Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 2 - Chapter 3.1

Quiet Chat 2

Third High School has a reputation for training combat magicians. It’s not that they focus on training military personnel, but they teach magic relevant for real warfare, using ‘education of martial arts for mental training’ as intuition. — Though there are different perceptions, even inside Third High, about whether this is resulting in the desired effect or not.

Because of this, magic sports, martial arts, and other combat magic clubs are prosperous. For the past month, Tatsuki, a member of the Cross Field Club, a magic sport, and his friend and neighbor Samon who is in the Judo Club, have been hard at work in their club activities during their days off.

But today, due to special outdoors lessons for third year students being carried out, all club activities were cancelled. For lack of anything else to do, Tatsuki was studying all morning just like any high school student would (?).

As Tatsuki was looking at the clock and thought ‘It’s about time to go prepare lunch’, the doorbell on his rented apartment aimed for students rang.

Tatsuki stood up and went to look at the intercom’s monitor. Displayed on the screen was someone he half-expected, Samon.

Tatsuki opened the door without saying anything through the intercom’s microphone.

“Tatsuki, let’s go have lunch.”

Right after opening the door, Samon said as such, jumping past the greetings and initial small talk.

“...Okay. Where are we going?”

Tatsuki thought a little and then agreed, asking Samon another question.

“Let’s go to the front of the station and have some fun.”

The ‘front of station’ Samon talked about was not the front of the station nearest to his apartment. It was Kanazawa station’s. This apartment is located on the outskirts of Kanazawa City, just a ten-minute walk away from Third High, which isn’t inconvenient for buying daily necessities and go out to eat as a replacement of cooking for oneself, but there are not many places to have fun.

“Alright...”

The time Tatsuki spent thinking was longer than before. He’s not the type to enjoy the downtown area, but his parents’ home is in a relatively lively location. He was a city boy to the point that he thinks it isn’t a bad thing to occasionally immerse himself in the tumult of the city.

“OK. What are we going to do?”

“Let’s do some light exercising!”

“Got it. I’ll go change clothes to wait a minute.”

“Sure. I’ll wait outside.”

Light exercise is probably bowling or something similar. Thinking that, Tatsuki changed to clothes that were easy to move around in and that wouldn’t feel out of place in the downtown area.

After having their meal at a store adequately priced for high school students, Tatsuki was brought to the amusement building by Samon. A signboard next to the establishment said there was a bowling alley.

But that’s all that was correct about Tatsuki’s prediction. The area Samon brought Tatsuki to was the racquetball court.

“Didn’t you say it was light exercise...?”

He has experience with racquetball. It was required by the Juumonji Family to play sports that don’t involve magic to build up physical strength. Tatsuki chose swimming, but his little sister Kazumi liked racquetball so he also played with her sometimes. What Tatsuki didn’t find amusing was that his little sister’s training partner was Alisa and Tatsuki was only invited when it was inconvenient for Alisa. That said, he doesn’t have an especially bad opinion of the sport. He just thought ‘Racquetball should be pretty hard, though’.

“I’m not going to play serious. It’s just for fun, for fun.”

Well, that being the case, he has no objection to it. He felt that his mental perception of Samon and racquetball don’t go well together, but Tatsuki thought it was not something he should say anything about.

Tatsuki went with Samon to the reception to apply for a court and rent rackets.

“Huh?”

In the middle of operating the touch panel, they were called out by someone.

“Juumonji-kun and, uumm, Ikura(イクラ)-kun?”

The one who called them was Ichijou Akane. Behind her were Liú Lìlěi and a girl who Tatsuki doesn’t know the name of, but remembers seeing inside Third High.

“Akane-san, the intonation!”

Samon retorted to Akane at the speed of a spinal reflex. Certainly, her ‘Ikura-kun’ just now had the intonation for a certain seafood.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. Ikura(伊倉)-kun. It’s fine like that, right?”

Akane pacified Samon with a smile.

Samon still didn’t look satisfied, but this was not a topic that could continue forever.

“What a coincidence, Akane-san.”

Tatsuki talked to Akane to change the subject. Worth of note that Tatsuki and Samon call Akane by her first name because she asked them to do so when she introduced herself to them the other day.

“It really is.”

Akane cheerfully agreed. At this stage in her life, she is a charming young lady. She doesn’t have overwhelming good looks that makes one unable to avert their eyes, but she is expressive, attractive, and the type that feels good to be with. Just because she doesn’t look too inhuman, it can be said that if she weren’t a magician the entertainment industry would not leave her alone.

“Did you two come here to play because club activities were cancelled too?”

It appears that Tatsuki is also a boy. He is usually very wary, but he involuntarily let his guard down around Akane.

“Samon invited me for some light exercise. Same for you two?”

“Same. Well, it’s not just the two of us though.”

Akane said and then turned to the girl Tatsuki doesn’t know the name of.

That girl walked forward until she was in line with Akane.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Juumonji-kun. My name is Hiiro Hiromi, and I am in class 1-C.”

“Likewise. I am Juumonji Tatsuki. And this is Ikura Samon, who is in class B like me.”

After listening to Tatsuki, Samon exchanged greetings with Hiromi. — Also, Hiromi didn’t seem to have any weird misunderstandings when she heard Samon’s name, as her expression did particularly change.

Looking at them from the side, Akane continued talking to Tatsuki about the topic she interrupted.

“Hiromi will play with the Crowd Ball Club in a match against First High next week. And despite that, club activities were cancelled.”

“So that’s why you came here, to be a practice partner. You’re quite thoughtful.”

“I’ve never played Crowd Ball, so I thought I could at least play racquetball with her. But I don’t know if I’ll be much use to her.”

Akane humbly said, looking bashful.

Hiromi quickly stepped in when she heard that.

“You will be. Even just having someone to hit the ball with is a big help. My match intuition will get dull if I just bounce the ball off the wall.”

“I see.”

Tatsuki is little more than a beginner, but he felt he understood what Hiromi was talking about. Naturally there is no human intention when the ball just bounces off a wall. The presence or lack of presence of human strategy is a factor that can’t be ignored before a match.

“Then why don’t we do it together? Though our level may not be satisfactory enough.”

There was no objection by the group of girls to Samon’s proposal.

As Tatsuki thought at the start, that could not possibly be called light exercise. Even though they took turns, both Tatsuki and Samon worked up a proper sweat. Akane and Liú Lìlěi are also sweating and gasping for breath, though not as much as the other two because they didn’t play as much.

And Hiromi, who played with almost no breaks, was the most composed.

“Hiiro-san, you’re amazing.”

Still regaining his breath, Tatsuki sent an honest compliment over to Hiromi.

“I’m just used to it.”

Hiromi’s reply was short, but looking closely, it can be seen that she is slightly embarrassed. Maybe her personality is the sort that has difficulty in being honest. Tatsuki felt she was probably similar his little sister, Kazumi, and a sense of closeness came over him.

“Hiiro-san, would it be okay if I pried a little?”

That must have been the reason why Tatsuki felt inclined to ask something.

“Only if it’s just a little.”

However, that feeling of closeness Tatsuki had appeared to still be one-sided. Hiromi was clearly cautious of him.

Tatsuki was a little depressed by her reaction, but that didn’t stop him from asking.

“Hiiro-san, are you by chance involved with the Isshiki Family?”

“...Yes. My father is the younger brother of the current Head.”

“Heeh~.”

Samon raised his voice.

Tatsuki didn’t say anything, but within he felt similarly to Samon.

“Then, ‘Hiiro’ is your mother’s surname?”

Tatsuki’s question was pretty unreserved, but Hiromi — at least on the surface — didn’t seem to be offended by it.

“No, I heard that my father was adopted into the Hiiro Family before he became an adult.”

It seemed to be a fairly complex family, but Tatsuki wasn’t especially interested in that. It is not uncommon for magicians who have the root in the same Magician Development Research Institute to have complicated blood relationships.

What Tatsuki was interested in was that Hiromi must have inherited the magic disposition of the Isshiki Family. — That was the important point.

The niece of the current Head of the Isshiki Family, in other words, the granddaughter of the previous Head. It’s basically direct descendancy. It is almost guaranteed that her innate magic talents are comparable to his own and Akane’s.

He just doesn’t know about them, but he has rivals everywhere. — Tatsuki thought as such.