Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 06 - Yokohama Disturbance Chapter (I) Page 12

  Leo was only a half a step behind them.

  Wide-eyed with shock, Miyuki could only watch them leave until she noticed the female student with twin ponytails that Sayaka was chasing.

  ◇◇◇

  "Hold it right there!"

  Hearing someone call out for her to stop from behind, or maybe because she realized she couldn't outrun the pursuit, the female student opted to come to a halt on the grass in the courtyard.

  "What is it?"

  Turning around, the question in response was a little stiff. In a sense, her tone gave off a fearless impression.

  "You are, a Year 1 student, correct?"

  There were no distinctions for grade level on First High's uniforms.

  Sayaka's question was based off the other student's face and physical form.

  "Indeed. Mibu Sayaka from Year 2 Class E. I am also a Course 2 student like yourself."

  The only difference was the lack of the school emblem, the distinction between Course 1 and 2 students.

  "......Year 1 Class G, Hirakawa Chiaki."

  Upon being asked by an upperclassman to identify herself, the female student unwillingly gave her name.

  She could hear more footsteps coming to a stop behind her.

  Erika and the others caught up.

  And heard that earlier self-introduction.

  Immediately, she heard Kirihara murmur "Hirakawa?"

  Sayaka was not familiar with that surname, but Kirihara had heard of it.

  Still, the reason why Sayaka couldn't let this Year 1 student go wasn't because of her name, so she didn't mind even if she had never heard of this name before.

  Sayaka didn't have the leisure to worry about things like that.

  "Hirakawa-san, the device you're carrying...... That's a wireless password decoder, isn't it?"

  Hearing Sayaka's accusation, Hirakawa Chiaki turned pale and hurriedly hid the terminal in her hand behind her back.

  "I know even if you don't admit it. That's because I've used the same model before."

  Chiaki's eyes widened in astonishment at Sayaka's words.

  Password decoders were malware devices used to steal passwords and, unlike the literal meaning, were also machines used to automatically break into verification systems and steal information. There were no legal uses for that item. In other words, used the same model before implied......

  "......That's right. I was also the cat's paw for spies."

  A miserable expression spread across Sayaka's face, but even then she continued to press onward as she stared at Chiaki.

  "That's why I must warn you. Stop now. The longer you're with them, the more painful it will become."

  "......No matter how much I suffer, that's none of senpai's business."

  Chiaki turned her face to one side and replied in a cold tone.

  An obvious rejection.

  However, Sayaka did not shrink back at Chiaki's cold reception.

  "There's no way I can just watch and do nothing!"

  Sayaka's tone hardened and her eyes turned fiery as she suddenly roared at Chiaki.

  "Even though it's been half a year, I still can't stop myself from shaking at times. I don't even realize that I've bit my lip open, or pierced my palm with my nails."

  Sayaka was actually shaking as she said this.

  "Even though I don't know who you're mixed in with, this I know for sure. They will never take your needs into consideration. They will only use you, then promptly abandon you."

  Sayaka's voice was filled with sincerity. She was not being hypocritical, these were her true feelings laid bare.

  Nevertheless, the hatred that dwelt in Chiaki's heart ran much deeper than Sayaka imagined.

  "Of course I know that!"

  That self-destructive voice and hate-filled eyes made Sayaka stop cold.

  "It's obvious that the mafia and terrorists don't give a darn about the people they're using. Senpai linked up with these people even without fully understanding that? My apologies for my rudeness, but senpai is so very childish."

  Those bitter words clearly conveyed to Sayaka that this Year 1 student was completely different than she was.

  Sayaka had a goal she was aiming for, but was taken advantage of when she wasn't sure what path to take.

  It was true that she was hopelessly naive. Sayaka never planned to deny that point.

  Still, Sayaka didn't believe that this Year 1 student was any more mature than she was.

  Even if she could achieve her heart's desire after joining up with criminals, what would she do afterwards? What then? Would she return to high school as if nothing had happened, or actually continue acting as a member of a criminal organization? Sayaka knew that this Year 1 student never even took her future into consideration.

  Right now, she was only stubbornly refusing to listen to anyone else's words.

  "Even if you continue on this self-destructive path you will obtain absolutely nothing. Nothing will remain behind!?"

  However, Sayaka wasn't going to back down. There were some things that needed to be stopped, by force if necessary. This was something she learned first hand.

  "Senpai wouldn't understand. I'm not teaming up with those guys because I want to get something."

  Regardless, the answer she received was almost naturally a powerful rejection.

  She's refusing to be persuaded, Sayaka faintly realized. That's because she too was once like that.

  Persuasion can be saved for later. If they let her escape now, this child will never be able to return to "this side" again. With this in mind, a slightly forceful approach couldn't be avoided. —Sayaka made her decision.

  "Kirihara-kun."

  "Ah."

  Kirihara immediately grasped Sayaka's intention.

  Unfortunately, neither of them were carrying heat, but they weren't particularly worried.

  This Year 1 student had no experience in martial arts or close combat. Both of them possessed the ability to tell this at a glance.

  If they both attacked at the same time, the takedown should be fairly simple.

  Objectively speaking, Sayaka and Kirihara's judgement would be correct. —Under the condition that their opponent was unarmed.

  The instant Sayaka and Kirihara advanced together, Chiaki hurtled a small container.

  "Get down!"

  Erika was the first one to notice.

  Both of them flung their arms up on reflex.

  A furious flash passed through the gaps in the arms to scour the eyes through the eyelids.

  If anyone could still keep their vision through the blazing light, they would notice that Chiaki's eyelids were painted black.

  She used light screen paint disguised as mascara and eyeliner to blunt the effects of the flash bang.

  Chiaki pointed her right arm at Sayaka. A spring-loaded dart came flying from her sleeve.

  Erika successfully blocked the flash and managed to deflect the fusiform dart with a tree branch she grabbed somewhere.

  A light purple smoke emitted from the broken dart.

  The second after Erika threw the tree branch, she quickly flung away Sayaka and used her shirt sleeve to cover her mouth. Kirihara, who hadn't entirely recovered from the flash bang's effects, directly breathed in the spreading smoke that was rapidly turning transparent. He swayed briefly, then collapsed to the floor in a boneless heap.

  (Nerve gas!?)

  Erika didn't verbalize this as she mentally clucked her tongue.

  Their opponents were better prepared than they thought.

  Since they were forbidden from carrying CADs on campus, personal speed buffing wasn't going to be very efficient.

  Despite their numerical advantage, the difference between weapons and no weapons was insurmountable. Under the situation where the enemy weapons remained unknown, they couldn't strike recklessly—

  —However, there was a man present who didn't subscribe to that theory. Crouched in the grass (the result of Erika warning to get down), Leo suddenl
y rushed at Chiaki.

  Faced with that sort of pressure, Chiaki couldn't suppress a scream.

  She frantically pointed her right arm at Leo.

  Maybe the darts were a repeating model, or maybe there were other weapons prepared.

  There was no way to tell at this stage.

  Suddenly, Leo's figure disappeared from Chiaki's vision.

  Chiaki stood there transfixed for a moment before her waist was subjected to a powerful impact, causing her to helplessly fall backwards and culminating in her losing consciousness when the back of her head hit the ground.

  "......Did I overdo it?"

  Leo had used both arms to tackle Chiaki to the ground, then rose slightly and turned his head to ask.

  "Yeah. ......Speaking of which, hurry up and get up this instant. You look like you're going to rape her."

  "Idi......! Don't even joke about that!"

  "Yes, yes, I know."

  Erika's gaze was dead serious as she watched Leo look up at her in shock.

  That gaze was the same as a professional gambler gauging the merits of a thoroughbred at the derby.

  ◇◇◇

  Hearing that an incident broke out, Kanon (as the Public Moral Committee Chief) hurried to the infirmary and sighed when she found an unconscious Year 1 student in bed and a pair of Year 2 students seeking treatment.

  "You guys went too far......"

  Hearing Sayaka's explanations of the proceedings, Kanon sighed once more.

  It wasn't Kirihara and Sayaka's intention to be told "going too far" by Kanon, who was prone to doing so herself, but since the person in question was unconscious due to a blow to the back of the head, they weren't in any position to refute that.

  "So what did she do? Based on your earlier words, the only thing she was doing was holding an illegal electronic device, so I don't think she broke any laws or school rules."

  This was also an indefensible point.

  On one hand, there was the earnest Sayaka and on the other hand, there was Kirihara who couldn't come up with a defense.

  Still, there was someone present who wasn't so easily cowed by these strong words.

  "Isn't holding an illegal hacking tool enough grounds for an arrest?"

  Faced with Erika's provocative words, Kanon watched her with piercing eyes.

  "......I'm saying that going overboard is the issue here. Crime and punishment need to be carefully balanced."

  "That's nothing~, not like we caught her because she needed to be punished. I just wanted to protect a peer that's being used by filthy adults."

  "So you protected your peer by knocking her out. She was struck in the head."

  "There's nothing we can do if she pulls out a concealed weapon and resists. I'm not naive enough to help other people even at the cost of personal injury."

  Kanon and Erika glared furiously at one another.

  Seeing this explosive situation unfold, Sayaka started to panic slightly. However, since the doctor on duty who should have interposed chose not to, she couldn't just jump in.

  "Anyways, Chief Chiyoda, we'll leave everything to you."

  The one who interjected was Leo, who was leaning against the wall.

  "Let's go."

  "Hey, what's with you all of a sudden?"

  Erika, who was being tugged away by the collar, directed her ire towards Leo.

  Still, she wasn't glaring at him this time.

  For an instant, Leo wore an irked expression, then swiftly turned around.

  "Everything afterwards is a job for the Public Moral Committee members. I don't care how you guys take care of it, I can only try to prevent any problems from spilling over to Tatsuya, Mizuki, and Mikihiko."

  "Just wait a second!"

  Erika shouted as she chased after the departing Leo as she too left from the infirmary.

  After the sounds of the noisy Year 1 students (which included a particularly irksome Year 1 student) faded, Kanon finally calmed down.

  She once again studied the face of the Year 1 student lying on the bed. Even though the face poked something in Kanon's memory, she was still unconscious and unable to verify any of her suspicions. Just like that, Kanon turned to the doctor.

  "Sensei, what is this child's status?"

  Hearing Kanon's question, Dr. Yasuyado Satomi smiled gently.

  "Don't worry. There are no abnormalities in the brain or skull. She'll wake up in time."

  Yasuyado was a doctor with unique abilities who could see the abnormalities within the body through physical radiation. She could make a more accurate diagnosis than high tech equipment at normal hospitals by simply looking at the subject.

  If she said there was no problem, then it was safe to relax.

  "Sorry for bothering you, but could you please let me know when this child regains consciousness."

  "Of course? Ah, but don't complain if this child runs away, OK? I have no combat ability whatsoever."

  Seeing Yasuyado's half joking answer, Kanon smiled and nodded.

  "Sensei surely wouldn't allow an injured student to just run around."

  And so, Kanon led Sayaka and Kirihara, who had already finished treatment, and departed from the infirmary.

  ◇◇◇

  Kanon was both the Chief of the Public Moral Committee and Isori's guard at the same time.

  Since the Thesis Competition adopted a format where one principal was guarded by several bodyguards, Isori's guards also included another Year 2 male student besides Kanon, but Kanon showed no signs of allowing anyone else in.

  Hence her goal was to return to the courtyard where the experiment was ongoing while she waited for the Year 1 student, whose testimony they required, to wake up.

  There, she found the same irksome Year 1 student — in other words, Erika — embroiled in another incident. A dark faced young man was reminding Erika to pay attention, whereas Erika was heedlessly whistling with a carefree attitude.

  Despite the oncoming headache, she couldn't pretend to not see this either, so Kanon called a nearby Committee member to verify what happened.

  "So, Shiba-kun, what the heck happened here?"

  While Tatsuya was one of Kanon's subordinates in the Public Moral Committee, currently he served as one of the team representatives in charge of the experiment.

  Whether she was a bodyguard or not, Kanon shouldn't have suddenly asked a question of Tatsuya, who was busily typing away at the keyboard, but Kanon didn't realize that right now.

  As expected, Miyuki arched a fine eyebrow from her position behind Tatsuya, but Tatsuya didn't display a troubled expression and merely halted the scrolling frames and turned his head around.

  "Erika and Leo loitering around seems to have incurred Sekimoto-senpai's displeasure."

  After hearing this and verifying the situation once more, she found that indeed more disapproving gazes were sent towards Sekimoto rather than Erika.

  Completely fed up, Kanon approached the bickering duo.

  "......Sekimoto-senpai, what's the matter?"

  Public Moral Committee members didn't have a term of office, so they kept their positions unless they personally resigned. Using the changing of the guard in the Student Council as a reason, both Mari and Tatsumi had handed in their resignations while Sekimoto remained with the committee.

  Currently, he was the only Year 3 student in the Public Moral Committee.

  "Chiyoda...... No, it's nothing in particular. They're neither Public Moral Committee members nor helpers sent by clubs and simply loitering around, so I want them to make sure not to obstruct the bodyguards."

  Even though this wasn't her personality, Kanon really wanted to hug her head and heave a long sigh. Why was this senpai rocking the surface like this, those were her unadulterated feelings.

  "......In preparation for next year or even the year after, there is no reason to prevent Year 1 students from learning from this experience. If they are causing problems for the guards, we as the guards will make sure to take note of that.
Sekimoto-senpai, since you haven't been selected as one of the substitute guards this year, please leave this area to us."

  At Kanon's words, Sekimoto's eyes sharpened, but Kanon never gave him a chance to respond and turned over to Erika.

  "Can you two leave now? From another perspective, your earlier actions could be constituted as violence from four people against one person."

  Seeing Kanon trying to use the earlier incident to keep this one under wraps at an early stage, Erika smirked coldly.

  Realizing that she was scrambling for a reason, Kanon felt the blood rush to her head at Erika's smile.

  Still, the situation would only worsen if she cut loose right now.

  Before Kanon, who was clenching her teeth, Erika frankly turned around.

  "I guess it's about time to go. Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki, see you tomorrow."

  "......I should go too. See ya, Tatsuya."

  Seeing both Year 1 students obediently depart, Kanon let out a sigh of relief.

  At this time, her terminal vibrated to let her know a new message had arrived.

  After examining the contents, she completely ignored what Sekimoto was about to say and doubled back to the infirmary.

  "Ah, Kanon, wait up."

  Isori, who was currently collecting the data results into an information terminal, frantically chased after her. Although this was plainly abandoning his duties for the experiment, no one present could fault him for that.

  Sekimoto peered with interest at the terminal monitor that Isori abandoned. Yet, a hand reached over from the side and pressed the power switch for the monitor.

  "Ichihara."

  "And here I thought Sekimoto-kun had little interest in practical research."

  Facing Sekimoto's angry expression, Suzune replied with a cold poker face.

  "......I always believed that it was important to emphasize the basic theories such as Cardinal Codes and spell improvement, which is not to say I'm not interested in practical skills."

  "I never intended to slight the basic theories. I feel that in order to reduce the risk accompanying practical use, careful validation of the basic theories is far more important than theoretical research."