Tatsuya and Miyuki left the station together, met up with their friends, and headed to school. Since the new year began, one member had been missing, and since last week, another had dropped out, but aside from that, it was the same morning school commute they had walked since spring.
"Ah, Tatsuya-kun!"
"..."
However, today there was a scene different from the usual. An upperclassman called out to them after they exited the ticket gates, before they could even wait for their friends. Even before confirming who it was—before she even called out—both Tatsuya and Miyuki had realized she was there.
"Um, I need some of your time later. Is that okay?"
"Specifically, how much time should I set aside?"
"Just a little time after school is fine. Come to the second club room of the Cross Field Club. Alone."
"Understood."
Seeming satisfied with Tatsuya's reply, Mayumi nodded firmly and moved away. To the First High students around them, it only looked like Mayumi had made some kind of appointment with Tatsuya, which naturally sparked gossip appropriate for their age. In reality, however, the atmosphere was far from sweet.
"Brother."
"That's how it is. I'll come to the Student Council Room as soon as I'm done."
"Understood. I will be working on Student Council duties, then."
Having heard Mayumi specify "alone," Miyuki suppressed her desire to go with him and accepted the arrangement.
After school, Tatsuya arrived at the second club room of the Cross Field Club.
"You are alone?"
Katsuto asked the moment Tatsuya entered the room. Beside him, Mayumi wore an expression harboring the same doubt.
"Because I was the only one called."
In truth, Miyuki had wanted to come, but Tatsuya had soothed her into reluctantly giving up. Needless to say, he had to promise her a date this weekend in exchange...
Regardless of the reason, Tatsuya had come alone as promised. While Miyuki's absence was unexpected, Mayumi wasted no time getting to the main topic.
"Tatsuya-kun, did you go out last night?"
"Yes, I did."
"On your bike?"
"Yes."
"...Would you mind telling me where you went?"
Tatsuya answered more readily than expected, which actually threw Mayumi off. She lacked the requisite cunning and experience for a probe into someone's hidden motives. And Katsuto, standing beside her, was fundamentally unsuited for such things to begin with.
Seeing that this would drag on if left as is, Tatsuya decided to move the conversation along himself.
"I was called by Yoshida, who was engaging the vampire in question. Once there, I clashed with the vampire and an unidentified magician who was likely pursuing it."
He directed a gaze devoid of readable emotion at Mayumi, whose eyes were wide with surprise. Even an adult with far more life experience would likely find it difficult to read Tatsuya's inner thoughts.
"Since when?"
"I only rushed over because I was called yesterday. I have not been participating in the search for the vampire."
Tatsuya added information he hadn't even been asked for. regardless of what Katsuto and Mayumi thought, Tatsuya had no intention of playing guessing games here.
"You are both aware that Saijou from Class 1-E was attacked, correct? I am not the only one who wants to know what exactly is happening. Simply finding the culprit and handing them over won't be enough to put us at ease."
Tatsuya, who had been addressing both of them, suddenly fixed his gaze solely on Mayumi.
"Unless you tell me how much your side knows and how you intend to settle this, I cannot cooperate."
Having the initiative stolen by Tatsuya, Mayumi sighed as if giving up and dropped her artificial smile.
"If you promise your cooperation, Tatsuya-kun, we'll tell you the information we've grasped. However, I assume you understand this: do not speak of it to anyone else."
"Understood. Let us cooperate."
"...Does that mean you will join our search team?"
"You may interpret it that way."
"Why so suddenly? It is unlikely you missed the notice from the Master Clan Conference."
"I thought it wasn't the place for someone like me, who isn't even part of the Hundred Families, to step in. Unless I was directly requested, of course."
To Katsuto, who proceeded on the assumption that Tatsuya had seen the Master Clan Conference notice, Tatsuya gave a brazen reply without denying it. It wasn't a perfect pretext, but since it offered no grounds for objection, both Katsuto and Mayumi had no choice but to nod, at least formally.
Before even considering the amount of experience, the fundamental difference in "bad personality" between Tatsuya and Mayumi—or Tatsuya and Katsuto—was simply too great.
"But are you sure? I thought you said earlier that disclosing information before cooperating was your condition."
"If one side doesn't bend, the conversation won't move forward. If I determine that I've been deceived, I will simply turn my back on you."
"Tatsuya-kun, you have a really bad personality."
It was a secret meeting she had initiated, but Mayumi already wanted it to be over quickly. Putting aside how things usually were, she found being with this version of Tatsuya exhausting.
The discussion concluded with the agreement that information would be disclosed and Tatsuya would operate independently. Tatsuya promptly disappeared from the second club room. Left behind, Mayumi and Katsuto discussed him.
"Why are you letting Tatsuya-kun operate alone?"
"Because I judged it would be more efficient."
"But as it stands, he might side with the Chiba family."
"If we hadn't told him the truth, that might have been a possibility. But as long as we show sincerity, Shiba will not betray us. He is that kind of man."
"Thorough 'Give and Take'? That's a fragile kind of trust."
"Even the loyalty of a samurai, if you trace it to its roots, is 'Obligation and Service'—in other words, Give and Take. I believe that is far more trustworthy than blind obedience."
"...Well, at the root of absolute loyalty lies 'dependence.' We can't expect that from Tatsuya-kun, and in the first place, it doesn't suit him."
"If you, Saegusa, were to make him fall for you and depend on you, we could expect it. But alas, I see no such emotions from him."
Mayumi's face flushed bright red at Katsuto's joke. However, Katsuto, the one who said it, tilted his head in genuine confusion, unable to guess why Mayumi was blushing.
(Author's Note)
Once again, the naturally oblivious Katsuto attacks. Mayumi is visibly flustered.
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