Chapter 3

"I can't accept it."

"Are you still talking...?"

Today is the enrollment ceremony for the First High School, but it is still early morning, two hours before the ceremony begins.

The number of new students, who are excited about their new lives and the bright future ahead, or the parents who are even more delighted, is still very few at this time.

In front of the auditorium that will soon become the venue for the enrollment ceremony, a pair of students in new uniforms are arguing.

Both are new students, but their uniforms have subtle yet clear differences.

It is not the difference between skirts and pants, or between male and female uniforms.

On the chest of the female student, there is an emblem of the First High School, designed with eight petals.

But the male student's uniform does not have such an emblem.

"Why is big brother a reserve? Weren't your entrance exam scores the highest?

You should have been the representative of the new students, not me!"

"Let's not get into how you obtained the exam results... but since it's a magic school, practical magic skills are more important than written tests.

Shouldn't you understand my practical skills, Shizune? I was surprised myself to be accepted here, even though I'm a second-class student."

The female student asks with an angry tone, while the male student tries to calm her down. This is the current situation. Since the female student calls the other "big brother," they are likely siblings. However, there is a very low chance they could be distant relatives.

If they are siblings—

Then they are quite an unusual pair of siblings.

The younger sister is someone who will inevitably attract attention. She is a delicate and beautiful girl that ten out of ten people would agree, and a hundred out of a hundred would acknowledge.

On the other hand, the older brother, apart from his straight posture and sharp gaze, has a rather plain appearance.

"How can you be so lacking in confidence! No one can match you in both academics and skills! Even in magic, actually..."

The younger sister scolds the older brother for his perceived weakness. However...

"Shizune!"

Hearing her brother call her name with a more severe tone, Shizune's expression changes, and she stops speaking.

"You should understand, right? It's pointless to say such things."

"...I'm sorry."

"Shizune..."

The young man, as the older brother, gently places his hand on her lowered head and tenderly strokes her long, black, silky hair, thinking about how to cheer her up, a somewhat unambitious thought.

"I'm glad you have this heart. Because you get angry on my behalf, I always find redemption."

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying."

"You're always scolding me..."

"I'm not lying.

But just as you always think of me, I also think of you."

"Big brother... how can you say 'think of you'...?"

(...Huh?)

The girl's cheeks turn red for some reason.

It seems there is some misunderstanding between them that cannot be ignored, but the young man, to solve the immediate problem, decides to set this aside.

"Even if you refuse to give the speech as the representative, I will definitely not be chosen to replace you. Refusing to speak at this critical moment will inevitably lower people's opinion of you.

Shizune, you should understand, right? Because you are a smart girl."

"Th-this..."

"Moreover, Shizune, I am very much looking forward to your performance.

You are my proud little sister.

Let me, this useless older brother, enjoy the glory of my cute little sister."

"Big brother is not an useless older brother!

...But I understand. I am very sorry for saying such selfish things."

"You don't need to apologize, and I don't think it's selfish."

"I'll go in first.

...Big brother, please watch my performance."

"Sure, go ahead. I'm looking forward to your official speech."

"Okay, see you later." After confirming that the girl has bowed and entered the auditorium, the young man sighs.

(Then... what should I do next?)

Accompanying his sister, who did not want to be the representative, to school before the rehearsal, the young man is now pondering what to do before the enrollment ceremony begins.

◇◇◇

The school has three buildings: the main building, the practical skills building, and the laboratory building.

The auditorium, which also serves as a gym, has a mechanical and movable interior design; the library has three floors above ground and two below; there are two small gyms; the preparatory building houses changing rooms, showers, storage, and club rooms; the cafeteria, café, and welfare center are separate buildings, and there are various other small and large annexes. The campus of the Second Bureau is more like a university campus far from the city than a high school.

During the time before the ceremony, the young man walks on a path paved with soft material, resembling red bricks, looking around for a place to sit and rest.

The student ID, required to use school facilities, is issued after the enrollment ceremony according to procedure.

The outdoor café, which serves visitors, is also closed today to avoid confusion.

After walking for five minutes, comparing the campus map displayed on his mobile device, the young man finds a courtyard with benches behind trees that do not obstruct the view.

Fortunately, it is not raining—this is what the young man is thinking as he sits on a bench wide enough for three people, opens his mobile device, and browses a book website he likes.

This courtyard seems to be a shortcut from the preparatory building to the auditorium.

A group of upperclassmen (seniors to the young man) pass by at a distance in front of him. They all have the same eight-petal emblem embroidered on their left chest.

Their passing figures reveal a naive malice.

—That guy is a weed, right?

—He's here so early... Even though he's a reserve, he's working so hard.

—But he's just a spare, after all.

The conversation he doesn't want to hear naturally flows into his ears.

The term "weed" refers to second-class students.

Students with green uniforms and the eight-petal emblem on their left chest are called "crown" based on the design of the emblem. Second-class students, who lack the emblem, are mocked as "weeds" that do not bloom.

The school admits 200 students each year.

Among them, 100 are admitted as second-class students.

The National Magic University's affiliated educational institution, the First High School, is a national institution for training magic technicians.

The state allocates a budget to the school, and in return, the school has the obligation to provide a certain level of results.

The school's goal is to provide more than 100 graduates each year who can enter the Magic University or a higher training institution for magic skills.

Unfortunately, magic education is not without risks. Accidents can easily occur during internships, experiments, or failed magic use, leading to serious incidents that cannot be simply described as "something went wrong." Despite knowing these dangers, students still stake their futures on their talent and potential in magic, bravely pursuing the path to becoming a magician.

If someone has rare talent and is highly valued by society, few would abandon such talent. This is especially true for adolescents whose personalities are not yet mature. They tend to envision their futures as "bright and shiny." While this is not necessarily a bad thing, such standardized values have indeed harmed many children.

Fortunately, with the accumulation of knowledge and experience, serious accidents resulting in death or disability are now rare.

However, a magician's talent can easily be damaged by psychological factors.

Every year, many students, after experiencing an accident and being traumatized, can no longer use magic and drop out of school.

"Second-class students" are there to fill these vacancies.

They are allowed to have student status, attend classes, and use school facilities and materials, but they do not have the right to receive the most important "individual practical magic instruction."

They must study independently and produce results on their own.

Otherwise, they can only obtain a regular high school diploma.

They will not receive a diploma from a magic high school and cannot advance to a magic university.

Given the severe shortage of teachers who can teach magic, second-class students are admitted with the premise that they will not receive instruction from the beginning.

Officially, the school prohibits calling second-class students "weeds."

However, this has become a semi-public derogatory term, and second-class students themselves accept this term. They are aware that they are just backups for first-class students.

The young man is also aware of this.

Therefore, there is no need for those people to deliberately remind him and make him realize it. He was mentally prepared when he entered the school.

It's really none of their business—this is what the young man thinks, shifting his attention to the book file downloaded on his terminal.

◇◇◇

The open terminal displays the time.

His focus on reading is pulled back to reality.

There are thirty minutes left until the enrollment ceremony.

"You are a new student, right? The ceremony is about to start."

The young man logs out of his favorite book website, puts away his terminal, and prepares to stand up from the bench when he hears a voice from above.

First, he sees the skirt of the uniform and the wide bracelet on the left hand.

This is a highly modified and fashionable version of the standard CAD (Casting Assistant Device).

CAD—Casting Assistant Device.

Also known as a "casting device" or "auxiliary component."

In this country, it is also called a "magic machine."

CAD replaces traditional methods and tools such as incantations, talismans, seals, magic arrays, and magic books, providing the necessary activation formula for casting magic, which is an essential tool for modern magic technicians.

Incantations, which use different words or phrases to cast magic, are no longer developed. Even with the use of talismans or magic arrays, casting magic takes at least ten seconds, and sometimes over a minute, but CAD can replace this with a simple operation in less than a second.

It is not that magic cannot be cast without a CAD, but the significant reduction in casting time provided by CAD is almost universally used by magic technicians to enhance specific skills. Even those who can trigger supernatural phenomena with their minds, known as "psychics," often use CAD for the speed and stability of the activation system, which is the mainstream among psychics.

However, not anyone with a CAD can use magic.

CAD only provides the activation formula; casting magic is the ability of the magic technician.

In other words, CAD is useless to those who cannot use magic, and those who have CAD are almost always associated with magic.

According to the young man's memory, only student council members and certain committee members are allowed to carry CADs on campus.

"Thank you, I will go immediately."

The left chest of the person, of course, has the eight-petal emblem.

The young man does not notice the prominent chest that lifts the uniform shirt.

He does not cover his left chest.

He does not have such an inferiority complex.

However, he does not feel completely equal.

The young man has never had the idea of actively befriending the excellent students who can serve as student council members.

"I admire you, is that a physical screen?"

However, the other person does not seem to have such thoughts. They look at the three-folded screen of the mobile information terminal in the young man's hand and smile, seemingly pleased about something.

Only then does the young man finally see the other person's face.

The other person's face is about twenty centimeters lower than the young man's when he stands up from the bench.

The young man is 175 cm tall, so the other person is quite petite