Hearing his words, Sayaka's face flushed crimson, all the way to the tips of her ears.
Her instinct was to look away, but she forced herself to meet his gaze instead, like a timid little animal.
"R-Really?"
"Of course it's true." Mahiro reaffirmed without hesitation.
"...Okay. I understand."
Sayaka responded in a whisper, her voice barely audible.
"Mahiro-kun... I like you. And I won't give up."
"I'll keep working hard to become stronger—until I'm worthy of standing by your side."
Her eyes shone with determination.
She had already heard about Yotsuba Mahiro from her father.
Though it was Saegusa-senpai who accompanied him that day, he was the one who single-handedly wiped out the entire Blanche organization.
Even Erika had confirmed it.
He was that outstanding—that powerful.
Under the brilliance of his light, she felt like an ugly duckling.
But today, she mustered the courage to speak her heart!
"Mahiro-kun... would you accept someone like me? Someone who isn't as beautiful as Saegusa-senpai, not as outstanding, but who will still give everything to chase after you—to walk beside you?"
In response, Mahiro said nothing. Instead, he simply tightened his arms around her slender waist.
Did that even need an answer?
Another kiss would have been the perfect reply.
But—
"Mibu-senpai, I'm broke, you know? You've heard I was disowned by the Yotsuba family."
"It's fine! I can support you!"
Though he had meant it as a joke, Sayaka's reply was dead serious.
Not that living off someone else wasn't comfortable—or even beneficial for his health.
But he had no real intention of letting his senpai take care of him.
It'd be too embarrassing, and more than that—he couldn't bear to burden her.
Meanwhile...
"Hey, Erika-chan, what exactly are Mibu-senpai and Yotsuba-kun doing? Why haven't they come back yet?"
After waiting for so long, Mizuki kept scanning their surroundings, still clueless about where the two had gone.
"Perhaps by now the child has already arrived?"
Erika teased lightly, but Mizuki looked completely bewildered. "Huh? Erika-chan, what do you mean?"
Erika: "...."
Looking at the innocent and carefree Mizuki, the playful mood she had vanished without a trace. She helplessly patted Mizuki's shoulder and said:
"Mizuki, you really are pure."
"Eh???"
Mizuki immediately panicked.
Because among everyone present, it seemed that she was the only one completely in the dark.
Watanabe Mari was talking to Saegusa Mayumi, as if comforting her, while Mayumi pouted slightly.
As for the Shiba siblings, it goes without saying; perhaps no one understood the situation better than they did.
On the other side, Kitayama Shizuku understood, but beside her, Mitsui Honoka looked somewhat confused.
She even boldly asked, "Erika-san, is what you said true? Soon... Mibu-senpai and Yotsuba-kun will have a child?!"
The others were surprised by Honoka's innocence.
Well, her level of cluelessness was almost on par with Mizuki's.
"Honoka, don't listen to Erika's nonsense; she's just joking."
"That's right, Honoka, you're taking it too seriously."
Miyuki stepped in to defend Mahiro, and Shizuku nodded in agreement.
"Oh dear, Miyuki, is it really okay for you to say that? Don't you care about the relationship between Yotsuba-kun and Saya?" Erika teased again.
"I do care."
In response to Erika's question, Miyuki affirmed without hesitation.
"But..."
Saying this, Miyuki quietly turned around, lightened her footsteps, and gazed out at the hospital's blue sky, dotted with a few clouds.
"As long as I can see Mahiro-oniichan happy and joyful now, I am already very satisfied."
If Shiba Tatsuya's life is one that is controlled, then Yotsuba Mahiro is a synonym for tragedy.
As one of the candidates for the Yotsuba family's heir, Miyuki understands all of this very well.
Although her tone was quite ordinary, others could still hear a different meaning in her words.
Especially Mayumi.
The Yotsuba family and the Fourth Research Institute, although she didn't know them very well, she knew more than others.
The Yotsuba family is a counterpart to the Saegusa family among the Ten Master Clans.
Originally surnamed "Sima," they changed their surname to "Yotsuba" after joining the Fourth Research Institute, being the only magician family that originated from the "Fourth Research Institute."
They are also the family among the Ten Master Clans that most thoroughly uses magicians as weapons.
So if Mahiro is indeed a member of the Yotsuba family, then his past experiences must have been extremely cruel.
...
...
...
In mid-July.
The final exams for the first semester at the National Magic University Affiliated First High School had ended last week, and summer vacation was about to begin.
The exam results would be published on the school's internal website, including the ranking list.
So at this moment, everyone was eagerly checking their scores, and upon seeing their ranks, some cheered while others lamented in disappointment.
And Mahiro was among them.
Looking solely at the theoretical scores, his name was easy to find; it stood out at first glance.
First place: Class A Yotsuba Mahiro, Class E Shiba Tatsuya.
Third Place: Class A - Shiba Miyuki
Fourth Place: Class E - Yoshida Mikihiko
Fifth Place went to their classmate Honoka, while Shizuku ranked tenth, and Class E's Mizuki placed seventeenth.
But the most surprising was Erika, who barely made it at twentieth.
Anyone below twentieth was considered unranked.
Just like his combined practical and theoretical scores—his name was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, this is a bit unexpected, isn't it?"
Shizuku's voice drifted softly from behind him. Like Mahiro, she was also looking at the rankings.
Mahiro tilted his head back slightly to glance at her.
"Why do you say it's unexpected?"
"It's simple. Your magical abilities are clearly so strong, yet you didn't rank in the practical exam. Instead, you aced the theory portion with a perfect score."
Shizuku spoke expressionlessly, though a hint of surprise lingered in her tone.
Honoka seemed to overhear their conversation and turned around, nodding earnestly. "That's right. Mahiro-kun's practical magic is so impressive."
Ever since Sayaka was discharged from the hospital, thanks to Erika's influence, the group had started calling him by his first name.
As for the practical magic exam—
Though the incident in April seemed to have been suppressed by information control and didn't spread widely, Erika's big mouth had ensured that everyone in their small circle knew about it.
Thus, the two girls stared at him intently, as if expecting an explanation.
"Honestly, it's nothing special." Mahiro shrugged helplessly. "The theory exam was on paper, so I just answered it. But the format of the practical exam… I didn't like it."
It wasn't an excuse.
The practical exam's setup always reminded him of his days at the Fourth Research Institute.
"Is that so?"
Shizuku nodded slightly, though she didn't seem entirely convinced. Then she added, "In that case, the upcoming Nine Schools Competition during summer break should suit you well, Mahiro-kun."
Mahiro: ?
That sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite recall. What was that again?
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