Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

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As the sign "First High School" obviously stated, this station was a mandatory stop for all attending students.

There was practically only one path between the train station and the school.

Due to the changes to the trams and their decrease in number, the event known as "riding the tram together" might be more accurately changed to "walking to school with friends". For this school, this event is still quite common. Indeed, this event could be seen many times yesterday, the day after commencement, today, and has continued since the beginning.

Although it might not be so sudden, Tatsuya thought.

"Tatsuya-kun... Are you acquainted with the President?"

"We met for the first time before the entrance ceremony... So, yes."

In regards to Mizuki's question, Tatsuya was just as confused as she was. "It certainly didn't look like a first meeting."

"It's as if she intentionally sought you out."

Tatsuya had enough confidence in his memory to say that the day of enrollment was definitely the first time he met Saegusa Mayumi. However, just as Leo and Erika said, that approach did not seem like a first acquaintance.

"...Maybe because of Miyuki?" (!)

"...But she mentioned Onii-sama's name specifically?"

Tatsuya was surrounded by Mizuki, Erika, and Leo, people that could be called "familiar faces" without difficulty. Just like yesterday and most likely into the future, the group would gather around Tatsuya and Miyuki near the station, exchange greetings, and go to school together.

It wasn't a bad feeling at all.

In fact, it was quite a nice way to start the day.

However, just as the five of them were leisurely walking the short distance to school, they heard a call of "Tatsuya-kun~~" from behind them that any reasonable bystander would find embarrassing. It was accompanied by the rapidly approaching form of a petite individual and, according to Tatsuya's groundless belief, the termination of peace and quiet. "Tatsuya-kun, good morning~. And Miyuki as well, good morning."

Compared to Miyuki's greeting, the greeting directed towards himself was quite casual, Tatsuya thought. However, she was still the 3rd Year Student Council President.

"Good morning, President."

It was necessary to observe proper protocol, just to be on the safe side.

Immediately following Tatsuya, Miyuki also bowed respectfully. The other three offered polite, albeit slightly awed, greetings. It was only natural to have such a reaction.

"Are you alone, President?"

Although obvious at a glance, the question was still offered, with a subtle invitation to walk together to school.

"Hm. There isn't really anyone that walks with me to school in the morning."

A confirmation to both the obvious query and the subtle invitation.

Although, speaking of which... the President was quite the personable individual.

"I would like to speak with Miyuki about a few things... May I walk with you to school?"

The comment directed towards Miyuki was spoken in an approachable tone, but on a different level compared to their earlier conversation.

It did not look like Tatsuya was misreading the situation. "Hm, if it's quite alright..."

"Oh, it's not like the topic is a secret. Or do you prefer to talk at a later time?"

As she said this, the President smiled at the three slowly retreating individuals, who immediately froze.

"President.. I feel as if your attitude towards one of us is slightly different... or is that just my misinterpretation?"

Of course not, the three of them responded verbally or with hand gestures. Mayumi smiled and nodded her head at the same time that Tatsuya displayed a disappointed expression. (!)

"Eh? Is that the case?"

By now, changing her word choice and pretending not to notice was too late. Her tone and expression had already betrayed her.

"Is the subject you wish to speak about related to the Student Council?"

At this point, Tatsuya did not plan on backing down, but he was feeling the pressure as well.

Miyuki frantically changed the subject back to herself.

"Hm, I meant to find an opportunity to speak with you in detail. Do you have any plans during lunch break?"

"I plan on eating in the cafeteria."

"With Tatsuya-kun?"

"No, Onii-sama and I are in different classes..."

It seemed like she remembered what had happened yesterday.

At the sight of Miyuki slightly lowering her head and lowering her voice, Mayumi nodded as if in understanding.

"There are quite a lot of students that care about these little things." Tatsuya slightly glanced to his side.

To no surprise, Mizuki nodded in affirmation. It looked like yesterday's incident wasn't quite over yet.

However, if the President spoke like this, wouldn't this be a problem? Tatsuya thought.

"In that case, why not join me in the Student Council Room for lunch? If you don't mind bentos, the room has an automatic meal dispenser."

"...The Student Council Room is equipped with the Dinner Server Module?"

The normally composed Miyuki could not conceal her amazement as she replied.

Which was accompanied by a sense of befuddlement.

What was something that is normally seen in airline terminals or long- distance trains doing in a Student Council Room?

"Before entering the Student Council Room, I didn't want to talk too much about it. But it's for students working late into the day."

An embarrassed Mayumi smiled ashamedly while trying to persuade Miyuki.

"If it's the Student Council Room, it's not a problem if Tatsuya-kun tags along as well."

At that moment, Mayumi's smiling face became teasing and, to put it bluntly, mischievous. Hopefully, that was a mistake on Tatsuya's part.

Even if it was a misinterpretation, that particular way of putting it still gave him a headache.

"...Speaking of problems, there is one. There appears to be some conflict between myself and the Vice-President. I'm terribly sorry."

Tatsuya did not plan on interfering between Miyuki and the Student Council, and so he left the interruption at that.

On the day of enrollment, the male student behind Mayumi that continuously glared at Tatsuya was probably the Vice President.

That line of sight did not appear to be a misinterpretation.

If Tatsuya carelessly went to the Student Council Room to eat lunch, this undoubtedly would lead to conflict between the two of them.

However, it appeared that Mayumi had not grasped the meaning behind Tatsuya's words.

"The Vice-President...?"

Mayumi slightly tilted her head but quickly clapped her hands, in an action straight out of movie dramas.

"If it's Hanzou-kun, you don't have to worry about it, there won't be a problem."

"But even if that's the case...?"

In that instant, Tatsuya made up his mind to avoid the incident that led up to his sister receiving that nickname, no matter the cost.

"Hanzou-kun will be in the clubroom for lunch break."

It was completely unrelated to what Tatsuya was thinking that was only natural but(?) Mayumi's smile did not diminish in the slightest as she continued to speak.

"In that case, everyone can come as well. Letting everyone know about the Student Council's activities is one of our duties as well."

Despite that, there were people who directly refused Mayumi's social invitation.

"Even though it's a rare opportunity, I think we'll pass."

Even using the word "pass" in this way, it still conveyed a definite "refusal".

Erika and company's unexpected response caused the situation to become slightly awkward.

Nonetheless, trying to get their underlying feelings across, or even to smooth things over, was frankly impossible.

"Is that so?"

But there was one thing that did not change, and that was Mayumi's smiling face.

Was she simply obtuse or able to comprehend something that everyone else could not?

Tatsuya felt that she simply did not need a reason. "In that case, just the two of you then."

What do we do? Miyuki's eyes silently asked Tatsuya.

Refusing was still a valid option up until that moment, but following the response from Erika's group, there was simply no way to smoothly decline.

"...I understand. Miyuki and I will be intruding on you then." (!)(!)

"Excellent. Then the details can wait until later. I'll wait for the two of you."

For some reason, Mayumi was very pleased by this response. Turning quickly, she left them with a spring in her step.

Even though they were all headed towards the same school, the footsteps of the five who watched Mayumi leave became quite heavy indeed.

Tatsuya sighed.

Lunch break quickly arrived.

Footsteps remained heavy.

Just climbing two flights of stairs became an exhausting task, and it wasn't because of a lack of exercise.

The real weight came from the heavy mood; heavy footsteps was just a metaphor, though the reluctance towards going remained the same.

Compared to Tatsuya, Miyuki was the complete opposite. Her steps were light and energetic.

Tatsuya was not insensitive enough to completely misunderstand the cause of Miyuki's joy, so he remained silent.

Their destination was at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor.

From the outside, they were all the same. They all had the same wooden doors.

What was different was the wooden engraving embedded in the door, the speaker on the wall, and the cleverly disguised safety devices.

The sign on the door clearly displayed the words "Student Council Room".

The invitation was for Miyuki; Tatsuya was purely complementary. Thus, the job of knocking fell to Miyuki. (Of course, this is another metaphor, since communication is through the speaker rather than knocking.)

After Miyuki solemnly requested entry through the speaker, from the opposite end came a cheerful welcome.

With a slight noise, so slight that even pressing one's ear to the door would not have detected it, the lock opened.

Tatsuya placed his hand on the door knob and opened the door, adopting a stance that shielded Miyuki on the way inside.

In reality, there was nothing that called for such a response. Tatsuya was well aware of this point.

This behavior was something deeply ingrained into the siblings' daily activities.

And of course, nothing happened. "Welcome. Don't mind us, please come in."

Directly in front, a voice came from the opposite end of the table.

Tatsuya really wanted to ask Mayumi what caused her such happiness to greet them with a smile like that as she beckoned them in.

Miyuki led the way into the room, followed hurriedly by Tatsuya. He stopped one step from the door, with Miyuki two steps from the door.

With both hands slightly before her, Miyuki bowed in greeting, a textbook example of formality.

When compared to such a honed movement, Tatsuya had no chance of imitating it.

Miyuki's speech and movement patterns were completely different from Tatsuya's. This was most likely the work of their deceased mother.

"Eh... No need to be so formal."

After watching Miyuki execute a perfect greeting that would not be out of place in a formal gala, Mayumi seemed to shrink a little.

Even though there were two other members in attendance, they seemed to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere as well.

There was one other person present that was not a member of the Student Council. The representative from the Public Moral Committee wore a mask of composure, but anyone could tell that was a brave front, not to mention a veteran observer like Tatsuya. Truly, my little sister is quite motivated today, Tatsuya thought.

The only thing that puzzled Tatsuya was exactly why Miyuki chose such an intimidation tactic.

"Please sit. We can talk while we eat."

Maybe it was because Miyuki's opening salvo rattled her, but Mayumi's voice had changed. To put it positively, the voice was still harmonious. To put it negatively, the intimate friendliness from before was gone.

She was probably referring to the long table in the meeting room.

At this moment, the signal reached the table interior, rearranging the table to be appropriate for dining. (!)

Regardless, the siblings approached the expensive table and chose their seats. Miyuki slid a chair out and sat down, while Tatsuya chose a seat just below hers.

For someone who always adamantly insisted that her elder brother take a seat higher than her own, the only reason Miyuki controlled her outburst was because of the understanding that she was the focus of today's meeting.

"Meat, fish, or vegetarian. Which do you prefer?"

What was amazing was not just the Dinner Server Module, but the complex selections available as well.

Tatsuya picked vegetarian, with Miyuki mirroring his choice. After receiving their orders, the 2nd Year student probably the Secretary Nakajou Azusa activated the large cabinet-like machine tucked near the wall.

Now the only thing that remained was waiting.

Mayumi was seated in the main chair. To her side and directly across from Miyuki sat another 3rd Year female student. One seat over was the Public Moral Committee member, who was across from Tatsuya. Azusa sat next on the other side of the committee member. After regaining her bearings a little, Mayumi began.

"Introductions were exchanged at the enrollment ceremony, but just in case, let's go over this again. To my side is our Accountant, Ichihara Suzune, also known as Rin-chan."

"...The only one who calls me that is the President."

Every part of her solemn face gave off a stern impression, though with her tall frame and willowy limbs, Suzune would have done full justice to the description of "beauty".

It must be admitted that "Rin-chan" fit her profile better than "Suzune".

"The two of you should know the one on Rin-chan's side, right? This is the Chair of the Public Moral Committee Watanabe Mari."

Mari didn't say anything, but her not taking exception to anyone would be natural.

"And following that is our Secretary, Nakajou Azusa, also known as A- chan."

"Student Council President... Please don't call me 'A-chan' in front of the underclassmen. I have my position to think of too."

Because she was even more petite than Mayumi and possessed a more childish face, whenever Azusa directed a teary-eyed face upwards, she unintentionally gave off the impression of a child about to cry.

And that would probably be the reason she is called "A-Chan", Tatsuya thought. That might be too cruel a truth for the person in question.

"The last one would be Vice President Hanzou. And that makes up all the members of the Student Council Committee."

"Which I am not part of."

"Oh yes, Mari is not a member of the Student Council. Ah, the preparations are complete."

The cover to the Dinner Server opened, presenting neat and proper meals without a hint of character on a series of trays.

There were only five meals.

We're short one... Even though Tatsuya thought of this, he did not mention it aloud because he was thinking of a solution. While Tatsuya was processing this, Mari quietly took out a bento box.

Seeing Azusa stand up, Miyuki also left the table. As its name implied, the Dinner Server was capable of producing meals, but without a matching table set, it was more efficient to manually bring the trays over.

Azusa first put her tray on the table, then brought Mayumi and Suzune's portions as well.

Following that, Miyuki carried over the two trays for the siblings, and with that a most interesting lunch began.

In the beginning, the conversation was completely open.

Even then, Tatsuya and Miyuki had very few conversational subjects that coincided with the committee members.

The conversation naturally flowed towards the topic of food.

It couldn't be helped that the Dinner Server produced what was more or less fast food, but modern processed foods have nearly the same quality as normal cuisines. That being said, if it can only match "normal quality" cuisines, then the deficiencies of processed foods cannot be denied.

"Did you make that bento yourself, Watanabe-senpai?"

Miyuki's intention was simply to initiate a conversation with everyone else, and did not hide any other reason.

"Yes, are you surprised?"

However, when asked by Miyuki, Mari nodded and replied with a teasing question of her own that was difficult to answer.

In reality, Mari did not intend to torment Miyuki, but wanted to play a small joke on this sensible and polite underclassman.

"No, just a little."

Just as Miyuki was starting to panic, a voice from her side responded for her in the negative.

"...I see."

Tatsuya's eyes were watching Mari's hand motions, or her fingers to be precise. If it were made by a machine, or by hand, what kind of cuisines would, or would not, be possible...? It gave the impression that he could see through everything, causing Mari to feel quite embarrassed.

"Let's start bringing bentos of our own tomorrow."

When Miyuki spoke up as if nothing had happened, Tatsuya also shifted his line of sight.

"Miyuki's bentos are certainly incredible, but as to where to eat them..."

"Oh, yes... First we need to find somewhere to eat them..."

The siblings' dialogue not only the contents, but the atmosphere itself - seemed a little too intimate for a pair of blood-related teenagers.

"...Just like a pair of lovers."

Suzune adopted a smile that was not a smile, and dropped an explosive comment.

"Is that so? If we weren't siblings, then we would be lovers, is that what you think?"

Tatsuya calmly countered and quickly defused the explosion. Or more likely accidentally detonated it.

"...Of course, that was a joke."

When facing a totally red Azusa, Tatsuya mirrored Suzune's earlier "smile" and calmly continued. His face was not disturbed in the slightest.

"You, are quite boring." (!) Mari said in an exasperated tone. "I think so too."

Tatsuya replied in an even manner.

"Ok, Ok, let's end this subject here. Mari, I know it's tough to swallow, but Tatsuya-kun is just a difficult person to handle."

Maybe it was because she foresaw that this conversation would go on perpetually, Mayumi intervened with a slightly bitter smile.

"...That's true. I take back my earlier comment. You are an interesting guy, Tatsuya-kun."

With a slight smile and for a beautiful young lady, she often reveals a smile before a boy Mari changed her earlier evaluation.

First the Student Council President, now the Chair of the Public Moral Committee. I guess I better get used to people calling me by name.

"It's about time we get to the point."

It might have been a little unexpected, but the time allotted for lunch break was limited.

After everyone finished eating, both Tatsuya and Miyuki nodded upon hearing Mayumi's words.

"Just as our school places heavy emphasis on self determination, the Student Council has been granted vast powers within the confines of the school. Not only our school, but most public high schools also adopt a similar method."

Tatsuya agreed with the principle. Management-centric and Deterministic- centric were like the ebb and flow of the tides, fundamentally different but at the same time impacting one another. With the victory in the Okinawa Defense Battle 3 years ago and the subsequent rise in international voice, the old management-centric style that led to diplomatic disadvantages and internal unrest was swept out in favor of self-determination becoming the theme of society. In time, there was another reverse; a portion of private high schools adopted a harsh management-centric philosophy. Thus, it is difficult to unilaterally calculate the progression of events. (!)

"Our Student Council uses the traditional method of concentrating the power and authority in the president. This presidential style can also be described as extreme centralization."

Hearing these words triggered some unease, though this would probably be discourteous to Mayumi.

Tatsuya tightly clasped his fist.

"The president is elected by the student body, the other members are appointed by the president. With a few exceptions, the president has the right of appointment and removal for all officers."

"My position as the Chair of the Public Moral Committee is one of those exceptions. The Student Council, the Club Management Group, and the teachers each select a representative to determine this position."

"And because of this, on some level Mari holds the same authority I do. Under the rules, the president has a term period, but the others do not. The term lasts from October 1 to September 30 of the next year. Between this time, the president has the right of appointment and removal for all officers."

(About time to get to the point.) Tatsuya did not interrupt, but merely nodded to indicate he understood.

"There is an annual tradition to invite the 1st Year representative to the Student Council, with the intent of training them to become the successor. Hopefully, the 1st Year representative will be elected to be the next Student Council President. Although it is not a guarantee, this has been the case for the past 5 years."

"So the President was also a 1st Year representative? Quite impressive."

"Ah~, err, yes."

Mayumi blushed and stammered her reply.

Tatsuya's response was merely flattery, since he already knew the answer. The odd part was that Mayumi should already be inured to such flattery given her position, yet she still reddened in embarrassment. This was no act, but true embarrassment. This is certainly quite devious... She looks like a perfectly normal high school student. It can't be that she intentionally lets people see that she is easily embarrassed, and that is the true acting portion?

"So... Miyuki, I hope you can enter the Student Council."

At this stage, saying "enter the Student Council" is essentially becoming a member of the Student Council.

"Are you willing to accept?"

Taking a breath, Miyuki looked down at her hands, before raising her eyes towards Tatsuya in question.

Tatsuya shrugged, suppressed his own feelings, and slightly nodded his head.

Miyuki lowered her head again before raising it. This time however, her eyes were lit in the manner of someone about to take a plunge. (!)

"President, are you aware of Onii-sama's entrance examination scores?"

"?"

At this completely unexpected development, it was all Tatsuya could do to remain silent.

What are you trying to say, little sister?

"Hm, I know of it. Truly incredible... To be honest, when I stole a glance at the teacher's results, even I lost confidence."

"...If the student council accepts students with high test scores and outstanding abilities, I believe Onii-sama fits the criteria as well."

"Wait, Mi-"

"And in terms of Desk Work (Theoretical Manipulation), I believe that has nothing to do with practical skills and grades. In other words, knowledge and judgment are more important."

For Miyuki, not allowing the other person to finish their sentence and bulling right over them is quite the rare occurrence.

And if the other speaker is Tatsuya, then the frequency would drop even lower.

"I am honored to receive an invitation to the Student Council. I would be more than happy to accept even the lowest position, but is there any way for Onii-sama to join?"

Tatsuya really wanted to cover his face and look skywards.

Is it possible that his negative influence on his little sister had reached this extent?

Miyuki should know that blatant nepotism can only lead to others' discomfort.

"Alas, this is not possible."

The one who answered was not the President, but the council member sitting to her side.

"Student Council members must be selected from Course 1 students. This is not an unwritten rule, but an enumerated one. This is the only clause that is attached to the right of appointment and removal for the president. To change this requires a special amendment meeting with the attendance of the full student body and carried by a two-thirds majority. Since the number of Course 1 and Course 2 students are practically equal, this is realistically impossible."

Suzune softly said this in a tone that was slightly apologetic.

From her voice, it was obvious that she too was someone that was against the differential treatment between Blooms and Weeds.

"...I apologize. I said all of that without understanding the situation. Please forgive me."

Miyuki could only frankly admit her mistake.

Miyuki rose to her feet and bowed deeply in apology, but no one reprimanded her.

"In that case, Miyuki will join the current Student Council with the title of secretary, is that acceptable?"

"Yes, I will work hard to fulfill my duties. Please look after me."

Miyuki lowered her head again, but this time was more polite than apologetic. Mayumi nodded at Miyuki with a smile on her face.

"You can get the details from A-chan."

"As I just said, President... Please stop calling me A-chan..."

"If there are no complications, can you come today after school?"

Completely ignoring the tearful protests on the side, Mayumi continued her conversation.

"Miyuki."

Before Miyuki could turn and ask, Tatsuya stopped her with a short but powerful verbal tone. He nodded in agreement with Mayumi's suggestion.

Miyuki nodded as well, before turning to face Mayumi.

"I understand. However, would it be fine for me to come here after school?"

"Of course. I'll wait for you, Miyuki."

"Hey~. Why am I called 'A-chan', while Shiba is called 'Miyuki'...?" On some level this was a valid question, but was once again ignored.

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...Tatsuya started to pity Azusa a little.

"...There is still a little time left until the end of lunch break. May I say something?"

The reason that everyone ignored Azusa, and not out of spite or mischievousness either, was probably because everyone's attention was directed towards the hand Mari raised in the air.

"The roster for the Public Moral Committee still has one empty spot that has not been filled."

"I just said that we are still reviewing possible candidates. Besides, school just started a week ago, right? There's no need to hurry, Mari."

Displeased with Mari's hastiness, Mayumi admonished her. However, Mari didn't seem to care.

"I think, according to the rules of the student council, all members aside from the president must be Course 1 students, right?"

"Yes."

Mayumi nodded in confirmation while her expression said that it couldn't be helped.

"Only Course 1 students are allowed to fill the positions of Vice President, Accountant, Secretary, and related roles, right?"

"Yes. The rules stipulate that the council is made up of the President, Vice president, Accountant, and Secretary roles."

"In other words, there is no restriction for bringing a Course 2 student into the Public Moral Committee."

"Mari, you..."

Mayumi's eyes widened, while Suzune and Azusa both wore similarly shocked expressions.

This proposal was every bit as surprising as Miyuki's earlier suggestion.

Apparently, the 3rd Year student known as Watanabe Mari is quite the practical joker, Tatsuya thought.

However.

"NICE!"

"Ah?"

Coinciding with Mayumi's delighted outburst, Tatsuya let out a dull surprise.

"Yes, there's no problem with the Public Moral Committee. Mari, the Student Council nominates Shiba Tatsuya as Public Moral Committee member."

An unexpected development happened within an instant.

"Wait a minute! Shouldn't you take into account my thoughts on the matter? Also, you haven't told me what the duties of a Public Moral Committee member consists of."

Rather than objecting from a logical perspective, it was more important to listen to the instincts that warned of a dangerous development.

"We didn't really go into detail about your sister's duties on the Student Council, correct?"

"...No, that's true, but..."

Unfortunately, Tatsuya's objection was immediately countered by Suzune's comment.

"Eh, Rin-chan, this is fine. Tatsuya-kun, the job of the Public Moral Committee is to uphold the public moral on campus."

"..."

"..."

"...Is that all?"

"While the job doesn't come with any sense of accomplishment, and is also quite troublesome... Err, it's still a rewarding task?"

First of all, disregard the fact that she tried to hide her words behind that smile. The more important thing is that Tatsuya didn't think they were going to listen to him seriously anyways. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Hm?"

Looks like they're not pretending to be ignorant. Tatsuya shifted his gaze to the right.

In Suzune's eyes, he discovered a pitying look.

Despite that look, it didn't look like she was going to help. And on Suzune's side.

Mari looked like she found this entire sequence of events very interesting. And on Mari's other side.

When locking eyes with Azusa, her eyes betrayed a harried look. He continued to stare at her.

Despite Azusa desperately glancing left and right, Tatsuya did not take his eyes off her and continued to stare.

"Um, our school's Public Moral Committee is an organization that is responsible for policing those who break school rules."

Just like her outer appearance, Azusa is weak to pressure.

"In terms of public morals, they usually consist of things like uniform regulations or tardiness, but these are handled by the members appointed by the Self-Governing Committee."

In this outwardly conservative, but actually incredibly unique and diverse Student Council, she was probably the only one susceptible to this tactic.

Tatsuya started to become a little concerned about his future job duties. "...Um, do you have any questions?"

"No, please continue."

"Ah, OK. The primary duties of the Public Moral Committee are to identify those that use magic against school rules and to subjugate those that use magic on campus to cause a disturbance. After the Public Moral Committee member decides the necessary punishment, he or she will present before the Disciplinary Committee alongside the President and Student Representative. In short, they are both the police and the prosecutor."

"Isn't that wonderful, Onii-sama."

"No, Miyuki... Please wait a little before giving off that 'Then it's decided' look in your eyes... Just in case, let me clarify a few things."

"Clarify what?"

Tatsuya was not focused on Azusa who just finished her explanations, but on Mari instead.

"According to the earlier explanation, the Public Moral Committee member's mission is to halt any conflicts upon discovery, correct?"

"Well, that's true. We also intercede on non-magical conflicts."

"Also, if magic was used, our intervention is mandatory."

"If possible, it'd be best if the conflict was resolved prior to use of magic."

"That's my point! My technical grade is terrible, and on top of that, I'm a Course 2 student!"

Finally, even Tatsuya started to raise his volume.

This task clearly requires overwhelming magical prowess to subjugate the opponent.

No matter from what angle of consideration, this task was not suited for Course 2 students with poor technical skills.

However, despite Tatsuya's questioning, Mari remained completely unperturbed and replied with a simple comment.

"It's not a problem."

"What are you saying?"

"In competitions of power, I will handle it... Lunch break is almost over. Let's save the rest for after school, any objection?"

It was true that lunch break was about to end, and doubly true that this subject could not simply be glossed over.

"...I understand."

Tatsuya fully understood that if he entered this room after school, he would have to enter this quagmire again, but he didn't have any other choice.

"Then we'll meet again here."

Tatsuya suppressed any unreasonable feelings and nodded his head. To his side, while fully understanding her elder brother's thoughts, Miyuki could not hide her feelings of elation.

Because education has finally reached a widespread status, the pointlessness of schools became a popular stance.

Since online classes became a reality, it was argued that spending time in actual classrooms was a waste of time and resources.

In the end, the pointlessness of schools only remained at the popular level and did not rise any higher.

No matter how advanced the interface, virtual experiences are not reality. Practice and experimentation must be paired with timely questions and answers. In addition, anything not conducted under real circumstances will not yield actual learning experiences. Students learning together in the same class can promote additional learning. These two points have been proven beyond doubt by mock experiments.

1st Year Class E was in the middle of a practice class.

Having said that, there wasn't a real-time teacher present. This is a simple example of when the results of research are not put into practice.

The students of Class E were following the instructions displayed upon the wall monitor to operate the built-in educational use CAD. Today's subject matter was the basic of the basics, which is the simple operation of this device.

While officially a guided learning session, there was still an assignment to complete. Because there was no supervising teacher, the completion of the assignment reports became the only criterion for this class. Today's assignment was to use the CAD to direct a flatbed car from one end of its track to the other, to be repeated three times. Despite the lack of a reminder, it was a given that manual operation is strictly forbidden.

"Tatsuya, how did the Student Council Room feel?"

While waiting in line to use the CAD, Leo asked after poking Tatsuya in the back.

His face didn't reveal any ulterior motive. He was simply curious. "Turned into an intriguing conversation..."

"Intriguing?"

Erika, who was in front of Tatsuya in the line, also turned around to ask.

"They asked me to join the Public Moral Committee. How could it suddenly turn out this way?"

Tatsuya and Erika both tilted their head. Truth be told, the only way to describe it would be "how could things turn out this way".

"You're right. It is pretty sudden."

Leo also agreed that it was quite unexpected.

"But isn't it great to be scouted by the Student Council?"

Mizuki's opinion was different from the others. She stopped as she was on her way back to the end of the line to try the assignment again.

"Great? Isn't this merely a complementary bundle for my little sister?" All the same, Tatsuya was unable to accept Mizuki's compliment.

Erika smiled slightly when she saw Tatsuya's suspicious and stubborn attitude.

"Well, well, let's stop with all that self-depreciation. So, what does the Public Moral Committee do anyway?"

After hearing Erika's question, Tatsuya repeated what he heard from Azusa. Hearing that, all three pairs of eyes widened.

"Quite the troublesome task..."

Leo sighed while Mizuki's expression became worried. "If it's not safe, then... Erika-chan, what's wrong?"

Erika was extremely upset, though come to speak of it, since when did she become so enraged?

"...Really, so impulsive..."

Her eyesight drifted. Speaking towards thin air, it looked like she was scolding someone who wasn't present.

"Erika-chan?"

"Ah, eh, sorry. That really is going too far. Tatsuya-kun, you're better off declining such a dangerous task."

As that solemn expression turned into a mischievous smile, Erika's voice became noticeably brighter as she goaded him.

"Eh, it's still quite interesting! Why don't you accept, Tatsuya. I'll cheer you on."

Although it was understandable that Erika was joking to disguise what she said earlier, it appeared that she was still hiding something.

"But if you have to intervene in conflicts, won't you be the target of magical attacks as well?"

There was a reasonable guess as to who the "impulsive one" referred to.

"Yeah, and there will definitely be people who mistake good intentions for cold-blooded actions."

Yet, the exact details behind those feelings remain a mystery.

"On the other hand, rather than letting those pretentious Course 1 students hog the limelight, don't you think it's better if Tatsuya does it?"

Tatsuya wasn't rash enough to join their conversation. "Hm... Well, that might be true."

"Erika-chan, please don't think of it that way! If we don't want that to happen, isn't it better to not get into fights?"

"But Mizuki, even if we don't plan on it, aren't there times where we have to put out fires? Like yesterday, for example."

"Well, that..."

"There is a lot of suspicion and injustice in the world. We can't always expect a positive result if we concede all the time."

Case in point, unconsciously Tatsuya felt that it was about time for him to end this conversation before it led to dangerous territory.

"Erika, it's your turn."

"Ah, sorry, sorry."

At Tatsuya's nudging, the slightly flustered Erika quickly assumed her position. Judging from her back, she was in a state of complete seriousness and was completely unaffected by the earlier conversation. It looks like she is the type that can effortlessly change from one mental state to the next. Despite an outwardly flighty appearance, her natural state is probably one of seriousness.

Erika's back shook a little, probably because she took a deep breath.

It happened in a second, although invisible to the naked eye, the fluctuations of the psions passed over Erika's back and could be "seen" in the form of a light that only Magicians could perceive. This was a sign that the activation and subsequent invocation did not consume all psions, as the leftover psions created this psion light. Highly skilled Magicians only leave behind small amounts of psion light, but for a high school 1st Year student, this was an acceptable level. When there are enough leftover psions, photon interference between psions result in a physical manifestation of light. An absence of psion light would denote excellent control over one's abilities.

The flatbed car in front of the CAD shifted forward, then returned to its original position. This occurred three times. "Yes!" It was obvious that Erika was very pleased with the result, as could be seen from her clenched fist and the way she turned to look at Tatsuya. Indeed, she was more deft this time compared to the first time they conducted this exercise, and there was marked improvement to both acceleration and deceleration.

The purpose of this exercise was to accelerate the flatbed car to the middle of the track, then decelerate to the other end, accelerate from that end back towards the middle, and decelerate to the starting point... To be repeated three times. The activation sequence inputted into the CAD was for these 6 acceleration and deceleration invocations. Because there were no set acceleration or deceleration vectors(?), this could be used to examine the skill level amongst the students. Whether the flatbed car moved in a stable motion was enough to gauge if the user was skilled or not.

Erika secretly displayed a hand signal for victory that was not snobbish at all as she moved towards the end of the line behind Mizuki. Next, Tatsuya took his place before the built-in CAD.

He stepped on the pedal switch to adjust the CAD height, placed his palm on the white, transparent touchpad that sat atop a large box, and began to manipulate the psion flow.

What returned was the sound of the activation confirmation, intermixed with various conflicting noise. Resisting the urge to wrinkle his eyebrows, Tatsuya began to build the invocation sequence.

The flatbed car stumbled two or three times before moving forward in a stable motion.

Because today's assignment was to get used to operating a CAD, there was no timer installed.

Besides Tatsuya himself, no one would know.

Until the moment the flatbed car started moving, the time exhausted was greater than Erika's by a large margin. Actually, not just compared to Erika. Out of the 25 people in Class E, he would definitely be one of the bottom feeders.

The only reason this was not immediately obvious was because the motion of the flatbed car was roughly the same as the others.

However, Tatsuya was well aware of his own disappointing performance.

Thank God no one was jealous.

Despite the series of "Good luck~" calls from his friends, his mood did not improve, and instead was even more depressed.

The reason was probably because Tatsuya originally was not interested in the subject, thus leading to his further depression.

After school, Tatsuya headed towards the Student Council room, dragging even heavier footsteps than during lunch break.

Although the atmosphere surrounding the circumstances was a little pitiful, because Miyuki could understand Tatsuya's feelings, she remained silent.

Thanks to the fact that the ID Card was already registered in the certification system --(Joining the Student Council is apparently considered a guarantee. Although resistance is possible, Mayumi and Mari would probably insist) -- the siblings entered the room. (!)

Immediately upon entering, there was a sharp gaze tinged with hostility. The source came from the opposite side of the machine in the wall, in a seat that was unoccupied during lunch break.

"Excuse us!"

It was hard to say whether it was out of sorrow or pride, but Tatsuya was already accustomed to this type of gaze and atmosphere. He maintained his poker face, bowed in silence, and with that the hostile gaze dissipated like rainclouds before the sun. Even then, it wasn't as if the hostility had disappeared completely, more like the previous hostile gaze was now directed in a more favorable light towards Miyuki, who was now standing in the front. The reasoning behind this should need no further explanation.

The owner of this gaze stood up and walked towards the siblings. No, more like walked towards Miyuki. Tatsuya remembered his face. On the day of enrollment, he was the 2nd Year student standing closely behind Mayumi as if awaiting orders, thus making him the Student Council Vice President.

The Vice President stood roughly as tall as Tatsuya. The difference was that his shoulders were a little narrower.

He had a handsome visage that did not warrant additional words to describe, and an unremarkable build. He did not give off a robust impression, but from the way psion light densely clung to the air around his body, he must be a young man with considerable Magic Power.

"I am the Vice President, Hattori Gyoubu. Shiba Miyuki, welcome to the Student Council."

His voice was a little abnormal, but considering his age he was probably suppressing any personal reaction.

His right hand shook a little, probably because the wish to shake hands was not completely erased.

As to why the shaking stopped, Tatsuya did not care to consider.

Hattori returned to his seat while completely ignoring Tatsuya. Behind Miyuki, a displeased aura was gathering, but that too disappeared in an instant. The only one who noticed was probably Tatsuya, thanks to his proximity. Thankfully she managed to control herself, Tatsuya patted himself discreetly on the chest.

The Vice President was completely unaware of Tatsuya's worries though that shouldn't be surprising, given they just met or the source of Tatsuya's worries. Just then, two very casual greetings flew in.

"Ah, you're here."

"Welcome, Miyuki. You too, Tatsuya-kun. Good work."

From the way Mari casually raised a hand in greeting, she was already treating Tatsuya as one of them. Mayumi was the complete opposite. Her attitude was much different from before. Then again, most groups would be upset if an outsider were to intrude, although no outburst actually happened. Tatsuya, much like everyone else, had long since arrived at the conclusion that trying to understand these two was a hopeless cause.

"In that case, no need to delay. A-chan, if you please."

"...Yes."

It appeared that she already gave up. For a moment, Azusa's head drooped with a sad expression before she put on a wooden smile and led Miyuki towards the terminal on the side.

"Well, let's be off."

It hasn't even been a whole day yet and she's already speaking so casually. Maybe flightiness is part of her character, Tatsuya thought.

"Where to?"

Then again, Tatsuya's background was not privileged enough for him to care about anyone else's word choice. He replied in the shortest, most efficient method possible.

"Public Moral Committee headquarters. There's a lot of things you need to see firsthand to understand. It's located directly underneath this room. That being said, they're both connected."

After Mari finished speaking, Tatsuya took a breath before replying. "...That's quite the strange design."

"I thought so too."

As she was saying this, Mari began to stand up. But just as she was about to leave the chair, a comment stopped her.

"Watanabe-senpai, please wait a minute."

The voice came from Vice President Hattori. Upon hearing this, Mari replied in a manner that to this day Tatsuya still cannot get used to.

"Is something the matter, Hattori Gyoubushoujou Hanzou?"

"Please don't address me by my full name!"

Tatsuya glanced at Mayumi.

Seeing Tatsuya's gaze, Mayumi tilted her head with a "Hm?".

You're telling me that "Hanzou" is actually his real name... Completely. Unexpected.

"Then let's go with Vice President Hattori Hanzou."

"Please call me Hattori Gyoubu!"

"That's your family's official title, isn't it."

"It has nothing to do with the title now. The school has already accepted the name 'Hattori Gyoubu'! ...No, that's not what I wanted to say."

"That's because you're too formal, isn't it?"

"Ok, ok, Mari, Hanzou also has things he won't back down from." Everyone's gaze fell towards the speaker, Mayumi.

You're hardly qualified to say that. (!)

But Mayumi had no reaction at all. Probably because she didn't realize it.

More to the point, why hadn't Hattori said anything?.

This was slightly different than not being accustomed to speaking with the President.

Even when confronting Mari, Hattori's expression had not changed. But compared to his expression then, Tatsuya found that to be very interesting.

Of course, that was only under the condition that he was a spectator. Alas, the time allotted to a spectator is very short.

"Watanabe-senpai, the topic I wanted to speak with you about is precisely regarding the replacements for the Public Moral Committee."

The blood that had originally caused Hattori's face to flush completely red had now receded. Just like the slow-motion screening for an animation, Hattori had calmed himself.

"What?"

"I object to you appointing this 1st Year student to the Public Moral Committee."

When Hattori stated his opinion, he was either perfectly calm, or was forcibly holding his emotions in check.

Mari's eyebrows wrinkled slightly, and that did not appear to be an act. Tatsuya couldn't tell if she was merely surprised or irritated by this.

"What is this nonsense? The one who nominated Shiba Tatsuya-kun is President Saegusa. Even though it was verbal, the right of appointment remains with her alone."

"I have heard that the receiving party has not agreed. Despite the nomination, the matter is unofficial until he personally agrees."

"That is up to Shiba Tatsuya-kun himself. The President has already elaborated on the decision of the Student Council. The final decision is his, not yours."

Mari's eyes were on Hattori while she said this.

Hattori never looked at Tatsuya. Or maybe it would be more correct to say that he was ignoring Tatsuya's presence.

Watching these two people, Suzune was very calm, Azusa was very nervous, and Mayumi was completely unreadable, sitting there with a traditional smile on her face.

Miyuki was staring at the terminal on the side with a subtle expression on her face. However, she was probably a hair trigger away from exploding at any time. For entirely different reasons, both Tatsuya and Azusa were growing very worried.

"There is no precedence for appointing a Weed to the Public Moral Committee." (!)

Hattori's rebuttal was laced with the derogatory term. Upon hearing this, Mari slightly raised an eyebrow.

"That's a taboo term, Vice President Hattori. A taboo term as banned by the Public Moral Committee. You have a lot of nerve using that in front of me, the Chair of the Public Moral Committee."

Facing Mari's reprimand, warning, or maybe a little of both, Hattori showed no sign of weakness.

"You can ban that term all you want. Do you plan on punishing a third of the entire student body? The difference between Blooms and Weeds is something that is written into the school system and acknowledged by the school itself. The source of the difference between Blooms and Weeds is the difference in ability. Public Moral Committee members are responsible for the task of subjugating students that break school rules. A Weed with inferior abilities is incapable of accomplishing that task."

To Hattori's proud assertion, Mari only smiled coldly.

"It is true that the Public Moral Committee is ability-based, but ability comes in many forms. If we need to use strength for suppression, that's what I'm here for. Even if I'm up against 10 or even 20 opponents, I can handle them alone. In this school, the only people that can go 1 on 1 against me are President Saegusa and Club Management Group Leader Juumonji. According to you, the people with low combat capability are unnecessary. So, do you plan to challenge me, Vice President Hattori?"

The only way that Mari would say this was because of her confidence and combat record. However, despite slightly backing down before this enormous pressure, Hattori had no plans to surrender.

"This isn't my problem. It's about his ability to adapt."

The bottom line was that Hattori believed his stance was correct. Course 2 students with inferior abilities could not handle the responsibilities of the Public Moral Committee that were so heavily reliant on ability. The fact that no Course 2 student had ever been appointed to the Public Moral Committee also supported this.

In spite of this, Mari's confidence surpassed Hattori.

"Did I not say that ability comes in many forms? Tatsuya-kun can read the activation sequence and thus accurately predict the magic being invoked with his eyes and brain."

"...What did you say?"

Upon hearing this unexpected detail, Hattori reflexively asked. Rather than saying this was unexpected, it would be more appropriate to say this was impossible to believe.

Reading the activation sequence. This by all rights should be impossible. For Hattori, that was "common sense".

"In other words, even before the magic has been invoked, he already knows what magic his opponent is using."

However, Mari's answer did not change. This was the truth, was definitely possible, and Mari had no doubts whatsoever as she said it.

"According to our school rules, depending on the type of magic used, the level of punishment also changes. Unfortunately, if we were to disrupt the activation sequence before invocation like Mayumi did, there is no way to tell what magic was originally used. If we waited until the activation sequence finished, then that would defeat the entire purpose. Thus it is safer to disrupt magic during the activation sequence. Without any definite accusation of wrong doing, the only thing we can charge them with is attempted disruption and the subsequent lighter punishment. But with Tatsuya, we can properly catch those that have been using stronger magics."

"...But, if he ran across an actual crime scene, and was unable to stop the magic invocation..."

Hattori could not overcome his shock, but still managed to rebut.

"In that case, it would be beyond a 1st Year Course 1 student anyways. And probably beyond 2nd Year students as well. How many people do you know that are able to invoke second and still manage to deny their opponent from invoking first? Besides that, there is still one more reason I want him to join the Public Moral Committee."

Mari tabled the first reason and started another.

No matter what, Hattori couldn't come up with a counter argument on the spot.

"To this day there is no Public Moral Committee member that comes from Course 2 students. In other words, Course 2 students that improperly use magic against school rules are apprehended by Course 1 students. As you said, there is a wide divide between Course 1 and Course 2 students. Course 1 students can apprehend Course 2 students, but the reverse is not true. This configuration has only served to widen that divide. I do not like it that the committee members under my command are only serving to widen this differential impression."

"Ah... Quite impressive, Mari. You have even taken this into account? I thought you only cared about Tatsuya-kun."

"Please be quiet, President."

Mayumi wanted to change the surrounding atmosphere, but was stopped by Suzune.

A reproachful look. A shaking head.

The former was from Mayumi, the latter from Suzune.

And so, two conflicting emotions were mixed together into one inseparable whole, and came bursting out with resentment.

"President... as the Vice-President, I object to appointing Shiba Tatsuya as a Public Morals Committee member.

While I accept that Chair Watanabe has got a point in her assertion, the original mission of a Public Morals Committee member is to uncover and subjugate the school rule breakers.

A Course 2 student who is lacking in magic ability can't perform the duties of a Public Morals Committee member. Such a misplaced appointment will surely damage your reputation as the President.

Please reconsider."

"Please wait!"

Tatsuya turned around frantically.

Just as he had feared, Miyuki could no longer bear with it.

Absorbed in Mari's speech, he had missed the right timing to restrain her.

While he frantically attempted to preemptively stop her, Miyuki, who had started speaking, was faster.

"This may sound audacious, Vice-President. My brother's practical magic results may indeed be unfavorable, but that was merely because the practical test was not effective in gauging my brother's strength.

In a real battle, my brother would not lose to anyone."

On hearing those words that were filled with certainty, Mari's eyes widened a little. Mayumi's faint smile disappeared as well, and her serious eyes turned towards Miyuki and Tatsuya.

However, the seriousness in the gaze Hattori returned on Miyuki became thinner. "Shiba-san."

The one Hattori was addressing was, needless to say, Miyuki.

"Regardless of what happens, a Magician must make judgments calmly and logically. Individual bias may be unavoidable for a normal person, but for one who is aiming to become a Magician, please bear in mind that you should not let your individual bias cloud your judgment."

There was no kindness felt in the admonishment. He was probably just acting as an excellent "Upperclassman", who despite his self- righteousness, was looking after his junior of the same Course 1. But, under these circumstances, Tatsuya seemed to know that such a manner of speaking would cause an opposite effect, and the moment when Miyuki would rebuke Hattori.

Sure enough, Miyuki was getting increasingly heated up.

"Pardon me for saying so, but my judgment is not clouded! If Onii-sama could use more of his power"

"Miyuki."

Tatsuya held his hand out in front of Miyuki, who had completely lost her cool.

With a startled face, Miyuki shut her mouth with a mix of embarrassment and regret, and hung her head in shame.

Having stopped Miyuki's words with a wave of his hand, Tatsuya walked up to Hattori.

Miyuki had indeed said too much. She had almost said the things that shouldn't be said. However, it was Hattori who had made Miyuki say that much. Tatsuya had no intention of putting all the blame on Miyuki alone.

"Vice-President Hattori, why don't we have a mock battle?"

"What...?"

The people who were lost for words from the surprise request were not limited to the challengee, Hattori, alone.

Mayumi, and also Mari, looked at the two of them in dumbfounded amazement from the unexpected daring retaliation.

Under everyone's gaze, Hattori's body started quivering. "Don't be too conceited, for a mere reserve!"

The one who gave a small shriek was Azusa.

The other three, as expected of upperclassmen, remained composed.

And then, a small wry smile surfaced on the troubled face of the one who was getting verbally abused.

"What's so funny?!"

"A Magician should remain calm, right?"

"Kuh!"

Having his own words thrown back at him in ridicule, Hattori held his breath.

Tatsuya didn't stop there. He did not feel like stopping.

"As it is, I think that we won't know each other's anti-personnel battle skill without fighting.

It's not like I want to become a Public Morals Committee member but... if it's for proving that my little sister's judgment is not clouded, then it cannot be helped."

He seemed to be mumbling to himself. To Hattori, it sounded like a challenge.

"...Fine. I'll give you a good lesson on what it is to know your place."

It was not just his mouth that had betrayed his agitation. His controlled tone, on the contrary, indicated the depth of his anger.

Without a moment's delay, Mayumi interjected.

"As the Student Council President, I authorize the formal mock battle match between 2nd Year Class B, Hattori Gyoubu and 1st Year Class E, Shiba Tatsuya."

"On the basis of the Student Council President's declaration, as the Chair of Public Morals Committee, I recognize that the match between the two of you as a legitimate extracurricular activity in abidance of the school rules."

"The time of the match will be thirty minutes from now, at the third practice room. The match will be a private one, and I authorize the use of CADs by both sides."

It was a measure to prevent the match from becoming a brawling incident

an act of violence forbidden by the school rules.

On the declaration from Mayumi and Mari with solemn expressions and nonchalant voices, Azusa started typing furiously into the terminal.

"It's just the third day of school, and my cat is going to be out of the bag, huh..."

After retrieving his CAD case in exchange for the approval letter stamped with the student council president's stamp (even now, this sort of thing was still done on paper), Tatsuya grumbled just before the door to the third practice room, and from behind him, came a voice that was on the verge of tears.

"I'm really sorry..."

"It's nothing you need to apologize for."

"But Onii-sama, it's because of my fault that I'm causing trouble to you again..."

Turning around, and taking half a step, Tatsuya held his hand above his little sister's head.

Miyuki's body trembled as she closed her eyes. But, after feeling the gentle pat on her head, she timidly looked up.

Even now, her tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I said this too during the school entrance ceremony, right? I always feel that I'm being saved by you whenever you get angry in my place, when I am unable to get angry myself. ...Don't apologize. Now is the time to say something more appropriate."

"Yes... please do your best."

Wiping off a tear with a finger, Miyuki smiled, and in similar fashion, Tatsuya smiled, nodded, and opened the door to the practice room.

"This is surprising."

Upon opening the door, this was the line said to him. "What is?"

The one who was receiving Tatsuya at the door, was the appointed judge for this match, Mari.

"I was referring to your unexpected enthusiasm at fighting. I thought you were one who wasn't bothered by the remarks of others."

Even while she was talking about her surprise, her eyes were sparkling with anticipation. A deep sigh welled up in his throat, but Tatsuya, with his steel-like self-restraint describing it in this manner may be a little exaggerating but swallowed it anyway.

"I thought it was the job of a Public Morals Committee member to stop personal fights."

Instead of a sigh, he couldn't help but let loose a somewhat sarcastic remark.

While there was not a single sign of Mari rebutting that. "This is not a personal fight. It's a formal match. Mayumi said it too, didn't she?

The rule of strength is not something applied between the Course 1 and Course 2 students. Rather, it is something applied between Course 1 students themselves.

This is the very first time we are using such a method to settle things between a Course 1 and Course 2 student, you see."

I see. On the contrary, it is encouraged to settle disagreements by force if they can't be settled by words alone. (!)

"Didn't the number of 'formal matches' increase ever since you became the Chair of the Public Morals Committee, senpai?"

"Indeed, it did increase."

Her calm attitude caused not just Tatsuya, but even Miyuki who was waiting behind him to smile wryly.

Then, Mari suddenly turned serious and brought her face close. "Well, are you confident?"

At a distance where he could hear her breathing, she asked in a whisper.

Miyuki's beautiful eyebrows rose at that overly close distance, but as Tatsuya's field of view was largely occupied by Mari's face which was giving off a meaningful smile, it was fortunate (?) that he could not see his little sister's overreaction.

With her head partially lowered with a pair of upturned, almond-shaped eyes, and in addition to that, a faint, sweet scent drifting toward him,

Tatsuya became conscious of his own sexual excitement.

In the instant he was conscious of it, to the object called 'himself', it became a phenomenon born from inside of him, which was then severed from himself. His excitement was converted to mere information inside of him.

"Hattori is skilled enough to be among the top five in our school. If I have to say, he's more inclined towards group battles, and individual fights are not his specialty, but still, there is hardly anyone who can win against him in one-on-one."

In an alluring high pitch voice, Mari whispered those words which were devoid of any sexual charm.

"I'm not thinking of fighting him head on."

But, without the slightest sign of wavering, Tatsuya replied in a voice which could be said to be more a mechanical than a cold one.

"You are pretty calm... I've lost a little confidence." While saying that, Mari was clearly amused. "Haah."

Without saying anything else, Tatsuya gave a vague nod.

"At a time like this, if your face turns red, which will make you cuter, the number of people who will lend you their strength will increase, I think."

Grinning as she stepped back, Mari then walked to the starting line in the center.

"What a troublesome fella..."

She's probably the type who would seek chaos in order and bring about order in chaos, thought Tatsuya.

To a person living in tranquility, she was a troublemaker.

While letting out his first sigh at his human relationships, which were filled with remarkable ups and downs ever since entering this school, he opened his CAD case.

The black attach case contained a pair of CADs in the shape of handguns.

He took out one of them, pulled out a cartridge shape from the place where a magazine would be lodged into a real gun, and exchanged it for something else.

Except for Miyuki, everyone watched him intently with deep interest. "Sorry for the wait."

"Do you always carry additional storage cartridges with you?"

The number of activation sequences that could be used with a Specialized CAD was limited. In contrast to the Generalized CAD which could store up to ninety-nine types of Activation Sequences without regard to the systems of magic, the Specialized CAD could only store nine types of Activation Sequences of a single system of magic. To remedy this disadvantage, CAD devices that could store alternate, exchangeable Activation Sequences were developed, but since Specialized CADs were originally intended for Magicians who are strong in specific Magic Sequences, the need for an increased arsenal of magic is not too high. More often than not, even when multiple storage were carried, most still relied on using one type of magic.

However, from Tatsuya's answer to Mari's curiosity, it would have been safe to assume he belonged to the minority.

"Yes, I am unable to smoothly operate the Generalized CAD as I can't cope well with them."

Hattori, who was standing across from him, sneered slightly upon hearing this, but this did not impact Tatsuya's mindset in the slightest.

"Alright, allow me to explain the rules. In terms of either direct or indirect attacks, lethal attacks are forbidden. Techniques that deal permanent disabilities to the opponent are also forbidden.

Abilities that cause direct harm to the physical body are forbidden. However, direct attacks that do not result in anything greater than bone fractures are permitted.

No weapons at any time. Unarmed combat is allowed. If you plan on using kicking techniques, please remove your shoes and change into the school's soft boots.

The condition for defeat is when the judge has determined one side is unable to continue the battle.

Both sides please move behind your respective starting lines, and do not activate your CAD until I give the signal.

Breaking the rules results in an automatic defeat. I will use my full strength to stop it, so remember that. That is all."

Both Tatsuya and Hattori nodded at this, walked towards the starting lines that were five meters apart, and stood facing one another.

Hattori's expression was more solemn than mocking or challenging, but his face still betrayed an easy-going demeanor.

The initial position was out of physical reaching distance. Even if the opponent possessed the charging power of a professional soccer player, magic was still faster at this distance. Because this was a magic-based contest, the side with the superior magical attack would naturally have the advantage.

In this situation, the one who invoked their magic first would usually win. Even if the initial attack did not completely defeat the opponent, some degree of damage was unavoidable. There were very few people that had the mental discipline to absorb magical damage and still calmly work their magic. Since sustaining magical damage also disrupted the magic creation process, as long as one continued to attack, victory was assured.

Also, under the condition that both sides activated their CADs at the same time, Hattori firmly believed that he, a Course 1 student, had no chance of losing against an upstart Course 2 student. CAD was a tool that minimized casting time. Even if someone tried to secretly use a non-CAD based magical ability before the starting signal, it would still be no match against the CAD's speed. On top of that, how quickly one could invoke their magic using a CAD made up the bulk of an individual's magic technical score. This was the defining difference between Course 1 and Course 2 students.

Tatsuya held a handgun-shaped Specialized CAD.

Hattori wore a traditional bracelet-shaped Generalized CAD.

Specialized CADs had the advantage in speed, while Generalized CADs had the advantage in versatility.

Nonetheless, even if Specialized CADs had a speed advantage over Generalized CADs, that alone could not overcome the difference between Course 1 and Course 2 students. And the opponent was a new student. Hattori's conclusion was that there was absolutely no way that he could lose, a consideration that was neither conceited nor overconfident.

Tatsuya pointed the CAD he held in his right hand towards the floor, And waited for Mari's signal.

The simulation room returned to complete silence.

Just as that silence was about to fill every corner of the room...

"...Begin!"

The "formal match" between Tatsuya and Hattori officially began. Hattori slid his right hand over the CAD.

While the action only consisted of tapping three key points, not a single spare movement was wasted.

Originally, his specialization was in medium-ranged wide area attack magic.

If anything, when it came to one-on-one close quarter matches, they were not his forte.

But even when we say that "they were not his forte", since entering high school the year before, Hattori still stood undefeated in battle.

While he might have yielded before the Big Three which consisted of Mari, a specialist in both individual and group anti-personnel combat, Mayumi, who could freely employ astounding, high-speed, high precision shooting magic, and Juumonji, a club captain who had gained a peculiar title known as "Iron Wall", Hattori had the confidence that he could hold his own against other students or even groups of teachers.

That pride did not come from overconfidence.

The simplistic Activation Sequence that heavily relied on speed was already complete, and in a flash, Hattori had already entered the Magic Invocation stage.

At this moment, he almost let out a cry of surprise.

His opponent, that arrogant 1st Year student, was somehow close enough to fill his entire vision.

He hurriedly changed his target, and prepared to unleash his magic. Basic Single System Movement-Type Magic.

Any opponent caught by this magic would be flung back over a dozen meters and knocked unconscious by the impact, ending the battle.

But, the magic ended without invoking.

There should have been no problems with the Activation Sequence. His opponent had vanished.

While the target of Magic Sequences did not have to be very specific, if the target that was originally in the line of sight suddenly disappeared, spell failure was inevitable.

The Psion Information Aide that was supposed to keep track of his opponent's status and location vanished without any effect, just as a powerful "wave motion" approached Hattori from the flank, who was too busy looking left and right for his opponent. (!)

Three consecutive wave motions.

Each wave motion overlapped with one another inside Hattori's body, causing massive swaying to break out that ultimately resulted in Hattori losing consciousness.

Victory was decided in an instant.

The entire match lasted less than 5 seconds, and could be appropriately described as an instant win.

In front of Tatsuya's CAD, Hattori keeled over. "...Winner, Shiba Tatsuya."

Mari cautiously announced the name of the winner. There was not a trace of joy on the winner's face.

That expression was appropriate for someone who had merely arrived at the expected result.

He gave a short bow, then walked towards the table that held the CAD cases.

It wasn't just his posture; he was wholly uninterested in his victory. "Wait."

Mari called out from behind him.

"That movement right there... Did you preemptively input a Speed Ability?"

Hearing this, Mayumi, Suzune, and Azusa all began reflecting on the match.

At the moment the start signal was given, Tatsuya had moved in front of Hattori.

At the next instant, he was several meters behind Hattori's right flank. Anyone would mistake that speed for Flash Step.

A normal human body is incapable of that sort of motion.

"The fact that that is impossible...I think Senpai is more aware of that than anyone."

It was just as Tatsuya said. As the judge, Mari was closely observing whether CADs were being activated. Not just the obvious CADs, but even for hidden CADs, the flow of psions would have been obvious to her.

"But, that?"

"That wasn't magic, that was a bona fide physical technique."

"I can testify to that as well. That is Onii-sama's physical technique. Onii- sama was mentored by Kokonoe Yakumo-sensei."

Mari held her breath. For someone as versed in combat as she was, the name Kokonoe Yakumo was quite familiar. Mayumi and Suzune did not know of Kokonoe like Mari, but they too could not hide their surprise that someone could accomplish such a feat that was normally written off as something that could only be accomplished through the aid of magic.

Mayumi recovered from her astonishment. From the perspective of someone who had studied magic, she also had her own question.

"Was that attack also Ninjutsu? I thought I saw the release of Psion wave motions."

That being said, her voice and word selection had both stiffened, probably because she still hadn't completely overcome her shock.

Generally, inquiring about another Magician's unreleased abilities, or even to ask how the ability works, is against the rules. But, for someone such as Mayumi who uses Psion Bullets, for Tatsuya to use Psions that had no physical manifestation as weapons, and exactly how he managed to damage Hattori... these burning questions could not be suppressed.

"You're correct. The attack was not Ninjutsu, but based on Psion wave motions. The foundation of that Psion motion wave came from Oscillation- type Basic Single System Magic."

"Given that, I still don't understand how you knocked out Hanzou."

"Causing him to faint was enough."

"Faint? How did that happen?"

As he watched Mayumi tilt her head, Tatsuya's expression did not become more troubled as he continued to explain.

"For Magicians, Psions can be discernible just like visible light and sound waves. This is a mandatory skill for magic, but the side effect is that when Magicians are exposed to unexpected Psion wave motions, they frequently misinterpret that their bodies are swaying. This misunderstanding directly affects the physical body. The reasoning behind this is very similar to hypnotic suggestion, where people under hypnosis are induced into thinking they suffered 'burn injuries', then find out that the physical symptoms reflect their thinking. During the match, I used this illusion of 'swaying motions', causing him to feel an extreme case of seasickness."

"I can't believe it... Magicians are usually exposed to Psion wave motions, and thus become accustomed to these surges. For External Systemic Magic, both Activation Sequences and Magic Sequences are types of Psion wave motions. And yet despite this, to be able to disable a Magician through Psion surge alone, and to cause such a strong effect, exactly how..."

The one who answered Mayumi's question was Suzune. "Compound waves."

"Rin-chan?"

Just this short sentence was not sufficient for the intelligent Mayumi to understand. Naturally, Suzune's explanation wasn't finished.

"By consecutively creating three varied vibrations, then have their intersection point at Hattori-kun's location, thus creating an equilateral surge through these powerful wave motions. To think you were capable of making such precise calculations."

"Quite the explanation, Ichihara-senpai."

Although Suzune was also quite shocked at Tatsuya's calculation abilities, she also deserves considerable credit for comprehending the mechanics after seeing it only once, Tatsuya thought.

However, Suzune's real question was in another area.

"Speaking of this, how were you able to consecutively invoke vibration magic 3 times? If your technical speed is so high, how come your technical score is this low?"

At such a direct reference to his low scores, Tatsuya could only force a small smile.

Ever since laying eyes on Tatsuya's CAD, Azusa could not calm down in the slightest and now tentatively offered a question.

"Tatsuya-kun, is that CAD the 'Silver Horn'?"

"Silver Horn? Silver, as in the Silver from that mysterious genius Magic Designer Taurus Silver?"

At Mayumi's question, Azusa visibly brightened.

At times described as a "Device Geek", Azusa happily explained away.

"That's him! The miraculous CAD engineer associated with Four Leaves Technology, whose name, appearance, and data all remain a mystery!

The genius programmer who was the first in the world to make the Loop Cast System a reality.

Ah, Loop Cast System is the Activation Sequence that skips the step of restarting each Activation Sequence. If the Magic Sequence is the same, then the CAD no longer has to restart the Activation Sequence each time. This is done by adding a copying power to the Magic Calculation Area's execution mode, adding a copy of the Activation Sequence's last parts to the Activation Sequence itself, so Magicians can endlessly invoke magics within their ability. Although the theory existed in the past, but to calculate the Invocation Sequence and copy the Activation Sequence separately at the same time, no one could do it until now..."

"Stop! I know what Loop Cast is."

"In that case...

In that case, Silver Horn is the name of the Fully Customizable Specialized CAD developed by Taurus Silver!

Naturally, it has the best adjustments for the Loop Cast System, is able to invoke magic stably using the least amount of Magic Power, is critically acclaimed, and is especially popular among the law enforcement population.

Although it's sold on the market, but that requires a special procedure and fee! And judging from the way the barrel is longer than the traditional model, yours must be a limited edition model?! Where did you get that?"

"A-chan, calm down a little."

Maybe it was because of asthma, but Azusa's chest was heaving as her eyes were glued onto the item held in Tatsuya's hand. If Mayumi, who was well aware of Azusa's interests, hadn't been on hand to stop her, she would have probably been admiring it from a very close proximity.

On the other hand, Mayumi still had another question.

"But, Rin-chan. Isn't that strange? No matter how capable the Loop Cast CAD is, Loop Cast still can't..."

After the talking stopped, Suzune nodded as she tilted her head like Mayumi.

"That is strange.

Loop Cast is designed for consecutively casting one type of magic. Even if it is the same vibration magic, if the wavelength and number of vibrations set by the Magician changes, these would cause differences to occur within the Activation Sequence. If the Loop Cast automatically copies the original Activation Sequence, then it would be impossible to account for the differences in order to achieve 'Compounding Waves'.

If you set the number of vibrations as another variable, then it may be possible to use the same Activation Sequence to achieve 'Compounding Waves' while still accounting for all the differences. But if target, strength, time of duration are all variables, and you include number of vibrations as another variable... Don't tell me you managed to calculate all of that?"

This time even Suzune was stunned to the point of speechlessness, and under her gaze Tatsuya merely shrugged.

"It doesn't matter if it's multi-variable quantitative processing speed, calculation scale, or even interference strength. None of these are subjects that are assigned a grade."

Before Mayumi and Mari's gaze, Tatsuya remained ambivalent as he said that aloud.

"...The evaluation of magic technical skills only includes Invocation Speed, the scale of the Magic Sequence, and phenomena rewriting ability.

I see now, so the test is not capable of completely measuring a person's ability..."

With a groan, Hattori sat up and answered Tatsuya's ironic statement. "Hanzou-kun, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

Mayumi bent at the waist and looked over Hattori. In response, Hattori quickly dodged the incoming face and hurriedly got to his feet.

"I see, so you were all worried about this from the beginning." Hattori could not have said this if he had not overheard their earlier conversation.

Mayumi straightened herself, then nodded with a look of understanding on her face. Hattori was directly facing her.

"No, in the beginning I really hadn't realized!"

Still flushed in the face, he hurriedly searched for an argument.

"After I lost consciousness I was still in a hazy state... I only regained movement just now!"

Put it this way... It looked as if it was very easy to understand the underlying emotions.

"Is that so...? Then you must have understood completely what we just said?"

"...Eh, yes! Even if still hazy, my ears could still hear the words..."

It seemed like Mayumi perfectly understood the feelings Hattori held towards her.

Evil woman...? Even if there was this impression, but the connotations behind those words did not adequately fit her surroundings, Tatsuya decided to stop pursuing this line of thought.

Whatever the reality was, there was also the possibility that he simply misread the situation.

Tatsuya continued the work that was interrupted by Mari's shout.

...Putting it like that would be overly pretentious, since all he was doing was returning the CAD to the case.

Tatsuya pretended not to see Azusa, who was staring at the object in his hands with an expression that clearly said "Do Want".

Tatsuya also ignored his sister's gaze that suggested she wanted to help. That was because Miyuki wasn't very adept with machines. Mechanical dunce, or high tech allergies would not be an inappropriate description, especially since Tatsuya's CAD was customized to the point that a normal high school student would not be able to handle them (on the other hand, because the school's CADs only received limited adjustments, Tatsuya could not use them to the full extent of his abilities). The truth was, if Miyuki came to help, it would only increase the workload.

He replaced the storage device and reset the safety. The sound of footsteps approached Tatsuya from behind.

Looks like the explanations were at an end.

What followed next did not concern him, so Tatsuya did not turn around. "Shiba-san."

"Yes."

Miyuki replied in a displeased tone.

Including Tatsuya, there were only two males in the room, so even if the tone was completely different from before, there was no mistaking who the speaker was.

"Earlier, I made a rude comment concerning your favoritism."

There was also no mistake in who the speaker of the voice was talking to. "I was the one whose judgment was clouded. Please forgive me."

"I also spoke too arrogantly. Please forgive me."

Tatsuya was also perfectly aware, despite his back facing them, about who was bowing to the other one.

Sometimes it was hard to tell who was the older and more mature sibling. Tatsuya pursed his lips and locked the CAD case.

He slowly turned around.

For a second, Hattori revealed a cowed expression, but quickly returned to a tougher stance.

During that split second of peace, was it preparation for reconciliation, or the harbinger for a rematch?

Before either possibility could occur, the moment disappeared.

In the end, Hattori only met Tatsuya's gaze briefly, before turning around.

Feeling the burning fury emanate from beside him, Tatsuya only lightly patted Miyuki on the shoulder.

They were going to work together in the same Student Council from now onwards, so leaving behind any bad blood would only hurt Miyuki.

As if Tatsuya's thoughts were telepathically transferred over, Miyuki quickly mastered herself.

"Let's head back to the Student Council Room!" At Mayumi's words, every member began to move.

Behind Suzune, Azusa, and Hattori, Mayumi's face revealed a look that said "It can't be helped".

Following that, Mari became aware of Tatsuya's gaze, and shrugged as if she didn't want the other four to notice.

After placing the CAD back into the workroom, Tatsuya returned to the Student Council Room, where Mari immediately grabbed his wrist.

Miyuki, who was being tutored by Azusa near the terminal on the wall, raised an eyebrow at this, while Tatsuya could only signal through his eyes that this couldn't be helped... Although, Tatsuya harbored doubts as to whether she could understand this.

He forcibly suppressed his subconscious urge to throw the other person aside. Though come to speak of it, to be able to capture her target in such a narrow window, Mari's physical abilities must be quite impressive as well.

"While a lot of unexpected events occurred, let's go with the original plan and head to the Public Moral Committee HQ!"

As if not caring about Tatsuya's (largely confused) mental concerns, Mari dragged him away by the arm.

Miyuki finally noticed Tatsuya's confused expression, and redirected her gaze back to the terminal. Albeit, with great difficulty.

Hattori never raised his head since Tatsuya entered the Student Council Room.

It looked like he was trying to ignore everything in that direction, which was probably his greatest concession from an emotional standpoint. For this, Tatsuya was extremely thankful.

Mayumi hastily batted her hand. Exactly what that was for, or what meaning it was trying to convey...? Among the people that Tatsuya had already met, she was probably the hardest to understand.

That should probably be tabled for a later date.

After much difficulty (largely persuasion), Tatsuya was able to free his wrist, and obediently followed Mari.

In the room's farthest corner, in a spot where there would normally be a fire escape, there was instead a staircase leading to the Public Moral

Committee HQ.

Are we ignoring fire safety standards? (!)

Tatsuya ruminated on this, but even if the students were learning on the job, or even brand new, as long as there were excellent Magicians on hand, the lack of firefighting equipment shouldn't have been a problem. Simply using vibration or speed magics was enough to put out a fire, then the use a combination of Gather-Move Smoke Magic would be enough to expel it. In truth, large scale fires in tall skyscrapers were yet another area that Magicians could display their skills.

Given that the lack of an elevator was within the boundaries of fire safety, the rest can be forgiven, Tatsuya thought.

In regards to Tatsuya, who was right on her heels through the door into headquarters, Mari pointed towards the chairs next to the table, and said,

"It's a little bit of a mess. You can rest there for a second."

So this only qualified as a little. That being said, it was not like there was no place to put one's foot down, or that all the chairs were covered with luggage. It was probably because they just came from the neat and tidy Student Council Room, so this image was especially jarring, but that was as much as could be expected.

Books, portable terminals, and even CADs, all sorts of items covered the table. Tatsuya slightly cleared out a space on one of the half-pulled out chairs beside the table.

"The Public Moral Committee Room is like a bachelor's home. Even though I've told them to pick up after themselves time and time again, there's still no one who listens..."

"It can't be helped when no one is around."

Not knowing if Tatsuya's comment was out of mockery or comfort, Mari wrinkled her brow upon hearing this.

"...Our primary objective is patrolling school grounds. The state of affairs within HQ couldn't be avoided."

Presently, there were only two people in the room. The Public Moral Committee consisted of nine people, but the space within the room could accommodate a group of people many times greater than the current roster. Within this space, the idle atmosphere and dispersed items only served to increase the sense of uncleanliness.

What drew Tatsuya's attention, aside from the obvious messiness of the room, were the cluttered objects on the table.

"Even so, Chief, would it be okay if I tidied up a bit?"

"What..."

At Tatsuya's sudden proposal, Mari raised an eyebrow in surprise. Surprise was well within a senpai's acting repertoire. (!)

"As someone aiming to be a Magic Artificer, I can't stand it when I see CADs scattered around like this. I have the same stance towards abandoned or disabled terminals."

Because of this, Tatsuya's priorities in task management had changed.

"Aiming to be a Magic Artificer? Even with that level of anti-personnel combat capability?"

At Tatsuya's words, Mari earnestly tilted her head a bit. From the recent contest, despite the brief time that had elapsed, the level of anti-personnel combat was superb.

"No matter how hard I try, my abilities can get me to a C-Rank License at best."

But, just as if he was discussing someone else's affairs, Tatsuya mildly used a self-depreciating comment to counter Mari. Mari was too astonished to find any words to rebut that.

In most countries, Magicians operated under the licensing system. The system was based on international standards, from which this country was not an exception. It doesn't matter if you work for the corporations, the government, or even open a private practice, the difficulty and need both reflect upon the level of licensure. Magicians with higher licensing levels received a higher level of compensation; this is the rule of society.

International licenses have 5 levels between A and E.

Selection and ranking are based on Magic Sequence design and usage speeds, scale, and interference strength, which were the exact same scales used in high school technical skills testing. In other words, the educational technical skills grading scale was designed to naturally lead into international licensing standards.

There is a separate, special set of standards for law enforcement and the military, but at the end of the day, those standards are for "law enforcement" or "military types", and not designed to measure Magicians.

"...So, it's okay if I clean up this area?"

"Ah? Hm, I'll help too. We can talk while we work."

Mari hurriedly stood up, probably because she was the type that naturally looked after other people.

Or maybe it was because just sitting there watching Tatsuya toil away at the piles of books was simply rude.

While both of them worked at similar speeds, when compared to the empty space in front of Tatsuya, the pile in front of Mari did not decrease in size, and the surface of the table still wasn't visible.

Tatsuya gave it a brief glance. And let out a small sigh.

Mari stopped her hands in a clear sign of surrender. "Sorry, I'm really bad at this type of work."

She might bear the biggest responsibility for the state of the room, Tatsuya thought.

That only remained in his thoughts and was not verbalized, given that he was a mature adult... maybe. (!)

"Speaking of which, you're quite familiar with those."

"What are you referring to?"

"The book categories. I thought you were just going to put them somewhere else, but I didn't expect you to sort them by subject."

"...Excuse me, sitting on the table is a little..."

In a sudden change of attitude, Mari sat down on the table in the open area that Tatsuya cleared away, looking at the disorganized pile of books. Her dress was directly touching Tatsuya's wrist. The cloth subtly covered the thigh area, leading to a charming pair of slim legs. Even though the flesh was completely covered, the outline left nothing to imagination, thus rendering that position a terrible distraction to mental state.

"Ah, sorry."

Needless to say, Mari's voice did not show a trace of apologetic tone. Any intentional response would only bring about the reverse effect, thus proving the idiom, silence is golden.

He dug out the bookcase from the pile of books, and placed them properly on the shelves. In this day and age, both paper-based books and bookshelves are considered rarities.

Not to mention that they were magical texts.

"In terms of why we scouted you on this matter, we went over this earlier. It is to properly adjudicate cases of improper magic usage, and to improve the perception of Course 2 students."

"I remember, but I think that this tactic may cause considerable backlash...

May I take a look at this book?"

After sorting the books, the terminals still needed work. After asking Mari for permission to examine the data, to which Mari had nodded in agreement, Tatsuya restored the terminal to working order, cut the power, shifted the terminal to storage mode, and gathered the parts in one area.

"Why do you think that way?"

"Even though we never mentioned this aloud, if an underclassman were apprehended by someone of equal standing, this would naturally lead to negative reactions."

He left the seat, and began searching the cabinets by the wall.

After placing the terminal within an empty cabinet, he heard a completely irresponsible comment of "That's true" coming from behind him.

"But at the same time, 1st Year students would welcome this change. Haven't your fellow students talked about this?"

"Yes..."

After sorting the terminals, he looked towards other cabinets.

"I think that if a Course 1 student took over, the negative reaction would outnumber the welcoming reaction."

After locating the target, Tatsuya straightened himself, rotating his shoulders before taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

"Resentment is likely inevitable. But in regard to newly enrolled Course 1 students, they might not have been exposed to the discriminating thinking long enough to become prejudiced, right?"

"Who knows?"

The object that Tatsuya carefully removed from the cabinet seemed to be a CAD case.

"Just yesterday I ran into the 'I don't acknowledge you' declaration."

After wrapping the grounded protector around his sleeveless wrist, he reached his hand towards the pile of CADs.

"Thank goodness you carry even this type of equipment... Was that person Morisaki?"

"This is quite convenient... You know him too?"

"The teachers recommended him to join the committee."

"Eh?"

The hand that was examining the CAD status faltered slightly. He hastily picked up the CAD that fell to the ground.

"So even you can be surprised."

"Of course."

In response to Mari's laughter, Tatsuya's response was colored by his sighing tone.

If only there was a way to undercut all this antagonism...

"Due to yesterday's ruckus, there are grounds for withdrawing the recommendation, which was what I planned to do, but yesterday's event had nothing to do with you."

"I was involved as well."

"Well then, if we were able to recruit you, it would be much harder to reject him."

"Why not simply take neither of us, what do you think?"

"Do you dislike it?"

Upon receiving such a direct question, Tatsuya stopped the work of his hands.

Temporarily, he put the CAD back into the box, and raised his head.

Mari was sitting on the table looking downwards at Tatsuya's face without a smile on her face.

Her slender and delicate gaze seemed to see right through Tatsuya. "...To tell the truth, I find it very troublesome."

"Hm... And?"

"Despite thinking that it's troublesome, I don't plan on backing out at this point."

Mari's face once more revealed her delighted smirk.

Her devilish expression seemed to have increased her beauty two-fold. "Senpai is the type of person who hates trouble too..."

"You're also the type who likes to cut corners."

Alas, Tatsuya could only admit that she won that round.

"...This is the Public Moral Committee HQ, right?"

That was Mayumi's first question after descending the stairs. "That was quite the unexpected greeting."

"What, this is all because of you, Mari. No matter how many times Rin- chan reminds you or how much A-chan begs you, you still haven't cleaned up the place."

"I object to your hurtful and inaccurate description of the situation, Mayumi! It's not that I don't want to clean up, but that I haven't started yet!"

"As a woman, you should pay more attention to this."

Mayumi narrowed her eyes as she squinted at Mari, who hurriedly turned around.

"It's not like I don't want to... Ah, that."

Upon seeing Tatsuya busily examining a terminal's internal condition after removing the protective cover, Mayumi displayed an understanding expression as she nodded.

"So it's because he's been put to good use already."

"Meh, just so."

Mari's back was still facing Mayumi as she replied, just as Tatsuya closed the protective cover and turned around.

"Chief, the inspections are complete. The damaged parts have already been replaced. There should be no more problems."

"Good work."

Mari nodded quickly, but maybe he was reading too much into it, because

Tatsuya thought he could see sweat beads on Mari's temple. Cold sweat.

"Eh... So you address Mari as Chief, which means we have successfully recruited you."

"I thought I never had the right to refuse in the first place..."

Tatsuya didn't even look at Mayumi's teasing expression, and deadpanned his response.

Mayumi looked like she disapproved of Tatsuya's attitude. She placed one hand on her hips, raised the other forefinger, directing her most displeased gaze towards him as she was about to unleash her most exaggerated attitude to voice her objection.

"Tatsuya-kun, isn't your response to your older sister simply too rude?"

...In short, the way Tatsuya framed his response was because he didn't have an older sister. If he admitted this aloud, Tatsuya felt that the situation would only grow worse, so he did not verbalize it.

No matter where it started or where it ended, it was so archetypal that no real response was possible.

If anything, Mayumi's attitude towards him was overly casual, Tatsuya thought to himself.

He had entered this type of situation with similar impressions in the past, and managed to sidestep the issue every time. This time however, Tatsuya somehow felt that he was unable to do so.

"President, just in case, I want to clarify one thing with you."

"Hm, what is it?"

"We met for the first time just before the enrollment ceremony, right?"

It goes without saying that meeting for the first time might constitute an overly familiar attitude, not to mention all the additional meanings behind those words, as Mayumi's eyes widened upon hearing them. However, they quickly reverted to their normal size and narrowed even more, to the point that her expression could only be described as "wicked".

Tatsuya finally realized what a terrible move he made.

Just before, Mari had a very similar facial expression, now that Tatsuya thought about it. So, this must be what people mean by birds of a feather flock together, Tatsuya thought as he wished he could escape reality.

"Is this how it is... Ho ho ho ho ho."

Tiny devil would be a perfectly appropriate description for that smiling face.

"Tatsuya-kun thinks that we've met before, right? And the day of the enrollment ceremony must be our fateful reunion!"

"No, wait, President?"

Exactly why were the tensions rising so quickly?.

"A long time ago we might have met once, then thrust apart by cruel fate, only to be united by destiny once more!"

If she was really reveling in those words, she would be a dangerous person. But if she was acting this entire sequence out while purposefully allowing everyone else to know she was acting, there was something terribly wrong with that kind of personality.

"...Unfortunately, that was undoubtedly our first meeting."

"...I thought so too."

"I say, I say, unless you really got those fateful meeting vibes?"

Mayumi clasped her hands in front of her chest and pressed her face closer towards Tatsuya. She looked very excited, but in reality she was fooling around. This suited her quite well... Truly, a terrible personality.

"...Sorry, why are you so happy about this?"

Even if he used a question to answer a question, he wouldn't receive an answer.

The only thing he received was that gaze filled with expectations. She is an "S", Tatsuya jotted down in his mental notebook. Seizing the opportunity, Tatsuya replied.

"...If this is destiny, then it definitely isn't fate, and looks more like doom."

Tatsuya's reply caused Mayumi's face to darken as she turned around. "Is that so...?" A lonely muttering meandered to Tatsuya's ear.

Dark clouds of depression gathered behind her back.

Tatsuya also felt that he might have gone too far. Even though his response was based on his estimation that Mayumi was completely teasing him, if there was a shade of sincerity in them, then he needed to apologize.

However...

There was no way to tell if it was good luck or bad, but the sense of guilt didn't linger for too long.

That was probably due to confusion, given the circumstances. "...Tch."

As her shoulders slumped slightly, Mayumi's lips dropped a sound that could only mean a sense of defeat.

It was Tatsuya's turn to widen his eyes.

It was only a small sound to be sure, and not graceful in any way, but could still be identified. (!)

"Um, President?"

"Hm, what is it?"

Mayumi turned around to face Tatsuya; her elegant smile would have charmed any newly enrolled male student.

"...Why do I feel like I understand you a little better now, President?"

Feeling utterly exhausted, Tatsuya thought that he glimpsed Mayumi's real face behind the mask.

And that is, a smiling face that loved to tease others.

"It's about time to stop the jokes. Tatsuya-kun, too much leisure time can be a bad thing."

Towards Mayumi, who was completely guiltless and treated the entire thing as a joke, Mari said,

"You can't use the same tricks you used on Hattori, Mayumi. Your appearance doesn't work on him."

Mari took the opportunity to throw in her two cents.

"Don't describe others in such an evil manner. It's as if I like messing with underclassmen."

Unable to ignore the previous comment, Mayumi's answer became a little heated.

"Regarding what I just heard..."

Tatsuya deeply regretted opening his mouth with prior consideration, and began to clean up again. If he stayed too long in the miasma spread by the others, he would definitely suffer additional damage.

"The difference in Mayumi's attitude is because she's already acknowledged you, Tatsuya-kun.

She probably considers the two of you to be quite alike in some areas.

In other words, she's playing coy. She only takes off her mask in front of the people she acknowledges."

At Mari's oddly solemn expression, Tatsuya felt a sense of unease. "Don't believe what Mari says, Tatsuya-kun.

But, I guess I do acknowledge you?

It feels like I can't deal with you the same way I treat the others. Maybe the one touched by fate is me."

Hearing this, and seeing Mayumi's smiling face that no sane man could hate, Tatsuya's internal pace had been completely disrupted.

Looks like challenging these two directly from the front would be an exercise in futility, Tatsuya thought.

The reason Mayumi came to visit was actually to inform them that the Student Council Room was closing early. She was only supposed to check on Tatsuya in passing, but that had quickly become her primary objective before long. It probably wasn't a good idea to dwell too long on that subject.

Since the end of the enrollment ceremony, many different action items had also come to a head. "Then, I'm going ahead." Mayumi waved and walked towards the Student Council Room.

Tomorrow marked the first day for the competition for new club members, so the activity level of the Public Moral Committee was going to increase as well. Mayumi's conversation with Mari and Tatsuya ended at this point.

Current information systems, much like their predecessors, required very little time to operate.

Several of them needed to be shut down, but even if this step was overlooked, they would still automatically enter sleep mode.

The only thing that needed to be done at this point was set safety protocols, but at this opportune moment or maybe unfortunate moment

-two male students entered the Public Morale Committee headquarters. "Hi."

"Good morning!"

A vibrant greeting spread throughout the room. "Oi, Nee-san, can we come in?"

Where the heck is this, and what year are we in? Tatsuya thought.

The subject in question was not overly tall, but possessed a sturdy build, with shortly cropped hair that was very suited for a headband. And to so casually use "Nee-san", he had to be referring to

(Must be Watanabe-senpai...)

Tatsuya glanced briefly at Mari, who was a little embarrassed.

The fact that she still retained (at the very least) some sense of normalcy brought a ridiculous amount of relief to Tatsuya. "Chief, today's patrol is done! No arrests!"

When compared to the other guy, this one had a bland appearance and his speech pattern was quite normal, but filled with an imposing manner. The unmoving stance he took while giving his report reminded people of a soldier, or maybe a police officer, or someone part of a system that had largely remained unchanged over the years. (!)

"...You're telling me that Nee-san cleaned this room?"

At the abrupt changes in the activity room, the sturdy one could not conceal his surprise as he walked towards Tatsuya.

There shouldn't have been a major difference in weight, but amazingly, his footsteps were incredibly slow in comparison. (!)

Just as the boy passed in front of Mari, she casually stood up, looked towards him

"A-ya!"

SPA! There was a sound that was pleasing to the ear, just as the boy crouched down and covered his head.

Mari held a notebook rolled into a rod. When did she pull that out?.

"Don't call me Nee-san! How many times do I have to tell you for you to remember?! Koutarou, is your brain a decoration?!"

Tatsuya had not yet sorted through his confusion, but Mari had already roared her displeasure at the boy covering his head.

"Please don't hit me on the head, Nee... No, Chief. Speaking of which, who's this? The rookie?"

It probably didn't hurt that much, despite the yammering of the boy named Koutarou. However, noticing the moving rolled-up notebook, he quickly changed Nee-san to Mari's official title.

In front of Koutarou, who had gone rigid in nervousness, Mari lowered her shoulders and sighed.

"...It's just as you said, he's the rookie. 1st Year Class E Shiba Tatsuya. Recommended by the Student Council."

"Eh... There's no insignia."

Koutarou was very excited as he examined Tatsuya's coat, while at the same time checking out Tatsuya's build.

"Tatsumi-senpai, that's violating the ban on certain words! At this time, I think Course 2 student would be the proper description." (!)

The other boy, despite saying this on the outside, could not disguise his coldly analytical body language. "The two of you should be careful. That kind of thinking may lead to a world of hurt in battle? (!)I'll only say it once. He just thrashed Hattori."

However, just as Mari said this with a teasing smile on her face, the two boys' expressions became grave.

"...This guy, took out Hattori?"

"Yes, in a formal duel."

"What! The undefeated Hattori, losing to a newcomer."

"No need to shout, Sawaki. Didn't I just say that?"

Tatsuya was not pleased at being stared at for so long, but these were not just upperclassmen, but his seniors in the Public Moral Committee. He just had to bear with it for a little longer.

"This guy is quite determined."

"He's got potential, Chief."

Like musicians recovering from a disrupted rhythm, their gazes changed. Almost as if they could change appearances on cue.

"Surprised?"

"Hm?"

The question was too vague, so it was hard to tell what was being asked, but it didn't seem like Mari expected Tatsuya to answer anyways.

"This school is filled with people immersed in the idea that labeling Blooms and Weeds determines their superiority. To be honest, I hate that. So I am very pleased with the outcome of today's match.

Thankfully, Mayumi and Juumonji both understand my personality. Thus, the members recommended by the Student Council and the Club Management Group aren't people brainwashed into that sort of thinking. While I can't say that there's no sense of superiority here, we're all people that can objectively evaluate another person's skills.

Unfortunately, the three students recommended by the teachers are rather from the former category, so there's nothing we can do about it, but I think this place wouldn't be a bad fit for you."

"3rd Year Class C Tatsumi Koutarou. Welcome aboard Shiba. If you got the skills, you're fine in my book."

"2nd Year Class D Sawaki Midori. Welcome to our group, Tatsuya-kun."

Koutarou and Sawaki both reached out a hand. Just as Mari said, there wasn't a hint of insult in their expression. Their earlier evaluation was simply to see if Tatsuya had any ability, and whether he was a Course 1 or Course 2 student made no difference to them, Tatsuya finally understood this.

He had to admit he was somewhat surprised. Indeed, this wasn't a bad atmosphere.

He returned their greeting and shook Koutarou's hand. For some reason, the hand wasn't released. !)

"Juumonji is from the Club Management Group. You can refer to him as Group Leader Juumonji."

Was it just to tell me that? You could've told me that after you released my hand. (!)

"I'm up next. Please refer to me by my family name Sawaki."

Upon feeling pressure on his hand, Tatsuya's consciousness was pulled back to reality.

His grip strength had increased to the point where you could hear the movement, Tatsuya was surprised to find.

This school had excellent students, and not just solely in the magic department.

"Don't call me by my name." That appeared to be the warning.

There was no need for such a roundabout warning, as Tatsuya was not in the habit of referring to upperclassmen by name, but since Sawaki took time to specifically mention this, he should respond as well.

"I'll remember that."

At the same time these words were spoken, his right hand was released.

Upon seeing Tatsuya's physical skills, Koutarou's surprise surpassed Sawaki's own.

"Ho, that's quite impressive. Sawaki's grip strength is at least in the triple digits."

"...I think that hardly qualifies as normal physical abilities, even for Magicians."

Tatsuya pretended not to know, giving only a light response.

He was probably going to get along quite well with these two -- Tatsuya thought.