[Episode 1: Enrollment - Part 1]

Magic. This product of fairy tales was systematized as an actual technology at the end of the twenty-first century. Due to the drastic climate cooling that began around the year 2030, the food supply dwindled. Energy sources were frequently fought over, and in 2045, World War Three broke out, lasting for twenty years. The population plummeted to three billion. The fact that this conflict didn't escalate to a thermonuclear war was entirely due to the global solidarity of the world's magic technicians. And now it's the end of the twenty-first century. Under these tenuous circumstances, every nation is competing in a race to develop magicians.

When magic first aroused the public interest, they only knew what now is called "Ancient Magic," in other words, powerful spells invoked by lengthy incantations. These "magic sequences" became longer and longer as magic engineers began to experiment with spell-building, eventually discovering the Idea Dimension. These technicians, realizing the similarities between the effects of electrons in the real world and the effects of psions in the Idea Dimension, built the first Casting Assistant Device, or CAD. This device would store potential spells as an "Activation Sequence," a block of pure data that describes the spell's effect on the target's Eidos, or its counterpart in the Idea Dimension. A magician would select their intended spell using the CAD, and then "feed" the CAD a stream of psions, which would be used by the CAD to convert the Activation Sequence into a Magic Sequence. The Magic Sequence, once built, would be activated by the Magic Calculation Area of a magician's brain, and the spell would then take effect.

Due to the Magic Calculation Area being a part of the cerebrum, there was no need to enter variables manually into the spells. The caster would either imagine or visually observe their target, and the Magic Calculation Area would automagically input the correct variables into the spell, such as duration, target coordinates, and output level.

As all of these technical systems were in development, magic spells began to be classified by their effects. The four main categories, Systematic, Non-Systematic, Outer-Systematic, and Perception, are divided into many sub-categories. Often, spells are often classified on their targeting system, as in Single Target, Multiple Target, and Area-of-Effect (AOE) magic. However, because the majority of magic in the final days of the twenty-first century is Systematic, that classification has come to be synonymous with Modern Magic.

~August 4th, 2092~

"Tatsuya, your sister is vacationing in Okinawa. A helicopter is waiting for you outside."

"I'll head there right away, oba-sama."

"Tatsuya...I told you..."

"Oh, right, okaa-sama."

~A Few Hours Later~

Shiba Miyuki watched on a large display as her brother took aim. She barely recognized him under the obsidian-black combat suit. After their mother died one year ago, their oba-sama had taken custody of Tatsuya and had raised him as her own. Miyuki never understood that. He was, after all, a defect. It should have been her that their oba-sama favored.

She saw the activation sequence expand along the barrel of the sniper rifle. He fired. The bullet arced towards the invading armada until it was nothing more than a flash of light in the distance. Her brother holstered the rifle as missiles were launched from the Great Asian Alliance fleet. He carefully made his right hand into the shape of a gun, and pointed it at the nearest missile. One by one, each missile vanished in a puff of blue smoke. Then Tatsuya aimed his 'finger gun' towards the ships.

Tatsuya targeted the special high-density bullet that he had fired. In just a second, it would be in the middle of the approaching fleet. He activated Material Burst, a spell which had only ever existed in theory up until that point. The high-density bullet was immediately converted into energy following the equation E=MC^2, resulting in a blast the same size as a nuclear warhead would have produced. The fleet was destroyed, no, it was wiped completely off the map by the overwhelming energy surge.

~April 3rd, 2095~

A woman's voice was heard over the loudspeaker.

"Rehersals for the matriculation ceremony will begin soon. All concerned parties are asked to gather in the auditorium."

They were standing outside the main building of National Magic University Affiliated First High School, more commonly known as First High. They had met for the first time in three years during the entrance exams, and here they met again. Miyuki suspected there would be many such meetings in the future, as they could not avoid each other during class. It would be rude, no doubt, but it would also raise suspicions. Then she looked at the insignia on his shoulder. Or rather, the lack thereof.

"Oh...so, you're a Course 2 student?"

"Yes. Practical skills in magic are given more weight than paper test scores here."

"That must be, otherwise you would be the incoming class representative, and not me."

There was a brief look of surprise in his eyes, but it was so fast she almost missed it. "That's right, he hasn't seen my development in these last years," she thought to herself. She wasn't sad that he hadn't been there...after all, it didn't do well for the future leader of the Yotsuba family to be seen in the company of a defect. "No," she thought, "he's not a defect. I've seen him fight. He's just...not on my level, in terms of practical skills." In truth, she didn't know what opinion she should have of her brother, but she was glad that he wasn't in her class. That way, she wouldn't have to confront her feelings every day for the next three years.

"...Miyuki? Are you okay?"

His question startled her. She had been lost in thought, not caring that she had accidentally killed the conversation.

"Yes, Tatsuya-sama, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Oh, well, try not to do that while you're on stage."

A kind, yet almost regretful smile formed on Tatsuya's face. "Anyway," he said, "hadn't you better get to the rehersals?"

"Hai!"

Miyuki hated awkward situations, and she couldn't wait to get out of there.

~An Hour Later~

"National Magic University Affiliated First High School. The very fact that you've been permitted to enroll at this state-run institution for training young magic technicians makes you one of the elite whose rare talent in magic has been acknowledged...right? But at this school..." Tatsuya's thoughts were interrupted by some passing students.

"Hey, isn't that kid a Weed?"

"Here so early?"

"Someone's sure excited even though he's just a reserve!"

Tatsuya was pondering the meaning of what the students had said when another voice got his attention.

"You're a new student, aren't you? Is there anything I can help you with?"

The girl standing before him was...well, to put it simply, short. Yet her dimunitive stature did nothing to detract from her overwhelming beauty. If Tatsuya had emotions, he very well might have been attracted to this mysterious visitor. He examined her uniform, and commented to himself on his observations. "A Course 1 upperclasswoman, huh?" Deciding that blending in and not causing any trouble would be the best course of action for his high school career, Tatsuya politely declined with a bow.

"No, I'm fine."

As he bowed, he noticed a CAD on her left forearm, partially hidden by her jacket's long sleeves.

"I see. Oh, I'm the President of the Student Council. My name is Saegusa Mayumi. It's written 'Nanakusa' but pronounced 'Saegusa.' Nice to meet you."

Her introduction startled Tatsuya and distracted him from the CAD on her arm. To think that he had already encountered a member of the Ten Master Clans, and of Saegusa, no less! He then realized that she was expecting an introduction as well.

"I'm...uh...My name is Shiba Tatsuya," he said as he took another slight bow.

"Shiba Tatsuya? I see, so you are-"

"President! Rehersal's starting!" A third voice injected itself into the fledgling conversation. This voice belonged to a girl who was even shorter than Saegusa Mayumi. She seemed to only notice Tatsuya after she addressed the President.

"Are you in the middle of something?" Even though this question was not directed towards Tatsuya, but Mayumi, Tatsuya was the one who responded.

"No... Excuse me." This was accompanied by a third bow, and Tatsuya walked away as both Saegusa Mayumi and the other girl looked after him.

~An Hour Later~

As Tatsuya made his way towards his seat, he observed the pattern in the seating arrangements of the Course 1 and Course 2 students at the matriculation ceremony. "The half sitting in the front are Blooms. The half in the back are weeds. No one's more aware of discrimination than the ones being discriminated against, eh?" His thoughts were once again interrupted by a third party.

"Excuse me..." He turned his head to see a girl with dark hair and glasses addressing him. "Is the seat next to you taken?"

"Sure, be my guest." The girl motioned, and a redheaded girl sat next to her. Then came the inevitable introductions.

"I'm Shibata Mizuki. Nice to meet you."

Normally, he wouldn't care if a girl introduced herself to him, as was the case with Saegusa Mayumi. This girl, however, was wearing glasses in an age when all vision problems had already been corrected. He introduced himself as well, careful not to let any of his suspicions show.

"I'm Shiba Tatsuya. Nice to meet you too."

"And I'm Chiba Erika! Nice, to meet you, Shiba!"

"Likewise." His steady tone did not betray the wariness he felt at meeting a member of the Hundred Families, and a family that was known for their prowess with a sword.

"But don't you think it's a cool coincidence?" Erika obviously had something in mind, and it was probably different than the coincidence Tatsuya had in mind.

"What is?" he asked.

"You know..." she said, expecting everyone to be thinking the same thing. "I mean, Shiba, Shibata, and Chiba, right? Our names almost rhyme, don't they?"

"Hey, you're right!"

"I see." Tatsuya was relieved that she wasn't talking about the other coincidence.

"Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah, I can't believe you spotted that!"

They heard a woman's voice over the loudspeaker again.

"We will now begin the matriculation ceremony for National Magic University Affiliated First High School."

~Later~

"...next, the newly-enrolled students' address." Tatsuya sat up a little straigter. "Representative of the incoming class, Shiba Miyuki." Miyuki walked up to the podium and began her speech.

"As the sunlight streams gently, and the vivid cherry blossoms flutter on this gorgeous spring day, I feel so happy and honored that my wish to be admitted to the prestigious National Magic University Affiliated First High School has come true. On behalf of the incoming students, and filled with pride at being a member of First High School..."

~After The Ceremony~

"Hey, Shiba!" Tatsuya was distracted from looking at his ID card by Erika's exclamation. "Want to go check out our homeroom?"

This is where things got tricky. Should he try to find Miyuki, or should he try to become friends with a daughter of the Chiba clan? She wasn't aware, but Tatsuya had notice how she reacted when she discovered they were in different classes. She wasn't sad, or angry...she was happy, and trying to hide it.

"Sure, I'll-" He was interrupted by a meek interjection.

"Tatsuya-sama?" He turned to see Miyuki trying to get his attention. Saegusa Mayumi and another Course 1 student were a couple feet behind her. He got the feeling that this meeting wasn't intentional at all. Before he got the chance to ask her, a different student spoke up.

"Um...you're Shiba Miyuki, representative of the incoming class, right?" Mizuki's nervousness was readily apparent. Miyuki turned her attention from Tatsuya to Mizuki.

"Yes, that's correct."

"You two wouldn't happen to be twins, would you?"

At this point, Tatsuya jumped in. "We get that a lot, but we're not twins. My birthday is in April, and hers is in March. We are siblings, though. How'd you know?"

"Oh, well, your demeanors...your auras...those commanding gazes of yours are quite similar." Mizuki related this information with a secretive smile, as if she was privvy to information others were not. Tatsuya, however, was not satisfied.

"If you can read someone's aura, you must have really great eyesight." At this, Mizuki blushed. He was right. She had the condition known as "Hypersensitivity to Spirit Particle Emissions," which made her dangerous to him, as she could potentially reveal his secrets. At this confirmation of his suspicions, Tatsuya turned his attention to Miyuki.

"Miyuki, are the people from the Student Council done with you?" Tatsuya's emotionless remark prompted a response from the Student Council President.

"Hello to you too, Tatsuya. But don't worry, it's all right. All we did today was introduce ourselves to her." At this act of compliance from arguably the most influencial person in the school, Saegusa Mayumi's companion spoke up.

"President!" The boy was completely ignored.

"Miyuki?"

"Yes?"

"We'll go into more detail another day. You too, Shiba." Mayumi unexpectedly brought Tatsuya into her plans. "Let's have a nice, long chat sometime." At this, Saegusa Mayumi turned around and walked away, over the objections of her colleague. The boy couldn't hide his obvious hatred of Tatsuya, no, his obvious hatred of a Weed being the subject of his President's intentions. He eventually followed suit.

"So, why don't we head out now?" Erika's attempt to lighten the mood was blocked by Miyuki.

"Actually, I have...someplace to be..." She hid her discomfort well, but Tatsuya saw straight through her. She felt weird, being around a brother she hadn't seen in three years and was supposedly defective. That he was a Weed in a highly prejudiced school didn't help at all either; she couldn't spend too much time around him, or her reputation would be ruined.

"It's fine, Miyuki." She lifted her eyes at Tatsuya's kind gesture.

"Thank you, Tatsuya-sama. Please excuse me..." And with that, the siblings parted ways once again.

~That Night~

Tatsuya heard the phone ring. He was alone in the house that his oba-sama had bought for him, so he knew that the call was for him. He picked it up, and looked at the caller ID.

[Call From: Yotsuba Maya]

Tatsuya sighed. "I don't need this right now." Sure, his oba-no, his okaa-sama had always been kind to him, but he knew her well enough to know that she had something up her sleeve. And yet, he couldn't say no to her. With another sigh, he picked up the phone.

"Hello, okaa-sama."

"My, my, Tatsuya, could you be any colder?"

"Please excuse me."

"You're not doing any better. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on starting high school. I know that those people wanted you to stay and work for the company, but I appreciate your desire to grow and learn."

"Thank you, okaa-sama."

"Now, if you could do something for me, Tatsuya?"

"Of course, okaa-sama."

"Don't let your sister get into any trouble, okay? The future head of the Yotsuba can't be revealed to the world in a mug shot."

"Of course, okaa-sama."

"Tatsuya, do you know how to say anything else?"

"...of course, okaa-sama."

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll just hang up."

And with that, the conversation between doting mother and loving son was over. Tatsuya expected that Miyuki would receive a similar call from their father and his wife, but there was no way to really know.

~The Next Day~

Tatsuya used an Acceleration-type Systematic spell to speed up his jog to the temple where he trained under the famous Kokonoe Yakumo. He specialized in Ninjitsu, an Ancient Magic which is a combination of martial arts and magic. As Tatsuya entered the temple, six monks dressed in white robes and with bald heads attacked him. They were tough, but by this time Tatsuya was a master of taijitsu, second only to his Sensei. After defeating the attackers, Tatsuya launched a surprise attack on Kokonoe but was blocked at the last second. The shock wave from the blow echoed throughout the courtyard.

"Good for you, Tatsuya! Now, try to beat me."

That was all the incentive that Tatsuya needed to fight. He expertly deflected each of Kokonoe's attacks, to the point where he began to gain the upper hand. But Kokonoe stopped before an end could be reached, and took a couple steps back.

"Oh, man..." he said, scratching his head. "It looks like I may not stand a chance against Tatsuya if it's strictly taijitsu..." Tatsuya took this opportunity to go on the offensive, but Kokonoe had switched from taijitsu to the Ancient Magic Ninjitsu. He blocked Tatsuya's attacks like they were nothing, and stole the offensive from Tatsuya. Tatsuya, however, used his taijitsu skills to dodge nearly all of Kokonoe's attacks, and he quickly recovered from those that he couldn't dodge. To the monks watching from the sidelines, it was clear just how good Tatsuya was at taijitsu martial arts.

The fight had come to a stalemate. Kokonoe, though, had a secret weapon, and all he needed to do was entice Tatsuya to attack. He decided there was no better strategy than being direct.

"Okay, then, come on!" He motioned Tatsuya to attack. Tatsuya took the bait.

~Later That Morning~

Needless to say, Tatsuya lost the fight with Sensei Kokonoe. He was now on his way to school, having just left the school's dedicated station and walking up the promenade to the main campus. He thought that he had seen Miyuki walking the same way earlier, but maybe he had been mistaken. He found his classroom easily, and sat down and began typing as his new friends looked on with awe.

"What are you doing, Shiba?" Mizuki couldn't figure out why he was using a keyboard.

"Confirming the curriculum and registering for classes," came the prompt reply.

"At breakneck speed!" This comment came courtesy of the light-haired boy seated in front of Tatsuya. "Hey, my bad," he said. "It's kind of rare to see people using just the keyboard to enter stuff."

"Once you're used to it, it's faster this way," Tatsuya explained. It wasn't anything unique to him; anyone could learn to type quickly.

"That so? Oh, and by the way, I'm Saijo Leonhart. You can just call me Leo. I specialize in Convergence-type Fortifying Magic sequences."

"I'm Shiba Tatsuya. You can call me Tatsuya."

"Okay, Tatsuya. So what are your signature magic spells?"

"Well, I kind of such at practical skills, so I want to become a magic engineer." He didn't lie, he just evaded the question. After all, his signature spells were restricted by the Yotsuba clan. There was no use telling this boy everything. And besides, Tatsuya really did want to become a magic engineer.

"You don't say..." came the reply. "Well, you do look like a smart guy!"

"What? You're an aspiring magic engineer, Shiba?" Erika obviously wasn't aware of this, having only met Tatsuya the day before.

"Hey, Tatsuya, who's this dude?" And that's how Leo chose to address Erika.

"Whoa, did you just call me "dude" from the get-go? How rude is that?" Erika couldn't resist firing back. "You "forever alone" types are all the same!"

"What the..." Leo got out of his seat. "Who's being rude now? Don't think you can get away with it just because you're slightly good-looking!"

"Looks are important, you know," Erika countered, ignoring Mizuki's desperate pleas for peace. "Though that might not be clear to a lame guy who confuses sloppiness with the "wild" look..."

"Wh-Wh-What the-" Leo was cut off by the sound of the bell.

"Leo, just back off," said Tatsuya, cool as ever. "That's the first bell." Reluctantly, Leo sat back down as Erika grinned in mock victory.

"You too, Erika," Mizuki added. "That was going a bit far."

The two fighters sat down, and class began.

~Later That Day~

"That was fun, touring the workshops."

"I'm studying to be a magic engineer, too, so I got a lot out of that."

"Yeah, that was pretty productive, huh?" Tatsuya agreed with Erika and Mizuki, though he knew much more about CAD programming than he let on.

"I wonder if I'm up to that kind of meticulous work?" Leo wondered. He obviously knew his own limitations, but Erika thought that she knew them as well.

"Of course it's totally beyond you!"

"What did you say?" Realizing that he was sitting directly across from the individual who could be considered his worst enemy, Leo decided to ask the obvious question: "Wait a sec, why are we all having lunch together?"

"Well, I'm just having lunch with Mizuki and Tatsuya!"

It was at that moment that Miyuki hesitantly approached the group.

"Tatsuya-sama?"

"Oh, hello, Miyuki."

"Can we talk?"

"Sure, if you want to sit..."

"Here, you can take this seat, Miyuki!" Erika was quick to volunteer the spot opposite of Leo, who, having never met Miyuki before, was shocked that a Course 1 student had approached them-and the incoming class representative, no less!

"Oh, well...actually..."

"Miyuki!" This shout had come from across the room. A group of Course 1 students were standing, trays in hand, apparently waiting on Miyuki. "Let's go somewhere where there's more room," the leader said. "You shouldn't disturb them..." another chimed in.

"Oh, okay." Tatsuya couldn't believe she relented that fast-but then again, it wasn't that hard to imagine. Miyuki covered her fast exit with a brief "Please excuse me," before she went to join the other Course 1 students. Erika and Leo, however, were still confused as to what just happened.

"Huh?"

"What'd they say?"

"We should go over there and-"

"Erika. Leo. I'm done eating, so I'm heading out now," Tatsuya interjected. He didn't want his new friends getting hurt because of his family. Though, it wouldn't be the first time a Yotsuba injured someone...

"Hey-hey-Tatsuya! Wait up!"

"Tatsuya!"

~That Evening~

"Just give it up already, will you?"

"There's something we want to discuss with her, that's all!"

Shouting voices could be heard near the school's front gate. Miyuki had wanted to walk home with Tatsuya, at least for a little bit, so they could talk in private. Their hopes of peace were dashed to pieces, however, upon the Course 1 students who had just arrived. Erika and Leo were now putting up a strong defense, but words wouldn't hold them off for long.

"That's right! All we need is a little of her time!"

In the midst of this, Miyuki was negotiating with her brother.

"Tatsuya-sama...might it not be better for me to just go with them?" This attitude did not surprise Tatsuya. He knew that she favored Course 1 over Course 2 students, and that he was lucky even for these brief moments.

"Anyway, didn't you hear Miyuki say that she's going home with her brother?" Mizuki, unexpectedly bold, joined the fray. "What right do you have, trying to split these two apart?"

"This is a matter that concerns 1-A! Don't go around meddling with us Blooms, you lowly Weeds!"

"We're all newly enrolled students here, remember?" Mizuki was trying to calm everyone down, but it didn't seem to be working. "Just how superior to us do you Blooms think you are at this point?"

"This isn't looking good," Tatsuya quietly commented.

"Do you want to know how superior we are?" the leader asked, with a devious smile on his face.

"Sounds entertaining," Leo replied. "Why don't you go ahead and show us, then?"

"Fine. In that case, I will show you..." He quickly drew his pistol-shaped CAD from its holster on his hip. "This is how much better we are!"

Leo lept towards the assailant. He saw the Activation Sequence shimmering along the barrel of the CAD. He might not make it in time...but then, Erika jumped right in front of him, and hit the CAD out of their opponent's hand with an extendable baton.

"At this distance, it's just faster to move my body, see?" Even though it only took a couple of seconds to translate an Activation Sequence into a Magic Sequence, the delay was still long enough for Erika to strike using a physical weapon.

"I agree with you," Leo began, "But weren't you just about to smash my hand, too?" He should have expected a sarcastic reply, but he didn't.

"Goodness, no, I would never do such a thing!"

"Don't you dare try to laugh it off!"

"Ridiculous..." Their attacker couldn't believe that his opponents were bickering with each other in the middle of a fight. Another boy raised his CAD and selected a spell.

"You, a mere Weed..."

As he did this, a girl who was standing over to the side also activated her CAD. "All of you - stop it!"

This was dangerous. The girl had activated an attack-type spell with her CAD. Tatsuya used another unique spell of his, Elemental Sight, to peer into the idea dimension and find out which spell the girl was launching. And what he saw settled his nerves.

Fortunately, though, a third party intervened in the conflict-a psion bullet impacted the girl's CAD, destroying the Activation Sequence and preventing her from launching the spell. The other boy also cancelled his own Magic Sequence, and all eyes turned towards the newcomer: Saegusa Mayumi, and two other presumed council members. The girl fell back into the arms of a friend.

"Honoka..." The friend was obviously worried for "Honoka's" safety.

"Stop it right there!" shouted Mayumi. "Unless it's self-defense, head-to-head magic attacks are criminal acts!"

A second woman, with dark blue hair and her CAD on display, stepped forward. "I'm Watanabe Mari, head of the Disciplinary Committee! I'll be taking your statements now. All of you, come with me."

The situation could've gone several different ways from that point. However, Tatsuya's timely intervention was enough to salvage what remained of the day.

"Sorry about that. It was just horseplay that got out of hand," Tatsuya stated as Mari aimed her CAD at him, spell in hand.

"Horseplay?"

"Yes. The Morisaki Clan is famous for their quick-draw technique, so I thought I'd ask him to show me for future reference, but it was just so realistic that I couldn't stop myself from making a move." Morisaki, the leader of the Course 1 aggressors, was visibly surprised that Tatsuya knew who he was without an introduction.

"Then would you care to explain why that girl was about to activate an attack-type spell?" Mari was obviously 'quick on the draw' herself, to have noticed the flaw in Tatsuya's explanation. Honoka, ashamed, looked down as Mari asked the question.

"That was just a Flash Spell," Tatsuya stated confidently, "and its potency was considerably suppressed."

Both Mayumi and Mari were startled by this proclamation. Up until this point, only the caster themselves had ever known which spell they were casting and at what potency.

"Uh, Tatsuya?" Mayumi asked. "How do you know that? Did she tell you in advance?"

"No...not exactly."

"Explain." This command came not from Mayumi, but from Mari.

"I could tell by looking at the Activation Sequence."

"Are you saying that you have the ability to read Activation Sequences as they're being launched?"

"Well...yes. I'm no good at practical skills, but I am adept at analysis."

"Apparently, you're also adept at subterfuge." Mari still didn't quite believe Tatsuya's less-than-believable rendering of the situation.

"Subterfuge? Far from it. I'm nothing but a Course 2 student," he said as he pointed to the insignia on his shoulder. "National Magic University Affiliated First High School. The very fact that you've been permitted to enroll at this school makes you one of the elite whose rare talent in magic has been acknowledged. But at this school, from the day you start, you're either an honor student or an irregular." His plan to use Mari's predjudices against her utterly backfired, though.