From a distance, Mari watched Mayumi tease Hattori for stress relief. "(Just Hattori getting toyed with. Didn't expect Rin to join in,)" she thought, surprised that even the serious Rin would partake.
"(Well, Hattori's probably thrilled, and if it cheers Mayumi up, it's a small price,)" Mari reasoned. She'd heard from Tatsuya that Mayumi was off, noticing her mental strain herself. Best to steer clear—don't poke the bear.
"(Still, Tatsuya saw through her. Her moods aren't that obvious,)" Mari mused. Mayumi rarely showed discontent openly, masking it with jests, making her true feelings hard to read. "(I barely catch it after years, yet he saw it instantly. His perception's unreal.)"
As Hattori returned to his seat, Mari gazed out the window. Her aisle-seat neighbor, Kanon Chiyoda, mistook her glance. "Something wrong, Mari-san?" Kanon asked.
"Just looking outside, Kanon," Mari replied.
Kanon, rumored to have unmatched second-year power, rivaling Ten Master Clans' combat mages, blushed at Mari's popular smile and looked away. Mari sensed her sour mood.
"Can't hold it together for a bus ride, Kanon?" Mari teased.
"I'm not that childish!" Kanon protested.
"It's two hours tops. Sulking because you're not with Isori? That's pretty childish."
"I can handle a few hours! But I thought I'd be with Kei all day. It's a rare bus trip, so I'm allowed to be a little disappointed!" Kanon pouted, childlike despite her denial.
"You two are always together. Fiancés or not, you might spend more time together than the Shiba siblings," Mari said.
"Last year, I was alone! Fiancés should spend more time together than siblings!" Kanon insisted.
"Really?" Mari raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Kanon doubled down.
Mari sighed inwardly. "(She's a different person when it comes to Isori.)" Normally, Kanon's personality suited Mari, but her fiancé obsession was more troublesome than Mayumi's teasing.
"Why do tech staff get a separate bus? They can't work en route! There's space here. Get a double-decker or triple-decker bus!" Kanon ranted, venting her frustrations as Mari sighed discreetly.
Another girl harbored complaints, but unlike Mayumi's teasing or Kanon's outbursts, hers were quiet and scarier. "Tea, Miyuki?" Honoka offered.
"Thanks, Honoka, but I'm not thirsty. I wasn't waiting outside in the heat like Onii-sama," Miyuki replied.
"Right…" Honoka faltered. "(I shouldn't have mentioned Tatsuya,)" she thought.
"(Unavoidable!)" Shizuku signaled across the aisle.
Miyuki, the third disgruntled girl, simmered quietly. Honoka and Shizuku wanted to cheer her up, but the girl beside Shizuku shrank from Miyuki's aura. "Anyone could see who was late, yet Onii-sama had to wait outside and ride that cramped equipment bus. He should've rested during the trip…" Miyuki muttered.
Honoka and Shizuku caught the unspoken part: "(Next to me…)" Miyuki's expression betrayed her wish. "That's what makes Tatsuya-san great," Shizuku said. "Nobody would've complained if he waited inside, but he took 'checking attendance' seriously. Even mundane tasks, he handles flawlessly, despite sudden issues. He's reliable and amazing, right?"
Half to placate Miyuki, half genuine admiration, Shizuku respected Tatsuya's diligence. "True… he's oddly serious about these things," Miyuki said, her tone exasperated but her expression proud. Her chilling aura dissipated, replaced by a radiant glow.
Shizuku flashed a V-sign, and Honoka gave a small fist pump. As Miyuki's mood lifted, students who'd avoided her approached, making the bus lively. Mari, annoyed by the noise, moved Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku behind her seat, placing Jūmonji behind them to restore calm. But Kanon's scream shattered the peace: "Danger!?"
Everyone looked outside, realizing the bus's dire situation, and panic erupted.
A large vehicle on the opposite lane suffered a tire blowout, sparking and scraping the road. Modern highways, divided by sturdy guard walls, made such accidents feel distant to the young passengers—a fire across the river. Kanon's scream briefly startled the bus, but excitement soon turned to terror.
The out-of-control vehicle spun, seemingly about to crash into the guard wall. By some cruel twist, its remaining tire launched it over the barrier, hurtling toward their lane. The bus braked sharply, lurching everyone forward. Screams erupted from those ignoring seatbelt rules.
The bus stopped, avoiding a direct hit, but the flaming vehicle barreled closer. "Blast it!" "Vanish!" "Stop!" Voices overlapped in panic. Their quick action was commendable, but misguided. Uncoordinated magic clashed, canceling each other out and worsening the crisis.
"Idiots, stop!" Mari shouted, but panic drowned her out. These fledgling mages, gifted with powerful spells, could alter reality instantly. Only stronger magic could counter them, and Mari's wasn't enough. "Jūmonji!" she called, knowing Mayumi, asleep, was useless, her magic unsuited for this.
Katsuto, already casting, showed rare urgency. Mari felt both relief and despair—even he couldn't handle fire and impact in this jamming-like chaos. "I'll take the fire!" a first-year girl stood, addressing Katsuto. Her magic could extinguish flames, but could a first-year cast accurately here? Mari's doubt vanished as a shock hit.
The chaotic magic formulas dissolved in an overwhelming surge, as if her senses had glitched. Miyuki's spell followed with perfect timing, earning Mari's awe. Recognizing Miyuki's precise alteration, Mari questioned her own perception. "(If I'm sane, what was that?)"
Katsuto didn't worry about stopping the vehicle, but Mari fixated on the force that erased the rogue spells. Miyuki likely knew its source, but Mari hesitated to ask. "Everyone okay? That was close, but we're safe thanks to Jūmonji-kun and Miyuki-san. Injuries? Learn your seatbelt lesson," Mayumi said lightly, restoring calm.
"Jūmonji-kun, impressive," Mayumi praised.
"No, the quick firefighting let me focus on impact. Did you clear the chaotic spells, Saegusa?" Katsuto asked.
Mayumi looked away sheepishly. "I was asleep until just before…" she admitted.
Katsuto raised an eyebrow but didn't press. Mari thought him the most honorable among First High's leaders. "Miyuki-san, amazing! Casting precisely in that chaos is tough even for third-years," Mayumi said.
"Thank you. I stayed calm because Ichihara-senpai stopped the bus. Without that, who knows what I'd have done. Thank you, Ichihara-senpai," Miyuki replied.
Rin nodded silently. Her subtle spell, unnoticed by most, aided the stop. Miyuki's awareness of it impressed Mari, confirming her talent. "But you!" Mari snapped at Kanon.
"Ow! What, Mari-san?" Kanon yelped.
"Quiet! You're in no position to complain. Morisaki and Kitayama's panicked spells made things worse—fine, they're first-years. But you, a second-year, casting first and stirring chaos? Really?"
"I noticed it first! I didn't expect others to pile on…" Kanon mumbled.
Morisaki and Shizuku looked down, others squirming. "Speed isn't everything. Coordinate to avoid interference. If it happens, cancel your spell. Failing that shows you lost control," Mari scolded.
"Sorry…" Kanon muttered.
Mari knew such composure required experience, making Miyuki's calm extraordinary. Watching her wait patiently as the bus prepared to move, Mari sensed Miyuki's seasoned poise. "Shiba," Mari called.
"Yes?" Tatsuya replied.
Mari usually used surnames bluntly, reserving first names for close allies like Mayumi or Kanon. But with Tatsuya, she felt oddly familiar, using his name with a honorific. "That spell… Never mind. Well done," she said, stopping short of asking about the counter-magic's source, feeling it was taboo. Miyuki looked puzzled but didn't pry.
Unable to explain her hesitation, Mari glanced outside at the tech staff, spotting a first-year filming the scene, possibly for preservation. Staring, she quickly looked away. "(No way…)" Suppressing her suspicion, she sat back, closing her eyes until departure.