Black Iron Magician

「Then, that’s for the opening ceremony. After a 15-minute break, we will have the matches at the same venue, so as for the students, please don’t be late.」

After the troublesome opening ceremony, it’s finally the time for the tournament, no, I guess it’s still the preliminary round for me. Anyway, my battle is about to begin. The students other than me and Solte won’t have a match for a while, but they’re all going to watch our next match. They will, of course. After all, we’re good candidates for measuring the power of those unknown recommended students.

「Hey~, Kiel and Solte, are you okay? Both of you have a different atmosphere from yesterday. Especially Solte, is that a makeover? You are looking good~」

「Yep, something like that. Don’t worry, I and Kiel are motivated enough.」

「More importantly, Karua, you saw those black-haired girls before, right? Do you know anything?」

「Unfortunately, I don’t know anything other than what I said yesterday. How about asking Prez or Weerel? I mean, they are the ones who were having lunch together.」

「Ha? Not only Prez, but Weerel too?」

「Huh, did I not say it?」

You didn’t…… Still, that Weerel, who loves acting alone and doesn’t get attached to anyone other than Prez, were eating together, huh? It’s even more suspicious.

「I’m going to talk to Prez for a bit, I might be able to know something from her.」

「She will just make it muddy again, won’t she?」

「Since it’s already announced, it’s not a surprise anymore, right? Still, Prez is stubborn in some aspects… At worst, maybe I have to ask Weerel… Well, I will ask Prez first since she’s easy to talk to. Where is she?」

「Hmm~, over there~」

There’s President Therese in the direction where Karua pointed. ……She is together with the black-haired girls. They seem to be very close and are talking openly. A-As expected of Prez, she is fast in making friends. Ah, no, because of her position as the student council president, maybe she had an interaction with them earlier.

The appearance of the girls was unexpected for many students and their relatives, so naturally, they attracted a lot of attention. Even though there was no one to call out to them other than Prez, the gaze of the surroundings naturally gathered there. Damn, it’s hard to go. But, the break time is short. There’s no time to hesitate and stop.

「H-Hey, can I have a bit of your time?」

「Sure?」

I barged in when the three girls were having a lively conversation. Moreover, when they were getting attention from the surroundings. This is quite stressful for me. All eyes are on me at once.

「Ara, if it isn’t Kiel-san! Are you going to spy on your enemy? Trying to extract as much information as possible to improve your winning percentage, I admire your spirit! Kiel-san, that’s splendid desuwa!」

S-Someone, please kill me…! Prez has no ill will. But, that’s what makes it effective best…!

「Kiel-san? Ah, you are Chinatsu-chan’s opponent! Nice to meet you, I’m Haruna!」

「Um, as you already know, I’m Rokusai Chinatsu. Let’s do our best in our next match.」

The two introduced themselves and even bowed to me. To be honest, this behavior was unexpected and I even almost stepped back. I mean, I was suspicious of them, but they actually seem like good girls. On the contrary, it puts me off!

「Although it is temporary, Haruna-san and Chinatsu-san will be students of our academy. Please take good care of them! Ohohoho!」

「Y-Yeah…」

The familiar loud laughter of President Therese echoed. Ah, that’s right. I was trying to find out about them.

「Ah, by the way, you――」

「Haru, the match is about to start. Get ready. And Chinatsu, she’s calling you. I think it’s better for you to go now.」

Before I could ask my question, I was interrupted by the words of a black-haired man in the distance.

「Ah, yes, Shishō! Kiel-san, I’m sorry. I’ll take my leave now. Therese-san, see you later!」

「Understood. Well then, I will take my leave too. Uhh, my stomach hurts…」

「………」

Oh my god. They already left to prepare for the match. It was a complete waste of time. Still, that Haruna girl called that man ‘Shishō’, didn’t she? And that Chinatsu girl who suddenly held her stomach was called by another person… That man has the same black hair, is he their relative? Hmm, in the end, I don’t know anything.

「Kiel-san, have you prepared your staff for the match? Unless it’s the one you applied for in advance, it won’t get accepted, so please be careful about that.」

「I-I know even if you don’t tell me that. ……Prez, are they strong?」

「That’s a secret desuwa. My mouth is――」

「――shut tightly, right? Yeah, I know. Tch, I guess I don’t have the time to look for Weerel now.」

I take a glance at the clock installed at the venue and calculate the time until the match start. I don’t want to miss Solte’s match. Then, I don’t have much time left.

「Kiel-san.」

「Hm?」

「It’s not that I’m giving you advice, but I’ll tell you this. Don’t be fooled by what you see and don’t let your guard down desuwa. With the rules of the match, I think it won’t be a serious matter. But above all, it’s so that you won’t regret it.」

「…? That’s a matter of course. I’m lower-ranked, so I don’t have the time to be careless.」

「I see. I’m relieved. Well then, I have a management job, so I will take my leave desuwa! Ohohoho!」

President Therese went to the management headquarters while maintaining her loud laughter. That person, she stands out even with just walking around…

「Ah, Kiel-kun… How was it?」

「Looking at your state~, it seems that you don’t discover anything~」

When I returned, Solte greeted me with concern and Kahlua greeted me with a hint of amusement. Even Prince and Dry are here before I know it.

「Yeah. Prez was as usual and the two girls went to prepare for the match. Well, I found out that the master of the girl named Haruna is a black-haired middle-aged man. I don’t know if they are family or not, but I think they came from the same place. Black hair is unusual after all.」

「Hou? Master, huh? It means that those girls are disciples of someone, right? That damn principal, where did he recruit them from?」

「If we consider the black hair, then they might be the people from the Far East. But, I don’t think the principal has ever been to such a remote place…」

「Well, it seems that you got nothing in the end. This talk is over~. Solte, do your best, okay? In your match, and the thing after that!」

「Yes, I’m not going to hesitate anymore. I’m going to win.」

「… Solte, really, what’s wrong with you?」

The atmosphere of Solte changed probably because of what happened this morning. It’s not only her appearance that changed, but her determination to win is exuding from her. For the others, it’s natural that they don’t know what’s going on since they don’t know the details.

「Announcement. The first match will start soon, so for Solte and Haruna, please come to the stage. I repeat――」

The whole broadcast using magic items resounded in the academy.

「It’s the time already, huh? Solte, are you ready?」

「Yes. ……Kiel-kun. If we both make it through first match, I want to talk to you about something. Can I have a bit of your time later?」

「Hm? Well, sure. What’s it?」

「I said, I will tell you if we win the match. I have self-confidence, but I’m worried about whether you can win or not. Well then, I will go now.」

「H-Hey…」

That damn Solet just said whatever she wants and went to the stage.

「Jeez, what the hell?」

When I turned around, everyone except Prince grinned meaningfully at me.