A short distance from the athletes' entrance to the arena, Yugen stood watching Shizuku at the shooting range, her focus a quiet counterpoint to the buzzing crowd. A familiar presence approached, but he kept his eyes on her, murmuring, "Tatsuya, all set on your side?"
"Things wrapped up early," Tatsuya replied, his voice calm but carrying an edge of satisfaction.
Tatsuya had apparently finished tuning Emi and Kazumi's gear ahead of schedule, giving him time to check on Shizuku before her event. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "About yesterday's Women's Battle Board incident… what's your read on it?"
"Someone was gunning for the committee chair, no question," Yugen said, his tone measured but sharp. "If other factors hadn't forced a withdrawal, it'd have been last year's accident all over again—same timing, same setup."
Without Mika's lessons on basic techniques or the "Blitz Drift" maneuver, the crash would've played out like a script. For the Rookie Battle Board event, Tatsuya had pivoted, opting to deploy Honoka's Silver Blossom series from the qualifiers onward. With Azusa overseeing the Women's Battle Board, nothing would slip through.
"Might just be a precaution," Yugen added, "but we should double-down on CAD checks for Mirage Bat. Starting Silver Blossom in both qualifiers and the main event should cover us."
"That's the most practical play," Tatsuya agreed. "We'll need to watch Monolith Code closely too."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Yugen said, nodding.
Shizuku took her stance.
The signal lights blazed, and with a surge of magic, Shizuku unleashed her spell.
Clays launched at the starting signal, shattering the instant they entered the scoring zone. Shizuku didn't aim—she simply stood, her magic enveloping the space. Visualization magic made the spectacle clear even to the spectators in the stands.
"That's some bold magic!" someone gasped.
"Is she… targeting the entire scoring zone?" another voice asked, awestruck.
"Exactly," came the response. "Shizuku's using a vibration spell to crush every target in the zone."
More precisely, she wasn't singling out objects. She'd set a six-meter spherical destruction field to cover the fifteen-meter cubic scoring zone, using vibration waves to disrupt any solid matter within, controlled with surgical precision. In Speed Shooting, the stage—distance from shooter to scoring zone—stayed constant from qualifiers to finals, even in the tournament. Only the clay paths varied slightly. This let Shizuku treat the stage as a fixed constant, streamlining her spell without juggling variables.
Power and duration were fixed too. She triggered her magic at set points, pulling the trigger in her mind to cast exactly where needed. Continuous and multi-casting flowed seamlessly.
Her spell, "Active Air Mine," paired with a qualifier-specific CAD, was Tatsuya's design. For the finals, Yugen had crafted two upgraded CADs and two refined activation sequences—a three-tiered strategy only possible with his hardware mastery. Tatsuya's lips twitched into a sly grin. "You're really planning to pull one over on Cardinal George, aren't you?"
The plan had been shared with Suzune, who'd given her approval. She was explaining the spell to the third-years and Tōya.
"It's called 'Active Air Mine,' Tatsuya's original," Suzune said. "It's a complex sequence, but Shizuku's processing speed makes it possible."
"It's the inverse of Mayumi's approach," a third-year noted.
"How do they even dream this stuff up?" Mayumi muttered, half in awe, half exasperated.
Yugen and Tatsuya's ingenuity left her mildly stunned. What kind of minds concocted spells like that?
The trial ended—perfect score, not a single miss.
Ami, as if struck by a thought, turned to Tōya. "Didn't you practice some shooting spells too?"
"Yeah, but they're just copies of others' work," Tōya said, shrugging.
For the qualifiers, Tōya planned to use "Arithmetic Chain," a spell Third High's team had been seen using, per scouting reports. They, of course, had no clue Tōya was borrowing it.
"Good work," Yugen said, handing Shizuku a towel as she stepped off the range, his voice warm but grounded. Engineers handled tech support, but his gesture felt almost managerial—a line he crossed without overthinking.
"Kind of underwhelming," Shizuku said, her tone flat but betraying a flicker of relief. She didn't bother hiding her quiet thrill at clearing the qualifiers.
The rookie qualifier cutoff was around 80% accuracy—about 80 clays hit. A perfect 100, though, all but guaranteed advancement unless eight others matched it, an unlikely feat.
"There was a chance for a blind spot, but it worked out," Yugen said.
"You and Tatsuya are such worrywarts," Shizuku teased, a faint smile breaking through. "That's a bit too paranoid, even for you."
Her jab drew a half-smile. A clay path forcing a redo would've been a disaster for the organizers. Tatsuya's strategy had accounted for even that slim chance, making the lack of issues a quiet victory.
"Should we start finals prep?" Yugen asked. "Though Third High's Jūnanaya is up first in Block B. Want to check it out?"
"Yeah, I'm curious," Shizuku agreed.
Leaving her CAD in the secured locker room, they headed out. Honoka, Miyuki, Erika, and Mizuki joined to congratulate Shizuku.
"Congrats on advancing!" Honoka said brightly.
"Thanks, Honoka. But it's mostly Tatsuya and Yugen's doing," Shizuku replied.
"I just played backup," Yugen said, waving it off. "Tatsuya set the stage." He glanced around. "Where're Leo and Mikihiko?"
"Sent them for drinks," Erika said, unfazed.
Mizuki added, "Leo griped about being bossed around, but Mikihiko went to keep things civil."
Erika's casual authority marked her as the group's unspoken leader.
"Oh, and Yugen, thank you!" Honoka said, her voice warm.
"Don't mention it," he replied, catching her meaning. Miyuki's bright mood hinted at Yugen's role in smoothing things over. Shizuku, sensing the subtext, stayed quiet as the Block B announcement drew them to the venue.
They nabbed seats in the crowded stands, likely packed for Third High's competitor. Honoka noticed an empty seat between her and Shizuku, puzzling over it until Tatsuya appeared. Her cheeks flushed.
"Open seat?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, go ahead," she stammered.
Tatsuya sat, missing her fluster. He noticed her tension but, before he could speak, the trial's buzzer cut through, silencing them.
Third High's first-year, Shiori Jūnanaya—known by another surname in middle school—had made her mark with "Libre Épée." Her skill, overshadowed by the "Lightning Éclair" in her region, was underestimated by most.
Her trial began.
Shiori shattered the first clay with a vibration spell, then used movement magic to sling its fragments at incoming targets, breaking them. Those fragments hit others in a cascading chain, executed across multiple lines simultaneously. Her "Arithmetic Chain," powered by uncanny spatial awareness and processing, set the crowd ablaze.
"Tatsuya, could that spell make the Magic Index?" Honoka asked.
"No," he said. "It's tied to her spatial awareness. But her approach—refining a unique skill—points to Kanazawa Magic Research Institute training."
"Exactly," Yugen agreed, drawing on his time at the Third Institute. Kanazawa, built on the First Institute's grounds, likely continued its "organic interference" research, including human experiments, despite the ban.
"You know a lot," Honoka said.
"I trained there a few times," Yugen admitted. "Their top-tier programs felt… lacking, though." His parents had erased the data to hide his abilities, explaining why Crimson Prince didn't know his strength. He'd met Airi and Shiori there, the latter suggesting they could be friends.
"But with Crimson Prince, Cardinal George, Lightning Éclair, and her, Third High's lineup is practically cheating for a high school event," Yugen said, half-laughing.
"I caught some weird nicknames, but I agree," Tatsuya said.
"You two don't get to talk," Miyuki teased, her smile sharp.
Their banter tied back to past ties—like Yugen's exchanges with Shōki's sister Akane or his connection to Crimson Prince. With Yugen and Tatsuya keeping low profiles in middle school, Miyuki found their gripes about Third High's dominance ironic.
"Time for finals prep," Yugen said, standing. "I've got CADs to check. Good luck, Tatsuya."
"You too," Tatsuya replied.
Yugen and Shizuku left the stands, heading off to prepare for the finals.