Tomitsuka delivered a mid-kick.

The Magic Sequence for “Heating” covered his leg. If struck by that kick, the damage would be equitable to being bathed in microwave electromagnetism. Using his elbow as the focal point for Gram Demolition, Tatsuya planned on blocking the kick fueled by Heating Magic.

Yet, Tomitsuka’s right leg came to an unnatural stop an instant before coming into contact with Tatsuya’s left elbow.

The Heating Magic was nullified by the Gram Demolition coming off the elbow, but for Tomitsuka, this was the expected outcome.

From his current position with the right leg extended, Tomitsuka used a right hook. No, that wasn’t a right hook. He wasn’t leading with the fist but the fingers instead, making this a palm strike. Still, his current bent posture was usually unable to deliver a strike with any force behind it.

Despite this, Tomitsuka’s palm strike was both swift and vicious. Bending at the waist to block the kick, Tatsuya was in a position where he was unable to avoid this attack.

Pah, a lifeless sound rang out. “Onii-sama!”

Along with a mournful shriek.

Tatsuya’s body rolled along the floorboards.

Lowering his right leg and retracting the right hand while standing there only on his left leg, Tomitsuka blinked in shock as he stood there like a doll.

“....Tomitsuka is surprisingly devious. That rascal was aiming for the older Shiba’s eardrum.”

Kirihara saw that Tomitsuka’s palm strike actually curved the palm to concentrate the air pressure on the point of contact.

“Ho, and he managed to jump away himself! Can’t believe he managed to neutralize Tomitsuka’s “Self Marionette” even under those conditions.

Shiba-kun, nicely done!”

By the time the two Year 3 students finished dissecting the exchange, Tatsuya had already recovered his footing. Sawaki correctly caught Tatsuya rolling away to widen the distance.

Tomitsuka’s astounded expression came from the lack of any physical resistance that he believed was inevitable. If Tatsuya had stiffened his neck to prevent the head from shaking, then any stiffening in his leg and waist should have resulted in physical pushback on his hand. If he relaxed to jump back in accordance with the force of the blow, then naturally the contact would feel soft. In other words, Tatsuya relaxed at the same time that he applied force.

Tomitsuka hurtled any shock fountaining from his heart into the back of his mind as he activated Self Marionette again. This was a type of magic that only used Move-Type Magic to move his physical body. This Magic Sequence attempted to suppress the flesh’s magical resistance as much as possible while prudently taking heed not to surpass the extents of the joints’ movement.

This was not a magic that could be used haphazardly. In terms of design, modern magic could only mimic movements. Nevertheless, this could still create attacks like the previous one that should have been impossible according to human anatomy and physics.

Tomitsuka turned himself into a puppet master that wielded his own body like a doll and attacked Tatsuya in a manner that ran counter to martial theory. –And Tatsuya saw through the movements of the psions surrounding Tomitsuka’s body.

Tomitsuka’s entire body had been covered by a single Magic Sequence. It was an exceedingly complex Magic Sequence that even a high-class Magician would be hard pressed to recreate. Maybe it was because he didn’t want them to interfere with the Magic Sequence, but the disorderly psions that surrounded his body were now neat and orderly, recreating an untouchable Eidos that only suffered Self Marionette to pass.

The disorderly chaos had transformed into an orderly world. Order was both form and design.

Tatsuya’s “Decomposition” could destroy designs. Although he was unable to destroy formless objects, he could deconstruct anything with a form even if it was the Eidos.

The formless cloud of psions wrapped around Tomitsuka now had a form created by Tomitsuka’s own magic.

Through “Elemental Sight”, Tatsuya understood this immediately. He also saw that this was an incredibly opportune moment for victory.

Tatsuya directed psions into his CAD. He was not pretending to use his CAD but actually using the CAD for Decomposition Magic. The magic he chose was “Gram Dispersal”.

Tatsuya pulled the trigger.

With the form in hand, Tatsuya’s magic that destroyed information shredded Tomitsuka’s armor.

The exposed fighting marionette closed in on Tatsuya. Tatsuya held a concentrated block of psions in his left hand.

The solid block was so sturdy that it could have broken through Tomitsuka’s armor even if it had recovered.

This was not hiding his strength, but to achieve victory. Rather than choosing the magic he was most comfortable with but which still might be blocked by the incomplete armor, Tatsuya chose the magic bullet that would definitely pierce through the incomplete armor.

Designed and honed to clash against inhuman objects, the high pressure, high penetration Far Strike named “Penetrating Magic Shell” (by Yakumo) shot from Tatsuya’s hand and pierced through the fighting marionette named Tomitsuka.

Taking a shot from the cannonball that had no physical form, Tomitsuka flew backwards. This was Self Marionette’s side effect. Once he suffered a powerful blow directly, this impression would rewrite the variables for the Magic Sequence. Using a Magic Sequence that did not have a complete command interface caused the theoretical miscalculation that ultimately ended with Tomitsuka’s defeat.

Sent flying by his own magic, Tomitsuka laid there with his limbs extended outwards and not moving a muscle. Since he was unable to restore strength into his relaxed muscles in time, he had suffered a mild concussion.

“Victor, Shiba.”

After verifying Tomitsuka’s condition, Hattori announced Tatsuya’s victory.

“O....”

After murmuring “Onii-sama”, Miyuki lowered her head. Forgetting herself, she was about to pounce on Tatsuya when she recovered her wits at the last second.

Tatsuya smiled gently at Miyuki when she raised her head.

Nodding at the brilliant smile coming from his sister, Tatsuya turned his body around.

He put the CAD in his right hand back into the holster and walked towards where Tomitsuka was lying on the ground.

“Tomitsuka, can you stand?”

Still lying on the ground, Tomitsuka used his right hand to tightly grasp Tatsuya’s extended right hand.

“Thanks.”

Getting a lift from Tatsuya, Tomitsuka finally got back to his feet. He appeared to be a little shaky, but his concussion didn’t appear to be too serious. Tomitsuka’s footsteps quickly returned to normal.

“As I thought. You’re really strong, Shiba-kun.” “You as well, Tomitsuka. That hurt a lot.”

Faced with Tomitsuka honestly pulling off his helmet, Tatsuya smiled back with his reddened face.

Next to them, a silhouette dashed by. “Ah, hey, Shippou!”

Without turning his head, Takuma fled Practice Room #3.

? ? ?

At the end of the Robotics Club’s garage, an empty area next to the outdoors practice facility had become a sparsely populated location for private conversations.

Yet, Takuma had not come here for this reason. He happened to chance upon here after running away from the eyes and ears of other individuals.

Before the sizeable tree that incidentally didn’t have a “cursed” legend attached to it, Takuma stood there numbly for a long moment. However, maybe because he was unable to control the agitation welling up inside him, he suddenly began punching the tree with his right hand.

“Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!”

He lost count of how many times he punched the tree. “Stop it, Shippou. You’re starting to bleed.”

When his curses grew ragged, a voice called out to him from behind. Takuma swiftly turned his head.

There, he found Kasumi staring at him in astonishment. “Saegusa, you!”

Seeing Takuma glaring at her furiously, Kasumi raised both hands and shook them softly.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t following you. I just happened to be here by coincidence.”

After saying this, Kasumi walked towards the frowning Shippou. She pulled out a handkerchief and folded it into a bandage before grabbing Takuma’s hand while he was glaring at her the entire time.

“What are you doing!?” “Ah.... The skin peeled off.”

Kasumi wrinkled her eyebrows at the blood and wrapped the handkerchief around the hand of the faltering Shippou.

“Sorry, I haven’t been given permission to use Healing Magic. Remember, you’re better off going to the infirmary later.”

Takuma was unable to answer Kasumi’s words. He could only stare at the handkerchief stained with his blood.

“Oh, and you don’t need to return the handkerchief.” “........”

Standing in front of the completely motionless Takuma, Kasumi sighed deeply.

“You must have been soundly beaten.” “........”

“As expected, the upperclassmen’s bar is really high.” “....Why?”

Takuma’s eyes remained on the ground. “Hm, why what?”

Finally seeing a reaction, Kasumi played along with another sentence. “Why are those guys so strong!?”

A painful outcry. This cry must be what they mean by spitting blood, Kasumi thought. –As for who “those guys” were, Kasumi instinctively knew already.

“They’re high school students like us, aren’t they!? There’s only one year’s worth of difference! Even so, how are those guys so incredibly strong!?”

“Why does there have to be a special reason?” “What did you say....?”

Kasumi finally felt like they were having a conversation, but she was foolish enough to say that aloud.

“They must be strong because they are. True enough.... If you have to find a reason, then they must have worked hard to get to where they are, no?”

“I also....!”

“Yeah, you must have worked hard too. I did as well. Yet, surely those guys are stronger because they put more effort into it, right?”

“........”

“I’m not denying your talent here, OK? I too believe that a large proportion of my own power comes from my talent.”

“........”

“But, a level of “might” that is enough to stagger even me.... Surely that came from a different place than talent, don’t you agree?” Takuma raised his head and looked Kasumi in the eye. From Takuma’s eyes, a tear of regret trickled down.

“Well, I’m not exactly interested in something like “might”. Since you want to get stronger, then that is your problem. Remember, Shippou’s strength is something that belongs to Shippou.”

Just as she said, Kasumi easily turned around and vanished from Takuma’s sight.

Once again, Takuma vented his rage on the tree, this time using his palm instead of his fist.

? ? ?

After splitting off from the Club Activities Group members with Hattori at their head, Tatsuya returned to the Student Council Room and sat at his own desk before opening the communicator. Typing away at the keyboard at a speed that could not be captured by the naked eye, the recipient of the message he typed was also someone currently in the Student Council Room.

((Yes, Master?))

Setting the target as Tatsuya, Pixie began communicating via telepathy. ((Have you finished changing the records?))

Avoiding the written documentation of the other Student Council members,

((It has been done as you ordered. A false recording has been uploaded instead.))

He received the answer he desired. ((Master, have I been of assistance to you?)) ((Indeed you have. Thanks for your hard work.))

He bestowed words of thanks to the monster that was keeping the secret. ((You can rest for today.))

((Yes, Master. Entering Standby Mode.))

After giving orders for the doll to rest, Tatsuya erased the conversation record.