“Shall we begin the strategy meeting? Chloe, could you share your thoughts as well?”
“Understood.”
Indeed, Miss Six-Time Champion seems likely to offer good advice.
“Chloe, could you fetch Michel-san who’s waiting outside? Perhaps we should assign a faculty member to this side.”
“I believe that’s a good idea. I’ll be right back.”
Chloe leaves the living room.
“Michelle? The one we mentioned earlier?”
Sharl gives a sidelong glance.
“She’s a teacher, plus one from the covert operations team.”
“Hmm… So this is the time to use whatever resources we have available, huh…”
Exactly.
“It’s essential to prepare well before the battle.”
“That’s true. Is Toko preparing as well?”
“She doesn’t. The reason is that she can’t adapt her style based on the opponent like that. She’s been the same before too.”
This is a matter of personality, her fighting style.
“Well, that’s certainly true. But I’m sure I’ll come prepared. Simply put, her greatest rival is herself. While she might incorporate the combination of magic and martial arts from her match against Sharl, it’s not specifically a strategy against Sharl but rather a way to address her own weaknesses.”
“She might look foolish at first glance but she’s not. A genius who only looks upwards. That’s why she’s so strong.”
Always striving for heights.
There’s no concept of failure for her. Even after losing to Sharl, she remains unaffected and never leaves challenges behind.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“Ah, it’s cool… Summer in Japan is hot, huh?”
Chloe returns with Michelle.
“I can’t believe you were actually out there the whole time…”
Sharl looks at Michelle with a disbelieving expression.
“Of course I was. It’s part of my job. Chloe, could you bring some water or tea, please?”
“Sure, coming up!”
Chloe heads to the kitchen, and Michelle looks between me and Sharl sitting there.
“What? Should I sit down then?”
Sharl suggests that Michelle take a seat.
“Ah, sure.”
Michelle sits beside me. Right after, Chloe brings iced tea.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks. It’s already 27°C in the morning, it’s intense.”
Michelle thanks Chloe as she accepts the tea.
“It’ll get even hotter in August.”
“It’s hot at night too, it’s tough…”
“It’s best not to skimp on summer preparations. Summers in Japan are truly harsh.”
Wasn’t the summer in France cooler?
Can’t recall…
“Hmm, maybe I should stop waiting outside… Ah, why was I called here?”
Michelle inquires.
“It’s the strategy meeting for today’s magic tournament.”
“Huh… No, I’m a teacher, you know? And I’ll be serving as one of the impartial judges?”
“You’re aligned with La Folle, right? Help us out.”
“No, not Iver… I’d rather side with Toko.”
Ugh, it’s getting noisy.
“Chloe, please remove the tea. Let them wait outside in the heat with a predicted high of 33°C.”
“Fine, I’ll do it… So, what exactly is this strategy meeting?”
Michelle appears to have come to terms with it.
“That’s for later. Sharl, continue.”
“Sure thing. First, our opponents are Arthur and Henry from Class C, Ronald and Yuki from Class A, and lastly, Yui and Toko from Class D. The match order will follow this sequence.”
That sounds about right.
“So, Arthur and Henry first. Sharl, do you know them?”
“Of course, we’re in the same class. Like I said two days ago, both excel at martial arts. They’re undeniably strong.”
Strong, huh…
“We’ll face them in the first proper match, so it’s a disadvantage not knowing their fighting style beforehand.”
“True… I’ve seen them a bit only during the practical classes in the Foundation course, nothing more.”
Even so, if they’re that strong, then they must be really powerful, right?
“I don’t think there’s much need to stress over these two.”
Chloe glances at the sheet.
“Why?”
“These two, despite being combat-type wizards, don’t fully understand combat. They’ve grouped themselves with the same type in a 2v2 battle.”
“Same type?”
“Yes. They’re skilled in magic and close-range combat — all-rounders.”
Same type as Frank, huh.
“True. I heard they are close friends, so it must be based on that, though, they don’t seem to grasp the purpose of the academy’s 2v2 format.”
Michelle also agrees with Chloe.
“What does that mean?”
“As my position doesn’t allow me to say much…”
“Tsukasa-sama, it’s your chance to show off your competence as a man!”
Chloe nudges me to explain.
“The tactics change between 1v1 and 2v2 because you can complement each other’s weaknesses and enhance each other’s strengths. The purpose of this magic tournament is to teach that. Those who understand it, start off by allying with people who can maximize the chances of winning.”
“Toko-san too?”
“Not really. It’s different in her case. By pairing with someone else, they aim for synergy where 1+1 could equal 3 or even 4, but Toko and Yui are wizards designed to fight solo, so it will just result in 1+1=2.”
Though those ‘1’s are exceptionally large…
“Ah, I see. In that case, Arthur and Henry made a poor choice in choosing their partner.”
“That’s what they’re saying, right?”
I’m unfamiliar with Arthur and Henry, so I don’t know.
“Close friendships should mean better coordination, but even with the same type, they can’t cover each other’s flaws. During the opponent pairing meeting, I thought they’d definitely lose.”
“Tsukasa-sama’s overwhelming power will crush them.”
And Yui as well…
“Why not let them battle the other teams?”
“To learn something. These two are well-balanced and exceptionally skilled apparently. They’re given the opportunity to learn from their defeat. Besides, only they are said to be able to put up a fight against Toko and Yui.”
Poor things…
“So, shall we crush them?”
“No comment.”
Teacher Michelle averts her gaze.
“They’re no match for Tsukasa-sama. Those two will undoubtedly go straight for the Young Lady, hence it’s the Knight’s moment to shine — instantly defeat them both, and then declare with pride not to touch our women.”
“Well, what’s next?” …
And thus concludes the meeting.
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