Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 4 - Chapter 7.4

Marika-san, it’s still okay!”

Completely different to the end of the first period, Koharu encouraged Marika with an audibly eager, a little ‘desperate’ even, voice.

“Koharu, can I speak with Mina?”

Alisa interjected right then.

Koharu replied “Uh? Yes, go ahead” with a flustered tone and then went to Mei’s side.

“Asha...”

“Mina. What Ichijou-san is doing, it’s a strategy.”

Facing Marika, who had a perplexed expression, Alisa asserted with a strong tone.

“A strategy, so as I thought, it’s not a coincidence? That was intentional?”

“It was no coincidence.”

While nodding, Alisa clearly replied.

“But you see, Mina. It is a strategy. Even if it looks unfair, she’s trying to win. Don’t get that wrong.”

Alisa could quite clearly tell Marika was hesitating during the match just by looking at her.

That’s why Alisa had to tell her what she thought. She believed she had to give Marika a reminder.

“Mina, you’re always telling me this. Winning is not a bad thing. It’s also good to work hard for a win.”

While listening to Alisa’s speech, Marika’s gaze became fixed. It was no longer wavering.

“That was Ichijou-san’s strategy to win against you, Mina. She’s giving it all she’s got to capture the victory.”

“Right... You’re right. Asha, it’s  just as you say. I was being an idiot. Worrying about the obvious.”

Seeing that the hesitation was cleared away from Marika’s face, Alisa smiled cheerfully.

“Then, Mina, will you give it your all too?”

“...Did you think of something?”

“It’s not something complicated. It’s so simple you can’t even call it a strategy.”

After saying that, Alisa whispered to Marika, “So you see...”

“...How about it? Think you can do it?”

“Yeah, I think I can.”

Alisa and Marika smiled together. Their smiling face at this time was a little unbecoming for beautiful girls.

Just before the start of the third period, Akane felt that Marika’s mood as she waited on top of the pillar was out of place. Maybe it was her imagination, but she looked delighted.

It was also a different expression than someone enjoying a match. It gave her the feeling of a child containing her laughter as she plotted a prank.

(Don’t overthink it!)

(Focus, focus!)

Akane said to herself and drove that sense of discomfort out of her mind.

The third period began.

It started the same way as the first and second periods. Right at the start, Akane flew up, and Marika jumped up.

Akane confirmed Marika’s landing position and tried to perform the strategy that had good results in the previous period.

— At the time Marika is standing on a foothold and going to jump, traverse the area that seems like it would disturb her the most.

That was the strategy that Reira hinted at and Akane formulated.

She also thought that after taking the lead, it would be fine to use all her power to score points. But the conclusion she arrived at after talking with her friends during the break just now was that she should continue that fighting style until the gap grows a little larger.

However.

The next light ball was projected and as Akane tried to take it, she was nearly thrown off balance by a sudden gust of wind.

(Wh-What?)

Akane immediately straightened her position. And she found out what happened.

Marika hit a different light ball than the one Akane was aiming at and got a point.

The location where she is floating is an extension of the line connecting the foothold where she had been standing just before and a spot right next to Akane.

In other words, Marika took the risk of committing a foul by collision to steal points.

No whistle announcing a foul rang out. This means that neither a foul by collision nor a foul by obstruction were awarded.

During the time Akane was dawdling from being struck by surprise, all the light balls were extinguished.

“This is the strategy Alisa thought of?”

Seeing Marika recovering from the poor second period and scoring points with vigor, Hiyori, in the stands, feeling surprise and excitement, asked Alisa who is next to her.

“I didn’t think of it from scratch. I just used last year’s Nine Schools Competition as reference.”

Still with her gaze fixed on the stage, Alisa reservedly but cheerfully smiled.

In last year’s Nine Schools Competition’s Mirage Bat, Kuroba Ayako, who was in Fourth High at the time, created strong winds with high-speed movement magic while relentlessly hunting for light balls and achieved an overwhelming victory. In doing so, as she passed to the side of her opponents from other schools, their posture was shaken and they couldn’t show their abilities satisfactorily. Ayako didn’t allow them to show their abilities.

But her play wasn’t awarded a foul. Before the Nine Schools Competition, Alisa had investigated the records of the events that she appeared to be related to — not just the event she participated in — and she picked up on this fact. That is why Alisa had been thinking for some time that Marika’s standards for the safety margin that she showed in practice after understanding the high-speed movement magic might have been too excessive.

She didn’t say it during practice or before the matches because she had thought having a large safety margin was a good thing.

For the cowardly Alisa, risks should be reduced as much as possible. Opponents aren’t the only ones injured in collisions. If she runs into someone while not using ‘Reactive Armor’, even Marika will get injured.

But if she keeps the large safety margin, it’ll end with Third High’s strategy leading her around by her nose. Alisa reassessed that this was a situation where risks should be taken.

She said all that to Marika before, but in the end, Alisa cannot come to like the stance of being obsessed with victory. But over that, she wanted to get Marika the win.

Marika wishes to win, and she wanted to grant that wish.

That thought surpassed her resistance towards ‘fights’.

“If she hits another competitor, at worst, she’ll be sent out, so she just needs to make sure of whether she will or won’t bump into someone... but I thought Mina would be used to that from Magic Arts.”

The penalties in Mirage Bat are a penalty box[13] for light infractions and expulsion for major infractions. There are 6 levels of confinement in the penalty box, from 30 seconds to 3 minutes in increments of 30 seconds, depending on the severity of the infraction.

When you pass by someone, even if it’s just grazing the opponent’s costume, you are given a 30 second penalty box. However, though this infraction is laid out in the rules, it has never been applied in the Nine Schools Competition.

Besides, speaking of infractions, intentionally blocking another competitor’s path is also a 30 second penalty box. But this wasn’t applied to Akane’s previous plays. Alisa isn’t very knowledgeable about magic competitions. She is rather unfamiliar with them, but from watching the second period, she determined that Marika wouldn’t be penalized if it was just a light graze.

“...There will be something else, right?”

Alisa’s cheerful smile wasn’t just with regards to what is currently happening.

Hiyori felt that way.

To Hiyori’s question, Alisa returned a moderate laugh, “Fufu”.

The time Akane spent not making progress didn’t reach 10 seconds. She went down to the foothold for a short time to recompose herself.

(— If I fly high, she won’t affect me.)

Akane thought for a moment and returned to the sky.

The base height at which light balls are projected in Mirage Bat is 10 meters above the water. In practice, it’s in the range of 1 meter below and above that.

But the competitors aren’t all gathered together at the height of 9 to 11 meters. They also score points by reaching out from below and hitting the light ball, or the reverse, from above while upside down.

In that situation before, Akane was flying low to naturally obstruct Marika’s jump paths. She could do that because she was confident she wouldn’t lose to the other competitors even if she moved up and down a little more that otherwise necessary.

However, because she was flying low, she was affected when Marika decided to jump to the height of a light ball and brushed past her.

(I should give up on that strategy now.)

If she raises her flying altitude, she won’t be able to obstruct Marika. But didn’t stick with it and quickly decided to change tactics.

The third period was a complete change from the second period, becoming a high paced match. Just like the first period, it turned into a fight for points between Akane and Marika.

But, because the results of the newcomers competition will be decided by this, the other competitors didn’t stay silent either. Even if other competitors are ahead, they didn’t give up and rushed to the light balls. The distance between the competitors became fairly close compared to the first and second periods. The match was now looking like a melee.

As the distance between competitors got closer, the one most at disadvantage was Marika.

Unlike Akane, who is using flying magic and can change her trajectory freely, Marika is using high-speed, straight line movement magic. When the competitors are swarming this closely, the paths she can jump to become limited.

Akane, flying above other competitors, isn’t in their way.

The situation became unfavorable for Marika.

“...This is bad.”

Hiyori muttered in the stands. It was becoming clear even to spectators that the situation was unfavorable for Marika and favorable for Akane.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Alisa agreed. But there was no gloom in her voice.

“Does she have a plan?”

Hiyori asked the same thing she did a while before.

“Hopefully it works out.”

Once again, no clear answer was given. But she made Alisa admit that there is a strategy.

Right after, Marika jumped.

“Ah!”

As she saw that, Hiyori let out an anxious yell.

There is no light ball ahead of Marika’s jump. Her leap leads ‘outside’. If she goes outside the circle established by connecting the eight steel towers where the projection equipment is placed, she will be disqualified. Hiyori raised her voice because she was fearful of that happening.

“Eh?”

However, in the next moment, a different kind of surprise escaped her throat.

Marika kicked the steel tower, changing her path in a straight line and extinguished a light ball.

At the Third High stands, there was a scream of “That can be done!?”.

Reira asked “Can it?” to Hiromi.

“Please wait a moment.”

Hiromi hurriedly opened the Mirage Bat rulebook in her portable terminal.

She turned over the pages of the rulebook while starting at the screen intently.

“It’s not here.”

Hiromi raised her eyes from the portable terminal’s display and murmured in a daze.

“It’s not? What isn’t?”

“It isn’t mentioned in the restrictions!”

Seeing Reira’s vague expression, Hiromi realized her answer was still unsatisfactory. — She also wondered how disturbed she is herself.

“As I said, there is no rule that says you can’t use the steel towers as footholds, nor is there a rule that says you can’t touch the steel towers. The only rule written regarding the steel towers is ‘competitors whose body is completely outside of the circle formed by the steel towers will be disqualified’.”

“Completely, huh? So even if just a part remains inside, she won’t be disqualified.”

“That’s right. The soles of her feet just touched the steel tower, so naturally she won’t be disqualified.”

Listening to Hiromi’s and Reira’s conversation, the Third High Students started making some noise, “No way, really?”.

“Alisa, you’re surprisingly mean.”

Having finished checking the rules on her terminal, Hiyori turned a so-called scornful look towards Alisa.

“You’ll give me a bad reputation if people hear you.”

Alisa was smiling while protesting. Maybe she has some self-awareness?

Above the stage, Marika flew about in all three dimensions used the steel towers as footholds. She hasn’t returned to the footholds scattered on the pond in over a minute already.

“She’s not using flying magic, so the ‘1 minute rule’ isn’t broken either. Well thought. It’s impossible to not call you mean.”

“It’s not like using the steel towers as footholds gives you an advantage. And there’s a longer distance between the steel towers than between the light balls and the footholds. It’s just that with Mina’s fighting style, she always has to look up from below, so she won’t be able to see the targets if the other competitors are close together, right?”

“And if she jumps between the steel towers, she can check the light balls from above the other competitors?”

“And it should be easier than constantly using magic.”

What Marika is using when she jumps from the steel towers is not the high-speed movement magic. She’s using inertial control magic and acceleration magic. She gets rid of inertia when she lands on the foothold, and when she jumps she uses acceleration magic on her own body. From steel tower to steel tower it’s an inertial flight, that is, she is in a state of freefall. The trajectory only looks like a straight line instead of a parabola because of her high speed.

“But she can score better like that, right?”

“When she goes for points, she uses her original movement magic. Moving between the steel towers is just to find the position of the light ball projections.”

There is no restriction that you have to touch the feet on the ground when using movement magic. It is also possible to move from the air into the air. For instance, ‘Mock Teleportation’ avoids obstacles by repeatedly moving from a point in the air to another.

“Won’t Marika get dizzy?”

“She said she was used to it from practicing techniques like the ‘Triangle Jump’[14].”

“’Triangle Jump’? What’s that?”

“No idea, but Mina is sometimes jumping from wall to wall, isn’t that it?”

Alisa said something that, if people who know the triangle jump heard, they would all have simultaneously retorted with ‘WRONG!’.

“Well, the distance isn’t the same, but I do that kind of thing regularly.”

Hiyori, who doesn’t know a thing, accepted it with a nod.

The match is nearing its end.

Marika descended to the top of a foothold, breathing heavily.

Akane was also on top of a foothold, grimacing as if she is enduring a headache.

The championship race has been completely narrowed down to these two. The difference in points between them and third place and below has grown to the point it is not possible to recover with the remaining time.

There is no longer a point difference between Marika and Akane. They repeatedly alternated between a one-point lead and a tie in the little remaining time.

The lack of composure is also the same in the stands.

Alisa, who was talking with Hiyori until a moment ago, was now watching Marika intently with her hands together like she was praying.

Reira and Hiromi, in the Third High stands, were in a similar state as Alisa.

Akane and Marika flew (or jumped) at the same time.

Akane slipped through between the other schools’ competitors bundled together with an efficient curve, Marika used the steel beams to dodge the crowding competitors from outside.

They were both aiming at the same light ball.

Akane is closer.

Marika is faster.

The number of seconds remaining on the clock is in the single digits.

There is no difference in points. It’s a tie.

There is no time to change targets now. Whoever scores here will win.

But Akane and Marika aren’t the only ones aiming for that light ball.

These two aren’t the only ones with equal score tally.

Points are awarded up to fourth place in Mirage Bat. And, at this point, fourth place is being contested by two competitors, one from Second High and another from Fifth High.

Up to now, Fifth High has zero points in the newcomers competition. They’re at a point where they want to somehow avoid getting no points for the rankings.

Second High’s ranking position, on the other hand, is currently fourth. Even if they get fourth in Mirage Bat, they can’t pass the third place in the newcomers competition, Ninth High.

Nevertheless, the Second High competitor has no intention of giving up on fourth place neither.

A fierce battle, unprecedented in the history of the Nine Schools Competition.

An arrangement like this is without a doubt only possible through sheer coincidence.

The Second High competitor reached her stick out from below.

It was in Marika’s path.

Marika is in the middle of moving at high speed with magic. She can’t change her movement state while the effects of the movement magic continue.

Even just recognizing that a stick was pushed out in front of your eyes isn’t possible at this speed for an average magician. Despite that, Marika twisted her body and dodged the stick.

However, as she was forced to change her posture, she was not in a position to swing her stick down into the target.

But still, Marika swung her stick with a backhand.

There was already no light ball there.

Akane’s stick hit the light ball less than a second before and extinguished it.

Immediately after, the foul whistle and the end of match buzzer sounded at the same time.

Second High’s play was regarded as obstruction towards Marika and the rule for getting in the penalty box was applied for the first time. — Though as the match was already over, it didn’t result in a real penalty.

The match ended with Akane in first place with a one-point difference, and Marika in second. And in third was Mei.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Ahahah, I lost.”

Marika, who had returned from the stage, looked indifferent.

“If you hadn’t been blocked at the end you would have won...”

Koharu was moaning, looking unsatisfied.

Voices in agreement, “That’s right!” “Yeah!”, were raised.

“No, even without that Ichijou-san would have been quicker. In the end, I couldn’t win against flying magic that weaves through the shortest path. I thought I could make it...”

The one to deny Koharu’s dissatisfaction was Marika, smiling while breathing heavily.

“Mina, good job.”

Alisa handed a towel to Marika.

“Ah, thanks.”

With no restraint, Marika accepted the towel and wiped her sweat. After finishing cleaning off her sweat, Marika was handed a drink. This was also from Alisa.

“I thought you’d be more frustrated... I’m a little surprised.”

While looking at that scene, Mei took a towel for herself and muttered while wiping her sweat.

Koharu, at her side, said “Aah, sorry!”, getting distraught.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Congratulations, Akane. Good work.”

Akane returned to the waiting room and Reira congratulated her and recognized her hard work.

“Yeah.”

Akane replied only with that short word and made a sound as she sat on a bench. Rather than ‘sitting down with force’, it looked more like ‘lowering herself weakly’.

“Akane. Are you unsatisfied with it?”

Akane replied to Reira’s question with “No” while slowly shaking her head.

As she looked down, sweat dripped onto the floor from her forehead.

Hiromi hesitantly held out a large towel, and taking it with a “Thank you”, Akane covered her head with it.

“Victory depends on luck, luck is also a part of skill.”

Akane raised her face and looked at Reira’s face from the gap in her towel.

“I know, Rei-chan. You may call it greed... but I wanted to win more convincingly.”

“Even without the obstruction from Second High, you would have been quicker, Akane.”

Some voices agreeing with Reira were raised sporadically.

“May be so. No, if Rei-chan is saying so, it must be true.”

While saying that, Akane’s expression didn’t get brighter.

“Sorry. I know I’m selfish. A win is a win. Did the points for the newcomers competition line up with this?”

“Yes. We’re tied for first with First High in the newcomers competition. We maintained first in the overall rankings.”

Hiromi answered Akane’s question.

“Then we have fulfilled our duty. That’s good.”

This time there were simultaneous voices of approval. Akane also smiled in the middle of the circle of praises for her efforts.

But that smile was somewhat empty.

◇ ◇ ◇

By Shiina’s command, a simple victory party had been arranged in the restaurant assigned for First High’s dinner.

“Congratulations on the tied victory!”

The applause started with Shiina at the lead. The first-year students felt more uncomfortable than they looked embarrassed.

Though they won the tournament, it was a tie for first with Third High. They didn’t close the gap in the overall rankings. Many people felt uncomfortable at celebrating despite that.

The victory celebration party was in the form of a buffet.

Though it wasn’t especially ordered, this is the kind of dinner every school is having tonight. The hotel is also used to the Nine Schools Competition, and the final day of the newcomers competition is this way so that it doesn’t matter who wins. There is also a party in the final day of the main competition.

“Marika-chan.”

Marika, in line for the food and not feeling tired from the match, turned around when someone called her name.

“Ichika.”

The one who called Marika was a special entrant in the celebration party, Ichika. Marika left the line and faced her directly.

“Marika-chan, congrats. And... Thanks.”

“I got second. It’s not enough to be congratulated, and it’s not worthy of being thanked either.”

Marika looked indifferent here too.

But no look with a reproaching flavor was directed at Marika. Everyone in First High recognized her tremendous efforts.

“No, you were amazing.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“Sorry for calling out to you. I just wanted to say that.”

After saying that, Ichika said “See ya” and left.

Marika honestly felt she couldn’t leave her alone, but she didn’t know what she should tell her, so in the end Marika couldn’t stop Ichika.

By the time the celebration party was over, Ichika was nowhere to be seen in the restaurant.

It was the morning after when Marika found out she had gone home by herself.