"—And that concludes the full account of how the swordsmanship club intruded upon the kendo club's recruitment demonstration match."
As school was about to end.
Tatsuya reported the events he had witnessed to the club alliance headquarters—
The initial argument between Mibu Sayaka and Kirihara Takeaki escalated into a duel. After losing, Kirihara Takeaki shamefully resorted to illegally using magic in anger, only to be defeated by the suddenly intervening Mahiro. Later, Tatsuya himself dealt with the swordsmanship club, preventing the situation from devolving into a full-scale brawl.
"By the way, Mahiro-kun, it's impressive that you managed to handle Kirihara-kun while he was using high-frequency blades..."
The one who spoke was Saegusa Mayumi, seated in the front right.
She, along with Juumonji Katsuto and Watanabe Mari, sat at the front like the three admirals of the navy.
"I didn't do much. Tatsuya-kun is the impressive one, taking on an entire kendo club by himself," Mahiro replied modestly.
Since he was also involved in the incident, he had been summoned here directly for questioning and supplementary statements.
"By the way, were you unable to determine the cause of the incident?"
Mari, the head of the disciplinary committee, suddenly asked, snapping Tatsuya out of his observation of Juumonji Katsuto. He affirmed Mari's question.
"That's correct. The kendo club claims Kirihara-senpai provoked them first, while the kenjutsu club insists the kendo club initiated the fight. The truth of either side's statement couldn't be verified."
Hearing this, Mahiro turned his head slightly, casting a peculiar glance at Tatsuya.
This guy… he's lying.
He witnessed the entire thing from the beginning—the confrontation between Kirihara-senpai and Mibu-senpai. He saw it all with his own eyes, yet he didn't refute the kenjutsu club's false testimony.
"So, Tatsuya-kun didn't intervene immediately because of this?"
Mayumi posed the question.
Juumonji, from start to finish, had only played the role of a listener.
"Correct. My default stance is to intervene only if the situation is judged to be dangerous. If it's just minor scuffles that can be resolved privately, I consider it a matter between the parties involved."
In response to Mayumi's question, Tatsuya added additional conditions to his affirmative answer.
Indeed, from the disciplinary committee's standpoint, pure kenjutsu duels fell outside their jurisdiction—they were only responsible for violent acts involving magic.
"...Fine. Given our limited manpower, we can't dispatch someone every time tempers flare."
By principle, issues arising during the recruitment period should be handled internally by the club alliance.
Mari's statement was based on this principle, so neither Mayumi nor Juumonji raised any objections.
"Then, how is Kirihara-kun, the one Mahiro-kun injured?"
"Kirihara-senpai has a fractured left wrist, a minor collarbone fracture, and cracked ribs. He's already been handed over to the health committee for treatment."
"However, he has already admitted his fault in the infirmary, so I judged that no further disciplinary action was necessary."
Tatsuya reported truthfully.
But upon hearing this, both Mayumi and Mari turned reproachful gazes toward Mahiro.
He still hits just as hard. Morisaki Shun was also sent to the infirmary like this. Thankfully, with modern medical advancements and healing magic, recovery is swift.
Otherwise, he'd be stuck in the hospital for a long time.
Yet, Mahiro seemed oblivious to their stares, turning his head toward the window as if completely detached from the matter.
Mari also averted her gaze, sighing helplessly.
"Well… alright. Whether to pursue disciplinary action against those involved ultimately depends on the judgment of the incident's reporter."
Juumonji, as the head of the club alliance, had no objections either.
In fact, he even expressed gratitude.
After all, Kirihara Takeaki had used a high-frequency blade—a highly lethal magic.
If this had been reported, even if no one was injured, a suspension would have been unavoidable.
"But will the kendo club accept this outcome?" Mayumi asked with slight concern.
"They've accepted that provoking a conflict makes them equally culpable. They have no right to complain."
Mari dismissed Mayumi's concern with a single sentence, leaving her unable to offer further rebuttal.
The disciplinary committee chair made her ruling, the Club Alliance president accepted it, and the student council president raised no objections. The matter should have ended there.
Or so it seemed.
"Wait a moment!"
Just as Tatsuya was about to leave, Mahiro—who had been gazing at the scenery until now—turned his attention back and spoke up. "I object!"
At his words, the three leaders at the front all turned their gazes toward him.
With puzzled expressions, they asked, "Mahiro-kun, what objections do you have?"
"I believe Watanabe-senpai's reasoning is flawed."
Mahiro spoke with firm conviction. "Regarding this conflict, I witnessed the entire sequence of events. It was indeed Kirihara-senpai who first provoked Mibu-senpai. Mibu-senpai responded by defeating him, after which Kirihara-senpai, unable to accept the loss, resorted to using magic—even attempting a sneak attack on Mibu-senpai."
"The Kendo Club and Mibu-senpai never used any magic throughout the entire incident."
"If the judgment is based on the misuse of magic, then what exactly is the Kendo Club guilty of?"
Mari's brow furrowed slightly as she replied, "As I said earlier, accepting the provocation and escalating the conflict makes them equally responsible."
"In that case, following Watanabe-senpai's logic, it's no different from saying 'it takes two to tango'—are we endorsing victim-blaming now?"
"Or will senpai next ask why the Kenjutsu Club didn't provoke anyone else, specifically targeting the Kendo Club?"
"Or perhaps, when someone slaps you in the face, the victim is supposed to endure it without retaliating?"
Mahiro's rapid-fire rebuttal nearly overwhelmed Mari. She pressed a hand to her forehead and denied, "Mahiro-kun, these are two different matters—"
"How are they different? Please enlighten us, Watanabe Mari-senpai, Chair of the Disciplinary Committee!"
Mahiro's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present.
To some, it even sounded deafening.
Juumonji Katsuto stared at him with a stern expression, his imposing demeanor tinged with displeasure.
Or perhaps he always wore such a severe look.
Mayumi, meanwhile, blinked in surprise, covering her mouth as if stifling a gasp.
As for Mari, who had just delivered her ruling as disciplinary committee chair, she could only offer a wry smile.
"Mahiro-kun, are you still holding a grudge over what happened last time? Is this your way of getting back at me?"
"Senpai is overthinking it," Mahiro stated plainly. "I simply wish for the school to deliver a fair judgment, not one that favors the Kenjutsu Club—or First Course students."
At this, even Mari couldn't hide her surprise.
Despite being a First Course student himself, Mahiro was going out of his way to antagonize a First Course-affiliated club.
What could he possibly gain from this?
A thought occurred to her, and her smile took on a teasing edge as she straightened up, crossing her arms leisurely.
"Very well, then. How would Mahiro-kun like this matter resolved? Should the Kenjutsu Club be penalized? Or perhaps Kirihara should be suspended—or even expelled?"
"I have no such intentions, nor do I possess the authority to demand such measures."
Even knowing he was being teased, Mahiro remained unperturbed, calmly addressing the high-ranking figures before him.
"I just think everyone in the Swordsmanship Club, especially Kirihara-senpai, owes Mibu-senpai and the Kendo Club an apology!"
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