The first bell rang, and Amy hurried out with a clatter of lively footsteps. Erika and Leo offered Tatsuya and the others a quick wave before following suit, leaving the Class 2-E room behind. At this school, there were no formal opening ceremonies where the entire student body gathered; the administration's stance was that students were responsible for checking all official notices themselves.
In this classroom, a practical skills instructor was scheduled to make an appearance. Most of the students in Class 2-E felt the faculty was being unnecessarily dramatic by keeping the teacher's name a secret until the very last moment, but Tatsuya belonged to the minority who didn't care for such speculation.
"The teacher's late," Mizuki noted.
"They should be here any second," Tatsuya replied. "I can sense someone in the hallway."
"You can tell just from that? You really are amazing, Shiba-kun," Tomitsuka remarked from the seat behind him.
As Tatsuya exchanged small talk with Tomitsuka, he felt a slight sense of incongruity from the presence he had detected. The reason became clear a moment later.
"Wait, is she a foreigner?" someone whispered.
Just as the classmate's voice leaked out, the figure Tatsuya had sensed stepped into view. She was clearly not Japanese. With silver hair, blue eyes, and pale skin—combined with her striking height and long limbs—she was a woman of distinctly Northern European descent.
"I am Jennifer Smith. I was born in Boston, USNA, but I naturalized eighteen years ago. Until last year, I was a lecturer at the Magic University, but starting this year, I will be in charge of Magic Engineering classes and serving as the advisor for this class. It is a pleasure to meet you all."
(So, she's in the same position as Tsuzura-sensei,) Tatsuya thought.
In Tsuzura's case, his overly "free-spirited" nature had been his downfall at the university level. Tatsuya wondered what the circumstances were for her—a somewhat rude assumption, perhaps, as he was already categorizing her as a "problem child" before the first lesson had even begun.
The first period was dedicated to course registration, but the standard curriculum kicked off immediately in the second. By the time lunch break rolled around, Tatsuya had made his way to the Student Council room.
As of today, he was the Student Council Vice President. This was the result of a "secret pact" between Azusa and Kanon to transfer Tatsuya from the Disciplinary Committee to the Council—a deal that had been enforced entirely without Tatsuya's consent.
The room was currently occupied by eight people: Mikihiko, who had joined the Disciplinary Committee via a Student Council recommendation; Shizuku, a Club Management Group appointee; Kanon, the Disciplinary Committee Chair; and the core Student Council members.
With eight people present, the conference table felt cramped. Kanon used this as an excuse to press herself firmly against Isori. As for Tatsuya—
"Onii-sama, I shall bring you some tea to have after your meal."
"No, I'll do it!"
"Tatsuya-san, I'll get it."
"Caring for Master is my duty."
No fewer than four girls were vying for the chance to wait on him.
The final speaker, Pixie, had originally been on loan to the Robotics Club, but due to various circumstances—and, above all, Pixie's own wishes—she had been assigned to serve Tatsuya within the Student Council starting today.
Despite the various lingering ulterior motives in the room, by the midpoint of lunch, the conversation shifted toward the upcoming Entrance Ceremony.
"Are you having another rehearsal after school today?" Mikihiko asked. Being uninvolved in the ceremony preparations, he addressed the upperclassmen with a tone of polite deference.
"It's more of a final meeting than a rehearsal," Miyuki replied, using her "default" polite tone for male students. "The rehearsal for the freshman response only happens twice: once during spring break and once right before the ceremony. Even then, we only practice the blocking; we don't actually read the full manuscript."
"Was it like that last year, too?"
"Yes."
"Eh? Really?" Kanon interjected. "It didn't look like that at all. When it was our turn, things were so disas—I mean, we struggled so much, I assumed they'd added extra rehearsals."
"It was a disaster anyway..."
Azusa, the Student Council President, muttered the correction just a second too late. Having served as the freshman representative the year before last, she looked visibly deflated, retreating into a gloom of self-pity.
"N-now then, Nakajou-san was just nervous. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Mikihiko stammered, trying to console her.
"And of course, it's not as if Miyuki was 'weird' for not being nervous," Tatsuya added smoothly.
"Oh, Onii-sama. Even I felt a little bit of tension, you know."
The chaotic atmosphere was brought back to center by Mikihiko's deliberate, forced cough. Tatsuya looked at Mikihiko, whose face bore the marks of significant mental effort, and spoke as if nothing had happened.
"Actually, neither Miyuki nor I have met this year's freshman representative in person yet."
"The preparations for the incoming students are handled primarily by the school administration," Azusa explained, having recovered slightly. "Even though we value student autonomy, formal events with many outside guests are a different story. The Student Council only manages the preparations for the current student body."
"So... does that mean the freshmen aren't considered 'students of this school' yet?" Mikihiko mused.
"No, Mikihiko, I think you're reading too much into it," Tatsuya retorted bluntly.
Mikihiko's over-analytical comment earned him a sharp jab from Tatsuya. As Isori watched the two of them interact with such easy familiarity, a hint of envy seemed to flicker in his eyes—though it might have been a mere illusion.
"We don't know the real reason," Isori said, steering the conversation back. "We can only speculate. But Nakajou-san, you've met him, haven't you?"
Kanon immediately perked up with interest. Feeling the weight of everyone's curiosity, Azusa looked down, deep in thought.
"The Shippou boy? Let's see... he seemed like a very motivated young man."
"In other words, he's ambitious," Kanon translated flatly.
Azusa had clearly chosen her words carefully to avoid giving a negative first impression, but she could only offer a vague, wry smile at Kanon's blunt assessment. Judging by her expression, Azusa shared Kanon's opinion.
"By the way... Shizuku? Why are you on my lap?"
"""Huh?!"""
Miyuki, Honoka, and Azusa all let out a collective gasp of shock.
"Is it not allowed?" Shizuku asked, looking up at Tatsuya with wide, innocent eyes.
"No, I wouldn't go as far as to say it's 'not allowed,' but..."
With Miyuki and Honoka occupying the seats to his left and right, Shizuku had decided that the only way to get close to him was to take the direct approach. Faced with her upturned gaze, Tatsuya found himself unable to stay firm.
Watching this scene unfold, Mikihiko and Azusa wore strained, awkward smiles. Kanon, completely ignoring her own clingy behavior with Isori, directed a frigid stare at the group. Isori, meanwhile, simply looked at Tatsuya with a gaze that suggested deep, heartfelt sympathy.
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