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Introduction |
Saegusa Mayumi (七草 真由美) is a former Student Council President of First High School during AD 2093-95. She is the very first person from First High School to converse with Shiba Tatsuya during his first day of enrolment.
Considered to be a prodigy in the magic community, she is nicknamed the "Elven Sniper" for her extraordinary talents in long-ranged precision shooting. She is also known as the "Elven Princess" for her beauty in tandem with her and innate magical ability. She was one of the "Triumvirate", the three strongest third year students at First High School, which also includes other notable students such as Juumonji Katsuto and Watanabe Mari.
Appearance and Personality
Mayumi is a young lady who is known for her natural beauty. It is stated during her internal monologue that she stopped growing (height) in her third year of middle school, which makes her slightly shorter than average. Her limbs are described as quite long despite her short stature, and her chest is also large in proportion to her height.[1]
Excluding her height, Mayumi is described as someone with a well-rounded personality and a feminine side. While it is hard to notice, she cares about others in her own unique way, so she fits the bill of being an "older sister" perfectly. She is generally quite confident in her appearance when in the presence of others.
Initially, Mayumi acts coy around Tatsuya, just as she always does in the presence of other people. Gradually, she reveals her true nature after acknowledging him and becoming close friends with him. She appears to have a slight sadistic and childlike tendencies, as shown through the bitter Valentine's chocolate she gave to Tatsuya and Hattori Gyoubushoujo Hanzou.[2] Due to this nature, sometimes others playfully refer her as "Little Devil or Imp".
Despite her social standing as the third child of the Saegusa Family where she should have already been used to flattery, Mayumi gets embarrassed every time Tatsuya genuinely praises her, which is noted as something that makes her look like a perfectly normal high school student and hints at the fact that she may already have feelings for him early on. Mayumi also tends to get upset when Tatsuya compliments other girls when they are alone.
“ | She spoke as if to deny Tatsuya’s impression, but Mayumi’s not at all displeased look and bashful manner were obvious. | ” |
Although she is a Course 1 student, she is someone who readily admit her own mistakes and is one of the few Blooms who have shown dissatisfaction about the obvious discrimination in the school, declaring her intent to change it before her tenure as the Student Council president ends.
Background
Mayumi is the daughter of Saegusa Kouichi, the head of the Saegusa Family from his second wife, after the first died.[3] Their family bears the number Seven (七) in their name and is one of the two most influential families among the Ten Master Clans.
She has two older half-brothers and two younger twin-sisters, Izumi and Kasumi,[2] making her the oldest daughter of the main family and the third child.
Due to her position as the oldest daughter in the Saegusa family, her beauty and her exceptional ability is considered to be one of the "veritable rising stars among blue bloods."[4]
After graduating from First High, Mayumi and Mari planned to have their graduation trip overseas but due to the restriction of magicians to travel, they decide to go to Minamiteshima instead. While at the hotel, Mayumi got a call which requests them to assist Watatsumi Kokoa who escaped thelaboratory that conduct experiments and research for Meteorite Fall in the island conducted by the Japanese Navy. Despite making the arrangements, Mayumi is unable to meet with Kokoa but her pilot Takeuchi Nazuna gives her a lead that Kokoa may have boarded another VTOL which belongs to Kitayama Shizuku who is also on vacation on the island with her friends. Mayumi is able to meet with Kokoa at the Kitayama Private Beach Villa where Tatsuya asks Mayumi to bring Kokoa and his friends to the Magic Association while he rescues the remaining Watatsumi Series girls remaining in the laboratory. While enroute to the Magic Association, Japanese Navy aircraft approaches their VTOl and pressures them to return to Minamiteshima but Mayumi drives them away with Magic Bullet Shooter. [5]
Her father has yet to decide her fiancé between Itsuwa Hirofumi (the oldest son and heir of the Itsuwa Family), Juumonji Katsuto (the heir of the Juumonji Family) and many others.[6] Although, she has made it crystal clear that she harbours no feelings for either of them and despite 'dating' the former, their relationship did not go anywhere as they decided to continue on being just friends.
After her father became aware of her true feelings and understood the identity of Shiba Tatsuya, he voiced his approval and encouragement for her to capture his heart, although in truth Kouichi was actually just using her feelings as grounds to attempt undermining the Yotsuba Family by seizing Tatsuya for the Saegusa family.[7]. He later makes such a proposition at the Master Clans Conference, suggesting to Yotsuba Maya that Tatsuya date Mayumi as an alternative to his current engagement in hopes of cancelling the engagement between Tatsuya and Miyuki, to which she agreed only if the feelings of the pair were mutual.[8] It was also said that Tatsuya was Mayumi's first and probably last love she will ever develop.
Katsuto once suggested to Tatsuya (his identity as part of Yotsuba Family wasn't disclosed to the world then) to join the Ten Master Clans by marrying Mayumi or one of her sisters, after his victory over Ichijou Masaki during the Monolith Code.[9] He also tries to manufacture situations for both of them to foster their relationship much to the joy of Mayumi.
As of 2099, the attempt failed and Mayumi has remained single beyond several marriage interviews while she was at the Magic University.[10]
When Tatsuya established the Magian Company, her father suggested that she apply to see if Tatsuya has any hidden agendas. During her application interview, she openly admits that Kouichi sent her. Upon hearing Tatsuya's intentions for the company, she wholeheartedly wants to join the company regardless of her father’s wishes. [11]
Abilities
Magical Abilities
Although Mayumi is not the heir to the Saegusa Family, she possesses amazing innate Magic Power and is considered to be a "born-once-in-every-ten years-prodigy"[12] that also ranks among the Top Magicians in Long-Range Precision Shooting in the world. She is undoubtedly a Tactical class magician and an indispensable asset to her country.
Systematic Magic
Aside from long-range magic, she does not appear to specialise in any particular system within Systematic Magic, but rather seems to favour complex spells involving multiple systems.
- Mayumi's anti-personnel finishing strike that combines all four processes of carbon dioxide convergence, condensation, acceleration, and release, relying on the shock wave and carbon dioxide poisoning to render the enemy immobile.[13] Mayumi essentially creates a block of dry ice about the size of a child's fist and fires it at a speed that the eye can't follow towards the target. Upon impact, the dry ice vaporises and rushes into the lungs; the shock at the sudden lack of oxygen rendering the opponent unconscious.
- Hale Particles (also see: Hattori Hanzou — Dry Blizzard)
- A Speed-Type Magic that turns air molecules into ice particles and then applies acceleration to those ice particles at sub-sonic levels. It is a highly efficient magic and requires a lot of power when used during a hot season. Mayumi used a variant of this magic during the Speed Shooting event at the Nine Schools Competition.[14]
- Possibly a variant of Dry Blizzard. The magic uses dry ice pellets as bullets that fly at a supersonic speed, enough to penetrate armour, a phenomenon impossible in nature. It"s an A rank magic.[15]
- Usage of this magic along with Multi-scope made a formidable combination, "a long range shooting magic with no blind spot" - which results in her epithet, Magic Shooter.
- Multiple Bounce is a Speed-Type Magic that takes advantage of the kinetic energy vectors and reverses them. When Mayumi used this technique during Crowd Ball event in the Nine Schools Competition, all the balls that flew towards her side of the court were rebounded at double the speed. This technique does not make any precise adjustments to the target's trajectory, but purely rejects all the balls back towards her opponent.
Sensory Systematic Type Magic
One of Mayumi's signature spells isn't an attack spell, but is a sensory-type spell outside of normal Systematic Magic.
- Multi-Scope or Multi-Observation is a long-ranged Visual Systematic Sensory Magic that is used to observe a physical object from multiple angles like a visual radar. It also enables Mayumi to expand her vision beyond obstructions like walls.
- Though it's classified as magic, but in Mayumi's case, this ability is an inborn special ability (superpower) of hers that can be freely used. Normally a single person is unable to combine both magic and supernatural abilities, yet for Mayumi who is an irregular magician, is able to successfully achieve this feat with both modern magic and her special perception ability. Thus thanks her extraordinary ability, she is one of the world's best remote precision shooting magic users[16]
Non-Systematic Type Magic
Mayumi has her own, however somewhat limited, Counter Magic type spell.
- Psion Bullet is a one of the simplest forms of magic. However, it requires extremely precise control in order to destroy just the activation sequence and avoid any extraneous damage.[12][17]
- Mayumi used Psion Bullet against Mitsui Honoka, when she was trying to defuse the tense situation between 1st year Course 1 and Course 2 students.[12] Her conversation with Watanabe Mari hints what is the difference between this magic and Gram Demolition.[18]
Magic Engineering
It was mentioned that Mayumi is able to maintain her own CAD at a proficient level, proficient enough for Tatsuya to compliment her.
Speculations
Mayumi introduced her bodyguard, Nakura Saburou, to the Shiba siblings, eliciting a very brief reaction from Tatsuya that would have been missed if she weren't focusing her full observation powers on him.[1] Remembering that "test", Mayumi arrives at the conclusion that Tatsuya may be an Extra, the ancestors of whom were bearing the number four in their name one time.
Trivia
- Mayumi has similar personality like Tomoe Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica series. However, her sense of justice and cool-headed traits are similar to Tsunemori Akane from Psycho-Pass series.
- Interestingly, Both Mayumi and Akane share their voice actress, Hanazawa Kana. Although their voice tone is different.
- Mayumi has resemblances to Kinomoto Nadeshiko from Cardcaptor Sakura series.
- In a character popularity poll held in the official anime website of Mahouka, Mayumi was voted by fans as the 3rd most popular character in the series despite limited screentime.
- The kanji for Mayumi's name has the following meaning: 真 means "true", 由 means "reason" and 美 means "beauty".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Volume 5, Presidential Elections and the Queen
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Volume 10, Chapter 10
- ↑ Volume 13, Chapter 3
- ↑ Volume 3, Chapter 4
- ↑ The Irregular at Magic High School The Movie: The Girl Who Summons the Stars
- ↑ Volume 12, Chapter 10
- ↑ Volume 17, Chapter 1
- ↑ Volume 17, Chapter 5
- ↑ Volume 4, Chapter 14
- ↑ Magian Company
- ↑ Magian Company, Chapter 4
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Volume 1, Chapter 2
- ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 12
- ↑ Volume 3, Chapter 5
- ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 11
- ↑ Volume 26, Chapter 4
- ↑ Manga Volume 1, Invitation
- ↑ Volume 4, Chapter 10