This chapter is updated by Novels.pl
There are many special things in the High School Magic Division, but the basic system is no different from normal schools.
Here in the First High School, there are club activities.
Like normal schools, to become an official club, you need to have a minimum amount of people and have some kind of track record.
But, since this school has a close relationship with magic, there are some clubs that can only exist in a Magic High School.
Within major magical games, schools One through Nine within the Magical Academy often get together and have competitions. The outcomes of these competitions often rank these various schools. Depending on the schools, they may put more emphasis towards these games than most prestigious sports schools. If a club were able to perform highly within the "Nine Schools Competition", then the club’s budget and its members receive special treatment.
Finding and getting talented new students has become the most important task every year since it affects the influence the clubs have on campus, and this task has full support from the school. That’s why during this season, the clubs battle ferociously in order to gain as many new students as possible.
"…And this is why all kinds of trouble appears every year." In the Student Council Room.
Thoroughly tasting Miyuki’s hand-made bento, Tatsuya listened to Mari’s explanation.
"The solicitations from the clubs are so fierce, it often affects the classes. And it doesn’t help that there’s only a 1 week time limit for them to get as many new students as they can,"
Mayumi, who was sitting next to Mari, explained.
Nestled close to Tatsuya was Miyuki herself, as if she belonged there.
Suzune and Azusa were not there. They only came to the room yesterday because Mayumi invited them; usually they had lunch with their classmates.
Mari, like yesterday, had her own home-made lunch. Mayumi was slightly angry because she was the only one eating the dining server’s machine- made lunch, but her mood seemed to finally recover. She even exclaimed that she would start making her lunch tomorrow.
"During this time, various clubs are bringing out the tents all at once. It’s like a small festival going on here. There are even secret lists that name all the students who scored high grades on the entrance exams, and I’m sure those people will be heavily targeted. Obviously, there are rules in place that penalize the clubs and its members if they break them, but it’s not uncommon to see fist fights or even magic shooting about."
Tatsuya put on a surprised face after listening to Mari’s explanation. "I thought carrying around CADs is prohibited?"
It is possible to still use magic without a CAD, but something like "shooting about" magic definitely requires a CAD for most people.
Mari’s answer amazed Tatsuya.
"The school gives them permission so that they can have ‘demonstrations’. There is a simple screening in place, but it’s more or less a free pass. Because of that, during this time, this place becomes a giant lawless zone full of chaos."
Well obviously, thought Tatsuya. Why would the school allow such a thing…? Usually they would make a screening like this more strict.
Before Tatsuya could formulate the question, Mayumi gave the answer.
"I believe it’s mainly because the school wants the clubs to score highly in the Nine Schools Competition. I’m sure the school wouldn’t mind a few rules being broken as long as they raise the chances of recruiting more students."
The government outlawed mandatory participation in extra-curricular activities over 10 years ago because it neglected students’ rights. Because of that, the school cannot do anything openly besides letting the various clubs recruit as they want.
"Well, that’s the situation we’re in. Starting today, the Disciplinary Committee is going all out. Whew, I’m glad we were able to cover all of our empty seats."
As she said that, she sent a sarcastic look to her side.
"I’m glad you were able to find someone so talented, Mari."
Seeing how she ignored the look with a smile, it looked like they do this sort of thing often.
After eating the last bite and putting the chopsticks down, his cup was being filled with hot tea from beside him.
After taking a few sips, Tatsuya attempted to put up a small resistance.
"Well, the clubs are targeting the students with the highest grades, meaning the First Course students correct? I don’t think I would be of any use in that case."
Only Course 2 students should police Course 2 students. He was using Mari’s argument from yesterday against her.
"Who cares about that. I’m counting on you." She completely blew it off.
There was no way Tatsuya was able to respond to this.
"…*Sigh*, understood. I assume we are starting after school?"
"Right after you’re done with class, just come to HQ."
"Understood."
Tatsuya quietly accepted Mari’s words. It was hard to tell if his actions were manly or he just plainly gave up.
Sitting beside him, Miyuki asked, "President, are we going to join in the patrol as well?"
Miyuki referred to "we" as in the Student Council members. Tatsuya smiled, seeing how his beloved sister was able to fit in so quickly even though she could be difficult around people.
"I will be assigning A-chan as support. Hanzo-kun and I have to standby in HQ, so you and Rin-chan will have to stay here."
"Understood."
Miyuki nodded her head meekly, but Tatsuya could see that she was slightly upset. She may not have been combative but her skills were high. She probably just wanted to test out the new restraint-type magics that were added in her activation sequence.
But, when he told her that she yelled "No, that’s not it!" and quietly added "Stupid Onii-sama", which may sound like a curse depending on how you listen to it. Then Tatsuya wondered,
"Nakajou-senpai is on support?"
It was a subtle claim that suggested that Azusa may be unreliable for the job.
Only a "subtle" one though.
"I know you’re uneasy about her based on her appearance, but you should know Tatsuya, appearances can be deceiving."
"I understand that, but…"
Tatsuya was mainly pointing out to her timid attitude.
Mayumi understood what Tatsuya was trying to say and laughed.
"Well, the timidity CAN be a little bad at times, but don’t worry. A-chan’s magic will come in handy in these situations."
She let out a smirk similar to Mari’s.
"You see. At times like these when you may have large crowds going wild, her magic — Azusayumi[5] — can really be effective."
Modern magic is a technology where most of the magic is formulated and shared. Of course, there are some private magics that are not known to the public, but most are registered in a database. Most of the magics are only categorized by "type" and "effect", but some magics that have high originality are often given inherent names.
"Azusayumi? I don’t believe there is an official inherent name such as that. Is it an External Systematic Magic?
Tatsuya thought about it, but then concluded that there is no registered magic that goes by the name of "Azusayumi". He only asked about External Systematic Magic because most unregistered magic was usually External Systematic Magic.
"…Don’t tell me you memorized every single inherent name." Rather than answering his question, Mari let out an amazed voice.
"…Tatsuya-kun, you must have like a satellite connection that constantly links you to a massive database or something,"
Mayumi answered while widening her eyes.
Miyuki was about to burst out with laughter, but this wasn’t the first time that people asked this kind of question, so she was able to maintain her humble composure.
Modern Magic was based on studies on super natural powers. Rather than categorizing magic by its visual aspects, like "the flame is burning" or "the wind is blowing", they categorize them by its effects.
"Speed, Weight", "Movement, Vibration", "Converge, Dissipate", and "Absorb, Disperse" are known as the 4 System/8 Type magic. Granted, there are some exemptions to this category. Magic that is not a part of the 4 System/8 Type magic is broken down into 3 categories. One is perception- type magic known as "ESP" (Extra Sensory Perception, not Extra Special Power). Another is a magic that does not aim to alter phenomena by temporarily rewriting the body of information associated with phenomena, "Eidos", but aims to control the Psion itself. This is known as Non- Systematic Magic.
Mayumi’s specialized Particle Release Magic is a typical Non-Systematic Magic. The magic Tatsuya used to KO Hattori is also more along the lines of Non-Systematic Magic (rather than Vibration Magic), but since Psion manipulation is technically a part of the 4 System/8 Type, the difference between the two is trivial.
And the third type isn’t something that manipulates physical objects, but the spirits themselves. These types of magic are just referred to as the External Systematic Magic since they don’t belong to any type of system. Some examples of magic in these characters include magic that manipulate spiritual beings, mind reading, spirit separations, and even mind control.
"As Tatsuya may have figured out, A-chan’s 'Azusayumi' is an Informational Manipulative External Systematic Magic. In any given area, she can put multiple people under a trance-like state and guide them however she wants."
After being surprised multiple times, Mayumi finally gave the answer to what "Azusayumi" is.
The "Informational Manipulative External Systematic Magic" is a type of mental interference magic that controls not only your thoughts, but your feelings as well.
"Azusayumi isn’t something that robs or overtakes your consciousness, so it doesn’t make the opponent completely helpless. Instead, rather than only affecting an individual, it affects a group of people. So it’s the perfect type of magic to calm down a wild crowd should they go out of hand."
After hearing Mari’s additional explanation, Tatsuya put on a serious expression.
"…Aren’t there first-class restrictions tied to that kind of magic though?"
The External Systematic Magics have many specialized effects, so there are strict limits imposed on them, more so than the typical 4 System/8 Type magic. Out of them, the restrictions are harshest on the Mental Interference Magics. As explained, this type of magic can become a fearsome brain-washing tool. People in a hypnotic state are extremely vulnerable to commands. If this type of magic’s existence were known, tyrannical governments, terrorists, cults, and the like would surely do anything to get their hands on it. But when Tatsuya pointed that out, Mayumi answered "There’s nothing to worry about" as she chuckled.
"Do you think A-chan is the type to cooperate with some dictator?"
"Well, there are cases where she could be forced to cooperate."
"No way. She gets teary-eyed just by finding a small amount of money on the ground. I don’t think she’ll be able to concentrate on the magic with all that sense of guilt crushing her."
It’s common knowledge that your mental state affects your magic. If she was that kind-hearted, then the mere thought of an awful crime like mass brain-washing could make her unable to use any magic. Well, another way to look at it is, if she was that weak-hearted, then someone could just make her dependent on them and manipulate her that way, but there was no reason to go down that route at the moment. Right now, there was an even more basic problem.
"I’m sure that the laws concerning the restriction of Mental Interference Magic are valid no matter what kind of person Nakajou-senpai is…"
After Miyuki pointed that out, Mayumi seemed to be at a loss of words.
"…Um, don’t worry Miyuki-san. It’s not like she uses it outside of school."
The uneasy answer that she gave out was absurd. She didn't seem like the type who showed their weakness when they were cornered, but if it weren't for Mari’s help she would’ve just dug herself into a deeper hole.
"Mayumi… saying it like that would make people misunderstand. Nakajou was granted permission to use her External Systematic Magic only within the school grounds. Well, we did use a backdoor method that’s often used by the Research Institutions by giving the reason for the exception as, ‘scientifically researching the easement of usage restrictions’."
"I see."
"I didn’t know you could do it like that."
"Yes, you can…"
The Shiba siblings nodded with understanding at Mari’s explanations while Mayumi let out a nervous laugh.
◊ ◊ ◊
As Tatsuya was heading towards the Disciplinary Committee HQ after class, a high pitched voice called to him.
When he turned around, a skinny girl with short cut hair greeted him. "I’m surprised Erika… are you by yourself?"
"Is that something to be surprised about? I don’t see myself keeping appointments with other people and going around with them."
Now that she mentioned it, there were several instances Tatsuya could think of.
"Anyways Tatsuya-kun, what are you gonna do about clubs? Mizuki said she was going to join the Art Club. She invited me to join with her, but I’m not exactly the artistic type, so I am just walking around to see if there’s anything more fun to do."
"Didn’t Leo also say that he chose something?"
"The Mountain Club right? That really suits him."
"Well… it does seem to suit him."
"The Mountain club at our school focuses more on survival than just climbing. Seriously, it’s almost like the club’s just made for him."
The way she was subtly cursing about almost made her seem like she was bored.
"Hey Tatsuya, if you haven’t joined a club yet, do you wanna look around with me?"
Tatsuya wasn’t able to blatantly reject her because she seemed to have a lonely face, but if he pointed that out to her then she was sure to get angry at him.
"To tell you the truth, it seems like the Disciplinary Committee’s already using me as they please. It’s possible for me to walk around with you, but I have to do it as a patrol. If that’s okay with you then I can do it."
"Hmmmmm… ah, well. Let’s just meet up in front of the classroom then."
Erika seemed to think hard before letting out a shrug like she was reluctant to go along with it, but the smile on her face gave away her fake gestures.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Why are you here?!"
That was how the reunion started. "Aren’t you acting a bit rude?"
Tatsuya sighed and said that with a tired voice, but this caused only more agitation.
"What!!"
He seemed like he was about to lunge forward, but, "Shut up you newcomer."
A quick roar from Mari made Morisaki Shun stand upright and close his mouth.
"This is an official meeting for the Disciplinary Members, so every person here is a member of the Disciplinary Committee. At least get that through your head before you shout out like that."
"I apologize!"
How pitiful; Morisaki’s face showed tension and fear. He was brought in only two days ago by Mari. Not only that, he was still feeling heat from being reprimanded from the Student President, a heavy burden for a serious new student such as him.
"Oh well, take a seat."
Mari let out a nervous expression as she ordered the blood-drained faced first year to sit down. Judging from her demeanor, she did not seem like the type of person who would feel pleasure from oppressing those that were weaker than her.
Morisaki sat in the chair facing Tatsuya. It was an unwanted seating arrangement for the two, but they couldn't help it because they were the newest members. Being an underling meant they had to sit at the edge of the table, glaring at each other.
"Everyone here?"
After 9 people entered the room, Mari stood up.
"Okay, listen up. The beginning of that crazy week is here again. For the Disciplinary Committee, this will be the first big hurdle we have to overcome in the beginning of the year. Last year, there were certain people in here who had joined and caused an uproar during this period, and there were others who tried to stop it but ended up making it worse. Please be sure to brace yourselves this year. I don’t want to give any reprimands to anyone. I repeat, Disciplinary members will not be the ones causing trouble this year."
Multiple members just sat there and shrugged. Tatsuya, on the other hand, seemed to always get into some kind of trouble, so he swore to himself to be extra careful during this time.
"Thankfully, we were able to find replacements in time to cover the ones who graduated. I’ll introduce you. Stand up."
Even though there weren’t any rehearsals or anything, the two were able to stand up quickly without being muddled. But, the two had completely opposite facial expressions.
Morisaki was unable to or didn’t even bother to hide his nervous facial expression, but the way he stood upright showed his enthusiasm. On the contrast, Tatsuya just stood up acting calm and composed.
"Morisaki Shun from 1A and Shiba Tatsuya from 1E. These two will be incorporated in the patrols from now on."
There were murmurs in the room after hearing Tatsuya’s class number. But since it was the headquarters where they reprimanded any student using the offensive word, he didn’t hear anybody using the word "Weed".
"Who is he being paired up with?"
Instead, there were some people who asked questions about him. One of the people who raised his hand was a 2nd Year named Okada. He was one of the people elected by the teachers.
"As I explained previously, during the club recruitment week, everybody will patrol the grounds on their own accord. The newcomers are not an exception to this."
"Are they even useful?"
Formally, that question was pointed to both Tatsuya and Morisaki, but by the way his eyes looked at Tatsuya’s left chest showed that it was directed only towards him.
Something like this was expected to Tatsuya, so he just let Mari handle everything. But Mari, on the other hand, already had a fed up look on her face when she was looking at Okada.
"Don’t worry, they’re useful. I’ve seen Shiba’s skills with my own eyes and Morisaki is also pretty competent with his device manipulation. He just had bad luck with his opponent. If you’re still anxious, then why don’t you pair up with Morisaki?"
Mari let out a negligent answer like she had enough of it, but Okada hid his smirk and, while holding his composure, let out a sarcastic "It’s fine".
"Anybody else want to say anything?"
Tatsuya was surprised at Mari’s belligerent composure because it made her seem like she was picking a fight with everyone. But besides Tatsuya and Morisaki, no one paid much attention to it. The other members treated this like it was a daily routine. There seemed to be some deep-rooted conflicts within the committee, but the leader here seemed to be the one stirring up these conflicts.
"We will be concluding this meeting. The patrols will be done according to plan. Does anyone have any objection with this?"
There were some who seemed like they wanted to say something, but they weren’t people who were actively opposed to the notion.
"Okay, very well then, carry on. Don’t forget your recorders. I will explain things to Shiba and Morisaki. Everyone else, mobilize!"
Everyone stood upright, put their heels together, and used their right fist to hit their left chest. Tatsuya wondered what was going on, but he learned later that this was the traditional salute that the Disciplinary Committee used. There were other rules like saying "Good morning", no matter what the time was, and such.
The other six members started leaving the room one by one. Koutarou and Sawaki, the last ones to leave, said "Don’t try too hard" and "If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me" as they left (it was obvious which one said what). As Tatsuya was being courteous (at least formally) to the two, Morisaki glared at him with annoyance. Mari saw this and held in a sigh while feeling a headache coming around. "First, I’ll give you guys these."
Mari gave the two an armband and a small video recorder.
"Put the recorder in your chest pocket. It’s customized where the lens would pop right out of the pocket. All you have to do is push the recording button on the right."
When they put the recorders in their pockets as told, the lens stuck out, ready to record.
"Be sure to keep that recorder on you at all times. When you see someone committing a violation, be sure to press the switch. You don’t really have to worry about getting a good picture because testimony from a Disciplinary Member is considered as adequate evidence. Just think of it as a precautionary measure."
As she waited for the two to reply, Mari ordered them to bring out their mobile terminals.
"I’m going to send you the communication frequencies now… confirm that you received it."
The two confirmed the receipt of the communication frequency.
"Always report your findings using this frequency. We will also be giving out instructions through this frequency as well. Lastly, CADs. Disciplinary Members are permitted to carry their CADs and you don’t have to wait for permission from someone to use them. But, if we find any unauthorized usage, you will be kicked out of the committee and receive a penalty more severe than the normal students. Last year, we had a student expelled because of that, so be careful."
"Question."
"Go ahead."
"May I use the CADs that I found in the Committee room?"
Tatsuya’s question caught her off-guard so it took a moment for an answer to come.
"…I don’t mind, but why? Those are pretty old models."
Mari figured, by watching Tatsuya during his match yesterday and such, that he was skilled with handling and maintaining CADs. Not to mention that Azusa was enthusiastically talking about the high spec CAD that he used.
And here he was asking to use an older model. Mari couldn’t hide her curiosity.
"They may be older models, but those CADs are high-class items mainly used by professionals."
He gave an unexpected answer with a bitter smile. "…Is that right?"
"Yes, that series has a low popularity because it’s such a hassle to maintain, but despite that, you are able to customize it however you want, and the switch while using the NCT is very sensitive. Thanks to that, although limited, it has passionate support from enthusiasts. The person who bought these was probably a fan of the series. The battery life is a little limited, but it’s been overclocked to boost processing power. If you sell these, you can probably get a hefty sum of money from those enthusiasts."
"…And we’ve been treating those things as trash all this time. I see, now I know why you were so particular about cleaning up the place."
"I’m sure if you brought Nakajou-senpai over she would have explained about the series…"
"Nakajou is too afraid to even step foot in this room."
"Oh… I see."
The two let out nervous laughs. But Mari soon noticed Morisaki was thrown out of the loop.
"*Cough* Well, in that case use it however you want. It’s just collecting dust in the room anyway."
"Understood. In that case, I’ll borrow two of them."
"Two? You really are an interesting person."
Tatsuya took the two that he had secretly customized for himself and attached them to both of his arms. Seeing that, Mari let out a smile, and Morisaki twisted his lips sarcastically.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Hey."
While leaving the HQ, Tatsuya was called out by Morisaki. He could tell by his voice that it wasn't something friendly.
Tatsuya thought about ignoring him, but that would just make things more complicated, so he unwillingly turned around.
"What?"
A resenting voice and an arrogant answer. There was no way a friendly atmosphere would come out of this.
"You seem to be good at bluffing. Is that how you got to the president and the other members’ good side?"
"Are you jealous?"
"Wha…"
If you’re going to get angry over a small counter like this then stop making sarcastic remarks, thought Tatsuya.
But at the same time, he felt a little jealous of Morisaki’s straightforward attitude.
"…Either way, you really crossed the line this time. There’s no way you Course 2 guys can use multiple CADs at once."
By not saying "Weeds", he’s probably putting his awareness in the Disciplinary Member’s role, thought Tatsuya cynically. But Morisaki didn’t notice Tatsuya’s bored stares and continued with his lecturing like he was drunk with his own words.
"If you attach CADs on both your arms, then the Psion interference would make both of them unusable. You didn’t even know that did you? All you were thinking about was looking cool. Since you can’t use any decent spells, I guess you have to do these sneaky little things to get by just so you don’t look stupid."
"Is that supposed to be advice? You seem pretty confident, Morisaki."
"Ha! I’m different from you people. I was caught off guard the other day, but that won’t happen next time. I’ll show you the difference in our levels."
How naïve of him to assume that there will always be a "next time"…
◊ ◊ ◊
Even though he had a meeting with Erika, she wasn’t in front of the classroom when Tatsuya came.
Oh well…
Tatsuya let out a sigh, a habit he acquired since the beginning of school, and brought up the LPS in his mobile terminal.
There was a red dot slowly moving on the school map. At least she was kind enough to not turn off her mobile device. She didn't seem that far away.
It was only supposed to be a precautionary measure though…
She was completely relying on him to seek her out. He zoomed in on her location and started walking towards it.
Tents covered one school ground to another; it almost made this place look like a fair with street vendors.
"Seems like there’s a festival going on here…"
Erika said to herself. But when she realized that, she started laughing at herself.
She had a habit of talking to herself, but from the beginning of this school year, she hid that habit.
Unusual that I’m by myself, huh… It looks like you really don’t understand me that well Tatsuya-kun.
She was silently talking to him — the boy whom she broke her promise with.
During middle school, actually even in elementary school, she spent most of her time alone. It’s not like she hated people or anything like that. She had a pleasant attitude and she could easily get along with anyone. She just becomes negligent towards relationships quickly.
She just couldn't be with anyone 24 hours a day. Her good friends called her cold and said that she acted like a whimsical cat. Others said that she acted high and mighty. There were many boys who wanted to have a relationship with her, but none ever lasted. She went around freely, not being tied down by any promises.
That was her motto.
…Well, it WAS my motto… but lately I’ve been acting a bit weird.
Looking at it from a 3rd person’s perspective, it almost seemed like she was stalking him, Erika thought to herself. This is the first time that I promised to meet up and go around with someone. It has only been a week so I could get bored of this like always, but at the same time, I was thinking that this might be different.
"Erika~"
10 minutes after the promised time. From just past the school entrance within school grounds, Tatsuya was calling out Erika’s name.
He found me quicker than I expected, she thought. "…Sorry."
He showed a painful expression on his face for a moment, but then he bowed his head down.
"…So you’re going to apologize."
Erika wasn’t expecting this, so she was stupefied.
"I’m sorry for being 10 minutes late for our meeting time. But, being late and not being at the promised location are two different things."
"Ack… sorry."
It was a strange expression, but Erika was unable to counter the smile on his serious face.
"…Say Tatsuya, don’t people say that you have a bad personality?"
"No, that’s unthinkable. No one has ever complained about my personality. They have said that I am a bad person though."
"That’s the same thing! Wait, that’s even worse!"
"Oh wait, that’s wrong. Not a bad person but an evil person."
"That’s even worse!"
"I was even called a demon by some people."
"Ok, I’ve had enough!"
As Erika was panting, Tatsuya started acting like a pondering philosopher. "You seem tired. Are you okay?"
"…Tatsuya. People mentioned that you have a bad personality, didn’t they?"
"Well as a matter of fact they did."
"…So you’re just going to ignore the entire conversation we just had?" Erika just drooped her head from fatigue.
◊ ◊ ◊
It took a little effort recovering her mood, but Tatsuya was able to continue his patrol before people around them started ridiculing them.
But 5 minutes into it, Tatsuya wanted to go home.
He had underestimated things. Even though he heard that things were a bit "rowdy", he still thought it would be within the bounds of a normal high school club recruitment fair. But in reality, it was nowhere near that.
Hm, I see why they need people to police this place, but I don’t think even 10 people are going to be enough.
The mass of tents covering the grounds were filled with people. Across the wall of people, Erika was captured and letting out some kind of scream. Even though she had high agility, she still wasn’t able to push her way through the crowd. Well, it didn't sound too convincing coming from Tatsuya who decided to look on from a distance.
It did not necessarily mean that Tatsuya had more agility; it was just that people targeted her rather than him. Tatsuya had an average height and looks, and at first glance he seemed a bit plain. On top of that, he was also a Weed so people paid no attention to him.
In Erika’s case, she was beautiful. Miyuki is the type of fragile beauty that made people hesitate reaching their hand out to, but Erika is the type of beauty that, even though people know they would be burned somewhat, they would still try to grasp her.
Basically, what happened was that the club solicitations bombarded her. The fact that she was a Course 2 student didn’t help her at all (or as Erika put it, it was useless). They were probably trying to make her join as a mascot figure, something that didn’t require the use of magic. So everything around her turned into chaos.
Tatsuya couldn’t see what was going on through the line of people (he guessed that they were probably, at worst, only grabbing her arm, holding on to her, or even groping her). The atmosphere quickly turned murderous as this went on to a point where Tatsuya could no longer ignore it.
Tatsuya only went ahead of her because he assumed that she would be able to fight her way through. A person would need a lot of training to restrain someone like Erika. He remembered how she was able to quickly flick the CAD out of Morisaki’s hands, and that move was not something that could be obtained in a year or so. Because of that, Tatsuya had confidence in her abilities.
The ones who actually surrounded Erika were all female upperclassmen. It seemed like the males were not insolent enough to go around touching a girl’s body. He assumed that she would be able to break past girls who were only a year older than her, but that seemed to put her at a disadvantage. Erika was hesitant in using any violence.
Just when Tatsuya thought about saving her, it occurred. "Hey, wait, where are you touching me? S... Stop…!"
He started hearing cries of help from Erika. It looked like playtime was over.
Tatsuya quickly engaged the CAD on his left arm. When the magic formulated, he kicked the ground and made it shake slightly. Physically, the vibrations he made from the shock weren’t visible, but he used magic to manipulate the vibrations he made and directed them towards the crowd.
The vibrations weren’t enough to make a person unconscious. Tatsuya didn’t have the physical strength or the magic capability to make a vibration that large. But the vibrations did make everyone lose their sense of balance.
As he pushed forward in the crowd everyone who was touched by Tatsuya fell over. After pushing a number of people over, both boys and girls, he was able to get to the center and break through the upperclassmen. Tatsuya then grabbed Erika’s hand and said "Run". He pulled her hand and made his way out of the crowd.
After slipping through the crowd like a magician, Tatsuya was able to run to a remote location between the buildings. After letting go of her hand and turning around, he finally realized the mess she was in. Her hair was messed up, her new uniform was wrinkled, her top was undone, and her necktie was in her hand since it had fallen off.
Tatsuya, by pure coincidence, was able to see the skin underneath her uniform as she frantically tried to fix herself.
"Don’t look!"
Even though she was looking down, she was able to tell by the way Tatsuya’s feet were turning towards her. When she got back up to yell at him, his face was already turned the other direction.
"…Did you see?"
He could easily imagine her red face. "…"
But Tatsuya was unable to give her an answer.
He should say that he didn’t see. That would be the smart thing to do.
But the slightly sunburned skin, her white breast, and her slim body. Even the beige-colored undergarments were all etched in his memory.
"Did. You. See?!"
It seemed like she was done dressing since he could no longer hear any rustling of clothes. At the same time, he understood that he didn’t have any more time to think based on the tone of her voice.
Well, in that case I should be punched in the face then, he thought. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he should at least show some sincerity being the guy and all.
—And so, after briefly escaping from reality, he turned around (now that he thought about it, he was not completely innocent since he left her in the crowd in the first place).
Thankfully she was actually done dressing up. If she wasn’t, then it would’ve probably made things much worse.
Tatsuya was relieved in seeing her fully buttoned up with the neck tie woven tightly. But then Tatsuya thought, if she hadn’t loosened her neck tie and unbuttoned the top button in the first place, it wouldn’t have gotten so bad.
"Sorry, I saw."
But he did not dare say that. After seeing her red face and lines of tears that were left on her eyes, he couldn’t say anything.
Erika glared at Tatsuya from below. She started becoming red again and clenched her fists, probably from remembering the shame she just suffered.
"...Idiot!"
She didn’t use her hands, but instead kicked him in the shin. But then, after she did that, she quickly turned around and walked away.
Tatsuya silently followed her.
Tatsuya couldn’t see her face, but he could tell it was filled with tears.
He trained his shin so it could withstand a full-blown attack from a wooden sword.
Her flexible shoes with no protection to the toes probably felt much more pain than he did. But, if he tried to say anything regarding that, she would probably just lash out again.
All he could do was pretend not to notice the unnatural way she walked.
◊ ◊ ◊
Even though tents were popped up all over school, it was only on the school grounds outside. Inside the buildings, there were demonstrations going on within the various club rooms.
And also here in the gymnasium.
The two made their way into the 2nd gymnasium, also known as the "Arena", where the Kendo club was performing.
—By the way, at this point Erika had long cooled her head. She already knew that she was blaming him for something that he didn’t do. It also helped that he didn’t make any excuses toward her. Yet, she already started unbuttoning her top button and loosened her neck tie because "it was getting hot". She seemed to already be forgetting what she had gone through.
The two looked down on the arena by the corridor at the Kendo club’s demonstrations.
"Oh… even though it’s a Magic school, there’s a Kendo club." Erika nonchalantly said.
"Isn’t it common to have a Kendo club at a school?"
Tatsuya nonchalantly answered. But then Erika started staring at his face. "…Is there something wrong?"
"…That’s unexpected."
"What is?"
"I didn’t know that there was something Tatsuya-kun didn’t know. Anybody who’s had martial arts training already knows about this."
Tatsuya started to worry after listening to her.
"Do I look like a person who acts like he knows everything?"
"Ah, no, that’s not it. It’s just that you have that aura that you know everything."
"Aura you say… I’m the same year as you remember? Oh well, putting that aside, why is having a Kendo club so special?"
"Oh, right, you’re the same year as me… when you put it that way it’s kind of strange… ahhhh, anyway, Kendo right? If you’re aiming to become a Magician, Kendo isn’t something you do at a high school level. What Magicians typically use are magical sword skills based off from "Kenjutsu" and not "Kendo". You probably take Kendo up to elementary school to get the fundamentals of Kenjutsu, but during middle school, those who want to become Magicians already go to Kenjutsu instead.
"Is that right… I thought Kendo and Kenjutsu were the same thing."
"Wow, that’s really unexpected."
After hearing Tatsuya say that, she really was surprised.
"Even though you seem like you have so much martial arts experience… ah, I know!"
"What?"
Tatsuya was surprised by Erika’s sudden outburst.
Well, he wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but Erika just ignored all that and just kept on making faces like "I got it" and "Everything makes sense now".
"Hey Tatsuya, you’re assuming that all martial arts are combined with magic right? Not only martial arts but fighting spirits and things like that. You assume that magic is used to supplement the body when it moves around right?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Muscle isn’t the only thing that makes the body move."
From Tatsuya’s point of view, what Erika said was obvious to him, but Erika only seemed to nod with some kind of understanding.
"Well, for Tatsuya it may be obvious. But in normal competitions that’s not the case."
"I see."
It was a roundabout way of saying it, but Tatsuya was now aware how his common sense was slightly off from hers.
"Putting that aside, why don’t we just quietly watch the performance now?"
This time it was Tatsuya’s turn to make Erika aware. When she followed his subtle glances, she saw that everybody was looking towards her. After letting out a nervous laugh, she became a quiet spectator.
The practice rounds shown by the regulars were in full force. What caught everyone’s eyes especially was the performance by a female 2nd Year student.
She wasn’t large or anything; she had around the same body structure as Erika, but she was fighting on par with a man twice her size.
It wasn't just strength, but she was using graceful skills to parry her opponent’s attacks. She looked like she had some leeway.
She had a certain beauty in the way she fought the practice rounds. All the spectators had their eyes on her.
But there was an exception right here. Right after she defeated her opponent theatrically and bowed her head, Tatsuya heard a snort from beside him.
"It seems like you didn’t enjoy it."
"Huh? Well, yeah…"
She didn’t realize that the statement was directed towards her so there was a slight pause in the answer.
"…It’s so boring watching this though. She’s fighting with an opponent that has a much lower skill level than her, so she’s able to show off like that. Instead of a fight, it seems more like a rehearsal."
"Well, you are right regarding that, but…" Tatsuya’s face let out a natural smile.
"It’s a performance to promote their club remember? There are always pro martial artists who do showy moves to demonstrate live combat, but you can’t really show live combat to normal people. Live combat in martial arts is basically trying to kill one another."
"…You’re so cool-headed, aren’t you."
"It’s just a difference of opinion."
Erika looked away with an irritated face.
But this is the facial expression she uses when she acts like she’s angry. She’s probably more angry towards the people who use martial arts as a flashy show than what it’s really supposed to be and finds those people dishonest.
Even if Tatsuya puts those feelings into words, it would probably irritate her even further.
He doubted that she would just jump into the fight, but he knew that she would do something similar to that. As Tatsuya was about to lead Erika away, something caught his attention.
Just as the two were leaving the spectator corridor and about to exit the building, he started hearing a commotion. It seemed like someone was arguing.
When he looked to his side, Erika was looking up at him. Her eyes were brimming with curiosity.
The first one to dart off towards the commotion was Erika, while she grabbed Tatsuya’s sleeve.
Tatsuya was essentially being dragged to the middle of the commotion.
As the two pushed past the crowd (the only reason no one really got angry was because Erika smiled at them as she pushed on by), they saw a swordsman and a swordswoman confronting each other.
The girl was the same girl who just participated in the practice round (or rehearsal as Erika puts it). Her chest plate was still on, but her helmet was off. She was a beautiful girl with semi-long black hair. She seemed perfect as an advertisement for the new student recruits with her looks and her skill.
"Tatsuya, do you like those types of girls?"
"No, you’re much prettier Erika."
"…I’m not going to fall for that monotone voice of yours." Even though she was glaring at him, her face was subtly red. "Sorry, I’m not used to it."
"…Aahhh! Why are you always…"
She started mumbling something but thankfully, she stopped harassing Tatsuya, so he was able to focus his attention on the swordsman.
He was about the same size as Tatsuya, but he seemed to have a spring- loaded body. He had a shinai in his hand but no armor on. He was going to ask people around him what was going on, but it didn’t seem like he needed to.
"The Kenjutsu club is scheduled to perform an hour later Kirihara! Why can’t you wait?!"
"Wow, how can you say that Mibu? I was just trying to help you guys out since these weaklings you got here don’t seem to be advertising your Kendo club effectively."
"By forcing him to have a practice round with you?! I can’t believe you’re saying things like that! If the Disciplinary Committee finds out that you used violence on an upperclassman, you’re not the only one who’s going to be in trouble!"
"Violence you say? Hey, hey Mibu, don’t be exaggerating things here. I just used my shinai to hit his helmet. If that guy’s part of the Kendo club, he shouldn’t be going unconscious over something like this. Besides, he was the one who started it anyway."
"It’s because you provoked him!"
There isn't much meaning to have a dispute when their weapons are pointed at each other, thought Tatsuya. But since it made clear what was going on, it was convenient for him.
"Seems like fun."
Erika mumbled on the side, Tatsuya wasn’t sure if she was talking to herself or not. But he could tell from her tone that she was excited.
"This is much more interesting than that little rehearsal that we just saw."
"Do you know those two?"
"Well, I don’t personally know them."
Seeing how she responded to his question, it didn't seem like she was talking to herself.
"I just remembered about the girl. Her name is Mibu Sayaka. The year before last, in the National Middle School Kendo Tournament, she placed second in the entire country. She was cheered by the media as the Beautiful Swordswomen for awhile."
"…But she placed second, right?"
"Well... the champion’s looks were… you know."
"I see."
That’s the media for you.
"The guy’s name is Kirihara Takeaki. The year before last he placed 1st place in the Kanto Middle School Kenjutsu Tournament. A real champion."
"He didn’t participate in the Nationals?"
"The Nationals for the Kenjutsu tournament only start from High school since there are much fewer competitors for that one."
Well that’s right, nodded Tatsuya in agreement.
Kenjutsu is a sport that combined sword techniques with magic, so the basic prerequisite to do Kenjutsu is to be able to use magic. Even though technology has come a long way in assisting people in using magic, probably only 1 in 1000 middle schoolers are able to use it in a practical setting. Even in adulthood, only 1 in 10 are able to maintain that level of magic.
Even though some of them are Course 2 students within the schools, outside of school, they’re basically elites.
"Oh, looks like it’s starting."
Tatsuya was able to feel the atmosphere reaching its breaking point.
Just as a precautionary measure, he took out his armband and attached it to his left arm. The student next to him was surprised, but he glared at him after seeing there wasn’t anything on his left chest. But Tatsuya’s attention was focused on the two.
The female swordswoman was hesitant in attacking an opponent with no armor on. But, as long as they faced their swords at each other and had no intent on backing down, there was no choice but to fight.
It seemed like Kirihara was going to make the first move.
"Don’t worry Mibu, it’s only a demonstration for the Kendo club. I won’t use any magic on you."
"Do you think you can beat me with technique alone? You, Kirihara from the Kenjutsu club who heavily relies on magic, and me, from the Kendo club who relies on nothing but technique?"
"You talk pretty big Mibu. I’ll show you. The Kenjutsu technique is used to fight past the body limitations!" That was the signal of the fight.
Kirihara lunged forward and swung his shinai towards her head.
The sounds of shinais beating each other echoed in the room, followed by screams that came seconds later. The spectators couldn’t tell what was going on. They could only listen as bamboo and bamboo hit one another, sounds so violent that they almost sounded metallic. Most were only able to imagine the intense fighting taking place.
—Excluding a small number of people.
"Impressive. The female Kendo students are at a pretty high level. If this is how good the second place is, then how strong was the champion?"
Tatsuya let out a breadth of admiration towards Sayaka’s skill.
"No, she’s completely different from when I last saw her. I can’t believe how much she’s improved in only 2 years…"
Even though she let out a surprised look, Erika hid her face as she licked her lips while she let out a combative aura.
The two were momentarily locked in place, but they quickly pushed each other and jumped back to make space between one another.
Some took a breath while others gasped for it. The spectator’s reactions were split in two.
"I wonder who will win…" Erika asked in a quiet voice.
"Mibu-senpai seems like she has the upper hand." Tatsuya answered in a whisper.
"The reason?"
"Kirihara-senpai is avoiding the head when he attacks. That first move he made was a bluff because he knew that she was easily going to take it. Besides, he’s limited by not being able to use his magic. In terms of technique alone, Mibu-senpai is much better."
"Agreed. But, the question is, can Kirihara-senpai hold himself in until the end?"
"Oooooooooooooooo!"
First time during the match, Kirihara let out a roar while lunging forward and attacks from both opponents struck head on.
"Is it a draw?"
"No, it’s not."
Kirihara’s shinai skimmed Sayaka’s left arm while Sayaka’s shinai was stuck in his right shoulder.
"Ugh."
Kirihara used his left hand to push away her shinai and dove back. "He lost because he tried to change his aim in the middle of the attack."
"I see, so that’s why he seemed to waver in his attack. It was the perfect timing to make it a draw… but I guess he couldn’t cut off his feelings."
Tatsuya and the others weren’t the only ones who knew the match was over.
Seated towards the front of the crowd were members of the Kendo club and the Kenjutsu club. The Kendo members let out a sigh of relief while the Kenjutsu members clenched their teeth in anger.
"If this were a real fight, then this would have been a mortal wound. The attack you made on me didn’t even reach my bones. Just admit your loss."
Sayaka let out a declaration of victory in a graceful pose.
But Kirihara distorted his face while listening. Was his swordsman side admitting his loss despite what he was feeling otherwise?
"He…heheheheh."
He suddenly started letting out a hollow laugh. Did he admit his defeat? It didn’t seem that way.
Tatsuya’s sense of danger shot up within him. The only person who sensed this more than Tatsuya was the one who was standing in front of Kirihara
— Sayaka.
He recovered his stance, pointed his weapon at her, and looked sharply at her.
"A real fight, you say? If this was a real fight, you wouldn’t even be able to cut me. Mibu, do you really want to have a real fight? Then… I’ll show you what a ‘real fight’ is!"
As Kirihara activated his CAD using his right hand, screams came from the crowd of spectators.
There was a screeching sound that echoed the room, like someone was scratching a panel of glass. There were some who even kneeled down with pale faces.
Kirihara jumped forward and swung his shinai down.
He had the same speed, but he wasn’t using as much strength as before. Regardless, Sayaka jumped back.
The attack didn’t even hit; it barely grazed her. But her chestplate was cut open, just by getting grazed by a shinai.
The thing that increased its cutting power is a close combat Vibration Magic, "Sonic Blade".
"How’s that Mibu?! This is a ‘real’ fight!"
As he was about to make another swing towards Sayaka, Tatsuya jumped in front of him.
Before he jumped in, Tatsuya activated his CADs on both arms (using his Psion as "hands" to press the switches) and transferred his Psion within them. He used those CAD to shoot out an intricate web of Psion waves, a type of Non-Systematic magic that he used.
By now, there were many spectators who held their mouths because a symptom similar to motion sickness spread across the crowd.
Kirihara’s shinai and Tatsuya’s arm intersected, but there weren’t any sounds of the shinai hitting meat.
The sound that came out was the sound of a body falling to the floor.
After the spectators recovered from the sound and sickness, they were able to finally see what was going on.
And what they saw was Kirihara on the ground while Tatsuya was keeping him there, by holding his left wrist and using his knee to push down on his shoulder.
◊ ◊ ◊
Within the gymnasium, a.k.a "Arena", what broke silence was whispers of hostility.
"Who’s that?"
"I’ve never seen him before."
"Is he a new student?"
"Look at it, he’s a Weed."
"What the hell is a Weed doing?"
"But that thing on his armband—"
"Wait, I heard a rumor that someone from the Course 2 made it into the Disciplinary Committee."
"What? Seriously? A Weed in the Disciplinary Committee?"
The whispers originated from the Kenjutsu club and spread from there (from both boys and girls). Within the crowded circle, half stared at Tatsuya with hostility, while others simply gazed while holding their breath.
In this hostile atmosphere, Tatsuya coolly (while holding Kirihara down) took out his communication device in his mobile terminal. His cool face didn’t seem like a bluff. It seemed like he was used to being the bad guy in most situations.
"This is Tatsuya within the 2nd gymnasium. I have apprehended one student. He seems to be injured so please bring a stretcher just in case."
He didn’t speak in a loud voice, but his voice echoed through the crowd.
After the realization of what was happening sunk in, a member of the Kenjutsu club took a step forward and started shouting at Tatsuya.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
He must have been confused, asking meaningless questions like that. Actually, it might not have been a question, but more of a threat.
"I am apprehending Kirihara-senpai because of improper use of magic."
Tatsuya dutifully answered the yelling individual. Well, technically, his eyes were still focused on Kirihara below him so even if it was dutiful it wasn’t exactly respectful. Depending on how you look at it, it seemed like he was looking down on his opponent.
And that’s exactly how the upperclassman Kenjutsu member took it. "Hey, you! Stop looking down at me you damn Weed!"
He started lunging forward to grab Tatsuya in the chest.
Tatsuya quickly let go of Kirihara and stepped back. He took a look at Kirihara and saw that his consciousness was still hazy from the fall so it looked like he wasn’t going to be running away anywhere. After making that judgment, he focused his attention on the (oncoming) upperclassman in front of him.
Other Kenjutsu members were becoming angered by Tatsuya’s attitude of acting coolly like his opponents weren't even a threat. The upperclassman facing him clenched his teeth to a point where you could hear it grind.
"Why is it only Kirihara?! Mibu over there is as guilty as he is! She was the one to continue the fight!"
The statement came from the crowd. It was a criticism that was shot toward Tatsuya and it was also made to support the upperclassman. But Tatsuya didn’t even budge and said,
"As I said before, I’m apprehending him for the improper use of magic." Again, with a calm voice he dutifully answered.
You should’ve just ignored them… thought Erika, and at that point, her concerns became real.
"Stop messing around!"
The upperclassman was filled with rage again and lunged toward Tatsuya.
Tatsuya avoided the attacks like a bullfighter in a ring, but this just made things worse.
Now the upperclassman was throwing his fists at him, but Tatsuya was still dodging those.
No matter what the upperclassman did he wasn’t able to touch Tatsuya. Not only was empty handed combat Tatsuya’s specialty, but the upperclassman was also making crude movements because of his rage.
Tatsuya was taking light steps to dodge his opponent’s brash punches. Just when Tatsuya stopped moving because the upperclassman stopped from fatigue, two more members from the Kenjutsu club attacked Tatsuya from behind.
Just when Erika was about to shout "Behind you!", Tatsuya spun around and tangled the two members together. The two Kenjutsu members ran into each other and rolled to the ground.
Silence filled the room again. It was completely silent in the arena.
If there were any sound effects at this moment, it would be the sound of a boiling point reaching its peak.
Because in the next moment, the entire Kenjutsu club started attacking Tatsuya.
Screams arose from the crowd and everyone who wasn’t involved (including the Kendo members) started running away to avoid the brawl.
Sayaka was the only one in the crowd who stepped forward to help Tatsuya.
"Wait, Mibu."
A 3rd Year upperclassman from the same Kendo club grabbed her wrist. "Ah, Tsukasa-senpai."
She resisted for a moment, but when she saw the person who grabbed her wrist, she let him pull her away from the scene. Her face was overcome with guilt from running away from the fight, but she couldn’t let go of the 3rd Year Kendo Male Club President’s hand.
As the Male Club President took Sayaka away from the brawl, Tatsuya was in the middle of it, getting ready to take the Kenjutsu members head on.
Well, not necessarily "head on" as in counter attacking; all he did was dodge and parry the attacks the "Blooms" unleashed on him.
Tatsuya’s movements were not graceful; they were solid, or even certain if there is a right word for it. It’s almost as if he could tell the order the upperclassmen were going to attack from all directions; all he made were the minimal necessary movements. He stayed calm during the ordeal and showed no signs of being cornered. When they cooperated to drive him in a corner, he merely did a feint and had them hit each other; when they came at him like a wall, he skillfully wove his way through it.
Even though more than 10 people were attacking him at once, they weren’t even able to disrupt his breathing, let alone stop him in place.
The Blooms understood in anger that this insolent Weed wasn’t attacking back not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t even need to.
This caused the rest of the Kenjutsu members to activate their CADs in anger. But when they lit it up to shoot up magic towards him, nothing happened.
Whenever Tatsuya looked in their directions, they were filled with motion sickness and their blocks of Psion dissipated into thin air.
The Kenjutsu members cursed as they couldn't understand what was going on, but they merely proceeded to attack Tatsuya with their fists.
All the while, Sayaka didn’t notice that her Male President was observing the situation out of curiosity.
This chapter is updated by Novels.pl
There are many special things in the High School Magic Division, but the basic system is no different from normal schools.
Here in the First High School, there are club activities.
Like normal schools, to become an official club, you need to have a minimum amount of people and have some kind of track record.
But, since this school has a close relationship with magic, there are some clubs that can only exist in a Magic High School.
Within major magical games, schools One through Nine within the Magical Academy often get together and have competitions. The outcomes of these competitions often rank these various schools. Depending on the schools, they may put more emphasis towards these games than most prestigious sports schools. If a club were able to perform highly within the "Nine Schools Competition", then the club’s budget and its members receive special treatment.
Finding and getting talented new students has become the most important task every year since it affects the influence the clubs have on campus, and this task has full support from the school. That’s why during this season, the clubs battle ferociously in order to gain as many new students as possible.
"…And this is why all kinds of trouble appears every year." In the Student Council Room.
Thoroughly tasting Miyuki’s hand-made bento, Tatsuya listened to Mari’s explanation.
"The solicitations from the clubs are so fierce, it often affects the classes. And it doesn’t help that there’s only a 1 week time limit for them to get as many new students as they can,"
Mayumi, who was sitting next to Mari, explained.
Nestled close to Tatsuya was Miyuki herself, as if she belonged there.
Suzune and Azusa were not there. They only came to the room yesterday because Mayumi invited them; usually they had lunch with their classmates.
Mari, like yesterday, had her own home-made lunch. Mayumi was slightly angry because she was the only one eating the dining server’s machine- made lunch, but her mood seemed to finally recover. She even exclaimed that she would start making her lunch tomorrow.
"During this time, various clubs are bringing out the tents all at once. It’s like a small festival going on here. There are even secret lists that name all the students who scored high grades on the entrance exams, and I’m sure those people will be heavily targeted. Obviously, there are rules in place that penalize the clubs and its members if they break them, but it’s not uncommon to see fist fights or even magic shooting about."
Tatsuya put on a surprised face after listening to Mari’s explanation. "I thought carrying around CADs is prohibited?"
It is possible to still use magic without a CAD, but something like "shooting about" magic definitely requires a CAD for most people.
Mari’s answer amazed Tatsuya.
"The school gives them permission so that they can have ‘demonstrations’. There is a simple screening in place, but it’s more or less a free pass. Because of that, during this time, this place becomes a giant lawless zone full of chaos."
Well obviously, thought Tatsuya. Why would the school allow such a thing…? Usually they would make a screening like this more strict.
Before Tatsuya could formulate the question, Mayumi gave the answer.
"I believe it’s mainly because the school wants the clubs to score highly in the Nine Schools Competition. I’m sure the school wouldn’t mind a few rules being broken as long as they raise the chances of recruiting more students."
The government outlawed mandatory participation in extra-curricular activities over 10 years ago because it neglected students’ rights. Because of that, the school cannot do anything openly besides letting the various clubs recruit as they want.
"Well, that’s the situation we’re in. Starting today, the Disciplinary Committee is going all out. Whew, I’m glad we were able to cover all of our empty seats."
As she said that, she sent a sarcastic look to her side.
"I’m glad you were able to find someone so talented, Mari."
Seeing how she ignored the look with a smile, it looked like they do this sort of thing often.
After eating the last bite and putting the chopsticks down, his cup was being filled with hot tea from beside him.
After taking a few sips, Tatsuya attempted to put up a small resistance.
"Well, the clubs are targeting the students with the highest grades, meaning the First Course students correct? I don’t think I would be of any use in that case."
Only Course 2 students should police Course 2 students. He was using Mari’s argument from yesterday against her.
"Who cares about that. I’m counting on you." She completely blew it off.
There was no way Tatsuya was able to respond to this.
"…*Sigh*, understood. I assume we are starting after school?"
"Right after you’re done with class, just come to HQ."
"Understood."
Tatsuya quietly accepted Mari’s words. It was hard to tell if his actions were manly or he just plainly gave up.
Sitting beside him, Miyuki asked, "President, are we going to join in the patrol as well?"
Miyuki referred to "we" as in the Student Council members. Tatsuya smiled, seeing how his beloved sister was able to fit in so quickly even though she could be difficult around people.
"I will be assigning A-chan as support. Hanzo-kun and I have to standby in HQ, so you and Rin-chan will have to stay here."
"Understood."
Miyuki nodded her head meekly, but Tatsuya could see that she was slightly upset. She may not have been combative but her skills were high. She probably just wanted to test out the new restraint-type magics that were added in her activation sequence.
But, when he told her that she yelled "No, that’s not it!" and quietly added "Stupid Onii-sama", which may sound like a curse depending on how you listen to it. Then Tatsuya wondered,
"Nakajou-senpai is on support?"
It was a subtle claim that suggested that Azusa may be unreliable for the job.
Only a "subtle" one though.
"I know you’re uneasy about her based on her appearance, but you should know Tatsuya, appearances can be deceiving."
"I understand that, but…"
Tatsuya was mainly pointing out to her timid attitude.
Mayumi understood what Tatsuya was trying to say and laughed.
"Well, the timidity CAN be a little bad at times, but don’t worry. A-chan’s magic will come in handy in these situations."
She let out a smirk similar to Mari’s.
"You see. At times like these when you may have large crowds going wild, her magic — Azusayumi[5] — can really be effective."
Modern magic is a technology where most of the magic is formulated and shared. Of course, there are some private magics that are not known to the public, but most are registered in a database. Most of the magics are only categorized by "type" and "effect", but some magics that have high originality are often given inherent names.
"Azusayumi? I don’t believe there is an official inherent name such as that. Is it an External Systematic Magic?
Tatsuya thought about it, but then concluded that there is no registered magic that goes by the name of "Azusayumi". He only asked about External Systematic Magic because most unregistered magic was usually External Systematic Magic.
"…Don’t tell me you memorized every single inherent name." Rather than answering his question, Mari let out an amazed voice.
"…Tatsuya-kun, you must have like a satellite connection that constantly links you to a massive database or something,"
Mayumi answered while widening her eyes.
Miyuki was about to burst out with laughter, but this wasn’t the first time that people asked this kind of question, so she was able to maintain her humble composure.
Modern Magic was based on studies on super natural powers. Rather than categorizing magic by its visual aspects, like "the flame is burning" or "the wind is blowing", they categorize them by its effects.
"Speed, Weight", "Movement, Vibration", "Converge, Dissipate", and "Absorb, Disperse" are known as the 4 System/8 Type magic. Granted, there are some exemptions to this category. Magic that is not a part of the 4 System/8 Type magic is broken down into 3 categories. One is perception- type magic known as "ESP" (Extra Sensory Perception, not Extra Special Power). Another is a magic that does not aim to alter phenomena by temporarily rewriting the body of information associated with phenomena, "Eidos", but aims to control the Psion itself. This is known as Non- Systematic Magic.
Mayumi’s specialized Particle Release Magic is a typical Non-Systematic Magic. The magic Tatsuya used to KO Hattori is also more along the lines of Non-Systematic Magic (rather than Vibration Magic), but since Psion manipulation is technically a part of the 4 System/8 Type, the difference between the two is trivial.
And the third type isn’t something that manipulates physical objects, but the spirits themselves. These types of magic are just referred to as the External Systematic Magic since they don’t belong to any type of system. Some examples of magic in these characters include magic that manipulate spiritual beings, mind reading, spirit separations, and even mind control.
"As Tatsuya may have figured out, A-chan’s 'Azusayumi' is an Informational Manipulative External Systematic Magic. In any given area, she can put multiple people under a trance-like state and guide them however she wants."
After being surprised multiple times, Mayumi finally gave the answer to what "Azusayumi" is.
The "Informational Manipulative External Systematic Magic" is a type of mental interference magic that controls not only your thoughts, but your feelings as well.
"Azusayumi isn’t something that robs or overtakes your consciousness, so it doesn’t make the opponent completely helpless. Instead, rather than only affecting an individual, it affects a group of people. So it’s the perfect type of magic to calm down a wild crowd should they go out of hand."
After hearing Mari’s additional explanation, Tatsuya put on a serious expression.
"…Aren’t there first-class restrictions tied to that kind of magic though?"
The External Systematic Magics have many specialized effects, so there are strict limits imposed on them, more so than the typical 4 System/8 Type magic. Out of them, the restrictions are harshest on the Mental Interference Magics. As explained, this type of magic can become a fearsome brain-washing tool. People in a hypnotic state are extremely vulnerable to commands. If this type of magic’s existence were known, tyrannical governments, terrorists, cults, and the like would surely do anything to get their hands on it. But when Tatsuya pointed that out, Mayumi answered "There’s nothing to worry about" as she chuckled.
"Do you think A-chan is the type to cooperate with some dictator?"
"Well, there are cases where she could be forced to cooperate."
"No way. She gets teary-eyed just by finding a small amount of money on the ground. I don’t think she’ll be able to concentrate on the magic with all that sense of guilt crushing her."
It’s common knowledge that your mental state affects your magic. If she was that kind-hearted, then the mere thought of an awful crime like mass brain-washing could make her unable to use any magic. Well, another way to look at it is, if she was that weak-hearted, then someone could just make her dependent on them and manipulate her that way, but there was no reason to go down that route at the moment. Right now, there was an even more basic problem.
"I’m sure that the laws concerning the restriction of Mental Interference Magic are valid no matter what kind of person Nakajou-senpai is…"
After Miyuki pointed that out, Mayumi seemed to be at a loss of words.
"…Um, don’t worry Miyuki-san. It’s not like she uses it outside of school."
The uneasy answer that she gave out was absurd. She didn't seem like the type who showed their weakness when they were cornered, but if it weren't for Mari’s help she would’ve just dug herself into a deeper hole.
"Mayumi… saying it like that would make people misunderstand. Nakajou was granted permission to use her External Systematic Magic only within the school grounds. Well, we did use a backdoor method that’s often used by the Research Institutions by giving the reason for the exception as, ‘scientifically researching the easement of usage restrictions’."
"I see."
"I didn’t know you could do it like that."
"Yes, you can…"
The Shiba siblings nodded with understanding at Mari’s explanations while Mayumi let out a nervous laugh.
◊ ◊ ◊
As Tatsuya was heading towards the Disciplinary Committee HQ after class, a high pitched voice called to him.
When he turned around, a skinny girl with short cut hair greeted him. "I’m surprised Erika… are you by yourself?"
"Is that something to be surprised about? I don’t see myself keeping appointments with other people and going around with them."
Now that she mentioned it, there were several instances Tatsuya could think of.
"Anyways Tatsuya-kun, what are you gonna do about clubs? Mizuki said she was going to join the Art Club. She invited me to join with her, but I’m not exactly the artistic type, so I am just walking around to see if there’s anything more fun to do."
"Didn’t Leo also say that he chose something?"
"The Mountain Club right? That really suits him."
"Well… it does seem to suit him."
"The Mountain club at our school focuses more on survival than just climbing. Seriously, it’s almost like the club’s just made for him."
The way she was subtly cursing about almost made her seem like she was bored.
"Hey Tatsuya, if you haven’t joined a club yet, do you wanna look around with me?"
Tatsuya wasn’t able to blatantly reject her because she seemed to have a lonely face, but if he pointed that out to her then she was sure to get angry at him.
"To tell you the truth, it seems like the Disciplinary Committee’s already using me as they please. It’s possible for me to walk around with you, but I have to do it as a patrol. If that’s okay with you then I can do it."
"Hmmmmm… ah, well. Let’s just meet up in front of the classroom then."
Erika seemed to think hard before letting out a shrug like she was reluctant to go along with it, but the smile on her face gave away her fake gestures.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Why are you here?!"
That was how the reunion started. "Aren’t you acting a bit rude?"
Tatsuya sighed and said that with a tired voice, but this caused only more agitation.
"What!!"
He seemed like he was about to lunge forward, but, "Shut up you newcomer."
A quick roar from Mari made Morisaki Shun stand upright and close his mouth.
"This is an official meeting for the Disciplinary Members, so every person here is a member of the Disciplinary Committee. At least get that through your head before you shout out like that."
"I apologize!"
How pitiful; Morisaki’s face showed tension and fear. He was brought in only two days ago by Mari. Not only that, he was still feeling heat from being reprimanded from the Student President, a heavy burden for a serious new student such as him.
"Oh well, take a seat."
Mari let out a nervous expression as she ordered the blood-drained faced first year to sit down. Judging from her demeanor, she did not seem like the type of person who would feel pleasure from oppressing those that were weaker than her.
Morisaki sat in the chair facing Tatsuya. It was an unwanted seating arrangement for the two, but they couldn't help it because they were the newest members. Being an underling meant they had to sit at the edge of the table, glaring at each other.
"Everyone here?"
After 9 people entered the room, Mari stood up.
"Okay, listen up. The beginning of that crazy week is here again. For the Disciplinary Committee, this will be the first big hurdle we have to overcome in the beginning of the year. Last year, there were certain people in here who had joined and caused an uproar during this period, and there were others who tried to stop it but ended up making it worse. Please be sure to brace yourselves this year. I don’t want to give any reprimands to anyone. I repeat, Disciplinary members will not be the ones causing trouble this year."
Multiple members just sat there and shrugged. Tatsuya, on the other hand, seemed to always get into some kind of trouble, so he swore to himself to be extra careful during this time.
"Thankfully, we were able to find replacements in time to cover the ones who graduated. I’ll introduce you. Stand up."
Even though there weren’t any rehearsals or anything, the two were able to stand up quickly without being muddled. But, the two had completely opposite facial expressions.
Morisaki was unable to or didn’t even bother to hide his nervous facial expression, but the way he stood upright showed his enthusiasm. On the contrast, Tatsuya just stood up acting calm and composed.
"Morisaki Shun from 1A and Shiba Tatsuya from 1E. These two will be incorporated in the patrols from now on."
There were murmurs in the room after hearing Tatsuya’s class number. But since it was the headquarters where they reprimanded any student using the offensive word, he didn’t hear anybody using the word "Weed".
"Who is he being paired up with?"
Instead, there were some people who asked questions about him. One of the people who raised his hand was a 2nd Year named Okada. He was one of the people elected by the teachers.
"As I explained previously, during the club recruitment week, everybody will patrol the grounds on their own accord. The newcomers are not an exception to this."
"Are they even useful?"
Formally, that question was pointed to both Tatsuya and Morisaki, but by the way his eyes looked at Tatsuya’s left chest showed that it was directed only towards him.
Something like this was expected to Tatsuya, so he just let Mari handle everything. But Mari, on the other hand, already had a fed up look on her face when she was looking at Okada.
"Don’t worry, they’re useful. I’ve seen Shiba’s skills with my own eyes and Morisaki is also pretty competent with his device manipulation. He just had bad luck with his opponent. If you’re still anxious, then why don’t you pair up with Morisaki?"
Mari let out a negligent answer like she had enough of it, but Okada hid his smirk and, while holding his composure, let out a sarcastic "It’s fine".
"Anybody else want to say anything?"
Tatsuya was surprised at Mari’s belligerent composure because it made her seem like she was picking a fight with everyone. But besides Tatsuya and Morisaki, no one paid much attention to it. The other members treated this like it was a daily routine. There seemed to be some deep-rooted conflicts within the committee, but the leader here seemed to be the one stirring up these conflicts.
"We will be concluding this meeting. The patrols will be done according to plan. Does anyone have any objection with this?"
There were some who seemed like they wanted to say something, but they weren’t people who were actively opposed to the notion.
"Okay, very well then, carry on. Don’t forget your recorders. I will explain things to Shiba and Morisaki. Everyone else, mobilize!"
Everyone stood upright, put their heels together, and used their right fist to hit their left chest. Tatsuya wondered what was going on, but he learned later that this was the traditional salute that the Disciplinary Committee used. There were other rules like saying "Good morning", no matter what the time was, and such.
The other six members started leaving the room one by one. Koutarou and Sawaki, the last ones to leave, said "Don’t try too hard" and "If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me" as they left (it was obvious which one said what). As Tatsuya was being courteous (at least formally) to the two, Morisaki glared at him with annoyance. Mari saw this and held in a sigh while feeling a headache coming around. "First, I’ll give you guys these."
Mari gave the two an armband and a small video recorder.
"Put the recorder in your chest pocket. It’s customized where the lens would pop right out of the pocket. All you have to do is push the recording button on the right."
When they put the recorders in their pockets as told, the lens stuck out, ready to record.
"Be sure to keep that recorder on you at all times. When you see someone committing a violation, be sure to press the switch. You don’t really have to worry about getting a good picture because testimony from a Disciplinary Member is considered as adequate evidence. Just think of it as a precautionary measure."
As she waited for the two to reply, Mari ordered them to bring out their mobile terminals.
"I’m going to send you the communication frequencies now… confirm that you received it."
The two confirmed the receipt of the communication frequency.
"Always report your findings using this frequency. We will also be giving out instructions through this frequency as well. Lastly, CADs. Disciplinary Members are permitted to carry their CADs and you don’t have to wait for permission from someone to use them. But, if we find any unauthorized usage, you will be kicked out of the committee and receive a penalty more severe than the normal students. Last year, we had a student expelled because of that, so be careful."
"Question."
"Go ahead."
"May I use the CADs that I found in the Committee room?"
Tatsuya’s question caught her off-guard so it took a moment for an answer to come.
"…I don’t mind, but why? Those are pretty old models."
Mari figured, by watching Tatsuya during his match yesterday and such, that he was skilled with handling and maintaining CADs. Not to mention that Azusa was enthusiastically talking about the high spec CAD that he used.
And here he was asking to use an older model. Mari couldn’t hide her curiosity.
"They may be older models, but those CADs are high-class items mainly used by professionals."
He gave an unexpected answer with a bitter smile. "…Is that right?"
"Yes, that series has a low popularity because it’s such a hassle to maintain, but despite that, you are able to customize it however you want, and the switch while using the NCT is very sensitive. Thanks to that, although limited, it has passionate support from enthusiasts. The person who bought these was probably a fan of the series. The battery life is a little limited, but it’s been overclocked to boost processing power. If you sell these, you can probably get a hefty sum of money from those enthusiasts."
"…And we’ve been treating those things as trash all this time. I see, now I know why you were so particular about cleaning up the place."
"I’m sure if you brought Nakajou-senpai over she would have explained about the series…"
"Nakajou is too afraid to even step foot in this room."
"Oh… I see."
The two let out nervous laughs. But Mari soon noticed Morisaki was thrown out of the loop.
"*Cough* Well, in that case use it however you want. It’s just collecting dust in the room anyway."
"Understood. In that case, I’ll borrow two of them."
"Two? You really are an interesting person."
Tatsuya took the two that he had secretly customized for himself and attached them to both of his arms. Seeing that, Mari let out a smile, and Morisaki twisted his lips sarcastically.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Hey."
While leaving the HQ, Tatsuya was called out by Morisaki. He could tell by his voice that it wasn't something friendly.
Tatsuya thought about ignoring him, but that would just make things more complicated, so he unwillingly turned around.
"What?"
A resenting voice and an arrogant answer. There was no way a friendly atmosphere would come out of this.
"You seem to be good at bluffing. Is that how you got to the president and the other members’ good side?"
"Are you jealous?"
"Wha…"
If you’re going to get angry over a small counter like this then stop making sarcastic remarks, thought Tatsuya.
But at the same time, he felt a little jealous of Morisaki’s straightforward attitude.
"…Either way, you really crossed the line this time. There’s no way you Course 2 guys can use multiple CADs at once."
By not saying "Weeds", he’s probably putting his awareness in the Disciplinary Member’s role, thought Tatsuya cynically. But Morisaki didn’t notice Tatsuya’s bored stares and continued with his lecturing like he was drunk with his own words.
"If you attach CADs on both your arms, then the Psion interference would make both of them unusable. You didn’t even know that did you? All you were thinking about was looking cool. Since you can’t use any decent spells, I guess you have to do these sneaky little things to get by just so you don’t look stupid."
"Is that supposed to be advice? You seem pretty confident, Morisaki."
"Ha! I’m different from you people. I was caught off guard the other day, but that won’t happen next time. I’ll show you the difference in our levels."
How naïve of him to assume that there will always be a "next time"…
◊ ◊ ◊
Even though he had a meeting with Erika, she wasn’t in front of the classroom when Tatsuya came.
Oh well…
Tatsuya let out a sigh, a habit he acquired since the beginning of school, and brought up the LPS in his mobile terminal.
There was a red dot slowly moving on the school map. At least she was kind enough to not turn off her mobile device. She didn't seem that far away.
It was only supposed to be a precautionary measure though…
She was completely relying on him to seek her out. He zoomed in on her location and started walking towards it.
Tents covered one school ground to another; it almost made this place look like a fair with street vendors.
"Seems like there’s a festival going on here…"
Erika said to herself. But when she realized that, she started laughing at herself.
She had a habit of talking to herself, but from the beginning of this school year, she hid that habit.
Unusual that I’m by myself, huh… It looks like you really don’t understand me that well Tatsuya-kun.
She was silently talking to him — the boy whom she broke her promise with.
During middle school, actually even in elementary school, she spent most of her time alone. It’s not like she hated people or anything like that. She had a pleasant attitude and she could easily get along with anyone. She just becomes negligent towards relationships quickly.
She just couldn't be with anyone 24 hours a day. Her good friends called her cold and said that she acted like a whimsical cat. Others said that she acted high and mighty. There were many boys who wanted to have a relationship with her, but none ever lasted. She went around freely, not being tied down by any promises.
That was her motto.
…Well, it WAS my motto… but lately I’ve been acting a bit weird.
Looking at it from a 3rd person’s perspective, it almost seemed like she was stalking him, Erika thought to herself. This is the first time that I promised to meet up and go around with someone. It has only been a week so I could get bored of this like always, but at the same time, I was thinking that this might be different.
"Erika~"
10 minutes after the promised time. From just past the school entrance within school grounds, Tatsuya was calling out Erika’s name.
He found me quicker than I expected, she thought. "…Sorry."
He showed a painful expression on his face for a moment, but then he bowed his head down.
"…So you’re going to apologize."
Erika wasn’t expecting this, so she was stupefied.
"I’m sorry for being 10 minutes late for our meeting time. But, being late and not being at the promised location are two different things."
"Ack… sorry."
It was a strange expression, but Erika was unable to counter the smile on his serious face.
"…Say Tatsuya, don’t people say that you have a bad personality?"
"No, that’s unthinkable. No one has ever complained about my personality. They have said that I am a bad person though."
"That’s the same thing! Wait, that’s even worse!"
"Oh wait, that’s wrong. Not a bad person but an evil person."
"That’s even worse!"
"I was even called a demon by some people."
"Ok, I’ve had enough!"
As Erika was panting, Tatsuya started acting like a pondering philosopher. "You seem tired. Are you okay?"
"…Tatsuya. People mentioned that you have a bad personality, didn’t they?"
"Well as a matter of fact they did."
"…So you’re just going to ignore the entire conversation we just had?" Erika just drooped her head from fatigue.
◊ ◊ ◊
It took a little effort recovering her mood, but Tatsuya was able to continue his patrol before people around them started ridiculing them.
But 5 minutes into it, Tatsuya wanted to go home.
He had underestimated things. Even though he heard that things were a bit "rowdy", he still thought it would be within the bounds of a normal high school club recruitment fair. But in reality, it was nowhere near that.
Hm, I see why they need people to police this place, but I don’t think even 10 people are going to be enough.
The mass of tents covering the grounds were filled with people. Across the wall of people, Erika was captured and letting out some kind of scream. Even though she had high agility, she still wasn’t able to push her way through the crowd. Well, it didn't sound too convincing coming from Tatsuya who decided to look on from a distance.
It did not necessarily mean that Tatsuya had more agility; it was just that people targeted her rather than him. Tatsuya had an average height and looks, and at first glance he seemed a bit plain. On top of that, he was also a Weed so people paid no attention to him.
In Erika’s case, she was beautiful. Miyuki is the type of fragile beauty that made people hesitate reaching their hand out to, but Erika is the type of beauty that, even though people know they would be burned somewhat, they would still try to grasp her.
Basically, what happened was that the club solicitations bombarded her. The fact that she was a Course 2 student didn’t help her at all (or as Erika put it, it was useless). They were probably trying to make her join as a mascot figure, something that didn’t require the use of magic. So everything around her turned into chaos.
Tatsuya couldn’t see what was going on through the line of people (he guessed that they were probably, at worst, only grabbing her arm, holding on to her, or even groping her). The atmosphere quickly turned murderous as this went on to a point where Tatsuya could no longer ignore it.
Tatsuya only went ahead of her because he assumed that she would be able to fight her way through. A person would need a lot of training to restrain someone like Erika. He remembered how she was able to quickly flick the CAD out of Morisaki’s hands, and that move was not something that could be obtained in a year or so. Because of that, Tatsuya had confidence in her abilities.
The ones who actually surrounded Erika were all female upperclassmen. It seemed like the males were not insolent enough to go around touching a girl’s body. He assumed that she would be able to break past girls who were only a year older than her, but that seemed to put her at a disadvantage. Erika was hesitant in using any violence.
Just when Tatsuya thought about saving her, it occurred. "Hey, wait, where are you touching me? S... Stop…!"
He started hearing cries of help from Erika. It looked like playtime was over.
Tatsuya quickly engaged the CAD on his left arm. When the magic formulated, he kicked the ground and made it shake slightly. Physically, the vibrations he made from the shock weren’t visible, but he used magic to manipulate the vibrations he made and directed them towards the crowd.
The vibrations weren’t enough to make a person unconscious. Tatsuya didn’t have the physical strength or the magic capability to make a vibration that large. But the vibrations did make everyone lose their sense of balance.
As he pushed forward in the crowd everyone who was touched by Tatsuya fell over. After pushing a number of people over, both boys and girls, he was able to get to the center and break through the upperclassmen. Tatsuya then grabbed Erika’s hand and said "Run". He pulled her hand and made his way out of the crowd.
After slipping through the crowd like a magician, Tatsuya was able to run to a remote location between the buildings. After letting go of her hand and turning around, he finally realized the mess she was in. Her hair was messed up, her new uniform was wrinkled, her top was undone, and her necktie was in her hand since it had fallen off.
Tatsuya, by pure coincidence, was able to see the skin underneath her uniform as she frantically tried to fix herself.
"Don’t look!"
Even though she was looking down, she was able to tell by the way Tatsuya’s feet were turning towards her. When she got back up to yell at him, his face was already turned the other direction.
"…Did you see?"
He could easily imagine her red face. "…"
But Tatsuya was unable to give her an answer.
He should say that he didn’t see. That would be the smart thing to do.
But the slightly sunburned skin, her white breast, and her slim body. Even the beige-colored undergarments were all etched in his memory.
"Did. You. See?!"
It seemed like she was done dressing since he could no longer hear any rustling of clothes. At the same time, he understood that he didn’t have any more time to think based on the tone of her voice.
Well, in that case I should be punched in the face then, he thought. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he should at least show some sincerity being the guy and all.
—And so, after briefly escaping from reality, he turned around (now that he thought about it, he was not completely innocent since he left her in the crowd in the first place).
Thankfully she was actually done dressing up. If she wasn’t, then it would’ve probably made things much worse.
Tatsuya was relieved in seeing her fully buttoned up with the neck tie woven tightly. But then Tatsuya thought, if she hadn’t loosened her neck tie and unbuttoned the top button in the first place, it wouldn’t have gotten so bad.
"Sorry, I saw."
But he did not dare say that. After seeing her red face and lines of tears that were left on her eyes, he couldn’t say anything.
Erika glared at Tatsuya from below. She started becoming red again and clenched her fists, probably from remembering the shame she just suffered.
"...Idiot!"
She didn’t use her hands, but instead kicked him in the shin. But then, after she did that, she quickly turned around and walked away.
Tatsuya silently followed her.
Tatsuya couldn’t see her face, but he could tell it was filled with tears.
He trained his shin so it could withstand a full-blown attack from a wooden sword.
Her flexible shoes with no protection to the toes probably felt much more pain than he did. But, if he tried to say anything regarding that, she would probably just lash out again.
All he could do was pretend not to notice the unnatural way she walked.
◊ ◊ ◊
Even though tents were popped up all over school, it was only on the school grounds outside. Inside the buildings, there were demonstrations going on within the various club rooms.
And also here in the gymnasium.
The two made their way into the 2nd gymnasium, also known as the "Arena", where the Kendo club was performing.
—By the way, at this point Erika had long cooled her head. She already knew that she was blaming him for something that he didn’t do. It also helped that he didn’t make any excuses toward her. Yet, she already started unbuttoning her top button and loosened her neck tie because "it was getting hot". She seemed to already be forgetting what she had gone through.
The two looked down on the arena by the corridor at the Kendo club’s demonstrations.
"Oh… even though it’s a Magic school, there’s a Kendo club." Erika nonchalantly said.
"Isn’t it common to have a Kendo club at a school?"
Tatsuya nonchalantly answered. But then Erika started staring at his face. "…Is there something wrong?"
"…That’s unexpected."
"What is?"
"I didn’t know that there was something Tatsuya-kun didn’t know. Anybody who’s had martial arts training already knows about this."
Tatsuya started to worry after listening to her.
"Do I look like a person who acts like he knows everything?"
"Ah, no, that’s not it. It’s just that you have that aura that you know everything."
"Aura you say… I’m the same year as you remember? Oh well, putting that aside, why is having a Kendo club so special?"
"Oh, right, you’re the same year as me… when you put it that way it’s kind of strange… ahhhh, anyway, Kendo right? If you’re aiming to become a Magician, Kendo isn’t something you do at a high school level. What Magicians typically use are magical sword skills based off from "Kenjutsu" and not "Kendo". You probably take Kendo up to elementary school to get the fundamentals of Kenjutsu, but during middle school, those who want to become Magicians already go to Kenjutsu instead.
"Is that right… I thought Kendo and Kenjutsu were the same thing."
"Wow, that’s really unexpected."
After hearing Tatsuya say that, she really was surprised.
"Even though you seem like you have so much martial arts experience… ah, I know!"
"What?"
Tatsuya was surprised by Erika’s sudden outburst.
Well, he wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but Erika just ignored all that and just kept on making faces like "I got it" and "Everything makes sense now".
"Hey Tatsuya, you’re assuming that all martial arts are combined with magic right? Not only martial arts but fighting spirits and things like that. You assume that magic is used to supplement the body when it moves around right?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Muscle isn’t the only thing that makes the body move."
From Tatsuya’s point of view, what Erika said was obvious to him, but Erika only seemed to nod with some kind of understanding.
"Well, for Tatsuya it may be obvious. But in normal competitions that’s not the case."
"I see."
It was a roundabout way of saying it, but Tatsuya was now aware how his common sense was slightly off from hers.
"Putting that aside, why don’t we just quietly watch the performance now?"
This time it was Tatsuya’s turn to make Erika aware. When she followed his subtle glances, she saw that everybody was looking towards her. After letting out a nervous laugh, she became a quiet spectator.
The practice rounds shown by the regulars were in full force. What caught everyone’s eyes especially was the performance by a female 2nd Year student.
She wasn’t large or anything; she had around the same body structure as Erika, but she was fighting on par with a man twice her size.
It wasn't just strength, but she was using graceful skills to parry her opponent’s attacks. She looked like she had some leeway.
She had a certain beauty in the way she fought the practice rounds. All the spectators had their eyes on her.
But there was an exception right here. Right after she defeated her opponent theatrically and bowed her head, Tatsuya heard a snort from beside him.
"It seems like you didn’t enjoy it."
"Huh? Well, yeah…"
She didn’t realize that the statement was directed towards her so there was a slight pause in the answer.
"…It’s so boring watching this though. She’s fighting with an opponent that has a much lower skill level than her, so she’s able to show off like that. Instead of a fight, it seems more like a rehearsal."
"Well, you are right regarding that, but…" Tatsuya’s face let out a natural smile.
"It’s a performance to promote their club remember? There are always pro martial artists who do showy moves to demonstrate live combat, but you can’t really show live combat to normal people. Live combat in martial arts is basically trying to kill one another."
"…You’re so cool-headed, aren’t you."
"It’s just a difference of opinion."
Erika looked away with an irritated face.
But this is the facial expression she uses when she acts like she’s angry. She’s probably more angry towards the people who use martial arts as a flashy show than what it’s really supposed to be and finds those people dishonest.
Even if Tatsuya puts those feelings into words, it would probably irritate her even further.
He doubted that she would just jump into the fight, but he knew that she would do something similar to that. As Tatsuya was about to lead Erika away, something caught his attention.
Just as the two were leaving the spectator corridor and about to exit the building, he started hearing a commotion. It seemed like someone was arguing.
When he looked to his side, Erika was looking up at him. Her eyes were brimming with curiosity.
The first one to dart off towards the commotion was Erika, while she grabbed Tatsuya’s sleeve.
Tatsuya was essentially being dragged to the middle of the commotion.
As the two pushed past the crowd (the only reason no one really got angry was because Erika smiled at them as she pushed on by), they saw a swordsman and a swordswoman confronting each other.
The girl was the same girl who just participated in the practice round (or rehearsal as Erika puts it). Her chest plate was still on, but her helmet was off. She was a beautiful girl with semi-long black hair. She seemed perfect as an advertisement for the new student recruits with her looks and her skill.
"Tatsuya, do you like those types of girls?"
"No, you’re much prettier Erika."
"…I’m not going to fall for that monotone voice of yours." Even though she was glaring at him, her face was subtly red. "Sorry, I’m not used to it."
"…Aahhh! Why are you always…"
She started mumbling something but thankfully, she stopped harassing Tatsuya, so he was able to focus his attention on the swordsman.
He was about the same size as Tatsuya, but he seemed to have a spring- loaded body. He had a shinai in his hand but no armor on. He was going to ask people around him what was going on, but it didn’t seem like he needed to.
"The Kenjutsu club is scheduled to perform an hour later Kirihara! Why can’t you wait?!"
"Wow, how can you say that Mibu? I was just trying to help you guys out since these weaklings you got here don’t seem to be advertising your Kendo club effectively."
"By forcing him to have a practice round with you?! I can’t believe you’re saying things like that! If the Disciplinary Committee finds out that you used violence on an upperclassman, you’re not the only one who’s going to be in trouble!"
"Violence you say? Hey, hey Mibu, don’t be exaggerating things here. I just used my shinai to hit his helmet. If that guy’s part of the Kendo club, he shouldn’t be going unconscious over something like this. Besides, he was the one who started it anyway."
"It’s because you provoked him!"
There isn't much meaning to have a dispute when their weapons are pointed at each other, thought Tatsuya. But since it made clear what was going on, it was convenient for him.
"Seems like fun."
Erika mumbled on the side, Tatsuya wasn’t sure if she was talking to herself or not. But he could tell from her tone that she was excited.
"This is much more interesting than that little rehearsal that we just saw."
"Do you know those two?"
"Well, I don’t personally know them."
Seeing how she responded to his question, it didn't seem like she was talking to herself.
"I just remembered about the girl. Her name is Mibu Sayaka. The year before last, in the National Middle School Kendo Tournament, she placed second in the entire country. She was cheered by the media as the Beautiful Swordswomen for awhile."
"…But she placed second, right?"
"Well... the champion’s looks were… you know."
"I see."
That’s the media for you.
"The guy’s name is Kirihara Takeaki. The year before last he placed 1st place in the Kanto Middle School Kenjutsu Tournament. A real champion."
"He didn’t participate in the Nationals?"
"The Nationals for the Kenjutsu tournament only start from High school since there are much fewer competitors for that one."
Well that’s right, nodded Tatsuya in agreement.
Kenjutsu is a sport that combined sword techniques with magic, so the basic prerequisite to do Kenjutsu is to be able to use magic. Even though technology has come a long way in assisting people in using magic, probably only 1 in 1000 middle schoolers are able to use it in a practical setting. Even in adulthood, only 1 in 10 are able to maintain that level of magic.
Even though some of them are Course 2 students within the schools, outside of school, they’re basically elites.
"Oh, looks like it’s starting."
Tatsuya was able to feel the atmosphere reaching its breaking point.
Just as a precautionary measure, he took out his armband and attached it to his left arm. The student next to him was surprised, but he glared at him after seeing there wasn’t anything on his left chest. But Tatsuya’s attention was focused on the two.
The female swordswoman was hesitant in attacking an opponent with no armor on. But, as long as they faced their swords at each other and had no intent on backing down, there was no choice but to fight.
It seemed like Kirihara was going to make the first move.
"Don’t worry Mibu, it’s only a demonstration for the Kendo club. I won’t use any magic on you."
"Do you think you can beat me with technique alone? You, Kirihara from the Kenjutsu club who heavily relies on magic, and me, from the Kendo club who relies on nothing but technique?"
"You talk pretty big Mibu. I’ll show you. The Kenjutsu technique is used to fight past the body limitations!" That was the signal of the fight.
Kirihara lunged forward and swung his shinai towards her head.
The sounds of shinais beating each other echoed in the room, followed by screams that came seconds later. The spectators couldn’t tell what was going on. They could only listen as bamboo and bamboo hit one another, sounds so violent that they almost sounded metallic. Most were only able to imagine the intense fighting taking place.
—Excluding a small number of people.
"Impressive. The female Kendo students are at a pretty high level. If this is how good the second place is, then how strong was the champion?"
Tatsuya let out a breadth of admiration towards Sayaka’s skill.
"No, she’s completely different from when I last saw her. I can’t believe how much she’s improved in only 2 years…"
Even though she let out a surprised look, Erika hid her face as she licked her lips while she let out a combative aura.
The two were momentarily locked in place, but they quickly pushed each other and jumped back to make space between one another.
Some took a breath while others gasped for it. The spectator’s reactions were split in two.
"I wonder who will win…" Erika asked in a quiet voice.
"Mibu-senpai seems like she has the upper hand." Tatsuya answered in a whisper.
"The reason?"
"Kirihara-senpai is avoiding the head when he attacks. That first move he made was a bluff because he knew that she was easily going to take it. Besides, he’s limited by not being able to use his magic. In terms of technique alone, Mibu-senpai is much better."
"Agreed. But, the question is, can Kirihara-senpai hold himself in until the end?"
"Oooooooooooooooo!"
First time during the match, Kirihara let out a roar while lunging forward and attacks from both opponents struck head on.
"Is it a draw?"
"No, it’s not."
Kirihara’s shinai skimmed Sayaka’s left arm while Sayaka’s shinai was stuck in his right shoulder.
"Ugh."
Kirihara used his left hand to push away her shinai and dove back. "He lost because he tried to change his aim in the middle of the attack."
"I see, so that’s why he seemed to waver in his attack. It was the perfect timing to make it a draw… but I guess he couldn’t cut off his feelings."
Tatsuya and the others weren’t the only ones who knew the match was over.
Seated towards the front of the crowd were members of the Kendo club and the Kenjutsu club. The Kendo members let out a sigh of relief while the Kenjutsu members clenched their teeth in anger.
"If this were a real fight, then this would have been a mortal wound. The attack you made on me didn’t even reach my bones. Just admit your loss."
Sayaka let out a declaration of victory in a graceful pose.
But Kirihara distorted his face while listening. Was his swordsman side admitting his loss despite what he was feeling otherwise?
"He…heheheheh."
He suddenly started letting out a hollow laugh. Did he admit his defeat? It didn’t seem that way.
Tatsuya’s sense of danger shot up within him. The only person who sensed this more than Tatsuya was the one who was standing in front of Kirihara
— Sayaka.
He recovered his stance, pointed his weapon at her, and looked sharply at her.
"A real fight, you say? If this was a real fight, you wouldn’t even be able to cut me. Mibu, do you really want to have a real fight? Then… I’ll show you what a ‘real fight’ is!"
As Kirihara activated his CAD using his right hand, screams came from the crowd of spectators.
There was a screeching sound that echoed the room, like someone was scratching a panel of glass. There were some who even kneeled down with pale faces.
Kirihara jumped forward and swung his shinai down.
He had the same speed, but he wasn’t using as much strength as before. Regardless, Sayaka jumped back.
The attack didn’t even hit; it barely grazed her. But her chestplate was cut open, just by getting grazed by a shinai.
The thing that increased its cutting power is a close combat Vibration Magic, "Sonic Blade".
"How’s that Mibu?! This is a ‘real’ fight!"
As he was about to make another swing towards Sayaka, Tatsuya jumped in front of him.
Before he jumped in, Tatsuya activated his CADs on both arms (using his Psion as "hands" to press the switches) and transferred his Psion within them. He used those CAD to shoot out an intricate web of Psion waves, a type of Non-Systematic magic that he used.
By now, there were many spectators who held their mouths because a symptom similar to motion sickness spread across the crowd.
Kirihara’s shinai and Tatsuya’s arm intersected, but there weren’t any sounds of the shinai hitting meat.
The sound that came out was the sound of a body falling to the floor.
After the spectators recovered from the sound and sickness, they were able to finally see what was going on.
And what they saw was Kirihara on the ground while Tatsuya was keeping him there, by holding his left wrist and using his knee to push down on his shoulder.
◊ ◊ ◊
Within the gymnasium, a.k.a "Arena", what broke silence was whispers of hostility.
"Who’s that?"
"I’ve never seen him before."
"Is he a new student?"
"Look at it, he’s a Weed."
"What the hell is a Weed doing?"
"But that thing on his armband—"
"Wait, I heard a rumor that someone from the Course 2 made it into the Disciplinary Committee."
"What? Seriously? A Weed in the Disciplinary Committee?"
The whispers originated from the Kenjutsu club and spread from there (from both boys and girls). Within the crowded circle, half stared at Tatsuya with hostility, while others simply gazed while holding their breath.
In this hostile atmosphere, Tatsuya coolly (while holding Kirihara down) took out his communication device in his mobile terminal. His cool face didn’t seem like a bluff. It seemed like he was used to being the bad guy in most situations.
"This is Tatsuya within the 2nd gymnasium. I have apprehended one student. He seems to be injured so please bring a stretcher just in case."
He didn’t speak in a loud voice, but his voice echoed through the crowd.
After the realization of what was happening sunk in, a member of the Kenjutsu club took a step forward and started shouting at Tatsuya.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
He must have been confused, asking meaningless questions like that. Actually, it might not have been a question, but more of a threat.
"I am apprehending Kirihara-senpai because of improper use of magic."
Tatsuya dutifully answered the yelling individual. Well, technically, his eyes were still focused on Kirihara below him so even if it was dutiful it wasn’t exactly respectful. Depending on how you look at it, it seemed like he was looking down on his opponent.
And that’s exactly how the upperclassman Kenjutsu member took it. "Hey, you! Stop looking down at me you damn Weed!"
He started lunging forward to grab Tatsuya in the chest.
Tatsuya quickly let go of Kirihara and stepped back. He took a look at Kirihara and saw that his consciousness was still hazy from the fall so it looked like he wasn’t going to be running away anywhere. After making that judgment, he focused his attention on the (oncoming) upperclassman in front of him.
Other Kenjutsu members were becoming angered by Tatsuya’s attitude of acting coolly like his opponents weren't even a threat. The upperclassman facing him clenched his teeth to a point where you could hear it grind.
"Why is it only Kirihara?! Mibu over there is as guilty as he is! She was the one to continue the fight!"
The statement came from the crowd. It was a criticism that was shot toward Tatsuya and it was also made to support the upperclassman. But Tatsuya didn’t even budge and said,
"As I said before, I’m apprehending him for the improper use of magic." Again, with a calm voice he dutifully answered.
You should’ve just ignored them… thought Erika, and at that point, her concerns became real.
"Stop messing around!"
The upperclassman was filled with rage again and lunged toward Tatsuya.
Tatsuya avoided the attacks like a bullfighter in a ring, but this just made things worse.
Now the upperclassman was throwing his fists at him, but Tatsuya was still dodging those.
No matter what the upperclassman did he wasn’t able to touch Tatsuya. Not only was empty handed combat Tatsuya’s specialty, but the upperclassman was also making crude movements because of his rage.
Tatsuya was taking light steps to dodge his opponent’s brash punches. Just when Tatsuya stopped moving because the upperclassman stopped from fatigue, two more members from the Kenjutsu club attacked Tatsuya from behind.
Just when Erika was about to shout "Behind you!", Tatsuya spun around and tangled the two members together. The two Kenjutsu members ran into each other and rolled to the ground.
Silence filled the room again. It was completely silent in the arena.
If there were any sound effects at this moment, it would be the sound of a boiling point reaching its peak.
Because in the next moment, the entire Kenjutsu club started attacking Tatsuya.
Screams arose from the crowd and everyone who wasn’t involved (including the Kendo members) started running away to avoid the brawl.
Sayaka was the only one in the crowd who stepped forward to help Tatsuya.
"Wait, Mibu."
A 3rd Year upperclassman from the same Kendo club grabbed her wrist. "Ah, Tsukasa-senpai."
She resisted for a moment, but when she saw the person who grabbed her wrist, she let him pull her away from the scene. Her face was overcome with guilt from running away from the fight, but she couldn’t let go of the 3rd Year Kendo Male Club President’s hand.
As the Male Club President took Sayaka away from the brawl, Tatsuya was in the middle of it, getting ready to take the Kenjutsu members head on.
Well, not necessarily "head on" as in counter attacking; all he did was dodge and parry the attacks the "Blooms" unleashed on him.
Tatsuya’s movements were not graceful; they were solid, or even certain if there is a right word for it. It’s almost as if he could tell the order the upperclassmen were going to attack from all directions; all he made were the minimal necessary movements. He stayed calm during the ordeal and showed no signs of being cornered. When they cooperated to drive him in a corner, he merely did a feint and had them hit each other; when they came at him like a wall, he skillfully wove his way through it.
Even though more than 10 people were attacking him at once, they weren’t even able to disrupt his breathing, let alone stop him in place.
The Blooms understood in anger that this insolent Weed wasn’t attacking back not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t even need to.
This caused the rest of the Kenjutsu members to activate their CADs in anger. But when they lit it up to shoot up magic towards him, nothing happened.
Whenever Tatsuya looked in their directions, they were filled with motion sickness and their blocks of Psion dissipated into thin air.
The Kenjutsu members cursed as they couldn't understand what was going on, but they merely proceeded to attack Tatsuya with their fists.
All the while, Sayaka didn’t notice that her Male President was observing the situation out of curiosity.
