Before Tatsuya reunited with Mayumi, Yugen had escorted Katsuto, attending as the Nanakusa family's proxy, to the VIP waiting room. With time before the ceremony, Yugen leaned against the wall outside, deciding to stay put for guest guidance duties. Sensing a presence, he looked up to see Miyuki approaching.
"Early, Miyuki. Rehearsal done?" Yugen asked.
"Yes, no issues," Miyuki replied.
"Good. Didn't expect him to show up, though," Yugen said.
He meant General Soga, Riri's relative. The media had been buzzing with articles on the Magic High School's military ties, and Yugen knew the sponsors behind them. The school had been flooded with inquiries about the ceremony.
Miyuki, assisting Yugen, kept up with magic-related news but often let her anger leak magic. "Let's set that aside. Are you okay with this, Miyuki?" Yugen asked, concerned about her mingling with politicians and military figures. Given the Yotsuba's situation, she didn't need to forge such connections, and Yugen could leverage his own if needed.
Miyuki replied calmly, "No worries. I can't keep running forever."
"Not running, but…" Yugen paused, sensing affectionate eyes. He turned, Miyuki following, to see a girl with straight black hair cut at brow and shoulder length, sparkling eyes fixed on Yugen.
Before he could speak, Izumi Nanakusa rushed forward and hugged him. "Yugen-oniisama! It's been so long!"
"Whoa—Izumi-chan!?" Yugen exclaimed.
"Your scent…" Izumi murmured, clinging tighter, ignoring Miyuki, who smiled broadly.
"Quite popular, Yugen-san," Miyuki teased, her smile unnerving.
"Miyuki, that smile's scary. Alright…" Yugen sighed.
Knowing Mayumi was busy, Yugen contacted Tatsuya, who was guiding freshmen, hoping his knack for attracting trouble would yield answers. It did—Mayumi and Kasumi were nearby, and Mayumi, familiar with the waiting room, would bring Kasumi.
"You called Onii-sama?" Miyuki asked.
"Yep. Asked about Izumi-chan and Kasumi. Seems they ran into Nanakusa-senpai," Yugen said.
Explaining to Miyuki was fine, but Izumi's romantic fervor needed calming to avoid freezing the school. Yugen placed a hand on her head. "Settle down. I get you're happy, but as a lady, respect seniority."
"Oh… I'm sorry, Onii-sama," Izumi said, stepping back, clasping her hands, and bowing. Noticing Miyuki, she hesitated, but Miyuki introduced herself first.
"Nice to meet you, Izumi-san. I'm Miyuki Shiba, student council vice-president."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Izumi Nanakusa. May I call you Miyuki-senpai?" Izumi asked.
"Of course," Miyuki replied.
Unlike the original story, where Izumi's infatuation with Miyuki sparked an "Onee-sama" frenzy, here they exchanged smiles laced with rivalry. Miyuki knew of Izumi's former engagement to Yugen and her own (unpublicized) top rank as his fiancée. Izumi, unaware, instinctively saw Miyuki as a rival.
"I cheered for Onee-sama at the Nine Schools. Your Pillars Break and Mirage Bat were like a painting," Izumi said.
"Thank you, Izumi-san," Miyuki replied.
Miyuki's charm, tempered by a hair accessory's suppression spell, kept things manageable. But Yugen had a concern. "Sorry to interrupt, Izumi-chan, but you used a self-acceleration spell to get here, didn't you?"
"Uh… well…" Izumi stammered, looking down.
Yugen, confident in sensing presences, had been distracted by Miyuki but noticed Izumi's psion trail from outside the building, indicating high-speed movement. "Magic's banned on campus except in emergencies. You could've hurt someone. Understand?" he said sternly.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Yugen-oniisama," Izumi replied.
As a Ten Master Clans member, exemplary conduct was crucial. Yugen planned to ask Tatsuya to erase Izumi's magic use from Pixie's system. Just then, Kasumi and Mayumi approached.
"Izumi, there you are!" Kasumi exclaimed.
"Kasumi-chan! And Onee-sama!" Izumi said.
"As expected… Yugen, Miyuki, sorry about this," Mayumi said.
"No worries," Miyuki replied.
With the ceremony nearing, Mayumi bowed and left with Kasumi and Izumi. Yugen sighed. "Will school life be okay?"
"It'll be fine, Yugen-san," Miyuki reassured.
Yugen wasn't clinging to anything, but the connections he'd built were causing unexpected ripples, making him sigh. Meanwhile, Tatsuya helped a lost Kento Sumisu, who admired him for his Nine Schools engineering feats, leaving Tatsuya slightly overwhelmed.
Kasumi's lively personality—more others' perception than her own—made her more proactive than Izumi, seated beside her. This often earned her Mayumi's scolding, but one person flipped their dynamic.
"Don't make me worry! I don't enjoy playing backup," Kasumi said.
"You're one to talk, using that pronoun in public," Izumi retorted.
"Fine, I get it," Kasumi grumbled.
At the auditorium entrance, they parted from Mayumi and sat near the front row. Their high entrance exam scores justified it, but Kasumi noticed a stare. Avoiding rudeness, she traced it to Takuma Shippou, recognizable from gossip and fashion magazines, a fellow "Seven" family member from the Twenty-Eight Clans. To avoid trouble, she ignored his gaze and chose seats to block his view.
"Did you notice him staring?" Kasumi asked.
"Yes, the Shippou heir, right? I sensed hostility. Any reason?" Izumi said.
"No, just good you noticed," Kasumi replied.
Unlike Mayumi, they weren't well-versed in high society, per Koichi's policy of delaying such exposure until high school. They knew Takuma from his acting debut but wondered why he'd resent them. Perhaps the shared "Seven" number caused friction.
"By the way, I met Shiba Tatsuya-senpai. Big sis seemed to be struggling," Kasumi said.
"Yugen-oniisama's the one struggling most… that sister…" Izumi muttered.
"Calm down," Kasumi said.
Their bond with Mayumi was strong, despite her faltering engagement to the Itsuwa heir. Izumi, who'd eyed Yugen first, saw Mayumi's affection toward him as interference, inwardly grumbling while restraining herself in public.
The entrance ceremony went smoothly, with Riri's speech flawless, unlike last year's attention-grabbing or позапрошлый year's nerve-wracking moments. Yugen, hearing from Mika about Azusa's distress over Kanon's words two years ago, understood why.
Next was the student council recruitment tradition, targeting the top freshman after the ceremony, a formality marking official enrollment. Few declined, except Mika, who cited not wanting to join a council with her two sisters to avoid perceptions of Mitsuya dominance.
"I'll do my best," Riri said.
"Thanks, Juumonji-san. Phew, what a relief…" Azusa sighed.
Isori and Riri smiled wryly at Azusa's relief. "Did my brother do something to Nakajou-senpai?" Riri asked.
"No, it's just his appearance and demeanor," Isori explained.
Riri understood Azusa's fear of Katsuto's imposing presence but, as a future council colleague, wanted a friendly relationship. "Please don't be too scared of him. He's refined but sensitive. Seeing fear hurts him."
"Y-Yes!" Azusa stammered.
Future meetings with Katsuto would be rare, but Riri and Isori calmed the flustered Azusa.
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