Parting with Ushiyama and his team (some female researchers lingered reluctantly), Tatsuya and Miyuki walked through the corridor toward the entrance hall. Just one turn away, they ran into the last person they wanted to meet.
"Well, well, Lady Miyuki, it's been a while," said Aoki, the Yotsuba family butler, breaking the silence among the three.
Neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki were close to him, despite their acquaintance. "It's been a while, Aoki-san," Miyuki replied sharply. "But I'm not alone here. And Father, thank you for the call last time. Would it hurt to acknowledge your son occasionally?"
Her polite tone hid thorns. Beside Aoki stood their biological father, Ryūzō Shiba. Miyuki despised both. "With respect, my lady," Aoki said, "as a Yotsuba butler managing family assets, I serve the household's order. Courtesy to a mere bodyguard isn't required."
"He's my brother and Lady Maya's nephew," Miyuki snapped, prioritizing Tatsuya's sibling status over his relation to the Yotsuba matriarch, a sore point for her.
"Pardon, but Lady Miyuki, favored as the next head, holds a different standing than a guard," Aoki retorted.
"Oh, Aoki-san, that's quite inflammatory," Tatsuya interjected, sensing Miyuki's breaking point and his own limit in tolerating her distress.
"It's fine," Ryūzō cut in arrogantly. "Even a bodyguard is Lady Maya's son. Misjudging courtesy is excusable."
Tatsuya's expression remained neutral, his capacity for anger long suppressed. "I heard you say all Yotsuba servants want Miyuki as the next head. Isn't that presumptuous, given other candidates? Has Aunt Maya named her? If so, we'd need to prepare," Tatsuya said smoothly.
Aoki faltered, caught off-guard by the sixteen-year-old's sharp words. "…Lady Maya hasn't said anything," he admitted, grimacing.
Tatsuya feigned surprise. "Astonishing! The fourth-ranking Yotsuba butler spreading baseless speculation about succession? Who's disrupting order now?" he said theatrically, sighing.
Aoki glared, red-faced, unable to retort coherently. Tatsuya moved to end the exchange, but Aoki snapped, "It's not speculation! Those loyal to the family sense it. A heartless pseudo-mage like you wouldn't understand!"
The air creaked as the temperature plummeted. Miyuki's fury triggered frost on the walls, defying the straining air conditioner. Tatsuya pointed, dispersing the cold and ice swirling around her. Holding his pale sister close, he fixed Aoki with a cutting glare.
"That 'heartless pseudo-mage' was created by my mother, Miya Shiba, née Yotsuba, sister to Lady Maya. Using forbidden 'Mental Structure Interference,' she erased my capacity for strong emotions, implanting a magic emulator in a six-year-old deemed talentless. Calling me a fraud implies the Yotsuba matriarch and her sister's experiment was fake. You understand that, don't you?" Tatsuya's merciless words sliced as he held Miyuki, shielding her pain.
"Tatsuya, stop," Ryūzō interjected, silent until now. "Don't speak ill of your mother."
His words, likely self-serving, missed the mark. FLT, funded by the Yotsuba, was under their control, and Ryūzō's deference was unsurprising. Tatsuya nearly smirked. "I don't resent her, Father," he said.
"Oh… right," Ryūzō mumbled.
Tatsuya walked past them silently, sensing Miyuki might kill them if they stayed. He didn't hate his mother, Miya—he couldn't. His emotions were limited to sibling love for Miyuki and faint traces of romantic feeling. Anger or hatred, though possible, lacked depth.
As written in the IF scenario, Tatsuya had many Yotsuba supporters, but Aoki was oblivious to this.
On Monday, as Tatsuya entered the classroom, classmates greeted him with "Congratulations!" Momentarily confused, he quickly realized it was for his selection as an engineer for the Nine Schools Competition.
"News travels fast… It hasn't even been announced," he remarked.
"Seriously, where's the leak?" Mizuki said.
"Isn't today the official announcement?" Erika added.
Both had heard from someone, likely club seniors, but weren't spreading rumors themselves. Tatsuya nodded blandly at Erika's question, brushing off jealous glares from the hallway.
"You're the only first-year, right?" Leo noted.
"Yeah…" Tatsuya replied vaguely.
As Leo said, Tatsuya was the sole first-year engineer. CAD tuning required experience, typically favoring upperclassmen, making his skill exceptional. As a top-tier professional in CAD software development, a high school event was beneath him, but only Miyuki knew this.
"Course 1 students are pretty bitter," Erika said.
"They're all athletes, though," Tatsuya pointed out.
Only Course 1 students were selected as athletes, with Tatsuya as the lone Course 2 exception. "Can't help it. Jealousy's irrational," Mizuki said.
"No worries. No stones or spells flying this time," Erika teased.
Speechless at Mizuki's observation and wryly smiling at Erika's extreme comfort, Tatsuya sighed inwardly at the glaring Course 1 students.
That afternoon, the inauguration ceremony—essentially a reveal event—began. Backstage, Tatsuya examined the item Mayumi brought.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Technical staff uniform. Wear it for the ceremony instead of your blazer," Mayumi replied.
Miyuki held the uniform gleefully. Tatsuya considered resisting but gave in, removing his blazer and hanging it. Bending slightly, he let Miyuki slip the jacket on, adjusting it meticulously. She stepped back, smiling, satisfied. Tatsuya knew why: the embroidered emblem on his chest marked him as a Course 1 symbol, not a reserve.
"It suits you, Onii-sama," Miyuki said, delighted that he was in his rightful place.
To Tatsuya, who felt nothing, blazer or jacket made no difference. "Aren't you changing, Miyuki?" he asked, noticing her uniform.
"I'm an emcee," she replied.
"Big role," he said.
"Don't pressure me…" she pouted.
Her fixation on his emblem amused him. Smiling, he ruffled her hair, pulling her back to reality. "Tatsuya-kun, I'm an emcee too," Mayumi interjected.
"You'll be fine, President," Tatsuya said.
"Well, yeah…" Mayumi trailed off, her intentions clear but unvoiced in front of Miyuki, who Tatsuya wouldn't humor.
The ceremony proceeded smoothly. As Erika predicted, no stones or spells flew. Mayumi introduced each member, while Miyuki attached IC chips to their collars for competition area access—chosen for her stage presence. With forty athletes, minus Mayumi and Miyuki, thirty-eight introductions took time. Trained as a lady, Miyuki pinned badges with an unflagging smile.
When technical staff introductions began, a male student beside Tatsuya whispered, "Kinda nerve-wracking, huh?"
Glancing over, Tatsuya met his eyes, slightly above his own due to his height. "Yeah," Tatsuya replied curtly, avoiding attention. The student, with androgynous features that could pass for a tall girl in a skirt, was familiar. "(Kei Isori, from the 'Isori' branch of the Hundred Families, top second-year in magic theory, and strong in practical skills. Looks can deceive,)" Tatsuya thought.
When his name was called last, Tatsuya stepped forward, bowing. Miyuki's smile seemed softer as she pinned his badge, or so he wondered. A loud applause erupted, led by Erika and Leo's classmates. Course 1 students nearly booed the interlopers, but Mayumi and Miyuki's clapping redirected the hall's applause to all members.
"We conclude the Nine Schools Competition inauguration. We'll give our all, so please support us," Mayumi announced.
The team bowed and exited to unrelenting applause. Mari and Mayumi approached Tatsuya, barely hiding their amusement.
"Your circle's always lively," Mari said.
"Your friends are bold," Mayumi added.
"Hope it doesn't cause trouble later," Tatsuya replied, half-joking.
They took it as a jest. "We're counting on you," Mari said.
"You'll be fine, but don't overdo it," Mayumi warned.
Unsure if they were concerned or teasing, they left after speaking. "What a hassle…" Tatsuya muttered, unable to find his blazer. He sighed, searching for Miyuki, knowing she wanted him in the emblazoned jacket longer.