Vol. 1 Chapter 2 – Meryl’s Secret Big Operation

Several days had passed since the incident of Meryl’s intrusion and summer vacation had begun.

Under the laws of Japan, magicians are required to attend a magic school. However, there are only seven such schools in total, located in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Among them, the Tokyo campus has its elementary, middle, and high school divisions, as well as the only magic university in Japan, all within the same district, forming a single student town, and in one corner of it stands a student dormitory. This exists to accommodate students who do not have a magic school within commuting distance of their family home and the building itself is no different from an ordinary high-rise apartment. It is a forty-story structure with a dark gray exterior and even has a convenience shop in the entrance on the first floor.

In a room on the nineteenth floor of that student dormitory, Junpei was now lying on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Aside from the sound of the television left running, it was very quiet. It was as if the dorm itself had fallen into a deep, still silence. That made sense, since most of the dorm residents had already packed up and returned to their family homes on the very first day of summer vacation yesterday. However, Junpei had no home to return to. His current family home was in Tokyo, but his relationship with his stepfather was so bad that he could not go back. As a result, the only ones remaining in the dorm at this point were people like Junpei with complicated circumstances, or those who had school-related activities.

“Come to think of it, I wonder what happened with Meryl’s case…”

Regarding that incident that occurred right before summer vacation, there had been no news of Meryl, the culprit, being arrested. Even in the news, it was only briefly reported as『a suspicious individual intruded into a magic school』.

Also, the day before yesterday, in other words on the day of the closing ceremony, when he happened to run into Kaede-san, he asked her about Meryl, and this was her reply.

『—The investigation itself has been left to the police. But if she tries to enter this school again, I will definitely drive her away』.

“Kaede-san back then felt strangely tense… Well, that Meryl girl did say『see you again』, so it’s only natural for Kaede-san to stay on guard. But seriously, Meryl… damn that Meryl! Because she said something like ero magic, I’ve ended up worrying about it for no reason. Damn it…”

The words『ero magic』remained stuck somewhere in his heart like a thorn, unable to come out. He hadn’t believed it yet, but how was he supposed to deal with the fact that he had seen Sonia and the others’ underwear one after another?

“Coincidence? No, but could something like that really just be coincidence? Then, is this『ero magic』actually real? If that’s the case, what am I supposed to do… damn it, I resent you, Meryl. But she didn’t seem like a bad person, either…”

While recalling Meryl’s innocent and charming smile, Junpei grew tired of thinking, tilted his head to the side, and shifted his gaze back to the TV. Just as the commercial ended, a silver-haired, violet-eyed beautiful girl suddenly appeared on the screen in a bunny suit. It was Meryl.

“Hah?”

At the exact moment Junpei doubted his own eyes, Meryl began speaking in a voice like a canary.

【Yahho! Hello to all the Onii-chans and Onee-chans across the country! Meryl is Meryl! The greaaat, greaaat, greaaat mage who will leave her name in history, Meryl! Nice to meet you, Meryl!】

“Eh, eh, Meryl? That’s Meryl. Wait, what are you doing?”

Junpei literally tumbled off the bed and hurriedly clung to the television. Meryl, placing her hands beside the rabbit ear accessory on her head like little cat paws, shook her head side to side as she began talking.

【So, today, Meryl has a request for everyone, and using magic, I’ve hijacked the signals of televisions, radios, computers, mobile devices… every single AV device across Japan!】

“Haa?”

—All the TVs and mobile devices across Japan? No way, you’ve gotta be kidding me.

Even as Junpei stood there, stunned and dumbfounded, Meryl continued speaking energetically.

【Um, I’ll explain it in order, so listen carefully, okay? In this world, there have always been magicians, right? In this country, there was even a time when they were called Onmyouji. And so, magicians and non-magicians fought a lot, but after going through two world wars, humanity entered an era of『we’re totally sick of war already, Meryl』and all sorts of rules were created so everyone could live together peacefully. But ten years ago, in this country called Japan, there was a magician who ignored all those rules and tried to do something that absolutely shouldn’t be done】

“Ten years… ago?”

—Well, she did say she was six hundred sixty-six years old, though…

The self-proclaimed six hundred sixty-six-year-old Meryl spoke energetically, gesturing with her hands as she talked.

【And so, you see, Meryl is basically a traveler, so I usually ignore most things and don’t get involved, but that time I got mad. Since I got mad, I crushed that person’s plan, organization and all. Well, I can’t say exactly what kind of bad things they were doing because of the victims but since Meryl basically doesn’t kill people, I just destroyed their facilities, equipment, and research results instead of taking their lives. I did punish them, though. After that, I went around the world destroying the remaining research results that had leaked out. It was about this big of a ring, you know】.

Meryl formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, and continued speaking in a sing-song tone.

【And then, while chasing that ring, finding it, and breaking it over and over, I came back to Japan, and I even snuck into a certain place for a bit, but after investigating various things, a new fact came to light. The people involved in that plan from ten years ago have, one after another over the past few years, fallen unconscious and been hospitalized】.

“…Eh?”

Because it was said in such a cheerful tone, Junpei couldn’t understand it for a moment.

—Unconscious? Hospitalized? Does that mean someone did something to them?

If that were the case, it would be something outrageous, but Meryl’s story continued.

【And so Meryl thought about it. Now that the ring has been found in Japan, could it be related to this series of unconsciousness incidents? Or maybe not? Coincidence? Or fate? Meryl doesn’t know. But if they are related, then that means the culprit holding the ring was involved in the plan from ten years ago, and on top of that, they didn’t reflect on their actions, right? Meryl is shocked. Even though I spared their lives, and even broke quite a few of their bones for them, they still didn’t learn their lesson at all!】

At that point, Meryl paused her words and cleared her throat with a small kohon.

【Now then. Here’s Meryl’s proposal. To whoever currently has the ring. If you say you have nothing to do with this series of incidents, then bring the ring to the fountain plaza of A Park in S Ward, Tokyo, at six in the evening on August X! And if you obediently hand the ring over to Meryl, I’ll believe you’re unrelated. If you don’t show up, I’ll consider you guilty. Got it?】

“Uwaa…”

A voice like that slipped out of him without thinking.

To begin with, Meryl was hiding the most crucial parts. What exactly was the plan she claimed to have crushed ten years ago? What role did the ring play in that plan, and why did it need to be destroyed? None of that was clear. There was also no guarantee that she was even telling the truth.

Even if, by some chance, she was telling the truth, she had unlawfully trespassed into the magic school the other day and destroyed its facilities, and today she had hijacked broadcast signals. Naturally, both were criminal acts. Even if someone like that called out to the ring’s owner, the ones who would show up at A Park on the day would be a large crowd of curious onlookers, and the police’s magical crime investigation division or perhaps the magic riot squad. And yet, the nerve to show her face so openly and make such a bold announcement like this… should it be called sheer guts, or just an airheaded mindset?

“Your plan is way too sloppy…”

Leaving Junpei, who was utterly exasperated, behind, Meryl casually waved her hand and said,

【See you then! Let’s meet on August X! Bye-bye!】

And in the very next moment, the signal hijacking ended and the television broadcast returned to normal, but it was no longer a time for watching programs. Before long, the matter caused a huge uproar in society, including on social media.

That night, an email was sent from the magic school under the principal’s name to all students. To summarize what was written there, it stated that there was no need to worry about Meryl since the police were already handling the situation, and that students should not stir things up unnecessarily but instead calmly observe how events unfold. It also emphasized that it was absolutely out of the question for anyone to give in to curiosity and go to A Park on the day. Students were reminded to keep in mind that reckless behavior could undermine the social credibility of magicians. And as a precaution, it ordered that everyone remain at home on that day, and that dorm residents were strictly prohibited from going out.

“…So basically, the adults will handle it, and kids shouldn’t do anything. Well, fine by me.”

After reading through the email, Junpei placed his mobile device on the charging stand and lay down on his bed.

From what he had gathered while going around collecting information online since then, it seemed that society was interpreting Meryl’s actions as the appearance of some kind of thrill-seeking troublemaker starting a disturbance. It didn’t seem like people thought of her as a dangerous terrorist. Junpei agreed with that view.

—She’s a bit crazy, and yeah, she called me some ero magician or whatever, but she’s not a bad person. Probably.

Even so, how would this whole incident end? Would Meryl be arrested? Or would she manage to escape? And if so, would she succeed in seizing or destroying the ring?

—The ring… what even is that ring? What’s its origin? She mentioned something about victims but if you really have justice on your side, you should’ve just revealed everything when you hijacked the broadcast. If you did that, you might’ve even gotten the public on your side. So why didn’t you? I don’t understand you at all, Meryl.

While idly thinking about these things, before he knew it, Junpei had fallen asleep.

◇

A few days later, on a day just before the August X date designated by Meryl, Junpei returned from the convenience store with a boxed lunch for his midday meal and happened to run into Kaede in the entrance hall on the first floor of the student dormitory.

“Kaede-san.”

“Ah, Junpei. Long time no see.”

Today, Kaede was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

“I’m about to go have lunch with everyone from Red Heart Brave. Want to come along?”

“I’ll pass. I mean, can’t you see this? I just bought a bento.”

As he said that, Junpei lightly raised the plastic bag containing his lunch in his right hand. Seeing that, Kaede made a slightly lonely expression.

“You say that, but you always turn down my invitations.”

That was true, and Junpei felt awkward, so he tried to change the subject.

“By the way, Kaede-san, you didn’t go back home? Is it because of Red Heart Brave activities?”

“Hmm, it’s true that between Red Heart Brave work and swordsmanship training, I’ve been too busy to even spare time for you. But the reason I didn’t go back home is… actually, my relationship with my family isn’t good either.”

Junpei widened his eyes at the unexpected confession. Since Kaede was an honor student, he had assumed her family situation must naturally be harmonious. Kaede chuckled softly at Junpei’s reaction and said,

“Everyone has their own circumstances. By the way, Junpei, how’s your summer vacation going? Are you studying?”

“Yeah, more or less. The only thing I’m bad at is practical skills, but I can at least keep average scores on written tests.”

“Then that’s fine. Now, about Meryl… that matter.”

“Isn’t it the day after tomorrow already? You don’t have to tell me, I’m not going to become some curious onlooker.”

“Good.”

Kaede smiled, patted Junpei on the shoulder, and then passed by him, heading out of the dorm. Watching her from the corner of his eye, Junpei spoke.

“But what Meryl said has been on my mind the whole time. About the ring, the victims, how she crushed some plan ten years ago…”

At that, Kaede suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned her gaze toward Junpei.

“Oh? So you’ve gotten interested.”

“Well, I did meet Meryl in person, after all. At least a little… What do you think, Kaede-san?”

“Even if you ask me that, I don’t know anything. The truth can only be uncovered by capturing her and interrogating her. Still, there is one thing I can say for certain.”

At that point, Kaede turned to face Junpei, as if revealing a card she had been holding close, and said,

“Meryl said there was an incident ten years ago, and that several people involved in it have fallen unconscious. If that is true, then whoever is responsible for such acts cannot be forgiven. However, even so, to assume that if the owner of the ring does not obediently hand it over, they must be the culprit behind those incidents… isn’t that rather reckless? Think about it if the ring’s owner is innocent. That person would surely feel they were being unjustly threatened.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true…”

From what Junpei had seen, Meryl didn’t seem like a bad person but it was true that she tended to disregard the means for the sake of her goal. Perhaps that was what appeared unreasonable in Kaede’s eyes.

“Hmm… but if the ring is some kind of research result from that plan ten years ago, and the people involved with it are falling unconscious, then isn’t it only natural to connect the two?”

“Junpei, to cast suspicion unilaterally without any proof and demand that someone hand over the ring if they are not the culprit is outright coercion. If Meryl’s goal is to resolve the unconsciousness incidents, then I would want to cooperate as well. But if, for that sake, she is going to randomly threaten innocent people, then I absolutely cannot approve of such a method.”

Having it stated so clearly, Junpei found himself unable to say anything more. Meanwhile, perhaps because she had grown heated while talking, Kaede was unusually talkative.

“If, on that day, Meryl happens to appear before me, I will settle things myself.”

“On that day… what do you mean?”

When Junpei asked that, Kaede showed a slightly taken-aback expression for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

“Ah, damn, that slipped out…”

“…If it’s something hard to talk about, you can just pretend I didn’t ask, you know?”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll tell you. Actually… the day after tomorrow, on August X that Meryl specified, Red Heart Brave will be going to A Park in S Ward.”

This time, it was Junpei’s turn to be taken aback.

“Eh, seriously? Aren’t all magic school students supposed to stay at home?”

“No, well, Red Heart Brave is an exception. Through that broadcast, Meryl demanded that whoever has the ring bring it to A Park, but under normal circumstances, there’s no way they would actually come. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to. On that day, A Park is going to be sealed off by the police.”

“To arrest Meryl?”

“That’s right. She’s suspected of two charges: breaking into the magic school and hijacking broadcast signals. The police can’t just ignore that. And there’s one more thing we can expect, a large crowd of onlookers.”

Indeed, after hijacking public broadcasts and saying all that, it was obvious that curious busybodies would gather.

“And so, we’ve been called in to handle those onlookers and manage traffic.”

“Ahh, I see…”

Red Heart Brave, being a group of honor students, naturally cooperates in situations like this. It also aligns with their founding principle of demonstrating the usefulness of magicians to society.

“That sounds tough, especially in this heat. Good luck, I’ll be cheering you on.”

Thinking of it as someone else’s problem, Junpei smiled breezily. At that moment, he never even imagined that something like that would happen.

◇

At the height of summer in August, X Day. At last, that day had arrived. If things went as announced, Meryl was supposed to appear at A Park at six in the evening today. Kaede and the others from Red Heart Brave had likely gone to A Park early in the morning to deal with the onlookers, although Junpei kept an eye on breaking news, he followed the order to stay indoors and spent his time relaxing in his dorm room.

Then, as evening passed and night fell, a shocking report was delivered to Junpei by a female news announcer.

“Kondou-san is a high school division teacher at the Tokyo Magic School, and had visited the park as part of the school’s volunteer activities but was found collapsed within the park, bleeding. He was responsive when called out to and was transported to the hospital, and it is said that his life is not in danger. The police are currently planning to wait for Kondou-san to recover before questioning him, but based on the circumstances, it is believed that he was attacked by the witch Meryl—”

From that moment on, Meryl’s public image changed completely. From a bunny-suited prankster, she became a vicious criminal who had inflicted serious injuries on an innocent teacher, requiring a full month of recovery.

◇

The next day, an emergency all-school assembly was held, attended by both students and their parents. Since it was so sudden and during summer vacation, not everyone could attend, with some having returned to distant hometowns or being away on trips. Even so, it felt like about eighty percent of the students had come to school.

At ten in the morning, in the auditorium on the high school campus, students stood in lines by class, while rows of folding chairs had been set up at the back for the parents.

When the principal stepped onto the stage, he first gave an opening greeting, the parents took their seats, and the students sat on the floor hugging their knees. Once everything settled, the principal began speaking.

“Now then, I will explain, step by step, what happened at that park yesterday.”

According to him, yesterday, Red Heart Brave had gone to A Park as part of their usual volunteer activities, under the supervision of their advising teachers, to deal with the onlookers. However, even when it became six in the evening, the time Meryl had specified, nothing happened, no one appeared, and an hour passed just like that. At that point, they began discussing what to do next at the scene.

“The discussion took place in a tent set up within the park, where representatives of each party gathered. From our school, the chief advisor of Red Heart Brave, Kondo-sensei, the assistant advisor, Okumura-sensei, and the current leader, Hijikata Kaede-kun, were present.”

Then, with the police situation considered settled for the moment and the onlookers beginning to disperse, it was decided that the student group, Red Heart Brave, would withdraw at that time.

Once the decision was made, Kondō-sensei and the others exited the tent and split into two groups.

Kondo-sensei separated on his own to contact the bus driver for transporting the students, while Okumura-sensei and Kaede went to inform the other Red Heart Brave members of the plan.

However, after that, they were unable to get in touch with Kondo-sensei, and when the bus did not arrive either, they found it strange. Then Kondo-sensei was discovered collapsed in the park, bleeding, and the situation turned into an uproar.

Hearing the truth that had not been revealed in the news reports, Junpei was left stunned.

“Principal!”

Although it would normally be unthinkable, at that moment Junpei was driven by something, and while everyone else remained seated hugging their knees, he alone stood up and raised his hand.

The principal looked at Junpei with slight surprise but did not stop him from speaking.

“Do you have a question?”

“Yes. Um, then… does that mean no one actually saw Meryl attack Kondo-sensei?!”

At that, the entire auditorium filled with murmurs. Ever since last night, the reports had been stating definitively that Meryl had attacked Kondo-sensei, but based on what was just explained, that could no longer be said with certainty. Surely, everyone had been harboring the same doubt as Junpei and that was why the room had erupted into such a stir.

The principal gave a firm nod, then spoke not just to Junpei, but to everyone present.

“In fact, that is correct. The media has reported it as though Meryl injured Kondo-sensei, but there is no evidence or eyewitness testimony to support that. However, if there was someone at that scene capable of harming Kondo-sensei, then there is no one other than Meryl, and the fact that she remains the prime suspect does not change. In any case, all we can do is wait for the police investigation to progress. As a school, we can only convey what is currently known.”

“That’s…”

Junpei still wanted to protest but realizing that the principal was fulfilling his responsibility to explain as best as he could, he backed down and sat on the floor again. Seeing that, the principal continued with the rest of his speech, saying things like not to be shaken by this incident and to live responsibly until the end of summer vacation, and then moved on to questions from the parents, but none of it reached Junpei anymore.

A little past eleven in the morning, the assembly was dismissed. Junpei was walking across the school grounds, intending to return to the dorm, when he reached the tree-lined path leading to the main gate and heard someone call out to him from behind.

“Junpei.”

Turning at the sound of that voice, he saw Kaede standing there in her uniform. Beside her was Sonia, and in addition, a total of sixteen men and women who appeared to be members of Red Heart Brave were gathered together. Their gazes were directed at Junpei, but Sonia in particular was glaring sharply at him.

Among them, the one who spoke to Junpei with a smile was, as expected, Kaede.

“You stood out back there. I was surprised you asked the principal a question like that.”

“Kaede-san, um…”

If he had the chance to meet Kaede, he had planned to ask her in detail about what happened yesterday. However…

“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer anything. Regarding yesterday’s incident, both the school and the police have ordered me not to speak about it. I haven’t even told the members of Red Heart Brave here.”

“I-I see…”

Cut off right at the start, Junpei dropped his shoulders, but since Kaede had stated it so clearly, asking further would only be a waste of time. Even so, why had he asked the principal something like that earlier? Deep down, had he been more concerned about Meryl than he realized? And why had Sonia been glaring at him this whole time?

Sonia was as beautiful as ever. With her golden hair shining all the way down to her waist, combined with its brilliance, when surrounded by black-haired Japanese students, it was as if only she was illuminated by a golden spotlight. Being pierced by such needle-like stares from a beautiful girl like that, Junpei could no longer pretend not to notice.

“Hey, why are you glaring at me like that?”

When Junpei gathered his courage and asked, Sonia replied in a sharp, thorny tone.

“It is because Kondo-sensei was injured due to you.”

“Hah? M-Me, you say?!”

Junpei was first stunned, then, overcome with anger, he stepped closer toward Sonia.

“What kind of joke is that? I was in the dorm the whole time yesterday!”

“However, to begin with, if on that day you had not interfered with me and had properly provided support, we would have already captured Meryl.”

“That day…?”

She must be referring to the day Meryl illegally intruded into the school. Realizing that, Junpei was exasperated.

“You’re still bringing that up?”

“I had intended to let it go until yesterday. But Kondo-sensei suffered serious injuries and could have died if things had gone just a little differently! At the very least, please accept a few words of resentment!”

“What are you—!”

“I looked into you a little. Your written test scores are average, but your practical skills are hopeless. You can’t control your magic and misfires and runaways are common, I hear. A failure like you would be better off having your magic sealed away for the good of society!”

“You—!”

What Sonia said did have some truth to it. But precisely because it did, it felt like his wounds were being gouged open, and Junpei moved to close the distance between them. At that moment, Kaede stepped in between them, placing herself in his path.

“Stop it, Junpei. Sonia, you’ve gone too far as well.”

However, Sonia crossed her arms as if to support her ample chest from below, lifted her chin, and looked down at Junpei.

“I have said nothing incorrect. A failure is a failure.”

“You… bastard…”

At that, Sonia narrowed her eyes and mocked him.

“At least say『woman』, would you? Or have your Japanese grades also been marked as『fail』?”

“Ggh, grrr…!”

Along with his anger, Junpei felt something surging from deep within his body. Magical power welled up through him like water, filling his entire being. Perhaps sensing it instantly, Kaede’s expression tightened.

“This is… magic?! Stop, Junpei! If you use magic in a fight, you won’t get off lightly!”

“No, wait, Captain.”

At that moment, one of the Red Heart Brave members who had been watching from a distance, a third-year boy, interjected. The boy with glasses stared at Junpei with widened eyes.

“I can feel the surge of internal magical power. Magical energy is filling his entire body. In such a short time, this much… it’s fast, and powerful. And yet he’s called a failure? How can that be?”

Following up on that, another third-year girl spoke.

“The process is there… but if the magic isn’t activating, maybe it’s just that he can’t properly imagine what kind of magic he wants to use? Hey, you! What kind of magicians are in your family line? If you look at your relatives, you should be able to figure out what kind of magic you’re suited for. Then you just have to visualize it… Hey, are you even listening?! He’s in a trance!”

Yes, it was something often seen with a caster concentrating on magic but Junpei had now entered a kind of trance state. The various conversations from earlier were reaching his ears, yet not registering in his mind.

“This is bad…”

Kaede blurted out. At this rate, Junpei would be punished for using magic in a private fight. If it ended as a school disciplinary matter, that would still be one thing, but if Sonia were to get injured, he would be sent to a magical rehabilitation institution.

“Junpei!”

In a desperate gamble, Kaede slapped Junpei hard across the cheek. That snapped him back to his senses, but in that instant, his magic power and his spell connected. And then, a fragment of what has been called a miraculous power since ancient times surfaced, and the magic manifested as a phenomenon.

However, since Junpei didn’t know his own magical aptitude, as usual, he hadn’t properly formed an image of his magic. He had only wanted to get back at Sonia. The magic that activated from that feeling alone summoned wind. That wind vigorously flipped up Sonia’s white skirt, and a piece of eye-catching light blue fabric flew into his view, causing Junpei’s face to go blank.

—Light blue… no, that’s not the point! Not again! Again?!

Junpei’s magic summoned wind, and the wind lifted Sonia’s skirt. Once again, because of Junpei’s magic, something lewd had happened. This made it the fourth time.

—You’ve gotta be kidding me… me?

Meanwhile, Sonia froze, not understanding what had just happened, but—

“…Kya, kyaaaah!”

At last, a scream burst out from her, and she hurriedly fixed her skirt. By then, the wind had already passed. However, the situation was so overwhelming that no one said anything.

Kaede and the others subtly averted their eyes from both Junpei and Sonia. Sonia held down the hem of her skirt with both hands, trembling slightly as she looked down. And Junpei was thinking that he had to somehow break this silence.

“Uh, it wasn’t on purpose. Honestly, I got pissed at you, like『damn you』and ended up using magic without really understanding it myself, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. Hahaha. Seriously though, why does it always end up like this whenever I use magic…?”

—Because you’re an ero magician!

At that moment, an imaginary Meryl said that and slammed a hammer blow into Junpei’s heart, and Sonia, giving off an aura of anger, spoke in an incredibly cold voice while still looking down.

“So it wasn’t intentional.”

“O-Of course.”

“Very well, I understand. Then, death penalty!”

When Sonia raised her face, her beautiful expression was filled with killing intent. Just like that, she stepped forward toward Junpei and raised her right arm. Junpei was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t move.

“I’ll kill—”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Kaede shouted in a flustered voice. At the same time, two female students grabbed Sonia from both sides to restrain her.

“Sonia-chan, calm down.”

“It’s not like anything’s been lost, so it’s fine, right?”

“But this is the second time! Not even during that banana peel incident had anyone ever seen it before! Twice! Twice!”

As Sonia shouted, this time Kaede spoke.

“It was an accident, an accident. Force majeure. Right, Junpei?”

“O-Of course.”

Junpei nodded repeatedly like a broken doll.

After that, everyone somehow managed to soothe and calm Sonia down and it seemed she had finally suppressed her killing intent. However, the hostile light in her eyes when she looked at Junpei had not disappeared.

“…Very well. I will somehow restrain myself from killing you. However, you will have to make amends for that insult just now.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“A duel!”

At this, everyone was stunned. At the magic school, there was an old custom: when two parties had claims they absolutely could not concede, they would engage in a fair one-on-one match using magic, and the winner’s opinion would prevail. This was the card Sonia had chosen to play.

“Well?”

“Uh…”

Not well at all. If he dueled Sonia, it was obvious he would be the one getting beaten down. But at the same time, being challenged to a fight by a girl and running away would hurt his pride. As Junpei hesitated, unsure of how to respond, Kaede spoke to Sonia.

“In this case, your duel is merely to settle your resentment over the humiliation just now. But that would be a private fight. The conditions for a duel are not met. At the magic school, duels are permitted to resolve disputes when both sides have conflicting claims and both have some merit. It is not allowed to use this system for personal revenge.”

“T-That’s right!”

Junpei’s face lit up as he quickly latched onto Kaede’s words but Sonia let out a mocking laugh through her nose.

“Kaede-san, I am well aware of that. Now then, this man, Ichinose Junpei, lost control of his anger and attempted to attack me with magic, did he not? The result may have been my skirt being flipped up, but I demand judgment for that act.”

“That’s because you provoked—”

Junpei started to retort but suddenly realized something and shut his mouth.

Sonia’s smile grew even more triumphant.

“In other words, you wish to say that because I created the cause, you should be exempt from punishment. In that case, the conditions for a duel are fulfilled. Whether or not you should be punished for your actions. What do you think?”

Kaede pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“If that’s the case, then yes, a duel would be acceptable.”

Realizing that the scales in Kaede’s mind had tipped that way, Junpei immediately became sullen. But at this point, the logic was sound. In the end, this was the result of his own actions.

Kaede looked at Junpei and said,

“What will you do, Junpei? Will you accept? If you don’t, then you’ll have to take appropriate responsibility for what you did. Even if no one was injured.”

“…Got it. Fine. I’ll do it.”

There was no chance that someone like him, a failure, could beat Sonia. But Junpei had his pride. He couldn’t show a pathetic side of himself in front of Kaede, and above all, he couldn’t stand Sonia.

“If it’s come to this, then I’ll take you on! I’ll beat you down and win my acquittal!”

Hearing that, Sonia smiled smugly, as if everything had gone exactly as she wanted.

“Then it’s settled?”

“Yeah, it’s settled.”

Sonia then took out her mobile device and began entering something, not even caring that the other Red Heart Brave girls were peering over at it. After a moment, she looked up and said,

“I’ve secured permission to use the magic combat training dome three days from now at one in the afternoon. As you should know, except in emergencies, combat magic may only be used inside the dome.”

“I see. So that’ll be the time and place of the duel, right?”

“Yes. Do come in perfect condition and don’t you dare run away.”

“You’re one to talk. Don’t you need to go back to England?”

“No need to worry. I may be an exchange student, but as a member of Red Heart Brave, I remain in Japan during the summer break. By the way, I also live in the student dorm, just like you. Hohoho.”

“Oh, really.”

—Come to think of it, maybe I’ve seen her around the dorm… or maybe not.

Junpei searched his memory but deciding it didn’t really matter, he shook his head and turned on his heel.

“Then, three days from now.”

“Yes, three days from now.”

And just like that, no one tried to stop Junpei as he walked away and his duel with Sonia was set.