Student Council Room, First High School is a National Magic University Affiliated High School.
The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with bright, gentle warmth. A faint air of rigor—so typical of an elite academy—hung in the space.
Miyuki Shiba stood in the center, straight and poised like a pine in winter. Her uniform was immaculate. Her long black hair fell like the finest silk, and on her flawless face rested the usual cool, distant calm that kept people at arm's length. Her beautiful eyes, like frozen amethyst, rested without a ripple on the figure seated behind the broad desk.
Behind the desk, Student Council President Mayumi Saegusa tilted her head slightly to look up at Miyuki. A perfectly ladylike smile—befitting a Ten Master Clans heiress—curved her lips. Her black hair was smooth as a waterfall. Petite yet perfectly proportioned, she had the exquisitely sculpted lines of a porcelain doll. Yet in the depths of those equally lovely eyes, something complicated flickered—wonder, wariness, and a trace of…discontent.
"Please, have a seat, Miyuki Shiba."
Mayumi gestured to the chair opposite, her voice sweet and pleasant.
Miyuki dipped her chin, slid the chair out with practiced grace, and sat. Not a single unnecessary crease marred her skirt. She didn't speak. She simply met Mayumi's gaze with those amethyst eyes and waited for the reason she'd been called. She was curious why the leader of the Student Council—the Saegusa heir of the Ten Master Clans—had asked to see her alone.
Mayumi folded her hands on the desk, fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth surface. She adjusted her breathing, and the smile on her face became a shade more formal.
"Miyuki Shiba, I asked you here to discuss the upcoming Nine Schools Competition."
Nine Schools.
At that name, the ice-still surface of Miyuki's gaze rippled—barely.
Jointly hosted by the nine top magic high schools, it was the largest, most prestigious competitive event in the field. It wasn't just a stage for schools to showcase strength and fight for honor; it was also a prime avenue for the next generation of magicians to break out—and even to catch the attention of state-level strategic agencies.
Events ranged from individual contests (CAD operation, spell computation speed, live combat, etc.) to team tactical battles. The competition was brutally fierce—so much so that, in private, people called it "the magic world's war game." Every year's champion carried unmatched glory and a future with no ceiling.
"After careful deliberation," Mayumi said, voice turning solemn, "the school leadership unanimously believes you, Miyuki Shiba, should represent First High in this year's Nine Schools—and that you are the key to taking the title."
She paused, eyes intent on Miyuki.
"Your recent performance in the magical arts has been…nothing short of astonishing."
The complexity in Mayumi's gaze deepened. As a carefully groomed heir of the Ten Master Clans, she had always been utterly confident in her talent and strength. But Miyuki Shiba standing before her…
She was like a supernova—sudden, blinding—outshining every peer, Mayumi included. The spell computation speed that defied belief. The mana control so precise it bordered on the absurd. And then…those never-before-seen "new spells" with effects so overwhelming they broke every expectation.
Some of them carried a cold that seemed to freeze the soul; some roared with the violence of storm and thunder; some even bent space itself… They overturned the existing framework of magic theory.
Mayumi had even begun to suspect that behind Miyuki stood some vast, unknown power exceeding the Ten Master Clans. How else to explain growth that looked—frankly—like cheating?
Miyuki listened quietly. No pride, no delight—just the same calm as ever. She knew exactly what Mayumi meant. The source of those beyond-common-sense techniques and jaw-dropping "new spells" wasn't any hidden patron.
It was the chat group anchored deep in her consciousness, linked to countless other worlds.
There, she held in-depth exchanges and studied alongside friends who wielded entirely different systems of power. She had asked Rei Ao for guidance on pushing "conceptual freezing" to its limit; discussed with Tohru how to violently convert elemental energies; even drawn unique insights on fine control of mental force from Misaki Shokuhou. Sparks of wisdom from other worlds, absorbed, fused, and remade by a genius of this one—until they became the "new spells" that drove local prodigies like Mayumi to despair.
"For the honor of our school—and to prove First High's absolute leadership in magic education," Mayumi said, centering herself, a president's sense of mission in her tone, "the administration—and I personally—earnestly hope you'll take on this responsibility, represent us at the Nine Schools, and…win the championship."
She enunciated the last four words with unusual clarity and force, her gaze locked on Miyuki.
Win the championship?
Miyuki's lashes trembled ever so slightly. As for worldly honors and the school's expectations, she no longer cared much. After she met that person, her world had already outgrown the confines of this one. The title of champion held little appeal.
And yet…
A thought dropped into the still lake of her heart like a stone into an icy pool, sending rings of ripples outward. She remembered how the Crimson Princess, Stella, had excitedly shared her campus ranking match in the group.
More importantly, she'd invited Rei Ao to watch.
He would see her at her most dazzling—at her strongest—and then offer his recognition and praise…
That notion, like a seed, settled quietly into Miyuki's heart.
~~~
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