Once Tatsuya had finally extricated himself from Akane's grasp and rejoined the others, Shizuku offered him a small, apologetic bow before he could say a word.
"Tatsuya-san, I'm so sorry."
As she lifted her head, her usually vacant expression betrayed a flicker of restless shame. Even for someone as stoic as Shizuku, the embarrassment of having her mother interrogate a classmate she had invited to her own party was clearly weighing on her.
"Don't be. I understand how your mother feels," Tatsuya replied smoothly. "It's only natural for a parent to worry when an unknown man approaches their daughter. I'm not offended, so don't let it trouble you."
"…Right. Sorry anyway."
Shizuku didn't press the point. It wasn't that she was quick to move on, but rather that her naturally taciturn nature worked against her intentions. She wanted to apologize further, to say so much more, yet only a single sentence would come out. That frustration, compounded by her lingering embarrassment, cast an awkward pall over the group.
"Um, Tatsuya-san?"
"It isn't your fault, Shizuku. Don't look like that."
Shizuku looked up at Tatsuya in surprise, suddenly realizing he was stroking her head. He wore a gentle expression—one utterly unimaginable to those who knew his usual mask of indifference—and smiled at her with genuine warmth.
It was a gesture he usually reserved for Miyuki—something he did to comfort his sister when she was spiraling into self-blame over things beyond her control. Seeing this "exclusive privilege" extended to another, Miyuki felt a sharp pang of jealousy; Honoka looked on with pure envy; and for some reason, even Minami found herself darting looks between Tatsuya and Shizuku, her gaze a complex cocktail of resentment and longing.
Shizuku, Honoka, Minami, and Miyuki. One boy in a plain suit stood in a circle of four girls dressed in radiant, high-fashion gowns. In any other circumstance, a teenage boy would have felt painfully out of place, but Tatsuya lacked the specific set of nerves required for social anxiety.
He remained content as a listener, watching the group dynamic: Honoka thoughtfully engaging Minami; Shizuku occasionally stepping in to keep things from veering off-track; and Minami offering reserved responses with Miyuki's assistance.
As he observed them, a young voice called out to his back.
"Excuse me, you're Tatsuya Shiba-san, right?"
Tatsuya turned at the sudden greeting, only to hear the boy repeat the exact same question. The youth seemed to think Tatsuya hadn't heard him the first time. Tatsuya gave a nod of affirmation.
"Wataru," Shizuku said, acknowledging the newcomer.
"Sis. Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No. But make sure you introduce yourself properly."
The boy's identity was immediately clear. Though Shizuku's voice was as clipped and blunt as ever, the look she gave her much younger brother was unmistakably soft. Wataru, well-aware of the expectations placed on him, composed his face into a mask of utmost seriousness and offered a polite, formal bow as his sister instructed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Wataru Kitayama. I'll be a sixth-grader starting this year."
Wataru addressed Tatsuya directly, squaring his shoulders. Since he was already on familiar terms with Honoka, it made sense that he didn't direct his formal greeting toward her. However, the fact that he pointedly avoided looking at Miyuki seemed to be a desperate tactical move to keep himself from becoming starstruck. As Miyuki followed Tatsuya's lead and offered her own greetings, Wataru averted his eyes slightly, clenching his jaw and tensing his entire body. It was an obvious battle for composure.
Since it was clear he wasn't being rude or ignoring her out of spite, Miyuki found his behavior rather endearing. Minami, however, did not share the sentiment; she found the boy's lack of direct eye contact toward her "Master" to be a breach of etiquette.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Wataru," Minami said. Her tone was impeccably polite, yet it carried the hollow ring of a "customer service" smile. "I am Minami Sakurai, cousin to Brother Tatsuya and Sister Miyuki. I look forward to your kind acquaintance."
It was Honoka who stepped in to diffuse the mounting tension.
"Wataru-kun, didn't you have something you wanted to ask Tatsuya-san?"
She wasn't just forcing a change of subject; she had noticed the boy looking as though he'd been dying to ask Tatsuya something earlier and decided to throw him a lifeline.
"Oh! Yes."
The way Wataru's focus snapped instantly to Tatsuya wasn't a matter of reading the room—it was the pure, single-mindedness of a child.
"Shiba-san, there's something I want to know."
Though there were two "Shiba-sans" present, no one was confused about who he was addressing, and no one was cruel enough to point out the ambiguity.
"Go ahead," Tatsuya replied. "If it's something I can answer."
"Um... well... Can you become a Magic Engineering Technician even if you can't use magic?"
The question itself wasn't nonsensical, but it was a strange thing for the heir of the Kitayama family to ask. Shizuku and Honoka both blinked in surprise, their faces echoing a silent 'Eh?'
"No, you can't," Tatsuya answered. He didn't hesitate, nor did he sugarcoat the truth. "A Magic Engineering Technician is, by definition, an engineer of magic technology who possesses magical abilities. An engineer who cannot use magic is not called a Mage-Technician."
Wataru's shoulders slumped at the definitive, unambiguous rejection.
"I see..."
"However," Tatsuya continued, "Mage-Technicians aren't the only ones who work in magic engineering."
Wataru's head snapped back up. Tatsuya was looking down at him with a calm, steady smile. Wataru's eyes began to sparkle with renewed hope as he waited for the next words.
Tatsuya wasn't the type to draw things out just to be spiteful. He might be a "bad man" in his own estimation, but he wasn't "ill-natured"—or so he claimed.
"It is entirely possible to study magic engineering without being a magic user," Tatsuya explained. "While tuning a CAD is difficult without the sensory input of magic, you can still build a CAD without using magic yourself. The same goes for any other magic-integrated product. If you study in earnest, you can certainly acquire the knowledge and skill to be of use to your sister."
"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that..."
Wataru tried to deny it, but his blushing face told the whole story. The way he looked at Tatsuya shifted instantly—the wariness and awe he usually felt toward unknown adults was replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated admiration.
Seeing Wataru's expression, Minami suddenly looked quite proud. For her, seeing Tatsuya earn such respect was more than enough to forgive the boy's earlier "disrespect" toward Miyuki.
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