by Sato Tsutomu
"......Man, you're one blunt guy."
Tatsuya never bothered to sugarcoat the defeat and delivered a cold analysis that didn't smack of comfort, but Kirihara wasn't angry.
"You never thought that I would be depressed?"
Kirihara's tone and expression were more teasing than anything else.
"I did, but I couldn't think of any consolation."
The scene was dead silent for a few seconds.
Kirihara suddenly burst into laughter.
And he was laughing to the point that he was bent over the sofa.
Enough to thoroughly discomfit Sayaka by his side.
Tatsuya continued to watch him without any expression.
"Shiba...... You really are an interesting guy. Usually, now would be the time to wear a totally~ awkward expression and quickly pass me pretending not to see me, not the time to actually sit down and talk."
That choice — intentionally overlooking him — was also on the table, but Tatsuya believed that wordlessly passing by wasn't cordial enough. However, this time it looked like Tatsuya was being a "busybody".
Tatsuya realized that he shouldn't even be taking how cordial he was into consideration since that didn't jibe with his personality, but......
"Still, I feel a lot better thanks to you. Since you said it was a 'Pyrrhic victory', then that must be how it was. This shows that I've still got a lot of potential."
......Looks like that wasn't the case.
Whether Kirihara truly believed that was immaterial.
Likewise, whether this was truly the result Tatsuya was aiming for was also immaterial.
◇◇◇
Despite the outcome falling into considerable doubt, the basic personnel duties did not change very much.
The ones responsible for odd jobs and errands might claim otherwise, but since Tatsuya was a member of the technician team, the brass from First High wasn't foolish enough to have him work on menial tasks and run the risk of endangering his original duties.
After preparing for the Newcomers Division two days from now, double checking the physical and mental conditions of the players under his care and running a final compatibility test for CADs, today's work schedule came to a close.
Tatsuya received a long package in the mail from the hotel counter and returned to his own room.
It wasn't dinner time yet.
There was still ample time left, so Tatsuya opted to test the item in the package.
He took a glance at the clock to verify when the dining hall opened.
There was still a significant interval until he had to meet up with Miyuki.
Tatsuya unpacked the parcel and gazed at the contents within.
This was something he called Four Leaves Technology's CAD Development 3rd Division in the early hours of the morning for.
The components were all universal, the shape exceedingly simple, and was assembled to the point that an automatic construction device could do the rest by reading the manual. Even so, the fact that this could be assembled and shipped all within half a day was quite impressive.
(I hope Ushiyama-san isn't pushing himself again......)
Should he be saying pushing himself, or pushing his subordinates?
Tatsuya took great pains to carefully remind them that this item was "partially out of curiosity".
Regardless, Tatsuya couldn't "really" turn back the clock, so fussing over these details was useless at this point.
After he opened the package and took a look inside, he found a combination seal around a long, thin container. This case was usually intended to transport CADs with the dimensions of a shotgun.
Tatsuya punched in the usual code.
There was a "sword" inside the box.
The item Tatsuya removed from the box had the outward appearance of a long sword with an upgraded hand guard.
The entire length measured 70 cm, and 50 cm without the hand guard — that was how it was shaped.
There was no blade.
This did not refer to the lack of an edge, but the fact that this tool was never forged to be a "sword".
The literal meaning of the words seemed paradoxical, but a better description would be "a metallic bokken forged to look like a long sword".
Or maybe it was "flat rod with an added hand guard".
This item was plainly not any ordinary rod.
After thumbing the activation button and upping the psion intake, a familiar feeling passed across Tatsuya's hand.
This item was in the same vein as Erika's police baton in that it was a weapon that concealed a CAD.
The utility was even more restricted than a Specialized CAD and could only provide one Activation Sequence. Erika's CAD was a Specialized model that retained the ability to switch abilities. In comparison, this was a Specialized CAD that possessed only one function, making it a prototype for "Weaponized Integrated CADs".
Tatsuya measured the distance to the wall to gauge whether he should take a test swing when someone knocked on the door. The perfect timing caused Tatsuya to chuckle wryly as he placed the prototype on the table.
There was some time until the arranged meeting time, but given that the presence on the other side of the door did nothing to conceal themselves, he knew that friends had come calling.
And this prototype suited that friend very well.
Rather than testing this himself, it would be far more interesting to have that guy handle it — Tatsuya thought as he opened the door.
"Onii-sama, is this a good time?"
The leader and the one who spoke up first was his little sister.
Tatsuya pushed the door open and beckoned everyone inside. Erika, who was following Miyuki, came close enough that the two of them were almost touching.
Next, Honoka, Shizuku, Mizuki, and Leo came in, with Mikihiko bringing up the rear.
Rather than saying ladies first, it would be more appropriate to say this was how the pecking order went.
Still, while this was a double room for the sake of storing equipment, it was still a squeeze with so many people piling in at once.
Just the chairs and bed weren't enough, someone even had to sit on the table — which was neatly ordered and not the least bit sloppy, so Tatsuya had no complaints.
Erika was the one sitting on the table, so of course she was the one who noticed the "sword" on the table, and it naturally aroused her interest.
"Tatsuya-kun, is that...... a blade replica? Except it looks more like a sword."
"Negative."
"Then an iron whip?"
"Also negative...... I don't think the samurai of this country would use weapons like iron whips."
"Who uses the term samurai in this day and age...... Then what is it? ......Ah, is it a Houki?"
Erika flipped it over and examined both sides and asked again upon noticing the trigger on the handle.
"Correct, to be precise, this is a Weaponized Integrated CAD, commonly known as weaponized calculation devices. The CAD is specifically attuned to use one type of magic only that can also double as a close combat weapon that uses aforementioned magic."
"Wow......"
The reason why Erika made this sound wasn't because the Weaponized Integrated CAD was incredibly rare, but because this was the first time she saw one in the form of a "sword". Erika wasn't the only one gazing at the sword in her hand, both Honoka and Shizuku were looking on with deep interest.
Miyuki's faced revealed an "Ah, so that's what it was" expression, clearly because she remembered the conversation from last night.
Neither Mizuki nor Mikihiko expressed any interest, probably because they preferred familiar objects rather than foreign materials.
Tatsuya glanced at the other person standing to the side and smiled mischievously as he plucked the prototype from Erika's hands.
"Leo."
And tossed it towards Leo, who was standing off to one side with his face averted.
"Whoa! Tatsuya, isn't that kind of dangerous?"
<
br /> In reality, Leo was burning to give it a go, but he feigned disinterest due to his ongoing cold war against his nemesis (?) Erika, so while he was outwardly frantic, he eagerly grabbed hold of the sword hilt.
Tatsuya completely ignored his protest and sent a challenging smirk his way.
"Want to give it a try?"
"Eh, me?"
Leo's mouth split into a wide grin.
To the side, Erika wore a "This guy is easy to read......" expression, to which Tatsuya spared only a single glance before directing his attention back to Leo.
"This weaponized calculation device was created by merging a striking weapon with the Fortifying Magic that Watanabe-senpai used during the 'Battle Board' event, with the blade also serving as a slashing weapon after being reforged, so I think this suits you very well."
"So Tatsuya made this?"
"Yes."
"Hold on."
Mikihiko inserted himself into Leo and Tatsuya's conversation.
Initially, he wore an apathetic expression, but he was paying attention to the entire conversation.
"Watanabe-senpai's event was yesterday, so you made this in one day? This doesn't look like a ready-made product."
"The components themselves are all commonplace. The outer frame is also a generic alloy, so there are no special materials involved."
"But this still isn't something you can manually forge, right? You shouldn't have that much spare time......"
"Why of course, I only came up with the design, then had a familiar factory construct this using automatic assembly devices."
Miyuki overheard the entire conversation and when she heard the term "familiar factory", she almost burst into laughter. Thankfully, she regularly prepared several masks for occasions like these, so she didn't draw any attention to herself or her brother.
"So Leo...... Want to give it a try?"
Tatsuya's words were like the sweet whispers of the demon Mephistopheles.
Even while knowing something was afoot, the lure was irresistible.
"......OK, I'll be your guinea pig."
"He fell for it."
Shizuku's soft whisper succinctly reflected everyone's inner thoughts.
Next, Tatsuya pulled out a HMD with light refracting mirrors and a speaker attached.
"This is the instruction manual."
Seeing the HMD in front of him, Leo seemed to not comprehend Tatsuya's words as a question mark sprouted on his head.
"Take a look, the user's manual for the weaponized calculation device is recorded within."
"Ah? Oh......"
This object that Tatsuya handed him (more like tossed to him) appeared to have images and sound files stored on it, which included the Weaponized Integrated CAD instruction manuals. Leo let out an "I get it now" expression and accepted the HMD from Tatsuya's hands.
"This counts as a virtual terminal device, right?"
Honoka, who asked the question, wasn't the only one wondering about this.
Virtual information terminal devices posed considerable harm to immature Magicians.
With this in mind, First High forbade students from using virtual terminal devices.
Tatsuya himself insisted on using a material terminal device, but asked his friend to use a virtual terminal device. Even if the device was restricted to visual and hearing, everyone held the same misgivings.
"It's nothing that outrageous, but they do share some similarities."
"......Is this OK?"
"Huh? Oh...... You're referring to the harm caused by the virtual terminal device?"
"Uh...... Yeah."
"There's no need to worry on that account. The risks from virtual terminal devices arise from the user's inexperience. If used strictly for testing realistic conditions, then it's actually quite a valuable tool."
"I don't follow......"
Honoka's tone towards Tatsuya was very polite, but there were traces of Miyuki's influence mixed in.
"Magic is a skill that uses perception to temporarily alter reality. Virtual terminal devices create illusions that people mistake for reality."
Tatsuya's explanations were always attentive and exhaustive, which possibly was a reflex on his part.
"The two of them share the distinction that they project an unnatural phenomenon into reality. On the other hand, by experiencing the phenomenon through the virtual terminal device, there's no need to expend energy to rewrite reality, nor is there a risk for spell failure. Herein also lies the risk for virtual terminal devices."
Tatsuya temporarily stopped at this point.
Because he felt that he was being overly loquacious.
However, his friends that were arrayed in front of him wore equal parts understanding and incomprehension on their faces, so he felt that his explanation wasn't detailed enough and plodded on.
"Virtual terminal devices would cause a Magician to hallucinate and believe that they can effortlessly alter reality with no consequence. People incapable of using magic wouldn't run into this problem in the first place. Skilled Magicians would be able to differentiate what they are capable of, but immature Magicians may confuse the difference between what they experienced in the virtual world with what they can actually accomplish and overestimate their abilities.
Once immature Magicians have become accustomed to altering reality without the concepts of hard work or failure, they become unable to reflect upon why they cannot use magic to successfully rewrite reality and lose the ability to think critically and the drive to do so. Hence the popular belief that immature Magicians still studying magic experience harm from using virtual terminal devices."
Tatsuya paused again to survey his friends' faces.
Additional explanations were probably unnecessary, but he'd still conclude as a precaution.
"In other words, the problem lies in whether the user believes he or she has accomplished something they were previously unable to. Utilizing virtual terminal devices to test the waters isn't a problem in and of itself. That type of virtual experience actually benefits the planning phases for constructing Magic Sequences. At the end of the day, it remains extremely challenging to pick out only the benefits, so I feel that a global ban on virtual terminal devices made perfect sense."
"Is that so...... I actually learned a lot from that."
Tatsuya felt that Honoka's nodding was overly zealous and also believed he said too much.
Even if she heavily relied on him, he had no way of responding......
Those were Tatsuya's heartfelt words.
◇◇◇
The test for the prototype calculation device was set after dinner, using one of the outdoor combat training facilities on the outskirts of the Nine Schools Competition area.
Tatsuya didn't make the arrangements; Erika was the one who called on her connections.
Since arriving here, Erika seemed to be frivolously throwing around her family's influence in a self-destructive manner.
Did something happen that caused her mental landscape to change?
Speaking of which, Tatsuya recalled that something similar happened during the banquet.
Nevertheless, Tatsuya was powerless to act regardless of how worried he was.
His own emotions were only façades anyways.
It was probably better to look the other way and let an engineer's curiosity take first priority. This was probably a more honest method to go about it.
Tatsuya convinced himself this way and once again warned himself against butting into other people's business.
"Leo, do you understand the mechanics?"
Next, he had to focus all his concentration on this test.
Even if this was something done during his leisurely time — even if this was an overly simplified way of applying modern magic — this still broke new ground for testing magic and calculation devices.
If an accident occurred due to his complacency, the one who would bear the brunt of it would be Leo and not Tatsuya.
"Uh, I think s
o...... But, am I really going to do that?"
"That" likely referred to the demonstrated motions he saw within the HMD.
Likely was the wrong word to use, since that was the only possibility at this point.
"We're undergoing this test to find out."
"You're right."
This training facility was 30 minutes away from the hotel by foot.
This would pose no problems during the day, but it was night time now.
Likewise, city districts would be fine, but they were located in a military training facility in the mountains.
Miyuki and Erika stubbornly refused to cooperate, but were finally persuaded to remain at the hotel.
Despite this, Tatsuya still remained uneasy, so he called on Honoka to watch Miyuki and Mizuki to keep an eye on Erika.
Now, only Tatsuya and Leo were present.
"Let's begin."
"Got it."
Initially, they weren't going to use the slashing (more like striking) dummy.
Right now, they needed to verify the movements of the Weaponized Integrated CAD without performing any physical actions.
"Starting now."
Leo thumbed the activation button on the bottom of the hilt.
With a "clang" sound, a feathery touch crossed his fingers.
He wrapped his index finger around the trigger near the top of the handguard and started supplying psions.
Contrary to his physical impression, Leo's supply of psions wasn't explosive, but possessed an inexhaustible durability. Correction, maybe that would be the most suitable description for his youthful and energetic side.
If a CAD was not calibrated for individual use, there would be practically no assistance in constructing Magic Sequences, so there was a small delay as the Activation Sequence was translated into the Magic Sequence.
Approximately 0.6 seconds.
Even so, this was still much swifter than during practical skills class.
This might be caused by his personal expertise in this field of magic, or the outstanding performance from the CAD and Activation Sequence.
Regardless of which one it was or both at the same time, this detail remained unimportant. What was important right now was to observe the activated magic in action and not the time necessary to activate aforementioned magic.