As someone who never owns a CAD, Leon is Looking at Tatsuya's briefcase with curiosity.
That silver handgun is a Specialized CAD, which is intended for Magicians who are strong in specific Magic Sequences.
Leon wondered what kind of CAD he should choose in the future, a specialized or general CAD just like Miyuki.
Considering his status as a bloom, at least his talent in magic must be above average, so he should pick general for versatility, but the idea of specialized CAD is somewhat intriguing as well. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages.
These dilemmas faced by Leon are common to the first-course students, as the talented magicians in the world go through similar types of experiences.
But it was different for the second-course students, they have to pick specialized CAD in order to catch up with the rest of the students. Afterall It's better to be average at one thing rather than to be worse in all of them.
Leon rubbed the bracelet on his right hand. It's a general CAD he borrowed from the public morals committee. There are many unused CADs collecting dust in the storage room. So, he helped himself to one of them.
By sending some of his Psion into the bracelet, he was able to sense some blueprints inside the CAD. In the theory, as long as he put enough Psion needed by the blueprint inside the CAD, it will start to transform the Psion into the Activation Sequence.
But Leon suppressed his desire to do so because he thinks it's a very bad idea. His knowledge about how the magic works are still shallow and dependent on the show from his previous life which is very lacking.
He didn't have time to let his mind wander as he saw Tatsuya and Hanzou headed towards the center of the room.
"Alright, today I will act as the judge of this mock battle, but first, allow me to explain the rules, listen carefully," Mari paused for a moment and said, "Lethal magics and techniques that cause disabilities to the opponent body are strictly forbidden. You're also forbidden to use any form of melee weapons, but unarmed combat is allowed."
She continues, "I will determine the winner when one side is unable to continue the battle or break the rules which result in defeat. Now, both of you please stand behind the starting lines."
After getting into their respective position, Tatsuya and Hattori faced one another. Both of them are showing a relaxed expression, but Leon was able to spot something interesting, there's sweat trickled down Hanzou face.
He started to wonder if he put too much pressure on Hanzou, but either way, it's no longer his business. Leon just hopes vice-president put enough effort to fight Tatsuya.
"Begin!"
A signal from Mari and the figure of Tatsuya has already vanished from his original position, putting the spectators in immediate confusion. their minds can't process what they are seeing. But not for Mari and Hanzou who knew about Kokonoe Yakumo.
By manipulating chakra to surpass the limit of his body, the speed of Tatsuya is comparable to someone using acceleration magic.
Hattori's expression is solemn as he filled his bracelet with Psion, ignoring Tatsuya that suddenly vanished from his sight. Hanzou situation is not good, but it's still within his calculation.
Even though Hanzou was surprised by the speed displayed by Tatsuya, Hanzou is an elite among the students of first high, so he was able to retain his calm and act according to his plan by casting AOE magic.
Hanzou is confident of his plan, it was perfect. He even chose the practice room with a sandy environment in order to execute his magic perfectly.
The dust in the practical room flies up into the air.
No matter how fast Tatsuya can move, he won't be able to evade his magic. Hanzou is confident in his judgment. It's the only way for him to stop Tatsuya and win the match.
In this battle, the one who attacked first would win.
He toned down the scale of the magic so it will be faster to deploy, but it still covers the whole room.
-Whoosh!-
Speed·Convergence Compound Magic, "Linear Sandstorm".
Around Hattori, six dust storms started to grow in speed as it spread out with him as the center and headed into various directions, obscuring everyone sight. They can no longer saw anything, their vision is filled with sand.
However, the sandstorm seems to stop spreading before it can reach the spectators. Looks like Hanzou is already put the spectators' safety into consideration.
This proves his standing as a strong magician below The Big Three, the three strongest students acknowledged by the school. They are Mayumi, Mari, and Juumonji.
Although Linear Sandstorm is not deadly, it can't be said to be harmless either. Depending on the intensity the user put into the magic sequence, it may cause a serious injury upon the victim.
So, it's not weird when everyone is worried about Tatsuya safety, especially Miyuki. Even though she knows he would be alright, she can't help but worry about her brother.
Mari also contemplating whether to stop the battle or not as it started to get dangerous for Tatsuya, but Leon didn't think so.
-Boom!-
The sand storm started to rampage violently, trashing the room without a care in the world.
Leon's red eyes always focused on Tatsuya's movement even amidst the sand and never left him even for a second.
Under Leon's amused gaze, even on the verge of crisis, Tatsuya is bent on hiding his countermagic from the other people.
Leon saw the state of Tatsuya attire, it was dirty and full of dust, but it doesn't change the fact that Tatsuya will win the battle. The victor is already decided, Leon thought.
Tatsuya was high is the air, upside down with his head below, his silver handgun is aimed at Hanzou who had a victorious smile on his face. He has no idea that his defeat was already set in stone even before the match started.
There are no dramatic sound effects, Leon only saw the handgun glowed three times in a row before the sandstorm stopped their fury.
"How... "
After everyone sight returned to normal, they can only open their eyes in disbelief when they saw the unconscious figure of Hanzou in front of Tatsuya.
"...The winner is Tatsuya!"
Mari had no choice but to announce the winner even though she had no idea what happened during the battle and how Tatsuya was able to defeat Hanzou in that situation.
Everyone can only show their confused face towards Tatsuya, hoping to reach enlightenment, but they're disappointed when Tatsuya says nothing other than 'I was lucky'.
Looking at Tatsuya, a light lit up in Leon's eyes and his breathing started to get faster.
He was itching for an exciting fight against the main character of this world. He wants to see how far the gap between them and what will happen if they fought each other. this thought refused to leave his mind.
But he quickly calmed down and sighed in disappointment when he remembers there are many people around him. There is no way for Tatsuya to accept Leon's challenge right now considering the effort he put to hide his ability earlier.
"Onii-sama, let me..."
Miyuki approached Tatsuya in a hurry and immediately activated her CAD. It lit up Tatsuya body and his uniform suddenly become spot clean without a single speck of dust.
It was at this moment that Leon made up his mind to chose general CAD.
The mock battle is officially over and the unconscious vice president is surrounded by the member of the student council. Rin and Azusa are among them, with the loli trying to call the infirmary with her terminal.
"Ah, that was an incredible performance, Tatsuya-kun. I was really surprised that you managed to win against Hanzou."
Praise escaped from Mayumi's lips, she doesn't seem to care for Hanzou wellbeing and more interested in how Tatsuya achieved his victory, you can see it in her eyes, insatiable curiosity. Leon is starting to recognize her pattern.
But before she can speak out her curiosity, someone interrupted her midway and the words died in her mouth.
"That's great, Tatsuya-kun!" said Leon as he slapped Tatsuya hard on his shoulder, it makes him flinch slightly, but he showed no other reaction.
Leon ignored the pout on Mayumi face and didn't turn his eyes to her even for a second. He had a feeling that if he did, he's going to be defeated in various ways.
He continues, "It didn't matter how you were able to win the battle, you can formally join the public morals committee now..."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at the unconscious Hanzou with an amused smile.
"Isn't that right, vice president?"
Everyone is confused by Leon's remark, Hanzou is still unconscious and may need further treatment from the infirmary, so it's impossible for him to answer Leon's question.
But under everyone surprised gaze, the unconscious figure of Hanzou is starting to twitch as though hesitating whether to wake up or not.
After a few moments, Hanzou finally opened his eyes. He then slowly trying to stand up on his feet, his gait is awkward and wobbled just like a real hospital patient. It's very convincing, but everyone is looking at him with a weird gaze.
"...Ugh, right... you have...proved to be someone who able to hold your ground and resist the enemy's attack, so it's not impossible...to join the committee." his face flushed from being exposed by Leon, but for the sake of his dignity, he didn't stop and continue his part as an injured person.
But the loli, Azusa is apparently quite oblivious to the vice president predicament and still trying to call the medic.
In the end, Hanzou had no choice. He reluctantly agrees to Leon's inquiry and flees from the room in a hurry, trying to escape from the embarrassing moment of his life.
Today, Tatsuya formally joins the public moral committee. Although Mari is somewhat doubtful with the battle outcome, her responsibility as the chief is still her utmost priority.
Not to mention the losing side, Hanzou didn't raise any objection either, so she decided not to pursue the matter any further.
"Let's go, we are going to visit the committee HQ."
Mari gave the new members an order. From her tone, it's clear that she will not accept any form of refusal.
Meanwhile, Leon started to sweat bullets when he recalled the state of the HQ, it's a bloody mess.
So, his mind started to spin faster than lightning, trying to find a reason to ditch the sinking ship, but someone already caught him by the arm.
"Leon... where do you think you are going?"
Mari stopped Leon who was trying to escape from the scene. Even though she is a woman, but her hold is very tight.
"Ah, Mari-senpai... I'm going to the committee HQ."
Leon's mouth twisted into a wry smile.
"Is that so... but unfortunately, our HQ is not that way, follow me."
Leon is dragged away by Mari, she also sent a glance towards Tatsuya, prompting him to follow her, leaving the rest in the practice room.
The Committee HQ is not that far from the practice room, it only takes a few minutes of walking, but it was uncomfortable for Leon with all the staring from other students. He felt as if the corridor had grown longer than usual.
It's their first time seeing something like this, so they seemed to be surprised, especially the upperclassmen. To think they would be able to witness Mari-senpai, the thorny beauty pulling a young man along the school corridor. This is more than just a rare occasion, so the students gave Leon a gaze filled with envy and resentment.
Tatsuya silently followed them from behind, his eyes twinkled with mirth that made Leon want to punch him in the face. He should have attacked Tatsuya without asking for permission in the practice room earlier, Leon cursed in his mind.
Three minutes passed and Tatsuya happiness is short-lived when he saw the state of committee HQ. But under Leon shocked gaze, he asked Mari if it's okay for him to clean the room. She also somewhat taken aback by Tatsuya request, but happy nonetheless.
But in the end, the two lazy students ended up helped Tatsuya to clean the HQ, they are uncomfortable to stay still and chat when Tatsuya alone trying to clean the whole place.
-Beep-
As Leon opened his mobile terminal, he can't stop himself from clicking his tongue.
"Leon, you look annoyed, what's wrong?" Mari asked in wonder.
"Ah, it's nothing. I've gotten a lot of spam lately..."
"You may want to visit the technical room on the second floor. They will be able to help you with it."
"...There's no need. I will figure it out by myself."
Leon rejected Mari's suggestion right away. Somehow, the idea of letting other people touching his private stuff is making him very uncomfortable.
So, if possible, he will take care of it by himself. It's not like it's a serious problem. In the end, it's just a mere annoyance to him.
If he only knew...
==============================
In the City of Roswell, New Mexico, USNA. There is a solemn exchange between two people clad in Stars uniform inside the Stars Headquarters, they're USNA military organization that has the reputation of being the most powerful force of Magicians in the world.
One of them is a man, he seems to have absolute authority in his posture and military uniform. It's clear that he is someone influential from the high place.
The man slowly opened his mouth to speak to a beautiful woman clad in the same military uniform.
"Major Angelina Kudou Shields, as of now, you're hereby released from your duties."
"!!"
The woman addressed as Major Angelina was taken aback by the words of her superior. She was lost for words because she is the ace of stars and one of the strongest magicians in USNA.
So, it's impossible for USNA to abandon her.
It's never crossed her mind even for a second, the pride and awareness inside her as the strategic-class magician didn't allow it, even if it just an imagination.
She knew this well, that's why a bad feeling started to emerge in the pit of her stomach.
Her bad feeling proven to be true when her superior continues his words.
"Your new mission is Search and Destroy. First-Lieutenant Walker has been identified as a deserter and you are hereby ordered to find and eliminate him at all cost."
"...Deserter? How is that possible..."
Disbelief could be seen in the blue eyes of blond-haired beauty called Angelina.
Once again she received an unpleasant mission to execute one of her comrades by her own hand.
"Major! This is an order! there's no need for doubt. He has been ignoring the message from the HQ and didn't submit any report or intelligence. This can be considered as treason. Thus, he must be eliminated at once."
"...Understood!"
Angelina gave the man a military salute before leaving the Stars HQ to prepare for her mission. It's not her first time to assassinate her former comrade and it's not going to be the last either, such is her duty.
In Angelina apartment, she stood in front of a portrait with three children in it, The one in the middle is Angelina, she was hugged by two children with a happy smile on their face.
Looking at the portrait, Angelina expression is calm, but deep sadness was depicted in her eyes and her voice is dripping with grief.
"God may forgive me... but I never can..."
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