Flash Time

"Some lowly Course 2 student should know his place and stay where he belongs."

With that, Hattori Hanzo left the room.

He knew that staying in the Student Council room would only make the atmosphere more tense, so he figured he might as well head to the simulation room and wait.

Besides, after thinking it over calmly, he realized there was no way Kudo Mitsunobu would go easy on Shiba Tatsuya just because they knew each other.

People from the Ten Master Clans couldn't afford to lose to someone their age who wasn't from one of the Master Clans, so there was no chance Kudo Mitsunobu would hold back.

And losing? That was even less likely. How could some lowly Course 2 student possibly stand a chance against the next head of the Kudo Family?

The fight would probably be over in an instant! Kudo's junior would finally realize that Course 2 students were all useless, and that there was no point in expecting anything from them.

"Tatsuya, are you ready?" Kudo Mitsunobu asked, resting one hand on the table.

"Yeah, no problem." Shiba Tatsuya lifted the briefcase in his hand.

"I was slightly delayed because I went with my brother to pick up his CAD." Shiba Miyuki bowed slightly as she explained why she and her brother had arrived so late.

"Tatsuya, you saw how Vice President Hattori acted just now, didn't you?"

"I can't help it. I'll have to use my usual strength. You should put in a little effort, too. If you can't even hold out for three minutes..."

"Then the upperclassmen who recommended you'll lose face."

Kudo Mitsunobu's voice dropped.

Shiba Tatsuya said nothing, merely nodding quietly.

At this point, there was no reason for him to keep hiding his strength. As for Kudo Mitsunobu's challenge to last three minutes against him—

Shiba Tatsuya thought it was pointless. He admitted that Kudo Mitsunobu was a formidable opponent, but with his ability to copy, there was no way he could lose.

"Good."

Kudo Mitsunobu turned to look at Saegusa Mayumi.

"Then, senpais, shall we go too? Jumonji-senpai should be here soon."

Chapter 16: Flash Time

The usually empty simulation training room was now lined with First High students along one wall. All eyes were fixed on the two people standing in the middle of the room.

Kudo Mitsunobu held his CAD, Night, in one hand and watched Shiba Tatsuya take a CAD out of his briefcase.

"Tatsuya, do you always have to carry so many storage devices?"

"My processing ability is somewhat limited, so I have to rely on these." As he spoke, Shiba Tatsuya assembled Silver Cluster.

Hattori Hanzo, standing in the corner, snorted at Shiba Tatsuya's words, all the more convinced that he was right.

"Then I'll go over the rules." Jumonji Katsuto was acting as referee. His magic was well suited to stopping a match partway through and protecting others.

"The match will last three minutes. The use of offensive magic above Class C is prohibited."

"In hand-to-hand combat, you may not aim for vital points. You may only activate magic after I call 'Start.'"

"If either of you breaks the rules, I'll declare you the loser. Any objections?"

After speaking, Jumonji Katsuto took an old-fashioned stopwatch from inside his jacket. He set the time limit, then looked at the two competitors.

Both nodded to indicate they were ready and waiting for Jumonji Katsuto's command.

Shiba Tatsuya held a gun in each hand, the muzzles angled slightly backward. His knees were bent, and his body was poised to spring into action.

By contrast, Kudo Mitsunobu looked rather relaxed. Holding his gun in one hand, he seemed loose and casual, almost indifferent.

The people around the training area stopped talking. The spacious room fell utterly silent.

"Start!"

The two moved the instant Jumonji Katsuto's voice rang out. Two sharp whooshes followed.

It was as if they had switched places in an instant; the two had simply exchanged positions.

"What's going on with Mitsunobu and Tatsuya? Did they both use acceleration magic ahead of time? Wouldn't that mean they both broke the rules?" Watanabe Mari clearly hadn't figured out what had happened.

Most of the others present shared her opinion. Their limited experience kept them from seeing the truth.

Saegusa Mayumi and Jumonji Katsuto, on the other hand, remained calm.

"Mitsunobu probably used a technique from the Kudo Family's ancient martial arts. I think it's called Flash Time."

"As for Shiba Tatsuya, I don't know him very well, but that should also have been a form of hand-to-hand combat."

Jumonji Katsuto kept his eyes on the fight.

"My brother studied under the ninjutsu master Kokonoe Yakumo," Shiba Miyuki added with a smile.

Saegusa Mayumi nodded. "So he studied under that Kokonoe-sensei. That explains it."

"I knew I wasn't wrong to take you seriously, Tatsuya."

Kudo Mitsunobu's lazy expression vanished. He raised Night and fired a beam of psions.

Then he pushed off with one foot and disappeared from his spot once more.

The next moment, Kudo Mitsunobu appeared behind Shiba Tatsuya's right shoulder. His right hand became a knife-hand and chopped down toward Shiba Tatsuya's shoulder.

The beam of psions arrived at the same time, aimed straight at Shiba Tatsuya's right thigh. The two attacks cut off his escape routes.

Of course, Shiba Tatsuya wasn't going to lose to Kudo Mitsunobu that easily.

Just as the knife-hand and the beam of psions were about to hit him, he pushed off with his left foot.

His body immediately tilted downward. He braced his left palm against the floor, suspending himself in midair with his body stretched out in a straight line.

He twisted around and drove a powerful kick toward Kudo Mitsunobu's waist.