"Number 17 has reported in. The target from the second match has passed the preliminary round."
"...It's the opponent who saw through Golden Electron Silkworms. This is the expected result... But things are looking grim."
"Not just that. The target also used Flying-Type Magic!"
"Bullshit, how can that be possible!?"
"If the target is exhausted then we lucked out... Was that too optimistic?"
"I don't think this is the time to quibble over the methods, right?"
"I agree. One hundred deaths or so would be enough. The competition would be forced to end prematurely."
"Once the competition ends, we would have to return the original bets. While there will be some loss, that's well within our limits."
"Won't our customers balk at this? Setting aside the guys from our line of work, those weapon merchants will be a hassle. Those guys maintain close relationships with various governments around the globe."
"It doesn't matter what excuse we give to the customers. Currently, rather than worrying about the merchants of death, we should be more concerned about the organization's purging."
"Exactly... Will it be OK just leaving this to Number 17?"
"People with only a modicum of ability are no match for a 'Generator'. Unfortunately, no weapons could be brought in, but Number 17 is a high speed model. Once the limiter is removed, that thing can easily kill anywhere between 100 and 200 people with its bare hands."
"So we are all in accord...? Then remove the limiter."
Once the tide of enthusiasm ebbed, the man removed the CAD and slowly rose in a crowd that was slowly departing for other matches.
The exposed eyes give off an "emotionless" impression.
No, this wasn't a blank expression, wasn't this like he lacked emotions in the first place?
It was an utterly lifeless "expression".
Suddenly, the man's body started shaking.
In a flash, he activated personal Speed-Type Magic.
Before the Magicians around him could detect the charged magic aura, the man pounced towards the man who just passed by him.
His outstretched fingers plunged downwards like claws towards the unprotected back.
—Afterwards, the stage switched to the exterior of the observation deck without anyone being the wiser.
By the time that man, "Generator" Number 17, had grasped the situation, he was only three meters off the ground.
The first target he chose after receiving the kill order had managed to avoid his attack even though his back was facing him. Even if this was a full frontal assault, this reaction speed was not something mere human cognition could accomplish.
Through personal Speed-Type Magic, Magicians could surpass the physical movement limits of flesh.
Yet magical acceleration ultimately was only physical and not directly accelerating — biological reactions, signal relay for the nervous system, the brain's processing ability — the mental processing speed itself.
Human senses surpassed physical motion, so it was possible to mentally control physical movements that have been accelerated beyond normal limits. However, the reverse was not true. In other words, Magicians were still biological organisms with upper limits. While magical acceleration had no glass ceiling in terms of magic, there was still a finite amount that the brain could command.
In that case, his accelerated movements coupled with chemically enhanced mental processing abilities shouldn't be something that normal humans — even humans who could wield magic were ultimately mortal — should be able to handle.
Yet the reality was that his stabbing forearm was caught and used as a fulcrum to throw Number 17 into the air using his downward force as added momentum.
Just like he was doing a somersault over a horse, he went heads over heels in the air. During the instant he was upside down, a powerful force smashed Number 17 past the railing of the observation deck and sent him hurtling out of the arena.
This was Move-Type Magic that intentionally omitted the accelerated processes.
He was almost knocked unconscious by the blow and by the time he recovered his senses, he had nearly reached the end of the trajectory and was about to collide with the ground from a height of 20 meters.
Normally, this situation called for an individual to huddle into a ball or flail about in a panic as they helplessly plummeted to the earth, but this man was a "Generator".
He was a reconstructed individual — created through a combination of surgery and magically crafted medicinal herbs, hereby eradicating free will and emotions and completely controlling all thoughts and flushing all unnecessary thoughts that might obstruct magic activation.
A biological weapon forged to wield magic in the heat of battle.
A Magician re-purposed to be a tool for using magic, a "Generator".
Terror and panic held no meaning to tools.
Number 17 calmly — more like coldly applied Inertia Neutralization Magic.
Casting deceleration right now would be like hitting the emergency brakes, but injuries would be unavoidable. Compared to that, reducing inertia could help mitigate some of the damage caused by the severe shock upon contact. This was the result of almost instantaneous calculation.
The magical herb's effects not only adjusted personal consciousness, emotions and perception, they also improved physical mobility. By using the elasticity within his feet as well as the muscles within his thighs and arms, he completely absorbed the shock from his fall.
"You were able to make it in time even under those conditions. You do have a few tricks up your sleeve."
On all four limbs, Number 17 raised his face towards the source of the voice and found the man who had thrown him into the air.
"Who are you? ...No, never mind. Not like you can answer anyways."
Captain Yanagi of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion let out a dismissive smile and peered down at Number 17, who was still crouched on the ground.
"Your physical abilities can't be from magic alone. Are you an augmented human?"
Seeing his opponent adopt a combat stance even after being flung over the railings from the height of a medium sized building, Yanagi's tone was laced with mockery and amazement alike.
"Yanagi-kun was the one who said there's no need to answer. Also, the other guy probably doesn't want to talk to a guy who also jumped from the same height but didn't need to use his hands to cushion himself, right?"
Number 17 whirled around like a four legged carnivore.
Having appeared sometime during this exchange, Captain Sanada Shigeru of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion stood there as if to cut off his retreat.
Despite this, if he actually chose to flee, Number 17 could still probably accomplish this with ease.
In terms of sheer speed, "Generator" Number 17 surpassed the two men from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
However, the order Number 17 received was "massacre the spectators". For a "Generator" with no emotions and thoughts, the only thing that determined his actions were orders from the organization.
In accordance with these orders, Number 17 once again pounced towards the "spectator" Yanagi.
Before Number 17 could touch him, Yanagi raised his right hand.
Even though Number 17 had the edge in speed, he chose to not avoid this hand.
Number 17 lowered his center of gravity and charged as if being led, sending his head crashing into Yanagi's palm.
Yanagi and Number 17 passed each other by a hair.
Number 17 was flung back to his starting position without even touching a hair on Yanagi's body.
"That was a rhetorical question. I was just talking to myself."
Yanagi nonchalantly replied to Sanada.
"Let's just leave it at that. However, that amazes me every time. Was that the application of 'Revolution' right there?"
By predicting an opponent's application of force and combining physical techniques with magic to lure, amplify, and flip. That's how Yanagi used his favored technique to send Number 17 flying.
"I've said this a lot of times, this isn't 'Revolution'. This is 'Return'. 'Revolution' is the spell, 'Return' relies on internal ki. There are also a few differences in practice. Originally, my approach was nothing more than an imitation anyways. A true 'Return' requires no magic."
"Well, that's starting to infringe on the meaning of our existence. Should I inform the major?"
"...Cut the chitchat, we need to take this guy down, lend me a hand!"
"Yeah... Then, let's have a go at it. Even though I want to say that, Fujibayashi-san already has this guy locked down with 'Thunder Needle'."
"...You two are on such good terms with one another!"
The sound of high heels tapping the ground accompanied Sanada's words as the figure of Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion appeared. She was wearing a skintight military uniform reserved for supporting personnel that was wholly unsuited for combat. She was literally the ideal prey, the perfect point to break through the ring of hunters.
Yet, Number 17 could only quiver and shake as he shook uncontrollably, giving no sign that he was capable of further resistance.
That was because his entire body was peppered with numerous hair-like needles and it was through there that the electric current flowed through him.
Needless to say, it was Fujibayashi's magic that fired out the needles and released the electricity.
"Fujibayashi, your eyesight should be pretty good."
"Rather than her eyesight, I think it's a matter of sensitivity. Do you need me to recommend a good life counselor?"
"See, aren't you two simply birds of a feather?"
Separated by Number 17, Yanagi and Sanada glanced at one another.
They both frowned almost simultaneously.
Completely unaware of the dangerous situation behind the scenes, Tatsuya leisurely returned to his hotel room and ate an early lunch.
After the match, while Miyuki was showering, the board requested to inspect the CAD with Flying-Type Magic installed upon it with nary a guilty look in his direction. For a brief instant, he toyed with the idea using Elder Kudou's name to terrorize the poor fellow, but such mischievous behavior like pretending to know a higher authority to pick on the weak was a pastime unbecoming of him, so he discarded that idea and obediently handed over the CAD.
Other than that, he wasn't party to any strange circumstances.
While he was conscious of the vast amount of stares directed towards his sister and himself, so long as the vermin posed no direct threat, the best approach was to leave them alone.
After handing the CAD over, Tatsuya opted to return to his personal area.
Even if he knew about Sanada and Yanagi's surreptitious intervention to avoid a massacre, Tatsuya's actions likely wouldn't differ by much. To be blunt, even if dozens of foreign spectators were slain, Tatsuya probably couldn't care less.
To be precise, even if a senpai from the same school was sacrificed, his emotional reaction would not surpass that of slight "regret". Thus, it was hard to imagine he would choose to act.
Miyuki's slightly sorrowful expression expressed that which could not be said through her voice or attitude.
Needless to say, he was in the middle of it.
Long story short, Miyuki, who was always meticulously looking after him, was currently standing before Tatsuya.
"While always being neat and tidy is one of Onii-sama's merits, I still wish that you occasionally leave a small mess to bring out the value of looking after you."
Today, Miyuki's mood was buoyant. Currently, she was humming a light tune and wearing a delighted smile as she merrily wiped down the table with a cloth. This was the direct consequence of being unable to look after her brother for nearly a week.
"Miyuki, is there anything you would like me to do for you?"
There was no deeper meaning to this question after lunch. He was only doing so out of a sense of obligation.
"Something I want Onii-sama to do?"
Nevertheless, Miyuki's eyes widened as she fell into deep contemplation with a joyous expression on her face. Seeing this unexpectedly intense reaction, Tatsuya sensed he may have made a grave error.
Miyuki tapped her fingers against her chin and tilted her head this way and that in thought until, having thought of something, she blushed furiously as she peeked up at Tatsuya's face from the chair to his side.
"...Go ahead and tell me."
Even though there were traces of a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Tatsuya still gently urged her on. Filled with trepidation, Miyuki opened her mouth.
"You said earlier that I should take a nap after lunch until the finals..."
"Indeed, while not absolutely critical, you should sleep for a little bit if you can. Even if you cannot fall asleep, just lying there would be fine.
Don't tell me you don't want to take a nap? Giving your body time to rest is integral."
"Yes, of course I will listen to Onii-sama's instructions... But, that..."
"Hm?"
"Um... If possible, can you stay with me... Please..."
In the end, she was highly embarrassed.
Completely red, Miyuki's head drooped.
"...Miyuki is such a spoiled child."
"...Can't I? Miyuki just wants to be spoiled by Onii-sama!"
"...Of course. However, I will draw the line at singing a lullaby, OK?"
Miyuki slowly raised her eyes to Tatsuya while she used her hand to try and quell her violently beating heart.
Her pearly skin was a deep red from the gaps between her dark hair to the roots of her ears.
Despite their sibling relationship, they were still young adults in the spring of their lives, so using the same bed was totally out of the question.
Fortunately, even though the room had only one official occupant, this was originally a double room. The machinery that took up the majority of the space had been shifted to the competition grounds.
Tatsuya unfolded the bed from the wall and swiftly arranged it for Miyuki's use. This was almost entirely automatic, so there was no need to call room service. (Given that this was no normal hotel, the question remained whether they would show up even if summoned.)
Once Miyuki dove under the covers, Tatsuya pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed.
Miyuki shyly smiled as she watched him. In return, Tatsuya also smiled as he gently caressed his sister's silken hair.
Less than a minute later, Miyuki was well on her way to the Garden of Hypnos.
Four hours passed after Miyuki fell asleep, but Tatsuya did not budge from the bedside. It was as if he was loyally fulfilling Miyuki's expectations for him to remain by her side, yet Tatsuya never felt this was a trial.
Miyuki was sound asleep, her sleeping face expressing her overwhelming relief. Upon realizing that this was an expression of the complete trust she had in him, his heart grew a little warmer along with his embarrassment.
Even if they were siblings, Tatsuya and Miyuki only started living together three years ago. In other words, they became bona fide siblings only three years ago. Before that fateful summer three years ago, even if they were living under the same roof, they practically never interacted with one another. Their current proximity was something strictly forbidden by their mother just as she denied any normal sibling interaction. Still, that may have been something decided by the Yotsuba Family.
Tatsuya had no intention of sprouting any complaints on that regard. It's not like that function remained within his mental landscape. However, lacking any childhood memories about being treated like a family member was still galling, so saying that he was displeased would be right on the mark.
The adolescent years were accompanied by impulsive anger, tears, falls, mistakes and other embarrassing memories if known by other family members. Yet for Tatsuya, who never enjoyed the luxury of these memories, Miyuki became a "beautiful girl one year younger than he was" by default. Since he was forced to see her in an impartial light from the onset, Tatsuya was well aware that she was a classy, beautiful young girl from the start.
In spite of this, the affection that sprouted forth from the depths of his heart only identified Miyuki as a young sister. The only true emotion that dwelt in the realm of his consciousness was the familial love he bore for his sister.
No memories, only affection. Occasionally, Tatsuya would ruminate that memory loss probably felt akin to this. Of course, he was also aware that he didn't qualify for that condition.
It was an unconditional affection unfettered by memories of any sort.
Precisely because of this, Tatsuya blindly, fiercely and desperately loved Miyuki. His other emotional impulses could not be expressed through fury or hatred. Only his love for Miyuki was truly spontaneous and absolute.
Tatsuya was wholly unaware of this. It wasn't that he forgot himself, but because this was the result of cold, hard calculations that his actions became unstoppable. Once he determined something was necessary, he wouldn't even stop to contemplate "Is this necessary". Even if he would weigh the cost and benefits, social norms wouldn't even break his stride.
Tatsuya picked up the smartphone placed on the coffee table. Since Miyuki fell asleep, he once more went over the coded message that Fujibayashi sent him. Within the message, there were details concerning the truth behind the interference during Mirage Bat as well as the mass murder attempt on the spectators after the end of the second match.
For Tatsuya, this was simply unforgivable. Those who plotted Miyuki's fall deserved to die a thousand times over.
Tatsuya stored the smartphone in his breast pocket, rose from his chair, and peered over the edge of the bed.
He softly caressed Miyuki's hair.
Miyuki placed her hand over Tatsuya's own.
"Miyuki?"
No response. She wasn't awake yet.
Miyuki turned on her side and naturally slid Tatsuya's hand onto her face.
Seeing that sleeping face flushed with happiness, Tatsuya also smiled.
Behind that smile, he made the conscious decision to defend this peaceful, sleeping face no matter what the cost.
This was not determination, but a conscious decision.
By the time the finals rolled around, the morning weather had given way to a clear night sky.
The light of the hanging moon outshone the stars' brilliance.
For those who had to identify lit orbs from below, these were not ideal circumstances.
"How is your condition?"
"Flawless, Onii-sama. My energy is completely restored, so I would like to use Flying-Type Magic from the get go."
"As you wish. Fly to your heart's content!"
"Yes!"
Tatsuya gave her a thumb's up as he watched Miyuki bound towards the competition arena.
"Miyuki-chan's in a good mood!"
Azusa, who had entered the box as an auxiliary member, commented to Tatsuya as she watched Miyuki standing on one of the landing platforms in the lake.
Unfortunately, the player Azusa was responsible for had fallen short.
First High, Second High, Third High, Fifth High, Sixth High, and Ninth High each contributed one contestant to the finals.
No school had multiple players in the final round.
As the final women's competition, each school was ready to give it their all.
Excluding Mari, who was still in the hospital, every heavyweight in the women's division was present on stage.
Since Third High only advanced one player into the finals, so long as Miyuki placed within the top three, First High's overall victory was a foregone conclusion. Even the supporters were going all out.
"Pleasantly facing a competition is a good thing. Looks like Tatsuya-kun made doubly sure of that."
On the other side, Mayumi spoke up with a smile on her face. Her words shouldn't have any deeper meaning, but that smile seemed to signify something that she didn't want Tatsuya to know about.
"I hear that Miyuki-chan didn't use the 'Sleep Dock'. Did she get enough rest?"
At Suzune's innocuous question, Tatsuya fought to keep his poker face.
"Five hours should be enough."
"Really, must have been a deep sleep then. Did she sleep on a bed in the hotel?"
Tatsuya was speechless. One couldn't help but suspect that the speaker knew all along as she intentionally made this piercing query.
"Ah, it's starting!"
Fortunately, before the silence turned awkward, everyone's attention was drawn towards the arena.
At this point, he should seriously give thanks for Azusa's innocent personality.
The lightly colored uniforms were brilliantly lit up by the wavering reflections of light from the lake's surface.
Among them, Miyuki's choice of a uniform fashioned after the shade of sakura blossoms was particularly eye-catching, and not only because she stunned everyone by casting "Flying-Type Magic" in the preliminary round.
In the faltering light, the audience closely followed her with their eyes in fear that her figure would vanish into the shadows if they blinked.
Mirage Bat, also known as Fairy Dance.
The term "fairy" has been overused when applied to young ladies, but probably no one would claim that describing Miyuki as "fey-like" was too cliche.
The ruckus died down like the ebbing tide.
There was no need for the event personnel to wave their messages to signal the crowd to quiet.
Before everyone's breathless gaze, the finals for Mirage Bat commenced.
When the start signal went off, six young women flew into the sky together.
They did not leap off the ground. None of them bothered to look for a landing spot.
"Flying-Type Magic!? All the other schools!?"
"As expected of the Nine Schools Competition. They figured out the Activation Sequence for Flying-Type Magic within a mere six to seven hours."
On the heels of Azusa's surprised shriek, Tatsuya murmured words of admiration.
That being said, Tatsuya actually wasn't really astounded.
The board likely chose to leak the spell details to the other schools.
Probably as retaliation for Tatsuya's assertion that the board was guilty of illegal activities.
Since the CAD was stored there, he had taken this possibility into account.
"Seems like each school is following Taurus Silver's publicized details to the letter."
Suzune wrinkled her brows as she watched the sky.
"......How ludicrous. This isn't a technique that can be mastered the first time you activate this. Compared to player safety, victory seems to be more important......"
Mayumi said with a disgusted expression.
"That's no problem at all. If they used that technique directly, even if something went sideways, the 'safety device' should kick in."
Tatsuya's voice was quite relaxed as if he was saying: "Wait and see!"
Six young ladies danced in the air.
This was a Fairy Dance befitting its name.
The audience was deeply drawn to the lines crossing in the sky as they watched, mesmerized.
However, as the audience gradually calmed, they were shocked by an unexpected wrinkle in the match.
They were all flying through the night sky.
From a magic perspective, it was difficult to tell the difference in skill with Flying-Type Magic.
Yet, the only one scoring was the player from First High.
None of her opponents could keep up with her pace.
Speed, fluidity, grace.
She turned in air, drifted parallel to the ground, dove and rose.
Before that free and lovable dancing, the others alternated between trailing behind her or simply getting out of her way.
At some point, the dancing fairies had fallen into clearly defined roles, with one leading ballerina and five supporting dancers.
Miyuki was honestly caught off guard by her competitors using Flying-Type Magic.
Well, only a little.
The Flying-Type Magic that her brother developed could only reach its full potential if it was a spell that "anyone could use". On this point, Miyuki knew this better than anyone.
Still, something that anyone could use was inherently different from something that everyone could use in the same way.
Before the match, her brother had already warned her about the possibility of other schools also using Flying-Type Magic.
Her brother warned her with a smile on his lips.
At the time, that must have been because he had faith that no one surpassed her in terms of knowing the intricacies of this magic, Miyuki thought.
Buoyed by that faith, Miyuki danced through the skies at will.
Below her, the exhausted players fell one by one.
When the first player lost their balance and wavered in the sky, the audience shrieked in terror.
Yet, seeing the player gradually descend to the ground, the spectators breathed a sigh of relief. They just witnessed a crash landing in the preliminaries. Compared to the audience, the board was probably even more relieved.
Of course, this was because there was a "safety device" built into Flying-Type Magic.
When the influx of psions from the spell caster dipped below half, the "Variable" portion of the Activation Sequence automatically switched to a soft landing at 1/10th of gravity.
In First High's box, Tatsuya finally relaxed as he thought, "Thank goodness they didn't add any oddities to the program".
He couldn't believe that they were proving the safety values of Flying-Type Magic at the Nine Schools Competition with so many witnesses.
Might as well use this for this month's promotional purposes. Internally, Tatsuya reveled in an evil smile. Before his eyes, another player had dropped off the stage.
In the end, two people bowed out of the first round.
These two also withdrew from the match.
During the second round, another person withdrew.
There were only three individuals in the final round.
By this stage, so long as Miyuki didn't withdraw, First High's overall victory was guaranteed.
The most reliable tactic was to stand somewhere and simply not do anything.
Still, within First High's box, no one advised her to take the "reliable" route.
Currently, the score was a complete landslide.
Needless to say, it was in Miyuki's favor.
Though the overall victory was extremely important, no one in First High felt that they needed to sacrifice personal victories either.
Supported by faith and cheers, Miyuki danced through the sky in the final round.
Even if she couldn't see it, she could clearly feel her brother's protective eyes on her.
Miyuki understood that so long as that existed, her wings shall not fail.
Her unpinned wings spread out and blended together with the other lights.
Soon afterwards,
Two players sucked in ragged breaths as they knelt on the landing spots in the lake.
The sole actor left in the night sky, Miyuki continued to perform the Fairy Dance.
Before her outstretched hand, the last orb vanished into oblivion.
One beat of silence.
One frame of stillness.
The bell signaling the end of the match was drowned beneath a storm of applause.
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