Chapter 43 ~ Raikou

Chapter 43 ~ Raikou Women’s Rookie Event, Battle Board Qualifying Sixth Race. Yuuji, Aika, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Shizuku, and Nakajo Azusa sat together on the spectators' seats to watch Honoka’s Battle Board match. While Tatsuya was the engineer in charge of Honoka, Azusa had also helped him calibrate Honoka’s CAD, so she came to watch along to see her performance. “Come to think of it, I wonder why Mitsui-san’s has so many Optical Activation Sequences prepared?” “Under Battle Board rules, using magic to interfere with other contestants is prohibited. However, you are not barred from hindering them as a result of interfering with the surface of the water.” Tatsuya pulled out a pair of sunglasses and handed them to Azusa.? What are these for?” Azusa looked over and saw Yuuji and the others already wearing it. “...What’s the meaning of this?” She said confusedly, but still put it on. And soon, the match begins. The blaring sound of the horn counting down resounded, and the moment it start, a flash of brilliant, blinding light shined on the surface of the water. “Uwah!” “W-What’s happening?!” All other contestants covered their eyes with their arms as they struggled to maintain balance from the initial shock from being blinded. Some even fell and splashed into the water. But from within the light, Honoka, with her sunglasses, burst forth at tremendous speed, leaving behind each and every one of her rivals at the start line. “That’s amazing... It never even occurred to me that she would cast an optical spell on the water’s surface.” Honoka continued to dominate the match, going further and further beyond any of her other competitions. She was essentially going through the course alone, and soon, she reached the goal with no one else in sight behind her. --------------------------------X-------------------------------- In the ChinaTown of Yokohama, within an octagonal room, restyled to fit the Great Union of Asia architecture and decorated with filigree from the same country, five men in suits gathered around a circular table. A pot of tea and several tea cups laid upon the table that was covered with a wine red table cloth. Behind them, four large monitors displayed an artistic depiction of red dragons along with a golden emblem of a headless dragon. “Wasn’t Third High supposed to be the front-runner for the Rookie competitions?” “After going to the trouble of engineering Watanabe’s withdrawal, at this rate, First High will end up winning anyway.” “If the favorite wins, as bookmarkers, we’d be the only losers.” “And we drew an especially large crowd this time. For us, it won’t come cheap, paying out the dividends. It’s sure to put a huge dent in our business this term. ANd if that happens... All of us will be purged.” “Depending on the size of our losses, the boss might just do the deed himself.” “If it were only a matter of dying, it wouldn’t be so bad...” “...We’ve got to make a move right away. Especially when we have... “that” in our way.” --------------------------------X-------------------------------- Fifth day of the competition, Women’s Rookie Event Ice Pillars Break Venue. “A-Aika... Are you really going out in that outfit...?” Within the waiting room of the venue, Yuuji stared at Aika in disbelief upon seeing what she would be wearing for her Ice Pillars Break match. “Of course I am~! Isn’t this a great chance to show off~? The rules allow for it, so I might as well do it~” Aika turned with a brilliant smile, causing the long hem of her dress to be dragged around the floor. She was dressed in a pure white, shoulderless, long party dress with a deep v-cut on her back, revealing much of her impeccable white skin. Floral lace covered her upper chest slightly and up towards her neck, leaving her shoulders bare. And following the floral pattern, she also wore pure white, floral lace gloves that run up to the middle of her upper arm. “No... It’s not just your dress... You look like you're going to a ball...” While she was beautiful normally, Aika almost never used any makeup on her day to day basis. But this time, she did, and she also left her glasses behind, fully displaying her beautiful eyes. “Eeeeh~? I just wore a little bit of makeup and did my hair into a flower braid~ Isn’t it cute~?” “...Too cute.” “Ufufufu~ Are you going to be jealous~?” Aika leaned forward, narrowing her eyes in a teasing manner. “...Well, I’ll be lying if I said I’m not.” Yuuji sighed, standing up from his seat and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Good luck. I’m sure you can do it. And most importantly... Have fun.” “Uhn~ Thank you, Yuuji~ I love you~” “I love you too.” After sharing a long, passionate kiss, Aika went out to the venue while Yuuji went to the bench to watch her match as her engineer. Kasuga Akane from Fifth High school, her opponent on this Ice Pillars Break match, was dressed in a jet-black, old-japanese styled, militaristic uniform, complete with a jet-black cape and militaristic hat. And completing her look, she also had a piece of straw on her mouth. Her outfit would have attracted a lot of attention as she rose up on her platform, just like all the other contestants of the Ice Pillars Break event, since they’re allowed to use any outfit they wanted. But this time, all eyes were focused on the pure-white Goddess who was slowly ascending to her platform on the opposite side of the board. “Woah... She’s beautiful...” “A Goddess...” “Am I in heaven...? Is this real...” Murmurs, gasps, and mutterings of awe filled the entire venue as Aika stood silently on her platform with a calm smile on her face. This was her first appearance in the Nine Schools Competition. But like the still surface of a lake, she showed no sign of excitement, nervousness, or anxiousness at all. It was as if she was unshaken and untroubled by the worries and tribulations of mortals. But inside... Ufufufu~ How is this, Yuuji~ You must be super horny after seeing me like this, right~? I look super innocent and beautiful, right~? Don’t you want to defile me in this dress~? It’s white, so you don’t have to worry about soiling it~! Her lips curled up into a small smile, and immediately, the crowd burst into cheers. But Yuuji, who saw her expression, could immediately tell what her expression meant. She must be thinking of perverted stuff... He had to admit, she was extremely beautiful. Even more so than usual. No... much more. But Aika was still Aika. No matter how heavenly, innocent, or pure she looked, Yuuji knew that she would always have dirty thoughts in that little pink head of hers. Well, as long as she’s having fun... He smiled and watched over her silently as the start of the match began to count down. The poles in the middle of either side of the arena with a red, yellow, and green light on the tip of it began to shine. And along with the blaring sound of the horn, it began counting down to the start of the match. The moment the green light lit up and the sound of the horn that signaled the start of the match, Aika immediately raised her right hand into the sky. “So tell me. What do the Crimson Prince and Cardinal George want with me before their match?” Both Masaki and Shinkurou snapped out of their daze and faked a cough, their face still blushing redly as Aika giggled. “A-Ahem... Excuse me. We came to see the Black Emperor who made the world record for the fastest player to ever finish a lap in the Battle Board competition and shocked everyone watching.” “Tsubakihara Yuuji... I’ve only heard of the name through rumors before. But I will never forget it. Along with Shiba Tatsuya, the two of you are most likely the most dangerous enemies we will be facing in this Nine Schools Competition. I know it is rude to do this before the match, but we simply wanted to see you in person.” Ah... So these two are both locked in on me and Tatsuya, huh? “I’m humbled to be regarded so highly by the boy genius who discovered one of the Cardinal Codes at the tender age of thirteen... But you are right. It is... unorthodox.” Yuuji turned towards Aika, who was already playing with her phone because she was bored. “Aika, can you go ahead and save a seat for the two of us?” “Hm? Sure~” Aika nodded and turned towards the two with a bright smile. “See you two later~ Oh, and good luck on your matches~! Don’t lose until your match with Yuuji! I’d like to see him go all out, so please do your best!” She winked, causing them to flinch and blush once again, and walk past them. Their gazes instinctively gravitated towards Aika as she walked away before Yuuji’s fake cough snapped them out of their daze. “Staring at a lady as she walks away isn’t something a gentleman should do so outwardly isn’t it, prince, cardinal george.” The two panicked and became flustered when they heard Yuuji’s words and Aika’s giggle. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” “P-Please forgive me as well...” Yuuji couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of these two panicking at his slight teasing. Them staring at Aika was only natural. And they’re staring because they’re mesmerized by their beauty, so Yuuji only teased them a bit. If they’re ogling at her though... Well, Aika would get her wish of seeing him go all out against these two. “So? Is that all?” “...Yes. We look forward to our match. Don’t lose until you reach the finals.” “Likewise. Then, please excuse me.” --------------------------------X-------------------------------- Honoka’s match ended with her win, as expected. After all, she was quite skilled in magic, and with Tatsuya’s unique strategy of expanding the shadow on the water surface to force her rivals, who were wearing dark sunglasses as a countermeasure her previous strategy of blinding them with light on the water surface, to avoid taking the inside lane, it was but a done deal. And now, Aika, Miyuki, and Shizuku gathered in a meeting room with Mayumi. Yuuji and Tatsuya were also there as the three girls’ engineers. “Thanks to everyone’s outstanding efforts, our own players have swept the Rookie Women’s Pillars Break Final league. Kiryuu-san, Shiba-san, Kitayama-san, congratulations on a job well done!” “Thank you very much~!” “In recognition of this brilliant feat, the Tournament Committee has approached us with a proposal. Regardless of the standings in the Final, the total points awarded to our school will be the same, so they want to know if we’d like to skip the finals and have all three of you share first place.” “Yes! I want to fight against Miyuki~!” “A-Aika-san?” Miyuki, Shizuku, and Mayumi all looked at Aika in shock. They didn’t expect her to be this enthusiastic and excited to compete against Miyuki. “Hehehe~ That’s okay right, Miyuki?” Miyuki looked at Aika for a moment in silence and smiled. “Mm. If Aika-san wishes to compete against me, then I have no reason to refuse.” “Yaaaay~! Thank you, Miyuki~ Let’s have fun!” Aika cheered and hugged Miyuki, rubbing her cheek against her. “U-Uhn...” Mayumi nodded and turned to look at Shizuku. “What about you, Kitayama-sam?” “...I’m fine. I’ve fought to the best of my abilities with Miyuki-san. I am satisfied.” “Okay. Then I will tell this to the committee.” --------------------------------X-------------------------------- On this clear and sunny day of the sixth day of the Nine Schools Competition, cheers, applauses, and gasps of awe filled the Pillars Break venue as Aika in her white dress and Miyuki in her shrine maiden’s outfit rose up to their platform. In her focus, Miyuki stared directly at Aika’s eyes. She’s strong. From the few times she had seen Aika use her magic, Miyuki knew full well how skilled and powerful she was. The Niflheim spell she used during the raid in Blanche’s hideout. The spell on par with her brother’s “Regrowth” she used to “heal” the ones she froze. And the extremely powerful lightning spell, Raikou, that annihilated all twelve Ice Pillars in an instant... I need to focus and end this quickly before she uses Raikou... The blaring sound of the countdown started. And as soon as the green light shined, Aika immediately raised her hand and conjured a massive magic circle above Miyuki’s side of the arena She’s fast!! Miyuki cast Inferno right after, decreasing the temperature on her side of the arena, strengthening her Ice Pillars, while increasing the temperature on Aika’s side, melting her Ice Pillars. But then, Miyuki’s eyes widened in shock when she saw Aika raising her left hand up to her chest. What? Don’t tell me... Around her wrist, there was another bracelet-shaped CAD, gleaming with the light from the sun. It glowed, and a moment later, the effect of Miyuki’s inferno disappeared. No... It didn’t disappear... But this is... Did she...?! Inferno is a medium-scale magic that works by dividing the target area into two sections and decreasing the kinetic and rotational energy of all objects within one section and this surplus energy can then be released into the other section in the form of heat. This was how Miyuki was able to melt Aika’s ice pillars while freezing her own. Aika simply used the same spell to reverse the effect of Miyuki’s spell. But her spell was stronger. Instead of simply returning the amount of kinetic and rotational energy in both areas to normal, Aika’s Inferno erased the effect of Miyuki’s Inferno and returned it in spades. And in just a fraction of a second, the situation was reversed. Miyuki’s eyes widened and looked up towards Aika, her simply standing there with a beautiful smile on her face. Not one of arrogance, but one that showed genuine excitement and happiness. Like an innocent child playing with her best friend. Such a beautiful expression... Even Miyuki, a beautiful girl herself, couldn't help but become mesmerized. Ah... I’m completely outclassed... The massive magic circle above Miyuki’s side of the arena glowed brightly, and from it, a massive column of lightning struck down to the entire area, hitting her brittle, melting ice pillars. Blinding light and the thunderous sound of lightning filled the entire venue. And when it dissipated, the Ice Pillars on Miyuki’s side of the arena were no longer there. AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!! Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at /verglasx ~!!