MTLNOVEL Chapter 27: Chapter 26: New Member Recruitment Week ①
Yugen parted ways with Leo and Toya, stepping into the bustling school courtyard. The captain's voice echoed, calling for a training run to welcome new members, answered energetically by two others. Yugen pretended not to hear. Those two might get along surprisingly well… a rare bond between a Class 1 and Class 2 student.
The courtyard buzzed with club recruitment fervor.
(Not like I'm a spectacle, but I'm no mascot either.)
Passersby eyed Yugen curiously, drawn to the blue-and-white student council armband on his left arm, worn only during recruitment week. It stemmed from an incident years ago when Yugen's sister, Kana, a former student council member, was targeted during recruitment.
("Bloody Blossom"… Kana-neesan's nickname. She hated it.)
Kana had taken down every club, magical or not, earning a fearsome reputation that lingered even after graduation. Still, Yugen knew her as a kind sister to those who approached her normally. His phone rang—not the communicator, but his personal device. He answered.
"Hello?"
"Yugen, it's Kana. You okay there?"
"Kana-neesan? Rare call. Aren't you in a lecture or seminar?"
Thinking of her, Yugen half-joked to himself about her mind-reading skills. He activated a perception-blocking spell, making passersby avoid him without question. He asked why Kana, now a college student, called.
"My lecture's on break. Mika told me to tell you to deal with two people heading your way before she rushed to class."
"Mika-neesan? Who's she talking about?"
"Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri. Ring a bell?"
Yugen knew them—Mika's close friends and troublemakers, SS Board (Skateboard & Snowboard) Biathlon Club members. He'd seen them at the Ueyama family's second home.
"Yeah, I know them, but—"
"Biathlon Club!" a voice shouted.
"They got her!" another cried.
Yugen spotted the culprits—Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri, each carrying Shizuku and Honoka, hurrying away.
"Kana-neesan, tell Mika-neesan I got the message," Yugen said.
"Don't overdo it," Kana replied, sensing his tone, and hung up.
Yugen pocketed his phone, grabbed his communicator, and activated his personal acceleration spell.
"Student Council Treasurer, Mitsuya. Pursuing two Biathlon Club OGs for abducting freshmen. Request Disciplinary Committee backup!"
He relayed the message, cut the call, and sprinted after the pair.
Yorozuya (short hair) and Kazamatsuri (long hair) noticed him.
"That armband—student council. Looks tough," Yorozuya said.
"Feels familiar… but chasing us with an acceleration spell? We're not getting caught!" Kazamatsuri replied.
"Obviously! Hold on, we're speeding up!" Yorozuya shouted.
"Noooo!" Honoka screamed as their skateboards hit car-like speeds.
Elsewhere, Mari, overseeing Disciplinary Committee actions, answered her communicator. It was Mayumi.
"Watanabe here."
"Mari, Yugen just reported two Biathlon OGs abducting freshmen…"
"Those two!? Got it!" Mari snapped, spotting Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri with Shizuku and Honoka. She abruptly ended the call, borrowing Tatsumi's skateboard.
"Koutarou, I'm taking this!"
"Sis?" Tatsumi said, confused.
"Can't let graduated delinquents run wild! I'll handle them!" Mari declared.
She activated hardening and acceleration spells, joining Yugen in pursuit.
Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri noticed.
"They're here," Yorozuya said.
"As expected," Kazamatsuri added.
"Stop! Overzealous recruitment's banned!" Mari shouted.
Their fierce expressions terrified Shizuku and Honoka, as if Kongo Rikishi statues loomed behind them.
"Surrender!" Yugen called.
"Who stops for that?" Yorozuya scoffed.
Despite carrying the girls, the OGs were slightly slower, and the gap closed. Kazamatsuri activated her CAD, unleashing a Downburst spell—headwinds against Mari and Yugen, tailwinds for them.
(Impressive…) Shizuku thought, noting the spell's risky precision.
Mari countered with a tailwind, neutralizing the headwind. Yugen, however, was otherworldly.
"Annoying… I'll cut it," he muttered.
With a breath, he swung his hand like a blade, slicing the wind. Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri's faces twitched.
"Mari's improved, but that freshman… cutting my spell?" Kazamatsuri gasped.
"Another absurd trick? Mika's enough!" Yorozuya groaned.
(So Nee-san's absurd too), Shizuku thought, recalling Mika's claim her magic wasn't for show.
While Shizuku calmed, Honoka panicked, slurring her words. Mari cast a hardening spell between the OGs' skateboards and the ground, trying to stop them. They wobbled but Kazamatsuri floated them briefly, evading it.
"Take this!" Yorozuya cast Miniature Fault, creating obstacles.
Mari and Yugen countered, but Kazamatsuri's spinning airflow spell widened the gap.
"Damn, they got away," Mari cursed.
"No, I know their destination," Yugen said. "Mind if I borrow the board?"
"It's Tatsumi's, but… what's your plan?"
Yugen hopped on, pulling out a second CAD—a phone-type, surprising Mari. His serious expression silenced her questions.
"Mika-neesan asked me to handle this. I don't care about names, but they mocked me. As a Mitsuya, I can't let that slide."
A magic circle formed around his skateboard, conjuring a glowing rail like a rollercoaster track. His board surged forward.
Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri turned a corner, reaching their goal. Several female students with skateboards, led by Biathlon Club captain Igarashi Tsugumi, gaped at their arrival.
"Yorozuya-senpai!? Kazamatsuri-senpai!? Why're you here?" Tsugumi asked.
"Talk later. Take care of these two," Yorozuya said.
"Newbies, have fun!" Kazamatsuri added.
They tossed Shizuku and Honoka. Tsugumi, scrambling, cast an air cushion spell to catch them, helping them stand.
Yorozuya and Kazamatsuri waved, speeding off to evade pursuit—when a glowing rail appeared overhead, shocking everyone, especially the OGs.
"That magic!?" Yorozuya gasped.
"No way, only Mika can do that!" Kazamatsuri exclaimed.
Something shot past them on the rail, spinning them backward in a controlled descent. The rail vanished.
Their skateboards were now held by Yugen, who'd stopped ahead.
"Student Council Treasurer, Year 1, Mitsuya Yugen. You might've guessed, I'm Mika's brother. Surrender, Yorozuya-senpai, Kazamatsuri-senpai," he said with a cold smile.
"Fine, no resisting. I don't want Mika's submission holds," Yorozuya said.
"I give up. Heard Mika had a brother in high school, but you're both ridiculous," Kazamatsuri sighed.
Yugen's implied threat—more spins until blackout—made them comply.
Mari and Disciplinary Committee members took custody. Yugen caught his breath, only to face curious stares from the Biathlon Club and Shizuku and Honoka's eager auras.
"…Fine, I'll talk," Yugen relented.
"Yay! It's a promise!" Shizuku said.
Yugen ended up joining Shizuku and Honoka to hear the Biathlon Club's pitch, caving to their pleading looks.
Someone teach me how to resist those puppy eyes.
As for the OGs, they faced Mika's wrath: "I'm not your babysitter!" she yelled, applying joint locks—a secret kept among the three.