Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 12 - Double Seven Chapter

by Sato Tsutomu

  Normally unwilling to reveal his weaker side, Takuma was particularly chatty tonight for some unknown reason.

  “……So, that’s what happened. Takuma, you must feel like that was a lost opportunity.”

  Maki’s melodious voice would have caused any fan to swoon as she comforted Takuma. Right now, she was sitting next to Takuma on the 3 person sofa as she laid a hand on his shoulder while scooting her face next to his while they were speaking.

  “Forget lost opportunity! That was an unfair outcome from the very start! If that continued, my victory was guaranteed!”

  Since beginning to speak, Takuma had already repeated this several times, but Maki hung around without any sign of irritation.

  “Why of course, Takuma. In reality, you were the one who won. You should have won the respect and accolade that goes to the victor. The fact this was not so was simply because you were unlucky.”

  “Unlucky……?”

  “Indeed. Although some people say that luck is also a talent, they are wrong. Those with true strength will ultimately prevail regardless of luck. However, a tiny match like this is very much subject to luck. There were also a few times where I unluckily got handed the poor roles.”

  Maki kept one hand on Takuma’s shoulder while her other was laid on top of Takuma’s fingers.

  Soft flesh gently caressed Takuma’s skin while the scent of honey stimulated his sense of smell.

  “So that’s why you’ll be fine, Takuma. Yesterday was just bad luck for you. Such a small defeat will not impact your future.”

  “Really……?”

  Despite repeating these words multiple times, Takuma finally exhibited a different reaction. Mentally sighing in relief, Maki felt that she only needed one more gentle push.

  “Of course. So you need to get back on your feet.”

  Maki drew Takuma’s hand to her own knee. Although seduction was against her principles, seeing Takuma so weak like this roused Maki’s teasing side.

  Takuma’s hand gradually slid from Maki’s knee to her thigh, all according to Maki’s plan. She wore a loose gown that opened from the front. Though the sleeves were long, her bosom was wide open as the fabric was thin enough to allow hints of flesh to peek through. Through the dress, the feel of Maki’s flesh was transferred to Takuma’s hand, further chipping away at his self-control that was already unraveling due to the alcohol that lowered inhibitions.

  Takuma flung aside Maki’s hand and retracted the hand on her thigh.

  In the next instant, his hands grabbed Maki’s shoulders.

  Maki only made token resistance to the strength that was pushing her down.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  “Ara ara, now we have a show.”

  In response to the plainly interested Fujibayashi, the flabbergasted look Tatsuya sent her way – failed to happen. He was neither dumbfounded by her behavior nor did he send a condescending look her way. Speaking of which, Tatsuya wore a completely uninterested look that was a far cry from blushing with excitement.

  “This might be a good opportunity.”

  As he listened to the sonorous voice coming across the monitoring device, Tatsuya spoke in a chilling tone.

  “Hm, did you think of a ploy of some sort?”

  With a highly entertained look on her face, Fujibayashi asked Tatsuya with deep interest.

  “Recently, hasn’t the media been in an uproar about an actress soliciting a younger man?”

  Tatsuya spoke in the objective tone he normally used.

  “……Blackmail?”

  Fujibayashi’s smile finally turned a little stiff.

  “On occasion, we should use the media to our advantage.”

  “……Can’t believe you were able to immediately make that sort of connection.”

  Sanada could devise the most vicious traps when it came down to his own techniques, but here his expression seemed to spasm as he expressed his own feelings. Still, he placed emphasis on the word “immediately”, so he probably would have come up with this idea given sufficient time.

  “Actually allowing him to go through with that would damage the school’s image and may not be usable as a bargaining chip, so let’s act while this is still in the realm of attempted.”

  Never faltering even in the face of Fujibayashi and Sanada’s reactions, Tatsuya lightly made this proposal.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  After being pressed into the sofa by Takuma, Maki calmly observed him from this position. The delighted expression she wore wasn’t entirely feigned. Though still less than Takuma, the alcohol in her own body had also dulled the brakes of logic. However, even though her eyes were slightly drunk, she was still soberly surveying the dazed young man pressing down on top of her. Maki had long since developed the skill to separate her body’s feelings with her mental exhilaration.

  Thus Maki noticed the oddity even if Takuma remained oblivious. The screen door leading to the porch opened with a slight sound. Needless to say, the door was clearly locked but had now been pried open. Before all that, the porch was protected with a security system that had the greatest firepower permissible within the boundaries of the law, but had apparently been penetrated.

  There was no sound of the alarm going off. The bodyguards were completely unaware.

  “Help! Thief!”

  Deeply regretting her overreliance on the security system, Maki screamed as she pushed Takuma aside.

  Rolling on the floor, Takuma reacted to her cries.

  He looked in the direction that Maki was watching after frantically getting to her feet. However, faster than he could identify the thief, his face was subjected to light contact. By the time he recognized that someone had thrown something at him, the irresistible Morpheus stole over Takuma as he once more fell to the floor.

  “Takuma!?”

  Owing to a burst of anxiety, her sleeve covered the corner of her mouth, causing the despairing cry to become muffled. She was very clear as to why Takuma fell unconscious. That was a trick of filmmaking, and she had seen the real deal while inspecting the props. The item that struck Takuma on the face was a soft ball soaked in highly effective sleeping medication. The duration of the medicine was very short, but that being said, he would be completely out of it for the next 5 to 10 minutes.

  Trying to keep a lid on her terror, Maki looked towards the porch. The screen door and window had already been closed. Before the door stood a figure wearing a black mask dressed entirely in darkness as he or she was folding up the wings attached to their back. –That silhouette was practically straight out of the old films that used a bat as an inspiration. If only the mask had had “ears” on top, it would have looked exactly like that. In fact, this garb was made from the camouflage material that absorbed electric waves, but of course Maki didn’t know that.

  “Milady, are you alright!?”

  Now the two bodyguards burst into the living room. This was precisely when the stranger dropped the folded wings to the floor. Without verifying the stranger’s posture, the two female guards saw him as a burglar and rushed him.

  Maybe this was all because only one ball soaked in sleeping medicine had been prepared. The thief in black never moved from his location and met the charge. The bodyguards held police batons used for indoors combat. These were not simple rods, as police batons had handles made of elastic material and the sharp end wrapped in plastic had increased weight so the weapon could be used like a club or short rods.

  The stranger easily caught the bodyguards’ downward blow of the police baton. Without using the arm, the stranger used a glove-covered hand.

  One diagonal step away, the other bodyguard had to loop around to the window in order to avoid obstructing the first one and was now in a position where only one of her two police batons could attack. In that case, only one weapon was in position to be a threat. Catching that baton would immediately restrict their movement, so he swung his fist towards the bodyguard who could not escape.

  The female bodyguard was sent flyin
g.

  Seeing the fighting power of someone on an entirely different level, the other female bodyguard couldn’t help but shake a little.

  But the stranger was utterly merciless.

  He once again swung a black fist.

  Without being able to avenge herself, Maki’s bodyguard was neutralized.

  Standing before Maki, who was so terrified that she couldn’t sit up straight, the stranger spoke in a voice that Maki felt she had heard before.

  “Do arrange your attire.”

  It was only after he said this that Maki remembered she was partially unclothed. The dress had been pulled down so only the sleeves were unhelpfully covering her body. Thankfully her underclothes were still playing their part, but traces of her earlier activities could be seen all over her exposed flesh.

  “Ah, mind if I cover myself?”

  Maki put in all of her efforts to keep her body from shaking and put on a performance from early in her career that garnered rave reviews from her producer regarding her “graceful poise.” If the stranger before her was a young man like she imagined, he would have pounced on her immediately. Although she had no idea what he was here for, so long as they developed that sort of relationship then she had the upper hand.

  Yet, all of her plans were stumped at the very first step. Nay, she couldn’t even reach the first step.

  “Of course. Eh, if you feel that you’re fine as you are, I don’t care in the slightest.”

  Maki felt like someone doused her in cold water. The damage to her pride caused a cold fury to press down her fear. She arranged her clothing with an enraged look on her face.

  “……That’s better. Speaking of which, how long are you planning to wear that thing? It doesn’t suit you at all, Shiba Tatsuya-kun.”

  The item Maki spoke of when she used a tone that warned Tatsuya not to take her for a fool was the black mask he wore while posing as Batman – that was actually a newly developed helmet made of soft materials. However, the part she really wanted to drop was the “Shiba Tatsuya-kun” portion. In other words, “I know your real identity”, except that Maki was cognizant of the fact that even hidden beneath the mask, Tatsuya’s expression didn’t flinch at all. More like he was doing this to let her know.

  “Then let us begin negotiating.”

  Tatsuya ignored Maki’s provocation as if it was perfectly natural.

  “Negotiate? To what end?”

  Maki did not insist on respect due to her. Right now, she was firmly standing in the weaker corner. Based on the earlier scene, violence was out of the question and feminine wiles had no effect. Maki knew that her options were limited.

  “First, please listen to this.”

  Maki was a little uneasy when his choice of words became polite. However, that thought fled from her mind when she heard the voices emitting from the information terminal in Tatsuya’s hand.

  Those were the voices of her and Takuma as they were entwined on the sofa.

  “You were eavesdropping!? You pervert!”

  Maki couldn’t help but deliver her outrage despite how dangerous her statement was in her situation. Though she immediately thought “Oh no!”, she was unable to control her involuntary reaction.

  “I’m sure this would prove to be a major problem if leaked to the media.”

  However, once she heard Tatsuya’s words after he stopped the recording, Maki froze in a way that was far cooler than calmness.

  “Recently, there was a similar firestorm all over the news…… Apparently even a former idol past her prime can cause such a ruckus, not to mention a beautiful actress in her prime.”

  “What are your demands!?”

  Maki curtailed Tatsuya’s words as she screamed hysterically. In comparison to the young man standing before her with his vile threats, Maki was far more furious with her own carelessness.

  “I have two conditions.”

  In complete contrast to Maki, Tatsuya made his declaration in a placid tone. His light baritone continued to trigger Maki’s unease.

  “First, break it off with Shippou. Ah, and I don’t mean that way so don’t play coy with me.”

  “I understand.”

  She was shot down just as Maki was about to lead the topic into that direction, to which she could only nod with a sullen voice.

  “Second, please stop your activities with high school students and below.”

  “……What do you mean?”

  Maki wasn’t feigning obliviousness here. She was honestly confused as to the intent behind Tatsuya’ request. Even if she could understand his meaning, she still remained in the dark as to why he would make such a request.

  “I am unaware of the details behind your little plan. Maybe there is some benefit to Magicians, but I am entirely uninterested. However, can you please stop taking action in my immediate surroundings?”

  “Eh……?”

  Completely dumbfounded, Maki gazed back at Tatsuya behind his mask.

  “Anyone in college and up is already an adult, so I do not plan on interfering regardless of what you do. However, that is all under the prerequisite that you are not acting against me. Will you accept these conditions?”

  “Eh, hm…… If that’s all there is.”

  She suddenly felt drained. For just this, he was willing to act like a bandit, she thought.

  On the other hand, she felt terror clawing at her. Illegal entry, battery, blackmail. Every one of the things he did was unquestionably a felony in the eyes of the law. Yet, he never hesitated in performing these acts for mere trivialities.

  This young man cared not a whit for the laws or authority of the country……

  Maki suddenly came upon a revelation.

  “Who the devil are you……?”

  She asked in trepidation. Logic told her that not asking would be the right choice. Still, she couldn’t be blamed for being unable to swallow that question. Tonight, for the first time, she truly understood how terrifying people with unknown backgrounds were.

  “I will erase these files based on the degree of your cooperation in regards to my conditions.”

  She did not receive a meaningful answer.

  “Thank you for joining me in this highly meaningful negotiation.”

  Tatsuya once more put on the “things that looked like folded wings” before dropping these arrogant words and stepping out onto the porch.

  Maki frantically followed right behind him.

  The figure of the young man in black had completely vanished from the porch.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  From above, Tatsuya verified Maki looking down from the porch before moving his body back. Currently, he was standing on the building’s roof. The original plan called for him to use the glider he wore on his back to descend to ground level, but that plan was now subject to change after detecting a suspicious shadow in the sky.

  The shadow belonged to a small flying boat. For an instant, Tatsuya thought this was related to the incident from two months ago regarding a certain invisible flying ship belonging to one of the Intelligence Departments from the JSDF, but he knew he was mistaken upon taking in the shape of the hull. The shape of this flying ship denoted that it was the type used by news agencies or film companies to take aerial photographs. However, surely they were up to no good after painting the entire vessel black. If this black ship belonged to one of the film companies, Tatsuya was sure that their goal would be to take covert photography.

  “Lieutenant, do you see the flying ship on direct approach for Sawamura Maki’s apartment building?”

  “Yes, I caught them. I was watching them since Tatsuya-kun visited the young actress’s room. Still, never thought that they would be descending.”

  “Do you know who they belong to?”

  “Based on its flight plan, it should belong to one of the television companies.”

  The corporate name that came from Fujibayashi’s mouth was an entertainment station from the southern Kantou area. Apparently, they were listed as the c
ompetitor of one of the companies purchased by the group run by Maki’s father.

  “So they’re probably looking for dirt on Sawamura Maki.”

  “The probability is not zero.”

  Fujibayashi’s voice was filled with disgust, likely a reaction caused by covert photography.

  “Lieutenant, can you turn off the psion radar around this area? Five minutes will be enough.”

  “You plan on halting the covert photography?”

  “Affirmative.”

  On the other hand, Tatsuya planned on interfering with the covert photography because he didn’t want to waste the time and effort spent negotiating with Maki. If Takuma was covertly photographed in Maki’s room, that would be enough for a scandal even if they weren’t caught in the act.

  “Give me three minutes and I’ll have it done.”

  It was Sanada’s voice that conveyed that to Tatsuya.

  “Understood.”

  Tatsuya used his right hand to pull out his favored weapon, the custom Silver Horn “Trident” and peered at the flying ship just as the ship opened a door to let down a rope ladder.

  So not only are they engaged in covert photography but illegal entry as well, Tatsuya mentally murmured to himself while completely disregarding what he just did earlier and activated Leaping magic towards the opened doorway on the flying ship.

  Tatsuya was unable to understand the angry retorts coming from the flying ship after he charged in. Although he felt it didn’t sound like any language from East Asia, Tatsuya was not someone who spoke Beijing or Guantong dialects.

  However, he understood immediately that the situation was not what he had imagined it to be. The fact that the men pointing guns at him were not from the television companies was blatantly obvious.

  Of course, Tatsuya did not permit them to fire since his right hand was holding the ready-to-fire Trident. Switching decomposition targets barely took him any time.

  There were five muzzles pointed at Tatsuya.

  All of them lost their shapes as guns before clattering to the deck of the flying ship.