That night after the Crowd Ball
In a dimly lit room adorned with wooden latticework and large banners featuring dragon motifs on the walls, five older and middle-aged men sat in high-back chairs around a red circular table.
"The Second High is in the lead now after today's lackluster performance from the Third High," one man remarked.
"We need to do something to disrupt their momentum," another suggested.
"Don't worry, my friends. The Kudou heir will be playing tomorrow," a third reassured them.
"I see. Unlike the other representatives from the Second High who don't use CADs, the Kudou uses one for himself," another observed.
"Then it's decided. We'll contact an agent to tamper with the Kudou's CAD," the first man concluded.
"For our greater interest," they all agreed.
---
The next day, the third day of the Nine Schools Competition
The game featured today is Battle Board, also referred to as Surfing. It originated as a method for training Japanese Naval Forces. Players receive a board similar to a surfboard and must complete three laps on an artificial 3-kilometer channel by making full use of magic to propel themselves forward. Players compete for victory. According to the rules, the use of magic to directly interfere with other players is forbidden, though manipulating the water to indirectly interfere is allowed. The preliminaries consist of six races with four players each. Two semi-final games are held with three contestants each. A playoff determines third place, while the top players from each semi-final compete one-on-one in the finals.
In a room with minimalist furniture, a polished floor, and a large potted plant, natural light streams through large windows offering a clear view of the sky. Six individuals are present: five men seated and one woman standing beside them, holding a simple tray. One of the men is Shiba "Onii-sama" Tatsuya.
The other men are Kazama, a middle-aged man wearing a polo shirt; Yamanaka, also middle-aged, in a white shirt and black tie; Yanagi, a man in his late 30s wearing a tight black T-shirt; and Sanada, almost the same age as Yanagi, dressed in a red suit with a black tie and white shirt underneath. The woman is Fujibayashi Kyouka, the favorite cousin of Kudou Minoru, dressed in a green top and blue skirt.
The group discusses the recent attack by the No Head Dragon and their reasons for infiltrating the competition. They theorize that the group's motivation is purely financial, driven by greed, as they don't want the First and Second High Schools to win the Nine Schools Competition due to the large sums of money at stake.
"I see, so there's no deeper meaning or motive behind the attack," Tatsuya said, his eyes closed.
"Are you going to do something about them?" Kyouka asked curiously, as if testing Tatsuya's reaction.
Tatsuya shook his head before replying, "They didn't specifically target Miyuki, so I don't think I need to make a move."
Hearing this, Kyouka sighed. "Same as ever," she muttered, wondering if Tatsuya would ever change his way of thinking. But then again, Yotsuba's mental interference magic is too powerful for Tatsuya to break free from, and Tatsuya himself seems content with the status quo.
"What about you, Kyouka? Your cousin's team is also in the sights of the No Head Dragon," Sanada teased with a chuckle, prompting Yanagi to smile slightly.
"The Old Head already has some intel on the No Head Dragon's next move," Kyouka replied.
"Oh? Did he tell you what kind of intel they have or where they got it?" Kazama asked, taking a sip of the tea Kyouka had made. As a high-ranking official, he needed every detail possible.
Kyouka shook her head. "He didn't share specifics, but he mentioned that Minoru was the one who provided the intel."
"I see," Kazama said, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Tatsuya, regarding your request, the only thing we found out about them is that they all came from the same orphanage."
Nobody responded or spoke, sensing that Kazama was about to say something more.
"I also discovered that the orphanage is run by the sole survivor of the Kunlunfang Incident," Kazama added.
Tatsuya's mind began racing as he processed this information. He concluded that the survivor might have been able to steal some of his aunt's DNA and clone her. While this seemed impossible, it wasn't entirely out of the question. If the survivor had succeeded, then Oreki would not be his aunt's son but rather her clone. Tatsuya nodded inwardly at his conclusion, convinced of his own genius.
However, the lingering question was why his aunt or mother seemed so excited to meet Oreki. The only explanation was that his aunt was eager to have her own son after claiming Oreki as hers, and his mother was eager to have a nephew. In due time, Tatsuya would uncover what his mother and aunt truly felt about Oreki.
Tatsuya glanced at the clock and realized it was time for the finals of the Official Battle Board for women. He excused himself from his commanding officers to watch, curious to see in person what kind of superpower the BS magician from Second High possessed.
---
At the Battle Board Venue
The representative of the Second High in the Official Battle Board game did not showcase much or show off anything to the audience and opponents, much like Tsubaki did during the preliminaries up to the quarter-finals. This disappointed both the live audience and the livestream listeners. However, they recalled that just yesterday, during the finals of the Official Crowd, Tsubaki had shown off a telekinetic power—or at least, those with keen eyesight thought so.
Anyway, the audience expected that the Second High representative, named Sona, would perform something spectacular to impress them. However, they also couldn't forget the other finalist besides Sona.
The First High representative, Watanabe Mari, is also an exceptional individual and a high-caliber magician. She defeated the Seventh High representative, whose specialty is water—likely due to their school's proximity to the ocean. This was already a great feat for a magician belonging to the Side Family of the Hundred Families. Although Mari is a fan favorite to win it all, with the presence of Sona, her fans are concerned that she might lose, much like the dedicated fans of Mayumi who were devastated after she lost to Akeno in an almost pathetic manner.
In the venue of the Battle Board, the seats were already full of students. Fortunately, this venue was much larger than the others, as this game is essentially a 3-kilometer race with various obstacles to add a bit of challenge. The players would also have to go against the flow of the water to further test their skills.
In one of the seats
"Mayumi-nee, are you sure you're alright?" Izumi asked worriedly of her older half-sibling, Mayumi. Even though Mayumi had taken a rest all day yesterday and was even forced to drop out of the competition by her friends for the sake of her health, Izumi appreciated her sister's friends more than ever.
"Thank you for the concern, Izumi, but I'm okay now, so there's no need to worry about me," Mayumi replied while patting Izumi. "And you know what, you girls can go home now because I can handle myself." She said confidently, putting her hands on her hips as she stood up abruptly.
The other students looked at Mayumi with confusion, causing her to blush and shrink back into her seat in embarrassment. The others with them laughed lightly.
"Are you really okay, Mayu-nee?" Kasumi asked skeptically, noticing that her sister hadn't been herself for a while. Even though Mayumi insisted she was fine, her dark circles couldn't help but hide her tiredness.
"Just like I said, I'm fine, and you girls can go home now and do your own thing," Mayumi insisted with a smile.
"I see, if you say you're fine, then you're fine," Kasumi conceded, though she was still concerned for her sister's well-being. Even after the personal doctor of the Saegusa family had checked on her, they couldn't determine what was wrong.
"But I'm not going home yet because I already told Father that I'd be watching the game live for research purposes," Kasumi explained. Her concern lingered, but she reasoned that staying might help her figure out what was troubling Mayumi.
"I won't go home because..." Izumi hesitated for a moment, glancing at Miyuki, who was smiling beautifully, before turning back to Mayumi. "I want to observe and study how the student council works," she declared confidently, though her voice wavered. In truth, Miyuki wasn't smiling at Izumi but at her Onii-sama, who was standing nearby.
"But we're not at school..." Kasumi began to retort, but Izumi shot her a look that silenced her. "So, with that said, we're not leaving until the end of the Nine Schools Competition. So don't order us to go home; we're not kids anymore," she added with a note of finality.
"Fine, but don't wander around, okay? This might be a secure place, but unexpected things can still happen, just like the other day," Mayumi warned, wagging her finger, prompting the twins to nod in agreement.
"They're so nice," Azusa said with a smile, admiring the twins' concern.
Suzune and Mari smiled in agreement, but Mari couldn't shake her curiosity. "Seriously, what happened that night after you took a bath in the hot spring?" she asked Mayumi, her brow furrowed. The student council crew, along with Izumi, looked at Mayumi, waiting for an answer.
Mayumi blushed profusely as the memory of the lewd scene she had witnessed between Oreki and Akeno in the hot spring resurfaced. "Nothing happened, nothing happened," she repeated nervously, sweat trickling down her forehead. She began to fidget, her hands clasped tightly between her thighs.
The student council crew, including Izumi, could definitely tell that something had happened. No—scratch that—anyone could tell that something had happened that night, but they knew they wouldn't find out until Mayumi chose to share. However, Kasumi, with her keen intuition, had a suspicion but kept it to herself, curious to meet the guy involved.
The audience cheered as the contestants entered the arena. Both were wearing wetsuits for surfing and were equipped with boards provided by the Nine Schools Competition staff. Mari wore a green headband, representing her school's color, while Sona sported a mini ponytail held together by a blue ribbon.
Both contestants stood confidently and seriously on their boards. They didn't exchange words, having already greeted each other backstage. Mari waved to her fans, who responded with loud cheers, while Sona remained unconcerned with the fans she had attracted.
A blimp carrying a giant screen hovered above the venue, reminding the audience to quiet down as the race was about to start. With the sound of the countdown, both contestants readied themselves, and when it hit zero, they surged forward.
The audience erupted in excitement, eagerly awaiting something unexpected to happen. They didn't have to wait long. Sona manipulated the water, creating a thick wall in front of Mari, abruptly slowing her down just enough for Sona to leave her behind. But Sona didn't stop there—she continued manipulating the water around her, riding the waves all the way to the finish line.
After crossing the finish line, Sona waved to her cheering fans and, like Akeno before her, decided to show off. She created a giant water serpent and made it fly around the arena, much to the crowd's delight.
In the stands, Oreki sat with Akeno and Rias, watching the event unfold. Sona's peerage was seated elsewhere, not particularly concerned with their location. Oreki was only there because Rias had insisted that he be present to support her best friend.
"It's no surprise that Sona would win, so why did I even need to be here?" Oreki asked with a pout. He was a bit upset, as he had been looking forward to teasing Mayumi and seeing her cute reactions, especially after not seeing her for a day since that night.
"Is supporting your future wife a good enough reason to watch?" Rias asked with a playful smile.
"Really?" Oreki responded, raising an eyebrow.
"As far as I'm concerned, in terms of appearance alone, she already passes. I don't think Sona can find a better husband than you," Rias said, her tone laced with genuine concern.
Oreki turned his gaze to Sona, who was still in her wetsuit, which accentuated her small waist and modest bust. Her almost petite figure stirred certain thoughts in his mind, but he quickly pushed them aside when Akeno began massaging his thigh. He shot her a look, but Akeno just smiled back at him, unconcerned.
"Fine, I'll accept her, but she should be the one to approach me," Oreki finally said, conceding.
"No worries, she really wants it, especially after hearing Akeno's stories about your... escapades with her," Rias replied, licking her lips as she suddenly found herself aroused.
Oreki smiled, noticing how both of his girls were always ready and eager to do horny stuff. With that thought in mind, he stood up from his seat. "Let's go and get something to eat before we watch Minoru," he said, starting to walk back toward the hotel, with Rias and Akeno following closely behind.