After a systematic review, Mahiro finally remembered what the so-called Nine Schools Competition was.
The Nine Schools Competition, officially known as the [National Magic High School Goodwill Tournament of Magic Skills], was essentially a team competition between the affiliated high schools of the first to ninth National Magic Universities.
Every year, over a hundred carefully selected magic high school students from nine schools across the country gathered in one place, staking their pride and honor on a stage of glory and defeat.
And those in attendance—
Were not just magic-related professionals, but also many spectators, making it a dazzling showcase for magic high school students.
"So, this is one of this year's Nine Schools Competition events—'Mirage Bat'?"
Inside Kyuuchouji Temple.
Miyuki, clad in her Spirit Dance attire, darted back and forth under the pitch-black night sky.
Meanwhile, Mahiro and Tatsuya sat on the cold floor of Kyuuchouji Temple, gazing up at Miyuki as she practiced.
In response to his question, Tatsuya nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. This is one of the events Miyuki signed up for."
In the Nine Schools Competition, each school could register up to three participants per event, with each competitor limited to a maximum of two events.
Miyuki had signed up for "Mirage Bat" and "Ice Pillar Break."
Both suited her perfectly.
"Don't you need to practice? If you do, I can ask the instructor to arrange something for you."
It was rare for Tatsuya to initiate conversation, but Mahiro waved his hand dismissively.
"No, no, it's not necessary."
And indeed, it wasn't.
Because his selection as a participant in the Nine Schools Competition had been entirely against his will.
That hulking Juumonji Katsuto, invoking the authority of the Ten Master Clans, had forced him to make a name for himself in the competition—even going so far as to assign him the two most suitable events:
"Speed Shooting" and "Ice Pillar Break."
Other events had restrictions on the lethality of magic, prohibiting anything above A-rank, but these two had no such limitations.
So rather than bother with tedious practice, Mahiro preferred to inspect his new CAD.
He pulled over a sealed case and opened it right in front of Tatsuya.
Nestled neatly within the black foam were three items—
A black pistol, an equally black dagger, and a silver ring.
When Tatsuya saw the ring, his brow furrowed slightly.
'A relic…'
Relics were artifacts crafted with technology so advanced that even modern science couldn't replicate them, hence the grandiose name.
And this ring-shaped relic was one Tatsuya recognized.
There were no records of it, no name.
He only remembered it being sealed deep within the Yotsuba main house, with his aunt decreeing that no one was to touch or even approach it.
Yet now, it had been packaged alongside a newly manufactured CAD and delivered to Mahiro.
Tatsuya couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind this.
Mahiro, however, didn't notice Tatsuya's reaction. He picked up the pistol and swung it around a few times, testing its feel.
"Mm, not bad at all! The weight and length are just right, and the grip is comfortable. But the real kicker is that they managed to fit an aiming assist system onto a general-purpose CAD—without sacrificing speed or precision compared to a specialized model. It's practically perfect!"
"...Hey, Tatsuya, this is your handiwork, isn't it?"
"No, not entirely," Tatsuya replied. "The overall design was done by Director Ushiyama. It's named 'Nightmare,' but since my aunt was in a hurry, it was sent to me for some minor adjustments."
"Though I didn't expect it to reach you so quickly."
"Ah, it just arrived this morning."
Mahiro couldn't resist fiddling with the two CADs.
There was no denying it—products jointly developed by Taurus Silver (Director Ushiyama of Yotsuba Technology and Shiba Tatsuya) were impeccable in both quality and design.
And the name "Nightmare" wasn't half bad, was it?
At least it was better than that pair of silver clusters Tatsuya used, whatever they were supposed to mean.
But then Mahiro added, "Oh, right. This case was delivered first thing this morning—by Yuuka-nee."
Hearing the name Yuuka, Tatsuya froze for a moment, an image of a black-haired, short-haired lady flashing through his mind.
Yuuka, full name Tsukuba Yuuka, was the eldest daughter of the Tsukuba family—a branch house of the Yotsuba. Like Miyuki, she was one of the candidates to inherit the Yotsuba family and was highly skilled in mental interference magic.
If it was just about delivering a CAD, surely they wouldn't need to send someone like her, right?
Not just Tatsuya, even Mahiro had been startled at the time.
The moment he opened the door, he saw that big sister with her short black hair, greeting him warmly with a kind smile.
However, what Yuuka brought wasn't just a CAD—she also brought along a monitor dispatched by the Yotsuba main family.
A young girl.
A cute beauty with purplish-red hair cropped just past her ears, with thin braids hanging down to her shoulders from her temples. The only thing was, her expression was a little too calm.
But that did nothing to diminish her striking looks.
"How... could it be you? Sakurai Minami."
Mahiro felt no desire to admire the beauty before him—his eyelids were practically twitching.
She looked...
Way too similar.
She looked exactly like Sakurai Honami, who had passed away in Okinawa a few years ago. It was like she had been carved from the same mold!
She was also one of the masterpieces of the Fourth Research Institute.
A second-generation adjusted magician from the "Sakura" series—Sakurai Honami's niece.
If the Shiba siblings saw her, they'd definitely be shocked...
No, Tatsuya probably wouldn't react like that.
But Miyuki? She'd definitely be terrified.
When his gaze met her amber eyes, the girl grew visibly nervous.
Especially under his stare—she seemed a little flustered, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
First, they inexplicably made him go to school. Then, they inexplicably made him neighbors with Miyuki. And now, they inexplicably sent a beautiful girl to monitor him...
Yotsuba Maya, just what are you trying to do?
Mahiro sighed, giving up on thinking, and dialed Maya's number.
But the answer he got from that old woman was even more absurd.
First, she said:
"My, my, living next to Miyuki, going to school together every day, and now sharing a home with a beautiful girl—aren't you happy?"
Then she added:
"Though you're an adjusted magician from the Fourth Research Institute, you're still my child. Producing high-quality heirs for the Yotsuba family is also your duty."
"As for Sakurai Minami, she's only a monitor in name. As a genetic specimen, she's quite excellent, you know."
"Originally, she was raised to be Miyuki's guardian. Her latent abilities are nearly on par with the Saegusa twins."
"If you refuse to accept her, I'm sure Miyuki and Tatsuya won't turn her away."
This old woman...
Oh, so you want to use my DNA to continue the Yotsuba bloodline, even going so far as to serve the meat right to my mouth.
Gotta admit, this so-called mother of mine really knows how to play the game.
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