Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka.

Chapter 1

Mayumi collapsed to her bed, her dark hair splaying out across the sterile fabric. The petite girl couldn't find it in herself to adjust her sundress; even though it was hitching up too far along her legs to be 'decent.' After the numerous events of the day, the Saegusa child just wanted to turn in. But the banquet capping off the start of the Nine Schools Competition would be occurring in a couple of hours, and she needed to be present.

Although she would never truly complain, the work that was required of her – due to being the student council president and leader of the first high team – was starting to tax on her. This was especially true since she had no desire to be around anyone else right now. Sighing, she shoved her face into one of the extremely plush pillows. Letting out a scream, muffled by the fabric, she started pounding on the bed.

Her life wasn't fair. Why did she have to be the perfect aristocratic daughter? Propping herself up on her elbows, she glared at the pillow. Imagining her father's face, she started to furiously punch the pillow, releasing her frustration. There was no reason he had to tell her this information so soon. Couldn't he have let her go on blissfully for a while longer?

She knew that her father was determined to find a suitable candidate for marriage, but that didn't mean she had to know that one was already decided upon. Shoving her face into the pillow again, she let out another scream. Why did this have to happen just as she found someone that she wanted to be with?

An image of Tatsuya flashed through her mind. She had wanted a chance to get to know him. She wanted a chance to see if he could reciprocate the feelings that she was developing for him.

"Mayumi?" her roommate's voice broke through her tantrum, startling her.

"Mari, what are you doing here?" she asked, rushing to wipe away the tears starting in her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be helping the others settle in?"

The short haired teen moved her way over to her friend and sat down beside her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she answered. "But you ran off as soon as we were given our room keys. Is everything alright?"

Mayumi tried to find something to say to Mari – something that would manage to divert the girl's attention. However, she knew that her friend would keep up. It was sort of an agreement they had. Even though things rarely got to this point, if either of them needed someone to speak to, the other would be there. And if they were turned down, they would keep harping until the other relented and spoke their mind.

The few times that they had needed to do this, the two had managed to provide suitable emotional support for each other. Mayumi could even recall feeling significantly better after their sessions.

Deciding it was worth a risk, the 18-year-old fully recomposed herself. Ready to speak, she gestured for her friend to take a seat beside her. Once Mari had found a spot, Mayumi started speaking, letting her emotions loose. Mari was a patient listener, something she always made sure to do for her, and kept quiet as the story was told. Once Mayumi had finished, her friend sat for a moment – musing on what she had been told – before responding.

"Your father has terrible timing, doesn't he?"

Staring blankly at the other girl, Mayumi felt her jaw drop. While she didn't disagree with the sentiment, she couldn't believe that Mari had decided to bring it up first. More importantly, she couldn't believe that her friend had decided to ignore the fact that she was already betrothed.

"Is that all you have to say?" Mayumi demanded; her face flushing as she once again worked herself up. "What about the fact that my father has already chosen who I'm supposed to marry, or the fact that my mother had agreed to this? Doesn't either of those facts leave an impression?"

"Of course they do," Mari countered. "I just don't know what to think of the fact. To already have a husband waiting for you, and one who is younger than you as well, is unthinkable; at least by the standards of my family. Even among the Ten Master Clans this is unusual… I think."

Mari started to go off on a tangent, but Mayumi wasn't willing to let that happen.

"You're so lucky," she said, in an attempt to refocus the conversation. "You don't have to worry about this. You've got your precious Nao all to yourself. You chose him. I don't even get the chance to see if the boy I like could like me back."

The bitterness in her tone, while stopping Mari from ranting, didn't hide the last portion of her statement from her friend. However, the short-haired girl seemed to decide against pursuing the topic, instead refocusing on Mayumi's troubles.

"Now I'm stuck with someone who I can't even guarantee I'll like. Let alone be able to stand living with for the rest of my life," Mayumi continued.

Her words seemed to be attempting to pull a joke from Mari, but the other girl stopped herself, forcibly, from speaking. Whatever it was that she had to say didn't seem to be necessary.

"Don't worry. There's got to be some way to work around this," Mari offered, placing a hand on Mayumi's shoulder.

"My father did say that there was one possibility," Mayumi said, perking up ever so slightly.

"And…" Mari beckoned for Mayumi to continue.

The other girl wasn't paying attention, instead one of her trademark grins spread across her face. Eyes alight; it was obvious that she had a plan. Sighing, Mari let the girl go about her motions. Once Mayumi got an idea, there was very little chance that she could be stopped. Not unless her father put his foot down.

Running to her luggage, Mayumi tore it open; pulling out her uniform. Stripping off her sundress, the teen slipped into the elegant uniform dress, placing the fine green overcoat on top. Making sure that the ensemble was immaculate; she put on her 'public face' and strode out of the room – as if the previous conversation never happened.

Staring at her friend, Mari fought back a sigh. Whatever First High's student council president had in mind, it was surely going to be disastrous.

End Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, here is my first attempt at a Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei fanfic. In this case, I'm writing a fic about a crack-pairing that would obviously never happen in canon (nor do I expect it to even have a chance). I just thought I'd have some fun with characters who aren't Tatsuya, and I adore Mayumi, so this kind of fell together. Anyway, events will be altered from canon slightly during the 9SC, but will get even more altered in subsequent arcs. So, this technically is an AU fic, but I have no plans to change any of the workings or structure of the magic system. If there are any questions, please feel free to PM me, I'm always willing to chat (though life may prevent me from responding quickly). Until the next chapter, which will hopefully be soon, enjoy!