Volume 14 - CH 2(2/3)
“There are. There are a quite a few people who can’t acquire the skills of modern magic but can use unique skills.”
“...so you mean there are quite a few free magicians on the ancient magic side?”
“Well. I don’t know the exact number but, I believe it’s not a small number.”
In short, for this job, this meant he could potentially be taking on more magician opponents than he had supposed before now. In his head, Tatsuya revised the level of difficulty upward.
Common Era 2096, October 1. The inauguration of the new student council of the First High School attached to the National Magic University. Members: President Shiba Miyuki, Vice President Saegusa Izumi, Treasurer Mitsui Honoka, Secretary Sakurai Minami and Secretarial Chief Shiba Tatsuya.
Of course, there were objections to the enigmatic post of Secretarial Chief. The Staff Room that normally interfere with the student council’s granting of positions asked ‘What the heck is this?’. The default organization of student councils in schools was ‘President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary’. There was no ‘Secretarial Chief’ post, however, Miyuki repelled all opposition with a smile that neither agreed nor disagreed and made the statement, ‘the official nickname of Secretarial Chief is Secretary’. Not one person was able to make the reasonable objection that there was no reason for the ‘Secretarial Chief’ to be nicknamed secretary.
It was also a fact that a multitude of students wanted Tatsuya to remain a student council officer. If Miyuki went out of control, the only one who could stop it was Tatsuya. That was something acknowledged by the third and second year students, and if Tatsuya was driven off the student council, they would be able to see Miyuki go out of control with their own eyes.
The significance of this morning to the student council of First High was fraught with fear of political dictatorship but the dominated students looked happy while appearing that they wished for a little rescue. A dictatorial system run by an Idol might be a good way to put it. For the dictator, it was a type of paradise.
Of course, Miyuki didn’t have a desire to dominate, much less aspirations of becoming a dictator. The truth was she was reluctant to even take up the duties of student council president. Her true unadulterated feeling was ‘wouldn’t it be great if Onii‐sama became student council president’. And, would fall into dangerous supplemental delusions such as ‘If that happened then I would go all out doing anything for him, vice president, secretary, tea server, anything’; if anyone asked.
Anyway, Miyuki did not want Tatsuya in a subordinate position to herself. That was in spite of the pointed reminders from the Yotsuba clan of what their relationship was, it was unendurable for her. So, she created the unusual title of ‘Secretarial Chief’ to elevate him a little in order to reach a compromise inside herself.
Anyway in these circumstances, all objections and logical arguments about Tatsuya’s title of Secretarial Chief were silenced in one hour at the lunch break and another hour after school by Miyuki’s persuasive power and peace was finally restored to the student council room.
The timing was probably calculated. The newly inaugurated Club Activities Head and the newly appointed Public Morals Chief came into the Student Council room together.
“Umm, I am looking forward to working well together this year.”
“I am looking forward to working with you as well, Yoshida‐kun.”
Miyuki replied to the nervous Mikihiko who never lost his stiffness while attempting a friendly attitude with a smile filled with affection.
Betraying the expectations of the majority that Kanon’s successor would be Shizuku, Mikihiko was chosen to be the new Public Morals Chief. The Public Morals Chief was elected from and by the nine‐committee members; this time it was a close contest with five votes for Mikihiko and four votes for Shizuku. Incidentally, Mikihiko voted for Shizuku and Shizuku voted for Mikihiko. There was an attempt to halt Mikihiko’s assumption of the office of Public Morals Chief because he was a former second course student but the majority of the committee members yielded to the outstanding force of Shizuku’s aura of ‘ I don’t want that bothersome job’.
Therefore Shizuku abandoned the nervous Mikihiko and engaged in animated girl talk with Honoka like “Isn’t it great that Tatsuya‐san is remaining on the Student Council?”
“Uh, huh....”
This was the first face to face between the student council president and the newly elected public morals chief, they discussed the problem of choosing public morals committee members to replace the retirees but, as it happened at this time, the student council had yet to make the three recommendations from the second years so that they would stay on the public morals committee so, Mikihiko’s part of the conversation was really over with the greeting. Apparently, there were some procedural concerns to take care of so, Mikihiko had some time to kill. He and Tatsuya went to a corner of the room with an isolated terminal emplaced.
“What’s up, Tatsuya?”
Mikihiko thought Tatsuya’s posture indicated something was going on so, he sat down on the chair in front of the terminal and whispered the question to Tatsuya who was standing to the side.
“First, take a look at this for me.”
He didn’t answer the question directly, Tatsuya manipulated the terminal’s keyboard with one hand.
The monitor displayed a string of characters and a graph.
“An activation sequence?”
It was an activation sequence in machine code not converted into psion signals but it was translated into model language that was easy for people to understand and a graph.
“Is this...a description of an activation sequence that constructs a shikigami? You were lucky to find such rare data.”
“It was by chance. What I wanted to ask is if shikigami construction differs by school or something like that.”
It seemed like Mikihiko assumed that he pulled it out of some library. He didn’t say that he had created this analysis himself, he was indirectly inquiring about the origin.
“Of course, there are. What’s more, there are easy to spot peculiarities. For example, this...should be a
Shugendou school. The occultist using this shikigami is likely a member of the Shugendou Touzan group, unmistakably.”
“Are there factions in Shugendou?”
“I’d call the schools rather than factions, no, sects? A Shugendou descended from Shingon Buddhism.”
“Shingon Buddhism? I thought shikigami were Onmyou spells, mage arts and the like, but, are there spells that support shikigami in the esoteric buddhist teachings?”
Mikihiko’s face had a somewhat proud look as he nodded his answer to Tatsuya’s naive questions.
“There are. Practitioners linked to the esoteric buddhist teaching call them, Gohou though. They are in essence the same.”
Just then, Mikihiko casually returned his eyes to the monitor and a “Oh?” look surfaced.
“What’s this? The way it’s arranged is unusual and weird..”
After looking at the monitor for a while, Mikihiko looked up at Tatsuya with a look of comprehension.
“I see, I understand why you’re being so sneaky, Tatsuya. You pulled this data out of an underground website, right?”
“Why do you think so?”
Tatsuya’s question was purely a request for an answer but, Mikihiko nodded with a “Got it, got it” look.
“After all, isn’t this shikigami clearly for bugging and surveillance?”
“Really?”
Tatsuya’s single word meant “Limited utility in shikigami are distinctive?” however,
“It’s clearly made to be used for illegal purposes.”
Mikihiko made a more restrictive interpretation.
“Oh. A dangerous thing. It was correct to consult with you, Mikihiko. I’ll erase this data.”
“Yes, that’s the best thing to do.”
Tatsuya’s casual flattery made Mikihiko smile in good humour.
Mikihiko returned to public morals headquarters to draw up the patrol record‐‐‐it had been a very long time since a public morals chief had personally drawn up the patrol record‐‐‐it was nearly time for the school gate to close, the new club activities chairman was the next to come and say hello.
“Igarashi‐kun, congratulations on assuming the club activities chairmanship.”
“Uh, huh. Thank you, President.”
The new chairman’s nervousness really went up in front of Miyuki.
“In order for the smooth management of the student council affairs, we depend on the cooperation of the club management committee for many things. I am looking forward to working with you.”
“My‐myself included! I believe I will be using the help of everyone in the student council in various matters. I look forward to working with you, as well.”
Izumi who was watching the meeting between Miyuki and Igarashi from not far away, murmured “he looks somewhat unreliable” to Honoka who was next to her. Honoka’s only answer was a pained smile.
“New Chairman Igarashi‐senpai seems kind of timid, no rather he seems docile.”
While continuing to work, Izumi casually, as if she just happened to think to mention it, reported her impression of New Chairman Igarashi to Miyuki.
“I wonder why? He did seem extremely tense.”
“Tense?”
Izumi’s voice was filled with extreme doubt.
“Miyuki do you know Igarashi?
Tatsuya threw a lifeline to Miyuki who was puzzled on how to respond to Izumi’s overly candid reaction.
“Yes, our classes are different but despite him being someone with superior practical skills, I’ve worked with him countless times on the data management side. However, I think Honoka and Shizuku know him better. I’m certain that they are in the same club.”
Receiving an eye‐signal from Miyuki, Honoka opened her mouth.
“He is the younger brother of last year’s girl’s biathlon club president, Igarashi‐senpai.”
“Because he is not inclined to any specialized magic, his performance records in competition aren’t all that great but, in terms of ability alone, he can’t be criticized.”
“Ability alone?”
Sensing the implications in Shizuku’s statement, Tatsuya parroted her words into a question.
“Igarashi‐kun, how should I put it.....calling him timid doesn’t seem quite right but, at critical moments.”
A tendency to hesitate. That trait meant that if he was driven into a corner and had to take a reckless chance to get out, he would self‐destruct....a good way to put it might be to say his disposition meant he fared poorly in competitions.
“So he’s more of a staff officer or a second in command. Not really suited for leadership.”
After Honoka had painstaking chosen somewhat mild words to critique him, Shizuku spoiled it with her severe evaluation.
“Come to think of it, why isn’t Tomitsuka‐kun the new chairman?”
Mikihiko posed the question after the work of the public morals committee was done and he once again came to the student council room.
“The gossip beforehand made it seem like Tomitsuka‐senpai was a sure thing?”
Perhaps because she's so familiar with him as a fellow public morals member, Kasumi readily chimed in her agreement with Mikihiko’s comment.
“Hattori‐senpai probably felt differently.”
By implicitly pointing out that, it was for the Club Management Group to decide who would be chairman, Miyuki pressed them to cease their anti‐Igarashi gossip.
? ? ?
There was a brief pause from the student council president’s election until the student council officers were appointed and then, the preparations for the Thesis Competition went full throttle. Even though in the Kyoto exhibition, the realm of pure theory had the upper hand, the Thesis Competition still required a presentation of magic, which meant they had to rapidly work on preparing the devices for the performance.
However, unlike last year, the place where they were making stuff was not mainly in the school courtyard but the lecture hall. The great clamor of last year’s production was reduced in volume to make the uproar a comparative shadow of the previous year. Silent figures could be seen constructing elaborate blueprints.
While Tatsuya was watching, Isori direct the construction of the ‘Projection type Magic Circle’ from the second floor of the lecture hall, he met with Mikihiko regarding security.
“‐‐‐so I believe it will be alright, if we don’t just select from the public morals committee, instead we’ll solicit for volunteers extensively and select guard members from them as usual.”
“Of course. Since the public moral’s committee only has nine people and that’s not enough to work well. I think you’ll have a lot of people interested in guarding the site not just guarding the representatives.”
“I believe the person in overall charge of security this year is Hattori‐senpai?”
“Senpai is in an online conference with the persons in charge of the other schools’ security forces.”
“The other schools haven’t expressed any dissatisfaction about a First High student being in charge overall for two years in a row?”
“That’s fine. The overall security chief is dispatched by the school which won Monolith Code in the Nine Schools Competition seems to be an unwritten rule.”
“Eh, that’s how it goes.”
“Juumonji‐senpai being the chief last year wasn’t just because he was a member of the ten master clans.”
The ones who interrupted Tatsuya and Mikihiko’s conversation were Leo and Erika. They had been quiet up until then to keep from interfering but the insider info made them speak without thinking.
“Ahh, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it as well.”
“The truth is I didn’t know until recently as well. It’s not something known without being told.”
However, Tatsuya and Mikihiko didn’t seem to mind and just made a show of teasing them.
“Then, which one are you going to take care of for me, guarding or security?”
“So my cooperation is taken as a given?”
“Of course. I’m counting on you.”
The impudent comments only made Tatsuya smile without a word and he didn’t bother to pretend that he was going to turn down Mikihiko’s request. He had come to speak to Mikihiko for the sake of cooperation between the student council and the public morals committee; however, he was also ready to lend his own personal efforts.
“Okay. How about I take on site security?”
The place called Kyoto was convenient for reasons other than the work after all.
“Then, I’ll help you out there as well.”
What could he be thinking; Leo had suddenly raised his hand when he heard that.
“If I become site security, I’ll need to do a preliminary inspection.”
‐‐‐no, what he was thinking was quite obvious.
“Eeh, since I’m going to Kyoto with Tatsuya‐kun, you’ll join the guards. That’s your strong point right, being a meat wall?”
Just then, Erika voiced a different opinion in a tone that did not sound at all joking.
“Aren’t meat walls just for getting hit and stabbed! Don’t say anything so whacked!”
“Sometimes being hit is a choice.”
Naturally, the second half was shocking. However, the earnest Mikihiko was bothered by the first half of the comments.
“Erika...you intend to go and stay overnight in Kyoto?”
“That’s what I said, so?”
Going on a round trip in a day between Kyoto and Tokyo was not absolutely impossible, now. For business purposes, it was a rather normal schedule. However, this was a preliminary security inspection, not just the site, the Kyoto conference center and its environs, but a wide area around them had to be inspected. Last year’s incident comes to mind quickly but, conversely, since it was just last year, no one would expect to catch them off‐guard so quickly.
“By that....you want to go on an overnight trip with Tatsuya..?”
“Id‐idiot..!”
For some reason the suspicion that she might be taking a trip for a one night stand did not make Erika’s face turn red but white.
“Wh‐what?”
That threatening look so desperate and forceful as if her life was in danger caused Mikihiko’s tongue to tangle, unfortunately. Just then, he was overpowered by what he thought as Erika’s excessive response but, when he heard her reasoning, the blood drained from Mikihiko’s face as well.
“What would I do if Miyuki heard that!? She wouldn’t let it go as a joke!”
Mikihiko busily looked hither and thither. Furthermore, his eyes were those of someone on a battlefield. To say he looked like he was in a life and death struggle was not a grandiose exaggeration.
It wasn’t let it go as a joke, it was that she wouldn’t let it go even though it was just a joke. That wouldn’t mean that she was taking their frivolous talk seriously but, rather that she wouldn’t forgive them for saying such a thing even when she knew they were joking. That wasn’t just a distinct possibility, that was unmistakably how it would go, thought Mikihiko. Was there already an absolute zero cold front bearing down on them already...Mikihiko earnestly feared there was.
However, such nakedly fearful vigilance was reckless behavior.
“...You guys, just what are you thinking about my sister?”
Mikihiko and Erika’s necks gave off squeaks as they whipped their heads toward the voice they heard.
Before their eyes as they looked behind them was Tatsuya with a penetratingly cold smile on his face.
“Good grief.. your loose talk took years off my life, Miki.”
“My name is Mikihiko..”
The voice, Mikihiko whipped out to make his usual protest, lacked its usual vigor. The truth was Mikihiko was engulfed by sympathy for Erika and it was not for the first time.
They were not directly harmed by Tatsuya, of course. He had just turned an ice cold stare on the pair. However, just that was enough to make Mikihiko fall under the delusion that his life was being whittled away.
It was not the cold of snow and ice. It was the cold of a keen sharp blade. It came directly from its threat to one’s existence.
Erika was in a similar state; her face looked completely drained and exhausted.
“I think you were both irresponsibly rude, Erika, Mikihiko.”
From their friends’ attitudes, they probably hadn’t been cleared from suspicion, yet. Tatsuya was yelling his dissatisfaction with his disappointed face. The flattening intimidating look was already gone but no one needed to be told that he was in ill humor. Not just, the interested parties, Erika and Mikihiko but Leo, the innocent bystander strongly felt the need to change the subject.
“We‐well, wouldn’t it be alright if all of us were site security? Chiyoda‐senpai is going to be clinging to Isori‐ senpai as she guards him, right and Kitayama is going to be attached to Nakajou‐senpai, right?”
Practically, nothing had happened and he probably considered it childish to stay angry. Tatsuya was the one who responded to Leo’s tactful attempt.
“Not just Shizuku. Chikura‐senpai and Mibu‐senpai are also cooperating with her to guard Nakajou‐senpai.”
Seeing Tatsuya respond positively to the change of conversation, Erika and Mikihiko breathed sighs of relief. No, actually they did not do that‐‐‐the pair did not actually perform the act‐‐‐it was just clear from seeing the tension disappear from their manner.
“Kei‐senpai should be fine enough even without a guard.”
“Kirihara‐senpai has volunteered to be Minakami‐senpai’s guard.”
Mikihiko followed up Erika’s comment by alluding to who would be guarding the other representative, Minakami Carey. Hearing those words, for some reason Leo let out a groan.
“Minakami‐senpai.. does that guy really need a guard?”
Apparently, he couldn’t understand why there was talk of attaching Kirihara‐senpai to Carey.
“Even in our school he’s someone that is counted close to the top of the possessors of superior combat power, right? Mikihiko who has been on a team with him should be the most well informed, though.”
As Leo had stated, Carey, Hattori and Mikihiko had united as members of this year’s Monolith Code team to seize victory for First High. In bouts, he had displayed the defensive power of an iron wall and was a strong player who hadn’t allowed his opponents to interfere with the monolith he defended even once.
“Minakami‐senpai has extensive knowledge of a lot of individual magics. That’s why he was able to completely block his opponents’ attacks in Monolith Code, he correctly grasped the opposing players’ magic in the first shot and from the second shot on, he was able to counterbalance it with his excellent magic that’s the incredible skill he possesses.”
A magic spell cannot interfere with a magic spell. Information fortification kept the phenomenon stable (the transformed event) as it advanced, it was a technique that caused the opponent’s magic to end in a misfire, area interference worked on targeted zone by ‘using event interference power to forbidding the transformed contents to change’ by brushing aside the opponent’s phenomena interference power, it never interferes with the opponent’s magic spell.
However, results were based on the effects the magic induced, in case where that magic interfered with an actual physical phenonomen ultimately it remained a physical phenomenon. Because it is possible of course to have the results of alteration to counterbalance each other. For example, if ‘a clod of air that decreases pressure through magic’ is placed inside the trajectory of a compressed air bullet the compression cannot be maintained. In short, the magic has been neutralized. This phenomenon is called magic counterbalancing. If one’s interference power is greater than their opponent’s then it was possible to calculate magic that would blot out the blowback phenomena alteration but, if the interference power is only a little higher than, the restoration power would overcome the counterbalancing effect.
However, in order to effect magic counterbalancing on purpose then, you had to correctly predict the magic that would be used including the coordinates of the event modification. Counterbalancing magic effects was an ‘easy to say, hard to do’ technique.
“A guy whom a magic won’t work on if he’s seen it once? How cool.”
“A guy who won’t let any magic he’s seen once get by him? How cool.”
Although Leo said it like it was a joke in a jesting tone, he knew enough to recognize it was a high level skill. “Hahaha, for that reason Minakami‐senpai is really much better at theory.”
While Mikihiko joined Leo in laughing at his childish joke, his answer did not really answer the question. Erika was the one who offered an answer to the question, did Carey really need a guard.
“In short, Minakami needs a tank to take the first hit of magic.”
“Oh. Got it!”
Both Erika who had never let go of the idea of a ‘meat wall’ and Leo who had just gotten the concept now “Erika‐chan.. Leo‐kun.”
Got pierced by the cold glare of Mizuki.
? ? ?
The switch in public mass transit to small individual vehicles was not limited to trains. It had become normal in metropolitan areas to use an AI taxi to go between one’s own home and the neighborhood station. When going to the station from their homes, citizens ID were used to call a commuter to their home; when returning home from the station, they caught an empty car in the commuter‐boarding zone. On street corners without a commuter‐boarding zone, you could use a smartphone to access the public transit network to summon the nearest empty car.
Tatsuya’s household acted typically for their area, they used commuters to and from their home and the station. If they could have used magic then it wouldn’t be necessary, however, the legal restrictions on the use of magic were unfortunately excessive. Modern society was still not that tolerant toward magicians.
Tatsuya, Miyuki and Minami, all worked very late on preparations for the Thesis competition and were just now waiting in front of the station for a commuter to come under a purple stained sky.
It was not unusual for there not to be an empty car in front of the station. It just meant that there were not more commuters in use than were needed. In short, it would be a worldly excess.
Besides, the allocation of commuters was linked to the cabinet operation, Waiting over 5 minutes was rare. In short, enough were provided so that users would not feel it was inconvenient.
Actually, Tatsuya and the rest had only been waiting around 2 minutes. They had already entered a request for a commuter into the dedicated line in front of the station. Tatsuya and the others were pausing temporarily in the waiting zone about 10 meters away from the off‐loading zone where a male had apparently been dropped off in the zone about 30 seconds before. The door automatically closed, Tatsuya watched the cab slowly near the parking lot without moving onto the road‐‐‐and placed his right hand in his pocket where he was hiding his CAD.
Minami looked up at Tatsuya’s face with startled eyes, flustered she turned her eyes to the commuter. At the end of her line of sight, before the door of the stopped train’s door opened, a psion wave emitted from within the train car.
Before Tatsuya took out his CAD, Minami erected a cylindrical heat‐resistant barrier against physical objects. The objects of her protection were herself and Miyuki. She had not put Tatsuya inside the barrier because it would hinder his movements. This was the result of half a year’s practice.
However, the deluge of the psion wave from inside the car was not meant to activate magic.
It was to chaotically broadcast an overlapping echo of psion noise. It did not have an obstructing effect on magic like cast jamming. Instead, the density, which was slightly higher than cast jamming, was high enough to hamper the ability to perceive magic and discern psions. It would probably be appropriate to call it a psion smokescreen.
(An artificial spirit self‐destructed!? Like a psion time bomb!)
Miyuki and Minami were thrown into confusion by the unexpectedness of this type of surprise attack; Tatsuya saw through the nature of this attack at once.
(If this is a magical smokescreen then the next move)
“Minami, ‘Downward Whirlwind’.”
“Ye‐Yes!”
Minami activated the magic at virtually the same time as Tatsuya gave the order. A fierce spray of water arose from the rotation of the fountain‐‐‐‐no, the water of the fountain all changed into a spray of water, instantly it was transformed to a thick fog. Afterward the area was obscured by thick fog, which would unmistakably be troublesome to get rid of even by magically rousing the wind. Because microscopic drops of water under their foe’s influence mingled with the air of the atmospheric current that was the target for manipulation.
Nevertheless, Minami had activated her magic before the fog reached them. Manipulating air currents with a high concentration of microscopic drops of water mixed in had a high degree of difficulty due to the fact that the target is always out of sight to the practitioner, after the shot is fired, the obscuring fog should not interfere with the magic.
As a result, swirling whirling air was drawn from the upper atmosphere down to the surface by the magic of ‘Downward Whirlwind’. Minami was in the eye as the whirlwind blew around her; before the trio’s eyes, the obstructing fog was blown away by the whirlwind at once.
At once, they saw a small lean male blown out of the stopped commuter and meet the eyes of Tatsuya who headed up the trio. The man grasped a small crossbow in his hand; his eyes were wide with shock. It seemed that he had not anticipated the smokescreen being instantly destroyed by magic. However, being flabbergasted by the unexpected was a sign of inexperience. All it did was give your opponents an opening.
Tatsuya would not overlook that. Tatsuya adroitly bent his right leg aiming at the small man while he was temporarily defenseless.
He landed a roundhouse kick.
He knocked the crossbow out of the man’s hand.
Tatsuya bent his leg and switched to a sidekick.
The small man with an aching belly was sent into the commuter behind him in a bent over stance. He crashed into the train and might have hit his head; there was no sign of any attempt to stand up. His mind was too hazy or he might be unconscious.
It seemed like the safety was already off, the crossbow shot off the dart as it hit the road. However, fortunately, the dart only hit the road and no one was hurt.
As his right leg hit the ground, Tatsuya felt psions waver to construct a magic sequence from his right hand side. He swiftly turned to face that direction. The spell trace was emanating from the man who had fallen by the commuter.
Tatsuya, who was about to take out his CAD this time, stalled the movement.
Before Tatsuya could respond, Miyuki’s counterattack lan-->>