ALL NOVEL Chapter 22-The Gap between You and I!
Chapter 22
MAYUMI SAEGUSA
Mayumi sat there beside the bed of her dear friend Mari as she lay there unconscious after the physicians provided her with the basic care needed. As they had been watching the first-year event, the Female Battle Board Race had begun. Battle Board was a water-based racing game in which one had to surf on an aquatic race track using magic as one's weapon. Interfering with other contestants directly was banned.
And yet, somehow, the Seventh High’s student CAD had malfunctioned. For some unknown reason, she had accelerated in the corner and collided straight with Mari, sending her tumbling into the boundaries and causing her great injuries.
This was the second incident involving their school after the massive attack on their bus, hence confirming that there were malicious forces acting against their school in the events.
And now it had almost taken the life of her best friend.
“Thank you for your quick action, Tatsuya-kun,” she bowed to her junior underclassmen, one whose secret identity as a Yotsuba she had only recently discovered by the revelation of his sister.
“There is no need for that. I did only what was necessary,” he said and she smiled as the door to the hospital room opened and Katsuto and Inei-kun walked back in.
“What did the council say?” she asked, her eyes avoiding looking at Inei-kun because of guilt, anger, and rage. Most of it was directed towards herself.
“They tried to wiggle their way out of our earlier agreement and wished to have the event re-conducted. But we persisted, and now the Female Battle Board has been cancelled as per the new directives,” Katsuto told him, and the Council’s bias against their school was becoming more and more evident.
“Do we have any idea what happened out there?” she asked, and she saw Inei looking towards Tatsuya-kun, who began.
“I am not certain yet, but I believe that this was not a coincidence,” he replied, shocking everyone in the room.
“What?” she gasped out, covering her mouth, and Tatsuya-kun continued.
“Of course, I am not sure yet. But right now, I can say with around fifty percent certainty that this was a deliberate act,” and the consequences of this being true were horrendous.
“How can we know for certain?” Katsuto-kun asked him.
“I will need time, but I have my own matches beginning tomorrow,” he told him, and that was true. Apart from being an engineer, he was now set to participate in Crowd Ball and Speed Shooting in the freshman’s men events because of the incapacitation of Morisaki Shun.
“Leave the investigation to me,” Inei-kun cut in.
“You focus on your other tasks. Tell me of your suspicions and all later, and once I am free after tonight, I will begin looking into it,” he said,
and Tatsuya-kun nodded.
“I will do just that,” and with their decisions made Katsuto-kun glanced at the watch.
“The semi-finals for your competitions are about to begin, Inei. It would be best if you left,” he said, and the white-haired boy nodded as he glanced at her for a moment; their eyes met, and then, with a final nod, he was gone.
She stood there, hesitant about what she should do when she finally made up her mind.
“Shiba-kun,” she turned towards the junior boy who looked towards her.
“Where is Miyuki?” she asked.
“She went down to the store to get some water. She will be here in a few minutes,” he replied, and she nodded.
“Then can you please tell her to sit by Mari as she recovers? I will be back soon,” she said, and he nodded.
“I will convey your message,” and with that, she rushed out of the room, chasing after the white-haired boy.
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INEI YOTSUBA
Inei’s mood was sour. He raged and seethed on the inside as he remembered the pity in that stare. Inei Yotsuba was not embarrassed about the scars that covered his body, they were a source of pride for him, for what he had endured of what he had overcome.
He hated the pity that came whenever people said them, and for some reason, he hated it even more when it came from Mayumi. His relationship with Mayumi was complex; he was not blind to his own leaning towards her and the political ramifications if it truly blossomed.
And yet he liked spending time with her, bantering with her. A rarity, for he did not like to mingle with people and would easily be annoyed by them, but she was different, and yet when she had looked at him with those eyes, it had rubbed him the wrong way.
In addition to Mari Watanabe’s recent accident, he doubted he was going to have an easy time getting back to a reasonable mood. Now, the only thing that would help him out would be for Ayako to find out the person behind all this so he could trounce them and let out his frustrations.
Now, he sat in the waiting room, getting ready for the semi-final, when suddenly, the room door opened again, and he turned and saw Mayumi walk into the waiting area, huffing and heaving, looking towards him.
“President Mayumi,” he greeted her curtly as she walked up to him and sat down beside him.
She did not say a word at first and there was only silence in the room before she began.
“First of all, I wanted to apologize to you, Inei-kun,” she began softly as she looked down and bit her lip.
“I know what I did was unforgivable and that I violated your pr...” she began, and he sighed.
“It’s fine,” he said, for that was not really what he was angry about.
“Just know that I do not think of you any differently because of what I saw,” she spoke up after some silence, and he raised a brow.
“Yet for some reason, you cannot even look at me,” he scoffed and saw her look up into his eyes, and she immediately shook her head.
“It’s not that. I am just so angry,” she said as her fists balled up and that made him raise a brow.
“It’s just that...” she began and hesitated before continuing.
“I know the calm and cruel image you cut makes you rather unapproachable and seem inhuman and all to everyone. But that is not the real you. The Inei Yotsuba I know is kind and caring enough that he helps orphans, who stay back for hours to help a klutzy senior with her work, who takes on the hardest burdens so he can spare others. Just knowing that you went through something like this infuriates me. Enrages me!’ she whispered menacingly, as her fists shook and he could feel her losing control of her magic, her psions pushed off of her because of her range.
It was a novel experience having someone getting angry on his behalf. Even Maya, his mother she maybe by genetics, had cared little for him. And yet, for some reason, Mayumi cared enough to get angry on his behalf.
“You shouldn’t,” he replied with a sigh as he looked her in the eye.
“I do not care about them. Not anymore. I think of them as a sign of the troubles I endured to stand where I do,” he replied, and she shook her head as she held his hand.
“But you shouldn’t have to. No one should ever have to go through something like this,” she replied and he heard the announcer begin calling out his name and he rose up from his seat, his emotions in a much better state than they had been earlier.
“Go, they are calling out your name,” she said, and he stood up. As he was about to leave the waiting area, she spoke up.
“Inei-kun, I know of the true nature of Miyuki and Shiba-kun’s heritage,” she began, making him still as he glanced back at her.
“Miyuki told me herself,” she said, her face slightly flushing at those words.
“So, what do you plan to do with that information?” he asked, and her head jerked up at his words as she looked him in the eye.
“None shall have these secrets from me. No one. Both yours and theirs,” she replied resolutely, and he nodded and smiled at her.
“Thank you for that,” and with that, he took to the stage, ready to demolish his opponent.
.
.
.
His first match had gone as he had expected it to. A simple Dismantle, and he had all his opponent’s Ice Pillars out of the game, and now it was time for him to face off against Ichijou Masaki, the so-called Crimson Prince.
Truthfully, he was rather tired of the whole event and wanted to be done with it.
And so, as the Third High’s ace stepped onto the stage, he smiled as the announcer began hyping up their match.
“I must say you have been rather impressive in your matchups,” he commented, and he was surprised that the boy was talking to him.
“Thanks, I guess,” he said, but then the redhead smiled.
“But I am afraid your perfect record is about to come to an end, he said as he took out his gun-shaped CAD.
“You think you can defeat me?” he asked, surprised at the boy’s arrogance.
“Indeed, I can,” and Inei cracked his neck.
“Oh, we will have to see about that,” he replied as he thought up a little plan. As the announcer began counting them down, he raised a hand, stopping the red-haired kid from making a move.
There was a hush in the arena as even at go both of them did not begin casting magic.
“Yeah. I have a wager for you,” Inei began as he brought together is hands, and whispered slowly.
“Dismantle,” and to Ichijo’s surprise seven of Inei’s own Ice Pillars turned to dust, as the Masaki simply watched.
“What are you doing?” he asked, enraged at that, and Inei smiled, knowing that this was the place to make a statement. He knew that the Ten Master Clans were trying to make a move against him and the Yotsuba, and with Miyuki and Tatsuya’s secret in jeopardy, he needed to make a statement.
“Making it a bit even for you so that I can show you the gap between you and me,” he said as he picked up a piece of ice and began to play with it.
“This shall be our starter. We begin as soon as it hits the ground,” he said, and he could see that Masaki was enraged as he raised his CAD.
“You will regret this,” he warned him as Inei threw it in the air.
“We will see about that,” he replied. Soon enough, the world slowed down as his eyes changed, turning dark red as he watched the Ice Crystal hit the ground.
“Bur...”
“Malevolent Shrine,” he whispered as he pushed out his psions a bit forcefully. Before the boy even had the chance to activate his magic, an explosion rocked the arena.
BOOOOM!
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Back in Nagano, Maya Yotsuba watched the final of the Ice Pillars Break and watched as Inei humiliated the Ichijou heir and chuckled as her eyes narrowed.
“I did ask him to send a message,” she added as her faithful butler spoke up.
“But is it right to provoke the Ichijous like this?” he asked as he poured her a cup of tea.
“I don’t think it matters much,” she replied, talking so nonchalantly about offending one of the major Ten Master Clans.
“After all, the Ichijou’s have already chosen their side.”
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