The following day, Miyuki spotted Erika in the cafeteria where they'd agreed to meet, but it was clear from Erika's expression that she was in a foul mood.
"Still hung up on yesterday?" Miyuki asked.
On the walk to the station the previous evening, Erika—usually quick to brush things off—hadn't bothered to hide her frustration. Since asking her directly felt awkward, Miyuki had turned to Tatsuya to uncover the reason behind Erika's mood and left him to handle it.
"It's not like I'm dwelling on that guy getting away," Erika said, her tone sharp. "It's just… something he said is bugging me. That school's not as safe as we think. Could it really be one of the students…?"
Honoka and Mikihiko, who weren't deeply involved in the April incident, didn't catch the weight of her words, but Tatsuya and Miyuki understood exactly what she meant.
"Fair point," Tatsuya said. "I'm not thrilled about cleaning up another mess either. But we can't just hunt someone down and grab them without evidence."
"I know, but…" Erika trailed off.
Her tone betrayed her lingering unease, though Tatsuya could tell she was trying to let it go.
"Still, just sitting back and waiting feels like a losing game," Leo chimed in. "If they're coming at us directly, fine, but sneaking around? Burglary? That's harder to deal with."
"And it's not like we can focus solely on that," Mikihiko added.
Tatsuya shook his head with a wry smile. "It's not like we're carrying sensitive data around on our devices for someone to steal. Pickpocketing or bag-snatching in school? That's a stretch. Sure, theft's not impossible, but it's not unique to this competition. If someone's trying to swipe data on campus, they'd go for low-security directories—easy pickings. I'm not that careless. Are you all getting rattled by some shady rumor?"
"You're right…" Mikihiko conceded, though his tone suggested he wasn't fully convinced. "But yesterday's guy didn't seem connected to the ones probing with magic. We need to stay sharp for both."
"I hear you," Tatsuya said.
Erika and Leo still looked like they had more to say but couldn't counter Tatsuya's logic, so they stayed quiet—for now.
"Something still bothering you two?" Tatsuya asked, eyeing Erika and Leo.
"It's not that you're wrong, Tatsuya-kun," Erika said, hesitating. "It's just… I can't shake this feeling, you know? It's emotional, not rational."
"Same here," Leo admitted. "Doing nothing feels frustrating."
"I appreciate the vigilance," Tatsuya said. "Just don't go overboard. I'd rather not deal with you clashing with Chairwoman Chiyoda or causing a scene. Keep it in check, and I won't interfere."
Tatsuya's warning was deliberate—those two were entirely capable of stirring up trouble. Erika and Leo exchanged glances and shrugged sheepishly.
The Nine Schools Competition fielded teams of fifty-two, but the Thesis Competition involved just three representatives. Despite the vast difference in scale, the Thesis Competition was considered just as prestigious. One reason was that it served as a battleground for the nine Magic High Schools to prove their superiority, especially for schools looking to redeem lackluster performances in the Nine Schools Competition.
Another reason was its inclusivity: unlike the athletic focus of the Nine Schools Competition, the Thesis Competition allowed many students to contribute directly. With the event looming the Sunday after next, the school was buzzing. Even class time, under the guise of "independent creation" and "self-directed production," had devolved into a chaotic whirlwind of clattering and chatter. At the heart of this storm was the figure Erika was searching for.
"Hey, Tatsuya-kun!" Erika called, waving energetically.
Beside her, Leo pointedly looked the other way, while Mikihiko lingered two meters behind, also avoiding eye contact. Both were clearly pretending not to know her.
"Erika-chan, don't interrupt," Mizuki scolded softly.
"Chiba, read the room," Kirihara, there as an escort, grumbled, voicing the frustration of those whose experiment had been disrupted.
Erika ignored him, spotting two others. "Oh, Sayaka and Tomo-senpai! Here to observe?"
She was addressing Sayaka, who'd come to check on Tatsuya, and Tomitsuka, another escort.
"You don't seem like you're just observing, Erika," Tatsuya said, cutting through the chatter to get to the point. "What's up?"
"Mizuki got roped into helping, so I'm tagging along," Erika replied.
"Come over here, Erika," Miyuki said, seizing the moment to pull her into the crowd of onlookers. Sayaka and Tomitsuka stepped away from Kirihara to join Erika, and at Isori's signal, the interrupted magical device experiment resumed.
"What's that experiment?" Erika asked, eyeing the setup. "Looks like a giant lightbulb."
"It's a room-temperature plasma generator for the presentation," Miyuki explained.
"Room-temperature? Like nuclear fusion?" Mikihiko asked, forgetting his pretense of detachment in his curiosity.
"Fusion refers to the reaction type," Miyuki said. "It doesn't always require ultra-high temperatures."
Mikihiko fell silent, processing.
"Sorry, Yoshida-kun," Miyuki added. "I don't know the details either. You'd be better off asking Onii-sama later."
Mikihiko shook his head vigorously. Meanwhile, Erika and Sayaka whispered to each other, exchanging knowing glances, but they clammed up when Miyuki flashed a bright smile. Leo, engrossed in the device, hadn't even registered the conversation.
As cheers erupted over the experiment's success, Erika noticed Sayaka staring at something—or someone.
"Sayaka, what's up?" Erika asked.
"That girl…" Sayaka muttered, almost to herself.
"What's wrong!?" Erika pressed.
"Hey, Mibu!?" Kirihara called.
Sayaka suddenly bolted, with Erika and Kirihara sprinting after her. Leo followed a beat later.
Miyuki, wide-eyed, instinctively looked to Tatsuya.
"Don't worry," he said. "It'll sort itself out soon."
"But…" Miyuki hesitated.
"Let's just hope Erika doesn't go too far," Tatsuya muttered, almost to himself, as he turned back to the experiment preparations. Deep down, he doubted his prayer would be answered.
The Chiaki incident should wrap up soon, shouldn't it?
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