Next Up: Tatsuya
Tatsuya's after-school routine was rich in variation. His two basic patterns were holing up in the library or patrolling the school grounds as a member of the Public Morals Committee. However, in the case of the latter, a truly wide variety of incidents tended to occur.
Having exposed his ability to use Gram Demolition during the Nine Schools Competition, Tatsuya had primarily used non-systematic magic outside of class since the second semester began. As a result, he did not exercise the privilege granted to Committee members to carry a CAD openly. When he wore his CAD during patrols, it was largely for the sake of intimidation.
Today, as usual, Tatsuya headed to the Public Morals Committee headquarters after classes ended. Despite immediately sensing the scent of trouble and feeling an urge to turn tail and flee, he maintained a facade of utter calm and called out as normal.
"Good afternoon."
"Ah, Shiba-kun! Perfect timing."
It seemed Tatsuya's premonition was spot on; the moment he spoke, he was captured by Kanon. Her voice had that unmistakable tone of someone about to offload a burdensome task.
"What can I do for you?"
"You know about Shields-san, of course?"
It was an assertion in the form of a question. Tatsuya had no choice but to nod.
"Shields-san mentioned that she wanted to observe the Public Morals Committee's activities. She says she wants to see how student self-governance works in a Japanese magic high school. You're on duty today, aren't you, Shiba-kun? Could you take her along?"
"Understood."
Even as the upperclassmen surrounding Lina shot him looks of envy and jealousy, Tatsuya accepted her accompaniment without flinching. He simply had no choice but to give up and accept his fate.
Even patrolling alone with Lina, Tatsuya showed not a trace of awkwardness. However, there was an air of awareness about him regarding her.
It wasn't because Lina was a beautiful girl. It was because he had noticed her repeatedly stealing glances at him for a while now. She likely thought she was being subtle, but to Tatsuya, she wasn't hiding anything at all.
Tatsuya considered asking a question to address her gaze, but he decided against it, realizing that the questions in his mind were rather mean-spirited and would only create a different kind of awkwardness. So, he kept his mouth shut.
While Tatsuya exercised restraint, the stares from those around them were piercing. Fortunately, perhaps because the students felt they couldn't show shameful behavior in front of an exchange student, no one resorted to using force.
He led Lina primarily through the practical training rooms and laboratories. With his commentary mixed in, the patrol ended up looking more like a guided tour of the school facilities.
"Are you tired? Shall we head back?"
Lina stopped at the landing leading to the backyard. Tatsuya didn't actually think she had stopped because of fatigue, but he needed a prompt to start a conversation.
"No, I'm fine."
"What is it, then?"
She cut her words short, looking as though she had something difficult to say, so Tatsuya urged her to continue. Having made up her mind, Lina pushed past her hesitation.
"Tatsuya, you're an alternate—a Course 2 student, right?"
"I am. Is that a problem?"
"Since your uniform is different from everyone in Class A, I wondered why. When I asked, Miyuki told me, though she sounded quite displeased about it. But earlier, when I asked Kanon, she said you were one of the top fighters at First High."
Tatsuya heard her pronunciation of "Kanon" as Cannon, but he chose to interpret it as the musical Canon rather than the artillery weapon. Because he was distracted by such trivial thoughts, he was a beat late in understanding what Lina was trying to say.
"Tatsuya, why do you pretend to be a Weed? And if you are pretending, why do you show your true strength so easily? Everything you do is so inconsistent. I don't understand why you act this way."
"I don't know how Chiyoda-senpai explained it to you, but I'm not pretending. I really am an inferior student. The practical exams evaluate three things: speed, scale, and interference strength. These are based on international standards. However, victory in real combat isn't decided by those three factors alone. Physical ability is a major factor in actual combat, after all. I may be a Weed on paper, but I'm just good in a fight."
"...I agree with the idea that exam skills and combat skills are two different things. I want to be a magician who is useful in real combat, not just a school genius."
A scent of gunpowder—a dangerous aura—wafted up from Lina.
"That doesn't sound very peaceful."
"You can tell? Impressive."
Seeing this, the warmth vanished from Tatsuya's eyes.
Lina had made a move to gauge Tatsuya's ability, but having been effortlessly countered and intercepted, she offered her surrender for the time being.
"But Tatsuya, isn't this position a little... inappropriate?"
With her arm twisted up behind her back, it looked somewhat like he was forcefully trying to kiss her. Tatsuya released her hand once she pointed it out, but there wasn't a shred of embarrassment in his demeanor.
"Please forgive my rudeness, Tatsuya-sama."
"...No, that's enough. Also, please speak normally. When you act elegant like that, it doesn't seem like you."
"What part of me isn't elegant?!"
"...It's out of character."
"That's not true! I'll have you know I've even been invited to tea parties by the President!"
In her attempt to assert her high-society status, she dug her own grave. Tatsuya watched her with a smile that radiated a chilly air.
"The President, is it...?"
"You trapped me... didn't you?"
"That's a terrible thing to say. The flow of conversation just now was completely coincidental. If anything, it was a self-destruct on your part, wasn't it? You were the one who initiated the attack, Lina."
She was left completely speechless.
"So, would you mind explaining why you did that?"
"...I just wanted to know how skilled you were, Tatsuya."
"My skill? For what purpose?"
"Nothing special... just simple curiosity."
"Curiosity, huh... Well, let's leave it at that."
"...If I had to say, I was wondering if you might come to the States."
"Me? To America?"
After this, Lina passionately argued that if he wasn't appreciated in Japan, he should come to America where he could shine in a place with "special evaluation criteria." However, when asked what that place was, she mumbled and fell silent. Naturally, Tatsuya wasn't so dense that he didn't understand why she was arguing so fervently.
She—Lina—wanted to avoid fighting Tatsuya if at all possible.
"Well, if that's the case, then fine."
"...You aren't going to ask?"
"Ask what?"
"About my true identity..."
"Not really. You wanted to see my strength, Lina. And that came from curiosity, right?"
"...You're a frustrating person."
Though her words were abusive, Lina's face looked somewhat happy.
It seems it was Lina, not Tatsuya, who ended up flustered...
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