When Tomitsuka stepped forward only to fall into an uncertain silence, Tatsuya decided to break the ice himself.
"...Yes?"
"Shiba-kun, I want you to spar with me!"
"To what end?"
"I want you to show Shippou what real power looks like!"
Tomitsuka's gaze burned with a feverish intensity. He was likely envisioning a scene where Tatsuya, moved by his hot-blooded sincerity, would give a firm nod of camaraderie. Instead, Tatsuya only looked more perplexed.
"I'm afraid I don't follow."
"Right—sorry. That was too sudden. What I mean is…"
"Will you show Shippou a match between two people who truly know what they're doing?"
Hattori took over the explanation from the flustered Tomitsuka, but his words remained frustratingly vague.
"If the goal is to demonstrate a clash between experts, wouldn't a match between you and Sawaki-senpai be more appropriate, President Hattori?"
"Shiba, there is a specific significance in showing him your strength."
Hattori's explanation was far from sufficient. However, at that moment, a volley of support fire—two light rounds followed by a heavy bombardment—was launched from the sidelines.
"Tatsuya-san, I also believe it's about time you showed your juniors what you're capable of," Shizuku said quietly.
"She's right!" Honoka added. "You should show those underclassmen who keep looking down on you exactly where they stand!"
"Brother, wouldn't it be for the best?" Miyuki's voice was like silk, yet carried an undeniable weight. "If the goal is to provide a model for the freshmen, I believe it is a duty perfectly suited for a member of the Student Council. In truth, I have been hoping for an opportunity for you to demonstrate your prowess as well."
The motivations of Shizuku, Honoka, and Miyuki were clearly distinct from Tomitsuka's. Miyuki, in particular, was masking a mountain of accumulated irritation behind a perfect smile. It was at a level where Tatsuya realized that leaving things as they were would be "troublesome." Looking at the determined eyes of Shizuku and Honoka, he understood that no argument would calm them now.
"...If that is what you all wish."
Though Tatsuya's decision was exactly what Tomitsuka had wanted, for some reason, the boy felt a strange sense of deflation—as if the heat had suddenly left the room. And he wasn't the only one who felt that chill.
Hattori had extended the reservation for the room specifically for this purpose. The third-year students were already in on the plan; permission for the match had been granted, and the stage was set to begin immediately.
"Allow me."
Miyuki took it upon herself to clear the scraps of paper scattered across the floor. The moment she activated her CAD, the air in the room began to stir with zero perceptible lag. In an instant, the debris was swept into a single pile, which she then moved into the room's built-in disposal unit.
Watching her, Takuma was struck by a wave of shock. Setting aside the "hardening" aspect of his own magic, Miyuki's technique in controlling the air currents was technically superior to his "Million Edge."
"Are you ready, Shiba-kun?" Tomitsuka asked.
"Yeah, no problem. Should I take off my shoes?"
"No, you can leave them on."
Tatsuya handed his blazer to Miyuki but otherwise remained in his school uniform. By telling him to keep his shoes on, Tomitsuka was signaling that he didn't mind Tatsuya using kicks while wearing hard-soled footwear.
The two faced off in the center of the room. Hattori remained the referee, though this time, the formal explanation of the rules was skipped.
"Are you both ready? Then... begin!"
At Hattori's signal, Tatsuya and Tomitsuka kicked off the floor simultaneously. In a sharp departure from the previous match, Tomitsuka took the offensive, lunging toward Tatsuya. However, Tatsuya's backward retreat was even faster. He leaped to the very edge of the practice hall in one go and leveled his specialized, pistol-shaped CAD at Tomitsuka.
Loaded within was the decomposition magic: Mist Dispersion. Despite the visible gasp from Miyuki, Tatsuya pulled the trigger—and nothing happened.
(Just as I thought.)
Unlike Miyuki, who had gone pale and clamped a hand over her mouth, Tatsuya's expression remained calm, as if this were exactly what he had expected. He threw himself to the side, narrowly evading a straight punch from Tomitsuka that was bolstered by self-acceleration magic. It wasn't a bluff; he had truly predicted that Mist Dispersion would be neutralized.
(Contact-type Gram Demolition... This is more of a headache than I anticipated.)
If Tatsuya's version of Gram Demolition was a cannon, then Tomitsuka's contact-type version was a fortress wall of solid steel. Furthermore, that "wall" possessed no informational structure to dismantle. If Tatsuya were attacking with indirect phenomena created by magic, this armor of Psions would be irrelevant. But Tatsuya was a "flawed" magician—unless he used a low-output, specialized virtual magic zone, he could only use magic that acted directly upon his target.
As Tatsuya evaded his fifth charge, a seed of frustration began to sprout within Tomitsuka. Known as "Range Zero," he lacked long-range magic. To compensate, he had polished his close-quarters combat magic beyond all peers, yet his attacks were being handled with ease. It wasn't just magic; Tatsuya was using a seamless hybrid of magic and martial arts.
(I expected him to be good, but this is something else... But I won't lose. I can't afford to lose at this distance!)
The thought of Shippou Takuma vanished from Tomitsuka's mind. The purpose of the match, his own role—it all bled away. His entire will converged toward a single point: victory.
"Both of them are incredible! I knew Tomitsuka was good, but for Shiba-kun to keep up like this..."
"I'm more surprised that Tomitsuka is actually holding his own against Shiba," Kirihara muttered in response to the upperclassmen's conversation.
Listening to them, Mikihiko could only watch in silent awe. His opinion matched Kirihara's; he hadn't imagined there was a classmate who could rival Tatsuya in physical combat. It felt like the first time he had ever seen Tatsuya truly struggle.
Tatsuya was no longer simply dodging; he had reached the point where he couldn't deflect the blows without striking back. He was at a disadvantage because he was holding his CAD in his right hand—the rules forbade him from using the device as a bludgeon. Even accounting for that handicap, Tomitsuka's relentless assault was steadily cornering him.
On a whim, Mikihiko glanced at the girls beside him. Shizuku, Honoka, and Miyuki were watching the fight with bated breath. To Mikihiko, it looked as though even Miyuki had lost her usual composure.
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