Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.3

Third High is closer to the ocean compared to First High. That is also one reason they were using the beach to practice for the Nine Schools Competition.

The swimming season has arrived, which made using the sandy beach for practice difficult, but with one week until the Nine Schools Competition, the Third High representative team was gathering on this weekday for the finishing touches, with cooperation from the locals.

Though it’s not like all the events use the beach. The two events they’re practicing here today are Monolith Code and Rower and Gunner.

Naturally, the representatives of the other events should be working hard in their respective practice spots.

“How do I look?”

“...I think it suits you.”

“It does, doesn’t it!”

Seeing the proud expression his classmate was making, Tatsuki felt like holding his head.

“Can I ask just one thing?”

Restraining the urge to hold his head, Tatsuki brought out the question.

“Why are you here, Akane-san?”

Akane is a member for the newcomers competition Mirage Bat. Practice should be held at the practice grounds attached to the school. To assume Tatsuki’s thoughts of ‘she shouldn’t be here’ are an escape from reality is probably too harsh.

“The main competition members want to focus on adjustments, and because of that we first-years have the day off. So I came to cheer.”

“...Cheer?”

“Yes. Cheer.”

Tatsuki’s face wasn’t full of doubt because he didn’t believe Akane when she said she had a day off from practice.

“...What’s with that outfit?”

“Wasn’t it just one question?”

That was unmistakably an intentional crime (by a common expression, premeditated crime) by Akane, who tilted her head impishly.

She wore a two-piece swimsuit of the same color as her name[8]. It’s not a bikini. It didn’t expose that much, but compared to a one-piece swimsuit the skin-colored area is quite big. People would only cheer in this outfit if it was for surfing, or volleyball. It absolutely wasn’t an outfit to cheer in Monolith Code, nor a costume to cheer in Rower and Gunner either.

As proof, Reira (Liú Lìlěi) was nodding behind Akane. Incidentally, Reira also wore a bathing suit like Akane’s, of a different color. From the expression on her face, it seemed Akane forced her into it.

“If you came here to swim, you should go to a different beach. It’s dangerous here.”

Not being taken in by Akane’s provocation, Tatsuki assumed a very serious expression and warned Akane. Monolith Code has basically no effect in the ocean. However, he cannot guarantee there will be no stray bullets.

Also, people dash over the water in small boats in Rower and Gunner. The cruising speed is close to a jet ski. It’s possible to quickly stop a boat moving with magic, unlike usual boats, but the risk of collision is by no mean small. It won’t end well if she gets involved in an accident, even for a magician.

“I already told you I’m here to cheer.”

Akane said, and without waiting for Tatsuki’s reply she raised her voice “Ah!”.

“Shinkurou-kuun!”

Then she waved her hand and started running. Her stride was quick, despite the sandy beach.

Not just Tatsuki, but also Samon and their teammate Doumeki Yoshio watched her go away, dumbfounded. “...Akane-san looks, umm, awfully close to Kichijouji-senpai, doesn’t she?”

Samon’s comment was topped with plenty of confusion.

“Kichijouji-san is Akane-san’s onii-san’s best friend. It wouldn’t be strange for them to interact.”

Tatsuki’s voice had some surprise too. He had guessed they were close, but he didn’t think they were quite that close.

Kichijouji flinched as Akane clung to him. But he didn’t act harshly to her either.

“I wonder if they’re dating.”

Yoshio murmured a blunt question.

“It doesn’t look like they’re dating yet...”

It’s only a matter of time, Reira silently added as she walked to Akane’s side.

“The ones Akane-san is cheering for aren’t us, it’s our senpai...”

Samon pointed it out, and Tatsuki nodded and said “Seems so” in a monotone voice.

Suddenly clinged on by Akane, Kichijouji was more surprised than embarrassed.

“Akane-chan, why are you here?”

The first thing out of Kichijouji’s mouth was the same question that Tatsuki asked. Any person who knew the situation on the surface would have the same question.

“The onee-sama participating in the main competition declared they wanted to focus on adjustments, so they gave us first-years a day off.”

Akane responded to Kichijouji’s question, her tone growing thorns here and there, with a cheerful smile.

“So stupid...”

Kichijouji groaned. It’s true that the score allotment is bigger in the main competition. It’s double that of the newcomers competition.

But the fact they need adjustments is the same for the first-year students too. Magical, physical adjustments, and CAD adjustments too. If anything, with deficient adjustments, the risk of accidents increases proportionally to the lack of experience of the first-year students.

To Kichijouji, both as a researcher and an engineer, it was a story he couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to.

“Why is such nonsense being tolerated...?”

“Shinkurou-kun, you don’t know?”

Akane was surprised that Kichijouji was surprised.

“The parents in the Hundred Families are getting highly enthusiastic for the upcoming Nine Schools Competition.”

“The Hundred Families? Then, are the Mirage Bat representatives children of the Hundred Families too?”

“Yeah, they both are from the Hundred Families. Looks like they’re under quite a lot of pressure. Our senpai seem to have it very rough.”

From Akane’s voice, the feeling ‘I’m glad I’m not from the Hundred Families’ was revealing itself.

Kichijouji being Kichijouji, he felt he understood why his kouhai, representatives for the main competition Monolith Code that he is advising, were filled with motivation to the point they were getting excessively worked up about it.

But once that was out of the way, another thing bothered him.

“Akane-chan, do you know why?”

“More like, why don’t you know, Shinkurou-kun?”

To Akane, who looked amazed, Kichijouji leaked a “Uhh...”, at a loss for words.

“It looks like, for some reason, there is a movement to form a new magician squad in the higher echelons of the national defense forces. Their positions will be civilian collaborators with the army, and it seems they intend to make a list of magicians with combat abilities in advance.”

“And they will be from the Hundred Families?”

“Yeah. I guess their plan is to secure magicians outside of the Ten Master Clans that look like they can be used, or something. It feels kinda like something the people higher than the likes of the members of the Diet would come up with, doesn’t it?”

“By Diet, you mean the National Diet?”

Kichijouji asked Akane with a look full of suspicion.

“Yeah, members of the National Diet.”

Akane nodded promptly.

“Higher than the National Diet...”

Kichijouji swallowed the question ‘Who are they?’.

Akane pointed an innocent smile at him.