The entrance ceremony concluded exactly as planned, devoid of any unforeseen accidents. Takuma's formal response as the freshman representative went off without a hitch as well. Unlike last year, when every eye in the hall was held captive by the speaker, or the year before that, when the upperclassmen and freshmen alike watched with bated breath and trembling nerves, it was a perfectly safe, unremarkable speech.
Next came the traditional student council recruitment. It was an unwritten rule that the student council would only approach the freshman representative—the top-ranked student—after the ceremony had concluded. The logic was formalistic to a fault: until the ceremony ended, they weren't technically students yet. While it felt overly ritualistic, it had never caused an issue before. Even with the turbulence of the previous year, they had never failed to secure their candidate.
Deep down, Azusa felt a lingering hesitation about inviting Takuma, yet the weight of duty prevailed. She approached him to extend the offer, driven by the simple fact that it was "the way things were done."
However—
"I'm honored, but I must respectfully decline."
That was the only answer she received.
"…May I ask your reason?"
"I wish to devote myself entirely to my own training."
Azusa stood frozen, stunned by the unexpected rejection. Taking her place, Isori—the only other council member present for the recruitment—pressed for clarification. Takuma met Isori's gaze head-on as he replied.
"My goal is to become a magician strong enough to stand equal to the Ten Master Clans. Rather than learning organizational management in the student council, I want to focus my extracurricular time on club activities."
"I see..."
The answer was too fluid, too prepared; he had clearly anticipated the question. Isori realized immediately that Takuma's resolve was set in stone. Persuasion would be a fool's errand. Curiously, the voice that drifted through the air, heavy with disappointment, didn't belong to Isori, but to Azusa.
She hadn't been keen on the idea to begin with, which Isori figured was why she had recovered from her shock so quickly.
"I suppose it can't be helped," Azusa said. "We can't force you. It's a shame for us, of course, but if that is what you've decided, Shippou-kun... then I wish you the best of luck with your clubs."
Azusa's quick surrender caught Takuma off guard. However, he knew that if he lingered, it might look like he was hesitating or fishing for a better offer. He didn't want them thinking he was playing hard to get.
"My apologies. Please excuse me."
Driven by the nagging feeling that he was overthinking things, Takuma made a hasty retreat.
"Well... what should we do now?"
"Maybe we should try to recruit the runner-up, Saegusa-san?"
Both Azusa and Isori had been privately skeptical about Takuma joining, yet neither had truly expected a rejection. A heavy, dejected atmosphere hung over the two of them as they stood there.
Elsewhere, Miyuki and her group had been cornered by a persistent politician, but the arrival of Mayumi Saegusa had sent the man scurrying away.
"Are you alright, Miyuki-san?"
"Yes. Thank you very much, Saegusa-senpai," Miyuki replied with a modest, reserved smile.
Miyuki wasn't acting this way because she was wary of the faculty's eyes; it was simply a deeply ingrained habit, a defense mechanism to ensure no one could find an opening to exploit. As long as Tatsuya wasn't involved, her social "mask" was as impenetrable as a sheet of high-grade ballistic fiber. To any observer, Miyuki's restrained emotions and refined grace made her the living embodiment of the ideal Yamato Nadeshiko—elegant, gentle, and pure.
"Izumi-chan?" Mayumi prompted.
At least, that was certainly how it looked to Izumi. She was so utterly captivated by Miyuki—lost in a daze of pure adoration—that it took a sharp elbow to the ribs from her twin sister, Kasumi, to make her realize Mayumi was speaking to her.
"Izumi! Wake up, Izumi!"
"Huh? Yes?"
"Don't 'yes' me. Give Miyuki-san a proper greeting."
As her sister's words finally registered, Izumi hurriedly snapped her eyes forward. There stood Miyuki, looking slightly troubled but still wearing a gentle, saintly smile.
(She's like a goddess...)
"I-I'm Izumi Saegusa! Um... would it be alright if I called you 'Sister Miyuki'?"
"Oh, I don't mind at all."
Izumi's eyes were misty, as if she were coming down with a fever, and her voice was uncharacteristically raspy. It was a sudden, erratic transformation that left both Mayumi and Kasumi feeling a pang of concern, but Miyuki's kind smile never wavered.
"Sister Miyuki, I saw your performance at the Nine Schools Competition. You were... spectacular."
"Thank you."
"But seeing you like this, in person... you are many times more beautiful than you were from the stands."
"I... Is that so?"
Miyuki had been handling the girl with the practiced composure of an upperclassman, but as Izumi's intense gaze began to shift from mere worship into something bordering on obsession, even Miyuki started to lean back instinctively.
"Sister Miyuki... won't you become my true elder sister?"
"Your elder sister?!"
"Wait, Izumi-chan, calm down!" Mayumi interjected, flustered. "I'm your elder sister!"
"I believe it would be impossible for Saegusa-san to become Sister Miyuki's younger sister directly," Minami Sugimoto interjected calmly.
"Minami-chan?"
"However, it is possible to become Tatsuya-sama's sister. If Saegusa-san's elder sister were to marry Tatsuya-sama, then Saegusa-san would become his sister-in-law. In that scenario, could Tatsuya-sama's biological sister, Miyuki, and his sister-in-law, Saegusa-san, be considered sisters?"
"Brother?!" Miyuki gasped, her head spinning.
Having finished her hypothetical explanation to Izumi, Minami spun around to face Tatsuya.
"On paper, wouldn't they be sisters-in-law?" Tatsuya answered matter-of-factly.
"Does that mean... Tatsuya-kun, that you're saying it's okay for you to marry me?" Mayumi teased, a playful glint in her eye.
"...May I ask what logic led you to that conclusion?" Tatsuya replied, his voice flat.
"Exactly! I'm totally against my sister becoming Shiba-senpai's bride!" Kasumi shouted. "If you just want to be Izumi's sister, then I could just—"
"Kasumi-chan?" Mayumi turned a sharp look toward her other sister.
"N-Nothing! Never mind! Anyway, Izumi, get back to reality already!"
Sensing the dangerous edge in Mayumi's gaze, Kasumi beat a hasty retreat from the conversation. No one—except for Tatsuya—noticed the flash of sour displeasure that crossed Minami's face for having started the topic in the first place.
(I think we all know what Kasumi was about to say, don't we?)
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