Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 13 - Steeplechase - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The last week of June. Regardless of the fact that it was after school, the proximity of the quarterly exams meant that the sounds of keystrokes, the buzz of electricity and even hushed voices doing question and answer drills fluttered about the National Magic University affiliated First High School.

It was roughly an hour since the last of the afternoon instruction had finished. After the passage of that not very long amount of time, Tatsuya stood in front of Azusa, who was overseeing things.

“President, the information as well as the proposals of the self-governing committee and the Public Morals committee have all been sorted into the approved directories; please confirm this by tomorrow.”

“Understood. …Umm, Shiba-kun, you really don’t mind processing it to the end?”

“Not at all, do you need me to stay?”

Perhaps because she trusted his abilities, or maybe simply because it was troublesome, Tatsuya curtly shook his head at Azusa’s words, which admitted that she had passed off most of her work to him.

“Then, excuse me.”

“Thank you for all your work.”

The time was nowhere near the closing of the gate. All the other officers were continuing to work and made no move to get up and leave. Nevertheless, Azusa accepted Tatsuya’s “declaration of his intent to escape” as if it was only natural and thanked him.

The truth was that Tatsuya’s early withdrawal was at Azusa’s direction; she had asked him to do it.

There were currently a total of six members on the student council: the president, the two vice presidents, treasurer, and the two secretaries. That was one more than it had at the same time last year. Under normal circumstances, the workload would have been decreased by one person; however, with the addition of Tatsuya, things had turned out a little too much for the better.

In other words, Tatsuya’s ability to handle work was too strong.

The Student Council entrusted the work of controlling necessary operations for management of the school to a few committees. Not only magic high schools did this — it was the normal way for schools to operate at the end of the twenty-first century.

However, control of the important matters of school management were by no means left to students. Major disturbances like the ‘Blanche incident’ that occurred on the April of last year were actually quite rare. The work of the Student Council was almost all simple decisions, time consuming work of making small necessary adjustments and clerical work.

And if Tatsuya exhibited his full ability to take care of matters, he could unfortunately finish off all the adjustments and clerical work easily all by himself. That would mean no work for the other officers and that would mean that they would lose the chance to accumulate experience doing the work.

The most anyone can remain an officer on the Student Council is only two and a half years. If Tatsuya did everything, then the underclassmen wouldn’t learn the job and his fellow second years might forget how to do their jobs while the upperclassmen wouldn’t know the current arrangements. And, if Tatsuya was absent for a long time, the work of the Student Council wouldn’t be performed properly. Consequently, the management of the school wouldn’t go smoothly.

The risk of that was actually quite infinitesimal, but just the potential alone was extraordinarily unpalatable. So in the first month, April, President Azusa and Treasurer Isori came to a decision. And so, the pair plucked up their nerve and asked Tatsuya ‘to ease off a bit’ for that reason. At their wit‘s end, they came up with an ‘approved early leave-taking’ solution.

This was quite convenient for Tatsuya. Originally, Tatsuya had intended to spend time after school reading unpublished research documents that the National Magic University disclosed to affiliated high schools and training. He had not wished for the positions of Public Morals committee member or Student Council officer (and the accompanying duties). Finishing work early left him with a lot of time he could use.

“Miyuki.”

“Yes, I’ll wait here.”

They had repeated the actions so many times, they were well beyond the point where he had to say that he would come to pick her up.

Secretary Honoka watched Tatsuya depart with dissatisfaction.

The cold gaze of the other secretary, Izumi, as she watched Tatsuya depart only said ‘you darn slacker’; she was unaware that Miyuki was quietly glaring at her.

At this hour, club activities were not yet over. Consequently, the locker room was empty when Tatsuya changed into his gym clothes, and after he put his uniform in a bag and into his own locker, he went to the training forest behind the school.

This man-made forest wasn’t just for practicing magic. In order to fulfill the needs of students who aspired to take the path of soldiers, policemen and rescue workers for physical training, the density of all the trees and the ups and downs of the ground were all calculated for usefulness; the ponds, the sandy soil, the running paths and the rest were carefully positioned. Also, various devices and instruments were installed. As a result, it served as a base for activities of more than just clubs that took part in competitions; they shared it with clubs centered purely on outdoor physical activities.

The club Tatsuya was visiting was one of those that didn’t take part in magical competitions.

“Yo, Tatsuya.”

Before he could greet them, his friend’s voice rang out.

“Tatsuya-niisama.”

Perhaps the voice alerted her, as Minami went to Tatsuya, a big kettle in her hand, the sound of metal grating accompanying her greeting.

“Glad to see you, Leo. Looks like you’re trying hard too, Minami.”

Tatsuya raised his hand to reply to Leo and called out to Minami, and then,

“By the way, where’s Chief Agata?”

asked about the whereabouts of the person in charge.

“Here.”

The answer to that question came from the man himself. He was not on one of the paths maintained for running within the forest; the figure of Agata Kenshiro, the chief of the Mountain Club Leo belonged to, emerged from the overgrown undergrowth beneath the trees. Tatsuya slipped through the male freshmen and sophomore club members moaning from exhaustion on the ground and bowed a greeting before Agata.

“Chief, may I join in again, today?”

“Sure, I’m taking it easy. If you can, could you work the freshmen a little for me.”

This remark made half the club members who had been transformed into living corpses shudder in surprise, but there was no one who was able to stand up and make a run for it.

“I see. How about once around the course.”

“Just one more time, hmm. That‘s easy… Race him, you guys.”

After Agata laughed happily upon hearing Tatsuya’s answer, he looked around at the miserable club members who hadn’t been able to rise up until now.

“It’s only a ten kilometer run through the forest! Look at Saijou, isn’t he energetic.”

“…Please don’t compare us to Leo.”

One of the second year members just barely managed to talk back. Somehow, he revived enough to speak; to actually get up was still beyond him.

“Don’t whine! The third years have already run one extra lap. Come on, how long are you going to lie down. You guys aren’t dead yet.”

Unenthusiastic cries rose up from here and there, as one by one the second years mustered their strength and got their bodies up. Naturally, they were reluctant to pretend that they were dead.

However, only the second years got up. The first year members didn’t have enough remaining strength to persevere.

“Nothing for it… Sakurai!”

Minami, who had been patiently hanging back, replied to Agata’s call with a ‘yes’, took the kettle she had temporarily placed at her feet, and trotted over to the side of the nearest of her fellow first years.

“Do it.”

“Yes.”

At Agata’s direction, Minami tilted the kettle in her hand.

“Ah, Hot!”

The first year whose face was drenched by the liquid poured from the kettle rolled over away from Minami’s feet, got up, and stumbled away from Minami.

“Boiling water…?”

Leo, who had come up next to him, laughed and shook his head at the question Tatsuya unintentionally murmured.

“Nope. It’s 45 to 46 degrees at most. That level of heat won’t scald.”

The female club member sitting down in the shade of the trees only snickered without a trace of concern. So it was probably true that it wasn’t a big deal; nevertheless, Tatsuya thought it was a fairly violent method.

“It’s said that at the end of the last century, they would bathe rugby players who collapsed in the middle of a match with water from a kettle to rouse their fighting spirit.”

Agata, who had been listening to Tatsuya’s and Leo’s conversation, offered up that bit of trivia.

“Was it your idea, Chief Agata, to make it hot and not cold water?”

“Because at this time of year, being soaked with cold water would feel good to those slugs.”

Agata announced his internal logic to answer Tatsuya’s question. Before their eyes, Minami baptized the boys who were her fellow first years with hot water, one by one.

There were a number of ropes strung above the pond. Narrow logs dangled from them as Tatsuya smoothly used them to advance through the air; the equally composed Leo at his side spoke to him.

“Hey, Tatsuya. Why did Sakurai-san join my club?”

“That’s just started bugging you now?”

“Naw, I’ve wondered about it before.”

As Leo said, Minami was a proper member of the mountain club in contrast to Tatsuya, who was not a member and was just using their facilities. —It’s somewhat tangential, but as a condition for being allowed to take part in the mountain club’s activities, Tatsuya had to tune the club members’ CADs and his fellow second years who were club members called him things like an ‘honorary member’ and the like.

Back to the main topic.

“With Sakurai’s magic power, didn’t she get a lot of invitations from a lot of clubs?”

It was just as Leo said, so Leo’s skepticism was natural. Minami’s magic power had been revealed to the whole school in April’s ‘Stellar Furnace Experiment’, but even during newcomer invitation week, the top scorers on the entrance exam were noted by each club. Normally, she should have joined a club that took part in magic competitions.

“She said it was because she wanted to train her body.”

Tatsuya answered the question with a half-truth. After landing on the opposite bank, while using the narrow footholds that had become stepping stones in the prepared ground to run across, they conversed effortlessly.

“I think she’s already in good enough shape for a first year girl.”

Leo’s point was expected. Because Minami had been raised as a combat magician by the main house of the Yotsuba, her physical abilities shouldn’t be something that could be improved further.

However, in terms of being good enough, her magical ability was also already more than good enough for a high school student. There was even less reason to join a club to improve that.

“Minami probably doesn’t think so.”

Minami wasn’t just a member of the mountain club, she had also joined the cooking club. Her primary reason for joining clubs was to waste time so that she could leave with Tatsuya and the rest of the Student Council — with her mistress, Miyuki, to be exact. Tatsuya was scrupulously keeping this other half of the truth unvoiced.

For magic high schools that put emphasis on practical skills, the Nine Schools Competition — the great tournament that all the magic high schools competed in — was a very important event. This was true not just for the school administration but for the students as well, due to the results of the Nine Schools Competition being linked to their career paths. Nevertheless, this was not in the least unusual. As a result, it is perhaps only natural that even more effort is put into it than the quarterly exams.

The diligent in all things Nakajou Azusa, president of the Student Council of First High School, in order to not let the individual student’s enthusiasm go to waste, had started to work on the preparations for the Nine Schools Competition a month earlier than had been done in other years. As a result, she anticipated that there would not be a flurry of activity right before the quarterly exams and that the preparations would proceed in a rather relaxed fashion.

Until today, Monday July 2, 2096, when a totally unexpected notification caught her completely off guard.

On that day, Tatsuya and Miyuki went to the Student Council room after school as usual. The quarterly exams were next week; however, that had nothing to do with the activities of the student council. For the already mentioned reason, compared to most years, the duties of the Student Council officers had lessened. —Not that this had anything to do with the siblings; they were not the kind to do overnight cramming sessions, so the uneasiness, discontent and grumbling had nothing to do with them.

Anyway, immediately after Tatsuya opened the door to the Student Council room as usual,

The gloomy atmosphere wafting out of the room made Tatsuya unconsciously stop.

“Onii-sama? What is…”

It wasn’t just Tatsuya. Miyuki, who was peeking out from behind his back, was too shocked to finish saying the simple sentence, “What is the matter?” Right before their eyes, Azusa was emitting ‘it’s the end of the world’ despair while covering her head.

“Oh. It’s you two, thank you for coming.”

From in front of the president’s desk, Isori spoke to them with a face dark with despair. That prompted Tatsuya to muster the determination to finally take a step into the moribund air.

“You're welcome, Isori-senpai. What the heck happened?”

Once he made a decision, he took the direct route. That was Tatsuya’s style. Ignoring Azusa, who was covering her head, Tatsuya asked Isori for information.

“Umm, well…”

“The details of this year’s competition have been delivered from the Nine Schools Competition’s management committee.”

Instead of the inarticulate Isori, Azusa, who still wasn’t showing her face, answered Tatsuya’s question.

“Oh, it’s already that time.”

“The particulars will be made available on the public website, tomorrow.”

“I see. So, what is the problem?”

Apparently, he realized that the details contained a problem worth covering one’s head over. However, what on earth could the problem be that caused this extravagant display of despair? Tatsuya was unable to take the option of not finding out.

“Everything!”

Perhaps, Azusa had been waiting for that question. She vigorously lifted her head and began pouring out complaints like they were curses.

“Changes to the event program are included in the information notices!”

“…What has changed?”

Certainly, that was bad news. First High’s Student Council had made preparations based on the assumption that the program had not been changed from last year. However, although the schedule had been fixed in recent years, there was no rule that it couldn’t be changed. Due to the fact that the finalized event listing was sent about a month before the competition, it wasn’t against the rules to notify them of a change in the roster of events today.

“Three events!”

However, Tatsuya was still surprised by the answer Azusa gave in a shrieking voice.

“Speed Shooting, Crowd Ball, and Battle Board are out; the newly added events are Row and Gunner, Shield Down and Steeplechase Cross-country.”

There were six events in all and half of them had been changed. Furthermore, due to the nature of the new events — the type of magic that needed to be used was pretty different. This meant it was probably necessary to change the selection of the athletes.

However, it was premature of him to make decisions. Azusa’s answer didn’t end there.

“What’s more, athletes can only take part in two events if one of them is Steeplechase Cross-country! Additionally, Ice Pillars Break, Row and Gunner, and Shield Down are divided into solo and pair events.”

Azusa pounded on the desk with both hands for emphasis. Tatsuya could vaguely understand how she was driven to such an extreme. This represented a major change; this had a dramatic influence on the way each school conducted the Nine Schools Competition. Not just athlete selection, strategy and tactics would have to be reworked as well.

In short, all the early preparation they had done was useless. Preparing beforehand had backfired on them. It was inevitable that Azusa became this distraught. Tatsuya thought she had good self control not to panic.

“Umm, Onii-sama.”

From behind him, Miyuki diffidently spoke to Tatsuya, who was considering what to say to the heavily breathing Student Council president.

“Row and Gunner? Shield Down? Steeplechase Cross-country… what kind of events are they?”

Miyuki was probably going to be entered into Ice Pillars Break; there was almost no chance that she would take part in Row and Gunner or Shield Down. However, she would probably have to enter Steeplechase Cross-country, the only other event she was allowed to enter, and she was interested in the other two events as a Nine Schools Competition athlete. Her curiosity was only natural.

“They don’t have to adopt the rules I know of, but…”

After making that preface, Tatsuya answered his sister’s question.

“Row and Gunner: Row is short for rower and Gunner means a shooter. In the pair category, one person acts as the 'rower' of an unmotorized boat along a water channel, and the other acts as the 'gunner', who will shoot down targets either on the banks of the channel or moving on the water channel itself. Both the time taken to reach the goal and the number of targets shot will determine the score. In solo, a single person probably acts as both the 'rower' and 'gunner'. The event was originally part of the USNA’s naval curriculum.”

After confirming that Miyuki had no questions, Tatsuya switched to explaining the next event.

“Shield Down: a close combat event that uses shields. It’s usually held in a ring that is a bit higher than the floor or surface. You win by destroying the opponent’s shield, stealing the opponent’s shield or expelling the opponent from the ring. Additionally, physical attacks on one’s opponent are forbidden but are allowed against the shield. In short, magic is used on your own shield, your own body and to attack your opponent’s shield, and using magic to expel your opponent from the ring is allowed.”

“Can you hit your opponent's shield with your own shield to expel your opponent from the ring?”

“Of course.”

“There’s an additional rule: if you can get the opponent to release the shield for five seconds, you win even if you don’t take the shield.”

After Tatsuya answered Miyuki’s question, Isori provided the supplemental explanation. Tatsuya waited for a bit but no further supplements or amendments came, so he switched to the next one.

“Steeplechase Cross-country is as the name says. In short, a cross-country obstacle course race. You compete by clearing obstacles placed in a forest in a time race. It’s an infantry training exercise held in mountains and forests. Obstacles can be natural or man-made, and automatic gun emplacements or magic obstacles can be used.”

“That’s an extremely difficult event…”

Tatsuya scowled as he agreed with Miyuki’s honest assessment.

“Row and Gunner and Shield Down aside, Steeplechase Cross-country is not an event high school students should participate in. What on earth is the management committee thinking?”

Tatsuya muttered like he wanted to scold them. Just then, Isori added some more bizarre information.

“Furthermore, all the second and third year athletes, male and female, can potentially enter. Actually, everyone but the first years can participate.”

“…If the athletes are not extremely well trained in countermeasures, there will be a huge quantity of dropouts.”

By dropouts, Tatsuya didn’t just mean out of the competition, he meant out of magic high school. They probably didn’t realize he meant that possibility.

“Oh my…!”

Azusa made that cry of despair and once more collapsed on the desk radiating hopelessness.

The Student Council’s work wasn’t just to prepare for the Nine Schools competition; a portion of the high school’s management duties were consigned to the Student Council to give them practical work experience. Not just in magic high schools, but in all high schools. Not performing those duties would hinder the smooth management of the school. Therefore, even at a time like this, they had to get at least the minimum of the work done; when Honoka, who was acting as an envoy, and Izumi, who had been delayed by practical skills training, showed their faces in the Student Council room, both Tatsuya and Miyuki were wrestling with the work of the Student Council.

—Azusa still had her head buried in the desk, however.

—Isori was making great efforts to pull her out of her depression, however.

“Since it’s become like this, all we can do is choose the athletes again.”

“…”

“Isn’t it good that there is still time to do it! Besides, not all of our preparations are useless!”

“…”

“Somehow we will surely be able to come up with countermeasures to Steeplechase Cross-country! So, hey, Nakajou-san. Now—”

He engulfed Azusa from behind; he was trying to at least release her from the world she had trapped herself in and Isori was gently caressing her shoulders, when,

“—Kei?”

he was frozen by a cold voice coming from behind him.

“…Kanon?”

With awkward movements, Isori turned around to face the staircase that led to Public Morals Headquarters. Just as he expected, his fiancée was standing right there. —While she was smiling, the veins on her forehead had surfaced.

“Keeeiiii-. What are you doingggg?”

“Uh, umm, by what?”

“Engulfing Nakajou-san like that, what on earth did you intend to doooo?”

It wasn’t a sincere smile, it was more like a seal that had been pasted on. Kanon’s actual feelings were quite easy to read.

“A misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!”

Isori earnestly shook his head. On the other hand, Azusa took refuge in a corner of the room. Rather than next month’s Nine Schools Competition, they should probably choose to deal with the carnage occurring before their eyes. But as for the response from the other members, Izumi, for example, was viewing Isori, who was desperately making excuses, with annoyance, but was this from tiredness or was this from shock; she was not looking at the work in progress screen — but rather at Miyuki, who was reading reports at her desk.

For Izumi, Miyuki was an oasis for her heart. When she was tired from work, when she was deadlocked in confusion and when she was uncomfortably nervous, she would actually feel her heart warm when Miyuki entered into her field of vision. A lover’s quarrel anyone would avoid was making Izumi’s will to do anything gradually sink to the ground. She was covertly trying to take a look at Miyuki which (in Izumi logic) was an indispensable step to recovering her motivation.

Just then, perhaps by some kind of coincidence, the gazes of Izumi, who was turning, and Miyuki, who was looking up, met directly. To Izumi, who was beginning to be flustered and was thinking of excuses, Miyuki gave a troubled smile and flicked her eyes toward Isori and Kanon. And this time, Miyuki gave Izumi a look.

Izumi had asked the ‘Onee-sama’ she loved and respected, ‘What should we do?’ with her eyes. Or so she felt. And Miyuki had responded with one slight shake of her head, ‘We should do nothing’ and gave a bewildered smile.

As per their usual after school routine, Tatsuya and his friends stopped by their favorite coffee shop, ‘Eine Brise’, on their way home today. The group included the eight second years and one first year, Minami. On the way there, Izumi looked like she wanted to join them, but Kasumi, her elder twin, was completely uninterested, so it was inevitable that they went straight home. Minami was pretty uncomfortable being the only first year among upperclassmen; however, since she was diligent in her duties, she couldn’t choose another option.

Today, Mikihiko had suggested the after school coffee break. It was rare for him to be this proactive, so it felt like he wanted to say something or ask about something.

And as expected, immediately after they finished ordering, Mikihiko pelted a question at Tatsuya.

“Tatsuya, is it true that the roster of events in the Nine Schools Competition have been changed?”

“You sure got wind of that quick.”

It was hard to tell if the affirmative answer to the question Tatsuya gave was praise or scorn.

“Who did you hear about it from?”

“The committee chief and Isori-senpai discussed it.”

Mikihiko did not reveal his source; Shizuku volunteered it. They were both members of the Public Morals committee. In short, they had eavesdropped on them in the committee headquarters.

“But, we don’t know the full details.”

“Eh, the events have changed? What to what?”

Erika took the bait of Mikihiko’s unnecessary explanation.

“A notice addressed to the Student Council came today. Speed Shooting, Crowd Ball and Battle Board are out; Row and Gunner, Shield Down and Steeplechase Cross-country have been added.”

“What type of competitions are those?”

After Tatsuya gave the same explanation he gave to Miyuki to Erika, she grinned happily.

“Hey… those sound like fun. Especially Shield Down.”

Erika’s excitement showed in her voice.

“Oh, really… they seem kind of scary to me.”

Looking at her ecstatic friend, Mizuki made a diffident protest.

“Yes… up to last year, all the events they held avoided direct clashes between athletes.”

“Even Monolith Code was like that.”

Perhaps Miyuki was thinking the same thing; she promptly chimed in her agreement to Honoka’s remark.

“But I think Steeplechase Cross-country is more dangerous than Shield Down.”

“Yes. Onii-sama said that, as well.”

Miyuki nodded as she agreed with Shizuku‘s interjection.

“In a forest without paths, even moving around is dangerous if you’re not used to it. With not just physical obstacles, but magical ones as well, it would be strange if no one got hurt.”

“Right. A very experienced guide is needed for hiking in the mountains even with roads. It’s too reckless to do a speed competition in an unknown forest.”

Leo and Mikihiko voiced critical, or rather negative, opinions based on their individual experiences.

“Hey, Tatsuya. I get the feeling that the events they added this year are awfully military-ish, you agree?”

Everyone there was somewhat in agreement with Leo’s words.

“It’s true.”

Once again, he was right not to try and fool his friends. And so, all Tatsuya could do was nod. Without reluctance, Tatsuya explained what he had surmised and what he based it on.

“It’s probably an effect of the Yokohama Incident. After last year’s incident, people connected to our national defense affairs have acknowledged the usefulness of magicians to the military and this is an attempt to influence our education in that direction.”

“That’s exactly what the anti-magician activists in the media are protesting.”

Erika jeered with an evil grin. Tatsuya couldn’t just smile at her mockery.

“Yes but their timing is not the only thing that is bad. Why are they making such easily understood changes… And, I think adding provocation to the current international situation is unnecessary.”

Honoka’s and Mizuki’s faces clouded with unease in response to Tatsuya’s words.

“…Well that doesn’t matter, it’s going to get busy from now on.”

Perhaps to change the mood, Tatsuya continued to act as if he was already bored with the topic. This was not a complete pretense. In the current situation, Tatsuya would have to do without his pleasant after school routine at least until the Nine Schools Competition was over.

The students of First High School were not the only ones to show annoyance at the change in the event program of the Nine Schools Competition. In the mansion of the Ichijou clan of the Ten Master Clans, students of Third High School were also pouring out complaints like their fellow second years.

“To suddenly… unbelievable.”

“Absolutely.”

“No matter how much they say it’s within the rules… it would have been better to inform us earlier with such a large scale change, right?”

“Definitely.”

“And we already started practicing the ousted events. We even got as far as refining the activation sequences… all the hard work we’ve done til now have been a waste of time.”

“True.”

“We have to redo everything from the athlete selection on… eh, Masaki, are you listening!?”

Perhaps feeling that he was being repeatedly given absent minded words of agreement, Kichijouji, who had been grumbling about the notice from the Nine Schools Competition management committee, flared up at Masaki.

“Naturally. I’m sorry if you felt I was ignoring you.”

However, it seemed that Masaki’s mental state was even less calm; his tone as he answered was quite pointed.

“…Sorry, I was venting.”

“No, I’m the one at fault. It’s natural for you to be upset, George.”

And with that, the pair were apparently able to release their anger and cool their heads. The thorny mood promptly disappeared; their need for fruitless agitation was satisfied.

“Anyway, no matter how much we grumble, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Masaki spoke as if he was telling himself that and,

“Right… First, we re-pick the athletes. Ahh…”

Kichijouji sighed as he accepted it.

“Right… we have to think about what this means, George.”

However, the next words that came out of Masaki’s mouth were packed with more than consolation.

“What do you mean?”

Naturally, the suspicions on Kichijouji’s face as he questioned Masaki only made him seem more earnest.

“The events that have been added to the program all have strong ties to actual combat. I think that is more to our advantage than First High’s.”

“I see… First High puts a lot of emphasis on achieving a high ranking international license, they don’t seem to stress combat techniques that have no bearing on improving practical magic skills.”

“Although, there are exceptions like Sawaki, the Magic Arts athlete, and ‘that guy’. But, if we look at the student bodies in general, ours is the one that excels in magic combat techniques and as a group of athletes in the Nine Schools Competition, the odds are in our favor.”

“I… see. But.”

Kichijouji agreed with Masaki’s opinion but not unconditionally.

“The outcome of the Nine Schools Competition is not determined by the average rankings of the participating athletes. Only the top ranks in the individual events determine it. Under the rules of the competition, other than Mirage Bat, the athletes have to enter into either the solo or pair competitions for the event. The key is deciding who is going solo and who is going to form a pair.”

“I see. Now, there are limitations on the duplication of entries this time. It’s as you say, George. How we divide the athletes into solo and pair competitions is going to have a big impact. For example, you and I would form the best pair. However—”

Masaki suddenly paused and looked toward the door. There was no knock. However, his intuition was not mistaken.

“Hello, Shinkurou-kun.”

The next instant, Akane, the eldest daughter of the Ichijou clan and Masaki‘s younger sister, entered the room as she called out in a lively voice.

“You… knock before entering my room, like I’m always telling you.”

As she listened to the lecture from her brother that had already become routine, Akane took iced tea and gum syrup from the tray in her hand and placed them in front of Kichijouji.

“Here, Shinkurou-kun. One gum syrup is fine, right?”

“Uh, thank you, Akane-chan.”

“You're welcome. You don’t want one, Nii-san? A drink from the sister who entered without knocking.”

And Akane demurely looked at her brother as she spoke, the one who was addressed answered with a sour look.

“…Put it down.”

It probably goes without saying that it was a joke. Akane smiled as she offered iced coffee to Masaki. It can be said without sarcasm that Akane was a properly raised young girl.

This kind of exchange was just the traditional practice between the siblings.

“Akane-chan, you just got back?”

Therefore, not even Kichijouji was bothered by it at this point. What was bothering him was Akane’s attire.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

She innocently nodded. Eventually Akane noticed and an ‘ah’ surfaced on her face.

“I see. This is the first time you’ve seen me in my summer uniform.”

Her tray now empty, Akane twirled around. The pleated skirt and sailor collar constructed from light cloth for summer use danced lightly.

“So? Does it suit me?”

Akane’s bashful smile was surprisingly ‘girlish’. Kichijouji knew that by becoming a middle school student his friend’s sister had made a radical transformation from ‘child’ to ‘girl’ as he watched. However, even though he knew that, unexpectedly confronting it shocked him.

“Ye-yes, it looks good on you.”

“Really, I’m glad, thank you.”

The graceless compliment wrung out from Kichijouji made Akane supremely happy and she gently smiled. Half a year ago, she would have clapped her hands in joy. Even her small habits were now infused with ‘girlishness’.

A white and light blue sailor uniform with fashionable half sleeves. The traditional colors and uniform of the prestigious middle school made the girl especially radiant and Kichijouji’s eyes unconsciously narrowed. …And directly beside him he felt an accusing disappointed stare.

“George, just like I…”

“You’re wrong!”

Kichijouji reflexively denied Masaki’s accusation. If the two of them were alone, there probably wouldn’t be any problem with his response. However, it was unwise in front of the third party present.

“Hmmm… jealous, Nii-san?”

Having the one she liked promptly deny ‘that he had any romantic interest in her’ would hurt anyone. That had no relation to age. It had everything to do with the passion Akane acknowledged she felt.

However, she childishly vented her wrath on Masaki rather than Kichijouji himself, or perhaps her passion for him kept her from seeking her beloved’s ire.

“Don’t say stupid things.”

Whichever one it was, all Masaki could do was refute it bluntly. He didn’t feel like making a serious attempt to communicate and the other side became even more sullen about being treated like a child.

“Hmm, a misunderstanding you say.”

Up to this point, their words were at their usual level of abusiveness. Afterwards, the normal pattern would be Akane saying ‘I’m not letting you have Shinkurou-kun all to yourself!’ or something equally cutting and Kichijouji would mediate between the siblings.

“I was listening.”

However, today things went differently.

“So what?”

Akane laughed smugly at Masaki’s objection.

“You invited Shinkurou-kun to be your dance partner, Nii-san!”

“What the!?”

“Eeh!?”

This shocked not just Masaki but Kichijouji as well. The pair had absolutely no memory of doing anything like that.

“Nii-san, didn’t you say that you and Shinkurou-kun would form the best couple.”

“You, eavesdropped—”

“Disgusting.”

Masaki’s words were chopped off as Akane directed a scornful look at her brother.

“It’s counterproductive to have two males together.”

“No. Wait a minute, Akane-chan! You misunderstood. It’s a misunderstanding!”

Being sneered at by a middle school girl made Kichijouji begin to make frantic desperate denials. Making him even more desperate, his social position was at stake.

And in the room of the heir to the Ichijou clan, while the master of the room, Masaki, continued to be frozen out of shock, Kichijouji frantically protested their innocence for a full two hours straight.