Amelia in Wonderland
On a certain cloudless day in the last third of August, 2095 AD.
Standing at the gates to the amusement park awaiting the arrival of her friends was a young girl whose red hair was ruby-like in its brightness and wearing a military style jacket with its many pockets and a miniskirt.
The girl’s name was Akechi Eimi, also known as Amelia Goldel, a student of the National Magic University Affiliated First High School.
With summer vacation nearing an end, the plan was to come to this amusement park to play around with some fellow first years. As they were in different clubs, normally there were few chances for them to hang out.
(It seems I’m a bit too early…)
It was still half an hour before the appointed time. That might be expected if it was a date with the opposite gender, but there was likely no one who would come this early when going out to play with friends of the same gender. Emi herself certainly would not normally come this early. (Incidentally, as Emi herself had yet to experience such encounters with the opposite gender, there was little meaning behind her supposition).
As for why she had ended up here so early, the fault lay with an international phone call she had received this morning.
It was the sound alerting her to an incoming call on her room’s video phone that drew her out from the world of dreams.
The digital clock read five o’clock.
Thinking ‘what a nuisance,’ Eimi looked at the message window and saw it was her grandmother on her mother’s side, the matron of the renowned Goldie mage family of England and effectively the ‘number two’ in authority, on the line.
Eimi snapped wide awake.
Even before Eimi’s parents came together, it was an unwritten rule in the Akechi household that even for a heroine who could stay asleep with a truck stuck in the house, being sound asleep was not an excuse for not greeting an early caller or guest.
“…It has been a while, Grandmother.”
Eimi refrained from saying good morning.
“Because I am not properly dressed, please excuse my using voice-only with the call.”
“Good morning, Amelia.”
It seemed her grandmother was also aware of the time difference, Eimi thought as she heard the greeting.
As it was daylight savings time, the difference between here and England was eight hours. Over there, it was now nine o’clock. If one thought about the time here, to be honest, Eimi really wished her grandmother had waited another hour before calling.
“It may be very hot over there, but are you keeping healthy? Your body has never been very strong after all.”
If you know I’m not very tough, then I wish you would let me sleep a bit more, Eimi sincerely thought. Of course, she did not give voice to that wish.
“I’m fine, Grandmother. The heat wave has been subsiding over the last couple of days.”
This was just some honeyed words so as to provide her elder with some peace of mind. In reality, last week’s heatwave had been absolutely horrible, though this week it was becoming more tolerable.
Summer would soon be ending anyway.
“Is that so? Don’t push yourself too hard, Amelia.”
“Yes, thank you very much, Grandmother.”
Even as she replied politely, Eimi’s head tilted to the side. Just as she was wondering why on earth Grandmother had called-
“Actually, to avoid the heat, I will be staying at the Swiss mountain villa from next week until the fall. I would be very happy if you would also come, Amelia.”
“…Me, go to Switzerland?”
The hesitation in Eimi’s response marked her awareness of the invitation’s undertones.
“Yes. I have wanted to have a nice, long chat with you for quite some time, Amelia.”
“I as well, Grandmother. There are a great many things I would like for you to teach me, but…”
But this was impossible. In a little over a week the second term would start.
While Eimi was trying to politely decline the invitation with that explanation, her grandmother was not so easily deterred.
“If you are worried about school, there is also an excellent magic school in Switzerland. It should be fine if you studied abroad for about half a year? I could handle the arrangements with the school.”
Because you’ve known the head of the Magic University for a long time is what you’re saying, Eimi thought impatiently.
No one would be surprised that her grandmother was well acquainted with the highest levels of the magic community in Japan.
With the restrictive control of overseas magic education, the chances for a magic high school student to study abroad were for all practical purposes non-existent – at least Eimi had not heard of any such instance – but, with her grandmother, the impossible might well be achieved.
At this rate regardless of Eimi’s intent, it looked like she might well find herself studying abroad.
While somehow or another halting the discussion here with her emotional appeals was a victory of sorts, after the phone call ended, rather than relief, Eimi felt uneasy.
Though she was a grandchild of a daughter married into another family, until now her grandmother had never interfered with her life. While visits tended to require Eimi to be on her best behavior even as she was treated kindly, other than that she had been left to her own devices – until now.
Now however some reason had appeared to prompt her grandmother to want to keep her close by.
However, without having any knowledge of her grandmother’s reasoning, the endless worrying afflicted upon her head made going back to sleep impossible. As such, Eimi ended up leaving the house well before the meeting time.
“Eimi!”
When she turned her head toward the call of her name, Eimi saw the girl who was today’s sponsor waving.
“Sakura!”
As Eimi waved back, the girl trotted over.
The girl wearing the (thoroughly) goth loli-esque one piece was Sakura Kouji Akaha.
This girl’s name was read as Akaha, not Momiji.
On the day these two met as classmates,
Eimi: Akaha, how do you write that?
Akaha: Red leaf, the same as ‘autumn colors’ but pronounced Akaha, you see.
Eimi: Hee? So sakura and autumn colors put together. That’s a rather gorgeous name.
Akaha: But you know, it’s a shame both are rather fleeting.
Eimi: Aha, the beauty of elegant simplicity, no?
Akaha: But you hardly seem the type to have much relation with elegant simplicity. You’re a rather colorful brilliance.
The chance to become friends came with the exchange of false laughter after their conversation, making fate rather mysterious.
“Sakura, you came with Subaru?”
“Ehehe…”
Though Eimi’s questioning had no deep meaning, Akaha began laughing nonsensically.
Eh, is it possible you have this hobby? Eimi made a mental note regarding the oblivious Akaha.
However, as Eimi focused once more on the companion standing next to Akaha, she revised her opinion and felt that she could, “understand it a little, probably.”
At a glance, there was a handsome young man wearing a summer suit. That image was only further emphasized with the sophisticated under-rim glasses.
However, in reality this youth was a boyish female classmate.
Satomi Subaru was by way of a teammate at the Nine Schools Competition – a relatively new friend, but now, their relationship was amiable enough to allow for exchanges such as, “Subaru, you came as a deterrent against seducers?” or “Milady, it would be a pleasure to escort you.” – Moreover when in the middle of such conversation, the two would smile, no, grin without reserve.
“Is something wrong, Eimi?”
As Eimi allowed her mind to be filled with fantasies of Akaha’s inclinations, Subaru peered at her face suspiciously.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Eimi replied with a curt shake of the head.
“Is that so?”
The wide grin on Subaru’s face was galling and felt like her foot was being trampled but if Eimi reacted, it was almost guaranteed to drag her into an unnecessarily embarrassing incident so with all her will she pretended not to notice.
“That’s a relief. In that case, let’s go in.”
Objectively speaking Eimi’s poker face was rather lacking, but having said her piece Subaru turned away. Knowing when to stop was also one of her charms. However to be considered ‘charming’ by other girls might well be something Subaru herself would only accept reluctantly.
Without further thought on what ‘a relief’ and ‘that case’ was, so as no to waste any more time Eimi made no objections.
“Oh yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been to an amusement park.”
When Eimi said this with a lively voice,
“Theme park.”
For some reason, Akaha interrupted her with a displeased tone.
“Eh?”
“Theme park. Wonderland isn’t an amusement park, it’s a theme park.”
As expected from the repeat customer with the most visits on hand, it seemed Akaha could not help but be more than a little finicky about this amusement, no theme park.
“Sorry, sorry, yeah, Wonderland is a theme park.”
While Eimi felt there was little difference in either label, that very same feeling meant there was no need to stir things up. Eimi was soon correcting herself to use theme park instead of amusement park. Nevertheless, the irreverent tone and manner of the two did not go unnoticed and with half-lidded eyes Akaha regarded the them with displeasure, but with Subaru and Eimi proceeding through the gate she hurriedly chased after their backs.
With that amusing mood, the two went through the gates without having to queue and lost themselves in Wonderland.
Wonderland was an amusement park with magic as its theme.
Possibly because of that, all the interior fencing and attractions in the premises were arranged like a labyrinth. Furthermore, every attraction also served as some kind of trick house. It was very difficult to leave after entering, even if one did not try out all the attractions. Due to this kind of park layout, rather than"entering" the park, it would be better to say that visitors were "lost" in it.
And right now, a certain girl was really lost inside.
"Seriously! Forget about Local Positioning System navigation, but what's with GPS not working either!?"
After visiting three attractions, Eimi had somehow lost her two friends and was now grumbling at a portable terminal.
"Can't be helped, right? Isn't that one of the park's selling points?"
Subaru was the one receiving her vented frustrations.
"Even if that's the case, blocking GPS signals is going way too far!"
"Relax. Is there a map display somewhere?"
Well-versed in dealing with girls, Subaru (despite being a girl herself) took an approach of gentle appeasement. As a result, Eimi seemed to put aside her annoyed emotions somewhat.
"I've been searching since a while ago... But let alone a map display, I can't even find a guide anywhere."
"Really...? Anyway, if worse comes to worst, just light some fireworks and I'll use my magic to come pick you up."
Subaru's specialty was Leap magic along with inborn talent for Cognitive Inhibition (her usual flamboyant behavior was apparently a reaction to the skill of "imperceptibility").
Despite possessing skills in Cognitive Inhibition, she was nowhere near the level of First High's counselor, Ono Haruka, whose true identity was a Public Safety investigator. Nevertheless, it would be an effortless task for her to stroll casually in the air without attracting attention while other park visitors were focused on having fun.
On the other hand, Eimi's personal talent what was known as Artillery Magic under the Movement System, capable of accelerating massive objects to high speed using only a short amount of time. During the Nine School Competition's Pillars Break event, she had used her own ice pillars as bowling balls to launch into enemy territory, knocking down the opponent's pillars all at once, thereby displaying her strong-arm tactics. For Eimi, it would not be a difficult task to replace heavy projectiles with compressed masses of air then firing them into the sky to produce explosion noises on the level of fireworks.
"Subaru, that's not allowed. Using magic for such reasons will get us into trouble."
However, Akaha entered the conversation on her own terminal and rejected Subaru's suggestion.Laws had very strict conditions regulating the use of magic. Indeed, using magic for something as trivial as kids getting lost would definitely entail dealing with the police.
"...Can't be helped, Amy. Can you see the Sage's Tower?"
The Sage's Tower was Wonderland's signature attraction and the tallest structure there.
"Yes... Just barely."
Eimi turned her head and looked around, finding behind a hedge the pinnacle of the building, constructed from faux white stone.
"Then we'll meet up there."
"Okay, got it."
Ending the conversation, Eimi glared at the Sage's Tower viciously, as though it had killed her father--well, that might be an exaggeration, but at least the killer of a beloved puppy.
◊ ◊ ◊
Staring at the voice communcations unit on the portable terminal whose call-inprogress light had switched off, Subaru pondered a certain matter.
"What's the matter, Subaru?'
Naturally, this behavior made her companion suspicious. In response to Akaha's question whose tone was split evenly between curiosity and worry, Subaru smiled slightly demurely and said:
"Hmm, nothing much... I was just wondering why Amy would end up getting separated from us."
"Because she's too hyperactive?"
"Hold on, that's..."
Akaha had given a blunt answer without thinking, putting Subaru at a loss for words.
"It'd be understandable if it happened momentarily, but she didn't realize until neither of us could get a bead on each other's location. I think the situation isn't very normal."
"Hmm~ ...Does Amy have no sense of direction?"
"...Umm, Sakura, you're making me very curious how the two of you perceive each other...
Subaru shook her head, trying to dispel the urge to sigh, then made her tone of voice serious.
"Putting that aside, Amy doesn't have a terrible sense of direction. She's in the hunting club and already acknowledged as a promising first year. Sure, that'd irrelevant if all she did was compete in indoor shooting competitions, but someone with no sense of direction can't possibly hunt birds and animals in the mountains."
Subaru's diatribe made Akaha finally realize the possibility that "Eimi was perhaps simply lost."
"Besides, Wonderland is a recreational facility that even children can visit to play. No matter how much it's made like a maze, it'd be too weird if there were no clues at all for finding friends who got separated or if people who are lost cannot even find a map or a guide."
"You have a point. Since it's one of the park's selling points, it wouldn't hurt to provide some assistance in this area."
Exchanging solemn glances, the two girls made their way to the Sage's Tower as Subaru suggested "Anyway, let's go."
◊ ◊ ◊
Unlike her friends who were weighted down by burdensome doubts while gradually making their way to the meeting point, Eimi was getting more and more frustrated by her lack of progress in approaching her destination, making her too occupied to think about anything else.
Currently, the tower's pinnacle was still visible so the direction was still clear.
But whenever she tried to walk towards it, she would always encounter dead ends that forced her to find detours.
Subaru had determined that Eimi "did not have a terrible sense of direction" but that description was far too conservative.
To be more precise, her sense of direction was extremely sharp.
Eimi's sense of direction and ability to grasp the landscape made her aware that she was simply going in circles in the same area.
Having a visible target that could not be approached, knowing the current situation yet unable to find a way out, this further magnified her frustrations several fold.
And now, a thorny hedge of wild roses was blocking Eimi's path. Exasperated by the numerous dead ends she had lost count already, Eimi reached the limit of her tolerance.
Even a boy would have trouble crossing a hedge formed from thorned roses, soa girl would have no way of breaking through.
But Eimi was no ordinary girl.
(Watch me blow up this hedge...!)
Totally vexed, Eimi reached into the pocket of her miniskirt--more precisely, it was a hole in the skirt that looked like a pocket. Reaching for the leather holster strapped to her thigh, she drew out the long and slim terminal-style CAD.
Her main CAD was a shotgun model but that was not something to be carrying openly in the streets after all. Still, this backup CAD was more than enough for eliminating this obstruction. Usually operating gun-model CADs with one hand, Eimi used both hands to invoke the activation sequence on this CAD.
"Hold on! Akechi-san, are you for real?"
However, a voice was heard from behind as though perfectly timed. Eimi was startled as though someone had splashed a bucket of ice water on her head. The magic sequence was dispelled in the middle of its construction.
Caught in the act of using magic arbitrarily.
More precisely, it was an abortive attempt, but by this stage, Eimi's intentions were obvious to any magician. Her actions were very unlikely to be overlooked.
Also, the other person knew her identity, which made things even worse.
Pondering these matters in a mental state of despair, Eimi felt cornered without any way out, even failing to realize that since it was someone who knew her, it might be possible to plead to him to turn a blind eye.
Eimi turned around in trepidation but the sight of the completely unexpected figure stunned her, rooting her to the spot.
The person who spoke to her was a short clown (short was relative to male norms, he was still taller than Eimi).
In circus performances, magic tricks were usually performed by clowns. Hence, using magic as the park theme, it was not surprising that Wonderland had staff dressed as clowns.
However, this clown was not wearing a typical baggy clown outfit. The right torso was black while the left torso was white. The right sleeve consisted of irregular horizontal stripes of black and white while the left sleeve had vertical narrow stripes of black and white. The pants were black on the right and white on the left. The vest was white on the right and black on the left in front while the colors were reverse on the back. A very peculiar outfit.
He was wearing a white glove on his left and a black glove on the right. Instead of a brimless clown's hat, he had a wide-brimmed top hat with vertical stripes (black and white as always).Beneath the top hat was a face with a fake expression drawn in black and white.
No, it was actually a fake face--A mask.
The right side was a crying face with black on a white background while the left side was a smiling face with white on a black background.
This eerie atmosphere, rather than a clown, was more like--
"--The Phantom?"
Eimi was reminded of a certain well-known opera character.
"Huh? Akechi-san, what are you talking about?"
The familiar voice, speaking friendly words, quickly brought Eimi back to reality.
"...Tomitsuka-kun?"
"Yes, I'm Tomitsuka-kun."
The clown took off the mask to reveal a familiar face.
Tomitsuka Hagane, Year 1 Class B of National Magic University Affiliated First High School.
Eimi's classmate.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"This is my part-time job."
Eiri asked in surprise whereas Hagane answered while slowly putting his mask back on.
"Job? Why?"
First High did not forbid students from working part-time.
What Eimi meant by her question was: "Why are you working as Wonderland staff, a job that only ordinary students would pick?"
Not only was Tomitsuka Hagane a student at a magic high school, he was also a Course 1 student at First High.
He was ranked fifth in the year group for both practical skills and theory respectively. His overall grade made him an honors student ranking fourth in the entire year.
Due to his specialty in magic being unsuited to the type of events offered, he was not chosen to compete at the Nine Schools Competition. But in the realm of Martial Magic Arts where magic fighting was combined with unarmed combat, he was rumored to be the school's number one despite his short height and being a first-year student. Eimi had no idea what being number one at First High actually meant in the real world, but undoubtedly, he was an excellentmagician (to be).
Even as a "seed" or a "sapling," those who possessed excellent magic skills would not have any trouble at all in finding short-term employment. For magicians, job openings for people with magic skills were ever present and offered better conditions than normal jobs for the most part.
Eimi could not imagine the hourly wage for a host staff in this park, but it could not possibly be higher than renumeration for magicians.
"It's family-related."
"...Oh I see."
She was satisfied with this answer.
Hundred Families--Tomitsuka.
The Tomitsuka was one of the top clans in the Hundred Families. Furthermore, among magicians in the country, they were also top-class in wealth. This probably meant that the Tomitsuka family had invested in either the company managing this park or its parent company, a large construction firm.
Asking him to work as park staff probably included handling magic-related situations.
If that was the case, Eimi had something to tell Hagane.
"Tomitsuka-kun, say, isn't this going way too far?"
"...What's going way too far?"
Eimi suddenly pointed at the hedge and grumbled angrily, causing Hagane to lean back in surprise. Although covered by a mask, his face was probably twitching slightly.
"This hedge mechanism! I don't know anything about 'recreating a wondrous space,' but isn't blocking people's way with mobile obstacles going too far?
Thanks to this design, I've been stuck going in circles in the same area for a while now!"
However, Hagane's mental state was reset to a blank piece of paper after hearing Eimi's accusations.
Hagane could not understand her.
"Hold on, Akechi-san. There's no such mechanism in Wonderland."
"Huh?"
Expecting to hear some kind of excuse, Eimi's mouth gaped open in surprise after hearing Hagane's answer.
"Doesn't that go without saying? The design concept here is ultimately'recreating something like a maze' but not actually a maze. If visitors felt frustrated, then it's a negative effect on the performance. In the end, if visitors are unable to advance, that would lower the usage rates of park facilities, reducing revenue."
"Eh... But..."
"Besides, this area is a construction zone under expansion. Park visitors are not supposed to enter in the first place. Even involved personnel almost never come in here during the daytime. How exactly did you get yourself lost into here?"
Eimi almost panicked from hearing the unexpected, but forced her hands and lips to move.
"If you ask me where... Basically there."
Eimi pointed at the hedge she had just tried to blow up.
"Huh?"
"I said, I entered from there! There wasn't a hedge there until just now!"
"...Are you serious?"
"I am very serious. Despite how I may look, I'm quite confident in my ability to grasp local geography."
Seeing Eimi's serious look, Hagane's gaze suddenly turned sharp behind his mask. Staring straight at the hedge, he made a "hmm..." sound from his throat.
A mobile hedge made of thorned wild roses. From what Hagane knew, there were no such mobile obstacle mechanisms in this kind of place. Even if he had missed the detail in briefings, this area was not supplied with electricity, hence it was impossible for mechanical objects to be moving. Just to be on the safe side, Hagane took out an information terminal to confirm testing conditions in the new facility under construction--Indeed, this area did not have any operational facilities.
"...Akechi-san, I allow you to continue what you were doing just now."
"What?"
This sudden instruction... Or rather, commanding tone, caused Eimi to react predictably.
"It's okay, blow it up... The type of hedge Wonderland uses is an improved thornless variant so that visitors won't get hurt even if they accidentally bump into them. As far as I know, there shouldn't be any hedges here."
"I see~"
Understanding what Hagane meant, Eimi restarted the magic sequence she had failed to unleash earlier."Then I won't hold back... Tomitsuka-kun, you're taking responsibility for this!"
Eimi's magic activated simultaneously with this blame-shifting declaration.
Movement-type magic Exploder.
This was magic that caused all objects within the effective range of the "point of impact" to diverge spherically at high speed in an equidistant manner. This magic was capable of blowing obstacles that were collections of mulitple objects, like debris or barricades, but would have no effect on a single entity like a wall or a rock.
But in this case, Eimi was treating every rose leaf as a different target and had set the effective range relatively wide, allowing Exploder to detonate in the very center of the hedge. Torn apart, the leaves dragged the vines with them, producing a large hole in the center of the hedge.
Eimi nodded with satisfaction and was just about to pass through the hole she had made when...
"Hold on."
Her classmate's voice stopped her.
"What now?"
Feeling as though he was blocking her joy in finally freeing herself from this dead end of a maze, Eimi replied in a displeased voice.
"I knew it..."
But judging from Hagane's expression, he was not aware of Eimi's ruined mood (that being said, his actual face was hidden by the mask) while he kept staring at the hedge wall with the hole in it.
"What? WHAT IS GOING ON?"
Eimi deliberately lowered her pitch slightly and raised her voice at the same time. Hagane finally seemed to notice her brewing thunderstorm of a temper tantrum and reacted by speaking relatively quickly.
"Akechi-san, take a look. This hedge is not rooted. Neither is there a frame for supporting the vines."
"Now that you mention it..."
Having been stuck in Britain a number of times (for the short term), Eimi was very familiar with this type of hedge. As a semi-climbing plant, roses could not grow tall without support and were unable to form this kind of wall over two meters tall.
"Right, Akechi-san. This wall is supported by magic!"Hagane swiftly inserted his right arm into the hole resulting from Eimi's explosion.
Instantly, the scattered vines converged to devour Hagane' right arm.
In terms of speed, it really was better described as "devoured" rather than "covered" by the vines. The vines, all covered with thorns acting as sharp teeth, were just about to pierce the black and white sleeve, stabbing into Hagane's right arm--That was what was supposed to happen.
"How naive!"
However, what ended up torn apart was the magic driving the vines.
Releasing a shockwave radially, Hagane's right arm blew apart the rose barrier.
"...What was that?"
From Eimi's view, Hagane had simply released a psion wave.
But psions would not affect matter directly.
A wave of psions should not be capable of blowing material objects with an impact.
"Nothing much, it's purely acceleration magic. Making the psion wave permeate through contact, I blew away the immobilizing magic that's supporting the wall, then I activated Explosion."
Explosion was a spell that accelerated all objects within the point of impact's effective range to uniform speed. It was the twin of Exploder except substituting speed-type magic for movement-type magic.
In other words, during the instant when the thorned vines made contact with his arm, Hagane had used non-systematic magic to destroy the immobilizing magic supporting the wall, apparently freeing his arm by reversing the vines' momentum before their thorns pierced his clothing.
"Gram Demolition...?"
Eimi whispered in surprise and fear. Forcibly diabling spells using the pressure of a psion wave was non-systematic magic, a type of top-level anti-magic known as Gram Demolition which hardly any magicians used.
However, Hagane shook his head with an awkward expression (that said, his face covered by his mask as before).
"Well, it's regrettable... I'm unable to inject enough of a psion wave unless through bodily contact."
This prompted Eimi to recall Hagane's moniker.
His moniker was "Range Zero." Eimi had heard of this nickname before whichmade reference to his nonexistent range of fire. Although it teased him for not being proficient in long-distance magic, the nickname also respected his peerless reputation at point blank range. Back when Eimi first heard about this, she had been wondering why he held this other title in addition to his family's codename without any outstanding accomplishments. After witnessing the scene just now, she finally acknowledged his prowess.
A single touch from him would dispel any antimagic protecting the body, exposing it to offensive magic in an unguarded state. Besides, simply injecting a high-density psion wave into the human body was enough to disrupt biological rhythms, rendering the victim unable to stand properly.
"...Anyway, enough about my magic..."
Hagane had probably misunderstood the meaning of Eimi's reticence, turning away with an embarrassed look (but because of the mask, his expression... hold on, there's no need to repeat that anymore), whispering in a voice that was rendered even more unclear by the mask.
"We've got company. Is their target you, Akechi-san?"
It was anyone's guess whether this just happened to be pure coincidence or if they decided that the fake hedge's destruction served as the best timing, a group of men, dressed in black clothing, black hats and shades, emerged to surround the two of them.
"MIB?"
"All I know is that the park doesn't use these outfits."
Whether Eimi's exasperated remark or Hagane's casual comment, neither reflected the gradually tense atmosphere at the scene.
Or perhaps they were trying to unsettle the MIB's intimidating aura.
But if that was the case, their attempt ended in failure.
The men in black closed in, surrounding them even tighter.
Hagane's airs of playful bantering were gone.
For some reason, Eimi returned the CAD in her hand to inside her skirt.
Getting a strange feeling, Hagane placed his hand on his face. Instead of taking it off, he was pressing the mask against his face.
Eimi instantly understood why he did that. Under pressure, the mask would fit tigher with the shape of the face, improving visibility by presenting larger eyeholes to the eyes.
"May I ask what business do you have here?"
Hagane asked politely, presumably in consideration of his status as park staffand the possibility tha he had mistaken their relationship.
However, he had no expectations for a response.
The iron-clad rule in horror movies to incite fear was to refrain from speaking.
It applied to real life as well.
Arriving all at once, hiding their true identities, sealing off escape routes, applying silent pressure, then negotiating when the target had been worn down mentally and physically. The men in black had faithfully followed this set of procedures up to sealing off escape routes.
"Miss Goldie."
But contrary to Hagane's prediction, one of the men in black spoke up politely.
Instead of using "Ms.", he was using the old-fashioned title of "Miss."
"We have no intention of harming you."
Although the man was speaking in English, not only Eimi but Hagane was also proficient in English conversation.
"All we wish is for you to hand over something to us. Naturally, we are not making demands without compensation. In exchange, we will provide something that you will need the most from now on."
"I am afraid that the meaning of your message is lost upon me."
When speaking in English as "Amelia," Eimi was far more elaborate than when she spoke Japanese as "Eimi." Perhaps because of that, her dignified airs made her sound almost like a different person. Despite being born in a side branch, she was still part of the prestigious Goldie family, hence such airs were perhaps quite suited to her stature.
"Pardon my poor manners. Then I shall be more blunt."
THe man remained polite but the men in black surrounding Eimi and Hagane closed in even more, exerting pressure on the two of them.
"Miss Goldie, please teach us the spell of the magic projectile, Tathlum. What we will provide in exchange is assistance in stopping future assassins who intend to harm you."
Hagane originally thought that what the men in black wanted was profiting through kidnapping, at most.
However, the magnitude of the matter in conversation was far greater than expected, making him miss the chance to speak up or make a move.
Eimi responded to the man in black with a stiff tone of voice, but did not tremble."That magic is the Goldie family's secret technique, only taught to those recognized as members of the main family. Seeing as I am living as a Japanese far away from the main family, do you truly believe that someone like me would have learned Tathlum?"
Indeed, the Goldie family, standing as one of the main authorities on Modern Magic in England, was originally one that passed down Ancient Magic through the generations. Tathlum was the trump card spell they had acquired during the ascent of Modern Magic, involving the rewriting of Ancient Magic into Modern Magic. But no other information was known apart from the fact that it used physical projectiles.
At least, Hagane--the Tomitsuka family--had not been able to find any further details.
"Rather than believe, we already know."
However, judging from how the man in black responded to Eimi, Hagane surmised that his classmate had already learned Tathlum. As soon as he reached that conclusion, Hagane could hardly suppress the burgeoning curiosity surging in his body.
"Through certain channels, we have become privy to the knowledge that Mrs. Goldie has already taught you the spell of Tathlum."
Meanwhile, Eimi reached an almost complete understanding of the background behind the series of events.
Her grandmother had taught that magic to her; that was the truth, but it was something that only people within the Goldie family were supposed to know.
Eimi had never used Tathlum anywhere outside of the Goldie home but even if outsiders were to see her practicing the magic, they would not be able to identify it as Tathlum.
The reason why Tathlum was called a secret technique was due to its activation sequence. Ordinarily speaking, magicians could only recognize magic through their effects or potential effects. Simply judging from the result of rewriting phenomena, it was impossible to distinguish Tathlum from common movementtype magic.
But this person knew that she had already learned Tathlum, in other words...
(An internal conflict within the family... No wonder grandmother suddenly made that kind of suggestion...)
Not recent events but the matter of "early this morning." As the center of all this, Eimi could not help but feel an urge to laugh at how rapidly things were developing.
"Miss Goldie, what are your thoughts? We have received indisputableinformation that there will be people posing as a threat near you. Pray forgive me for being forward, but your parents are only ordinary magicians. Their power alone is probably insufficient to guarantee your safety."
(So if I refuse, you guys will become the people "posing as a threat near me.")
Eimi sighed lightly.
"Why do you wish to obtain that magic spell?"
Eimi felt quite sorry for getting Hagane involved, for he was just a classmate.
"However, I know the answer already."
These people were not going to back down quietly no matter what.
"That spell is legitmate proof of being part of the Goldie family."
In that case, she had to give up on resolving this through peaceful measures.
"Even if someone was born in the main family, but was unable to use that spell, they would not be recognized as a member of the main family."
Eimi reached this realization.
"Naturally, they would be deprived of the right to inheritance as well."
As soon as Eimi asserted that, murderous intent could instantly be felt coming from the men in black surrounding them.
"That sort of thing is so easy to understand."
Eimi switched back to Japanese and taunted, meanwhile preparing for battle.
"You decline to cooperate? --What a shame."
The man in black also switched back to Japanese for the latter half of his response.
"Capture Miss Goldie. Light injuries are fine. Dispose of the kid."
At the man's orders, silver light flashed from all of sleeves of the men in black.
Slender daggers, the type used for throwing, appeared in the hands of the men in black.
There was no way they were adhering to Wonderland style, but they had hidden spring-loaded knife cases in their sleeves.
Daggers served two purposes: for melee combat and throwing. These daggers in their hands were weighted towards the tip as throwing weapons. Close-range encirclement combined with throwing daggers all at once was an effective tactic against magicians.
Nevertheless, before the daggers could be thrown, the encirclement was already broken."Dispose of me? Oh please, don't just decide something so dangerous all on your own."
Before the men in black could throw their daggers, the monochrome clown had already charged at the mob surrounding them.
The clown had not approached with speed faster than the naked eye could register.
Instead, he had simply run up to his opponenent normally. Although he was fast, anyone could match his speed with a bit of training. While the leader of the men in black was conversing with Eimi, the clown had already started taking action.
He had simply evaded attracting attention, like a ghost hidden in shadows.
The monochrome masked Hagane pressed his palm lightly against the man in black's chest.
It only looked like a gentle touch.
But the man he touched ended up flying backwards ten meters before hitting the concrete ground.
The two-toned colors of black and white swirled nimbly.
The interplay of light and shadow and the dramatic changes in brightness contributed to blurring outlines.
Hagane's karate chop struck the shoulder of the man in black beside him.
An ominous crack was heard.
Rather than a heavy chop with the hand, it was merely a light tap--Just a gentle touch.
Even so, Hagane's barehanded chop still shattered the humerus of the man in black's knife-wielding arm.
"Magic Arts!?"
The leader of the men in black yelled out in shock.
"Magic Arts" was the short form for Martial Magic Arts.
Martial Magic Arts consisted of unarmed combat techniques combined with magic.
Using points of contact as the points for magic activation, it eliminated the step of inputting location coordinates as variables. This type of "contact magic" was one of the fundamental skills of Martial Magic Arts.
Probably reacting to their leader's voice, the men in black surrounded Hagane and lowered their stances.Seeing the men in black became more cautious--more serious--Hagane smiled fearlessly.
"Dear customers, this zone here is not open to the public."
Pretentiously, Hagane held his right hand to his chest while raising his left arm to horizontal and stepping his right foot behind his left foot.
"I'm very sorry but I must ask all of you to leave."
Simply going through the motions of a bow.
"Or perhaps, shall I lead the way for you all? --To the police station."
Hagane taunted the men in black using a respectful tone of voice.
The men in black behind him slowly closed in to attack him. One man attacked, creating an opening in the encirclement. This was precisely what Hagane wanted.
Taking action to accommodate the man in black, Hagane turned around and rushed at the attacking man.
The man in black was no amateur either.
Holding the throwing dagger, he stabbed at Hagane.
Instead of targeting the head that could dodge easily, the strike was aimed at the center of the torso--the bottom of the sternum.
However, the fluttering of dazzling monochrome colors caused the man in black to lose his aim. Stepping lightly, Hagane dodged the man's mistimed stab and landed a punch on his lower jaw.
This was not real magic but stage magic, using optical illusions of conjuring tricks to produce dizziness.
This was an experienced magical dance using the entire body, not something that could be learned in short time.
Hagane's strange attire was not only an outfit worn as part of the theme park's staff but also a battle outfit with practical combat considerations.
Including the leader, the men in black all had their attention focused on Hagane.
This was Eimi's rare chance.
Eimi reached into the pockets all over her military-style jacket.
What she took out was not a terminal-style CAD.
Lifted in front of her playing cards opened in a fan shape in each hand.
Holding these cards, Eimi casually swung her hands to the side.
Released from her hands, the cards flew through the air.Some of the cards advanced straight forward while others turned and traced out curves.
Flying faster than the eye could see, the cards pierced the clothing of the men in black, stabbing into their bodies.
Blood splattered.
No one suffered a fatal wound, but no one was lightly injured either.
"Satisfied now?"
Eimi directed her question in Japanese to the leader of the men in black.
Confronting the nonstop bleeding without flinching, it was like she had simply knocked over tomato juice or something.
"This is the Tathlum you wanted. But just by watching, the spell probably can't be identified."
"No way... Tathlum is supposed to use small spherical shells instead..."
The man probably failed to realize he was using English to answer Japanese.
Intense pain did not allow for awareness of such a minor faux pas.
Rather, given that he was the only one remaining standing, one should commend him as worthy of being the leader.
Nevertheless, Eimi was not impressed with this. Neither did she care.
"...So you didn't even know something of that level? Looks like I said too much."
Eimi's eyeballs kept turning left and right, reflecting the fact that she was pondering how to pull the wool over people's eyes. Most likely, she was regretting inside for "telling" them she had used the magic projectile, Tathlum.
She had misjudged after getting carried away when she realized her enemy knew about Tathlum's existence.
Whether due to resignation or acceptance, Eimi immediately switched from a troubled look to a strong and cheerful expression.
"Uh~ You're wrong. The choice of projectile for Tathlum depends on the user's own style. The one who used shells, I remember that was my late great-uncle who passed away last year? Speaking of which, I think he had a grandson who's two years my senior? I've never met this distant cousin, but he's probably your employer, right?"
With one hand akimbo, Eimi waved her other hand at face height while making a gun gesture, chattering nonstop with a tone of "How's that for a brilliantdeduction?" Eimi evidently wanted to dominate the scene with her presence, but unfortunately, the man did not seem intimadated.
Ultimately, he did not respond at all.
"Excuse me... Akechi-san?"
While Eimi was waiting for the man in black to respond, Hagane spoke to her in a slightly cautious tone of voice.
"Hmm?"
"That guy already fainted."
"Huh?"
Despite being unfazed by blood, Eimi frantically ran towards the man in black.
"Hold on, answer my question first before you faint!"
"Don't ask for the impossible."
Eimi had rushed right before the stationary man, looking like she wanted to give him a good slap. Thinking he had to stop her if she really acted out (because further attacks could lead to death), Hagane hurried over and remarked with exasperation and relief after seeing her hold back.
"Oh... T-Tomitsuka-kun?"
Seeing Hagane next to her with a face full of exasperation--but due to wearing a mask (the rest omitted)--Eimi suddenly settled down and looked up at him in an awkward manner, grasping for the right words.
Eimi was acting almost like a different person from a minute ago. Even though this thought crossed Hagane's mind, he felt inexplicably afraid of ignoring her, so he decided to answer.
"Yes, Akechi-san, what's the matter?"
"Umm... Sorry for getting you involved!"
"Oh, so it's that."
Eimi swiftly bowed her head and apologized, eliciting a reaction of disappointment from Hagane.
"Even as just a part-timer, I am part of Wonderland's patrolling security. I can't pretend I never saw a potential kidnapping happening inside the park, even if I abstain from interfering. Besides, it's clearly our fault that so many suspicious people were able to slip into the premises, so don't worry about it."
Eimi instantly brightened up after hearing Hagane's answer.Seeing her so opportunistic, Hagane could not help but smile wryly.
Feeling the tension gone, Hagane casually said something inconsequential.
"Also, I got the chance to see something rare... So that's the magic projectile, Tathlum. A delayed spell applied with activation conditions on objects to be used as projectiles. Shooting magic that activates movement magic simply by launching by hand. I don't know how long the delayed spell can persist, but when faced against enemies, it allows the user to fire single shots, repeated shots, or firing all at once as they please without the need to operate a CAD or construct magic sequences. I see now, it's definitely a spell worthy of being the prestigious Goldie family's trump card."
Only after he finished did Tomitsuka notice the change in mood.
"...Observing to such an extent after seeing it once, rather, shouldn't I say: as expected of a direct descendent of the Tomitsuka--one of the strongest among the Hundred Families?"
"Oh? Umm... Akechi-san?"
"...How regrettable, to think we could've been friends..."
"Huh? Eh? Why are you using past tense?"
"Tomitsuka-kun, let me tell you some good news."
An intense alarm sounded in Hagane's mind.
But for some reason, his feet felt rooted to the ground.
"Uh... What...?"
"A secret technique is called 'secret' because it must be kept confidential at all costs."
"Whoa~! Hold it right there!"
The cards in Eimi's right hand opened in fan shape, causing Hagane to wave his hands in a panic at the sight.
Not only that, he also frantically took off his hat and mask.
"I won't tell anyone! I'll keep it a secret! Read my lips! My face doesn't look like I'm lying, right!?"
He had apparently taken off his mask to deliver these words.
Hagane suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, causing Eimi's pressure to plummet, unable to continue acting serious.
"...Jeez, whatever. After all, I got to see an interesting dance just now."
"S-sure~
This time it was Hagane's turn to sound troubled, still kneeling on the ground.
This sound alone was enough for Eimi to conclude that Hagane did not want others to know about his type of conjuring tricks. It was probably the secret trump card that Hagane had innovated on his own. In that case, things were simple.
"Very well, let's keep each other's secret!"
Eimi knelt down (naturally with her legs together to prevent exposing the underside of her miniskirt) to meet Hagane's gaze at eye level. Hagane immediately smiled shyly and nodded.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Probably feeling relieved, Eimi suddenly stood up and took out her CAD from under her skirt.
While Hagane watched in puzzlement, thinking "what's up?", she activated a magic spell.
This magic manifested its effects in the form of light, heat and odor.
The cards buried in the men in black's bodies suddenly ignited, cauterizing the wounds before turning into ash.
"Elimination of evidence and halting the bleeding, done. Now then, part-timer Tomitsuka-kun."
"W-What is it?"
Eimi suddenly switched to a coaxing tone of voice, naturally causing Hagane to feel wary.
But there existed many things in this world where being wary was still futile.
"Injuries occurring in the park premises means that staff is responsible for medical care, right? And if those injured people are carrying illegal weapons, it's also the staff's responsibility to call the police, right?"
"Akechi-san... Are you trying to shove all the work on me?"
"How dare you say that I've shoving things on you, of course not! But think about it, I'm just a 'customer' today, after all. And my friends are waiting for me."
"...So unfair."
Eimi remained unfazed despite Hagane's gaze of resentment.
"Very well, that's settled then~ See you in school, Tomitsuka-kun!"
Eimi rapidly left the scene with just a turn and a wave of apology. Watching her leave, Hagane's expression slowly turned from a poker face to a wry smile,finally ending with a long sigh.
◊ ◊ ◊
Eimi finally managed to meet up with Subaru and Akaha. The trio sat down to a lunch of crepes on a bench. When a member of park staff dressed in a vertically striped outfit passed by, Eimi raised a question aimed at no one in particular.
"This place is clearly Wonderland so why don't they dress up as rabbits...?"
"Come on... Wouldn't that lead to copyright problems?"
"Hmm? You actually want a bunny boy to serve you, Amy?"
"Of course not! Sheesh... I was just thinking, since it's not every day that one gets to visit a land of wonderment, it'd be better if the staff dressed up to give a more immersive feeling."
"What kind of outfit would feel more immersive?"
"Hmm~ ...Lemme think, maybe magicians with Venetian style masks or something like that?"
Surfacing in Eimi's mind was a monochrome clown akin to a certain phantom, but she had a feeling that young children would cry in fright if they saw that look, hence she searched her mind for similar images.
"Oh, that might not be bad."
"Yes, I agree. Sounds interesting."
Then every time park staff passed by, the girls would enjoy the fun of virtual dressing up in their minds, chatting "not like that, not like this." Meanwhile, Eimi was secretly contemplating extremely dangerous ideas, from Hagane's perspective, such as "it might be nice to have Tomitsuka-kun dressed up as a bunny boy.
Friendship, Trust, and the Dubious Lolicon
Third High School, which is affiliated with the National Magic University, is located outside Kanazawa City in the Ishikawa Prefecture. Because of the wide scale shift of district lines under the current district system, it is properly called the "former Ishikawa Prefecture," but people, including the mass media, normally refer to former prefectures and their capitals by their old names. Probably out of habit. It could be that "Ishikawa Prefecture" is also used instead of "The Domain of Kaga" or "The Country of Noto" because "it’s what we’re used to".
It's not really important.
In the reference room of Third High School, located outside Kanazawa City in the Ishikawa Prefecture, Kichijouji Shinkurou stopped working so diligently on his manuscript and did a gigantic stretch. He might be on the brink of ruining it by trying to improve it, so he took off the headset for the brain wave assistant interface and once again made a big arch with his back.
He’d been working longer than he’d thought; it would probably be best to make that posture again. The sound of bones cracking back into place continued; the feel of small aches and pains made Kichijouji scowl.
Since he was taking a break from writing for now, he turned his face away. There was no window in the reference room since it might potentially be used to inspect the highly confidential documents, but, perhaps for refreshing purpose, on the side of a wall in the small private room was a window-emulating display that switched between different landscapes. The ‘landscape’ he could see from this private room was of a grove of trees deep in the mountains wavering in a gentle wind; Kichijouji was fond of this scene.
What he’d been working on was the manuscript he would use for his presentation for "The National High School Magic Theory Thesis Competition sponsored by the Japanese Magic Association" at the end of October. Kichijouji was a world renowned magic researcher as well a first year high school student, so he’d been chosen as a member of Third High School’s representatives. His personal preparations had begun before summer vacation, but ever since the Nine Schools Competition had ended, he had become overzealous about writing his manuscript — even he himself felt so.
He was also aware of the reason.
It was the rivalry he felt with that boy he met at the Nine Schools Competition, Shiba Tatsuya.
Until the Nine Schools Competition, Kichijouji had never felt that he was inferior to anyone around his own age in Magic Theory. In fact, he had almost no memories of ever feeling rivalry with anyone. Aside from the practical side of Magic, the realm outside of magic theory, in terms of owners of brains equal to his own which discovered the "Cardinal Code", Kichijouji prided himself on being the only one in his age group whose brain was at this level not only within the country, but even if taking the worldwide viewpoint.
And, he was not being conceited. In the world of the study of magic, there were currently new scientific findings being announced day by day, but scientific findings that equaled the "Cardinal Code" were no more than once a year at the most. Kichijouji Shinkurou’s achievement was that rare and valuable.
However, his vanity had been crushed a number of times in the last Nine Schools Competition. At least, Kichijouji himself felt so.
The theoretical is accompanied by the practical, for the first time that had meaning. In the world of magic research, this was a widely supported way of thinking; in this country especially, the concept was common sense and a widely diffused premise.
Kichijouji also considered that a natural idea. Magical theory in the end is something for the purpose of using technical skills called magic; a theory that can not be put into practice is ridiculous. If the study of magic is to promote learning, then sooner or later it might advance to include the study of logical concepts to explain reality that were purely mental constructs. However, the modern study of magic was not at that level.
And, in regards to the way theory is useful for practice, the technique demonstrated by that guy, First High School First Year — Shiba Tatsuya, had carved a sense of defeat into Kichijouji’s heart. Not just knowledge, not just technique, but the power of the two unified to make him actually feel that the sum was greater than the parts.
That left Kichijouji immensely aggravated.
Knowledge and technique were the cornerstones of his self-confidence. He who could never win against "them" in power was so useful to "them" that he was an utter necessity, and another person could not outperform him. Therefore, Kichijouji pledged to himself that he would redeem himself from his loss during the Nine Schools Competition at the Thesis Competition. He considered victory over First High School at the Thesis Competition to be the shortest route to regaining his self confidence, which he needed to do.
For that reason, directly after the Nine Schools Competition was over, he spent almost every day confined in this reference room working hard composing his presentation speech.
Speaking of the aftermath of the Nine Schools Competition.
—Ichijou’s state of mind seemed a little off—
That phrase fell into Kichijouji’s ears some days rarely, some days frequently.
He made no objection to calling Masaki’s condition as off. Kichijouji himself thought so. He was also aware that it was not just his imagination. After all, Kichijouji knew the reason Masaki was "off".
(…Despite that, there isn’t really anything I can do)
Kichijouji probably could not be attacked for not being a "true friend". After all, Masaki was afflicted with a disease that had from old been called "a sickness no doctor can cure" and "not soothed by hot springs therapy".
Kichijouji accepted it. Ichijou Masaki was suffering from "Love Sickness".
"Shiba Miyuki"
That was the name of the one Masaki had fallen for.
It was inconceivable that the next head of that Ichijou clan could be tormented by love troubles — but he was. Masaki with his brains, good looks and pedigree was the type that did not have to do anything to have a pack of girls after him; the reason for his torment was not anything like him being a neophyte, a complete prude, or a sexual deviant or anything like that — there really was no reason for him not to confess his feelings and end his torment of unrequited love, Kichijouji thought.
Even he himself couldn’t keep his heart from beating faster when he recalled that girl’s image.
The girl was that lovely. Not like a flesh and blood person, if someone said she was the fantasy of a teenage boy transformed into a three dimensional image by super science, he could just about believe it. Even without relying on a photo, his brain could revive her clear image; once or twice, he had gotten the feeling that she was some sort of dream or product of some wild delusion.
Since even he who had no feelings of affection toward her was in this state, Masaki who had fallen in love with her probably couldn’t help becoming more distracted than was usual for him.
In his case, she was an unreachable goal that inspire feelings of awe. Thanks to that (probably), the matter ended without inciting hopeless feelings of unrequited love; however, in Masaki’s case, in part due to the potential of actually getting her, the illness had become unnecessarily severe.
The name of Shiba Miyuki had special meaning for Kichijouji above and beyond that of being the subject of Masaki’s unrequited love.
She was Shiba Tatsuya’s younger sister.
The younger sister of the guy he held animosity for held his friend’s heart.
The inner workings Kichijouji’s heart were more complex than he knew.
"George."
The sun was almost completely past the western horizon with just an edge was passing through when Kichijouji turned around towards the voice that called him just as he was leaving school.
"Masaki."
Even without turning around, he had recognized him by voice alone. Before he could turn around, the owner of the name he spoke caught up to him mid-turn.
"You’re already leaving, right? If that’s so, let’s go together."
"Sure, if you're fine with it."
Kichijouji’s remark was another words for "you won't go out of your way".
Almost every day, Kichijouji returned directly to the school dormitory. In contrast, Masaki made numerous detours hither and thither on his way home. These were not all recreational (though a lot of times he was just playing around), as the number of times that the eldest son of the Ichijou clan had to run around on family business were not few.
"Oh, today I don’t really have anything special to do. ...All right. George, it’s been awhile so let’s visit my house."
"Wouldn’t there be a problem if I just dropping in without warning?"
To his friend’s sudden suggestion, Kichijouji presented a common sense response. However, Masaki lightly laughed it away.
"Don’t say anything to imply that we’re not close. Besides, if it's you, that family of mine will always give a warm welcome."
"Really? Got it. I’ll drop in."
Masaki invited Kichijouji, who lived alone, out of friendship without any guile. However, Kichijouji had reasons for why he could not freely accept the Ichijou family’s good will.
In the first place, he did not have any reason to dislike visiting Masaki’s family. Since Masaki was going straight home and he did not need to worry about interfering with any business he had on the way, Kichijouji displayed no real hesitation when he nodded his acceptance of Masaki’s invitation.
Masaki’s house was a mere thirty minute walk from school. Commuting to school did not take thirty minutes; walking took thirty minutes. Naturally, the fact that Third High School and the Ichijou mansion were within walking distance of each other was a simple coincidence. There was no background detail like the school being useful to the Ichijou clan or the principal working for them, no matter what was whispered in places. In the first place, Third High School, like the other magic high schools, was a national high school affiliated with the National Magic University. Deciding the placement of high schools was in the jurisdiction of government offices; the Ten Master Clans were ostensibly private citizens so affecting the planning was not within the Ichijou clan’s reach. —The Ten Master Clans would also not use their influence in a matter like this.
The thirty minute route took Masaki and Kichijouji twenty-five minutes without hurrying. With the season’s long day already past, the twilight sky was dipped in purple for a while. Since Kichijouji thought that the members of the Ichijou family would not be home yet, he was a little surprised to be hailed as he passed through the gate into the garden.
"Ah, Shinkurou-kun, welcome."
The cheerful voice speaking to him had the high pitched soprano of a child.
"Akane-chan, hello, pardon me."
The one who greeted Kichijouji with a smile was Masaki’s younger sister, Ichijou Akane. Akane was a sixth year elementary student, but Masaki also had another sister younger than her. Kichijouji had not had many chances to talk to that sister who was a third year elementary student, but Akane had attached herself to him long ago, so whenever he visited the Ichijou residence, she would always pop in to see him at least once whether she was there when he arrived or not. He did not know how serious she was, but she had said "I will become Shinkurou-kun’s bride someday".
The first time he heard this statement, Kichijouji was not all that old; by the third time, he was puzzled. When she first proclaimed her intentions to him two years before, Akane was still a fourth year elementary student at that time and all she was to him was Masaki’s younger sister who would grow to be a vivacious beauty in the future. Kichijouji himself was a second year middle school student at the time; proposals of marriage and the like did not seem all that real to him. On the other hand, he did not hate Akane for any reason and since he felt indebted to the Ichijou family, he could not treat her coldly, so Kichijouji at that time was at a complete loss on how to handle it.
He had not received such a clear "confession of love" in about a year, but Akane had teetered on the edges in her words. Kichijouji no longer felt bewildered about the situation, so she might have gradually breached his defenses. Kichijouji himself was unaware of this, however.
Well, since Masaki would not accept getting into any situation that made him look like he should receive the slur of lolicon (by that he meant Masaki wouldn’t accept anyone going after his sister while she was still a child), even if the outer gate of the castle had been raised, it was up to Masaki to decide when to raise the inner gate.
It seemed like she was just about to leave for practice, so he parted from Akane there. That being said, since Kichijouji probably couldn’t leave until after he dined with them for supper, he would probably meet her again later on.
The master of the house, Ichijou Gouki — Masaki’s father, the head of the Ichijou Clan — had not yet returned home. In order to support their position as leaders in the magician community and their personal military potential, the Ten Master Clans and the additional eighteen families managed, and sometimes invested, the assets they had been endowed with to an extent that was not very well known. There were cases of some of them officially being at the "local bigwig" level while unofficially controlling an international corporation effectively (one corporation owned another corporation which owned another corporation…), but the Ichijou clan’s interests were not that widespread. An undersea mining company was the official Ichijou family business. If no irregular situation occurred, Kichijouji knew Gouki would probably return in time for the evening meal.
On the other hand, Masaki’s mother was a housewife, but she was absent as well. She was probably out shopping. This was an era where everyday items and food as well could be supplied by online shopping, but women who wanted to look at the actual goods were numerous, especially among the lady of the manor class. Kichijouji felt it wasn’t all that different from online shopping as the goods were still delivered instead of being brought by the shoppers when they went home, but that might be only be the male point of view.
The Ichijou mansion was a grand residence roughly ten times the scale of an average separated house residence, but did not employ a lot of live-in maids and other type of servants. When the clan gathered, or when it hosted guests related to the society of magicians, and on similar occasions, they hire people from friendly local inns and restaurants. The garden needed specialized skills which were satisfied by periodically calling on a landscape gardener. In contrast to the families like the Saegusa and Itsuwa, who were fellow Ten Master Clans and surrounded themselves with a large number of servants, they operated under the policy of "if a machine could do it, then a machine would do it" and extensively used home automation.
Today, there were no special guests expected. Since there was no need to be polite to anyone in the unpopulated hallway, the two male high school students went straight to Masaki’s room.
Masaki’s room was, if you use traditional measurements, a six tatami western style room which is not considered an especially big room by conventional wisdom. But, in accordance with the upper class modern architectural style, the bed, closet and other furnishings could be stored within the wall and accessed by a wall mural, guaranteeing that even a six tatami room would have plenty of space.
Completely at home in his friend’s room, Kichijouji stowed the bed away, drew out the counter stool style table from the opposing wall using the mural, and put his butt down on one of the chairs that came with the table.
Masaki took two nice and cold glasses of blended tea from the small refrigerator within his room. One was placed in front of Kichijouji, the other remained in his hand as he sat down on the opposite side from Kichijouji.
"George, what state is the manuscript in?"
"Thank you for your concern, Masaki. It’s all good."
Kichijouji answered the seated Masaki’s inquiry, modestly concealing the confidence in his smiling face.
"How about you, Masaki? The gossip I’ve been hearing says that you’ve been doing some reckless things."
Kichijouji had heard a large amount of hearsay about Masaki’s activities after the Nine Schools Competition, especially about Masaki’s extremely difficult training regimen. He could understand Masaki’s motive. Like Kichijouji, who felt defeated by Shiba Tatsuya in CAD application and tuning, Masaki probably felt bitter over the defeat in Monolith Code and wanted payback.
"Not so bad. And I’m probably not going to see immediate results."
"That might be true."
Masaki’s voice was carefully casual as he responded to Kichijouji’s question about his mental condition. He was more volatile than expected, but he wasn’t feeling the gloomy implacability he had worried about. Relieved on that point, Kichijouji agreed in a light tone.
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