Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume3 Phase02 (section)

===Part 8===

The morning practice bell heralded the morning.

“Mgh?”

“Good morning, coach. Open your eyes please. Your face does not belong there.”

A pair of voices came from the extra-large lump under the blanket. He must have done it again during his mental training he called “self-maintenance”. Mamilis, the grandma’s girl with the long twitching ears, could seem childish, but she was also a slender beauty who would let him get away with far too much. If Ayato wasn’t careful, she would spoil him. But he could at least avoid tragedy by straightening this out and getting out of bed before the arrival of Henrietta, who truly believed that external beatings could whip people into shape.

But why was Mamilis so eager to get going that morning?

“Coach, I want to do that hot yoga thing!!”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I saw it on a local Media Summoner ad. It said doing hot yoga every morning would make you healthy! And I want to be healthy.”

“Hm, could we use the bathroom as a sauna?”

A hot yoga ad seemed like the wrong thing for an extremely long-lived dark elf, so had the personality profile algorithm failed because all four of them had been using the same Media Summoner?

Ayato’s head felt heavy after ending his self-maintenance early, so he held that head in a hand as he slipped out of bed and walked through the mobile home.

“Okay, Miss Mamilis. This here is a yoga mat you can lie on safely and this Media Summoner will project examples onto the wall for you. Slowly match the poses displayed here and match your breathing to the timing it gives you. And for fun, let’s use Miss Teleria’s physical data.”

“What!? Why am I completely naked!?”

The blonde girl poked her head in after hearing her name and immediately bristled and screamed.

As for why she was naked, Ayato had used his crystal tarot cards to secretly save the measurement data taken for the formfitting aerosuit she had worn when initially infiltrating the Academy Towers.

“Phew. (At least that’s the data modified to give me legs. He must still not know about my fish tail.)”

“A sigh of relief, Miss Teleria? You mean you secretly wanted to be seen like this? I-if you had only told me, I could have given you what you wanted and then some.”

“Bfff!? O-of course not! I don’t need you developing brand new levels of perversion!!”

“Oh. Good morning, everyone. You certainly have a lot of energy first thing in the morning? What happened?”

The Striker sleepily showed up late (she may have felt more relaxed here than when living with her knight ranking family), but she still realized before the other that this had to be based on the aerosuit data and that he would thus have similar data on Mamilis and Henrietta too. Thus, Ayato was forced to spend his morning running away from a cute girl armed with a bolt-action carbine. Unfortunately, she was highly disciplined and knew how to don her armor in the blink of an eye.

“Prepare to die!! Today is the day I finally punish you for your many crimes!!”

“That flying sweat and heated breaths. Ha ha ha. Yes, no matter how far technology advances, nothing can compare to the real-life jiggling.”

Heading outside would bring it down to a pure test of leg strength, which meant Ayato was no match for Henrietta with her boost magic and armor buffs, but there were exceptions. He used obstacles to keep Henrietta from taking a direct path for too long, jumped between the roofs of the containers, and hacked nearby sorcery devices to interfere with her high speed movement. He could produce a smokescreen from water heaters and create slippery patches with sprinklers.

Henrietta’s greatest weakness was how each of her boosted actions consumed more energy than for the average person. Henrietta was not the only one to analyze her opponent’s abilities during their long time together – Ayato had done the same.

Q. You use strength boosting magic to quintuple your physical strength and try to lift a barbel you normally couldn’t lift. If you succeed, how much more stamina will you use up than normal?

Any child who had been taught multiplication could find the answer to that one.

This ability had been sufficient for short-term battles kicking down doors and quickly subduing a criminal’s hideout in the sky city with its urban infrastructure. The idea was for law enforcement to make a unliteral attack and end it before any stray shots could hit a hostage or the local residents, so if the battle lasted long enough for the criminals to make any kind of counterattack, the job qualified as a failure.

But not all battles had the same win conditions.

In some battles, the best tactic was to stall for time without letting the battle end.

“D-dammit. Pant, gasp! Why can’t I – gasp – reach this dangerous individual!?”

“We’re both giving ourselves a bit of help with magic. And I enjoy that sexy heavy breathing. Wa ha ha! Miss Henrietta, another weakness of yours is your failure to consider your skirt when your focus lapses. Red lace, though? A bold choice that would appall your classy family.”

“Th-this makes no sense. Pant, pant. These boosts do push me to my limits, but I shouldn’t run out of stamina this quickly.”

“(Okay, maybe I made some adjustments to your armor’s hidden parameters. It’s basically dead weight right now, but just think – that makes it perfect for dieting.)”

“Wait, what was that you just whispered!? Explain yourself, dangerous individual!!”

“Ah ha ha. You have nothing to worry about, Miss Henrietta. Your lusciously smooth skin wouldn’t dry up no matter how severe a diet you attempted.”

“You’re dead meat! Gah, cough, cough!! Argh!!”

Henrietta was so worn out by the end that he had to lend her his shoulder on the way back to the trailer. The close contact and soft weight from a girl warmed to the point she gave off a sweet scent made it a delightful time for Ayato.

Once their morning jog was complete, it was breakfast time.

Teleria’s skill was always impressive.

Today’s breakfast was a noodle dish that felt more like a salad. She had added plenty of cooked vegetables to some pasta lightly seasoned with a sauce made from seafood, salt, and pepper. She appeared to have learned her lesson from Mamilis’s custom breakfast yesterday. She knew they had to get moving immediately after eating, so she created a single dish that gave them all the nourishment they needed.

“Thanks as always, Miss Teleria.”

“…”

“Miss Teleria?”

“Oh, um. it’s just so unusual for you to actually thank me. Ah ha ha.”

What an awful thing to say. He was constantly singing that short but incredibly well-endowed blonde girl’s praises, calling her a goddess of flowers and such, but apparently she didn’t take any of that seriously.

Mamilis was becoming as much of a fan of Teleria’s cooking as Ayato was. She hummed happily as she took her seat.

“The journey never gets old with Teleria around. I look forward to every new day.”

“You are approaching one of the world’s great truths, Miss Mamilis. If I were forced to travel without Miss Teleria, ace of the Cooking Club, I would collapse from either malnutrition or excess sodium before even engaging any sorcery criminals in battle.”

“…”

Teleria looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to.

Henrietta silently observed the girl while politely twirling up some pasta with her fork and spoon.

Mamilis gave a puzzled tilt of her head.

“So when are we starting?”

“Immediately,” responded Ayato. “Everything will speed up once we pass the Grade S zone on the top floor of the gem tower. Our goal is the Student Council Office, but I don’t see how we can avoid a battle. Some of them might be out with their official duties, but the Student Council has four members including the President. I expect at least one of them to be left in the room as a guard. Everyone, inspect your sorcery guns. You can never do that too often.”

“Are you sure about this? Last time you jumped out the window the instant you saw the enemy.”

“I cannot predict who would win a 4-on-4 battle and we would definitely lose someone even if we did win. Listen, I refuse to lose even one of you. So if we are to fight, it will be under circumstances I know we can win. That is today. Losses would be unavoidable with 4-on-4, but those elites are nothing to fear if we can surround them 4-on-1.”

“Dammit. That’s so unchivalrous.”

“But you can’t deny it is the safest option, can you? Don’t worry. The Student Council is a busy group. One sad downside to holding official power is how your duties tie your hands no matter how pressing the circumstances behind the scenes. If they slack off on their duties, the other students with nothing better to do will get suspicious. The entire Council will not be waiting for us in their office fully armed.”

The boy took a bite of Teleria’s pasta and guaranteed everyone’s safety.

“''Unless, of course, they somehow learned of our plan in advance.''”

After they finished breakfast and completed the rest of their preparations, Ayato’s group left the trailer. Mamilis’s long ears were already hidden by her Mimic Option. Was the bob cut girl gathering trash at this early hour on the Beautification Committee? No, she was actually the daughter of an obscenely wealthy family who had wanted to experience a commoner lifestyle, so she had accepted a number of odd jobs alongside her studies.

Ayato’s destination was the gem tower. He walked to a club room on the first floor, at the bottom of the Grade I zone.

As usual, he threw the door open without knocking.

“Good morning, Rocket Club! Are you ready!? The time has come to enact righteous vengeance on the loathsome Student Council!!”

“Eek!?”

A hunched-over boy recoiled like a vampire from sunlight.

The short, blond boy’s hands were trembling to an unnatural degree.

“(Wh-bh-why are you leading an army of girls in here!? I upheld my end of the bargain!!)”

“Oh, I didn’t reveal your misdeeds and bring them here to beat you up. Why would I grant you that sort of reward when it could be mine? These are my intrepid companions who will accompany me to the top, so you need not worry about your odd lifestyle choices.”

“…”

Teleria looked like she wanted to say something, but kept a silent frown instead.

“Come with me.” The expert of this field wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “Everything’s ready.”

The pervert appeared to be leading them outside.

“But this is going to be conspicuous. I mean, this is a real rocket, even if it is only a prototype. Once we start this, there is no hiding it. And since this will be a direct challenge to the grade system managed by the Student Council, you won’t be able to ''swap out the records to keep it all a secret'' like you usually do.”

“Might the students and teachers not give up on their classes and join the chaos? They don’t dare say it, but quite a few of them dislike the arrogant Student Council’s way of doing things. They might not be willing to start anything on their own, but if someone else starts the fire for them, they might be willing to provide some irresponsible support."

"Are you really willing to risk your life on a 'might’? Did you think you could become the big school hero? Like you said, they’re all irresponsible. They’ll enjoy it as a show. Those who support your cause will cheer for you, but they won’t risk their own hides to protect you. Even the thief who sneaks into the mansions of crooked businessmen and returns all the ill-gotten wealth to the poor always ends up unmasked and publicly executed. You never hear about the people he saved rescuing him from his cell while he awaits execution. It isn’t even that they’re ungrateful. They only see it all as events playing out, so they don’t see anything they should be grateful for.”

That was the worldview of the Rocket Club that had been sent to the bottom level after repeatedly fighting against the Student Council and refusing to develop a missile for them.

Ayato shrugged.

“I don’t expect anything like that from strangers. I am a Sorcery Hacker. I just need enough chaos to create an opening I can use. I am not forcing them to cooperate at their own risk – I am merely making use of whatever actions they choose for themselves."

"You sure didn’t have any qualms about dragging me into this mess.”

“Ha ha. You and I aren’t strangers. We’re the best of buds.”

The rocket looked like a flying fish made of mana-conducting silver. A sharp silhouette stood up like a sword raised vertically and a closable wing was equipped on either side. It was about 30 esoule<ref>Approximately 36 meters.</ref> tall, but only the pointy tip was made for people to ride inside. 90% of its volume was filled with a specialized escape velocity sorcery fuel made by compressing liquid mana and adding a powerful distilled acid as a reactant.

Now, why did he know all of this detailed information?

After stepping outside, Henrietta looked in shock to a point a short distance away.

She hadn’t noticed the large rocket before since it was hidden behind the tall school tower.

“Is this supposed to be a date spot? This forms the perfect landmark for meeting someone! It couldn’t be more conspicuous!! H-hey, are we really going to ride that thing? There’s already a crowd gathering!”

“Hm, that’s the Track Team, not the Public Morals Committee. Although I have heard rumors they’ve effectively morphed into an unofficial mercenary unit with a noticeably military-style education.”

Ayato calmly responded to the Striker’s worries.

It wasn’t much compared to the tower’s greater than 1000 esoule<ref>Approximately 1200 meters.</ref> height, but the rocket was as tall as a small castle watchtower. The mana-conducting silver flying fish was slowly being fueled within the scaffolding of metal pipes and stairs surrounding it like a jungle gym. The Student Council had to have noticed it. There was no overlooking it unless they were hibernating in an underground den.

“How’s the fuel?” whispered Ayato.

“Stopped at 20% like you asked. Any more would be dangerous. The onlookers would get caught in the blast,” whispered back the hunched-over boy. “''That rocket is a decoy. We’ll blow it up on the ground to look like a failed launch.'' I prepared some uniforms to make it look like you were inside when it exploded, but the closest thing to meat I could find were the toy arms and legs the School Pet Committee uses for training their wild beasts. Fortunately, a rocket explosion will be hot enough to fully destroy any body tissue. They’ll have a hard time checking for bodies, which will buy you time.”

“What if those overeager Track Team mercenaries approach the rocket and try to take a look inside?”

“X-FR49 – that’s the fuel – has an artificial smell so you can tell if it leaks out and vaporizes. We can disseminate some of the harmless odorant to keep everyone away before the explosion. Listen, no one must get hurt. I will not compromise on that no matter what you say.”

“Agreed.”

“A large orbital rocket has a complicated launch sequence. You cannot just light the fuse and wait for it to blast off. So leave that to the experts – that’s us. Once the decoy has exploded and the Student Council has breathed a sigh of relief, we’ll launch the real one.”

“Hmm? What real one?”

Dark Elf Mamilis childishly tilted her head.

The Rocket Club boy tended to act strangely, but apparently that doubled when he was directly speaking to a girl. His eyes wobbled side to side like a grandfather clock’s pendulum.

“W-w-w-we can’t let you ride on such a conspicuous rocket. Th-there’s another rocket you will use. And another launch pad.”

Unexpectedly, he led them to the Student Dorm that was really a collection of trailers. They entered a container-shaped residence only to find the floor and ground had been dug away, creating a deep pit. This flying fish rocket had its wings closed against its sides to fit inside. The container’s ceiling could be opened to launch from the underground silo.

The Rocket Club boy spread his arms.

“Welcome to our secret base.”

Henrietta looked disgusted from the bottom of her heart.

There was no such thing as safety standards here.

“This is the same rocket as the one in the report, isn’t it? How can you leave a mass of such high-energy fuel in a densely populated area? The Academy Towers’ eccentrics remain as insane as ever, I see.”

“Th-th-th-the others students are doing their own personal research out here. Just the other day, there was a big fuss when a pet definitely not found anywhere in nature escaped from its giant water tank. Y-you haven’t heard about the School Pet Committee? They were trying to create a summoned creature they could use as a weapon in place of sorcery devices, but they couldn’t control it properly.”

“U-um,” said a quiet voice.

No one noticed, so the girl worked to force open her throat as it tried to clamp shut.

“Excuse me!”

Everyone turned toward Teleria. Looking puzzled.

The blonde girl herself seemed surprised by how loudly she had shouted, but she hesitantly continued her question.

“Um, this is all very complicated, so I just want to make sure I have this right. So, um, we’re still using a rocket to reach the top floor past the gem tower’s Grade S zone?”

“T-T-T-Teleria!? N-n-n-n-no need to worry. But it would be more accurate to say – hee hee – that you’ll be flying to the roof and then going down the stairs to that top floor!”

The hunched-over boy seemed to view that girl differently because his voice cracked badly.

“…”

Ayato, meanwhile, was viewing the slumbering flying fish rocket.

He held a hand to his skinny chin in silent thought.

And finally…

“Best bud, do you have enough pressurized equipment for all of us?”

“?”

“Airtight space armor, I mean. Surely the Rocket Club should have some of those on hand.”