Shocking Turn of Events
The bullet, fired with clear intent to kill, should have struck Tatsuya. Yet the shock was greater because it didn't. His right hand clenched as if seizing something midair. No blood, no bullet marks on walls, floor, or ceiling—just his hand, gripping nothing.
The stunned intruder, face contorted, fired again, twice more. Each time, Tatsuya's hand shifted in a blur too fast for onlookers to discern. When noticed, his hand was repositioned, still clenched as if holding something.
"He… caught the bullets?" someone muttered, dazed.
"How…?" another echoed.
"Monster!" the intruder screamed, throwing his rifle in panic. Faced with the absurdity of catching bullets by hand—not blocking them with magic—he wrongly assumed his weapon useless. Yet, unyielding, he drew a large combat knife and lunged.
Tatsuya closed the distance instead, opening his clenched hand into a blade-like strike, severing the man's arm effortlessly.
"Gah!" the man's scream began, cut short as Tatsuya's left fist sank into his solar plexus.
Blood sprayed from the severed arm, staining Tatsuya's clothes—the man's only counterattack. Without a glance, Tatsuya leaped back, shielding Miyuki.
The unimaginable scene froze audience and intruders alike, minds stalled, save for one.
"Onii-sama, please hold still while I clean the blood," Miyuki said softly, her voice carrying through the silent hall. Her tone, devoid of panic, could've been about dusting off lint, triggering time to resume.
"Subdue them!" security shouted.
From both stage wings, joint security team members unleashed magic. Some intruders tried to dodge, but the elite spells from the Nine Schools pinned them all.
As Miyuki's magic dried the blood into reddish-black powder, Tatsuya turned to see her smiling. Sensing his subtle expression, she'd acted. He smiled unconsciously. Then…
"Tatsuya-kun!" Erika called.
"Tatsuya!" Leo shouted.
Erika, Leo, Mikihiko, Mizuki, Honoka, Shizuku, and Airi rushed over, surrounding Tatsuya and Miyuki.
"Your hand! Are you hurt!?" Honoka asked, pushing past Erika and Leo.
"Tatsuya-sama, is your hand okay!?" Airi leaned in, worried.
"I'm fine," Tatsuya said, raising and flexing his hand to reassure them. He hadn't caught the bullets—merely decomposed their mass and vectors—but he couldn't say that.
Mikihiko and Shizuku's questioning looks went unanswered; Tatsuya wouldn't explain unasked details.
"This is getting serious… What now?" Leo asked.
"Escape or fight, we need to clear the front entrance first," Tatsuya said.
You sound excited, Erika nearly teased but held back as Tatsuya outlined the plan.
"Don't tell me to wait behind, right?" Erika asked.
"Better than you charging off alone," Tatsuya sighed.
His reluctant agreement made Erika, Honoka, Mizuki, Shizuku, and even Airi and the Third High girls beam. Tatsuya thought, Give me a break… but with an emergency at hand, he led them toward the entrance.
"Wait, Shiba Tatsuya!" a desperate voice called.
"What, Kichijoji Shinkuro?" Tatsuya replied, voice cold.
Unfazed by Tatsuya's tone, or too rattled to care, Shinkuro shot back, "Was that 'Molecular Divider'!? The molecular bond decomposition spell, created by Major William Sirius of the U.S. Army's Stars, is a classified technique, unlike neutralization spells. How do you know it? Why can you use it!?"
His knowledge led to a complete misunderstanding, but it suited Tatsuya.
"Is this the time for that?" Tatsuya dismissed, his tone implying no need to hide anything, though the truth differed. He owed Shinkuro no explanation.
"Saegusa-senpai, Nakajou-senpai, you should leave. Their goal is likely to kill or abduct students with advanced magic tech," Tatsuya warned Mayumi, peeking from the stage wing, and Azusa, seated in the front as a judge.
Leaving, Tatsuya let Shinkuro stew in his confusion, the boy's assumption fueled by his own certainty.
(Why does Shiba Tatsuya know Molecular Divider? Even with U.S. Army connections, he shouldn't have access…)
Shinkuro's knowledge blinded him, leaving no room to consider other possibilities. In a way, it was inevitable.
Note: Total harem vibes… though there's one couple in the mix…
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