The broadcasting room occupation incident reached its conclusion.
With the Big Three taking over negotiations, the specifics became largely irrelevant to him. He only heard that President Mayumi planned to hold a debate with these Course Two Student representatives tomorrow to determine their treatment.
Beyond that, one development truly surprised him—Tatsuya had actually invited him over for dinner that evening.
Had the sun risen in the west today?
He couldn't be sure.
But the direction of the setting sun was still undoubtedly west.
However, one shouldn't visit empty-handed when invited as a guest.
Mahiro ordered a chocolate cake from the café near the station he frequented.
As he carried the cake back, he suddenly noticed something amiss.
"How long do you plan to follow me? Thinking of coming home with me?"
Turning his head toward the nearby telephone pole, Mahiro's voice carried a hint of mockery.
"Ahaha, you caught me…"
Under his gaze, a figure gradually emerged from the shadows of the telephone pole.
A woman.
Though this was a conservative era, the woman standing there wore an outfit that was both retro and provocative.
She had a dark coat draped over her shoulders, while her curvaceous figure was barely concealed by a thin white blouse—two buttons at the chest undone as if strained, revealing glimpses of her silhouette.
Below, she wore a short, tight skirt, beneath which her plump thighs were tightly wrapped in sheer pantyhose.
She looked like an office lady who had just gotten off work.
"Teacher Ono Haruka?"
"I didn't expect Yotsuba-kun to recognize me…"
The woman, who had a youthful face but an ample bust, awkwardly brushed her hair, as if grasping for words.
Ono Haruka—if he remembered correctly, she was the homeroom teacher for Class 1-E.
She shouldn't have had any reason to interact with him from Class A.
"So, Ono-sensei, what's the matter with following me so late? Given your… fiery outfit, could it be you're planning something inappropriate with a student?"
As he spoke, Mahiro deliberately took two steps back, feigning a terrified, defiant expression to match his words.
"N-No! P-Please don't misunderstand, Yotsuba-kun! I-I would never think such a thing!"
Haruka's face visibly flustered, her hands waving frantically as if performing a comical dance.
Only after a moment, noticing Mahiro's faintly amused gaze, did she stop.
With a resentful sigh, she muttered:
"Just as Mibu-san said, Yotsuba-kun really enjoys teasing people."
"Mibu-senpai?"
"That's right." Haruka nodded. "I came to talk to you about Mibu-san, but I couldn't find a chance at school, so…"
"So Ono-sensei chose to be a creep and stalk a student instead?"
"Mhm—Wait, no! I didn't mean to be a stalker!"
She nodded before realizing she'd been tricked again.
Now she was certain—this Yotsuba-kun really did enjoy bullying people!
Mahiro chuckled dismissively before his expression returned to calm.
"Alright, enough jokes. I have things to do soon, so why don't you tell me what you wanted to talk about?"
Seeing Mahiro's smile fade, Haruka also composed herself, her gaze lingering on him.
"Yotsuba-kun, I heard you're dating Mibu-san from the second year. Is that true?"
"Sigh…"
Mahiro couldn't help but sigh. "Though this is the third time I've had to explain this today, it's just a rumor."
He felt utterly exhausted.
Once in Class A, then teased by Watanabe Mari, and now it's the teacher's turn.
Next time, would it be the principal asking him questions?
Or that old woman, Yotsuba Maya?
If possible, he'd really like to drag out the bastard spreading these rumors and beat them up.
"Is that so...? But even if you two aren't dating, you're still quite close, right? Otherwise, today's commotion wouldn't have died down so easily, correct?"
"Well, that's about right..."
His relationship with Mibu-senpai was indeed a bit beyond just friends, but it definitely hadn't reached the level of lovers.
"Then, there's something I'd like to ask of you—"
Haruka spoke with an air of urgency.
...
...
...
What was Blanche?
And what the hell was Egalite?
Ono Haruka hadn't explained any of it to him—just told him that Mibu Sayaka was troubled by the gap between her reputation as a kendo athlete and her status as a Course Two student.
Because of that, she'd been deceived by an organization called Blanche and joined a group named Egalite.
If possible, he was asked to persuade Sayaka to turn back before it was too late and stop going further down the wrong path.
But still...
He seemed to have found the root of Sayaka's confusion.
Now, all he needed was to figure out what Blanche really was.
With that question in mind, he visited the Shiba siblings' home.
"Hey, Miyuki, look what I brought you—your favorite chocolate cake."
"Thank you, Mahiro-nii! Please come in."
Miyuki took the cake from him and warmly welcomed him inside.
When he entered the living room, he found Tatsuya already sitting on the sofa, as if he'd been waiting for him.
On the large screen in front of them, some kind of data was being displayed.
"...Blanche?"
Mahiro sounded it out and immediately recognized the word.
He turned to Tatsuya with a puzzled expression. "What the hell is this 'Blanche' thing? Can you explain it to me?"
"Mm, that's actually why I invited you here." Tatsuya nodded and briefly explained what Blanche was.
In short, it was an anti-magic organization that preached about "abolishing the social disparities caused by magic" while refusing to give up the benefits magic brought them.
But that was just the surface.
In reality, they were a group of terrorists hiding behind the guise of a populist movement.
And Egalite was one of their smaller factions.
"So, Mibu-senpai joined a terrorist organization?" Mahiro's expression grew slightly grim.
This wasn't just some petty student conflict or disruption of order anymore.
This was outright criminal activity!
"Eh? Mahiro-nii, is that true?!"
Miyuki, who had just brought over sliced cake and hot coffee, trembled slightly before casting a questioning glance at Mahiro.
After all, among those present, he was the closest to Mibu-senpai.
If he ended up getting influenced by this... then Auntie—
"If the informant wasn't lying, then yes, that's the case."
Mahiro didn't notice Miyuki's expression. He took the cake and coffee, thanked her, and then continued.
"Moreover, based on the information Tatsuya provided, it seems quite a few people at school have joined [Egalite]."
Their methods and the equality slogans they chanted were strikingly similar to those currently in the kendo club.
Tatsuya confirmed this as well.
During his patrols, he had indeed spotted suspicious traces of their activities.
"Well, I'm not particularly good at thinking things through or persuading others. Tatsuya, do you know where they gather?"
"Not yet. It'll take some time to investigate."
"I see..."
Mahiro slightly lowered his eyelids, pondered for a moment, then smiled amiably: "Then I'll leave it to you. It might be a bit troublesome, but I don't want the peaceful life I've finally obtained to be ruined by these bastards."
And besides.
These guys have tarnished such a beautiful art of the sword.
Absolutely unforgivable!
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