Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 05 - Summer Holiday Chapter

by Sato Tsutomu

  "Let's leave it at this."

  Tatsuya's words probably didn't even reach the man's consciousness. His fingers twisting the man's hand were also pressing with severe strength and angle into pressure points in the man's wrist, like the points in Chinese medicinal acupuncture, such that the man's mind whited out from the pain.

  As Tatsuya released his hand the man staggered back two, three steps before collapsing. Tatsuya's cold face as he looked over the youth was entirely devoid of expression. A shiver ran down the man's spine that eclipsed even the pain. If he had been laughed at, the pride within him could have been fanned to flame. Even if it was something small and ephemeral like a sparkler. But Tatsuya's emotionless gaze, simply telling him 'get out of my way', brooked no hope of resistance.

  With his eyes locked on to Tatsuya's-- he couldn't look anywhere else-- the youth stood up and hobbled away. Truth be told, to have experienced such crushing pain and hesitate to even think about retaliation before retreating was a testament to the man's courage. It was not inconceivable a weaker man may even have had incontinence.

  However the woman accompanying the man certainly didn't think so. At the sound of a chair scraping the floor, the beauty haughtily and proudly left the shop with the echo of her heeled sandals resonating through the store. She didn't so much as glance at the man.

  Finally, staff arrived. Two waiters approached at a quick pace, their footsteps worried. They didn't go to Tatsuya, but rather to the man.

  Politely, in such a low tone that only the listener could hear, the waiters had some words with the now red faced man. His frenzied retorts, those which could be discerned from the loud ranting, seemed to comprise senseless things like "just who do you think I am!?" and "don't think you can talk to me like that!" among the parts where he raised his voice, but Tatsuya didn't give it a second thought. Although nothing physical occurred after, with a waiter pressing on him from both the left and right, after the mounting psychological pressure built up and made the man leave the shop, Tatsuya returned to his seat.

  As he sat down, a man of around 40 dressed in white chef clothes came to their table. Introducing himself as both the chef and owner of the establishment, the man bowed deeply to both Tatsuya and Miyuki.

  "I am very sorry for that uncomfortable episode just now."

  "No, we're the ones who caused a disturbance. We apologize for the inconvenience."

  Although still just 16, Tatsuya had spent much time around adults. If the other party was civil, he would be able to respond with as much equanimity as any.

  The shopkeeper's eyes thawed slightly towards Tatsuya's cool demeanor, probably because he felt the calmness beyond his years.

  "Don't mind the commotion. The one at fault was the other party. You were just involved."

  Even at the close of the 21st century, the bad habit of insisting that 'in a quarrel both parties are to blame' remained ingrained into society, but this shopkeeper seemed to be the type who did not agree with that poor custom of dancing around accountability.

  "Thank you for that."

  Tatsuya approved of this attitude which could clearly distinguish between black and white. Without the need to put on any exterior show, he returned the bow naturally.

  "The clerk was delayed and it ended up causing such a problem for you two, but please feel free to continue your meal if you would like to do so. Of course, it'll be on the house."

  Before Tatsuya could object, the shopkeeper went back to the kitchen. Despite the casual appearance of the store, the food was of an extremely satisfactory level. Both the appetizer of soup and the following mains pasta were as straight laced as the stubborn character of their chef, well worked together with no pretensions, and both Tatsuya and Miyuki enjoyed them immensely.

  After that was dessert. This was especially enrapturing for Miyuki. It was a thin size four (12 cm diameter) ice cake. The rich smell of vanilla wafted from the mutely colored topping, and it was just as authentic and unpretentious as the earlier courses. The not too hard, not too soft cool melt in your mouth texture was just as good as the offerings from any more upscale shops.

  What delighted Miyuki was not just the taste however. Among the waiters the one slightly older, presumably the senior, brought along the ice cake with two spoons. The spoons had an unnaturally long handle, and wouldn't have been very practical for eating alone.

  Placing those items in the middle of the table, the waiter had spoken to them in a soft voice.

  "One for the lovely boyfriend to the beautiful girlfriend. One for the beautiful girlfriend to the lovely boyfriend. For the very compatible two of you, enjoy this sweet moment."

  Due to the character of the place, those were probably words specifically scripted for such a situation as this.

  Still Miyuki happily accepted it, smiling giddily with her face dyed red, and held out the spoon with a scoop of ice cream in it to Tatsuya.

  --after concluding this shameless play disguised as dessert, as promised no specific bill came, so Tatsuya instead of taking out his electronic wallet simply repeatedly pressed a disposable money chip into the waiter's hand before quickly leaving the shop.

  Lunch had finished on an unexpectedly interesting (and possibly just a bit embarrassing) note, but unfortunately life was not so kind as to end everything so cleanly.

  Before the siblings stood the young president of the performing arts company from the restaurant earlier. There was no sign of the woman. She had probably left him and gone back. Instead, he was accompanied by four inversely proportioned (that is to say physically overbearing but far inferior in looks) men.

  "You caused me quite the bit of humiliation earlier."

  Although his voice was level for the time being, not the outraged ranting of before, it was possible to catch just a hint of crankiness in it.

  This guy really is going full throttle spouting out all these cliched lines Tatsuya thought to himself, but he wasn't about to throw in the towel this late into the game.

  "I believe I said so earlier. Let's leave it at that."

  But as he had no intention of purposely picking a fight, he kept his words somewhat peaceful. At least he didn't say something like 'it's no surprise your companion ran from you considering your tiny mind', but he didn't hide the contempt in his tone either. He didn't intend to start a fight, but it almost seemed like he wouldn't mind welcoming one either.

  If that was the case, Tatsuya's words were super effective.

  "......If you want to prostrate yourself and apologize, now's the time."

  "You're going to cause a scene right here?"

  His words and attitude were fairly easy to grasp, but did he really intend to try something with so many people around? Tatsuya had said this out of concern for the man's social standing, but

  "Shut up. Since when are real people subservient to you witches?"

  Those words were enough to clear Tatsuya's hesitation and restraint.

  He shifted his body, completely hiding Miyuki from view. All traces of expression disappeared from his face, and his eyes narrowed.

  Perhaps mistaking the change which had come over Tatsuya, the young man smiled.

  "I had thought I remembered seeing you somewhere. We had met in the Nine Schools something hadn't we? I had thought I'd found a huge gemstone, but it turned out to be just a fake imitation."

  Perhaps this man cleaved to the hoax that magicians were genetically modified and produced androids. Although their numbers were much reduced, Tatsuya knew through observation and knowledge that some still stubbornly persisted, which was why he didn't recall a sense of surprise at his words.

  "That's a lie."

  The man's words were rather barefaced.

  "You've only just met my sister today. Even if you had caught a glimpse of her during the Nine Schools Competition, even through video, there's no way a man of your type could ever hope to stand before her."

  A wintry air began to permeate. It did not hold the chill of snow or ice, but cold hard
ness of a razor sharp steel blade

  "What the hell. You a siscon or something?"

  Subconsciously the man opened his mouth wide and laughed out loud. --his face almost turned blue. His voice trembled.

  Tatsuya didn't bother to retort to that, but rather came right back with a line of his own.

  "Is that something you had to learn from your buddies over there?"

  The cowardly dog barks the loudest, and besides Tatsuya wasn't so delicate as to be provoked by such words. Still, that didn't mean he had to be tolerant of such dogs.

  "It'd be better for you to leave before you do something unfortunate in public. Or should I say it again so you can understand better?"

  The one who had been insulted was not himself, but Miyuki. That was the sole reason Tatsuya had dispensed with all peaceful intent.

  Keeping his eyes on the man, Tatsuya took a step forward. The man's entourage visibly tensed. They didn't have the same finesses or training as professional bodyguards, but they were experienced in their own way. On the level of street fighting anyway. You'd never guess from their attire, but Tatsuya idly guessed that the four were probably gangsters. The talk of there being good relations between pro entertainment and the underworld were probably not the whole truth, but at least not false either.

  "What the hell are you guys all scared for! They can't use magic in cities. It should be a piece of cake!"

  It seems the man had been completely taken in by the urban legends surrounding magicians.

  Magicians didn't use magic in cities because they were restricted by the law from exercising magic, not because they received remote mechanical signals or the like. In any case magic was only prohibited if there was no legitimate reason and in the event of accidents or disasters the use of magic to help is encouraged, and yet another exception is the case of self defense.

  It seemed the henchmen were not so naive as to believe in the myths the president was spouting. Slipping a hand to their waists-- probably a folding pocket knife or something-- they studied Tatsuya's movements with care.

  After two steps, Tatsuya stopped and raised both his arms to shoulder height. It wasn't a holdup.

  By fluttering and waving his hands, he showed them that they were empty. At that gesture, the gangsters felt they were being made fools of. They knew neither the shape nor utility of CADs, but they did know that magicians used some sort of small device to cast magic. They took Tatsuya's gesture, directed at them, as a declaration that he didn't need magic.

  They were correct. Tatsuya was provoking them, as if saying 'I don't need magic to deal with the likes of you.'

  The effect was immediate. From the start they were low ranking members, desperate to prove their worth. Being called by the young president, they had been sent out as the small fry. Desire to appeal aside, they had a low boiling point anyway.

  Drawing their knives, they lunged at Tatsuya in unison.

  Gangs nowadays train their members in group combat as the norm. In this age where both vigilantes and the general public are well organised, groups which are said to be professionals in violence could hardly get away without at least learning to fight as a team.

  Two waves of knives attacked from the left and the right.

  The screams of young women rent the air.

  Miyuki's voice was not among them.

  Without a word, without so much as a flicker of emotion, she simply looked on at her brother's back.

  Her trust in her brother's skills was absolute.

  Neither was that trust betrayed.

  Four punches. One man, one blow. Each fist struck a vital area with unrelenting precision, leaving the gangsters crawling about on the floor.

  Tatsuya resumed his advance.

  For each step he took, the president took two steps back.

  Then he stopped short. The moment he felt he had bumped into someone, he was seized by both arms and forced to kneel. Looking back in a hurry,he was greeted by the sight of uniformed police officers.

  There were eight in total. Two were overpowering the president, four secured the gangsters rolling around on the ground, while two more came to stand before Tatsuya.

  Miyuki walked to stand just behind him. Glancing alternatively between the two, the policeman began an inarticulate delivery.

  "Umm, we want to hear your side of events, so could you accompany us to the station please?"

  Tatsuya couldn't say he was surprised at this attitude. Even if you say it was self defense, they had engaged in violence in public. It wouldn't have been strange if they had actually been detained.

  Looking closely, the shape of a CAD could be made out around the policeman's wrist. He was evidently a mage. If so, knowing both Tatsuya and Miyuki were also mages, it could only be wondered if he felt a sense of solidarity with them. Still, his sheepish attitude was a little worrying.

  "Uh, in addition......"

  The partner of the cop who had first spoken began to say something, stammering out a preface. On his waist was a handgun shaped CAD.

  The officer put his hand behind his waist. Was he going for handcuffs?

  At Miyuki's arched eyebrows, Tatsuya wordlessly gestured for prudence. The officer's hand stretched out to the two of them. Or rather, to Miyuki.

  In his hand was, not his police notebook, but another private notebook.

  "......You're Shiba Miyuki san right? You were in this year's Nine Schools Competition. I'm an OB[6] of First High myself......

  If you could, may I get your signature?"

  Another policeman held out another rare classic for these days, a fountain pen.

  Tatsuya and Miyuki exchanged a glance, before Miyuki gave a sly smile at the two officers.

  [August 31st (3)]

  "I didn't think we'd see an OB in a place like that."

  Remembering the days events, Miyuki couldn't help giggling. Tatsuya also struggled to rein in laughter, before leaking out a smile.

  "It's not that surprising when you think about it. The only magic high school in Kanto is First High, so a mage who became an officer in Tokyo is most likely to have graduated from there."

  "That's true. In any case, the reason we spent hardly any time at the station was because the guy was a huge Miyuki fan...... In other words it's all thanks to you. You were a great help."

  "You're welcome. Being able to be helpful to Onii-sama is more important than anything."

  "Still, for them to actually invite us out to tea was totally overwhelming. It was hard to refuse."

  "Well!? That was hardly Miyuki's fault!"

  At that the two of them looked at each other, and once again, exchanged smiles.

  Miyuki was sucking on a straw, and her glass was pretty much empty.

  Tatsuya's cup had likewise been reduced to just ice.

  Seeing his sister remove her mouth from the straw and looking towards him, Tatsuya rose from his seat.

  "Now then, the bank's about to open, so let's head out."

  "Alright. I'll clean up the cups, so please wait there a bit Onii-sama."

  "No, I'll help."

  As he said so, without waiting for a word of protest, he plucked the tray right out of her hands. It looked rough, but actually the ice stirring in the glasses didn't even make a sound. With a rather peeved expression, Miyuki swiftly hid her true emotions as she followed Tatsuya into the kitchen.

  Going to the bank is no longer for making deposits. As a result of the evolution of personal checks and the electronic wallet, money cards are widespread and cash is now rarely used. Nor do you go to make transfers. Both transactions and transfers are pretty much all recorded online, and using the bank in such situations is also limited to special cases.

  The reason Tatsuya was going was to update his ID required for such online services. There is no periodic determined time for which you have to do so. You can continue using it from the date of issue without a single update if you wish. Only the ID is required, not the update. Updating the ID is a part of security, and
by proceeding straight instore in person rather than authenticating the data online increases the security.

  Tatsuya updated his ID every three months. The average renewal rate was twice a year, so four times would be classed as a higher frequency. It was not unusual for some more paranoid users to update theirs on a weekly basis. In the cool store, Miyuki and Tatsuya stood perfectly in line shoulder to shoulder and waited to be called up. They didn't do so because they were cold, but rather they had walked that way from the station to the bank under the hot sun as well.

  The reason was because people had the frequent habit of hitting on Miyuki. Not many guys, especially of the same age, looking at Miyuki would dare to immediately try to make her accompany them or go out with them, but dealing with just a single one would take a considerable amount of time. Therefore, they decided in advance that whenever walking through the city they would act as lovers.

  When Miyuki accompanied Tatsuya outside, such as for shopping or someplace she wants to go or something she wants to watch, being able to stick to her brother like this was probably just as much a factor as anything else. Case in point, even though there was nothing particularly interesting about standing around in the bank lobby, Miyuki seemed as cheerful as ever.

  --her brother complex left no room for doubt.

  That aside, modern banks often do not store cash since their utility is so limited.

  In place of cash, money cards were used to shift around large amounts of money. The issuer is able to systematically put on hold transactions. Unlike with checks there is nothing in circulation, the only one inconvenienced is the party in question. For that reason, the existence of the bank robber is becoming ever more an endangered species.

  --that should have been the case.

  "This is pretty rare......"

  Tatsuya and Miyuki had just come upon a scene with that very same endangered species.

  Four men had just burst into the store brandishing shoddy remodeled handguns, threatening the bank clerks and customers. The ski masks they hid their faces behind in the midst of summer gave a rather retro feel.