The next three days went by surprisingly well. Of course, the school and the media that follows magicians in Japan were all excited about the expanded format for the Nine Schools Competition. Outside of First High's Competition Committee, news of Tatsuya not being a CAD engineer for this year had amazingly stayed confidential so far. He knew eventually, once competitors were officially informed of their nominations for particular events, there would be no way to keep the lid on his status after that. He expected it to cause at least a minor stir within First High's walls.
He had also been surprised at how well Miyuki had adjusted following her initial anger over the circumstances of his recusal. He had attempted through various gentle means to get the details of her conversation with Kouno from her. She quite skillfully prevaricated and deflected his inquiries at every turn.
"She's growing up on me."
Truthfully, her skill at hiding the details of their conversation from him was most impressive. He knew there was only one thing Miyuki would ever intentionally hide from him, and that was something she thought would be to his benefit, but that he'd also disapprove of and try to stop.
For him, he had taken an almost hands-off approach to both this and the other secret project he suspected Miyuki was working on for his benefit before the turmoil of three past days. If he were overly concerned with them at this point he would have been actively investigating himself. He generally trusted Miyuki's judgments, even when it came to him being thrust into the public eye. Since the Nine Schools Competition Committee had made it nearly impossible for him to not compete directly in events, he had already accepted that he would be on display once again to the public.
Still, he wasn't "programmed" to simply let potentially valuable information pass through his fingers with no attempt to glean it for worth.
He had resolved to try to pry the info from Izumi instead, even though she might prove just as defiant as her role model. Her admiration and loyalty to Miyuki seemed to know no bounds. Her intense interest in Miyuki also seemed to have "Sapphic" overtones to it as well, though Tatsuya doubted Izumi was truly a lesbian at heart, even for Miyuki.
The one advantage to pressing Izumi instead of Miyuki was his ability to use somewhat harsher methods, though even this had its limits. He wasn't prepared just yet to do a true interrogation of her.
He would try another method first.
"Come in!"
His knock on the door produced the expected result. Once he stepped through the doorway he was recognized by the room's previous sole occupant immediately. Her smiling and congenial features in expectation of a normal student or colleague fell away from her face like a sheet of ice coming down off a roof under the sun's warming influences.
"….oh, it's YOU! What now?"
Ono Haruka's reaction to Tatsuya's sudden appearance inside her office was somewhat mildly entertaining for him. He gave her a small smile in response.
"Seems like an odd greeting for a counselor to give to a student obviously here seeking her assistance."
Haruka rolled her eyes at him and let out a "pfft" as her initial reply to him.
"A student? We're still pretending to play 'kabuki' with each other?"
Tatsuya smirked back at her before replying.
"Are you insinuating I'm not a student? Seems irregular for one that calls herself 'counselor' to talk about 'stories' in this situation."
Another roll of her eyes occurred then.
"Something tells me you don't need my counseling skills since you've never had need of them before."
He indicated with his right hand to the free chair beside him, to which she reluctantly nodded. He then sat opposite her.
"That doesn't mean that the assistance I need from you is unrelated to my official status as a student."
A brief look of interest crossed her irritated face. She quickly recovered and threw a verbal jab at him
"Well that would be a first since you have the highest paperwork grades in school history and as a specialized magician I'm clearly unqualified to help you with your 'supposed' difficulties with systematic magic."
Tatsuya once again had been entertained by her irritation at him. He replied with a one-word question.
"Supposed?"
Haruka gave him an intense smirking grin with her response.
"A lot of people with considerably less knowledge about you than I, have long questioned the oddity that is Shiba Tatsuya. You being outed as a Yotsuba Prince has only heightened their curiosity about you."
Haruka's expression changed to perplexion in reaction to his own sudden facial changes. Then she grew wide-eyed at his reaction.
He couldn't help himself, he was laughing.
She started to get a terrified expression. Tatsuya realized he had intimidated her more with his laughter than he could have with an overt threat. He held up his right hand to try to relieve her anxiety as he recomposed himself.
"Have you considered a career as a comedian Ono-sensei?"
Irritation began to mix with fear in her facial features.
"I didn't know you were even capable of laughing."
Tatsuya grinned back at her.
"Well, when you say something as humorous as 'Yotsuba Prince' it can't be helped. That truly has to be a first for me."
He suddenly realized he might be providing Haruka with some foresight into his position, or former position, inside the family. He quickly diverted back to the topic he came to discuss before Haruka could attempt to pry an opening on him.
"Kouno Umeko?"
Haruka furrowed her brow at the sudden topic change, then the name registered with her and her features relaxed.
"The Magic University administrator? The one on the Nine Schools Committee? What about her?"
Before Tatsuya could explain to her, Haruka went off on her own tangent.
"OH! It's about what happened to you the other day!"
Tatsuya cocked his right eyebrow at her.
"To what are you referring?"
She smiled deviously back at him.
"Now we're pretending again? Just because the students outside of the school's Nine Schools Committee haven't found out yet doesn't mean the faculty isn't aware. It's been all the talk of the teacher's office since it happened. Everyone can't wait to see what events Miyuki-san puts you in."
Tatsuya rubbed the bridge of his nose in mild frustration while releasing a slight sigh.
"How vexing."
He then returned his gaze to Haruka with a question.
"How much do you know about her?"
Haruka crossed her arms and smirked at him.
"Probably less than you already do. Never met the woman before and I only read her Public Safety profile after hearing about her visit."
This was as Tatsuya expected. There was no reason for Haruka to have gone any further than this in investigating Kouno yet.
"What about her student records?"
Haruka cocked her left eyebrow at him in frustration.
"One, her records have long since been transferred to the Magic University's archives. We don't even have access here at the magic high schools after three years post-graduation without a special clearance, which I don't have. Two, she graduated top ten in her class and number one among the Course Two students. Went on to graduate with Honors from the Magic University and has worked there since graduation. Three, what do you think you could find about her outside of that, which I'm positive you already knew beforehand, in her student records?"
It was Tatsuya's turn to smirk back.
"Hopefully something more insightful than her Magic University employee profile or Public Safety dossier."
The mention of him already having access to her Public Safety dossier made Haruka's face twist. He also could hear the bones in her back pop as she straightened herself in her chair.
"Well…..if that's the case why come to me? I know you have at least two friends with better access to information gathering than Public Safety can muster."
Haruka was generalizing based on her vague knowledge of his associations with the military. He thought she was unaware that he knew about her brief encounter with Kyouko at the Yokohama Thesis Competition. Even still, he was certain the mental image of the famed "Electron Sorceress" was in her mind as she said those words to him.
As a fellow student of Yakumo-sensei, he had thought she'd know better than to think he'd take such a trivial matter to their mutual teacher. She probably thought Tatsuya's relationship to Yakumo was more personable than it really was.
"Since this is about a high school competition and not anything more immediate, I thought I'd give it to you instead; since you are a high school counselor, right?"
Haruka pouted at his words. He had just basically told her this task wasn't important enough for his better-connected associates. Still, after a brief silence, her curiosity finally won out.
"What do you want to know about the woman?"
He shook his head in response.
"I'm more interested in her agenda than her personal details. Specifically, I want to know the part she played in formulating this year's competition format, my removal as a CAD engineer, and anything else related to those two topics."
Haruka twisted her mouth up with an ugly face in response. Sarcasm dripped from her words.
"You don't want much, do you? I'll practically have to become the woman's new best friend to get close to those types of answers."
Tatsuya again shook his head as he replied.
"Since your public persona is well known in association with this high school; that would be unnecessary exposure for both of us. I'd recommend using your famed skills as 'The Phantom Lady' to simply get closer to the documentation."
Her irritation was plain to see on her face.
"Either way I don't care about your methods so long as they cannot be traced back to us. So, do we have an understanding?"
Haruka turned her swivel chair ninety degrees away from him. Her arms were still crossed and an aloof pout on her face.
"What's in it for me?"
Tatsuya couldn't help but grin. Haruka had become almost as predictable as Miyuki to him. He still had a hard time imagining this person being a covert surveillance operative; but given her unique magic skills, if she were as dedicated to covert surveillance as she claimed to be devoted to student counseling, she would be a serious threat to anyone seeking to maintain security.
He laughed a bit again before replying.
"Isn't the gratitude of a….'Yotsuba Prince' reward enough?"
She still couldn't make out why her previous phrase had entertained him so much. He certainly wasn't going to explain it to her. She cut her eyes at him in irritation but her continued confusion couldn't be totally hidden.
"…..hardly!"
"So predictable."
"Alright, how about I completely forget that attempt by you during the Yokohama Thesis Competition to figure out Miyuki and my private affairs?"
A sudden flash of surprise and shock was quickly followed by denial.
"No idea what you're talking about."
He smirked again at her.
"Of course you don't. I do believe this will also mean that I will owe you a favor of equal or lessor value in the future as well. Pursuant to the actual value of the information you find."
Her left eyebrow raised slightly as did the corners of her mouth but she quickly corrected her facial features.
"When do you want the info by?"
Tatsuya got up from his seat and straightened his clothes before replying.
"As soon as possible, but no later than two weeks from today. Is that agreeable?
She turned her chair back to face him. He noted her clothes were still somewhat revealing compared to average women's work attire, but conservative enough to not be offensive. Clearly, she had given up on her attempts to make young men uncomfortable and thus more vulnerable to her questioning techniques sometime during the past two years.
She sighed heavily as she replied.
"…I guess."
"Excellent, then I will see you then."
He turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.
As he walked down the hall a grin seeped across his face.
"'Yotsuba Prince', now that is an entertaining notion!"
His second period visit to Ono had not interfered with his studies. He was well ahead in all his courses. As a student council member, he was also permitted unrestricted movement around the school even during class periods. In this regard being on the council provided some convenience, but in general, he still judged the tradeoff in time was disproportionately distorted against any added minor benefits.
No one in the engineering class asked him his business since it was not unusual for a student council member to leave and return. Most welcomed him back with simple nods as they continued on with their assignments. Tatsuya had found himself foisted into a leadership position in the engineering class since its inception. This was something he accepted as natural since Miyuki and Mayumi had lobbied Momoyama for the course following Tatsuya's critical part in CAD engineering at his first Nine Schools Competition. In its second year, and with him on the side lines, the engineering class would get to prove its true value in this year's events.
He was confident in their success. His secret replacement as head of CAD engineering for this year was not as confident.
Mizuki had merely greeted his return as her normal and perky self. She was a bit more frazzled than usual since she now secretly bore the responsibility of heading the entire engineering team. Tatsuya had resolved to help her as much as he could without violating the "spirit" of his recusal promise. When he informed Miyuki of his intentions she asked him to apply as "loose" of a definition on his recusal as he was comfortable with and if he had doubts she volunteered to be his sounding board on it.
Tatsuya suspected that Miyuki would apply a considerably less "tight" definition on his recusal than he ever would.
Still, he would help Mizuki and the other engineers as best he could, within the confines of his recusal. Since he was now the strategy chief he had no choice but to consult directly with the new engineering chief constantly. He hoped this would alleviate Mizuki's concerns.
Smith-sensei left class as usual midway through the second period. She had arranged her schedule so she could teach during first period and consult during the first half of second period. Then she'd spend the next two periods overseeing the second year engineering class before returning for a supplemental lesson during fifth period and consultations during sixth. It was during third and fourth period that students worked on their assignments and assisted each other with projects.
Since the announcement of his engineering recusal in this year's competition had not been publicly announced yet, there was a limit on what Tatsuya could discuss with Mizuki on that topic in front of the other engineering students. Other students also vied for Tatsuya's help during this time as well.
He was able to get some discussion in with Mizuki during third period, but was surprised when she told him she had something else she needed to handle during fourth period. He was gentleman enough not to pry, even though she looked more frazzled than before.
He spent the rest of the period helping others and avoiding upsetting Hirakawa as much as possible. He was clearly the top engineering student at First High, but the distinction between Hirawaka and Mizuki for second place among the third year engineers was only in specialties. Hirakawa had always been a hardware specialist, though she had worked hard to improve her understanding of magic theory and sequence building techniques. Mizuki's strengths were the exact opposite of Hirakawa's and that was the primary reason Tatsuya had recommended her over Hirakawa for chief engineer.
The other reason was that Hirakawa, who still bore a grudge against Tatsuya from their first Nine School's Competition, would have a very hard time working with Miyuki, who allowed no one to have a negative opinion of him.
Tomitsuka was just behind Mizuki and Hirakawa in the class, but since he would compete directly in at least one event, Shield Down, he wasn't considered for a leadership of the engineering team. He would provide engineering support but not near his competition date.
Either way, Hirakawa's hardware skills were vital to First High's success this year, so her reaction once everyone knows the full details of his exclusion will be important. She might be happy to no longer have to work under him directly, but she also might be offended at having been overlooked for the chief position. If pure talent alone were the only criteria than Tatsuya would have nominated Kent, but promoting a second year over his third year fellows might also have opened unneeded conflicts as well.
"Mayumi would have done it though."
He surprised himself with that errant, yet truthful thought. She would have plowed through any opposition to achieve her objectives, while convincing her opponents it was their idea and smiling them into blissful submission to her will. It was one of her more extraordinary, if also somewhat inconvenient, qualities. Why he suddenly thought of her and what she would have done in a similar situation wasn't something he thought was worth serious examination at this time.
Tatsuya found Erika and Leo at the end of fourth period and they walked to the dining hall together. If Mikihiko wasn't too busy with Public Morals work he would eventually find his way to their table as well. Tatsuya knew that Miyuki and Honoka (Shizuku probably joining them) had a planned lunch meeting with Igarashi and Tomitsuka in the student council room, so he wouldn't see them till halfway through the lunch period.
Erika seemed surprised when Tatsuya informed her Mizuki had other business to attend to.
"That's odd, she didn't say anything to me about it."
Leo smirked down at her.
"Do you expect her to tell you everything?"
Erika beamed back up at him with a sweet smile on her face. Tatsuya and Leo both knew instantly that a word dagger was on its way to Leo.
"One who has such trouble forming and understanding words should allow those who can comprehend to have their conversation in peace. Watch and learn!"
Erika turned away with a pleased smirk on her face and Leo scowled down at her in anger.
"Why YOU!"
The familiar play his two friends acted out with each other on an almost minute-by-minute basis had become like an old friend to Tatsuya as well. He wouldn't recognize either as Erika or Leo if they didn't do this constantly with each other. He thought he understood Leo's motivation in his interactions with Erika. Maybe Miyuki was also right about Erika's feelings toward Leo. Still seemed like a weird way to him of showing even friendly affection for each other, but somehow it worked for these two.
After gathering their trays the three took their normal places. Even though it was now rare for the whole group to gather as one in the dining hall, this table had long been established as theirs. The underclassmen that have mistakenly tried to question this arrangement had met with Erika's swift and sure judgment against them for the past two Aprils. Even in their final year and despite differing schedules, this table now undeniably belonged to their group of friends until graduation day.
Mikihiko soon arrived with his own tray. When Erika informed him that Mizuki apparently had better things to do for lunch than wait on him to finally make a move on her, Mikihiko replied with his usual embarrassed anger, but Tatsuya detected no real surprise from him. If Mikihiko knew Mizuki's business beforehand he didn't offer that info as a lunch topic.
About halfway through the lunch period Tatsuya had finished his food and announced he was leaving. It was implied that he would go to the student council room as usual and see if Miyuki's lunch meeting was over. To his surprise, a relatively nervous looking Mikihiko jumped up in response.
"Um…..WAIT!"
Tatsuya wasn't the only one to blink at him with confusion.
"I need to….um…..talk to you about…..um…something."
Tatsuya calmly raised his left eyebrow as he responded.
"What can I help you with?"
They both lowered back into their seats and Mikihiko seemed relieved for a moment. Then the nervousness returned.
Seeing Mikihiko's state, Erika's interest naturally peaked upward.
"OHHHH! This must be a good one, look at that face! Is Miki finally going to get some manly advice on how to approach Mizuki-chan?"
Both Leo and Mikihiko looked at her with different levels of irritation before Mikihiko began searching aimlessly for words again.
"Um…..I wanted to ask you about….um….something about the…The Nine Schools Competition!"
He seemed relieved to have found a plausible topic. Suddenly Tatsuya became concerned. It appeared that Mikihiko didn't have a real topic to discuss.
"Why is he attempting to delay me?"
"We can't discuss the details yet in front of non-committee members. The gag order is still in effect as far as I know."
Mikihiko cringed at Tatsuya's obviously correct assessment. Erika had a devious smirk on her face as Mikihiko searched in vain for a plausible response.
"Hey Miki, you can still ask him about manning-up and asking Mizuki-chan out on a date!"
"You ever thought about minding your own business?"
Leo was quick with a jab, but Erika as always had a counter-strike waiting for him.
"You ever think about taking a bath?"
"Why YOU!"
All the while Tatsuya never took his eyes off a nervous-looking Mikihiko.
Suddenly the sound of static was heard coming from the speakers in the dining hall that had previously been playing low-level background music. This was matched by the sudden appearance of static on the monitors around the hall. These displays normally were set to a combination of a national or local news broadcast with scrolling school info along the right side of the screen. Usually the accompanying sound was not from the broadcast, but loop elevator music instead. In this age authorities had the ability to even turn on broadcasting devices through the emergency broadcast signal. This worked for both audio/visual and audio-only devices.
The emergency broadcast signal was normally a smooth transition from the regular broadcast, and accompanied on visual devices by a color coded flashing symbol to indicate the type of emergency. The presence of static indicated a failure of the broadcast signal, or it could be….
"Is it on now?"
…an intrusion into the broadcast system.
The image of a beautiful young woman looking off to her right side for confirmation appeared on the screens. Half the eyes of the students in the dining hall suddenly turned to face Tatsuya. The other half were naturally mesmerized by the perfection they saw on the screens, even though most saw that beautiful face on a daily basis.
"…MIYUKI?"
He turned an angry eye back towards the previously prevaricating Mikihiko. Mikihiko wouldn't initially match his gaze. When their eyes finally met he was obviously uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry….she's very difficult to say 'no' to."
Tatsuya turned back to Miyuki's visage on the screen as she nodded to the person she had been talking to off screen and finally graced the viewers with her direct beauty. Tatsuya admitted to himself that Mikihiko was right. It was very hard to tell Miyuki "no".
"For those of you who don't already know me, I am Shiba Miyuki, Student Council President at National Magic University Affiliated First High School."
Tatsuya was already moving towards the exit as Miyuki spoke these words. More eyes followed his form as he moved out of the hall; Mikihiko, Erika and Leo hot on his heels. Erika's excitement too obvious as she called behind him.
"OHHHH! This IS going to be good!"
Miyuki's words followed them out into the hallways of First High as Tatsuya moved with intent. Her broadcast was being piped through the sound system as well. The random students in the hallways during lunch had gathered near the monitor displays at the hallway intersections. The sudden appearance of Tatsuya's group caused an additional stir as they passed by in obvious haste.
"I have the pleasure to not only address the students at all nine of the Magic University Affiliated High Schools, but also those of you viewing from the National Magic University itself as well as select media outlets that cover magic news in our nation."
As they passed Miyuki's image on another display Tatsuya called back to Mikihiko.
"What is she planning?"
"I don't know. I swear I didn't know anything about….this. She asked me to keep you in the dining hall. I thought she was going to surprise you with a gift or something."
"A few days ago we, like the other eight magic high school student councils and club management groups, received information about the format for this year's Nine Schools Competition."
Tatsuya believed him. Miyuki knew Tatsuya well enough to not risk damaging his friendship with Mikihiko by doing something risky with herself and asking Mikihiko to cover it up.
"And I was just thinking this morning how predictable she is. That's my mistake."
"I of course will let your own student leadership reveal most of the details to you in their own good time."
Leo called out to Tatsuya from behind him.
"Shouldn't we be heading to the broadcast room?"
Erika answered for him.
"Too obvious! With modern technology you can do something like this with your hand terminal."
"Miyuki would never make it that easy for me."
"What I want to talk with you about was the special circumstances related to how we, at First High, received our information packet this year."
The beaming glow of Miyuki's smile never faltered.
Mikihiko asked Tatsuya the next question.
"Then what are we going to do? Where are we going?"
Erika smiled back at him and answered for Tatsuya.
"We're going to the bottleneck of course! She's obviously broadcasting this outside of the school to the other schools."
Leo had a sudden spark of understanding.
"We're going after the satellite dishes on the roof?"
"See, even a blockhead like him could figure it out!"
"Why YOU!"
"Some of you may initially consider this a form of unfair favoritism towards First High from the National Magic University. You see we had our Nine Schools Competition packet hand-delivered to us by Magic University Competition Committee officials."
Erika had devised Tatsuya's intentions precisely. He had already found Miyuki's location using Elemental Sight. She was exactly where she said she'd be, in the student council room and surrounded by other students. If Tatsuya had tried to interrupt her at the source it was possible to turn into an incident that might even be partially broadcast to the outside world before he could end it successfully.
"Believe me when I say they showed us no favoritism in doing so. Instead they came to tell us of something heinous and foul. They told us of anonymous back-door maneuverings and nameless cowards making baseless threats."
Miyuki knew her time on air was limited, she was crafting a message for her audience that could be delivered before Tatsuya could stop her. In response he moved into a run. His surprised companions soon followed his example.
"We were reluctant to believe that any of our fellow magic students would ever stoop to such under-hand tactics as low as these to achieve a perceived competitive advantage against us."
Tatsuya turned hard at another hallway corner, stepping against the wall to alter his trajectory. All three of his companions slid sideways as they tried to keep up.
"Yet the evidence speaks for itself. We don't know how many or which of your student councils were involved in crafting this filth, but we know it was at least five of the other high schools since we were told it was a majority. We know at least five and maybe all eight of your student councils threatened to boycott this year's competition. All because of ONE First High student. ONE."
"Is that true?"
Leo's question was answered by a nodding Mikihiko. Erika only looked at him with irritation.
"As if she'd say that on a national broadcast if it weren't true? You dummy!"
"Hey! I was just asking!"
Tatsuya turned then to head up the stairwell. He used magic to bounce up to each platform at a time. Mikihiko followed his example; but Erika and Leo, not being on a committee that allowed its members to have their CADs during class, were forced to take the steps behind them.
"Are you so afraid of HIM and his superb talents that you'd compromise your honor to get him out of contention? Are you so cowardly to try to get him disqualified from the shadows for something that isn't even a violation of the rules? Are you so pathetic that you actually think you can beat First High even if he didn't compete? The sad and pathetic answer to all of these questions is yes."
Now using acceleration magic to streak down the central building hallway, had Tatsuya continued forward he would have reached the student council room in mere seconds.
"The National Magic University Affiliated High Schools' Goodwill Competition? Laughable! Your underhanded attempts to rob him of his rightful place on our team, render any 'Goodwill' that once existed between our schools null and void. He is so honorable, so above you, that to prevent complications for his fellow students and the Magic University he agreed to not compete as a CAD engineer in this year's competition, despite having done absolutely nothing in violation of the rules."
Instead Tatsuya stopped in front of a locked doorway. The Public Morals Chief recognized the doorway immediately.
"We're going to go to the equipment landing on top of the central hall?"
"I will now patiently outline to you your student councils' egregious mistakes that will cause you no end of frustration and shame. Your first mistake was thinking you could achieve anything by getting him out of the CAD tent in relation to you substandard engineering skills. Every student on our engineering team has worked beside of and with him."
Mikihiko said the obvious next.
"Even I don't have the keys to this door."
Erika and Leo stepped up behind him panting.
"They have all benefited from his skills and knowledge. You couldn't put together an all-star team from all eight of your high schools and hope to compete against our engineering squad, even without him. It was blatant foolishness on your parts to assume otherwise."
Tatsuya burst through the door with ease and went forward. His three companions looked on in surprise before following him again.
"Your second and even more significant mistake was freeing him from CAD duties. You have unleashed him upon yourselves in open competition! Have you forgotten his team's triumph in the newcomer's monolith code two years ago, against your best first years?"
At the back of the room was the staircase leading up to the roof where the wireless communication equipment for the high school resided. Once again Tatsuya leaped the whole distance to the top platform.
"Three of our Course Two students took on your best and brightest first years and laid your plans of victory to dust and ash. Now you have released him, in his final year, against your competitors in multiple competitions. Do you really think you stand a chance in any event he is in? How sad and delusional of you."
He had been in such a hurry to try to stop at least some part of the broadcast that he hadn't bothered to use Elemental Sight after initially identifying Miyuki's position.
"Speaking of superlative Course Two students, before I explain your greatest mistake I have a challenge to issue. I call out now to the only two schools that even have a chance to compete with us this year."
By the time he realized the door to the roof was unusually unlocked, he had already twisted the handle and pushed forward. His mild surprise at this development wasn't as fast as his already initiated motion.
"I don't know if either of your two schools were involved in this shameful debacle, and it doesn't matter. To me you are all suspect. All nine schools have all been granted additional competitors this year."
It took only milliseconds for the warm midday air of June to hit him, and only a few more milliseconds for his eyes to start to focus under the intensity of the sunlight.
"It has always been said that First High's Course Two students would be Course One students at the other magic high schools. Given the chance to prove this assertion beyond doubt, we intend to fill all twenty of the additional spots with our superlative Course Two students."
There before his refocusing eyes was his objective, a small tower with several satellite dishes projecting from it.
"If Second and Third High Schools have the courage to match us in this than do so, or don't. It will reflect on you either way, but we are already assured of victory."
He didn't need to decompose the dishes or the tower. He only needed to decompose a section of the trunk line that electronically connected the broadcasting equipment to the lines in the building and Miyuki's broadcast would end immediately beyond First High itself.
"You cowardly faceless dogs, go enjoy your Pyric Victory these next two months. Wrap yourselves in the belief you have accomplished something by your fiendish and desperate acts, since it will all turn to failure soon enough."
Yet even at the moment of success his own failure was finally revealed. Had he used Elemental Sight beforehand he might have been able to decompose the cable without visually seeing it.
"You have no idea what you have unleashed upon yourselves by your heinously foolish actions, but you soon enough will."
Soon after his friends joined him from behind and discovered what he had just learned. They were not alone on the roof.
"I will now conclude by explaining your greatest mistake in attacking First High's honor and reputation. I will explain the ultimate fallacy behind your pathetic and despicably underhanded actions."
Tsuzura-sensei, Smith-sensei and Yaosaka-sensei all looked back at them in various states of amusement. Miyuki's broadcast blaring from one of their hand-held terminals.
"I underestimated your foresight my beautiful imoute. I have become too predictable to you it would seem."
"Your greatest mistake?"
"My loving and beautiful 'blind spot'."
"You came after my family. You came after the man I love."
Smith smiled at her pupil benignly.
"Need some help Tatsuya-kun?"
"You have thus unleashed my unlimited wrath upon you."
Tatsuya smirked back at her as his three companions stared in shock at the unexpected group of teachers before them.
"No thank you Smith-sensei, it appears we came here by mistake."
"I will not rest until you fully understand the awesome gravity of your mistake."
Yaosaka smiled at him next.
"Well then you should go back down. Students aren't allowed on this roof space."
Tatsuya bowed in reply and turned around. His friends followed his example and they returned down the steps they had just ascended.
"First High will, on the field of OPEN competition, turn your hopes and dreams of victory into bitter ashes."
As they emerged back into the hallway, they were close enough to a hallway monitor to witness Miyuki's closing remarks.
"And you will watch in your collective shame as my Tatsuya raises the First High banner up high over your heads, for the fifth year in a row, over your broken schemes and dashed hopes of magic glory."
His three friends were not the only persons in the hallway to have their eyes glued to Tatsuya at that moment. A second later the broadcast cut out and after a little more static the previous news broadcast and scrolling info resumed in its place. Tatsuya closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh out.
Once he opened his eyes again he calmly turned in the direction of the student council room, his companions followed behind him.
When her image first crossed the monitors in the dining hall it was as if the world had stopped rotating on its axis. All eyes naturally flowed to her no matter what the situation.
Having her exquisite visage suddenly facing them from multiple screens was more beauty than anyone should ever be allowed to see in one lifetime.
To his surprise, nearly half the eyes in the room, mostly the girls, started drifting toward him though.
Yet despite the power of her beauty her subsequent words soon overwhelmed even her Aphrodite-like powers.
As she continued on, ever smiling, ever inviting and polite in her manners and grace, her words became even more shocking and sharp.
As she laid her acquisitions and challenges at their feet the tension in the room rose to a boiling point.
Despite everyone's shock and dismay at her implications against them, it was these words that struck him the hardest.
"You came after the man I love."
She landed the knock-out blow against him following that statement.
"My Tatsuya."
Hearing these words from her beautiful lips, in her melodic voice; was like she was plunging a knife into him and twisting it for good measure. The old wounds of unrequited love felt fresh to him once again.
As the screen went blank and the normal broadcast resumed, the tension that had been boiling before began to overflow.
"What the hell was that?"
"Who does she think she is?"
"How dare she make these baseless acquisitions against us?"
"We'd never do anything like that!"
His fellow students' words buffeted his ears but he didn't hear them. Having risen to his feet when her image first appeared, he now sunk in his seat defeated. His shock and despair surely showed on his face.
Everything around him seemed to be in fury now, but he was in the "eye of the Typhoon" at that moment.
The closest sound he could hear seemed to be coming from his right side, but even the words of his best friend weren't reaching his consciousness.
Seeing Masaki in a state of stupor was a shock to Kichijouji. He hadn't seen this look on his face since the moment he almost accidentally killed Tatsuya in Monolith Code two years ago.
"Well, it is about HER though."
Whatever reaction his friend was having at that moment was completely different than the angry voices now aimed in their direction. Questions had stopped flowing from random mouths in random directions and had started to be aimed pointedly at Third High's Student Council President and the head of their Club Management Group.
"What the hell is your 'girlfriend' talking about Masaki?"
"What the hell is going on Jouji?"
"Surely we aren't a part of this?"
Wherever Masaki's mind was at this moment was not the same place as his body. Masaki was in no state to provide assistance at this moment. Kichijouji had to act fast to contain this or it would turn into a full-scale riot.
"That Yotsuba bitch has a lot of nerve!"
"How dare they! We're going to kick their asses!"
"If she were here now I'd smash her face through the window!"
He was surprised to realize that most of the angriest shouts were from the female students. It was hard for a man to get angry at someone as beautiful as Shiba Miyuki. Even Kichijouji admitted to himself that she probably would be able to sell him ice in a Hokkaido winter. Still, the ladies' pure vitriolic reaction to Miyuki accusing them of under-handed dealings surprised even him.
One woman present was conspicuously silent. The expression on Airi's face sitting across the table from them was almost unreadable. She simply stared at Masaki's blank expression with a look he could only describe as near revulsion.
"Why am I drifting at a time like this?"
Kichijouji jumped up onto his seat, flung his hand in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"SHUT-UP!...AND LISTEN!"
Every eye fell on him as the cacophony died down. Even Masaki seemed to have been broken out of his thoughts at last.
"Number one! We had nothing to do with this! Whatever and whoever she's saying did these things, it didn't involve US! We would never try to win that way! The honor of Third High is sacred to all of us! No one here is afraid of Shiba Tatsuya! Not in the CAD tent or on the field of competition!"
Intently nodding heads and voices of agreement sprang forth after this. Kichijouji allowed them a brief moment before continuing.
"Number two! No one and I do mean NO ONE besmirches our honor and gets away with it! Not only will I, as your student council president, draft a video response to Shiba Miyuki's accusations. We'll also accept her challenge as well! Third High Course Two students are the equals or better of any First High can put out! We'll fill those twenty extra spots and we'll win this year's competition with ease!"
Uproarious cheers filled the dining hall, every voice exclaiming their faith in Third High's coming victory. If their shouts couldn't be heard across the mountains and all the way to Hachioji, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Even Kichijouji had to admire his own work. In two short statements, he had defused a riot and turned it into positive energy to build a winning spirit of determination in his classmates.
Masaki, now fully recovered, stood up next to Kichijouji and threw his arm around his shoulder. Then he made his own proclamation to the assembly.
"Behind our leader, President Kichijouji Shinkurou, we will march forward to victory in this year's Nine Schools Competition!"
Kichijouji didn't think the cheers could get even louder than before, but now he saw the error in his assumption. Every heart in Third High was bursting with school pride. He hoped that energy could be maintained and focused all through the coming competition.
Suddenly a blur whirled up in front of them both.
Airi had leaped onto their table with ease. She turned with authority to those assembled and shouted out in her fury.
"AND I WILL FACE THE YOTSUBA PRINCESS IN EVERY EVENT SHE ENTERS! I WILL TAKE HER DREAMS OF VICTORY AND TURN THEM TO ASHES! I'LL TAKE THOSE ASHES AND SHOVE THEM DOWN HER SLENDER LITTLE THROAT!"
Masaki and Kichijouji exchanged a look that could only be described as "oh damn". The acclimation her fury demanded in return was awarded in spades. Singlehandedly she had returned the room back into a state of riot. Somewhere in the back of the crowd trays were being thrown around.
Then her flaming eyes feel on Masaki. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her with unyielding authority. Even Kichijouji couldn't have expected what came next. Masaki's eyes were as big as saucers as Airi's mouth came into contact with his own. She used her free hand to grasp his hair behind his head and pulled him into her kiss even deeper.
Every voice rang out with surprised approval.
The pitch of the shouts went higher as the females watching shouted encouragement to Airi.
"AI-RI! AI-RI! AI-RI! AI-RI!"
Instinctively Masaki's arms wrapped behind the small of Airi's back and he closed his eyes and naturally accepted a beautiful woman's kiss.
Suddenly the tone lowered back to normal as the males matched the females' shouts of approval.
"MA-SA-KI! MA-SA-KI! MA-SA-KI! MA-SA-KI!"
"AI-RI! AI-RI! AI-RI! AI-RI!"
All Kichijouji could do was look on in wonder and amazement.
When they finally broke apart Masaki still looked stunned and gasped briefly for air. Airi, on the other hand, wore the assured face of victory. With one arm behind each others' backs, they both raised their fists high. Airi shout out again to the general acclamation of all present.
"FOR THIRD HIGH! AND VICTORY!"
Kichijouji, as student council president, couldn't stand aside at a moment like this. He stepped on the table and grabbed a hold of Airi's upraised fist while raising his free hand high, clinched as well. He repeated her words again as everyone cheered.
"THIRD HIGH AND VICTORY!"
The three basked in the adulation of their fellow students. Then he heard Airi whisper to Masaki's ear.
"And I will finally convince you that the Yotsuba Princess is unworthy of you."
He locked eyes with her then. His mildly surprised look was returned by her unyielding determination. She turned back to the cheering crowd with her confident smile plastered wide. Masaki and Kichijouji then looked to each other. Masaki's eyes looked for an appeal option from his friend. All Kichijouji could do for him was look back at him with sympathy.
His eyes and slight smile indicated to his stunned friend that there was no helping it.
Well before the surprise broadcast had ended, the numerous collective pairs of eyes in the food commons of the National Magic University had begun to drift toward their table.
Now it seemed all eyes in the great hall were on them.
Azusa did her best to try to retract her head into her shirt. Suzune calmly began to finish her lunch. Mari, visiting from the National Defense College for lunch like every Friday, had her arms crossed with a surprised smirk on her face. As usual, she seemed oblivious to the probing stares now directed their way.
Mayumi could not simply ignore the stares like her friend. The usually bustling commons was as quiet at a temple at midnight. Mayumi was a Saegusa, a well-known public figure in Japanese magic society. Her place as a previous First High student council president was surely well known to almost everyone present. Her association with Shiba Miyuki and her former brother were almost as equally well known.
All eyes in the large glass-roofed hall began to fall on her alone. She could feel them penetrating her with their questioning looks. Slowly at first, the whispers began. Within moments the excited talk reached a level of volume that well exceeded the normal.
In this place sat graduates of all nine of this country's magic high schools, and her protégé and eventual successor at First High had just called the majority of the people here's Alma Maters dens of under-hand fiends, and on what appeared to be nation-wide television.
Mayumi had made friends of several of her previous acquaintances from the other eight high schools in her brief time here. She was glad to see none of their faces at this moment though since as friends they'd have questions for her about what just happened.
Questions she had no answers for.
Her status as a scion of one of the Ten Master Clans was enough to keep the questions of these strangers to between themselves and not aimed at her. It was not enough to keep their eyes off her table and person though.
"Well look how our little blossom has bloomed!"
Mayumi sent a bewildered expression toward Mari. As she had suspected, Mari was either oblivious to their present situation or had no concern for it. Knowing Mari, it was both.
"Perhaps we should finish and go as quickly as possible. There seems to be an increased amount of attention towards us at the moment."
Suzune, as usual, was the voice of sound reason. Azusa's head bounced up and down in silent agreement to her suggestion.
Mari was about to interject, undoubtedly proclaiming her complete lack of concern with what everybody around them thought when Mayumi made a decisive statement of her own.
"Even though I think Rin-chan's advice is sound, I refuse to be moved from this spot by their simple curiosity. No matter how rude."
She was a Saegusa after all. She had to uphold the family reputation as well as her own.
"Here, here!"
Mari's agreement was a little too loud, just as she had undoubtedly planned it to be. Even more curious eyes swarmed towards them in response.
Mayumi cocked her eyebrow in irritation as Mari smirked back self-satisfied at her.
"That doesn't mean we need to draw undue attention to ourselves either Mari-chan."
"Pfft" was Mari's sincere and heartfelt reply. As much as Mayumi being a known member of the powerful Saegusa family, Mari in her cadet uniform may also be helping to keep the onlookers at bay. It wasn't uncommon to see the National Defense College uniform in the halls of the National Magic University; but combined with Mari's naturally powerful aura and her devil-may-care attitude, she may well be equally intimidating potential questioners away at the moment.
"Only Juumonji-kun or….HIM could pull that trick off better."
"The one thing we don't have right now are details to give anyone if they were to find the courage to ask us."
"That's right Rin-chan."
Only a small flash of aggravation crossed Suzune's face at her nickname being used by Mayumi. By now she realized that it was far beyond her abilities to stop its usage.
"What we need are details, A-chan!"
Like the tiny squirrel she reminded others of constantly, poor Azusa jumped at her suddenly being the center of attention.
"Um…yes Pres…..um….Mayumi-san?"
"Give Miyuki a call this afternoon and find out all you can about this. This could cause a lot of friction here at the University so we need to be ready for….."
"Hold up."
Mari stopping Mayumi mid-proclamation wasn't unusual in the least. This time she added a hand, palm out, to add emphasis.
"Why are you getting poor A-chan to call her? Why aren't you calling her?"
Mayumi could feel her cheeks warming a bit.
"Damn it Mari, you know why!"
Everyone at this table knew why really, but Mayumi didn't want to say it out loud. Words have power and speaking them makes things she didn't want to deal with seem way too real and too close to her. Miyuki was groomed by Mayumi to be her eventual successor as First High student council president. Azusa, of course, held the position last year, but it was in name only, Miyuki and Tatsuya were already firmly in control and Mayumi knew Azusa had been glad of it.
Miyuki was Mayumi's true protégé and Mayumi was Miyuki's student council sensei in a very real sense. Right now Miyuki was grooming Mayumi's little sister in the exact same way.
Everything between them had changed in January though. The two women had barely spoken since, not that they had much reason to. Mayumi blamed her father for the unnecessary tension that existed between them now; but even if he hadn't proposed Mayumi as a marriage alternative for Tatsuya, she still would have felt awkward anyway. She liked to tell herself it was because she knew them as siblings and seeing them as a couple would be too weird for her.
"Silly Chichi, all because of THAT woman!"
At least that's what she wanted to tell herself. The truth was a bit more complicated than just that though.
"Well….I….It's just that….um. A-chan was working directly with Miyuki just a few months ago."
Mayumi smiled at finding an answer that satisfied her and got her off the hook. She was taken back down a few notches to see her three best friends looking back at her in various states of pity.
"I'll call her Mayumi-san."
Azusa finally rescued Mayumi from the awkward situation.
"Thank you very much A-chan!"
As soon as Mayumi finished her statement to Azusa she turned a nasty look at a smirking Mari.
"Well, she sure is something, isn't she?"
All four of them turned in surprise at the arrival of an unexpected person beside their table.
"Oh, it's you sempai! Please join us."
The pretty young woman joined the other four beauties already seated at the table.
"So, that's Shiba Miyuki? I had heard you all talking about her, but seeing her in action. WOW!"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Mayumi agreed as well, but for some reason, it made her uncomfortable to acknowledge Miyuki's obvious gifts. For some reason, it felt too much like giving up on...something, but she couldn't explain why she'd feel that way at all or what that 'something' was.
They were friends after all, not rivals. What did they have to fight over after all?
"I can see why you wanted her in our old seat at the head of the table. That one's not afraid to stomp on a hornet's nest is she?"
"She's a fierce thing to behold when she's aroused, especially when it comes to her 'Onii-same'."
Mari didn't fail to send Mayumi a smirking look after making her statement. Mayumi hoped Mari could read the "killing" intent in the look she sent back to her.
"Well it's to be expected in a Yotsuba, right? You said her 'Onii-sama', but isn't he her fiancé? I heard they were really cousins and that being siblings was just a cover."
"Well…um…they actually thought…that they…..were brother and sister. They didn't know."
Azusa had been one year too young to have known their sempai while at First High. She had groomed Mayumi to be her successor as student council president in the same way Mayumi had done for Miyuki. Azusa had only known her since attending the Magic University, but these two former First High student council presidents had become comfortable with each other surprisingly quickly.
"Wow, and now they're supposed to marry? And they're OK with this?"
"Miyuki-san and Tatsuya-san have always seemed to be more to each other than just siblings. Perhaps they had an inkling of their intended future status with each other."
As always Suzune had the tempered and moderate response.
"Hell, Miyuki is as bro-con as it gets! I think we all knew from day one that Tatsuya was the center of the 'Miyuki-verse'. She's happy as a kitten in cream to be marrying him."
As usual, Mari had heaps of hyperbole in her answer.
This was Mayumi's true thoughts on the matter, but everyone at the table suddenly looked at her in confusion. Both Suzune and Mari seemed to also be somewhat ashamed.
"Are you alright Mayumi-chan?"
Her sempai's words caught her a little off-guard.
"Um, yes….of course. Why?"
Mari suddenly took a handkerchief out and wiped Mayumi's left cheek. The action surprised Mayumi at first, but then she felt the dampness between her skin and the cloth.
"What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Oh my! Please forgive me."
Mayumi plastered her smiling mask on her face for her four companions. It didn't seem to fool any of them.
"I must be more tired than I realized. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night I'm afraid."
She took the handkerchief offered her from Mari's hand and dabbed lightly beneath both eyes with her smile beaming forth along with flushed cheeks.
"Well you don't have any Saturday classes, right? You can probably skip the afternoon sessions and get some rest for next week?"
Mayumi smiled back at her sempai before replying.
"Oh I think I can make it till the end today. Just needed a break I think."
"Well good, but remember, there's no need to push yourself too hard!"
"Sound advice sempai."
Everyone nodded in response. A few moments later Mari pointed out the eyes in the room still on them.
"You'd think they had never seen four First High student council presidents in one day before."
All five of them laughed lightly in amusement.
"So, do we have any details yet?"
They all shook their heads no in response.
"I assume we're going to find out though?"
They all nodded in response.
"Azusa has graciously volunteered to call Miyuki today for the details."
"Um…good. Could make things ugly with the rest of the natives."
In reply to Mayumi's answer, their sempai also cast a nonchalant hand across the dining commons as those attempting to appear not to be watching suddenly turned away.
"But if push comes to shove, we won't let anyone besmirch our Alma Mater's reputation."
More nods of agreement met their sempai's words.
"Our next class begins in ten minutes and I believe Mari needs to be getting back as well."
Suzune's statement of fact brought them all back to the real reason they were here together in the first place.
Mari looked at her chronometer in frustration.
"Damn, already this late?"
"If you leave now we can see you off at the station."
Mari smiled back at Mayumi's kind gesture as she took back the handkerchief.
"No, I'll see you all tomorrow anyway. Bye for now."
The other four called back their farewells to Mari as she dashed down the hall that led out of the commons and on to the university cabinet station.
"We'd best get going as well. Um, sempai?"
As she asked her question Mayumi looked worryingly out towards the others gathered in this public space that still were staring and whispering among themselves about what had transpired minutes before.
"We don't want to leave you alone here, by yourself."
Their sempai smiled graciously up toward Mayumi in reply. She wasn't a member of one of the Ten Master clans, but as a senior, at University she was already well known as a former First High student council president. Mayumi thought that once they left her on her own she might get bombarded with the very questions she herself had not wanted to be asked.
"Don't you guys worry about me. I'm not concerned in the least about any of these jokers bothering me."
She smirked outward at those questioning glances. Her eyes once again made them divert their own eyes from the group of First High beauties.
"They wouldn't dare."
Mayumi exchanged brief glances with Suzune and Azusa before replying.
"If you're certain?"
Their sempai nodded in affirmation.
"You guys try to have a good afternoon and you two make sure Mayumi gets some rest."
"Yes sempai."
Once they said their goodbyes, she watched them retreat down the hall.
"Never let them see you sweat girls."
She turned and picked up her teacup as she looked on at the others still gathered in the dining commons. The others whose eyes were now focused only on her. The only known first high graduate left in that entire huge hall.
She calmly took a sip and smiled in satisfaction as she placed the cup back down.
"They certainly aren't worth your concern."
Tsukuba Yuuka smiled back at those darting glances, and then she began to lightly laugh to herself. The shock and confusion on those voyeuristic faces only amplified her amusement.
A few meters from the door to the student council room Kasumi, who apparently was on guard duty, sent him a multi-faceted expression that all seemed to convey a tiny amount of fear. Then she pushed the intercom button and spoke.
"Tatsuya-san is here to see you….."
Before she could finish she was stopped by shock. Tatsuya pushed through the locked door without even turning the handle. He had used Flash Cast to initiate Decomposition on the latching mechanism and then instantly replaced it with Regrowth once the door was open.
Erika grinned deviously at Kasumi's confusion.
Once in the room, several concerned faces looked towards him in fear. Only one face looked towards him with joy.
"Tatsuya-sama! What did you think of my speech?"
He was momentarily confused.
"She is seeking my praise?"
Then he recovered, of course, she was seeking his praise.
He moved around the table towards her. Suddenly a tiny figure leaped into his path. He honestly didn't know what to make of Izumi standing before him in what looked like an attempt at a martial arts stance.
Tatsuya felt his left eyebrow creep higher up his forehead in response. From behind Tatsuya, he could hear Erika snicker and Izumi's twin sigh in frustration. Then Kasumi added wording to express her state of sisterly embarrassment.
"What do you think you're doing dummy?"
When she first leaped into his path Izumi looked scared but determined. Now she looked like she didn't know why she was there and confusion reigned on her face. Minami gently pushed back from the table and stood. She came up behind the still confused Izumi and lightly grabbed her shoulders to guide her back to her seat and well out of Tatsuya's way.
"It's alright Izumi-chan. Tatsuya-sama is not angry with me."
Miyuki was right of course. He was frustrated with her, but anger was never something he could direct at her.
He continued until he was looking down into her smiling face and shining eyes. He lightly grabbed her arms above her elbows. She instinctively reached up to grab his arms under his own elbows.
"You delivered your speech with grace and perfection as expected for my Miyuki."
Her lips parted slightly in a smile in response to his praise.
"Though some of your words were a bit harsh, it was delivered with your usual charm."
She blushed with a smile before replying.
"In all honesty, my Tatsuya-sama, I did mean my words to be a bit harsh."
She covered her beaming smile with her right hand in an Ojou-sama-like manner.
"I know you did, however, it might have been more beneficial to have discussed its contents with me before proceeding straight to broadcast."
Now she beamed back at him wide-smile glowing.
"I was concerned Tatsuya-sama might think me too bold, and alter my speech to nullify its intended impact."
It was Tatsuya's turn to grin at her.
"I think you were a little worried I might have suggested you not make the speech at all."
She shyly turned away from him blushing in joy.
"Admittedly, I thought that might have been a possibility as well."
"Did you indeed?"
A slight movement beside the main office desk in the corner caught Tatsuya's eye. Miyuki looked over her shoulder to see what he had focused on.
There was Mizuki, the tell-tale signs of having fiddled with the electronics of the desk still in her hands. She wouldn't look up to face Tatsuya's probing gaze. She merely shifted back and forth nervously. Then she said something in a hushed tone.
"Not now."
It was then Tatsuya noticed the headset and microphone combo on her head.
He extended his left hand out to her. At first Mizuki was stunned, then confused, but finally she removed the headset and reluctantly handed it over. Tatsuya smirked at her a bit and then at Miyuki, who still seemed way too entertained by the whole situation. He stepped away from his fiancée and stared out the window as he brought the earpiece up to hear, and the microphone in range of his mouth.
"Are you enjoying your afternoon off? I of course assume you are off duty since you surely wouldn't be wasting the taxpayers' resources on this."
An indignant voice replied to him. Only he could now hear her.
"Well of course I'm off duty, don't be so pedantic Tatsuya-kun."
"Of course. You must get bored easily on your off-duty time to participate in high school antics well after your own graduation?"
"I do get bored so easily. Plus this is a good way to keep my skills sharp. Not to mention I got to help a friend help another friend who is way too reluctant to help himself. I call that a win-win."
"Do you indeed? I do wonder if the Colonel would see this as a desirable way for you to spend your free time?"
"Oh goodness Tatsuya-kun, I do wish you could take that stick out of your ass sometimes and just enjoy high school life a bit."
He was genuinely surprised at her last response.
"Miyuki-san has the right of this one whether you want to admit it or not. These bastards, and believe me if I find out Second High was involved I'm going to make sure the lights there stay off for weeks, have the nerve to do this to you and you were just going to let it happen? Well as your friend I wasn't going to stay on the sidelines and just watch."
He blinked in surprise at her earnest statements. It wasn't like her to be so….direct.
"Now you're going to compete and because it's you that means you're going to win. And you'll have fun doing it if for no better reason than because it will make her happy. And afterwards when you see me you can thank me for being such a good friend to you, and not letting you and your too uptight ways get in the way of me helping you in kicking some well-deserving asses. You got that?"
"….yes, I got that."
"Now say 'thanks Kyouko, and have a nice day'."
"….thanks Kyouko, and have a nice day."
"Much better!"
With that the line went dead, Tatsuya calmly handed the headset back to a very confused-looking Mizuki and turned again towards Miyuki. Her smile seemed to magnify then.
Before any more words could be said between them Yaosaka stepped through the threshold.
"Pardon the interruption Shiba-san, but Momoyama-sensei would like a word with you."
Miyuki looked like she was about to verbally form her normal posse of students to go with her when Yaosaka stopped her short with one word.
"Alone."
"Ah, of course he does."
Miyuki brushed out her uniform skirt with her hands and as she walked past Tatsuya she let one hand slide over his forearm. All he could do was return her smile as she glided out into the hall.