Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 12 - Double Seven Chapter

by Sato Tsutomu

  With Tatsuya visually interrogating with a “Is that not so?” look, neither of the twins spoke up.

  “That is not the case!”

  In place of the twins, which was not entirely the case, it was Takuma’s turn to contest Tatsuya’s decision.

  “We would have determined the outcome prior to that happening!”

  A spark – not out of delight, but out of interest – flashed in Tatsuya’s eyes.

  “Then you are saying that you believe you won?”

  “Indeed.”

  Fearless in the face of Tatsuya’s cold gaze, Takuma arrogantly continued onward.

  “The Saegusas’ Heat Storm failed to stop Million Edge. Before the Nitrogen Storm could have breached my sealed barrier, I would have been able to attack the Saegusas!”

  A trace of satire slipped into Tatsuya’s chilly gaze.

  “Which is to say that had I not interfered, hundreds upon thousands of paper strips filled with burning heat would have shredded the delicate flesh of a pair of Year 1 female students. Is that the gist of what you are trying to say?”

  Around them, there were at least two people who were trying to fight down their laughter.

  Takuma flushed. The redness of his face was so apparent that anyone could see it.

  “In that case, Shippou, this match ends in your defeat due to rules infraction.”

  Before the excited Takuma could explode, Tatsuya made this declaration in a voice so cold that it was almost cruel. This was Takuma’s defeat. Before a steely voice that was cold as ice, even Takuma himself hesitated as to how he should argue this.

  “I will not allow you to say that you are ignorant of what happens to those who take a hit from Million Edge dead on.”

  Takuma was about to open his mouth and say something, but Tatsuya never intended to give him a chance to defend himself.

  “Allowing an attack that is completely overkill is synonymous to allowing a mutual slaughter. Under the rules of this match, that is not allowed.”

  “Then!”

  Takuma appeared to be trying to free himself from the tremendous pressure being exerted on him by Tatsuya and fired back with more fervor than was necessary. Just squeezing out such a simple word plainly cost him a lot of energy.

  “So you are saying that from the very beginning, once I used Million Edge I would lose!?”

  “If you are unable to control its power, then that is the same as breaking the rules.”

  “How can that be, that’s ridiculous!”

  Tatsuya remained calm and collected while facing the enraged Takuma, an attitude that only served to fan the flames of Takuma’s fury. Seeing his agitated state, not only was his senior at the Club Activities Group, Tomitsuka, worried about him, even Takuma’s opponent up until this point, Kasumi, also shared that concern.

  “That’s practically denying me my trump card even before the match has started! Isn’t that an extremely unfair match!?”

  “Everyone’s conditions were the same. For the Saegusa siblings, high powered magic was also forbidden.”

  Still, they were the only two who cared to debate the results. The Year 2 female students – Miyuki, Shizuku, and Honoka all watched Takuma with compassionate eyes.

  “Bullshit! They don’t have magic that is powerful enough to be banned!”

  “Nitrogen Storm carries more than enough firepower. I didn't stop them in the beginning because they had controlled its power to within acceptable parameters.”

  Takuma was struck speechless after Tatsuya spoke in a voice that couldn't even be called unpleasant by the widest of margins. Not only did he feel this from the cold gaze leveled at him from Tatsuya, Takuma felt that even the female upperclassmen were laughing at him. He frantically wracked his brain for a counterargument.

  “However, Shippou, you were unable to finely control the strength of Million Edge.”

  “That’s bullshit, I had perfect control of the spell!”

  Takuma’s response was completely groundless and was only his reflex willfully using his emotions to make his decision. All of the Year 2 students present knew very well that Takuma could not completely control Million Edge.

  If Tatsuya were to not only declare his own decision but also ask Miyuki, Shizuku, Honoka, and Tomitsuka to all voice their opinions, Takuma would have no choice but to concede. Setting aside Tatsuya’s people for the moment, if even Tomitsuka supported Tatsuya’s decision, then undoubtedly Takuma would have a hard time stubbornly sticking to his guns.

  “I am the referee of this match, and I will determine victory or defeat. I should have said this in the beginning.”

  Yet, Tatsuya failed to do so. Victory or defeat was determined by the referee. Tatsuya felt that there was no need to change that rule.

  “—Ah, I get it! So you’re saying that the use of Million Edge constitutes overkill! Then you should have said so in the very beginning! If I knew that Million Edge was against the rules, I would have chosen another strategy!”

  Takuma was ignorant of the fact that he was throwing a tantrum like a little child.

  The gaze Tomitsuka leveled at Takuma changed from concerned to uneasy.

  The look Miyuki directed towards Takuma switched from compassionate to piercing.

  Nevertheless, Tatsuya continued to use cold logic to deal with Takuma’s ruckus.

  “Stop sulking, Shippou. You were unable to control its power because you’re still immature. Regardless of whether it was forbidden, the inability to fulfill the requirements proves that you are still lacking.”

  “You’re a Weed. You have no right to say that!”

  The classroom suddenly…… fell silent. That silence was suffused with an almost painful anxiety.

  Takuma’s originally flushed face now went deathly pale. He had never planned to go so far. It was almost as if all of his blood had rushed to his head, thus leading him to say something he could never take back.

  Shizuku and Honoka had turned pale for another reason altogether. That was because they were fearful of the winter storm that was about to ravage this entire room. Fortunately, prior to that occurrence, Tatsuya opened his mouth.

  “Are you displeased with what I said?”

  Takuma also noticed that his statement was inappropriate on two fronts. “Weed” was a term that was taboo on campus. Furthermore, Tatsuya was an “exception” who had been promoted to Magic Engineering from Course 2 due to outstanding talent. Takuma thought furiously in order to recover from that blunder, but he had already been pressed into a corner and unable to restore his cool, so no solution came to his mind. Even so, Takuma still didn’t shut his mouth.

  “Hmph…… I’m displeased only because of the unfair adjudication! The Saegusas were able to control Nitrogen Storm and I was unable to control Million Edge. Isn't that too much of a bias impression on Shiba-senpai’s part? I controlled Million Edge perfectly! Shiba-senpai is clearly favoring the Saegusa!”

  “Shippou…… Your words are at odds with one another.”

  Takuma allowed his emotions free reign as he allowed his mouth to run wild like a child throwing a tantrum. The stunned voice that reprimanded the present Takuma came not from Tatsuya, but from Tomitsuka.

  “If that situation had continued, your magic would have dealt damage to the Saegusa siblings that surpassed the bounds of this match. Didn't you already admit that?”

  “That’s because the Saegusas used Heat Storm!”

  Takuma’s words were not entirely illogical. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, these words only sounded like he was shedding responsibility.

  “Enough, Shippou.”

  An emotionless voice inserted itself into Shippou and Tomitsuka’s conversation.

  Those words were issued from Kasumi’s lips.

  “To be unwilling to admit defeat to this degree, let’s just call it your win.”

  “Kasumi-chan, is that really OK?”

  Among those present that felt varying degrees of surprise, the one who asked Kasumi th
is was the one who knew her the best, Izumi.

  “Yeah~, now that I think about it, we shouldn’t get so heated about something like this. No matter how you look at it, using multiplicative magic in an unofficial school match along with a combination of Nitrogen Storm and Heat Storm is just plain overkill. Shiba-senpai is right about that.”

  Just like her words, Kasumi appeared to have completely calmed down.

  Not only did the look they sent Takuma not contain a trace of enmity, it was absolutely carefree.

  “……If that’s what Kasumi-chan wants.”

  Izumi easily accepted Kasumi’s words. Originally, she was only here to help out her older twin sister. Since Kasumi said that was fine, then Izumi wasn’t going to be a stickler for the result.

  Takuma looked like he was unable to decide whether to speak or not. Although he wanted to angrily shout “Don’t be ridiculous!”, he also felt that was too shameful. In the end, no shout came from him. As he fell silent thanks to this unexpected shock, he was able to reclaim a level of rationality.

  Kasumi walked towards Tatsuya with Izumi following behind her.

  “Shiba-senpai, I’m sorry for troubling you.”

  Kasumi and Izumi both bowed to Tatsuya. The fact that 70% of Izumi’s attention was placed on Miyuki could probably be chalked up as her adorable part.

  —While Takuma gritted his teeth and watched this scene.

  “Still, can I say something?”

  Of course, just apologizing at the end of it all was not Kasumi’s style. Nay, it was more like not facing off against Tatsuya here was not Kasumi’s style.

  “What is it?”

  Unlike the expression he wore while conversing with Takuma, Tatsuya wore a wry smile here.

  “I – we never lost control of our magic. Forcibly stopping the match there was the wrong call on senpai’s part.”

  After spilling all of those words with a resolute look in her eye, Kasumi left the practice room without waiting for Tatsuya’s reply.

  “Um, well.”

  Switching back and forth between Kasumi’s back and Tatsuya’s face, Izumi was truly (and quite rarely) bewildered.

  “Izumi.”

  “Eh!”

  Though this was plainly not completely unexpected, Izumi still jumped and went ramrod straight when Tatsuya called her name. Immediately afterward, Izumi lowered her head in shame at being tongue-tied.

  Tatsuya never teased Izumi or put on a solemn expression. Instead, he continued speaking with a gentle expression.

  “Please send a message to Kasumi for me. If she is unsatisfied, I am always willing to be the opponent for the two of you. That’s all.”

  Was this because she was astounded? Izumi’s eyes widened. Still, Izumi immediately understood that Tatsuya was saying this because he was taking Kasumi’s feelings into account. This departed greatly from her previous impression of Tatsuya.

  “……I understand, senpai. Thank you.”

  Izumi replied to Tatsuya as she bowed deeply to Tatsuya without going too far or too shallow. When Izumi raised her head, she remained where she was for some reason.

  “What is it?”

  Tatsuya asked this question to Izumi. For the first time, Izumi gave Tatsuya a smile that came from the bottom of her heart.

  “I think I’ve changed my mind a little about senpai. You do have areas that make you seem like Miyuki Onee-sama’s older brother.”

  This went far beyond retort worthy and the might of this line rivaled that of a train wreck. In spite of this, probably because this was far too honest to wield a forked tongue against, Tatsuya said nothing as he watched Izumi leave with an “Excuse me” and another short bow.

  After Kasumi and Izumi left the practice room, Takuma continued to stand there without a word. In the eyes of the Year 2 students, he had been abandoned, but Takuma himself didn’t think that way.

  “Shiba-senpai.”

  At least from his perspective, he had hoped to speak to Tatsuya without anyone else present, which was why he stayed behind.

  “Is there anything else you want to say?”

  Tatsuya voice remained chilly, but no one called him “immature”. Anyone who heard of the conversation that had occurred in this room would definitely lay the blame at Takuma’s feet. In truth, Takuma also thought this way after recovering his rationality. Yet, at the same time, he decided against apologizing because he felt that it was far too late to do that. Excluding his behavioral blunder, he was determined to reclaim his lost face.

  “I still haven’t accepted this!”

  “Still haven’t accepted what?”

  “That I lost because I broke the rules.”

  “Shippou!”

  Unable to hold it in any longer, Tomitsuka thundered at Takuma. However, Takuma kept his eyes locked on Tatsuya and never spared Tomitsuka a glance.

  “What is your wish?”

  Tatsuya was in position to seriously deny Takuma’s objection. In the first place, this match was designed to protect Kasumi and Takuma from the serious breach in school rules they had incurred. Protection was especially the case for Takuma, seeing as he committed the greater infraction that ran the risk of expulsion. Even if this was favoritism or a mummer’s farce, Takuma was in no position to make demands.

  Even so, Tatsuya still inquired as to the source of Takuma’s dissatisfaction. Rather than calling Tatsuya a gentle soul, it would be more appropriate to say that he was the type who didn’t want to procrastinate when dealing with troublesome issues.

  “Please allow me to prove it!”

  “Prove what?”

  “Prove that I can control Million Edge perfectly.”

  “And how would you do that?”

  “Please duel me. I will use Million Edge and force senpai to surrender without harming you!”

  Takuma’s words caused Miyuki to lift a delicate eyebrow.

  Nevertheless, white darkness failed to suffocate the classroom.

  Before her emotions could explode, there came the sounds of a furious impact and a human body hitting the floor. This unexpected turnout put a hold on Miyuki’s anger.

  The one who fell to the floor was Takuma.

  The one who struck him down was Tomitsuka.

  “……Tomitsuka-senpai?”

  Towards a completely bewildered Takuma who was propping himself up with his hands,

  “Shippou, don’t press your luck!”

  Tomitsuka roared in absolute fury. Maybe Tomisuka’s face was originally unpleasant to look at, though not to the degree that he should be described as having the face of an enraged ghoul, this time he was truly livid.

  “From the very start you’ve been spouting these arrogant and disingenuous words…… Who the hell do you think you are? Huh? Or are you saying that the 28 families are allowed to behave like that?”

  “I…… I didn’t mean that.”

  Takuma remained sitting on the ground as he seemed to mutter to himself. He maintained his posture of only sitting up with his upper body undoubtedly because this incredible shock had robbed him of any thought towards standing up.

  Takuma truly never noticed. He never really noticed at all. Fixated on a place within the Ten Master Clans, he always looked upwards and never downwards. No, even if he did lower his head he never truly looked.

  Just as Takuma never acknowledged the value of the Shippou Family absent its place among the Ten Master Clans, so too did he unwittingly look down upon the Magicians who didn’t even have the right to join the Ten Master Clans just as he derisively viewed his own father.

  “Shippou. If you say you want to prove yourself, then I will be your opponent! Or are you saying that I’m not good enough for you? That 'Range Zero', the Tomitsuka trash of the Hundred Families, doesn’t have what it takes to be your opponent!?”

  Maybe because he was completely overcome by Tomitsuka’s imposing manner, but Takuma kept crawling backwards on the ground. Was Tomitsuka about to press the attack home, or was Takuma about to demo
nstrate “how to flee with your tail between your legs”? Regardless of which one it was, the atmosphere in the practice room was filled eminent violence.

  “Tomitsuka-kun, please relax.”

  Just as the situation became touch and go, Miyuki’s clear voice caused the atmosphere to calm down.

  “Without approval from the Student Council President and the Public Moral Committee Chief, no duels are to be permitted. In addition, doesn’t Shippou-kun also need time to consider? And surely time to prepare the medium required to activate Million Edge, correct?”

  “……That’s true. My apologies.”

  Owing to Miyuki’s reprimand, Tomitsuka was slightly ashamed of his temporarily inflamed passions.

  “Shippou-kun, can you stand?”

  In place of Tomitsuka, who had retreated to a corner, Honoka walked in front of Takuma. Though she was still upset with Takuma’s rude display towards Tatsuya, she wasn’t going to abandon an underclassman on the ground because of that. Based on that point alone, one could tell that Honoka was far too kind.

  “I’m fine!”

  Takuma swiftly scrambled to his feet. His face was red because a girl he was trying to draw to his camp had seen him discomfited – that was how Takuma chose to view this.

  “Shippou, I have no inclination to play along with you. Tomitsuka, if you want to have a match with Shippou, it would be best if you spoke with Hattori first.”

  “Eh? Ah, you’re right.”

  Tomitsuka’s response started strong but faded down the stretch. Takuma stared in sullen silence at Tatsuya.

  “Honoka, I’m sorry, could I bother you to lock the door?”

  “Of course, Tatsuya-san.”

  Tatsuya was surrounded by an aura of “don’t trouble me any further” as he swiftly departed.

  With only Miyuki in tow.

  Unfortunately, Tatsuya wasn’t able to escape so easily.

  It was approximately 15 minutes since Honoka locked the doors and returned to the Student Council Room. Just as Tatsuya got to his feet and was about to head for home, the doorbell to the Student Council Room rang.

  “I’ll get it. Please come in.”

  “Excuse me.”

  After Azusa used the remote to disengage the lock, the one who came through the door was the Head of the Club Activities Group, Hattori.