With the decisive win in the Monolith Code at the Newcomers' Tournament, First High School claimed overall victory without question. The representative members from First High, especially the first-years, likely had mixed feelings about the makeshift team and other matters, but for now, it provided a significant boost toward the comprehensive championship.
However, in stark contrast to that joy, Mayumi, Katsuto, and Yugen had gathered in the same room where Tatsuya had been summoned the other day. Neither Mayumi nor Katsuto wore expressions that could be called pleasant.
"I'm grateful that you and your team won the championship, Yugen. But..."
"Is there a problem?"
"After that, an emergency Ten Master Clans conference has been called. It's not entirely your fault—it's more about Ichijou's laxity in controlling his power."
Yugen's choice to engage in a shootout with Masaki in the finals was straightforward. Monolith Code was a team event, not an individual one, but deliberately drawing attention with a flashy performance was a valid tactic to lure the opponents.
It wasn't a quick-decision event like Ice Pillars Break; demonstrating the ability to handle a prolonged bombardment through magical exchanges was a show of strength. Both Katsuto and Mayumi understood and accepted this. The compressed air bullet fired right after the match started was like a provocation, showcasing perfect control—and it worked flawlessly.
After the finals, Katsuto attended the hastily convened emergency Ten Master Clans conference as the acting head of the Juumonji family. Mayumi knew about it through an encrypted email from her father, the current head of the Saegusa family. The Mitsuya family used far more advanced encryption than before, so the circumstances were understood without needing to be spelled out.
"Additionally, in Pillars Break, you revealed a composite spell combining ancient and modern magic, right? That seems to have struck a chord with the current head of the Kudou family."
"I have no intention of teaching it. At worst, it could touch on secrets of the ancient magic I've mastered."
Teaching it would require a foundation of trust with the other party. In that sense, relations with the Kudou family weren't exactly favorable. After all, it would take remarkable audacity to view being targeted with killing intent by the previous head—even if it was a test—as a positive thing.
He had a friendly relationship with Retsu's grandson, who was around his age, but he didn't hold a good impression of the current head. Dealing with ancient magic meant navigating those kinds of entanglements, which brought unnecessary complications. In comparison, the Kamiizumi and Kagurazaka families didn't carry the same level of discord as the Kudou.
Yugen's words seemed to align with expectations, and Katsuto nodded quietly in agreement.
"Of course, I'm aware of that. We're truly grateful to the Mitsuya family."
"So, it's odd to ask me to do anything more... which means the chairman ended up shouldering that role?"
"Exactly. And there's another reason I called you here, Mitsuya: what position do you plan to take going forward?"
In the main tournament's Monolith Code, where Katsuto would compete, advancing to at least the finals was all but certain. The directive was to demonstrate the power befitting the Ten Master Clans there. The newcomers' Monolith Code had ended anticlimactically, which was the cause—but given the stricter magical regulations compared to Ice Pillars Break, it was inevitable that the spectacle would be toned down.
"Didn't you ask my father?"
"Of course I did. His response was simply, 'Since he's not in line to inherit the Mitsuya headship, I've told my son to decide for himself.'"
Additionally, during the emergency conference, Kouichi had questioned Katsuto about the private match between Yugen and himself from this spring. Judging it wasn't something he could hide, Katsuto had answered honestly. The other heads of the Ten Master Clans couldn't conceal their surprise. Among peers in the Ten Master Clans, this established Yugen as possessing top-tier strength.
The reactions varied: the Mitsuya head remained composed, the Yotsuba head smiled, and the Saegusa head nodded as if it were expected, according to Katsuto. This made Mayumi clutch her head. She had witnessed the match too but had kept it hidden, considering her father's cunning nature.
"That sly old fox... If the Ten Master Clans heads hear about that, they'll definitely start scheming to rope Yugen in. It sounds like he's picking a fight with the Mitsuya family. Why did you even mention the match, Juumonji?"
"The situation didn't allow for refusal. With Mitsuya having already defeated Ichijou, they wanted to know the extent of the power gap between him and me... Plus, it seems Saegusa knew about your sister Kana's match as well, Mitsuya."
"Sigh, I want Yugen to support me."
"Say that in your sleep."
In other words, once Kana's match was brought up, refusing to speak wasn't an option. The fact that Gen hadn't reprimanded or stopped it meant he judged it was fine to discuss. Incidentally, all those developments had been conveyed via encrypted email from Gen.
"To be honest, wasting energy on such trivial theatrics is pointless. It makes me think they're underestimating incidents like Okinawa three years ago or Sado. If they keep this up, it'll be less 'too many captains and the ship climbs a mountain' and more the ship sinking to the seabed with everyone aboard. I have no interest in boarding such an obvious sinking ship."
He omitted his own involvement, but the Saegusa family likely suspected it anyway. The National Defense Forces generally didn't permit magicians under 17 to participate in military actions, except in special cases. Yugen and Tatsuya being registered as soldiers under different names accounted for those circumstances. Other countries did the same with minors in military roles, so it wasn't particularly unusual.
Those who grasped this—through inference or otherwise—were likely the Mitsuya, Yotsuba, and Saegusa families. Regarding the Kudou, Gouzou had responded about Okinawa: "Retsu would figure it out without me saying, so I haven't mentioned it."
Even without personal grudges against the previous head, this revealed a side of dissatisfaction with the current one. Regardless, given that the affiliated Fujibayashi family—Kyouko—was in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, it wouldn't be surprising if they'd heard through her.
"As for the answer to your question, I have no desire to seek out trouble myself. However, I won't tolerate being obstructed by someone else's unilateral logic. That's the extent of what I can say right now."
"...Does Gen know about this?"
"Yes. Father gave a wry smile but understood."
As the third son of the Mitsuya family, no matter how he struggled within the household, he'd remain a spare. He'd also heard about the Kamiizumi and Kagurazaka families. After this Nine Schools Competition, his own position would likely shift dramatically. Otherwise, his marriage wouldn't involve the "guardian" family taking full responsibility.
He hadn't explicitly said "I'll abandon the Ten Master Clans position if necessary," but his words carried that implication, causing both Katsuto and Mayumi to wear grim expressions.
He hadn't specified opponents, but this wasn't limited to other Master Clans or the Hundred Families' magicians. It included foreign powers—the Great Asian Union, New Soviet Union, former EU countries, and even the USNA. Even knowing the current USNA president personally was separate from that. Like in World War II, the era of meekly accepting damage from their self-serving claims had long passed—he wasn't that much of a pushover anymore.
He was aware his magical power was strategic-class level. Recently, when trying to construct a new strategic-grade spell, the deployment speed without a CAD dipped under 200ms... He realized it might be challenging FAE theory or something similar, and felt down about it alone. With termination conditions set to 10ms post-deployment and power variable at zero, it deployed without affecting surroundings... This technique repurposed what was established in the previously used "Meteor Snowscape: Meteor Snow Light."
At the time, Yakumo, who had helped, said, "If Tatsuya is like a single intercontinental ballistic missile, you're on the level of a star." He couldn't accept that.
"Sigh, I feel like Yugen's one step ahead of me somehow."
"It's inevitable for the president, I suppose."
"..."
"Hey, what do you mean by that!? And Juumonji, don't look so convinced!!"
He hadn't meant to belittle her, but with her appearance and the rebellious phase against her father typical of her age, Mayumi sometimes seemed younger than she was. Yugen's offhand remark prompted Katsuto to close his eyes, cross his arms, and fall silent—which Mayumi took as agreement, leading her to raise her voice in protest.
Though Masaki was the trigger, Yugen refrained from saying he regretted being the one to bear the brunt.
◇ ◇ ◇
The Newcomers' Tournament victory party was postponed until the overall rankings were out, due to Tatsuya's ear injury.
With only two days left in the Nine Schools Competition, including today, the main Mirage Bat could decide the comprehensive championship—a major showdown—so other members pitched in to help. Whether Tatsuya saw this as fortunate was unclear... but Yugen let out a deep sigh.
"So, how did it come to this...?"
"Resign yourself to it."
"Don't say that with a straight face... Well, I get why you'd look that way."
Unlike during Speed Shooting, Yugen ended up handling adjustments for Miyuki's "ace in the hole." According to Tatsuya, "It's better for someone proficient in gravity control spells to adjust that one." So, Tatsuya was tuning Miyuki's prelim CAD.
It wasn't something to hide, but the trump card was, of course, flight magic.
"Just a light joke, but I'd like a bit of rest."
"That'll come once today ends, I think."
In the original, the main Mirage Bat featured fairy-inspired costumes, but changes had occurred here. Specifically, it was closer to figure skating outfits. Not all players followed suit; some stuck to traditional fairy-like costumes.
CAD regulation checks were handled by students from the Magic University and National Defense Academy. Some committee members objected, but Retsu's words silenced them all. Those objectors were tied to the "No-Head Dragon"... though that organization had already been dismantled.
As part of providing that intel, Haruka and other Public Safety investigators were mobilized to root out organizations, companies, and individuals connected to the "No-Head Dragon"—intentionally excluding Chinatown figures.
Back to the point: for prelims, Miyuki wore a red-based costume. Combined with her inherent charm, it captivated the gazes of boys from other schools in the audience.
With the sudden change from the newcomers' event, there were costume concerns (worst case, fairy outfits would've sufficed), but Tatsuya—or more precisely, Maya—had stepped in. Tatsuya muttered he couldn't fathom her intentions, and Yugen found himself nodding in agreement.
In the first match, Kobayakawa showed unexpected prowess and advanced. In the original, a fall accident occurred midway, so how this change plays out remains to be seen.
Next, the second match. Miyuki's group included Mizuo Saho from Third High.
Unlike the original, Miyuki now trained in Shin'in-ryuu martial arts. With her exceptional psion reserves and the robust, flexible body supporting them, she shrugged off interference from others, steadily racking up points. Tatsuya even showed a pleased expression at his sister's growth.
"That happy about it?"
"Yeah. If it's this effective, I might want to learn it too... but..."
"That perverted monk, huh."
"...Yeah."
Kazama had introduced Tatsuya to Yakumo. Of course, it wasn't just for martial arts, and Yugen occasionally visited Kuonji Temple for magical training.
At the foot of Mt. Minowa, home to the Shin'in-ryuu swordsmanship headquarters, was a Tendai sect temple whose abbot (strictly a "ninjutsu user") was a fellow disciple under the same master as Yakumo. So, it wasn't odd for Gouzou and Yakumo to know each other; Gouzou had even trained Yakumo once.
Incidentally, that abbot also called Yakumo a "worldly, fishy monk," underscoring his unyielding nature. Expecting normalcy or common sense from magicians might be the real mistake.
Setting that aside, the second period ended. Given the point gap, Miyuki could advance to finals without pushing—even coasting. But a Third High player was closing in, enough for a potential comeback.
Miyuki had no option for complacency. Thus, she proposed to Tatsuya:
"Brother, let me use 'that'."
"Alright, understood. Do your best."
It was meant to be saved for finals. Yugen left the judgment to Tatsuya, who would consider his sister's condition—though harshly put, it bordered on siscon tendencies.
Given Miyuki's psion reserves, using it here wouldn't greatly impact finals. The biggest effect would be on other players and engineers. As the final period began, amid players leaping en masse, Miyuki alone floated in midair.
The persistent gravity control spell—"flight magic"—made its debut.
"Is that... flight magic!?"
"It's the spell Taurus Silver announced just last month!"
"To use it here in the Nine Schools Competition..."
The audience was utterly stunned. Other players tried to keep up, but in terms of relative distance to light effects, Miyuki held an overwhelming advantage. It was like one person on horseback in a footrace.
Moreover, panic eroded focus, weakening psion control. CADs made magic convenient, but as the proverb goes, "A master calligrapher doesn't blame his brush"—or perhaps it doesn't apply here.
(...I might need to act sooner than expected.)
While Yugen pondered that, Miyuki used flight magic to steadily accumulate points, ending the final period with a commanding lead and securing her finals spot.
---------------------------------------------
🚀 Want more?
📖 On Patreon you can read 20+ chapters ahead, plus there will be exclusive stories available only there.
💖 If you'd like to support me, check it out: patreon.com/Greyhounds
🔓 Patreon will always stay ahead of the public release — and some stories won't be published anywhere else.
✨ All support is completely optional — even if you don't join, I'm still grateful to have you here reading!