by Sato Tsutomu
"Hm~...? So Miki will protect Mizuki now?
If something happens to Mizuki, Miki will take full responsibility now?
Of course, that's the type of responsibility men will take for women, right?"
"Wha, this isn't the time to talk about that!"
Beet red, Mikihiko's furious rebuttal wholly ignored his usual objection to his nickname.
Speaking of Mizuki, she was also blushing a deep red and seemed to be at a loss for words.
"...You truly are an evil woman!"
On the other hand, Erika utterly ignored the sighs and annoyed scoldings coming from the other side of her seat.
Between Leo, who was currently being ignored, and Erika, who was feigning ignorance, the usual lively conversation started. At this time, the bell for the second round started.
Both of them wore an "unsatisfied" expression and used their facial expressions to convey their meaning while shutting their mouths to avoid distracting the players and the other members of the audience.
Afterwards, shortly after the second round began, that incident happened.
Both Kobayakawa and another player leaped at the same time towards a green orb in the sky.
Unfortunately, the other player reached the target first.
Kobayakawa used magic to stop her leaping momentum.
Her body came to a stop in the air.
Next, she sought to use magic to return to her starting location, but found another player had already landed at that location.
Unruffled, she decided on the closest landing spot and switched the Magic Sequence to land there.
However, her body that was supposed to move in a diagonal pattern — fell directly downwards through gravity's influence.
Even the spectators in the audience could see Kobayakawa's expression falter as she began to fall.
Shock.
Panic.
Terror.
The magic that was supposed to support her failed to activate.
Magic had supported her life to this day, yet suddenly betrayed her at this critical moment. She forgot to even struggle as she plummeted towards the surface of the lake.
Even though it was the water's surface, this was still a 10 meter fall.
If the landing was poor, this might be fatal.
Nor did Kobayakawa appear to take any stance to prepare for landing.
Fortunately, this was an athletic competition with two or three layers of safeguards in place. There were emergency responses in place if a player suddenly lost control of their magic and began to fall.
The staff on hand immediately released Speed-Type Magic.
From the moment Kobayakawa started to fall until the staff used magic to catch her body, probably less than a second had elapsed.
Still, she was less than half way from the water's surface.
This was more than enough to completely crush her confidence.
With pitying eyes, Tatsuya watched them carry away his unconscious senpai on a stretcher.
The greatest reason why young men and women lost their ability to use magic was because of hazardous situations caused by magic failure and the subsequent distrust towards magic in general.
Magic is a power that deceives the world.
Magic itself exists outside the truth of the world, hence the deception.
Even so, if everyone could use their "eyes" to see magic like Tatsuya, then they could easily believe this deceptive yet truthful power.
Nevertheless, for most Magicians (especially the chicks and saplings), magic was an immutable, invisible existence. Even if they could see the psions, they couldn't see how magic was interacting with their world. In short, they were clueless beyond theoretical knowledge.
— When I'm using magic, is this really my own power —
Every Magician-in-training came across this question during their education. No, this suspicion. Once magic failed to materialize, resulting in danger that relied on magic to avert, this suspicion rapidly turned into belief.
— See, magic doesn't exist —
This belief.
Once this idea was implanted into a Magician, magic would forever be out of their reach.
Magic was such a fragile existence that balanced on the tips of the mental scales.
(...Kobayakawa-senpai is likely broken for life.)
As if to comfort the utterly pale Miyuki, Tatsuya cradled her shoulders into his chest as he murmured to himself.
When in gravity's grasp and at the moment of inception, Kobayakawa's expression was covered with terror.
It was someone else. Even if he made that distinction, realizing that someone had forever lost their precious abilities certainly left a bitter after taste.
As if pressing a burning brand to the gaping wound, his messaging terminal in the chest pocket started vibrating and arrested his melancholy.
Miyuki, who was pressed tightly against him, turned a shocked expression towards Tatsuya. He calmly removed the fold up device and pressed it to his ear.
"Tatsuya, it's me, Mikihiko. Got a moment?"
"...Ah, no problem."
Even though the lights clearly showed that the sound wave interference module on the device was working, Tatsuya still lowered his volume.
"Unfortunately, during the earlier incident, I was unable to detect any magic at work."
"Is that so..."
"Sorry for disappointing you..."
"Please don't worry on that account, I failed to notice anything either."
"However, Shibata-san has something she wants to say to you."
"Mizuki? You mean, her glasses were off?"
Tatsuya's tone contained a level of astonishment that wasn't feigned.
Yet, Mikihiko didn't immediately reply,
"Tatsuya-kun, this is Mizuki."
Because someone else had taken hold of the phone.
"Mizuki, did you see anything?"
Are you OK? Those words were stuck in Tatsuya's throat.
Still, Tatsuya believed that this would be trampling over Mizuki's good intentions.
As someone affiliated with magic, she made the conscious decision to use her "vision".
Then, inquiring about the results was what a member of the magic world like him should respond with, Tatsuya thought.
"Yes, well... On Kobayakawa-senpai's right arm... maybe near where she was wearing her CAD, I saw a light, no, more like a 'spirit' bursting apart."
"Really... You saw that. So, you said this 'spirit' burst apart?"
"Uh...... Yes, that's the feeling I got. Like a really old electronic scattering sparks everywhere, something like that......"
"I see. So that's it, I get it now... So that's how they did it."
Tatsuya got a muddled image of what snare their "enemies" laid for them.
"Uh, Tatsuya-kun...?"
Apparently, his nodding movement could be detected through his voice over the phone.
A somewhat hesitant, but very hopeful voice (from Mizuki) traveled across the other end of the line.
"Excellent find, Mizuki. This is an invaluable piece of information!"
"Thank you, you are very welcome!"
Before Mizuki could ask her burning questions, Tatsuya replied first. Afterwards, Mizuki's anxious voice came back over the line.
◇◇◇
Unfortunately, in the first match, First High was forced to withdraw in the middle.
Tatsuya departed First High's pavilion that was currently suffused in a gloomy aura and made his way to the CAD examination pavilion staffed by the board.
He left Miyuki in the player's resting area — even in the pavilion, it still counted as a "room".
Based on the modus operandi, it seemed highly unlikely that they would strike in two consecutive matches, and they hadn't directly assaulted the players themselves. On the other hand, players usually focused all their attention on the upcoming match rather than worrying about details like mechanical inspections and the sort. Tatsuya adopted a similar l
ine of reasoning with his companions.
CAD examination was a procedure that had been repeated numerous times in the past few days and should be the area of least hassle or concern. However, his optimism died the moment he plugged the CAD into the examination device.
This behavior was completely impulsive.
The moment the board member took the CAD from his hands and connected it to the examination device and started operating the controls,
Instantly, he detected the anomaly, and by the time he realized this...
His hand had already dragged the man across the table and thrown him violently to the floor.
A pained shriek rang out.
Immediately afterward, an angry roar — to be precise, it was the guard who let out this angry roar — rapidly approached.
But, even hearing this sound was insufficient to halt his intentions.
A suffocating aura of killing intent stopped the footsteps in their tracks and draped the scene in silence.
This was the manifestation of the last remaining remnant of his "sincerity" (emotion-wise).
"...You've severely underestimated me!"
The painful groan was likely a biological reaction because of the increased force from the kneecap pressed down on his chest.
The board member that was thrown to the floor was so terrified of Tatsuya's demonic aura that his teeth weren't even chattering and could only lay there with spasms breaking out over his face.
"Did you seriously think that you could tamper with Miyuki's personal effects and not rouse my ire?"
Despite hearing this, any third party unaware of his family situation could not comprehend his meaning.
At the same time, even if that was the case, no one would fail to understand—
The sinister smile on his lips.
The board member who was on the receiving end of this violence had touched that which cannot be touched — the scales of the dragon.
Completely ignoring the crowd around him, Tatsuya coldly spoke to the man crumpled on the floor.
"What did you plant inside Miyuki's CAD during the examination? That's not a typical virus!"
The man's face shook even harder now. This level of terror and despair went beyond someone looking Death in the eye. This was the face of the condemned being read their sins in the depths of hell.
"So, this is how you tamper with the CAD software. Owing to the rules of the competition, no CAD can avoid coming through this bottleneck."
In the crowd of security personnel who arrived to subdue Tatsuya, the foremost one overheard Tatsuya's muttering and sucked in a breath. He turned his gaze on the man responsible for CAD examination who was currently subdued by Tatsuya. The officer's eyes gradually switched from watching a victim to gazing at a potential suspect.
"Still, you aren't the only one responsible for all the shenanigans during this competition, are you?"
Under Tatsuya's knees, tears trickled out of the corner of the man's eyes as he weakly shook his head.
"Oh? You choose silence?"
Tatsuya expressively formed the fingers of his right into a karate chop before the man's eyes.
The finger tips approached the man like the fangs of a snake.
Tatsuya's right hand slowly stalked towards the fallen man's throat.
Seeing this, everyone present was mesmerized by the sight and, for some reason, they were all thinking about the same thing.
They were visualizing the same event.
The young man's fingers would easily tear through this piteous sinner's skin, gouge out the throat, and pass merciless judgment amid a sea of blood...
"What is going on here?"
Just before this tragedy could play out to its inevitable conclusion, an elder's composed voice released everyone from their stasis.
There was no sense of intimidation or majesty; instead, the voice passed over them like a spring breeze as it swallowed the towering murderous intent and neutralized it.
"—Kudou-sama!"
His demons exorcised, Tatsuya reined in his demonic aura, retracted his hand and knees before rising to bow towards Elder Kudou.
"My terrible apologies. I have disturbed you with an unsightly display."
"You are — First High's Shiba-kun. Yesterday's match left an indelible impression. So, what's going on here?"
Feeling Tatsuya retract his fangs, someone sought to arrest the young man responsible for this chaos, but a colleague in the front ranks who overheard Tatsuya's words restrained him.
"Due to the illegal activities directed towards our school's CADs, I am currently interrogating the apprehended suspect."
"Is that so."
Anyone who had been held in place by his demonic aura and murderous intent knew this was a lie.
Interrogate wasn't going to cut it.
However, Elder Kudou chose not to pursue that issue and merely inclined his head at Tatsuya's words.
"This is the CAD that was tampered with?"
"Correct."
The old Magician once known as the "wiliest" removed the CAD from the examination device and held it before his eyes before nodding in agreement.
"...Indeed, an abnormality is present. I've seen this before. While I was still in the service, during the battles in the East China Seas, the Magicians in the Guangdong Army used this sort of Golden Electron Silkworms."
As he said this, he directed a chilling gaze towards the man on the ground.
This cold voice sent the man crawling backwards.
"Golden Electron Silkworms pass across connections to invade electronic devices. It's a SB magic that disables precision weaponry."
SB Magic was the name given to magic that used self-regulated immaterial existences, also known as "spirits", as a medium. Elder Kudou briefly recalled his experiences and slowly unmasked this magic.
"The silkworms don't rewrite the process itself. Instead, they interfere with the output signal and may even alter the signal. This delays the spell activation by hampering the electronic mechanism without triggering the OS or anti-virus programs. Prior to identifying the Golden Electron Silkworms, our forces suffered terribly under its effects... Were you aware of this?"
"No."
At Elder Kudou's inquiry, Tatsuya avoided any unnecessary movement and maintained an "at-ease" stance as he replied verbally.
"This is the first I've heard of the term Golden Electron Silkworms. However, I immediately detected a foreign element intruding on the system I designed."
"I see."
Hearing Tatsuya's words, Elder Kudou revealed a delighted smile.
Still, by the time he turned his gaze on the perpetrator, this smile had morphed into a predatory smile that a veteran Magician of a hundred battles turned on a hapless foe.
"Now, where did you come across the spell for Golden Electron Silkworms...?"
With a screech, the spy attempted to flee the scene, but was quickly brought down by the guards who originally came to arrest Tatsuya.
"Well, Shiba-kun. It's about time for you to return to the stadium. Just use the backup CADs for now. Since this kind of situation has occurred, there's no need for further examinations. Speaking of which, board chairman?"
At these sudden summons, one of the older gentlemen behind him — that being said, he was still a dozen years younger than Elder Kudou — hurriedly nodded his head.
"For such an unsavory individual to infiltrate the staff is a scandal of unprecedented proportions. Afterwards, I would like to hear your explanation."
The chairman looked ready to faint, but still managed to reply in the affirmative. Elder Kudou turned from his band of followers and once more turned a delighted gaze towards Tatsuya.
"Shiba Tatsuya-kun, I would like to speak with you sooner or later."
"Definitely, if the opportunity beckons—"
"Indeed, allow me to look forward to this 'opportunity'."
This was the first encounter between Tatsuya and Kudou Retsu.
◇◇◇
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Upon returning to First High's pavilion, Tatsuya was acutely aware that the looks sent his way had developed minute, yet definitive, changes.
—Maybe, he should say they have "reverted to their original state".
The reason he said minute was because they were trying, but failed, to hide their subtle glances. They felt guilty about seeing him in a different light, yet could not suppress the wavering in their hearts.
Tatsuya was no fool.
His emotions were merely skewed in a certain direction, with one particular half becoming especially sensitive.
Hence, he was slow to accept good intentions.
Yet very adept at picking up hostility.
Currently, he was very accustomed to reading the glances thrown his way. It was the bewilderment, terror, and avoidance one experienced when encountering an unidentified outlier.
"Onii-sama..."
Among them, one young lady did not shun him and approached him with subdued voice and expression.
"Sorry, I made you worry."
That was the only gaze that plucked his heartstrings.
"How can that be! Wasn't Onii-sama enraged on my behalf?"
At the same time as she shook her head vigorously, her brushed hair parted slightly.
"That was fast. Have you heard the details?"
Tatsuya gently adjusted the loose strands and caressed his sister's head. Shyly, Miyuki dipped her head, but still answered her brother's question clearly.
"No. That's because, whenever Onii-sama is actually furious... It's always because of me..."
Her clear answer trailed off into a sob. Tatsuya used one hand to stroke his sister's face and gently raised her head.
"...Exactly. I will only anger for your sake.
But, Miyuki. It is perfectly natural for an older brother to be furious for a young sister.
In my heart, that is the last scrap of something 'perfectly natural'.
So, Miyuki, you don't have to be so sad."
Tatsuya released his right hand and pulled out a handkerchief, which he used to dab at the tear corners of his sister's eyes.
"Besides... Wouldn't it be a shame for your tears to ruin such a beautiful make up job? Today is an auspicious day when you will ascend to the stage."