Day four of the Nine Schools Competition pauses the main events, launching the five-day rookie matches for first-years. While players are first-years, engineers are typically upperclassmen—except at First High, where Tatsuya, a first-year, is assigned to three events, unsettling rival schools.
"First High has a first-year engineer for three events," a rival strategist notes.
"Those might be winnable," another says.
"But if he's skilled enough for the Nine Schools, he could be trouble," a third warns.
Unaware of their concerns, Tatsuya finishes work and grabs a light meal.
"Honoka's in the final race?" he asks.
"Yes! Afternoon, so it doesn't clash with Women's Speed Shooting," Honoka beams, her smile subtly pressuring.
Tatsuya, slightly overwhelmed, manages her enthusiasm. He's engineering for Speed Shooting, Pillars Break, and Mirage Bat, while Honoka competes in Mirage Bat and Battle Board. Disappointed he can't tune her CAD, she's been pleading with smiles for him to watch her race.
"It'd be great to tune your CAD, but since I can't, I'll watch from the stands," Tatsuya offers.
"Really? Promise!" Honoka chirps.
"Y-Yeah," he nods, her excitement making him seem quite the charmer to onlookers.
In the Women's Speed Shooting prelims, Shizuku holds Tatsuya's tuned CAD, nodding slightly.
"Perfect. Feels better than mine," she says, her voice and expression subdued.
Initially, Tatsuya struggled to read Shizuku's subtle cues, but their rapport has grown strong.
"Tatsuya-san, won't you work for me?" Shizuku asks.
"Joking before a big match? You're fine," he teases.
"Not joking."
Shizuku, enamored with his tuning, has repeatedly tried recruiting him for the Kitayama family. She's even offered a contract with a sum tempting for any normal high schooler—though Tatsuya, as Silver, isn't swayed.
"As I've said, I'll consider it after getting my license," he replies.
No license is required for CAD tuning, but having one makes professional work smoother, avoiding the "unlicensed" stigma.
"Fine… Can you tune my regular CAD later?" Shizuku asks.
"Sure, no charge," Tatsuya says.
"You don't have to refuse…"
"Charging friends feels wrong, doesn't it?"
"Mm…" Shizuku nods obediently.
Unconsciously, Tatsuya pats her head, a habit from Miyuki's similar gestures.
"Tatsuya-san?" Shizuku blinks.
"Whoops, sorry—habit," he says, chuckling.
"It's fine. Felt nice," she replies, unfazed, to his relief.
"Here we go, Shizuku," he says.
"Mm."
She trembles slightly, but his encouragement—"You've got this"—steadies her. With a firm nod, she heads to compete.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Honoka fidgets nervously.
"Honoka-san, you okay?" Miyuki asks.
"Fine… my race is this afternoon," Honoka replies.
"Tensing up now? Relax a bit," Erika suggests.
"Right… deep breath… okay!" Honoka calms, scanning the crowd. "Everyone's intense."
"Even half the score, rookie matches can sway the championship," Miyuki notes.
"Especially with Watanabe-senpai's injury," Erika adds.
"Right… we have to step up," Honoka says, tensing again.
"You're doing it again," Erika sighs.
Mizuki chimes in, "Do your best! The rookie matches are crucial for us!"
"Uh, yeah…" Honoka stammers.
"Huh?" Mizuki tilts her head, oblivious to the pressure she's added.
"That's Mizuki for you," Erika mutters.
"Yep, classic Mizuki," Miyuki agrees.
"What's that mean?" Mizuki asks, confused.
Elsewhere in the stands, student council officers and the discipline committee chair watch.
"Mayumi, shouldn't you be at headquarters?" Mori asks.
"Hanzou's got it covered. It's not miles away. But you—shouldn't you be resting?" Mayumi retorts.
"I'm not jumping around. It's fine," Mori shrugs.
"That's not the point," Rin sighs, roped into spectating with them.
"This might be my first time seeing Tatsuya's CAD tuning in action," Mori says.
"Mine too. I only helped a bit before, so I'm excited to see his skill," Mayumi adds.
"Kitayama-san and others rave about him," Rin notes.
"Despite their initial pushback," Mayumi laughs.
Indeed, Subaru Satomi and Kazumi Takigawa resisted Tatsuya's tuning at first, but his skill quickly won them over—almost effortlessly.
"Last night, some girls brought their CADs to his room," Rin reveals.
Mori and Mayumi gape. "Don't cause trouble…" Mori mutters.
"He's quietly building a fanbase," Mayumi says, both pleased and faintly uneasy about Tatsuya's growing reputation.
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