Ultimately, the incident involving the use of magic by the Second High students was not ruled as "excessive self-defense." This decision was primarily driven by the severity of the injuries sustained by the students—one was critically wounded, and two others were seriously hurt. While Yugen had advised the government to incorporate magic-use standards into the Penal Code, he knew that until a clear legal precedent was established, the right to use magic for self-defense remained at the mercy of a judge's personal ideology.
"So, they're acknowledging it as legitimate self-defense only because there was actual, physical harm," Yugen mused.
"The fact that someone has to be hurt before the law acts is the limit of the current judiciary," Tatsuya replied. "I've already advised the Cabinet to clarify rights regarding magic within the Penal Code. However, it won't be enacted until after this incident is settled at the earliest."
Yugen had made sure the media reported on the incident. Despite the risks of inflammatory coverage, it was vital that the public understood the facts: students had been victims of unprovoked violence. The image of a group of adult men surrounding a lone schoolgirl was, by any standard, a PR disaster for the anti-magic movement.
The current laws regarding magic use were notoriously vague. Aside from public officials or civilians acting in an official capacity, the legality of magic use was a gray area. This was a relic of a history where magicians were treated as tools of the state; the government wanted to keep magic use flexible to maintain social order and prevent disasters.
To address this, plans were already underway to launch a new national certification system in April: the "National Magic Skill License." This would replace the largely dysfunctional existing licenses. Graduates of Magic High Schools or the National Magic University would automatically meet the criteria for certain grades, while existing magicians would be certified based on their professional experience.
Essentially, it was a licensing system similar to those for doctors, requiring specific education. It also opened doors for Ancient Magicians through a general examination. Since it aimed to evaluate skills that current standards ignored, it was designed to complement rather than compete with the Magic Association. While some would inevitably decry it as "state management of magicians," Yugen knew the public's natural reaction was to fear those whose identities and abilities were undocumented.
"For the time being, we need to warn students to commute in groups. There's no guarantee First High won't be targeted... Mizunami-chan, could I borrow your CAD later?"
"Eh? It's the one you gave me, Yugen-san, so I don't mind... but what do you plan to do with it?"
"I'm going to unlock a feature I kept sealed in the hardware and give you a defensive spell I want you to test."
The CADs Yugen had provided to Miyuki and Minami already had anti-Cast Jamming functions built into the hardware, but they had been temporarily deactivated as they hadn't been necessary—until now. Along with unlocking these, he intended to provide Minami with a new type of defensive magic. Tatsuya, ever the engineer, looked on with interest.
"Defensive magic of your design? What kind is it?"
"Most defensive spells focus on neutralizing or reflecting an attack, but this one is themed around 'Extreme Deceleration.' Given Minami's current capacity, she should be able to maintain its deployment for a full day with ease."
The theory was simple: if reflecting damage was legally problematic, then one should simply reduce the speed of the incoming attack to zero. Based on the mathematical theory of the convergence of infinite series, it functioned by deploying multiple layers of ultra-high-density compressed nitrogen in front of a shield. Since the process of compressing nitrogen was an improvement on his work with Nitrogen Storm and the Brionac, the development had been effortless.
Furthermore, this spell didn't just block physical attacks; it was designed to completely isolate the user from Cast Jamming. It could even "return" the jamming signal to the caster to cause interference (specifically targeting magicians without harming non-magicians). If an attacker tried to force their way through the barrier, they would inhale the high-density nitrogen and suffer from temporary respiratory distress—just enough to incapacitate them for a few minutes.
"Tatsuya and I will stay as close to Miyuki as possible, but as the head of the Club Management Group, I might not always be there to react instantly. In those moments, Minami, you are the final bastion. Both your and Miyuki's CADs have signal transmitters; don't hesitate to use them in an emergency."
"Yes, I understand!" Minami replied, her expression hardening with resolve.
Now that her identity as a Yotsuba was known, Miyuki using magic against non-magician citizens would be a political nightmare. While she was more than capable of handling herself with martial arts, Yugen feared she might be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Minami's new defensive shield was the perfect solution.
February 18th
While Yugen's efforts had significantly narrowed Gu Jie's options, the mastermind was still at large. Yugen was currently in the Club Management Group headquarters, working on a draft for the graduation ceremony's congratulatory speech. Normally, this was the duty of the Student Council President, but Miyuki had nominated Yugen because of his close ties to the current third-year students. Yugen, feeling he owed the seniors for the various troubles he'd caused (and vice versa), had reluctantly accepted.
(...Wait...)
Yugen paused his writing. He turned his "Eyes" toward Miyuki's location and felt a sudden surge of malice nearby. Analyzing the intent, he realized this was no minor threat. Ensuring no one was around to see him, Yugen activated Mirror Gate and vanished.
He couldn't risk teleporting directly into the street, so he arrived on the rooftop of a building overlooking Miyuki's location. He looked down at the scene below.
"Just looking at this... there's no doubt who's at fault here."
A group of men had surrounded Miyuki, Minami, Izumi, and Riri. Minami had already deployed the Accel Deceleration Shield, while Riri had activated her Phalanx. Together, they were perfectly blocking the Cast Jamming emitted by the men. Miyuki could have easily overpowered the interference by increasing her interference strength, but she was strictly following Yugen and Tatsuya's orders to avoid public magic use.
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