The following day marked the fourth day of the Nine School Competition. News quickly spread among the event staff that some of their colleagues, who had been imprisoned, were killed by an unknown assailant. This revelation caused widespread panic among the staff, who feared they might be the next targets. Their anxiety affected their ability to serve the students, leading to frustration and complaints from the participants. Curious and concerned, some students asked the staff about their unease, and the information leaked out, sparking further panic among the students.
To quell the rising fears, Kudou Retsu, the Chairman of the Magic Association, addressed the situation publicly. He explained that the murdered staff members were criminals colluding with an organization aiming to disrupt the competition. The organization, fearing exposure, decided to eliminate them. Retsu warned that anyone involved in similar schemes would face severe consequences, though the Association would handle imprisonment, leaving other dangers to those they had betrayed. He urged everyone to continue as usual, reassuring them that the Association would protect them, emphasizing their role as the future of the Magic Community.
His speech brought relief and cheers from the students and staff, but the more astute students sensed something was amiss and advised their peers to remain cautious.
At the First High School camp, Mayumi addressed her fellow students, urging them to protect themselves, especially at night, and to stay within the hotel premises if they couldn't ensure their safety. The students nodded in agreement, already having plans to stay in their rooms under the watchful eye of the Magic Association's guards.
"Onii-sama, is this related to the previous attack you mentioned the other day?" Miyuki asked, recalling the earlier incident involving the No Head Dragon and the exploding cars, which had been disguised as accidents rather than acts of terror.
Tatsuya nodded. "After Kyouka-san spoke with Kudou-san last night, he revealed that someone from the staff tried to tamper with his CAD... Actually, he allowed them to tamper with it so he could catch them in the act and apprehend them directly," he explained.
"But why?" Miyuki asked, her curiosity piqued.
"They wanted to implant a virus that would cause the user to cast magic incorrectly, making it look like an accident or placing the blame on the user," Tatsuya elaborated.
Miyuki's eyes widened as she recalled a morning show where Four Leaves Technology (4LT) had warned students to thoroughly check their CADs to prevent accidents or malfunctions. "Does 4LT know about this tampering scheme that the No Head Dragon planned?" she asked, seeking confirmation from her brother.
"Yes, 4LT—or more specifically, our mother—is aware. Aunt Maya, too. They received this information directly from the Chairman," Tatsuya confirmed. 4LT is owned by the Yotsuba family and run by their mother as a proxy. The company used to be managed by their father, but after he cheated on their mother, he was removed from his position and had his memory erased of all knowledge about the Yotsuba family's connection to 4LT. Ironically, if he had sought permission for his infidelity, the outcome might have been different.
"Mother and Aunt really seem determined to maintain order at the 9SC and prevent any disruptions," Miyuki remarked before adding, "This is related to him, isn't it?"
Tatsuya nodded in agreement. "In fact, the information about the No Head Dragon's attempted tampering with the CADs came from him."
"So we won't know his true origins until they come here," Miyuki said, to which Tatsuya nodded.
Just then, they heard someone calling their names. The Shiba siblings turned to see Mayumi approaching, waving at them. Miyuki also noticed Mayumi's sisters, Izumi and Kasumi, trailing behind.
"Saegusa-senpai," Tatsuya greeted her with a polite bow.
"Just call me Mayumi," she replied, playfully pouting.
"Mayumi-san, do you need something from us?" Miyuki asked with a smile, subtly stopping Mayumi from flirting with her beloved Onii-sama.
"We're about to have a meeting to discuss our future game plan to catch up with Second High," Mayumi said seriously. However, when she mentioned Second High, memories of the previous night flashed in her mind—memories she had tried and failed to forget.
Tatsuya and Miyuki nodded, ready to proceed to the First High tent, but Kasumi suddenly blocked their way.
Kasumi looked directly into Tatsuya's eyes. "Are you the guy my sister has been obsessed with?" she asked seriously, arms crossed.
Tatsuya was confused, but Mayumi instinctively shouted, "He's not the guy!" She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late; her outburst confirmed Kasumi's suspicions that a guy was involved in why Mayumi was unwell the other day. Despite this, Kasumi chose not to pursue more details and remained quiet.
Izumi, on the other hand, realized the implication as she covered her mouth in shock. She exchanged a glance with Kasumi, silently asking if she knew more, to which Kasumi shook her head.
Seeing this silent exchange, Mayumi tried to explain further. "I don't like that guy!" she insisted, trying to distance herself from the situation, but only managed to dig herself deeper.
"Of course, Sister, we believe you," Izumi said with a strained smile.
"Though we didn't ask, we believe you," Kasumi added in a flat tone. The twins decided they needed to meet this guy, suspecting that their sister might be in love with him. They felt it was their duty to confirm if he was worthy of being their sister's husband; if not, they would inform their father of this revelation.
"It's true, I don't like that guy!" Mayumi shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Yes, yes," Kasumi and Izumi responded, pushing Mayumi toward the First High tent while she continued to protest and dig herself deeper into the situation.
Tatsuya and Miyuki exchanged a look before following them toward the tent.
---
The featured event today was the Ice Pillar Break, also known as Icicle Destruction. In this game, two players stand on four-meter-high towers, defending twelve ice pillars within a twelve-meter-square area while attempting to destroy the twelve pillars in the opponent's field.
The competition is purely magical, with no physical contact required, allowing players to wear whatever they wish, as long as it "Does Not Offend Public Order or Morals." In recent years, the Women's Pillar Break has even become a sort of fashion show. It is one of the two events where lethal spells are permitted due to the non-combative nature of the sport, the other being Speed Shooting.
The finals of the Men's Ice Pillar Break were particularly anticipated. The seats were already filled well before the event began, with the audience more excited than for previous games. This was a high-stakes clash between the heirs of the Juumonji and Kudou families.
Both players emerged from opposite ends of the arena, standing atop their four-meter platforms. Unlike some previous competitors, they chose to wear their school uniforms rather than engaging in any fashion displays or cosplay. It seemed they wanted to maintain their dignity and avoid any accusations of participating in something considered "feminine" in their society. Can't fault them they live in a society.
"Based on my calculations, if Juumonji loses, there's a high chance we'll be fighting hard—not for First Place, but for Second Place in the 9SC," Suzune said.
"You didn't consider the possibility of Second High taking first place in all the events?" Mayumi asked.
Suzune nodded. "Yes, in that scenario, we're almost guaranteed to be fighting for Second Place in the other events," she said in a flat tone, though deep down, she felt disappointed that their school might not continue its winning streak.
The Student Council group, except for Miyuki, sighed collectively.
The screen began counting down, and when it reached zero, Juumonji Katsuto activated his family's special magic, Phalanx, to protect his ice pillars. Phalanx is a Move-Type Defensive Magic that isn't just a sustained barrier but a barrier that continuously renews itself. It's like a dense formation of heavy infantry, moving as one to enhance the group's defensive power, which then transitions into offense. If the initial barrier falters, the next one immediately replaces it, continuing infinitely. The barriers move within set boundaries and can be launched at high speeds toward the enemy. Phalanx is also impermeable to gas and can resist temperatures exceeding 20,000°C.
However, Phalanx has a weakness: it doesn't protect against illusions or mental-type attacks. In other words, Minoru is a natural counter to the Juumonji Family. Before Katsuto could fully deploy Phalanx to protect his pillars, Minoru used Parade to interfere with Katsuto's senses, preventing him from properly utilizing Phalanx.
Katsuto managed to cast Phalanx, but instead of protecting the pillars, it was misaligned and far above its intended position.
Minoru then attacked with Lightning Spark, a technique he copied from Akeno, targeting one of Katsuto's ice pillars. Although he could have used an AOE (Area of Effect) Lightning Spark, he chose not to, wanting to showcase his dominance in front of the world. He waited for Katsuto to strike, and it didn't take long.
Katsuto used the Phalanx barrier as a projectile, attempting to attack Minoru's ice pillars. However, just as he failed to protect his own pillars, he missed his target as Minoru used Parade again.
This exchange continued for a while, causing the Juumonji Family, who were watching at home, to cringe in embarrassment, seeing themselves in Katsuto's current position.
The Old Head of the Kudou Family watched from his hotel room, smiling.
Minoru decided not to further embarrass Katsuto and unleashed the AOE Lightning Spark on the ice pillars. With a thunderous sound, eleven of Katsuto's ice pillars exploded into chunks.
Minoru's fangirls cheered loudly, showering him with praise.
Meanwhile, at the same time as the Men's Finals, the Women's Finals were also underway.
Akeno, the Priestess of Lightning, was set to battle First High's representative, Chiyoda Kanon.
"How prepared is she?" Tatsuya asked Kei, a handsome youth with a delicate, androgynous appearance and a slender figure. If he swapped his slacks for a dress, he could easily be mistaken for a tall schoolgirl. His hairstyle was also unisex.
"She said she's going to take revenge on Saegusa-senpai and Watanabe-senpai's behalf," Kei replied, scratching his cheek. "I just hope she doesn't take it too hard if she loses," he added with a gentle smile.
"Well, if she does, you can always comfort her after the game," Miyuki said with a smile.
Kei nodded in agreement; it was, after all, his duty as Kanon's fiancé.
Akeno and Chiyoda emerged from opposite ends of the arena. As explained earlier, the women could dress however they liked, as long as it didn't violate the moral code.
Kanon had short, dark purple hair with sharp bangs that fell more to her right side than her left. She had fair skin and bluish-gray eyes. For the match, she wore a T-shirt with green sleeves and a black sleeveless open vest, paired with wristbands on both hands and blue shorts.
Akeno, on the other hand, was dressed in her traditional Miko outfit.
When the signal to start was given, Kanon was the first to strike, using vibration magic on one of Akeno's ice pillars. However, Akeno was determined to achieve a perfect and flawless victory. She countered Kanon's attack by using metal magic to coat the ice pillar with liquid metal, similar to how Haki is used to strengthen objects.
Kanon and the audience were shocked by Akeno's move; they had assumed her specialty was lightning-based attacks.
"She's coating it with liquid metal before hardening it," Tatsuya observed after analyzing the properties using Elemental Sight.
"So, lightning isn't her only innate ability?" Miyuki remarked.
"I have a theory about her innate magic, but we'll have to wait and see," Tatsuya replied. They didn't have to wait long, as Akeno soon used another form of Elemental Magic.
A red magic circle appeared beneath Kanon's twelve ice pillars, and a tornado of fire began to spin. The intense heat from the flames was palpable even from the distance where Tatsuya, Kei, and Miyuki were watching. They couldn't imagine what Kanon and Akeno were feeling in the midst of it.
"Kanon!" Kei shouted in concern. He was about to rush to the arena, but Tatsuya stopped him, pointing at Kanon, who seemed completely fine—she wasn't even sweating despite the flames in front of her.
"Someone's protecting her," Tatsuya said. Kei, still worried, looked at Kanon, who had a look of disbelief as she watched her ice pillars slowly melt.
"By who?" Kei asked, but Tatsuya didn't answer. Instead, he glanced toward the other side of the glass viewing platform where they were standing. There, he saw Oreki, who was watching the game with a smile. When Oreki noticed Tatsuya looking at him, he returned the gaze and winked.
As the last of Kanon's ice pillars melted completely, Akeno was declared the winner!