Currently, Akiri and Tatsuta are seen sitting among the other Course 1 students in the Club Management room for a meeting, with Akiri being seated next to Tatsuya. All of the students are facing the three highest ranking students, Mayumi, Mari and Jyumonji.

Mayumi: Now, then. We'll start the meeting by addressing some issues we have regarding the selection of our delegates to the Nine School Competition

Mayumi, as the president of the Student Council, calmly declares the start of the meeting.

Mayumi: In light of the sudden change in the rules and regulations of Monolith Code, the Student Council had elected Akiri Amatsuki of Class 1-A to fill the vacant role

The boy stood from his seat as his name is called as whispers started to fill the room.

???: Amatsuki? The second-ranked among the first years?

???: We have both the first and second-ranked now. We're definitely winning this!

The other students voiced their approval and clapped lightly as Akiri silently gave a polite bow before sitting back down.

Mayumi: Also, regarding our lack of engineers, the Student Council had chosen to nominate Shiba Tatsuya of Class 1-E as a member of the engineering staff

???: A Course 2 student?

???: But he's in the Disciplinary Committee, right?

???: Is he up to fine-tuning CADs?

Murmurs are heard going across the meeting room, the students were having disapproving looks as they seem sceptical this time, uncertain of the decision made.

Shizuku: They don't have a clue about how good Tatsuya-san is

Honoka: Yeah. I know I'd like to have Tatsuya-san take on the job

Shizuka and Honoka, who are also present, whispered to each other.

Jyumonji: Apparently, there are some among us that aren't convinced

Everyone's attention is now on Katsuto Jyumonji as he spoke out.

Jyumonji: It would probably be best to have them actually see Shiba's skills

Mari: What are we going to do, specifically?

Jyumonji: We should have him adjust an actual CAD. I'd be happy to serve as a tester

???: That would be dangerous! If his tuning turns out to be sub-par, injury will be the least of your problems!

One of the students loudly voiced his objection.

Mayumi: Alright then, since I'm the one who nominated Shiba, I'll gladly take on that role

???: No, that role...

A different voice then spoke out and everyone turns to see that it was Kirihara who stood from his seat.

Kirihara: Please allow me to do it

(Timeskip)

After the abrupt end of the meeting, everyone is now gathered at a laboratory, for Tatsuya to perform the tuning on Kirihara's CAD. Various sophisticated, high-tech equipment of different uses are seen all around the room.

All eyes are on Tatsuya who is diligently working on a touch screen console, not minding the stares as he focused on the task at hand. It is clear that the other Course 1 students were highly sceptical of Tatsuya's proficiency in CAD tuning.

Mayumi: You are to copy Kirihara-kun's personal CAD settings over to the competition-use one and make it quickly adjust it for immediate use

As Mayumi briefly explained to him of his task, Tatsuya's gaze lowered slightly, as if he is thinking about something and Mayumi notices it.

Mayumi: What's the matter?

Tatsuya: I don't really recommend copying the settings of a CAD onto another with different specs...

He told her as the screen in front of him started to fill up with various kinds of detailed information.

Tatsuya: Well, I guess it can't be helped. I'll do it while having your safety as a priority

On a table next to him, two CADs are placed on top, one is Kirihara's and the other is the competition-use one.

Tatsuya worked on the console for while longer before looking at Kirihara and nodding at him.

Kirihara puts on a visor before placing both his hands on a console and the high-tech machine started a scanning procedure.

Tatsuya: Thank you. That is all

After his confirmation, Kirihara removes the visor and took a step back from the machine as Tatsuya started to work on the computer, typing away at the digital keyboard which surprises many of the watching students.

???: What's that guy doing?

???: Strictly keyboard in this day and age? That's beyond old school!

They watched in bewilderment while Tatsuya kept on working uninterrupted.

Akiri kept watching quietly in the distance, leaning against the wall while keeping close attention to what Tatsuya is doing.

A few minutes pass as everyone closely watches Tatsuya work on the computer until he finally stops.

Tatsuya: I'm finished

He declares as Kirihara didn't waste any time and puts on the competition CAD on his arm and grabs a wooden training sword.

Once he is happy with the fitment of the device, he then started to cast a spell.

Magic circles appeared on his arm, and the blade of the wooden training sword started to glow a bright orange colour as Kirihara lifts the sword above his head and he swings it down in one swift motion.

Jyumonji: Kirihara, how does that feel to you?

Kirihara: No issues at all. It feels absolutely natural to me

Most of the students lets out surprised gasps, genuinely impressed, however, there were still some who weren't convinced.

???: So he does seem to have passable skills. But you can't say that he's on the school representative level of skill

???: His methods are too irregular. And his time spent was pretty average

Azusa: I for one, strongly support bringing Shiba-kun to the team!

Azusa suddenly spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

Azusa: He was able to directly comprehend Kirihara-kun's Psion wave measurements using the source data and completely used manual adjustments in order to replicate that to the maximum possible degree

She continued.

Azusa: That's beyond what a high schooler could achieve!

???: Sure, his methods may be advanced, but if the end product is still mediocre, there's no point

Hanzo: Kirihara's personal CAD is a model boasting higher specs than the one for competition use

Hattori Hanzo, the vice president spoke up.

Hanzo: The fact that he could manage to copy the settings over without any noticeable discrepancies is impressive on its own. I believe that such skills should be rated highly

He explained to them.

Hanzo: Chairwoman. I support adding Shiba to the engineering team

Mayumi seemed to be surprised at this, considering how Hanzo had resented Tatsuya when they first met.

Hanzo: In the Nine Schools Competition, our school's prestige will be on the line. "Because he's a first year" or "because he's a Course 2 student". We cannot afford to dwell on such trivial matters

Jyumonji: I also agree with what you just pointed out, Hattori

Jyumonji added.

Jyumonji: Shiba just showed us that he has the skills to be a member of our school's team. I too, support adding Shiba to the team

And with that, Tatsuya had all of their votes, approving him to become a part of the engineering team, to compete in the Nine Schools Competition.

(Timeskip)

That night, in the living room of the Shiba household...

Tatsuya is seen alone in the darkness of the living room, illuminated only by the large screen in front of him, showing a live video of a man in white uniform.

Tatsuya: It's been a long time

He spoke, seemingly communicating with the man.

???: Yes, long time no see, Special Officer

Tatsuya: If that's how you're referring to me, are we on a secret line? I can't believe you can tap into the civilian line every time."

???: It's not that easy, Special Lieutenant. Compared to the standards of an average household, isn't the security surrounding your house a little too tight?

Tatsuya: That's because there are a lot of hackers active recently, and the household servers have sensitive information stored within them

He answered.

Tatsuya: So Major, what's on the agenda today?

The man, who is only known as Major, continued.

Major: First, I'd like to inform you that we've managed to convince the Nine Schools Competition Committee to implement the rule change to Monolith Code you requested a few weeks back

Tatsuya: Yes, I am aware of that. I send you my thanks. This should help immensely with my investigation

The Major nodded before continuing.

Major: Next, some work-related news, today we completed modifications on the 'Third Eye'. We upgraded some components to the latest models and updated the software, so I would like you to test it out.

Tatsuya: Understood. I will report in first thing tomorrow

Major: No, we're not so pressed for time that you need to miss school

Tatsuya: I plan to report to FLT on my next day off anyway

Major: I see. then, tomorrow morning, report to the usual place

Tatsuya: Understood

Tatsuya saluted in acceptance, while Kazama repeated that action on the screen.

Major: Next subject. Special Lieutenant, rumours say that you are joining this summer's Nine Schools Competition?

Tatsuya: ...Affirmative

Tatsuya hesitated for a split second, but given the circumstances, the fact that he only hesitated for a "split second" was quite an accomplishment. It was less than three hours after he had been confirmed as a member of the technical staff for the school's team.

Major: The competition site is located in the southeast sector of the Fuji Training Area. Well, of course it's the same every year, but... Stay on your guard, Tatsuya

He abruptly warned, not referring to the boy by his rank, surname, or alias.

Major: We've repeatedly spotted what are most likely members of an international crime syndicate. Considering the timing, it's very likely that they're targeting the Nine Schools Competition

Tatsuya: An international crime syndicate, you say?

Major: Based on our investigations, these might be members of the criminal syndicate based out of Hong Kong called 'No Head Dragon'...

(Timeskip)

The next morning, Akiri is seen entering his classroom and immediately as he does, he saw that everyone's attention is now on him.

???: We heard the news. Congratulations, Amatsuki-san

???: Yeah, congratulations. And good luck!

He only gave them a smile and a wave as he made his way towards his seat next to Miyuki.

Honoka: Word sure travels fast, huh? And the news about Tatsuya-kun joining the engineering team is making the rounds as well

Akiri: Yeah. Not surprising though considering how famous, or should I say, infamous, Tatsuya is among the Course 1s

Shizuku: You'll be entering Monolith Code, right? That means you'll be paired up with Morisaki and the others

Akiri: Great... That's one of the reasons I wanted to avoid joining the team in the first place

He said with a disheartened sigh as he rests his head on the table. Things haven't really improved between them since the time a fight almost broke out, back during the first day of school.

Akiri: Monolith Code is a team competition. Not sure how well I'll work together with that guy

Miyuki: I'm sure everything will work out just fine. Anyway, I'm glad to have you join us, Akiri

Akiri: Thanks

Honoka: By the way, they're making the big announcement later today, right?

Miyuki: Yes, the ceremony will be held later today, during the fifth period

(Timeskip)

A few hours later that day, all of the students that are taking part in the Nine Schools Competition are seen standing on stage in the auditorium, all gathered neatly in a line.

On the microphone, is the student council president, Mayumi Saegusa, announcing the names of those getting their badges.

Mayumi: Next, from Class 1-A, Mitsui Honoka

At the call, Honoka took a step forward as Miyuki, the one in charge of giving the representative their badges went on to pin a small silver badge with the school insignia on it on the lapel of her uniform.

Mayumi: Also from Class 1-A, Akiri Amatsuki

Akiri steps forward, and Miyuki went and places on his badge with a smile, which he returned before stepping back.

As Miyuki went on to give a badge to the next person, Akiri curiously looked down at his badge.

Akiri: Weird. Normally, awards are given after the competition, not before

He remarked.

Honoka: Oh, these are just proof that you're an authentic member of the Nine Schools Competition

Honoka, who is standing next to him explained.

Honoka: The badges have small ID chips embedded inside them for you to enter the contest areas

Akiri: I see

Mayumi kept on listing names, and she then rounds up the final member of the technical staff, Tatsuya Shiba, as Miyuki puts on his badge on his uniform with a smile towards her brother.

Mayumi: The previously mentioned names will be our representatives. Please give First High's finest a round of applause

The audience sitting in the auditorium all applauded.

(Timeskip)

After school, Tatsuya is seen standing with some others in the middle of the school field.

As one of the members of the technical staff, he is in charge of supervising the training for some of the athletes who are competing in the competition. Which includes his sister Miyuki, Honoka, Shizuku and some others.

At the sides, Mizuki Shibata could be seen, silently watching the group train from afar on her own.

Akiri: Hey, Mizuki

She turned around to see Akiri walking over towards her with his hands in his pocket.

Mizuki: Akiri-san?

Akiri: Not going home yet?

Mizuki: No, I'm waiting for the others. Everyone looks so busy

They see other students as well, all exercising and having their own workout sessions.

Akiri: Yeah. I guess the Nine Schools Competition is a really big deal after all

Mizuki: What about you? You're not going to train?

Akiri: Nah, I'll join them later. They're doing nothing but warmups anyway

He replied in a laid-back manner.

At that moment, the two of them suddenly sensed something in the air and at the same time, they both turned their heads in the same direction, towards the Technical Skills building.

Akiri: What was that...?

Mizuki: You sensed it too, Akiri-san?

Akiri: It was only a faint feeling for me. It felt like a fluctuation of some kind, Pushions maybe...

Mizuki then took off her glasses before looking back towards the building.

In her eyes, she was overwhelmed by a bright light, causing her to shut her eyes and recoil back in discomfort.

Akiri felt worried for her for a brief moment as she then seemingly recovered.

Mizuki: It's coming from over there...

Akiri: You can see it?

Mizuki only nodded in reply.

Akiri: (thoughts) This confirms it... I had suspicions before, but it's true. She's sensitive to Spirit Particle Emissions...

He thought with narrowed eyes as he took a glance at her eyes.

Akiri: (thoughts) But it doesn't look like she's in complete control of it, so she shouldn't be able to discover my true nature so easily...

Mizuki: Akiri-san?

He was broken out of his thoughts when Mizuki called his name.

Mizuki: Is something the matter?

Akiri: No, it's nothing

He replied as he reaches into his pocket and grabbed his Disciplinary Committee armband and puts it on his arm.

Akiri: I need to check out where that fluctuation is coming from. It could be dangerous if someone's doing Magic experiments without permission. Last I checked, no one was supposed to be inside that part of the Technical Skills building at this time

He explained as he then looks at Mizuki.

Akiri: Can you track down where the fluctuation is coming from?

Mizuki: I-I think so

Akiri: Lead me to it

Mizuki: Right

(Timeskip)

Currently, Mizuki is leading Akiri down a hallway in the Technical Skills building.

Mizuki: This way

She said as they turned a corner and continued on their way.

As it was about an hour since school has ended, the building was completely deserted and silent, nothing could be heard besides the footsteps of the two students walking down the hallway.

Mizuki: Akiri-san. It's coming from this room

She stops once she had reached a door and he then slowly opened it to see someone inside, faint sources of light swirling around him.

His eyes are closed and in his hand, he is holding a talisman of some kind between his fingers.

Mizuki: Spirits?

Muttered Mizuki as she peeked over, opening the door slightly wider and saw the boy inside, which she seemed to recognize.

Mizuki: Yoshida-kun?

Yoshida: Who's there?!

The boy's eyes shot open out of surprise of hearing Mizuki's voice as he subconsciously sends the orbs of lights shooting toward where Akiri and Mizuki are standing.

As the orbs swarmed forward towards them, Mizuki screamed and clenched her eyes shut in fear. Akiri however, was much more composed.

Akiri: (thoughts) Time alter, double accel...!

Time seemingly slowed down around him as he activated his Innate Magic. He himself wasn't affected by this though, as he was able to move like normal. In one swift motion, he reaches into his uniform and pulled out one of his CADs, pointing it at the approaching Spirits.

Akiri: (thoughts) Decay

He pulls the trigger of his CAD, and instantly, the Spirits disappears into thin air and simultaneously, time had moved on like normal.

Akiri: Now that was close...

Trembling with trepidation, Mizuki slowly opened her eyes to find Yoshida looking at in shock as Akiri breathed a sigh of relief. Akiri then glared at the boy in front of him with an irritated expression, still pointing his CAD forwards.

Akiri: You. What were you thinking? Doing Magic experiments unauthorized and without supervision is against the rules

He scolded, half as a disciplinary committee member and half irritated that he had to use his Innate Magic to dismiss the attacking Spirits.

Yoshida: W-wait, I-

Akiri: For threatening the school's safety, you're coming with me. Chairwoman Watanabe should know what to do with you

???: Hold it. It wasn't entirely his fault

A different voice spoke out and they turned around to see that it was Tatsuya, who then went to stand in between him and the boy.

Akiri: Tatsuya? What do you mean?

Tatsuya: One of the fundamental lessons first taught in Magic Technical Skills class is that one must never intrude on another person's magic experiment site without permission. Unannounced guests run the risk of accidentally triggering the magic area and may even cause the magic to spontaneously burst out of control

He begins to explain.

Tatsuya: The school has repeatedly reminded us that it is extremely dangerous for someone to barge into magic experiments unannounced, which you had just did

Akiri: I had a perfectly good reason for doing so. Nobody should be even near this building at this hour. Both Mizuki and I sensed a strong Pushion fluctuation coming from this room. Considering the full-blown terrorist attack we've had just a few months ago, I'd rather not leave any unauthorized Magic activation unchecked

Tatsuya: Still, at the end of the day, it was you who startled Mikihiko

Akiri only looked at Tatsuya in silence, seemingly in his thoughts and a brief moment later, he then lets out a sigh as he lowered his CAD and puts it back into its holster.

Akiri: Fine. Considering this is his first violation, I'll let it slide

Mikihiko: My apologies, I didn't mean to do that

The boy known as Yoshida Mikihiko gave a sincere apology to the two.

Akiri: Just make sure it doesn't happen again. You were lucky I was here, otherwise Mizuki could've gotten hurt

Mikihiko: Thank you, Amatsuki-san. Thanks to you, I didn't accidentally hurt Shibata-san

Tatsuya: I wouldn't be so sure about that. She would be fine even if no one did anything

Tatsuya added before continuing.

Tatsuya: Anyway, just then, that was Spirit Magic right?

He inquired as everyone's attention is now on Mikihiko.

Mikihiko: ...I guess it's too late to try and hide it now

He answered after seemingly hesitating for some reason.

Mikihiko: Just like you said, Tatsuya, I was using Water Spirits to practice my Summoning Magic

Akiri: Water Spirits, huh? What did they look like to you, Mizuki?

Mizuki: Umm... There were blue, pale blue, and indigo blue... All I could see were orbs of light in shades of blue

Mikihiko: You could see the different shades of colour?!

The boy looked completely shocked as he heard what Mizuki had said.

Mizuki: Huh? Umm...

Mizuki was confused and startled at the boy's sudden interest in her as he walked closer and closer towards her, until they are face to face with each other. Mizuki was silently panicking, completely red on her face as Mikihiko kept staring into her eyes while their faces were only inches apart from each other.

Tatsuya: If this is consensual then we would have to excuse ourselves

Akiri: But if not, we're going to have a bit of a problem on our hands

The moment was broken as the two spoke up, causing Mikihiko and Mizuki to back off from the other immediately.

Mikihiko: Sorry

Mizuki: No... I'm sorry

They apologized to each other.

Akiri: Mizuki, I don't see a reason for you to apologize...

Tatsuya: So, Mikihiko. What was that all about?

He asked, referring to Mikihiko's sudden behaviour towards Mizuki.

Mikihiko: That was because I never thought someone could tell the difference in colour between spirits... At the thought that you might possess Crystal Eyes, I simply couldn't sit still and lost control of myself...

Akiri: Based on what you just said, I assume the ability to identify the colours of the spirits is extremely rare?

Tatsuya: Also, what do you mean by Crystal Eyes? If you don't mind, can you explain that to us?

Mikihiko: Sure. It's not that big of a secret anyway

Mikihiko's brief delay before answering clearly hinted that what he was about to say wasn't so simple.

Mikihiko: Spirits have colours, and we as Summoning Magicians rely on these colours to identify the different types of Spirits. Even so, it's not like we can actually see the Spirit's colour

The other three didn't follow, and so Tatsuya used his eyes to signal Mikihiko to continue.

Mikihiko: In reality, Spirits don't possess set colours at all. The colours that the Magician "sees" change depending on what system or style they belong to. Take my style for example Water Spirits are blue. But in Europe, the local style claims that water spirits are purple. This wasn't because the vibrations of the spirits differed based on location and magic. It was because the Magicians used different methods of identification, hence why they 'see' different colours

Tatsuya: In other words, they aren't identified by sight, but through magic recognition of the vibrations?

Tatsuya asked, trying to understand while Akiri only processed the information quietly.

Mikihiko: That is correct. In my style, Water Spirits are blue, Fire Spirits are red, Earth Spirits are yellow, and Wind Spirits are green. No difference in shade or brightness. We all apply the same colour in our minds, so there's no discrepancy in hue. So all Water Spirits are strictly blue

He explained further as the others listened close.

Mikihiko: According to this identification system, it's impossible to see sky blue or dark blue Water Spirits

Akiri: But Mizuki is able to see them. Different shades of blue

Mikihiko nodded.

Mikihiko: She probably felt the discrepancy in hue due to the strength and nature of the Water Spirits and 'truly' saw the Spirit's colour. My style refers to those types of eyes as 'Crystal Eyes'. This term is likely used by other styles under different circumstances, but for our style, they refer to the eyes that can see 'god'

Tatsuya: Meaning that Mizuki is the kind of person you'd sell your souls to get your hands on, right?

Mikihiko: Right... But there's no need to worry. If it was me from a year ago, I might have arrogantly claimed her for myself

Mizuki recoiled slightly in worry and went to hide behind Akiri, which then gave Mikihiko a cold glare.

Mikihiko: Hold up! Right now, I don't have those kinds of tendencies, okay?

He said with a raised hand, defending himself while trying his best to console her that she isn't in any danger at the same time.

Mikihiko: That being said, I also won't reveal to other Magicians that she's such a critical individual for divine magics

Tatsuya: Good idea. I'm going to keep this to myself as well

Akiri: Agreed. It could spell trouble if word gets out that someone possesses an ability this unique

The three boys nodded to each other in agreement, meanwhile, Mizuki only looked at them completely clueless.

Mizuki: What are you talking about?