The S-Class Mage is a Gyaru!?-Chapter 17: Paired Resonance Trial, Part Seven

Chapter 17: Paired Resonance Trial, Part Seven
The gym buzzes with whispers while I stand here like a dumbass, my magic slipping through my fingers like I’m trying to hold water in a fishnet.
Professor Sato’s smirk grows wider by the second, and Miyuki looks ready to cream herself from satisfaction. The student council president probably has to bite her tongue to keep from straight-up cackling.
[Okay bitch, calm down. Don’t give them the show they want.] I take a deep breath, feeling sweat threatening my perfect makeup. [You can figure this out. Just don’t panic.]
"Well, well, well," Miyuki steps forward, that smirk aimed at my soul like she’s about to hand down a death sentence. "If you can’t perform the resonance-"
"Wait." Professor Sato’s hand stops her. "Let’s... give them a moment."
[Oh, you crusty fuck.]
It hits me like a ton of bricks. They want to watch me squirm. Want everyone to see the over-hyped gyaru fail. These bitches probably practiced those smug looks in the mirror together.
"Akari..." Haruka’s voice goes tight, her hand sweaty in mine. "What’s happening? Why can’t I-"
"Someone’s pulling some shady shit," I mutter, my chrome nails digging into my palm. "This is a Silence. Has to be."
"A what now?"
"Uh, like... when your mom puts parental controls on your phone," I explain, pieces clicking together in my head. "But for magic."
I’ve read about Silences in those dusty-ass textbooks I actually study (not that anyone would believe it. They all think I’m too busy taking selfies to read). They’re magical muzzles, spells that straight-up cock-block other spells from working. Usually only cops use them to stop magical terrorists or whatever.
That has to be it. If so...
[These hoes really came prepared, huh? They REALLY don’t wanna see me win.]
But something’s not adding up. My eyes sweep over the practice circle, taking in the glowing runes beneath our feet. If they’d Silenced the whole stage, those runes would be dead too. But they’re still pulsing, which means...
[Focus, bitch. Think. Use that tiny ass brain of yours!]
The whispers get louder, each one making me want to throw hands:
"Guess she’s not so special after all-"
"What happened to all that big talk-"
"Told you she couldn’t-"
"Did you see her podcast? All that sass for nothing-"
"Bitch, I will literally jump into those bleachers," I mutter through gritted teeth, making Haruka snort despite everything.
"Maybe save the fighting for after we figure this out?" She squeezes my hand. "What do we do?"
I force myself to breathe, remembering something crucial. Silences are just spells, and all spells can be broken if you know how. Either find the source and wreck their shit, or...
My eyes narrow, catching the faintest shimmer in the air around us. Like when you’re trying to take a selfie and the light hits wrong, so you gotta find that better angle.
[Not a stage-wide Silence then. Someone in this crowd is targeting us specifically.]
But who-
[Wait, no. Doesn’t matter who’s doing this. No time for that now. Save the revenge plotting for later, bitch.]
"There’s always a way to break a Silence," I whisper, ideas forming. "Just gotta stay calm and-"
"If you cannot perform the resonance," Miyuki’s voice cuts through my thoughts like she’s trying to stab me with a plastic knife, "then perhaps we should-"
"Just give us a fucking minute!" I snap, feeling my perfectly winged liner crinkle as I glare. "Unless you’re that scared of what happens if we actually pull this off?"
That gets some "ooohs" from the crowd. Even Professor Sato’s smirk flickers.
I can do this. I have to do this. All those hours of practice, all that shit-talking on that podcast, all those looks from stuck-up professors who think a gyaru couldn’t possibly understand "real" magic...
[Time to prove these basics wrong.]
I close my eyes, blocking out everything - the whispers, the stares, Miyuki’s smug-ass face. The Silence feels like a wall around us, but every wall has cracks.
[Come on, bitch. Focus.]
---
{Reina}
[Well, this is some grade-A bullshit.]
My tail twitches with barely contained rage as I watch this shitshow unfold. You don’t need to be some genius mage to see what’s happening. Someone’s Silencing Akari and Haruka. Plain and simple.
Not that I’m surprised, of course. Growing up with dad, I’ve heard my fair share of stories. Most of them cautionary tales, naturally.
Old money never plays fair, especially when their precious traditions are getting a much-needed kick in the teeth.
Still pisses me off to watch, though.
My feynal senses have been screaming since I walked in here, and now I know why.
[At least my nose still works better than my love life.]
Movement catches my eye. Just a slight shift in the crowd, but it might as well be a neon sign. I found it.
There she is, little miss perfect herself, sitting three rows down. Brown hair styled within an inch of its life, blazer following every single rule like it’s afraid to wrinkle, and those green eyes locked on the practice circle with an intensity that screams ’guilty.’
Most people would miss it. But I’m not most people. I might not be S-Class, but I’ve got my own flavors of talent. And right now? I can see this bitch casting that Silence clear as day.
[Casting right under everyone’s noses. Ballsy, I’ll give her that. Stupid, but ballsy.] My eyes move to Professor Sato and that student council pres. [Clearly, they sponsored this little plot. Damn.]
The way Brown-Hair’s maintaining the spell is actually kind of impressive, if you’re into that whole "magical sabotage" stuff. Credit where credit is due, I guess.
[Oh, Dad would absolutely LOVE her, huh.]
My fangs grind at that thought. Dad, with his precious traditional values and his connections in all the right magical circles. The cross necklace he gave me feels like a collar against my throat.
Oh yeah, he’d love this entire mess.
The whispers around me turn nastier by the second:
"Look at her standing there-"
"All that attitude for nothing-"
"Maybe now she’ll learn her place-"
My claws dig into my palms until I taste copper.
Logically, I should stay out of this mess. Akari and I aren’t friends. Not really. This isn’t my fight, not my circus, not my fucking problem.
But...
[Oh fuck me, man.]
I glance at my phone. Three missed calls from Jun, probably all about business because god forbid we talk about anything else. The background’s still that photo from our first date, back when I thought having a "proper" boyfriend would make Dad happy. Would make me happy.
And down there, Akari’s still fighting. Still trying. I can see her struggling to dispel the magic, which is basically impossible when you don’t know where it’s coming from.
But I do.
I know exactly which basic bitch is causing all this. Could end this whole thing with one well-placed word.
The question burns in my throat:
Do I want to?
Every instinct screams no. The same way Dad would cream himself over this takedown, he’d absolutely crucify me for helping her.
Also, this wouldn’t be just helping someone out. Let’s keep it real. This is picking a side. This is saying fuck you to everything I’m supposed to be.
And yet, I can’t look away. Can’t ignore what’s happening. My body’s already moving on its own, even as my mind tries to stop it.
[... FUUUUCK, this is gonna cause so much drama.]
But watching someone get crushed by the system? Been there, done that, got the emotional trauma to prove it. Even if that someone is an annoying gyaru who’s probably got more dick than brain cells.
I stand up, adjusting my choker. The silver cross clinks against those protective runes like a warning bell.
[Sorry, Dad. I’ll make it up to you somehow. Maybe I’ll actually show up to a board meeting or something.]
My platforms click against the bleachers as I start moving down.
Time to choose a side, I guess.