Chapter 25 – ２５ – Shopping Mall within the Academy

Entrance Ceremony Arc

“Naru, over here!”

“Ah, yeah…”

The day after watching the third-years’ Duel was Saturday, which meant it was a day off.

However, even on a day off, students rarely ventured outside the academy grounds. This was partly for safety reasons, but more than that, there was simply no point in leaving.

“And here we are at the Shopping Mall in Duel Academy!”

Indeed, there was a shopping mall located right within the academy. Since almost everything one could need was available here, there was no need to go outside.

“It’s so spacious… and huge.”

“It’s a far cry from the local supermarkets back home,” Suzu added.

“That’s only natural,” Marie explained. “This is a shopping mall established through a partnership between the state and various corporations. It’s designed so that students can obtain anything they need for their school life at any time. Even if something isn’t in stock here, they’ve partnered with major online retailers, so you can order it. It’s said that the only things you can’t get here are illegal goods.”

“There’s even a small Ferris wheel! How wonderful!” Ichi exclaimed.

And so, today I had come to the shopping mall with the usual trio: Suzu, Ichi, and Marie.

Within my line of sight, I could see cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores, and brand-name boutiques that I recognized. Just as Marie said, I could see a Ferris wheel in the distance.

According to the map app on my smartphone, if I went further back—into an area with restricted access—there were also jewelry stores, shops dealing in swords as works of art, and what were called gun shops.

“Wait, why are there gun shops…?”

Japan has the Firearms and Swords Control Law; it’s not a society where ordinary people can possess guns without a permit. Since this was inside a national academy, I assumed the shops weren’t illegal, but I wondered why a specialty gun store existed.

“Because there are many gun-users,” Ichi explained. “It is common for them to study the real thing to improve the detail of their Masked Forms. So, it is not so much about purchasing as it is about paying a fee to observe. I believe they have everything up to submachine guns.”

“I suspect Ms. Maruta, the Public Morals Committee Chairman, is a regular there,” Marie added. “Since she incorporates them into her Masked Form, they aren’t exact replicas, but understanding the mechanics of what one reproduces with magical power is useful in many ways.”

“I-I see…”

“Want to try going, Naru? I think they’d let you in if you asked for permission beforehand,” Suzu suggested.

“No, I’ll pass. I’m not that interested in guns, and complex machinery is too much for me… it’s probably not my thing.”

While I had been questioning it, it seemed there was a very good reason for their existence. Once the logic and examples were laid out, it made perfect sense.

“More importantly, the first place we should go is the tool shop and the area with security and guard equipment. Let’s go.”

Now, to recap my objective for today.

From watching yesterday’s Duel, I realized that with my current Masked Form, I couldn’t put on a fight worth showing to others. I judged that the most effective way to solve this was to possess some kind of weapon.

In truth, if I had a weapon, I could at least put up a fight—unless I was facing a Masked Form that was essentially a mass of metal like Ms. Maruta’s—and it would make the fight more engaging to watch.

Furthermore, today was the first holiday since entering the academy. Thus, it was a day to buy things I felt I lacked during the first five days of school, and in reality, it served as a scouting trip for where I’d spend my future days off.

“Okay!”

“Understood.”

“I will follow along!”

By the way, it wasn’t that Suzu and the others had coordinated with me to hang out. I had left the dorm first thing in the morning, looked around a few other places, and then headed to the shopping mall… only to find Suzu and the others right beside me the moment I arrived.

They had absolutely no presence; I just realized they were there. It wasn’t “lightly” surprising—it was straight-up horror. It was a pure terror that couldn’t be described as an ambush or stealth.

I emphatically told them I wanted them to spare me from doing that next time.

So, after that incident and the shock of the gun shops, the fact remained that I was entering the shopping mall with the three of them. It was also a fact that Suzu and the others were the very definition of beautiful girls.

Consequently, the gazes from the other new students—who had likely come here with the same mindset as I had—were… painfully piercing.

Yep, that’s jealousy. I’ll just ignore it.

“So then. What kind of thing are you looking for, Naru?” Ichi asked.

“Something long? Something short? For a beginner, I recommend something you can just swing around,” Suzu added.

“Ah, you two are used to this kind of thing, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. Marie and Ichi are experienced with this, so I think it’s okay to rely on them, Naru,” Suzu said.

Once we entered the mall, we first went to the area where security goods were kept. The security goods were broadly divided into two types.

One was general items like pepper spray and alarms, which were available for purchase. The other was more specialized equipment like batons and man-catchers, which were rented out to be used as reference material for Masquerades.

Both could be brought into a Duel, but unless they possessed an extraordinary specific effectiveness, neither would work against a Masked Form.

I’d learn more about this in class, but apparently, attacks from a human who hasn’t activated Masquerade—or more accurately, attacks that do not contain magical power—almost never affect someone who has activated Masquerade.

Supposedly, even an ordinary person’s Masquerade could withstand a direct hit from something called a nuclear explosion without issue.

Because this was within the academy, specialized tools weren’t used as-is, but rather as reference material to understand their structure and reproduce them via a Masked Form.

“If it’s a choice between long or short, I guess long is better. But it’ll be a problem if it’s so long I can’t handle it… maybe around here?”

I picked up a random man-catcher.

“…”

“Something’s not right.”

I put it back. It was an intuitive feeling, but I felt it wasn’t the one.

“It’s not right? Then you should change it,” Suzu said.

“Inspiration is important!” Ichi added.

“Indeed. There is a matter of compatibility based on personal attachment,” Marie noted.

“Is that so?”

Apparently, this sensation was something I should value.

“In that case… maybe I should walk around and see if anything catches my eye?”

“Then let’s look around together, Naru.”

“It is a date! Hehehehe.”

“Then I shall accompany you.”

After walking around the shopping mall for a while…

“Ah, this is it. I want this one.”

“Naru, that’s…”

“That is quite a large item!”

“Depending on how it’s used, it might be a weapon,” Marie observed.

What had caught my eye was a large shield made of reinforced plastic. It was about 160 centimeters in height, roughly the width of my shoulders, and slightly curved.

The edges and the handle area were reinforced with black plastic. The bottom half was obscured by paint, but the top half was transparent, allowing me to see through to the other side.

The closest thing to it… would be a police riot shield. Or perhaps a tower shield like those used by medieval knights.

Generally, it wouldn’t be treated as a weapon, and it lacked any sharp or particularly hard edges typical of weaponry, but for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

When I held it, it felt unnervingly right. There was no doubt that this was the thing I had been waiting for.

Yes, I like it.

“Excuse me, I’ll take this one.”

“Certainly. Please sign here.”

And so, I rented a large shield made of special plastic.