Chapter 44: The Fairy's Last Dance
The title "Fairy Sniper" was an affectionate nickname everyone had for Mayumi.
It was just that, apparently, some people used Mayumi's outstanding beauty and this title to create some doujinshi.
That's why Mayumi felt extremely ashamed and resistant to this title.
She absolutely refused to be called that…
The preliminaries for Precision Shooting were about to begin.
But when Mayumi entered, the atmosphere of the entire venue instantly ignited, pushing the excitement to the absolute peak!
Thunderous cheers, like a tidal wave, swept through.
Her outrageous popularity had already caused the competitor facing Mayumi to somewhat shrink back.
It was normal, though.
After all, Senior Mayumi's charm was indeed too stunning.
Mayumi wore ear protectors over her voluminous wavy long hair and clear goggles. Her team uniform consisted of highly elastic long pants and a belted, stand-collar top that could be mistaken for a mini one-piece dress.
Paired with the rifle-type computation device mandated for Precision Shooting, it perfectly blended cuteness with a heroic aura, like a heroine from a near-future film.
Not to mention her elegant and composed demeanor when using Magic Bullet Shooter.
She was simply the absolute goddess in the hearts of all male magicians!
Otherwise, how could a title like "Fairy Sniper" have been born?
This match was, naturally, won by Mayumi with decisive ease.
Even faster than in previous years.
While her opponent had just shot down twenty clay pigeons, Mayumi had already completed smashing one hundred targets.
This speed had reached an astonishing level, so much so that even Mayumi herself found it unbelievable; her activation speed for Magic Bullet Shooter had increased by at least ten percent!
The burden it caused was also much less than before.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Surfing Race venue was also very lively, completely on par with the Precision Shooting area.
There, a group of girls in shark-themed swimsuits floated on the waterway, leaning on surfboards.
Surfing Race is a speed race where competitors navigate an artificial waterway on a spindle-shaped board 165 centimeters long and 51 centimeters wide.
The top speed exceeds thirty knots—approximately 55 to 60 kilometers per hour.
Competitors stand on a single board without any wind protection equipment and must navigate a winding, roller-coaster-like water course. Although competitors cannot use magic on people during the race, they can use magic to affect the water surface.
This type of competitive, extreme race, centered on speed and conflict, would be loved by people in any era.
And at this moment, on the waterway, competitors from each school were ready.
They were all preparing to sprint by kneeling on one or both knees, but Mori alone stood perfectly straight.
This scene primarily reflected the difference in competitors' balance, but viewed another way, she was like a queen to whom other competitors bowed.
In the stands, many fangirls were shouting, "Queen of the Surfing Race!"
She and Mayumi divided the adoration of the younger students in the audience.
However, this Queen was currently somewhat distracted as she responded to the cheers of support.
She gazed at the CAD on her wrist, lost in thought.
"Is it really necessary?"
After receiving the CAD and learning that a defensive spell had been added, Mori immediately sought out Mahiro.
It was well known that adding other spell sequences to a CAD meant for racing could slow down the activation speed of other spells.
Therefore, typically, only a few spells needed for the competition were stored inside.
"Don't worry, Senior Watanabe, I understand your concern.
The passive defensive spell I added for you won't affect the activation speed of any other magic; it's just a safeguard.
I know Senior Watanabe's magical power is enough to dominate the Surfing Race, but it's never wrong to be a little careful."
Especially since terrorists were targeting First High.
However, Mahiro hadn't told the Seniors about this, so Mori was unaware.
She looked at the CAD on her wrist and mumbled softly:
"Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?"
This was her third year participating in the Surfing Race, and there had never been any accidents.
But since it was a kind gesture from her junior, she ultimately chose to silently accept it.
And this preliminary match, just as Mori had confidently expected, proceeded without any incidents.
Even when competitors from other schools stirred up grand waves on the waterway, they still couldn't impede her gliding speed.
Like a ruler of the ocean's waves, she secured first place in the preliminaries with an absolute advantage, so much so that her opponents could no longer appear on the same screen as her in the match broadcast.
"Congratulations, Senior Watanabe, on winning first place in the competition!"
Mori humbly shook her head: "It's nothing; this is just the preliminaries. The finals the day after tomorrow are the key."
Winning first place in the preliminaries was entirely expected; the later matches were more important.
"By the way, I heard you prepared a big surprise for Mayumi. Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true."
Mahiro sat in front of the screen, skillfully adjusting the CAD while smiling mysteriously: "But I can't tell you the specifics. I can only say that it will definitely be a match that shocks everyone."
"Oh~ You're being so secretive, but since you say so, I'll look forward to it a little."
Hearing this, Mori crossed her arms, looking intrigued.
Both she and Mayumi were participating in the Nine Schools Competition for the last time. If they could leave behind an unforgettable memory, that would naturally be a good thing.
Mahiro didn't say anything more, just kept smiling.
After all, this was the Fairy Sniper's last dance; how could it not have a grand and spectacular farewell ceremony?
Time came to the last match of the afternoon.
The scorching sun was directly overhead, and the intense heat slowly rose from the ground, the outrageous high temperature enough to distort the air.
Yet, the number of spectators present was even greater than in the morning!
Everyone was there to witness the splendor of the Fairy Sniper's last dance.
Soon, Mayumi, the protagonist, entered the arena, dressed the same as in the morning, her demeanor as spirited as ever.
But for some reason, her expression was very solemn, not as relaxed as before.
"What's wrong with Mayumi?" Mori, sitting in the stands, muttered in confusion.
Although it was the finals, with Mayumi's skill level, she shouldn't be showing such an expression.
Not just her, but several older students also sitting in the stands shared the same doubts.
Especially when she raised her CAD, that sense of solemnity deepened even further.
A silent, tense atmosphere gradually permeated the air, even affecting her opponent, who was vying for the championship with her!
"The match is about to begin."
Someone said this, and the stands immediately fell silent.
Three signal lights of different colors slowly lit up, and when the last red light illuminated, dense targets instantly flew into the sky with light firing sounds.
And in the next second, the moment Mayumi pulled the trigger, she utterly shocked everyone.
"Th-that's—!!!"
Chapter 45: The Evolved "Magic Bullet Shooter"
"Th-that's—!!!"
Seeing the magic Mayumi activated, Mori immediately let out a gasp that echoed through the stands.
As Mayumi's close friend, she could be said to have an extraordinary understanding of Magic Bullet Shooter.
However, the magic Mayumi was using now...
Rather than calling it Magic Bullet Shooter, it was more like...
It was a brand new, evolved magic!
The dry ice bullets, which were originally a single projectile, had increased to two!
Followed by four.
Eight...
Twelve!
As the number of flying targets shot out continuously doubled!
And they were shot out 360 degrees without any blind spots!
In the flying target range thirty meters away, within just a few seconds, dry ice bullets were already flying everywhere, and although these bullets seemed to fly randomly, they always precisely avoided the opponent's targets, swiftly and accurately shattering their own targets.
Not only was the accuracy unexpected, but so was the speed—
"So fast," Ichihara Suzune murmured softly.
Compared to Mori, her expression was much calmer, but her inner shock was far greater than Mori's.
No wonder the president was so serious when she came on stage.
Not only was the magic activation speed incredibly fast, but controlling such a large quantity of "Dry Hail Meteor" and accurately hitting the targets would require Mayumi's full concentration.
And the contestant who was originally competing with Mayumi for the championship.
Was now stunned in place.
This level of magic had completely exceeded the scope of high school students; there was no qualification to continue the competition at all.
This match had completely transformed into Mayumi's personal performance.
Her speed even broke the highest record in the history of "Precision Shooting," and she didn't miss a single shot, perfectly winning the championship!
The moment it ended, a thunderous cheer erupted from the audience.
Far more enthusiastic than before!
Mayumi's title of "Fairy Sniper" was completely etched into everyone's hearts.
"Brother, Senior Nanagusa's "Magic Bullet Shooter" can be used like this?"
Miyuki, who was also watching the competition, voiced everyone's thoughts.
Erika, Mizuki, Kitayama Shizuku, and Honoka, sitting in the front row, all turned their gazes to Tatsuya, hoping for an answer.
Tatsuya, however, shook his head and denied it:
"No, that's not the original way to use "Magic Bullet Shooter." It should be that Mahiro modified the activation sequence, reducing redundant parts, accelerating the spell cycle, and adding a brand new spell to it…."
However, even he didn't know what that specific spell was.
Because he had never seen it before.
It should be a brand new magic.
It transformed the original Magic Bullet Shooter from a dual magic into a triple magic activated simultaneously.
And in terms of processing speed, it was even more streamlined than the flight magic he invented a while ago!
However, even though Tatsuya wasn't clear, what he had said was enough to leave them dumbfounded.
"His tuning ability is that amazing?!"
It was Erika who spoke, but Mizuki next to her was also nodding, as if this was what she wanted to ask too.
And Miyuki answered on their behalf, proudly affirming:
"That's right, this is Big Brother Mahiro's true strength."
Hearing Miyuki's answer, the others felt their understanding being overturned once again.
But among them, the calmest was still Kitayama Shizuku.
Sitting in the front row, as a contestant in this year's "Precision Shooting" rookie competition, she looked at the president, who was receiving thousands of cheers on the field, with deep envy in her eyes.
...
Just as the audience was intensely discussing the highlights of the final, Mayumi had already left the arena.
"Masaru-senpai! That was truly amazing!!!"
The moment she entered the passage, she was so excited that she directly pounced on Mahiro, wrapping her arms around his neck, hanging on him like a koala, giving him a big hug.
"Calm down, Senior, it's nothing," Mahiro patted her back, signaling her to get off him.
"Mmm… Mahiru-kun, your reaction is too calm!" Mayumi complained resentfully.
Although she was a little reluctant, she also realized that her actions were indeed a bit overly excited, and she had actually made such a bold move.
So she pulled away from Mahiro's embrace.
However, she couldn't help but react this way.
Just by adding a spell, the entire Magic Bullet Shooter, a four-spell magic, was completely rewritten.
It became even more powerful, and its accuracy reached a new level!
"Speaking of which, Mahiru-kun, what new spell did you add to the CAD?" After calming down, Mayumi couldn't help but feel curious again.
Although she knew it was impolite to ask, she just couldn't help her curiosity.
Seeing her so interested, Mahiro didn't hide anything and said with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing much. It's one of my original magics, called "Multi-Shot.""
""Multi-Shot"?"
"Yes, that's right."
Or rather, "Multi-Casting" would be more accurate.
This was a magic he created based on insights he gained after learning "Multi-Observation."
It amplifies spellcasting by multiples.
The only regret was that, in addition to increasing the consumption of psions, it also required "Multi-Observation" as an auxiliary to fix the spatial coordinate system before it could be used.
However, after hearing his explanation, Mayumi was now standing still, staring blankly at his back, dumbfounded.
Her cherry lips slightly parted, but she couldn't utter a single word.
In a certain sense, this was not just helping her win the Nine Schools Competition, but also helping their Seven Herbs Family….
….
The first day of the Nine Schools Competition concluded with First High's Fairy Sniper winning the championship, temporarily taking the lead.
After it ended, not only the audience but also other schools developed a strong interest in First High.
Even other schools engaged in intense discussions about today's competition, especially regarding the brand new "Magic Bullet Shooter" that Mayumi used in the final.
For example, at this moment, in the meeting room of Third High.
Both contestants and Magical Engineering Technicians had put down their work and gathered around a round table.
"George, what do you think of the "Magic Bullet Shooter" used by First High's Saegusa contestant today?"
In this room, filled with twenty people, Ichijo Masaki looked at the red-eyed young man sitting beside him.
Kichijoji Shinkurou, also known as "Origin George," a genius magician who discovered one of the hypothetical "Basic Codes" at the age of thirteen, was a well-known figure among researchers.
But at this moment, Origin George's brows were slightly furrowed, and he occasionally shook his head and sighed, his eyes revealing a strong sense of gravity.
After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "…I think that was probably not the original way to use "Magic Bullet Shooter.""
"It should be that the Magical Engineering Technician added a brand new spell when adjusting the CAD."
This result was exactly what Ichijo Masaki had thought.
And, in fact, creating and adding a new spell wasn't a big deal.
But the problem was, this was a secret art of the Seven Herbs Family!
Someone was actually able to update and iterate the Seven Herbs Family's secret art, drastically reforming the magic to increase its power….
Who could possibly achieve such a feat?
"Moreover, not only that, the calculation device used by the Saegusa contestant today is in no way inferior to a specialized type in terms of speed and accuracy, and it also possesses the advantage of a general-purpose type that can handle activation sequences for different magic systems."
"To be honest, the engineer capable of doing all this is not at a high school student's level, but a monster."
Even George, as a genius, had to admit this at this moment.
So, not to mention the others, who were all collectively gasping in shock.
How terrifying would someone who could earn Origin George's respect be?
"Hmm, it seems our thoughts are aligned."
Ichijo Masaki nodded in agreement, then looked at the others and said:
"However, I heard that this engineer was only temporarily added, and is also participating in the "Precision Shooting" rookie competition and the "Icicle Offensive and Defensive" official competition as a contestant, so everyone can temporarily relax."
Hearing this, although they were incredibly shocked—they weren't even a specialized Magical Engineering Technician!
But they were more or less relieved.
At the very least, they wouldn't have to be on tenterhooks for these ten days.
"However, we must also be prepared mentally.
It's unclear which projects that guy will be in charge of next, so in terms of magical devices, we must assume we will be two or three eras behind them."
Ichijo Masaki couldn't have imagined that First High didn't just have one freak like Yotsuba Mahiro.
There was also Shiba Tatsuya, who carried the title of [Silfa].
And as soon as these words were spoken, most people silently kept them in mind, but some felt that Ichijo Masaki was overreacting.
"Ichijo, there shouldn't be anything like that again, right? Since he's a contestant, at the very least, he shouldn't be able to appear as an engineer tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that."
However, Ichijo Masaki did not speak, he just shook his head.
He also wasn't sure to what extent the other party could go.
And he also had some expectations in his heart.
After all, he was also a contestant in the "Icicle Offensive and Defensive" official competition, and he was very much looking forward to what kind of surprise First High's mysterious engineer would bring him.