Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 03 - Nine Schools Competition (I)

by Sato Tsutomu

  The voice that answered this question came from far behind the crowd.

  "Looking for me, Master?"

  A tall but hardly fragile-looking engineer wearing gray work clothes threaded through the crowd.

  "Director, my apologies for visiting when you're so busy."

  "Wait, Master, please don't say that."

  Tatsuya's respectful greeting caused the engineer named Ushiyama to color and shake his head.

  "It is your right to act casual, but these men are your subordinates, so there's no need to be overly humble like this."

  "Not so, everyone here was recruited by our father, so they hardly answer to me......"

  "What are you saying. You are the far famed 'Mr. Silver' himself and we are honored to serve beneath you."

  Every engineer and researcher who heard Ushiyama's voice nodded in agreement.

  This was Four Leaves Technology's CAD Development 3rd Division.

  The development team that created what the world called the "Silver Series".

  Currently, it is publicly acknowledged that the "Silver Series" is the defining work of FLT's technical abilities. Once seen as rebels and renegades, the surplus employees from the technical department that made up the 3rd Division now held considerable sway in FLT after the advent of the Silver Series.

  Thus, the engineers and researchers here swore eternal loyalty to one of the core developers — Tatsuya, who was "half" of Taurus Silver.

  "Seriously though, I think that you, 'Mr. Taurus', are the actual leader of this group, right? It's because you were always reluctant to accept the directorship that 3rd Division still doesn't have managers and group leaders."

  "Please don't say that, I'm not capable of being 'Mr.' or 'Taurus', I'm just an ordinary engineer who does the grunt work so that your ingenious theories can be facilitated. I'm the one who cannot stand the fact that my name is placed alongside the original developer. I'm not that brazen. It's just that the young master is still an underage student, so your patent would be a difficult issue, hence why I had to throw my name into the ring."

  "......Without Ushiyama-san's skills, the 'Loop System' would be impossible to realize. I am not nearly as capable in terms of hardware knowledge, performance, and creativity, so regardless of whether its skills or theory, the only thing that matters is that we are able to complete a model capable of mass consumption, correct?"

  "Ah~ Stop, just stop. There's no way I can beat the young master in a debate, so let's get down to business. You didn't just pop in to see us, did you?"

  As Ushiyama scratched his head in surrender, Tatsuya relaxed his solemn expression and let out a deliberate smile.

  "OK, Ushiyama-san, today's test subject is this."

  Tatsuya intentionally kept his tone and motions casual as he pulled out a CAD shaped like a smart phone. Ushiyama stared at it for more than 10 seconds without blinking at all.

  This was the T-7 model CAD that Ushiyama prepared for Tatsuya for a specific reason.

  To upload software into the test model meant that......

  "Is that...... the Flight Calculation Device?"

  Ushiyama's hands shook as he took the CAD from Tatsuya's hands.

  "Yes, the testing hardware that I had Ushiyama-san make is already loaded with the Activation Sequence for Sustained Gravity-Control Type Magic. With this test model it was easy to access and manipulate the system, making it very easy to use."

  "Then the test......"

  "As usual, only Miyuki and I have tested it, but we don't rate as normal Magicians."

  Everyone present, and it wasn't just one or two either, who overheard them sucked in a breath and tensely stared at Ushiyama's hands.

  "......Akira, how many T-7 Models do we have in the lab?"

  Finally, Ushiyama used a fairly calm tone to ask his subordinate.

  Upon getting the answer "ten", his half closed eyes abruptly sprang open.

  "Damn! Only ten? Why weren't they replaced!

  What? Order them later, grab every model we currently have plugged into the maintenance machines and copy the system the young master wrote!

  Hiroshi, summon all the testers! What? Someone is on break?

  I don't give a damn!

  Drag them here by the neck if you have to!

  Everyone else, stop whatever you're doing and prepare for precise measurement!

  Do you guys understand? This is Flying-Type Magic! This will change the history of magic itself!"

  He was probably using the internal broadcast.

  Not just in this room, even the testing room on the opposite side burst into action as even the researchers on break started working.

  This indoor CAD testing facility rivals a large gym in terms of area and height. The communication line hung down from the ceiling and was attached to the back of the testing personnel.

  The line also doubled as a lifeline if needed.

  Floating-Type Magic has already become widespread and this facility had also tested that before, but Flying-Type Magic was on a whole different level than Floating-Type Magic, to the extent that their actual designs were fundamentally different. It was also different from leaping and slow-motion descent, a hitherto unknown magic.

  The tester's face was pale with anxiety.

  New magics were usually created from already familiar magics, but no one knows where danger may be lurking.

  There have been precedents where Magicians lost their lives due to tiny bugs in the Activation Sequence.

  If they were using a brand new and (until now) unprecedented magic, no amount of caution was enough.

  The surface changed to a shock-absorbing material and, once the suspension test was cleared, the preparations were finally complete.

  "Start the test."

  After evacuating to the observation room — not just for the safety of the observers, but for the testers as well — Ushiyama gave the order to begin.

  From below, it was impossible to see what kind of expression the tester wore as he put on his safety helmet.

  However, the tester, who had amassed extensive experience as the primary tester before reaching age 30, visibly clenched his teeth.

  Even so, he thumbed the CAD's power switch without any hesitation.

  "Confirm lift off."

  "According to the measurements, there is no reverse force putting pressure on the ground."

  Before the naked eye could make any confirmation, the personnel at the various measuring devices were already reporting in.

  "Errors in upward acceleration within acceptable parameters."

  "CAD performance is stable."

  The tester's body was gradually rising.

  Now, they could clearly see that his feet had left the ground.

  The line was sagging, proving that the tester was not hanging from the suspension device.

  Inside the observation room, excluding the sounds of the machines processing data and reporting back, there wasn't even the sound of clothes rustling.

  Everyone forgot to move as they stared at either the scene before their eyes or the values displayed on the measuring devices.

  "Upward acceleration still dropping...... and zero, now maintaining rising velocity."

  The tester gradually rose until he was level with the 3 meter high observation room.

  "Upward acceleration entering negatives...... Upward velocity has reached zero, confirmed immobile."

  Up until this moment, this was still within the boundaries of what Floating-Type Magic could accomplish.

  "Testing parallel acceleration."

  Someone...... More like everyone held their breath.

  "Halt acceleration, begin 1 meter/second parallel movement."

  Without waiting for the measurement reports, it was obvious to the naked eye that the tester was currently moving in the air.

  "It's moving......"

  "He can fly......"

  The incredulous words only served to confirm that the sight before everyone's eyes was reality.r />
  "This is Tester #1 to observation deck, I'm currently walking in the air...... Belay that...... I'm flying, I'm free......"

  The surprising transmission from the speakers released the emotions suspended by everyone's amazement.

  "Awesome!"

  "We did it!"

  "Congratulations, young master!"

  The observers shouted in joy.

  The tester was freely tracing flight paths in the sky.

  Only Tatsuya remained immune to the fiery emotions of the people around him as he calmly observed the expressions around him and accepted their delirious well wishes.

  "Are you all morons......?"

  Ushiyama gestured helplessly at the testers that sprawled on the ground due to magic overuse.

  This test ran massively over schedule and continued until all 9 testers were down and out for the count.

  It wasn't that there was a problem with the process, it was because the testers didn't want to stop.

  At their request, the communications line that also served as a life line was swapped for wireless communications so they could go completely off script and play hide and seek.

  "How can you use Sustained-Type Magic for so long!"

  Modern magic is almost always activated in an instant or over a short period of time.

  Generally, magics with sustained effects are only valid within a specific time, so there are very few Magicians who can use magics that require constant activation. For example, "Sonic Blade" belongs to the Sustained-Type Magic category, but in reality, most users refresh the activation after each strike.

  Until recently, magic that requires repetitive activation was seen as unique abilities for select Magicians and it wasn't until the introduction of the "Loop Cast" system that the automatic replication of Activation Sequences in the Magic Calculation Area became available to the general public.

  "You are responsible for your own actions, I'm not handing out worker's comp."

  Thankfully, no tester exhibited symptoms of magic deprivation.

  Since this remained within the boundaries of hilarity, Ushiyama snorted at the protests and walked towards Tatsuya, who was staring intently at the test results.

  "Is there any area you're concerned about?"

  When Tatsuya turned around, his expression was a far cry from satisfied.

  "Honestly, the areas for improvement are limitless...... But based on the current status, the stress for continuously executing Activation Sequences is still overly high."

  For some reason, a knowing expression crossed Ushiyama's face as he heard this, and he glanced at Tatsuya and Miyuki, who was standing behind her brother.

  "Of course, when compared to Hime-sama or the young master, these Magicians have a fairly limited psion count."

  By Magic Power standards, Tatsuya was on the tail end of Magicians.

  However, Magic Power standards fluctuate with the advancement of magic and the passage of time.

  For example, thirty years ago Activation Sequences weren't as well understood as they are today, so the transition from Activation Sequences to the construction of Magic Sequences was so slow that it cannot be compared to today. Magic Sequence efficiency was also pretty low and, when compared to the current day and age, it required several times more psions to construct an equally effective Magic Sequence.

  At that time, the standards for power of Magicians emphasized the psion count within the Magician's body (which included both the physical body and the mental "body") rather than focusing on the speed of Magic Sequence construction. By the old standards, both Tatsuya and Miyuki's psion count would rate as top tier.

  Thanks to the improvements in Activation Sequences, Magic Sequences and CADs, a limited psion count wouldn't cause the same problems with magic invocation. Excluding "Non-Systematic Magic" techniques that directly released psions, a high psion count is only seen as a beautiful decoration now.

  That being said, the use of Activation Sequence and construction of Magic Sequences still consumes psions and, even if each consumption is a small amount, hundreds or thousands of incremental amounts still add up to considerable stress on the Magician.

  "We have to streamline the design for the CAD's automatic psion absorption to make it more efficient......"

  "......Let me handle that. If we rely more on the hardware portion than software, that should lessen the load somewhat. We could probably set the timing mechanism as a feedback loop as well."

  Ushiyama said this after a moment's consideration, which Tatsuya responded to with a knowing smile.

  "I was just about to discuss that with you."

  "I'm honored."

  Both of them revealed the exact same smile.

  ◇◇◇

  While there were a few hardware modifications still remaining, all in all the technical portion yielded a satisfactory result. Today's most important gain was the verification that the average Magician is able to execute Flying-Type Magic with a CAD obtainable on the general market.

  There was no time to waste. After organizing the results of this experiment, next week he would publicize the details regarding Flying-Type Magic under the name Taurus Silver. Speed was more important than quality here, because the impacts of "first in the world" and "second in the world" were completely different. "First" was also an incredibly powerful tool for dissemination.

  On the other hand, the CADs specifically designed for Flying-Type Magic would have to be objectively redesigned from scratch, so they would probably hit the market around September (the end of the first half of the fiscal year).

  With these two objectives established, the meeting adjourned.

  Tatsuya headed to the rest area to collect the waiting Miyuki and began the long trek home.

  Despite all the work that needed to be done...... more like he adamantly insisted on sending them off, Ushiyama scratched his head in an awkward manner.

  "I'm terribly sorry, I did contact the Vice President, but......"

  Regardless of whether it was during the experiment or after the confirmation of success, the VP in charge of all FLT R&D divisions — Tatsuya and Miyuki's father never showed up at all, a detail that Ushiyama couldn't get over.

  "Don't worry about it. It's our day off anyways, and even if he's at work, he should be at corporate headquarters."

  Honestly, from Tatsuya's point of view, not seeing him was probably for the best.

  As a matter of fact, Miyuki didn't want to see him at all.

  However, that was probably too much information for Ushiyama. Ushiyama knew that the siblings' father not only held an important position in FLT, but was also the majority shareholder. Even if Ushiyama was a key developmental engineer, the skeletons in the manager's closet should be kept far away from employees.

  With this in mind, Tatsuya used this excuse as a response, but that only served to deepen Ushiyama's guilty expression.

  "......No, the VP is actually here today......"

  Even though Tatsuya's back was facing Miyuki, he could still feel his sister's emotional turbulence as she frowned.

  Tatsuya himself actually let out a breath.

  Thank goodness they didn't run into their father.

  "As the VP, he probably doesn't have the time to check every site personally. I hardly think that he looks down upon R&D."

  "No, that I understand. Also, the VP allocated a larger budget to us anyways."

  Tatsuya intentionally steered the conversation back on its head and turned around to comfort Ushiyama. It was a shame that he had to treat the even more nervous Ushiyama like this, but Tatsuya also didn't want dwell on this subject.

  As usual, fate had other ideas.

  After the siblings said their goodbyes to Ushiyama and left the research labs, they encountered the people they least wanted to meet at the corridor leading to the threshold of the main area.

  "Long time no see, Miyuki Ojou-sama."

  As the three family members silently stared at one another, the first to speak was actua
lly the fourth person present. This man was known to Tatsuya and Miyuki, but the emphasis was on "known" and not "close".

  "It's been awhile, Aoki-san. I would like to say long time no see as well, but I'm not the only person present.

  Otou-sama, you look well, thank you for your phone call last time, but I think that occasionally greeting your own son isn't grounds for divine retribution, is it?"

  The smooth and lovable voice was tinged with barbs, but her opponent's skin and defenses were proof against the rose's thorns.

  "Ojou-sama, forgive this one's impertinence, but this Aoki serves as the butler and financial manager for the Yotsuba Family. Your request for me to greet a paltry attendant is against our house rules."

  "He is my Onii-sama."

  Miyuki was striving to maintain her calm tone, but Tatsuya was very clear that she was reaching her breaking point.

  "Again, forgive this one's impertinence, everyone in the house earnestly wishes for Ojou-sama to inherit the Yotsuba Family. He's only Ojou-sama's guardian, and thus stands on an entirely different level than your own."

  "Hold, Aoki-san, I understand that interjecting here is considered boorish, but choose your words carefully."

  Just as Miyuki was about to breakdown and scream, Tatsuya coldly overrode his sister's words.

  His voice was chilling to the extreme.

  Even such contempt found no purchase on Tatsuya's will.

  Tatsuya's heart was "forged" this way.

  Rather than affronted, Tatsuya was more concerned that Miyuki would hurt herself being enraged on his behalf.

  "It doesn't matter. Although you are a mere attendant, you are still Miya-sama's son, so I am forced to overlook this breach of decorum."

  So Tatsuya had no time to deal with his opponent's haughty attitude.

  "Earlier, you claimed that all who serve the Yotsuba Family wish for Miyuki to be the next head of the Yotsuba Family. I do believe this is an unfair charge to the other candidates, correct?"

  In order to avoid letting Miyuki be subjected to the negativity projected towards him any longer, Tatsuya must continuously press the attack, forcing the opponent to yield without allowing Miyuki to interject in any way.