"Humanity. I will grant you power. In return, you will have to decide in duels which of your actions are beyond compromise and which are right for both of you."
That was a little over sixty years ago.
At that time, humanity was in a state of tension known as the Cold War, and suddenly, a non-human being calling herself a goddess appeared before them.
The Goddess bestowed upon humanity a power called "Masquerade."
It is a power linked to magic, which during the Cold War was already considered a kind of trick or sleight of hand.
It is a technology that relies on magical power, an unstable but powerful force far too great for any one person to possess.
The Goddess encouraged people to settle disputes between countries, or between people, through duels using Masquerades.
By doing so, they hoped to prevent the end of the world while also reducing the number of people simply dying.
There was backlash and confusion... naturally.
One of the great powers at the time declared the Goddess to be a trickster pretending to be a god, and launched a unilateral attack...and as a result, the heads of all of its upper echelons were cut off.
Countries that did not recognize other gods rejected even technology, and were therefore trampled upon by countries that only accepted technology.
In a certain dictator's country, one of the dictator's subordinates killed the dictator in a duel, and the subordinate was also killed in a duel, leading to continued chaos.
Countries that did not follow the rules of the duel were destroyed by the goddess and her minions.
Those who looked for loopholes in the duel eventually found themselves isolated and with no choice but to bow their heads.
A leader who took a hardline approach in search of better duelists was brought down by those better duelists.
Many tribes were lost, caught in the crossfire by fools who misjudged the scales of the duel.
It is an indisputable fact that the technology brought about by the Goddess has caused many misfortunes.
However, there were many things that could be clearly stated as good.
The possibility of the world being destroyed by something as ridiculous as a nuclear war has become extremely low.
Thanks to their overseer, the Goddess, the villains had no choice but to lose their power.
A number of new technologies have been born from Masquerade's technology.
Although it was both a good and good thing, the discussion became murky because it was not made clear.
The world had clearly moved towards enlightenment.
And now.
People began to call those who used Masquerades in duels "Duellers."
It was believed that skilled duelists were a direct indication of a country's power and status, so securing and training duelists was a pressing need for every country.
For this reason, the country established an academy for duelists, where they would raise the young people who would carry the country's future on their shoulders.
■■■■■
"So, we were expected to become such excellent duelists that we ended up going from a middle school in the middle of nowhere to a huge academy located inside a city."
Today is April 1, 2024.
The location was in front of the gates of the National Duel Academy.
In my field of vision I could see a huge school building in the distance, along with a wide road continuing straight up to it, and a group of various buildings, including the dormitories.
This is the place I will be attending...no, this is the place I will be living in for the next three years.
"I would say, more like Naru-kun, I guess. I got a B-grade rating, so I don't think they have high expectations of me."
"No, just look at the other freshmen passing through the school gates. Everyone here is far smarter than me. I have a feeling that Suzu will end up becoming a better duelist than an idiot like me who was only accepted based on a Grade A rating."
He says his name and close friends call him Naru Green RiverNaruki
He was a person who was forced to attend the National Duel Academy for the sole reason that he received an A grade in the nationwide simultaneous examination in his third year of middle school in terms of the amount of magical power, something that is essential for controlling a Masquerade.
To be honest, I know that the only things I have to be proud of besides my magical power are my face and body, so I feel extremely out of place.
"So people have high hopes for Suzu too. Or rather, people in my hometown have high hopes for Suzu. That's for sure."
"I guess so... Hmm, I don't really care about anyone else's expectations other than Naru-kun, but if Naru-kun has high expectations of me, then I guess I'll try my best too."
Standing next to me is my childhood friend.
Her name and nickname is Suze Minasom Suzumi
Her snow-white hair that reached down to her chest and her purple eyes that looked as if they had been painted with bright paint, was something that would have been considered an inhuman combination of colors until a generation ago, but in our generation it's not that unusual.
According to the Goddess, the change in color was merely a result of adapting to magical power.
What's even more noteworthy is his intelligence.
I entered with only one magical power, but Suzu didn't have that much.
So, he studied hard, and from the thousands of people who were judged to have an A-level magical ability, he went through a war-like entrance exam to select those to enroll, and he had made it this far.
The sheer magnitude of effort required... was enough to make him feel a little scared.
"Well, there's no point in just staring at this forever, so let's move on."
"I agree"
We walk along the tree-lined path with cherry blossoms falling all around.
We head towards our destination, enjoying the scent and scenery, being careful not to slip on the cherry blossom petals.
"Well, first the new students go to the auditorium and take part in the entrance ceremony. After that they move to the Great Hall. There they receive their devices and do their first masquerade. Naru-kun is a Grade A student, so he'll be the first to do it in front of everyone."
"By first, do you mean together with the other Grade A judges?"
"No, it seems different. It really is the very beginning, as it says in this document. And Naru-kun, this was addressed to you, so you should read it yourself."
"There are too many words to explain... I know that if I leave this sort of thing to Suzu, she'll explain it in a more digestible way."
However, it's Suzu who will be leading the way, not me.
From our long-time acquaintance, I know very well that matters like this go better when left to Suzu.
So I continued walking, following behind Suzu...
"Eeek?!"
"Oh."
He turned around at the sudden sound of a woman's voice and reflexively reached out to support what he saw.
"Are you okay?"
"Um, ah, yes. Sorry. Ah, thank you."
There was a girl with flame red hair tied up in a ponytail, and flame red eyes staring in my direction.
Judging from her clothes, this girl seems to be a freshman just like us.
It appears that a combination of unfamiliar shoes, the cherry blossom petals, and the panic of running caused him to almost fall.
Luckily I happened to be there so I was able to support him.
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry, so I'll thank you later."
"No, it's fine. No need to thank me. I just happened to be there and did what I had to do."
"No, I can't say that... I'm sorry. I really don't have time, so I'll talk to you later."
The red-haired girl said that and ran off briskly.
I was worried that he would fall again, but even while he was running, I could hardly see his body moving, and it seemed that he had really just nearly fallen by accident.
That much should be fine.
"That person was really beautiful."
"Yeah. Not as good as me, but I think it's definitely above average."
"I love how confident you are about your appearance, Naru-kun."
And as the red-haired girl leaves, Suzu speaks up.
Furthermore, I am by no means conceited about my appearance.
Although it's true that there are personal preferences, if you ask 100 people, I'm sure 95 of them would say he's good-looking.
"Even so, why was that person in such a hurry? At our pace, we should be able to get to the auditorium before the entrance ceremony starts without any problems."
"There must be some kind of reason for that, right? Like, the family is already there or something."
"Maybe so? Maybe."
"It's not something we'd care about anyway."
We continued walking at our own pace and eventually arrived at the venue for the entrance ceremony... an auditorium as large as the gymnasium of a local junior high school.
So Suzu and I finished checking in and sat down as far back as we could in the seats reserved for new students.
This is because I'm a big guy and I know that sitting at the front would cause trouble.
Even if that wasn't the case, compared to the other freshmen, I was one of the less motivated ones.
It would be best for him to just stay in the background and stay still.
So, naturally, Suzu sat next to me.
"Is it okay to sit next to you?"
"Please, I don't mind."
"Then please excuse me for sitting next to him."
"Yes, yes. Nice to meet you."
Soon, a blonde girl with a strange accent appeared sitting next to Suzu.
Furthermore, a petite girl with bright red eyes and black hair sat down in the seat next to him.
Soon after, it was time for the entrance ceremony to begin.