Ch 171: Club week.

The rest of the week passed without any incident.

The morning after Akeno's little stunt, Honoka Mitsui and Shizuku Kitayama, two of the girls who had stayed in the background of Morisaki's group, bowed and apologized to the Course 2 students, and were easily forgiven. They were now part of the clique, and their good characters made it easy for them to become friends with everyone.

Akeno noted that Honoka seemed to see her as some kind of role model, but she didn't intend to discourage it.

Akeno's and Rin's relationship with Tatsuya and Miyuki was also becoming warmer. Miyuki made no secret that she appreciated the way Akeno or Rin always stepped forward to deal with any Course 1 student trying to mock their group. A group that happened to include her brother.

Not that those kinds of confrontations happened often anymore. Rumors had spread, and the Course 1 students who liked the status quo kept their tongues in check when Akeno was near, only glaring at her from a distance.

When the classes ended Friday, as they were about to leave, the Student Council President came to them and gave Akeno a data stick.

"Akeno, what's in it?" curiously asked Leo.

"Rin and I are a bit of a special case. We would have been allowed to enter First High even if we failed the admission test. But in return, we have to select ten to twenty students amongst all nine academies, and spend at least fifteen hours a week teaching them Magecraft. This data stick should contain the list or all first high students, as well as a smattering of talented individuals from the other schools."

"Oh, that's sound interesting. Can we take part in it, please?" asked Erika.

Akeno nodded with a smile.

"How we select our disciples is up to us, so I don't mind playing favorites. In fact, as a form of protest against the discrimination, Rin and I agreed to mostly ask Course 2 students. Fair warning, however. Practicing Magecraft is generally painless, but the first session definitely isn't. There will be some serious physical pain involved."

"What kind of pain?" frowned Erika.

"Something akin to being tattooed by multiple tattoo artists at the same time, I guess." shrugged Akeno. "I can't say for certain since I never got any tattoo, but it should be comparable. It will start from your brain stem and slowly descend to each of your extremities."

"How long would it last?" asked Leo.

"It depends on your innate talent for it." replied Rin. "Akeno and I are very gifted, and it took about four hours. For people with less talent, the process with be quicker, but your upper limit for Magecraft will also be lower. So, now that you've been warned, if you wish to learn Magecraft, please lift your hand."

Leo, Shizuku and Erika immediately lifted their hands. Honoka hesitated a little, not looking forward to the physical pain, but steeled herself and lifted her hand as well.

Mizuki shook her head with a smile. She didn't have a huge drive to become stronger, and mostly wanted to learn how to control the power of her eyes. She could perceive auras and spirits with an intensity that sometimes caused her pain, and her glasses served as a limiter to that ability.

"I think I'll pass." smiled Miyuki. "I wish to focus my efforts on modern magic."

"I will also decline your offer, but thank you for giving me the opportunity." nodded Tatsuya. He didn't provide a reason, and neither Akeno nor Rin wanted to probe.

"No worries." nodded Rin. "We'll try to finalize our selection this week-end, and the first lesson will start at the end of next week. The first session will be one on one, and Mayumi allowed us to use one of the gymnasiums during week-ends. Bring a change of clothes and a towel or two. You're going to sweat a lot."

"And Shunpo? Will you teach it to your disciples, too?" asked Leo.

"No. That will be a separate thing outside of our agreement with the government." said Akeno as she shook her head. "Those we will take as disciples will be allowed to teach Magecraft to others. But that won't be the case for those we will teach Shunpo to."

"Shunpo?" asked Honoka.

"That's the name of the ridiculous movement technique she used against Morisaki." replied Erika.

"Oh…" nodded Honoka in understanding.

…

"Well, we came up with fourteen names, assuming they all accept." said Rin as she stretched. Scanning through the thousand plus files of the list had been surprisingly tiring. They had initially wanted to take more Course 2 students, but… Few inspired them. The list was also pretty skewed toward the fairer gender, with only four men.

"Yes. It's enough to fulfill our quota, but at the same time, how about we offer a few spots for, say, Mayumi to choose? It might be good to have her owe us a favor."

"That isn't a bad idea, actually." nodded Rin. "You think those three will come?"

Rin was pointing at the files of three young women wearing the red and dark grey uniform of Third High.

Airi Isshiki, an attractive girl with long blonde hair who specialized in fencing and high-speed combat.

Shiori Kanou, a girl with neck-length purple hair with a great talent for calculations and spatial awareness.

Touko Tsukushiin, a petite girl with amber eyes and long blue hair. She was an ancient magic user specializing in water manipulation.

When establishing their list, they had called Noah to have his input, and he had requested them. According to him, they would be the top stars of Third High during the Nine-Schools Competition. Which meant they were talented. And pretty enough to join the harem.

"Who knows..." shrugged Rin. "By now, the government should have the impression that Magecraft is pretty darn potent. An impression that isn't really wrong. It really depends on the user. They should lean on the shoulders of every candidate we choose. From their point of view, the more we take in, the more teachers they will have to teach others later."

"We'll see how it goes. I wonder what face Mayumi will make when we tell her she's on the list, as well as the president of the morals committee and the president of the Club's committee. If they all accept, it would be fun to have the Triumvirate who rules the school call us 'Shishou'." chuckled Rin.

"I don't intend to demand they call me anything."

"Heh, spoilsport!"

…

"Nine of the fourteen you requested have accepted." said Mayumi's image on the screen of the wall's television.

"Wow, that was a fast answer." replied Akeno. "Barely one day after we submitted the list. So, who are our future disciples?"

Mayumi smiled sweetly.

"First, your friends, Leo, Erika, Honoka and Shizuku. The four from Third High, Ichijou-kun, Isshiki-kun, Kanou-kun and Tsukushiin-kun. And yours truly." winked Mayumi.

"That's going to be pretty unbalanced, with two guys and seven girls." said Rin.

"Is this an issue?" asked Mayumi.

"Only if we are going to be accused of gender-based discrimination. Magecraft doesn’t care about biology." shrugged Akeno.

"There is no risk about that. If someone complains, we can point out that more male students were offered the chance, but they declined."

"Still, nine means that we are one short of the minimum quota agreed upon with the government. Do you have candidates to suggest, Mayumi?"

"As it happens, I have. Although I am not certain you would agree to it, since I am sort of reaching for the arm when offered a hand. Sorry about that."

"Feel free to ask. We can always refuse if it's too much." smiled Akeno.

"I happen to have two younger sisters who will be in age to join First High next year. Their names are Kasumi and Izumi, and…"

"Are they talented?" cut in Rin.

"Yes. They can…"

"Do they have a problematic character?"

"No, they…"

"Then they're in." decided Rin.

Mayumi looked poleaxed for a second, then she chuckled.

"Thank you, I appreciate the favor. And I guarantee they will behave themselves… Would you also be open to teach someone from the military? As you likely know, the government and the school are in regular contact where you two are concerned, and they floated the idea when I told them you would likely fall far short of the upper limit."

"Yes? Who?" asked Akeno.

"A young woman named Kyouko Fujibayashi, nicknamed the Electron Sorceress. She is a Lieutenant in the army. She specializes in electronic and digital warfare, and that's just about all I know, since a lot of things about her are classified. But in the army, someone doesn't get a nickname unless they are very good at their job."

Akeno glanced at Rin, and they both nodded.

"Sure, if she's willing, we'll teach her Magecraft as well." said Akeno. "That makes twelve candidates with her and your sisters. Is the government okay with this?"

"They should be. I will call them next to confirm. I will make preparations from my side to facilitate the access to the gymnasium. There will be some discrete security in place to keep an eye on the campus, just in case some third party would try to disrupt your lessons."

"Thank you, Mayumi."

"Well, that is all for now. We'll see each other in school tomorrow. Have a good evening, and thank you again."

"See you later, Mayumi." smiled Akeno.

"Later." nodded Rin.

As soon as the video call ended, Akeno rose from the sofa and took Sanctuary from her inventory.

They removed their CADs and entered inside.

"Well, if we had any doubt that they somehow listened to your call with Noah, now they are almost blatantly open about it. Why are they sending us one of their most talented magicians when you basically stated you intended to kidnap her?" asked Rin.

"To learn our closest secrets, of course. I am guessing that they expect this Kyouko will be able to reach Noah, learn about things like, I don't know, the resurrection and the immortality stuff, then come back home with the goods."

"Yes, it might be as simple as that. Still pretty naïve thinking if you ask me. Do they really think we wouldn't find it a strange coincidence?" wondered Rin.

"The perspective of immortality is bound to warp the reasoning of anyone. Especially power-hungry politicians. They would try anything to obtain it. And so what if we become suspicious? At this point, we're not going to bolt to another country just because we might suspect they know we haven't told them the whole truth, and they likely know it."

"Yeah… Well, if they want to offer us talented personnel on a platter, it would be rude of us to refuse." smiled Rin.

"Exactly." grinned Akeno.

…

Club week was everything Mayumi and Erika warned them it would be, and worse. The paved road leading to the main building was bordered by stands full of colorful signposts and posters, each club clamoring for the attention of the hundreds of students on the road.

Akeno and Rin almost had to physically push aside dozens of recruiters before they made their way to one of the dojos where the club members were having demonstration matches, and encouraged interested student to put on some protective gear and give it a try.

The girls stopped nearby and observed for a few minutes, and their presence was increasingly noticed by the club members. One male spoke to a girl, who removed her mask and approached them. The girl glanced at their empty shoulder patches, and smiled warmly.

"Greetings. My name is Sayaka Mibu. Are you perhaps interested in kendo?"

Sayaka was a beautiful girl with blue eyes and semi-long dark-brown hair styled in a ponytail, and was obviously used as the club's poster girl. Although, according to Noah, she was truly skilled. Not at the level of a Servant, of course, but Akeno thought that she might still learn from her.

"I am Akeno Himejima, and this is Rin Tohsaka." smiled Akeno.  "It is nice to meet you. Does the kendo club accept beginners?"

"Of course! But, aren't you already very strong? I heard the rumors."

"She may be, by I've never held a sword." shrugged Rin. "Still, I am interested, and it's never too late to start."

"Oh, I see." grinned Sayaka. "Yes, we accept people of all levels. There is no discrimination among us."

"I am glad to hear it. I've had it up to there with most Course 1 students and their discrimination." retorted Rin with a nod.

"As for me, I may have a good movement technique, but in terms of pure skill, I have a lot of room to improve. That is why I am interested in the kendo club, where I may have a chance to work on it." shrugged Akeno.

"We'd be glad to have you." nodded Sayaka. "How about we spar, so we would both have an idea of the benefits the club might give you?"

"Yes, why not?" smiled Akeno, removing her uniform bolero coat and handing it to Rin.

With Sayaka's help, Akeno put on the Bogu, a kendo term meaning protectors. It included the mask, hand guards, the rigid torso armor, and thigh guards.

Once Sayaka was done equipping her own Bogu, they faced each other. All other members of the Club and students watched eagerly.

Akeno deliberately made some small mistakes in her posture and footwork. She wanted to lose the spar, without it looking like she was deliberately holding back.

She executed a few slow probing strikes, evaluating Sayaka's reaction and movement speed, and tried to slow down her own speed to be comparable or slightly inferior.

After training with Scathach for close to two years inside Sanctuary, Akeno was level 117. Even if she had focused on her MAG attribute, her AGI still reached 134, counting the bonus she received from Noah. With a reaction speed of over thirteen times that of a normal person, Sayaka's shinai seemed to be moving in slow motion from her perspective. Akeno wouldn't have any difficulty defeating her.

Careful not to move faster than Sayaka, she started an attempt to parry, too late to avoid being hit.

By the time the match ended, Akeno estimated that her performance had been convincing. The clapping students and smiling club members seemed to share her opinion.

Sayaka removed her mask. She seemed a little puzzled for a moment, but shook her head and smiled.

"How is it, Himejima-san?"

"I think I have found my club. And please call me Akeno."

…

With their club already chosen on the first day, Akeno and Rin now could disperse any annoying flies with just a few words, and most of the week passed quietly, for them at least. On Friday morning, they sat on a bench some distance away from the main road and observed the frenzy.

"This is almost over." sighed Rin. "I'd have thought that by now, things would have calmed down."

"Me, too." nodded Rin. "It's only getting worse as they fight for the last few morsels of fresh meat. How many violent incidents has it been? Seven?"

"Nine, if I kept count correctly. Tatsuya sure is busy. His fault for joining the public morals commitee. Hey, that's our club president over there." said Akeno as she saw Kinoe Tsukasa, a tall, slender young man with short black hair and eyes, and one of the rare people in the campus to wear glasses, walk toward the campus's exit.

It wasn't that strange, considering they were on lunch break, and there was still over an hour before the afternoon classes would start. What was stranger, however, was the group of three girls trying to stalk him. They didn't seem to realize that the way they hid from one tree to another was drawing attention. And Akeno knew two of them.

"This sound interesting," grinned Akeno. "How about we stalk the stalkers?"

"Well, I have nothing planned right now, so we may as well take a stroll. I'm not hiding behind trees, though."

"Yes, let's not do that."

Akeno and Rin leisurely followed the three girls. They were so focused on Kinoe that they didn't look behind them even once.

When they left the campus and entered the city, Akeno did keep an eye on her surroundings, and noticed that they were followed as well. She turned with a smile and waved at Miyuki, who quickened her pace.

"Hey, Miyuki." smiled Akeno as she reached them.

"Akeno, Rin." nodded Miyuki. "You seem to be following Honoka-chan and Shizuku-chan and that other student. May I know what you are doing?"

"They are following the kendo club's president. And doing a lousy job at not attracting attention, as you may have noticed. It's quite endearing." said Rin.

"I noticed, yes. They are quite cute." smiled Miyuki.

"Yes. And we are following them to make sure they don't bite off more than they can chew." nodded Akeno.

"I see. Do you mind if I join?"

"Not at all." smiled Akeno.

"They're turning the corner." warned Rin.

Akeno nodded and they walked faster.

"Getting into a back alley like this is suspicious." frowned Rin.

They were still a fair distance away from the back alley when six bikers, all wearing black helmets and identical black riding suits, left the street to enter the back alley as well.

"Sounds like a trap." said Akeno as they started running.

"A trap? What could they want with Honoka-chan and Shizuku-chan and the other?" asked Miyuki.

"We'll just have to interrogate those guys after we incapacitate them."

When they entered the dimly lit back away, following the sounds of the engines, and turned a corner, they found Honoka, Shizuku and the redhead girl back-to-back, looking worried as they were cornered by the bikers holding knifes and batons.

There was no trace of the kendo club's captain.

Two of the bikers had noticed Akeno, Rin and Miyuki coming, but Akeno didn't intend to give them any time to react.

"Bakudo n°1, Sai! (Restrain)" she muttered with a hand gesture.

The six bikers gasped in shock as they couldn't control their arms anymore. They dropped their weapons and struggled as their arms were locked behind their backs, wrists against each other. They also couldn't lift their feet off the ground, no matter how hard they tried.

"What is this!" yelled one of them.

"You've been holding out of me." frowned Rin as she glanced at Akeno.

"Now that you mention it, I never used that kind of magic in front of you. I'll teach it to you later."

"Yet more things to learn." shrugged Rin.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Miyuki as they reached the three girls.

"Y-Yes. Thank you very much." said the redhead with a smile. "I am Eimi Akechi. Please call me Amy."

Miyuki, Akeno and Rin introduced themselves.

"Thank you very much, Miyuki, Akeno, Rin." said Honoka with relief. "We would have been in trouble… What kind of magic sequence is this?"

"Let's speak of it out of earshot of those guys." suggested Akeno, and they all moved away.

"It's more ancient magic." smiled Akeno. "Not Magecraft, but something called Shinigami magic. I do not use it often, because it is a fairly rigid system, and the offensive spells typically require a long incantation, but it is good for restraining weak people."

"Where did you learn it?" asked Miyuki, curious.

"Here we go again, Akeno's about to brag about her boyfriend." grinned Rin.

"Actually, no. Noah knows how to use it, too, but it is one of his friends, Asuna, who is the greatest expert in that field. She's the one who taught me, although only the first twenty or so spells so far."

"How long will they stay in that state?" asked Miyuki as she glanced at the still struggling bikers.

"Until I release them, or run out of juice. Which isn't happening any time soon." shrugged Akeno. "Should we call the police?"

"I can deal with them." assured Miyuki. "I know some people in the police."

"As you wish." shrugged Akeno. "But what were you three girls doing, following the kendo club's captain?"

"Ah, well…" fidgeted Honoka, blushing.

"Kinoe Tsukasa is the one who attacked Tatsuya-kun with an air blade the other day." interrupted Shizuku. "We wanted to investigate him, and deal with him before Miyuki would learn of it. Because she would worry a lot."

"Oh." smiled Miyuki. "I appreciate a lot that you were willing to do it for me and Onii-sama's sake."

"Honoka, Shizuku, Amy. I'll ask you to stay away from the kendo captain. Those behind him are more dangerous than you'd think." said Akeno, with a very serious tone.

"You know something about him?" asked Miyuki.

"Yes. Rin and I are trying to infiltrate his group. We do not want to let the lizard escape after cutting off its tail."

"So that is why you joined the kendo club."

"Yes. And on that subject, could you ask the police officers to make sure those six do not mention that Rin and I were ever there?"

"Yes, I think I can manage that." smiled Miyuki. I will stay there for now and keep an eye on those gentlemen. You can return to school without waiting for me."

"Thank you, Miyuki." smiled Akeno. "I'm about to release the restraint. Are you ready?"

Miyuki turned to the six bikers, and displayed a smile that could freeze helium. She manipulated her CAD and launched a magic sequence, and the bikers screamed in fear and pain as frost appeared on their feet and quickly crept up on their bodies.

In seconds, they turned into frozen statues.

"They will not die from this." assured Miyuki as she turned back to the girls.

"Great, we'll leave it to you, then. Se you later, Miyuki." nodded Rin as she headed back for the main street.

By the time the group returned to school, Eimi had expressed her interest in joining for the Magecraft lessons, and one more disciple was acquired.

…

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Leo.

It was early Saturday morning, and Leo and Erika, being the first two to volunteer to learn Magecraft, had gotten the first spot for the first lesson in tortu…Magecraft.

"You follow me to the massage parlor, Leo." said Rin.

"Sure. Bring it on!"

Akeno smiled as the two walked away, and turned to Erika.

"Follow me, please."

Erika nodded. She was dressed in a white training kimono.

"How are you going to do this, Akeno? You haven't really told us anything about it, aside from it being painful."

"I will have you lay face down on a massage table, and I will put my hands on your back. You won't have anything to do, aside from trying not to move too much."

Akeno opened the door of the female dressing room, and took a massage table from her inventory.

"Just how many things do you carry around?"

"Not all that many things, all things considered." chuckled Akeno as she laid the padded table on the ground.

"I don't usually lug around large things like a massage table, but since I knew we would have use of one…"

"How big is that space of yours?"

"Big enough for a car, not big enough for a large ship. Now hop down on that table, curious disciple of mine. You'll need to remove the vest. Skin to skin contact is necessary for good mana conductivity."

"Mana?" asked Erika as she removed her kimono vest, revealing a modest white bra, and quickly laid down on the table, keeping her arms folded against the sides of her chest.

"Yes. It is similar, but separate to Psions. And just like Psions, you can die from overusing it, so you'll need to be careful."

"Okay. I'm ready."

Akeno smiled and grabbed a stool, sitting beside Erika. She placed both of her hands on Erika's shoulder plates, and started circulating her own mana, slowly pushing it inside Erika's body.

"It feels, strange. Like something hot is spreading from your hands into my body. It's rather pleasant so far."

"Yes. It's actually my first time doing this, but Rin explained the process in detail. My mana in your body will soon cause it to develop something called Mana circuits in response to it."

"Mana circuits? My head is getting hotter."

"Mana circuit are like a second nervous system, and mana circulation channel rolled in one. They will appear on your skin like glowing tattoos when you use significant amounts of mana. later on, once you have a solid foundation as a Magecraft practitioner, Rin will teach you how to create a Magic Crest, which is sort of a customizable mana circuit akin to a CAD where you will be able to store spells and cast them as easily as moving a muscle."

"Rin can teach me that, and not you? That’s becoming seriously uncomfortable now, where my head is connected to my spine. Like needle jabs."

"The creation of your mana circuits has begun. Now, don't tell anyone, but I'll cheat a little."

Akeno drew a Stop run in Erika's skin, blocking her pain.

"Wow. I don't know what you've done, but that is really effective. Thanks."

"I've put a pain blocker, using something called Rune Magic. I only know two Runes, while there exists well over a hundred, but one of them is still convenient for things like that."

"You are like an onion." sighed Erika. "Each time I think I know about your capabilities, you reveal another thing. Could I abuse your generosity and learn that as well?"

"I would be willing to teach you this, as well as Shunpo and my Hard Light Arsenal, on two conditions. The first would be that you teach me some magic sequences as well. You're a kenjutsu specialist, and I'm sure you have a few aces up your sleeve."

"Humm… That is fair. How about, as an example, a magic sequence that turns a strip of paper rigid, and let it cut through steel easily?"

"That sounds like a cool move, but pretty niche. Especially when my sword is always within reach" nodded Akeno.

"Yeah. So how about this? It requires a weaponized CAD for me to use it, but I can reduce the weapon's inertia when I wave it around, and release the accumulated inertia at the moment of impact.

"…Wow, now that sound not only cool, but very useful even for me. I'd be very happy if I could learn this."

"I think I could be convinced." smiled Erika. "And the second condition?"

"I would first have you sign a contract preventing you from leaking the techniques or their acquisition methods without my explicit consent."

"I'm fine with it. Just out of curiosity, how you would make sure I do not violate its terms?"

"I have my ways." chuckled Akeno.

"I guess I better read the terms carefully, then." joked Erika.

"Don't worry, the terms will be clear and easy to understand. No lawyer speech, no fine print." grinned Akeno. Overcomplicated terms often created loopholes, and Akeno intended for the contract she would submit to Erika to be airtight.

"…The itching has gone down to my neck. Thanks for the pain blocker, Akeno." said Erika after a few minutes.

"You're welcome. Just don't say a word about it. Shizuku and Honoka will also get it this afternoon, but I don't plan to use it with the others."

"Not even with Mayumi and her imoutos?" grinned Erika. "You know how secrets work. Even if I say nothing, there will come a day when they learn about it, and they'll be angry at you for letting them experience pain you could easily have prevented."

Akeno kept silent for a few minutes as she considered the implications of using a Stop rune on everyone.

"…You're right." she finally replied. "I'll block everyone's pain and simply won't tell them that it is rune magic. I'll ask Rin to do the same."

"Yes… How are things at your club?"

"The kendo club? Not bad. The students there are friendly, and none has tried to get inside my pants yet. How about your own club? You chose tennis, right? I would have thought you would have opted for the kenjutsu club."

"Tennis is fun. Especially when you can use Acceleration magic, and I happen ot be very good at that." chuckled Erika. "I didn't choose kenjutsu because, frankly, I'd be wasting my time. None of the members comes even close to my big brother, and we spar often. I'm almost as good as he is."

"You have a point."

"this aside, I hear some or my fellow disciples are from a different High School."

"That's true. Four of them from Third High, one young man and three girls."

"Oh… Are they good?"

"One is Masaki Ichijou, nicknamed the 'crimson prince'. His signature spell, a Dispersion-type magic called Rupture, cause his enemies to explode."

"I have heard about him. One of the few students with actual battlefield experience. What about the three others?"

Akeno spoke about them as she monitored their progress. It looked like Erika was developing about 35 main mana circuits in response to Akeno's mana. That was an excellent result for a new, first-generation Magus.