Yugen and Shizuku left the stands, heading through a restricted passageway to prepare for the final tournament. A voice called out behind them. Turning, they saw Kanna, who had just competed, and Airi beside her.
"First High's Kitayama?" Kanna asked.
"That's me. You're from the earlier event…" Shizuku replied.
"Third High's Juumonji Kanna. I saw your performance. Impressive skills."
It wasn't just a greeting. Shizuku was in Block A, Kanna in Block B—meaning they'd face off in the semifinals. As if confirming Yugen's suspicion, Kanna declared, "I'm looking forward to facing you in the semifinals."
"So, you're confident you'll win your next match," Shizuku shot back, a rare smirk crossing her face. "I'm looking forward to it, too."
A verbal gauntlet thrown. Kanna's Arithmatic Chain exuded confidence, unfazed even by Shizuku's Active Air Mine. Shizuku met her challenge with equal resolve. Then Kanna's gaze shifted to Yugen.
"Of course, you too, Yuto-san. No hard feelings—it's just competition."
"Uh, me?" Airi stammered, caught off guard. Clearing her throat, she added, "Third High will take the rookie championship. No offense, Yuto-san."
"I'm just support for the main event, but… I'll accept your challenge," Yugen replied lightly.
As the two left, Shizuku shot Yugen a sidelong glance. "You're popular, Yugen."
"Kanna and I are just friends," he said. "But she clearly knows me as 'Nagano Yuto.' Anyway, let's prep for the quarterfinals."
"Right. Let's blow them away with you and Tatsuya's Active Air Mine," Shizuku said, her tone hinting she wasn't impressed by mere preliminaries.
Two transformations left—a risky flag to raise. For the quarterfinals, they'd use Tatsuya's aim-assisted general-purpose CAD, tuned like a specialized model. For the semifinals and finals, Yugen's custom CAD and an upgraded Active Air Mine awaited.
"With your sister around, it's odd you don't stand out more," Shizuku teased.
"What, am I a ghost?" Yugen quipped.
"More like a master illusionist."
Magician, maybe, but illusionist fits better, Yugen thought, recalling his nickname abroad: Titania, the Annihilator Illusionist.
At First High's tent, Mayumi mused, "All the girls passed the prelims. How's Battle Board?"
"Boys' two races: both eliminated. Girls' one race: passed," Rin reported, checking her terminal. Yugen had predicted this outcome, based on his knowledge of the original timeline and observations as rookie supervisor. Only Rin knew his predictions, a secret kept from Mayumi, Katsuto, and other staff to avoid influencing others.
Unaware, Mayumi sighed over the boys' results but rallied. "One boy left. Honoka's final race is a sure win, so Azumi needs to step up."
She and Katsuto knew this year's performance paled compared to First High's past championships. Still, they avoided voicing it to keep morale steady.
"It's as the 'three' feared," Katsuto said. "We need to prioritize engineer training."
Despite Yugen's support in Speed Shooting, Tatsuya's contributions drove their success. Past presidents Kana and Mika, and their brother Yugen, had warned about over-relying on course-one students for engineering. Katsuto, Mayumi, Rin, and Mari now saw their point.
Speed Shooting, originally Tatsuya's sole responsibility, was eased by Yugen's involvement. While Tatsuya focused on Eimi and Kazumi, Yugen handed Shizuku a CAD for the quarterfinals. She tested its feel, familiar from practice.
"Check for issues," Yugen said.
"It's fine. But…" Shizuku eyed a rifle-shaped CAD on a connected pedestal, distinct from hers. "That one?"
"For the semifinals and beyond. It's a refined version of yours, so you'll adapt easily."
"That's not mass-produced, is it?"
"Custom job from a friend's workshop. Focus on winning the quarterfinals first."
His "friend's workshop" was a half-truth—being a major FLT shareholder gave him access. Yugen, secretly Kojyo Koto of Taurus Silver, kept that hidden. The Silver Series was sold carefully to avoid leaks, and any deep probe would face Yotsuba pressure. Taurus Silver was a brand, not a person.
Noticing Shizuku's hesitant look, Yugen asked, "Something up? Speak freely."
"Could you… pat my head like in the prelims? I think it'll help me win."
"That's it? Easy enough." Standing, he ruffled her hair, brushing off thoughts of her growing trust. Focus on engineering.
"Good enough?" he asked.
"Plenty. As good as Tatsuya's setup," she replied.
Using a vibration-convergence hybrid Active Air Mine and a deliberately limited aim-assisted CAD, Shizuku won the quarterfinals despite the handicap.
Kanna would likely advance to the semifinals, backed by Cardinal George. They'd analyze Shizuku's quarterfinal magic, but Yugen's new CAD and upgraded Active Air Mine—with counters for Arithmatic Chain—would debut there. Let them misjudge the prep time; overthinking was a strategy to unsettle Third High's name-brand advantage.
In the women's rookie Speed Shooting, First High had three semifinalists, Third High one. Shizuku faced Kanna, Eimi faced Kazumi. Before the first semifinal, Third High's strategist, Shinkuro, briefed Kanna, catching the broadcast.
"You're drawing attention," he said.
"Not as much as you, Kichijoji-kun," Kanna replied.
"Humble as ever. Let's get serious."
Shinkuro analyzed Shizuku's Active Air Mine as a vibration-convergence combo, targeting only her clays while deflecting opponents'. It used up to nine activation sequences, limiting rivals' scores.
"It's complex, but you can handle all nine, right?" he asked.
"Of course," Kanna said.
They assumed Shizuku would reuse the same magic, unaware their strategy would collapse in the semifinals.
"Honestly, I'm stunned," Mikihiko muttered from the stands.
Few noticed Shizuku's quarterfinal CAD was an aim-assisted general-purpose model. As an ancient magic user, Mikihiko studied modern magic diligently, spotting it by chance.
"Wild that Tatsuya pulled it off," Leo said.
"Yeah, but that tech isn't even commercial yet," Mikihiko added.
Post-quarterfinals, he researched and found Tatsuya's aim-assist and general-purpose CAD tech, debuted in Düsseldorf last summer, was now competition-ready. He marveled at Tatsuya's skill.
As Shizuku and Kanna took the stage, Erika noticed Shizuku's new CAD. "Miki, her CAD's different again."
"It's Mikihiko! But… yeah, no aim-assist this time," he said, noting the sleeker design, lacking the Centaur series' bulk.
"A third CAD?" Leo asked.
"Three for one player in one event? That's insane," Erika said.
It was unconventional but tactical. Even Miyuki and Honoka didn't recognize the CAD. Toya, sweating, knew who designed it (Azumi was off reining in Mayumi's antics).
"Is that Tatsuya's work, Miyuki?" Honoka asked.
"No, it's unfamiliar," Miyuki said. "But I'd bet Yugen designed it."
The group gasped. Miyuki had mentioned Yugen's handmade CADs before, but designing one from scratch was another level.
"How far does Yugen's talent go?" Mizuki wondered.
"Might as well go all out," Erika mused. "Maybe I'll nab him at lunch for a custom CAD."
"Go easy, Erika," Toya said. "He's handling my adjustments, too."
No one tried stopping Erika's enthusiasm. Leo and Mikihiko stayed quiet, Mizuki and Honoka gave wry smiles, and Miyuki mentally apologized to Yugen.