She'd been caught red-handed badmouthing Soga Yura — right to her face.
And yet Su Yuzu looked completely unbothered. Not a trace of guilt.
The girl simply smiled over at Soga Yura, strolled toward her with her hands clasped behind her back, and lightly looped her arm through Soga Yura's.
The moment Yuzu hooked their arms together — leaning into her like that — Soga Yura's eyes went wide in the most adorably startled way.
Su Yuzu could feel it clearly: Soga Yura drew in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, puffing herself up, clearly trying to look like someone worth leaning on as she attempted to support Su Yuzu's weight.
Though… no matter how hard Soga Yura tried.
An endless, flat plain cannot suddenly sprout mountain ranges.
Never mind mountain ranges — thanks to the sheer spite of the great cosmic will, not even tectonic collisions could carve out so much as a humble ravine.
It was as though every last nutrient meant for the older sister had been siphoned away by the younger.
Soga Yura's future stretched before her: boundlessly bright, and perfectly level.
"Why'd you come all the way here, Sis~?" Su Yuzu hugged Soga Yura's arm, her voice carrying just the faintest lilt of a pout.
Forming a rather vivid contrast was Soga Yura's arm — practically swallowed up, nearly buried, in the process.
The girl's eyes curved into a faintly mischievous squint.
I gave Sister a pretty thorough time of it just the other day.
In public… I should at least give Sister a little face. Let her keep some dignity as the Soga family head.
Hearing the girl's voice with its ever-so-slightly upward lilt, Soga Yura felt something stir in her memory — and her calves went soft.
A hazy recollection of the girl saying something almost unbearably wicked… Ah, is Sis already out of energy~~ But you can't stop yet, okay~ — something along those lines.
Of course —
That had been the night run.
No shivering allowed.
Shivering will result in 「This section has not passed review」.
Su Yuzu had checked Soga Yura's class schedule in advance.
This morning, Soga Yura's course was "Mental Power Fine-Tuned Control."
Unlike Keigunen Private Academy — a high school that simply sorted students into Assault Department, Healing-type, and Technology Division — university was a whole different creature.
Once you got here, the departments multiplied in all sorts of odd directions.
Take Soga Yura and Sakura Mai, for instance.
Both officially classified under the Assault Department, yet the courses they took probably had very little overlap.
Of course —
Two completely different courses could still share the same venue. That was perfectly possible.
For example: while Soga Yura attended "Practical Application of Mental Influence against Assault-type Espers," Sakura Mai might simultaneously be taking "How to Break Through a Mental-type Esper's Barrier in Combat."
Su Yuzu had already reviewed Soga Yura's timetable.
She was due out at 11:20 — forty minutes from now.
Su Yuzu had timed everything perfectly.
After waiting for Soga Yura's class to end, the two of them could head out for lunch together.
Hmm… she glanced back toward the entrance of the guardhouse.
Make that three people, possibly.
"The moment this girl heard her adorable little sister had shown up on campus, there was no holding her back."
"She just skipped class, obviously."
Sakura Mai strolled in through the guardhouse entrance, smiling. "But a good girl like Sister Yuzu shouldn't pick up any bad habits, okay?"
Still smiling — every inch the commanding Knight Princess — she turned and gave a proper bow to the perpetually slacking teacher at the gate. "Good morning, Teacher Moyu."
"Morning~ Sister Yuzu."
"Good morning, Sister Mai." Su Yuzu's eye twitched slightly.
The slacker teacher's name is Moyu? That's… bluntly on the nose.
Moyu, meanwhile, was watching Soga Yura and Su Yuzu — practically pressed together at this point.
So the sisters really have made up, huh.
In all her memory, she couldn't recall ever once seeing Soga Yura and little Yuzu hugging like this.
Never mind hugging — Soga Yura used to act like little Yuzu was a subject she was forbidden to even breathe near, as though simply touching her would cause the world to collapse.
Though… honestly, that wasn't too far from the truth.
"You say that like you didn't skip class!" Soga Yura was not about to lose face in front of Yuzu — let alone actually lose ground.
"I knocked my teacher flat first, then came," Sakura Mai remarked, perfectly casually, still smiling.
Both Su Yuzu and Teacher Moyu's eyes twitched in unison.
A Third Sequence Sword of Will user knocked her own combat instructor flat.
…That's completely reasonable, actually.
"My teacher came to me with questions. I answered all of them," Soga Yura shot back, not to be outdone.
A Fourth Sequence Mind Control User — being asked for advice by the teacher.
…That's… also completely reasonable.
"Alright, alright." Su Yuzu gently shifted her grip, changing what had nearly become clinging to Soga Yura's arm into a proper linked hold, then reached over and took Sakura Mai's hand.
"Let's find somewhere to eat first."
"And stop bothering the teacher from her slac— …work."
Su Yuzu smiled and said her goodbyes to Teacher Moyu.
Though Teacher Moyu very much wanted to say she didn't mind the girls interrupting her slacking in the slightest — watching girls being affectionate and sweet was honestly one of the finest things in life.
But… relics of an older age. The new era had no ship left that could carry old souls like hers.
She reminded them one more time to get along well — both Su Yuzu and Soga Yura — and saw the girls off.
Su Yuzu walked through Imperial Capital University's campus, one arm linked with Soga Yura's, the other hand holding Sakura Mai's.
The trio turned more heads here than they ever had back at Keigunen Private Academy.
Then again… Su Yuzu had never exactly been a celebrity at Keigunen.
Soga Yura was an entirely different story.
Having skipped multiple grades to enter Imperial Capital University, Soga Yura was the undisputed rising star — a daughter of heaven, a flower blooming unreachably high on a mountaintop.
"Is that… Lady Yura?"
"The one in the middle, between Lady Yura and Lady Mai… that must be Yuzu-hime."
"Ugh, I'm so jealous! And the worst part is I can't even decide which one I'm more jealous of!"
A mist-type ability user conjured a teary little bubble right out of the air.
What kind of expression is that you're making…
After a brief exchange among the onlookers —
[.°.(□□).°.]
The virus known as Soga Yura seemed to be spreading silently across Imperial Capital University's campus.
A vein was practically throbbing on Soga Yura's forehead.
Why… why did she suddenly have the urge to just manipulate every single person on this campus?
"There, there~~" Su Yuzu wrapped her arms around Soga Yura's once more, pressing her cheek gently against her shoulder, rubbing softly against her.
Soga Yura's expression dissolved into something dazed and utterly blank.
Soga Yura: Heavy Damage.
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