However, when he walked around while projecting just a hint of awareness to see if any conflicts would break out after the ceremony, the new students had approached him all at once. Being the older brother of Shina, the freshman representative, was certainly a large factor, but judging by their expressions, most students approached out of curiosity toward Yugen himself rather than a desire to get close to Shina. Since this applied regardless of gender, he found himself genuinely a bit exhausted.
Just to be clear: Yugen already had a fiancée, and there was zero chance he would ever hold romantic feelings toward someone of the same sex. While he might interact with them as juniors at best, he had no intention of seeking anything more, and if they asked for more, he would politely decline.
"Either way, it looks like this won't end peacefully after all..."
Just as he caught his breath, Yugen detected the activation of magic via psion noise mixing into his hearing. Judging by the wavelength, it was undoubtedly the ancient magic 'Junkouji' (Favorable Wind Ears). Yugen immediately ran up toward the rooftop while instantly pinpointing the origin of the magic. It was behind the First Small Gymnasium. Moreover, through the wavelength of event interference force—psions—he immediately knew who was using the spell.
He knew it even more clearly because the user was a relative with whom he himself was involved.
"That Jiro... Even though I told him repeatedly not to use magic that would arouse suspicion at school."
Yugen was not the only one who sensed the magic. He confirmed that Tatsuya, Mikihiko, Shizuku, and Honoka were all near Jiro while he was casting the spell. The problem was why Jiro, who should have been warned, was using magic. Observing that the target of the event interference force was directed toward the Student Council room, Yugen gathered the general idea of the situation.
(Did he suspect Miyuki, or did he want to confirm if Shina was safe...? In any case, nothing can begin until I hear his story.)
No matter how much members of the Mitsuya family had run wild with magic in the past, it had always been to fulfill their duties. There was no way the current Jiro did not understand that. Regardless, Yugen casually jumped off the rooftop without a second thought. Immediately afterward, his figure "vanished."
Where Yugen appeared was the roof of the First Small Gymnasium. Simply put, it was accomplished via 'Mirror Gate'. As long as he wasn't directly observed, using it wasn't a problem... provided, of course, that it didn't create inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts.
(Tatsuya has no mercy either... Hitting Jiro with 'Gram Demolition'. Well, it certainly is effective, though.)
Jiro, who originally could not use magic adequately due to an innate handicap, had already attained ability far surpassing high school standards thanks to Yugen's extensive modifications. Setting aside whether Tatsuya realized that, Jiro—having taken Tatsuya's 'Gram Demolition' head-on—was attempting to regain control over his body while trying to manipulate a nearby tree branch.
(If you go that far, you'll end up suspended or expelled, you idiot.)
Deciding that stepping over that line would lead to far worse than a temporary leave of absence, Yugen unleashed the Wind-attribute Tenjin Magic 'Denkou Sekka' (Lightning Flash).
This magic caused ultra-high-speed electricity to rush through the "shortest continuous path" connecting the caster and the target, adding the kinetic acceleration of that speed as damage to turn it into a devastating attack. In this instance, Yugen, who was on the roof, channeled the electrical damage through the wall of the small gymnasium to strike Jiro on the ground.
Jiro collapsed upon taking the sudden surge of electricity. Tatsuya, Mikihiko, Shizuku, and Honoka wondered what on earth had just happened. Among them, Tatsuya immediately realized Yugen was on the roof and concluded without a doubt that the attack was Yugen's doing, lowering the hand he had been raising. It was Mikihiko who called out to Yugen as he nonchalantly stepped down from the roof without even using magic.
"Yugen, you were here?"
"I only happened to sense the magic by chance. But it's a fact that he was using perception-type magic targeted at the Student Council room, and both Miyuki and Shina inside must have noticed it too... So, what do we do?"
By coincidence, members of the Student Council, the Disciplinary Committee, and the Club Management Group were all present here. Yugen asked first to confirm how the Student Council intended to judge this incident. Hearing this, Shizuku, who knew about the Mitsuya family, asked:
"Even though he's a relative?"
"Precisely because he is family, I cannot hand down a lenient judgment. Mikihiko, lend us the committee room."
"Right... It seems best to leave this to Yugen, so I'll unlock the room for you."
"Appreciated."
After hearing Mikihiko's response, Yugen hoisted the unconscious Jiro over his right shoulder like a sack of rice. He then headed straight for the infirmary. Inside the infirmary, the school nurse, Satomi Asuka, tilted her head in surprise.
"My, Yugen-kun. Is it rare for you to get injured?"
"You should know right away that's not the case, Asuka-sensei. The freshman I'm carrying caused a disturbance, so Tatsuya and I blasted him with magic to knock him out."
Satomi had opportunities to interact with Yugen through the regular counseling sessions she had taken over from Haruka, and recently, they often spent time together in the reserved infirmary as lovers (though naturally, they hadn't taken things so far as to act within the school itself). Setting those circumstances aside, Yugen removed Jiro's jacket under Satomi's instructions and laid him down on the bed.
"I'll leave him to my younger sister later, so if he thrashes around, feel free to knock him out without hesitation."
"I don't have the kind of physical strength you do, Yugen-kun."
"What are you talking about? You're the person who pinned down Hirakawa two years ago..."
At any rate, confirming the details was the top priority. Unlike the original story, Jiro had not been stripped of his guard duty due to a lack of ability; in this world, it was the judgment of the Mitsuya and Yaguruma families that "it is improper for two people who will eventually enter a marital relationship to maintain a master-servant dynamic." However, Jiro, failing to properly heed this decision, had rushed into action to ensure Shina's safety.
While this made it Jiro's sole responsibility, Shina explicitly stated to Miyuki that as someone who held the position of his master, she also bore responsibility, asking for clemency toward Jiro.
"...Student Council President Shiba, do you agree with that opinion?"
"Yes. It is, after all, only the first day of school, and given the family circumstances, I believe there is still room for leniency. What about you, Committee Chairman Yoshida?"
"I have no objection to the Student Council President's judgment either. The rest depends on Head Kagurazaka..."
"I don't want to hold a disciplinary hearing on the very first day, so this time, I'll accept the Student Council President's proposal. In exchange, I'd like to invite Yaguruma Jiro as a candidate for executive officer in the Club Management Group. Though it's fine if the Disciplinary Committee wants to recruit him instead."
Afterward, considering Jiro's actual strength, it was decided to place him in the Club Management Group's recommendation slot for the Disciplinary Committee. Furthermore, when Shina and Jiro were invited to join a light sports club, Shina decided to join from the perspective of keeping an eye on Jiro.
What kind of conversation transpired between Shina and Jiro in the infirmary could have been monitored with magic, but Yugen refrained from peeking into the future of two young people to avoid falling into hell. That said, ending up hearing the entire conversation from Satomi—who happened to move into the adjacent room—is a story best kept between us.
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