Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 01 - Enrollment Chapter (I) Read online

  Magic High Schools are——

  Nationally established high schools for the purpose of nurturing "Magicians", the practitioners of modern magic.

  There are a total of nine such schools set up in the country.

  The locations of the premises are as stated.

  First High School: Hachioji (Kanto, Tokyo)

  Second High School: Nishinomiya (Kinki, Hyogo)

  Third High School: Kanazawa (Hokuriku, Ishikawa)

  Fourth High School: Hamamatsu (Tokai, Shizuoka)

  Fifth High School: Sendai (Tohoku, Miyagi)

  Sixth High School: Izumo (Sanin, Shimane)

  Seventh High School: Kochi (Shikoku, Kochi)

  Eighth High School: Otaru (Hokkaido)

  Ninth High School: Kumamoto (Kyushu, Kumamoto)

  Among these, the First to Third schools have a fixed quota of two hundred students who are divided into two courses, Course 1 and Course 2 (The Third High School terms them as "Specialized Course" and "Normal Course"). The difference between Course 1 and Course 2 students lies in the availability of instructors; if we take away the availability of a personal instructor, then the curriculum between the two courses are the same. While the Fourth to Ninth schools, each with a quota of a hundred students, provide instructors to all the students, the level of their instructors is a notch lower compared to those of the First to Third schools. Even though various schools follow the curriculum guidelines set by the National University of Magic, there are also schools that have their own special characteristics. For example, the Third High School places emphasis on practical battle magic, and, in contrast, the Fourth High School places emphasis on a large number of highly complex manufacturing magic which are valuable in areas of magic engineering. Aside from the different focuses in the types of magic, there are also schools that specialize in magic usable in a particular environment. The Seventh High School teaches, separate from the normal curriculum, high level magic that has practical usability above water or seas, while the Eighth High School integrates practical outdoor lessons on magic useful in regions of extreme cold or mountainous regions where the living environments are extreme.

  Chapter 0

  Magic.

  It is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people.

  The first verifiable record dates back to AD 1999.

  The incident, in which police officers possessing special powers stopped a nuclear act of terror carried out by a fanatic group in order to fulfill the prophecy of destroying humanity, became the first verifiable case of magic in modern times.

  Initially, that unusual ability was termed "Supernatural Power". An ability that was present in a person as a result of a purely inherent, sudden mutation, whose systematization as a technology which could be spread among the masses was thought to be an impossible thing.

  That was an erroneous notion.

  Through the research of "Supernatural Power" by both the influential Eastern and Western nations, the existence of people who were imparted "Magic" was gradually made public. It became possible to reproduce "Supernatural Power" through "Magic".

  Of course, talent is required to do that. However, only those who are blessed with a high aptitude can attain a mastery that can put them at a professional level, much like those who possess ability in the fine arts or sciences.

  Supernatural power became a technology systematized through magic, while magic became a technical skill. A "Supernatural Power User" became a "Magic Technician".

  Skilled Magic Technicians, capable of suppressing even nuclear weapons, are powerful weapons to a country.

  At the end of the 21st century —— in the year 2095, the various nations of the world, which are far from unified, locked in a race to nurture Magic Technicians.

  The First High School is affiliated with the National University of Magic.

  It is an upper-level, magic institution known to send the most graduates to the National University of Magic every year.

  At the same time, it is also an elite school that churns out the largest number of excellent Magic Technicians (in short, Magicians).

  With regard to magic education, there is no official stance on providing an equal opportunity in education.

  This country does not have the luxury to do so.

  Furthermore, childish, idealistic debates revolving around the clear disparity that exists between the capable and the incapable are not tolerated.

  Thoroughly talent-driven.

  Harshly competence-oriented.

  That's the world of magic.

  In this school where only elites are accepted, right at the start of enrollment, the students are already divided into high achievers and low achievers.

  Even if two individuals are both freshmen, they are not necessarily equal.

  Even if they are blood-related siblings.

  Chapter 1

  "I can't accept this."

  "You're still going on about that...?"

  It was the day of the school entrance ceremony, but it was still early morning, two hours before the start of the ceremony.

  The freshmen whose hearts were filled with anticipation at the future their new life would bring, along with their even more exultant parents, still numbered few and far between.

  Standing before the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was going to take place, a man and woman pair, clad in brand new uniforms, were for some reason locked in a verbal disagreement.

  They were both freshmen, yet their uniforms were strangely and distinctively different.

  We are not talking about the difference between slacks and skirt, nor the difference between a man and woman's attire.

  But rather, on the female student's chest was the eight-petaled flower design of the First High School's emblem.

  That emblem was not present on the male student's blazer.

  "Onii-sama, why are you a reserve? Didn't you top the entrance exams? Typically speaking, the one who should become the freshman class representative should be you, not me!"

  "Putting aside the question of where you got hold of the entrance exam results... since this is a Magic High School, it's obvious that they'd place more emphasis on practical magic skills rather than on paper tests, right?

  Miyuki, you are well aware of the extent of my practical abilities, aren't you? I'm quite surprised that I even got accepted here as a Course 2 student."

  It was a scene where the male student was trying to pacify the female student who had been lashing out angrily with her sharp tongue. From the fact that the female student had called the male student 'Onii-sama', we can probably presume that they are siblings. It is also not unlikely that they are closely-related relatives.

  If they are siblings.

  Then they are siblings who don't resemble each other at all.

  On one hand, anyone who sets eyes on the younger sister will no doubt be captivated by her; ten out of ten people, or even a hundred out of hundred people, will agree that she is a lovely, beautiful girl.

  On the other hand, for the elder brother, other than his erect back and piercing eyes, nothing in his ordinary appearance can be said to be attention-grabbing.

  "How can you be so unsure of yourself! Even when there's no one who's a match for you in studies and taijutsu! The truth is, even for magic-"

  The younger sister reprimanded the elder brother for his weak proclamation, but,

  "Miyuki!"

  As he called out her name in an exceptionally strong tone, Miyuki sobered up and shut her mouth.

&n
bsp; "You understand right? Even if you say that, it can't be helped."

  "...I apologize."

  "Miyuki..."

  He put his hand on her lowered head and slowly stroked her glossy black hair, which had not a single frizz in it. "Now, what should I do to fix her mood..." the young man who was the elder brother pondered with a miserable face.

  "...I'm really happy you feel that way. I always feel that I'm being saved whenever you get angry in my place."

  "Liar."

  "I'm not lying."

  "Liar. Onii-sama, you're always scolding me..."

  "I'm not lying, I said. But, I too hold you in my thoughts the same way you do about me."

  "Onii-sama... 'hold me in your thoughts', you say..."

  (...Huh?)

  For some reason, the young woman blushed.

  Even though the young man could feel that a seed of dissonance that he could not ignore had been sowed, in order to resolve the most immediate problem, he shelved that doubt for now.

  "Even if you back out of giving the reply address, there is no way I'll be selected as a replacement. If you back out at this eleventh hour, you won't be able to avoid a blemish on your appraisal.

  You do understand that, right? Miyuki, you are a smart girl."

  "But..."

  "Besides, Miyuki, I'm looking forward to it.

  Show this useless big brother of yours the glorious moment of his cute little sister."

  "Onii-sama is not a useless big brother!

  ...But, I understand. Please pardon me for being willful."

  "There's nothing to apologize for; I've never thought of that as being willful."

  "Well then, I'll be taking my leave.

  ...Please watch me, Onii-sama."

  "Yeah, break a leg. I'll be looking forward to your performance."

  By all means, see you later, the young woman bowed and disappeared into the auditorium; after ascertaining that she had left, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.

  (Well... what should I do now?)

  The young man who had escorted his little sister, who had reluctantly become the freshman class representative, to school before the ceremony rehearsal started, was now at a loss as to how he should spend the remaining two hours before the start of the school ceremony.

  ◇◇◇

  The main building, the practice building, and an experiment building made up three of the school buildings.

  An auditorium/gymnasium whose internal layout can be altered via transformation machinery. A library with three levels above ground and two levels below. Two small gymnasiums. A preparation building equipped with a changing room, a shower room, an equipment-storage room, and club rooms. The canteen, the cafeteria, and the procurement department are in another building, and above all that, the various large and small annexes constructed make the design of First High School appear more like the campus of a suburban university than a typical high school.

  The young man looked left and right as he walked along a path paved with a layer of bricks, searching for a place to rest until it was time for him to enter the auditorium.

  The ID card that would allow him to use the school facilities would only be given out after the school entrance ceremony ended.

  In order to avoid a scene of chaos, the open cafe that was meant to serve visitors was also closed today.

  After five minutes of walking around while referring to the campus map displayed on his mobile terminal, beyond a row of trees, which were positioned in such a way that couldn't escape his field of vision, he spotted a bench in the courtyard.

  It's a good thing that it's not raining, a frivolous thought entered his mind as he sat down on the three-man bench, opened his mobile terminal, and started accessing a book portal that he liked.

  This courtyard seems to be a shortcut from the preparation building to the auditorium.

  They were probably roped in by the management of the entrance ceremony to help out. That is, the current students (upperclassmen to the young man) who were passing the young man at a small distance. All of them had the same eight-petaled flower emblem on the left side of their chests.

  As they passed by, a trail of artless, ill-meaning words escaped from their backs.

  —Isn't that kid a Weed?

  —He's early... he sure is enthusiastic for a reserve.

  —In the end, he's just a spare.

  A conversation, which he didn't really want to hear, flowed into his ears.

  The word, Weed, refers to a Course 2 student.

  The students who have the emblem design of an eight-petaled flower on the left side chest area of their blazers are called "Blooms", while the Course 2 students who don't have that are likened to weeds that have no blooming flowers, and are sneered upon as "Weeds".

  The quota for the freshmen in this school is two hundred.

  Among them, one hundred of them entered this school as Course 2 students.

  The First High School, which is affiliated with the National University of Magic, is an institution established under national policy for the purpose of nurturing Magic Technicians.

  In exchange for a granted budget from the country, it had the obligation to produce definite results.

  Every year, this school produces over a hundred graduates who either enter the University of Magic or enroll in a Magic Technical Institute of Specialized Higher Training.

  While it's a pity, the fact is that magic education is a trial-and-error thing. Accidents, which go beyond the level of minor mishaps, can easily happen directly through magic slip-ups from practice training and experiments. Even while the students are aware of the dangers involved, one will bet one's future on one's own talent in magic and the possibility that exists in oneself, and walk the path to become a Magician.

  When there are only a handful who possess such talent, and that talent is highly valued by society, few would throw it away. Even more so for the young men and women who have yet to reach their individual maturity. Rendering them unable to pursue a road outside of a 'brilliant future'. Another fact, as a consequence of such a belief system getting fixed inside of them, is that, many children have been burdened with 'wounds' from that belief system.

  Thanks to the accumulation of know-how, most accidents resulting in deaths or handicapped bodies have been eradicated.

  However, one's talent in magic can be easily impaired from a psychological component.

  Every year, the number of students who have dropped out as a result of being unable to use magic due to the shock of an accident is by no means small.

  The ones who fill the gap are the "Course 2 students".

  Upon enrolling in schools, they are allowed to participate in classes, use the facilities and access data, but they lack the most important component in their studies, that they are not entitled to receive personal instruction in practical magic skills.

  They can only learn on their own, and show results through their own efforts.

  If they can't do that, they will have to graduate from a normal high school.

  If one does not graduate from a magic high school, one cannot pursue studies in the university of magic.

  Given that the number of people who can teach magic is very insufficient, it was unavoidable that the more talented ones be given priority. Right from the beginning, Course 2 students are accepted under the condition that no one will teach them.

  Publicly, it is forbidden to call the Course 2 students "Weeds".

  However, in part, one can almost say that this has become a well-known derogatory term for them, a term that is rooted even within the Course 2 students themselves. Even the Course 2 students have to recognize that they are no more than spares.

  That was the same for the young man.

  That was why there was no need for them to have spoken that aloud on purpose for him to realize that. He had entered this school while being fully aware of that.

  What an unnecessary favor from them, the young man thought as he turned his atte
ntion to the book portal that had loaded on his data terminal.

  ◇◇◇

  On the open computer terminal, a clock was displayed.

  His consciousness, which had been immersed in reading, returned to reality.

  There were another thirty minutes until the school entrance ceremony.

  "Are you a new student? It's almost time for the ceremony."

  Around the same time he was about to stand up, having logged out of one of his favorite reading portals and closed his computer terminal, a voice came from above him.

  The first thing that came into view was the skirt of a uniform. Following that, wrapping around a left arm was a wide bracelet.

  Broader and thinner than a normal bracelet, it was the latest model of a CAD that was made with fashion in mind.

  CAD —— spell support processor (Casting Assistant Device)

  Also called Device, Assistance.

  In this country, it is also known as a (Magic Operator).

  Something that replaces tools such as spell chants, talismans, hand seals, magic circles, magic tomes, and other traditional methods of invoking magic, it is a tool of necessity for any modern Magic Technician.

  These days, there is no research into using a single word, or a single phrase to invoke magic. If when used in conjunction with talismans and magic circles and others, the shortest invocation will take around ten seconds, while the longer ones can take above a minute depending on the magic, and in place of that, the easy-to-use CAD can reduce that to under a second.

  While it is possible for magic to be invoked without a CAD, the number of Magic Technicians who do not use CADs, which can rapidly accelerate the invocation of magic, equates to nil. Among those who have dedicated themselves to the specialization of one particular skill in bringing about supernatural phenomena with just their will alone, the so-called "Supernatural Power Users", the ones who seek the speed and stability that an activation system can bring and love using the CAD have become the mainstream crowd.