03x07 - Steeplechase Part III

[bunniefuu]

AUGUST 4, A.D. 2096 STEEPLECHASE
CROSS-COUNTRY COURSE

What on earth is this stringent security?

Is there any spot where I can infiltrate?

Huh?

Is that...

Were you able to find the entrance?

No. It doesn't look like we can sneak in.

Fumiya, Ayako...

Big Bro Tatsuya!

Mr. Tatsuya, please
don't scare us like that!

Well, that wasn't my intention.

Then, you shouldn't have
spoken in such a scary way!

Are you two here to check
out the course, too?

Yes.

But security's so tight.

We couldn't get in.

Should we give it one more try?

No. I think we should go back for tonight.

I agree!

Who's that? - Who's that?

Like Tatsuya said, it would be
better to withdraw for tonight.

Mr. Tatsuya, by any chance, is that...

Yes.

The ninjutsu-user, Master Yakumo Kokonoe.

Master, did you find out something?

Nope.

They didn't even have
the course set up yet.

You were able to get onto the course?!

So, what was it like inside?

You did say there was nothing there.

It's just as I said.

Right now, it's still just an ordinary
man-made forest for drills...

with ordinary obstacles set up.

Can we predict where they might
set up the parasite dolls?

No, we can't.

No matter where they're placed,
it wouldn't make much difference.

That's how this place was built.

- AUGUST 5, A.D. 2096 FIRST
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

At last, the time has come to open...

- the 2096 National Magic High School
Goodwill Tournament of Magic Skills!

- 2096 NATIONAL MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL
GOODWILL TOURNAMENT OF MAGIC SKILLS

- ROWER AND GUNNER MEN'S PAIR ROWER AND GUNNER WOMEN'S PAIR ICE PILLARS
BREAK MEN'S PAIR PRELIMINARY ICE PILLARS BREAK WOMEN'S PAIR PRELIMINARY

- AUGUST 5 SCHEDULE

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

- How's the event schedule looking?

- AUGUST 5, 2096 OPENING CEREMONY

It seems like there's no conflict
with any of the events I'm in.

All right, I'm heading over
to the Row and g*n course.

I know it's going to be
tough, but good luck.

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL ROWER: KUMIKO
KUNISAKI GUNNER: EIMI AKECHI

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL KUMIKO
KUNISAKI EIMI AKECHI

This isn't the traditional
way of using it...

but you should master
tricks like this, too.

Right!

It's getting late.

Let's call it a day now.

All right.

Thank you very much!

Well? Could you detect anything?

I cannot sense the presence of my kind.

So, they've been put into hibernation?

Pretty cautious of them.

Brother...

I wonder if Brother is cold.

Aren't you cold, Brother?

So cold!

Oh no! I must warm him up!

Let's see, at times like these, we
should bring our skin together...

I guess.

I can't take off my clothes, but...

Brother...

allow me to warm you up!

She finally fell asleep, huh?

Good night, Miyuki.

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

AUGUST 6, A.D. 2096 SECOND
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

Can we talk for a second?

Yeah, if it's not for too long.

About the Steeplechase Event...

it seems like the Anti-Great Asian Alliance
hardliners of the JDF are involved.

And they're working behind the scenes
of the Nine Schools Competition?

Apparently, Colonel Sakai, the
leader of the hardliners...

wants the magic high school students to bypass the
National Defense Academy and join the JDF directly.

I'm surprised you found out his name.

Colonel Sakai is an old
acquaintance of my dad's.

Ichijo, don't tell me that—

No, of course not, Shiba!
Don't get the wrong idea!

It was years ago that
they knew each other!

- Four years ago, Colonel Sakai was the top
commander in Sado during the invasion.

- I panicked for a second, thinking even the
Ichijos were involved in this, but luckily...

- my fears were groundless.

If the situation gets any more complicated,
I'd have to turn the tables with all my might.

No.

Why not just destroy
the Steeplechase course?

If I did that, it wouldn't
matter what's set up.

Neither the Kudous' goals...

nor the JDF's intentions...

have anything to do with me.

If I fire a Material Burst
right under the surface...

it'd be indistinguishable from
an ordinary weapon going off.

But how to convince Miyuki and
who should I use as my scapegoat?

Should I set the hardliners up to be the
culprits behind the Steeplechase course blast?

No, engineering a move like
that in so short a time...

Shiba, are you listening?

Yes, I'm listening.

You are? Okay, then.

It seems like I'm uncharacteristically
wavering too much between this and that.

AUGUST 7, A.D. 2096 THIRD
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

Take this!

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

Shizuku, congratulations on your win!

Ms. Kitayama...

Congratulations!

Thanks.

Now that Shizuku's won...

Shiba's undefeated streak
has been extended.

Right, because all of the players
Shiba was in charge of have won!

You win, too, Miyuki, and extend
Mr. Tatsuya's streak even more.

Yes, of course.

Master...

I've detected signs of my
kind. There are 16 of them.

Mr. Tatsuya?

It looks like the machine's having some
issues. I'm going to go check on it.

Are they still giving off signs?

They all vanished at once a moment ago.

I believe they're in hibernation mode now.

I see.

Being so indecisive won't get me anywhere.

I'm just going to set it up from my side!

Brother...

You're about to head out, aren't you?

Yes.

That's what I thought,
so I had everyone leave.

Brother...

Please don't go.

What's going on, Miyuki?

Is it really necessary for you to
go to the enemy right now, Brother?

I just don't see it that way.

Pixie's detected the enemy's location.

I finally have a clue to work with.

What I'd like to ask is...

why you must mobilize to stop the
Kudous' experiment in advance.

This may be selfishness on my part.

Such shameless thoughts
might be occurring to me...

because I haven't been of
any use to you this time.

I'm ready to be reprimanded.

But Brother...

please hear me out first!

There are no grounds whatsoever for you
to be blamed for the Kudous' experiment.

At the same time, there's no reason for you
to assume responsibility for every player...

taking part in the Steeplechase
Cross-country Event.

Brother...

I'm going to speak selfishly now.

I'm about to say something
extremely shameful.

All you have to do,
Brother, is protect me!

The only person you need to be
responsible for is me alone!

You don't have to look out for the
students of First High and other schools!

It's all right not to do anything
about the parasite dolls!

Those things can be destroyed
on the day of the experiment!

After all the events have concluded...

I'll dispose of the
released main bodies...

in one fell swoop!

If you still insist on going anyway...

then with all due respect, I'll stop
you with every ounce of strength I have!

Stop it, Miyuki!

Don't tell me you'd actually seal my Eyes!

If you do that, you'll end up
being unable to use magic yourself!

I don't care!

It's better than having you overdo
it any more than you already have!

Brother!

Brother, do you even know how much you've
been pushing yourself over and over?

Adjusting the players'
CADs from dawn to dusk...

being consulted by the other tech
staff members after all the matches...

then training the underclassmen until late
at night while you prep for the next day...

And on top of that, you're taking
on the Kudous and the JDF!

Even you won't hold up
under all that, Brother!

You're going to...

break!

Miyuki...

You're absolutely right.

I was wrong.

It's just as you say.

You're the only one I
should be protecting.

As long as you were protected,
nothing else should've mattered.

Having you here with me is enough.

Brother...

Let's go back to our room.

THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH
SCHOOL STEEPLECHASE PART III

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

AUGUST 8, A.D. 2096 FOURTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

Shiba...

It looks like you're in great shape today.

You think so?

Yes. Until yesterday, it seemed to me like
you weren't able to focus 100 percent.

But today you look refreshed.
I can sense your drive.

Shiba, we're going to keep this
up and really get fired up!

AUGUST 9, A.D. 2096 FIFTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

What do you think?

AUGUST 10, A.D. 2096 SIXTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

I dedicate this victory
to you, Ms. Miyuki!

- FOURTH HIGH SCHOOL FIRST HIGH
SCHOOL THIRD HIGH SCHOOL

- AUGUST 11, A.D. 2096 SEVENTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

Victory is mine!

AUGUST 12, A.D. 2096 EIGHTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

Hey, not bad!

Still...

AUGUST 13, A.D. 2096 NINTH
DAY OF THE COMPETITION

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL

Mr. Tatsuya's undefeated streak...

preserved!

How's it going?

No traces of them.

I assume they're still in hibernation.

Tatsuya...

Master, are you here to cool off?

Well, in my case, I guess
you could call it that.

But I think that young lady
is here to talk to you.

Just as I thought, that message
was from you, then, Lieutenant?

I've been really frustrated and
annoyed because of this matter.

After all, my source has been so
reluctant to release any information.

Uh, Tatsuya, about that, see—

But as long as I ignored the intent of
those pulling the strings behind the scenes,

it turned out not to be that complicated.

First, the Anti-Great Asian Alliance
hardliners changed the events...

of the Nine Schools Competition
to more combat-oriented events.

Next, the Kudous planned to use this
change to field-test the parasite dolls.

It was my grandfather who proposed that. It
seems like my uncle was against it at first.

Then, was it General Kudou who made the
decision to use the defected magicians?

No, that was my uncle's handiwork.

I heard that someone mediating for
the magicians approached him about it.

Is that right?

Then, let's call that person "X" for now.

X ingratiated himself with the Kudous...

hoping to cause the parasite
dolls to go berserk...

which would result in the Nine Schools
Competition players either dying...

or else sustaining grave injuries that
could threaten their futures as magicians.

X's ultimate goal is...

to cut off the supply of promising magicians
who would've helped this country...

and by doing so, to thwart
Japan from expanding its clout.

Yes, that's what we're thinking, too.

That's why I'm here.

What do you mean?

Tatsuya, we'd like to ask you to help us
stop the parasite dolls from going berserk.

Help you, did you say?

The parasite doll performance test...

while unofficial, is a task that the Kudou
Family has been charged with by the JDF.

Should we thwart it, it would
lead to infighting at the JDF...

and personal strife between the
military and the Ten Master Clans.

Are you telling me to
become an ill*gal saboteur?

I wouldn't blame you for
drawing that inference.

It's fine with me.

Thank you, Tatsuya.

All right then, I'll be going now.

I'm going to see this young lady
off. You know, just in case.

Yes, if you could do that.

Young lady...

Those parasite dolls aren't really
going to spin out of control, are they?

What do you mean by that?

Esoteric Buddhism also has magic
for using dolls as puppets.

I asked an expert about it the other
day when I went to the head temple.

Apparently, no matter who the
magician is, he never forgets...

what he's defined as the object
of his protection or destruction.

And if the puppet breaks that rule,
he'll punish it and seal it away.

He said everything up to that Sealing
Spell was one single Controlling Spell.

The parasite dolls have the same
kind of spell installed, don't they?

Otherwise, they couldn't be used
as autonomous military weapons.

You're absolutely correct.

Even if the tacticians try to get the parasite
dolls to attack these high school students,

the original spell wouldn't allow it.

The instant they started to go berserk,

the Controlling Spell would switch to a
Sealing Spell and seal off the parasite.

That's what I've heard.

So, that's the story, but tell
me, did you know about this?

That there was no need for
Tatsuya to put himself in danger?

Kazama?

No.

I didn't know.

You didn't tell Tatsuya either, Master.

Why didn't you stop him?

Because if I'd stopped him,
there would've been trouble.

What we just discussed is
just a generalization.

This time around, it's possible
that it won't go as planned.

What do you mean?

The parasites came from a different dimension than
this world, drawn by powerful, pure thoughts.

They'll fuse with the owners of
those thoughts and be activated.

Don't tell me...

Strong, pure thoughts.

You couldn't find a place
bursting with more of those...

than on the final day of the Nine Schools
Competition when victory is at stake, right?

You mean the spell restraining the
parasite dolls will malfunction?

I don't know about that.

But neither can I say with conviction
that they won't go berserk.

So, I think it was the right call
to give Tatsuya that combat suit.

Your arbitrary decision to have Tatsuya
annihilate the parasite dolls...

causing them to give up on their foolish
plot to use them as specters for warfare...

should probably work out in the end, too.

That's why I'm going to
keep this to myself.

In return, I'd like you
to tell me something.

What would that be?

Who was it that sent the magicians
from the Continent to the Kudous?

A young man from the Chinatown
in Yokohama named Gongjin Zhou.

Hmm, Gongjin Zhou, huh?

That's a name that keeps coming up lately.

Master, do you know him?

All right, I've learned what I wanted
to know, so I'll be taking off now.

Like I promised, I'll keep my mouth shut
about the cover-up and your backroom dealings.

Captain, um—

Let's go, Lieutenant.

I don't want Tatsuya to see us like this.

THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH
SCHOOL STEEPLECHASE PART IV