The Untouchable of Magic High School – A New God Enters the Game

After lunch, everyone tackled their tasks or killed time. Yugen considered handling student council work, but Suzune and Miyuki stopped him—leaving it all to him would leave them helpless in a pinch. Reluctantly, he backed off, booting up his foldable terminal to transcribe the opening ceremony speech.

Across the table, Azusa piped up, eyeing Tatsuya, who'd shed his uniform jacket to test his CAD's feel.

"You brought the 'Silver Horn' today, huh?" she said.

"Yeah," Tatsuya replied. "Got a new holster, so I'm breaking it in."

"'Silver Horn'!?" Kana cut in, leaning forward. "Can I see it!?"

Even Tatsuya, usually unflappable, blinked at Kana's enthusiasm. With a slight nod, he handed her the holstered Trident.

"Uh, sure… go ahead," he said.

"Whoa, nice!" Kana gushed, inspecting it. "I've seen tons of CADs, but the 'Silver Series' is unmatched. Cutting-edge tech without overcomplicating, plus top-tier usability. My traits don't suit specialized models… what do you think, Ah-chan?"

"Spot on, Kana-senpai!" Azusa chirped. "Maximilian's Shooting Model, Rosen's F-Class, even FLT's Sagittarius Series are great, but the 'Silver Series' shines with its insane customization range!"

Their CAD geek-out had Tatsuya visibly unnerved. Realizing she'd gone overboard, Kana handed back the holster. Tatsuya reequipped it and slipped on his jacket.

"But seriously," Kana said, "the 'Silver Horn' is pricey for a high schooler. How'd you score it, Tatsuya-kun?"

"I'm a tester for the 'Silver Horn' through a contact," Tatsuya said. "It comes with customization perks. But to be clear, I've never met [Taurus Silver] himself."

No lies there. The 'Silver Horn' was designed based on Yugen's dual CADs, with Tatsuya wielding its fully customized "Trident." And [Taurus Silver] was a team, not an individual—so no meeting the mythical "Taurus Silver" of public lore.

Then Azusa perked up, as if struck by a thought.

"Hey, Mitsuya-kun had a gun-type CAD like Tatsuya-kun's 'Silver Horn,' right?" she said.

"Huh? First I'm hearing this," Kana said, turning to Yugen. "Is that true?"

Yeah, Ah-chan saw me use "Valkyrie" in that mock battle with Juumonji-senpai… Yugen thought. Before Kana's piercing 'Eye' could dissect him, he explained.

"It's true," he said. "But no dismantling. It's a Fourth Silver tester model—only two exist worldwide. You can look, though."

"Fourth Silver? The ultra-rare high-end model only [Taurus Silver]'s chosen get!?" Azusa gasped. "A tester model!?"

"Yeah," Yugen said. "I'd love to crack it open, but I don't want to piss you off, so I'll behave," Kana teased.

Fourth Silver models were Japan-exclusive, with some hardware classified as military secrets, sold only to police, intelligence, or select defense forces. Tatsuya's "Trident," post-overhaul, was essentially a Fourth Silver inside.

If she tried dismantling it, I'd have to use that… Yugen thought, pulling out "Valkyrie" and "Odin" from his pocket.

The silver-and-black gun-type CADs, packed with black-box tech, were his personal devices. Tester models, sure, but also the originals. Kana and Azusa handled them reverently.

"This is Fourth Silver…" Azusa breathed. "Like a dream."

"Incredible," Kana said. "The pinnacle of tech crystallized… Thanks, Yugen. But how'd you get a tester model?"

Mesmerized by the craftsmanship, they returned the devices. Yugen tucked them away as Kana pressed him.

"You know Dad's an FLT shareholder, right?" he said. "Through that, I got offered to test Fourth Silver. I wanted high-performance CADs, so I jumped at it. Still testing now."

"Mmph," Kana pouted. "Dad knew I'm into devices but only told you!"

No lies there either. Kana wasn't told because she'd likely dissect a test device before using it. Her curiosity was that intense.

"If Dad had told you, you'd have torn it apart first," Yugen said. "Besides, your CAD's a custom FLT model too."

"Eh!?" Azusa gasped. "Really!?"

"Yup," Kana said. "I handle tuning and minor repairs, but the base came through Dad… though Yugen gifted it to me."

In truth, Kana and Mika's CADs were base models for the Silver Blossom Series, set for the Nine Schools Competition. Yugen and Miyuki's portable terminal CADs were built from Kana's, tailored for their massive psion reserves despite differing magic traits.

"Plus," Yugen added, "Kana-neesan's kinda a 'Silver Series' tester too. I heard the Silver Blossom Series is based on your CAD."

"…Wow," Kana said. "That kind of connection… Well, building a rifle-type booster from scratch isn't surprising for you."

Tatsuya twitched at "rifle-type booster"—he'd used one, so it hit home. Miyuki's workstation beeped with an error, mirroring his reaction. Tatsuya brushed it off as "coincidence," dodging further probing.

Then Azusa turned to Tatsuya.

"So, what do you think [Taurus Silver] is like?" she asked.

"Curious?" Tatsuya replied.

"Of course!" Azusa exclaimed. "It's Taurus Silver! FLT's mystery genius, no profile, nothing! Pushing specialized CAD tech a decade forward—unprecedented!"

"I looked too," Kana said. "Nothing comes up."

Of course not. Tatsuya had briefed Yugen on security. [Taurus Silver]'s communications used double the Defense Force's encryption—barely crackable by [Echelon III], aka [Frzskjalv]. Only [Yata no Kagami] or [Spirit Mirror] could surpass it. Even if USNA, New Soviet, Great Asian Alliance, or old EU supercomputers teamed up, countermeasures were ready.

"Didn't realize the extent," Tatsuya said. "More than genius—beyond comprehension."

"You're a Fourth Silver tester," Kana said to Yugen. "Ever met them?"

"Nope," Yugen said. "They're strict about anonymity. The devices came through FLT staff. No face-to-face. They might be young—maybe a teen."

Miyuki-san, stop glitching your workstation, Yugen thought as an error beeped, betraying her nerves. Kana turned to Mari.

"Can I borrow the Discipline Committee room?" Kana asked.

"Uh, sure…" Mari said.

"Just for a chat," Kana said. "Yugen, let's talk."

Ugh, saw this coming, Yugen thought. She's onto me. Sorry, Tatsuya, my reaction screwed us.

Leaving the baffled group behind, they entered the Discipline Committee room, soundproof magic active.

"Yugen," Kana said, "be honest. Are you [Taurus Silver]?"

"…Half-right," he admitted. "The world thinks [Taurus Silver]'s one person, but only Dad knows it's a team. I haven't even told Genji-niisan."

"Hmm… so Tatsuya-kun's in on it?" Kana mused. "A minor would explain the secrecy."

Her sharpness was no surprise. She'd beaten top pros at online Go for fun—straight out of a Go manga.

"CAD production's FLT staff," Yuzen said. "But yeah, you're mostly right. Keep it secret, though. It's not about fame—it's a national security threat."

"Got it," Kana said. "If there's a general-purpose CAD test unit, I want in."

"Then take this," Yugen said, handing her a prototype from the next general-purpose CAD series after Silver Blossom. Cost-ignorant, perfect for Kana's skills. He told her to send test results through Dad. And stop hugging me—soft, but still…

The warning bell chimed as they left. Kana was headed to the after-school representative selection meeting, so she'd hang in the student council room. Yugen returned to class.

Tatsuya apologized later, but Kana's tight-lipped, so it should be fine. Really, it should. Miyuki pinched his back, saying, "I just felt like it." No clue why.

We're siblings by blood… Oh, right, Shina emailed about Ice Pillars Break, saying she'd prep my clothes. I told Mom through Dad to keep it reasonable… It'll be fine, right?