The Infinite Dimensions Starting from The Irregular at Magic High School

As she spoke, she even deliberately pointed at her chest.

Erika and Mizuki didn't have the eight-petaled emblem on their chests.

"Isn't calling it hogging the place a bit much?" Mahiro retorted. "And even if we sit here, so what? Is there a school rule saying Course 1 students can't sit with Course 2 students?"

He was going all in on being confidently justified.

"That's true."

The student handbook really didn't mention anything like that in its rules and regulations.

It was just an unspoken rule among the students themselves.

Besides, Course 1 students and Course 2 students were already hostile toward each other to begin with.

An oddity like Yotsuba Mahiro wasn't common.

"But honestly, I think school has only just started. There's no need to put so much weight on the difference between Course 1 and Course 2 students."

Mahiro's sudden words caught Erika and Mizuki's attention.

The two of them, who had originally been watching the student representative's speech, both turned their gazes onto him.

Mahiro continued, "After all, we're all just freshmen who have only just enrolled. Even if our entrance exam scores were higher or lower, in reality, how much better can any of us really be than the others?"

Erika didn't have much of a reaction to that, aside from agreeing with it.

Among the freshmen at First High, the number who could beat her in actual combat could truly be counted on one hand.

After all, the Chiba Family's Crimson Lotus wasn't just for show.

But Mahiro's words were what truly moved Mizuki.

Behind her lenses, her eyes shone brightly.

Those words had struck right at her heart.

They were a questioning of the school system.

"Oh-ho, I'm in the same class as Miyuki?"

After the entrance ceremony, Mahiro sat in the classroom, looking around.

Shiba Tatsuya had been assigned to Class E for Course 2 students, and it seemed Erika and Mizuki were in that class too.

He and Miyuki, meanwhile, were in Class A.

However, after sitting for a short while, Mahiro got up and left the classroom.

Since today was the entrance ceremony, there were no classes. The first-year students were simply allowed to familiarize themselves with their classrooms and classmates.

After that, they could leave school.

Mahiro, however, had no intention of leaving so early.

After all, this was a Japanese high school. Clubs and the like were something he absolutely had to try!

And on the broad avenue that came into view, aside from cherry blossoms fluttering all over the sky, there were also clubs preparing for the upcoming member recruitment week.

However, even after making a big circuit, Mahiro still didn't find one that suited his tastes.

"A bunch of flashy nonsense..."

Until a sharp shout drew his attention.

"Hah!"

Whoosh!

A wooden sword sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.

Inside the kendo hall, a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair tied in a high ponytail was practicing practice swings.

She was clearly already exhausted, her chest heaving violently with deep breaths, bead-sized drops of sweat constantly dripping from her forehead and splashing onto the floor.

And yet the girl still didn't stop.

She kept practicing, swing after swing.

Only after reaching one thousand did she stop.

After resting for a moment, she began chopping practice against a wooden post.

Her slashes were sharp and fierce. Even though Mahiro didn't understand kendo, he could tell that the girl was very strong.

But for some reason, there was a trace of hesitation in the wooden sword she swung.

"Do you need something, classmate?"

Mibu Sayaka, who had finished her practice as usual, noticed Yotsuba Mahiro standing at the entrance and couldn't help asking.

But when she saw the Course 1 student emblem on Yotsuba Mahiro's chest, the words she had been about to say to invite him in faltered, and she stayed where she was.

If he was a Course 1 student, shouldn't he have joined the sword arts club next door, the one that combined swordsmanship and techniques? What was he doing at the traditional kendo club?

"Ah, sorry. I was originally planning to have a look around, but I accidentally got captivated by how gallant you looked while practicing, senpai, so I ended up watching for a little longer."

Mahiro didn't notice the change in Mibu Sayaka's attitude. He gave an awkward smile, then stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Hello, senpai. My name is Yotsuba Mahiro. I'm a new student who just enrolled today."

Seeing that he showed not the slightest hostility and was instead warmly introducing himself, Mibu Sayaka lowered her guard a little.

"Hello, Yotsuba-kun. I'm Mibu Sayaka, a second-year. As you can see, I'm a Course 2 student."

Sayaka deliberately emphasized her status.

Mahiro, however, did not care in the slightest. Under her gaze, he spoke bluntly.

"Mibu-senpai, may I ask something rude? What are you feeling lost about?"

Alpha Stigma

"Lost?"

"Yes. Your swordsmanship is amazing, Mibu-senpai. It's the best I've seen from anyone. But I don't understand why you seem lost when you swing your sword."

"You're mistaken. I'm not."

Faced with Yotsuba Mahiro's certain doubt, Mibu Sayaka first froze for a moment, then said coldly, "My sword is never lost."

Although she firmly denied Mahiro's words on the surface, some hidden string deep inside her had been plucked.

Was she lost?

The answer was yes.

Mahiro had not been mistaken. As a Course 2 student, deep down, she truly was lost.

She was clearly no worse than anyone else. She had poured in so much effort and sweat, yet she could not gain others' recognition.

Instead, she was looked down on everywhere she went.

She was bathed in mocking gazes.

Even at last year's demonstration match, she had not even been granted the right to seek guidance from a Course 1 upperclassman. Instead, she had been cruelly mocked and refused.

Many times, she had doubted herself.

All the effort she had devoted to kendo—what did it amount to in the end?

Was it nothing but sweat?

And what she understood even less was this.

She had clearly hidden all of it so well, yet the hesitation in her sword had been seen through by this underclassman she had just met for the first time.

"Is that so?"

If Mibu-senpai would not admit it, Mahiro would not force her.

He walked into the dojo, took off his shoes and neatly placed them by the entrance, then went to the weapon rack at the side and picked up a wooden sword.

He turned back and pointed it at Mibu Sayaka, saying, "Mibu-senpai, would you like to have a match with me? No magic involved. Pure kendo."

If there was no hesitation in her heart, the best way to prove it was to have a match.

Mibu Sayaka understood that as well.

So she nodded and agreed.

"Mm, no problem."

Although this was their first meeting and not even ten minutes had passed, perhaps because he had exposed the secret in her heart the moment they met, or perhaps because she wanted to convince herself, Mibu Sayaka also wanted to have a match with this mysterious underclassman.

However, when she truly stepped onto the floor and took her stance opposite Mahiro, she could not help letting out a soft sound of surprise.

What's going on?

The one standing across from her with a sword was clearly a new underclassman, yet for some reason, it was as if she were looking at herself.

The way he held the sword, the stance he took, and even that sharp aura were almost exactly the same as hers!

No, it was an illusion.

It had to be an illusion!

Mibu Sayaka closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were filled with resolve and focus.

"Then let's begin, senpai," Mahiro said.

"Don't you need protective gear?"

"No need."

"Fine!"

Since Mahiro had chosen not to wear protective gear, Sayaka also decided to remove the black chest protector and toss it onto the floor.

All she had left on was a kendo uniform that resembled a shrine maiden's outfit.

In truth, not wearing protective gear in a match like this was very dangerous.

They might be using wooden swords, but the force was still considerable, and a blow to the body could easily cause a fracture.

"I'm coming!"

Mibu Sayaka moved first.

"Kote!"

The wooden sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, striking toward Mahiro's wrist.

Smack!

Her sword was blocked.

Wooden sword clashed violently against wooden sword, letting out a crisp crack.

This much, the girl had expected.

Next, Sayaka unleashed a relentless chain of attacks without the slightest room to breathe, displaying every technique of her ancient-style sword school without holding anything back!

Her offensive pressure was aggressive as fire.

Just as the phrase "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" described, her attacks were like blazing flames.

But the more she fought, the more alarmed Sayaka became!