The air buzzed with anticipation as the second race of the women's Battle Board semifinals approached. Mizuo Saho, a third-year from Third High, stood poised at the starting line, her nerves tempered by the cheers of her juniors.
"Knock 'em dead, senpai!" one called, eyes bright with admiration.
Saho flashed a confident grin. "Thanks! Facing First High's Watanabe and that beast from Seventh High is no small feat, but I'll give it everything I've got!"
Her words rang bold, but a shadow lingered in her mind. Last year, she'd fallen to Mori in the semifinals, and the memory stung. Worse, her group included Seventh High's ace, who'd pushed Mori to her limits in last year's final. At least I'll race with Third High's pride on the line, Saho vowed silently.
Her juniors, however, weren't as restrained, their voices dipping into discontent.
"The brackets reek of the organizers' malice," one muttered.
"If only First High had pulled out after that bus accident…" another added, voice low.
Saho faltered, words catching in her throat. Such talk could ignite a feud if First High's team overheard. Unknown to them all, the shadowy Mudou Ryuu had tampered with the matchups, weaving chaos into the competition—a truth beyond Saho's grasp.
Before she could respond, Airi, a fellow Third High student, stepped forward, her tone firm yet kind. "Enough. We're in Third High's tent, but wishing misfortune on others, even in jest, is beneath us."
Kanna followed, her voice cutting like a blade. "Airi's right. For mages, image is reality. Or have you forgotten Lord Ueyama's words at the banquet?"
The grumbling juniors fell silent, cowed not just by Airi's Ichishiki lineage or Kanna's Juumonji heritage, but by the weight of Gouzou Ueyama's name. A living legend who'd survived the Third World War, his contributions to magical history and theory were monumental. To those who knew him, though, he was just a grandfather doting on his grandkids—a fact that almost made Saho smile.
"Saved by my juniors, huh?" Saho chuckled, easing the tension. "Thanks, Ichishiki, Juumonji."
"No need for thanks," Airi said warmly. "Go show them what Third High's made of!"
With their encouragement fueling her, Saho stepped onto the Battle Board course, resolve hardening. Just do your best, she told herself, eyes locked on the starting signal. The instant it flashed, Mori and the Seventh High racer shot forward, their boards slicing through the water with ferocious speed. Saho surged after them, but the gap was already daunting.
Watanabe's even faster than last year… Is she really charging at that speed?! Saho's heart raced, half in awe, half in disbelief.
Mori's velocity eclipsed even Seventh High's ace, a display of raw skill that left Saho stunned. Cornering at such speed seemed suicidal, yet Mori leaned low, her hand brushing the board as she tilted it sideways. The waterway seemed to bend to her will, letting her glide through the curve without losing an ounce of momentum.
No way… Saho's jaw dropped.
Her shock doubled as the Seventh High racer approached the same curve, accelerating recklessly. Is she copying Mori? But something was wrong—her board wobbled, her form unsteady. Saho was too far to act, and race rules barred interference. A crash into the course wall seemed inevitable.
Then, impossibly, the water beneath the Seventh High racer dipped, launching her board over the barrier and out of bounds. Saho caught a fleeting glimpse of her descending gently, cushioned by magic, before snapping her focus back to the race.
I didn't even get a chance to interfere… What's going on?
A flag rose, halting the race. The organizers called for a two-racer rematch. In the rerun, Mori, desperate to break Mika's course record, pushed her "Blitz Drift" beyond its limits. Agony overwhelmed her, and she collapsed, plunging into the waterway just shy of the finish. With Mori's withdrawal, Saho, the sole racer left, advanced to the final by default.
Saho stood frozen, mind reeling. She hadn't even acted, yet she was a finalist. The reality felt distant, like a dream she couldn't quite grasp.
Evening, Susono Base Hospital
"What were you thinking, Mori?" Mayumi scolded, her voice hushed in the sterile hospital room.
Mori, propped up in bed, could only muster a sheepish, "My bad…"
Her withdrawal stemmed from overusing "Blitz Drift" in a reckless bid to shatter Mika's record. Mayumi bit back a sharper rebuke—You warned everyone else against this, then pulled the same stunt!—but the hospital's quiet restrained her.
Mori had fainted from pain, tumbling into the waterway just before the finish. Tatsuya's swift response from the stands, Shuji's precise aid, and Kana's gravity-reduction transport had brought her here. Hearing this, Mori flushed, sinking deeper into her sheets.
"What about the Seventh High racer?" she asked. "She okay?"
"Thanks to Kana's quick thinking, she's unharmed," Mayumi said. "But her magical capacity might take a hit. Shizuru's looking after her."
"Figured it'd go that way…" Mori murmured. "And the race?"
With only Saho left in the second semifinal, Kobayakawa claimed third, and Ninth High's third-place finisher from the first semifinal took fourth. The women's Battle Board final pitted First High's Ami Igarashi against Third High's Mizuo Saho. Expectations soared for a heated clash, but Ami unveiled a jaw-dropping technique.
"'Surface-Submerged Traversal'?" Mori echoed, eyes wide.
"Yup," Mayumi grinned. "Yu-kun designed it for Tsugumin to match you at your peak. It's called 'Aqua Dolphin.' Even I was stunned—it's one of a kind."
Mori huffed. "My sister's bad enough, but him too?"
Jumping the waterway was a foul, but diving underwater within the course was fair game. Water resistance made it a mad idea for Battle Board—until Ami's "Aqua Dolphin." The composite spell manipulated water resistance for fluid speed control, building on her "Air Sail Shield." The air membrane around her even mimicked a dolphin's form, a playful flourish from Yu that thrilled the crowd while staying true to streamlined physics.
"It's so tied to Ami's magic that they won't submit it to the Index," Mayumi added. "Thanks to that, Tsugumin took the win. Bet she wanted to face you, though."
"Got it," Mori said. "How long am I out?"
"Daily movement's fine, but no intense activity for a week. Mirage Bat's off the table. This one's on you, Mori."
Mori sighed, conceding the point.
First High's Triumphs, Day Three
First High swept the day: victories in men's and women's Ice Pillars Break (Katsuto and Kanon), men's Battle Board (Hattori), and women's Battle Board (Ami, plus third place). Ami's win filled the void left by Mori's absence. But Third High was closing in, dominating second to fourth in men's Battle Board and both Pillars Break events, shrinking the points gap more than expected.
Post-Dinner, First High's Meeting Room
First High's leaders gathered in their assigned room: Mayumi, Katsuto, Suzune overseeing strategy, Yu coordinating the rookie matches, and Mori—stubbornly present despite doctor's orders.
"We planned to dominate four events and lock in the overall lead," Suzune said, her tone measured. "But Third High's points are climbing fast. The rookie matches and main Mirage Bat could make or break us."
"My fault," Mori muttered. "If I hadn't overdone it…"
First High held 400 points to Third High's 330, far ahead of the other schools. But the rookie matches and Mirage Bat could shift the tide. In the main Monolith Code, Katsuto was near untouchable, though someone like Shuji Miyamoto might pose a challenge—if he were competing, which he wasn't.
"We planned for your recklessness," Suzune said, a wry edge to her voice. "Yu supplied techniques, and Rokuzuka tuned Ami's performance. You could be resting, you know."
"You're getting cheeky, Ichihara," Mori shot back, wincing. "I'm fine for everyday stuff."
Suzune's words carried the weight of knowing Mori wouldn't listen. Katsuto turned to Yu. "Mitsuya, rookie matches start tomorrow. What's your read?"
"For Speed Shooting, Third High's Shinkuro Kichijoji and Kanna Juumonji are the ones to watch," Yu replied. "If Rokuzuka or Kitayama face them, we've got a shot. But expecting fair brackets from a Mudou Ryuu-tainted committee? Not likely. It'll come down to raw skill."
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