Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 02 - Enrollment Chapter (II) Read online

  She wanted to stop this, but was unable to cry out. Her hands were frozen.

  She was going to become an accomplice to murder; Sayaka was so terrified that she shrugged into a ball.

  However, the bullets that could easily take life were not spat out of the barrel.

  His right hand tightly gripped the pistol, no, the pistol was stuck to his hand.

  The man's right hand was covered in purple swelling.

  "Please desist from any more foolish actions. For me to be merciful towards those that intend Onii-sama any harm, I don't think I can do that."

  Her voice was deathly quiet, and equally solemn.

  It was like she was a completely different person.

  She gave off an aura of invincibility, as if any act to defy her would be fruitless.

  Just hearing her voice caused resistance to crumble.

  This time, it was Tatsuya's cruel words that drifted into the ears of a terrified Sayaka.

  "This is reality. Mibu-senpai."

  "Eh...?"

  "A world where everyone can be treated equally is inherently impossible. If there was truly an equal world that completely discounted talent and adaptability, then everyone should receive an equally cold reception from the world.

  In truth, Mibu-senpai already knows this, right?

  No one is capable of treating everyone equally. That only exists in carefully crafted lies in order to mislead others."

  Sayaka's originally despairing visage tightened.

  In the blank eyes of her kohai standing before her, she could detect a tiny trace of,

  "Mibu-senpai, you were only being used so they could steal the unpublished research data stored by the magic universities. This is the truth behind your lofty ideals."

  Pity?

  "Why? Why did it turn out like this?"

  The moment she realized this, the complex emotions within Sayaka burst forth.

  "Is it wrong to eliminate the differences?

  Is it wrong to dream of equality?

  The differences truly exist here!

  This can't just be my misunderstanding.

  I truly was despised.

  I was exposed before their scornful stares.

  And I heard all their stupid names for me.

  To remove all of these, is there something wrong with that?

  Aren't you the same?

  They compared you against your sister's superlative talents too.

  You have also gone through that degradation.

  You have also been labeled an idiotic fool!"

  Sayaka's screams seemed to spring forth from within.

  From within the well of her soul.

  Yet, none of these piteous cries reached Tatsuya. His heart did not resonate with those words. That was because to Tatsuya, "these things" were simply acceptable aspects of reality.

  So Tatsuya merely understood the literal "meaning" behind her words as well as the "phenomenon" she was screaming about. Here was a young lady in despair — that was the only thing he took away.

  The pity that Sayaka thought she saw in his eyes, were merely the delusions brought upon her by her extreme wretchedness.

  Sayaka's screams did not reach the young man's heart — but passed into the heart of the young woman standing next to him.

  "I will never despise Onii-sama."

  She calmly said.

  However, this voice contained enough emotion to quell Sayaka's screams — an emotion of raw fury, hidden beneath the layers of calm.

  "Even if every other human being insults, slanders, despises my brother, the love and respect I bear for Onii-sama will never change."

  "... You..."

  Sayaka was unable to speak.

  Before Miyuki's proud declaration, Sayaka was not only struck speechless, but rendered unable to think as well.

  "The love and respect I bear do not come from the strength of one's magic.

  In the eyes of the world, my magic is many times greater than Onii-sama's.

  Even then, these things will not influence the love and respect I bear towards Onii-sama in the slightest.

  Before my feelings towards Onii-sama, all of these things become trivial and meaningless.

  That is because I know that this only constitutes a small part of Onii-sama."

  "..."

  "Anyone can insult Onii-sama?

  To me, this is truly insufferable effrontery.

  It is true that there are ignorant fools that vilify Onii-sama.

  But at the same time, when compared with the number of such trash, there are just as many, no, many more people who acknowledge Onii-sama's transcendent talents.

  Mibu-senpai, you are truly a pitiful person."

  "What did you say?"

  Her volume rose slightly.

  But it was a lifeless voice. It was a voice devoid of both feelings and thoughts.

  "Aren't there people that acknowledge you?

  Is magic the only way people see you?

  No, that's impossible.

  I know of at least one person who doesn't do this.

  Do you know who that is?"

  "..."

  "Onii-sama has acknowledged you.

  Your swordsmanship, your beauty."

  "... These are only appearances."

  "Exactly, these are just appearances.

  But, isn't this a part of senpai as well, senpai's charisma and sense of individuality?"

  "..."

  "Of course, appearances are only natural.

  Including the two meetings at the cafe and the time in front of the Public Announcement Room, this is the fourth time you've spoken with Onii-sama.

  You've only met him four times, how much did you expect him to understand?"

  "That..."

  "In the end, more so than anyone else, you were the one who saw yourself being treated differently.

  More than anyone else, you were also the one who viewed yourself as an inferior student and derogatorily used the term 'Weed' towards yourself."

  Her words were undeniable.

  No urge to repudiate this argument emerged.

  This reprimand struck Sayaka like a terrible blow, causing her mind to go blank.

  Just as her mind ground to a halt,

  Just as she was about to abandon the will to go on.

  This soulless shell allowed the devil's soft hiss to worm in.

  No, in this case, it was more like the puppeteer's light whispers.

  "Mibu, use the ring!"

  It came from a cowardly man cowering shamelessly behind a 16 year old girl.

  This man suddenly shouted out.

  Accompanying this scream, his wrist also swung downwards.

  A small spark ignited, along with dense white smoke.

  At the same time, there were several piercing sounds that could not be heard.

  It was the background noise from the Psions.

  They were attempting to stop magic from invoking by using Cast Jamming - Sorcery Disruptor.

  In the smoke, three separate set of footsteps could be heard.

  Tatsuya reached out twice.

  And struck twice with the palm of his hand into the smoke.

  With his eyes completely closed.

  There were two meaty sounds of impact, along with the sound of two bodies hitting the floor.

  "Miyuki, stop!"

  When Tatsuya gave out this order.

  The Magic Sequence Miyuki designed swiftly morphed into another object.

  It gathered the white smoke together like a tornado.

  The dust clouds were compressed to the size of ping pong balls, then fell to the ground locked inside triangular ice blocks that materialized out of thin air.

  Now that vision was no longer obstructed, the room revealed three men lying on the ground.

  One of them was rolling around on the ground, trying to fight back the hideous pain of frostbite.

  Two others bore bruises on their faces and lay there unconscious.

 
"Onii-sama, it is alright to let Mibu-senpai go?"

  Miyuki wondered aloud.

  She had no doubts regarding whether Tatsuya had any ulterior motives.

  In Miyuki's mind, there was little chance for Tatsuya to develop any relationship with women that surpassed sibling banter.

  Miyuki also clearly understood that Tatsuya was not the type to bring personal feelings into the mix.

  "I don't doubt your skills, but there is always the possibility of a mishap when vision is obstructed.

  I don't want you to run that risk, so let Erika handle Mibu-senpai."

  The fastest point of egress from here would inevitably lead directly to Erika on the first floor. Given Sayaka's current state, she was in no condition to seek alternate routes.

  "I don't think Erika has any vested interest in this..."

  "Perhaps, if her opponent was anyone other than Mibu-senpai."

  Miyuki didn't really comprehend what it meant to fixate on your opponent.

  For her, combat was something to be avoided initially, but if pressed, victory overrode all other concerns.

  It didn't matter who her opponent was.

  For her opponent's identity, a simple label of "enemy" was sufficient, anything else became meaningless.

  That being said, from a purely intellectual perspective, she acknowledged that there were people out there who placed special meaning on who their opponents were.

  "Is that so. If it's Erika, then there should be no problems."

  So let's leave Sayaka to Erika, Miyuki thought as she moved forward to help her elder brother bind the thieves in a way usually reserved for terrorists.

  ◇◇◇

  Sayaka was now entirely relying on her subconscious for movement.

  The Antinite ring was her trump card when the time came to escape.

  Having gone through the education for "Magisters", she knew the nature and limits of Cast Jamming.

  No, in regards to the knowledge surrounding this ring, Sayaka knew more about it than your average Magician.

  This ring did not possess the power to strike down other Magicians.

  It only had the power to interfere with magic through Cast Jamming. Aside from providing a method for avoiding magic attacks, there was no other purpose.

  You cannot defeat that 1st Year student.

  At that time, I witnessed glorious techniques that I've never seen before.

  When their leader gave her this ring, he repeatedly cautioned her with the above warning.

  This ring is used solely for running away.

  The deeply imprinted scene in her brain and the echoes of those powerful words reverberated in her ears, prompting her limbs to keep moving.

  There were no footsteps behind her.

  No one was following her.

  In her heart, she understood that her companions had been taken down.

  However, her paralyzed mind would not allow her to make the conscious decision to go back and help them.

  Her mind consumed by the failure of their plan and the subsequent urge to flee the campus to their temporary base, Sayaka fled through the corridors and headed straight down the stairs.

  At that moment, her feet came to a dead stop.

  "Senpai, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

  A young woman — probably a 1st Year student, given that she called her "senpai" — was smiling before her with both hands held behind her back.

  "... Who are you?"

  Her wariness forced out a sound.

  However, that 1st Year student's cheery expression didn't dim in the slightest.

  "1st Year, Class E, Chiba Erika.

  I want to confirm something just in case. You are Mibu Sayaka-senpai, who took silver in last year's National Middle School Women's Kendo Competition, correct?"

  The words struck Sayaka like an invisible blow.

  The darkest corners of her consciousness and the deepest depths of her heart stung as if struck with a shinai.

  "... And what of it?"

  Suppressing the sudden pain, Sayaka replied back.

  "It's nothing, nothing at all.

  I just wanted to be sure."

  Erika kept her hands behind her back.

  However, there were no weak points anywhere on her body.

  Her slim figure was incapable of blocking the corridor entirely, but there were no detectable "gaps" for a person to pass through anywhere.

  And on top of that... Were the hands hidden behind her back empty?

  Is she really not holding anything?

  "... Suddenly showing up here. You aren't planning to let me pass."

  There was no sign of pursuit to her rear.

  Be that as it may, given the man in question, concealing his presence was probably a piece of cake.

  Sayaka reined in her anxious emotions and strove to speak in an even manner.

  She knew that her chances of breaking through unharmed were zero from the beginning.

  "Where are you going?"

  "That's none of your business."

  "You don't want to answer... is that right?"

  "Yes."

  "Negotiation breakdown."

  Erika happily declared.

  Although the words seemed a little farfetched, but Sayaka knew very well that she never planned on letting her go in the first place.

  Sayaka quickly glanced left and right.

  Unfortunately, she didn't have a weapon on hand.

  While she was equipped with a CAD, she would have to yield her Cast Jamming in order to use magic.

  A silvery gray rod appeared in the corner of her vision.

  It was a stun baton that belonged to one of Sayaka's companions.

  The baton was a little shorter than what she was accustomed to, but it would serve as a suitable replacement for her usual weapon.

  Sayaka slowly lowered her center of gravity.

  She concentrated all her strength into her feet.

  And abruptly sprang away.

  After grabbing the stun baton on the ground, Sayaka fell into a crouch to greet the other woman.

  On the other hand, Erika just stood there gaping at Sayaka's antics.

  "There's no need to be in such a hurry, I was going to give you time to locate a weapon..."

  Sayaka flushed.

  This isn't a solo performance! In an effort to hide the awkwardness and embarrassment brought on by her actions, Sayaka glared at Erika and shouted.

  "Get away from there! Otherwise you're going to get hurt!"

  "Self defense established! Well, I never intended to use that excuse anyways."

  Erika said in a very excited tone as she brought her hands from behind her to the front.

  Her right hand held a retractable police baton, while the left carried an actual short-sword.

  Following that, she casually tossed the weapon in her left hand to one side.

  "Shall we begin, senpai."

  Erika raised her right arm.

  Sayaka also took a combat stance. Her weapon was pointed directly at her opponent, her right hand placed above her left.

  On one side, Sayaka with the central two-handed style. On the other, Erika in a half curved stance with the one-handed style.

  The match started in a flash.

  Contact was made between the blades, but their swings emitted no sounds.

  The instant she saw movement, Erika swung her baton at Sayaka's neck.

  Sayaka furiously raised her arm.

  She dashed backwards, reflexively adopting a defensive posture as she was barely able to take this blow. At the same time, her opponent had already looped to her rear.

  To parry the next blow, Sayaka instinctively raised her baton.

  The shock of the blow reverberated down the stun baton into her hand. Sayaka was more than ready to close into melee range but her opponent had already retreated out of range.

  "Personal Speed Magic...?"

  Sayaka softly murmured.

  Erika did not reply.

&n
bsp; "... Just like Watanabe-senpai?"

  However, her next words stopped Erika cold.

  Although it was only a momentary hesitation, that was sufficient to shift the momentum.

  Erika, who once again advanced, was forced to stop by the piercing noise that filled the corridor.

  This was Psion noise, noise that normal ears could not hear.

  Seeing Erika's face contort in discomfort, Sayaka immediately charged.

  She would not give her opponent an instant to catch her breath.

  Face, face, forearm, abdomen, diagonal slash, uppercut, face, reverse diagonal slash...

  This series of sword strikes was obviously not developed solely for kendo training, as it included several techniques from ancient kendo styles.

  Her attack was as swift as fire.

  Just as the proverb Fūrinkazan dictated, her attack was as fierce as flame.

  At some point, the Psion noise disappeared.

  The reason behind this was obvious.

  In order to activate Cast Jamming, a constant influx of Psions into the Antinite was required.

  If the influx of Psions stopped, the noise would stop as well.

  The noise that originally filled the room gradually died away.

  Because Sayaka had thrown everything she had into her blows, maintaining Cast Jamming was frankly impossible.

  So long as one was capable of using magic, no matter how fierce or powerful the attack was, nothing could match the speed of magic.

  While she clearly knew this, Erika didn't plan on using magic.

  She probably didn't have the time to design a Magic Sequence.

  Erika was a Course 2 student that didn't excel in compiling technical skills.

  Even so, Erika's CAD was a specialized model that was fortified for high speed combat and possessed a form that Erika was well accustomed to.

  In addition, her Engravement Magic was a type that could still channel Psions even under the effects of Cast Jamming.

  If she could create enough separation, then she would be able to use magic attacks.

  However, Erika didn't try to break away, nor did she press forward.

  In direct opposition to the high praise of the fierce flame, Sayaka's attack could only be described as fairly clumsy.

  On the other hand, Erika was using precise and fluid motions to defuse each of her opponent's attacks.

  Her eyes betrayed no trace of agitation.

  Her breath remained perfectly even.

  The first one to start breathing raggedly was actually Sayaka, who had expended all her energy on the attack.