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Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 05 - Summer Holiday Chapter

Page 18

by Sato Tsutomu


  “Tatsuya-kun, you are being naïve.”

  Mayumi crushed Tatsuya’s theory in one blow.

  “The Student Council of this school has tremendous privileges, and even after graduation are appraised as being elite. Actually, four years ago, the Student Council at the time advocated a “Democratic Free Election”. On that occasion, the number of seriously wounded people went into the double digits. The “Democratic Free Election” signs were taken down, and the Student Council President strongly recommended the vice president become the next president to get the situation finally under control, according to our records.”

  Tatsuya’s doubts were vanquished by Suzune’s astonishingly violent tale.

  “…Is this a school or a third world country?”

  A groan leaked out of Tatsuya.

  “A great talent for magic can destroy the bonds of self-restraint. High school students aren’t adults after all.”

  Mayumi was once again before his eyes, entreating him with her hands.

  “Can’t you see? Tatsuya-kun might only be able to see her as a mere child, but Miyuki-san would surely be fine. As they say, the person rises to the position.”

  It has come to this, Tatsuya thought.

  I can still make a show of stringently clinging to the impression that I believe a first year shouldn’t become Student Council President.

  So then—

  “How about we put Miyuki aside for the moment, and think about the matter of Nakajou-senpai’s refusal of candidacy? Both in terms of proper order and actual ability, isn’t Nakajou-senpai the most suitable person to become the next Student Council President?”

  As Tatsuya made his point, Mayumi’s face turned grim and she sunk into silence.

  “…That is certainly true, but…”

  Suzune, too, had no words to refute that argument.

  Yes, this was so obvious to all of them that no one had to say anything.

  If Azusa hadn’t so selfishly backed out, Tatsuya wouldn’t have to debate this issue; that was so clear that no explanation was needed.

  Nonetheless, Tatsuya’s next comment was unexpected by both Mayumi and Suzune.

  “—If you like, I can go and try to persuade Nakajou-senpai?”

  “Eh?… Tatsuya-kun will try to persuade A-chan for us?”

  “Yes.”

  For Mayumi, this was all so unexpected that she was unsure what face to make for a while, but as the meaning of Tatsuya’s word slowly started to sink in, she unconsciously seized his hand in a tight grip.

  “You’ll really do it? You couldn’t possibly fail! You absolutely must do it! Of course, I can rely on you, Tatsuya-kun!”

  Tatsuya’s seized hand seemed as if it was about to buzz, so enthusiastically did Mayumi shake it up and down. Glancing at each other's faces, Suzune and Tatsuya flashed wry smiles.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  At lunchtime that day, perhaps because she had an instinct as keen as a small animal for sensing danger, Azusa did not come to the Student Council room. At this rate, she might find a way to avoid me after school as well for some reason, thought Tatsuya, so just after the end of fifth period, he marched into Azusa’s classroom. (Magic High school finished at 3 pm in the afternoon; fifth period finished at 2 pm in the afternoon.)

  He spied on the state of affairs inside the classroom from the doorway. Azusa was hurriedly making preparations to leave. She was probably trying to engineer an escape before she was caught, but she was tripped up by the fact that a student as serious as herself would never leave her terminal before instruction was over.

  Unlike Tatsuya, who wasn’t pigeonholed by rules—he probably wouldn’t hesitate to soil his hands with a serious crime—dragging his sister along, he stepped into the classroom of Class A second year.

  He received some ‘who does this guy think he is’ stares, primarily directed to him from the male students, but as expected, there was no one with the type of childish mentality that insisted on attacking an underclassman for daring to enter their domain. —The gazes of the female students were different; they evaluated him the same way they evaluated designer goods. The pressure of their gazes was strong, but none of them looked like they were going to bother to confront him, it seemed. Tatsuya shamelessly ignored both forms of stares and went directly to Azusa’s seat.

  Azusa was aware of his approach midway. However, the interval she spent pondering ‘how can I flee without looking strange’ meant that he was able to arrive before her eyes.

  With a hesitant but forced smile, Azusa stood up.

  She had fiercely grasped her schoolbag, but her legs wouldn’t move.

  There was a 30 cm difference height wise between Tatsuya and Azusa.

  Normally, this was not an intimidating advantage in confrontations; sitting or standing, this didn’t seem like much of a difference, but somehow he managed to take a position where he appeared to be looking down at her.

  An overly bright smile floating across his face, Tatsuya’s eyes bore into Azusa’s eyes and wouldn’t let them escape.

  “Nakajou-senpai.”

  There was nothing outstanding about any of the features of Tatsuya’s face and body, nor did he possess the type of beautiful voice that people loved to listen to, but perhaps thanks to the effect combat training had on his throat and lungs, his voice had a deep penetrating quality when he spoke. A young girl might find that his voice radiated a ‘somber’ or ‘mature’ feeling.

  “I would like to talk to you for a moment.”

  So a timid, young girl might find his voice radiating an overwhelming pressure.

  “Well, I, today is a little…”

  “It won’t take all that much time.”

  With that he cut off all escape routes to Azusa, who was still trying to find a way to flee. By strengthening his tone slightly, Tatsuya had added weight to his words.

  Rightly or wrongly, Azusa’s eyes were held with inconceivable force. On the other hand, if any of Azusa’s classmates looked at the two of them (especially the girl students), all they would see was two people staring into each other’s eyes while whispering.

  The fragmentary conversations that could be overheard, remarks like “surprisingly forceful”, “so fierce”, and “that might be nice” were paired with glances that hit with regularity.

  As the gazes directed at her brother consciously or unconsciously took on an air of flirtation, Miyuki’s mood swiftly plummeted.

  And so from behind Tatsuya’s back—in short from Miyuki—the “aura of an angry woman” radiated and added to the incredible pressure felt by Azusa.

  “Five minutes would be enough.”

  “…Well, if it is really only five minutes.”

  Azusa trailing behind Tatsuya was the result of what could be called giving into pressure tactics as opposed to being caught by a trite sales pitch.

  Her hands were bound by neither handcuffs nor rope, but somehow, no matter how you looked at it, she was the very image of a “perpetrator being escorted by the police”.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  “To be brief.”

  Taking a corner seat in a café, Tatsuya sat down and began to talk.

  “Nakajou-senpai. Please be a candidate for Student Council President.”

  “Just like I thought, this subject… did the Student Council President ask you to persuade me?”

  “Yes.”

  Originally it was not “the persuasion of Azusa” but rather “the persuasion of Miyuki” who was standing behind him that was requested, but Tatsuya was not breathing a word about that.

  “…It's impossible for me to do it. Such an important job, I could never fulfill the duties of Student Council president.”

  Azusa’s attitude was more obstinate than predicted. And just now, she looked as if she would burst into tears. If he drove her into a corner, she really might break down crying. No, there was no “might”, the possibility was high.

  However, if he was going to give up just like that, he would never have
undertaken persuading her in the first place.

  “Hattori-senpai will become the Club Management Group Leader next season, so he can’t be a candidate in the Student Council President election. If Nakajou-senpai doesn’t become a candidate, the election will not be under the control of the Student Council.”

  “Wouldn’t that be all right? There are a lot of people more suited to be Student Council President than me.”

  As he received Azusa’s aggressive answer, Tatsuya made a deep sigh.

  “…”

  “…”

  The silence didn’t last ten seconds before Azusa begun to show signs of discomfort by fidgeting. She cast a fleeting glance at Tatsuya, who showed no response. Next she cast a fleeting glance in Miyuki’s direction. Miyuki wore the hard to read Archaic Smile[11] on her face and watched Azusa intently. The smile gave off the illusion that you were being trapped by it. Azusa violently averted her face.

  Towards Tatsuya.

  And so, their gazes aligned perfectly.

  Azusa stiffened with a look of “eek” written upon her face.

  Tatsuya sighed once again.

  “Would it really be all right? —Even if the tragedy of four years ago was repeated?”

  Tragedy somehow seems so melodramatic, thought Miyuki who was listening nearby; Tatsuya himself felt the word was melodramatic.

  Nonetheless, if you looked at Azusa, you could see her initially shocked face grow paler.

  “At that time, there were over ten seriously injured people. I think that Nakajou-senpai is more familiar with the recorded details than I am.”

  Pitifully, Azusa’s lips almost imperceptibly trembled with unrest.

  However, Tatsuya,

  “We should also have pictorial records of that time? Serious wounds caused by magic…..If possible I’d rather not look at something like that.”

  And so he struck a final blow.

  The Student Council secretary’s main duty was to manage the Student Council’s records. There would be a lot of records for an incident of such proportions, and in order to properly manage those records she would not only have to touch them but examine them too.

  As predicted, not only her lips but her entire body was trembling.

  “Isn’t history supposed to repeat itself…”

  “Wh…what should I do…”

  Unto Azusa who wore a cornered expression, Miyuki, who had maintained her silence ever since arriving at the café, answered with a gentle smile.

  “If Nakajou-senpai becomes a candidate for Student Council President, that state of affairs can be avoided. It’s all right. Senpai will surely do well.”

  Azusa’s vision wobbled violently.

  The brother threatens, and the sister offers a helping hand. Truly splendid teamwork.

  “Oh, that reminds me…”

  The seriousness he had maintained until then dissolved—or appeared to anyway. Indeed, his face said “I just remembered” and Tatsuya brought out the next “carrot”.

  “I happened to have come into possession of the FLT flying device and monitor that go on sale next week…”

  Upon hearing those words, Azusa’s eyes shined with sparkles.

  Her pale face took on a healthy glow and she leaned forward across the table.

  “…By that, could you possibly mean the Silver Model flying magic specialized CAD? They only announced the discovery of flying magic in July. To put in practice effectively, it would take the absolutely newest Silver Model!?”

  As Tatsuya nodded, Azusa looked at him as if she wanted to eat him.

  Her eyes stated “I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it…”

  “Well the monitor is a stock item, but they are 'not for sale' goods that haven't been marred by a serial number.”

  Azusa’s throat moved as she gulped.

  Her eyes were hazy as if she had a fever.

  “Nevertheless, performance-wise they’re no different than the 'for sale' model. I thought they would make a fine gift to celebrate your instatement as Student Council President.”

  “Really!?”

  Azusa raised her voice and made a gleeful cry.

  Her chair fell over with a loud sound, but Azusa paid absolutely no attention to the stares she was receiving. It was more like there was no space in her mind that could pay attention.

  “Yes, Nakajou-senpai has looked after Miyuki so much. If you are inaugurated as the new Student Council President, I was thinking of giving them to you as a gift to honor the occasion…”

  “I’ll do it! I won’t lose to anyone! I’ll absolutely win the presidential election!”

  Glaring at the illusion of an unseen opponent, Azusa made powerful declarations.

  In the first place, due to the lack of candidates, she herself had been subjected to a round of ‘carrot’ and ‘stick’ persuasion. In this kind of situation, a vote of confidence was not needed and the fact that she had previously refused the job, all had been totally ejected from Azusa’s consciousness.

  In front of Azusa who was trapped in a maniac state, Tatsuya and Miyuki stealthily nodded to each other.

  Chapter 3

  It is already the final week of September.

  The days when the lingering summer heat was intense were many but the days when a remarkably autumn-like wind could be felt were increasing.

  “As I was saying, shouldn’t the ambiance of the school be more enthusiastic? What do you think?”

  “About what?”

  Tatsuya glanced back at Mayumi who tilted her head in inquiry with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

  “The presidential election.”

  Finally, the Student Body General Meeting would be held tomorrow, and with it, the Student Council Presidential Election.

  For Mayumi, today was the last day she would pass in this room as Student Council President; in spite of this, she did not appear to feel sentimental about it.

  Even so, the competition for the office of next Student Council President did not appear to include either a fiery debate or a popularity contest.

  “…Well, it’s a high school Student Council Presidential election, isn’t it? It might not be something to get fired up about…”

  He didn't bother to look back; at most, it was an honorary position that added points to someone’s student record. It wasn't something to get excited about, right?

  Aside from what he said, he knew there were other reasons not to get excited about it.

  A vote of confidence for the one and only candidate did not seem all that exciting.

  Furthermore, the possibility of not getting approved was zero.

  The reason for all this wasn’t because the office of Student Council President didn’t have enough glamour to turn someone’s eyes green with envy.

  If you looked at it from the perspective of the general public, the president of a magic high school’s Student Council was no more than the head of a high school organization.

  The power and influence the office bestowed was close to nothing; it was merely honorary.

  On that point, it wasn’t much different from being part of the Student Council of a science high school or an arts high school.

  However, the level of ‘Honor’ differed.

  It’s only natural; if you think about it a little, you’ll understand.

  It is because magic high schools—a high school associated with a national magic university—number only nine in the entire country.

  The number of national high schools is not limited to nine schools, but the high schools where you can receive higher education in magic number only nine.

  Even if the number was increased, there would be no way to secure the proper number of teachers.

  Each year, only nine people experience what it’s like to be the magician respected as the one who holds the office of Student Council President of a magic high school.

  That title, limited to those on the path to becoming an elite magician—it is no exaggeratio
n to call, being given such a title, a life changing event.

  While unofficial, it can be called an honor comparable to receiving a third class medal.

  Of course, to be one of the people who stand at the pinnacle in the world of magicians, you must be rated first or second class; there are no exceptions. But, at the high school level, to be able to procure this life honor, it is proper and appropriate to say it can turn one’s eyes green with envy—yes, quite appropriate.

  The fact is, there weren’t only a few students that might possibly desire the office of Student Council President, but rather quite a lot.

  So, why was there only one single candidate?

  That was, naturally, the power of human agencies being put in motion.

  Tatsuya just now, (with a glance) rested his eyes on the current Student Council President whose guiltless face was tilting up at him in inquiry.

  What the heck kind of face would she make if some kind of opposition went around ‘propagandizing’ that the election should not take place?

  Probably, making this kind of enticing smile.

  Enough of that; the imagination clearly produces some scary scenarios.

  “Hmm, unfortunately, this time there is only A-chan… but in general, before the vote of confidence, a ‘vote for me’ speech is made to the audience. Do you think that will be enough to fire everyone up, tomorrow?”

  With only one candidate, calling it a ‘vote for me’ speech wasn’t quite correct, but Tatsuya wasn’t in the habit of making digs like that.

  His gaze drifted to a corner of the room. It was well into the noon hour. Azusa’s earnest face was peering at a document and a soft voice was making mumbling sounds.

  She wasn’t using a handheld terminal display; she was making a point to read from actual paper documents. She certainly looked like she had the proper fighting spirit of a candidate.

  By the way, the “reward” of the flying device had already been given when she accepted her nomination.

  A girl like her wasn’t drawn by the promise of rewards; rewards given in advance put her under more pressure, as a result of lingering tension.

 

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