The meeting had been brief—little more than a final run-through of pre-established procedures. Had that suffocating atmosphere persisted any longer, the success of the entrance ceremony itself might have been in jeopardy. Considering the tradition of inviting the freshman representative to join the Student Council, the potential for a disastrous school year was already becoming a legitimate concern.
"Still, I didn't expect it to turn into a standoff quite that quickly," Tatsuya mused. "It seems the eldest son of the Shippou family has quite the combative temperament."
They were in the living room after dinner. Following their usual routine, Minami was handling the cleanup while Miyuki brought Tatsuya his coffee.
Miyuki believed her actions had been justified. However, she was well aware that regardless of the provocation, she had worsened the atmosphere in an official setting. She had braced herself for a mild lecture from her brother, but Tatsuya's lack of reproach left her feeling slightly off-balance.
"I don't believe his attitude toward you was merely a matter of insolence, Onii-sama," Miyuki said, tilting her head as she sat beside him. "It felt like something with a much clearer vector—a hidden, hostile intent."
Reflecting on it now in the quiet of their home, Miyuki realized Takuma's behavior differed from the classmates who had looked down on Tatsuya as a "weed" the previous year. He hadn't simply dismissed Tatsuya as an inferior; rather, there was a sense of insecurity—as if he were forcing himself to project superiority just to maintain a psychological edge over a perceived enemy.
"True," Tatsuya agreed. "He was definitely on guard against us."
"I don't know the reason, but we shouldn't take this lightly. We can't be sure a situation like last year's won't happen again."
Miyuki was referring to the "Blanche" incident that had occurred right after their own entrance ceremony. That international terrorist organization had infiltrated the school, and the siblings' involvement had started with Sayaka Mibu's invitation—something Tatsuya had initially dismissed as a simple "club recruitment."
"Last year? No, I don't think it'll come to that. He is, after all, a member of the Twenty-Eight Families."
The "Twenty-Eight Families" was a collective term for the Ten Master Clans and the Eighteen Assistant Houses. It wasn't a term used by the general public, but rather internal jargon used by the families themselves to denote their shared lineage as the original developers of magic technology.
Miyuki was familiar with the friction between the Saegusa and Shippou families, but the detail about the Shippou's obsession with the Ten Master Clans' status was news to her. She leaned in, clearly intrigued.
"Besides," Tatsuya continued, "men our age tend to have a strong desire for self-assertion. They want their power to be recognized."
"Oh? Does that include you, Onii-sama?" she teased.
"I suppose so. I have my fair share of those human desires, too," he replied with a dry, self-deprecating smile.
Miyuki's playful eyes met his, and he continued his analysis. "Shippou-kun's desire for recognition seems twice as strong as most. He likely wants to prove he possesses strength worthy of the Ten Master Clans. Because of that, he takes an aggressive stance against anyone he thinks might get in his way."
"But we aren't doing anything to hinder him."
"To someone who desperately wants to be acknowledged by those around them, the people who are already acknowledged are the ones standing in the way."
Miyuki nodded deeply at Tatsuya's explanation. "I see. So, Shippou-kun is jealous of your reputation, Onii-sama."
"No. If anyone is being targeted as a rival, Miyuki, it's probably you."
"Me?"
Her eyes widened, clearly arguing that she could never take precedence over her brother. Tatsuya simply shook his head.
"He's this year's representative; you were last year's. That alone is enough to make him see you as a rival. Add to that your performance in the Nine School Competition, and I suspect he views me as nothing more than an accessory attached to you."
"That's...! Onii-sama, you are not an accessory!"
"Now, don't get so worked up. This is just a hypothetical based on how things look from Shippou-kun's perspective."
"I refuse to accept such an outrageous hypothesis!"
"Even if you say that..."
"If anything, I am the one who belongs to—" She caught herself, blushing slightly before correcting her sentence. "No, at the very least, Onii-sama is my precious partner."
Tatsuya decided to ignore the part she had mumbled—which sounded suspiciously like "I am the one who belongs to Onii-sama." Even the corrected version felt a bit bold—and frankly, a little embarrassing—but he let that slide as well.
"There is one other possibility," Tatsuya said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "It's possible he knows we are connected to the Ten Master Clans and is targeting us for that reason."
This comment acted like a weight, pulling Miyuki's fluttering heart back down to earth.
"That we are connected to the Yotsuba? Surely that's overthinking it, Onii-sama?"
"You're probably right. I don't think he—or the Shippou family, for that matter—has the power to break through the Yotsuba's information security. But... there was a look in his eyes that suggested a very deep-seated conviction."
Tatsuya wasn't thinking of the glare Takuma had directed at Miyuki in the Student Council room. He was remembering the gaze Takuma had cast toward her on the way to school. It was a side of Takuma that Miyuki hadn't seen, so his words didn't quite click for her. Nevertheless, she took her brother's concern to heart.
"I see... Since he is from one of the Twenty-Eight Families, it would be wise to remain cautious."
Tatsuya was correct that Takuma's hostility was linked to the Ten Master Clans, but he was completely mistaken about the nature of the suspicion. Takuma didn't suspect them of being Yotsuba; he suspected them of being pawns of the Saegusa family.
Despite their closeness to Mayumi Saegusa, the siblings never forgot the delicate, often strained relationship between the Yotsuba and the Saegusa. Because of that awareness, the idea that they could be perceived as "part of the Saegusa faction" was so far from their minds that it never even occurred to them as a possibility.
"In any case, we should keep an eye on Takuma Shippou."
"I understand. If that is what you wish, Onii-sama, I shall follow your lead."
As Miyuki spoke, she radiated an aura that was far too intense for a simple conversation between siblings. Tatsuya could only look at her with a trace of quiet concern.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"