Winter.

A refreshing morning at the start of a new year.

Kurato was now six years old and in his final year of kindergarten.

Next year, he would be an elementary school student.

Yes, still just before entering elementary school.

It had already been more than six years since he came to this world.

However, he still had not grasped what the “bug” of this world was, nor even managed to catch a hint of its signs.

Of course, he never neglected gathering information through television and magazines.

But there were limits to that.

Information that passed through the media was inevitably processed into a form that was easy for the general public to accept.

If it were a bug capable of destroying this world, the people in power would surely hide it.

Even so, the only thing Kurato could do right now was to build his strength.

Whether it was to eradicate bugs, earn money, or build connections, the foundation for all of it was his own skills.

Effort would always become useful later.

With that resolve in his heart, Kurato was currently on his way to the Makishima family’s New Year gathering, driven by Yanagi.

Once again this year, his mother had used a fake illness to disappear together with Raito.

Well, for many years now, the invitations from the main house had directly listed Kurato’s name.

It seemed the Makishima main family had given up on summoning his mother.

At least, when it came to inviting people to the New Year gathering.

“Kurato-sama, we have arrived.”

“Thank you as always, Yanagi.”

As usual, Yanagi handled both the drop-off and the pickup.

“Then, please enjoy yourself.”

“Yes. Please come to pick me up later.”

Kurato bowed to Yanagi as she got back into the car, then turned on his heel and headed for the main gate.

Since two years ago, Kurato had begun attending the New Year gathering alone.

Yanagi had offered to participate as well, but it seemed the Makishima main family did not look favorably upon outsiders attending.

Every time, while Kurato was attending the banquet, Yanagi had been made to stand the entire time in a cold corridor.

Feeling deeply sorry about that, Kurato had asked her to go sightseeing in the Special Zone until the gathering ended.

Now then, although Kurato was six years old, his recent training had yielded major results.

First, his magical power capacity.

With Raito’s cooperation, he was now able to generate up to fifteen Iron Shields.

Furthermore, by combining ten Iron Shields, he discovered he could generate a massive Iron Shield that was thicker and large enough to easily conceal one adult.

At present, he was experimenting to see whether he could generate an even higher-tier shield, just as Iron Shields had once been generated from acrylic plates.

Next, magical power control.

In terms of speed, he could now move Iron Shields at about the level of a motor scooter.

As for weight, he could lift his own body weight up to a height of roughly ten meters.

Thus, by riding an Iron Shield, it had become possible to move at inhuman speeds.

With acrylic plates, the output was about half that.

Even while carrying Kurato, they could reach bicycle-level speeds.

As for recent training routines, in addition to basic exercises such as magical power manipulation, he practiced rapid shield deployment, high-speed shield movement, increasing shield weight and simultaneous shield control.

To finish, he would move while wrapping Dragon Scales around his entire body, repeating this routine every day.

As a result, even while fully clad in Dragon Scales, he could now walk normally and perform slow karate forms.

It was still not at a level usable in real combat.

However, if he limited the Dragon Scales to just his fists or just his legs, Kurato believed he could fight reasonably well.

That was, of course, only his subjective impression.

The reason it stopped there was because he had not been able to accumulate real combat experience.

Occasionally, he conducted mock battles with Keita and Raito, but those were training sessions meant to help them learn how to use their abilities.

Kurato merely stood there acting as a target with his shields.

It was far from a stage where he could test whether his own techniques were effective.

If possible, Kurato had hoped that after this banquet, Ryuko-san or Aoba-san could put him through his paces.

But that also seemed impossible.

After all, that performance was strictly a “Makishima family” affair and Kurato, who was neither direct family nor a disciple, could not step forward uninvited.

As he was thinking about such things, before he knew it, it was time to greet the family head.

Kurato performed the customary greeting together with Ryuko and the others.

He bowed deeply before the family head.

When he raised his head, his gaze met the cold eyes of Hisame-sama.

Normally, she hardly ever spared him a glance.

Yet this time, Hisame-sama spoke directly to Kurato.

“Tell your brother this. He is to complete his preparations by this spring.”

That was all she said.

Having finished speaking, Hisame-sama immediately removed Kurato from her field of view.

By spring.

That meant…

“Oh my, are you planning to summon Raito-kun to the main house, sister?”

At Ryuko’s question, Hisame-sama let out a snort of laughter.

“An A-rank playing around outside the Special Zone was strange to begin with. Especially when Makishima—no, when Japan is already lagging behind other countries.”

By “lagging behind,” she was likely referring to the rate at which powerful ability users were produced.

After all, Hisame-sama voiced such concerns every year during the New Year greetings.

“You’re being unfair, sister. In that case, you wouldn’t object if I summoned Kurato-kun, would you?”

Saying so, Ryuko pulled Kurato’s shoulder into her ample chest.

Kurato frowned.

‘What nonsense.’

Even if it was just a retort meant to counter her older sister, it was unreasonable.

“What foolish talk. He isn’t even D-rank, is he?”

As expected, Hisame-sama let out a sigh mixed with mockery and spoke coldly.

She was right.

With magical power below D-rank, permanent residency in the Special Zone was nearly impossible.

Short-term entry for a few days was allowed, but repeated access required proper reasons and connections.

And for an E-rank Create Shield ability, permanent residency was nothing more than a distant dream.

Of course, Ryuko knew that.

And yet, she wore a relaxed smile.

“Yes, I know. Hypothetically speaking. Just hypothetically.”

“…Hypothetically?”

When Hisame-sama turned a suspicious look toward Ryuko, Ryuko laughed, hiding her mouth behind a folding fan.

“If this child were to acquire C-rank magical power, that is.”

As Ryuko laughed, Hisame-sama finally returned nothing more than a look of exasperation.

* * *

“…So, that’s why Raito has a very high chance of attending a Special Zone school starting from elementary school.”

After the New Year gathering ended and they returned home, Kurato promptly called Raito over and told him this.

Since he had been ordered to tell his brother, Kurato explained the entire sequence of events.

Ever since the classroom-freezing incident, Kurato had told Raito, “You might go to the Special Zone someday.”

But now that the timing had been set, Kurato felt slightly anxious about how Raito would react and he stayed ready to wrap himself in Dragon Scales at any moment.

“Okay. I understand. When are you coming, big brother?”

Contrary to his worries, Raito’s reaction was muted.

Feeling somewhat taken aback, Kurato relaxed his Dragon Scales and replied.

“Well, I won’t be able to go right away.”

Since he had not measured his current magical power, he couldn’t say for sure.

But judging from the ability battles shown on television, he didn’t think he had reached C-rank yet.

C-rank creators were producing multiple flashy weapons rather than plain Iron Shields.

Well, that ability user wasn’t Create Shield but Create Weapon.

“I see…”

Hearing Kurato’s answer, Raito suddenly looked dejected.

He didn’t cry, but his shoulders slumped so much it was almost pitiful.

Kurato gently patted Raito’s shoulder.

“Well, don’t make that face. From what I’ve heard, starting in elementary school, ability measurements are conducted every year, so at the earliest, you might go there in one or two years. Once I reach C-rank, a master from Makishima School is supposed to become my teacher. If that happens, I’ll improve quickly.”

That was right.

From elementary school onward, magical power measurements would be conducted frequently and classes using abilities would begin.

They were old enough now that they no longer had to fear ability fever.

“One or two years!? Okay! I got it!”

Hearing Kurato’s reasoning, Raito’s face brightened instantly.

‘Wait. Did I just let him misunderstand something? This is bad.’

“Hold on. That’s the earliest possible case. Worst case, I might not make it until after graduating middle school.”

There was even the possibility he might never reach C-rank.

If that happened, the only option would be to win a D-rank tournament and advance by skipping ranks to compete in a C-rank tournament and achieve results.

Apparently, some people entered the Special Zone that way.

It was an extremely narrow and harsh path, though.

“Middle school?”

Raito tilted his head slightly.

Right.

As a kindergartener, he couldn’t yet envision life beyond elementary school.

“Yeah. When we’re around fifteen… so a bit over eight years. That’s how long it could take…”

The moment Kurato gave a concrete number—eight years—Raito’s face clouded over again.

Kurato hurried to continue.

“Well, that’s the worst case. I’ll do my best too and I’ll work hard so we can get in earlier.”

“…Okay…”

‘Ah, no good. He’s completely depressed now.’

Kurato thought for a moment.

Then he had an idea.

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll bring that out.’

“Raito. Before you go to the Special Zone, how about we do something big and fun together?”

“…Fun?”

As Raito looked up with tear-filled eyes, Kurato wore a crescent-shaped smile.

“Yeah. Something really fun. A parting gift for you.”

* * *

A few days later.

Hidamari Kindergarten.

“Kashiwa Real Tournament?”

Keita’s suspicion-filled voice echoed through the classroom and Kurato nodded again with his crescent smile.

“That’s right. The Kashiwa Real Tournament. Among tournaments held outside the Special Zone, it’s one of the largest ability battle festivals. The Yokohama Marian Tournament and the Kawasaki Frost Tournament are more famous and they even come with entry rights to Special Zone tournaments. But Kashiwa Real uses the Unlimited Rule.”

Faced with Kurato’s enthusiasm, Keita narrowed his eyes, clearly not understanding.

Yeah, that’s only natural.

Kurato himself had reacted the same way when he first heard about it from Aoba-san.

Just like he had done with Raito, Kurato explained it to Keita.

Ability competitions were divided by rank and age.

Most tournaments for D-rank and below were held outside the Special Zone.

However, all tournaments from C-rank upward were held inside the Special Zone.

As a result, C-rank and above individuals living outside the Special Zone found it difficult to participate in tournaments.

To avoid this, the government sometimes adopted the Unlimited Rule as a special measure for certain large-scale tournaments.

Of course, winning such a tournament didn’t grant nationwide advancement like official matches, nor did it grant permanent residency in the Special Zone.

Still, for the nation, it allowed them to uncover hidden talent.

And for people outside the Special Zone, holding tournaments as exciting as those in the Special Zone allowed them to vent their pent-up frustration.

After all, the level of entertainment between the Special Zone and outside areas differed greatly.

Among these, the Kashiwa Real Unlimited rules were especially lenient.

As long as one had no serious criminal record, rank, age and nationality were all irrelevant.

However, participants aged fifteen or younger required parental consent.

That issue had already been entrusted to Yanagi.

“We’re planning to enter as a three-person team. Since Raito will probably enter the Special Zone starting next year, I thought we could test our strength before that.”

Incidentally, ability battles included one-on-one singles, three-on-three team battles and five-on-five section battles.

This time, Kurato judged that neither Raito nor Keita yet had the ability to fight through singles matches, so he proposed a team battle.

That way, what individuals lacked could be covered by teamwork.

Keita had looked dazed at first, but as Kurato explained forcefully, he nodded along.

“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s do it! …Wait, is Ra-chan going to the Special Zone too!?”

After finally digesting Kurato’s words, Keita widened his eyes in surprise.

“Then, could it be that Ku-chan too?”

With Ryosuke already entering the Special Zone, half of his close friends had gone there, so Keita looked genuinely worried.

Kurato waved his hand a bit exaggeratedly to reassure him.

“No, no. I’m E-rank, you know?”

People entering the Special Zone were extremely rare.

Returning there because one already had ability like Raito was a different matter.

“If anything, you’ve got more potential, Keita. You’re D-rank now and you’re still improving, right?”

The potential was more than sufficient.

After all, this was ability development during early childhood, which was considered dangerous.

Just like Kurato, he would likely continue to grow.

Of course, since Kurato had taught both Keita and Ryosuke magical power circulation before starting ability training, there were no signs of ability fever.

Those who properly mastered magical power handling seemed unaffected by it.

“That’s right!”

Raito suddenly shouted.

“Kei-chan, let’s all go to the Special Zone together!”

“Huh?”

Keita tilted his head as Raito grabbed his hand.

“Let’s rank up together with big brother and come to the Special Zone!”

“What!? That’s impossible for me!”

As Keita’s eyes darted around, Raito pressed closer with a smile.

In any case, Kurato was glad Raito had regained his energy.

* * *

For the two months leading up to the tournament, Kurato and the others moderated individual ability development and focused primarily on teamwork practice.

In particular, since training time with Keita was limited to kindergarten hours, they thoroughly confirmed their coordination.

As a result, it became difficult to focus on improving his individual skills.

Kurato wanted to secure more concentrated training time.

But even when the three of them occasionally held overnight training sessions, such opportunities were rare.

After all, that woman of a mother refused to let Raito go easily.

As an aside, Kurato had not told his mother anything about Raito being summoned to the Special Zone.

If he did, there was no telling what she might do.

At worst, she might even try to run away with him in the middle of the night.

With limited time remaining until the tournament for Raito’s sake, he couldn’t allow her interference.

When Kurato appealed to Yanagi about this, she agreed to keep silent until the tournament ended.

He truly couldn’t thank Yanagi enough.

Kurato genuinely regretted that she wasn’t his real mother.

“Alright, Raito. Right after Keita attacks, fire Ice Needle. Keita, you’re up!”

“Got it! Stone toss, stone toss!”

Kurato blocked Keita’s ability with his shield.

It was more than sufficient as a feint.

Since Keita was planned to handle disruption and interference during the tournament, this was enough.

“Good attack! Next, Raito!”

“Okay! Ice Neeeedle!”

Raito’s Ice Needle struck the shield placed five meters away with crisp, satisfying sounds.

Good.

He was becoming able to operate shields even from this distance.

The power of Ice Needle was now enough to pierce an Iron Shield.

…No, it actually penetrated and caused the shield to vanish.

Excellent.

“Great power! Next, let’s improve accuracy and shorten the time until firing.”

“Okay!”

Raito nodded happily.

Still, the durability of Iron Shields was indeed lacking.

Against C-rank and higher attacks, it seemed better to deflect rather than block.

“In that case, Raito and the others need to position themselves closer inward. But if we do that, we won’t be able to secure firing lines… Hmmm…”

Kurato entered thinking mode.

Seeing this, Raito and Keita exchanged glances, smiled and moved a short distance away to begin a different practice.

Even in constructing training routines, the three of them had developed good coordination.

* * *

Memo

In ability battles, there exists an Unlimited Rule under which some participation requirements are relaxed.

As for the types of ability battles, there are one-on-one single battles, three-versus-three team battles and five-versus-five section battles (as far as is currently known).