Chapter 2

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Speaking of which, why is it that Miyuki's bus arrived two days before the competition begins?

That was because of the banquet being held in the evening.

Since this was a high school event after all, no alcoholic beverages were served. The buffet-style banquet without any prearranged seating for the contestants about to battle it out was almost like a miniature opening ceremony. Compared to the festive aura of the previous years, anxiety reigned supreme this year.

"In reality, I really didn't want to attend..."

As the Student Council President, this was something that Mayumi couldn't and shouldn't say, so Tatsuya politely struck that from the record.

Technician teams were auxiliary members, but counted as official members for the purposes of actual on site activities, so they were also obligated to attend. Tatsuya, who was ill at ease with reception events like banquets, privately agreed with Mayumi's sentiment.

The dress code for the banquet was each school's uniforms, so they didn't have to worry on that account. That being said, the borrowed suit didn't fit him very well, which raised his resistance towards attending.

"Should we have purchased a new one...?"

His fidgeting had been noticed after all.

Miyuki furrowed her brows in concern as she watched Tatsuya.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Sorry for making you worry."

This sequence thoroughly shamed Tatsuya, as it was getting difficult to tell who the older sibling was. In addition, this was an official event with mandatory attendance, so one shouldn't complain that they were uncomfortable or displeased.

"No, Onii-sama, please don't say that."

She probably noticed the minute adjustments to Tatsuya's expression and realized that he had wiped out his depressed mood.

Miyuki smiled happily.

"OK, those siblings over there can stop flirting."

The slightly teasing words caused Tatsuya to glance aside — strictly speaking, he had to glance downwards — to see Mayumi stifling her smile as she watched them.

"I can't believe you said flirting... What's this?"

On the Internet, Tatsuya had read that some young women have been afflicted with a malady that causes them to see all interactions between different genders as romantic interactions. Truth be told, Tatsuya had several people around him suffering from the same illness, so he really didn't want to broach that subject.

However, Mayumi seemed to be up to her old tricks and only wanted to needle him a little.

Tatsuya had long since accustomed himself to not receiving a straight answer, but still used his eyes to prompt Mayumi to respond.

But Mayumi's gaze wasn't resting on Tatsuya, rather on someone beside him.

At the sight of her trying not to burst out into laughter, Tatsuya followed her line of sight and...

"Miyuki...

Why are you so embarrassed all of a sudden?"

His sister ducked her head in shame. "Everyone, let's go."

Mayumi retracted her teasing attitude and urged everyone onward, her mood excellent for some unknown reason.

On some level, Tatsuya was irritated that he had turned into a device for mood improvement, but upon seeing Mayumi's retreating figure move away with lighthearted footsteps, he suddenly thought "Ah, forget it".

◊ ◊ ◊

Of the people participating in the Nine Schools Competition, there were 360 contestants alone and over 400 members if the auxiliaries were added in.

On the surface, the attendance of all members is mandatory, but there were many who found some reason to decline.

Even so, this was still a large scale fellowship event that well exceeded 300 people.

The meeting area had to be large enough to accommodate the large number of guests and servants.

As expected, just the hotel's employees and the support from the local base were not sufficient to cover everything. There were also many temporary employees that were obviously teenagers specifically hired for this event walking around in servant uniforms, which was not surprising in the least.

However — finding a familiar face among these temporary employees definitely constituted a surprise.

After a short keynote speech — thankfully this speech was short enough not to induce boredom — Tatsuya immediately headed for the dining area when a familiar voice rang out behind him.

When a familiar voice asked "Would you like a drink?", Tatsuya turned around to find Erika holding a serving tray carrying drinks with one hand.

"So that's what you meant by having it covered..."

"Ah, you heard from Miyuki? So, surprised?"

"... Very."

Erika flashed a pleased smile while Tatsuya had no excess processing power to come up with a witty retort, so he merely nodded in response.

"I can't believe you actually infiltrated here...

Belay that, it's just like you to do this."

After all, that's just what this kind of place is.

Even if they hired hourly interns, they wouldn't easily hire high school students.

Other than that, there's an age restriction as well. Even with a banquet where alcoholic beverages are forbidden, they wouldn't relax the restrictions either. Actually, most of the servants and waitresses circulating the area looked to be in their twenties.

He should probably say "as expected of the Chiba Family".

But she appeared to have used her connections in the wrong place. "By the way..."

"Hm? What's up?"

"Never mind..."

Tatsuya's tone was muddled, which was entirely unlike him.

After all, it's probably impolite to say "By the way, you've changed a lot" in front of the person in question.

Erika should also be aware that her age was a little different. Her makeup was considerably more mature.

Even at close range, she looked to be the same age as the other waitresses.

Usually, Erika gave off the impression that she was a lively and beautiful young lady that matched her age perfectly, but her slim figure was also perfectly suited for a more mature look.

(And only her...?)

Tatsuya noticed to his dismay that his thoughts were slightly uncoordinated.

Erika didn't come alone. Mizuki should also be here.

Mizuki disliked places with too many people so it was hard to say that she was suited for dealing with customers, so would she be able to serve in this type of situation?

"Hey, Erika, your dress is adorable. I see what you meant by you had it handled."

Miyuki joined the conversation and conveniently covered for the lull in the conversation due to Tatsuya's silence.

"That's how it is. Well, isn't this cute? But Tatsuya-kun seems unwilling to comment on it."

Erika twirled left and right, causing the Victorian-style servant uniform with a miniskirt to lightly dance back and forth with an unhappy tone in her voice.

With Tatsuya suddenly under siege, his naturally agile mind immediately began to formulate a retaliation, but Miyuki beat him to it.

"Erika, it's useless to ask Onii-sama for these things."

Miyuki smiled and shook her head and, compared to Tatsuya, it was Erika who was taken aback as she watched Miyuki.

Miyuki's comment was not covering for Tatsuya nor denying her words, which completely surprised Erika.

—However, that was only Erika jumping to conclusions too early.

"Onii-sama wouldn't be affected by external appearances like a woman's clothes, but admires our innate qualities, so in this type of situation special uniforms hold no interest to him whatsoever."

Tatsuya believed that Miyuki's assessment was both overly high and overly low.

In this case, Tatsuya was concerned about his other friends — especially Mizuki, so he wasn't paying attention to Erika's garb. Of course, he is also capable of praising women's fashion and, if the wardrobe was overly risqué, he certainly wouldn't know where to look.

—No, in this situation, the problem isn't the clothes themselves, but the personality that lay beneath the clothes.

"Oh, so that's how it is, Tatsuya-kun isn't interested in cosplay."

"This is cosplay?"

"I don't think so, but I think the guys see me this way."

The two young maidens left the reticent Tatsuya by the wayside and kept going.

"By guys you mean Saijou-kun?"

"That guy isn't even capable of voicing such an opinion. Miki was the one who said this was cosplay, but I have already sternly chastised him for that."

The last sentence that hinted of danger was clearly imprinted in Tatsuya's ears.

Yet Miyuki didn't seem to understand. "Miki?"

When the person one is speaking with suddenly sprouts a stranger's nickname, it was only natural for Miyuki to fixate on that.

"... Who is that?"

At Miyuki's question, Erika let out an "Ah" expression.

"That's right, Miyuki wouldn't know."

Erika softly said and bailed before anyone could stop her.

"Nice moves, looks like she has a great sense of balance..."

Seeing Erika weave through the crowd with tray in hand and without spilling a drop, Tatsuya was honestly impressed.

Miyuki thought this comment was a little off topic, but she continued regardless.

"What is going on?"

Actually, Miyuki didn't expect a straight answer.

It was only because she was out of the loop that she actually asked. However, her brother actually provided her with a clear answer. "She's going to look for Mikihiko.

You've probably heard the name Yoshida Mikihiko?"

"That's Onii-sama's classmate, correct?"

Miyuki recalled that this name created huge controversy during the announcement for the finals' scores.

"He grew up with Erika. Miyuki probably hasn't met Mikihiko, so she likely wanted to introduce the two of you?"

No wonder, that does seem like something Erika would do. Including taking off without saying another word. "Miyuki, there you are."

"Tatsuya-kun is also here."

As the siblings glanced towards the direction Erika vanished off to, a pair of female students struck up a conversation.

"Shizuku, were you looking for me?"

"Honoka, Shizuku... You two are always together?"

Speaking of which, Tatsuya had always seen the two of them moving in concert, so this question was only out of curiosity and had no intent of probing deeper.

"That's because we're friends, so we have no reason to be apart."

"That's right."

Shizuku answered without any sense of shame, which caused Tatsuya to chuckle wryly at his foolish question.

Starting last month, Tatsuya started to refer to the two of them by name.

The one who "demanded" he do so was Honoka, but from Tatsuya's perspective, he was pressured into accepting by Shizuku's overpowering silence.

"And the others?"

Miyuki was the one who asked. But her tone was slightly odd. "Over there."

In the direction that Honoka pointed, a crowd of male students quickly looked elsewhere.

The 1st Year female students in the representation team also stood frozen in the same place.

"They probably want to approach Miyuki, but won't dare with Tatsuya-kun lurking nearby."

"What is this, am I a watchdog now...?"

Shizuku's speculation elicited a helpless sigh from Tatsuya.

There was a high chance she was correct, so he couldn't just laugh it off.

"Everyone must be in the dark about how to approach Tatsuya-kun."

Honoka's words were meant to be comforting, but Tatsuya knew this was highly possible.

He was self-conscious of the fact that he was an "outlier".

Usually, he was the one who should initiate contact with others, but...

"Bullsh*t, everyone here is a student of First High and also on the same team..."

This bombshell was dropped by a new voice. "Chiyoda-senpai."

Kanon joined Tatsuya's group with a glass (without alcohol of course) held in one hand.

Also holding a glass, Isori was following right behind her.

"Kanon, even though they know better, the body still refuses to obey, that's just human nature."

"Kei, that kind of obstinacy is only allowed in certain venues." Kanon and Isori referred to each other directly by name.

After all, since they were already engaged, doing so was perfectly natural.

"Both of you raise good points, but currently there is an even easier solution."

Tatsuya suspected that both of them were also busybodies, but if he got dragged into a debate over such a trivial subject, he would be quite unhappy with himself.

Unwilling to interfere with the couple's conversation, Tatsuya sought to deal with this as soon as possible.

"Miyuki, you should meet up with the rest, teamwork is very important."

"But Onii-sama..."

"See me in the evening, the only roommate I have is a machine."

Basically, contestants and auxiliaries are assigned double rooms, but Tatsuya is the only 1st Year student and a Course 2 student to boot, therefore Mayumi made this decision so "there would be no cause for concern" and where he'd be "responsible for watching the machinery", and assigned a two bed, double room (one person in a double room) for Tatsuya to stay.

"Honoka and Shizuku too, drop by if you have the time."

Miyuki was still somewhat peeved, but she knew very clearly why Tatsuya said this.

"...I understand. Then, Onii-sama, see you in the evening."

"We'll call upon you a little later."

"See you later."

Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku answered in sequence. Tatsuya felt a displeased gaze sweep over him as he smiled and waved goodbye to the three of them, forcing him to turn around.

"What a mature interaction, but I think that's only delaying the issue."

Tatsuya and Kanon's relationship did not exceed that of casual acquaintances.

Kanon had no reason to comment on Tatsuya's personal relationships, but Tatsuya knew Kanon spoke up out of chivalry, so he opted to face this directly.

"Delaying is fine. That's because this question doesn't need to be solved immediately, and time is the best solution to some problems."

"That..."

Kanon wasn't able to reply, but given her unwilling expression, this young lady was not the type to give up easily.

"Kanon, Shiba-kun is right, speed is not the best solution to everything in the world."

"Still, you are definitely lacking some youthful airs."

Isori's comment was meant to break the ice rather than directly help Tatsuya, but was ruined by someone else cutting into the conversation.

"Mari-senpai."

Towards Mari, who had just entered the conversation, Tatsuya didn't refute her words and merely nodded.

"Isori, Nakajou is looking for you."

Yet, Mari seemed to have taken Tatsuya's reaction in account ahead of time and quickly got to the heart of the matter. Looks like she wasn't here just to mess around with him.

"Excuse me, where is Nakajou-san?"

"Storage vehicle #1. The VIPs are about to speak, so quickly finish what you need to do and drag Nakajou back here. The unimportant VIPs are one thing, but it would be terrible for the school's reputation if we missed the Patriarch's words."

"That's true, I understand."

"Mari-senpai, we're heading out."

Isori followed his orders and quickly departed the premises with Kanon naturally on his heels. Seeing the two of them leave, Mari turned around to face Tatsuya.

"Looks like the measurements are perfect."

"Just a little tight under the arms."

Mari commented as she took in the suit that Tatsuya was wearing and Tatsuya responded while looking down at himself.

"Nothing we can do about that, since this is a backup. Even if the measurements are the same, there's no way to take all the individual differences into consideration. If you wore a larger size, the waist would look terribly large."

"That's true, so there is nothing I can do."

Mari's words sounded like she was smiling wryly while her tone sounded like she was shrugging — although she didn't actually make those motions — so Tatsuya mirrored her as well.

"Wouldn't it be better to purchase a new one?" There was no ill intent behind Mari's words.

"It's too wasteful to buy a new suit only to wear it twice. If this was a cloth emblem that could be removed when worn then it would be fine, but this..."

As he said this, Tatsuya glanced downwards at his left breast. At the emblem with the eight petals.

This was a meeting with other schools, so it was integral to identify one another based on school emblem — hence why Tatsuya was forced to wear this uniform.

"Might not just be twice. There's the thesis competition in the fall, so there's no way of guaranteeing that you won't get promoted to Course 1."

Mari was smiling as she said this, but her eyes were dead serious. Tatsuya scowled as he replied:

"Even if I am selected for the thesis competition, wearing my own uniform shouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, there's no way I can get promoted to Course 1, because to this day there's no precedent or even a rule for it."

Tatsuya's words drew a laugh out of Mari.

"Precedent? I think your current status is already unprecedented, right? History has never seen a Course 2 student like you, so you cannot deny the possibility by saying there's no precedent for it.

Rather than saying unprecedented, you should aim to become that 'precedent' and pave the way for future underclassmen like you."

"......"

Seeing Tatsuya's pained expression, Mari once more burst into delighted laughter.

"Well, I'm off to find the brass from the other schools, want to join me?"

"...No thanks, Erika should be looking for me."

The moment Tatsuya brought up Erika, a flicker of doubt flashed across Mari's eyes.

This should probably be saved for future ammunition, eh? Such a thought crossed Tatsuya's mind, but the two of them shared a considerable history, so this was probably inappropriate for joking.

Tatsuya silently watched Mari depart. "Eh? Where's Miyuki?"

Just as Tatsuya predicted, Erika returned with Mikihiko in tow.

"I sent her back to the other students. She'll drop by my room later this evening, so introductions can be made there."

"Ah, OK."

The first half of Tatsuya's words was directed towards Erika, the latter to Mikihiko.

Rather than being one of regret, Mikihiko's reaction was more like a sigh of relief.

"...No need to force yourself."

"...Ah?"

He wasn't immediately aware that Tatsuya was speaking to him. Hence why Mikihiko's reaction was half a beat slow.

"Hold on, it's not like that! It's true I'm a little nervous, but..."

"Ew~ Guys just love to show off in front of cute girls."

"Erika is just as beautiful, especially today."

"Eh? Wait a minute, stop that..."

"So?"

Towards the teasing Erika, Tatsuya struck first by using her own tactics against her, then urged Mikihiko onward.

"Tatsuya, you... No, I'm just embarrassed to be wearing this at my first meeting."

Mikihiko stuttered to a stop then adopted an exhausted expression as he shook his head.

Hearing this, Tatsuya carefully scrutinized Mikihiko and Erika's uniforms again.

Mikihiko was wearing a white collared shirt paired with a black bowtie and vest.

Erika was wearing a black dress that swished back and forth with her white apron and headdress.

Simply put, they weren't butler and serving girl, they were servant and serving girl.

"I don't think that's strange, don't all the employees wear that?"

All the servants in the room were wearing similar clothes as Mikihiko. "See, Miki is too self-conscious."

"My name is Mikihiko."

It was blatantly obvious from their tone and expressions that they had been down this road before.

Mikihiko seemed very uncomfortable in his current suit. This was probably because he came from a traditional family and detested dressing up as a servant.

"Speaking of which, where are the other two?"

Tatsuya really wanted to know why they were working here, but ultimately decided against it.

"Do you really think Leo would be a good waiter?"

"He should at least know how to control himself..."

Tatsuya tried to subtly defend his friend, but Erika's laughing expression didn't falter.

"Mizuki said she didn't like this uniform, maybe she's like Miki in this regard?"

"My name is Mikihiko!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah~"

Rather peeved, Mikihiko voiced his protest, to which Erika casually agreed before turning back to Tatsuya.

"Owing to these reasons, the two of them are working behind the scenes. Leo is doing manual labor in the kitchen and Mizuki is in charge of the dishes."

Tatsuya didn't know "which reasons" those were, but was able to follow Erika's meaning. Probably.

"Because both of them are good with machinery."

"Yeah, their appearances are very deceiving."

In the modern age, no matter if it was dock work or dish washing, manpower was very rarely directly applied.

Including all the details, machines could replace all manual labor.

Simply put, the two of them were responsible for operating the automatic systems in the kitchen.

"I was originally on support as well, so why did you call me out here?"

Possibly because Mikihiko was unlike Tatsuya in this regard, as the person in question he was unable to understand why and also unwilling to accept as well.

"Didn't I explain many times that it must've been a clerical error?"

"That's not an explanation!"

"OK, OK, stop fussing. We're only interns, but we're still on the clock. Look, the tray over there is empty."

"...Erika, I'll get you for this later."

Mikihiko left that behind as he walked over to the tables, but in Tatsuya's ears, those words weren't "serious" at all.

"Plainly, it was Mikihiko who forgot in the first place..."

Erika grudgingly said this as she watched him leave, but it was hard to decipher her mood based on her voice and expression.

Yet, Tatsuya believed those weren't Erika's true feelings.

"...I don't know if there are any ulterior motives, but shouldn't you go easier on him?"

Erika didn't seem to comprehend Tatsuya's meaning, so she took a while to respond.

"...There isn't any real ulterior motive. But you're right, I am being a little spiteful. I knew that Miki wasn't good in this type of situation, but I still..."

"Wanted to annoy him?"

"Hm~ I guess? He beats around the bush too much, which irritates me whenever I see him like that. Now I can understand why he can't smile openly, but I cannot acknowledge why he refuses to get angry... That is being stubborn to the extent of four-legged animals."

"How kind of you."

"Please stop."

Tatsuya was simply sympathizing with her words without any other intentions, but was taken aback by Erika's unexpectedly fierce reaction.

"Didn't I just say I was being a little spiteful? Miki and I aren't here of our own volition, we're forced to be here by our elders. Even if I look like I'm being kind, in reality we're just in the same boat."

Her stubborn attitude was undoubtedly born of an obstinate heart.

"...I'll skip the details. Not like I can do anything with the answers anyways, so I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." Tatsuya wasn't about to step into that minefield yet.

"Sorry, just don't ask...

By the way, Tatsuya-kun."

Erika didn't hold it against Tatsuya for not comforting her.

"What is it?"

"Tatsuya-kun... is very detached."

Her tone and words were complete opposites of one another and were not critical in the slightest.

"... That was quite the abrupt change in topic."

"But, I'm very thankful that you're so detached... I think. You're not too gentle, so I can safely vent all I want. Nor do you pity me, so I don't feel embarrassed... Thank you."

The last two words were so quiet that they almost couldn't be heard. Seeing Erika flee towards the nearby tables, Tatsuya thought: everyone has their own troubles.

For a buffet with no designated seating for upwards of 400 people, the cuisines could not be set in one central location. The buffet sprawled over the entire ballroom of the hotel's top floor, with three tables set by the two walls and in the center in the front, middle, and rear for a total of 9 tables. Cuisines suitable for teenagers were constantly being replenished on the serving tables.

Historically, the students from each school usually congregated around one of the tables.

That being said, only small fry (?) were able to focus on eating, but the brass from each school weren't so relaxed.

At Mayumi's signal, Miyuki bid farewell to her peers and moved with the Student Council.

As Mayumi and Suzune were greeting the leadership from the other schools — and engaged in ruthless spying, Miyuki was carefully scrutinizing her brother, who was watching Erika, from behind them.

She didn't make any noise or reveal any expression, but inwardly sighed.

Miyuki esteemed Tatsuya more than anyone else (not only did Miyuki respect Tatsuya more than anyone else, she also rated him higher than anyone else).

She knew her brother wasn't perfect — but still believed that her brother was, on some level, superhuman.

Miyuki also knew that her brother possessed many glaring flaws.

One of these flaws was that he was unable to believe other people's good will towards him.

This can be partially blamed on his dullness, in that he was unable to comprehend goodwill directed towards him.

More importantly, Tatsuya honestly questioned why people would think positively of him.

On some level, this was inevitable.

Because his own parents neglected to pour this emotion called "love" into him, and even personally stripped "love" from his mind.

Miyuki knew it would take a miracle for her brother to return her feelings.

Even so, seeing an adorable classmate (even in Miyuki's eyes, Erika was an undeniable beauty) display an almost affectionate — Miyuki believed this might be "love" — towards him, Tatsuya still watched her go, behind that unyielding mask of logic, causing Miyuki's heart to ache more than be at ease.

Miyuki believed that her brother didn't even notice the gaze she was directing towards him.

Or maybe he noticed that she was watching him.

But Tatsuya definitely wasn't able to comprehend what feelings Miyuki was holding inside — once she thought of this, Miyuki despaired.

And grew more furious.

—This way, she must scold him sternly in order to calm down.

—Her brother's overly dim personality would definitely be a stumbling stone on his path to developing meaningful social relations.

—Yes, this was for her brother, a scolding born of love.

Beneath the beatific smile normally seen on statues, Miyuki made this decision.

...There was no way she could have remained ignorant of the looks she drew from her surroundings, but maybe no one could understand the real her.

Mayumi and company were (on the outside) chatting freely with the Student Council members from Third High, who were likely the stiffest opposition to First High's campaign.

In the rear, the 1st Year students from Third High were whispering to one another.

If they were eavesdropping on their senpais' analysis of combat strength and strategy, then they would be worthy of the militant nature of Third High and even move their upperclassmen to tears, but...

"Ichijou, look, isn't that girl rad?"

"Who the heck says rad these days... In which generation did you attend high school?"

"Shut up, I wasn't asking you. So, Ichijou, what do you think?"

"Why are you so excited... It's no use, that level of beauty is out of your league, so don't bother trying."

"Man, would you quit it, even if I can't, Ichijou should be no problem, right? Because Ichijou's got the looks and brains and is a member of the Ten Master Clans to boot, surely we can get on his coattails, right?"

"I'm amazed you can speak so brazenly with a straight face..."

In reality, they were conversing in this manner — which was very much like regular highschoolers.

"Masaki, what is it?"

However, the male student in the center of the group did not respond to the enthusiastic endorsement and focused all his attention on the female student in question.

Instead of focusing on his charming visage, his handsome aura stood out and perfectly matched the description of a "young and handsome warrior" in the archaic fashion. Standing near 180 cm in height with a thick set of shoulders, compact waist and slender legs... 1st Year student Ichijou Masaki of Third High was just as his teammates described, a man whose physical appearance was quite popular with the ladies.

"...Masaki?"

Bewildered, Masaki looked towards the person who called his name. The other person was also a male 1st Year student from Third High whose build was well-trained but not overly tall.

"...George, do you know who she is?"

"George" was a nickname, as his outer appearance was thoroughly Asian and his real name Kichijouji Shinkurou was purely Japanese. Upon hearing Masaki's question, this student immediately replied without further consideration.

"Hm? Oh, I think you can tell from the uniform, she's a 1st Year student from First High. Her name is Shiba Miyuki, and she's participating in 'Icicle Destruction' and 'Fairy Dance', so she must be the 1st Year ace from First High."

"Whew, so both talented and beautiful, eh?"

Ichijou Masaki ignored his teammate who was bending back in a comical fashion and muttered to himself.

"Shiba Miyuki, eh....."

This sound caused the male student known as George to turn a curious eye on Masaki.

"It's quite rare for Masaki to show interest in the ladies, isn't it?" The other students expressed their agreement.

"Now that you mention it, that's quite right."

"With Ichijou's merits, usually the ladies approach him directly, so he's usually not the pursuing one, right?"

"You have no idea how many people are jealous of this fellow."

This surrounding environment gradually turned into one where "single men were starting to get angry", but Masaki remained silent.

He would continue to observe Miyuki during several unobtrusive intervals.

His gaze possessed considerable warmth.

As the VIPs began speaking, the high school students that were the focal point of the day stopped what they were doing and paid overly serious attention to the adults speaking — or pretended to do so at any rate.

After Erika returned to her station, Tatsuya had no one left to speak with and finally obtained a modicum of peace.

Just taking in the famous figures from the magic community was a sufficient way to spend the time.

Some he beheld for the first time, others had only been seen on TV.

Of course, there were also people he had met before or sat with in the same room, but not conversed with.

Among these people, the one who held most of Tatsuya's interest was the elder from the Ten Master Clans known as the "Patriarch".

Kudou Retsu.

He was one of the most important figures from the Ten Master Clans in the 21st century and, until around twenty years ago, was acknowledged to be one of the strongest Magicians in the world.

After this elder, once renowned as one of the strongest, retired from the front lines, he rarely appeared in public events but for some reason chose to appear every year at the Nine Schools Competition. This detail was public knowledge.

Likewise, Tatsuya had never met this man, but had seen him on video.

In his heart, Tatsuya discovered an excitement akin to witnessing a historical figure striding into the light.

After the various VIPs finished encouraging or lecturing the crowd, it was finally Elder Kudou's turn.

He must be over 90 years old now.

How much of that once astonishing Magic Power still remained? Did he possess a physical body still capable of wielding magic?

As Tatsuya considered this, the master of ceremonies formally introduced the elder's name.

Not just Tatsuya, every high school student held their breath as they waited for Elder Kudou to take the stage.

The appearance of this famous figure made Tatsuya forget to breathe out.

The person who appeared beneath the congregated lights was a young, blonde woman wearing a formal gown.

This immediately threw the audience into an uproar. Tatsuya was not the only one shocked by this.

This incredibly unexpected turnout caused discussions to break out throughout the audience.

Wasn't Elder Kudou supposed to take the stage? Why was a young woman appearing in his place?

Did something happen, forcing her to speak in his place? (—No, that's not it.)

Tatsuya finally realized the truth.

The woman wasn't the only person on stage. An elderly man stood behind her.

Everyone's attention was only drawn towards the outwardly captivating young lady.

(—Sensory Interference Magic.)

The elder likely invoked a large scale magic that covered the entire meeting place.

By using an obvious distraction to capture everyone's attention, this sort of "change" doesn't qualify as phenomenon rewriting, as it was a "phenomenon" that occurred naturally.

The magic's scale was large enough to impact everyone present at the same time, yet subtle enough to escape detection.

(So this was the man once called the strongest... No, the "Sly

Warlock" hailed as the "pinnacle" and "craftiest" — the magic of Kudou Retsu...)

He must have noticed Tatsuya's gaze.

The elder behind the young woman cracked a smile.

A smile that would not be out of place on a mischievous young man.

The woman in the formal gown stepped aside after receiving the elder's quiet instructions.

As the spotlight fell upon the elder, a huge commotion spread throughout the crowd.

Almost everyone believed Elder Kudou materialized out of thin air. The elder's eyes once more locked onto Tatsuya.

Tatsuya subtly returned the greeting with his eyes. The elder's eyes displayed a very satisfied smile.

"First of all, allow me to express my sincere apologies for creating this subterfuge."

Even discounting the microphone's presence, his voice remained loud and clear — in definite contrast to his advanced age.

"This was just a small sideshow that was more like a magic trick than true magic, but based on my observations, only five people detected the truth behind the facade. In other words..."

Many high school students were deeply drawn into the elder's words and intent behind his words.

"If I was a terrorist planning to destroy you all and smuggled chemical weapons or explosives under the guise of a visitor, only five people would be able to reach out and deny me. That's just how it is."

The elder's words did not possess any particular emphasis or reprimand.

However, a different sort of stillness enveloped the meeting area. "To our youth studying magic.

Magic is a means, magic itself is not the end goal.

I created this little game hoping to remind everyone of this very point. The magic I just used was on a large scale, but low in strength.

By Magic Power standards, this belongs to lower level magic.

Yet, everyone succumbed to this weak magic and could not discover my presence, despite knowing that I would appear.

It is vital that you continue to train in magic.

You must diligently raise your Magic Power without relent.

Still, just this is insufficient. I pray that everyone here carves that into their hearts.

An inappropriately used large magic cannot compare to a meticulously prepared and executed small magic.

Remember, everyone, the Nine Schools Competition that begins two days from now is a battlefield that is fought with magic, as well as a battlefield where the use of magic is equally important.

To our youth studying magic.

I highly anticipate what brilliant schemes you will display in this competition."

The audience burst into applause.

Unfortunately, this applause didn't spread throughout the audience.

Among the bemused but clapping teenagers, Tatsuya was also applauding. Except, he differed from other youths in that he wore a quiet smile.

To propose that the use of magic was more important than the level of magic ran counter to everything the upper strata of modern magic society was espousing. The value of magic comes from its proper use, which hinted that magic should only be seen as an independent tool.

This old Magician stood near the pinnacle of magical society within the country, but still advised everyone to go against the norms established by modern magic society. From another perspective, this attitude was very irresponsible, because his influence was enough to shake the foundations of modern magic society.

If Kudou Retsu's speech was only empty words, Tatsuya would have balked, yet this elder used a simple and easy to understand method to demonstrate his point. He used a superlative technique far beyond Tatsuya's means to use magic as a flexible and agile tool.

—So this is the "Patriarch"...

Kokonoe Yakumo, Kazama Harunobu, as well as this Kudou Retsu, this country still contained many Magicians that Tatsuya needed to learn from. Surely there were many other subjects worthy of study, except Tatsuya didn't know of them yet. This was something he couldn't learn in the FLT research labs.

And he thought high school would be boring. Tatsuya ruminated on this at the same time.

◊ ◊ ◊

The banquet was held two days before the main event to preserve one day for the contestants to properly rest and relax.

The technician team and the tactical advisors were busy with the final leg of the preparations, just as the contestants were using their own methods to mentally and physically prepare themselves for the start of the competition tomorrow.

That being said, the 1st Year students would compete on the fourth day of the event, so at this stage excitement and resounding feelings far outweighed anxiety. From an age perspective, they were the ones who usually departed on trips with their peers.

After dinner, Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku also visited Tatsuya's room, but since Tatsuya was engaged in adjusting the Activation Sequences, they quickly called it a night and returned to their own rooms. The itinerary for the Official and Newcomers Divisions differed, so two 1st Year students usually shared a room. Honoka and Shizuku were roommates, while Miyuki shared a room with a young lady named Takigawa Kazumi from Class C. However, since Kazumi's personality was geared towards athletic club activities and she usually spent her days with the sempais from her club, Miyuki spent most of her time with Honoka and Shizuku in their room.

The hour hand on the clock (for some reason, all the clocks in the hotel were this type) pointed towards the Roman numeral "X", and the majority of the high school contestants who were waiting for tomorrow to begin had already turned in. Precisely because they understood this, not just Miyuki and company, but all their teammates and 1st Year students from the other schools knew to remain quiet and not cause a ruckus. Even so, their overabundant energies rendered them unable to sleep peacefully like their older peers.

The only thing that three girls would do while burning the midnight oil would be talking to one another.

There are of course exceptions to this rule. From outward appearances, Miyuki and Shizuku should belong to the "exceptions" category, but were unexpectedly "ordinary".

The recent topics were all related to the Nine Schools Competition, and not all girl talk revolved around fashion and romance, but since these topics frequently cut into the conversation, it was all but inevitable.

As mentioned earlier, the time was approaching 10 o'clock, but it wasn't lights out in the hotel yet. Hence why when someone knocked on the door, there was no cause for alarm or suspicion.

"Ah, I'll get that."

The knocking caused all three to rise and Honoka, who was closest to the door, halted the other two.

"Good evening!"

"Hey, Eimi, everyone, what's up?"

The person behind the door was a captivating petite girl with red hair that shone with a ruby-like luster. She was Akechi Eimi, one of Miyuki's teammates, with four other students behind her. In other words, First High's Newcomers Division Women's Team was almost all gathered here.

"Uh, you know, there's an onsen here."

"...Sorry, you need to speak plainly."

Honoka didn't understand why Eimi was so happy as she said this. "Now that you mention it, this hotel has an artificial onsen beneath it." But Miyuki quickly grasped Eimi's meaning.

"Yes, as expected of Miyuki, you're brilliant!"

"...I'm sorry, but hearing you say that hardly fills me with joy."

Eimi meant no harm, but after being praised so leisurely (?), Miyuki felt a headache oncoming.

As Miyuki pressed her temple, Eimi made an "Eh?" expression as she tilted her head to one side.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. So what about this onsen?" At Miyuki's urging, Eimi broke into an innocent smile.

"So, let's go to the onsen!"

Eimi's sudden — at least in Miyuki's ears — words caused Miyuki and Honoka to glance at one another.

Honoka seemed to share Miyuki's misgivings. "Is that OK? This is a military facility."

Yet, the person who represented the three of them and asked Eimi was Shizuku situated in the rear.

This wasn't an ordinary hotel — it was one of the facilities attached to the SDF's exercise grounds. Besides the facilities arranged ahead of time, most of the other areas should have restricted access.

"I tried asking for permission and received it. We're OK until 11." Eimi easily alleviated Shizuku's concerns.

"As expected of Eimi."

Honoka couldn't refrain from saying softly.

"You should say, thanks for the opportunity, right!" Alas, such words had no effect on the ecstatic Eimi.

"Wait, I remember that swimsuits are required in the onsen. I didn't bring one."

"That's also no problem, as the hotel will lend us bathing robes as well as towels."

Eimi easily fielded Miyuki's practical concerns.

Given this level of preparation, Miyuki and company had no further reasons to refuse. Honestly, all three of them were slightly interested in the — albeit artificial — onsen.

"Then allow us to accompany you. Let me get some clothes, you guys go ahead."

Hearing Miyuki's reply, Eimi nodded happily. "OK, take your time, no need to hurry."

Miyuki lightly raised a hand and temporarily bid adieu to her teammates.

The underground bathhouse (artificial onsen) was completely monopolized by First High's female 1st Year students.

It's not like they reserved the entire area, more like there weren't any other guests, so they were in complete control from 10 to 11.

The large bathhouse was similar to public bathhouses in that they were intended for similar purposes.

However, while this underground artificial onsen was called a large bathhouse, in reality it could only hold 10 people or so. The onsen was originally designed to help treat muscle and joint pain from extensive exercise and heated the salty reisen that ran beneath the hotel to form this medical facility. The primary users were usually higher ranking officers (and middle-aged to boot), and it was never intended to be open to the public. Owing to the fact that only those under the doctor's orders could visit during specified hours, anyone entering had to rinse themselves off in the shower area and don a swimsuit or bathing robe before entering.

—Besides their group, no other group appeared to have applied for permission.

Female bathing robes were literally "mini-coats that reached mid-thigh without any pants". Though maybe describing them as "bathing robes the length of mini-skirts without the belt" sounded sexier? The lack of a belt certainly made it easier to relax in the onsen, but provided even less sense of security than a swimsuit.

"Wow..."

"W...

What is it?"

Anyone wearing this would undoubtedly be too ashamed to appear before anyone of the opposite gender, but everyone here was a girl and trustworthy teammates on top of that. However, at Eimi's explosive breath, Honoka was overcome by a sense of shame and alertness as if a man had seen her.

She couldn't help but wrap her arms tightly around the front of her robe.

Eimi's eyes were glued in that direction — Honoka's bosom. "How surprising, Honoka cuts a great figure!"

Eimi gradually advanced. Honoka kept retreating.

Her back quickly encountered the wall of the bathing area. "Honoka."

"What is it?"

The predatory aura that swirled around Eimi was almost enough to make Honoka scream.

"Can I take a look?"

"Of course not!"

Eimi's eyes were laughing, so she was obviously messing around. The question was how far she would take the joke.

Honoka quickly glanced around the bathing area for help. Her teammates were either relaxing in the onsen or sitting on the edge soaking their feet. Everyone around her had the same smiling eyes Eimi did, with one exception.

"What's the matter, after all, Honoka's bust is huge."

"Is that the problem here!"

Eimi's eyes remained smiling, but Honoka could see something lurking in her eyes that told her this wouldn't end in a joking manner.

"Shizuku, save me!"

Honoka couldn't help but appeal for help from Shizuku, "the one exception".

Shizuku slowly rose. "So what?"

After saying this, she left the bathing area. "What!"

At her best friend's betrayal, Honoka screamed in pain.

Instantly, Shizuku lowered a sorrowful gaze towards her own chest. "After all, Honoka's bust is huge."

After leaving these incriminating words, she turned and headed into the sauna.

The bathing area was filled with Honoka's shrieks.

(What are they fighting over now?)

Miyuki could not comprehend what was causing the sounds of water splashing everywhere in the bathing area as she continued to shower. She had already washed off the sweat and dust of the day, but still went through the motions and activated the "Personal Washer" in the shower to thoroughly rinse herself off (from the collar down) before putting on her bathing robe. She wrapped a towel around her silky hair to hold it in place and finally padded into the bathing area that finally quieted down. At this moment, every teammate in the area locked their gaze on Miyuki's figure.

"W...What's wrong?"

Miyuki shrank back as she came to a halt, but no one replied. The number of looks never changed.

"Everyone, stop, Miyuki is straight!"

For some reason, Honoka said this in a solemn and stirring voice, which shattered the unnatural silence.

"Honoka?"

Honoka's words were too vague for Miyuki to comprehend its meaning.

"Ah~ Sorry, sorry, accidentally lost track of myself."

Sitting in the innermost corner by the edge of bath was a young lady from Class D named Satomi Subaru who spoke in a gentlemanly tone that would not seem out of place on a young man. This allowed Miyuki to finally make the connection regarding what Honoka was talking about and also understand exactly what the looks directed her way signified.

"Hold on...

We're all girls here, what are you talking about?"

Miyuki frantically said and tugged her robe towards the inside of her thighs. This movement actually once more ignited the tense atmosphere within the bathhouse.

The moisture left over from the shower interacted with the steam let off by the onsen, causing the thin fabric to cling tightly to the body, revealing Miyuki's feminine curves as well as the vibrant twin orbs on her chest.

The front collar revealed flesh that was dyed to a faint pink.

Extending beneath the short hem of the robes was a pair of impeccable, dazzling, and beautiful legs.

Especially in Miyuki's condition, even compared to being completely unclothed, even in a bathing robe that was far less revealing than her swimsuit, this brewed an irresistibly lovable charisma.

"...Are all girls, yeah, I understand, but..."

"I don't know how to say this...

But if it's Miyuki that's OK."

Everyone whispered in profound agreement. "That's enough! Now you're just going too far."

Even at this disadvantage, Miyuki bravely strode into the bath.

She gracefully sank into bath and stretched out her legs under everyone's unblinking gaze.

As she lowered herself to a sitting position, the water reached neck height. The front collar swayed to the movement of the water and, for an instant, Miyuki's nape was revealed.

Somewhere, a collective gasp could be heard.

This awkward atmosphere was neither joking nor was it intended to cause a scene.

If this continues, Miyuki's chastity might be in danger. "Miyuki, I'm with you!"

Fortunately, Honoka splashed down beside Miyuki, disrupting the spider's web that was closing around the butterfly.

"If you don't stop now, everyone here runs the risk of bathing in frigid water!"

Upon hearing this threat, all their teammates finally adopted serious expressions and turned away from watching Miyuki.

Even with their eyes elsewhere, they were still consciously drawn to Miyuki.

Plainly, there were many young girls present, but no one ventured to speak.

On the other hand, Miyuki wanted to protest to Honoka's words, but felt that rashly proclaiming that "she definitely wouldn't do anything like that" may be a dangerous move that would upset the delicate balance, so she refrained.

"...What happened?"

Shizuku, who had hitherto been staying in the sauna by herself, asked innocently as she beheld the awkward atmosphere in the bathhouse.

Likely self-reflecting after someone finally asked, the young ladies returned to normal.

Once the young girls adopted their regular behavior, the bathhouse was once again filled with the sounds of talk and laughter.

The subjects that girls talk about are more than just fashion and romance.

Still, fashion and romance were truly two of the most popular subjects.

While soaking in the bath, the conversation naturally turned to the males they met during the previous night's banquet. The primary target were "boys", but included some "men" and a small group of "older men". This sounds like the breath of their admiration spanned a large spectrum, but honestly that was how it was:

"—So, the bartender behind the counter was quite an interesting old timer."

"Whoa... That guy's totally over 40. To think that you're interested in middle-aged men, I think your life is over..."

"Correction, please say interesting gentleman. In my eyes, high school students are all immature kids that are completely undependable."

"Really~? I don't think all the boys our age are like that, maybe because you've been seeing the wrong people?"

"Yeah, Isori-senpai looks pretty tolerant, right? More importantly, he looks like a decent guy."

"I feel kind of empty going after someone with a girlfriend already, you know? Also in Isori-senpai's case, his girlfriend has already advanced to fiancée."

"Speaking of dependable, I guess that has to be Juumonji-senpai?"

"Nah, Juumonji-senpai is too dependable. Not only that, he's also the Ten Master Clans' future successor."

"Speaking of successors of the Ten Master Clans, there's the successor for the Ichijou Family from Third High, right?"

"Ah, I saw him, he's pretty hot."

"Yeah, I know you shouldn't judge boys by outward appearances, but it certainly doesn't hurt if he is easy on the eyes."

...Just like that.

All of a sudden, Eimi suddenly thrust the conversation back to Miyuki, who was sitting in the corner of the bath letting the (mental) exhaustion soak out of her.

"Speaking of Ichijou from Third High, he was watching Miyuki with burning eyes."

Eimi was speaking to Miyuki, but Miyuki was unable to respond to these words.

"Eh, really?"

"Maybe it was love at first sight?"

"This is Miyuki we're talking about, it's highly possible."

"You should say that it would be strange for boys not to fall in love with Miyuki at first sight, right?"

"Maybe they knew each other from long ago." Everyone listening let out delighted shrieks. "Miyuki, is that true?"

Shizuku didn't join the shrieking and adopted a serious tone — Shizuku's tone lacked the normal voice inflection, so even if she personally didn't intend to, she still came across as being solemn — as she asked Miyuki.

Miyuki's response was:

"...Allow me to be perfectly clear, I've only seen Ichijou-kun in pictures and didn't even know where he was located during the banquet."

This might qualify as being callous or sheer overkill, and if Third High had heard Miyuki's response, morale probably would have plummeted. The young girls bursting with expectations were all taken aback upon hearing this answer.

Even so, there were always people who refused to surrender.

"If that's the case, what type of guy does Miyuki like? Is it truly like your brother's type?"

The one who reacted to Subaru's words was not Miyuki, but Honoka instead. Her body tensed momentarily, which was only detected by Shizuku who was sitting beside her.

Miyuki displayed an incredibly calm attitude and an almost wordless expression as she answered Subaru.

"I have no idea where you think this is going... But Onii-sama and I are siblings by blood, so I've never seen Onii-sama as a romantic partner. Also, I don't believe there's anyone else in the entire world that could be the same as Onii-sama."

Hearing Miyuki's reply, Subaru and Eimi were distinctly disappointed (Subaru's expression looked a little forced).

Afterwards, no one else questioned Miyuki and Tatsuya's relationship. Yet, within the bath, two girls did not fully accept Miyuki's answer.

In Miyuki's tone, Honoka and Shizuku read something entirely different from the words "I've never seen Onii-sama as a romantic partner".

◊ ◊ ◊

After Tatsuya dispatched Miyuki and company back to their rooms — though he became the subject of their conversations with their teammates in the underground onsen — he continued adjusting the Activation Sequences in the storage vehicles.

"Shiba-kun, it's about time to call it a night."

Hearing these words, Tatsuya glanced around to find only one other person in the vehicle with him.

"It's that late already?"

The time was roughly midnight.

Isori revealed a gender neutral smile and nodded at Tatsuya's words (By the way, Isori's wardrobe and hairstyle were both neutral, causing Tatsuya to suspect this senpai of his intentionally dressed in a non- masculine manner).

"The participants Shiba-kun is responsible for compete on the 4th day, so I think it's not a good idea to be so tense from the start."

"You're right."

Tatsuya was on duty for the 1st Year female students in Speed Shooting, Icicle Destruction, and Mirage Bat. This was partially born of Miyuki and company's wishes, but also because of the 1st Year male students (especially Morisaki) stonewalling him in defiance (Miyuki was participating in Icicle Destruction and Mirage Bat, Honoka in Battle Board and Mirage Bat, and Shizuku in Speed Shooting and Icicle Destruction).

The 1st Year Division — the Newcomers Division was set between the 4th and 8th days of the contest.

Compared to the auxiliaries in charge of the participants competing tomorrow, Tatsuya had considerably more time on his hands.

Kanon was set to participate in Icicle Destruction on the 2nd and 3rd days, but Isori was in charge of participants appearing on stage tomorrow.

"Then, senpai, I'm taking my leave."

Tatsuya intentionally avoided inviting Isori to also call it quits and left the storage vehicle by himself.

Despite being near midnight, evenings in the height of summer did not have a noticeably lower temperature.

Perfect for taking a stroll in T-shirts.

Tatsuya opted not to head directly back to his room and strolled around the perimeter of the hotel, where he detected an oddly nervous presence.

This presence told him that someone was holding his breath while surveying the premises.

Initially, Tatsuya thought this was a thief, but quickly rejected this line of thinking.

A presence that desired to hide itself but was unable to, reeked of bloodthirsty impulses.

Tatsuya spread out his senses and directly linked to the information dimension — the colossal information body that contained the data for the myriad objects around him.

(Three people in total, located near...

The railings near the hotel camouflaged to look like foliage.)

Each of them carried handguns and small explosives.

Even if they were in the outer periphery of the hotel, they were well within areas under military jurisdiction, and the security around the base definitely wasn't that relaxed. Pickets and cameras would monitor the entrances and immediately deny all infiltrators and were especially merciless toward armed and dangerous individuals.

These guys were malefactors who had penetrated the security perimeter and had even prepared explosives.

Despite not having a CAD on hand, they were too dangerous to be ignored.

Tatsuya soundlessly began to sprint.

His senses captured an ally that was also rapidly approaching the three suspicious individuals.

His sneaking skills were not inferior to Tatsuya's own.

According to their starting positions, even though the two of them were approaching the targets at similar velocity — Mikihiko was going to make contact first.

As Tatsuya sprinted forward, he also began constructing support magics.

His Magic Power was so specialized that he could only use certain magics and, even without a CAD, as long as he was using those magics, he was equal to any other Magician using a CAD in terms of speed, detail and strength.

Mikihiko began invoking his magic. He wasn't using a CAD.

The data provided through the information dimension told Tatsuya that this wasn't an illusion, it was a concept.

Mikihiko pulled out three fortune tellers — probably meant to be charms.

Mikihiko wasn't planning on using modern magic, he was using Ancient Magic.

Before Tatsuya "knew" this, psions flew through Tatsuya's hands into the developing technique.

Modern magic and Ancient Magic were grounded in the same fundamental theory, which is using interference with the "data" attached to an "existence" and taking one step further to rewrite the "phenomenon".

The difference lay in how the interference worked and was expressed.

The magic system that Mikihiko used did not construct the interfering information body (the Magic Sequence) in the Magic Calculation Area, but split this into three steps: add data into the charm in his hand to turn it into a medium, float the now disconnected "material" into the information dimension to morph it into "independent, non-material information body" and control it, then try to rewrite the phenomenon.

Compared to the ability of information bodies that can directly interact with phenomena, such as information bodies from modern magic, this system possessed inferior speed and flexibility, but was less susceptible to resistance to phenomenon-rewriting. If this was phenomenon rewriting within certain parameters, Ancient Magic could accomplish large scale effects while using less power than modern magic.

For Tatsuya, who could dissect Magic Sequences in an instant, all of these details flashed across his mind in a short instant.

He also noticed a trace of distress within Mikihiko's technique.

(He's not going to make it.)

The magic Mikihiko was using had too many unnecessary hurdles, lengthening the casting time to intolerable degrees.

Tatsuya set the target for "dissolution" as the handgun in the miscreants' hands.

The reason Mikihiko detected the perilous presence was because he was in the middle of magic training.

This was one of the deepest corners in the hotel gardens.

Far from any buildings, he found a location in the area surrounding the hotel where no one would come snooping to begin his daily "training".

"Spirits" are an assemblage formed from "concepts" such as "wind, water, fire, earth" and are far removed from individual phenomena. The basic training from Divine Earth Magic (Spirit Magic) is to synchronize oneself with the spirits' senses.

From modern magic's perspective, spirits are things that have broken away from their actual bodies and are information bodies floating in an ocean of data.

They move about as a concept in the information world, assemble together as a conceptual expression, and materialize in the actual world.

Rumors say there is a way to detect these "non-material bodies".

Still, through contact with these types of "spirits", Mikihiko truly felt that they "existed" in the actual world.

This was not grounded in theory, but through his perception and feelings.

For Mikihiko, spirits truly existed in this location and were existences that possessed consciousness. With this type of contact, spirits were able to inform Mikihiko about all sorts of "details" and "objects".

Just as Mikihiko started this synchronization training, he "learned" that there were people on the outskirts of the hotel.

Originally, he thought they were people out on business or patrolling soldiers, so he didn't pay much attention.

It was only after the spirits repeatedly notified him that Mikihiko realized this might be a warning.

Synchronized with the spirits, he spread the spirits' senses towards the direction they warned him.

What he caught was a thread of "malice". Mikihiko's expression tightened.

For a moment, he debated whether he should call for backup or engage by himself.

Mikihiko wasn't confident he could suppress any opponent in his current state. He was reluctant to admit it, but it was true that he wasn't confident. Thus, he bit his lip and elected to return to the hotel and call it in.

However, his emotions protested this logical choice.

Something other than logic told him that there wasn't enough time.

The agitation surging through his body was like the spirits warning him to "act quickly".

Rather than head towards the hotel, Mikihiko charged towards the "malice".

He was worried.

He questioned whether he was able to overcome the firearms the opponents were carrying.

Very few Magicians were able to triumph over firearms in extreme close quarters combat.

If there was cover, magic that was unaffected by line of sight or obstacles had the advantage.

In situations where cover was not available, Magicians had a hard time countering the speed at which a trigger could be pulled.

Still, Mikihiko expelled these concerns as cowardice and forged ahead.

Yesterday's events flashed across his mind.

Mikihiko was forced to work as a servant under his father's orders. Erika said this was due to a clerical error, but Mikihiko knew the truth behind the matter.

—Go and behold where you should be standing.

Two nights ago, his father said that to him.

Working as a servant was only a method to get to his objective.

Maybe Mikihiko's father wanted him to see his peers in glory to shock him out of his current state.

Maybe his father wanted to arouse an angry determination.

Yet, these words and methods only lodged themselves deep in Mikihiko's soul as overwhelming humiliation.

At this time, Mikihiko wanted to demonstrate that "he wasn't powerless".

The location was a night sky illuminated by a few sparse stars, but the Yoshida Family's training methods included nocturnal training in pitch darkness.

Even relying only on star light, this was no obstacle whatsoever.

As he closed in on the sense of malice that could now readily be identified as human, Mikihiko prepared his talismans.

Three targets required three talismans.

His targets should have already noticed Mikihiko's approach.

The enmity and malice directed towards Mikihiko verified that these three were the malefactors.

No time to hesitate.

Enmity had already turned into killing intent. Hesitation would lead to failure.

The targets' identification were not first priority.

Mikihiko channeled magic power into the talismans and started invoking his magic.

A flashing light appeared in Mikihiko's right hand, which twinkled in time with the electricity formed above the malefactors' heads.

Lightning would strike them in less than a second. Still, it took less than one second to pull the trigger.

Seeing this, Tatsuya immediately made the call and invoked the prepared "dissolution" magic.

The three handguns in the three malefactors' hands fell apart according to the change in their information bodies.

Immediately afterwards—

The miniature lightning strike threw down all three of the targets. "Who is it!"

Mikihiko demanded in a stern voice, not towards the enemies currently lying on the other side of the railing, but to the Magician who came to his aid from behind.

Mikihiko understood perfectly.

His magic wasn't going to make it in time.

The reason he was uninjured was because another Magician offered his aid.

This skirmish forced him to concede that his magic had lost its former alacrity.

"It's me."

"Tatsuya?"

From Mikihiko's breath alone, one could tell that he suffered a terrible blow.

However, Tatsuya only made a brief response and didn't stop before vaulting onto the railing.

Using personal Weight Magic to lessen the gravitational pull, he easily flipped over the two meter tall railing.

Mikihiko blankly watched him leave before recovering himself and pulling out a new talisman and executed the same Weight Magic.

When Mikihiko landed on the far side of the railing, Tatsuya was already kneeling down next to the fallen intruders.

"Tatsuya?"

This word contained several intermixed questions.

Even Mikihiko himself wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. "They're not dead. Well done."

Tatsuya appeared to be answering his question regarding the intruders' status, or he may have seen through Mikihiko's state of panic and elected to answer in the least confusing manner.

"Ah?"

Mikihiko didn't understand why Tatsuya was praising him.

He masochistically thought that he should be the one who was taken out.

"Limited visibility on the targets, precision large ranged attack on multiple targets, even with capture as first priority, no fatal injuries were inflicted and only one blow was sufficient to deprive mobility. I say this rates as an excellent combat result."

Tatsuya's words were calm enough to be called callous, but just hearing them alone was enough to know that he was just being polite or comforting.

The one Mikihiko couldn't believe was himself, not Tatsuya.

"...But my magic originally wasn't going to make it in time and, without Tatsuya's backup, I would have been shot."

The words sprouted from Mikihiko's mouth were self-derisively beyond his own control.

"How foolish."

"...Ah?"

However, Tatsuya's direct reprimand was enough to render Mikihiko unable to continue berating himself.

"'If there was no backup' is only an assumption. Your magic was successfully able to capture the intruders — that is the only truth."

"......"

Tatsuya's merciless scolding and subsequent points astounded Mikihiko.

"In reality, I did provide support, and your magic was successful, so what do you mean 'originally'? Mikihiko, what exactly did you think was going to happen?"

"That..."

"No matter how many opponents there are and how well-trained they are, a Magician should be able to triumph without any backup. I sincerely hope you are not operating under these assumptions?"

Mikihiko suddenly felt like the bottom of his stomach was giving out.

He understood very clearly how ridiculous the "assumptions" that Tatsuya referred to were.

Yet, in the inner depths of his heart, did he never truly stop and consider the assumptions Tatsuya was mentioning?

"Seriously...

I'll intentionally say this again. Mikihiko, you are very foolish."

"Tatsuya..."

"Why do you reject yourself to this level? Why do you disparage yourself to this level? What is it that so dissatisfies you?"

"...Even if I tried to explain, Tatsuya, you wouldn't understand.

There's no point in talking about it."

"There may be."

Mikihiko reacted by throwing up a high wall and retreating behind it, but Tatsuya's ensuing words smashed the wall to bits.

"Ah...?"

This time it was Mikihiko's turn to be speechless, while Tatsuya pierced him with a sharp look.

"Mikihiko, you're concerned about the magic activation speed, correct?"

"...You heard that from Erika?"

"No."

"...Then how do you know?"

"Your technique is too verbose."

"...What did you say?"

"My point is, the problem isn't your capability, but the technique itself. This is the underlying reason why you cannot wield magic the way you desire."

"How would you know that!" Mikihiko roared.

Because he was in a state of panic. Because he was exasperated.

The technique he uses was a product the Yoshida Family had refined over many years by incorporating the aspects of the traditions in Ancient Magic and the results of modern magic.

After seeing it once or twice, Tatsuya immediately tossed it out as a blemished product, which threw Mikihiko into a rage.

He always rejected this line of thinking as a vain attempt to escape from reality, but after hearing Tatsuya bring up this previously ignored topic, Mikihiko panicked.

"I do know. But you don't need to force yourself to believe me."

Yet, Tatsuya calmly replied to Mikihiko's furious outburst, forcing Mikihiko to respond with an even more wavering statement.

"...What did you say?"

Mikihiko used the same words as he did before, but this time the tone was vastly different.

"I can comprehend any magic design that I can 'see', which allows me to read the details behind any Activation Sequence and to provide an in-depth analysis of the Magic Sequence."

Tatsuya replied with this outrageous answer. Mikihiko's panic had hit a peak.

He had never heard of a Magician capable of such a feat and, if someone with this unique ability truly exists, then half the mysteries facing modern magic theory would be solved in an instant.

"...Again, you don't need to force yourself to believe me."

Tatsuya repeated his earlier words.

Mikihiko felt like he was telling him "what follows next is your own problem".

"Let's table this topic for now. Ignoring that for the moment, we still need to deal with these guys. I'll keep watch for the moment, could you call security? Or do you want me to go?"

Honestly, with Mikihiko's mental state right now, he was unable to consider whether Tatsuya's "confession" was true or not, so he desperately clung to the life line thrown at him.

"Ah, I'll go."

"Understood, I'll wait here."

Mikihiko once more activated his "Leaping" technique and vanished over the railing.

On the other hand, Tatsuya briefly considered how to restrict the intruders' freedom of movement, and ultimately elected to bury them. He could use "Dissolution" to remove the excess dirt, so he needed to use both "Separate" and "Move" magics. Doing so without a CAD was truly a tiresome task, but just like the earlier "Leaping", Tatsuya had already memorized such a simple Magic Sequence and, as long as he performed them sequentially and not simultaneously, this really didn't pose a problem.

Ironically, this was one advantage gleaned from the artificial virtual Magic Calculation Area currently residing in his consciousness, which was the ability to recall any Magic Sequence stored in his memory.

(I'm a devious man.)

He held onto the victim's perspective, but viewed the byproduct as an efficient tool to use.

Tatsuya smirked at his unprincipled self and prepared to invoke his magic.

—But there appeared to be no need for that.

A familiar presence approached, prompting Tatsuya to cancel his magic.

Shortly after, the other person initiated the conversation. "Special Lieutenant, your earlier suggestion was truly merciless."

"Major, you heard all that?"

Tatsuya didn't detect Kazama eavesdropping. Which was honestly not that surprising.

Kazama had studied under Kokonoe Yakumo longer than Tatsuya had and was considered to be Yakumo's second best student. Without linking to the information dimension, Tatsuya found it very difficult to trace Kazama's presence.

Tatsuya saluted in greeting, to which Kazama smirked in response.

"Isn't it rare for the usually completely indifferent Special Lieutenant to do such a thing?"

"Labeling this one 'completely indifferent' is uncalled for."

"Or maybe you sympathize with his plight? That young man shares similar problems as you do."

"This one has long since graduated from that level of concern."

"In other words, you're someone who's been around the block?"

"...Could you deal with these people?"

Kazama revealed a foxy smile as he mercilessly pressed the attack and Tatsuya, who had lost all avenues of retreat, finally managed to change the topic.

"Leave that to me, I'll explain everything to the base CO."

Still, Kazama realized that continuing to pursue this line of questioning served no purpose.

He retracted his smile and solemnly nodded towards Tatsuya. "Sorry for troubling you."

"No worries, looks like many unexpected things were added to your plate as well."

"True. But I wonder what these guys were trying to do?"

"God knows, handling criminals isn't in our job description...

Yet they are surprisingly capable and proactive. Tatsuya, be wary."

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

"We'll talk in detail tomorrow at noon."

"Yes, sir, then allow this one to depart."

"Yeah, goodbye."

The two of them changed from superior and subordinate to two friendly disciples bidding each other farewell.