Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 01 - Enrollment Chapter (I)

by Sato Tsutomu

  "...I can't do it?"

  Then again, in the face of his sister's submissive question, Tatsuya didn't say "no".

  "No, that's not the case. That's true... In the Student Council, if it's up against a fellow student, then this strategy would be necessary. I understand. Under the premise of not reducing the current magic, I'll readjust the systems of the Activation Sequence."

  Now that his sister expressed her request, Tatsuya did not refuse. However, he did not forget his earlier suggestion.

  "You're not going to consider getting another CAD?"

  "Only Onii-sama can dual wield two CADs."

  "If you put your mind to it, you can do it too."

  Tatsuya forced a smile as he ran his hand over Miyuki's head as she stared at him. Gently rubbing her hair or head was one of Tatsuya's basic methods for improving his sister's mood.

  The effect was immediate.

  Miyuki closed her eyes in pleasure as her small head was completely immersed in her brother's tender care.

  "Let's start with a quick examination."

  Seeing that Miyuki's pleasant mood had returned, Tatsuya adopted a specialist's expression.

  Reluctantly leaving her brother's touch, Miyuki stepped back and removed her robe.

  What was revealed before Tatsuya's eyes was an indecently dressed body.

  As she lay on the examination bed, Miyuki was only covered by her white underclothes.

  Tidy and pure white, it seemed to turn the situation even more sensual.

  Even though they are kin — no, against Miyuki's breathtaking beauty, no one should've been able to keep their composure. Miyuki's stance exuded enough charm to drive men mad.

  His sister's eyes could not hide her sense of shame, but even under such a gaze Tatsuya remained stolid, not revealing a single emotional expression.

  Right now, he was a machine. An observing, analyzing, recording machine wrapped in flesh.

  Completely unaffected by emotion, objectively analyzing the situation; an ideal state Magicians strive to reach was thus manifested upon Tatsuya's body.

  ◇◇◇

  "Good work, it's done."

  Hearing Tatsuya's words, Miyuki left the bed and stood up.

  This type of examination could not be obtained anywhere.

  In fact, it is extremely rare to see this sort of intensely detailed maintenance.

  The maintenance facilities on campus simply involved putting on a pair of headphones and placing your hands on the touch pad for examination.

  Tatsuya kept his eyes averted to the side while handing the velvet robe back to Miyuki, who wore a glum expression while gazing at Tatsuya's back.

  Her elder brother sat in a chair with a backrest that only reached the upper waist and, as if nothing had happened, gazed at the terminal.

  No, it was not "as if".

  Actually, it was expected that nothing would happen, since this was a weekly occurring process.

  This would go on without end if they were consciously aware of each individual occurrence.

  Even though her embarrassment had not disappeared, and acutely aware that this sense of shame was something that shouldn't be lost, she didn't have any thoughts towards taking the next step.

  She forced herself not to think of the next step.

  If her elder brother could keep his composure, this was also something that Miyuki could be happy about.

  —If only it was as usual.

  "Onii-sama is quite crafty..."

  "Miyuki?"

  Hearing Miyuki's tender and beautiful voice, Tatsuya quickly responded.

  —It was very rare to hear Onii-sama use that kind of wavering, harried voice.

  —Upon hearing that, the one whose heartbeat became erratic, whose temperature rose, and whose heart fairly sang in pleasure was none other than herself.

  With the velvet robe draped over her shoulders and not closed in the front, Miyuki pressed her soft chest onto Tatsuya's back, gently rubbing her face against Tatsuya's cheek, and continued to whisper softly into her elder brother's ear.

  "Miyuki was so embarrassed, but Onii-sama was just like always, completely expressionless..."

  "Uh, Miyuki, I say?"

  "Or, do you not see me as someone of the opposite sex?"

  "If I did see you that way, then we'd be in serious trouble!"

  That's true. At that moment, just as these words were about to become the topic of conversation, her subconscious formed a chain that forcibly dragged back this line of thought. (!)

  "Is Onii-sama not interested in Miyuki? Is Onii-sama more interested in Saegusa-senpai's type? Or, maybe someone like Watanabe-senpai? Earlier today, your conversation seemed very affectionate..."

  "You heard that?"

  Seemed extremely unlikely.

  Miyuki should've been in the Student Council Room being tutored by Azusa in regards to using the computer system.

  On top of that, even if someone was eavesdropping, there was no way Tatsuya could not have detected them.

  However, Tatsuya did not have the time right now to marshal these thoughts into arguments.

  "Aha, just as expected! Both of them are beauties!"

  "I say, Miyuki? Aren't you misunderstanding something?"

  "Onii-sama is being pulled between two beautiful senpais on either side." (!)

  All of a sudden, Miyuki's CAD was held in her left hand.

  "This is your punishment!"

  "Ah!"

  Unexpectedly, it was not magic, but a Psion Surge released by Miyuki that caused Tatsuya's body to spasm and fall out of the chair.

  [Self Restoration, Auto Start.]

  [Core Eidos Data, Read from Backup.]

  [Load Magic Sequence — Complete. Self Restoration — Complete.]

  The instance of losing consciousness did not last a single second.

  He had never lost consciousness longer than that instance.

  His physical body did not allow him to collapse for any duration longer than that time.

  This was his personal magic, his curse.

  As he opened his eyes naturally, what he saw was a beautiful visage staring down at him.

  "Onii-sama, good morning."

  "...Did I, do something to incur your displeasure?"

  "My apologies, I went overboard with my joke."

  Though her voice was apologetic, Miyuki's face was smiling once more.

  That smile was capable of disarming even the sternest adult's attitude, a cute smile matching her age that Miyuki rarely wore.

  Watching that smiling face, even he could do nothing, Tatsuya thought.

  In reality, wasn't this exactly like a pair of innocent siblings playing around.

  At the end of the day, his sister was incapable of actually doing something that could cause him harm.

  "Please, take it easy on me..."

  Grasping his sister's hand, Tatsuya mumbled this as he too smiled.

  ◇◇◇

  She awoke at the normal time.

  But in comparison to usually getting out of bed, her mood was worse.

  Maybe her brain was still muddled by sleep.

  The house didn't have her elder brother's presence.

  He had probably left for morning training.

  This happened every day.

  Her elder brother, who always went to sleep later than she did, but always woke before she did.

  Like yesterday, it was very rare for her to get up first.

  Before, she was worried that her elder brother was going to ruin his body.

  Now she understood that such worries were meaningless.

  Her elder brother, that person was special.

  The people of the world call her a genius.

  That was the praise that they gave to special individuals, people that were different from themselves.

  —In fact, they understood nothing at all.

  The truly impressive, special, bona fide genius, should be her elder brother.

  That person existed
in a different dimension.

  They could not even comprehend that.

  For those that hide their personal jealousy to flatter others, they probably couldn't understand.

  True talent that towers over lesser mortals, that draws a terror that transcends jealousy.

  Not awe, but terror.

  The man who by all rights would be the father of these two siblings crumpled before that terror. And in the face of that terror, he belittled and abused his own son. All this she was aware of.

  Her elder brother believed that she remained ignorant.

  Thus, she pretended not to know.

  Father — that man to this day still sought to belittle her elder brother's talent, to give him a false sense of defeatism, seeking to pinion the wings of his spirit and ambition. All this she knows.

  How comical.

  He originally sought to imprison her elder brother, only to find himself crushed by the fact that his son's talent far exceeded his own.

  That son obtained the "resources" he needed to barter for his freedom.

  Their father could only watch that one last binding, and was forced to let go.

  The only thing that man could do was adopt that phony title, and collect the hollow praises of the masses.

  That person was not interested in this, she probably knew this as well.

  ...She was unable to control her own thoughts.

  It's as if she wasn't herself and was someone else instead while thinking this.

  Probably not fully conscious, Miyuki thought.

  Must be a lack of sleep.

  The cause was extremely obvious.

  It was the reason behind why she acted the way she did yesterday.

  That moment was perfectly peaceful.

  It was rare to see her elder brother so harried; the sight was both comical and cute.

  Her mood was very pleasant.

  However, once separated from her elder brother and lying alone in bed, that sense of peace disappeared.

  Her chest throbbed and she couldn't sleep.

  Uneasiness pervaded; sleep remained elusive.

  This must be love.

  But,

  That can't be the passion of romantic love.

  And it couldn't be the affection of romantic love.

  Because that person was her elder brother. Her elder brother by blood. From that moment 3 years ago, when she first heard of their relation. (!)

  That day 3 years ago, since being saved by that person and knowing the truth, I have worked hard towards being a worthy little sister to that person.

  I've always had this dream, that one day I would be able to help that person, just as he helped me. I want to become the one that that person can depend upon; this was how I rationalized it.

  From that person, I demand nothing.

  Because this life that should have faded away into oblivion, was saved by that person.

  Even though right now I am only the shackles that bind that person in place.

  But one day, I want to be the key that liberates him.

  I want to be the person who can be of help to him.

  —The first thing is to prepare breakfast.

  While he could probably eat over there,

  Onii-sama would probably obediently return home on an empty stomach.

  To let Onii-sama eat a delicious breakfast.

  That is what I can do right now.

  Miyuki smoothly rose, and stretched herself out.

  Chapter 5

  There are many special things in the High School Magic Division, but the basic system is no different from normal schools.

  Here in the First High School, there are club activities.

  Like normal schools, to become an official club, you need to have a minimum amount of people and have some kind of track record.

  But, since this school has a close relationship with magic, there are some clubs that can only exist in a Magic High School.

  Within major magical games, schools One through Nine within the Magical Academy often get together and have competitions. The outcomes of these competitions often rank these various schools. Depending on the schools, they may put more emphasis towards these games than most prestigious sports schools. If a club were able to perform highly within the "Nine Schools Competition", then the club’s budget and its members receive special treatment.

  Finding and getting talented new students has become the most important task every year since it affects the influence the clubs have on campus, and this task has full support from the school. That’s why during this season, the clubs battle ferociously in order to gain as many new students as possible.

  "…And this is why all kinds of trouble appears every year."

  In the Student Council Room.

  Thoroughly tasting Miyuki’s hand-made bento, Tatsuya listened to Mari’s explanation.

  "The solicitations from the clubs are so fierce, it often affects the classes. And it doesn’t help that there’s only a 1 week time limit for them to get as many new students as they can."

  Mayumi, who was sitting next to Mari, explains.

  Nestled close to Tatsuya was Miyuki herself, as if she belonged there.

  Suzune and Azusa were not there. They only came to the room yesterday because Mayumi invited them; usually they have lunch with their classmates.

  Mari, like yesterday, had her own home-made lunch. Mayumi was slightly angry because she was the only one eating the dining server’s machine-made lunch, but her mood seemed to finally recover. She even exclaimed that she would start making her lunch tomorrow.

  "During this time, various clubs are bringing out the tents all at once. It’s like a small festival going on here. There are even secret lists that name all the students who scored high grades on the entrance exams, and I’m sure those people will be heavily targeted. Obviously, there are rules in place that penalize the clubs and its members if they break them, but it’s not uncommon to see fist fights or even magic shooting about."

  Tatsuya put on a surprised face after listening to Mari’s explanation.

  "I thought carrying around CADs is prohibited?"

  It is possible to still use magic without a CAD, but something like "shooting about" magic definitely requires a CAD for most people.

  Mari’s answer amazed Tatsuya.

  "The school gives them permission so that they can have ‘demonstrations’. There is a simple screening in place, but it’s more or less a free pass. Because of that, during this time, this place becomes a giant lawless zone full of chaos."

  Well obviously, thought Tatsuya. Why would the school allow such a thing… usually they would make a screening like this more strict.

  Before Tatsuya could formulate the question, Mayumi gave the answer.

  "I believe it’s mainly because the school wants the clubs to score highly in the Nine Schools Competition. I’m sure the school wouldn’t mind a few rules being broken as long as they raise the chances of recruiting more students."

  The government outlawed mandatory participation in extra-curricular activities over 10 years ago because it neglected students’ rights. Because of that, the school cannot do anything openly besides letting the various clubs recruit as they want.

  "Well, that’s the situation we’re in. Starting today, the Disciplinary Committee is going all out. Whew, I’m glad we were able to cover all of our empty seats."

  As she said that, she sent a sarcastic look to her side.

  "I’m glad you were able to find someone so talented, Mari."

  Seeing how she ignored the look with a smile, it looked like they do this sort of thing often.

  After eating the last bite and putting the chopsticks down, his cup was being filled with hot tea from beside him.

  After taking a few sips, Tatsuya attempted to put up a small resistance.

  "Well, the clubs are targeting the students with the highest grades, meaning the First Course students correct? I don’t think I would be of any use in that case." />
  Only Course 2 students should police Course 2 students. He was using Mari’s argument from yesterday against her.

  "Who cares about that. I’m counting on you."

  She completely blew it off.

  There was no way Tatsuya was able to respond to this.

  "…*Sigh*, understood. I assume we are starting after school?"

  "Right after you’re done with class, just come to HQ."

  "Understood."

  Tatsuya quietly accepted Mari’s words. It was hard to tell if his actions were manly or he just plainly gave up.

  Sitting beside him, Miyuki asked. "President, are we going to join in the patrol as well?"

  Miyuki referred to "we" as in the Student Council members. Tatsuya smiled, seeing how his beloved sister was able to fit in so quickly even though she can be difficult around people.

  "I will be assigning A-chan as support. Hanzo-kun and I have to standby in HQ, so you and Rin-chan will have to stay here."

  "Understood."

  Miyuki nodded her head meekly, but Tatsuya could see that she was slightly upset. She may not be combative but her skills were high. She probably just wanted to test out the new restraint-type magics that were added in her activation sequence.

  But, when he told her that she yelled "No, that’s not it!" and quietly added "Stupid Onii-sama", which may sound like a curse depending on how you listen to it. Then Tatsuya wondered,

  "Nakajou-senpai is on support?"

  It was a subtle claim that suggested that Azusa may be unreliable for the job.

  Only a "subtle" one though.

  "I know you’re uneasy about her based on her appearance, but you should know Tatsuya, appearances can be deceiving."

  "I understand that, but…"

  Tatsuya was mainly pointing out to her timid attitude.

  Mayumi understood what Tatsuya was trying to say and laughed.

  "Well, the timidity CAN be a little bad at times, but don’t worry; A-chan’s magic will come in handy in these situations."