Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 04 - Nine Schools Competition (II) Read online

  Tatsuya's words themselves were hard to deny and were fairly logical.

  Yet, if someone witnessed the entire process, they would immediately be able to tell that he wasn't being uniform the entire time.

  They were both kimonos, but Tatsuya had a conflicted view of Shizuku's tamotos yet didn't question his own sister's miko getup. Tatsuya's sensibilities on this — objectively speaking — were indeed suspicious.

  ◇◇◇

  Miyuki was wholly unaware of the drama unfolding on the back stage — well, that was only to be expected — as she calmly waited for the start signal.

  "False starts" were a major violation of the rules.

  Being overly enthusiastic could subconsciously activate magic, which was your own fault. Well aware of this fallacy, Miyuki wasn't fired up during the waiting period like all the other players, but was concentrating on restraining herself.

  ......In the eyes of others, this was a "posture of silence".

  The signal lights on both ends of the arena flashed red.

  Miyuki opened her faintly closed eyes and gazed directly at the enemy field.

  A sigh arose from the audience.

  And not just in one area either, but from nearly the entire arena.

  Surprisingly, it wasn't the young men, but the young women who were mesmerized by that fiery gaze.

  This was no longer the atmosphere expected from mere spectating.

  With apologies to the other player, the entire audience was fixated on Miyuki's every move.

  The signal light flashed yellow, and just as it turned green—

  An intense psion light flooded the entire area without heed to allied or enemy territories.

  Yet, the arena — had turned into two different seasons.

  An absolute chill enshrouded Miyuki's field.

  A burning heat wave flooded her opponent's field.

  The icicles in her opponent's field started to melt.

  Her opponent was desperately trying to apply cooling magic with no apparent effect whatsoever.

  Her own position had turned into a frozen hell that surpassed the winds of winter.

  Her opponent's field transformed into a scorched purgatory that rivaled summer's might.

  Still, all of this lasted only the briefest of moments.

  Swiftly,

  Her field was completely enveloped in chilling mist.

  While her opponent's field was devoured by the rising steam.

  ◇◇◇

  "That can't be......"

  "Inferno......?"

  Behind him, Tatsuya could hear Mari and Mayumi's murmurs and groans.

  They were certainly spot on, Tatsuya thought, yet he didn't turn around.

  Tatsuya's gaze was still locked on the display of Miyuki's back from the monitoring device.

  Medium-Scale Oscillation-Type Magic "Inferno".

  By dividing the target area into two sections and decreasing the kinetic and rotational energy of all objects within one section, this surplus energy could be released into the other section in the form of heat. This way, conservation of energy was still maintained while applying the principle of reverse entropy from thermodynamics.

  Occasionally, this magic served as the test for A-Rank Magicians. Many testers shed bitter tears at their inability to wield this highly difficult magic, but for Miyuki, this was merely a triviality that she could manipulate at will.

  Since this was originally an area-of-effect magic, there was no need to worry needlessly about magic leaking outside and breaking the rules. Still, the very definition of magic forced Magicians to be extremely careful even with the simplest of techniques. If an incident were to occur, she would immediately be disqualified from the match, which would prompt him to intervene by any means necessary. This was what was running across Tatsuya's mind as he watched Miyuki.

  However, he appeared to be agitated over nothing.

  The temperature in the enemy's field rocketed past 200 degrees Celsius.

  Flash freeze icicles that were formed in a hurry were nothing more than rough ice cubes with countless pockets of air within. These pockets would rapidly expand when heated, causing the icicle itself to crack despite the icicle becoming more fluid under the heat.

  Suddenly, the temperature stopped rising.

  Immediately afterwards, a shock wave burst spread across the enemy field.

  Miyuki had switched magics.

  She was compressing and releasing the air.

  Every frail icicle within the enemy field shattered as one.

  ◇◇◇

  There were a total of 360 contestants and 72 technicians. While some schools waived their right to tactical advisors, the number of total participants in the Nine Schools Competition still exceeded 450 students. If there was a ball (or even banquet), this number of people could still be managed, but that was practically impossible to achieve on a daily basis during the main event.

  Breakfast was done buffet style on a first come, first serve basis. Lunch consisted of bentos being delivered to each school's pavilion or engineering vehicles, though some people chose to take them back to their rooms. Dinner was served in the three dining halls over three separate sessions, with each school getting one hour to dine. (The schools dined separately to avoid their tactics leaking to other schools.)

  Actually, dinner was the only opportunity for the entire school team to congregate in the dining hall.

  This one hour of dinner was an invaluable time for sharing the day's triumphs and regrets.

  Tonight, at the First High tables, a clear line was drawn between light and darkness.

  Darkness covered the corner where the 1st Year male players were gathered.

  Light enshrouded the corner where the 1st Year female players were gathered.

  And among the dense jungle of female players, the small dash of red (or maybe green is more appropriate in the jungle?) was, of course, Tatsuya.

  "Miyuki, that was totally awesome."

  "So that's 'Inferno'? The senpais were completely shocked. It's said that even A-Rank Magicians have problems with that ability."

  "Eimi, nicely done! Your first match was a little tight though."

  "Cavalier gear with carbine stance, nice!"

  "Shizuku was great too! Your kimono with tamoto was simply beautiful, then you forced your opponent steadily into a corner. Cool~!"

  While the Newcomers Division Crowd Ball only clinched one Second Place and one Sixth Place, yielding a "so-so" result, the dominating performance from the Icicle Destruction players allowed all three to advance to the third round, continuing the triumphant performance from the Speed Shooting event. This caused the female players to bask in a festive mood.

  The format of the Icicle Destruction event had 24 players in total, with 12 matches in the first round and 6 matches in the second round. With three people advancing to the third round, First High laid claim to fully half of the players still in the field.

  The three victors from the third round would then engage in a round robin to decide the ultimate victor, though based on the current situation, there was a strong possibility that all three of those positions may be claimed by players from First High. If so, that would truly be an astounding feat. The very fact that this remained a distinct possibility made it "impossible" for them not to be beside themselves with joy.

  The upperclassmen all wore smiles that said "What are we going to do with you guys" as the underclassmen danced around in joy.

  "Shiba-kun, Shizuku's ability was a 'Resonance' variant, right?"

  The 1st Year female student who came over was not one of the players Tatsuya was responsible for. He was aware of who she was, but was not overly familiar. Wholly ill at ease (Miyuki vetoed his request to sit elsewhere) as he dined, Tatsuya was suddenly the center of attention and finally managed a somewhat ordinary reply.

  "That is correct."

  Quite the detached reply but even so, his voice was slightly gentler than usual. While they were peers in the
same cohort, the other person was a Course 1 female student that he rarely interacted with normally. Tatsuya was taking precautions not to frighten her off by accident.

  Unfortunately, this caution brought about a crescendo in response.

  "So the Activation Sequence was really designed by Shiba-kun?"

  "I heard that Shiba-kun developed the technique Shizuku used during Speed Shooting, right?"

  "Shiba-kun also devised the strategy for Inferno too."

  "Rumor has it that Shiba-kun was also the mastermind behind Honoka's flashbang strategy."

  The continuous stream of questions gave him no room to maneuver and continuously drained his mental facilities, not that there was anything Tatsuya could do about it. Still, they were currently in a stimulated state which likely used the current festive mood as stress relief for the continuous anxiety from the competition. From another perspective, this exaggerated praise may even be seen as flaunting in order to raise their self-confidence to combat that feeling of unease that couldn't be easily dispelled. Tatsuya could understand that feeling, so he intentionally avoided dampening their enthusiasm and patiently continued to listen.

  "That's great...... If Shiba-kun was my support, I could probably win too."

  However, this phrase was still taking things too far and couldn't be ignored.

  Despite this, he probably shouldn't be the one who pointed this out. Tatsuya glanced subtly at Miyuki, who was sitting beside him.

  "Nanabi, I think there's something wrong with that sentiment."

  Upon being gently reprimanded, this female student immediately realized that her words could be easily mistaken for her dissatisfaction with her supporting technician.

  Her attitude did a complete 180 as she frantically rose to her feet, babbling the entire time, and searched the upperclassmen for the engineer responsible for her. Upon discovering the engineer smiling and waving at her, she finally let out a deep sigh of relief, bowed deeply in apology, then returned to her seat.

  "I-I spoke poorly."

  "Nana, you can't place your own inadequacies all on the CAD."

  "Teehee...... Reflecting."

  The volume level for the young ladies' conversation had dropped considerably, but didn't nearly qualify as whispering.

  "But there is no doubt that thanks to Shiba-kun, I'm performing much better than usual."

  This time it was Takigawa, a female student that took Third Place in Speed Shooting, who spoke up. Eimi nodded excessively at this.

  "On some level, CAD calibration is the same thing as telling your darkest secrets, isn't it? And towards a male engineer to boot...... While I did think like that in the beginning, but to have Shiba-kun be my engineer is simply incredible! Here's to the boys who were willing to yield Shiba-kun to us!"

  Tatsuya could only smile wryly at the massive misunderstanding hidden behind that innocent smile.

  However, there were also people who couldn't muster even a wry smile.

  "Ah, hey!"

  With a violent "bang", one of the boys stood up.

  Heedless of anyone trying to stop him, Morisaki picked up his silverware and headed towards the catering area before leaving the dining hall altogether.

  ◇◇◇

  Coincidentally at the same time.

  Though it wasn't a sumptuous feast, there was an entire array of high class Chinese cuisine — far more lavish than any high school banquet — spread across the table that was surrounded by a crowd of dismal expressions. There was a colossal difference between the luxurious gold and red decorations and the dour faces of the men present.

  "......Wasn't Third High supposed to be favored for the Newcomers Division?"

  They were conversing in English.

  "We finally managed to force Watanabe to bow out, but...... If this continues, wouldn't First High triumph again?"

  However, the people present showed clear signs of mixed European and East Asian heritage.

  "If the favored candidate wins, the house will be hemorrhaging money!"

  "There are a lot of VIPs in the casinos this time. Even if we do pay out, this isn't a small sum for us. We'll probably be facing a gaping deficient in the beginning of the business quarter. If that's the case......"

  The men peered at one another with grave expressions.

  "......Everyone here will be purged by headquarters. Based on the size of our loss, the head may do the honors himself!"

  One of the men murmured softly as he peered at the snaking dragon embroidered with gold thread in the middle of the hanging axle.

  A heavy silence fell over all the men.

  "Dying might be the best thing that could happen to us......"

  Someone muttered.

  In a voice quaking with terror.

  ◇◇◇

  Unlike magic related sports events, gender differences didn't really impact magic competitions.

  Even so, when taking into account that physical abilities still hold the decisive edge in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, the Newcomers Division separated the genders from this year forth.

  In other words, this was the first year that the men and women competed separately in the Newcomers Division.

  Until last year, there was no separation by gender, so men usually competed in events like Battle Board or Crowd Ball, while women chose to participate in events such as Icicle Destruction or Speed Shooting that were less taxing on the physical body. Thanks to this (the ratio favored male participants due to school differences), the audience was generally split between watching two different types of events.

  So which was more popular, the Men's competition or the Women's competition?

  Based on the Official Division from previous years, the average spectator usually observed the Women's events, while the military, police, firefighters, and university related personnel paid closer attention to the Men's competition.

  —Then again, speaking of this year's Newcomers Division.

  "There are a lot of people here......"

  "There were plainly more open seats during the Men's competition."

  Two young ladies were sitting in the empty reserved observation area and cast pitying gazes across the spectator stands that were filled to capacity.

  They were Mayumi and Mari.

  "Somehow, I feel that there are a lot of people from the universities."

  Mayumi said this as she directed her gaze towards the VIP stands.

  "After seeing that yesterday, they wouldn't be satisfied with just a recording, would they?"

  Mari completely agreed.

  "Exactly. Aren't we here to watch as well?"

  To preserve all fairness, the order of the matches was reversed from yesterday.

  It was the sixth day of the Nine Schools Competition and third day of the Newcomers Division.

  The first match of the third round in Icicle Destruction was about to take place.

  Mayumi glanced at the time and waited for Miyuki to take the stage.

  ◇◇◇

  Turn back the clock for a few moments.

  As Tatsuya and Miyuki were headed towards the resting area for Icicle Destruction, two students from Third High appeared before them.

  Both of them were male students.

  One of them matched Tatsuya's physique in terms of height and shoulder width, to the point that it was extremely difficult to tell the difference. However, that student had a much more stunning appearance.

  The other student was significantly shorter. Thanks in part to the school's reputation for emphasizing martial abilities, this did not give off a weak impression.

  They appeared to have noticed Tatsuya at the same time and directly walked towards him.

  "I am Ichijou Masaki, Third High, 1st Year."

  The taller one spoke first.

  For people that have just met for the first time, his tone was slightly overbearing, but amazingly, Tatsuya didn't seem to mind.

  While both of them were 1st Year students, Ichijou Masaki naturally fi
t into a leadership role and seemed to exude the charismatic aura of a true leader.

  Both his eyes were focused on Tatsuya.

  "Likewise, Kichijouji Shinkurou, also from Third High’s 1st Year."

  The shorter youth spoke politely and identified himself with a more traditional air, though his eyes teemed with a challenging glint.

  "First High, 1st Year, Shiba Tatsuya. So, the 'Crimson Prince' and 'Cardinal George' in the flesh, what may I do for you?"

  No sense of malice.

  Slightly different from sheer enmity.

  Still, there was no question that this was not a friendly attitude.

  Strictly speaking, it was a naked fighting spirit.

  Just like Masaki, Tatsuya also responded in a tone that would be considered overly rude for first acquaintances in his usual manner.

  Tatsuya felt that putting on a mask of false friendship would be insulting to these two.

  "Ho...... So you know of George's reputation as well as mine? Well that makes this simple."

  "Shiba Tatsuya...... A hitherto unknown name, but I shall never forget this name. You are probably the most ingenious technician since the advent of the Nine Schools Competition. I'm afraid we are lacking in manners here, but all we wished for was to meet you once."

  "I am honored to be called a 'genius' by the prodigy that discovered the Cardinal Code at age 13...... But you are right in that this is against the norm."

  As for his own manner of speaking, he replied back in a frank and straightforward fashion.

  Yet, neither of them appeared irritated. They came with absolute determination and maintained a posture one usually reserves for a serious opponent.

  "Miyuki, go ahead and prepare."

  Tatsuya did not lift his eyes from these two as he gave his instructions to Miyuki. Tatsuya estimated that they would be here for a while.

  "I understand."

  Miyuki bowed towards Tatsuya and departed for the resting area without sparing Masaki a single glance, as if the pair did not exist within her dimension. There wasn't even a hint that she was intentionally avoiding them — that was how perfectly she rendered them to non-existence.