Battle of the Beauties
Those who crawl through the darkness of night are not always those with black hearts. If the peaceful lives of citizens are kept safe from such outlaws—or at least, if they are spared from total destruction—it is only because the agents of Order are scrambling through that same darkness, waging war against the chaos.
However, that does not mean every agent of Order is diligent by nature.
"Give me a break... it's just one headache after another. Didn't my streak of bad luck end last year? What the hell is actually going on? Honestly, I'd prefer illegal immigrants or a foreign invasion at this point—at least that would make sense."
"...Investigating that is our job, isn't it? You shouldn't complain. Thanks to these incidents, we're not out of a job."
Just as Inagaki took a breath to deliver a proper admonishment—or rather, a scolding—to his superior, who was grumbling lingeringly about how "it would be better if nothing happened at all," a voice crackled through the earpiece hooked over his ear.
"Yes, this is Inagaki. ...Understood. We're heading to the scene immediately."
Inagaki switched off his communicator and shot a harsh glare at his boss, who, despite surely guessing what had happened, remained slouched in lethargy.
"Inspector, that's the fifth one. Cause of death is debilitation, just like the previous victims. No external wounds, same as before."
"And let me guess, drained of blood, too? ...Good grief. Five bizarre corpses in one month. We're reaching the limit on how long we can keep the media silenced."
Without mentioning the victim or the perpetrator, Inspector Chiba Toshikazu let out a heavy, reluctant sigh. Yet, amidst that expression of utter annoyance, his eyes alone harbored the sharp, piercing glint of a hunter.
Angelina Kudou Shields made a sensational debut at First High School.
First, there was her appearance. From the very first day of her exchange, there wasn't a student in the entire school who didn't know who she was. Until then, the title of the school's most beautiful girl had belonged to Miyuki—a consensus held by everyone, including upperclassmen and female students alike. But with Lina's enrollment, the lone "Queen" became one half of a "Dual Monarchy."
Her beauty alone would have been enough to make her the talk of the school, but—
"Miyuki, let's go."
"Whenever you please. I'll leave the countdown to you, Lina."
The distance between the two girls facing each other was three meters. Between them, a metal sphere thirty centimeters in diameter rested atop a thin pole.
The practice room was lined with identical apparatuses, but every classmate had stopped their hands to watch Miyuki and Lina.
They weren't the only ones. Along the mezzanine gallery, third-year students—now on a free-attendance schedule—were lined up in rows. Among them were Mayumi and Mari.
"...Do you think it's true? That she possesses magic power rivaling Shiba?"
"In a sense, she came to Japan representing America, so it's not impossible. Still, it is hard to believe right off the bat. To think there's someone the same age who can match Miyuki-san in technical skill..."
"I agree. They say seeing is believing, and I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes."
"Which is exactly why we're here to check it out."
Since these practical sessions began, Miyuki had been in a league of her own, untouchable by her peers. Hearing the rumors, members of the new and old Student Council (plus the frantic head of the Disciplinary Committee) had taken turns challenging her, but not a single one could match her. That fact had become an open secret at First High.
"That was... incredible."
Mari murmured the words, stunned by the instantaneous offense and defense that unfolded before her eyes.
"Argh! I lost again!"
"That puts me two wins ahead, Lina."
As Miyuki's words implied, the confrontation wasn't a one-sided victory for her. Following this bout, they repeated the exercise four more times within the time limit. The score ended at two-to-two, meaning Miyuki finished the day's practice maintaining her two-win lead.
Lunchtime arrived at the usual cafeteria.
Lina was sitting with them today, though this wasn't a daily occurrence. In the week since her transfer, she had received invitations from all corners of the school and had eaten with different groups each time. Deepening exchanges broadly was, one could argue, the model behavior for an exchange student.
Eating with Tatsuya's group was actually the first time she had done so since her first day.
"You're quite popular, Lina."
"Thanks. I'm just happy everyone is treating me so well."
"But still, you're even more amazing than I expected, Lina," Erika chimed in. "I figured you were strong since you were chosen to study abroad, but I never thought you'd be able to compete evenly with Miyuki-san."
"I'm the one who's surprised, actually. I was undefeated at the high school level back in the States. But I just can't seem to get a winning record against Miyuki, and while I can match Honoka in overall power, I'm losing when it comes to precision control. As expected of Japan, a superpower in magic technology."
"Lina," Miyuki said, gently admonishing her. "Practice is just practice, not a match. I don't think you should focus so much on winning and losing."
"Competition is important," Lina countered head-on, unafraid of a little friction. "Even if it's practice, the curriculum is designed like a game. I think obsessing over the win helps you improve faster."
Perhaps this was simply her style. It felt somewhat fresh to see someone challenge Miyuki so openly. So, Tatsuya decided to offer his own opinion without holding back.
"Possessing a fighting spirit during the exercise is important. But is there any need to drag it out after it's over? Practice is strictly for training; it's different from practical exams that affect your grades."
"...You're right, Tatsuya. Maybe I was getting a little too heated."
"Getting heated isn't a bad thing. Miyuki's motivation has gone up thanks to the arrival of a new rival. In that regard, I'm grateful to you, Lina."
"And there it is," Erika smirked. "Tatsuya-kun's Siscon commentary."
"Ah, oh, I see... Tatsuya and Miyuki are really close, aren't they?"
Lina decided to jump on the bandwagon of Erika's exaggerated remark. Sensing that this conversation was heading in a troublesome direction, Tatsuya attempted to change the subject.
"Speaking of which, Lina. This isn't a big deal, but..."
"What is it?"
"I thought the nickname for Angelina was usually 'Angie.' Or is my memory playing tricks on me?"
At Tatsuya's question, Lina was unmistakably flustered. It was impressive that she managed to hide it from everyone but him, but the moment she faltered in front of Tatsuya, she had lost this battle.
"No, your memory isn't wrong. But shortening it to Lina isn't that rare. In elementary school, there was another girl in my class named Angela, and everyone called her Angie. That's why."
"I see. So you became 'Lina' instead of 'Angie' to avoid confusion."
Tatsuya nodded as if convinced, showing not a shred of evidence that he had noticed her agitation.
Getting between these two seems like it would be a serious ordeal...
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