"Mahiro-kun… that magic you used just now, it wasn't Kaiseki Kaijo (Spell Dismantlement), was it?" Mayumi-san's soft voice carried curiosity, but also that faint sense of disbelief she often wore whenever Yotsuba Mahiro revealed something new.
By now, she had already witnessed too many so-called miracles from him. In fact, she had grown so accustomed to his unbelievable feats that even if Mahiro-kun suddenly pulled off Strategic-Class Magic tomorrow and was announced as the fourteenth Apostle, she would probably just sigh and say, 'As expected of Mahiro-kun.'
To Mayumi-san, it already felt as though there was no kind of magic this boy couldn't handle.
But this time, it was Mahiro-kun's turn to blink in surprise. He leaned forward slightly, a smile tugging at his lips. "Eh? I didn't think Senpai even knew about Kaiseki Kaijo! That's amazing!"
Although the structure of Spell Dismantlement was deceptively simple, it was categorized as non-systematic magic, making it extremely rare. Very few magicians actually understood its inner workings.
Within First High, aside from Juumonji Katsuto, only Shiba Tatsuya could truly make use of it.
Mahiro scratched the back of his head and clarified with a small shrug. "Unfortunately, what I used wasn't Kaiseki Kaijo. It was Kaiseki Bunsan (Spell Dispersal)."
The difference was only a single word, yet the essence of the two techniques was worlds apart.
Spell Dismantlement compressed Psion clusters into a solid mass and fired them directly at a target. Instead of altering phenomena through the information dimension, it forcibly destroyed the Psion information body attached to the target — be it Activation Sequences or Magic Sequences. Strictly speaking, although it was classified as magic, its structure contained no Magic Sequence that directly affected reality. It was closer to a Psion projectile than actual spellcraft.
Spell Dispersal, on the other hand, was on an entirely different level. By exposing the target's information structure through an Activation Sequence, it allowed the caster to analyze and then literally erase that structure. In other words, it decomposed the Magic Sequence itself into meaningless Psion fragments.
The former was easier to execute, but in terms of destructive effectiveness, there was no comparison. Spell Dispersal was considered impractical for the vast majority of magicians — to even attempt it required calculation and perception far beyond the human norm.
Hearing this explanation, Mayumi-san's expression faltered. She felt as though she wanted to retract her earlier words altogether. Her worldview — already overturned countless times because of Mahiro-kun — shattered once more.
"W-wait… in that instant just now, Mahiro-kun, you actually read the Activation Sequences of nearly seven different spells… and dismantled them all at once?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Mahiro just chuckled lightly, as if it were nothing.
Mayumi-san pressed a hand against her temple, a bitter smile slipping out. "Unbelievable… That's not something a normal high school magician could even dream of doing. Anyone who faces you in the Nine Schools Competition… yare yare, they'd better just pray for good fortune. Even Ichijou-kun from Third High wouldn't stand a chance."
But Mahiro only answered with a smile, his eyes calm.
Deep inside, he silently gave thanks — both to the Fourth Research Laboratory and to Shiba Tatsuya.
From them, he had inherited knowledge of Flashback Computation as well as techniques to vastly expand his calculation domain. His brain now functioned like an ever-growing grimoire, recording Activation Sequences and Magic Structures with absolute clarity. He could recall, analyze, and deploy them instantly, sometimes even bypassing the normal construction process to achieve casting speed that seemed inhuman.
Coupled with his Sharingan, which allowed him to perceive the deepest strata of Psion information bodies, Mahiro's current abilities truly bordered on monstrous.
It was only thanks to this synergy that he could accomplish such feats.
The crisis ended with a scare, but fortunately without casualties. Inside the vehicle, the atmosphere was heavy. Apart from a few students rubbing their swollen foreheads from the earlier impact, the only sound was Watanabe-senpai's sharp voice scolding her juniors.
Chiyoda Kanon, who had been the first to recklessly cast magic during the incident, now looked like a scolded kitten, shrinking her neck as though trying to disappear. "W-well… I did react the fastest… I just didn't expect them to cast spells over and over…"
Her meek defense made Morisaki and the others avert their gazes, faces reddened in embarrassment. Several of the younger students exchanged awkward looks, clearly regretting their lack of composure.
Meanwhile, Juumonji Katsuto and Mayumi-san had already disembarked to check the accident scene.
The remains of the decomposed vehicle were grim. On the charred ground, only an unrecognizable corpse was left.
Mahiro stayed seated in the car, but his sharp eyes never left the scene. His gaze lingered meaningfully on the remains. "…This doesn't feel like a simple accident."
The local police arrived quickly, as expected. Recognizing that the students were part of the prestigious Nine Schools Competition teams, the officers wasted no time. The clean-up, statements, and clearance took barely thirty minutes before they were allowed to continue on.
But because of the delay — and the unsettling attack — their schedule was ruined. By the time the students finally reached their dormitory, the sun was already leaning toward the afternoon sky.
The hotel being used for the Nine Schools Competition was usually off-limits to ordinary people. In normal times, only civil officials on inspection or high-ranking foreign officers attending international conferences—and their entourages—could book rooms here. But now, for the sake of the competition, the entire facility had been cleared out and reserved for the participating students and their faculty.
That said, it wasn't exactly a luxury stay. Despite its grand appearance, the building was ultimately a military facility, not a proper commercial hotel. There were no bellhops, no greeters at the door, and certainly no pampered "guest treatment." Normally, base duty officers handled the management of the place, but since the event was for high school students, they were expected to fend for themselves.
In other words, everyone had to carry their own luggage.
The huge equipment mounted on engineering transport vehicles didn't need to be unloaded since they'd be operated directly from there. However, the smaller devices—precision tools, CADs (Casting Assistance Devices), and other portable gear—still had to be lugged inside by hand. And so, even Yotsuba Mahiro, despite only being a temporary Magical Engineering Technician drafted in to help fill the numbers, wasn't spared from the back-breaking work of hauling cases.
"Ughhh… so tired, so tired…" Mahiro groaned dramatically, stretching his arms above his head as if the weight of the world sat on his shoulders.
Dragging his feet toward the entrance of the hotel, he spotted a familiar sight: Miyuki standing beside Tatsuya, the two siblings quietly talking to one another. From the way Miyuki's eyes softened and how faint traces of a smile lingered on her lips, it looked like a warm moment between them.
"Yo," Mahiro called out, a mischievous grin tugging at his face. "What's this? You two look awfully cozy. Care to share what you're gossiping about?"
"…Not gossip!" Miyuki's face instantly puffed up in a slight pout, cheeks tinged with pink. She had been in a good mood, but Mahiro's teasing tone made her shift in embarrassment.
"My brother and I were just discussing the… incident we encountered on the way here."
Her tone grew serious, and Mahiro raised an eyebrow.
"Incident, huh?"
Tatsuya's calm voice followed immediately after. "Miyuki's right. In fact, I don't believe it was an accident at all. The way that vehicle bounced off course was far too unnatural. Although all physical traces have disappeared, I'm certain that magic was involved—small in scale, but executed with remarkable precision. Whoever the caster was, they used an advanced sequence with such minimal Psion output that no residual signature remained detectable."
Mahiro whistled lowly, impressed despite himself. "Ohhh… so you caught that too, Tatsuya?"
The elder Shiba nodded once, his expression unchanging. "The caster was most likely a trained operative. Unfortunately for them, their mission seems to have been nothing more than a suicide attack."
"Yare yare…" Mahiro shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Disposable pawns, huh? How disgusting."
"Eh? Mahiro-nii…" Miyuki's eyes widened with a sparkle of surprise. "Don't tell me you also noticed it?"
"Of course I did." Mahiro shrugged, spreading his hands dramatically. "Even if the scale was small, magic isn't something you can just casually slip under the radar. To me, it stood out as clearly as a louse crawling across a bald man's head."
Miyuki's lips parted in awe. "S-sugoi…"
"But what I couldn't figure out was who exactly they were working for." Mahiro tilted his head thoughtfully. "Tatsuya, are you thinking… terrorists again? Like Blanche?"
At the mention of that organization, the atmosphere grew heavy. Blanche's attack on First High hadn't faded from memory yet, and the last thing anyone wanted was a repeat.
But Tatsuya quietly shook his head. "No… their methods were sharper. More disciplined. I'd wager they're from an organization much higher up the ladder than Blanche."
"Tch." Mahiro clicked his tongue again in irritation. "Just great. Trouble after trouble. Blanche's mess hasn't even cooled down, and now the Nine Schools Competition is in someone's crosshairs. What is this, some kind of curse? Like we're living in Detective Conan—wherever First High goes, crime follows."
"…So…" Miyuki lowered her eyes, her voice trembling with regret. "…both Mahiro-nii and Onii-sama could see through it so easily, while I… I didn't notice a thing. I couldn't help at all."
Her slender shoulders shook, caught between self-blame and indignation toward their unknown attackers. For someone who revered her brother and admired Mahiro, the idea of being left behind stung deeply.
"They're contemptible," she whispered, eyes flashing with quiet anger.
Mahiro stepped closer, resting one broad hand atop her silky hair. He stroked her head gently, his voice softening with uncharacteristic warmth.
"Baka. Don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault."
"…Mahiro-nii?"
"You can only see the present, Miyuki. That's your strength. But tracing magic back into the past requires a different kind of perception. It's normal that you couldn't catch it." His smile turned wry. "Besides, with me and Tatsuya around, why should you worry about something so small?"
Miyuki blinked up at him, momentarily at a loss for words. But the warmth in his voice, paired with the reassuring weight of his hand, eased the frustration in her chest.
"…Mahiro-nii… Onii-sama…" She lowered her gaze, her cheeks glowing faintly pink as her lips curled into the tiniest smile. "Arigatou."