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Chapter 56 ~ Resolve to Kill

October 20, 2095. Clear and Sunny. 

A large group of students gathered in their Magical University Affiliated First High School’s courtyard, preparing for an event. 

But most had their attention taken by the large, transparent, spherical glass that stood upon a ring-shaped stand and connected to wires that lead to a computer that sat on a table a few distance away. 

Ichihara Suzune, lead writer of First High’s representative team for the annual National High School Magic Theory Thesis Competition, stood before the spherical glass. Her bodyguards, Hattori Hanzou and Kirihara Takeaki, also stood a few distance away behind her, watching her surroundings. 

Her calm yet piercing violet eyes were fixed upon the spherical glass, and with nervousness and determination, she raised her hand towards the tablet that stood on a light blue stand, and activated a magic sequence. 

Immediately, the spherical glass lit up with a thrum as it came to life. Plasma and electricity filled the interior of the sphere, crackling about as it touched each interior. 

Gasps of awe and shock resounded from the crowds that had gathered to watch the experiment. 

A few moments later, sitting on the table in front of the computer, Hirakawa Koharu turned towards Isori Kei, who was standing by her side with a tablet in his hand, and gave him a nod. 

Kei nodded back, and signaled Suzune to stop by raising his hand. 

A loud sigh escaped her lips as she lowered her hand, causing the plasma within to slowly dissipate and the thruming stop. 

“The room temperature plasma device operated without a hitch. That means, phase 1 was successful.”

“Yes. We will review the data later.”

“Of course.”

With the experiment done, the crowd of students began to disperse and return to their own work. 

Koharu, who had been quite nervous about the experiment, also let out a sigh of relief as she leaned back to her seat.

“Congratulations, Hirakawa-senpai.”

“Ah! T-Thank you, Tsubakihara-kun.”

Smiling shyly, Koharu turned towards Yuuji, who was standing behind her as her personal bodyguard, and thanked him. 

Her eyes shined brightly the moment his visage came into sight. Although the sun was shining brightly above her in the clear blue sky, he shined even brighter in her eyes. 

“Koharu-senpai~ Hello~”

“Ah, Aika-chan. Hello~”

Aika suddenly came running to her with a bright smile. And behind her were Tatsuya and Miyuki, who were walking at a more relaxed pace. 

“Hehe~ I saw the experiment~ It seems like a great success~! Congratulations~”

“Uhn! Thank you very much.”

“Fufu~ You also look super cool while you were working on it, senpai~ Your serious face is really cute~”

“E-Eh?! S-Stop that, Aika-chan. I’m not cute…”

Koharu averted her gaze shyly. To be called cute by such the most beautiful and cutest girl in the entire school… she was obviously happy!

She might think of it as sarcasm if it came from another pretty girl, but she knew that Aika was an honest girl. They’ve become much closer after she requested Yuuji to be her personal bodyguard, so she had got to know her much more from the conversations Aika initiated. She was someone who’d only say things that she honestly believed in. And Koharu felt very blessed to have such a beautiful, kind, and honest junior as a friend. 

Moreover, because of her, she got more chances to talk with Yuuji as well even outside of his duty as her personal bodyguard, which obviously made her over the moon!

“No no~ What are you saying~? You’re super cute, right Yuuji?”

“Mm, I agree.”

“!!!”

Her face turned red in an instant. Her heart beated rapidly, thumping deafeningly in her ears, as if it was trying to jump out of her chest! 

She was an ordinary looking girl. She was unlike her beautiful mother or her adorable, cute, little sister. 

With such beautiful girls like Aika and Miyuki constantly by his side, and many other beauties vying for his attention in this school alone, how could she even look average in his eyes?! His standard for beauty must’ve been through the roof!

But… He said it… He agreed with Aika…

Even though he was just trying to be kind or polite… just the fact that he said it made her extremely happy!

“G-Geez! S-Stop teasing me, you two!”

“Hehe~ You’re shy side is also very cute, senpai~”

“A-Aika-chan!”

“Fufufu~”

Just as Aika was having fun with Koharu, their attention was suddenly stolen by an annoying, familiar voice of a lanky, pale, tired-looking student. 

“Hey you! What are you doing?!”

Yuuji, Aika, Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Koharu all turned towards the source of the sound and saw Sekimoto Isao, a third-year student and member of the Disciplinary Committee, yelling at Erika and Leo who were walking around the site of experiment. 

Despite many other students loitering around the site and watching the thesis competition representatives of their school working, the pale skinned man suddenly raised his voice specifically towards Erika, who was on her way to approach Yuuji and hangout with her friends. 

Even his friend was trying to stop him from raising his voice after noticing the attention Sekimoto had gathered.

“Huh? It’s none of your business.”

“What?”

“Sekimoto-san…”

“We’re just observing, that’s all.”

“Huh?!”

“And besides, we’re not doing anything wrong. I don’t even know why you’re yelling at us.”

“Whatever! You two are in the way!”

Kanon, who had just arrived at the site after taking care of business elsewhere, came running towards Koharu’s table and turned towards Yuuji.

“Yuuji-kun, what in the world is going on?”

“...I’m not sure myself. But it seems like seeing Erika and Leo wandering around doesn’t sit well with Sekimoto-senpai.”

“With Sekimoto-senpai…?”

“Yes. I will try and talk to him.”

Kanon looked towards Yuuji for a brief moment before letting out a sigh.

“... Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes. Then, Hirakawa-senpai, will you excuse me for a moment?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Thank you very much. Please stay with Aika, Tatsuya, and Miyuki in the meantime. They will ensure your safety while I’m gone.”

“I-I understand. U-Uhm… Should I also join you and talk to him?”

Koharu offered despite her own anxiety and fear. She disliked confrontations, but even more than that, she was worried for Yuuji. After all, Sekimoto was a third year student. It must be hard for Yuuji to confront him as a first year student, so she thought he might feel more assured if he’s with her, a third year student. 

But Yuuji shook his head and smiled at her reassuringly.

“Please don’t worry, senpai. I will just talk to him. There is no need for you to join the confrontation.”

“O-Okay… Then be careful.”

He nodded, and then looked towards Kanon.

“Chiyoda-senpai. Do you mind if I borrow your name and authority? After all, you are second only to the chairwoman herself in this department.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Then, please excuse me.”

Yuuji bowed his head towards his upperclassmen and made his way towards Sekimoto. 

“S-Sekimoto-san, I think that’s enough…”

“Shut up! You get back to work!”

He yelled to his friend, causing him to leave, before shouting at Erika and Leo once again.

“Anyway, what’s with that attitude of yours? You’re outsiders, so keep out!”

“Eh~? Why? Everyone else is looking around too!”

“Sekimoto-senpai? Is there something I can help with?”

Yuuji’s voice snapped him out of his fury and caused him to shift his gaze from the cheeky girl with orange red hair to the extremely handsome and famous first-year student who doesn’t need any introductions. 

“Tsubakihara…”

Even though he was only a first year, his presence alone had poured cold water all over his body. Not only his appearance, but his prowess with magic, the sparkling achievements he had obtained for himself and First High in the NSC, and his relationships with the president of the student council, the disciplinary committee, and the Extracurricular Activities Federation which was well-known to everyone in the school; he was someone even Sekimoto, a third-year student, can’t just talk down to like other first year students. 

“Well, it’s not a big deal… I was just telling these Course 2 students not to wander around.”

Yuuji could see the sweat starting to drip from Sekimoto’s forehead. He was evidently trying his best to act calmly and keep his pride as a third-year student. 

“I see… I thank you for your willingness to keep the environment around the participants of the Thesis Competition and the site of the experiment safe, but in the future, there is no need for you to go out of your way and be involved with such matters, Sekimoto-senpai.”

“Eh?”

Sekimoto looked at Yuuji with widened eyes, speechless and dumbfounded at his words.

“B-But I’m on the Disciplinary Committee…”

“The safety and security of the participants, data, and materials that would be used for our school in the Thesis Competition have been arranged and assured by Chiyoda Kanon-senpai, the members Watanabe Mari-senpai and the Extracurricular Activities Federation have chosen, and volunteers, who were currently put Chiyoda-senpai’s authority for this experiment. So, if there are indeed harmful elements in the environment around the participants or the materials used for their experiments, we, as the appointed security members for our school’s Thesis Competition team, shall handle it ourselves.”

Yuuji continued, disregarding the stunned Sekimoto Isao. 

“For further considerations, there is no concern regarding first year students, may they be from course 1 or course 2, to observe the experiments conducted by our brightest. After all, by observing it, first year students may gain inspiration and be encouraged to work harder to achieve what our representatives have done. There is no reason for me, or anyone else for that matter, to stop them from learning, and perhaps, even becoming the next representative of our school in next year’s annual Thesis Competition.

And if there are some who would cross the line, then we shall be the ones to reprimand them and explain to them without causing a scene. 

So please rest assured, Sekimoto-senpai.”

The unwillingness to back down that was born out of his uselessly high pride was showing obviously on his face. But without being able to eloquently convey this unwillingness and argue against Yuuji’s flawless and impregnable argument, he had no other choice but to acquiesce to his words.

After all, he couldn’t even complain and shift the argument to how impolite Yuuji was for talking back to him, a third year student. He was saying everything so politely and cordially that even impressed him. 

“...I understand. Then, I’ll leave the rest to you and Chiyoda.”

“Thank you very much for your understanding, Sekimoto-senpai. Erika, Leo, you should go too, for now. You have some business to take care of, don’t you?”

“Hm?”

Leo tilted his head, not understanding what he meant by the latter half, but Erika smiled and nodded.

“Alright. See you later, Yuuji. Aika, Tatsuya, Miyuki, we’ll be going first!”

“Uhn~! See you later, Erika!”

Aika, Tatsuya, and Miyuki returned her wave with their own, and Erika and Leon began walking away. 

Sekimoto watched as the two left, his face still showing contempt at them. But then, he snapped out of it once again upon hearing his voice. 

“Sekimoto-senpai, is there anything else you wish to say?”

“Eh..?”

Sekimoto looked at Yuuji confusedly and saw the famous first-year student looking around with just his eyes and not moving his head. He followed his gaze and saw many students looking towards him. Only then did he realize the commotion he had just caused.

“*Ahem!* No, I have nothing less to say. Then, I will excuse myself from now on. Continue your good job.”

“I will. Thank you very much, senpai.”

“N-Nn…”

Sekimoto then began walking away awkwardly at a brisk pace as students kept their gaze towards him. 

Hah… That guy’s such a pain…

He shook his head slightly and returned to where Koharu and the rest of his friends were.

And when he returned, he saw Koharu and Kanon looking at him in shock, Aika smiling brilliantly, Tatsuya smiling, and Miyuki with a helpless smile. 

“What’s wrong?”

“N-No… I just didn’t expect you to… destroy a senpai in an argument so utterly…”

“Yuuji-kun… You’re amazing…”

Yuuji rubbed the back of his head and laughed helplessly.

“Ahahaha… Well, those two are my close friends, so I was a bit upset that they’re getting yelled at in public because of his pettiness.”

Kanon sighed and smiled helplessly. 

“I see… Well, you did a good job anyway. Return to your duties. I’ll return to Kei as well.”

“Yes.”

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Erika and Leo walked and exited the school together in silence. Their mood was spoiled when they were being yelled at by the lanky, pale third-year upperclassman. But thankfully, Yuuji came to help them and slam dunked on the guy with facts and logic. 

It was super satisfying, and their mood was uplifted after seeing the dumb, speechless face from that upperclassman. 

As they walked in silence, Erika suddenly stopped and turned towards Leo, causing him to halt in his steps. 

“Hey, you got time after this?”

“Hm?”

Leo looked at the orange-red haired girl confusedly.

“I talked about you to Yuuji and Aika the other day.”

“Eh? What did you talk about?”

“...Follow me. We’ll talk on the way. You’re free right now anyway, right?”

“...Sure.”

Erika turned around and walked off, leaving Leo wondering what she intended to talk about. 

He followed after her and walked on her left, glancing at her once in a while as she walked off silently. 

They continued to walk and soon, he realized that they’re heading not towards the marketplace or a food street so they could talk over some tea or meal, but towards the residential area of the city. 

But before he could say anything, Erika broke the silence first. 

“Don’t you think it’s too simple?”

“...What is?”

“It’s not over yet. I’ve told you guys about what happened the other day, right?”

“Your own school is also one of the targets of the East!”

“...”

The event that happened a few days ago… How could he forget about the Illegal that was following them after school and the things he said to Erika and Yuuji. Even to this day, his words still bothered him. Although he couldn’t understand what he meant, he still knew that there’s an underlying threat still looming over them that might come up soon and bite them. 

“That Sekimoto we just had an argument with… He was caught stalking Yuuji, Aika, Tatsuya, Isori Kei-senpai, and Chiyoda Kanon-senpai the other day. He escaped with a bike that had boosters equipped to it.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes… But I think he might just be a decoy for something… bigger.”

Silence fell upon the both of them before Leo spoke up.

“...You want me to play detective so we can smoke out the real culprit, then?”

“Heh, as if. We can leave all the thinking to Yuuji and Tatsuya.”

Leo raised his eyebrows in realization before a smile appeared on his face. 

“Then, we’re the bodyguards?”

“Well, except that we’ll be counter-attacking more than defending. But there’s still something lacking towards that end.”

“Hm? Something lacking…?”

Leon looked confusedly towards Erika as she kept her eyes straight, walking through the familiar path she had walked through numerous times before. 

“Leo, your latent skills as a foot soldier are first-class. I think you’ve got the potential to surpass Hattori and Kirihara. Yuuji agrees with me on this too.”

“...Potential, huh? Meaning that there’s something wrong with the skills I’m showing now is it?”

“Well, you don’t have a trump card, do you?”

“A trump card?”

Erika turned her head towards him and looked Leo in the eyes.

“Yes. The kind of move that can kill your opponent for sure.”

“...You’ve got one, then?”

He asked with his eyes narrowed. 

“Yes.”

A brief moment of silence fell between the two as Leo processed her question. A few moments later, a sigh escaped his lips.

“It’s true that I don’t have a technique designed to kill my opponent.”

“Perhaps, it doesn’t really have to be us to take this on. But, if you’re serious about getting involved, you probably need to be ready to kill or be killed. Are you prepared to learn something like that?”

A smile appeared on his face.

“That’s a dumb question.”

Erika nodded, and before long, they finally arrived in front of the golden gate of an extremely massive and luxurious mansion. 

“Eh…? W-What the…”

Leo’s eyes widened in shock, gawking at the beautiful courtyard and the grand, illustrious mansion basking in the reddish-orange light of the afternoon sun before him, as he slowly raised his head to see the peak. 

“In that case, I’ll teach you…”

He looked back down towards Erika, his eyes still widened in shock. But this time, he was shocked by her words. 

“The secret sword, Usuba Kaegerou, using the underground facility in this mansion. It’s the perfect move for you.”

“This mansion… W-Wait, we’re using the facility here? Does this belong to your family?”

“It’s Yuuji and Aika’s. And well, I’m also living here now after I became his girlfriend. They’ve given me permission to use the underground training grounds here to teach you.”

“W-Wha-?! Y-Yuuji and Aika’s? Then, are they together?! Wait, you said you’re Yuuji’s girlfriend too. S-So why are they living together? W-What’s going on?!”

“Hah… You really do ask a lot of questions huh? Aika and I are both his girlfriends. Now come and follow me quickly. You don’t have access to any of the security measures here, so if you don’t follow me, you’ll get locked up somewhere.”

“Eh…? W-Wait! Just what the hell did you just say?!”