"Tatsuya, I understand you were trying to calm Honoka down, but you could've been a bit more careful, don't you think?" Mikihiko said, his tone laced with concern.
"Yeah… I suppose that one's on me," Tatsuya admitted, his voice heavy with responsibility.
Honoka had been swiftly caught in Tatsuya's arms, sparing her uniform from any mess, but it ended with Tatsuya carrying her to the infirmary—princess-style, no less. When he returned to the classroom, he realized he'd missed the chance to give Honoka her return gift. Planning to make up for it after school, Tatsuya was instead met with a barrage of teasing questions from his close classmates.
Mikihiko's comment hit the mark, and Tatsuya didn't even feel like arguing. Erika, catching this, shot him a surprised look.
"Tatsuya, the guy who's clueless about romance, actually reflecting? Is there a blizzard forecast for tomorrow, or are you running a fever?" she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief.
"That's a bit dramatic, Erika," Tatsuya countered dryly.
His lack of romantic savvy wasn't the only factor at play. As Miyuki's guardian, Tatsuya's own needs always took a backseat—a trait rooted in his very origins. Delving into that would mean revealing too much about himself, so he let the conversation drop.
Honoka, mortified by her fainting spell, had learned from the infirmary teacher that Tatsuya had carried her there. Back in the classroom, she slumped over her desk, her ears burning red with a mix of embarrassment and guilt. Yugen and Miyuki, who'd come to check on her, couldn't help but exchange wry smiles.
"Honoka, it's okay," Miyuki reassured gently. "Onii-sama only took you to the infirmary out of kindness. There's no need to feel bad."
"R-really?" Honoka stammered, lifting her head. "He doesn't… hate me or anything, right?"
"If you're that worried, just apologize during lunch," Yugen suggested. "Knowing Tatsuya, the guy's too dense to hold a grudge."
Not long ago, Yugen might've been called out for saying that, but now that he was dating Miyuki, his words carried a different weight. Their classmates could only muster wry chuckles.
Yugen's attention drifted, his "Osiris Sight" picking up a faint surge of psion activity near the Robotics Club garage, where Pixie was likely located. It was subtle, just shy of triggering the surveillance system, unnoticed by others.
The educational system in this world split into specialized tracks at the high school level, and the Magic High School's curriculum was particularly grueling, almost suffocatingly so. Students were diligent, especially the First Course students, driven more by fear of falling behind than pure ambition. Even so, general education classes like P.E. offered a rare chance to loosen up—especially on a day like February 14th.
"I get wanting to show off, but could they at least stay focused?" Yugen muttered, watching the boys' enthusiasm. "I respect the guys' drive to impress, but…"
"It can't be helped," Mikihiko replied. "We've got fiancées, so our perspective's different."
Boys naturally wanted to catch the girls' eyes—a harmless pride, but getting carried away and risking injury was counterproductive. Yugen and Toya, due to their backgrounds, inevitably stood out. Their exceptional physical prowess drew attention, earning them both admiration and envy from other boys—a situation they found more bothersome than flattering.
"And it's your birthday, Yugen," Mikihiko added with a grin.
"I told my sisters chocolate's fine, but Shina's going on about wanting a boyfriend like me," Yugen sighed. "My older siblings just groaned."
Shina, his younger sister, had honed her skills through Third Lab training and was rapidly improving in Shinonome-ryu swordsmanship. At the Mitsuya family's main estate, Yugen and Jiro trained her during spare moments, maintaining the same strict impartiality as their father, Gozo.
"With a cheat-code-level perfect brother like you, it's no wonder she feels that way," Mikihiko teased.
"I'll cop to the cheat-code part, but 'perfect' is pushing it," Yugen shot back.
He trained daily to keep his Shinonome-ryu skills sharp, and sparring with others was a welcome challenge. Acting as a substitute instructor for Miyuki, Erika, Leo, and even Tatsuya was starting to feel like a full-time job, though he couldn't help but grumble about it.
Meanwhile, in the girls' changing room, conversations about Valentine's Day and their figures bubbled up—topics Yugen and Mikihiko were blissfully unaware of. Not that they were uninterested, but reacting too much felt impolite.
By lunchtime, Yugen had received chocolates from the girls who'd competed in the Nine Schools Competition (collectively, not individually), leaving him with two overflowing bags. Another sigh escaped him. Then, Ceria summoned him to the rooftop, where he found her with Lina.
"Sorry, Yugen," Ceria said sheepishly. "Big sis is too much of a coward to do this herself."
"Hey, Ceria!" Lina protested, flustered.
"I'm not prying into the details," Yugen said, raising a hand, "but you want me to play matchmaker with Tatsuya or something?"
Given the school's robust surveillance, he doubted Lina would try anything military-related. Combined with her request to discuss Tatsuya and some context from the Shiba siblings, Yugen had come alone—though not without Miyuki's suspicious glance.
"Y-Yugen, too… Is it that obvious?" Lina stammered.
"You're better at hiding it than most, but it's clear to those who know," Yugen replied. "Tatsuya's on disciplinary committee patrol today, so why not give it to him afterward? Should work fine."
Despite his reputation for being oblivious, Yugen was sharp about others' romantic affairs, thanks to years of watching his brothers' love lives. Lina's feelings were obvious to him, though their classmates tactfully stayed out of it. The senior disciplinary committee members were busy (mostly receiving chocolates), leaving Tatsuya and Morisaki, the first-year members, to handle patrols.
"That makes sense," Lina said, regaining composure. "You're not… expecting anything in return?"
"If I asked you for something, I'd be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong," Yugen said. "Besides, knowing you, you're so focused on your real gift that you forgot about obligation chocolates."
"Ugh, you're as sharp as Ceria," Lina groaned.
Having already received chocolates from Ceria and countless others, Yugen just wanted to lighten his load. Demanding a gift from Lina was the last thing on his mind.
"With all the guys' jealousy and Miyuki's teasing, I've got enough on my plate," he said. "I don't need you tossing dynamite into the mix."
Not to mention, he had to smooth things over with Miyuki later—a daunting task he'd rather not complicate.
The Valentine's Day buzz intensified after school. As students exchanged gifts across campus, Yugen left the building early, free from student council duties. Miyuki and Himeri flanked him, with Tatsuya and Lina notably absent.
"I wonder how those two are doing," Himeri mused. "Honoka's situation seemed to work out, but…"
"Lina?" Miyuki prompted, turning to Yugen. "What did you talk about at lunch?"
"Don't pinch my side," Yugen said, wincing. "She just asked for a chance to talk to Tatsuya, that's all."
He wasn't lying. Tatsuya's emotions were tightly bound to Miyuki, though Yugen had noticed signs of that loosening through their interactions. Miyuki's beaming smile met his gentle reprimand, while Himeri gave a wry chuckle.
"Why this arrangement today, anyway?" Miyuki asked, tilting her head.
"Trying to get the lovesick crowd to focus on work is pointless," Yugen said. "I don't make much difference either way, but I invited you two to keep the chaos to a minimum."
"Chaos?" Miyuki echoed, puzzled.
Yugen's gaze grew distant. "Mayumi-senpai. After last year's chocolate, I'm tempted to refuse this year's."
It wasn't that he couldn't handle bitter chocolate, but one that seemed to embody her grudges? No thanks. Her fans might eat it eagerly, but Yugen wasn't risking it.
"You mean that chocolate?" Miyuki said, grimacing.
"What, she sent you a creature or something?" Himeri asked, wide-eyed.
"That'd be alchemy, not cooking," Yugen said. "It looked fine, but the taste was pure bitterness."
He wanted to believe no one would accidentally turn cooking into alchemy, but pursuing that thought felt dangerous. Mayumi had the skill to make decent chocolate, so her choice to go bitter was either stress relief or a subtle rebellion against her family—maybe both.
"Sorry to Hattori-senpai, but I value my life," Yugen said.
"Mayumi-senpai could probably track you with 'Multiscope,'" Miyuki pointed out.
"I'll figure out a way to dodge her," Yugen replied.
It was just chocolate, but he'd rather not have his birthday tainted by bitter memories.
Tatsuya narrowly escaped Mayumi's chocolate ambush, as Morisaki took over his patrol route. After finishing his rounds, he stepped out of the disciplinary committee room to find Lina waiting, catching him off guard.
"Hey… good work, Tatsuya," she said, a touch nervous.
"Lina? I heard from Miyuki you're off student council duties today. Got business with someone?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah… Tatsuya, could you come with me for a bit?" she asked hesitantly.
The unexpected invitation gave Tatsuya pause. They'd clashed before—during a tour as disciplinary committee members, over the "Parasite" incident, and in a mishap at the Martial Magic Arts club. Still, he judged she had no combat intentions on school grounds and agreed.
Lina led him to the spot near the Robotics Club garage where Honoka had given him chocolate that morning. She pulled a package from her pocket and held it out.
"It's… properly made, I promise. Just take it, okay?" she said, her voice firm but flustered.
"Handmade, huh?" Tatsuya said, raising an eyebrow. "Is this an apology for the other day? If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
To Tatsuya, this was unexpected—downright shocking, even. Their history was filled with tension, not warmth, so her gesture felt out of character. His skepticism was reasonable.
"It's not just that I started it!" Lina snapped, her cheeks reddening. "Ugh, whatever! Just eat it, or I won't forgive you!"
With that, she hurried off, leaving Tatsuya holding her chocolate, his mind swirling with questions.
"…Between this and Miyuki, it's all so complicated," he muttered.
Unbeknownst to him, as his focus lingered on Lina, a subtle shift was occurring nearby. The psion waves from Lina's intense emotions flowed into Pixie, the mechanical doll in the Robotics Club garage, reacting to Honoka's wavelength and triggering an impossible change within the Parasite inside her.
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