"Th-that's—!!!"
Mari's voice trembled as it rang through the arena, her gasp echoing louder than she had intended. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
As Mayumi's closest friend, Mari knew better than almost anyone else just how flawless her skills with the "Magic Bullet Shooter" were. She had studied her countless times, admired her technique, and envied her control. But what was unfolding before her eyes now… this wasn't just "Magic Bullet Shooter" anymore.
It was something far beyond that.
The dry-ice bullets, which were supposed to fire one at a time, suddenly doubled—two shots, then four—before Mari could even blink. The number multiplied again: eight, twelve, and then beyond, scattering like a storm of crystalline shards across the shooting range.
"W-what kind of spell sequence is this…?!"
The bullets weren't just spreading aimlessly. They arced out across a full 360 degrees, leaving no blind spot at all. Each icy round zipped through the air like a dancer moving on invisible threads, evading every obstacle, weaving past the opponent's targets, and smashing Mayumi's own with frightening precision.
The speed was unbelievable. The rhythm, relentless.
"So fast…" Ichihara Suzune murmured, her voice calm as always, but her eyes sharp with disbelief.
Compared to Mari's shock, Suzune looked composed, but inside her heart was pounding violently. No wonder the Student Council President had been so serious the moment she stepped on stage…
This wasn't just skill. The activation speed alone was overwhelming, and to direct such an enormous number of projectiles while maintaining perfect precision—no wasted motion, no hesitation—Mayumi had to be focusing every shred of her concentration.
The poor opponent who had been competing for the championship could only stand frozen, stunned into silence.
"This… this isn't even a match anymore…" Mari whispered.
Indeed, the competition was over the moment Mayumi's evolved spell began. It was no longer a battle between students. It was a demonstration—a performance by someone far above the level of her peers.
Her bullets flew faster and faster, not missing a single target. By the time the final crystal shattered into ice dust, Mayumi had already broken the highest record in the history of "Precision Shooting."
A flawless victory.
The stadium erupted in a thunderous cheer, more explosive and feverish than anything earlier in the day. The spectators could no longer contain themselves, screaming her name as her new title echoed through the stands.
"Fairy Sniper! Fairy Sniper!"
The nickname, once just whispered by fans, had now been carved into everyone's hearts.
...
"Brother… Senpai Saegusa's 'Magic Bullet Shooter' can be used like that?!"
Miyuki's eyes widened, her voice carrying the awe everyone else in the group felt.
Sitting beside her, Erika, Mizuki, Kitayama Shizuku, and Honoka all turned simultaneously to Tatsuya, silently demanding an explanation.
Tatsuya exhaled quietly, shaking his head.
"No," he answered flatly. "That's not the original form of 'Magic Bullet Shooter.' What you just saw wasn't part of the standard system at all. Mahiro must have restructured the activation sequence. He removed the redundant processes, sped up the spell cycle, and then… added an entirely new spell into it."
Even he, however, couldn't name the technique. He had never seen it before.
A brand-new magic.
By his judgment, the original dual-layered "Magic Bullet Shooter" had been reconstructed into a triple-casting system. And the processing speed—streamlined so ruthlessly—was even more efficient than the high-speed flight magic Tatsuya himself had invented not long ago.
"What the hell… his tuning ability is on that level?!" Erika's jaw practically hit the floor.
Mizuki, who had been just as stunned, nodded furiously beside her.
Miyuki, however, lifted her chin proudly, her voice soft but certain.
"That's right. This is Onii-sama Mahiro's true strength."
Hearing her words, the others fell silent, their perspectives of Yotsuba Mahiro shifting once again.
Among them, the calmest was Kitayama Shizuku. As a rookie competitor in this year's "Precision Shooting" tournament, she sat watching Mayumi bask in the glory of the roaring crowd. Her eyes, however, weren't on the cheering audience. They were fixed squarely on Mahiro—the quiet genius who had rewritten the magic system behind the scenes.
And in her gaze, envy burned quietly.
...
Behind the roaring cheers of the arena, Mayumi slipped out through the passageway.
"Mahiro-kun!!! That was incredible!"
Her voice rang with so much excitement that before Mahiro could react, she had already launched herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck. Like a koala clinging to a tree, she hung onto him with all her energy.
"Oi oi, Mayumi-senpai, calm down…" Mahiro chuckled, patting her back lightly, though his cheeks reddened just a little.
"Ehhh?! Don't just brush it off like it's nothing!" Mayumi puffed her cheeks, glaring at him like a pouting child. "You act so cool, but what you did was revolutionary, Mahiro-kun!"
Realizing her own behavior, however, she reluctantly loosened her hold. Her heart was still racing—she had never hugged anyone like that in public before.
But how could she not? The way Mahiro had rewritten the structure of her trusted magic, pushing its limits to such a height… it felt like watching a miracle unfold.
Just by adding a single spell, the entire Magic Bullet Shooter, a four-system composite magic, had been completely rewritten. Not only had its destructive force increased, but its accuracy had soared to a whole new level!
"Speaking of which… Mahiro-kun, what spell did you add to the CAD?" After calming herself down, Saegusa Mayumi couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.
Although she knew it was a little impolite to pry into another magician's secret techniques, she simply couldn't help herself. Her curiosity was eating her alive.
Seeing her so interested, Yotsuba Mahiro gave a faint smile. He wasn't particularly secretive. "Nothing too big, Mayumi-san. It's one of my original magics… I call it Multi-Shot."
"'Multi-Shot'…?"
"Yes. Or rather, calling it Multi-Casting might be more accurate."
It was a magic Mahiro had developed after mastering the principles of Multi-Observation. By overlaying the casting structure and amplifying spell output several times over, he could make one technique branch into multiple simultaneous activations.
Of course, there was a price. The consumption of psions was much higher, and it required Multi-Observation as an auxiliary to lock down spatial coordinates before casting. But the end result was undeniable—devastating efficiency in both speed and firepower.
Mayumi stood frozen for a moment, staring blankly at Mahiro's back. Her cherry-pink lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
In a certain sense, what he had given her wasn't just a way to win at the Nine Schools Competition—it was a gift that bolstered the prestige of her entire Saegusa Family within the Ten Master Clans.
...
The first day of the Nine Schools Competition concluded with First High's Fairy Sniper, Saegusa Mayumi, taking the championship.
The audience was ecstatic, but what truly stirred the undercurrent of excitement was the sudden surge of attention First High attracted.
Even rival academies couldn't stop buzzing with speculation, especially about the mysterious enhancements to the Magic Bullet Shooter used in the finals.
At that very moment, in the meeting room of Third High, the atmosphere was tense.
Both contestants and Magical Engineering Technicians had put aside their tasks, drawn together in a round-table discussion.
"George, what do you think of the Magic Bullet Shooter Saegusa-san from First High used today?"
Ichijō Masaki, the charismatic Ace of Third High, spoke while glancing at the young man beside him—a red-eyed prodigy.
Kichijōji Shinkurō, better known by the nickname 'Cardinal George', was a genius magician who had discovered one of the hypothetical Basic Codes at the age of thirteen. He was respected even among adult researchers, a true monster of intellect.
But right now, George's brows were furrowed, his expression dark with thought. From time to time, he shook his head and sighed, eyes narrowing with sharp calculation.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"…That wasn't the original form of Magic Bullet Shooter."
Masaki raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
George adjusted his glasses and continued, "The spell must have been restructured. Whoever modified the CAD didn't just optimize it—they inserted an entirely new magic sequence."
Masaki's sharp gaze flickered. That had been his suspicion as well.
Adding a new activation sequence itself wasn't unusual. Plenty of engineers could do that.
But this was different. This was a secret art passed down within the Saegusa Family—a technique meant to be guarded, not tampered with.
And yet, someone had managed to not only update it, but push it to a level that far surpassed the original form. That was beyond audacious. It was genius bordering on insanity.
"Moreover…" George pushed on, his voice carrying weight. "The CAD itself was extraordinary. In speed and precision, it rivaled specialized devices. And yet, it retained the flexibility of a general-purpose model capable of handling multiple systems."
"To be blunt… the one who engineered it isn't at the level of a high school student. That person is a monster."
Even George, who rarely acknowledged others, had to admit it.
The room erupted in gasps. Contestants and engineers alike exchanged uneasy looks.
For someone to earn George's respect… what kind of existence could that be?
"…So, it seems we're thinking the same thing." Masaki's eyes gleamed with acknowledgment. He turned toward the others and declared:
"Relax for now. I heard this engineer was only temporarily added to their team. He's also participating as a contestant—in Precision Shooting for rookies, and the official Icicle Attack & Defense competition. So at least for now, we can breathe a little easier."
The tension in the room eased slightly, though shock still lingered in their eyes.
He wasn't even a specialized Magical Engineering Technician, yet he had rewritten one of the Ten Master Clans' treasured spells… and he was also competing?
At the very least, it meant they wouldn't have to deal with him as an engineer for every single event.
"…Still, we can't be careless," Masaki added firmly. "We don't know which projects he'll influence next. If we assume nothing, we risk being outpaced by two or three whole generations of development."
The others swallowed hard. The thought of falling behind that much was terrifying.
What Masaki didn't know, however, was that First High didn't just have one monster.
Yotsuba Mahiro was only half of the equation. Standing alongside him was Shiba Tatsuya, the boy whispered about as 'Silver' (Silfa), whose true genius dwarfed even George's.
As Masaki's words sank in, most students nodded solemnly, keeping them in mind. But a few smirked, thinking he was overreacting.
"Ichijō, you're exaggerating, aren't you? Since he's a contestant, he can't be working as an engineer at the same time. Tomorrow, the day after, and the next, he'll be on the field, not in the workshop."
Masaki didn't reply. He simply shook his head, eyes narrowing.
Even he couldn't be certain of the limits of this Yotsuba Mahiro.
But one thing was clear—he was looking forward to their clash in the Icicle Attack & Defense competition.
Somewhere deep in his chest, a spark of excitement burned.
"Mahiro-kun… let's see just what kind of surprise you'll bring to the battlefield."