Chapter 7

“Oh, is that right? Perfect timing, then. Toujou. You’ll be pairing up with Saionji.”

“Eh…”

I have a really bad feeling about this.

The female student who was suddenly declared my partner… Saionji looked at me and twisted her lips into a smirk.

She’s looking at me like I’m prey.

I would have preferred to pair up with a different student, but the instructor had already walked away.

It seems I don’t have a choice.

“Saionji-san is with that guy…?”

“The Student Council President just paired up with a boy…”

“What’s going on?”

“She must have something in mind…”

“Maybe she saw it as a chance to teach that guy a lesson.”

“President! Go for it! Teach him how scary magical girls can be!”

A stir went through the crowd as Saionji and I were paired up.

Judging by their reactions, this magical girl named Saionji was no ordinary person.

“N-Nice to meet you…”

I greeted her and held out my right hand.

But Saionji just glanced at my outstretched hand and snorted in derision.

“I don’t acknowledge you.”

“Eh…”

I froze, completely taken aback by her sudden declaration.

Saionji glared at me and continued.

“As the Student Council President, I will test you to see if you are a student worthy of this school.”

“…”

Saionji didn’t even try to hide her hostility toward me.

Did I do something to her?

Wait, did she just say Student Council President?

How have I already managed to get someone of such high standing to hate me this much?

“A boy being able to use magic has to be a lie. There must be some kind of trick… I will expose it and have you expelled from this school. As Student Council President, I am responsible for protecting the discipline of this school. An impure presence must be removed at once.”

“Look… I haven’t done anything wrong…”

“Hmph. Talk is cheap. If you have something to prove, then show me with your power.”

“…”

This is what they call talking to a brick wall.

But I understood Saionji’s objective.

It seemed she wanted to drive me out of this school.

As the Student Council President, she apparently considered me an unnecessary presence here.

While it’s true I’ve been wondering how I ended up in a place like this myself, that was a separate issue. Saionji’s attitude was starting to get on my nerves.

I couldn’t accept how she refused to listen and arbitrarily labeled me as impure or whatever, already deciding to get rid of me.

She’s probably planning to test me in a practical magic duel, but if that’s how she wants to play it, I have no intention of holding back either.

I looked Saionji straight in the eye and said.

“Fine. I’ll prove my power to you.”

“Heh heh… Now that’s more like it…”

Saionji smiled daringly.

“Aaaall right, you’ve all got your pairs? Then let’s move right on to practical magic combat. We’ll keep the format simple: one-on-one mock battles. Go all out, just don’t injure your opponent too badly. If things get dicey, stop using magic immediately and apply healing magic to your partner. Well, you all get the general idea without me having to spell it out, right? Now, begin!”

At the instructor’s signal, the mock battles all began at once.

The magical girls unleashed relentless magic against their paired opponents.

The sounds of bursts, blasts, and explosions dominated the grounds.

“Now then, shall we begin?”

“Yes, let’s.”

I faced Saionji, leaving a distance of about ten meters between us.

Saionji cracked her knuckles.

“Let me say this up front: I’m strong. The Student Council President is required to have not only charisma and administrative skill, but also strength as a magical girl.”

“I’m also confident when it comes to my magic.”

I retorted, refusing to be outdone by the self-assured Saionji.

“Something happened with Kisaragi and Usami, didn’t it? I’ve heard the story.”

“…”

Saionji watched me with probing eyes.

“I don’t know how you managed to get in their good graces… but you did a fine job of it, didn’t you? Men are truly creatures you can’t let your guard down around.”

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to get in with them…”

“You saved those two from a villain, correct? That’s what I heard from them. But something doesn’t add up. Those two are strong. I can’t imagine them losing so easily to some villain. Something smells fishy.”

“…What does?”

“You orchestrated the whole thing, didn’t you? To get close to those two. To infiltrate this school.”

“…There’s no way. That’s a completely baseless accusation.”

Her tone implied that the villain appearing in front of the station this morning and the two of them getting into a pinch were all my fault.

This was a completely ridiculous accusation.

It seems her hatred of men is making her suspect me of things I didn’t do.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. But today, right here, we will determine whether or not you are fit for this school. Now, come at me! I’m ready when you are!”

Saionji spread her arms wide.

Pissed off after being told whatever she pleased, I fired a magic spell at Saionji.

Fwip!

Skiff

“Huh…?”

Saionji’s mouth hung open, dumbfounded.

The spell, which had grazed Saionji’s left cheek, landed behind her.

A trickle of blood ran down Saionji’s cheek.

Saionji touched her cheek with her hand, then stared at the red blood on her fingertips with a look of disbelief.

“The next one will hit.”

I warned Saionji.

Saionji’s expression hardened.

“…Tch… Don’t get cocky… I’ll teach you how tough a magical girl training school really is!”

Saionji charged forward.

She relentlessly unleashed magic at me, holding nothing back.

I deployed a defensive spell to protect myself.

All of Saionji’s spells were deflected by my defense and reduced to nothing.

“Wha…?!”

Saionji’s eyes flew wide open.

I fired a spell at the stunned Saionji.

“Kuh!”

Saionji tried to protect herself with a last-second spell.

KSHAAAAAAATTER!

“Kyaaah!?”

But my magic pierced through Saionji’s defense and struck her body.

I’d suppressed its power, so it shouldn’t cause any serious injury.

Even so, Saionji’s body was thrown into the air and slammed onto the ground.

“Gh… ugh…”

Saionji’s face twisted in anguish.

“No way…? Saionji-sama…”

“The Student Council President… lost…?”

“How could this…”

“Who is that guy?”

“I can’t believe it.”

“It’s a lie… There’s no way the strongest Student Council President could lose…”

“But his magic definitely broke through Saionji-sama’s defense…”

Before I knew it, I was the center of attention for all the magical girls.

They were looking back and forth between Saionji and me, their faces filled with disbelief.

“I-It’s not… over yet… I can’t… be finished here… I can’t lose to you…”

Saionji got to her feet.

But it was clear she was pushing herself beyond her limits.

“Shouldn’t you stop…?”

“Shut up! Don’t underestimate me! I am Koharu Saionji! The Student Council President of this magical girl training school and the one who will one day surpass my own mother to become the strongest magical girl! That’s why I can’t possibly lose to someone like you!”

Having said her piece, Saionji challenged me to fight once more.

But her stamina was clearly drained, and her magic lacked its earlier precision.

It wasn’t long before Saionji was on her knees on the ground once again.