Shina had never directly witnessed her older brothers and sisters actively thriving at First High School. That applied even to her brother Yugen, who was close to her in age.
Motoharu had served as Student Council President, Mototsugu as Club Management Group Head, followed by Shizuru, Kana, and Mika as Student Council Presidents. And Yugen possessed a proven track record, having served as both the current Club Management Group Head and a executive officer of the school. Naturally, the brand power of being a member of the Mitsuya family—one of the Ten Master Clans—had a considerable influence, but it was equally true that they possessed the raw ability to back it up.
What surprised Shina the most was that Yugen had read the congratulatory address as the Chairman of the Master Clans Conference (though it would be more accurate to say he "spoke" it rather than read it). In short, Shina learned right then and there that her older brother currently stood in a position higher than their own father.
To begin with, since Shina was not in line to inherit the Mitsuya house, it was understandable that she had not been informed about the internal affairs of the Master Clans Conference. Even so, she could not help thinking that, as a blood relative, they could have at least shared that much with her. However, as the freshman representative delivering the response address... having entered the school in the same position as her brother, she felt she could not afford to show an unseemly display. Stiffening her resolve, she successfully delivered the address to the end.
The greetings with the visiting dignitaries ended relatively quickly, likely thanks to her brother having become the head of a different household. The person who approached her afterward was Izumi.
"Shina-chan."
"Izumi-san?"
While Riri was also a direct descendant of the Ten Master Clans, she had not originally carried the Saegusa name and had not built a particularly intimate relationship with Shina. That being said, while it was entirely possible for Miyuki, the Student Council President, to approach her, it was decided that someone who already knew Shina would be better suited to make contact. Thus, the choice fell upon Izumi.
Izumi was the youngest child of the Saegusa family and the favorite of her father, Koichi. The fact that she had taken the surname Mutsuzuka just a few days ago had caused no small number of magic-related individuals outside the Twenty-Eight Houses to wonder what had transpired.
The reality was that it stemmed from a severe conflict between the Kagurazaka family (Mitsuya / Yotsuba) and the Saegusa family—specifically, Saegusa Koichi's act of treachery, a fact kept under strict gag orders. Her reassignment toward the Amami and Okinawa Islands was publicly presented as "a promotion based on the Saegusa family's evaluation of her magical capabilities."
On the surface, the Saegusa family continued to exist as major players in the Japanese magical community alongside the Mitsuya and Yotsuba families. Consequently, many maliciously speculated that Izumi's adoption into the Mutsuzuka family was a calculated move to retain strong influence over the Kanto region.
Even after adopting the Mutsuzuka surname, Izumi inwardly felt like sighing at how such preconceptions meant she was still viewed as a member of the Saegusa family.
"That was a splendid response address."
"Thank you very much. Um, do you require something from me?"
Given Shina's voice and tone, she gave off a somewhat airy impression, but in truth, she addressed Izumi with complete composure. Understanding Shina's demeanor, Izumi continued.
"I would like to formally consult with you regarding that matter. Could you spare a little time right now?"
"Yes, that's fine. Should I follow you, Izumi-san?"
"Yes, please. Is it alright if we don't mention this to Jiro-kun?"
"I explained the situation to him this morning, so it's fine."
Even when her childhood friend's name was brought up out of nowhere, Shina showed no sign of agitation, answering Izumi's question composedly.
The place Izumi led her to was the Student Council room, where Miyuki and Mizunami were waiting.
"Mitsuya-san, thank you for coming."
While Miyuki had addressed Shina by her first name earlier, she was now acting in an official capacity and used her surname instead. Raising no objection to this, Shina stepped inside and bowed. Miyuki moved from the President's chair to sit at the conference table, with Shina taking a seat directly across from her. Mizunami and Izumi sat on Miyuki's left and right, respectively.
Shina was slightly surprised when Pixie served tea. Because the Mitsuya family employed human servants, they did not use 3H (Humanoid Home Helper) units, so she hadn't expected to see one at the school's Student Council. More than that, Shina noticed that the wavelength emanating from Pixie differed from that of a magician, but Miyuki spoke up before she could dwell on it.
"'Pixie' belongs to my older brother, which is why we occasionally ask her to serve us like this. As for your question, it would be best to ask your immediate older brother."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
Miyuki had also been informed by Yugen that Shina possessed extremely high sensitivity, and had been forewarned that she would likely notice the 'Parasite' inhabiting Pixie. Therefore, leaving the task of answering Shina's curiosity to Yugen, Miyuki began to address the main topic for which she had summoned her.
"I believe you have already heard about our school's Student Council traditions not only from Vice President Saegusa, but also from your older brothers and sisters."
"Yes, I have already heard."
Shina answered Miyuki's confirmation. Since she had former Student Council members among her relatives, this meeting served merely as a ceremonial formalization of a decision already settled between Shina and Izumi.
"I see. Then, let me ask you once more. Mitsuya Shina-san, will you become a Student Council officer?"
"Yes. I do not know if I can perform as well as my brothers and sisters, but I humbly accept."
Hearing Shina's acceptance, the tension in Miyuki's shoulders relaxed slightly. Even though she had received prior confirmation via Yugen and Izumi, a small part of her had worried about the off-chance of being turned down. There was a lingering anxiety that something similar to two years ago—when Miyuki had directly negotiated on Tatsuya's behalf when requesting Student Council officers—might happen again. She had only herself to blame for being unable to shake off the fear that someone might negotiate directly just as she had done, even if they were the party involved.
"In that case, Mitsuya-san—Shina-chan will be working as a Student Council secretary starting tomorrow. As for the job details, please ask Sakurai-san here."
"I am the secretary, Sakurai Mizunami. Nice to meet you, Shina-san."
"Yes. It is a pleasure to work with you as well."
Perhaps because they had gotten to know each other through Yugen's connection, the conversation inside the Student Council room proceeded in a harmonious atmosphere.
◇ ◇ ◇
Once the distribution of ID cards—which also served as student credentials—was complete, the events surrounding the entrance ceremony came to a temporary close. Today was Sunday, but the school building remained open for the new students.
Many freshmen went to their respective classrooms to deepen their friendships with new classmates, while others had celebratory meals with their families. Most fell into one of these patterns. However, even without considering the major incident two years ago where the freshman representative could not attend the entrance ceremony due to family circumstances, it seemed there were always individuals who engaged in unexpected behavior.
"Phew, good grief... To think that despite putting on such a distant attitude, they would still cling to me with such goodwill. I never expected that."
Yugen muttered a complaint to himself as he used magic to tidy his uniform.
Regarding his congratulatory speech, he had said everything he wanted to say without hiding a thing, as if declaring, "Who cares about the faculty's nagging?" The more a magician operated on the front lines, the more acutely they recognized that reality, yet no one was willing to voice it.
Two years ago, there was the incident with Morisaki, and last year brought the issue with Shippou. With male students causing trouble for two consecutive years, someone needed to break their inflated egos early on. Ultimately, as an opportunistic role, Yugen had ended up taking on that duty.
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