On the waves where Battle Board would be decided, the first round of the Women's semifinals was about to begin.
The players were already at their starting positions.
Honoka's figure was among them.
"Hm~"
"............"
"That's a little......"
"............"
"OK, that, uh......"
"............"
"What the heck are you two doing?"
All three players were side by side at the starting line. In the stands, Erika was humming in frustration while Mizuki was utterly silent by her side. Finally caving, Leo asked reluctantly.
"Isn't that just~, a little strange? All the players are wearing sunglasses."
"Erika-chan, those are called 'goggles'......"
Indeed, just as Erika and Miyuki said, not just Honoka, but the other two were wearing dark protective goggles as well.
"Isn't that obvious? This is the most reliable countermeasure to Honoka-san's light magic."
Mikihiko's analysis was grounded in common sense, causing Erika to adopt a "How boring~" expression as she laughed mirthlessly.
"......What's wrong with that?"
"But~, doesn't that mean they fell for Tatsuya-kun's strategy? Battle Board players don't use goggles because the water droplets may interfere with their sight. This is a key reason. Yet they quickly adopted goggles after being flashed once...... There should be other ways to counter light magic......"
"Is Honoka-san planning on using the water to obscure their vision?"
Erika nodded in disinterest.
However.
"That's hard to say...... I doubt that Tatsuya will rely on such a mundane tactic."
"......Possibly."
Mikihiko's words seemed to rouse some of Erika's interest.
This time, no flash occurred immediately after the start.
"She's slow out the gate!?"
"No, she's right behind!"
As they navigated the snaking tunnel in front of the observation deck, Honoka was in second place entering the first sharp curve.
"Eh?"
At this location, the player in first place took an odd route.
Not only did she massively reduce speed, she even drew close to the middle of the route.
Honoka also decelerated, but took a steeper angle that just barely cleared the bend and snatched first place from the player who took the roundabout route.
"What, just happened?"
Normally, players either reduced speed drastically and hugged the inside route, or took a wider angle but controlled their deceleration.
The route taken by the other player could be described as amateurish. Not only did she drastically reduce speed, she also left a huge passing lane.
"......There seem to be shadows floating in the waterways."
Following Leo's observation, Erika squinted and shouted out.
"Ah, there it is again!"
This time it was a wide arc way.
The player that Honoka passed once again left a huge gap between her and the wall and slowed down more than necessary to pass the angle. The ensuing result left her farther and farther behind Honoka.
"......No wonder, so that's how it is."
"Eh, what?"
Erika asked Mikihiko, who was nodding in appreciation.
"Tatsuya's intent was to have the other players don goggles that are shaded against light. This point coincided with Erika's guess."
Mikihiko spoke with animation, as if completely abandoning his usual irrational stubbornness.
"However, this isn't for using the water spray to occlude their sight, but to make the dark areas harder to perceive."
"So that's why! Illusions can also be used like this......!"
"Indeed. By turning the lit areas darker, you are able to manipulate your opponent's moves. Ultimately, magic depends on application......"
"......Would the two of you care to enlighten me as well instead of amusing yourselves."
At Leo's displeased voice, Mikihiko finally stirred from his daydream.
"Sorry, sorry. In other words, Tatsuya's strategy is......"
"Shiba-kun's strategy is very simple.
He used light wave oscillation magic to control the light along the water route.
The protective goggles already restricted vision considerably. This is now compounded by the darkened route, causing people to misjudge the distance to the edge, hereby forcing the opposing players away from the darkness....... In summation, he narrowed the area the players dared to navigate through."
Hattori, with Kirihara in tow, was holding the fort in place of Katsuto, who had gone to observe the Men's Icicle Destruction event. They were currently listening to every word of Suzune's explanation.
"Even if the mind says otherwise and claims that the water's surface shoulder is wider, it remains a difficult task to override physical perception. At the same time, regardless of who the player is, anyone would have a harder time raising their speed along a narrow corridor. Thus, this strategy is grounded in denying the other players from bringing out their full potential."
"......But, wouldn't Honoka-san be affected herself?"
"That's why she has repeatedly trained under similar conditions."
Hattori's question prompted a simplistic answer.
"......Generally, the user remains unaffected by the magic itself, so no worries."
"Don't relax just yet. Shiba-kun said that 'the width of the water way is fixed, so use your body rather than your eyes to memorize it'."
Hearing Suzune's reply, Kirihara muttered.
"......So rather than being a clever strategy, it turned out to be a full frontal assault anyway....... This could only come from someone with one hell of a mean streak."
Kirihara's impression caused Suzune to burst into laughter.
After the morning matches, the pavilion reserved for First High turned into an ocean of festivities.
All three participants in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction third round won.
In the round robin portion of the event during the afternoon, every player came from First High.
Honoka also advanced to the finals for Battle Board. This was a result that could only be described as "dominating".
The only people who couldn't join in the fun were the ten players from the 1st Year Men's team.
If they competed normally, the male members would surely achieve similarly impressive results. That being said, their blind animosity led to repeated mental errors that only increased as their numbers dwindled and their frustration mounted, throwing them into a vicious cycle of self-destruction.
Among them, the three players from Icicle Destruction — Miyuki, Shizuku, and Eimi, as well as Tatsuya, the technician responsible, were not present because they were summoned to one of the hotel's conference rooms.
"We're pressed for time, so I'll keep this short."
Mayumi was the one who called them here. She was the only one waiting for them.
"Until now, no school has ever monopolized the round robin portion of this event. Shiba-san, Kitayama-san, Akechi-san, your performances have been exemplary."
Politely, calmly, and frantically, the three of them displayed three different attitudes as they bowed in thanks to Mayumi's praise.
"In recognition of this feat, the board has a proposal. They say that regardless of what the standings for the round robin are, our school will receive all the points anyway, so there's no need to play this out. All three of you will share First Place collectively."
The three of them looked at one another, with Tatsuya smiling sardonically in the back.
No matter how they tried to disguise this, the board was obviously trying to lighten his workload.
"It is up to all of you whether to accept the board's proposal. The only criterion is that you don't have much time to consider this. Please make a decision here and now."
Upon hearing Mayumi's words, Eimi started fidgeting as her eyes roamed around.
With her skill level, she was well aware that she had no chance against either Miyuki or Shizuku.
Up until this point, she was satisfied with Third Place, but it was simply human nature for people to desire First Place. It was too much of a stretch for her not to want this to happen.
Miyuki glanced at Tatsuya.
Shizuku also looked towards Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya-kun, what is your opinion? If all three were to fight it out, you would have a hard time managing all three."
So, Mayumi wished for the three of them to share First Place together, Tatsuya thought.
In truth, this was the most desirable outcome from the leadership's perspective.
"To be honest, based on Akechi-san's current condition, she would be better off avoiding the next round. The third round was too heated and it's hard to imagine that she can recover in one or two hours."
From Tatsuya's perspective, he didn't feel that he has to worry on this account. He was just speaking candidly.
"Is that so...... Akechi-san, do you agree with what Tatsuya-kun said?"
"Well, that...... Before I heard what you said, I was already ready to give up anyway. It is true that I'm not in optimal condition, so I was planning on bowing out after talking it over with Shiba-kun anyway...... Because Shiba-kun knows me better than I know myself."
Her tone was diffident, likely because she felt that she was shirking her responsibilities by accepting the board's proposal.
"Really."
Mayumi smiled to console her and nodded before turning to Miyuki and Shizuku.
"I......"
Shizuku spoke up first.
"Want to compete."
Her eyes burned with fiery determination as she looked Mayumi in the eye.
"After this, how many opportunities will I have to go all out against Miyuki...... I don't want to miss this chance."
"How unfortunate......"
Mayumi dropped her gaze to the ground and sighed.
"What does Miyuki-chan think?"
"If Kitayama-san wishes to compete against me, I have no reason to refuse."
Mayumi knew very well that Miyuki was made of sterner stuff that belied her appearance, so she was completely unsurprised by this response.
"I understand...... Then, I will report to the board that Akechi-san has withdrawn whereas Shiba-san and Kitayama-san will engage in a duel to decide the final round. The match should be the first one of the afternoon, so you had best take this opportunity to prepare."
After Mayumi finished speaking, the first one to bow was Tatsuya.
As he left the conference room, Miyuki and Shizuku immediately bowed to Mayumi and left right behind him. Eimi frantically bowed as well and said: "I'll take my leave."
The stands were overflowing with spectators.
The changes in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle Destruction event were quickly announced and intentionally set as the first match of the afternoon to avoid conflicting with other events.
Not just the normal stands, but even the reserved seating area for members was quickly filled.
There, Tatsuya could be seen sandwiched between Mayumi and Mari.
After finishing the calibrations for both their CADs, Tatsuya didn't accompany either Miyuki or Shizuku, but sat in the last row of the reserved seating area.
Before leaving, he left the two of them with these words.
The words, "Do your best".
"But in reality, you wanted to stay by Miyuki's side, didn’t you?"
Alas, the rare "well meaning words" took on a different connotation when delivered from her lips as Mayumi revealed an evil smirk. For some reason, whenever she was with Tatsuya, her fiendish side seemed to rise dramatically.
"Yeah."
Undoubtedly because she was annoyed by Tatsuya's wooden reaction.
"......You sure admitted that easily."
Although she gave pretense to being mean, Mari's real nature was — perhaps — much kinder than Mayumi as she interjected with her almost signature retort.
"Do you know what Sister Complex means?"
"I don't think I follow. How does cheering on your own kin constitute being a sis-con?"
His direct rebuttal while feigning ignorance had long since become customary.
Except Mayumi and Mari had wised up to his tactics.
"Wow, did you hear that Mari? This child is actually confident in his own cause!"
"Looks seriously ill to me. Is it hopeless?"
Isn't it pointless to loudly gossip about the person stuck between them? Tatsuya thought. He was thoroughly helpless against this special way of "bullying the underclassman".
This short skit was nothing more than the appetizer before the curtains were drawn.
As if to prove this, when both players took the stage, the entire audience fell into complete silence.
In the arena, two young women stood facing one another.
On one side, her white hakui and crimson hakama filled the eyes.
On the other side, tamotos the color of water flooded the vision.
Miyuki didn't bind her hair; Shizuku didn't bring an obi.
The long, wavy hair and silk tamotos fluttered in the slight winds of summer.
The two young women were suffused with a suffocating silence.
This was the chilling "fighting spirit" that shared the name of this purely magical contest and was far removed from its burning counterpart.
The preparation signal light lit up.
The colors changed, and at the moment the beacon responsible for starting the match went off—
Magic flooded outward at the same moment.
A heat wave rushed towards Shizuku's field.
Yet, the icicles stubbornly resisted the incursion.
The wide area heat wave from "Inferno" was denied by the "Data Fortification" magic that stopped the changes in the icicles' temperature.
The earth groaned as magic rushed towards Miyuki's field.
But the oscillations were stamped out the moment they tried to resonate.
Wide area magic prevented oscillations and movement within her own field and extended across the earth's surface and below it as well.
The two of them went back and forth, taking turns using phenomenon rewriting on the other's icicles. This was a perfect stalemate, worthy of the praise from all the pundits and experts — on the outside.
But the combatants involved didn't think so.
(I can't get in......! As expected of Miyuki!)
Shizuku's "Resonance" was completely rejected by the enemy field.
In comparison, Miyuki's heat wave was enveloping Shizuku's field.
"Data Fortification" is a counter magic used to prevent magic from passing through and altering the Eidos.
It was unable to prevent the physical effects from magic.
Even if the magic couldn't directly influence the icicles' temperature, the heated air would cause the icicles to melt. It was only a matter of time.
(In that case!)
Shizuku stuck her left wrist with the CAD attached into her right sleeve.
She pulled out a pistol-shaped Specialized CAD in her hand.
This was the final trump card that Tatsuya had prepared for Shizuku.
Shizuku pointed the muzzle towards the front row of icicles in Miyuki's field and pulled the CAD's trigger.
(Dual-wielding CADs!? Shizuku, you managed to accomplish that?)
Seeing Shizuku's left hand also holding a pistol-shaped CAD, Miyuki inwardly wavered.
Wielding multiple CADs simultaneously was her brother's trademark ability. It was an extremely difficult technique that was almost "unique".
Miyuki believed that, for someone who could so easily lose control of magic like herself, it was far too soon for her to challenge that ability that demanded absolute control of her psions. At the same time, she was terrified of infringing upon her brother's favored technique.
However, at the current moment, Shizuku was wielding a second CAD before her very eyes.
Without arousing interference from the psion signal waves, the second CAD completed its Activation Sequence.
Instantly, Miyuki's magic stopped.
The sustained magic was curtailed in mid translation.
Now, Shizuku's new magic stormed forward.
"Phonon Maser!?"
Hearing Mayumi's gasp, Tatsuya privately applauded as if this new magic had nothing to do with him: "She certainly is well versed in magic!"
The front row of icicles in Miyuki's field started to give off white steam.
For three rounds, Miyuki's icicles were untouched — at the magical level — by her opponents, and were now damaged for the first time by enemy attack.
Oscillation-Systematic Magic "Phonon Maser" — a high level magic that raises the number of supersonic oscillations to form a quantum heat ray.
Even if this was the tactic that Tatsuya gave Shizuku to defeat Miyuki...... His expression remained oddly dark.
Not because Miyuki was in danger of being defeated.
But because he knew better than anyone else that relying on this level of strength to surpass that sister of his was nothing more than a pipe dream.
She faltered for all of one second.
Acting in concert with Shizuku's newly sustainable magic, Miyuki also switched magics.
The rising steam from the icicles — the sublimation of ice halted.
Not because she blocked the heat ray formed by the shooting supersonic waves, but because an absolute chill that surpassed the heat of "Phonon Maser" had materialized itself.
Miyuki's field was instantly enshrouded in a sublime, white mist.
The mist gradually drifted towards Shizuku's field.
Miyuki knew that Shizuku would raise the inference strength on "Data Fortification".
Despite this. Regardless.
(......Alas, you are too naive, Shizuku!)
The flowing mist was "cold air". Temperature change — magic that prevented melting had no effect on this magic.
"......'Niflheim' .......That's impossible, right? What magical dimension are we in here......"
Mari said in amazement.
Tatsuya shared that sentiment, but remained silent on the issue.
Wide Area Freezing Magic "Niflheim".
At the basic level, this technique ignored heat and appearance, using magic to uniformly cool down all the objects within a set area. Even so, in terms of practicality, this magic could be used to create Diamond Dust, Dry Ice Particles, or even large clouds of nitrogen gas in a pinch that could be advanced towards the target.
Likewise, its strength was building towards the strongest level.
The nitrogen mist passed through Shizuku's field and vanished near the other end of the arena.
On one side of Shizuku's icicles — the side facing Miyuki that is, nitrogen was coated on its surface, creating "dynamite" on the icicles.
Miyuki disabled "Niflheim" and once again activated "Inferno".
Shizuku's "Data Fortification" could only affect objects that originally existed within the area and thus had no impact on newly applied materials.
Lowering the temperature of nitrogen gas produced a cooling effect. Likewise, rapidly heating nitrogen liquid at temperatures far exceeding normal room temperature would instantly evaporate the nitrogen.
Expanding it to 700 times its size.
With a huge roar, Shizuku's icicles collapsed as one. It was unknown whether the roar came from the icicles hitting the earth or the roar itself caused the icicles to fall, or even if it was caused by the gas explosion.
The very fact that the icicles were shattered into tiny pieces testified to the ferocity of the explosion.
The judges were probably stunned by this scene unfolding before their eyes.
Hence they hesitated briefly before announcing the end of the match.
"Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."
Shizuku, who had returned to their room first, congratulated Honoka, who was fresh from her post-event medical examination.
"Thank you...... It was a nice try, Shizuku."
"Yeah...... But I can't accept it."
Her soft words would likely prompt some people to suspect: "Is that true?" But Honoka was her close friend from childhood, and there was no way she could misinterpret Shizuku's meaning.
"Shizuku......"
Honoka wrapped her arms around the slightly shorter Shizuku and pulled her into a hug.
Arms dangling, Shizuku dove into Honoka's embrace.
"Even though I never thought I had a chance from the beginning."
"Really......"
"But, there was nothing I could do."
"............"
"I still can't let it go, Honoka......"
"......You gave it your all."
This persisted for some time.
"......Thanks. I'm OK now."
Shizuku said as she separated from Honoka.
There were no tear tracks on her face.
"Is that so......? Shizuku, want to grab some tea? I'm a little hungry."
"......OK."
"Give me a second to change, alright?"
Shizuku smiled in embarrassment and nodded as she watched Honoka's sunny attitude.
The moment Honoka stepped into the cafeteria, she was immediately caught between a rock and a hard place and struck immobile.
She locked gazes with Miyuki, who had arrived beforehand.
They couldn't just retreat like this, but even so, it's not like they could just nonchalantly sit down next to her. This terrible situation almost caused Honoka to burst into tears.
"Congratulations on your victory, Honoka."
While Miyuki's warm smile was no less brilliant than usual, there was still a little stiffness in her upper lip. They were unable to "act normally" and, while there were some degrees of difference, Miyuki was no exception to this either.
"Honoka, congratulations."
If Honoka hesitated now or put on a stilted smile, this would only worsen the mood. In order to deny her that opportunity, Tatsuya immediately addressed her in his usual tone and simultaneously dispelled the awkward atmosphere around them. However, by doing so he also cut off Honoka's path of egress.
"Ah, err, thank you very much......"
"Tatsuya-kun, may we sit with you?"
Shizuku broke the ice here.
"Of course, please do."
Tatsuya said as he rose and stepped behind an empty chair. Miyuki picked up the teacups and moved the tray before sitting down in an adjacent seat from her previous position opposite Tatsuya.
"Please."
"Thank you."
Shizuku didn't hesitate and sat down in the chair Tatsuya pulled out for her — directly across from Miyuki.
Honoka blushed as Tatsuya did the same for her and sat down.
After Honoka and Shizuku ordered a cake set from the waitress that just happened to pass by, Tatsuya once again looked over the two of them.
"This one's on me. Let's call this the celebration for taking First and Second Place."
"Eh, really?"
"......Then, I'll do just that."
While Honoka hesitated briefly, Shizuku merely nodded in acceptance. She seemed to comprehend that Tatsuya's real intention was to console her, so there was no reason to refuse.
Seeing her friend rebound faster than she expected, Honoka breathed a sigh of relief and finally focused her attention on her own situation.
"Um, well......"
"Hm?"
"Well, I was able to win all thanks to Tatsuya-kun! Thank you so much!"
After all the attention was drawn back to herself, Honoka faltered even more than earlier when she realized that she hadn't thanked Tatsuya for everything yet. She was finally able to deftly do so after great personal difficulty.
Seeing her like this, Tatsuya smiled and nodded his head.
"Just a little."
He wasn't being humble nor was he denying her words, he just didn't want to blow it out of proportion. Honoka didn't take issue with the words "just a little" probably because she understood the meaning behind his smile.
After verifying this, Tatsuya wiped away his smile and turned his gaze on Shizuku.
"However, I do need to apologize to Shizuku."
"Eh?"
Shizuku stared at Tatsuya with a "I have no idea what you're talking about" expression.
"Disregarding the final outcome, this could have turned into a more even contest...... My estimation was too naive. It was too strenuous a demand for you to completely master 'Phonon Maser' in two short weeks."
"Ah, that...... No, that's not Tatsuya-kun's fault at all. Also, without that, I would have had no chance to retaliate at all."
Fully comprehending why Tatsuya was apologizing, Shizuku vigorously shook her head.
"It was my fault I couldn't control it. I should be the one apologizing. If I could wield it at will, that would have made for a much better match. As an inept opponent, I also extend my apologies to Miyuki as well."
"Please don't be like that. At the time, I was very surprised. You were able to use such an advanced magic ability while dual-wielding CADs at the same time."
Miyuki smiled and shook her head. Afterwards, she teasingly glared at Tatsuya.
"Onii-sama, were you really trying to make me lose?"
At this fairly complex to answer question, Tatsuya immediately responded.
"......I just wanted the both of you to bring out your maximum potential."
And the result was this dignified but brilliant rejoinder.
Pompous, but it was no lie.
Miyuki knew this very well, but understanding this was one thing, being satisfied with this answer was another thing altogether.
"Seriously...... Does this person not care about his own sister?"
"I do believe you would be truly indignant if I went easy on you."
Anyone could encounter their friend teasing an older sibling, but this was an extremely rare occurrence for Miyuki. Her words not only brought about Tatsuya's rebuttal, they also caused Honoka and Shizuku to burst into laughter.
It was the seventh day of the Nine Schools Competition and the fourth day of the Newcomers Division.
Today was the preliminaries of the Newcomers Division Monolith Code event, which was widely regarded as the most important event within the Nine Schools Competition. Yet, the audience's attention was completely concentrated on Mirage Bat.
Since this was an event that only young ladies participated in, their uniforms consisted of colorful spandex that was covered by flowing miniskirts and sleeveless vests or jackets. When compared to the fashion show (cosplay contest?) that Women's Icicle Destruction presented, this was another feast for the eyes of a different caliber.
Rather, the young women in these uniforms were dancing through the skies.
In terms of sheer beauty, this event was undoubtedly first among all magic competitions.
Thus, it was perfectly natural to receive massive attention (and scrutiny) from the male fans.
That being said — if this wasn't Tatsuya's mental reaction, he felt that he was also the subject of many a curious gaze.
This was no lustful gaze that he was fighting against, but the collective (prickly) hostile gazes filled with enmity.
"......You're certainly dimwitted when it comes to your own affairs."
The player that completed her preparations for the first match spoke to Tatsuya in a teasing manner.
"While I don't deny that I'm a little slow in some regards...... You have some idea, Satomi?"
"Of course!"
She was Satomi Subaru from First High 1st Year Class D, and, of course, a Course 1 student. Satomi was actually her surname, as the two of them were not close enough for Tatsuya to call her by her actual name.
"Everyone came to see Shiba-kun."
She was a young lady that was somewhat similar to Mari. To be precise, they were both more popular among their own gender than with those of the opposite gender.
However, at the end of the day, they were only "somewhat" similar. Also, if the two of them stood side by side, they would still give off different impressions to others.
Let's assume both were dressed in swallowtail suits.
Mari would give off a "beautiful lady dressed in men's clothes" vibe.
While Subaru would definitely categorize as a "beautiful young man from the troupers".
Regretfully, that was probably their defining difference.
It remained a mystery as to whether Subaru was conscious of this point, but it was true that her tone and mannerisms had a masculine tinge to them.
Even so, this was hardly a "rude" impression, but as her previous words implied, she was an extremely perceptive young lady.
"In both Speed Shooting and the subsequent Icicle Destruction, we seized all three of the top spots. I think anyone watching could see that highly efficient CAD software played an integral part in that. That's why everyone wants to know who the technician responsible is."
"......But, anyone can find out who the technician on duty is without much research."
"That's true. Shiba-kun, the other schools are now very wary of you."
If what Subaru said was true — and there was no reason to think otherwise — then things were rapidly progressing in the direction that Tatsuya wanted to see the least.
Generally, people are forced to act in conditions where they are not fully prepared. That's just "how life works".
Despite that, he was woefully unprepared for this situation.
According to the plan, "Shiba Tatsuya" was only supposed to be revealed post graduation.
"Then...... It's my turn to take this by storm. Honestly, with this CAD in hand, there's no reason I can be defeated in the preliminaries."
As she paced continuously towards the entrance, Subaru raised her right arm with a "bracelet" that seemed to flash in the sunlight. Over one shoulder, she revealed a daring smile.
Tatsuya gave her a thumbs up and watched her depart.
As she said herself, Subaru was practically guaranteed to triumph in the preliminaries.
Using the CAD he calibrated.
While he didn't want to be in the public eye so much, he couldn't exactly just mail it in either.
As a Course 2 student — as a Weed in the system, nobody save for one person placed high expectations on him, but now he was out of options.
Now, he had Mayumi and Mari who nominated him for the Nine Schools Competition, Katsuto who supported this decision, Hattori who backed him despite his own personal feelings and Kirihara who was willing to be a guinea pig despite the danger. Then there were Honoka, Shizuku, and all the other female players who were depending on him as well as — and Miyuki, who unconditionally believed and supported him.
Once entwined, these social links could not be so easily "dissolved", even by him.
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