatsuya could do about it. Still, they were currently in a stimulated state which likely used the current festive mood as stress relief for the continuous anxiety from the competition. From another perspective, this exaggerated praise may even be seen as flaunting in order to raise their self-confidence to combat that feeling of unease that couldn't be easily dispelled. Tatsuya could understand that feeling, so he intentionally avoided dampening their enthusiasm and patiently continued to listen."That's great......If Shiba-kun was my support, I could probably win too."However, this phrase was still taking things too far and couldn't be ignored.Despite this, he probably shouldn't be the one who pointed this out. Tatsuya glanced subtly at Miyuki, who was sitting beside him."Nanabi, I think there's something wrong with that sentiment."Upon being gently reprimanded, this female student immediately realized that her words could be easily mistaken for her dissatisfaction with her supporting technician.Her attitude did a complete 180 as she frantically rose to her feet, babbling the entire time, and searched the upperclassmen for the engineer responsible for her. Upon discovering the engineer smiling and waving at her, she finally let out a deep sigh of relief, bowed deeply in apology, then returned to her seat."I-I spoke poorly.""Nana, you can't place your own inadequacies all on the CAD.""Teehee...... Reflecting."The volume level for the young ladies' conversation had dropped considerably, but didn't nearly qualify as whispering."But there is no doubt that thanks to Shiba-kun, I'm performing much better than usual."This time it was Takigawa, a female student that took Third Place in Speed Shooting, who spoke up. Eimi nodded excessively at this."On some level, CAD calibration is the same thing as telling your darkest secrets, isn't it? And towards a male engineer to boot......While I did think like that in the beginning, but to have Shiba-kun be my engineer is simply incredible! Here's to the boys who were willing to yield Shiba-kun to us!"Tatsuya could only smile wryly at the massive misunderstanding hidden behind that innocent smile.However, there were also people who couldn't muster even a wry smile."Ah, hey!"With a violent "bang", one of the boys stood up.Heedless of anyone trying to stop him, Morisaki picked up his silverware and headed towards the catering area before leaving the dining hall altogether. Coincidentally at the same time.Though it wasn't a sumptuous feast, there was an entire array of high class Chinese cuisine far more lavish than any high school banquetspread across the table that was surrounded by a crowd of dismal expressions. There was a colossal difference between the luxurious gold and red decorations and the dour faces of the men present."......Wasn't Third High supposed to be favored for the NewcomersDivision?"They were conversing in English."We finally managed to force Watanabe to bow out, but...... If this continues, wouldn't First High triumph again?"However, the people present showed clear signs of mixed European and East Asian heritage."If the favored candidate wins, the house will be hemorrhaging money!""There are a lot of VIPs in the casinos this time. Even if we do pay out, this isn't a small sum for us. We'll probably be facing a gaping deficient in the beginning of the business quarter. If that's the case......"The men peered at one another with grave expressions."......Everyone here will be purged by headquarters. Based on the size of our loss, the head may do the honors himself!"One of the men murmured softly as he peered at the snaking dragon embroidered with gold thread in the middle of the hanging axle.A heavy silence fell over all the men."Dying might be the best thing that could happen to us......"Someone muttered.In a voice quaking with terror. Unlike magic related sports events, gender differences didn't really impact magic competitions.Even so, when taking into account that physical abilities still hold the decisive edge in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, the Newcomers Division separated the genders from this year forth.In other words, this was the first year that the men and women competed separately in the Newcomers Division.Until last year, there was no separation by gender, so men usually competed in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, while women chose to participate in events such as Icicle Destruction or Speed Shooting that were less taxing on the physical body. Thanks to this the ratio favored male participants due to school differences, the audience was generally split between watching two different types of events.So which was more popular, the Men's competition or the Women's competition?Based on the Official Division from previous years, the average spectator usually observed the Women's events, while the military, police, firefighters, and university related personnel paid closer attention to the Men's competition.Then again, speaking of this year's Newcomers Division."There are a lot of people here......""There were plainly more open seats during the Men's competition."Two young ladies were sitting in the empty reserved observation area and cast pitying gazes across the spectator stands that were filled to capacity.They were Mayumi and Mari."Somehow, I feel that there are a lot of people from the universities." Mayumi said this as she directed her gaze towards the VIP stands."After seeing that yesterday, they wouldn't be satisfied with just a recording, would they?"Mari completely agreed."Exactly. Aren't we here to watch as well?"To preserve all fairness, the order of the matches was reversed from yesterday.It was the sixth day of the Nine Schools Competition and third day of the Newcomers Division.The first match of the third round in Icicle Destruction was about to take place.Mayumi glanced at the time and waited for Miyuki to take the stage. Turn back the clock for a few moments.As Tatsuya and Miyuki were headed towards the resting area for Icicle Destruction, two students from Third High appeared before them.Both of them were male students.One of them matched Tatsuya's physique in terms of height and shoulder width, to the point that it was extremely difficult to tell the difference. However, that student had a much more stunning appearance.The other student was significantly shorter. Thanks in part to the school's reputation for emphasizing martial abilities, this did not give off a weak impression.They appeared to have noticed Tatsuya at the same time and directly walked towards him."I am Ichijou Masaki, Third High, 1st Year." The taller one spoke first.For people that have just met for the first time, his tone was slightly overbearing, but amazingly, Tatsuya didn't seem to mind.While both of them were 1st Year students, Ichijou Masaki naturally fit into a leadership role and seemed to exude the charismatic aura of a true leader.Both his eyes were focused on Tatsuya."Likewise, Kichijouji Shinkurou, also from Third High's 1st Year."The shorter youth spoke politely and identified himself with a more traditional air, though his eyes teemed with a challenging glint."First High, 1st Year, Shiba Tatsuya. So, the 'Crimson Prince' and 'Cardinal George' in the flesh, what may I do for you?"No sense of malice.Slightly different from sheer enmity.Still, there was no question that this was not a friendly attitude. Strictly speaking, it was a naked fighting spirit.Just like Masaki, Tatsuya also responded in a tone that would be considered overly rude for first acquaintances in his usual manner.Tatsuya felt that putting on a mask of false friendship would be insulting to these two."Ho...... So you know of George's reputation as well as mine? Well that makes this simple.""Shiba Tatsuya...... A hitherto unknown name, but I shall never forget this name. You are probably the most ingenious technician since the advent of the Nine Schools Competition. I'm afraid we are lacking in manners here, but all we wished for was to meet you once.""I am honored to be called a 'genius' by the prodigy that discovered the Cardinal Code at age 13...... But you are right in that this is against the norm."As for his own manner of speaking, he replied back in a frank and straightforward fashion.Yet, neither of them appeared irritated. They came with absolute determination and maintained a posture one usually reserves for a serious opponent."Miyuki, go ahead and prepare."Tatsuya did not lift his eyes from these two as he gave his instructions to Miyuki. Tatsuya estimated that they would be here for a while."I understand."Miyuki bowed towards Tatsuya and departed for the resting area without sparing Masaki a single glance, as if the pair did not exist within her dimension. There wasn't even a hint that she was intentionally avoiding them that was how perfectly she rendered them to non-existence.For an instant, Masaki's eyes followed Miyuki, but swiftly reverted back to Tatsuya."......'Prince', isn't your side about to begin?"The split second of wavering and reluctance did not escape Tatsuya's eyes. Inwardly, he let out a small breath.Unwavering, Tatsuya's eyes forced Masaki to reply. "......We will appear in tomorrow's Monolith Code."Yet, the one who replied for him was Kichijouji.Kichijouji was the champion for the Newcomers Division Speed Shooting event, while Masaki was favored to clinch the crown for the Newcomers Division Icicle Destruction event. Naturally, it was expected that each school would commit their aces to the Monolith Code event."What are your plans?"Although he wanted to ask what he was referring to, there wasn't enough time left."I'm not responsible for that."That being said, he had no obligation to reveal any details, so he went with the abstract answer."Is that so...... That's unfortunate. One day, I wish to line up against the players you're responsible for. Of course, we will triumph."Kichijouji's words caused Tatsuya to feel "Are you throwing down now?". But he quickly thought otherwise, since these guys originally came to challenge him in the first place."Sorry for taking your time. We look forward to meeting on the field of battle."Before Tatsuya could respond to Kichijouji, Masaki made this declaration and walked past Tatsuya with Kichijouji.So they're still a rude bunch in the end. Tatsuya thought as he headed towards the resting area where Miyuki was waiting for him without turning his head in the slightest."What were they up to?"The first thing Miyuki asked when she came out of the changing room was about the earlier scene."Scouting, I think? Still felt pointless though."Tatsuya tilted his head and chose to reply in neutral terms and handed Miyuki the CAD he had prepared for her while she was changing.If there were any extraneous distractions before the match, this would only negatively impact the match itself, so Tatsuya moved to curtail the conversation with haste. Yet, after Miyuki heard Tatsuya's reply, she burst into laughter as if finding some profound meaning in his words."I think that's their declaration of war, Onii-sama."He wasn't ignorant of what his sister was referring to. He himself felt those two came to specifically challenge him.But in Tatsuya's eyes, this was a pointless gesture. "......You don't believe me?"Even though Miyuki rolled her eyes upward and pouted sulkily, this wasn't something he was going to let slide so easily."No, well...... I'm not a contestant, right? I don't believe these two renowned individuals who have extended their reputations beyond the scope of magic high school students would view a nameless person like myself a rival.""Rival" was based on the assumption that they acknowledged that both sides were equal.Objectively speaking, from outward appearances, he wasn't even in the same strata as those two. Superficially, comparing themselves with him was a ridiculous notion. Furthermore, they didn't appear to have discovered his secrets either.Ordinarily, it was frankly impossible for the "Crimson Prince" or "Cardinal George" to see him as an opponent Tatsuya thought.Upon seeing her older brother actually thinking this way and not out of humility, the sister sighed deeply."......Onii-sama, underestimating your own abilities would be fatal in battle. Exactly how highly you are valued, how greatly you are watched, even how much other schools view Onii-sama how fiercely their antagonism burns because of Onii-sama's skills and strategies I think Onii-sama should consider all of this objectively once more."For Miyuki, this was an exceedingly rare, and blunt, counsel.This was a completely unexpected boldness and unimaginable reproach. Tatsuya could only stand there and watch her blankly.This was the third time Miyuki used her mysterious beauty to captivate the hearts of the audience at the same time that she wielded her terrible might to vanquish the enemy. On the waves where Battle Board would be decided, the first round of the Women's semifinals was about to begin.The players were already at their starting positions. Honoka's figure was among them."Hm~""............""That's a little......""............""OK, that, uh......""............""What the heck are you two doing?"All three players were side by side at the starting line. In the stands, Erika was humming in frustration while Mizuki was utterly silent by her side. Finally caving, Leo asked reluctantly."Isn't that just~, a little strange? All the players are wearing sunglasses.""Erika-chan, those are called 'goggles'......"Indeed, just as Erika and Miyuki said, not just Honoka, but the other two were wearing dark protective goggles as well."Isn't that obvious? This is the most reliable countermeasure to Honoka-san's light magic."Mikihiko's analysis was grounded in common sense, causing Erika to adopt a "How boring~" expression as she laughed mirthlessly."......What's wrong with that?""But~, doesn't that mean they fell for Tatsuya-kun's strategy? Battle Board players don't use goggles because the water droplets may interfere with their sight. This is a key reason. Yet they quickly adopted goggles after being flashed once......There should be other ways to counter light magic......""Is Honoka-san planning on using the water to obscure their vision?" Erika nodded in disinterest.However."That's hard to say......I doubt that Tatsuya will rely on such a mundane tactic.""......Possibly."Mikihiko's words seemed to rouse some of Erika's interest.This time, no flash occurred immediately after the start. "She's slow out the gate!?""No, she's right behind!"As they navigated the snaking tunnel in front of the observation deck, Honoka was in second place entering the first sharp curve."Eh?"At this location, the player in first place took an odd route.Not only did she massively reduce speed, she even drew close to the middle of the route.Honoka also decelerated, but took a steeper angle that just barely cleared the bend and snatched first place from the player who took the roundabout route."What, just happened?"Normally, players either reduced speed drastically and hugged the inside route, or took a wider angle but controlled their deceleration.The route taken by the other player could be described as amateurish. Not only did she drastically reduce speed, she also left a huge passing lane."......There seem to be shadows floating in the waterways."Following Leo's observation, Erika squinted and shouted out. "Ah, there it is again!"This time it was a wide arc way.The player that Honoka passed once again left a huge gap between her and the wall and slowed down more than necessary to pass the angle. The ensuing result left her farther and farther behind Honoka."......No wonder, so that's how it is.""Eh, what?"Erika asked Mikihiko, who was nodding in appreciation."Tatsuya's intent was to have the other players don goggles that are shaded against light. This point coincided with Erika's guess."Mikihiko spoke with animation, as if completely abandoning his usual irrational stubbornness."However, this isn't for using the water spray to occlude their sight, but to make the dark areas harder to perceive.""So that's why! Illusions can also be used like this......!""Indeed. By turning the lit areas darker, you are able to manipulateyour opponent's moves. Ultimately, magic depends on application......""......Would the two of you care to enlighten me as well instead ofamusing yourselves."At Leo's displeased voice, Mikihiko finally stirred from his daydream."Sorry, sorry. In other words, Tatsuya's strategy is......" "Shiba-kun's strategy is very simple.He used light wave oscillation magic to control the light along the water route.The protective goggles already restricted vision considerably. This is now compounded by the darkened route, causing people to misjudge the distance to the edge, hereby forcing the opposing players away from the darkness....... In summation, he narrowed the area the players dared to navigate through."Hattori, with Kirihara in tow, was holding the fort in place of Katsuto, who had gone to observe the Men's Icicle Destruction event. They were currently listening to every word of Suzune's explanation."Even if the mind says otherwise and claims that the water's surface shoulder is wider, it remains a difficult task to override physical perception. At the same time, regardless of who the player is, anyone would have a harder time raising their speed along a narrow corridor. Thus, this strategy is grounded in denying the other players from bringing out their full potential.""......But, wouldn't Honoka-san be affected herself?""That's why she has repeatedly trained under similar conditions." Hattori's question prompted a simplistic answer."......Generally, the user remains unaffected by the magic itself, so no worries.""Don't relax just yet. Shiba-kun said that 'the width of the water way is fixed, so use your body rather than your eyes to memorize it'."Hearing Suzune's reply, Kirihara muttered."......So rather than being a clever strategy, it turned out to be a full frontal assault anyway.......This could only come from someone with one hell of a mean streak."Kirihara's impression caused Suzune to burst into laughter. After the morning matches, the pavilion reserved for First High turned into an ocean of festivities.All three participants in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction third round won.In the round robin portion of the event during the afternoon, every player came from First High.Honoka also advanced to the finals for Battle Board. This was a result that could only be described as "dominating".The only people who couldn't join in the fun were the ten players from the 1st Year Men's team.If they competed normally, the male members would surely achieve similarly impressive results. That being said, their blind animosity led to repeated mental errors that only increased as their numbers dwindled and their frustration mounted, throwing them into a vicious cycle of self-destruction.Among them, the three players from Icicle Destruction Miyuki, Shizuku, and Eimi, as well as Tatsuya, the technician responsible, were not present because they were summoned to one of the hotel's conference rooms."We're pressed for time, so I'll keep this short."Mayumi was the one who called them here. She was the only one waiting for them."Until now, no school has ever monopolized the round robin portion of this event. Shiba-san, Kitayama-san, Akechi-san, your performances have been exemplary."Politely, calmly, and frantically, the three of them displayed three different attitudes as they bowed in thanks to Mayumi's praise."In recognition of this feat, the board has a proposal. They say that regardless of what the standings for the round robin are, our school will receive all the points anyway, so there's no need to play this out. All three of you will share First Place collectively."The three of them looked at one another, with Tatsuya smiling sardonically in the back.No matter how they tried to disguise this, the board was obviously trying to lighten his workload."It is up to all of you whether to accept the board's proposal. The only criterion is that you don't have much time to consider this. Please make a decision here and now."Upon hearing Mayumi's words, Eimi started fidgeting as her eyes roamed around.With her skill level, she was well aware that she had no chance against either Miyuki or Shizuku.Up until this point, she was satisfied with Third Place, but it was simply human nature for people to desire First Place. It was too much of a stretch for her not to want this to happen.Miyuki glanced at Tatsuya.Shizuku also looked towards Tatsuya."Tatsuya-kun, what is your opinion? If all three were to fight it out, you would have a hard time managing all three."So, Mayumi wished for the three of them to share First Place together, Tatsuya thought.In truth, this was the most desirable outcome from the leadership's perspective."To be honest, based on Akechi-san's current condition, she would be better off avoiding the next round. The third round was too heated and it's hard to imagine that she can recover in one or two hours."From Tatsuya's perspective, he didn't feel that he has to worry on this account. He was just speaking candidly."Is that so......Akechi-san, do you agree with what Tatsuya-kun said?""Well, that......Before I heard what you said, I was already ready to give up anyway. It is true that I'm not in optimal condition, so I was planning on bowing out after talking it over with Shiba-kun anyway......Because Shiba-kun knows me better than I know myself."Her tone was diffident, likely because she felt that she was shirking her responsibilities by accepting the board's proposal."Really."Mayumi smiled to console her and nodded before turning to Miyuki and Shizuku."I......"Shizuku spoke up first. "Want to compete."Her eyes burned with fiery determination as she looked Mayumi in the eye."After this, how many opportunities will I have to go all out againstMiyuki......I don't want to miss this chance.""How unfortunate......"Mayumi dropped her gaze to the ground and sighed. "What does Miyuki-chan think?""If Kitayama-san wishes to compete against me, I have no reason to refuse."Mayumi knew very well that Miyuki was made of sterner stuff that belied her appearance, so she was completely unsurprised by this response."I understand...... Then, I will report to the board that Akechi-san has withdrawn whereas Shiba-san and Kitayama-san will engage in a duel to decide the final round. The match should be the first one of the afternoon, so you had best take this opportunity to prepare."After Mayumi finished speaking, the first one to bow was Tatsuya.As he left the conference room, Miyuki and Shizuku immediately bowed to Mayumi and left right behind him. Eimi frantically bowed as well and said: "I'll take my leave." The stands were overflowing with spectators.The changes in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction event were quickly announced and intentionally set as the first match of the afternoon to avoid conflicting with other events.Not just the normal stands, but even the reserved seating area for members was quickly filled.There, Tatsuya could be seen sandwiched between Mayumi and Mari.After finishing the calibrations for both their CADs, Tatsuya didn't accompany either Miyuki or Shizuku, but sat in the last row of the reserved seating area.Before leaving, he left the two of them with these words. The words, "Do your best"."But in reality, you wanted to stay by Miyuki's side, didn't you?"Alas, the rare "well meaning words" took on a different connotation when delivered from her lips as Mayumi revealed an evil smirk. For some reason, whenever she was with Tatsuya, her fiendish side seemed to rise dramatically."Yeah."Undoubtedly because she was annoyed by Tatsuya's wooden reaction. "......You sure admitted that easily."Although she gave pretense to being mean, Mari's real nature was perhaps much kinder than Mayumi as she interjected with her almost signature retort."Do you know what Sister Complex means?""I don't think I follow. How does cheering on your own kin constitute being a sis-con?"His direct rebuttal while feigning ignorance had long since become customary.Except Mayumi and Mari had wised up to his tactics."Wow, did you hear that Mari? This child is actually confident in his own cause!""Looks seriously ill to me. Is it hopeless?"Isn't it pointless to loudly gossip about the person stuck between them? Tatsuya thought. He was thoroughly helpless against this special way of "bullying the underclassman".This short skit was nothing more than the appetizer before the curtains were drawn.As if to prove this, when both players took the stage, the entire audience fell into complete silence.In the arena, two young women stood facing one another.On one side, her white hakui and crimson hakama filled the eyes. On the other side, tamotos the color of water flooded the vision. Miyuki didn't bind her hair; Shizuku didn't bring an obi.The long, wavy hair and silk tamotos fluttered in the slight winds of summer.The two young women were suffused with a suffocating silence.This was the chilling "fighting spirit" that shared the name of this purely magical contest and was far removed from its burning counterpart.The preparation signal light lit up.The colors changed, and at the moment the beacon responsible for starting the match went offMagic flooded outward at the same moment. A heat wave rushed towards Shizuku's field. Yet, the icicles stubbornly resisted the incursion.The wide area heat wave from "Inferno" was denied by the "Data Fortification" magic that stopped the changes in the icicles' temperature.The earth groaned as magic rushed towards Miyuki's field.But the oscillations were stamped out the moment they tried to resonate.Wide area magic prevented oscillations and movement within her own field and extended across the earth's surface and below it as well.The two of them went back and forth, taking turns using phenomenon rewriting on the other's icicles. This was a perfect stalemate, worthy of the praise from all the pundits and experts on the outside.But the combatants involved didn't think so.I can't get in......! As expected of Miyuki!Shizuku's "Resonance" was completely rejected by the enemy field. In comparison, Miyuki's heat wave was enveloping Shizuku's field."Data Fortification" is a counter magic used to prevent magic from passing through and altering the Eidos.It was unable to prevent the physical effects from magic.Even if the magic couldn't directly influence the icicles' temperature, the heated air would cause the icicles to melt. It was only a matter of time.In that case!Shizuku stuck her left wrist with the CAD attached into her right sleeve.She pulled out a pistol-shaped Specialized CAD in her hand.This was the final trump card that Tatsuya had prepared for Shizuku.Shizuku pointed the muzzle towards the front row of icicles in Miyuki's field and pulled the CAD's trigger.Dual-wielding CADs!? Shizuku, you managed to accomplish that?Seeing Shizuku's left hand also holding a pistol-shaped CAD, Miyuki inwardly wavered.Wielding multiple CADs simultaneously was her brother's trademark ability. It was an extremely difficult technique that was almost "unique".Miyuki believed that, for someone who could so easily lose control of magic like herself, it was far too soon for her to challenge that ability that demanded absolute control of her psions. At the same time, she was terrified of infringing upon her brother's favored technique.However, at the current moment, Shizuku was wielding a second CAD before her very eyes.Without arousing interference from the psion signal waves, the second CAD completed its Activation Sequence.Instantly, Miyuki's magic stopped.The sustained magic was curtailed in mid translation. Now, Shizuku's new magic stormed forward."Phonon Maser!?"Hearing Mayumi's gasp, Tatsuya privately applauded as if this new magic had nothing to do with him: "She certainly is well versed in magic!"The front row of icicles in Miyuki's field started to give off white steam.For three rounds, Miyuki's icicles were untouched at the magical level by her opponents, and were now damaged for the first time by enemy attack.Oscillation-Systematic Magic "Phonon Maser" a high level magic that raises the number of supersonic oscillations to form a quantum heat ray.Even if this was the tactic that Tatsuya gave Shizuku to defeatMiyuki......His expression remained oddly dark.Not because Miyuki was in danger of being defeated.But because he knew better than anyone else that relying on this level of strength to surpass that sister of his was nothing more than a pipe dream.She faltered for all of one second.Acting in concert with Shizuku's newly sustainable magic, Miyuki also switched magics.The rising steam from the icicles the sublimation of ice halted.Not because she blocked the heat ray formed by the shooting supersonic waves, but because an absolute chill that surpassed the heat of "Phonon Maser" had materialized itself.Miyuki's field was instantly enshrouded in a sublime, white mist. The mist gradually drifted towards Shizuku's field.Miyuki knew that Shizuku would raise the inference strength on "Data Fortification".Despite this. Regardless.......Alas, you are too naive, Shizuku!The flowing mist was "cold air". Temperature change magic that prevented melting had no effect on this magic."......'Niflheim'.......That's impossible, right? What magical dimension are we in here......"Mari said in amazement.Tatsuya shared that sentiment, but remained silent on the issue. Wide Area Freezing Magic "Niflheim".At the basic level, this technique ignored heat and appearance, using magic to uniformly cool down all the objects within a set area. Even so, in terms of practicality, this magic could be used to create Diamond Dust, Dry Ice Particles, or even large clouds of nitrogen gas in a pinch that could be advanced towards the target.Likewise, its strength was building towards the strongest level.The nitrogen mist passed through Shizuku's field and vanished near the other end of the arena.On one side of Shizuku's icicles the side facing Miyuki that is, nitrogen was coated on its surface, creating "dynamite" on the icicles.Miyuki disabled "Niflheim" and once again activated "Inferno".Shizuku's "Data Fortification" could only affect objects that originally existed within the area and thus had no impact on newly applied materials.Lowering the temperature of nitrogen gas produced a cooling effect. Likewise, rapidly heating nitrogen liquid at temperatures far exceeding normal room temperature would instantly evaporate the nitrogen.Expanding it to 700 times its size.With a huge roar, Shizuku's icicles collapsed as one. It was unknown whether the roar came from the icicles hitting the earth or the roar itself caused the icicles to fall, or even if it was caused by the gas explosion.The very fact that the icicles were shattered into tiny pieces testified to the ferocity of the explosion.The judges were probably stunned by this scene unfolding before their eyes.Hence they hesitated briefly before announcing the end of the match. "Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."Shizuku, who had returned to their room first, congratulated Honoka, who was fresh from her post-event medical examination."Thank you......It was a nice try, Shizuku.""Yeah......But I can't accept it."Her soft words would likely prompt some people to suspect: "Is that true?" But Honoka was her close friend from childhood, and there was no way she could misinterpret Shizuku's meaning."Shizuku......"Honoka wrapped her arms around the slightly shorter Shizuku and pulled her into a hug.Arms dangling, Shizuku dove into Honoka's embrace."Even though I never thought I had a chance from the beginning.""Really......""But, there was nothing I could do.""............""I still can't let it go, Honoka......""......You gave it your all."This persisted for some time. "......Thanks. I'm OK now."Shizuku said as she separated from Honoka.There were no tear tracks on her face."Is that so......? Shizuku, want to grab some tea? I'm a little hungry.""......OK.""Give me a second to change, alright?"Shizuku smiled in embarrassment and nodded as she watched Honoka's sunny attitude.The moment Honoka stepped into the cafeteria, she was immediately caught between a rock and a hard place and struck immobile.She locked gazes with Miyuki, who had arrived beforehand.They couldn't just retreat like this, but even so, it's not like they could just nonchalantly sit down next to her. This terrible situation almost caused Honoka to burst into tears."Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."While Miyuki's warm smile was no less brilliant than usual, there was still a little stiffness in her upper lip. They were unable to "act normally" and, while there were some degrees of difference, Miyuki was no exception to this either."Honoka, congratulations."If Honoka hesitated now or put on a stilted smile, this would only worsen the mood. In order to deny her that opportunity, Tatsuya immediately addressed her in his usual tone and simultaneously dispelled the awkward atmosphere around them. However, by doing so he also cut off Honoka's path of egress."Ah, err, thank you very much......""Tatsuya-kun, may we sit with you?" Shizuku broke the ice here."Of course, please do."Tatsuya said as he rose and stepped behind an empty chair. Miyuki picked up the teacups and moved the tray before sitting down in an adjacent seat from her previous position opposite Tatsuya."Please.""Thank you."Shizuku didn't hesitate and sat down in the chair Tatsuya pulled out for her directly across from Miyuki.Honoka blushed as Tatsuya did the same for her and sat down.After Honoka and Shizuku ordered a cake set from the waitress that just happened to pass by, Tatsuya once again looked over the two of them."This one's on me. Let's call this the celebration for taking First and Second Place.""Eh, really?""......Then, I'll do just that."While Honoka hesitated briefly, Shizuku merely nodded in acceptance. She seemed to comprehend that Tatsuya's real intention was to console her, so there was no reason to refuse.Seeing her friend rebound faster than she expected, Honoka breathed a sigh of relief and finally focused her attention on her own situation."Um, well......""Hm?""Well, I was able to win all thanks to Tatsuya-kun! Thank you so much!"After all the attention was drawn back to herself, Honoka faltered even more than earlier when she realized that she hadn't thanked Tatsuya for everything yet. She was finally able to deftly do so after great personal difficulty.Seeing her like this, Tatsuya smiled and nodded his head. "Just a little."He wasn't being humble nor was he denying her words, he just didn't want to blow it out of proportion. Honoka didn't take issue with the words "just a little" probably because she understood the meaning behind his smile.After verifying this, Tatsuya wiped away his smile and turned his gaze on Shizuku."However, I do need to apologize to Shizuku.""Eh?"Shizuku stared at Tatsuya with a "I have no idea what you're talking about" expression."Disregarding the final outcome, this could have turned into a more even contest...... My estimation was too naive. It was too strenuous a demand for you to completely master 'Phonon Maser' in two short weeks.""Ah, that...... No, that's not Tatsuya-kun's fault at all. Also, without that, I would have had no chance to retaliate at all."Fully comprehending why Tatsuya was apologizing, Shizuku vigorously shook her head."It was my fault I couldn't control it. I should be the one apologizing. If I could wield it at will, that would have made for a much better match. As an inept opponent, I also extend my apologies to Miyuki as well.""Please don't be like that. At the time, I was very surprised. You were able to use such an advanced magic ability while dual-wielding CADs at the same time."Miyuki smiled and shook her head. Afterwards, she teasingly glared at Tatsuya."Onii-sama, were you really trying to make me lose?"At this fairly complex to answer question, Tatsuya immediately responded."......I just wanted the both of you to bring out your maximum potential."And the result was this dignified but brilliant rejoinder. Pompous, but it was no lie.Miyuki knew this very well, but understanding this was one thing, being satisfied with this answer was another thing altogether."Seriously......Does this person not care about his own sister?""I do believe you would be truly indignant if I went easy on you."Anyone could encounter their friend teasing an older sibling, but this was an extremely rare occurrence for Miyuki. Her words not only brought about Tatsuya's rebuttal, they also caused Honoka and Shizuku to burst into laughter. It was the seventh day of the Nine Schools Competition and the fourth day of the Newcomers Division.Today was the preliminaries of the Newcomers Division Monolith Code event, which was widely regarded as the most important event within the Nine Schools Competition. Yet, the audience's attention was completely concentrated on Mirage Bat.Since this was an event that only young ladies participated in, their uniforms consisted of colorful spandex that was covered by flowing miniskirts and sleeveless vests or jackets. When compared to the fashion show cosplay contest? that Women's Icicle Destruction presented, this was another feast for the eyes of a different caliber.Rather, the young women in these uniforms were dancing through the skies.In terms of sheer beauty, this event was undoubtedly first among all magic competitions.Thus, it was perfectly natural to receive massive attention and scrutiny from the male fans.That being said if this wasn't Tatsuya's mental reaction, he felt that he was also the subject of many a curious gaze.This was no lustful gaze that he was fighting against, but the collective prickly hostile gazes filled with enmity."......You're certainly dimwitted when it comes to your own affairs."The player that completed her preparations for the first match spoke to Tatsuya in a teasing manner."While I don't deny that I'm a little slow in some regards......You have some idea, Satomi?""Of course!"She was Satomi Subaru from First High 1st Year Class D, and, of course, a Course 1 student. Satomi was actually her surname, as the two of them were not close enough for Tatsuya to call her by her actual name."Everyone came to see Shiba-kun."She was a young lady that was somewhat similar to Mari. To be precise, they were both more popular among their own gender than with those of the opposite gender.However, at the end of the day, they were only "somewhat" similar. Also, if the two of them stood side by side, they would still give off different impressions to others.Let's assume both were dressed in swallowtail suits.Mari would give off a "beautiful lady dressed in men's clothes" vibe.While Subaru would definitely categorize as a "beautiful young man from the troupers".Regretfully, that was probably their defining difference.It remained a mystery as to whether Subaru was conscious of this point, but it was true that her tone and mannerisms had a masculine tinge to them.Even so, this was hardly a "rude" impression, but as her previous words implied, she was an extremely perceptive young lady."In both Speed Shooting and the subsequent Icicle Destruction, we seized all three of the top spots. I think anyone watching could see that highly efficient CAD software played an integral part in that. That's why everyone wants to know who the technician responsible is.""......But, anyone can find out who the technician on duty is without much research.""That's true. Shiba-kun, the other schools are now very wary of you."If what Subaru said was true and there was no reason to think otherwise then things were rapidly progressing in the direction that Tatsuya wanted to see the least.Generally, people are forced to act in conditions where they are not fully prepared. That's just "how life works".Despite that, he was woefully unprepared for this situation.According to the plan, "Shiba Tatsuya" was only supposed to be revealed post graduation."Then...... It's my turn to take this by storm. Honestly, with this CAD in hand, there's no reason I can be defeated in the preliminaries."As she paced continuously towards the entrance, Subaru raised her right arm with a "bracelet" that seemed to flash in the sunlight. Over one shoulder, she revealed a daring smile.Tatsuya gave her a thumbs up and watched her depart.As she said herself, Subaru was practically guaranteed to triumph in the preliminaries.Using the CAD he calibrated.While he didn't want to be in the public eye so much, he couldn't exactly just mail it in either.As a Course 2 student as a Weed in the system, nobody save for one person placed high expectations on him, but now he was out of options.Now, he had Mayumi and Mari who nominated him for the Nine Schools Competition, Katsuto who supported this decision, Hattori who backed him despite his own personal feelings and Kirihara who was willing to be a guinea pig despite the danger. Then there were Honoka, Shizuku, and all the other female players who were depending on him as well as and Miyuki, who unconditionally believed and supported him.Once entwined, these social links could not be so easily "dissolved", even by him. Mirage Bat involved four people at a time in the preliminary round, with the six victors from each round advancing to the next round.Even though this was the event in the Nine Schools Competition with the least amount of matches, this did not imply that this was an easier task for the players.Taking into consideration that there were three rounds, each lasting 15 minutes at a time, this was the longest event in the Nine Schools Competition. Including the five minute breaks spaced between, the event could last approximately one hour. Compared to Icicle Destruction and Monolith Code that had no time restrictions, this was an especially long duration.Also, during the match itself, the players had to use sustainable magic and continuously leap into the air. The stress placed on the players themselves easily rivaled that of a marathon.And to top it all off, there were two matches in one day alone.In terms of physical stamina, this was a more punishing event than Crowd Ball or Monolith Code.With the players' exhaustion in mind, there was a large interval for resting between the preliminary and elimination rounds, which could be said to be a unique feature of this event.The first match was set at 8 AM. With two arenas going at the same time, the preliminaries would be finished around noon.The elimination round would start at 7 PM. This was the only night time event in the entire Nine Schools Competition.Some may question why the Nine Schools Competition forced the preliminary and elimination rounds into one day rather than splitting them across two days. There was, of course, a method to the madness.Mirage Bat was an event that involved swinging a bat towards the orb- shaped holograms Strictly speaking, they were three dimensional orb images. Modern imaging techniques technically possessed fundamental differences with holograms. In other words, the player had to identify the illusion floating ten meters off the ground while still grounded, otherwise there was no way to complete the event. This event was not suited to be conducted under the burning sun. Hence an airship was deployed during the third match to avoid letting the sun interfere with the event.Mirage Bat was designed to be conducted during night time.In order to avoid letting the players' bodies cover the projecting lights, the 3D projector was set atop the cylindrical light towers that surrounded the arena. From this alone, one could fully understand this was intended to be a night event. After the end of the second match as expected, both Honoka and Subaru advanced Tatsuya was headed back to his room to take a quick nap.The two players had already returned to their rooms and were sound asleep.In this event, restoring lost stamina was absolutely critical.As the technician, Tatsuya didn't need to rest physically, but this was a good opportunity to relax his nerves. He toyed with the idea of using the Sleeping Docks, but elected to yield that to the players first and returned to his room, pulled the curtains, and lay on the bed.Right now, the third match of Mirage Bat was progressing. He was very fortunate to be assigned the first and second matches. Even though it was only one more hour, this hour had a huge impact on refreshing himself mentally and physically.He also wished that Miyuki's Official Division preliminary was early as well, but that was out of his hands. Tatsuya abandoned that thought after taking into account how meaningless that consideration was.His physical body wasn't tired, so he didn't have to force himself to sleep, but allowed his mind to wander.As he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, Tatsuya thought back to the scene from yesterday morning.Ichijou Masaki and Kichijouji Shinkurou while they were of the same age as he was, they were both prodigies that were renowned in the world of magic.Ichijou Masaki Three years ago, when the Great Asian Alliance invaded Okinawa, the New Soviet Union also took military action on Sado, where the young man of a mere 13 years volunteered for the front lines and, alongside the current head of the Ichijou Family, Ichijou Gouki, used "Rupture" to annihilate many enemy soldiers. He was a Magician who possessed live combat experience.While the scale of the battle was quite small to this day, the New Soviet Union denies their connection with the militants that invaded Sado, he was awarded the title "the Crimson Prince of the Ichijou Family" for his exploits. Here, "Crimson" praised him for the fact that "he was bathed in blood and fought to the last" rather than being a derogatory "bloodthirsty" label.Kichijouji Shinkurou A genius Magician that identified the "Cardinal Code", which had only existed in theory, at age 13. Based on his surname Kichijouji and the "Cardinal Code" he discovered, he was given the title "Cardinal George" and was held to be one of the rising stars behind theoretical Magic Sequences who were known throughout the field.The fact that both of them registered at the same school in the same cohort was a coincidence that bordered on criminal.For the two of them to team up during Monolith Code was already an invincible combination, at least for the Newcomers Division.Morisaki and company deserved to be pitied. Tatsuya viewed things that were not connected to him more mercifully.If only there was some way to close the gap."Rupture" is a magic that possesses A-Rank destructive power......Maybe.The Ichijou Family's far-famed ability "Rupture" was a Dispersal- Systematic Magic that vaporized all fluids within the target's body.Once the fluids from a biological target were vaporized, the body would tear apart.For internal combustible machines, once the fuel evaporated, the car would immediately explode. This was also the case for battery liquid. Even if there were no flammable liquids on board, there was still engine oil, lubricants, coolant. There was practically no machine that didn't use some sort of fluid. Thus, as long as "Rupture" was activated, the Ichijous could destroy any machine at will.This was the perfect magic for both anti-personnel and anti-armor combat. "Rupture" was designed solely for military use, so naturally it infringed upon the rules for Monolith Code.That being said, he is still the next head of house for one of the Ten Master Clans and possesses the proud title "Crimson Prince", so he wouldn't just rely on "Rupture" as his trump card...... Speaking of which...He shifted his thoughts from two people who signed up for Monolith Code and declared war in front of him to the Monolith Code event itself.He didn't have to devote all his energy into creating countermeasures for Third High yet.Right now, First High's second match was about to start.They already took the first match and the second match is against the lowly Fourth High. Even they can't screw this up that bad......Tatsuya's eyes remained closed as he surrendered to his drowsiness and drifted off to sleep. Tatsuya woke up shortly after noon and headed for the competition area, only to find the area covered by a rattled atmosphere.Scratch that, it was a complete state of panic that enveloped the pavilions.First High's pavilion was the center of it all. "Onii-sama!"The moment he stepped into the pavilion, Miyuki ran over to him as if this was a predetermined event. Shizuku was right alongside her."Miyuki......Shizuku too, weren't you two with Erika's group?"According to the plan, before Honoka got up she had to prepare for the finals around 5 PM Miyuki and Shizuku should have been watching Monolith Code with Erika and the others.Yet, the two of them were here, which implied that......"What's going on? Did something happen during Monolith Code?"Without waiting for an answer, Tatsuya immediately followed up with another question.There was no reason to ask if something had occurred, the very mood testified that an incident occurred.Tatsuya had an inkling that this was likely worse than he had feared. "Yes, there was an accident, but......""Miyuki, that was no accident!"As Miyuki hesitated to speak, Shizuku forcefully overrode her words as she interrupted."That was intentionally overkill. It was blatantly against the rules."Although she kept a tight rein on her tone, Shizuku's eyes betrayed her fury."Shizuku...... This is not the best time to make wild accusations. We don't have proof that Fourth High intentionally did this.""Indeed, Kitayama-san."Behind them, Mayumi interjected into the conversation."It is hard to imagine that this was purely an accident...... Even so, we cannot jump to the conclusion that this was premeditated. If we hurtle suspicions around blindly, some people who do not know any better may assume that's the truth."This may be a little impolite, but that was certainly a worthy argument from the upperclassman leadership.As he saw Shizuku reflect upon that gentle reprimand, Tatsuya also thought, "The President does have a few tricks up her sleeve".......Unfortunately, Mayumi immediately squinted at him from the side."......Is there a problem?""......You were just thinking something impolite, weren't you?"H-how sharp......!Tatsuya faltered slightly at how adeptly she saw through him.Still, when he stood there, his life experiences belied his actual physical appearance."No, I was just thinking, as expected of the Student Council President......"He wore a mask of honesty and feigned that he was being unjustly suspected in order to carefully gauge her reaction."......Is that so?"While her eyes remained suspicious, Mayumi reined herself in at least. Not only was she unable to find any chinks in Tatsuya's acting, she also felt this wasn't the right time to pursue this issue."Then, what's our injury situation?""So you realized from the conversation alone that Morisaki-kun and the others are injured......"Mayumi sighed, her expression had "what a troublesome issue" written all over her face."......They are seriously injured. The event was held in an urban setting and they were crushed beneath the rubble from a ruined building that crumbled when the attacks from 'Battering Ram' struck.""......If used against people in closed environments, the magic"Battering Ram" rates as A-rank in destructive power. This is on a completely different level than the danger encountered during Battle Board and is a blatant violation of the rules."The "Battering Ram" that the two were speaking of was also known as "Point Burst", which was a magic developed through PK research. This magic functions by rewriting the Eidos of the target object and applying a massive Weight-Type Magic on a single point. When used against buildings, the target requirement was usually a wall or the ceiling, or at least a "single surface" that was separated from any pillars and also required a colossal magic capacity as well as high interference strength.If simply destroying a building was the goal, it was more efficient to use Move-Type Magic and sling a hammer around. In comparison, "Battering Ram" was a highly demanding magic that, besides BS Magicians, was not something that could be casually treated like a toy."Agreed...... Even if they were wearing military-use protective equipment, that's not going to help against tons of rocks and dirt falling on top of you. Thanks to the protective helmets and the observers casting Light Weight Magic in time, disaster was averted......The three of them have undergone magic healing, but even then this will take two weeks. They are confined to bed for the next three days."Still, Mayumi avoided making a judgment on whether the accident was truly intentional and subtly altered the direction of the conversation."......It's more serious than I imagined."Tatsuya could sympathize with Mayumi's stance on not voicing an opinion and thus avoiding the need to pursue the issue."Indeed. This may be a little rash, but once I saw the magic healers going, that was a horrible sight."Just as she said, this was a somewhat harsh opinion regarding the injured members.At any rate, the fact that Mayumi faltered so badly was also a clear indication that she was probably not on guard against Tatsuya."Wait, I'm still unclear on this point. Were all three in the same building?"This may not have been a matter Tatsuya needed to worry about, but in Monolith Code, the typical strategy called for either one person on the attack and two on the defense or vice versa. Tatsuya had a hard time figuring out what situation would call for all three members of the team to be struck down by the same attack."They immediately suffered a surprise attack once the match was under way. It wasn't that they couldn't find anyone before the start signal, but it was that they didn't have a chance to. Setting aside 'Battering Ram' for now, there's no question that jumping the gun is a clear violation of the rules."The one who answered was the fuming Shizuku."I see......In that case, then the board will be busy too.""Because they weren't able to prevent it......Right?"Seeing Tatsuya grin evilly, Miyuki tilted her head as she asked in confusion.Miyuki was too sincere and honest to comprehend Tatsuya's twisted line of logic."This isn't anything too important. Rather, setting an easily destructible ruin as the starting location was one of the key causes of this accident we'll call it an accident for now. The board may elect to scrap Monolith Code from the Newcomers Division altogether.""......That's also true."Miyuki nodded in profound agreement to Tatsuya's reasoning. At this time, Mayumi jumped back in."There are indeed calls for a halt to this. However, the ending result is that the preliminaries are still going on for all the schools besides us and Fourth High. The worst case scenario is that our school will be treated as withdrawn from the second round of the preliminaries."Hearing Mayumi's words, it was Tatsuya's turn to turn his head."What do you mean worst case scenario? The players are unable to compete any longer, so aside from withdrawing, I don't see any other options......""On this point, Juumonji-kun is currently negotiating with the board.""Really......"After the commencement of the Nine Schools Competition, changing players was forbidden. In other words, since the other side violated the rules, they were going to request an exception?Even so, the Monolith Code team members consisted of the 1st Year male students with the top three magic technical scores. Even if they found replacements, victory remained elusive. Rather than looking for replacements, a better option would be an unorthodox request to remove the scores from Monolith Code from the aggregate score. Behind these vague responses, Tatsuya made this consideration.Naturally, Mayumi had no idea what dark plots were running throughTatsuya's mind."Tatsuya-kun, I wish to speak with you."Mayumi's voice contained coquettish overtones. She must be thoroughly unnerved by this chain of accidents and was subconsciously looking for something or someone to rely on.At practically the same time, his sister fixed a burning gaze on Tatsuya. He really wanted to dig a hole and hide as he thought I didn't do it, don't glare at me, why aren't you glaring at Mayumi?. But there was no way he would be caught dead saying that."Can you come with me for a moment?"Does this mean she was worried about other people overhearing their private conversation?The burning gaze doubled in intensity, but Tatsuya feigned ignorance as he followed right behind Mayumi. Although they were inside the pavilion with a wall separating them from the outside, it was only made of cloth after all. From this perspective, this served as a poor sound barrier.Yet, this was the realm of magic that reversed the laws of reality. Mayumi slowly built up a magical barrier that prevented their voices from traveling outside."Quite the perfect sound barrier.""Really......? Hm hm, thank you."Mayumi sat down with a slightly embarrassed expression while Tatsuya also pulled up a chair and sat."Then, let's cut to the chase......""Very well.""............"Even though Mayumi claimed time was of the essence, she refrained from speaking. Since the two of them alone would arouse all sorts of problems, Tatsuya finally opened up."You suspect that this accident is also related to the previous sabotage incident?""......Yes. On that topic, I would like to hear Tatsuya-kun's opinion.Tatsuya-kun mentioned before that Mari's incident had a high probability of the CAD being tampered with, right?"Mayumi finally worked up the courage to ask, to which Tatsuya nodded and replied: "Yes.""If they were using the same tactic this time, that would fully explain Fourth High's actions...... How do you think we should go about proving this?""Our only option is to catch them red handed, all other options are not viable.""Can't we...... Borrow Fourth High's CADs and look them over?""This would be fine if traces of the rewritten Activation Sequence remained...... But given the ominous silence from the already disqualified Seventh High, this seems unlikely.""Really......"Mayumi's gaze dropped down to her ten interlaced fingers on the table top.Tatsuya watched her pose and considered that he caused her some disappointment here. Mayumi didn't raise her eyes and continued asking."......If this played out according to Tatsuya-kun's assumptions and our school is the subject of sabotage...... What do you think the motive is?Vengeance? Revenge for the incident in spring?"So that's the real item that Mayumi was concerned about, Tatsuya thought.Tatsuya possessed the intelligence in his hands to dispel this concern. He knew that this situation was not caused by remnants of "Blanche", the terrorist organization that they shattered, or any related organizations. If he revealed everything that he knew, he would be able to alleviate Mayumi's anxiety.Yet, whether revealing everything was truly the best choice, he hesitated briefly over this decision."......This is unrelated to the incident in spring."Finally, Tatsuya elected to play one card from his hand. "Eh? What makes you say that?"Mayumi quickly raised her head and asked back, her voice betraying her hopes and prayers that he had some basis for saying so.Tatsuya possessed the power to realize that hope. At the same time, he was denied the option of laying everything out on the table."The day before commencement...... No, the date had already changed. At any rate, the night before the opening ceremony, several miscreants sought to infiltrate the dorms. There were a total of three, each equipped with firearms.""......That's the first I've heard of this!""That's because a gag order has been issued. By pure coincidence, I was on station when this occurred and may have supplied some assistance...... I also have some passing familiarity with their background. The ones who struck at this year's Nine Schools Competition appear to be a criminal organization out of Hong Kong."The classified portions were filled in with a few white lies.Mayumi didn't suspect his words at all."This time may have been coincidental......But please refrain from such dangerous behavior in the future.""If pressed for an answer, I feel that I'm always getting dragged into things."Mayumi gazed suspiciously at Tatsuya shrugging his shoulders. But, as she quickly realized, this wasn't the time for that."OK...... Haven't you been asked to keep this under wraps? Thank you for telling me.""In return, please don't let this spread.""I know. I promise."Mayumi raised her right hand as if she were solemnly swearing a vow.At this perfectly natural yet mischievous action, Tatsuya almost burst into laughter."......Even though I know I shouldn't say this but I still want to say, I feel a lot more relaxed.""......Indeed, those words cannot be heard anywhere else.""No worries. I only say that in front of Tatsuya."Keh, how should he interpret that? Tatsuya agonized over that point.Don't tell me that she was linking this back to the "trustworthy little brother" line from several days ago?As usual, Mayumi's thought pattern remained a complete mystery to Tatsuya. "What's the situation?""Just as planned. First High will have to withdraw from Monolith Code."Yokohama, China Street, the highest floor in some hotel. Five men were seated around a round table with tea sets in a large room chiefly decorated in red and gold.On the wall, there were images of a dragon in flight sewn with gold thread."Monolith Code is the single most valuable event. Even though the Newcomers Division is only worth half the points from the Official Division, this is still a major blow."The men nodded with smiles plastered on their faces. However, their pallor was terrible and every one of their smiles was forced. Afterwards, Mayumi requested: "In order to avoid panic from spreading throughout the 1st Year female students, I'm counting on your support." Tatsuya remained in the pavilion...... Except he had no clue how to accomplish this.He felt that it was the duty of the female upperclassmen to care for the mental status of their female underclassmen.He deeply regretted his lackadaisical acceptance of this charge, so while he wore an expression that claimed "nothing had happened", he devoted himself thoroughly to CAD calibration for the upcoming events.That was all he did, but for some reason, he became surrounded by the 1st Year female players.This may simply be because Miyuki, who was one of the leaders of the 1st Year female players, stuck to him like glue. Initially, Tatsuya thought this was the case but unfortunately, he was not dull enough to believe this without question.Their eyes were actually focused entirely on him.These were not flirtatious looks. He was not narcissistic enough to misinterpret that, nor was he wilted enough to be able to not notice them.At the same time, he was slightly bemused as to the exact meaning behind them that was the only area where he was slow in.Completely besieged by these silent gazes, this was an irritating condition to work under, but it's not like he could shoo them away either.He refrained from engaging in conversation not because he was hindered by them. Lacking any other options, he elected to ignore them and adopt his usual procedure of silently continuing his work.An eternally unchanging appearance. An eternally enduring object.He had no idea what value this possessed.For someone who had always labored under restrictive conditions and was well aware of the intermittent nature of the world like Tatsuya, few things were truly eternal.Even so, the young ladies quieted down gradually as they watched him work as if nothing had happened. All of this Miyuki beheld with her own eyes as she nodded in place of her brother and revealed a satisfied smile.The greatest beneficiary from his normalcy or even feigned normalcy and its ensuing effect, was actually Honoka.Initially, after hearing the "incident" surrounding Morisaki and the others, her face had turned completely pale. Yet, after watching Tatsuya plug away and attend the tactical meeting as if nothing had occurred, she gradually settled down as well.The change was so complete that now Tatsuya was the uneasy one."There are no strategic adjustments from the preliminary round. In the end, Mirage Bat is a test of stamina."Still, even if he felt uneasy, there was nothing he could do at this point.The match was about to begin. He was pressed for time at the moment, so he could only table his unease and focus his concentration on the battle ahead."Avoid getting into a battle of attrition. The only thing you need to do is calmly make any necessary adjustments."Under Tatsuya's watching gaze, Subaru nodded in an exaggerated fashion."Honoka, don't expend energy on excess techniques. Just as we practiced, there are fakes created from illusion magic that serve to waste your stamina."Forewarned, it was Honoka's turn to nod."The only thing the two of you should be thinking is how to release your specialties to the fullest. Don't worry, know that we already own First and Second place right here."At Tatsuya's daring proclamation of victory, both of them nodded in delight. While it was the height of summer, the longest days had already passed.By 7 PM, the sun had long since set and the blue sky had been replaced by the hanging stars.The surface of the lake reflected the overhanging starlight, causing the entire scene to flash brilliantly.Among the stars, six young ladies stood on several raised pillars.The thin uniforms that traced their figures did not include any amazing accessories or designs, but over the shimmering waves, they gave off an almost fey like aura. That's why there were a lot of male fans flooding the stands.Mirage Bat used special bats to strike away at the projections that floated 10 meters above the ground, with the highest total determining the victor.While they said strike, in reality there was no sense of impact nor did the orbs shatter into pieces.The reason behind this was because the bats in the players' hands would interact with the CAD and release a signal at the same location as the projections. Once they overlapped, the orb projections would automatically terminate upon registering the impacting signal and add the score to the striking player's column.Winning this event required two skills.The ability to swiftly leap to the same height as the floating projections.And the ability to even more hastily locate each and every orb's location.Of the two, it was the second that could be easily and unexpectedly overlooked. Since nothing was faster than light, immediately taking off after verifying the projection location was usually the swiftest choice. But there were a few exceptions.There were a few milliseconds of delay before the projection materialized in the air. If someone could detect the oscillations of the light waves even an instant earlier, they would be able to move towards the location of the light waves before the orb had even formed.Honoka was extremely adept at reading light waves strictly speaking, the subtle changes in the Eidos of the light waves. This gave her a tremendous advantage during the elimination round.The instant before the red orb materialized, Honoka had already activated her magic.The other players could only watch helplessly as she seized the initiative.The next orb materialized.The color was blue. That color was lit for the longest time, so they were the easiest points to score.Five players started their Activation Sequences. The first into the air was Subaru.Everyone started their Activation Sequence at the same time, but the first two to finish them were the players from First High.Compared to the players in the event, it was the technicians on the outer perimeter that were furious at this outcome.Since the difference was so splendidly displayed before their eyes, they were forced to admit the cause was the differences in CAD performance.Since every school had an upper ceiling in terms of machinery, there was no significant difference in hardware capability.Thus, the only difference lay in software performance. In other words, the strength of the technician."Damn it! How can he fit such a complicated action into such a tiny Activation Sequence!"Someone choked out in the back. They were probably using a Kirlian filter a filter that could bring the psion density and activity into the visible spectrum to take pictures of Honoka and Subaru activating and processing from the start of the Activation Sequence to the beginning of the processing phase.They leaped straight into the air completely ignoring the effects of gravitational deceleration towards the projections, stopped at the orbs, then immediately returned along the same axis after scoring the point and landed after expending all inertia.Throughout this chain of movements, regardless of whether it was Honoka or Subaru, they never manipulated the CAD once. In other words, everything from the player leaping into the sky thanks to the Activation Sequence onward was completely written into the CAD.The smaller the Activation Sequence, the faster the processing speed.Likewise, the less Activation Sequences that needed to be processed, the less strain was placed on the player as well.They were using the minimal Magic Power to accomplish phenomenon rewriting at the fastest possible speed."It's as if we're up against Taurus Silver himself out here!" No one knew who made that comment in the ensuing ruckus."A-chan, what's wrong......?"Azusa turned around to find Mayumi studying her strangely. Studying the wide-eyed, petrified her."No......It's nothing."Seeing Azusa curl into a ball, Mayumi replied with an "Is that so?", and turned back to observing the contest.Azusa's reaction was well within the normal boundaries of her behavior, so there probably wasn't anything to it.However, what was different was that something other than her usual embarrassment currently captured her heart.......As if, we're up against "Taurus Silver"?Somewhere, someone made that complaint.Mixed into the middle of all the shrieks of delight and dismay, for some reason these particular words wormed their way into Azusa's ears.That fully manual Activation Sequence adjustment...... Connecting the main systems from the Generalized model to the subsystems of theSpecialized model is the current cutting edge research......The ability to use Loop Cast on Generalized CADs......"Inferno"......"PhononMaser"......"Niflheim"......Every one of these are high class magics that have never had their Activation Sequences published......For someone who was also aiming to become a Magic Artificer, Azusa started thinking back on each "tour de force" that shocked the crowd time and time again.As if? We're up against Taurus Silver?No, that......If it wasn't Taurus Silver himself, this is simply impossible......I wonder how shocking it would be if he turned out to be a Japanese teenager like us Suddenly, his voice rang out through Azusa's memories."......What's the matter? If you're not feeling well, go take a break!""No, really, it's nothing......"Mayumi's anxious and concerned gaze was drawn towards Azusa who had suddenly leapt out of her seat. Yet, Azusa was beyond caring at this point.The words that clearly rang out from her recollection. Maybe, that wasn't a guess at all......How is it possible? How is it possible how is it possible? How is it possible how is it possible how is it possible how is it possible?Those words occupied all of Azusa's consciousness.Far away from those troubled thoughts, two of her underclassmen raced out to a dominating lead to greet the end of the first session. In the end, Mirage Bat for the Newcomers Division turned out just as Tatsuya predicted, with Honoka and Subaru in sole possession of First and Second Place. Immediately after the end of the match, Tatsuya was summoned to the conference room without any opportunity to partake in the fruits of victory.Inside, the upperclassmen waiting for Tatsuya were wholly unlike his female peers who were delirious with joy, upperclassmen who were the utter masters of their emotions and hid them beneath solemn expressions.Mayumi, Mari, Katsuto, Suzune, Hattori, Azusa. Everyone from high command in First High was present. In addition, Kirihara and Isori were also on the flanks.Given that team members just suffered serious injuries, it was only natural that they could not appear delighted, but even so their expressions were a little stiff as if dreading what was coming next. Especially Hattori, who apparently was at wit's end about what expression to adopt, so he chose to form a mask with his own face, with a thoroughly ill at ease expression.This could not turn out well, so Tatsuya mentally fortified himself."Good work. Thanks to you, we obtained a far better result than any we could've hoped for."Mayumi used a normal more like official choice of words.Before she said this, Tatsuya's keen senses picked up how she and Katsuto exchanged a glance in a blink of an eye."That's all thanks to the players' diligence."Tatsuya also replied back in a vague fashion. He hadn't felt this sort of tense atmosphere since he first enrolled here."Of course, credit is due to Mitsui-san and Satomi-san as well as all the other students who tirelessly trained to achieve this result.However, everyone acknowledges that Tatsuya-kun's contribution is nothing short of outstanding.We didn't suffer a single setback in any of the three events you were responsible for...... In terms of points, the fact that we are guaranteed at least Second Place in the Newcomers Division is all thanks to Tatsuya-kun.""......Thank you very much."Tatsuya executed a short and prudent bow.They kept their eyes from matching as they waited for the other person to speak. Yet, Mayumi didn't cut to the chase.Tatsuya slowly raised his eyes to find Mayumi using her eyes to stop Katsuto.There appeared to be something difficult to speak of that Katsuto wanted to clarify.What was it that warranted such a level of indecision?Finally noticing that Tatsuya was intently watching her, Mayumi seemed to cave and briefly shut her eyes."As I said earlier, even if we withdrew from Monolith Code, we are still guaranteed Second Place in the Newcomers Division. Right now, there's a 50 point difference between First High and Third High. If Third High takes Second Place or higher in Monolith Code, they would take First Place overall in the Newcomers Division. We would retain First Place if they only achieve Third Place or below."This way, there wouldn't be a huge gap in the rankings for the Newcomers Division, which was Tatsuya's objective all along for the combined score.So what were they so anxious about?Also, why was he summoned in the first place? Tatsuya was also starting to fret now."Before the Newcomers Division, didn't we assume this would be enough......"Mayumi could already detect his growing displeasure from his voice. In the midst of her suppressed expression, there were hints of a slightly harried look. What came out was an anxious, frantic voice."Since we've come so far,"Even so, she wasn't settling down to re-examine the situation, but rushing for the finish line.At this point, Tatsuya finally realized what they were going to ask of him."We wish to charge for First Place overall in the Newcomers Division."At some point, Mayumi's tone had reverted to her normal level."Are you aware that Third High is dispatching Ichijou Masaki and Kichijouji Shinkurou for Monolith Code?"At Mayumi's question, Tatsuya replied with a succinct "Yes"."Exactly...... Setting aside Ichijou-kun for the moment, Tatsuya-kun may know more about the details surrounding Kichijouji-kun. With those two teaming up, the chances of them being upset in the elimination round is extremely remote. If we withdraw from Monolith Code, our chances of triumphing in the Newcomers Division vanish as well."So, they wanted him"So Tatsuya-kun...... May we rely on you to replace Morisaki-kun and the others in Monolith Code?"The "thing" that Mayumi wanted him to do coincided exactly with what Tatsuya surmised."......May I ask two questions?""Of course, what is it?"He was already 90% certain, but this was a good opportunity to verify things, Tatsuya thought."There are still two matches in the preliminary round that have been extended until tomorrow, correct?""Yes, you're right. Owing to this, tomorrow's schedule will change as well.""I thought that replacing players are forbidden even if the starters suffered injuries?""After carefully considering the situation, a special exception was made."What an unsurprising answer.Still, even if all these answers were anticipated, accepting them was an entirely different story. "......Why me?"This was no question, but a subtle rejection in and of itself. It was just that he was facing upperclassmen, so he had to at least observe the forms and could not simply say "No".Mayumi probably predicted that Tatsuya would answer this way and still hadn't come up with a method to persuade him, hence she kept beating around the bush. Currently, she wore a forced smile pasted on her miserable expression."I just thought that Tatsuya-kun was the strongest candidate......""Disregarding your grade in technical skills, in live combat ability alone you are undoubtedly the mightiest among the 1st Year male students."Mari, who until this moment had left the negotiations to Mayumi, noticed that the situation was turning bleak from Mayumi's vague response, and threw her weight behind the "persuading" side."Monolith Code is not 'live combat' it is a 'magic competition' where hand to hand combat is forbidden. I'm sure everyone is well aware of this without me pointing it out."Despite this, Tatsuya still didn't capitulate."On magical fighting strength, I think you are also in the highest tier as well."Mari glanced at Hattori, who knitted his brows with a thoroughly miserable expression.This was a merciless, but effective angle of attack, so Tatsuya was forced to abandon his excuse of being "incapable". However, he still had another card up his sleeve."But I'm not a player. In terms of replacements, we should still have other players that have only competed in one event."Now, even Mari was at a loss."Even if we ignored the pride from the Course 1 students, by grabbing a replacement 'player' from the ranks of the 'auxiliaries', you would damage the confidence of future participants as well."This was probably the issue that was causing them the most headaches and also the one they didn't want to address.The Newcomers Division did wonders for educating new students. Even if they triumphed this year, they could not guarantee that this would not negatively impact the Official Division in the ensuing years, which was essentially putting the cart in front of the horse.If the replacement for one of the primary players turned out to be an auxiliary, and a Course 2 student to boot, this would have a shattering impact on not just the other players, but also the pride of the collective body of Course 1 students.Mayumi and the others had no rejoinder for this.He was the master of the field, Tatsuya judged. Now was the time for him to tactfully decline and bow out, and"Don't be naive, Shiba!" Katsuto's booming voice rang out.For a time, Tatsuya was unable to respond.He was temporarily unable to discern exactly why he was being scolded.While it was true that his words were sophistry laden with logic, it was logic nonetheless.If they deployed him, even if victory over Third High wasn't attainable, Second Place in Monolith Code was still possible.The difference between gold and silver in Monolith Code was a paltry 40 points. If they captured Second Place, then they would likely carry the Newcomers Division.But in that case, no matter how you sliced it, Tatsuya would become the key contributor that made the Newcomers Division victory possible.This would be an absolutely unacceptable result to the Course 1 students still dwelling in their elitist world. Even if he was eliminated during the preliminary round, they would not suffer a Course 2 student like him to represent them in Monolith Code."You are already a member of the representative team."However, Katsuto's words fell precisely on the weakest point of Tatsuya's defense."Regardless of whether you are a player or auxiliary, that is not important. You are one of the 20 representatives selected out of the 200 1st Year students."Katsuto's alternate meaning.In other words, Tatsuya's presence had already dealt a huge blow to the Course 1 students and brought about severe shock and panic."In light of this emergency, our leader Saegusa has selected you as the replacement.As a member of the team, once you have accepted this responsibility, you also have the obligation to fulfill your duty as a member.""But......"Even so, he still had to respond. Otherwise, they......"As a member, you should not go against your leader's decisions.If the judgment was erroneous, then we who aid the leadership will bring it to a halt.Members other than ourselves have no place to object.Indeed......Regardless of whether it's myself, the person in question, whoever!"Tatsuya stared at him blankly and dropped what he was going to say. Tatsuya finally comprehended what Katsuto really wanted to express.The message Katsuto was driving across was that regardless of who objected and regardless of what the outcome was, the brass would take full responsibility for the fallout."Do not cower, Shiba. Do not worry that you are a substitute. Since you have been selected, go out there and do your duty."These words were not just restricted to the Nine Schools Competition. The Nine Schools Competition never had a replacement policy in the first place.Do not use your status as a Course 2 student as an escape route. Do not look for excuses.Do not put yourself in a position of weakness and wallow in despair.Do not worry that you are a substitute that's what this meant. Do not concern yourself with your substitute Weed, Course 2 student status, these are what those words entailed.All his egress routes had been denied.Also since they've already gotten to this point, he had no plans to back down."......Understood. I shall do my best."Mayumi and Mari both relaxed. Katsuto solemnly nodded."Then, who are my teammates?"In front of the upperclassmen, his tone was noticeably softer.To be precise, he was intentionally using a firmer tone than usual up until now."That's up to you.""Ah......?"Tatsuya was not feigning ignorance. He was once again unable to comprehend what was being said."The last two members will be decided by you."The same instructions were repeated in a different manner. Katsuto added a few words as if he had just thought of something."It would be best if you could decide now, but if you need some more time to consider, then come back an hour from now."Hearing Katsuto's words, Tatsuya almost blurted out, "You're just the same."This was the case in April when they sacked "Blanche's" base. He gave full authority to an underclassman as if nothing was out of the ordinary.If he could avoid taking full responsibility, then this would only be a tactic to preserve himself. Yet for Katsuto, the only thing he had was responsibility here, so there's no reason he could treat this so cavalierly. Rather than calling this a byproduct of his leadership training, it may be more appropriate to say this was his nature......Abandoning these useless thoughts, Tatsuya focused back on the topic at hand."No, if I just need to choose, I don't need any time......"Tatsuya had already selected two replacements in his head from the roster."I just don't know if they will agree.""Let us handle that."......Again, refusing was not an option.Today was the first time Tatsuya learned that the eldest son of the Juumonji Family had such a forceful personality."Is anyone alright? Even if I choose people from outside the team?"Tatsuya's mood lightened considerably as if he was allowed to be as frivolous as possible."Eh? That's a little......""That's fine. This is already an unprecedented exception, so by now, no one will care if two more are added.""Juumonji-kun......"Mayumi helplessly glanced at Katsuto. On his part, Katsuto was wholly unperturbed by this."Then, I choose Yoshida Mikihiko from Class 1-E and Saijou Leonhart, also from Class 1-E.""Hey, Shiba!?"Hattori quickly tried to interject, but was held back by Suzune's raised hand."That's fine. Nakajou.""Yes, present!"Katsuto didn't bat an eyelid at Azusa's exaggerated response. "Please call Yoshida Mikihiko and Saijou Leonhart here. The two of them should be at this hotel, though not with the normal cheering squads."At first glance, he was bold and unconstrained while this was also true, he was also someone who paid attention to the minute details. That being said, it was true that unofficial members and students that weren't part of the cheering squads and were also residing in this hotel did count as oddities. For people doing their due diligence, this was something worthy of devoting some attention to, so it was hardly surprising that he knew. Even so, Tatsuya was still impressed with Katsuto's knowledge."......Tatsuya-kun. Can you tell us why you chose them?"Since she abandoned the responsibility for persuading Tatsuya to Katsuto, Mari was in no position to object at this point.Nevertheless, she was still unable to accept this answer, maybe even suspicious that something was afoot as she asked this."Of course. A big reason is that I have practically not trained or interacted with any of the male team members."Tatsuya was only responsible for calibrating the Women's team, so it was true that he had never observed any of the men practicing."I am utterly unfamiliar with their proficiency and weaknesses. The competition is tomorrow. It is by far too late to start investigating, devising strategies, or doing calibration.""......Do you know these two very well?""Yes. We're not just in the same class we also understand each other very well.""Hm...... You have a point. Since we can rely on other technicians for calibration, if teammates don't understand each others' strengths and weaknesses, teamwork would become a serious issue."As Mari considered this, she suddenly revealed a completely unexpected, mischievous expression."Then, that's not the biggest reason, so what is it?"At Mari's curious question, Tatsuya didn't hesitate and immediately made a stand."Ability.""Wha?"This intrepid answer caused Mari, Mayumi, Katsuto, and Suzune to look upon Tatsuya with profound interest. "Hey, Tatsuya......Is it true?"Rather than being confused, Leo wore a forlorn expression as he repeated this question for the umpteenth time."Setting aside President Saegusa for the moment, do you think Group Leader Juumonji would spin such a complicated lie?"Tatsuya was getting ready to give up answering this question. "Even if you said setting aside the President, I still don't understand......Oh, so it's really true."Until now, Leo was still skeptical as he heaved a deep sigh.To his side, Mikihiko was highly distracted as his eyes drifted, evidently unsure where to look."Miki, settle down a bit.""My name is Mikihiko."After conversing with Erika as if prearranged, a disgruntled Mikihiko sat down on the bed.They were in Tatsuya's double room. The entire brass went and persuaded the two of them to accept more like coerced and Tatsuya called them over to make plans for the future.With Erika and Mizuki following along, this does seem a little "prearranged".Miyuki, Honoka, Shizuku were tied up by Eimi, Subaru, and their teammates and were currently locked in a spiral of "madness"."But......Haven't Mikihiko and I made no preparations whatsoever?""Exactly......Forget about the CAD, I don't think we even have uniforms?"Mikihiko's face was a little pale. Owing to his sudden selection, he was a little timid and mystified at his completely unexpected elevation as a Course 2 student to starter for the Newcomers Division. Not that Mikihiko would ever be caught dead admitting that.Leo's coloring was normal, but he had shaken off his usual joking expression. He didn't look particularly energetic.Besides Mikihiko, Tatsuya was surprised to find that even Leo was a little daunted, but he didn't choose to alter the plan of attack. Don't even dream of throwing everything to me, Tatsuya thought."Relax. They didn't prepare a uniform for me either.""Wait, that's hardly a comforting thought."Tatsuya waved his hand at Leo's ready retort."It'll be OK. Even if there's nothing we can do about it, just relax.""No, that's not what I meant."This time it was Erika's turn to snark.Those two certainly share the same interests, Tatsuya thought."Fine, you're right. Honestly, that's all I can say. Don't worry about it. We've already put Nakajou-senpai in charge of the protective gear and tunics. Appearances can be pretty deceiving and she's quite a competent person. I'm sure she'll have the perfect uniforms for us."Nobody had any comment for that. Not that anyone was going to call into question whether her competence belied her appearance."I'll handle the CADs. I guarantee that I'll only need an hour per person."Completely calibrating a CAD from scratch to the point that it was customized for a Magician usually required triple the amount of the time.Yet, neither Leo nor Mikihiko seemed particularly astounded.On one hand, they weren't wholly aware how impressive "one hour" actually was, and on the other hand, they had already seen so many "shockers" in the past four days that they already thought "Tatsuya's omnipotent"."Is that OK? Isn't it already 9 PM? You still need time for your gear, right?"Erika was the only one of the four who was aware how time- consuming CAD calibration was. Thus, she was the only one looking on with concerned eyes."That'll be fine. I only need 10 minutes."Looks like their worries were groundless. Once more experiencing first-hand how ridiculous he was, Erika heavily sighed."Ten minutes, eh, ten......Why do I even bother worrying about you.""Unfortunately, in reality, we don't have that much time.""Eh?"Erika comically portrayed a carefree expression, but upon hearing Tatsuya's bleak words, she quickly became anxious again."Regardless of how you describe this, we are an impromptu lineup with no tactical planning.We have no time to practice, so we must do our fine tuning in battle.Charging into the fray with only a rough battle plan is like heading in there blind.For me, this is simply the last resort."Rather than saying that Tatsuya was discouraged, it was more like he was ranting.Erika relaxed somewhat and nodded."......So that's how it is. Trickery is Tatsuya-kun's specialty.""That's going a little too far."Tatsuya could only droop his shoulders and smile at Erika's overblown description of his shortcomings."Well...... It's pointless to complain any further about something that has already been decided. While Ichihara-senpai and Nakajou-senpai are scrounging up the necessary materials, let's go over our strategy.""You were the one who said we couldn't come up with a plan."Seeing Erika nitpicking Tatsuya's words, Mizuki barred her path with a vexed expression on her face. She was just standing in front of her."Erika-chan...... At the very least, please don't hinder Tatsuya-kun.""Ouch! Mizuki, I was just trying to liven up this totally deadbeat~ atmosphere......""Yes, yes, as this deadbeat~ atmosphere is fading away, please be quiet. He already said we're running out of time, Erika."Recently, Mizuki had finally figured out the key to dealing with her friend, so she wasn't being pulled this way and that like she was in the past."Hm......"Erika puffed her cheeks at being scolded, but mercifully remained silent. No matter what she said or what attitude she adopted, she stayed because she was sincerely worried about Tatsuya, Leo, and Mikihiko."Our first topic is the formation itself."Tatsuya completely ignored the interruption and kept going."I'm on offense, Leo is on defense, while Mikihiko will use guerrilla tactics.""OK. But what am I supposed to do on defense?""I want to know too. What do you mean by guerrilla?"At this point, Leo and Mikihiko had either accepted their fate or were earnestly getting excited. The highest probability was that they were just trying to muddle through it. Regardless of the reason behind their completely different and proactive attitude, Tatsuya continued his fluid explanation."The defense's job is to protect allied territory from enemy assault. Everyone knows the victory conditions for Monolith Code, right?" At this question, Leo answered without much confidence."To render the opposing team unable to continue, or transfer the code hidden within the monolith into the terminal, right?""That is correct. In order to transfer the code hidden within the monolith, a special Nonsystematic Magic must be inputted into the monolith. The special Magic Sequence serves as a key and splits the monolith in two. Once the monolith has been split, the team is forbidden from using magic to reseal the break. However, using magic to prevent the monolith from splitting is valid. Also, there is a requirement stating that the special Magic Sequence must be used within 10 meters of the monolith and would immediately stop upon leaving that range.""......In other words, the defense's job is to prevent the enemy from getting within 10 meters of the monolith, and even if the special key Magic Sequence has been inputted, their goal then becomes preventing the monolith from opening or disrupting the enemy from reading the code, these three points?""Full marks."Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction at Leo's answer."Generally, Counter Magic can be used to prevent the 'key' from activating, but even without that ability, Fortifying Magic is sufficient to prevent the monolith from opening. Strictly speaking, even if the monolith has been split, but if the two halves are still stuck together, this status can be maintained indefinitely. This way, because the monolith wasn't reattached after separation, this is not a violation of the rules."Leo revealed a powerless expression swiftly followed by a suspicious glance towards Tatsuya."I really don't want to say this, Tatsuya, but isn't this the standard definition of 'trickery'......?"Still, Tatsuya wasn't going to surrender to this level of sarcasm even if it was only joking among friends."Leo and Erika say the exact same thing." The first one to waver and shout out was Leo. "Who do you take me for!""What are you talking about!"Erika immediately set off a chain reaction."OK, OK, Erika-chan, relax a little. Leo-kun, please don't get too excited."Thanks to Mizuki's intercession, the two of them avoided a head on conflict."......So I understand the 'key' portion. But how do we go about denying the enemy?"Leo recovered his composure and asked a new question."Is kicking and punching off limits as well? I'm not exaggerating here, but long range magic is not my strong point.""Then use this."As he said this, Tatsuya pulled out that "sword"."......Wait, I thought direct contact was forbidden?"When Leo said this, Tatsuya handed him a thin little booklet. "A manual?"Why are you handing me this? Just as he was about to ask, Leo noticed a dog leaf on one of the pages and abandoned his question to flip open that page."Rules for Monolith Code, eh......?"The printed rules for Monolith Code were all over the page, ranging from a simple explanation to newcomers without any preconceived notions to a more detailed play-by-play of an actual competition."It's enumerated here that attacks caused by objects under the effect of magic are not against the rules.""So......If an object is in flight due to magic......Isn't that......I got it."The basic setup of this "sword" involved separating the blade in the middle, with half of the blade maintaining a set distance from the other half and flying through the air at will. From a magic systems perspective, it may be more appropriate to describe this as the blade extending through the air. From outward appearances, this was half of a broken sword flying to and fro through the sky. Since there was no physical connection between the two halves, this fulfilled the condition for "objects in flight due to magic"."Tatsuya, did you create this thing because you knew about this ahead of time?"At Leo's sincere query, Tatsuya could only chuckle wryly and shake his head."You overestimate me too much...... This was made purely on a whim.I'm not in the habit of creating malicious tricks day and night."It seemed that neither Leo nor Erika was wholly satisfied with Tatsuya's explanation, but time was of the essence, so he chose to ignore it."This Weaponized Integrated CAD 'Mini Communicator' has already been calibrated for Leo's personal use. I've already adjusted the variability of the distance and duration like we spoke of earlier, so don't mess up the controls.""Eh? You mean we're doing a live test in combat!?""Everything tomorrow would be the same thing as live combat."Tatsuya switched his tone and paused before adopting an enigmatic smile."Besides, I guarantee that this time it'll be far easier to use than last time.""Fine, hopefully this won't be a problem."Facing Tatsuya's evil smirk, Leo fearlessly took the "Mini Communicator" from him."Next is Mikihiko's role......""Yep, Tatsuya, what should I do?"Mikihiko rose from the bed. Although he was initially indecisive, he was now very proactive, or maybe he was simply motivated now. Being roused to action was infinitely preferable to how he was before, but Tatsuya didn't touch on this and focused on his mission briefing."Guerrilla tactics will entail providing support to either the offense or the defense."After delivering this simplistic answer, Tatsuya continued to ask. "You are capable of other long range magic like the earlier lightning- based magic, correct?""Well, yeah......"Mikihiko vaguely replied.Families that had inherited Ancient Magic had a strong tendency to hide their own magic abilities.In modern magic, thanks to the categorization and systems approach to magic, with a notable exception for a few BS Magicians, confidentiality has become a mere formality. However, due to the ingrained values system, this could still be seen at the subconscious level.Nonetheless, they were headed into battle tomorrow, so if they couldn't be honest with one another now, they would be in dire straits."The destructive power for lightning magic is C-Rank, right?""......That's a magic that was only meant to disable the target, so it only rates as C-Rank. Since it hasn't been publicized yet, there is no actual record in the rankings.""Unpublished, huh......Wouldn't that be a huge problem if we used that tomorrow?""No......There should be no problem. The theory behind it is not secret, but the Activation process is. If I avoid talismans and only use a CAD, we should be OK. ......Tatsuya.""What's up?""Tatsuya......You said this before, right? My......The Yoshida Family's technique is too verbose, so I cannot wield magic in the way I desire.""That is correct."Erika stared at them with widened eyes. Next to her, Tatsuya decisively more like ruthlessly nodded.Mizuki covered her mouth with both hands. Even Leo was struck speechless.The technique that the famous line of Ancient Magic users had laboriously developed over many generations had just been judged to be a "blemished product!" Without a certain degree of confidence, no one dared to make that assessment.Otherwise, they were fools of the highest order that believed solely in the superiority of their own techniques.Obviously, Tatsuya did not belong in the latter category."......Then Tatsuya, can you tell me a more efficient technique?""I won't tell you, I will configure one.""......I'm sorry, the difference escapes me.""The magic you used was likely a variant of 'Thunder Child'. What I can do is remove the unnecessary portions within the technique and reduce the number of computations while maintaining the phenomenon rewriting ability and alter the Activation Sequence to make that Magic Sequence possible, that's all. At the end of the day, this is still the magic that Mikihiko is comfortable with.""......So you weren't joking when you said you can comprehend anything you see. It is a variant of 'Thunder Child'. In order to hide the weakness of the technique, additional layers were added on to disguise the original ability. However, this may tie into the unnecessary portions that Tatsuya spoke of.""There was a time when longer casting times required certain defenses to avoid interference. Nevertheless, with the advent of CADs and the rise in casting speed for modern magic, individual counter spells have become obsolete since the magic that is being activated remains unknown. Thus, the real counter to modern magic doesn't lie in the type of magic, but counter magic that can eradicate its effectiveness in the first place."Mikihiko made a small noise.Amazingly, his smile was in no way self derogatory."Haha, so that's how it is...... Ancient Magic was supposed to possess superior firepower, but now they cannot stand against modern magic.""That's incorrect, Mikihiko.""Eh?""Ancient Magic and modern magic are not separated by superiority or inferiority, but by their individual strengths and weaknesses.In a head-to-head match-up, modern magic commands a devastating advantage in casting speed, but from the perspective of surprise attacks, Ancient Magic boasts superior firepower and secrecy.Didn't Elder Kudou also say this? The key is how you use magic. The reason I recommended you was because I thought that your magic would serve as an incredible ambushing tool.""Ambushing tool, eh......That's the first time I've heard of that."Mikihiko closed his eyes and ruefully murmured. Afterwards, as if dispelling all his doubts, he opened his eyes again."I understand. I will use this technique without the talismans, so I'll rely on the CAD instead. Tatsuya, we'll go with your suggestion. I believe in you.""Thanks, Mikihiko. Since you said that, there's one other thing I wanted to ask of you.""Sure. This can't be helped, right? Not that I planned to keep it a secret anyway. My father was the one who brought me here, so even if our secret got out, it's not like they have the right to complain.""Don't worry on that account, my lips are sealed.""Ah~ ......Me too. I promise that I'll never let this spread.""Likewise.""I'm good for that too, as you know."Besides Tatsuya, everyone present who had been silent until now affirmed their intent to keep his secret.After viewing the last person Erika with considerable suspicion, logic finally trumped emotion as Mikihiko nodded towards Tatsuya."I'll keep this short. Can you use 'Visual Tuning'?"Mikihiko replied after a short pause not because he was unwilling, but because he was totally shocked."......You know about that too? Did Kokonoe-sensei tell you that as well?""Maybe.""......You certainly gave me a scare there, Tatsuya. Well, the answer is a definite yes. While I'm incapable of performing 'Five Sense Tuning', if it's only two at a time, I can still use 'Sense Tuning'.""Visual is good enough, Mikihiko. In that case, our plan of attack is......"Tatsuya didn't noticeably change his volume, but Mikihiko seemed to naturally crouch closer.As promised, the calibration of Leo's CAD took less than an hour to finish.After receiving his personal CAD and weaponized calculation device from Tatsuya, Leo opted to do some training to get used to the new model. Erika volunteered to be his sparring partner as they headed for the outdoor training facility.The hour was late, but Erika said that with Leo around, nothing would happen to her or otherwise. So Tatsuya compromised.Presently, Tatsuya was calibrating Mikihiko's CAD at lightning speed. Next to him, Azusa was staring at him in shock. As the user, Mikihiko was also present as he stared wide eyed at Tatsuya's unique calibration method and typing speed. Yet, the subject that astounded Azusa was not so superficial.Right now, Tatsuya was assembling an Activation Sequence that took into account the traditional requirements for Ancient Magic and adapting them for use in modern magic. "Translating" the technique itself wasn't a particularly daunting task. Much like using a clumsy machine translation, awkward details and minor errors would be scattered all over the place.Even Azusa was able to fix errors like those.Yet the calibration being displayed before her eyes was nothing short of a complete rewriting of the Activation Sequence.By fully comprehending the transformation process from Activation Sequence to Magic Sequence, he was rewriting the Activation Sequence without sacrificing any efficiency from the Magic Sequence.The Activation Sequence is the blue print for the Magic Sequence. Rewriting the Activation Sequence implied that the Magic Sequence was also being rewritten. Not only did the magic have to be finely tuned to the individual Magician, the excess details in the Magic Sequence also had to be pruned to increase efficiency. That level of rewriting had long surpassed "revision" or "configuration" and had ascended to the realm of "innovation", which was the same thing as improving the very magic itself.Before he began, Azusa honestly wondered whether this was even possible when she learned from Tatsuya what he was attempting to accomplish. Yet before Azusa's own eyes, he bypassed any experimental verification or live testing and proceeded directly to extracting the very essence of magic from the Activation Sequence and began cutting away at the unnecessary portions and redesigning the Activation Sequence. This was precisely what was unfolding on the editing machine.Even Azusa, who had volunteered as Tatsuya's aide in place of the usual technician responsible for the Newcomers Division's Monolith Code event, felt powerless before this insane industry. Right now, the only thing she could do was examine the coding language for the freshly minted Activation Sequence as her gnawing doubts steadily solidified into conviction.He Shiba Tatsuya had exceeded the standards of a high school Magic Artificer.Scratch that, he had long since surpassed the boundaries of what it meant to be a Magic Artificer.He must beLeaving Azusa milling in confusion behind him, Tatsuya used one full hour to completely rewrite Mikihiko's personal Activation Sequence.