The Women's Rookie Speed Shooting semifinals kicked off with First High's Shizuku Kitayama facing Third High's Shiori Jūnanaya in the first match. As the signal lights blazed, clays launched into the air. Shizuku shattered them with "Active Air Mine," while Shiori countered with "Arithmetic Chain," each spell a flurry of calculated destruction.
"They're keeping pace, as expected," Yugen murmured, his eyes fixed on the range. "But it's all going according to plan."
Shiori held a slight lead, but Yugen and Tatsuya had anticipated this. Their strategy accounted for the first minute mirroring the quarterfinals' activation sequence.
"Still, it's clear she's only countering 'Active Air Mine,'" Yugen noted, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
Shizuku's general-purpose CAD, loaded with the nine activation sequences from the quarterfinals, also housed fifty-six new ones for a spell dubbed "Surround Air Mine." While rooted in the same concept as "Active Air Mine," this variant layered convergence magic onto the clays Shizuku destroyed, using multi-cast movement and weight magic to blast apart her opponent's fragments. Movement magic alone could've sufficed, but the added weight magic ensured "Arithmetic Chain" was suppressed by introducing fixed-speed interference.
As planned, Shizuku shifted gears, her scoring pace surging. A flicker of panic crossed Shiori's face.
(Shizuku's not known for fine control, Yugen thought, but that spell's holding up, even improvised as it is.)
The general-purpose CAD could hold up to ninety-nine activation sequences, leaving over a third unused. Those thirty-one slots weren't idle—they powered auxiliary magic for "Surround Air Mine." A targeting assist system, integrated via the CAD's communication function into the head-mounted display (HMD) in Shizuku's goggles, used perception magic to track red clay distribution and predict trajectories. The data was processed mechanically, feeding optimal variables to Shizuku's magic calculation zone. For competition purposes, the variables were minimal, but the system was a game-changer.
Perception magic demanded exceptional spatial awareness, a hurdle for most. Yugen's solution was simple: let the user trigger the spell while the machine handled fine variable adjustments. The idea stemmed from the time-recorder function in general-purpose gravity-control devices, like flight magic tech. Regulatory limits made it a long shot, but Yugen saw magic as a means to "make the impossible real." He'd turned to the Idea—the dimension of information bodies—for answers.
Magic rewrote individual Eidos to alter reality. Yugen's innovation had the Eidos itself compute spell variables. For "Surround Air Mine," a "marker" was applied to designated points, generating a vibration-destruction field in that area. The marker's interference required minimal effort, and Yugen had ensured Shizuku's strain was kept to a minimum.
The perception magic, adapted from the Index for Shizuku, was pre-installed, and the auxiliary magic's activation and termination conditions were fixed constants, freeing Shizuku from manual control. The approach borrowed a sliver of "Chain Cast" tech from the strategic-class spell "Tuman Bomba," but precautions ensured it went unnoticed.
With "Active Air Mine" and "Surround Air Mine" stealing the spotlight, few would notice Shizuku's perception magic through her goggles. Visualization processing accounted for potential analysis, covering their tracks.
Yugen's gaze returned to the range. Shiori's "Arithmetic Chain" was visibly faltering. Maybe we overdid it, he thought, then muttered, "It's just a response to their declaration of war."
"Game over," he said under his breath.
Shizuku shattered her hundredth clay, ending the match. The score: 100–61. Not bad at all. Shizuku returned with a rare smile. The third-place match and finals loomed, but Shiori's mental state looked shaky.
As feared, Shiori faltered in the third-place match against Kazumi, racking up uncharacteristic errors to finish fourth. Kazumi secured third. The finals pitted Shizuku against Emi, with Shizuku boldly declaring war—a challenge Emi accepted, setting the stage for a chaotic clash.
"What… is this?" Yugen muttered, stunned.
"I'd like to know myself," Tatsuya replied, equally baffled.
Emi wielded a custom shotgun-type CAD, tailored for the Nine Schools Competition based on her usual model. Designed for her unique magic traits, it wasn't commercially available. Magic engineering firms often leaned into their region's magical tendencies, much like cultural products reflected local customs. Yugen had built Emi's CAD from a base model sourced from the Goldie family's EU manufacturer, crafted through FLT's workshop. Tatsuya had developed her activation sequence, with Yugen refining it slightly.
The result? A relentless magical duel unfolded on the range, leaving Yugen and Tatsuya speechless at the chaos they'd unleashed. "What's happening?" was all they could muster—not words you'd expect from the masterminds behind it. Anyone privy to their role would've scoffed, "You don't get to say that."
The final score: 100–96. Shizuku claimed victory, Emi took second.
By noon, First High's tent buzzed with elation. Mayumi was gleefully smacking Tatsuya's back—not hard, but enough to make him grimace more from annoyance than pain. Yugen, catching the vibe, stepped in. "President, Tatsuya's not thrilled. I get you're excited, but maybe ease up?"
"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Mayumi laughed. "But why're you keeping your distance, Yugen?"
"Because getting tackled with a hug in front of everyone invites unnecessary rumors," he said dryly.
When Yugen, Tatsuya, and the first-year girls returned to the tent, Mayumi had thrown herself at Yugen without hesitation, souring Shizuku's mood. Ami had pried her off, and Yugen kept his distance while talking.
"Anyway," Mayumi said, moving on, "Shizuku, Emi, Kazumi—you were all incredible! Well done!"
The girls chorused, "Thank you!" Sweeping the top three spots in one event was a triumph. Yugen and Tatsuya's engineering underpinned it, but with Yugen set to assist Tōya that afternoon, he grabbed a quick meal in the tent—courtesy of Miyuki, naturally.
The praise naturally gravitated toward Tatsuya. "The athletes earned the ranks, not me," he deflected. "Yugen deserves credit too."
"Of course," Mayumi said. "Your engineering was key to this sweep. We all see it."
"Yugen's skill is obvious from my results," Shizuku added, "but Tatsuya did most of the prep for my win."
"I still can't believe it," Kazumi said.
"It's like my magic suddenly got better," Emi added, laughing.
Shizuku nodded. Then Suzune dropped a bombshell: the Magic University was considering "Active Air Mine" for the Index. Tatsuya glanced at Yugen. "What's your take?"
"I'd say no," Yugen replied. "If they push, maybe the bare minimum."
"Why?" Shizuku asked, surprised. "It's an honor to be in the Index."
Yugen hesitated, not wanting to dampen the mood. "Lots of reasons, but mainly I don't want copycats tarnishing 'Active Air Mine's' reputation."
"Tarnishing its reputation?" Tatsuya pressed. "What's the real concern?"
"Family matters, mostly," Yugen said vaguely. "Let's just say I'm wary of it being seen as something anyone can use."
The Mitsuya family's ties to the defense forces made registering "Active Air Mine" risky without precautions. Magic's military implications were unavoidable, and the university's investigative reach was formidable. Yugen could handle being linked to the Mitsuya, but exposing Tatsuya's Yotsuba ties was a nonstarter. If the university insisted, they'd register it anonymously—developer unknown, a common Index practice. Gōzō had already signed off on this.
"Let's not sour the moment," Yugen said, standing. "I've got afternoon prep. Cool if I head out?"
"Sure, keep it up!" Mayumi replied.
Yugen judged that "Surround Air Mine" passed as a variant of "Active Air Mine," dodging scrutiny. A later university request was brushed off with, "Get the Uesugi family's permission first." He headed to the arena, thinking, Pride could fund a lifetime, if only it were that simple.
The First High women's sweep in Rookie Speed Shooting sent ripples through the other schools, especially Third High, which had aimed to dominate. In their meeting room, seventeen team members gathered, minus Airi, Shiori, and Kuzuko—the latter preparing for Women's Battle Board, while Airi tended to a shaken Shiori, holed up after her loss.
"Is First High's win just their skill?" a male student asked, eyes on Shōki.
"Shizuku and Emi's magic is top-tier," Shōki said, "but Kazumi didn't strike me as exceptional."
"Shiori's fourth-place finish stings, despite the semifinals," another added.
"My miscalculation played a part," Shōki admitted. "I didn't expect that strategy. Analyzing 'Active Air Mine' led me to rule out a general-purpose CAD, given its scale and speed."
"Forget that," Crimson Prince cut in. "Battle Board's ours so far—two men and two women through qualifiers. First High's got one each. Their first-years aren't that elite."
The others nodded, unaware of Yugen and Tōya's untested strength, a blind spot born of their low middle-school profiles.