The Infinite Dimensions Starting from The Irregular at Magic High School, Vol. 34

As if she were complaining, Mayumi's little-devil personality showed itself again, and she even puffed out one cheek in a huff.

She looked adorable.

"No, I was just thinking that the way you looked just now, Mayumi, was kind of like a shell."

Mahiro said what he had first thought.

"A shell?"

"Yeah, a shell. Opening and closing like that. It really looked like one."

Mahiro even made the motion with his hand for emphasis.

But for some reason, Mayumi's face suddenly turned red.

Seeing that opening-and-closing gesture, she seemed to imagine something. Her expression flustered, her eyes widened, and she pressed her legs tightly together, tugging down on the hem of her clothes as she unconsciously backed away a few steps.

"Mahiro, you pervert!"

???

Yotsuba Mahiro couldn't help but have several question marks pop up in his head.

No, I don't think I did anything, did I? Did you misunderstand something?

He wanted to explain, but it was already too late, because the announcement had sounded.

In five minutes, the Speed Shooting contestants would be entering the arena.

And so, he handed Mayumi the tuned rifle-type Casting Assistant Device for competition and asked, "Mayumi, are you sure you don't want to test it? I slightly simplified the activation sequences for Multiple Observation and Meteor Stream. They should activate faster than before."

"I trust you, Mahiro. And thank you~"

Being able to simplify the activation sequences of the two spells that made up Bala was something even the Seventh Laboratory would have trouble doing.

Although there was a risk of failure, she still chose to trust Yotsuba Mahiro.

"No need to be so polite. After all, I'm the dedicated technician in charge of you. This is what I should do."

"Hehe, if Mari heard that, she'd definitely be sad."

"It's fine. As compensation, I've already prepared a gift for Watanabe, so she won't be angry."

"A gift?"

Hearing his words, Mayumi tilted her head curiously.

"Yeah. It's a passive defensive activation sequence. If an accident happens, the defensive magic will activate automatically."

"Oh~ I didn't expect you to be so good to Mari, Mahiro~" There was a hint of teasing in Mayumi's tone, along with a little envy.

"Don't worry. I've prepared a gift for you too, Mayumi. You should probably be able to use it during the finals."

"Really? Then I'll be looking forward to it!"

"Mm, don't worry. So, Mayumi, you'd better let me get a good look at the elegance of the Fairy Sniper!"

He had heard that title from Miyuki.

Apparently, it was the title Mayumi had earned when she first participated in Speed Shooting as a first-year student.

However, Mayumi herself didn't seem to like it.

She puffed her cheeks out like a pufferfish, glared at him angrily, and said each word clearly:

"Do. Not. Call. Me. By. That. Name!"

"Fairy Sniper" was everyone's affectionate nickname for Mayumi.

It was just that, apparently, some people had used Mayumi's outstanding looks and that title to make certain doujinshi.

That was what made Mayumi feel extremely embarrassed by and resistant to the title.

No matter what, she was unwilling to let people call her that...

The preliminaries for Speed Shooting were about to begin.

But when Mayumi appeared, she instantly fired up the entire venue's atmosphere, pushing the excitement to its peak!

Thunderous cheers surged in like a tidal wave.

Her absurd popularity had already made the contestant facing Mayumi in this match shrink back a little.

That was only normal.

After all, Mayumi's charm really was too dazzling.

Mayumi wore protective ear guards over her abundant, wavy long hair, along with transparent goggles. Her team uniform consisted of highly elastic long pants and a cinched, stand-collar top that could be mistaken for a mini one-piece dress.

Paired with the rifle-type calculation device designated for Speed Shooting, she perfectly blended cuteness with a gallant air, like the heroine of a near-future film.

Not to mention her elegant, composed bearing when she used Bala.

She was simply the absolute goddess in the hearts of countless male magicians!

Otherwise, how could a title like "Fairy Sniper" ever have been born?

Naturally, Mayumi took this match with clean, decisive ease.

She was even faster than in previous years.

Her opponent had clearly only just shot down twenty clay targets, yet Mayumi had already finished shattering all one hundred targets.

That speed had reached a jaw-dropping level. Even Mayumi herself found it hard to believe—the speed at which she activated Bala had increased by at least ten percent!

The burden it placed on her was also much lower than before.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The arena for Mirage Bat was just as heated, in no way inferior to Speed Shooting.

A group of girls in shark-suit swimsuits could be seen floating in the watercourse, leaning on their surfboards.

Mirage Bat was a race through an artificial watercourse on spindle-shaped boards 165 centimeters long and 51 centimeters wide.

Their top speed exceeded thirty knots—roughly fifty-five to sixty kilometers per hour.

The competitors stood on a single board with no windproof equipment whatsoever. They also had to pass through a twisting, roller-coaster-like water course, and although they could not use magic on other people during the race, they could use magic to affect the water's surface.

This kind of extreme competition themed around combat racing would be loved by people no matter the era.

And at this moment, on the watercourse, the competitors from each school had already finished their preparations.

They were all preparing to sprint from either a one-knee or both-knees kneeling position. Only Mari stood perfectly straight.

This sight mainly reflected the difference in the competitors' sense of balance, but viewed another way, she looked like a queen before whom the other competitors bowed.

There were also quite a few little fangirls in the stands shouting exactly that—the queen of Mirage Bat!

Together with Mayumi, she had carved up the underclassmen in the audience between them.

However, this queen was currently a little absent-minded as she responded to the cheers supporting her.

She looked at the CAD on her wrist and sank into thought.

"Was this really necessary?"

After receiving the CAD and learning that a defensive spell had been added to it, Mari had immediately gone to Mahiro.

As everyone knew, adding other spells to a racing CAD could potentially delay the activation speed of other magic.

So normally, they only stored the few spells needed for the competition inside.

"Don't worry, Senior Watanabe. I know what you're concerned about.

The passive defensive spell I added for you won't affect the activation speed of any magic. It's just insurance.

I know Senior Watanabe's magic power is more than enough to dominate the Mirage Bat competition, but there's never anything wrong with being a little careful."

Especially when terrorists had their sights set on First High School.

However, Mahiro had not told his seniors that, so Mari was unaware of it.

She looked at the CAD on her wrist and muttered quietly, "Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?"

This was already her third year participating in Mirage Bat, and there had never been any accidents.

But in the end, it was her junior's kind intention, so she chose to accept it in silence.

And this preliminary round went exactly according to Mari's confidence, with no unexpected incidents at all.

Even when competitors from other schools raised magnificent waves across the watercourse, they still could not stop her gliding speed.

Like a ruler of the waves upon the sea, she took first place in the preliminaries with an overwhelming advantage. Her opponents could no longer even appear on the same screen as her in the competition broadcast.

"Congratulations, Senior Watanabe, on taking first place!"

Mari shook her head modestly. "It was nothing. This was only the preliminaries. The finals the day after tomorrow are what matter."

Taking first place in the preliminaries had been completely within expectations. The more important matches were still to come.

"By the way, I heard you prepared a big surprise for Mayumi. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true."

Sitting in front of the screen, Mahiro skillfully adjusted the CAD while giving a mysterious smile. "But I can't tell you the specifics. All I can say is that it will definitely be a match shocking enough for everyone."

"Oh? Acting all mysterious now, huh? Well, since you put it that way, I'll look forward to it a little."

Hearing that, Mari folded her arms, looking thoroughly intrigued.

Whether it was her or Mayumi, this was their final time participating in the Nine Schools Competition. If they could leave behind unforgettable memories, then that would naturally be a good thing.

Mahiro said nothing more, only kept smiling.

After all, this was the final dance of the Fairy Sniper. How could it be allowed to end without a grand, dazzling exit ceremony?

Time arrived at the final match of the afternoon.

The blazing sun hung overhead, and scorching heat slowly rose from the ground. The absurdly high temperature was enough to distort the air.

Yet the number of spectators present was even greater than it had been in the morning!

Everyone was there to witness the final dance of the "Fairy Sniper."

Before long, Mayumi, the star of the show, had entered the arena. She was dressed the same as she had been that morning, her bearing as confident and spirited as ever.

And yet, for some reason, her expression was extremely grave, nothing like her earlier ease.

"What's wrong with Mayumi?" Mari muttered in puzzlement from the spectator stands.

True, this was the final, but with Mayumi's skill, she should not have been wearing that kind of expression.

She was not the only one. Several upperclassmen seated in the stands were wondering the same thing.

Especially when Mayumi raised her CAD, that sense of gravity deepened by several degrees.

A silent tension gradually spread through the air, until it even began affecting the opponent beside her, the one competing with her for the championship.

"The match is about to begin."

No one knew who said it, but the spectator stands instantly fell silent.

Three signal lights of different colors slowly lit up. When the final red light came on, dense clusters of targets shot into the sky with a series of light launching sounds.

And in the next second, the instant Mayumi pulled the trigger, everyone was utterly stunned.

"Th-that's—!!!"

The moment she saw the magic Mayumi had activated, Mari let out a cry of shock that echoed through the spectator stands.

As Mayumi's close friend, she could be said to understand Bala better than most.

But the magic Mayumi was using now...