Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 5 - Chapter 7.1

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Chapter 7 – Before the Decisive Battle

The regional preliminaries for the Martial Magic Arts National Tournament were held in every region at the same time. In Hokuriku’s girls’ 18 and under division, Ichijou Akane got the win, naturally, and advanced to the national tournament.

The night after, Monday, 24th of August.

Despite the preliminaries being only the day before, Akane was working hard sparring in Third High’s martial arts hall against her cousin Ichijou Reira — whose real identity is the former Nationally Recognized Strategic-Class Magician Liú Lìlěi, who was adopted by the younger brother of the Head of the Ichijou Family.

“Akane, let’s take a break.”

Reira, with sweat on her forehead, suggested a break.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Akane, lying on the ground with her limbs stretched to the sides, nodded with a smile. She had just been thrown by Reira.

Reira lent her a hand, and with that hand Akane got back on her feet.

Avoiding the other club members that are having their own spars, the two moved to the wall.

Akane sat flatly next to her bag, and Reira sat down next to her.

Akane sat on her knees — the so-called ‘girl’s sitting posture[12] — while Reira sat in a lax gym position[13], without holding her knees.

Akane took a drink out of her bag to quench her thirst, as Reira wiped her sweat with a towel.

Though this was only a difference in the order, as Akane placed the bottle on the floor and took a towel out of her bag and Reira put her towel around her neck and took a bottle filled with a sports drink from hers.

“Akane, have you seen the results from the other regions?”

“Hmmm, looks like Tookami-san passed just fine in Kanto.”

— The ‘Hmmm’ at the start was elongated. Mentioning just in case.

“Would be nice if we could fight at the nationals. I want to have a clean bout this time.”

“...Are you still worrying about that competition last month?”

Reira asked with a frown.

Akane faced Marika in an interschool competition with First High held in early July. It was an intense bout, which Akane won using ‘Organ Quake’, a fluid interference magic the Ichijou Family inherited from the Former First Research Institute. However, right after winning the bout, Akane was harshly criticized for her winning magic that ‘was violating the rules for safety that prohibits the use of high risk magic in bouts’ by a First High student. If you were to ask Reira, she would say the accusations by that First High student were false, but, at that time, Akane was shocked by those ‘false accusations’.

“I’d be lying if I said it isn’t bothering me. Juumonji-san had a good point.”

The ‘First High student who accused Akane’ at that bout was Alisa.

“But Akane, even now ‘Organ Quake’ hasn’t been put in the forbidden list, and Tookami-san herself accepted it.”

“Just because it’s not written in the rule book doesn’t mean anything is fine. I have to abide by the spirit of fair play.”

“Is that how it is...?”

The ‘spirit of fair play’ Akane mentioned didn’t seem to click with Reira.

“I think it’s exactly by clearly defining what isn’t allowed that you can achieve a fair game, though.”

The difference in opinion between Akane and Reira came from their different stance on whether to consider the unwritten rules or the written rules as more important.

Written rules by themselves are not appropriate to deal with the diversity of the real world. If we were to be limited by the written rules for every point that can cause conflict, what awaits us is a rigid disciplinarian or totalitarian society.

On the other hand, unwritten rules cannot escape from the risk of being arbitrary. If unwritten rules increase endlessly, it will result in a society where a handful of elites move society as they please, a society of tyrant governments, political manipulators. Or is it a society where unspoken agreements are weaponized and people are forced to read the situation?

Put simply, neither of them was wrong in what they said. Likewise, neither of them was correct.

“...Anyway, this time I’ll win cleanly. Though in the end it is a tournament. It isn’t guaranteed that we’ll be able to fight each other.”

Akane didn’t say ‘I’ll fight cleanly’, she said ‘I’ll win cleanly’, rounding up the topic, and then stood up to go back to practice.

◇ ◇ ◇

In First High’s second small gymnasium — also referred to as the ‘Arena’, due to being a gymnasium mainly used by martial arts clubs — just like at Third High, the Magic Arts Club members who had a competition just the day before were working hard in their training.

However, the First High club members were not sparring, they were practicing their kata and training using dummies as opponents. This aspect, despite being the same sport, showed the individuality of the organizations, which is intriguing.

Marika was pounding into a dummy. There are two kinds of dummies in First High, which are shared with the other clubs: real human-shaped dolls made of synthetic rubber stuffed with shock-absorbent material and high viscosity fluids, and a virtual doll that shows offensive and evasive movements with an augmented reality video system. Right now, Marika is using the former, a real doll, as a target.

“Marika. What have you been doing for a while now?”

Chika approached from behind Marika, who was repeating a simple thrust at the dummy, and, confused, asked her.

It was not strange that Chika had questions. The thrusting practice Marika is doing is not for training strength nor speed. It does not have enough power for that, and if power is the goal, a punching bag would be better suited for it. For speed, she should use the AR.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Do you want to use it?”

Marika stopped her hands, turned around, and apologized, misunderstanding that Chika was waiting in line for the dummy to be free.

“No, I just wanted to ask what you’re doing...”

“Eh, umm, hahaha...”

Chika repeated the question, to which Marika clearly dodged it with a laugh.

“If you don’t want to say, I won’t force you, but...”

Chika turned her dumfounded-looking face at Marika.

“Are you trying to reproduce Chiba-senpai’s ‘Shadow Strike’?”

The Club President of the men’s division, Chigusa, cut into the conversation then.

“’Shadow Strike’? Is that true, Marika?”

“No, umm, ahahaha...”

Chika questioned with a harsh look and a deep shade of anxiety was added to Marika’s deceitful smile.

“That’s crazy... The national tournament is in six days, you know.”

Instead of harshly criticizing her, Chika scolded Marika with a tone of calm persuasion.

“If anything, shouldn’t you practice the fortification magic Saijou-senpai taught you?”

“Yeah...”

Marika shrunk and nodded. Chika’s words were true in every way.

“Now, now. You shouldn’t reject it without listening to her, Kitahata.”

But Chigusa, entering the role of mediator, advocated for Marika.

“Tookami-san might have grasped something in her bout yesterday against Hada. The feeling that you just have to do something at times like that, you understand it too, don’t you, Kitahata?”

“...Marika, is that how it is?”

“Yeah, umm, it is. Hada’s technique where damage goes through the guard, I had the feeling it was similar to Chiba-senpai’s technique...”

“Through the guard?”

Chika shifted her eyes to Chigusa, asking him ‘Is there something like that?’ with her look.

“I’ve heard rumors of a technique like that in ancient magic. But I have no idea if it’s the same principle as ‘Phantom Blow’, dealing hallucinatory damage, or if it actually directly deals damage without using the fist.”

“You can’t deny it, huh...”

Chika put her hand on her jaw and pondered. Marika obeyed the silence with a meek expression.

“Even if it doesn’t go well today, it is not in any way a waste to try something you’ve realized. Even if today ends in failure, it’s something that’ll do you good in the future. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, it is... Marika.”

Nodding to Chigusa’s statement, Chika once again called Marika by name.

“Yes!”

Marika took on a tensed posture.

“Prioritization. If you don’t make any progress today, forget about ‘Shadow Strike’ until the national tournament is over.”

“Understood.”

Marika deeply, vigorously bowed.

Once she confirmed Chika had left, Marika raised her head with a relieved expression.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the standing room of the mezzanine floor, Alisa was watching over Marika with a small video camera in her hand.

Alisa pointed the camera at Marika, who resumed her practice after finishing her conversation with the two Club Presidents.

While Alisa was filming, a single male student walked up to her.

“Juumonji-san, what are you doing?”

Alisa took her eyes off the monitor and, keeping the camera aimed at Marika, turned towards the owner of the voice.

“Izayoi-senpai, good morning. As you can see, I’m recording a video.”

Indeed, ‘as you can see’.

Depending on how you interpret it, it is an unfriendly reply, but Souma didn’t mind it.

“So you’re helping Tookami-san with her practice?”

“Yes.”

Another response lacking in amiability. But Souma’s way of asking was probably also poor. It would be different if it was a bout, but what Alisa is filming is a scene of practice. Unless it’s a recording for something like an album, it cannot be thought as anything other than referential material for training.

“Did you have a change of heart?”

“...Sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”

Alisa tilted her head, looking serious. Alisa’s and Souma’s eyes met for the first time today. Perhaps it can be said that this finally worth being considered a conversation.

“Before, you didn’t like looking at martial arts, right? Weren’t you really repulsed even by practice? So I was thinking whether you’ve had some sort of change of heart regarding Magic Arts, at least a little bit.”

“Aah, I see. So that’s what you’re asking.”

To prove she understood the intent of the question, Alisa nodded clearly.

“Even now I am bad with fights. It isn’t the case that I’ve become okay with Magic Arts either.”

Souma made a ‘then why?’ look aimed at Alisa.

“But Mina is working so hard. I want to support her in any way I can.”

“So that’s how it is. That’s quite like you, Juumonji-san.”

Souma didn’t particularly mean to flatter her insincerely.

“Quite like me, what do you mean?”

So when Alisa asked him something unexpected, with her head bent to the side, he was bewildered.

“...I mean it’s impressive that you think so much about your friend.”

“It’s true that I think of Mina as the dearest to me, but is that extraordinary enough to be called impressive?”

“...What do you...?”

This time, it was Souma’s turn to ask a question with an ‘I don’t get it’ face.

“To me, it is natural to do as much as I can for Mina — my best friend. So I was wondering if that’s something extraordinary enough for others to be impressed by... My apologies, I just found it weird. Please don’t worry about it.”