Chapter 5
Miyuki was somewhat surprised to see the ugly look that Erika wore when everyone showed up for the arranged lunch meeting in the cafeteria.
"Erika, is yesterday's incident still weighing on your mind?"
Until the moment they separated at the bus station, Erika was extremely irritated that the suspected special agent from USNA intelligence got the last laugh during the final moments. Even though she didn't verbalize her displeasure, her attitude was apparent from a glance.
This was already an incredibly frank admission on her part considering her usual antics where she used a mischievous smile to hide her true feelings. It was simply unheard of for her to brood on this until the second day.
At Miyuki's question, Erika's answer was half confirming and half dissenting.
"It's not simply because we could only watch as he got away."
The words, watch as he got away, seemed to denote her frustration, but apparently that wasn't the full story.
"That guy's words were really worrisome...... Don't let down your guard even on campus, doesn't that mean that some of the students......"
Mikihiko and Honoka didn't participate in the incident back in April so they weren't able to follow, but Tatsuya and Miyuki immediately grasped what was on Erika's mind.
At the time, Sayaka had been an unwitting pawn for foreign agents posing as terrorists.
Even now, Sayaka was unable to put that behind her.
"If we're putting on an encore for that unpleasant business, please count me out......"
Tatsuya was both in the know and understood those feelings, so he made a comment that ran counter to his personality in an effort to take care of Erika's mood.
"Still, it's not like we can arrest them if they haven't even done anything yet."
"That may be true......"
Her sulky tone hinted that she hadn't fully accepted this, but at least he successfully defused her intent to do some snooping around on her own, Tatsuya thought.
Speaking of which, though Erika wasn't a "goody two shoes" by any stretch, when something pertaining to one of her close friends arose, she would "change the subject" even when there wasn't a direct connection.
"Yet, isn't it to our disadvantage to always be reacting? That's not a problem if it's a head-on assault, but theft would be......"
"Not like we can always worry about something like that......"
Tatsuya smiled and shook his head at Leo and Mikihiko's concerns.
"Since we don't carry that data in a terminal on us, there's no danger of physical theft. Originally, it would be strange to worry about theft or burglary on campus, no? Well, discreet photographs aren't out of the question, but that issue wouldn't be restricted to this competition only. To steal data from on campus, it would be more convenient to go after the documents hidden behind lower safeguards, but we're not that silly. Is it possible that we have been misinformed by a suspicious individual?"
"Is that so...... But we still need to guard against the other person directly spying on you yesterday, so be careful."
"I know."
Even though Mikihiko's words were largely bucking against Tatsuya's explanation, he looked like he was satisfied with that answer.
Still, in Tatsuya's eyes, Erika and Leo both gave him the impression that they remained silent because they wanted to say something more, but were unable to come up with any arguments of their own.
Compared to the 52 representatives selected for the Nine Schools Competition, the Thesis Competition only had three. —The difference in scale was so great that the event almost seemed pointless. Even so, the Thesis Competition was seen as an important event that rivaled the Nine Schools Competition itself.
One of the reasons was that this event was actually another stage for the nine magic high schools to determine a victor. Especially for schools that obtained undesirable results in the Nine Schools Competition, the desire to erase their old shame became a powerful motivator.
Another reason was that many students were able to participate beyond the selected three representatives.
The greatest difference between the debate and research competitions for non-magic high schools and the "National High School Students Magic Thesis Competition" was that a live demonstration was incorporated into the presentation.
In addition to the thesis presentation, a fully functional magic device was required to display the actual manifestation of the magic. Even though the presentation only required a model, this was no simple child's toy that could be stuck together with glue and papers. The device needed to run reliably, or at least mimic reality — this was the Thesis Competition for magic high schools.
For this, the design of the magic device and the support systems involved, the controlling software, outer frame, required conditions and target production, testing personnel and supporting testers, individuals in charge of safety...... Near the actual deadline for the competition, the Technical Club and Arts Club would naturally join in. Even clubs that work on purely theoretical ideas and students with outstanding grades would be mobilized for the success of the official competition.
The total number of participants for the report preparation exceeded that of the Nine Schools Competition.
Since the official competition was set for the Sunday two weeks from now, not only was the campus filled with sounds of machinery and magic activating, "Self Design" and "Self Study" sprouted up to squeeze more time in. The open area in the quad was swiftly filled to capacity by prototypes, calculation devices, and other machinery. Even consolation squads formed by female volunteers loaded with drinks and snacks entered the fray. In order to support these consolation squads, the Robotics Research Club chipped in the Humanoid Home Helpers as well.
"Ah, there they are."
The person Erika was looking for stood amid the ruckus.
"Hey—, Tatsuya-kun—"
Next to Erika, who was shouting while waving her arms back and forth, Leo turned his body in another direction. Mikihiko chose to simply move two meters behind Erika to a safe distance. The two of them were probably pretending not to know her.
"Erika-chan, please don't bother everyone......."
Mizuki wasn't as brazen as Leo, so she still tugged at her friend's sleeve despite knowing this would do nothing. —As expected, there was no effect.
Seeing Erika waltz over, Tatsuya stopped his hands and smiled wryly as if to say "what can I do", but there were of course people who were visibly displeased by the interruption to the experiment.
"Chiba...... You, should probably take a look at your surroundings."
As one of the guards on station, Kirihara was one of the unhappy ones.
"Eh~, Sayaka is observing too?"
However, Erika's response, or more like her conversation target, was directed to Sayaka, who was standing next to Kirihara.
"What do I even say......"
"Erika......"
Kirihara spoke weakly while Sayaka had a wry smile of her own. Given that he didn't fly into a rage, Kirihara must have matured somewhat.
"You don't look like you're just here to observe, Erika. What's up?"
Still, seeing that the other upperclassmen besides Kirihara were about to burst out, Tatsuya quickly seized the initiative.
"Mizuki got called in to help, so I tagged along."
Erika was always someone who did things her way, but that does not imply she was slow in any way. Noticing the warning, she didn't waste any time with her response.
So that's why, Tatsuya thought as he shifted his gaze to Mizuki, who was frantically apologizing to her senpais from the Arts Club.
"Erika, over here."
Using this opportunity, as strange as it sounds, Miyuki reached out and pulled Erika into the crowd of observers.
Sayaka also left Kirihara's side and sidled along Erika, while the interrupted activation of the magic device was restarted on Isori's signal.
"What experiment are they doing? It looks like a giant light bulb."
A transparent globe with a 120 mm diameter was supported on a stand with four legs, which did give the impression of being a giant light bulb. Of course, in this age, "light bulbs" had long since been retired from household use, so Mizuki tilted her head in confusion at Erika's opinion.
"That is the Low Temperature Ionic Generator we're using for the presentation."
Miyuki obviously knew what a "light bulb" was, but she didn't pay attention to Erika's joke and directly answered her question.
"Low temperature? Weren't we going for thermonuclear fusion?"
Mikihiko, who had also adopted Leo's approach of pretending not to know one another, heard an unexpected term that forced him to abandon this pretense. (Speaking of which, Mikihiko still used formal speech when addressing Miyuki.)
Erika also seemed to remember her physics lessons and a question mark mushroomed over her head after a beat.
"Thermonuclear fusion is a type of reaction, so high temperature is required for the entire process."
"............"
"......My apologies, Yoshida-kun. I am unfamiliar with the details as well, please consult Onii-sama for a more in depth explanation."
Seeing Mikihiko's blank look, Miyuki added on that last sentence, prompting Mikihiko to say "please don't bother" and furiously shake his head back and forth, sending his hair flying.
With a diminutive look at Mikihiko, Erika and Sayaka whispered quietly to one another. They frantically shut their traps when Miyuki leveled a smile in their direction (which didn't reach her eyes).
From the start, Leo's eyes blazed with curiosity as he silently stared at the experimental device.
In the midst of the unconscious silence, Isori sent Suzune a signal.
Suzune started supplying psions to the large, control board-shaped CAD that Tatsuya was operating.
The CAD functioned at a much higher strength and speed than the normal smaller CADs that were carried around and multiple complex Magic Sequences were being activated.
Under high pressure, hydrogen broke down into ions and the separated ions struck against the glass to emit light. Although this was only the simple effect of electricity caused by high pressure, they had already achieved electron separation without providing energy. In addition, in order to allow the electrons to break away from atomic attraction and move towards the outer perimeter, a highly complex spell had to be constantly sustained to change the Eidos.
"......So it really is a light bulb?"
Erika's rude comment that slipped from her lips was fortunately covered by the cheers of "Excellent!", "First phase successful!" and other related celebratory words. The others were the same, with Miyuki smiling quietly as if success was the only possible result, while Leo had two fists tightly clenched before his chest, Mikihiko gripped his arms and nodded, and Sayaka clapped as she jumped with joy.
The glass container continued to give off light for 10 seconds.
By the time the light faded, the excitement also wore off.
That was because they only finished with the largest piece and many more components still needed to be put together. The helpers that congregated for the experiment dispersed back to their stations, but Erika noticed Sayaka was staring in a certain corner.
"Saya, what's up?"
"That child......"
She didn't reply and murmured to herself.
"Hey, what's going on!?"
"Hey, Mibu!?"
In order to catch up to Sayaka, who suddenly burst into a run, both Erika and Kirihara also started sprinting.
Leo was only a half a step behind them.
Wide-eyed with shock, Miyuki could only watch them leave until she noticed the female student with twin ponytails that Sayaka was chasing.
"Hold it right there!"
Hearing someone call out for her to stop from behind, or maybe because she realized she couldn't outrun the pursuit, the female student opted to come to a halt on the grass in the courtyard.
"What is it?"
Turning around, the question in response was a little stiff. In a sense, her tone gave off a fearless impression.
"You are, a Year 1 student, correct?"
There were no distinctions for grade level on First High's uniforms.
Sayaka's question was based off the other student's face and physical form.
"Indeed. Mibu Sayaka from Year 2 Class E. I am also a Course 2 student like yourself."
The only difference was the lack of the school emblem, the distinction between Course 1 and 2 students.
"......Year 1 Class G, Hirakawa Chiaki."
Upon being asked by an upperclassman to identify herself, the female student unwillingly gave her name.
She could hear more footsteps coming to a stop behind her.
Erika and the others caught up.
And heard that earlier self-introduction.
Immediately, she heard Kirihara murmur "Hirakawa?"
Sayaka was not familiar with that surname, but Kirihara had heard of it.
Still, the reason why Sayaka couldn't let this Year 1 student go wasn't because of her name, so she didn't mind even if she had never heard of this name before.
Sayaka didn't have the leisure to worry about things like that.
"Hirakawa-san, the device you're carrying...... That's a wireless password decoder, isn't it?"
Hearing Sayaka's accusation, Hirakawa Chiaki turned pale and hurriedly hid the terminal in her hand behind her back.
"I know even if you don't admit it. That's because I've used the same model before."
Chiaki's eyes widened in astonishment at Sayaka's words.
Password decoders were malware devices used to steal passwords and, unlike the literal meaning, were also machines used to automatically break into verification systems and steal information. There were no legal uses for that item. In other words, used the same model before implied......
"......That's right. I was also the cat's paw for spies."
A miserable expression spread across Sayaka's face, but even then she continued to press onward as she stared at Chiaki.
"That's why I must warn you. Stop now. The longer you're with them, the more painful it will become."
"......No matter how much I suffer, that's none of senpai's business."
Chiaki turned her face to one side and replied in a cold tone.
An obvious rejection.
However, Sayaka did not shrink back at Chiaki's cold reception.
"There's no way I can just watch and do nothing!"
Sayaka's tone hardened and her eyes turned fiery as she suddenly roared at Chiaki.
"Even though it's been half a year, I still can't stop myself from shaking at times. I don't even realize that I've bit my lip open, or pierced my palm with my nails."
Sayaka was actually shaking as she said this.
"Even though I don't know who you're mixed in with, this I know for sure. They will never take your needs into consideration. They will only use you, then promptly abandon you."
Sayaka's voice was filled with sincerity. She was not being hypocritical, these were her true feelings laid bare.
Nevertheless, the hatred that dwelt in Chiaki's heart ran much deeper than Sayaka imagined.
"Of course I know that!"
That self-destructive voice and hate-filled eyes made Sayaka stop cold.
"It's obvious that the mafia and terrorists don't give a darn about the people they're using. Senpai linked up with these people even without fully understanding that? My apologies for my rudeness, but senpai is so very childish."
Those bitter words clearly conveyed to Sayaka that this Year 1 student was completely different than she was.
Sayaka had a goal she was aiming for, but was taken advantage of when she wasn't sure what path to take.
It was true that she was hopelessly naive. Sayaka never planned to deny that point.
Still, Sayaka didn't believe that this Year 1 student was any more mature than she was.
Even if she could achieve her heart's desire after joining up with criminals, what would she do afterwards? What then? Would she return to high school as if nothing had happened, or actually continue acting as a member of a criminal organization? Sayaka knew that this Year 1 student never even took her future into consideration.
Right now, she was only stubbornly refusing to listen to anyone else's words.
"Even if you continue on this self-destructive path you will obtain absolutely nothing. Nothing will remain behind!?"
However, Sayaka wasn't going to back down. There were some things that needed to be stopped, by force if necessary. This was something she learned first hand.
"Senpai wouldn't understand. I'm not teaming up with those guys because I want to get something."
Regardless, the answer she received was almost naturally a powerful rejection.
She's refusing to be persuaded, Sayaka faintly realized. That's because she too was once like that.
Persuasion can be saved for later. If they let her escape now, this child will never be able to return to "this side" again. With this in mind, a slightly forceful approach couldn't be avoided. —Sayaka made her decision.
"Kirihara-kun."
"Ah."
Kirihara immediately grasped Sayaka's intention.
Unfortunately, neither of them were carrying heat, but they weren't particularly worried.
This Year 1 student had no experience in martial arts or close combat. Both of them possessed the ability to tell this at a glance.
If they both attacked at the same time, the takedown should be fairly simple.
Objectively speaking, Sayaka and Kirihara's judgement would be correct. —Under the condition that their opponent was unarmed.
The instant Sayaka and Kirihara advanced together, Chiaki hurtled a small container.
"Get down!"
Erika was the first one to notice.
Both of them flung their arms up on reflex.
A furious flash passed through the gaps in the arms to scour the eyes through the eyelids.
If anyone could still keep their vision through the blazing light, they would notice that Chiaki's eyelids were painted black.
She used light screen paint disguised as mascara and eyeliner to blunt the effects of the flash bang.
Chiaki pointed her right arm at Sayaka. A spring-loaded dart came flying from her sleeve.
Erika successfully blocked the flash and managed to deflect the fusiform dart with a tree branch she grabbed somewhere.
A light purple smoke emitted from the broken dart.
The second after Erika threw the tree branch, she quickly flung away Sayaka and used her shirt sleeve to cover her mouth. Kirihara, who hadn't entirely recovered from the flash bang's effects, directly breathed in the spreading smoke that was rapidly turning transparent. He swayed briefly, then collapsed to the floor in a boneless heap.
(Nerve gas!?)
Erika didn't verbalize this as she mentally clucked her tongue.
Their opponents were better prepared than they thought.
Since they were forbidden from carrying CADs on campus, personal speed buffing wasn't going to be very efficient.
Despite their numerical advantage, the difference between weapons and no weapons was insurmountable. Under the situation where the enemy weapons remained unknown, they couldn't strike recklessly—
—However, there was a man present who didn't subscribe to that theory. Crouched in the grass (the result of Erika warning to get down), Leo suddenly rushed at Chiaki.
Faced with that sort of pressure, Chiaki couldn't suppress a scream.
She frantically pointed her right arm at Leo.
Maybe the darts were a repeating model, or maybe there were other weapons prepared.
There was no way to tell at this stage.
Suddenly, Leo's figure disappeared from Chiaki's vision.
Chiaki stood there transfixed for a moment before her waist was subjected to a powerful impact, causing her to helplessly fall backwards and culminating in her losing consciousness when the back of her head hit the ground.
"......Did I overdo it?"
Leo had used both arms to tackle Chiaki to the ground, then rose slightly and turned his head to ask.
"Yeah. ......Speaking of which, hurry up and get up this instant. You look like you're going to rape her."
"Idi......! Don't even joke about that!"
"Yes, yes, I know."
Erika's gaze was dead serious as she watched Leo look up at her in shock.
That gaze was the same as a professional gambler gauging the merits of a thoroughbred at the derby.
Hearing that an incident broke out, Kanon (as the Public Moral Committee Chief) hurried to the infirmary and sighed when she found an unconscious Year 1 student in bed and a pair of Year 2 students seeking treatment.
"You guys went too far......"
Hearing Sayaka's explanations of the proceedings, Kanon sighed once more.
It wasn't Kirihara and Sayaka's intention to be told "going too far" by Kanon, who was prone to doing so herself, but since the person in question was unconscious due to a blow to the back of the head, they weren't in any position to refute that.
"So what did she do? Based on your earlier words, the only thing she was doing was holding an illegal electronic device, so I don't think she broke any laws or school rules."
This was also an indefensible point.
On one hand, there was the earnest Sayaka and on the other hand, there was Kirihara who couldn't come up with a defense.
Still, there was someone present who wasn't so easily cowed by these strong words.
"Isn't holding an illegal hacking tool enough grounds for an arrest?"
Faced with Erika's provocative words, Kanon watched her with piercing eyes.
"......I'm saying that going overboard is the issue here. Crime and punishment need to be carefully balanced."
"That's nothing~, not like we caught her because she needed to be punished. I just wanted to protect a peer that's being used by filthy adults."
"So you protected your peer by knocking her out. She was struck in the head."
"There's nothing we can do if she pulls out a concealed weapon and resists. I'm not naive enough to help other people even at the cost of personal injury."
Kanon and Erika glared furiously at one another.
Seeing this explosive situation unfold, Sayaka started to panic slightly. However, since the doctor on duty who should have interposed chose not to, she couldn't just jump in.
"Anyways, Chief Chiyoda, we'll leave everything to you."
The one who interjected was Leo, who was leaning against the wall.
"Let's go."
"Hey, what's with you all of a sudden?"
Erika, who was being tugged away by the collar, directed her ire towards Leo.
Still, she wasn't glaring at him this time.
For an instant, Leo wore an irked expression, then swiftly turned around.
"Everything afterwards is a job for the Public Moral Committee members. I don't care how you guys take care of it, I can only try to prevent any problems from spilling over to Tatsuya, Mizuki, and Mikihiko."
"Just wait a second!"
Erika shouted as she chased after the departing Leo as she too left from the infirmary.
After the sounds of the noisy Year 1 students (which included a particularly irksome Year 1 student) faded, Kanon finally calmed down.
She once again studied the face of the Year 1 student lying on the bed. Even though the face poked something in Kanon's memory, she was still unconscious and unable to verify any of her suspicions. Just like that, Kanon turned to the doctor.
"Sensei, what is this child's status?"
Hearing Kanon's question, Dr. Yasuyado Satomi smiled gently.
"Don't worry. There are no abnormalities in the brain or skull. She'll wake up in time."
Yasuyado was a doctor with unique abilities who could see the abnormalities within the body through physical radiation. She could make a more accurate diagnosis than high tech equipment at normal hospitals by simply looking at the subject.
If she said there was no problem, then it was safe to relax.
"Sorry for bothering you, but could you please let me know when this child regains consciousness."
"Of course? Ah, but don't complain if this child runs away, OK? I have no combat ability whatsoever."
Seeing Yasuyado's half joking answer, Kanon smiled and nodded.
"Sensei surely wouldn't allow an injured student to just run around."
And so, Kanon led Sayaka and Kirihara, who had already finished treatment, and departed from the infirmary.
Kanon was both the Chief of the Public Moral Committee and Isori's guard at the same time.
Since the Thesis Competition adopted a format where one principal was guarded by several bodyguards, Isori's guards also included another Year 2 male student besides Kanon, but Kanon showed no signs of allowing anyone else in.
Hence her goal was to return to the courtyard where the experiment was ongoing while she waited for the Year 1 student, whose testimony they required, to wake up.
There, she found the same irksome Year 1 student — in other words, Erika — embroiled in another incident. A dark faced young man was reminding Erika to pay attention, whereas Erika was heedlessly whistling with a carefree attitude.
Despite the oncoming headache, she couldn't pretend to not see this either, so Kanon called a nearby Committee member to verify what happened.
"So, Shiba-kun, what the heck happened here?"
While Tatsuya was one of Kanon's subordinates in the Public Moral Committee, currently he served as one of the team representatives in charge of the experiment.
Whether she was a bodyguard or not, Kanon shouldn't have suddenly asked a question of Tatsuya, who was busily typing away at the keyboard, but Kanon didn't realize that right now.
As expected, Miyuki arched a fine eyebrow from her position behind Tatsuya, but Tatsuya didn't display a troubled expression and merely halted the scrolling frames and turned his head around.
"Erika and Leo loitering around seems to have incurred Sekimoto-senpai's displeasure."
After hearing this and verifying the situation once more, she found that indeed more disapproving gazes were sent towards Sekimoto rather than Erika.
Completely fed up, Kanon approached the bickering duo.
"......Sekimoto-senpai, what's the matter?"
Public Moral Committee members didn't have a term of office, so they kept their positions unless they personally resigned. Using the changing of the guard in the Student Council as a reason, both Mari and Tatsumi had handed in their resignations while Sekimoto remained with the committee.
Currently, he was the only Year 3 student in the Public Moral Committee.
"Chiyoda...... No, it's nothing in particular. They're neither Public Moral Committee members nor helpers sent by clubs and simply loitering around, so I want them to make sure not to obstruct the bodyguards."
Even though this wasn't her personality, Kanon really wanted to hug her head and heave a long sigh. Why was this senpai rocking the surface like this, those were her unadulterated feelings.
"......In preparation for next year or even the year after, there is no reason to prevent Year 1 students from learning from this experience. If they are causing problems for the guards, we as the guards will make sure to take note of that. Sekimoto-senpai, since you haven't been selected as one of the substitute guards this year, please leave this area to us."
At Kanon's words, Sekimoto's eyes sharpened, but Kanon never gave him a chance to respond and turned over to Erika.
"Can you two leave now? From another perspective, your earlier actions could be constituted as violence from four people against one person."
Seeing Kanon trying to use the earlier incident to keep this one under wraps at an early stage, Erika smirked coldly.
Realizing that she was scrambling for a reason, Kanon felt the blood rush to her head at Erika's smile.
Still, the situation would only worsen if she cut loose right now.
Before Kanon, who was clenching her teeth, Erika frankly turned around.
"I guess it's about time to go. Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki, see you tomorrow."
"......I should go too. See ya, Tatsuya."
Seeing both Year 1 students obediently depart, Kanon let out a sigh of relief.
At this time, her terminal vibrated to let her know a new message had arrived.
After examining the contents, she completely ignored what Sekimoto was about to say and doubled back to the infirmary.
"Ah, Kanon, wait up."
Isori, who was currently collecting the data results into an information terminal, frantically chased after her. Although this was plainly abandoning his duties for the experiment, no one present could fault him for that.
Sekimoto peered with interest at the terminal monitor that Isori abandoned. Yet, a hand reached over from the side and pressed the power switch for the monitor.
"Ichihara."
"And here I thought Sekimoto-kun had little interest in practical research."
Facing Sekimoto's angry expression, Suzune replied with a cold poker face.
"......I always believed that it was important to emphasize the basic theories such as Cardinal Codes and spell improvement, which is not to say I'm not interested in practical skills."
"I never intended to slight the basic theories. I feel that in order to reduce the risk accompanying practical use, careful validation of the basic theories is far more important than theoretical research."
"Validation and research is fundamentally different. Research is creation itself. Validation will not push the envelope."
"Research that has no meaning to humanity has no value. Only theories that are of practical use can be called theories."
"Even if they appear to be pointless, researching basic theories will undoubtedly lead to incredible results."
"There is no point in rejecting the small advancements of today to look at the fruits of tomorrow. The future is built on the foundation forged by incremental, practical advances."
Seeing the two of them that were outwardly calm, but actually extremely stubborn as they continued to bicker, Tatsuya suddenly remembered something from the other side of the screen.
He seemed to recall a rumor that Sekimoto didn't place fourth in the school's internal assessment for the Thesis Competition, but second place right behind Suzune. At the time, he felt that Suzune plainly rejected him out of a sense of enmity.
Back then, he was confounded as to why Suzune resolutely refused to allow Sekimoto to join the Thesis Competition, but seeing the two of them going at it like this solved that mystery. In Tatsuya's eyes, Sekimoto seemed to be the more combative one, as if Sekimoto himself believed that he should be the representative for the Thesis Competition.
Being overly proud frequently caused one to lose their senses. Currently, it looked like they couldn't suavely persuade Sekimoto. At the current rate, they would never finish in time. Next time, he might even take direct action. Still, that didn't guarantee that this action would be peaceful or even legal.
— Hopefully, nothing troublesome would ensue —
Although Tatsuya had a strong premonition that such a wish would never happen, he still earnestly desired that such a thing would never come to pass.
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