Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 01 - Enrollment Chapter (I) Page 10

  "..."

  "..."

  "...Is that all?"

  "While the job doesn't come with any sense of accomplishment, and is also quite troublesome... Err, it's still a rewarding task?"

  First of all, disregard the fact that she tried to hide her words behind that smile. The more important thing is that Tatsuya didn't think they were going to listen to him seriously anyways. "That wasn't what I meant."

  "Hm?"

  Looks like they're not pretending to be ignorant.

  Tatsuya shifted his gaze to the right.

  In Suzune's eyes, he discovered a pitying look.

  Despite that look, it didn't look like she was going to help.

  And on Suzune's side.

  Mari looked like she found this entire sequence of events very interesting.

  And on Mari's other side.

  When locking eyes with Azusa, her eyes betrayed a harried look.

  He continued to stare at her.

  Despite Azusa desperately glancing left and right, Tatsuya did not take his eyes off her and continued to stare.

  "Um, our school's Public Moral Committee is an organization that is responsible for policing those who break school rules."

  —Just like her outer appearance, Azusa is weak to pressure.

  "In terms of public morals, they usually consist of things like uniform regulations or tardiness, but these are handled by the members appointed by the Self-Governing Committee."

  In this outwardly conservative, but actually incredibly unique and diverse Student Council, she was probably the only one susceptible to this tactic.

  Tatsuya started to become a little concerned about his future job duties.

  "...Um, do you have any questions?"

  "No, please continue."

  "Ah, OK. The primary duties of the Public Moral Committee are to identify those that use magic against school rules and to subjugate those that use magic on campus to cause a disturbance. After the Public Moral Committee member decides the necessary punishment, he or she will present before the Disciplinary Committee alongside the President and Student Representative. In short, they are both the police and the prosecutor."

  "Isn't that wonderful, Onii-sama."

  "No, Miyuki... Please wait a little before giving off that 'Then it's decided' look in your eyes... Just in case, let me clarify a few things."

  "Clarify what?"

  Tatsuya was not focused on Azusa who just finished her explanations, but on Mari instead.

  "According to the earlier explanation, the Public Moral Committee member's mission is to halt any conflicts upon discovery, correct?"

  "Well, that's true. We also intercede on non-magical conflicts."

  "Also, if magic was used, our intervention is mandatory."

  "If possible, it'd be best if the conflict was resolved prior to use of magic."

  "That's my point! My technical grade is terrible, and on top of that, I'm a Course 2 student!"

  Finally, even Tatsuya started to raise his volume.

  This task clearly requires overwhelming magical prowess to subjugate the opponent.

  No matter from what angle of consideration, this task was not suited for Course 2 students with poor technical skills.

  However, despite Tatsuya's questioning, Mari remained completely unperturbed and replied with a simple comment.

  "It's not a problem."

  "What are you saying?"

  "In competitions of power, I will handle it... Lunch break is almost over. Let's save the rest for after school, any objection?"

  It was true that lunch break was about to end, and doubly true that this subject could not simply be glossed over.

  "...I understand."

  Tatsuya fully understood that if he entered this room after school, he would have to enter this quagmire again, but he didn't have any other choice.

  "Then we'll meet again here."

  Tatsuya suppressed any unreasonable feelings and nodded his head. To his side, while fully understanding her elder brother's thoughts, Miyuki could not hide her feelings of elation.

  ◇◇◇

  Because education has finally reached a widespread status, the pointlessness of schools became a popular stance.

  Since online classes became a reality, it was argued that spending time in actual classrooms was a waste of time and resources.

  In the end, the pointlessness of schools only remained at the popular level and did not rise any higher.

  No matter how advanced the interface, virtual experiences are not reality. Practice and experimentation must be paired with timely questions and answers. In addition, anything not conducted under real circumstances will not yield actual learning experiences. Students learning together in the same class can promote additional learning. These two points have been proven beyond doubt by mock experiments.

  1st Year Class E was in the middle of a practice class.

  Having said that, there wasn't a real-time teacher present. This is a simple example of when the results of research are not put into practice.

  The students of Class E were following the instructions displayed upon the wall monitor to operate the built-in educational use CAD. Today's subject matter was the basic of the basics, which is the simple operation of this device.

  While officially a guided learning session, there was still an assignment to complete. Because there was no supervising teacher, the completion of the assignment reports became the only criterion for this class. Today's assignment was to use the CAD to direct a flatbed car from one end of its track to the other, to be repeated three times. Despite the lack of a reminder, it was a given that manual operation is strictly forbidden.

  "Tatsuya, how did the Student Council Room feel?"

  While waiting in line to use the CAD, Leo asked after poking Tatsuya in the back.

  His face didn't reveal any ulterior motive. He was simply curious.

  "Turned into an intriguing conversation..."

  "Intriguing?"

  Erika, who was in front of Tatsuya in the line, also turned around to ask.

  "They asked me to join the Public Moral Committee. How could it suddenly turn out this way?"

  Tatsuya and Erika both tilted their head. Truth be told, the only way to describe it would be "how could things turn out this way".

  "You're right. It is pretty sudden."

  Leo also agreed that it was quite unexpected.

  "But isn't it great to be scouted by the Student Council?"

  Mizuki's opinion was different from the others. She stopped as she was on her way back to the end of the line to try the assignment again.

  "Great? Isn't this merely a complementary bundle for my little sister?"

  All the same, Tatsuya was unable to accept Mizuki's compliment.

  Erika smiled slightly when she saw Tatsuya's suspicious and stubborn attitude.

  "Well, well, let's stop with all that self-depreciation talk. So, what does the Public Moral Committee do anyway?"

  After hearing Erika's question, Tatsuya repeated what he heard from Azusa. Hearing that, all three pairs of eyes widened.

  "Quite the troublesome task..."

  Leo sighed while Mizuki's expression became worried.

  "If it's not safe, then... Erika-chan, what's wrong?"

  Erika was extremely upset, though come to speak of it, since when did she become so enraged.

  "...Really, so impulsive..."

  Her eyesight drifted. Speaking towards thin air, it looked like she was scolding someone who wasn't present.

  "Erika-chan?"

  "Ah, eh, sorry. That really is going too far. Tatsuya-kun, you're better off declining such a dangerous task."

  As that solemn expression turned into a mischievous smile, Erika's voice became noticeably brighter as she goaded him.

  "Eh, it's still quite interesting! Why don't you accept, Tatsuya. I'll cheer you on."

  Although it was understandable that Erika was joking to disguise what she said earli
er, it appeared that she was still hiding something.

  "But if you have to intervene in conflicts, won't you be the target of magical attacks as well?"

  There was a reasonable guess as to who the "impulsive one" referred to.

  "Yeah, and there will definitely be people who mistake good intentions for cold-blooded actions."

  Yet, the exact details behind those feelings remain a mystery.

  "On the other hand, rather than letting those pretentious Course 1 students hog the limelight, don't you think it's better if Tatsuya does it?"

  Tatsuya wasn't rash enough to join their conversation.

  "Hm... Well, that might be true."

  "Erika-chan, please don't think of it that way! If we don't want that to happen, isn't it better to not get into fights?"

  "But Mizuki, even if we don't plan on it, aren't there times where we have to put out fires? Like yesterday, for example."

  "Well, that..."

  "There is a lot of suspicion and injustice in the world. We can't always expect a positive result if we concede all the time."

  Case in point, unconsciously Tatsuya felt that it was about time for him to end this conversation before it led to dangerous territory.

  "Erika, it's your turn."

  "Ah, sorry, sorry."

  At Tatsuya's nudging, the slightly flustered Erika quickly assumed her position. Judging from her back, she was in a state of complete seriousness and was completely unaffected by the earlier conversation. It looks like she is the type that can effortlessly change from one mental state to the next. Despite an outwardly flighty appearance, her natural state is probably one of seriousness.

  Erika's back shook a little, probably because she took a deep breath.

  It happened in a second, although invisible to the naked eye, the fluctuations of the psions passed over Erika's back and could be "seen" in the form of a light that only Magicians could perceive. This was a sign that the activation and subsequent invocation did not consume all psions, as the leftover psions created this psion light. Highly skilled Magicians only leave behind small amounts of psion light, but for a high school 1st Year student, this was an acceptable level. When there are enough leftover psions, photon interference between psions result in a physical manifestation of light. An absence of psion light would denote excellent control over one's abilities.

  The flatbed car in front of the CAD shifted forward, then returned to its original position. This occurred three times. "Yes!" It was obvious that Erika was very pleased with the result, as can be seen from her clenched fist and the way she turned to look at Tatsuya. Indeed, she was more deft this time compared to the first time they conducted this exercise, and there was marked improvement to both acceleration and deceleration.

  The purpose of this exercise was to accelerate the flatbed car to the middle of the track, then decelerate to the other end, accelerate from that end back towards the middle, and decelerate to the starting point... To be repeated three times. The activation sequence inputted into the CAD was for these 6 acceleration and deceleration invocations. Because there was no set acceleration or deceleration velocity, this could be used to examine the skill level amongst the students. Whether the flatbed car moved in a stable motion was enough to gauge if the user was skilled or not.

  Erika secretly displayed a hand signal for victory that was not snobbish at all as she moved towards the end of the line behind Mizuki. Next, Tatsuya took his place before the built-in CAD.

  He stepped on the pedal switch to adjust the CAD height, placed his palm on the white, transparent touchpad that sat atop a large box, and began to manipulate the psion flow.

  What returned was the sound of the activation confirmation, intermixed with various conflicting noise. Resisting the urge to wrinkle his eyebrows, Tatsuya began to build the invocation sequence.

  The flatbed car stumbled two or three times before moving forward in a stable motion.

  Because today's assignment was to get used to operating a CAD, there was no timer installed.

  Besides Tatsuya himself, no one would know.

  Until the moment the flatbed car started moving, the time exhausted was greater than Erika's by a large margin. Actually, not just compared to Erika. Out of the 25 people in Class E, he would definitely be one of the bottom feeders.

  The only reason this was not immediately obvious was because the motion of the flatbed car was roughly the same as the others.

  However, Tatsuya was well aware of his own disappointing performance.

  ◇◇◇

  Thank God no one was jealous.

  Despite the series of "Good luck~" calls from his friends, his mood did not improve, and instead was even more depressed.

  The reason was probably because Tatsuya originally was not interested in the subject, thus leading to his further depression.

  After school, Tatsuya headed towards the Student Council room, dragging even heavier footsteps than lunch break.

  Although the atmosphere surrounding the circumstances was a little pitiful, but because Miyuki could understand Tatsuya's feelings, she remained silent.

  Thanks to the fact that the ID Card was already registered in the certification system (Joining the Student Council is apparently considered a guarantee. Although resistance is possible, Mayumi and Mari would probably insist), the siblings entered the room. (!)

  Immediately upon entering, there was a sharp gaze tinged with hostility. The source came from the opposite side of the machine in the wall, in a seat that was unoccupied during lunch break.

  "Excuse us!"

  It's hard to say whether it was out of sorrow or pride, but Tatsuya was already accustomed to this type of gaze and atmosphere. He maintained his poker face, bowed in silence, and with that the hostile gaze dissipated like rainclouds before the sun. Even then, it wasn't as if the hostility had disappeared completely, more like the previous hostile gaze was now directed in a more favorable light towards Miyuki, who was now standing in the front. The reasoning behind this should need no further explanation.

  The owner of this gaze stood up and walked towards the siblings. No, more like walked towards Miyuki. Tatsuya remembered his face. On the day of enrollment, he was the 2nd Year student standing closely behind Mayumi as if awaiting orders, thus making him the Student Council Vice President.

  The Vice President stood roughly as tall as Tatsuya. The difference was that his shoulders were a little narrower.

  He had a handsome visage that does not warrant additional words to describe and an unremarkable build. He did not give off a robust impression, but from the way psion light densely clung to the air around his body, he must be a young man with considerable Magic Power.

  "I am the Vice President, Hattori Gyoubu. Shiba Miyuki, welcome to the Student Council."

  His voice was a little abnormal, but considering his age he was probably suppressing any personal reaction.

  His right hand shook a little, probably because the wish to shake hands was not completely erased.

  As to why the shaking stopped, Tatsuya did not care to consider.

  Hattori returned to his seat while completely ignoring Tatsuya. Behind Miyuki, a displeased aura was gathering, but that too disappeared in an instant. The only one who noticed was probably Tatsuya, thanks to his proximity. Thankfully she managed to control herself, Tatsuya patted himself discreetly on the chest.

  The Vice President was completely unaware of Tatsuya's worries — though that shouldn't be surprising, given they just met — or the source of Tatsuya's worries. Just then, two very casual greetings flew in.

  "Ah, you're here."

  "Welcome, Miyuki. You too, Tatsuya-kun. Good work."

  From the way Mari casually raised a hand in greeting, she was already treating Tatsuya as one of them. Mayumi was the complete opposite, her attitude was much different from before. Then again, most groups would be upset if an outsider were to intrude, although no outburst actually happened. Tatsuya, much like everyone else, had long si
nce arrived at the conclusion that trying to understand these two was a hopeless cause.

  "In that case, no need to delay. A-chan, if you please."

  "...Yes."

  It appeared that she already gave up. For a moment, Azusa's head drooped with a sad expression before she put on a wooden smile and led Miyuki towards the terminal on the side.

  "Well, let's be off."

  It hasn't even been a whole day yet and she's already speaking so casually. Maybe flightiness is part of her character, Tatsuya thought.

  "Where to?"

  Then again, Tatsuya's background was not privileged enough for him to care about anyone else's word choice. He replied in the shortest, most efficient method possible.

  "Public Moral Committee headquarters. There's a lot of things you need to see firsthand to understand. It's located directly underneath this room. That being said, they're both connected."

  After Mari finished speaking, Tatsuya took a breath before replying.

  "...That's quite the strange design."

  "I thought so too."

  As she was saying this, Mari began to stand up. But just as she was about to leave the chair, a comment stopped her.

  "Watanabe-senpai, please wait a minute."

  The voice came from Vice President Hattori. Upon hearing this, Mari replied in a manner that to this day Tatsuya still cannot get used to.

  "Is something the matter, Hattori Gyoubushoujou Hanzou?"

  "Please don't address me by my full name!"

  Tatsuya glanced at Mayumi.

  Seeing Tatsuya's gaze, Mayumi tilted her head with a "Hm?".

  You're telling me that "Hanzou" is actually his real name... Completely. Unexpected.

  "Then let's go with Vice President Hattori Hanzou."

  "Please call me Hattori Gyoubu!"

  "That's your family's official title, isn't it."

  "It has nothing to do with the title now. The school has already accepted the name 'Hattori Gyoubu'! ...No, that's not what I wanted to say."

  "That's because you're too formal, isn't it?"

  "Ok, ok, Mari, Hanzou also has things he won't back down from."