Watching Yakumo, who had incapacitated two Stars members in an instant, approach with his usual nonchalant expression, Tatsuya realized his own immaturity in being unable to maintain such "business as usual" composure.
"My, my, Tatsuya-kun. That was a close call."
"You're not fooling anyone, Master. You were just hiding and waiting for your cue."
It annoyed him to simply be impressed, so Tatsuya threw a bit of sarcasm his way, but the one who reacted to that statement was Lina.
In front of her stood Miyuki, CAD at the ready; Tatsuya's right hand was still aimed straight at Lina; and while Yakumo's gaze was directed at Tatsuya, Lina was firmly within his field of vision. Now, it was Lina who was surrounded.
"Well, isn't it fine? It seems you had various things you wanted to ask, too."
"Oh, was that the case, Brother?"
Miyuki turned around with a flustered expression. Although this meant taking her eyes off Lina, the pressure emanating simultaneously from Tatsuya and Yakumo kept Lina frozen in place.
"You allowed yourself to be surrounded on purpose to extract information... Unaware of your thoughts, I acted presumptuously. Please forgive me, Brother."
"No, it was dangerous, so your judgment wasn't wrong. There is no need to apologize. Rather, I should be thanking you. Thank you, Miyuki."
"Brother... your words are wasted on me..."
"Besides, I can just ask what I want to know from now on."
"...You intend to interrogate me by force?"
"I generally believe that interrogation is done by force, don't you?"
To Lina, who asked in a voice that sounded like it was accompanied by the grinding of teeth, Tatsuya returned an indirect affirmation.
"Three against one isn't fair! It's unfair!"
"'Unfair,' you say...? Just how many people did you have surrounding Brother?"
Miyuki retorted in a dumbfounded voice to Lina's accusation, which was brimming with frustration.
"Now, now, don't say that. The word 'fair' is a pretext used by those in an advantageous position to maintain their advantage. The word 'unfair' is a tool used by those in a disadvantageous position to extract concessions from their opponent. Avoiding conflict through words when you can't win by force is not tactically incorrect. If you take it seriously, you lose, Miyuki."
"I see. So that is how it is."
It was a completely cynical explanation, stripped of all romance, but it seemed effective in calming Miyuki down at least. Simultaneously, it seemed to have the effect of making Lina boil over... Incidentally, Yakumo was stifling his laughter.
"A pretext? A tool? I don't want to hear that from you Japanese people, who use honne (true feelings) and tatemae (public facade) without shame!"
"Aren't you one-quarter Japanese yourself?"
"...Urgh."
"The 'Parade' magic you were using is a spell sequence developed in Japan. The reason you can use that magic is because you have Kudou blood—Japanese blood—in your veins, isn't it? Besides, double standards are the specialty of the White Establishment. I've never heard of an ethnicity that doesn't use honne and tatemae."
Lina glared silently at Tatsuya, her white skin dyed bright red. She was utterly speechless. While receiving Lina's glare with a smile, Tatsuya realized that the bloodthirsty atmosphere had completely dissipated, and he let out a wry laugh.
"...What's so funny?"
"No, I just thought that even if I interrogated you like this, you'd probably get stubborn and refuse to talk."
"At least call it 'determination'!"
"Other groups are likely to arrive soon, so..."
"Hey! Are you even listening to me!?"
"Lina, let's make a fair deal. If you say three-against-one is cheating, then let's have a one-on-one match. If you win, I'll let you go for today. In exchange, if I win, you answer my questions honestly. How about that?"
"...Fine."
It was hardly a balanced deal, but Lina had no other options. When Lina, after much agonizing, swallowed the conditions, Tatsuya nodded with satisfaction and—looked at his sister.
"Wait, please! Brother, would you please entrust the match with Lina to me?"
"Miyuki, what are you..."
"Lina, remember this. I will never forgive anyone who tries to hurt my brother. I consider you a rival and a friend, but the fact that you tried to kill Brother—even if it was just lip service—is something I absolutely cannot forgive. I will make you realize the weight of that sin with my own hands. Don't worry. I won't kill you."
"Hmm... Miyuki, you think you can beat me? Me, who was given the name Sirius!"
At Miyuki's declaration of certain victory, a flame of competitive spirit roared to life in Lina's chest. The two beautiful princesses glared at each other.
"Understood. Miyuki, I leave it to you. Lina, you're okay with that too, right?"
"Thank you very much, Brother."
"Agreed. If I lose, I'll tell you anything. Not that that's ever going to happen!"
The agreement was made. Thus, the curtain was about to rise on a brilliant duel between two incredibly beautiful girls. However, Lina looked like she still had something to say.
"Is there something else?"
"If I win, I want to add one more condition."
Hearing Lina's words, Tatsuya looked at Miyuki. Receiving his gaze, Miyuki gave a small but distinct nod.
"Very well. So, what is the additional condition?"
"If I win, Tatsuya... I want you."
"...What?"
"I said I want to take you back to the States. As my fiancé."
Tatsuya was too stunned by Lina's declaration to react, but Miyuki, listening beside him, reacted immediately.
"There is no way such a thing would be allowed! Brother and Lina... never!"
"Oh? Miyuki, you intend to beat me, don't you? Then surely you can swallow a condition like this without any problem?"
"...Fine. Lina, you will regret making me seriously angry!"
"...Anyway, let's change locations. We can't exactly start a fight here."
Managing to squeeze those words out, Tatsuya led the way. Miyuki followed behind him, while Yakumo and Lina got into the sedan driven by his disciple, and they began to move from the scene. To Lina's eyes, Miyuki seemed to be sticking a little too close to Tatsuya, and Yakumo likely thought the exact same thing.
(Author's Note)
Lina drops a bombshell! And lights a fire in Miyuki's heart.
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