After Kasumi and Izumi departed, Takuma remained standing in the center of the training hall, frozen in a heavy silence. To the second-years watching, he looked abandoned, but Takuma didn't see it that way. In his mind, the "interference" had finally cleared, leaving him alone to deal with Tatsuya. He had stayed behind for this very purpose.
"Shiba-senpai," Takuma said, his voice tight. "I still do not accept this."
"Accept what?" Tatsuya asked, his tone flat.
"The ruling that I lost by a foul!"
"Shippou!"
The shout came from Tomitsuka, who seemed unable to contain himself a moment longer. Takuma, however, kept his eyes locked on Tatsuya, refusing to even acknowledge the other boy's presence.
"What is it you want?" Tatsuya asked.
Tatsuya could have easily dismissed him. This match, after all, had been a safety net—a way to salvage the reputations of Takuma and Kasumi after they had committed a serious breach of school regulations. For Takuma, who had been facing potential expulsion, this was a gift. He was in no position to complain about bias or "rigged" calls.
And yet, Tatsuya listened. It wasn't out of kindness, but a pragmatic desire to ensure this nuisance didn't drag on indefinitely.
"Let me prove it to you," Takuma demanded.
"Prove what?"
"That I was in full control of Million Edge!"
"And how do you propose to do that?"
"Face me yourself! I'll use Million Edge, and I'll force you to surrender without leaving a single scratch on you!"
At those words, Shizuku and Honoka narrowed their eyes in disbelief. Behind Tatsuya, Miyuki's elegant brows arched in sharp fury. But the room was not consumed by a sudden blizzard. Before her temper could manifest, the sound of a heavy blow and a body skidding across the floor echoed through the hall.
The unexpected sight cut Miyuki's anger short.
It was Takuma who had been leveled, and it was Tomitsuka who had struck him.
"...Tomitsuka-senpai?" Takuma stammered, bracing himself on the floor and looking up in shock.
"Shippou, that's enough!" Tomitsuka bellowed, his face flushed with rage. Because of his soft, somewhat androgynous features, "demonic" or "terrifying" weren't words usually applied to him, but the sheer intensity of his fury was undeniable.
"I've been listening to your self-centered, disrespectful drivel for long enough... Who do you think you are!? Do you honestly believe being from the Twenty-Eight Houses makes you a god?"
"I... I didn't mean..."
Takuma faltered. He truly hadn't realized it. He was a boy obsessed with looking upward at the Ten Master Clans, never bothering to look down. Because he saw no value in his own Shippou family as long as they remained outside the Ten, he had unconsciously treated any magician not of that caliber with the same disdain he felt for his own father.
"If you're so desperate to prove your strength, Shippou, then I'll be your opponent! Or am I not good enough for you? Is a 'failure' from the Tomitsuka family—a mere 'Range Zero'—beneath your notice!?"
"Tomitsuka, calm down," Tatsuya intervened. "A match cannot be sanctioned without the approval of the Student Council President and the Disciplinary Committee Chair. Besides, Shippou needs time to reflect, and more importantly, he needs to prepare his casting media for Million Edge."
"I... you're right. My apologies."
Realizing he had let his own emotions boil over, Tomitsuka looked down, his face reddening with embarrassment.
"Shippou, I have no intention of fighting you," Tatsuya said, without even sparing the boy a glance. "Tomitsuka, if you're serious about this, you should speak with Chairman Hattori first."
"Right. Yeah, I'll do that."
"Honoka, sorry to trouble you, but could you lock up?"
"Of course, Tatsuya-san!"
Without another word to the glowering Takuma, Tatsuya walked out of the training hall with Miyuki at his side.
About fifteen minutes after Honoka finished locking up and returned to the Student Council room, Tatsuya was just beginning to stand up to head home for the day. At that exact moment, the door chime rang.
"Yes, come in," Azusa called out.
"Excuse me," a voice replied.
The door, unlocked remotely by Azusa, opened to reveal Hattori, the Chairman of the Club Management Group. Tatsuya sat back down, already certain of what was coming.
"Nakajou... I'm not quite sure how to put this. It's a bit embarrassing, really..." Hattori began, looking pained.
"Hattori-kun? What's wrong?" Azusa asked.
"Forgive me. I'm here to request permission for another match."
"Another one!? Who is it this time?"
"Tomitsuka and Shippou."
"Shippou again...?"
The deep furrow in Hattori's brow suggested he shared Azusa's exhaustion.
"I suspected he had a difficult personality when he turned down the Student Council invitation," Hattori sighed. "By all rights, I should probably just give him a harsh reprimand and force him to reflect. But his talent is undeniable. If he could just learn a shred of humility, I believe he could grow into something truly great."
Miyuki and Honoka exchanged a knowing look, though Hattori didn't notice.
"I've decided that rather than lecturing him, the best way to break that stubborn nose of his is to let him taste defeat."
"Is that why you're allowing the match?" Azusa asked. "But is Tomitsuka-kun the right choice? If that's the goal, wouldn't Sawaki-kun or even you be better...?"
"No, I think Tomitsuka-kun is perfect," Isori interrupted, joining the conversation. "He's strong, and he's incredibly earnest. Despite his circumstances, he hasn't let his temperament turn sour. I don't think a match with him will lead to a bad outcome."
Azusa nodded, taking Isori's advice to heart. "Very well. When do they want to do this?"
"Would the day after tomorrow be acceptable?" Hattori asked.
"Not tomorrow?"
"I don't want to give him the excuse of being tired from back-to-back matches. It's better to give him a day of rest first."
"The day after tomorrow is Saturday... let me check the schedule for the training halls. Ah, Training Hall 3 is available starting at 3:00 PM. Will one hour be enough?"
"Could we reserve it for two?"
"Certainly."
Though slightly puzzled by Hattori's specific requests, Azusa processed the reservation.
"I'll issue the permit now."
"Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble..." Hattori paused, noticing Azusa was stifling a giggle. "Did I say something funny?"
"It's just... you've started to act a lot like Juumonji-senpai lately, Hattori-kun."
For Azusa, this was the highest form of praise. But for Hattori, who knew all too well that he wasn't the same "type" of leader as the legendary Katsuto Juumonji, it felt more like being told he was merely imitating greatness to cover his own shortcomings. He left feeling somewhat conflicted.
And Tomitsuka, with his boyish, pretty face, was just getting started...
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