While they worked in the Student Council room, Izumi found her gaze drifting toward Tatsuya time and again, stealing clandestine looks while she worked. Had it been Miyuki watching him, no one would have spared it a second thought. But for Izumi to be so fixated on Tatsuya felt like a jarring dissonance within the quiet room.
("Miyuki, what's gotten into Izumi-chan?")
("I haven't a clue. She did mention she had a change of heart regarding Brother after yesterday's match, so perhaps it's related to that.")
Miyuki found it strange that Izumi's gaze, which usually trailed after her, was directed solely at her brother today. However, she could sense no romantic affection in the way Izumi looked at him. For Miyuki, that was the one saving grace that kept her heart at ease.
"President, I've finished today's assignment."
"Good work. You're free to go then, Shiba-kun."
"Understood. Miyuki, I'll be waiting at our usual spot."
"Yes, Brother. Please take care."
Tatsuya's processing speed was on a different level from the others; even with the same workload, he consistently finished faster than anyone else in the room. While he could have stayed to help the others, Azusa had worried that relying too heavily on Tatsuya would be detrimental to the council's growth. As a result, she had established a rule: once Tatsuya finished his allocated tasks, he was free to spend his time as he pleased.
"Izumi-chan? Your hands have stopped moving. Is something weighing on your mind?"
"Eh? Oh, no... it's nothing, Miyuki-senpai."
"But you haven't made any progress on that page for quite a while now."
Caught by Miyuki's sharp observation, Izumi realized she had been staring at the same document for the last twenty minutes. Despite trying to ignore it, she had to admit to herself that she was consumed by thoughts of Tatsuya.
"Miyuki-senpai... what kind of person is Shiba-senpai, truly? He seems so indifferent to others, yet yesterday he showed such concern for Kasumi... To be honest, I've realized I don't understand him at all."
Izumi decided to be blunt. Since she wasn't asking out of malice or a desire to disparage him, Miyuki remained composed as she listened.
"Both sides you've seen are undoubtedly parts of who my brother is," Miyuki replied softly. "However, I cannot truly explain his character without his permission. Brother has... complicated circumstances. They are not matters I can disclose on my own judgment."
"Then, just one thing. That magic Shiba-senpai used yesterday—what was it? To erase our magic and Shippou-kun's in an instant... How could someone capable of that be a Course 2 student?"
"Perhaps it is because... Brother's true abilities cannot be measured by a student's yardstick."
"What does that—"
Izumi started to press further, but she was silenced by the sudden, heavy aura emanating from Miyuki—a silent plea, or perhaps a warning, to let the matter rest. I cannot say any more. Izumi felt as though she could hear those words echoing from Miyuki's very presence.
Restless and unable to shake Tatsuya from her mind, Izumi waited for the one person who might hold the answers: her older sister. When Mayumi returned home at her usual time, Izumi visited her room, just as she had the day before.
"Sister, it's Izumi."
"Come in. I had a feeling you'd show up."
Izumi entered the room, pausing at her sister's words. "You expected me?"
"Knowing you, I figured you'd try to get the truth out of either Tatsuya-kun or Miyuki-san. And I guessed you'd likely go to Miyuki-san first. But if you did, she wouldn't have told you everything—and I didn't think you were the type to be satisfied with a vague explanation."
"...You're right. Sister, why was Shiba-senpai in Course 2? He used magic powerful enough to defeat the scion of the Ichijou family during the Nine Schools Competition, yet his practical exam scores are among the lowest in the school. Why?"
Looking at her sister's earnest expression, Mayumi decided to share what Tatsuya had told her a year ago.
"School evaluations are based on three criteria: 'Magic Activation Speed,' 'Scale of the Magic Sequence,' and 'Interference Strength.' It's the same when you're getting a license. Tatsuya-kun's brilliance lies entirely outside those three metrics. That's why his school rating is low, and why the world at large wouldn't see him as an elite magician. But... if it were a real battle—a situation where magic is a matter of life and death—Tatsuya-kun is more of an 'honor student' than anyone. I can't give you the specifics because I'm sworn to secrecy, but in actual combat, he is a more formidable magician than even myself or Juumonji-kun. His foresight and situational judgment are peerless... and the way he can cut down an enemy without a flicker of emotion? That isn't something you learn without extraordinary experience."
"So... you're saying Shiba-senpai is a magician built for combat? And because the school only evaluates magic as an isolated academic skill, he can't receive the credit he deserves?"
"He might make an excellent teacher, though," Mayumi added with a small smile. "Last year, he spent his practical lessons teaching his classmates, and before exams, students from both Course 1 and Course 2 were lining up to ask him questions."
Mayumi skillfully navigated the truth, omitting the dangerous details while giving Izumi enough to satisfy her. Among the students at First High, Mayumi was one of the few—aside from Miyuki—who had witnessed the nature of Tatsuya's innate magic. She had seen both "Regrowth" and "Decomposition." Though she only had a formal explanation for the former, having seen him erase a truck in an instant, she knew that neutralizing the magic of her younger sisters or Takuma Shippou would be trivial for him.
Indeed, she was right. Tatsuya had used Gram Dispersion—an application of the "Decomposition" Mayumi had witnessed—to dismantle their sequences.
"I can't tell you anything more," Mayumi concluded. "If you're still not satisfied, you'll have to ask Tatsuya-kun himself. Though, I can't guarantee he'll answer."
"...I understand."
The more Izumi tried to uncover the man known as Tatsuya Shiba, the deeper the mystery became. Miyuki and Mayumi—the two people most likely to know the truth—had told her all they would. The only path left was to confront the man himself.
Yet, as the thought crossed her mind, a new emotion took root in Izumi's heart: a sudden, sharp hesitation. Did she truly have the right to know what lay beneath the surface?
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