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Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 3 - Nine School Competition (I) - Chapter 4.2




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With a few exceptions, human beings chose only to see things they wish to see.

More likely, "they chose to ignore objects that they did not want to perceive".

For biological organisms, bad news from the five senses was usually more vital than good news. Objects and situations that were displeasing often caused harm to the physical body, so identifying these threats were integral to survival.

However, humans often avert their eyes from what they do not wish to see.

For example, even knowing that a weapon of mass destruction was currently aimed at them, they still chose to ignore this aspect of reality.

This was especially true for citizens of first world countries that are so removed from struggling for survival in their day to day activities.

Even without this exaggerated example, there were countless examples every day where people pretend not to see things that are repulsive and pretend that they didn't exist.

—Such as, the sheer killing intent emanating from a beautiful young lady.

Miyuki, who had returned to her usual serene grace, was surrounded by male students.

Who, until this moment, did not dare to approach.

Miyuki was gorgeous enough to cause anyone to stop in their tracks, so no one dared to crowd her too much, but whenever an opportunity presented itself someone would immediately try to strike up a conversation. The majority of these offenders were 1st Year students, with the occasional 2nd or 3rd Year student.

Finally, Mari couldn't stand it any longer and forcibly relocated Miyuki and the other two to sit behind her.

Thus, with Miyuki and the now tranquil Kanon, much happier after venting, occupying the two window seats, Mari sitting beside Kanon, and Katsuto holding down the fort behind Miyuki, peace finally returned to the bus (Mayumi was sleeping soundly, likely satisfied after thoroughly teasing Hattori).

While it was pleasurable to speak with people of the same gender, there was something missing.

The two young ladies who shared this thought both absently watched the scenery passing by.

So Miyuki and Kanon were the first two to discover the situation.

"Watch out!"

Kanon was the one who shouted out.

Following her voice, just about everyone in the car looked out the window on one side of the bus.

From the opposite direction, a large vehicle — this was a smaller bus used for leisurely pursuits — was sliding towards them on the ground, scattering sparks everywhere.

Someone shouted that the tires burst.

Another agitated passenger claimed that the tires fell off.

There was no sense of danger in their voices.

There was a central divider between the two sides of the highway, further fortified by a protective barrier.

Basically, there was no way for the accident to spread over here.

In their young and inexperienced eyes, this disaster on the other side was only something to stimulate them.

A stimulation — that lasted for one second.

Someone shrieked.

Maybe more than one person.

This was hardly their fault.

The large vehicle suddenly spun as it collided with the central divider and, for some reason, flipped into the air towards them.

The bus slammed on the brakes, sending everyone careening forward.

The screams of pain were likely caused by the students who ignored the safety regulations and failed to buckle their seat belts.

The bus stopped.

Thankfully, they stopped short of impact.

However, the fallen vehicle was still sliding towards the bus while aflame.

"Let me shove it back!"

"Disappear!"

"Halt!"

"Oh!"

There was no panic aboard the bus, which was something worthy of praise.

But that only served to worsen the situation.

Without warning, several instances of magic shot forward and all tried to apply the phenomenon rewriting ability at the same time on the same object.

The only thing this would achieve would be to scramble all the magics against each other and do nothing to prevent the incoming disaster.

"You idiots, stop now!"

Mari quickly realized this.

Fortunately, everyone was still in the activation process and had not finished yet.

So everyone was forced to recall their half-formed magic, leaving a few precious seconds for some sort of meaningful defense.

They needed a powerful magic to instantly rewrite the current phenomenon.

Everyone gathered on board were the saplings and seeds of future Magicians, but they were all capable of doing this.

However — if they were able to logically follow Mari's orders, they wouldn't have tried to recklessly use magic.

Also, in order to overwrite the original effects of the magic and achieve the desired result, they had to use a stronger magic to forcibly overwrite the currently activated magic—

"Juumonji!"

Mari summoned a Magician capable of performing this feat.

Katsuto was currently readying his magic.

But Mari almost despaired at seeing his pale and agitated visage.

Mari understood as well.

This pocket of space where Magic Sequences were running amok was just like what would happen during "Calculation Interference".

Even Katsuto had no way of handling both the oncoming impact and roaring flames at the same time......

"Leave the flames to me!"

The slim and beautiful figure of a 1st Year student rose near the window.

Her magic was already prepped and ready.

Seeing this, Katsuto immediately started designing the Magic Sequence for a fortifying barrier.

Yet, regardless of how incredibly talented she was, was this 1st Year student able to use her magic in this veritable storm of psions—?

For a second, Mari thought she was hallucinating.

She was a Magician fully capable of understanding magic, but she still questioned her own senses there.

Just as Miyuki was about to invoke her magic with the flaming metal hulk bearing down on them......

The rampaging Magic Sequences all disappeared in an instant.

As if waiting for this moment to occur, Miyuki immediately activated her magic.

She wasn't freezing the flaming vehicle nor cutting off the air supply to suffocate the driver (though in this case, the chance that the driver survived was remote), she was efficiently using magic to dramatically lower the temperature to extinguish the flames.

Mari could not help but applaud her choice of action.

At the same time, this proved that Mari's magic perception ability was working normally.

Katsuto spread out the protective barrier magic — this was a Movement-Type Systematic Magic that creates a force field that renders any object that enters its boundaries immobile — causing the already ruined vehicle to crumple upon impact. Mari looked elsewhere when she heard the sound of impact (Mari trusted that Katsuto's magic would be able to hold the incoming vehicle).

What the heck just happened?

The interfering remnants of Magic Sequences suddenly disappeared just before magic was applied to avoid the accident, but what the heck caused that?

Was it Mayumi's magic?

Mari immediately rejected this notion that floated into her head.

It was true that Mayumi was able to handle the rampant Magic Sequences.

However, Mayumi's Counter Magic (magic deployed specifically against magic) was shaped like psion bullets that used copies of Magic Sequences to tear them apart.

That type of magic couldn't completely annihilate every Magic Sequence down to the last iota.

If Mayumi's magic was synonymous to precision anti-aircraft guns, then the earlier magic (if it was magic at all) was something that would have carpet bombed the entire district. Not a single pillar would be left standing, steel would turn molten, the foundations and cement would scatter everywhere from the explosions, rendering this entire area into complete rubble — that was how violent that attack was.

While Mari and Katsuto were both frozen before the primal chaos of the rampaging Magic Sequences, Miyuki seemed to know from the start that this situation would fade and activated her magic without any hesitation.

Did she know who cast that "magic"?

Hold on, was that magic......?

"Is everyone alright?"

Mari was staring at the storage vehicle — currently parked behind them — that was following them, and only recovered herself and turned around upon hearing Mayumi's steady voice.

"That was cutting it a little close, but there's no need for concern. Juumonji and Miyuki-chan's excellent performances saved us from disaster. Anyone who's hurt better realize how important safety belts are, so make sure to buckle up next time."

Mayumi added "so long as there isn't a next time" with a smile, causing laughter to fill the bus.

Everyone shook off the intense anxiety and terror and resumed a more relaxed expression.

"Juumonji, thanks, you're just as dependable as ever."

"No...... Thanks to the fire quickly being extinguished, I could focus solely on stopping the vehicle. Also, did Saegusa get rid of the rampant Magic Sequences?"

Hearing Katsuto's question, Mayumi's eyes drifted awkwardly.

"Ah! I only noticed after the bus stopped......"

Speaking of which, Mayumi was sleeping up until the moment of the accident.

Katsuto also realized this, so he only raised an eyebrow slightly but made no further comment — Katsuto was undoubtedly the most honorable person among the student body leaders.

"Ah, Miyuki-chan as well. Your execution was flawless. You were able to use such a narrow window to construct a perfect Magic Sequence. That's an accomplishment that even us 3rd Year students would be hard pressed to emulate."

Katsuto and Mari both nodded in agreement at Mayumi's words.

All three of them knew very well that being able to correctly choose the appropriate magic and modulate it under such critical circumstances was no small feat.

Mayumi's praise caused Miyuki to blush deeply.

"President, I am honored by your praise. However, thanks to Ichihara-senpai's powerful assistance in halting the bus, I had sufficient time to construct the Magic Sequence, otherwise even I'm afraid that I may have hurried my move in such a trying condition. Ichihara-senpai, thank you."

Miyuki gravely bowed in thanks, to which Suzune silently nodded in response.

Kanon, who was sitting in front of Miyuki, turned around in her chair with an utterly gob smacked expression.

Mari was also unable to hide her astonishment.

Just as Miyuki said, there was no way the bus could've come to a halt in time with the brakes alone.

The moment the driver slammed on the brakes, it wasn't hard to imagine someone also using Speed Magic to help out.

But Mari only noticed everyone using magic to stop the incoming vehicle and was wholly ignorant of Suzune casting magic to stop the bus.

While everyone was preoccupied with visually confirming the danger, she accurately made the correct response.

Suzune's proficiency in magic was said to rival Mari and company, and today she more than sustained that reputation. Also, Miyuki was the only one who detected Suzune's magic while everyone else remained ignorant; her talent was truly awe-inspiring.

"In comparison, you......"

"Ow! Mari-senpai, why did you hit me?"

Suddenly being knocked atop the head, Kanon complained tearfully.

"Stuff it, Kanon, do you have any right to complain? Morisaki and Kitayama both panicked and used magic to complicate the situation, but that's only to be expected since they're 1st Year students. But what's the deal with you as a 2nd Year student panicking first!"

"Uh, but my reaction was the fastest, I just didn't expect anyone else to overlap on magic......"

Kanon's explanation caused both Morisaki and Shizuku to droop in shame.

Quite a few others revealed awkward expressions.

"Fastest isn't always better! At least evaluate the situation first, then make some sort of rudimentary communication between each other to avoid ambiguity, alright? On top of that, based on the fact that you still didn't deactivate your magic even after noticing the conflicting situation proves that you had already lost your objectivity."

"......I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Seeing Kanon's dejected state, Mari didn't go any further.

Even with this lecture, without the requisite training and experience, it was very difficult to remain calm under those circumstances.

When taking that into account, it was even more amazing that Miyuki was able to clearly communicate her decision to extinguish the flames.


This wasn't something that relied on talent alone. Usually, geniuses tend to try and stick out too much, which actually hurts more since it compromises communication.

By this definition, Kanon possessed an exemplary genius mentality.

Miyuki must have gone through extensive and arduous training.

Her serene patience in waiting for the bus to resume moving was perfectly suited for her experiences, or completely unsuitable at the same time.

"Speaking of which, Shiba."

"Yes."

Mari called Tatsuya by name, but referred to Miyuki by surname.

Generally, she preferred to address others by surname and only called closer companions such as Mayumi, Kanon, and members of the Public Morals Committee by their name. To her, Tatsuya was someone who she was especially close to.

"Do you know how those Magic Sequences...... No, never mind, don't worry about it, you performed magnificently."

"Ah? Thank you for your compliment."

Originally, Mari wanted to ask the question "Do you know who used Counter Magic to erase those Magic Sequences?"

In the middle, she ruminated on whether she wanted to know the answer.

For some reason, Mari felt that the answer would cause devastating damage to "certain" objects in her immediate vicinity.

Outside the window, the male students from the technician team descended from the storage vehicles and commenced rescue operations.

That being said, the all-terrain vehicle not only violently struck the protective barrier and flipped through the air, it was also ablaze as well.

There was no chance the driver survived.

There were no women present, likely because the male students wished to spare them from the sight of the burning corpse.

Even though the fire was put out, the possibility that the ethanol-based gasoline would re-ignite was not zero.

Behind the 3rd Year students trying to cut out the door, a 1st Year student was using a camera to record the evidence.

Realizing that her eyes were continuously following his back, Mari swiftly averted her gaze.

 

After the incident, including the time spent during police interviews and assisting with clean up so that the bus could pass, roughly 30 minutes elapsed since the incident ended. Figure in the delay from the start of the trip, the group arrived at the dorms shortly after noon.

From a strictly competitive standpoint, most of the contestants that excel during the Nine Schools Competition eventually join the military.

To safeguard their source of talented Magicians, the military heavily invested in the Nine Schools Competition in both the competition arena and the dormitories. Hotels previously reserved for government officials during inspection or visiting foreign dignitaries and their followers were instead allocated for students and related personnel during the Nine Schools Competition.

That being said, it wasn't like the situation was all-encompassing.

In the end, the hotel was a military building, so there was no valet parking or suites. Usually, the soldiers on duty at this location would be responsible for these missions, but the Nine Schools Competition was a high school event. So, the students were responsible for carrying their own luggage. The larger devices were left in the storage vehicles for easy access so they didn't have to be removed, but the smaller tools and CADs had to be shifted from the vehicles to the individual rooms for maintenance.

A certain 1st Year student from the technician team quickly accomplished his objectives. Pushing a cart full of luggage forward and being accompanied by a smiling female student walking next to him, a sight that caused Hattori to shake his head with a heavy expression on his face.

"Hattori, what's up? Take a look at your hangdog expression."

Behind him, a warm voice struck up a conversation.

"Kirihara...... Nah, it's nothing."

Hattori turned around and verified that the man was indeed his good friend based on his voice, and reflexively responded with a vague answer.

"Really? At least you look like something's awry."

He probably noticed himself.

Hattori didn't continue to deny Kirihara's words and let out a masochistic smirk.

"I've...... lost some confidence."

"Oh please, the competition is the day after tomorrow, what's with the doom and gloom?"

Kirihara was only responsible for "Crowd Ball" on the second day, but Hattori was scheduled for "Battle Board" on the first and third days as well as "Monolith Code" on the ninth and tenth days.

Hattori was on a different competition tier than Kirihara and was one of the primary aces for the 2nd Year cohort.

If his status was anything short of excellent, this would severely impact the overall team strategy.

Thus, it was surprising for Kirihara to panic at this stage.

"So why are you so depressed?"

In Kirihara's eyes, Hattori Gyoubu was a studious young man bursting with confidence, or maybe someone who worked arduously to earn that confidence.

Just in his second year alone, Hattori possessed the strength just second to the big three. This distinction was not earned on talent alone, although this did feed his arrogance — a point that his friend didn't try to defend — and was the subject of much misinterpretation, but his diligence matched his abundant talent at the highest level. At least, that was how Kirihara had always seen Hattori.

Hard working, talented and accomplished. With these three under his belt, there was no reason why he should suddenly lose the wind in his sails......

"Looks like you haven't noticed, how I envy you......"

"What is this? Are you insinuating that I'm stupid?"

"No, but I do think you're slow."

"Hey!"

Hattori's usual mocking smile that was easily misunderstood by others returned.

He appeared to have recovered his balance.

That Hattori was able to improve his mood by digging Kirihara put a sour taste in Kirihara's mouth, but at least he wasn't worried any more.

"......This isn't like you, right? What exactly has dragged you down recently?"

Kirihara asked again with the full intention of returning the favor.

Hattori was not dull enough to misunderstand his friend's clumsy concern.

"That earlier incident......"

"Ah~, that was too close."

"Yeah, and if nothing happened, I think a lot of people would've been hurt or even lost their lives."

"But didn't the President and company handily deal with it? Isn't worrying about nonexistent injuries a sign of general anxiety? This sort of reverse thinking is harmful to mental health."

Kirihara's forthright comment caused Hattori to laugh lightly.

"Kirihara, I really envy your ability to let it go, but that's not what I'm considering."

Hattori stopped for a moment then shook his head again.

"......At the time, I couldn't do anything at all."

"That's because if you acted without thinking, that would only worsen the situation. I think that holding back shows that you maintained a level head during a crisis."

Kirihara's words were meant to be comforting and not superficial lip service at all. From his objective analysis of the situation, Hattori also acknowledged his words.

Even so, Hattori's expression remained heavy.

"However...... Shiba-san adopted the correct choice of action. She chose the appropriate task based on her expertise and did not forget to alert everyone of her actions. Even if the conflicting Magic Sequences did not suddenly disappear before she invoked her magic, she should have been able to team up with Group Leader Juumonji to handle the situation."

"At the time, Chief Watanabe also didn't act. Given that Shiba-san specializes in Freezing-Type Magic, isn't this just a matter of magic suitability?"

"Watanabe-senpai's expertise lies in anti-personnel combat, so she was holding back as a method of self-restraint for the benefit of the whole. In that situation, I am able to accomplish more objectives.

......No, the question at hand isn't about Magic Power. Watanabe-senpai instantly made the correct assessment that she was not the correct person to do the job and called on Group Leader Juumonji to assist. Before she even said anything, Group Leader Juumonji already realized that this was a situation he would be called upon and was already constructing his Magic Sequence. They also came to the conclusion that just the Group Leader alone was insufficient to combat this threat, but didn't panic and use magic haphazardly. Shiba-san calmly determined what she could do and verbalized this to everyone.

The problem is not just about strong or weak Magic Powers or the ability to use diverse or powerful magics or simply a technical issue, but as a Magician, are you able to use the appropriate magic in the right circumstances — yes, the problem isn't 'magic' talent, but the 'Magician's' talent. There is no doubt her Magic Power is staggering and on pure strength alone there's an 80% chance I would lose to her. However, until today, I've never worried about that point, because a Magician's quality is not measured solely by the level of their Magic Power. But — when compared to my underclassman, I am not only lacking magic talent, but also in talent as a Magician...... This is thoroughly depressing."

Hattori once more turned a glum expression while Kirihara adopted a "what am I going to do with you" look.

"Ah~ that's a matter of life experiences, and that's where I think that pair of siblings are particularly special."

"Siblings?"

His evaluation was not on "her" but "that pair of siblings", catching Hattori off guard and causing him to look at Kirihara in a quizzical manner.

"That brother of hers...... I'm guessing he’s offed someone before."

"Offed?"

Hattori's incredulous voice carried a note of shock.

"Yes, he's killed someone before, and not just one or two people."

"......You don't actually mean homicide, do you? You're referring to actual combat experience?"

"He does give people that feeling...... You know that my dad was in the marines right?"

"Yeah, I remember he had been deployed to Tsushima Island several times?"

This felt like an abrupt change in topic, but Hattori didn't dwell on this point and continued with Kirihara's conversation.

"Dad was only a corporal, but on the other hand, because he was a low-ranking officer, he was deployed to the front lines where he got to know a lot of soldiers who spent their days in the trenches. Occasionally, some of Dad's old war buddies would come over to my house, and they give off a completely different vibe from normal people. Regardless of whether it's kenjutsu or shooting, no matter how much we train in combat tactics and martial techniques, the sheer killing intent given off by soldiers who have killed in the heat of combat differs from athletes that haven't. Do you know the details behind the incident in April?"

Another change in topic.

"Why did you bring this up...... I heard that was caused by anti-magic terrorists. I only know that the terrorist cell was cleared out by Juumonji."

Hattori was displeased with the abrupt change in direction but kept a lid on his annoyance. Instinctively, he felt this was all connected.

"Is that so...... Then I can't go into too much detail...... Although since it's you, I think I can take it to this level. I was present at the suppression of the terrorists, as well as the Shiba siblings."

"......Really?"

"I can understand why you would ask that, but that's the truth. There, I think I saw Shiba — the older Shiba's natural instinct."

"Natural instinct?"

Compared to Kirihara's current words, his voice also carried a tinge of trepidation, which caused Hattori to immediately fire back a question.

"Yes, natural instinct, or at least a part of it. It was terrifying. He had the same quality the soldiers on the front line had but his killing intent was several times more intense, like a thick coating of killing intent covering him like a great coat. He was dangerous enough to cause a shiver to run down my spine, enough to make me wonder what a guy like that’s doing in high school."

Kirihara's mouth may have said this, but his expression seemed very agitated.

"......There should be no way to hide his age."

Hattori was feigning naivety. This slightly off-tangent impression was a better gauge of his astonishment than the expression on his face.

"This only goes to show that age doesn't equate to experiences."

Kirihara could understand why his friend was so stunned, but because he had also been in the same position he didn't make light of Hattori's tangent and only smiled wryly in reply.

Hattori looked to ask again, but this time there was a blatant hesitation in his voice.

"......Shiba-san as well?"

This hesitation was largely born from an "unable to believe" mentality. On the other hand, Kirihara seemed immune to this thought — probably heavily influenced by his girlfriend since spring — and answered his friend's question in a frank manner.

"I didn't witness exactly what the sister did, but given that the older brother was willing to bring her to the combat zone, she definitely isn't an ordinary girl. You know from today that the most beautiful rose has her own thorns, but not only that, she's probably more like the peacock that possesses both the sharp talons and malevolent beak capable of hunting poisonous serpents, right? Pursuing her is like having a death wish. Ignorance is bliss, eh?"

Kirihara's last two sentences weren't for Hattori's ears, but a subtle hint for the hapless male students surrounding Miyuki on the car.

"But I never thought that the Hattori with 'that kind of personality' would say something like this."

Hattori was still digesting all of this information while Kirihara sent a bemused smirk his way.

"......What do you mean?"

The hidden meaning behind Kirihara's smirk rubbed Hattori the wrong way, prompting his displeased rejoinder.

However, Kirihara's delighted smirk was not diminished in the slightest.

"A Magician's quality is not measured by their Magic Power alone, eh? Wouldn't the President be very pleased upon hearing that you personally said those words?"

"Huh......!"

Hattori glared darkly at Kirihara.

Yet, Kirihara maintained his bright smile, no, thanks to Hattori's overreaction, his smile grew even wider, which caused Hattori to be the first one to turn aside.

"Let's table quality for the moment, but Magic Power is definitely not the only indicator of strength."

Hattori took a step forward without any warning at all, clearly signifying his intent to leave Kirihara behind. Still, Kirihara ignored this blatant protest and followed Hattori's footsteps as he continued.

"The difference between Blooms and Weeds lies in the difference in technical scores on the entrance exam. Certainly there are Course 1 students who progress rapidly, but there are also people stagnating as well. Take Chiyoda for example, she's completely different than her arrogant self last summer who rested her laurels on talent. The Course 2 students are the same, and, so long as they don't self destruct, surely some of them would become stronger? ......No, this isn't pure speculation, there are quite a few 'capable' guys in Course 2 right now, and doubly more so in this year's batch. Oh by the way, I'm not saying this just because I lost to the older Shiba."

Hattori's shoulders shook violently.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Oh right, this guy also got his ass handed to him on a platter."

"At any rate, I admit that he's stronger than me right now. But even if that guy is approaching cheating levels in terms of strength, I don't plan on always admitting defeat. I will continue to train myself and triumph the next time I challenge him. If I give up solely because I'm not as capable now, then I'm always a loser.

Currently, many Course 2 students give up because they're not as capable as others, hence why they've never improved. We have no obligation to accept them as our equals. On the other hand, for those that seek greater strength and better themselves along the way, we have no reason to scorn them either."

Hattori still had no response as he quickly advanced towards his own room without a word.

Kirihara shrugged and turned to see the pair of siblings who were the topic of their discussion.

Not far behind Kirihara, the younger Shiba was solemnly watching her older brother.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Let's hope nothing troublesome happens".

And promptly mocked himself for this random thought.

 





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