August 5th marked the official opening of the 2096 Nine Schools Competition. This year, not only had the events themselves changed, but the operational procedures had also undergone a significant overhaul. Under the new rules, participants in Monolith Code would compete on the ninth and tenth days, only to immediately face the Steeplechase Cross-Country on the eleventh and final day. The physical and mental strain on these athletes was expected to be immense.
The first day's schedule consisted of Ice Pillars Break (Pairs) for both men and women, alongside the debut of the Roar and Gunner (Pairs) event.
"If the match times had overlapped, I would have been quite a burden on Isori-senpai," Tatsuya muttered, a hint of relief in his voice.
"It looks like those worries were for nothing," Isori replied with a warm smile.
Standing in the First High tent first thing that morning, they were scrolling through the delegation's information portal at the tournament headquarters. Tatsuya's sigh of relief was prompted by the confirmation that Eimi's race and Shizuku's match did not clash.
Tatsuya was serving as the CAD engineer for Shizuku in Ice Pillars Break and for Eimi in Roar and Gunner—a result of insistent requests from both girls. Had their schedules collided, Tatsuya would have been forced to ask Isori to handle the technical support for both Kanon and Shizuku. Fortunately, the schedule placed Eimi in the very first race of the morning, while Shizuku was set for the fourth and seventh matches.
"Well then, I'll be heading to the Roar and Gunner course," Tatsuya said.
"Good luck. Not that I think you'll need it," Isori said, seeing him off with a smile so graceful it seemed almost wasted on a boy.
Tatsuya opened the door to the Group 1 waiting room—one of three staff and athlete areas set up next to the starting line—only to find it empty. There were still more than thirty minutes before the heat began. While it was time for the technical staff to begin preparations, the athletes still had some breathing room. Just as that thought crossed his mind, a spirited greeting rang through the room.
"Good morning!"
"Morning, Shiba-kun!"
Before Tatsuya could return President Nakajou's greeting, Eimi poked her head out from behind her.
"Good morning, President. Eimi, were you with her?"
"Yep, we were grabbing breakfast. Did we keep you waiting long?"
"No, I just arrived."
"Perfect!" Eimi chirped, clapping her hands together with a bright grin. To some, the gesture might have seemed calculatedly cute, but on Eimi, it felt entirely natural.
"Let's get started on the CAD tuning right away," Tatsuya said.
"Let's get our side sorted as well," Azusa agreed, turning to her own assigned athlete.
By the end of the first day, the results were in: Eimi's pair had taken first place, while the men's Roar and Gunner pair secured third. Kanon and Shizuku's pair had advanced to the final league, and the men's Ice Pillars Break pair had successfully cleared the qualifiers.
"Eimi, that was a great game! You barely missed a single shot," Subaru praised.
"Thanks, Subaru! It was all thanks to Shiba-kun, though!"
While the athletes were celebrating, the First High student council and committee members were holding a somber post-game review.
"Seventh High's performance was unexpected. They've really polished their tactics," one member noted.
"We took a third in the men's and a first in the women's, but Seventh High took first in the men's and second in the women's."
"As expected of 'Seven of the Sea.' I don't think we were outmatched in terms of spell precision, but their athletes' level of training was formidable."
"It might actually be better for our overall point standings if Seventh High sweeps the solo events tomorrow," Hattori mused.
"Because it keeps the gap between us and Third High from closing?"
"I know it's a passive way of thinking..."
Kanon, however, cut through the strategic talk with a reckless suggestion.
"You know, wouldn't it just be better if Shiba-kun handled the Solo Roar and Gunner events, too? I mean, Shiba-san is so good that whoever he supports is basically guaranteed to win."
An icy, crushing pressure suddenly saturated the air around the executive table. Tatsuya immediately shot the idea down.
"It's impossible to change engineer assignments at this stage. Furthermore, my involvement is no guarantee of a better result. Based on today's performance, the practice run on the first lap seems to be the deciding factor. It would be more productive to have the Pairs athletes pass on their observations to the Solo competitors."
His logic was sound, but while everyone agreed with his first and last points, nobody breathed a word of support for his second claim—that his involvement didn't change the outcome.
Once the matches were over, Tatsuya's group gathered for a casual chat beside the engineering transport vehicle.
"It almost feels like we're camping," Honoka remarked.
"Camping on hotel grounds?" Shizuku asked.
"That's exactly why it feels so strange."
"Fair point."
Listening to the exchange, Tatsuya looked at the motorhome and let out a small sigh. Miyuki had been the one to select this specific engineering trailer, but the astronomical costs had been covered entirely by the Kitayama family.
"Your coffee, Master."
"Ah, thank you."
Tatsuya took a sip of the coffee Pixie handed him. There was no use overthinking the logistics now.
"...Thank you," he added more quietly.
Miyuki and Minami, however, were making no effort to hide their displeasure. Their annoyance stemmed from the fact that Pixie had completely usurped their roles in caring for Tatsuya; the motorhome's kitchen systems had been fully integrated with Pixie's control interface.
"Oh, thanks," Kento said, accepting a drink with a much more natural expression. He had volunteered to be Tatsuya's assistant for the competition and had successfully secured the position.
"Mizuki, is Erika really feeling unwell?" Miyuki asked.
"Yes... well, Erika-chan said she had some 'errands' to run," Mizuki explained carefully.
"Leo said he was coming, though..." Mikihiko added, his tone somewhat defensive as he tried to shield Mizuki from further questioning.
"I actually saw Saijou-senpai on my way here," Kento chimed in. "He was stopped in the lobby by the Japanese branch manager of Rosen Magic Engineering. He looked pretty annoyed about it."
"What about me?"
As if on cue, Leo appeared just as Kento finished speaking.
"We were just talking about how you were spotted with Ernst Rosen in the lobby."
"Oh... yeah. That. Sorry I'm late, it ran over," Leo said, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Don't worry about it. This isn't a formal meeting," Tatsuya said. Noticing Leo's reluctance to discuss the matter, he chose not to press further.
Kanon really must have a death wish, suggesting Tatsuya take on more girls...
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[IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT]
REGARDING THE CESSATION OF THIS PROJECT
Dear readers,
I am writing this today to share a rather difficult decision: I will be stopping updates for this story starting from today.
Due to some changes in my personal plans and upcoming content direction, I am no longer able to maintain this project the way it deserves. Instead of leaving you waiting indefinitely, I have decided to bring it to a close here.
I am truly sorry for not being able to give this story a proper ending, and I apologize if this news disappoints you. Thank you so much for your companionship and the wonderful support you have shown me throughout this journey.