The Honor at Magic High School (魔法科高校の優等生)

Entrance Exam Hall Wating Room NA2 - B2

I'm nervous!

You'll be fine! You can do it!

You practiced it a lot!

It will be okay!

Y-You can do it! Calm down, Honoka!

All you have to do is be yourself during the practical test!

But that's the hardest part!

That place seemed like a totally different world.

Whoa!

Amazing!

The National Magic University Affiliated First High School.

The 2095 entrance exams.

The one who got the top scores was this girl... Shiba Miyuki-san.

Entrance Ceremony

As mild sunshine streams in and vivid cherry blossoms float in the air

on this gorgeous spring day...

being able to enroll at National Magic University Affiliated First High School...

fills me with great joy, as well as honor.

So, that girl's one of the people you said caught your eye?

Yes. I wish you could've seen her, too, Shizuku! You wouldn't believe how cool she was!

Is that so?

All right, it's settled! I'm going to be friends with Shiba-san, no matter what!

...as a student of this prestigious school...

"Equally, cohesively, and in matters other than magic, as well," huh?

She's doing a great job weaving those rigid phrases into her speech.

You have that evil look on your face again, President.

She's exactly what I was hoping for!

"Nice to meet you...

I'm Mitsui Honoka! Please take care of me!"

No, no! That's too casual! Okay... "Good afternoon, my name is Mitsui Honoka.

I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

That was kind of stiff, huh?

Hey, Shizuku, which introduction will leave the best impression on her?

Any one will do, but here she comes. Shiba-san.

Whoa, she's here!

It's Shiba-san!

So cute!

Good morning.

She's a goddess! I'd love to get closer to her!

Oh, Shiba-san's seat is behind me.

Huh? Eh? Y-You should've told me that sooner!

Sorry. I only noticed now.

I-I have to come up with a tasteful greeting! "That hair ornament is so lovely!" Like that?

No, I'm not hitting on her! How about, "I'm a big fan"?

No, that doesn't make any sense, either!

Go on, it's your chance to introduce yourself. You can do it.

Right! It's now or never! You've got this, Honoka! Go for it!

Oh, um, Shiba-sa―

What was that? Is she okay?

Who knew we had such a klutz in our class?

I-It's over... My whole high school life...

Are you all right?

Th-Thank you.

You're welcome. Um...

M-Mitsui. My name is Mitsui Honoka!

I'm Shiba Miyuki.

Mitsui-san, let's be friends, shall we?

I-I'd like that, too.

All's well that ends well! You did it, Honoka!

Please excuse her, Shiba-san. She's a really ditzy girl.

Th-That's harsh, Shizuku! Well, I admit that I did kind of make a fool of myself.

Excuse me, and this person is...?

I'm Kitayama Shizuku. I've already heard a lot about you...

since Honoka's a huge fan of yours.

Hey! Wh-Wh-What are you talking about?

Excuse me. Have we already met somewhere before?

She saw you at the test venue, and it was love at first sight―

Hey, enough! You're embarrassing me! Shizuku, you dummy dummy!

Shiba-san, are you having lunch in the cafeteria, too?

Yes. May I join you?

Of course! We should be the ones asking you in fact!

Oh no, the place is packed.

Are there any empty seats?

Eh? That person...?

Hey, you guys...

Mind giving up those seats?

Huh?

You 2nd Course students are just our reserves.

Whether we're in class or in the cafeteria,

you should give up your seats for any 1st Course student, no questions asked!

Um...

Fine.

I'm done eating, so I'm heading out.

H-Hey, Tatsuya!

Tatsuya-kun!

This is ridiculous. Let's go, too.

Yeah.

That's the right attitude!

All right, Shiba-san, these seats are yours now.

But I...

After all, 2nd Course students are Weeds! In other words, they're inferior!

That's pretty disrespectful of you to eat at the same place with us 1st Course students.

Don't you all agree?

That's right!

Know your place, you Weeds!

No way.

Uh, Shiba-san!

I'm so sorry for making a scene.

That's...

So, he's a 2nd Course student.

What if he is?

That's weird. I was positive he was a 1st Course student!

Eh?

Actually, there was one other person besides you who caught my eye during the exams.

Normally, you'll see the byproducts of your magic sequence in the form of light waves,

but there wasn't a single trace with him.

Shiba-san, you may have devastating magic power,

but it seems like he's only using the bare minimum of his magic power.

Anyway, it was such gorgeous magic!

It really must've been, for you to gush about it.

Hmm... Come to think of it...

Right! I'm a Mitsui, so I'm more sensitive to light oscillation than most!

Light pool

But who would've thought a 2nd Course student could cast such gorgeous spells?

Thank you so much...

Mitsui-san!

Eh?

Ehhhhhhhh?

That person is Shiba-san's older brother?

Talented magicians who happen to be siblings... But her brother's a 2nd Course student, huh?

Really, enough already!

Didn't you hear Miyuki-san say that she's going home with her brother?

There's something we need to discuss with her as fellow 1st Course students!

Just back off, 2nd Course student!

What?

What gives you the right to try to split those two apart?

What? "Split us apart," did you say?

Oh, Mizuki, how you do misunderstand?

I'm gonna split you two apart!

Onii-sama!

Miyuki!

I'm never going to let go of you again, Miyuki.

Please don't ever let go of me, Onii-sama.

Onii-sama, please!

Miyuki?

Excuse me, Shiba-san, but you're wrong about that.

You may be siblings, but a Weed is just a spare.

We have to draw the line between 1st Course and 2nd Course!

At this school, there are the honor students, the Blooms,

and the irregular students, the Weeds. It's a clear distinction.

It's an irrefutable fact.

You all agree with me, right?

That's right. Shiba-san needs to hang with us.

You losers can just back off!

But that's just terrible, you guys.

Losers go home!

Get lost now!

You are failures...

Being set apart from her own brother by course...

Go home!

Shiba-san's the one who's suffering the most!

But they can't even see that, and they're looking down on the 2nd Course students in front of her.

What's wrong with these people?

It makes me feel stupid for being so proud of making 1st Course!

Especially that guy! What was his name? "Moriyama"? Could he be more clueless?

This Magic High School runs on a meritocracy.

Since you Weeds are inferior in talent,

that makes your very existence inferior, as well.

I think it's time you all learned your place.

But we're all new students here!

Just how much better than us can you be at this stage?

Don't talk like Blooms and Weeds are equal!

All right, why don't I show you how much stronger we are?

Don't tell me...

You're going to cast an attack spell here?

Looks like this 2nd Course student is faster than you, 1st Course student-san.

No way can a Bloom ever fall behind a Weed!

Don't give us that!

Please stop, every―

Shut up!