The bleachers were specifically set up so that every spectator would have a perfect view of the action. The structure was a rush job, but the bleachers were so solidly built that no one could tell. It was just impressive that the setup staff was able to put together such a fine structure so quickly. Never doubt the resources of the five clans.
The seats were packed, with the event drawing such a crowd that some people had to stand. The thought of having to fight in front of this many onlookers left Hana drained before the match even began. She wondered if it wasn’t too late to go back to her food tour. If she did, though, Kikyou and Nozomu would nag her later. So she gave up on that idea in favor of entering the arena, but Hana really didn’t have a shred of motivation.
Regardless, the first event category of the Campus Cup began: talisman-crafting.
The Campus One entrant was Kikyou.
Contestants were given a prompt and tasked with creating a suitable talisman for it; they could use only the tools provided by the staff.
Even from a distance, Hana could tell that Kikyou was pretty nervous. She was rattled from all the attention on her, and she looked as if she was going to cry at any moment. It seemed she still wasn’t even remotely used to it, despite having been on that very stage both the year prior and the year before that. It was a mystery as to where that backbone she’d shown those Campus Two students had gone.
“Kikyou looks pretty nervous. Is she gonna be all right?”
As a Campus Cup team member, Hana watched with Hazuki, Nozomu, and Kiriya from behind the scenes rather than from the audience.
“She’ll be fine. Kikyou gets tunnel vision when she gets in the zone.”
Hana had to chuckle at Kiriya’s response.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely seen her get tunnel vision, all right.”
Like when she accosted Hana after finding out that Saku had married a washout, or whenever she locked horns with Botan. Sometimes you think she’ll be a wimp, and then she does a one-eighty and asserts herself.
“Kikyou’s concentration is something else when she’s making talismans, so it’s no problem.”
“I guess I’ll trust that if her own brother is saying it, but how skilled is she at actually making the things? I figure she has to be quite skilled to be a candidate for the position of clan lord, but that goes for you, too, right, Kiriya?”
Both of them were candidates to be the next Nijouin clan lord, and the Nijouin lord title was decided by talisman-crafting ability. It probably wasn’t the only factor, given the clans had the duty of protecting the pillars that supported their nation, but it held a lot of sway in the final decision. Hana had never seen either of them craft talismans, so she couldn’t say much.
“Kikyou’s better at making them than me. She won this during the last Campus Cup, too. That’s why we’ve got a target on our back.”
Hana heard that Kikyou had been practicing in an empty classroom for this, but it had been off-limits to prevent other campuses from spying.
The thought of spies sounded laughable to Hana, but according to Hazuki and Nozomu, it wasn’t uncommon. The lead-up to the school festival was a battle for intel between the campuses, and she’d heard this year was no exception, with a few suspicious intruders from other schools being spotted on Campus One. Nozomu threw a tantrum over failing to catch the suspects, but it was enough for Hana to realize this was no field day.
And now the day they had kept their cards so close to the chest for was finally here. The prompt for the first event category, talisman-crafting, was to create a weapon.
Hana could do that, as she’d made that squeaky toy hammer she gave to Miyabi. It was originally a toy she’d bought online, but making it into a talisman turned it into a deadly weapon that was as harmful to shades as it was to drywall.
Incidentally, the great sword Aoi had was also an online purchase turned into a talisman. It was powerful enough to cleave even the strongest of shades in two, and Hana remembered Kikyou being quite fascinated by it.
Hana figured that if a novice like her could slap together talismans that powerful, then a highly knowledgeable candidate to be clan lord like Kikyou could make even more destructive weapons. She’d considered asking Kikyou if she could strengthen those talismans, but Aoi and Miyabi seemed to prefer the weapons their master had given them. Her own shikigami were so precious that they brought a tear to Hana’s eye.
Contestants had thirty minutes to craft their talismans. When the signal to start was given, Kikyou’s expression went from jittery to serious as she confidently picked out her tools and began working.
Turning these otherwise harmless bargain-bin toys into talismans required precise manipulation of one’s power rather than raw power itself. The audience quieted down out of necessity, to avoid disturbing the silent contestants who were highly concentrating. However, there were a few adults talking among themselves in hushed tones. They were probably Association members, and they each gave their appraisal of the students at work.
“Yes, that Nijouin crafts like it’s second nature.”
“Indeed, she certainly does. Truly deserving of her frequent mentions in the conversation about the candidates to be clan lord.”
“You wouldn’t expect such smooth handiwork from a mere student.”
“The sheer level of her skill is quite apparent, don’t you agree?”
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to Kikyou. She was widely known as a candidate to be a future clan lord, but her pouring of power into her tools was extremely precise; it was a process that required the detail and focus of threading a needle. The other students weren’t half bad, as they were selected for their campus’s teams, but the halting, uncertain nature of their work stuck out when compared to Kikyou’s.
“I can’t help but pity the rest of those students. It’s almost as though they were brought in just to show how she stands head and shoulders above the norm.”
“Indeed, the poor kids.”
Hana even heard some spectators give their condolences to the contestants. It made her understand why those Campus Two students went out of their way to gripe to their faces. The time wasn’t halfway up, and Hana was already certain that Kikyou had this match in the bag.
Kikyou tended not to stick out, especially when put next to Hazuki, who had a human-form shikigami; Nozomu, whose practical grades were second only to Hazuki’s; and Kiriya, her twin brother. That’s why Hana was honestly surprised to see that she had this much power. This probably wasn’t news to anyone who shared lessons with Kikyou in Class A, but talisman-crafting wasn’t a skill that took the spotlight too often, and it certainly lacked the flashiness of other disciplines. Still, it was a power that was absolutely essential to battling shades and protecting the country.
Thirty minutes had passed, and everyone’s talismans were completed. Kikyou held a cheap-looking children’s BB gun. What’s more, it didn’t have any pellets loaded. The other talismans ranged from bamboo swords to boomerangs and more.
With such a wide assortment, one might wonder how judges would assess the quality of a talisman. That was when a battle broke out; the contestants from the other campuses all armed themselves with the talismans they’d crafted and started attacking one another.
Hana wasn’t surprised, since she’d been told about this beforehand, but she did wonder if the Kikyou she knew was capable of fighting. What’s more, the students from the other campuses gave one another some kind of signal, and they all focused their attacks on Kikyou.
“Whoa, that’s cheap!”
Hana clenched her hands into tight fists and found herself shouting. That the other campuses coordinated their attacks showed just how much of a threat they considered Kikyou. Hana watched with a lot of worry, but Kikyou was unfazed, as though she knew she’d have a target on her back from the very beginning.
She took aim at the other students and pulled the trigger. But of course, the gun was still unloaded; what launched instead was a concentration of Kikyou’s own power. Hana used the same thing when defeating shades or jokingly giving Saku a piece of her mind. But the blast that came from this talisman had an impact you’d never expect from someone with powers as weak as Kikyou’s, blowing back the student it made contact with by several meters.
Hana grimaced at the sight.
“Whoa, what’s up with that force?!”
That gun was not something you pointed at people. The three other opponents stared blankly as the fallen student was removed from the field on a stretcher.
“What’s the matter? If you won’t make the first move, then I shall!”
With her warning given, Kikyou pulled the trigger three more times. Three pellets of energy were launched toward the remaining students, but the show of force from a moment ago put enough fear into them that they all quickly dodged.
They did so without incident, but an indomitable smile soon rose to Kikyou’s face. Amazingly, those whiffed pellets of energy turned around to chase the students they’d first targeted.
The three students went pale as they scrambled to flee. They attempted to resist with their freshly made weapons, but the sheer force of Kikyou’s concentrated power snapped those like twigs. With nothing left to defend themselves with, all they could do was run away.
“Wha—?! Waaaaargh!”
“Eeeeek!”
Hana gazed upon the frantic students with pity.
“Homing bullets? That’s just brutal.”
“I’m impressed she could make something like that in just thirty minutes…”
Hazuki looked on with the same expression as Hana, pitying the poor students just as much. This was supposed to be a reassuring result for their team, so it was impressive that they found themselves feeling sorry for the enemy.
“Hazuki, was Kikyou like this the last two years?”