The S-Class Mage is a Gyaru!?-Chapter 64: Rising Star, Part Eighteen

{Shion}

[They can dance. They can fight. But this? This is where tradition wins.]

I smooth down my perfectly pressed uniform, watching that gyaru bitch make out with her friend while that feynal girl pretends not to watch. Disgusting. No discipline, no respect for the sacred art of magic.

[Just like Zhang used to be... before I fixed her... Or tried to, I guess.]

The memory of Zhang on her knees in the guild training room, begging me to teach her "proper form," makes me smirk. She was so eager back then, so willing to learn. Until she wasn’t.

[But it doesn’t matter now.]

The Mirror Match will break them. Fighting yourself requires perfect control, perfect form - everything these Crescent Moon children lack. The Honda Guild’s reputation might have taken a hit in the first two rounds, but the final victory will be ours.

[And maybe then Zhang will finally understand what she gave up when she chose her "principles" over us.]

My phone buzzes. Unknown number.

"This is Shion Honda."

"Ah, Shion. Just the woman I wanted to speak with."

[Fuck.]

I know that voice. Everyone in the magical world knows that voice. The same voice that told me I’d make an excellent Guild Captain.

"Madame President," I step away from the crowd, finding a quiet corner. "To what do I owe the honor?"

Clarissa Wei, President of the Guild Association, doesn’t waste time on pleasantries. She never has - I still remember how she fired my father, ending three generations of Honda leadership at the Association with three simple words: "Times are changing."

"That gyaru you’re fighting. The S-Class. Tell me about her."

[Of course. It’s about the fucking gyaru.]

The Guild Association - that massive bureaucratic nightmare that controls every magical guild in the country - usually stays out of individual guild business. They set the standards, maintain the rules, and generally just make sure we don’t blow each other up too badly.

For the President herself to call...

"She’s undisciplined," I say carefully, watching said gyaru grab her friend’s ass like she’s sampling melons at the market. "Talented, yes, but-"

"She seems rather magnificent." Clarissa’s voice carries that edge I remember from my evaluation days, when she caught me and Zhang in that supply closet. "Do you know how many views the dance round got? The combat trials? Social media’s exploding. #GyaruMagic is trending worldwide."

I grit my teeth.

"With all due respect, Madame President, she’s a rebellious figure. Of course she’ll be popular with the current generation of mages. Popularity shouldn’t-" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Oh, spare me the speech, Shion. I’ve heard it enough from your father." She sighs. "Do you know the situation we’re in?"

[Of course I do. But, she’s going to make me listen to this fucking lecture anyway.]

"The guilds are dying. Young people see us as relics." Clarissa’s voice drips with frustration. "You know how many applications we got last quarter? Seven. Fucking seven. And three of those were legacy kids who probably can’t cast their way out of a wet paper bag."

She continues before I can protest.

"Meanwhile, little miss tits-ass-and-dick over there? Her ManaGram following jumped by fifty thousand after that dance round. Kids are literally begging their parents to let them study magic now. Because for the first time in forever, it looks fun. Exciting."

[Exciting. Right. Because that’s what matters.]

"When’s the last time you actually went to a high school recruitment drive, Shion? Seen how these kids look at us?"

Surprisingly, I’m given a few seconds to answer.

"It’s been a while."

"I can tell. Shion, we’re their parents’ magic. All the young bucks see when they see us is stuffy uniforms and proper posture and ’please recite the seventeen forms of basic mana manipulation’ while they’re watching videos of actually cool street mages."

I watch the gyaru menace bounce around, her ridiculous platforms somehow not affecting her perfect form. Her friends are practically drooling - even that proper-looking feynal girl can’t keep her eyes off those tits, even if she’s trying desperately to hide it.

"And sure," Clarissa’s getting worked up now, "maybe those street mages blow themselves up half the time. Maybe their spells are sloppy. But they’re out there making magic look sexy while we’re stuck in our towers debating whether skirts above the knee are ’proper guild attire.’ It’s embarrassing."

"So what?" I snap. "We just throw away everything that makes us special? Let anyone with enough followers become a guild mage?"

"No, you absolute thundercunt," she says. I actually choke at that. "We adapt. We evolve."

She pauses, probably for dramatic effect.

"Or we die. Simple as that. See how that works out for your precious Honda Guild."

"The Mirror Match will-"

"Show everyone exactly what she’s capable of, one way or another. I know." Clarissa actually laughs. "Clever idea on your part, to give credit where it’s due. But if she wins..."

The threat hangs there, heavy as Zhang’s body used to be against mine in those late-night training sessions.

[If she wins... All I’ve done is turn her into even more of a celebrity. All I’ve done is basically shine a spotlight on her and go ’hey world, look how cool this dickgirl is’. Gross.]

"The Association is considering changes," Clarissa continues. "New blood, new ideas. You want to stop us in our tracks? Then... Perhaps you could start by not letting this gyaru show up your whole guild, hehe."

She hangs up.

[Fuck. FUCK.]

I watch that blonde menace bounce around, her ridiculous platforms clicking against marble as she practices moves for the upcoming round. Her tits are practically falling out of that modified uniform, her skirt’s so short it should be illegal, and yet...

And yet she might actually destroy everything my family’s built.

---

{Akari}

[Well, this is it. Time to see if bathroom quickies bring good luck.]

We’re all lined up. Me, Reina, and Lily on one side, the Honda Guild on the other. I can still feel Naomi’s eyes on me, probably thinking about how good my dick felt. Can’t blame her, honestly. I kinda slayed that pussy, if I do say so myself.

[Hehe,] I wriggle my brows at nothing in particular, [S-Class Gyaru with an S-Class dick, for sure~]

As if they could both hear my thoughts, Lily AND Reina roll their eyes at me.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The announcer’s voice booms through the arena. "THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE MYSTERY ROUND - THE MIRROR MATCH!"

The crowd loses their fucking minds. I do my best to fake being surprised, looking like a clickbait thumbnail in the flesh.

Phones are out everywhere, probably all hoping to catch the next viral moment. After that dance round and the combat trials, everyone’s expecting something wild this time around, too.

"Each participant will face a perfect magical copy of themselves!" The announcer continues while some fancy light show starts up behind him. "These duplicates know every move, every technique, every spell in your arsenal! Can you overcome your own perfect reflection?"

Lily suddenly looks a bit hesitant.

"This is insane," Lily mutters, looking paler than usual. "How are we supposed to beat our own reflections?"

"By being better than ourselves," I reply with a shrug. "Seems simple enough."

"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE!" God, this guy loves his dramatic pauses, doesn’t he? "Participants will face their duplicates one at a time! We will adhere to the same combat rules as before, meaning that to win, you must either render your duplicate unable to continue or knock them off the platform! Of course, your duplicate will be looking to do the same! Then, once all copy matches have concluded, our judges will assign scores to each combatant and tally them against one another."

Reina’s tail brushes against my leg.

"Sooo, S-Class," she gives me a bit of side-eye (hot). "Any advice?"

"Be unpredictable," I whisper back, watching Naomi adjust her own uniform. This was only mind the entire way back from the bathroom. "The copy knows what you usually do, so..."

"Do the opposite," she finishes, those ice-blue eyes sparkling as she nods. "I suppose that makes sense."

"FIRST UP!" The announcer interrupts our talk. "FROM THE HONDA GUILD - Kim Watanabe!"

The absolute beefcake of a dude steps forward. Like, his uniform can barely contain those muscles. He’s got that "I spend more time at the gym than actually practicing magic" energy.

"Watch carefully," Reina whispers. "May as well analyze how he handles it."

A circle of light appears in front of Kim, and holy SHIT, it’s like watching a mirror come to life. Another Kim steps out, just as buff, just as serious-looking.

[Damn. Two of them. That’s... that’s actually kinda hot...]

"BEGIN!"

The two Kims immediately start throwing hands, muscles rippling as they launch into some fancy martial arts shit. Their magical attacks are basic - just pure force blasts without any style.

"He’s going to lose," Naomi says from behind us [when the fuck did she get behind us???], making me jump. "He always opens with that combo. His reflection is gonna know that too."

Sure enough, the copy reads his moves perfectly, countering each strike until-

BAM!

Original Kim hits the ground, a magical binding wrapping around his thick arms. Then, a bit nonchalantly, the reflection flings him off the platform.

Just like that, Match 1 of 6 is done.

"VICTOR - COPY Kim!"

The crowd roars. The copy raises a hand in victory before dissipating into nothingness.

[Well fuck.]

"Told you," Naomi purrs in my ear. "Better figure out how to surprise yourself, princess. Though after what we did in that bathroom... I’d say you’re full of surprises~"

"NEXT UP!" The announcer’s really living his best life up there. "FROM CRESCENT MOON UNIVERSITY - LILY AMANO!"

[Good luck, bitch. You’re gonna need it.]