Chapter 5 – ５ – First Masquerade

Entrance Ceremony Arc

“Now, let us begin.”

The A-Rank Magic Capacity Holders and I moved to the stage, standing in a circle of ten.

The spectator seats surrounding the stage were packed with a thousand people, including the entire student body and their guardians.

I couldn’t tell if it was a live broadcast or just filming, but several professional television cameras had been brought in.

I spotted figures in what appeared to be the VIP section, so someone important must have been attending.

The entire venue was buzzing with anticipation, everyone waiting for the moment to arrive.

Waiting for what?

The moment I performed the Masquerade.

“First, this year’s top-ranked Magic Capacity measurement, Naruki Midorikawa! Please, step to the center of the stage!”

I moved to the center.

“Now, please activate it whenever you are ready!”

I knew how to use the Device.

Instructions on what to do were displayed directly in my field of vision.

Following the prompts, I reached for the Device and flipped the switch.

With that single action, the Device began siphoning magical power from my body, with the hood assisting the flow.

Less than a second after flipping the switch, my vision faded to black.

✧

“Where am I?”

I was on the shore of a beautiful lake that reflected light like a mirror.

Short, lush green grass grew thick beneath my feet, and a short distance away lay a forest where the trees were so dense that the sun could not penetrate.

The only other striking feature… perhaps the daffodils.

“To put it simply, this is a place that could be called your subconscious. To arrive here during your first Masquerade… you are truly a prodigy.”

A voice answered my murmur, and I turned toward it.

Standing there was a woman who radiated like the sun.

“Now, let me tell you what you need to know briefly. Normally, during a first Masquerade, the Device draws out magical power, and a Masked Form—combining the nature of the magic and the caster’s ideology—is automatically and naturally constructed. However, you possessed both hesitation and an immense amount of magical power. Because of that, you arrived here and encountered me.”

U-uh, huh?

I felt like I understood, but at the same time, I didn’t…

More importantly, what exactly am I supposed to do?

“It is simple. Your desires, the things you love, what brings you joy, what makes you angry, what makes you sad, what you enjoy, the things you longed for as a child, your idle fantasies—anything hidden within you will suffice. Just speak them aloud. Based on that, I shall create your Masked Form, your Masquerade. That is why you came here, and why I was summoned.”

Anything is fine, just say it.

Something… what could it be?

“To be honest… I’ve been blessed. I’ve never struggled for food. I’ve never lacked clothes. I’ve never lacked a place to live. Everyone around me has been kind. I might be an idiot compared to the other students here, but I’m not so idiotic that I think committing crimes is acceptable. As for my face and body, they are undoubtedly top-tier; they are things to be proud of, absolutely not things to be ashamed of.”

“I see.”

“That’s why, when you talk about ‘desires,’ I don’t really get it. I don’t know what I should be seeking. Even if you tell me to imagine a ‘me’ that is different from myself, I can’t quite picture it.”

“Is that so?”

“Even so, if I have to draw something out… I might want to see a version of me where only the parts that don’t interfere with me being ‘me’ have changed. Not so much like a mirror, but more like a partial inversion. I want to see that version of myself.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I began to speak the things that welled up from my heart.

Without holding back, I let everything out as it was.

The woman listened to my words with a serious expression, shaping something as she listened.

“You… love yourself and those around you beyond measure. You wish to protect yourself and those around you. For the sake of yourself and those around you, you are willing to clench your fist. In that case, it is fitting that you remain almost exactly as you are, yet take on a form that is partially changed.”

“…”

Somehow… I felt the woman’s words hit the mark.

It was true that I loved myself and the things that had shaped me, and I wished to protect them—to the point where I wouldn’t mind getting into a fight if necessary.

“Now, look into the lake. Your new form is there. Once you see it, you will naturally awaken.”

“I understand.”

Turning away from the woman, I stepped into the lake and gazed at the surface of the water.

There was a face there—the lines were somewhat finer, with silver hair and blue eyes, but I was certain that most of the features were mine…

“…”

“Huh?”

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

As if drawn in by that more delicate version of myself, I sank into the depths of the water.

✧

And so, I awoke.

I had activated the Masquerade, and my Masked Form was that of a completely naked woman.

As for what happened after, I already know. Although I had merely shown the audience my beauty, I was locked in a cage by the so-called Public Morals Committee Chairman and was currently being transported somewhere.

Wait?

I feel like some strange thoughts just mixed in.

“Showing off my beauty”?

As far as I can tell, my beauty is indeed undeniable.

But “showing it off”?

Did I ever have the mindset or ideology to go out of my way to flaunt myself?

“Ah, is this that state of excitement that comes with the first Masquerade? I feel like Mr. Ajitori mentioned something like that.”

My voice echoed inside the cage.

Once I said it aloud, it made sense.

At the same time, I remembered what Mr. Ajitori had said.

“During a Masquerade, your true feelings come out more easily. Emotions surface more readily. You can’t lie. He said if I judge that I can’t control it, I should deactivate the Masquerade… But wait, I am in control. I haven’t gone on a rampage or anything.”

“It would have been better if you’d gone on a rampage, you nymphomaniac!!”

“Shut up!!?”

A loud metallic clang rang out, as if the cage had been kicked.

The cage shook violently, and my body slammed against the bars, but it didn’t hurt as much as I expected.

“Eh… Oh, my voice carries outside this cage normally, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does. And for the record, I can see inside too. We’re almost at the interrogation room, so deactivate the Masquerade as soon as we arrive. Then I’ll let you out of this cage.”

“I’m not going to rampage, you know?”

“Save that line for when you’re wearing something that keeps your breasts from bouncing every time you move!”

The cage was kicked again.

Hmm, is this academy really okay with someone who lashes out with their feet like this being the Public Morals Committee Chairman?

No, this cage is probably part of the Masquerade too, so maybe this is also an effect of true feelings leaking out?

“Sigh… I’ve never dealt with a violator this exhausting… Alright, we’re at the interrogation room. Listen, deactivate the Masquerade. Everything starts with that. If you obediently follow my instructions, we can treat this incident as an accident and settle it in a way where no one gets hurt. So, do it. De-ac-ti-vate the Masquerade.”

“You don’t have to emphasize it that much…”

“Understand that you are in a state that requires emphasis, you nymphomaniac.”

“…”

To be honest.

Right now, I have a strong desire to use a large mirror to properly look at my entire body.

Because I’m definitely beautiful.

There must be a female image there that is as close to my ideal as possible, one that would fascinate anyone who saw her.

However, I also knew that if I continued to hold out here, that wish would never be granted.

I barely felt like I was consuming magical power, but between the Public Morals Committee Chairman—one of the top upperclassmen—and me, who had just performed my first Masquerade, I would be the one to run out first, even if my total Magic Capacity was higher.

…

Yeah, the Public Morals Committee Chairman is right about this.

I am indeed in a state that requires emphasis.

“Fine. Masquerade… deactivate.”

So, obeying the Public Morals Committee Chairman, I obediently deactivated the Masquerade and removed the Device.

“Haa, finally. Honestly…”

The Public Morals Committee Chairman simultaneously made the cage vanish.

“Now then, let’s begin the interrogation. Sorry, but I have to ask you various things about your Masked Form.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

What I saw was a small room with nothing but a single desk and two chairs—a place that could only be described as an interrogation room.

It seemed I was going to be asked a lot of things.

??? “Amaterasu? I am aware of her. I’ve created costumes inspired by her work more than once or twice. That’s not what you mean? Then please pretend you didn’t ask.”