Feeling uneasy, Tatsuya cuts lunch short and heads to the Battle Board venue, Miyuki trailing behind.
"Shiba-kun, what's up?" Azusa asks, tilting her head like a curious animal. No need to arrive so early just to watch.
"Tatsuya-san's escaping," Shizuku explains.
"Escaping?" Azusa's head tilts further.
"He's overthinking," Miyuki says.
"But it fired her up, so it's fine," Shizuku adds.
"I see," Azusa nods, giving Tatsuya a mix of admiration and pity.
"I could've gone back to the dorms, but I figured I'd help out," Tatsuya offers.
"Really?!" Not Azusa, but Honoka, who'd been quiet, leaps forward. "Please check my CAD!"
Influenced by Tatsuya, Honoka now calls it a "CAD" instead of "assistance." Her eager approach nearly makes him laugh, but he reins it in, sternly saying, "Honoka, that's rude to Nakajou-senpai."
His gentle tone is rare. Honoka, flustered, bows repeatedly to Azusa. "Sorry!"
"It's fine, I know you didn't mean it," Azusa says with an oddly mature tone, prompting stifled giggles from Shizuku and Miyuki. Tatsuya barely holds it together.
Before the race, Tatsuya whispers something to Honoka, unnoticed by Miyuki and Shizuku, who miss their chance to ask. Azusa, puzzled by the dark goggles Tatsuya hands Honoka, asks, "Why so many optical sequences?"
The goggles, limiting visibility, seem pointless—almost a hindrance—in Battle Board. Azusa can't grasp Tatsuya's plan.
"Rules ban direct magical interference with players, but not indirect interference via the water's surface," he explains, handing Azusa matching goggles with a sly grin. Miyuki and Shizuku are baffled, but the reason becomes clear at the start.
As the sixth race begins, the water surface flares blindingly, like a flashbang. Spectators avert their eyes. One player falls into the water, others lose balance and slow, but one surges ahead—Honoka.
"Nice," Tatsuya mutters, satisfied.
Azusa stares, stunned. "That's your strategy?" Miyuki asks, removing her sunglasses, her tone incredulous.
"It's within the rules, but…" Shizuku trails off, her voice tinged with disapproval, sensing it borders on unfair.
No yellow flag for unsportsmanlike conduct or red flag for disqualification appears. The committee deems Honoka's magic and Tatsuya's tactic legal.
"People focus on waves or whirlpools when thinking of surface interference, but the rules allow any magical effect on the water. Boiling or freezing it is too dangerous, but a flash? I'm surprised it hasn't been used before," Tatsuya says.
Blinded without warning, opponents can't recover vision quickly enough for the winding course. Honoka's lead is decisive.
Watching via monitor, Mayumi, Mori, and Rin analyze Honoka's magic without flinching, unlike the crowd.
"It's over," Mori says.
"Who came up with that?" Mayumi asks.
"Shiba-kun," Rin replies.
"But he's not assigned to this event," Mayumi says, tilting her head.
"Honoka proposed the strategy, but Tatsuya designed the plan and sequence lineup," Rin clarifies.
"He keeps outdoing himself," Mori mutters, almost irritated.
"What's wrong? You seem grumpy," Mayumi notes.
Mori stays silent, her feelings clear. Mayumi muses, "Ingenuity matters, as the master says."
Mori's clearly irked at being outsmarted. Her pride in versatile techniques makes this sting.
"No one's thought of this in nine years. It's impressive," Rin says.
"I'm impressed, and that's why it's annoying," Mori admits, begrudgingly jealous.
"It's a one-time trick, though. What about the finals?" Mayumi wonders.
Mori scoffs, "No need to worry. He's planned for that."
"It's a setup for the next match," Rin confirms.
Mayumi and Mori, reassured by Rin's confidence in Tatsuya's foresight, grow eager for his next move.
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