The banquet was held two days before the main event to preserve one day for the contestants to properly rest and relax.
The technician team and the tactical advisors were busy with the final leg of the preparations, just as the contestants were using their own methods to mentally and physically prepare themselves for the start of the competition tomorrow.
That being said, the 1st Year students would compete on the fourth day of the event, so at this stage excitement and resounding feelings far outweighed anxiety. From an age perspective, they were the ones who usually departed on trips with their peers.
After dinner, Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku also visited Tatsuya's room, but since Tatsuya was engaged in adjusting the Activation Sequences, they quickly called it a night and returned to their own rooms. The itinerary for the Official and Newcomers Divisions differed, so two 1st Year students usually shared a room. Honoka and Shizuku were roommates, while Miyuki shared a room with a young lady named Takigawa Kazumi from Class C. However, since Kazumi's personality was geared towards athletic club activities and she usually spent her days with the senpais from her club, Miyuki spent most of her time with Honoka and Shizuku in their room.
The hour hand on the clock (for some reason, all the clocks in the hotel were this type) pointed towards the Roman numeral "X", and the majority of the high school contestants who were waiting for tomorrow to begin had already turned in. Precisely because they understood this, not just Miyuki and company, but all their teammates and 1st Year students from the other schools knew to remain quiet and not cause a ruckus. Even so, their overabundant energies rendered them unable to sleep peacefully like their older peers.
The only thing that three girls would do while burning the midnight oil would be talking to one another.
There are of course exceptions to this rule. From outward appearances, Miyuki and Shizuku should belong to the "exceptions" category, but were unexpectedly "ordinary".
The recent topics were all related to the Nine Schools Competition, and not all girl talk revolved around fashion and romance, but since these topics frequently cut into the conversation, it was all but inevitable.
As mentioned earlier, the time was approaching 10 o'clock, but it wasn't lights out in the hotel yet. Hence why when someone knocked on the door, there was no cause for alarm or suspicion.
"Ah, I'll get that."
The knocking caused all three to rise and Honoka, who was closest to the door, halted the other two.
"Good evening!"
"Hey, Eimi, everyone, what's up?"
The person behind the door was a captivating petite girl with red hair that shone with a ruby-like luster. She was Akechi Eimi, one of Miyuki's teammates, with four other students behind her. In other words, First High's Newcomers Division Women's Team was almost all gathered here.
"Uh, you know, there's an onsen here."
"......Sorry, you need to speak plainly."
Honoka didn't understand why Eimi was so happy as she said this.
"Now that you mention it, this hotel has an artificial onsen beneath it."
But Miyuki quickly grasped Eimi's meaning.
"Yes, as expected of Miyuki, you're brilliant!"
"......I'm sorry, but hearing you say that hardly fills me with joy."
Eimi meant no harm, but after being praised so leisurely (?), Miyuki felt a headache oncoming.
As Miyuki pressed her temple, Eimi made an "Eh?" expression as she tilted her head to one side.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. So what about this onsen?"
At Miyuki's urging, Eimi broke into an innocent smile.
"So, let's go to the onsen!"
Eimi's sudden — at least in Miyuki's ears — words caused Miyuki and Honoka to glance at one another.
Honoka seemed to share Miyuki's misgivings.
"Is that OK? This is a military facility."
Yet, the person who represented the three of them and asked Eimi was Shizuku situated in the rear.
This wasn't an ordinary hotel — it was one of the facilities attached to the SDF's exercise grounds. Besides the facilities arranged ahead of time, most of the other areas should have restricted access.
"I tried asking for permission and received it. We're OK until 11."
Eimi easily alleviated Shizuku's concerns.
"As expected of Eimi."
Honoka couldn't refrain from saying softly.
"You should say, thanks for the opportunity, right!"
Alas, such words had no effect on the ecstatic Eimi.
"Wait, I remember that swimsuits are required in the onsen. I didn't bring one."
"That's also no problem, as the hotel will lend us bathing robes as well as towels."
Eimi easily fielded Miyuki's practical concerns.
Given this level of preparation, Miyuki and company had no further reasons to refuse. Honestly, all three of them were slightly interested in the — albeit artificial — onsen.
"Then allow us to accompany you. Let me get some clothes, you guys go ahead."
Hearing Miyuki's reply, Eimi nodded happily.
"OK, take your time, no need to hurry."
Miyuki lightly raised a hand and temporarily bid adieu to her teammates.
The underground bathhouse (artificial onsen) was completely monopolized by First High's female 1st Year students.
It's not like they reserved the entire area, more like there weren't any other guests, so they were in complete control from 10 to 11.
The large bathhouse was similar to public bathhouses in that they were intended for similar purposes.
However, while this underground artificial onsen was called a large bathhouse, in reality it could only hold 10 people or so. The onsen was originally designed to help treat muscle and joint pain from extensive exercise and heated the salty reisen that ran beneath the hotel to form this medical facility. The primary users were usually higher ranking officers (and middle-aged to boot), and it was never intended to be open to the public. Owing to the fact that only those under the doctor's orders could visit during specified hours, anyone entering had to rinse themselves off in the shower area and don a swimsuit or bathing robe before entering.
—Besides their group, no other group appeared to have applied for permission.
Female bathing robes were literally "mini-coats that reached mid-thigh without any pants". Though maybe describing them as "bathing robes the length of mini-skirts without the belt" sounded sexier? The lack of a belt certainly made it easier to relax in the onsen, but provided even less sense of security than a swimsuit.
"Wow......"
"W......What is it?"
Anyone wearing this would undoubtedly be too ashamed to appear before anyone of the opposite gender, but everyone here was a girl and trustworthy teammates on top of that. However, at Eimi's explosive breath, Honoka was overcome by a sense of shame and alertness as if a man had seen her.
She couldn't help but wrap her arms tightly around the front of her robe.
Eimi's eyes were glued in that direction — Honoka's bosom.
"How surprising, Honoka cuts a great figure!"
Eimi gradually advanced.
Honoka kept retreating.
Her back quickly encountered the wall of the bathing area.
"Honoka."
"What is it?"
The predatory aura that swirled around Eimi was almost enough to make Honoka scream.
"Can I take a look?"
"Of course not!"
Eimi's eyes were laughing, so she was obviously messing around. The question was how far she would take the joke.
Honoka quickly glanced around the bathing area for help. Her teammates were either relaxing in the onsen or sitting on the edge soaking their feet. Everyone around her had the same smiling eyes Eimi did, with one exception.
"What's the matter, after all, Honoka's bust is huge."
"Is that the problem here!"
Eimi's eyes remained smiling, but Honoka could see something lurking in her eyes that told her this wouldn't end in a joking manner.
"Shizuku, save me!"
Honoka couldn't help but appeal for help from Shizuku, "the one exception".
Shizuku slowly rose.
"So what?"
After saying this, she left the bathing area.
"What!"
At her best friend's betrayal, Honoka screamed in pain.
Instantly, Shizuku lowered a sorrowful gaze towards her own chest.
"After all, Honoka's bust is huge."
After leaving these incriminating words, she turned and headed into the sauna.
The bathing area was filled with Honoka's shrieks.
(What are they fighting over now?)
Miyuki could not comprehend what was causing the sounds of water splashing everywhere in the bathing area as she continued to shower. She had already washed off the sweat and dust of the day, but still went through the motions and activated the "Personal Washer" in the shower to thoroughly rinse herself off (from the collar down) before putting on her bathing robe. She wrapped a towel around her silky hair to hold it in place and finally padded into the bathing area that finally quieted down. At this moment, every teammate in the area locked their gaze on Miyuki's figure.
"W......What's wrong?"
Miyuki shrank back as she came to a halt, but no one replied.
The number of looks never changed.
"Everyone, stop, Miyuki is straight!"
For some reason, Honoka said this in a solemn and stirring voice, which shattered the unnatural silence.
"Honoka?"
Honoka's words were too vague for Miyuki to comprehend its meaning.
"Ah~ Sorry, sorry, accidentally lost track of myself."
Sitting in the innermost corner by the edge of bath was a young lady from Class D named Satomi Subaru who spoke in a gentlemanly tone that would not seem out of place on a young man. This allowed Miyuki to finally make the connection regarding what Honoka was talking about and also understand exactly what the looks directed her way signified.
"Hold on...... We're all girls here, what are you talking about?"
Miyuki frantically said and tugged her robe towards the inside of her thighs. This movement actually once more ignited the tense atmosphere within the bathhouse.
The moisture left over from the shower interacted with the steam let off by the onsen, causing the thin fabric to cling tightly to the body, revealing Miyuki's feminine curves as well as the vibrant twin orbs on her chest.
The front collar revealed flesh that was dyed to a faint pink.
Extending beneath the short hem of the robes was a pair of impeccable, dazzling, and beautiful legs.
Especially in Miyuki's condition, even compared to being completely unclothed, even in a bathing robe that was far less revealing than her swimsuit, this brewed an irresistibly lovable charisma.
"......Are all girls, yeah, I understand, but......"
"I don't know how to say this...... But if it's Miyuki that's OK."
Everyone whispered in profound agreement.
"That's enough! Now you're just going too far."
Even at this disadvantage, Miyuki bravely strode into the bath.
She gracefully sank into bath and stretched out her legs under everyone's unblinking gaze.
As she lowered herself to a sitting position, the water reached neck height. The front collar swayed to the movement of the water and, for an instant, Miyuki's nape was revealed.
Somewhere, a collective gasp could be heard.
This awkward atmosphere was neither joking nor was it intended to cause a scene.
?
If this continues, Miyuki's chastity might be in danger.
"Miyuki, I'm with you!"
Fortunately, Honoka splashed down beside Miyuki, disrupting the spider's web that was closing around the butterfly.
"If you don't stop now, everyone here runs the risk of bathing in frigid water!"
Upon hearing this threat, all their teammates finally adopted serious expressions and turned away from watching Miyuki.
Even with their eyes elsewhere, they were still consciously drawn to Miyuki.
Plainly, there were many young girls present, but no one ventured to speak.
On the other hand, Miyuki wanted to protest to Honoka's words, but felt that rashly proclaiming that "she definitely wouldn't do anything like that" may be a dangerous move that would upset the delicate balance, so she refrained.
"......What happened?"
Shizuku, who had hitherto been staying in the sauna by herself, asked innocently as she beheld the awkward atmosphere in the bathhouse.
Likely self-reflecting after someone finally asked, the young ladies returned to normal.
Once the young girls adopted their regular behavior, the bathhouse was once again filled with the sounds of talk and laughter.
The subjects that girls talk about are more than just fashion and romance.
Still, fashion and romance were truly two of the most popular subjects.
While soaking in the bath, the conversation naturally turned to the males they met during the previous night's banquet. The primary target were "boys", but included some "men" and a small group of "older men". This sounds like the breath of their admiration spanned a large spectrum, but honestly that was how it was:
"—So, the bartender behind the counter was quite an interesting old timer."
"Whoa...... That guy's totally over 40. To think that you're interested in middle-aged men, I think your life is over......"
"Correction, please say interesting gentleman. In my eyes, high school students are all immature kids that are completely undependable."
"Really~? I don't think all the boys our age are like that, maybe because you've been seeing the wrong people?"
"Yeah, Isori-senpai looks pretty tolerant, right? More importantly, he looks like a decent guy."
"I feel kind of empty going after someone with a girlfriend already, you know? Also in Isori-senpai's case, his girlfriend has already advanced to fiancée."
"Speaking of dependable, I guess that has to be Juumonji-senpai?"
"Nah, Juumonji-senpai is too dependable. Not only that, he's also the Ten Master Clans' future successor."
"Speaking of successors of the Ten Master Clans, there's the successor for the Ichijou Family from Third High, right?"
"Ah, I saw him, he's pretty hot."
"Yeah, I know you shouldn't judge boys by outward appearances, but it certainly doesn't hurt if he is easy on the eyes."
......Just like that.
All of a sudden, Eimi suddenly thrust the conversation back to Miyuki, who was sitting in the corner of the bath letting the (mental) exhaustion soak out of her.
"Speaking of Ichijou from Third High, he was watching Miyuki with burning eyes."
Eimi was speaking to Miyuki, but Miyuki was unable to respond to these words.
"Eh, really?"
"Maybe it was love at first sight?"
"This is Miyuki we're talking about, it's highly possible."
"You should say that it would be strange for boys not to fall in love with Miyuki at first sight, right?"
"Maybe they knew each other from long ago."
Everyone listening let out delighted shrieks.
"Miyuki, is that true?"
Shizuku didn't join the shrieking and adopted a serious tone — Shizuku's tone lacked the normal voice inflection, so even if she personally didn't intend to, she still came across as being solemn — as she asked Miyuki.
Miyuki's response was:
"......Allow me to be perfectly clear, I've only seen Ichijou-kun in pictures and didn't even know where he was located during the banquet."
This might qualify as being callous or sheer overkill, and if Third High had heard Miyuki's response, morale probably would have plummeted. The young girls bursting with expectations were all taken aback upon hearing this answer.
Even so, there were always people who refused to surrender.
"If that's the case, what type of guy does Miyuki like? Is it truly like your brother's type?"
The one who reacted to Subaru's words was not Miyuki, but Honoka instead. Her body tensed momentarily, which was only detected by Shizuku who was sitting beside her.
Miyuki displayed an incredibly calm attitude and an almost wordless expression as she answered Subaru.
"I have no idea where you think this is going...... But Onii-sama and I are siblings by blood, so I've never seen Onii-sama as a romantic partner. Also, I don't believe there's anyone else in the entire world that could be the same as Onii-sama."
Hearing Miyuki's reply, Subaru and Eimi were distinctly disappointed (Subaru's expression looked a little forced).
Afterwards, no one else questioned Miyuki and Tatsuya's relationship.
Yet, within the bath, two girls did not fully accept Miyuki's answer.
In Miyuki's tone, Honoka and Shizuku read something entirely different from the words "I've never seen Onii-sama as a romantic partner".
After Tatsuya dispatched Miyuki and company back to their rooms — though he became the subject of their conversations with their teammates in the underground onsen — he continued adjusting the Activation Sequences in the storage vehicles.
"Shiba-kun, it's about time to call it a night."
Hearing these words, Tatsuya glanced around to find only one other person in the vehicle with him.
"It's that late already?"
The time was roughly midnight.
Isori revealed a gender neutral smile and nodded at Tatsuya's words (By the way, Isori's wardrobe and hairstyle were both neutral, causing Tatsuya to suspect this senpai of his intentionally dressed in a non-masculine manner).
"The participants Shiba-kun is responsible for compete on the 4th day, so I think it's not a good idea to be so tense from the start."
"You're right."
Tatsuya was on duty for the 1st Year female students in Speed Shooting, Icicle Destruction, and Mirage Bat. This was partially born of Miyuki and company's wishes, but also because of the 1st Year male students (especially Morisaki) stonewalling him in defiance (Miyuki was participating in Icicle Destruction and Mirage Bat, Honoka in Battle Board and Mirage Bat, and Shizuku in Speed Shooting and Icicle Destruction).
The 1st Year Division — the Newcomers Division was set between the 4th and 8th days of the contest.
Compared to the auxiliaries in charge of the participants competing tomorrow, Tatsuya had considerably more time on his hands.
Kanon was set to participate in Icicle Destruction on the 2nd and 3rd days, but Isori was in charge of participants appearing on stage tomorrow.
"Then, senpai, I'm taking my leave."
Tatsuya intentionally avoided inviting Isori to also call it quits and left the storage vehicle by himself.
Despite being near midnight, evenings in the height of summer did not have a noticeably lower temperature.
Perfect for taking a stroll in T-shirts.
Tatsuya opted not to head directly back to his room and strolled around the perimeter of the hotel, where he detected an oddly nervous presence.
This presence told him that someone was holding his breath while surveying the premises.
Initially, Tatsuya thought this was a thief, but quickly rejected this line of thinking.
A presence that desired to hide itself but was unable to, reeked of bloodthirsty impulses.
Tatsuya spread out his senses and directly linked to the information dimension — the colossal information body that contained the data for the myriad objects around him.
(Three people in total, located near...... The railings near the hotel camouflaged to look like foliage.)
Each of them carried handguns and small explosives.
Even if they were in the outer periphery of the hotel, they were well within areas under military jurisdiction, and the security around the base definitely wasn't that relaxed. Pickets and cameras would monitor the entrances and immediately deny all infiltrators and were especially merciless toward armed and dangerous individuals.
These guys were malefactors who had penetrated the security perimeter and had even prepared explosives.
Despite not having a CAD on hand, they were too dangerous to be ignored.
Tatsuya soundlessly began to sprint.
His senses captured an ally that was also rapidly approaching the three suspicious individuals.
His sneaking skills were not inferior to Tatsuya's own.
According to their starting positions, even though the two of them were approaching the targets at similar velocity — Mikihiko was going to make contact first.
As Tatsuya sprinted forward, he also began constructing support magics.
His Magic Power was so specialized that he could only use certain magics and, even without a CAD, as long as he was using those magics, he was equal to any other Magician using a CAD in terms of speed, detail and strength.
Mikihiko began invoking his magic.
He wasn't using a CAD.
The data provided through the information dimension told Tatsuya that this wasn't an illusion, it was a concept.
Mikihiko pulled out three fortune tellers — probably meant to be charms.
Mikihiko wasn't planning on using modern magic, he was using Ancient Magic.
Before Tatsuya "knew" this, psions flew through Tatsuya's hands into the developing technique.
Modern magic and Ancient Magic were grounded in the same fundamental theory, which is using interference with the "data" attached to an "existence" and taking one step further to rewrite the "phenomenon".
The difference lay in how the interference worked and was expressed.
The magic system that Mikihiko used did not construct the interfering information body (the Magic Sequence) in the Magic Calculation Area, but split this into three steps: add data into the charm in his hand to turn it into a medium, float the now disconnected "material" into the information dimension to morph it into "independent, non-material information body" and control it, then try to rewrite the phenomenon.
Compared to the ability of information bodies that can directly interact with phenomena, such as information bodies from modern magic, this system possessed inferior speed and flexibility, but was less susceptible to resistance to phenomenon-rewriting. If this was phenomenon rewriting within certain parameters, Ancient Magic could accomplish large scale effects while using less power than modern magic.
For Tatsuya, who could dissect Magic Sequences in an instant, all of these details flashed across his mind in a short instant.
He also noticed a trace of distress within Mikihiko's technique.
(He's not going to make it.)
The magic Mikihiko was using had too many unnecessary hurdles, lengthening the casting time to intolerable degrees.
Tatsuya set the target for "dissolution" as the handgun in the miscreants' hands.
The reason Mikihiko detected the perilous presence was because he was in the middle of magic training.
This was one of the deepest corners in the hotel gardens.
Far from any buildings, he found a location in the area surrounding the hotel where no one would come snooping to begin his daily "training".
"Spirits" are an assemblage formed from "concepts" such as "wind, water, fire, earth" and are far removed from individual phenomena. The basic training from Divine Earth Magic (Spirit Magic) is to synchronize oneself with the spirits' senses.
From modern magic's perspective, spirits are things that have broken away from their actual bodies and are information bodies floating in an ocean of data.
They move about as a concept in the information world, assemble together as a conceptual expression, and materialize in the actual world.
Rumors say there is a way to detect these "non-material bodies".
Still, through contact with these types of "spirits", Mikihiko truly felt that they "existed" in the actual world.
This was not grounded in theory, but through his perception and feelings.
For Mikihiko, spirits truly existed in this location and were existences that possessed consciousness. With this type of contact, spirits were able to inform Mikihiko about all sorts of "details" and "objects".
Just as Mikihiko started this synchronization training, he "learned" that there were people on the outskirts of the hotel.
Originally, he thought they were people out on business or patrolling soldiers, so he didn't pay much attention.
It was only after the spirits repeatedly notified him that Mikihiko realized this might be a warning.
Synchronized with the spirits, he spread the spirits' senses towards the direction they warned him.
What he caught was a thread of "malice".
Mikihiko's expression tightened.
For a moment, he debated whether he should call for backup or engage by himself.
Mikihiko wasn't confident he could suppress any opponent in his current state. He was reluctant to admit it, but it was true that he wasn't confident. Thus, he bit his lip and elected to return to the hotel and call it in.
However, his emotions protested this logical choice.
Something other than logic told him that there wasn't enough time.
The agitation surging through his body was like the spirits warning him to "act quickly".
Rather than head towards the hotel, Mikihiko charged towards the "malice".
He was worried.
He questioned whether he was able to overcome the firearms the opponents were carrying.
Very few Magicians were able to triumph over firearms in extreme close quarters combat.
If there was cover, magic that was unaffected by line of sight or obstacles had the advantage.
In situations where cover was not available, Magicians had a hard time countering the speed at which a trigger could be pulled.
Still, Mikihiko expelled these concerns as cowardice and forged ahead.
Yesterday's events flashed across his mind.
Mikihiko was forced to work as a servant under his father's orders.
Erika said this was due to a clerical error, but Mikihiko knew the truth behind the matter.
—Go and behold where you should be standing.
Two nights ago, his father said that to him.
Working as a servant was only a method to get to his objective.
Maybe Mikihiko's father wanted him to see his peers in glory to shock him out of his current state.
Maybe his father wanted to arouse an angry determination.
Yet, these words and methods only lodged themselves deep in Mikihiko's soul as overwhelming humiliation.
At this time, Mikihiko wanted to demonstrate that "he wasn't powerless".
The location was a night sky illuminated by a few sparse stars, but the Yoshida Family's training methods included nocturnal training in pitch darkness.
Even relying only on star light, this was no obstacle whatsoever.
As he closed in on the sense of malice that could now readily be identified as human, Mikihiko prepared his talismans.
Three targets required three talismans.
His targets should have already noticed Mikihiko's approach.
The enmity and malice directed towards Mikihiko verified that these three were the malefactors.
No time to hesitate.
Enmity had already turned into killing intent.
Hesitation would lead to failure.
The targets' identification were not first priority.
Mikihiko channeled magic power into the talismans and started invoking his magic.
A flashing light appeared in Mikihiko's right hand, which twinkled in time with the electricity formed above the malefactors' heads.
Lightning would strike them in less than a second.
Still, it took less than one second to pull the trigger.
Seeing this, Tatsuya immediately made the call and invoked the prepared "dissolution" magic.
The three handguns in the three malefactors' hands fell apart according to the change in their information bodies.
Immediately afterwards—
The miniature lightning strike threw down all three of the targets.
"Who is it!"
Mikihiko demanded in a stern voice, not towards the enemies currently lying on the other side of the railing, but to the Magician who came to his aid from behind.
Mikihiko understood perfectly.
His magic wasn't going to make it in time.
The reason he was uninjured was because another Magician offered his aid.
This skirmish forced him to concede that his magic had lost its former alacrity.
"It's me."
"Tatsuya?"
From Mikihiko's breath alone, one could tell that he suffered a terrible blow.
However, Tatsuya only made a brief response and didn't stop before vaulting onto the railing.
Using personal Weight Magic to lessen the gravitational pull, he easily flipped over the two meter tall railing.
Mikihiko blankly watched him leave before recovering himself and pulling out a new talisman and executed the same Weight Magic.
When Mikihiko landed on the far side of the railing, Tatsuya was already kneeling down next to the fallen intruders.
"Tatsuya?"
This word contained several intermixed questions.
Even Mikihiko himself wasn't sure what he wanted to ask.
"They're not dead. Well done."
Tatsuya appeared to be answering his question regarding the intruders' status, or he may have seen through Mikihiko's state of panic and elected to answer in the least confusing manner.
"Ah?"
Mikihiko didn't understand why Tatsuya was praising him.
He masochistically thought that he should be the one who was taken out.
"Limited visibility on the targets, precision large ranged attack on multiple targets, even with capture as first priority, no fatal injuries were inflicted and only one blow was sufficient to deprive mobility. I say this rates as an excellent combat result."
Tatsuya's words were calm enough to be called callous, but just hearing them alone was enough to know that he was just being polite or comforting.
The one Mikihiko couldn't believe was himself, not Tatsuya.
"......But my magic originally wasn't going to make it in time and, without Tatsuya's backup, I would have been shot."
The words sprouted from Mikihiko's mouth were self-derisively beyond his own control.
"How foolish."
"......Ah?"
However, Tatsuya's direct reprimand was enough to render Mikihiko unable to continue berating himself.
"'If there was no backup' is only an assumption. Your magic was successfully able to capture the intruders — that is the only truth."
"............"
Tatsuya's merciless scolding and subsequent points astounded Mikihiko.
"In reality, I did provide support, and your magic was successful, so what do you mean 'originally'? Mikihiko, what exactly did you think was going to happen?"
"That......"
"No matter how many opponents there are and how well-trained they are, a Magician should be able to triumph without any backup. I sincerely hope you are not operating under these assumptions?"
Mikihiko suddenly felt like the bottom of his stomach was giving out.
He understood very clearly how ridiculous the "assumptions" that Tatsuya referred to were.
Yet, in the inner depths of his heart, did he never truly stop and consider the assumptions Tatsuya was mentioning?
"Seriously...... I'll intentionally say this again. Mikihiko, you are very foolish."
"Tatsuya......"
"Why do you reject yourself to this level?
Why do you disparage yourself to this level?
What is it that so dissatisfies you?"
"......Even if I tried to explain, Tatsuya, you wouldn't understand. There's no point in talking about it."
"There may be."
Mikihiko reacted by throwing up a high wall and retreating behind it, but Tatsuya's ensuing words smashed the wall to bits.
"Ah......?"
This time it was Mikihiko's turn to be speechless, while Tatsuya pierced him with a sharp look.
"Mikihiko, you're concerned about the magic activation speed, correct?"
"......You heard that from Erika?"
"No."
"......Then how do you know?"
"Your technique is too verbose."
"......What did you say?"
"My point is, the problem isn't your capability, but the technique itself. This is the underlying reason why you cannot wield magic the way you desire."
"How would you know that!"
Mikihiko roared.
Because he was in a state of panic.
Because he was exasperated.
The technique he uses was a product the Yoshida Family had refined over many years by incorporating the aspects of the traditions in Ancient Magic and the results of modern magic.
After seeing it once or twice, Tatsuya immediately tossed it out as a blemished product, which threw Mikihiko into a rage.
He always rejected this line of thinking as a vain attempt to escape from reality, but after hearing Tatsuya bring up this previously ignored topic, Mikihiko panicked.
"I do know. But you don't need to force yourself to believe me."
Yet, Tatsuya calmly replied to Mikihiko's furious outburst, forcing Mikihiko to respond with an even more wavering statement.
"......What did you say?"
Mikihiko used the same words as he did before, but this time the tone was vastly different.
"I can comprehend any magic design that I can 'see', which allows me to read the details behind any Activation Sequence and to provide an in-depth analysis of the Magic Sequence."
Tatsuya replied with this outrageous answer.
Mikihiko's panic had hit a peak.
He had never heard of a Magician capable of such a feat and, if someone with this unique ability truly exists, then half the mysteries facing modern magic theory would be solved in an instant.
"......Again, you don't need to force yourself to believe me."
Tatsuya repeated his earlier words.
Mikihiko felt like he was telling him "what follows next is your own problem".
"Let's table this topic for now. Ignoring that for the moment, we still need to deal with these guys. I'll keep watch for the moment, could you call security? Or do you want me to go?"
Honestly, with Mikihiko's mental state right now, he was unable to consider whether Tatsuya's "confession" was true or not, so he desperately clung to the life line thrown at him.
"Ah, I'll go."
"Understood, I'll wait here."
Mikihiko once more activated his "Leaping" technique and vanished over the railing.
On the other hand, Tatsuya briefly considered how to restrict the intruders' freedom of movement, and ultimately elected to bury them. He could use "Dissolution" to remove the excess dirt, so he needed to use both "Separate" and "Move" magics. Doing so without a CAD was truly a tiresome task, but just like the earlier "Leaping", Tatsuya had already memorized such a simple Magic Sequence and, as long as he performed them sequentially and not simultaneously, this really didn't pose a problem.
Ironically, this was one advantage gleaned from the artificial virtual Magic Calculation Area currently residing in his consciousness, which was the ability to recall any Magic Sequence stored in his memory.
(I'm a devious man.)
He held onto the victim's perspective, but viewed the byproduct as an efficient tool to use.
Tatsuya smirked at his unprincipled self and prepared to invoke his magic.
—But there appeared to be no need for that.
A familiar presence approached, prompting Tatsuya to cancel his magic.
Shortly after, the other person initiated the conversation.
"Special Lieutenant, your earlier suggestion was truly merciless."
"Major, you heard all that?"
Tatsuya didn't detect Kazama eavesdropping.
Which was honestly not that surprising.
Kazama had studied under Kokonoe Yakumo longer than Tatsuya had and was considered to be Yakumo's second best student. Without linking to the information dimension, Tatsuya found it very difficult to trace Kazama's presence.
Tatsuya saluted in greeting, to which Kazama smirked in response.
"Isn't it rare for the usually completely indifferent Special Lieutenant to do such a thing?"
"Labeling this one 'completely indifferent' is uncalled for."
"Or maybe you sympathize with his plight? That young man shares similar problems as you do."
"This one has long since graduated from that level of concern."
"In other words, you're someone who's been around the block?"
"......Could you deal with these people?"
Kazama revealed a foxy smile as he mercilessly pressed the attack and Tatsuya, who had lost all avenues of retreat, finally managed to change the topic.
"Leave that to me, I'll explain everything to the base CO."
Still, Kazama realized that continuing to pursue this line of questioning served no purpose.
He retracted his smile and solemnly nodded towards Tatsuya.
"Sorry for troubling you."
"No worries, looks like many unexpected things were added to your plate as well."
"True. But I wonder what these guys were trying to do?"
"God knows, handling criminals isn't in our job description...... Yet they are surprisingly capable and proactive. Tatsuya, be wary."
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
"We'll talk in detail tomorrow at noon."
"Yes, sir, then allow this one to depart."
"Yeah, goodbye."
The two of them changed from superior and subordinate to two friendly disciples bidding each other farewell.
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