It is already the final week of September.
The days when the lingering summer heat was intense were many but the days when a remarkably autumn-like wind could be felt were increasing.
“As I was saying, shouldn’t the ambiance of the school be more enthusiastic? What do you think?”
“About what?”
Tatsuya glanced back at Mayumi who tilted her head in inquiry with a slight narrowing of his eyes.
“The presidential election.”
Finally, the Student Body General Meeting would be held tomorrow, and with it, the Student Council Presidential Election.
For Mayumi, today was the last day she would pass in this room as Student Council President; in spite of this, she did not appear to feel sentimental about it.
Even so, the competition for the office of next Student Council President did not appear to include either a fiery debate or a popularity contest.
“…Well, it’s a high school Student Council Presidential election, isn’t it? It might not be something to get fired up about…”
He didn't bother to look back; at most, it was an honorary position that added points to someone’s student record. It wasn't something to get excited about, right?
Aside from what he said, he knew there were other reasons not to get excited about it.
A vote of confidence for the one and only candidate did not seem all that exciting.
Furthermore, the possibility of not getting approved was zero.
The reason for all this wasn’t because the office of Student Council President didn’t have enough glamour to turn someone’s eyes green with envy.
If you looked at it from the perspective of the general public, the president of a magic high school’s Student Council was no more than the head of a high school organization.
The power and influence the office bestowed was close to nothing; it was merely honorary.
On that point, it wasn’t much different from being part of the Student Council of a science high school or an arts high school.
However, the level of ‘Honor’ differed.
It’s only natural; if you think about it a little, you’ll understand.
It is because magic high schools—a high school associated with a national magic university—number only nine in the entire country.
The number of national high schools is not limited to nine schools, but the high schools where you can receive higher education in magic number only nine.
Even if the number was increased, there would be no way to secure the proper number of teachers.
Each year, only nine people experience what it’s like to be the magician respected as the one who holds the office of Student Council President of a magic high school.
That title, limited to those on the path to becoming an elite magician—it is no exaggeration to call, being given such a title, a life changing event.
While unofficial, it can be called an honor comparable to receiving a third class medal.
Of course, to be one of the people who stand at the pinnacle in the world of magicians, you must be rated first or second class; there are no exceptions. But, at the high school level, to be able to procure this life honor, it is proper and appropriate to say it can turn one’s eyes green with envy—yes, quite appropriate.
The fact is, there weren’t only a few students that might possibly desire the office of Student Council President, but rather quite a lot.
So, why was there only one single candidate?
That was, naturally, the power of human agencies being put in motion.
Tatsuya just now, (with a glance) rested his eyes on the current Student Council President whose guiltless face was tilting up at him in inquiry.
What the heck kind of face would she make if some kind of opposition went around ‘propagandizing’ that the election should not take place?
Probably, making this kind of enticing smile.
Enough of that; the imagination clearly produces some scary scenarios.
“Hmm, unfortunately, this time there is only A-chan… but in general, before the vote of confidence, a ‘vote for me’ speech is made to the audience. Do you think that will be enough to fire everyone up, tomorrow?”
With only one candidate, calling it a ‘vote for me’ speech wasn’t quite correct, but Tatsuya wasn’t in the habit of making digs like that.
His gaze drifted to a corner of the room. It was well into the noon hour. Azusa’s earnest face was peering at a document and a soft voice was making mumbling sounds.
She wasn’t using a handheld terminal display; she was making a point to read from actual paper documents. She certainly looked like she had the proper fighting spirit of a candidate.
By the way, the “reward” of the flying device had already been given when she accepted her nomination.
A girl like her wasn’t drawn by the promise of rewards; rewards given in advance put her under more pressure, as a result of lingering tension.
And so, as he intended, Azusa had become a prisoner of a strange sense of obligation. Even though she didn’t have an opposing candidate, she was whipping herself with “I’ve got to win, I’ve got to win”.
Probably, even after the speech was over, this tension would keep her will firm. There wasn’t anything to worry about on this side of things.
“No matter what you think, the main problem is the Student Body General Meeting, right?”
There was no way she could hear his thoughts, but Suzune had given voice to the very issue he had been on the verge of considering. Suzune had been gazing at her desktop terminal display for some time now (it seemed like she was skipping lunch today). Her eyes were going up and down, probably scrolling over a text while reading, possibly reading it over and over, checking everything.
“The special meeting in the spring cut down a degree of grandstanding. We don’t want another mess like that, right now.”
Mari pointed that out as she closed her bento box.
“I certainly have no intention of causing a mess like that.” Mayumi answered as she, too, cleaned up.
“I am a bit worried by the possibility of violence breaking out, but that’s probably an irrational worry.”
As everyone prepared their tea, Miyuki said that with a smiling face and an air of making a joke. At this time,
“A surprise attack? Well, the students at our school should know better than to attack a girl like her.”
Mari entered into the pause.
“Oh my, how rude. Taking on a girl, don’t you think that’s just awful.”
A smile that said clearly 'that was a joke' was painted on Mayumi’s face and could be seen by Tatsuya when she threw out her remark. There were no opponents who would dare challenge her in a battle of magic, at least no one powerful enough to do so would make a cowardly sneak attack. Mayumi held this conviction, firmly.
“I see… I don’t think taking precautions would be excessive.”
However, Tatsuya’s reply went in a slightly strange direction she was not expecting.
“Uh?”
“Because the president is a girl, moreover a beautiful girl.” “Re-Really?”
Mayumi rebuffed the remark wearing the composure of an older person, but it could not be said she did very smoothly, as her eyes showed excitement.
On the other hand, Miyuki had a petulant face that said why did my brother blurt out something like that, and appeared to be examining him closely for other signs of infidelity.
“What do you mean? Why did you say something like that so suddenly?” Miyuki wasn’t the only one who suspected him of infidelity.
The one who tackled her suspicions head on was Mari.
“Suddenly? A portion of the students are trying to rally approval to demolish the president’s plan. I thought we were discussing threats that could disturb the status quo?”
“A rumor of something like that has reached my ears as well…”
Mari replied in a way that seemed somewhat confused. From Tatsuya's perspective, the opposition group was skillfully maneuvering. He judged the intelligence reports with a greater degree of accuracy than Mari, because individual committee members did not normally do intelligence gathering.
“For the opposition group, the only days left to strike are today and tomorrow. President… it would be better if you never let yourself be alone today.”
“Ha-ha, Tatsuya-kun. Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?”
Mayumi took Tatsuya’s outburst as a joke and dismissed it with a laugh. But that did not go over well.
“Have you gotten hold of some intel…?”
With a knitted forehead Mari questioned Tatsuya who wasn’t acting like he was joking with Mayumi.
“Unfortunately, no. If I had gotten a hold of something I would feel more secure.”
“You’re not thinking about it too much, are you?” “Ha-ha, maybe I am?”
When Suzune pointed out it could be just nerves, Tatsuya lightly laughed in agreement.
Nonetheless, that was merely a pretense, that was clear to anyone with eyes.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Tatsuya-kun.”
Only a little time remained of the noon break. Mari, who had just left the Student Council room and was in a nearby corridor, called out in order to stop Tatsuya, who was on his way back to his classroom.
Tatsuya and Miyuki simultaneously turned around; for some reason Mari wore a slightly bitter smile. The general public might think of them as ‘close siblings’, but that was because they were not always ignoring these little actions.
“Do you need something?”
Tatsuya nodded to Mari to continue, in order to quickly dispose of the matter.
“There’s a matter I wish to have a short discussion with you about. Could you come to headquarters?”
When she said ‘headquarters’, he didn’t have to ask of what; she meant the Public Moral Committee headquarters.
“Right now?”
“It won’t take much time. Oh, yes. If possible, could Shiba also be present?”
Tatsuya and Miyuki's faces, struck by surprise, looked at each other. This was the first time in their memory that Mari had said to Miyuki anything like ‘need you to do something’ or ‘something to discuss’.
“Miyuki, are you okay time wise?”
“Yes. Since fourth period is free, there’s no problem if I’m a little late.”
Free was an abbreviation for ‘free subject’. Science, language, and the like or magic other than actual practice could be studied by terminals for individual study. It was about the same as self study, so being a little late was certainly no problem.
“Is it alright with Onii-sama?”
Tatsuya on the other hand, had a small test on practical skill that was called ‘ability measurement’.
In the first course, an instructor used an instrument to process measurement (naturally, advice was also given), but in the second course, students individually, at their own convenience, used an instrument to process measurement; as long as it was sometime during the period he made the requisite score, it would be counted as a passing grade.
“—It’s okay.”
He nodded to Miyuki and directed an agreement to Mari; Mari said ‘sorry’, outpaced the two of them and advanced on foot to the stairs.
As they went to their committee’s headquarters, they did not use the shortcut that passed by the Student Council room.
Compared to half a year before, she was like a different person; it certainly seemed like a different room after all the cleaning and organizing he’d done. By the receiver set that wasn’t there half a year before, Mari and the siblings sat down facing across from each other. (By the way, the receiver set, as he had found out through cross-examination, had been moved to a storehouse because the room had been filled with so much stuff. It had been returned to its original spot so that they could monitor information frequencies.)
“—Okay, now, since it’s you two siblings, perhaps you have some idea of what this is about.”
At the emphasis made by Mari with her preface, Tatsuya thought “Huh?” A subtle tension was radiating from her.
Unthinkable; Miyuki’s here so it can’t be that kind of reason. They came face to face in the Student Council room regularly. You couldn’t call the opportunities for them to have words nil; there was no reason for an upperclassman like Mari to feel tense at this point in their relationship.
“…What I want to discuss, it’s Mayumi. The truth is, I, too, am gripped by anxiety from what Tatsuya pointed out earlier.”
“The matter of those who oppose the plan to abolish the rule about Student Council members having to be chosen from Course One students?”
Mari didn’t notice due to her tension, but Tatsuya indicated his understanding.
“That’s right… I, too, think that there are too many people in the opposition party. At the spring assembly, I did not feel that kind of mood from the people opposed when the announcement was made, but I believe I can remember that the people who made emotionally opposing outbursts were… more than a few. Since you’re both first years, you may not think about this kind of thing, but you can’t conduct a sabotage operation peacefully. After all, won’t somebody who runs around using violence always pop out? That is what is called sufficient warning.”
“Most likely.”
The one who thought that was Tatsuya, who was without hesitation or hatred and swiftly directed towards the gloomy faced Mari.
“Mayumi—probably because she is an ojou-sama, is unfamiliar with this kind of ‘malice’. That girl probably cannot understand the feeling that is said to make a cornered animal attack.”
Hmmm, Tatsuya agreed that it was a suicidal weakness. Mari didn’t appear to be the bashful type.
Seen from the sidelines, it was abundantly clear that these two’s playful badgering was proof of how well they got along; from Tatsuya’s perspective, Mari worrying about Mayumi was ‘utterly natural’. However, Mari did not seem to think so.
“What you said just then… Mayumi seems to have not taken it too seriously. Because Mayumi has the special skill ‘Multi Scope’, that girl can guard her perimeter and nobody can take her by surprise, but since that ability is not a passive activation perception ability, when she doesn’t feel the need for vigilance, it’s like a toy trapped in its packaging.”
“…Hmm.”
Well, isn’t it about time Mari tells us what she wants us to do, Tatsuya thought. “Eh— then, …sorry. I'm chattering without getting to the point…”
Good, Tatsuya didn’t have to say it aloud; Mari was returning to the main issue on her own.
“And so. I want you two to… if you could, leave school with Mayumi today for me?”
“—You mean see the president home?”
“You don’t have to go as far as her home—no, I’d be grateful if you would go that far. I think I don’t have to worry about her inside school grounds. In the classrooms, she’s surrounded by a crowd of groupies; in the Student Council room, there’s Ichihara and Hattori. The time I’m most worried about is when she leaves school. She won’t, for whatever the reason, let her groupies approach her outside of school.”
“Isn’t that because she is a direct descendant of the Ten Master Clans?”
Mari made a face that said ‘until now, I’ve never considered that’ when Tatsuya made his absent-minded assertion.
“…It’s like that?”
“Eh? I’m not a member of the Ten Master Clans; that was but a simple guess.”
“You might be right on the mark… Anyway, Mayumi generally leaves school alone. Even if someone made it look accidental, it would be easier than within school. If it wasn’t this point in time, I’d be talking to Hattori, but after he’s done with the Student Council, it seems that he goes over to the Club Management Group’s area to make various preparations… Under the circumstances, Tatsuya-kun, I’d like to rely on you. Since you possess the strongest anti-magic ‘Gram Demolition’, no matter what sneak attack they contrive, it will be okay, right?”
Tatsuya was gripped by a single doubt; however, he couldn't speak the words. Because, faster than he could open his mouth, Miyuki answered Mari’s question.
“Please leave it to us. If it’s my brother, there will be no slip-ups.”
Mari’s last utterance had not been a question as a formality, however. In actuality, it was a provocation, or perhaps an incitement. The words oddly stirred up Miyuki—they were for the purpose of inciting her to burst into the pause and keep mean-spirited Tatsuya’s questions like ‘Why should I, myself, have to accompany her away from school?’ from being spoken.
Instead, Tatsuya was looking at Mari who had a smirking evil grin. “Wh-What? Is there something you want to say?”
“No, not particularly.”
“How mean spirited. If that girl got injured now, various things would worsen. In spite of understanding how precarious things are… it’s not as if I’m particularly worried about that girl.”
As he watched Mari make excuses with all her might, Tatsuya thought ‘so is this what is called a tsundere?’ — he wasn’t quite certain.
◊ ◊ ◊
“—Thanks for your hard work. With this, all the preparations for tomorrow should be complete?”
In response to Mayumi’s closing pleasantries, “Yes, the documents are all in order.”
By Azusa.
“The president has also completed her check.” Hattori affirmed in a calm tone.
However Hattori did not simply make an answer to the question; his words were apologetic and contrite as he continued.
“…President, this is actually painful for you?”
“Yes, Hanzou-kun, thank you for your work. I’m already finished here, so don’t worry.”
After this, he had the formal investiture over at the Club Management Group. That was something Mayumi understood as well.
“Excuse me, President…”
“I said it’s okay. If A-chan is ready too, please leave.”
With great pain, Hattori regretfully gathered his things hurriedly, made a rapid “pardon me” as a goodbye to Azusa, put the Student Council behind him and went towards the preparation building.
“It’s time for you to leave too, Miyuki.”
In a similar tone, Mayumi directed her comment at Miyuki, who for some reason hadn’t even got up from her seat, although both second years had gone home (to be correct, Azusa was the only one who had gone home).
“If it is alright, I wish to wait here for a little longer.”
However, what was sent back as an answer was rather unusual from Miyuki. “Tatsuya-kun?”
“Yeah. Seems like he’s somewhere a phone signal can’t reach, since I can’t contact him.”
“Somewhere a phone signal can’t reach…” “Couldn’t it be the basement archives?”
Suzune whispered into the ear of Mayumi, who had tilted her head questioningly (although I called it that, the volume was such that it reached all the way over to Miyuki). Mayumi assented with an “uh, huh” look.
“That privacy barrier… is sometimes thick, since you certainly can’t contact him… alright.”
“I’m going to tidy up a bit more and then leave. Oh, Rin-chan, go home already. You have an errand you can’t get out of today, right?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry, President.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let you off today, so work hard tomorrow.”
Mayumi has no inkling, huh; there was no trace of doubt in her reply. She even let loose a light laugh. Suzune bowed without a word.
The Student Council room was down to the two of them; Mayumi and Miyuki turned to their desks in silence.
After a short period, at what Mayumi felt was just about the right length, the authorized person (in short, people whose student IDs were registered with the room’s verification system) arrival notice beep rang.
Miyuki arose and aimed her eye at the door. “Sorry I made you wait.”
Miyuki’s anticipation was not in vain; Tatsuya entered the room. “No, you haven’t done anything like that.”
As she watched Miyuki joyfully headed towards him with small, quick steps, Mayumi let loose a slightly surprised laugh.
“I’m used to it already but… you two are really close.” “Oh, President. You’re by yourself?"
“Abandoned ship… but that’s okay. Yes, the only ones left today are Miyuki and I.”
Since he was also used to Mayumi, her impudence didn’t throw Tatsuya’s pace off. It was her usual light-hearted repartee.
“Shall we help you?” “How unusual.”
However, her next words seemed to show actual genuine surprise.
“I wonder if snow might fall*, too.” (In this region at this season, this is the near equivalent of saying pigs might fly)
“It’s impossible for me, but… my sister would have no difficulty. Miyuki, the president appears to desire snow.”
“Acknowledged. Well then, how much shall I make, Onii-sama?”
“Let’s see… if you pile it up to 10 centimeters, shouldn’t that be enough?” “Wait! St-stop! It’s okay if snow doesn’t fall!”
At first she thought it was a joke so she had left it alone, but their expressions were far too serious. Spurred by a worry called “it’s a 10,000 to 1 that they’ll actually do it but, what if they do”, Mayumi frantically halted things.
“Good grief… Don’t tell jokes with a straight face.” “Wasn’t it only natural that it was a joke?”
To Tatsuya, who wasn’t offering either a sweet smile or a broad grin as verification, Mayumi directed a look filled with defenselessness (trust) with all her might. However, she saw a complete lack of effect and simply shrugged her shoulders to say “oh, well”.
She, too, seemed extremely used to Tatsuya’s ways. —They were on equal footing.
“Let’s stop kidding around.”
Mayumi watched him with a penetrating look, but Tatsuya naturally ignored it.
“It’s going to get dark before long, but if there’s any remaining work, we’ll help you.”
The calendar had already passed the fall equinox. “It’s going to get dark before long” was no exaggeration in any way.
For now (?) she would take Tatsuya’s altruistic words at face value (maybe she “misunderstood” him); Mayumi’s face relaxed.
“Um… I’d better go home, too. Thank you for your concern.” “Oh, is that so?”
“Then President, why don’t we go to the station together?”
Thinking that Tatsuya would be readily shot down, this time Miyuki made an attempt.
While she was thinking that this was also an unusual occurrence, Mayumi’s face spontaneously broke out in a smile.
“Why don’t we all work together?”
“Since it’s already so late, I know it will take some time to get the documents from ‘underground’, so the first thing to do is to go now, so they can finish it for us before they go home.”
“…Now that you mention it, what were you searching for in the archives?”
“I was searching for ancient texts related to ‘the philosopher’s stone, because the significant texts haven’t been transcribed into the database.”
“…An extremely crackpot, no, specialized research subject.” “I think it could be a tool to compensate lack of ability.”
“Is, is that…?”
Without thinking, he shocked Mayumi with his genuine motive.
“…Uh, how can a magician who can use ‘Gram Demolition’ say such a thing? Even if that was the only magic you could use, you’d still be in high demand by police and defense force from here and there.”
Nevertheless her face rapidly swelled with disappointment.
Tatsuya was well aware that Mayumi thought he held a warped opinion of his own magic talents. None the less, the tenor of his thoughts were slightly different from the common ‘feelings of the reserves’; ‘the reserve students’ were only fed up about the social system placing limits on their opportunities because they were reserves that he well knew.
He had unconsciously forgotten that if he said anything that sounded a little self pitying, Mayumi, who somehow always had the upper hand with him, would get angry.
He might not attain high rank as international standards determined magicians rank, but if you considered public (occupational) requirements, talented people like him who held the technical skill to excel in a specialized field were in great demand.
“Hey, Tatsuya-kun, I think you shouldn’t emphasize yourself that you are a ‘reserve student’ so much. Because you are simply being melodramatic, you’ll be remembered for your achievements… If you continue in that vein, you’ll be the envy of both the first course and second course students.”
“I do not intend to emphasize that point.”
For Tatsuya, when he named himself ‘reserve student’, he truly did it with neither the intention of satisfying masochistic tendencies, nor to be melodramatic. Just now, he had been asked (indirectly) for the reason he was investigating this subject and he only answered that question. —Naturally, he did not lie in order to conceal his true intentions; the real reason he was investigating matters related to ‘the philosopher’s stone’ was to compensate lack of ability to do certain things regarding his goal to build a ‘Gravity Control-Type Magic Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor’.
In any case, Tatsuya had no intention of emphasizing to himself that he was just a ‘reserve student’.
However,
“…Never mind, I’ll try not to.” In the end, he answered thus.
It wasn’t like Tatsuya couldn’t understand that Mayumi was worrying about him.
◊ ◊ ◊
The three of them, Mayumi and the siblings, walked the straight path from the school entrance to the station they usually took with Erika, Leo, and the rest of their friends. Miyuki was a little nervous; well, that was understandable. Even Mayumi might feel she had to be pleasant out of nervousness. Her bag was held in both hands in front of her body. The manner in which she walked in silence with her eyes concealing her feelings had a grace that caused one to wonder “From which high class family did this ojou-sama hail from?” —In actuality, Mayumi was an ojou-sama.
Tatsuya himself didn't have any topic he cared to sponsor for conversation. ‘The art of small talk’ was one he was especially unskilled at. Additionally, he was now on alert for attacks from the opposition group. For that reason, the three of them hardly made any conversation as about 70 percent of the distance to the station evaporated.
“…Hey, Tatsuya-kun.” “What is it?”
Because of those circumstances, when Mayumi unexpectedly spoke, Tatsuya was practically ready for anything.
“Isn’t it true that the two of you waited for me so we could leave together?” However, even though he was prepared, he was surprised by her comment.
When Tatsuya did not immediately respond with a reply, Mayumi continued on as if she had received a one syllable reply.
“Mari said something, didn’t she? Something like since the opposition group may attack, walk me to my house.”
“…You know her well, President.”
The one who answered truthfully was not Tatsuya, it was Miyuki. Mayumi’s insight had led her to make a guess that shot through the deception right to the truth; at least, Miyuki could verbally intervene so Tatsuya wouldn’t have to explain why (?) ‘he confessed’.
“It’s okay.”
Mayumi smiled slightly as she turned to Miyuki.
“I won’t tell Mari that I wormed the truth out of you two.”
Miyuki nodded out of embarrassment upon having her intentions being completely and readily laid bare.
“But, why did you speak of it?”
On the other hand, Tatsuya did not show any special discomfort on his face, nor did he speak with any trace of what could be called defiance; he merely asked with a puzzled look.
“To get you to understand that you didn’t need to walk me all the way home. Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not annoyed or anything like that.”
Tatsuya mutely bowed his head and signaled her to continue.
“Didn’t Mari say something like I generally take the path to and from school without precautions? But, I don’t leave with everybody else as a precaution, so if something happens, nobody else will get caught up in it.”
“By that… you don’t mean only at times like this?”
“Yes, I may be only calling myself this, but because I am an ‘ojou-sama’, I am often targeted by people with monetary or political goals and stuff like that.”
She said the word ojou-sama without any traces of pride in the tone of her voice, only self-depreciation colored her tone.
“Because the Saegusa family is a noble clan that, since the formation of the ten master clans system, has never fallen from the ranks, not even once.”
Tatsuya spoke with ‘there’s nothing that can be done about it’ implicit in his words; Mayumi made a pained smile.
“…Well, that’s how it is. Because I’ve been trained to never slack off on taking precautions, I am always prepared so that I can invoke my magic.”
She raised her left hand. The sleeve slipped down to reveal her CAD; it was not in rest mode, it was in standby mode.
“Besides, I also have a bodyguard.” “Uh, really?”
Miyuki franticly looked around, but she could not find a trace of anybody who looked like a bodyguard.
“…He’s waiting at the station.” Mayumi subtly halted the search.
“As you might surmise, it is embarrassing to walk the road to school accompanied by a bodyguard.”
Even if she did say it herself, it did not change the fact that it was embarrassing. “Oh, so that’s why she said something like ‘You don’t have to see her to her house’… Since once you got to the station, the bodyguard would be waiting.” Upon hearing this, Tatsuya’s face showed he finally understood.
“That’s right.”
However, now that that was explained, something new pricked his curiosity. “But, why have you explained this to us?”
He knew it was a pointless question, but Tatsuya couldn’t dampen his curiosity. If what she just said was true (although it seemed there was no reason to lie), Mari was also aware of this private personal information.
“Ye-es… maybe I just wanted to walk home with Tatsuya-kun and Miyuki- san?”
However, looking on the bashful face of Mayumi as she answered, Tatsuya felt a premonition of ‘utter failure…’
“Me, too?”
Miyuki didn’t feel the same premonition as her brother, so Mayumi sent a (elder sister) smile in the direction of her tilted head.
“Yes. Last autumn, I became Student Council President; the first half year has been fulfilling in itself, but this past half year, for me, has been a really fulfilling period."
And then she switched her gaze to Tatsuya. “And that has surely been thanks to you two.” “…I think you are overrating us, but…”
As Tatsuya refuted her claim expressionlessly, Mayumi laughed and giggled wholeheartedly.
“I’ve only recently come to understand this, but… Tatsuya-kun, you are a modest person.”
Watching Tatsuya become so lost on how to respond that his face hardened into a noh mask, Mayumi let out a stream of ‘insuppressible’ high pitched giggles.
“Is this how you act your age? Sometimes, I feel like I’m actually dealing with a ten year old?”
With the exception of Mayumi, Tatsuya’s acquaintances, who occasionally cast doubt about his actual age, all estimated higher; the only thing he could do was sink into silence with an astonished look on his face.
Mayumi’s vision blurred with tears—she laughed so much, she wiped her eyes with her fingers and directed a cheerful face to the siblings.
“…A-chan and Hanzou-kun are very good kids, but you two siblings are surely the most memorable of all my wonderful high school kouhai.”
Her face lit up with an extraordinary bright smile, Miyuki was also struck speechless.
In a completely different manner than her brother, whose ears were burning.
◊ ◊ ◊
The Shiba house, since their father stayed at their step-mother’s place, was actually the house of the two siblings, Tatsuya and Miyuki; for a private residence, it was on the large side. It was not as palatial as the Kitayama house or the Saegusa house (Tatsuya and Miyuki had not actually seen either of those); compared to those, it was only on the level of a private residence.
Although, you couldn’t quite call it a mere private residence.
Buried underneath, there was a magic engineering research facility that was as high tech as a university research lab. (For some reason or other, it’s appearance was somewhat secret hideout-ish, but it was simply a basement that has the same floor space as the floor above it remodeled into a laboratory.)
The Tatsuya who came out of that basement laboratory into the living room above it had an unusually tired appearance; his body sank deep into the sofa.
He used his thumb and middle finger to strongly massage his temple; he rotated his head once, twice.
In that state, he looked at the ceiling and put his thoughts in order.
His mind was boiling with idle thoughts about his memories of the events that took place at dusk, today.
He was thinking about the bodyguard he was introduced to when he took Mayumi to the station.
Mayumi’s guard was unexpectedly male.
Tatsuya had believed that a guard for a girl around Mayumi’s age would undoubtedly be female; to be truthful, he was pretty surprised. The man was an older gentleman well into his fifties; there might not be any hint of indecency, but…
The impression the middle aged man gave off was not that of a bodyguard, but rather of a butler, and more like a grandfather than a butler. However, his spine was as straight as a pin, his body was thin but firm; that he was definitely on ‘active duty’ was clearly understood from one glance. He did not carry himself in any special stance but there was a polished politeness to him; he had experience of military service, moreover it was a long service in various areas. The fact that he was used to wearing a uniform seeped through his stance.
This sort of body wasn’t unusual; the past century had seen many wars, especially as the end of the 21st century, so veterans of military service were so common that if foolish people tried to maintain a civilization without them, it would be a shamble. Former military personnel, who are also magicians using the mixture of their experiences and technical skills to get a place with a respectable family as bodyguards, was also common; the point that was troubling had nothing to do with that.
The point that was weighing on Tatsuya’s mind was the bodyguard’s name; to be exact, his family name.
“Onii-sama, you’re not asleep yet?”
He turned his eyes in the direction the voice came from; Miyuki was standing in the doorway of the living room wearing pink pajamas.
“Miyuki, what about you; why are you still awake? Tomorrow… no, it’s probably already today. You have to be a speaker at the meeting, right?”
Miyuki served as the program director in today’s campaign speech portion of the assembly. Each year, this was the job given to the first years’ representative on the Student Council.
“My throat was a little dry…”
The scolding of ‘go to bed early’ was unsaid but still felt by Miyuki. As she made her excuse timidly, she could feel Tatsuya rolling his eyes.
“If that’s so, it can’t be helped.”
Always inclined to spoil his sister rotten, Tatsuya agreed with an ironic sounding laugh.
Just now, her face shining with sweat, Miyuki came to Tatsuya’s side with a speed that was close to sprinting.
To the question in his sister's eyes, her brother answered 'yes' with his eyes. Miyuki, with a happy smile, sat down next to Tatsuya.
Slowly, the season was turning and the nights were getting colder, but Miyuki’s pajamas were made for summer. It had short sleeves and the pants were ¾ length; the cloth was lightweight and the lines of her body could be dimly perceived through it. It wasn’t the kind of thing a girl should wear late at night alone with a man, but Tatsuya didn’t dare say anything. —The words to speak, he himself silenced; he got the feeling that if he said anything, he’d be digging his own grave.
“What were you thinking about?”
Did she know what Tatsuya was thinking or didn’t she? Miyuki brought her playful face near his as she asked.
He was aware that it was a bit unsuitable to discuss such a heavy topic to someone wearing such an innocent face; none the less, due to his extreme tiredness, Tatsuya just answered truthfully.
“Well……about Saegusa-senpai’s bodyguard; it has been nagging at me?”
Faster than Tatsuya could think “aw, nuts”, Miyuki’s smile left her face in a flash.
“About Nakura-san’s name?”
Mayumi had introduced the older gentleman as Nakura Saburou. “The matter nagging at Onii-sama, could it be… the Extra?”
She could read him so well that she could see the single word he was thinking about; Tatsuya released a painful smile. If Miyuki hadn’t been thinking about that possibility, she wouldn’t have been able to read him so well. However, more than being aware of it, Tatsuya thought she probably also felt the significance he placed on the matter.
“I thought it unthinkable, but… one of the ten master clans employing a guard for the sake of a child of the family who is not the heir. If they’re not able to give them assumed family names the way we do, then I think they won’t be able to get rid of them as ‘Extras’.”
“I don’t think any of the other family aside from the Yotsuba clan has its members live under aliases, but…”
“We don’t know that. The other families don’t know Yotsuba customs and we’re the same. The other nine families, the eighteen additional families, that is 27 families in all that Yotsuba is unable to know the family traditions of.”
“But… the degree of difference from oba-ue (Extremely polite form of Aunt), Saegusa, which is weighed down with all that prestige, is willing to employ an ‘Extra’ in such a confidential position as a guard to the eldest daughter of the main family?”
“Perhaps because it is the prestigious Saegusa, they might be showing off that they don’t practice discrimination for the prestige it gives them.”
“I see… that is certainly another way of thinking about it…”
Suujiochi—Extra numbers, referred to by the abbreviation. Extra; magicians or their descendants that have been stripped of their family ‘number’.
The reasons for stripping off their number could be from such causes as: the crime of treason, the crime of failure to perform an important duty, and ‘incompetence’.
When Magicians became a symbol of military power, magicians were given numbers as a ‘a mark of their success’, but those who did not achieve results worthy of ‘a mark of their success’ were branded as failures due to their lack; they were extras.
Nowadays, the name of “Extra”, itself, is officially prohibited from being used. In the community of magicians, discriminating against someone for being an ‘Extra’ is a grave illegal act.
However, like discrimination against course 2 students at magic high schools, this has not been exterminated and is still being practiced. It has even worsened and is in the process of becoming a severe problem; this invisible glass ceiling of discrimination against ‘Extras’ still persists.
In Tatsuya’s generation, there might be many people unaware that their family name indicated that they were descended from an ‘Extra’, because their parents hid it from them. It was that deeply rooted prejudice would cause them to be regarded as ‘failure’ and ‘defective merchandise’, and that would be inserted into their consciousness as magicians.
Therefore, if Nakura was a descendant of a stripped family named Nanakura (nana = 7), then for what purpose did it serve the Saegusa family head to employ him as a bodyguard for his daughter, this was what was weighing on Tatsuya’s mind.
◊ ◊ ◊
A little while before…
The time is when only three hours remain before the date changes, in a magnificent bath house set nearby the main residence of the Saegusa family, which can be described as a ‘a grand mansion’. Nothing about it does not fit that image without exaggeration, but far from the prying eyes of passersby, Mayumi was comfortably submerged in the magnificent bath tub full of hot water, lightly sighing as she examined her own body critically.
—Her proportions weren’t that bad, even if that was only her own opinion.
—Her height, well after all, she did stop growing in her third year of middle school, but her little sisters also had petite bodies; there was nothing to be done but resign herself to her genetic heritage.
A sha-bum sound arose; Mayumi stretched her arms and legs out of the hot water.
—She was often told at boutiques and beauty salons that her limbs were quite long for someone as small in stature as she.
Arms and legs were returned to the bath; her hand brushed her breast gently.
—Her chest was also called large in proportion to height; no matter what type of clothes she wore, there was never tightness at the waist.
—She was quite sexy, even if that was only her own opinion.
—But when she faced ‘Her’, no matter how well she thought of herself, her confidence in herself wavered.
In her own mind, she always referred to the girl by the pronoun ‘Her or She’; in the realm of her unconscious mind, the proper noun of ‘Shiba Miyuki’ transformed.
—Until she met Her, she had never seen a girl so beautiful.
—Even Her arms and legs; so slim, so slender, so fine without looking unhealthy.
—Her waist, too, rested on that fine edge; Her chest and breast areas were full of feminine curves.
—Most of all, the number of perfectly symmetrical features was overwhelming. In the first place, even though internal organs in general are arranged symmetrically, no matter how perfectly symmetrical a person’s body is, her appearance will not likewise be symmetrical.
Even so, compared to non-magicians, the number of magicians with highly symmetrical bodies is higher. Aside from personal appearance, there is an easily seen tendency for people who have a strong disposition for magic to have a highly symmetrical bone structure; Mayumi was well aware of this knowledge.
—For that reason, there are times when Mayumi doubts that She was a flesh and blood person.
—Or even see Her as a girl like herself.
—Mayumi believed that the boy who was Her elder brother was unfortunately unable to see any other girl as anything but a poor copy of Her.
—Her elder brother.
Mayumi, once again, sighed without realizing it.
—He was to the point that it made Mayumi doubt that they were actually related by blood, ordinary in his exterior.
—There was nothing particularly wrong with him. —However, he was at the most, only ‘so-so’.
Mayumi submerged herself in the bathtub up to her nose. The water started foaming as her breath turned into bubbles. Did the air in the bubbles come from sighing or breathing, even Mayumi didn’t know.
—Nevertheless, his interior was far from ordinary. —Rather than calling it superior, non-standard fit better.
—Through lots of time and labor, scholars around the world took their accumulated knowledge, bundled it up, and constructed the current rating system for magicians.
—His existence questioned the validity of that system.
—Even by rounding up, he was only C-rank by international standards.
—In spite of that, all the actual results that she and others had seen for themselves exceeded those of an A-rank magician.
She lifted her face out of the bath, took a deep breath. She exhaled twice, thrice; Mayumi lightly laughed.
—The Staff Room should be racking their brains.
—What, with a system that stood for decades was being fundamentally challenged, and the plan to create both a ‘Magic’ and ‘Magic Engineering Department’ as well, the status quo of the staff room was being heavily shaken.
Mayumi gave a wry smile as she shook her head from side to side.
—Nevertheless, his existence was impossible.
—If only his intelligence and knowledge were superior, he wouldn’t be able to cause this much confusion.
—A first year high school student capable of using a high level anti-magic which had almost no practitioners.
—After being hit with magic that should cause critical wounds to his body, he calmly resumed fighting.
—The smashing of the terrorist group, she had heard was actually done by his power alone.
—His ability to use magic and his ability to fight with magic were too uneven.
—No, even if only his knowledge were considered, it could be argued that some alterations to the curriculum should be made?
The hot water was warm enough. In spite of that, Mayumi’s body shivered as if from cold. While she knew the chill she felt wasn’t radiating from her skin, Mayumi submerged her body deeply in the bathtub.
—Today, when she introduced him to Nakura, she didn’t tell him, but it was a type of test.
—A test to see if he realized what the name “Na-Ku-Ra” meant.
—At the time she spoke the name, Nakura, for one moment—and really it was only for one brief moment—turmoil ran through his eyes; it was only due to focusing her complete and total powers of observation on him that allowed her to not miss it.
—He was aware of the meaning of “Na-Ku-Ra”.
—Only people like Juumonji and herself, who were well versed in the “darkness” of modern magic, would know the meaning.
—An ordinary magician, he was not.
—A magician from some negligible family, he was not.
—”Shi-Ba” Tatsuya. Shi, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant chief; Ba, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant leaves. Shi, a syllable that could also mean four; Ba, leaves. Yotsu, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant four; Ba, leaves. Yotsuba.
—Could it be, could he also be, could he possibly be an “Extra”. Her brain on fire, Mayumi considered it.
It is already the final week of September.
The days when the lingering summer heat was intense were many but the days when a remarkably autumn-like wind could be felt were increasing.
“As I was saying, shouldn’t the ambiance of the school be more enthusiastic? What do you think?”
“About what?”
Tatsuya glanced back at Mayumi who tilted her head in inquiry with a slight narrowing of his eyes.
“The presidential election.”
Finally, the Student Body General Meeting would be held tomorrow, and with it, the Student Council Presidential Election.
For Mayumi, today was the last day she would pass in this room as Student Council President; in spite of this, she did not appear to feel sentimental about it.
Even so, the competition for the office of next Student Council President did not appear to include either a fiery debate or a popularity contest.
“…Well, it’s a high school Student Council Presidential election, isn’t it? It might not be something to get fired up about…”
He didn't bother to look back; at most, it was an honorary position that added points to someone’s student record. It wasn't something to get excited about, right?
Aside from what he said, he knew there were other reasons not to get excited about it.
A vote of confidence for the one and only candidate did not seem all that exciting.
Furthermore, the possibility of not getting approved was zero.
The reason for all this wasn’t because the office of Student Council President didn’t have enough glamour to turn someone’s eyes green with envy.
If you looked at it from the perspective of the general public, the president of a magic high school’s Student Council was no more than the head of a high school organization.
The power and influence the office bestowed was close to nothing; it was merely honorary.
On that point, it wasn’t much different from being part of the Student Council of a science high school or an arts high school.
However, the level of ‘Honor’ differed.
It’s only natural; if you think about it a little, you’ll understand.
It is because magic high schools—a high school associated with a national magic university—number only nine in the entire country.
The number of national high schools is not limited to nine schools, but the high schools where you can receive higher education in magic number only nine.
Even if the number was increased, there would be no way to secure the proper number of teachers.
Each year, only nine people experience what it’s like to be the magician respected as the one who holds the office of Student Council President of a magic high school.
That title, limited to those on the path to becoming an elite magician—it is no exaggeration to call, being given such a title, a life changing event.
While unofficial, it can be called an honor comparable to receiving a third class medal.
Of course, to be one of the people who stand at the pinnacle in the world of magicians, you must be rated first or second class; there are no exceptions. But, at the high school level, to be able to procure this life honor, it is proper and appropriate to say it can turn one’s eyes green with envy—yes, quite appropriate.
The fact is, there weren’t only a few students that might possibly desire the office of Student Council President, but rather quite a lot.
So, why was there only one single candidate?
That was, naturally, the power of human agencies being put in motion.
Tatsuya just now, (with a glance) rested his eyes on the current Student Council President whose guiltless face was tilting up at him in inquiry.
What the heck kind of face would she make if some kind of opposition went around ‘propagandizing’ that the election should not take place?
Probably, making this kind of enticing smile.
Enough of that; the imagination clearly produces some scary scenarios.
“Hmm, unfortunately, this time there is only A-chan… but in general, before the vote of confidence, a ‘vote for me’ speech is made to the audience. Do you think that will be enough to fire everyone up, tomorrow?”
With only one candidate, calling it a ‘vote for me’ speech wasn’t quite correct, but Tatsuya wasn’t in the habit of making digs like that.
His gaze drifted to a corner of the room. It was well into the noon hour. Azusa’s earnest face was peering at a document and a soft voice was making mumbling sounds.
She wasn’t using a handheld terminal display; she was making a point to read from actual paper documents. She certainly looked like she had the proper fighting spirit of a candidate.
By the way, the “reward” of the flying device had already been given when she accepted her nomination.
A girl like her wasn’t drawn by the promise of rewards; rewards given in advance put her under more pressure, as a result of lingering tension.
And so, as he intended, Azusa had become a prisoner of a strange sense of obligation. Even though she didn’t have an opposing candidate, she was whipping herself with “I’ve got to win, I’ve got to win”.
Probably, even after the speech was over, this tension would keep her will firm. There wasn’t anything to worry about on this side of things.
“No matter what you think, the main problem is the Student Body General Meeting, right?”
There was no way she could hear his thoughts, but Suzune had given voice to the very issue he had been on the verge of considering. Suzune had been gazing at her desktop terminal display for some time now (it seemed like she was skipping lunch today). Her eyes were going up and down, probably scrolling over a text while reading, possibly reading it over and over, checking everything.
“The special meeting in the spring cut down a degree of grandstanding. We don’t want another mess like that, right now.”
Mari pointed that out as she closed her bento box.
“I certainly have no intention of causing a mess like that.” Mayumi answered as she, too, cleaned up.
“I am a bit worried by the possibility of violence breaking out, but that’s probably an irrational worry.”
As everyone prepared their tea, Miyuki said that with a smiling face and an air of making a joke. At this time,
“A surprise attack? Well, the students at our school should know better than to attack a girl like her.”
Mari entered into the pause.
“Oh my, how rude. Taking on a girl, don’t you think that’s just awful.”
A smile that said clearly 'that was a joke' was painted on Mayumi’s face and could be seen by Tatsuya when she threw out her remark. There were no opponents who would dare challenge her in a battle of magic, at least no one powerful enough to do so would make a cowardly sneak attack. Mayumi held this conviction, firmly.
“I see… I don’t think taking precautions would be excessive.”
However, Tatsuya’s reply went in a slightly strange direction she was not expecting.
“Uh?”
“Because the president is a girl, moreover a beautiful girl.” “Re-Really?”
Mayumi rebuffed the remark wearing the composure of an older person, but it could not be said she did very smoothly, as her eyes showed excitement.
On the other hand, Miyuki had a petulant face that said why did my brother blurt out something like that, and appeared to be examining him closely for other signs of infidelity.
“What do you mean? Why did you say something like that so suddenly?” Miyuki wasn’t the only one who suspected him of infidelity.
The one who tackled her suspicions head on was Mari.
“Suddenly? A portion of the students are trying to rally approval to demolish the president’s plan. I thought we were discussing threats that could disturb the status quo?”
“A rumor of something like that has reached my ears as well…”
Mari replied in a way that seemed somewhat confused. From Tatsuya's perspective, the opposition group was skillfully maneuvering. He judged the intelligence reports with a greater degree of accuracy than Mari, because individual committee members did not normally do intelligence gathering.
“For the opposition group, the only days left to strike are today and tomorrow. President… it would be better if you never let yourself be alone today.”
“Ha-ha, Tatsuya-kun. Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?”
Mayumi took Tatsuya’s outburst as a joke and dismissed it with a laugh. But that did not go over well.
“Have you gotten hold of some intel…?”
With a knitted forehead Mari questioned Tatsuya who wasn’t acting like he was joking with Mayumi.
“Unfortunately, no. If I had gotten a hold of something I would feel more secure.”
“You’re not thinking about it too much, are you?” “Ha-ha, maybe I am?”
When Suzune pointed out it could be just nerves, Tatsuya lightly laughed in agreement.
Nonetheless, that was merely a pretense, that was clear to anyone with eyes.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Tatsuya-kun.”
Only a little time remained of the noon break. Mari, who had just left the Student Council room and was in a nearby corridor, called out in order to stop Tatsuya, who was on his way back to his classroom.
Tatsuya and Miyuki simultaneously turned around; for some reason Mari wore a slightly bitter smile. The general public might think of them as ‘close siblings’, but that was because they were not always ignoring these little actions.
“Do you need something?”
Tatsuya nodded to Mari to continue, in order to quickly dispose of the matter.
“There’s a matter I wish to have a short discussion with you about. Could you come to headquarters?”
When she said ‘headquarters’, he didn’t have to ask of what; she meant the Public Moral Committee headquarters.
“Right now?”
“It won’t take much time. Oh, yes. If possible, could Shiba also be present?”
Tatsuya and Miyuki's faces, struck by surprise, looked at each other. This was the first time in their memory that Mari had said to Miyuki anything like ‘need you to do something’ or ‘something to discuss’.
“Miyuki, are you okay time wise?”
“Yes. Since fourth period is free, there’s no problem if I’m a little late.”
Free was an abbreviation for ‘free subject’. Science, language, and the like or magic other than actual practice could be studied by terminals for individual study. It was about the same as self study, so being a little late was certainly no problem.
“Is it alright with Onii-sama?”
Tatsuya on the other hand, had a small test on practical skill that was called ‘ability measurement’.
In the first course, an instructor used an instrument to process measurement (naturally, advice was also given), but in the second course, students individually, at their own convenience, used an instrument to process measurement; as long as it was sometime during the period he made the requisite score, it would be counted as a passing grade.
“—It’s okay.”
He nodded to Miyuki and directed an agreement to Mari; Mari said ‘sorry’, outpaced the two of them and advanced on foot to the stairs.
As they went to their committee’s headquarters, they did not use the shortcut that passed by the Student Council room.
Compared to half a year before, she was like a different person; it certainly seemed like a different room after all the cleaning and organizing he’d done. By the receiver set that wasn’t there half a year before, Mari and the siblings sat down facing across from each other. (By the way, the receiver set, as he had found out through cross-examination, had been moved to a storehouse because the room had been filled with so much stuff. It had been returned to its original spot so that they could monitor information frequencies.)
“—Okay, now, since it’s you two siblings, perhaps you have some idea of what this is about.”
At the emphasis made by Mari with her preface, Tatsuya thought “Huh?” A subtle tension was radiating from her.
Unthinkable; Miyuki’s here so it can’t be that kind of reason. They came face to face in the Student Council room regularly. You couldn’t call the opportunities for them to have words nil; there was no reason for an upperclassman like Mari to feel tense at this point in their relationship.
“…What I want to discuss, it’s Mayumi. The truth is, I, too, am gripped by anxiety from what Tatsuya pointed out earlier.”
“The matter of those who oppose the plan to abolish the rule about Student Council members having to be chosen from Course One students?”
Mari didn’t notice due to her tension, but Tatsuya indicated his understanding.
“That’s right… I, too, think that there are too many people in the opposition party. At the spring assembly, I did not feel that kind of mood from the people opposed when the announcement was made, but I believe I can remember that the people who made emotionally opposing outbursts were… more than a few. Since you’re both first years, you may not think about this kind of thing, but you can’t conduct a sabotage operation peacefully. After all, won’t somebody who runs around using violence always pop out? That is what is called sufficient warning.”
“Most likely.”
The one who thought that was Tatsuya, who was without hesitation or hatred and swiftly directed towards the gloomy faced Mari.
“Mayumi—probably because she is an ojou-sama, is unfamiliar with this kind of ‘malice’. That girl probably cannot understand the feeling that is said to make a cornered animal attack.”
Hmmm, Tatsuya agreed that it was a suicidal weakness. Mari didn’t appear to be the bashful type.
Seen from the sidelines, it was abundantly clear that these two’s playful badgering was proof of how well they got along; from Tatsuya’s perspective, Mari worrying about Mayumi was ‘utterly natural’. However, Mari did not seem to think so.
“What you said just then… Mayumi seems to have not taken it too seriously. Because Mayumi has the special skill ‘Multi Scope’, that girl can guard her perimeter and nobody can take her by surprise, but since that ability is not a passive activation perception ability, when she doesn’t feel the need for vigilance, it’s like a toy trapped in its packaging.”
“…Hmm.”
Well, isn’t it about time Mari tells us what she wants us to do, Tatsuya thought. “Eh— then, …sorry. I'm chattering without getting to the point…”
Good, Tatsuya didn’t have to say it aloud; Mari was returning to the main issue on her own.
“And so. I want you two to… if you could, leave school with Mayumi today for me?”
“—You mean see the president home?”
“You don’t have to go as far as her home—no, I’d be grateful if you would go that far. I think I don’t have to worry about her inside school grounds. In the classrooms, she’s surrounded by a crowd of groupies; in the Student Council room, there’s Ichihara and Hattori. The time I’m most worried about is when she leaves school. She won’t, for whatever the reason, let her groupies approach her outside of school.”
“Isn’t that because she is a direct descendant of the Ten Master Clans?”
Mari made a face that said ‘until now, I’ve never considered that’ when Tatsuya made his absent-minded assertion.
“…It’s like that?”
“Eh? I’m not a member of the Ten Master Clans; that was but a simple guess.”
“You might be right on the mark… Anyway, Mayumi generally leaves school alone. Even if someone made it look accidental, it would be easier than within school. If it wasn’t this point in time, I’d be talking to Hattori, but after he’s done with the Student Council, it seems that he goes over to the Club Management Group’s area to make various preparations… Under the circumstances, Tatsuya-kun, I’d like to rely on you. Since you possess the strongest anti-magic ‘Gram Demolition’, no matter what sneak attack they contrive, it will be okay, right?”
Tatsuya was gripped by a single doubt; however, he couldn't speak the words. Because, faster than he could open his mouth, Miyuki answered Mari’s question.
“Please leave it to us. If it’s my brother, there will be no slip-ups.”
Mari’s last utterance had not been a question as a formality, however. In actuality, it was a provocation, or perhaps an incitement. The words oddly stirred up Miyuki—they were for the purpose of inciting her to burst into the pause and keep mean-spirited Tatsuya’s questions like ‘Why should I, myself, have to accompany her away from school?’ from being spoken.
Instead, Tatsuya was looking at Mari who had a smirking evil grin. “Wh-What? Is there something you want to say?”
“No, not particularly.”
“How mean spirited. If that girl got injured now, various things would worsen. In spite of understanding how precarious things are… it’s not as if I’m particularly worried about that girl.”
As he watched Mari make excuses with all her might, Tatsuya thought ‘so is this what is called a tsundere?’ — he wasn’t quite certain.
◊ ◊ ◊
“—Thanks for your hard work. With this, all the preparations for tomorrow should be complete?”
In response to Mayumi’s closing pleasantries, “Yes, the documents are all in order.”
By Azusa.
“The president has also completed her check.” Hattori affirmed in a calm tone.
However Hattori did not simply make an answer to the question; his words were apologetic and contrite as he continued.
“…President, this is actually painful for you?”
“Yes, Hanzou-kun, thank you for your work. I’m already finished here, so don’t worry.”
After this, he had the formal investiture over at the Club Management Group. That was something Mayumi understood as well.
“Excuse me, President…”
“I said it’s okay. If A-chan is ready too, please leave.”
With great pain, Hattori regretfully gathered his things hurriedly, made a rapid “pardon me” as a goodbye to Azusa, put the Student Council behind him and went towards the preparation building.
“It’s time for you to leave too, Miyuki.”
In a similar tone, Mayumi directed her comment at Miyuki, who for some reason hadn’t even got up from her seat, although both second years had gone home (to be correct, Azusa was the only one who had gone home).
“If it is alright, I wish to wait here for a little longer.”
However, what was sent back as an answer was rather unusual from Miyuki. “Tatsuya-kun?”
“Yeah. Seems like he’s somewhere a phone signal can’t reach, since I can’t contact him.”
“Somewhere a phone signal can’t reach…” “Couldn’t it be the basement archives?”
Suzune whispered into the ear of Mayumi, who had tilted her head questioningly (although I called it that, the volume was such that it reached all the way over to Miyuki). Mayumi assented with an “uh, huh” look.
“That privacy barrier… is sometimes thick, since you certainly can’t contact him… alright.”
“I’m going to tidy up a bit more and then leave. Oh, Rin-chan, go home already. You have an errand you can’t get out of today, right?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry, President.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let you off today, so work hard tomorrow.”
Mayumi has no inkling, huh; there was no trace of doubt in her reply. She even let loose a light laugh. Suzune bowed without a word.
The Student Council room was down to the two of them; Mayumi and Miyuki turned to their desks in silence.
After a short period, at what Mayumi felt was just about the right length, the authorized person (in short, people whose student IDs were registered with the room’s verification system) arrival notice beep rang.
Miyuki arose and aimed her eye at the door. “Sorry I made you wait.”
Miyuki’s anticipation was not in vain; Tatsuya entered the room. “No, you haven’t done anything like that.”
As she watched Miyuki joyfully headed towards him with small, quick steps, Mayumi let loose a slightly surprised laugh.
“I’m used to it already but… you two are really close.” “Oh, President. You’re by yourself?"
“Abandoned ship… but that’s okay. Yes, the only ones left today are Miyuki and I.”
Since he was also used to Mayumi, her impudence didn’t throw Tatsuya’s pace off. It was her usual light-hearted repartee.
“Shall we help you?” “How unusual.”
However, her next words seemed to show actual genuine surprise.
“I wonder if snow might fall*, too.” (In this region at this season, this is the near equivalent of saying pigs might fly)
“It’s impossible for me, but… my sister would have no difficulty. Miyuki, the president appears to desire snow.”
“Acknowledged. Well then, how much shall I make, Onii-sama?”
“Let’s see… if you pile it up to 10 centimeters, shouldn’t that be enough?” “Wait! St-stop! It’s okay if snow doesn’t fall!”
At first she thought it was a joke so she had left it alone, but their expressions were far too serious. Spurred by a worry called “it’s a 10,000 to 1 that they’ll actually do it but, what if they do”, Mayumi frantically halted things.
“Good grief… Don’t tell jokes with a straight face.” “Wasn’t it only natural that it was a joke?”
To Tatsuya, who wasn’t offering either a sweet smile or a broad grin as verification, Mayumi directed a look filled with defenselessness (trust) with all her might. However, she saw a complete lack of effect and simply shrugged her shoulders to say “oh, well”.
She, too, seemed extremely used to Tatsuya’s ways. —They were on equal footing.
“Let’s stop kidding around.”
Mayumi watched him with a penetrating look, but Tatsuya naturally ignored it.
“It’s going to get dark before long, but if there’s any remaining work, we’ll help you.”
The calendar had already passed the fall equinox. “It’s going to get dark before long” was no exaggeration in any way.
For now (?) she would take Tatsuya’s altruistic words at face value (maybe she “misunderstood” him); Mayumi’s face relaxed.
“Um… I’d better go home, too. Thank you for your concern.” “Oh, is that so?”
“Then President, why don’t we go to the station together?”
Thinking that Tatsuya would be readily shot down, this time Miyuki made an attempt.
While she was thinking that this was also an unusual occurrence, Mayumi’s face spontaneously broke out in a smile.
“Why don’t we all work together?”
“Since it’s already so late, I know it will take some time to get the documents from ‘underground’, so the first thing to do is to go now, so they can finish it for us before they go home.”
“…Now that you mention it, what were you searching for in the archives?”
“I was searching for ancient texts related to ‘the philosopher’s stone, because the significant texts haven’t been transcribed into the database.”
“…An extremely crackpot, no, specialized research subject.” “I think it could be a tool to compensate lack of ability.”
“Is, is that…?”
Without thinking, he shocked Mayumi with his genuine motive.
“…Uh, how can a magician who can use ‘Gram Demolition’ say such a thing? Even if that was the only magic you could use, you’d still be in high demand by police and defense force from here and there.”
Nevertheless her face rapidly swelled with disappointment.
Tatsuya was well aware that Mayumi thought he held a warped opinion of his own magic talents. None the less, the tenor of his thoughts were slightly different from the common ‘feelings of the reserves’; ‘the reserve students’ were only fed up about the social system placing limits on their opportunities because they were reserves that he well knew.
He had unconsciously forgotten that if he said anything that sounded a little self pitying, Mayumi, who somehow always had the upper hand with him, would get angry.
He might not attain high rank as international standards determined magicians rank, but if you considered public (occupational) requirements, talented people like him who held the technical skill to excel in a specialized field were in great demand.
“Hey, Tatsuya-kun, I think you shouldn’t emphasize yourself that you are a ‘reserve student’ so much. Because you are simply being melodramatic, you’ll be remembered for your achievements… If you continue in that vein, you’ll be the envy of both the first course and second course students.”
“I do not intend to emphasize that point.”
For Tatsuya, when he named himself ‘reserve student’, he truly did it with neither the intention of satisfying masochistic tendencies, nor to be melodramatic. Just now, he had been asked (indirectly) for the reason he was investigating this subject and he only answered that question. —Naturally, he did not lie in order to conceal his true intentions; the real reason he was investigating matters related to ‘the philosopher’s stone’ was to compensate lack of ability to do certain things regarding his goal to build a ‘Gravity Control-Type Magic Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor’.
In any case, Tatsuya had no intention of emphasizing to himself that he was just a ‘reserve student’.
However,
“…Never mind, I’ll try not to.” In the end, he answered thus.
It wasn’t like Tatsuya couldn’t understand that Mayumi was worrying about him.
◊ ◊ ◊
The three of them, Mayumi and the siblings, walked the straight path from the school entrance to the station they usually took with Erika, Leo, and the rest of their friends. Miyuki was a little nervous; well, that was understandable. Even Mayumi might feel she had to be pleasant out of nervousness. Her bag was held in both hands in front of her body. The manner in which she walked in silence with her eyes concealing her feelings had a grace that caused one to wonder “From which high class family did this ojou-sama hail from?” —In actuality, Mayumi was an ojou-sama.
Tatsuya himself didn't have any topic he cared to sponsor for conversation. ‘The art of small talk’ was one he was especially unskilled at. Additionally, he was now on alert for attacks from the opposition group. For that reason, the three of them hardly made any conversation as about 70 percent of the distance to the station evaporated.
“…Hey, Tatsuya-kun.” “What is it?”
Because of those circumstances, when Mayumi unexpectedly spoke, Tatsuya was practically ready for anything.
“Isn’t it true that the two of you waited for me so we could leave together?” However, even though he was prepared, he was surprised by her comment.
When Tatsuya did not immediately respond with a reply, Mayumi continued on as if she had received a one syllable reply.
“Mari said something, didn’t she? Something like since the opposition group may attack, walk me to my house.”
“…You know her well, President.”
The one who answered truthfully was not Tatsuya, it was Miyuki. Mayumi’s insight had led her to make a guess that shot through the deception right to the truth; at least, Miyuki could verbally intervene so Tatsuya wouldn’t have to explain why (?) ‘he confessed’.
“It’s okay.”
Mayumi smiled slightly as she turned to Miyuki.
“I won’t tell Mari that I wormed the truth out of you two.”
Miyuki nodded out of embarrassment upon having her intentions being completely and readily laid bare.
“But, why did you speak of it?”
On the other hand, Tatsuya did not show any special discomfort on his face, nor did he speak with any trace of what could be called defiance; he merely asked with a puzzled look.
“To get you to understand that you didn’t need to walk me all the way home. Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not annoyed or anything like that.”
Tatsuya mutely bowed his head and signaled her to continue.
“Didn’t Mari say something like I generally take the path to and from school without precautions? But, I don’t leave with everybody else as a precaution, so if something happens, nobody else will get caught up in it.”
“By that… you don’t mean only at times like this?”
“Yes, I may be only calling myself this, but because I am an ‘ojou-sama’, I am often targeted by people with monetary or political goals and stuff like that.”
She said the word ojou-sama without any traces of pride in the tone of her voice, only self-depreciation colored her tone.
“Because the Saegusa family is a noble clan that, since the formation of the ten master clans system, has never fallen from the ranks, not even once.”
Tatsuya spoke with ‘there’s nothing that can be done about it’ implicit in his words; Mayumi made a pained smile.
“…Well, that’s how it is. Because I’ve been trained to never slack off on taking precautions, I am always prepared so that I can invoke my magic.”
She raised her left hand. The sleeve slipped down to reveal her CAD; it was not in rest mode, it was in standby mode.
“Besides, I also have a bodyguard.” “Uh, really?”
Miyuki franticly looked around, but she could not find a trace of anybody who looked like a bodyguard.
“…He’s waiting at the station.” Mayumi subtly halted the search.
“As you might surmise, it is embarrassing to walk the road to school accompanied by a bodyguard.”
Even if she did say it herself, it did not change the fact that it was embarrassing. “Oh, so that’s why she said something like ‘You don’t have to see her to her house’… Since once you got to the station, the bodyguard would be waiting.” Upon hearing this, Tatsuya’s face showed he finally understood.
“That’s right.”
However, now that that was explained, something new pricked his curiosity. “But, why have you explained this to us?”
He knew it was a pointless question, but Tatsuya couldn’t dampen his curiosity. If what she just said was true (although it seemed there was no reason to lie), Mari was also aware of this private personal information.
“Ye-es… maybe I just wanted to walk home with Tatsuya-kun and Miyuki- san?”
However, looking on the bashful face of Mayumi as she answered, Tatsuya felt a premonition of ‘utter failure…’
“Me, too?”
Miyuki didn’t feel the same premonition as her brother, so Mayumi sent a (elder sister) smile in the direction of her tilted head.
“Yes. Last autumn, I became Student Council President; the first half year has been fulfilling in itself, but this past half year, for me, has been a really fulfilling period."
And then she switched her gaze to Tatsuya. “And that has surely been thanks to you two.” “…I think you are overrating us, but…”
As Tatsuya refuted her claim expressionlessly, Mayumi laughed and giggled wholeheartedly.
“I’ve only recently come to understand this, but… Tatsuya-kun, you are a modest person.”
Watching Tatsuya become so lost on how to respond that his face hardened into a noh mask, Mayumi let out a stream of ‘insuppressible’ high pitched giggles.
“Is this how you act your age? Sometimes, I feel like I’m actually dealing with a ten year old?”
With the exception of Mayumi, Tatsuya’s acquaintances, who occasionally cast doubt about his actual age, all estimated higher; the only thing he could do was sink into silence with an astonished look on his face.
Mayumi’s vision blurred with tears—she laughed so much, she wiped her eyes with her fingers and directed a cheerful face to the siblings.
“…A-chan and Hanzou-kun are very good kids, but you two siblings are surely the most memorable of all my wonderful high school kouhai.”
Her face lit up with an extraordinary bright smile, Miyuki was also struck speechless.
In a completely different manner than her brother, whose ears were burning.
◊ ◊ ◊
The Shiba house, since their father stayed at their step-mother’s place, was actually the house of the two siblings, Tatsuya and Miyuki; for a private residence, it was on the large side. It was not as palatial as the Kitayama house or the Saegusa house (Tatsuya and Miyuki had not actually seen either of those); compared to those, it was only on the level of a private residence.
Although, you couldn’t quite call it a mere private residence.
Buried underneath, there was a magic engineering research facility that was as high tech as a university research lab. (For some reason or other, it’s appearance was somewhat secret hideout-ish, but it was simply a basement that has the same floor space as the floor above it remodeled into a laboratory.)
The Tatsuya who came out of that basement laboratory into the living room above it had an unusually tired appearance; his body sank deep into the sofa.
He used his thumb and middle finger to strongly massage his temple; he rotated his head once, twice.
In that state, he looked at the ceiling and put his thoughts in order.
His mind was boiling with idle thoughts about his memories of the events that took place at dusk, today.
He was thinking about the bodyguard he was introduced to when he took Mayumi to the station.
Mayumi’s guard was unexpectedly male.
Tatsuya had believed that a guard for a girl around Mayumi’s age would undoubtedly be female; to be truthful, he was pretty surprised. The man was an older gentleman well into his fifties; there might not be any hint of indecency, but…
The impression the middle aged man gave off was not that of a bodyguard, but rather of a butler, and more like a grandfather than a butler. However, his spine was as straight as a pin, his body was thin but firm; that he was definitely on ‘active duty’ was clearly understood from one glance. He did not carry himself in any special stance but there was a polished politeness to him; he had experience of military service, moreover it was a long service in various areas. The fact that he was used to wearing a uniform seeped through his stance.
This sort of body wasn’t unusual; the past century had seen many wars, especially as the end of the 21st century, so veterans of military service were so common that if foolish people tried to maintain a civilization without them, it would be a shamble. Former military personnel, who are also magicians using the mixture of their experiences and technical skills to get a place with a respectable family as bodyguards, was also common; the point that was troubling had nothing to do with that.
The point that was weighing on Tatsuya’s mind was the bodyguard’s name; to be exact, his family name.
“Onii-sama, you’re not asleep yet?”
He turned his eyes in the direction the voice came from; Miyuki was standing in the doorway of the living room wearing pink pajamas.
“Miyuki, what about you; why are you still awake? Tomorrow… no, it’s probably already today. You have to be a speaker at the meeting, right?”
Miyuki served as the program director in today’s campaign speech portion of the assembly. Each year, this was the job given to the first years’ representative on the Student Council.
“My throat was a little dry…”
The scolding of ‘go to bed early’ was unsaid but still felt by Miyuki. As she made her excuse timidly, she could feel Tatsuya rolling his eyes.
“If that’s so, it can’t be helped.”
Always inclined to spoil his sister rotten, Tatsuya agreed with an ironic sounding laugh.
Just now, her face shining with sweat, Miyuki came to Tatsuya’s side with a speed that was close to sprinting.
To the question in his sister's eyes, her brother answered 'yes' with his eyes. Miyuki, with a happy smile, sat down next to Tatsuya.
Slowly, the season was turning and the nights were getting colder, but Miyuki’s pajamas were made for summer. It had short sleeves and the pants were ¾ length; the cloth was lightweight and the lines of her body could be dimly perceived through it. It wasn’t the kind of thing a girl should wear late at night alone with a man, but Tatsuya didn’t dare say anything. —The words to speak, he himself silenced; he got the feeling that if he said anything, he’d be digging his own grave.
“What were you thinking about?”
Did she know what Tatsuya was thinking or didn’t she? Miyuki brought her playful face near his as she asked.
He was aware that it was a bit unsuitable to discuss such a heavy topic to someone wearing such an innocent face; none the less, due to his extreme tiredness, Tatsuya just answered truthfully.
“Well……about Saegusa-senpai’s bodyguard; it has been nagging at me?”
Faster than Tatsuya could think “aw, nuts”, Miyuki’s smile left her face in a flash.
“About Nakura-san’s name?”
Mayumi had introduced the older gentleman as Nakura Saburou. “The matter nagging at Onii-sama, could it be… the Extra?”
She could read him so well that she could see the single word he was thinking about; Tatsuya released a painful smile. If Miyuki hadn’t been thinking about that possibility, she wouldn’t have been able to read him so well. However, more than being aware of it, Tatsuya thought she probably also felt the significance he placed on the matter.
“I thought it unthinkable, but… one of the ten master clans employing a guard for the sake of a child of the family who is not the heir. If they’re not able to give them assumed family names the way we do, then I think they won’t be able to get rid of them as ‘Extras’.”
“I don’t think any of the other family aside from the Yotsuba clan has its members live under aliases, but…”
“We don’t know that. The other families don’t know Yotsuba customs and we’re the same. The other nine families, the eighteen additional families, that is 27 families in all that Yotsuba is unable to know the family traditions of.”
“But… the degree of difference from oba-ue (Extremely polite form of Aunt), Saegusa, which is weighed down with all that prestige, is willing to employ an ‘Extra’ in such a confidential position as a guard to the eldest daughter of the main family?”
“Perhaps because it is the prestigious Saegusa, they might be showing off that they don’t practice discrimination for the prestige it gives them.”
“I see… that is certainly another way of thinking about it…”
Suujiochi—Extra numbers, referred to by the abbreviation. Extra; magicians or their descendants that have been stripped of their family ‘number’.
The reasons for stripping off their number could be from such causes as: the crime of treason, the crime of failure to perform an important duty, and ‘incompetence’.
When Magicians became a symbol of military power, magicians were given numbers as a ‘a mark of their success’, but those who did not achieve results worthy of ‘a mark of their success’ were branded as failures due to their lack; they were extras.
Nowadays, the name of “Extra”, itself, is officially prohibited from being used. In the community of magicians, discriminating against someone for being an ‘Extra’ is a grave illegal act.
However, like discrimination against course 2 students at magic high schools, this has not been exterminated and is still being practiced. It has even worsened and is in the process of becoming a severe problem; this invisible glass ceiling of discrimination against ‘Extras’ still persists.
In Tatsuya’s generation, there might be many people unaware that their family name indicated that they were descended from an ‘Extra’, because their parents hid it from them. It was that deeply rooted prejudice would cause them to be regarded as ‘failure’ and ‘defective merchandise’, and that would be inserted into their consciousness as magicians.
Therefore, if Nakura was a descendant of a stripped family named Nanakura (nana = 7), then for what purpose did it serve the Saegusa family head to employ him as a bodyguard for his daughter, this was what was weighing on Tatsuya’s mind.
◊ ◊ ◊
A little while before…
The time is when only three hours remain before the date changes, in a magnificent bath house set nearby the main residence of the Saegusa family, which can be described as a ‘a grand mansion’. Nothing about it does not fit that image without exaggeration, but far from the prying eyes of passersby, Mayumi was comfortably submerged in the magnificent bath tub full of hot water, lightly sighing as she examined her own body critically.
—Her proportions weren’t that bad, even if that was only her own opinion.
—Her height, well after all, she did stop growing in her third year of middle school, but her little sisters also had petite bodies; there was nothing to be done but resign herself to her genetic heritage.
A sha-bum sound arose; Mayumi stretched her arms and legs out of the hot water.
—She was often told at boutiques and beauty salons that her limbs were quite long for someone as small in stature as she.
Arms and legs were returned to the bath; her hand brushed her breast gently.
—Her chest was also called large in proportion to height; no matter what type of clothes she wore, there was never tightness at the waist.
—She was quite sexy, even if that was only her own opinion.
—But when she faced ‘Her’, no matter how well she thought of herself, her confidence in herself wavered.
In her own mind, she always referred to the girl by the pronoun ‘Her or She’; in the realm of her unconscious mind, the proper noun of ‘Shiba Miyuki’ transformed.
—Until she met Her, she had never seen a girl so beautiful.
—Even Her arms and legs; so slim, so slender, so fine without looking unhealthy.
—Her waist, too, rested on that fine edge; Her chest and breast areas were full of feminine curves.
—Most of all, the number of perfectly symmetrical features was overwhelming. In the first place, even though internal organs in general are arranged symmetrically, no matter how perfectly symmetrical a person’s body is, her appearance will not likewise be symmetrical.
Even so, compared to non-magicians, the number of magicians with highly symmetrical bodies is higher. Aside from personal appearance, there is an easily seen tendency for people who have a strong disposition for magic to have a highly symmetrical bone structure; Mayumi was well aware of this knowledge.
—For that reason, there are times when Mayumi doubts that She was a flesh and blood person.
—Or even see Her as a girl like herself.
—Mayumi believed that the boy who was Her elder brother was unfortunately unable to see any other girl as anything but a poor copy of Her.
—Her elder brother.
Mayumi, once again, sighed without realizing it.
—He was to the point that it made Mayumi doubt that they were actually related by blood, ordinary in his exterior.
—There was nothing particularly wrong with him. —However, he was at the most, only ‘so-so’.
Mayumi submerged herself in the bathtub up to her nose. The water started foaming as her breath turned into bubbles. Did the air in the bubbles come from sighing or breathing, even Mayumi didn’t know.
—Nevertheless, his interior was far from ordinary. —Rather than calling it superior, non-standard fit better.
—Through lots of time and labor, scholars around the world took their accumulated knowledge, bundled it up, and constructed the current rating system for magicians.
—His existence questioned the validity of that system.
—Even by rounding up, he was only C-rank by international standards.
—In spite of that, all the actual results that she and others had seen for themselves exceeded those of an A-rank magician.
She lifted her face out of the bath, took a deep breath. She exhaled twice, thrice; Mayumi lightly laughed.
—The Staff Room should be racking their brains.
—What, with a system that stood for decades was being fundamentally challenged, and the plan to create both a ‘Magic’ and ‘Magic Engineering Department’ as well, the status quo of the staff room was being heavily shaken.
Mayumi gave a wry smile as she shook her head from side to side.
—Nevertheless, his existence was impossible.
—If only his intelligence and knowledge were superior, he wouldn’t be able to cause this much confusion.
—A first year high school student capable of using a high level anti-magic which had almost no practitioners.
—After being hit with magic that should cause critical wounds to his body, he calmly resumed fighting.
—The smashing of the terrorist group, she had heard was actually done by his power alone.
—His ability to use magic and his ability to fight with magic were too uneven.
—No, even if only his knowledge were considered, it could be argued that some alterations to the curriculum should be made?
The hot water was warm enough. In spite of that, Mayumi’s body shivered as if from cold. While she knew the chill she felt wasn’t radiating from her skin, Mayumi submerged her body deeply in the bathtub.
—Today, when she introduced him to Nakura, she didn’t tell him, but it was a type of test.
—A test to see if he realized what the name “Na-Ku-Ra” meant.
—At the time she spoke the name, Nakura, for one moment—and really it was only for one brief moment—turmoil ran through his eyes; it was only due to focusing her complete and total powers of observation on him that allowed her to not miss it.
—He was aware of the meaning of “Na-Ku-Ra”.
—Only people like Juumonji and herself, who were well versed in the “darkness” of modern magic, would know the meaning.
—An ordinary magician, he was not.
—A magician from some negligible family, he was not.
—”Shi-Ba” Tatsuya. Shi, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant chief; Ba, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant leaves. Shi, a syllable that could also mean four; Ba, leaves. Yotsu, a pronunciation of the kanji that meant four; Ba, leaves. Yotsuba.
—Could it be, could he also be, could he possibly be an “Extra”. Her brain on fire, Mayumi considered it.
