Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 04 - Nine Schools Competition (II)

by Sato Tsutomu

  Compared to the original conception of the magic, this was really a downscaled Land Tsunami. Maybe it was because the user wasn't well versed in this magic, or he toned down the firepower because of the rules.

  Nonetheless, for Mikihiko, who had already sustained considerable damage from Kichijouji, this spell had sufficient power to finish him off.

  He might be able to summon the spirits still burrowed in the earth to repel the oncoming dirt, Mikihiko thought — then swiftly gave up.

  Alas, he didn't have much Magic Power left.

  While it was called Spirit Magic, the "spirits" themselves didn't actually possess any power. Spirits were ultimately information bodies and nothing more than mediums used to influence the Eidos.

  So, we still lost...... He thought as he watched the earth rush towards him. Suddenly, Mikihiko's vision was obscured by darkness.

  With the heavy sound of something colliding into a metal wall, the earth returned to its original position.

  Mikihiko raised his head towards the black flying object that blocked his view.

  There, he found his teammate waving his hands and shouting at him.

  The flying edge of the Weaponized Integrated CAD had traveled a long distance to take out Third High's last player.

  "......Did we win?"

  "......Yeah, we did."

  Mayumi asked as if muttering to herself, to which Suzune replied in the same manner.

  That became the signal.

  No one knew who started cheering.

  One person set off two others, then four people, eight people, the chain reaction continued onward.

  Finally culminating in an explosion.

  First High's disorderly cries seemed to merge together and sent the observation deck rocking.

  This was a pure and innocent expression of emotion.

  It was a sound that both serenaded the victors and bestowed the crushing blow of judgment towards the defeated.

  However, this reckless celebration quickly tapered away.

  Meanwhile, in the front row of First High's supporters.

  The figure of a young lady could be seen as she clasped both hands to her mouth as she watched the arena with tears of joy trickling down her cheeks.

  Seeing her brother stagger to his feet and wave at her, she was at a loss for words and could only gaze at him.

  As if to support her, the applause gradually spread around her.

  Shortly afterward, the applause spread from the stands for First High's supporters and spread across the entire stadium, regardless of whether they were friend or foe to form a clapping tide of praise.

  —The entire stadium was enveloped in warm applause.

  Even Tatsuya couldn't help but be embarrassed by the unexpected shower of applause.

  Tatsuya took off his helmet and walked to the two others. Leo and Mikihiko were both waiting for him, neither one of them sparing a glance at the audience stands.

  "......Speaking of which, you stole all the limelight. Were you waiting for that to happen?"

  The first thing Tatsuya said as he approached was this accusation of being a glory hound. Yet, regardless of whether it was the recipient Leo, Mikihiko who heard this, or Tatsuya who spoke up, everyone knew this was only to hide their awkwardness.

  "No way. I was really out of it for a while. That's the first time I've taken such a hit since taking a hit from a large motorcycle two years ago."

  "What? You took a hit from a large motorcycle?"

  Mikihiko asked with an "Are you joking?" expression, but Leo nodded his head earnestly.

  "Yeah, that one hurt a lot. There was some kid behind me so I couldn't dodge, so I just decided to bite the bullet and pow! Just like that...... Still got hurt though, since I got away with three fractured ribs. Fortunately, this one wasn't as bad as last time."

  "Uh...... Leo? Just in case, I just want to make sure that you used Fortifying Magic to defend against the compressed air pellets, right......?"

  "Eh~, I'm sorry to say that all my concentration was focused on attacking...... So as you can see, I didn't have any defenses in place. Ah! How embarrassing."

  Mikihiko's face was flooded with question marks. Bluntly speaking, he was openly gaping, but fortunately no one was on hand to laugh at his expense, since the large screen had switched to view the entire arena overhead and was unable to capture any details of the players' expressions.

  "Then, you're telling me...... You just took Ichijou-kun's magic attacks?"

  "I was defenseless, right? That's why it took me so long to get up. Hm? Mikihiko, you broke your lip. Are you OK?"

  "Ah...... Yeah, I'm OK....... Sorta."

  Mikihiko could only stand there stupefied at this disjointed conversation and unbelievable confession. However, Leo was in an excellent mood, so he didn't pay much attention to Mikihiko's bewilderment.

  "Speaking of which, Tatsuya, you OK?"

  "Hm? Sorry, could you repeat that?"

  "I said, Tatsuya, you OK?"

  "Ah...... Eardrums are ruptured on one side. Right now my ears aren't doing too well. Compared to that, Mikihiko, what's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a UFO."

  Mikihiko was currently engaged in a mental struggle over "Was he the strange one, no, that's impossible".

  "Uh, Tatsuya, you didn't hear...... our earlier conversation, did you?"

  "I'm sorry. I'm reading lips right now to get a hint of what's going on. I did however catch the part about Leo getting hit by a large motorcycle."

  "......So, do you have any questions for him?"

  As if trying to end his mental struggle once and for all and prove that he was perfectly normal, Mikihiko asked Tatsuya with considerable trepidation, but......

  "Questions? About what?"

  Tatsuya's answer sent Mikihiko looking skyward in despair.

  "Mikihiko, what's the matter? Don't be so melancholy. We won! We are the champions, the champions!"

  "You're right......"

  Mikihiko suddenly looked exhausted, which was perfectly natural considering Leo was perfectly at ease and Tatsuya seemed to mirror that sentiment.

  Seeing those two, Mikihiko thought.

  In the end, the final gasp was not decided by Magic Power or spells, but by physical endurance.

  Upon seeing the two others finally give in to the undying applause and stand there side by side, shoulder to shoulder, as they waved back in response despite their embarrassment, Mikihiko was painfully aware that: "I need to train a lot more......"

  Chapter 11

  The celebrations for both the Newcomers Division and overall victories happened at the same time.

  The three replacements who took First Place and were directly responsible for the triumph in the Newcomers Division were all injured in the finals, so this wasn't exactly the time for reckless celebration. Even with that in mind, the real reason was even though overall victory was assured, preparations still needed to be made for tomorrow's Mirage Bat event, hence they didn't have time to really celebrate.

  Thanks to First High's newcomers turning the table, the difference in score between First and Third High grew even further.

  Currently, the difference was 140 points.

  For tomorrow's Mirage Bat event, First Place earned 50 points, Second Place received 30 points, Third Place gets 20 points, and Fourth Place nabbed 10 points.

  For tomorrow's preliminary round and the finals for Monolith Code, First Place obtained 100 points, Second Place received 60 points, with Third and Fourth Place each receiving 40 points.

  Based on tomorrow's result, First High's overall victory might become a certainty before reaching the final day.

  The players and technicians were overwhelmed with work trying to procure the essentials (such as the uniforms and CADs for the Monolith Code players), so any member with time on their hands was also thrown into the fray.

  Tatsuya intentionally avoided using "Restoration" on his ruptured right eardrum and received the usual medical treatment fr
om the infirmary. Afterwards, he used Self Restoration to fully repair the damage and covered it up with the medical patch issued to him. Currently, he was alone with Miyuki and busy preparing for tomorrow.

  None of the other team members, especially the upperclassmen, knew that he had fully recovered, so they were still in the throes of worry. While Tatsuya felt slightly guilty about deceiving them, he had his reasons as well. In atonement, he chose to silently endure the discomfort caused by wearing the ear protector in the scorching heat of summer. —He was quite aware that such a trivial matter did not constitute as atonement.

  Still, even though they were "overwhelmed with work", this could not compare to the sheer madness from the day before.

  Scratch that, maybe it wasn't even close.

  Yesterday evening, he had to fully equip two people from scratch — three, including himself — CADs included, which created a level of frantic industry rarely seen in this field.

  Although Miyuki had switched from the Newcomers Division to the Official Division, she was originally slated for Mirage Bat anyway, so her preparations proceeded apace. Events outside of their control had cost them a day, but that wouldn't affect the outcome by much.

  "Don't force yourself, Tatsuya-kun, take a break. You already pushed yourself too hard yesterday."

  "Miyuki-chan, you too. If you always work so hard, we'll never stop incurring injuries."

  Tatsuya expertly completed the CAD examination. Along with Miyuki, he was practically forcibly expelled by Mayumi and Suzune, drawing today's activities to a close.

  ◇◇◇

  Elsewhere, at this time during the same night, another group of people were plagued by insomnia as they were backed into a corner.

  "At this point, First High's victory is practically written on the wall..."

  "Fuck that! Do you want to give up? Do you want to sit down and die?!"

  "If First High wins like this, we're going to lose over a billion. In U.S. dollars!"

  "We'd be better off dead in the face of that kind of loss! HQ was never interested in this plan because upon failure, the loss in capital would be enormous. We were the ones who forced this plan through. Now, if we're lucky we would be turned into 'Generators', and anyone unworthy would become 'Boosters' to slave away for the organization until the day we die."

  The men sitting around the table turned fearful gazes on the four frozen men standing in the four corners of the room.

  "Without this plan, we might not be able to meet our quotas... but I think we overreached ourselves."

  "This isn't the time to say that! ...In that case, let's do it, by any means possible!"

  "He's right! We already spent considerable energy forcing the favored candidates to lose their matches. By now, we shouldn't hesitate to adopt more brutal tactics. Even if our customers are suspicious, so long as we don't leave any evidence behind, those are only empty accusations at the end. Now, we go all the way or bust!"

  "Send agents to the assistants. For tomorrow's Mirage Bat, force all of First High's players to withdraw — by any means possible!"

  "They won't die if they're lucky. Otherwise, I guess they weren't lucky."

  The men looked at one another with maniacal smiles on their faces, their thoughts in accord.

  ◇◇◇

  The ninth day of the Nine Schools Competition. The pleasant weather that lasted until yesterday took a turn for the worse, with thick clouds that hinted of rain covering the skies. It was a dark and overcast day.

  Still, there was no blinding sunlight with the dark clouds in the sky, creating perfect conditions for Mirage Bat. For the players, Miyuki included, this forecast was undoubtedly "excellent weather".

  "While this is an ideal condition for Mirage Bat... Yet I somehow feel that this is the harbinger of conflict."

  Hearing Tatsuya murmuring to himself as he watched the skies, Miyuki creased her brows.

  "Is something else going to happen...?"

  "Since their goal remains a mystery... No evidence of something afoot does not guarantee that nothing will occur. Regardless, Miyuki doesn't need to worry. No matter what happens, only you, I will protect to the absolute end."

  Tatsuya's words had no superfluous meaning.

  For Tatsuya, his sole purpose was to safeguard Miyuki.

  To be brutally honest, in Tatsuya's mind, sacrificing the other players was nothing more than a method to the madness.

  However — Tatsuya probably gave thanks that no one was around to overhear their conversation.

  If a third party was present... If someone saw Tatsuya watching the sky and, out of his sight range, Miyuki drooping her head in embarrassment while wearing a thoroughly delighted smile as she drifted towards him, they might report the siblings for the crime of "homicide by headaches".

  ◇◇◇

  Miyuki was set to appear in the second match.

  Actually, appearing in the first match with the maximum amount of rest was the best case. But now that Tatsuya thought about it, not everything goes their way, so they should be thankful that she wasn't scheduled for the third match.

  The two of them chose to observe the first match from the auxiliary observation deck on the side.

  While there was a 45 minute break between the first and second matches, moving from the main audience stands to the competition arena was a waste of time.

  The players from the other schools apparently thought the same, given the way they were congregated around one side of the arena.

  "Kobayakawa-senpai looks pretty fired up!"

  That was Miyuki's assessment of their senpai, who was one of the players waiting on one of the upraised circular pillars in the middle of the lake for the starting signal.

  That was Tatsuya's opinion as well.

  However, Mari once complained that Kobayakawa was an unstable individual. Now that he thought about it, since this might be the decisive match that clinched First High's overall victory, it was probably impossible to tell her to relax.

  Still, the bottom line was that victory or defeat was entirely up to her, but there didn't seem to be any problems, Tatsuya thought.

  Under the combined gaze of the audience, related personnel, and fellow teammates, the starting signal rang out.

  The first match turned into flurry of activity to decide the standings, but Kobayakawa maintained a slim lead.

  Breathless, Erika could finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to speak to her neighbor Mizuki — only to find her friend staring at the scene with widened eyes thoroughly unlike her.

  "Mizuki... Is it OK for you to take off your glasses?"

  Magicians who were oversensitive to pushion light wore special glasses to inhibit the effects of pushion light as well as to avoid becoming emotionally stimulated by active pushions. In the current situation, taking off her glasses in such a furious event surely brought incredible stress on her spirit.

  "In truth... It's a little uncomfortable."

  Erika noticed that Mizuki's hands that were holding her glasses on her thighs shook from time to time.

  "But, I don't think that always evading the issue is the answer."

  "...I don't think Mizuki is evading the issue at all."

  Erika had heard Mizuki's reason for attending magic high school numerous times.

  Of course, the predominant reason was to be able to take advantage of this rare talent. Specifically, she hoped to enroll in the magic universities as a Magic Artificer.

  Yet at the same time, she also wished to learn how to control this pair of "eyes" that often saw simply too much. Within the limits set for Course 2 students, she wished to receive the fullest amount of training.

  While still immature, but precisely because she saw this as her "strength", this certainly did not qualify as running away. And precisely because it wasn't fully developed yet, Erika believed that using supporting tools and equipment was the right approach.

  Precisely because of this.

  "Rome wasn't built in one day. L
ikewise, you won't fully control your abilities in one shot and, though I shouldn't be the one to say this, doing so usually ruins your body as well. Mizuki, this could cause irreparable damage!"

  That's why she chose such a stern lecture.

  "Yeah... But, if I avert my eyes at a time something that I must see is visible, I think that's also incorrect..."

  In spite of this, Mizuki still kept her glasses on her lap.

  "When Watanabe-senpai was injured, if I was watching carefully, I might have provided some assistance to Tatsuya-kun and the others."

  "...So this time, you're keeping watch in case another incident occurs?"

  "Exactly. You know...... I think Miyuki will be perfectly fine. That's because if something was wrong with Miyuki, there's no way that could escape Tatsuya-kun's eyes. However, he's simply unable to handle all the other players today. In addition, he was overworked yesterday. So if..."

  "If the other players ran into trouble, Tatsuya-kun wouldn't just sit there twiddling his thumbs either. That's most likely the case... He looks cold on the outside, but he's a good guy on the inside."

  "Tatsuya-kun's warmth comes from looking after his friends...!"

  "Yes, yes, I got it!"

  (If not towards his "friends", he would definitely be the sort to make the coldest, most objective decisions.)

  Erika kept that thought to herself. She pressed both palms together in front of her and sought to comfort the slightly annoyed Mizuki.

  Mikihiko, who was sitting on Mizuki's other side, interjected upon hearing their conversation.

  "I understand Erika's concerns towards Shibata-san and share the same belief that Tatsuya has. Shibata-san's 'eyes' are undeniably the most reliable tool to prevent someone using Spiritual Magic to hinder the competition. Since we have a barrier erected around us to dampen the effects of pushion light, I don't think any residual after effects will linger."

  Hearing the unnatural eagerness within Mikihiko's words (according to Erika), Erika revealed a mischievous smirk.