Chapter 27

Yuuji and Erika head to the massive Gymnasium building that was located beside the main school building. On the way, Yuuji asked Tatsuya if he could help him patrol the outdoor exhibition area while he accompanied Erika, which he agreed to.

A lot of students gathered within the massive gym. While most gymnasium buildings in Japan doubled as a ceremony hall, the First Highschool had more than enough funds to separate these two buildings and built it specially for their intended purposes. In fact, this was only one of the small gymnasiums. There were still larger gymnasium buildings and others like this one.

Sport clubs exhibitions were held here, including the club Erika wanted to see; the Kendo Club.

It was easy enough for them to find it by following the clashing sound of bamboo swords called shinai, which was normally used in kendo, and made their way there.

But on their way, they noticed a crowd gathering at a certain area.

"Hm? What's happening there?"

"I'm not sure. Let's check it out."

Yuuji quickly made his way there, followed closely by Erika right behind him. They pushed through the crowd, and at the center, they found Aika standing at the center of male students, all of them laying on the ground unconscious.

"Aika?"

She was speaking through her device when she noticed Yuuji and quickly made her way to him. Her previous serious expression was no longer present. Only the beautiful smile that Yuuji frequently saw and loved.

"Yuuji~! Why are you here~? Ah, Erika too! What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the outdoor exhibition area?"

"I asked Tatsuya to replace me for a while."

"Eh? Why?"

"A-Ah, that was because of me! This guy scared me, so I'm having him accompany me here."

"Hm?"

Aika looked at Yuuji confusedly, but before she coulda ask him what happened, Yuuji went first.

"Anyway, what happened here? Why are all of them unconscious?"

"Them? That's because they're hitting on me."

"Ah…"

Aika explained to them what happened, and as she did, Yuuji couldn't help but smile helplessly. With everything considered, Aika is the last girl you'd want to try and hit on. She's extremely powerful, both physically and magically, and she had already given her heart, body, and soul to the love of her life, her dream came true. It was virtually impossible for her to be tempted by the words of horny boys.

But even after her continuous rejection, they still bothered her and even tried to touch her. So before they could do it, she cast a spell, similar to the one Tatsuya cast in his duel with Hanzo but to an area around her, causing all of them to fall to the ground instantly.

Yuuji sighed in relief inwardly. There were a lot more powerful and dangerous spells he programmed into her CAD for her safety, so he was truly relieved that she used that one instead of the ones that would destroy the ground along with their bones.

And he was also relieved that she had taken care of the problem. Or else… The things he would do to them for daring to touch his beloved would be worse than anything she could've done.

"I see… I'm glad you're okay. But next time, please call for me, okay?"

"Hehehe~ I know~ But it's really no problem this time~ I wasn't the one in danger, after all~?"

Yuuji let out a small sigh and smiled helplessly. But on the other hand, Erika was in shock.

Because of her nonchalant and friendly attitude, Erika sometimes forgot how powerful she actually is. To knock out more than five guys all at once with a single spell, without hurting any of them… She was unbelievably skilled.

I don't think even I could do that…

She was saved by Yuuji because she couldn't escape those students from before without hurting them. But Aika was able to do it very easily.

She's really amazing…

"Have you told the Chairwoman about this?"

"I have~ She praised me and told me she'll deal with them~!"

"Alright."

Yuuji then turned towards the spectators and raised his voice.

"Everyone! You may return to your activities now! The Disciplinary Committee shall deal with this matter!"

Immediately, everyone began breaking out and left after hearing Yuuji's authoritative tone. Soon, other members of the Disciplinary Committee came and took the six unconscious guys to the medbay before asking Aika for a detailed report for them to bring back to the Chairwoman.

After she concluded the matter, Aika turned towas Yuuji and Erika once again with a wide smile.

"Hey~ Can I join you too~? I'm tired of being approached all the time, so let's go together~!"

"Of course. What about you, Erika?"

"Sure! The more the merrier."

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

The three went up to the balcony where they could see the entirety of the gymnasium and watched the kendo exhibition, which was currently in session.

For Yuuji and Aika, who only had surface level knowledge of the martial art, the exhibition the Kendo club was performing was quite impressive. When compared to the level of the kendo club in Kuoh Academy, Aika could easily tell the difference in skills between them. So watching them was quite exciting, even though they are aware that these spars are scripted.

Yuuji glanced at Erika, who was leaning on the railing and resting her head on her hand.

"You seemed bored."

"Well, it's just boring. Trying so hard to look good sparring, and then delivering a predetermined blow. It's just a staged sword fight."

"It's an exhibition geared for publicity. This should be par for the course, isn't it? A true martial arts battle is, after all, a battle for life and death. It's not something that should be shown to the public."

"...You're cool about it, aren't you?"

Erika glanced at Yuuji and observed him closely. His remark wasn't one she'd expect from a regular student.

"I'm just saying the truth as it is. Nothing more."

Just then, a loud groan of pain resounded from below and the three immediately turned to it.

On one of the arenas, a group of people in white kendogi gathered, holding one of them who seemed to be injured. On the opposite side, a group of people in black kendogi also gathered, creating a tense atmosphere of confrontation between the two.

"There's still more than an hour before the Kenjutsu Club is up, Kirihara-kun! Why can't you wait until then?"

A beautiful ponytailed girl spoke, confronting the man in black who was holding a shinai to his shoulder.

"This is not what I expected, Mibu. Since you can't put your abilities on display sparring with such a newbie, I just thought a little collaboration was in order."

"You're the one who forced him to challenge you! What collaboration is that!"

"But it was the Kendo Club who struck first."

"Because you provoked us, Kirihara-kun!"

Yuuji, Aika, and Erike who was watching from above began to focus their attention there.

"Yuuji."

"Ah, I know…"

It was the "event". The event that started the Blanche arc in the anime…

Yuuji silently activated his CAD, pre-casting some spells, and got ready.

"Oh, this is starting to get juicy."

"Do you know those two, Erika-chan?"

"Well, not personally, but… The girl is Mibu Sayaka. The year before last, she was second place in the National Junior High Kendo Tournament for girls. The guy, on the other hand, is Kirihara Takeaki. He won the Kanto Region Junior High Kenjutsu Tournament that was held the year before last. Oh, looks like it's about to start."

Both Sayaka and Takeaki began to square off with their shinai, and the rest of the members from their group backed away to give space.

"Don't worry, Mibu. This is a kendo demonstration. I'll do you a favor and not use any magic."

"Do you think you stand a chance against me with just swords skills? You, Kirihara-kun, coming from the spell-dependent kenjutsu club, a match for a member of the Kendo Club who focuses solely on honing sword skills?"

Yuuji and Aika activated their recording device and watched the progression of the event.

"Focus solely on honing sword skills? Big words you're saying, huh Mibu? I'll be happy to show you then. What it means to battle in a dimension beyond the limits of physical ability… The sword skills of kenjutsu!"

Takeaki charged with his shinai, raised high into the sky, and Sayaka followed.

Then, in an instant Sayaka's shinai hit his right shoulder that would've resulted in fatal injury, while Takeaki's shinai only landed on her left arm.

"..."

"If this was a real sword, then you would've been fatally wounded. As for me, your strike stopped short of the bone. Accept your defeat."

"If it was a real sword? You disappoint me."

"I'll be heading off."

"Oh~! Take care~"

"Eh? Where is he going…?"

Yuuji began to walk through the balcony and stood closer to the arena from above.

"Mibu, is that what you want? To fight me with real swords? If that's the case, then I'll oblige you… I'll take you on with a real sword."

Just like how Tatsuya taught him, Yuuji immediately used elemental sight the moment Takeaki reached for his CAD and read the activation sequence of the spell he was using.

Oscillation type, close combat spell. Tch… I still can't believe that guy's using Sonic Blade against his crush!

Before he could dash towards Sayaka, Yuuji climbed up the railings of the balcony and launched himself with it and landed in between them with a huge boom.

"!!!"

"Wha-!"

He raised his hand towards the startled Takeaki and launched him up into the air before restraining his entire body in mid air.

"Aarrrgh!!"

Takeaki dropped his shinai that has returned to being a regular shinai as he felt his entire body being crushed by an invisible force.

It was a new spell Yuuji programmed into his CAD to make it easier for him to hold someone down and neutralize them. By compressing air particles around them, he could easily crush his target and hold them in the air with air pressure alone, without having to use his ability to rend the literal space around them.

"What the… Is that…"

"It's Tsubakihara-kun… So rumors about him entering the Disciplinary Committee are true…!"

"What is that spell… He just made him float in the air!"

"For the improper usage of magic, I hereby arrest Kihara Takeaki-senpai on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee. Please do not resist."

"Uuggghhhh!"

Yuuji brought his communication device to his ear and reported to the headquarters.

"Calling from Small Gymnasium No. 2. I have arrested one student for the improper usage of magic. Please bring a stretcher to help escort the student to the medical bay."

"W-What the hell are you doing?! Why only Kirihara? Mibu of the Kendo Club is guilty of the same crime, you snobby first year!"

A man with spiky hair and muscular body complained with a shout, his hands balled into fists.

"I arrested Kirihara Takeaki-senpai for the improper use of magic, specifically the use of Oscillation-type, close-combat spell, Sonic Blade. I believe you understand what this means."

"Kuh… Don't give me that crap! Get him!"

One by one, all members of the kenjutsu club began rushing towards Yuuji. But before they could even come within arm's reach, each and every one of them were launched up to the sky just like Takeaki and held with the same spell.

"Cease this instant. Or all of you shall also be arrested for attempted assault."

Yuuji's voice rang loudly as silence fell upon the entire hall. The crowds, who have gathered to watch, all stared dumbfoundedly at the floating men, all of them floating and struggling helplessly in the air in panic.

"T-That's amazing… No, if he could lift anyone up before they could even reach him, doesn't that make him an impossible opponent to swordsmen…?"

"Hehehe~ That he is~! Well, even if they manage to get close, they won't be able to hurt him since Yuuji is also very skilled in martial arts~!"

And on that day, Yuuji's reputation as a prodigy/monster spread like wildfire throughout the entire academy.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

By the end of the day, with the orange-red sun illuminating the interior of the First High School Extracurricular Activities Federation room, Yuuji stood before three people sitting behind a desk.

The first two were Mayumi and Mari. While the last was someone Yuuji met for the first time, but had known about from the anime.

Juumonji Kaito.

The name that rang with power fitted the large, built, muscular man before him. With his broad shoulders, muscles that rippled through his blazer uniform, and a steely disposition, it would be hard to believe that he was a high school student, just like Yuuji and the other two beautiful ladies beside him.

He, along with Mari and Mayumi, are here to listen to Yuuji's report regarding the problem he encountered in small gymnasium no. 2. Aika had just finished her report as a witness to the problem Yuuji was about to report now as well as regarding the number of guys she made unconscious. She was now waiting outside for him to finish so they could return home together.

Yuuji recounted the exact events that happened, and his words were backed by video evidence that he had recorded during the event and witness statements from Aika, Erika, and Sayaka.

And after Yuuji finished his report, Mari asked.

"So you didn't see how it started?"

"Yes. All I saw was the moment when Mibu Sayaka-senpai from the Kendo club and Kirihara Takeaki-senpai from the Kenjutsu club were arguing."

"Is that why you didn't raise a hand at first?"

"Yes. I judged that if it is to an extent that would result only in bruises, then it would be better for them to settle the score amongst themselves."

Yuuji answered Mayumi's question.

"After subduing Kirihara, what did you do with him?"

"As he was injured, I requested the help of the Health Committee to take care of him. And since it seems like he acknowledged his own wrongdoing, I judged that no further measures were needed."

"...What about the other members of the Kenjutsu club that you… levitated?"

Mari asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"While I restrained Kirihara Takeaki-senpai to make him drop his shinai and stop further aggression, I simply levitated the other members of the Kenjutsu club to stop their advance. Upon the arrival of other disciplinary committee members, I let them back down unhurt."

Mari leaned back to her chair and crossed her arms.

"Mm. You did well. The Disciplinary Committee has no intention of sending this matter to the Correctional Committee. How about you, Juumonji?"

The heir of the Juumomji clan, one of the ten master clans in Japan, opened his eyes and met gaze with Yuuji. And after a moment, he began.

"I appreciate your lenient ruling. He used a highly lethal spell. Normally, there would be no escaping suspension. I am sure he is aware of that himself. I'll counsel him to learn from this mistake. And also…"

A small smile appeared on his normally steeled expression.

"With you having hung him in the air for everyone to see struggling, I'm sure he'll learn from this embarrassment as well."

Yuuji bowed his head and received the low-key compliment from the president of the federation himself.

"What about the Kendo club?"

"The moment she took up the gauntlet, she was equally to blame."

Mari answered Mayumi's question before turning back to Yuuji.

"Let me confirm this one more time. Was Kirihara the only one who uses magic?"

"Yes. I restrained them completely before they could reach for their CAD."

Mari snorted quietly and smiled at Yuuji's confident answer.

"I see. That would be all. Thank you for your hard work."

"Please excuse me."

Upon Yuuji's exit, Mari smiled proudly at her other two compatriots.

"His reputation really does precede him, doesn't it? The case happened this morning, but rumors about him being a monster had already spread throughout the entire school."

"I've heard about it too. He's really amazing. Right, Juumonji-kun?"

"Indeed. His physical ability that allowed him to jump from the second floor and land perfectly was one thing, but his magic is even more powerful…"

"You're right. To be honest, this was also the first time I've heard of him using his magic. To levitate someone and restraining them completely using air compression and pressure alone…"

Mari lowered her head and thought deeply about it.

"He already has incredible control over his magic and mastery over his spells as a first year student. In addition to his disposition… He's quite the talent."

"There's also Aika-san who managed to incapacitate multiple people at once without actually hurting any of them or collateral damage to her surroundings. She's quite impressive herself as well."

"And in addition to those two, you've also acquired the one who defeated Hattori in an official duel. You sure gained many promising talents didn't you."

"Well, I suppose I have a keen eye for talent."

"Ufufufu~ Aren't you glad, Mari~?"

"Of course. And they're all sensible and nice kids. I can't ask for more."

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

The afternoon sun had truly set as the sky was now completely dyed dark blue and black with a few stars twinkling and a small moon.

Yuuji, Aika, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Erika, Mizuki, and Leon went to a cafe together after school ended. Unfortunately, Shizuku and Honoka were unable to join them, so the only course one students were Yuuji, Aika, and Miyuki.

Looking around the beautiful, quiet Cafe, Yuuji couldn't help but recall his aunt's cafe. Needless to say, Rose was better, but this was also not that bad.

Come to think of it, I haven't really enjoyed the world here… So much has been going on, and I'm too busy learning as much as possible.

Money wasn't a problem for him. Not only was the liquid assets given to him by the Group Chat in his bank was enough for any regular household to live freely for decades, he had also been actively trading with his supercomputers after he finished his study. And sometimes, when Aika wanted to use him as a pillow to watch anime in his room, he'd be using his laptop to do it. And in just a few days time, he was able to multiply his capital by many folds.

Even after reinvesting most of that money back, money was still not a problem for him. If he wanted, he could even buy the entire cafe easily.

Hm… Let's go on a date this weekend.

He glanced at Aika, who was happily chatting with Erika, Miyuki, and Mizuki while eating her tiramisu cake. Having sex and spending quality time together in their luxurious mansion was fun and all, but there's still so many in this high-tech world they could explore. It'd be a shame if they didn't go anywhere during their stay here.

Just then, Leo interrupted his thought with a question.

"By the way, Yuuji. That Kirihara-senpai used a Rank B Lethal Spell, right? I'm amazed you got out of that unscathed."

"It's just like dealing with someone wielding a real sword."

"You're saying it as if dealing with a regular sword is easy…"

Mizuki couldn't help but comment. Her eyes widened in amaze.

"Hehe~ it sure is for Yuuji~! After all, Kirihara-senpai couldn't even get into range for a swing before he was tossed into the air."

Aika puffed up her massive chest proudly, causing it to jiggle plentifully.

"Really? Then those rumors about seven or more people floating in the air are true…"

"It's true… I saw it with my own eyes… They're floating alright. Or rather, I've been on the receiving side once…"

Leo and Mizuki looked at Yuuji with widened eyes while Erika sighed helplessly.

"I haven't mastered the art of nullifying magic sequences like Tatsuya, after all. And I can't use Cast Jamming yet, so restraining them before they could do anything was better for me."

Yuuji could already cast Gram Demolition and Gram Dispersion, and he was also working on creating a spell that created an armor that would dispel any magic that hit it. He could've used those two nullifying spells, but with all the people around him, using one of the two most powerful nullifying magic which he considered a secret weapon would only be a last resort.

He had also never tried using the dual CAD technique to cast Specific Magic Jamming Tatsuya used in the anime and he also didn't have two CADs with him. So he did the next best thing.

"Cast Jamming?"

"Don't you need some kind of special rock to do that? Anti… something."

"It's antinite, Erika-chan. If I remember correctly, it's extremely expensive."

Yuuji turned to look at Tatsuya for him to answer.

"Antinite is a military resource. It's not a matter of price. It's not something a civilian can get his hands on."

"Eh? But Yuuji-kun said…"

Mizuki turned towards Yuuji.

"Aaahhh… Well… Can I tell them, Tatsuya?"

Erika, Mizuki, and Leo tilted their head confusedly.

"Sure. Though, please keep it off the record."

"Hm? Is it some sort of a big secret?

"Well… What I was referring to when I said Cast Jamming is simply an application of the theories behind Cast Jamming. It's a Specific Magic Jamming."

"...Hm? Does that kind of magic exist?"

"Probably not… Wait, doesn't that mean that you, theoretically, came up with a new type of magic?"

"All credit goes to Tatsuya. I myself am learning from him."

"Wow…"

"I think that "stumbling upon it by accident" is more apt for a term."

Tatsuya smiled wryly at the stares of awe he's receiving from the three.

"When you try to use two CADs at once, the psion waves interfere, and in most cases, magic doesn't activate. And so, you launch a magic sequence that causes one CAD to jam the other, and with the other CAD, you launch an activation sequence that has the opposite effect. The activation sequences are thus reproduced and amplified, and Psion signals are released as Non-systematic Magic. By doing so, you can block an activation sequence of the same type up to a point."

"Are you serious…"

Erika, Mizuki, and Leo all sighed in amaze after listening to Tatsuya's explanations.

"That is why I couldn't use it back then. I didn't have two CADs with me, and I've never tried it before. Even though I can read activation sequences at launch, I won't be able to reproduce the Psion signals to block his activation sequence. So, I just lift him up and restrain him that way."

"I see… But why does it have to be off-record? If you patented it, you could've raked in big profits wouldn't you, Tatsuya?"

"For one thing, this technique still hasn't been perfected. Moreover…"

Tatsuya glanced towards Yuuji.

"Mm. It's the fact that you'll be able to block magic without Antinite."

"That's right."

"Hm? What's the problem there?"

"You idiot, of course it's a huge problem! If an easily-acquired technique to nullify magic spells were to spread, it would shake the very foundation of society!"

Erika said before raising her voice near the end.

If a technique to nullify magic is accessible to the public, then those who seeked to overthrow the current ruling society of magic users would gain a tremendous weapon. The very foundation of society, built upon the superior military power of magic, would be shaken to its core.

"Antinite isn't a realistic threat yet due to its low output. But it's a different case with this technique. Until a method to counter it is discovered, I can't go public about this."

"That's amazing… To think you've thought it through this far already."

"I think you're overanalyzing a bit too much, brother. In the first place, the ability to read your opponent's activation sequences during launch isn't something just anybody could do. Aside from you, Aika, and Yuuji-kun, I can't think of anyone else who could do such a thing."

"Ehehehe~ Isn't that just like Tatsuya, though~? He's such a worrywart, isn't he~?"

"Well, I for one agree with Tatsuya. If we could do it, there's no reason why nobody else in the world could do it, and they might be a problem if they were to use this technique for stupid things."

"Exactly."

Tatsuya looked at Yuuji with a smile.

"Well, let's just forget about these things and have fun! I'll treat you guys to the next order of dessert, but only if you ordered it in the next minute!"

"Eh? I want to order! Another tiramisu, please!"

"Seriously?! Ah, me too! One strawberry parfait, please!"

"U-Uhm, a-a cheesecake please!"

"Let me in on this too! Another set of sandwiches, please!"

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Early morning, before class. It was another day in the New Members Invitation week where clubs vyed for new promising members to join their clubs.

And once again, Yuuji was surrounded by female members from various clubs. There were even those from a female-only club who were willing to make an exception especially for him, causing tears of blood to flow from the guys who saw it.

But just then, he got a transmission from the Student Council.

He listened to it in the midst of fending off the perverted hands of these girls and their chirpings.

"A brawl has broken out in Gymnasium No. 1. All available Disciplinary Committee officers are asked to head to the scene."

Yuuji immediately realized what this was.

This is that event!

Before he could reply to it, he heard Tatsuya's voice through the transmission.

"This is Shiba, first year. Understood."

Alright, at least he's going there now…

"Uhm… Please forgive me, but there is something I need to do. Please excuse me."

"Eh~ Is it that urgent~? If it's not, then you can just let others do it~ How about you come with me to our tea ceremony club~? It's located on the third floor, far from any classes you know~? We can… learn a lot about tea ceremonies together…"

"No! Come with me to the tennis club, Tsubakihara-kun! It'd be such a waste for someone of your physique to just sit around and drink tea!"

"Then come to the basketball club! We'll gladly teach you if you ca- Ah!!! Tsubakihara-kun!"

Yuuji broke through the crowd of women slightly more forcefully than he wanted and quickly made his way to the back of the school.

But when he finally arrived, he only found Tatsuya standing with his back to him, looking off into the treeline.

"...Was that him?"

"Ah… I didn't catch him…"

"Tch… If only I arrived sooner…"

If he were there, he could've caught him and restrained him with his gravity magic, and perhaps rooted this problem from their school more easily.

"Don't mind it. This is still well within our calculations. We might not be able to root out the entire thing if we were to simply catch one before we could trap the others."

"...You're right. So we're sticking to the plan?"

"Yes. We'll let everything happen as it would've been, and limit the number of casualties. It would be much more complicated and dangerous if we were to mess with the events too much."

"Okay. Then, good luck with your rendezvous with Mibu Sayaka-senpai. Make sure you play dumb."

Yuuji smiled and patted Tatsuya's shoulder.

"I will."