Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 06 - Yokohama Disturbance Chapter (I) Read online

  "In the narrowest sense, the Philosopher's Stone differs from the medicinal field and is the catalyst that transmutes poor metals to precious metals. Right now, what material the catalyst is created from is secondary to its purpose as the tool to activate spells."

  "If the Philosopher's Stone is a catalyst similar to the catalysts we use on a daily basis, then......"

  "According to legend, transmuting poor metals to precious metals is only possible with the Philosopher's Stone. If no other magical process is required to achieve transmutation beyond possessing the stone, then the conclusion must be that the Philosopher's Stone possesses the ability to store Magic Sequences."

  "Storing Magic Sequences?"

  Seeing Miyuki stare at him wide-eyed in shock, the smile had long since faded from Tatsuya's face.

  "Since many Magicians were invited to test Flying-Type Magic before it hit the market, even if there were some adjustments, the actualization of Flying-Type Magic already established the key for the continuous activation of Gravity Control-Type Magic."

  Tatsuya released the Activation Sequence for Flying-Type Magic at no charge precisely to take advantage of this point. General consensus stated that once a party obtained access to a spell, they would immediately put it to use. Especially for devices already equipped with this Activation Sequence, the sooner it could be obtained the better. Besides the requests to FLT for Flying-Type equipment from corporations within the country, countries with friendly relations like the USNA, also made similar petitions. From the observation data, FLT received copious research data from many high class Magicians using Gravity-Type magic, which eventually fell into Tatsuya's hands.

  "Gravity Control-Type Magic is a viable solution to sustainable nuclear fusion, but that becomes meaningless if a Magician is required to constantly supply magic. This would be like saying a Magician is a component of the nuclear fusion reactor and simply a weapon component."

  Sustained Gravity Control-Type Magic was one of the three great hurdles in Gravity-Type Magic leading up to the development of a thermonuclear fusion reactor. Here, Tatsuya was raising one possible solution to this problem.

  This was too deep for Miyuki to comprehend completely, but she got the overall gist of what her brother was suggesting.

  "Magicians are essential for the initial activation, but, at the same time, the system doesn't completely bind the Magician in place. To achieve this, magic needs to be sustained at a rate that can be calculated by days as a unit, which requires a method of storing the Magic Sequence that can sustain magic without having a Magician present. While both options are worth pursuing, from a safety perspective the latter is the more viable proposal."

  "So that's why you are researching the Philosopher's Stone."

  The general consensus that Tatsuya spoke of wasn't just a pipe dream, a point that he was perfectly well aware of. Thus, he felt slightly awkward when Miyuki adopted an utterly trusting expression as she nodded deeply at his words. With that feeling, Tatsuya changed topics.

  "Speaking of which, Miyuki, did you need me for something?"

  Even though this question was phrased to cover his own discomfiture, his remark was dead on the money.

  "Ah! That's it! Onii-sama, Ichihara-senpai was looking for you. She wanted to talk to you about next month's thesis competition."

  "Where is she?"

  Tatsuya didn't ask for any specifics as he shut down the reading terminal. That being said, he bore some part of the responsibility for leading the conversation into another direction, so he was in no position to ask that, especially given their lack of time.

  "She's in the preparation room for Magic Geometry. She said she would wait for you near Tsuzura-sensei's desk."

  "Got it. Sorry about this, Miyuki, but please return the keys for me."

  "Please leave that to me."

  Tatsuya rose from the chair and handed the keycard to Miyuki. Miyuki happily took the keycard from her Onii-sama like a delighted puppy that was bestowed a prize.

  Seeing his sister reveal that sort of expression without a hint of shame, Tatsuya didn't choose to reprimand or complain as his face softened. Objectively speaking, he was forced to admit that he spoiled his sister too much.

  ◇◇◇

  Tsuzura Kazuo, the Magic Geometry instructor for the National Magic University affiliated First High, was responsible for technical skills instruction for Year 2 Class B. He was a visiting professor lent to First High from the National Magic University.

  As a prodigy who obtained the rank of professor in the Magic University at a young age, he drew considerable spite for his overly free attitude towards research, and was forcibly relocated to the school to "earn some experience as an educator."

  Still, the man in question didn't mind in the slightest and was even overjoyed that he could now "pursue research, unfettered, and without further concerns." Precisely because of his personality, not only did he adopt a cold attitude to the friction between Course 1 and 2 students, he even wished for the students to completely abandon this differentiation altogether — except he may have neglected the students' own opinions.

  His family hailed from one of the Hundred Families, and was granted the right to use a number in the Tsuzura name (Tsu refers to twenty). The Tsuzura and Isori Families both produced many exceptional researchers who freely exchanged research findings and remained national authorities in the field. Even Hattori's favored Compound Magic bore fruit after tutelage under Tsuzura-sensei.

  ...That was Tatsuya's impression of Tsuzura-sensei.

  By the numbers, Tsuzura-sensei was undoubtedly an oddball. Regardless of whether this was true or false — Tatsuya was quickly about to experience the man's true face.

  By the time Tatsuya reached the preparation room for Magic Geometry, Tsuzura-sensei was the only instructor present.

  Most likely because they felt ill at ease in this room, Tatsuya thought.

  The instructors hired by this school were all exceptionally talented.

  Of course these people also took great pride in their personal abilities, but when compared to a prodigy who earned his position as the assistant professor in the Magic University during his twenties, anyone's confidence would take a hit. The more someone relied on their personal talent, the more they felt pressured by someone who displayed an even greater talent and ability.

  He could sympathize with that feeling; except this feeling manifested in areas other than magic.

  Setting aside whether Tatsuya's speculation was correct, it remained an undeniable truth that there were no other instructors present save Tsuzura.

  The three people waiting for him in the Magic Geometry preparation room were Tsuzura, Suzune, and Isori.

  "You know about the thesis competition hosted by the Magic Association held at the end of the month, correct?"

  After exchanging greetings, Tsuzura cut to the chase.

  "I am unfamiliar with the details."

  At this conservative answer that held something back, Tsuzura nodded slightly.

  "The Thesis Competition isn't as conspicuous as the Nine Schools Competition, so it's not surprising that a Year 1 student like yourself remains ignorant of the details. Likewise, in terms of numbers, the Nine Schools Competition requires a large body of 52 members to participate, while the Thesis Competition only needs a small team of three."

  The sheer difference in numbers may be shocking, but after calmly taking into account this only involved writing a thesis and its subsequent presentation, they simply didn't need very many people for this task. If all they needed was extra hands to help develop the props for the report, anyone on campus would do, so they wouldn't be specifically invited to join the team. Too many chiefs in one building would actually make it harder to get things done.

  The fact that only three students from the entire school were selected came as a small surprise, but was well within the limits of common sense, Tatsuya ruminated.

  "Now, then onto the main subject. Shiba-kun, can we cou
nt on you to represent First High in this year's Thesis Competition?"

  Naturally, Tatsuya wasn't able to respond immediately. After all, this question more or less came out of the blue.

  "...You want me to join?"

  Even though Tsuzura's words left little room for mistake, Tatsuya couldn't help but ask back on reflex.

  The "National High School Magic Theory Thesis Competition," hosted by the Japanese Magic Association.

  Despite the name implying all high schools in the country, in reality the only high schools providing official education in magic theory were the nine high schools affiliated with the magic university, so this was really a competition between those nine schools. If the Nine Schools Competition was a "practical" contest, then the Thesis Competition was undoubtedly the "literary" complement.

  "Exactly, you."

  This slightly polite tone was probably his personality coming into play. Tsuzura adopted a dramatic pose as he nodded in reply.

  "Originally, we planned to have Ichihara-san and Isori-kun, as well as Hirakawa-san from Year 3 Class C... Unfortunately, Hirakawa-san has hit a rough patch recently, and even submitted a withdraw petition last week. The good news is that we managed to persuade her otherwise, but she's still in no condition to compete now. Thus, we came to you."

  Tatsuya was vaguely familiar with the name Hirakawa from Year 3 Class C.

  The technician responsible for CAD calibration in the sabotaged Mirage Bat event of the Nine Schools Competition for Kobayakawa seemed to be a Year 3 female student named Hirakawa.

  "But why pick a Year 1 student like myself? Aren't the representatives decided by the Thesis Selection Committee?"

  Tatsuya finally recalled the rumor spreading around the start of June regarding the selection of the thesis team.

  Since that was during the last stages leading up to the development of Flying-Type Magic, he didn't have the spare time to devote to other details, especially scenarios that might drag him into the limelight, so he quickly forgot about it.

  "After taking into consideration that the report preparations need to be finished simultaneously, you are the best candidate. Ichihara-san will share the details."

  After supplying a simplistic answer to Tatsuya's question, Tsuzura swiftly left the room.

  At the time, Tatsuya never agreed to this proposal. Apparently, the rumors that he didn't care about students' opinions were true. Nevertheless, Tatsuya didn't appear to possess the power to veto this decision. Originally, he thought he was only being called in to help collect data, but that appeared to be a miscalculation. Still, no matter how he complained, that wasn't going to help his current situation. In order to understand the situation, Tatsuya turned back to Suzune.

  "I was the one who recommended Shiba-kun. I rejected all the other substitutes."

  (Ugh, rejected means...)

  In response to Tatsuya's inquiring glance, Suzune dropped this bombshell.

  "...Surely every applicant spent considerable time and effort in their respective proposals, so I imagine a lot of people would be put out that someone like me, who didn't even submit an application, was selected. Think about the people who were slightly behind Ichihara-senpai, Isori-senpai, and Hirakawa-senpai, and what they would think."

  "Sekimoto-kun is out of the question. He's not suited for this task."

  Tatsuya didn't have anyone in mind as he voiced his objection, but Suzune immediately launched into comment that bordered on a personal attack.

  "Speaking of Sekimoto, are you referring to Sekimoto Isao-senpai from the Public Moral Committee?"

  In order to prevent this from actually descending to that level, Tatsuya intentionally verified his identity.

  "Hm, yeah... He and I come from radically different directions."

  As expected, Suzune simply felt that she went too far and reined herself in, as Tatsuya had hoped.

  At this time, Isori interjected into their conversation.

  "As sensei said, though the thesis composition and report preparation are done by a team of three; if all three are split by differing opinions, then they would never agree on the thesis's direction, so it is integral that the task is split between one primary writer and two assistants. On this point, our school has decided that Ichihara-senpai will be the primary writer."

  At Isori's explanation, Tatsuya nodded his head in agreement on two points. Differentiating between primary and supporting parties was mandatory, just as appointing the Year 3 student Suzune to be the primary also made sense.

  "In other words... I am more suitable for the topic that Ichihara-senpai has in mind?"

  That was the most likely possibility, given their current conversation, but what exactly allowed her to make that call? Plainly, Tatsuya had yet to attach his name to any thesis or dissertation.

  "My thesis topic is the 'possibility of developing a Gravity Control-Type Magic thermonuclear fusion reactor'."

  Tatsuya's eyes widened at Suzune's words.

  "Indeed, this is the same as Shiba-kun's research topic."

  While he felt that a high school student using "research topic" was a little overkill, it was true that sustained Gravity Control-Type Magic thermonuclear fusion reactor was also one of the objectives Tatsuya was pursuing. On top of that, he was still playing this close to the chest, so he shouldn't have raised this with anyone else yet...

  "...I see. The one spying on us at the time was Ichihara-senpai."

  "I dislike the term spying. Please refer to this as watching with interest."

  This far surpassed mere observation and bordered on outright eavesdropping, but Tatsuya didn't make an issue of it.

  During the incident with the anti-magic terrorist cell in April, Tatsuya had detected someone watching his two interactions with Mibu Sayaka, but he didn't seek to identify the observer. Since the results spoke for themselves, there was no point making a fuss over this now.

  "There are less than three weeks until the official commencement of the Thesis Competition. I believe that the only one who can provide adequate assistance now would be Shiba-kun, who also has a vested interest on the topic."

  "Did you ever entertain the possibility...that I was just using that as an example with Mibu-senpai?"

  "I believe I am a sufficient judge of character to think otherwise."

  Tatsuya mentally and physically smiled in a wry manner at how highly he was esteemed.

  "I understand. Since I stand to benefit as well, allow me to render my assistance."

  On one hand, Tatsuya wasn't joking about the benefits on his end. On the other hand, Tatsuya was intrigued by whether Suzune's proposal could actually solve one of the Three Great Puzzles, which would be all the better if his own design could be of use in some way.

  "Then, what should I do now?"

  "First, I would like to explain the Thesis Competition in detail. I hope Isori-kun has no objections, seeing as you've already heard all this."

  "No problem. You go ahead, Ichihara-senpai."

  Using her eyes to thank Isori, who had nodded slightly in assent, Suzune removed three portable blackboards from the retractable shelf and handed each of them one, keeping one for herself.

  Portable blackboards were electric papers with wireless communication that allowed the user to view magnified presentation materials from the size of a normal piece of paper with one hand, without resorting to projectors in small conference rooms. Naturally, the frames contained color, but the display for texts and documents often utilized white letters on a black background, which was why the term "blackboard" was used.

  Suzune attached her own data terminal to the blackboard and brought up the handbook for the Thesis Competition.

  "As Shiba-kun surmised, the Thesis Competition is a platform to disseminate the research findings from Magic Theory and Magic Engineering at the high school level. Not only does this publicize the fruits of high school education, some of the students will also get the opportunity to present their research findings to the world at large
. In addition, representatives from the Department of Magic Research will be on hand, and any thesis recorded into the Magic Encyclopedia will be adopted by the universities and corporations as well."

  Tatsuya observed the data streaming from the screen as he listened to Suzune's voice.

  "Usually, the date is set for the last Sunday each October. The location switches between Kyoto and Yokohama. The reason is, supposedly, because the main HQ for the Japanese Magic Association is located in Kyoto, while its primary branch in the Kantou region is in Yokohama. This year, the event will be held in the Yokohama International Conference Center."

  Tatsuya mentally ran through the calendar. Thankfully, he had nothing planned for the last Sunday in October, which was October 30th.

  "Only individuals who were recommended by the magic high schools affiliated with the National Magic University or passed the thesis preliminaries in each school are allowed to attend. Currently, there is no precedent for someone to present their findings without being recommended. While the rules open the Magic Theory Thesis Competition to all high school students in the nation, this is the reason why so far this has been exclusively for magic high schools."

  Hearing Suzune's explanation, Tatsuya couldn't help but add in a few words of surprise.

  "So there's no precedent for a team to advance without receiving a school recommendation?"

  "...Shiba-kun. I think it's harder for normal high school students to compose a thesis that can be delivered in 30 minutes than it is for them to appear in Monolith Code or Mirage Bat."

  "Isori-kun is correct. Even from our perspective, without the aid from the Student Council and Club Groups, there's no way we can do it with just the three of us."

  Tatsuya, who was used to writing technical guides, mentally murmured "Is that so?", but didn't verbalize his disagreement.

  "The topic is up to us, but under the obvious condition that it shall not run counter to the public good and morality. Two years ago, a student proposed the theoretical development of a magic that could replace weapons of mass destruction, and was quickly censored by inspectors ahead of time."