Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 03 - Nine Schools Competition (I) (26 page)

Even so, Hattori's expression remained heavy.

"However.
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Shiba-san adopted the correct choice of action.
She chose the appropriate task based on her expertise and did not forget to alert everyone of her actions.
Even if the conflicting Magic Sequences did not suddenly disappear before she invoked her magic, she should have been able to team up with Group Leader Juumonji to handle the situation."

"At the time, Chief Watanabe also didn't act.
Given that Shiba-san specializes in Freezing-Type Magic, isn't this just a matter of magic suitability?"

"Watanabe-senpai's expertise lies in anti-personnel combat, so she was holding back as a method of self-restraint for the benefit of the whole.
In that situation, I am able to accomplish more objectives.

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No, the question at hand isn't about Magic Power.
Watanabe-senpai instantly made the correct assessment that she was not the correct person to do the job and called on Group Leader Juumonji to assist.
Before she even said anything, Group Leader Juumonji already realized that this was a situation he would be called upon and was already constructing his Magic Sequence.
They also came to the conclusion that just the Group Leader alone was insufficient to combat this threat, but didn't panic and use magic haphazardly.
Shiba-san calmly determined what she could do and verbalized this to everyone.

The problem is not just about strong or weak Magic Powers or the ability to use diverse or powerful magics or simply a technical issue, but as a Magician, are you able to use the appropriate magic in the right circumstances — yes, the problem isn't 'magic' talent, but the 'Magician's' talent.
There is no doubt her Magic Power is staggering and on pure strength alone there's an 80% chance I would lose to her.
However, until today, I've never worried about that point, because a Magician's quality is not measured solely by the level of their Magic Power.
But — when compared to my underclassman, I am not only lacking magic talent, but also in talent as a Magician.
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This is thoroughly depressing."

Hattori once more turned a glum expression while Kirihara adopted a "what am I going to do with you" look.

"Ah~ that's a matter of life experiences, and that's where I think that pair of siblings are particularly special."

"Siblings?"

His evaluation was not on "her" but "that pair of siblings", catching Hattori off guard and causing him to look at Kirihara in a quizzical manner.

"That brother of hers.
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I'm guessing he’s offed someone before."

"Offed?"

Hattori's incredulous voice carried a note of shock.

"Yes, he's killed someone before, and not just one or two people."

".
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You don't actually mean homicide, do you?
You're referring to actual combat experience?"

"He does give people that feeling.
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You know that my dad was in the marines right?"

"Yeah, I remember he had been deployed to Tsushima Island several times?"

This felt like an abrupt change in topic, but Hattori didn't dwell on this point and continued with Kirihara's conversation.

"Dad was only a corporal, but on the other hand, because he was a low-ranking officer, he was deployed to the front lines where he got to know a lot of soldiers who spent their days in the trenches.
Occasionally, some of Dad's old war buddies would come over to my house, and they give off a completely different vibe from normal people.
Regardless of whether it's kenjutsu or shooting, no matter how much we train in combat tactics and martial techniques, the sheer killing intent given off by soldiers who have killed in the heat of combat differs from athletes that haven't.
Do you know the details behind the incident in April?"

Another change in topic.

"Why did you bring this up.
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I heard that was caused by anti-magic terrorists.
I only know that the terrorist cell was cleared out by Juumonji."

Hattori was displeased with the abrupt change in direction but kept a lid on his annoyance.
Instinctively, he felt this was all connected.

"Is that so.
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Then I can't go into too much detail.
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Although since it's you, I think I can take it to this level.
I was present at the suppression of the terrorists, as well as the Shiba siblings."

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Really?"

"I can understand why you would ask that, but that's the truth.
There, I think I saw Shiba — the older Shiba's natural instinct."

"Natural instinct?"

Compared to Kirihara's current words, his voice also carried a tinge of trepidation, which caused Hattori to immediately fire back a question.

"Yes, natural instinct, or at least a part of it.
It was terrifying.
He had the same quality the soldiers on the front line had but his killing intent was several times more intense, like a thick coating of killing intent covering him like a great coat.
He was dangerous enough to cause a shiver to run down my spine, enough to make me wonder what a guy like that’s doing in high school."

Kirihara's mouth may have said this, but his expression seemed very agitated.

".
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There should be no way to hide his age."

Hattori was feigning naivety.
This slightly off-tangent impression was a better gauge of his astonishment than the expression on his face.

"This only goes to show that age doesn't equate to experiences."

Kirihara could understand why his friend was so stunned, but because he had also been in the same position he didn't make light of Hattori's tangent and only smiled wryly in reply.

Hattori looked to ask again, but this time there was a blatant hesitation in his voice.

".
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Shiba-san as well?"

This hesitation was largely born from an "unable to believe" mentality.
On the other hand, Kirihara seemed immune to this thought — probably heavily influenced by his girlfriend since spring — and answered his friend's question in a frank manner.

"I didn't witness exactly what the sister did, but given that the older brother was willing to bring her to the combat zone, she definitely isn't an ordinary girl.
You know from today that the most beautiful rose has her own thorns, but not only that, she's probably more like the peacock that possesses both the sharp talons and malevolent beak capable of hunting poisonous serpents, right?
Pursuing her is like having a death wish.
Ignorance is bliss, eh?"

Kirihara's last two sentences weren't for Hattori's ears, but a subtle hint for the hapless male students surrounding Miyuki on the car.

"But I never thought that the Hattori with 'that kind of personality' would say something like this."

Hattori was still digesting all of this information while Kirihara sent a bemused smirk his way.

".
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What do you mean?"

The hidden meaning behind Kirihara's smirk rubbed Hattori the wrong way, prompting his displeased rejoinder.

However, Kirihara's delighted smirk was not diminished in the slightest.

"A Magician's quality is not measured by their Magic Power alone, eh?
Wouldn't the President be very pleased upon hearing that you personally said those words?"

"Huh.
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!"

Hattori glared darkly at Kirihara.

Yet, Kirihara maintained his bright smile, no, thanks to Hattori's overreaction, his smile grew even wider, which caused Hattori to be the first one to turn aside.

"Let's table quality for the moment, but Magic Power is definitely not the only indicator of strength."

Hattori took a step forward without any warning at all, clearly signifying his intent to leave Kirihara behind.
Still, Kirihara ignored this blatant protest and followed Hattori's footsteps as he continued.

"The difference between Blooms and Weeds lies in the difference in technical scores on the entrance exam.
Certainly there are Course 1 students who progress rapidly, but there are also people stagnating as well.
Take Chiyoda for example, she's completely different than her arrogant self last summer who rested her laurels on talent.
The Course 2 students are the same, and, so long as they don't self destruct, surely some of them would become stronger?
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No, this isn't pure speculation, there are quite a few 'capable' guys in Course 2 right now, and doubly more so in this year's batch.
Oh by the way, I'm not saying this just because I lost to the older Shiba."

Hattori's shoulders shook violently.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Oh right, this guy also got his ass handed to him on a platter."

"At any rate, I admit that he's stronger than me right now.
But even if that guy is approaching cheating levels in terms of strength, I don't plan on always admitting defeat.
I will continue to train myself and triumph the next time I challenge him.
If I give up solely because I'm not as capable now, then I'm always a loser.

Currently, many Course 2 students give up because they're not as capable as others, hence why they've never improved.
We have no obligation to accept them as our equals.
On the other hand, for those that seek greater strength and better themselves along the way, we have no reason to scorn them either."

Hattori still had no response as he quickly advanced towards his own room without a word.

Kirihara shrugged and turned to see the pair of siblings who were the topic of their discussion.

Not far behind Kirihara, the younger Shiba was solemnly watching her older brother.

Seeing this, Kirihara thought, "Let's hope nothing troublesome happens".

And promptly mocked himself for this random thought.

Kirihara's premonition headed in the direction he least desired and struck his fragile but earnest hope.

"Then, according to Onii-sama, that earlier incident was not accidental.
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His sister frowned as she asked this question, to which Tatsuya subtly nodded in reply as he pushed the cart forward.

"The vehicle's trajectory was too unnatural and the investigation yielded the expected results.
There were remnants of magic left on the vehicle."

Tatsuya modulated his volume to avoid eavesdroppers and Miyuki emulated her older brother's soft tones.

"But I didn't see anything.
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While the literal meaning of those words were a denial, Miyuki never doubted her brother for a moment.

She had a front row seat to the "accident" from the start.

And until the last moment, she never felt a trace of the other side using magic.

Her brother was different.
Miyuki could only see the "present", but all of the "past" were within her brother's purview.

Miyuki knew that if her brother had determined "there were remnants", then that was the truth of the matter.

"At the time, they used small scale magic within the tightest time frames possible, which is a high level technique designed to avoid leaving remnant psions from the Magic Sequence at the scene.
Our opponent was likely an agent who had undergone specialized training, which is all the more pitiful given that he was a sacrifice."

"A.
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sacrifice?"