Following his duel with Tomitsuka, Tatsuya found himself heading toward the school health room, if only as a precaution. He knew better than anyone that he was perfectly fine, but Honoka and Shizuku had been insistent, and even his opponent, Tomitsuka, had suggested a check-up. Unable to turn them down, Tatsuya gave in.
"My, my, welcome. I've been waiting for you, Tatsuya-kun."
"You sound as though you knew I was coming, Satomi-sensei."
"Well, you are my boyfriend. It's only natural I'd sense you approaching."
Satomi had developed a knack for pinpointing Tatsuya's specific presence. It was this intuition that allowed her to greet him the very instant he stepped through the door.
"You took a hit from Tomitsuka-kun's Self-Marionette, didn't you? Let's get you checked out. Lie down right here."
"...That looks remarkably like your lap, Satomi-sensei."
"Correct. Think of it as a 'lover's check-up'—like a girlfriend cleaning her partner's ears. Now, don't be shy."
Tatsuya had already confirmed there were no other presences nearby, but to be safe, he continued to address her as "Sensei." Satomi, however, seemed to have eyes only for him; she used his name familiarly and showed no sign of caring about their surroundings.
"We are still on school grounds. Perhaps a bit of restraint is in order? I doubt you'd want to be dismissed for 'inappropriate conduct,' Sensei."
"A few of the other teachers already know we're dating anyway. Besides, with the power of your 'family' behind us, I'm sure any little problems would just... disappear, wouldn't they?"
"If I keep racking up debts with my Aunt, it will lead to my ruin eventually."
Maya Yotsuba, the head of the family and Tatsuya's aunt, doted on him in her own twisted way. While she had begrudgingly acknowledged the partner Tatsuya had chosen, he could sense her looking for any excuse to pull him back under her thumb. He preferred to keep his romantic life as far from Maya's 'favors' as possible.
"In that case, come to my apartment tonight. I'll make sure Miyuki-san is persuaded."
"I'm always impressed by that. How exactly do you manage to get Miyuki to agree to these things?"
"That," Satomi said with a wink, "is a secret between women. Even for you, Tatsuya-kun, my lips are sealed on that front."
"As long as it doesn't cause trouble, I suppose it's fine..."
Ever since they had started dating, Tatsuya had left the task of "negotiating" with Miyuki to Satomi whenever they wanted time alone. At first, Tatsuya had tried to handle it himself, but Satomi had gradually taken over the role. It worked out better—it left him with more free time and spared him the need to "make it up" to Miyuki later.
"Tonight, then. The usual time."
"Understood. I'll see you then."
Leaving the health room, Tatsuya made his way toward the Student Council room. The duel had set his schedule back, and a mountain of paperwork was waiting for him.
Tatsuya arrived at Satomi's door ten minutes ahead of schedule. After parking his specialized electric bike, he pressed the intercom.
"Welcome. I've been waiting for you."
"That was fast. I'm still early."
"When I'm counting down the seconds until you arrive, time seems to fly by regardless."
"Let's go with that explanation, then."
Tatsuya had been referring to her reaction speed at the door, but Satomi had given his comment a romantic spin. Tatsuya noticed the play on words but chose not to press the point; they had limited time together, and he didn't want to waste it on semantics.
"By the way, I heard you used Gram Dispersion against Tomitsuka-kun. Did anyone catch on?"
"No one besides Miyuki knows the true nature of my magic. Honoka and Shizuku mistook it for Gram Demolition, and President Hattori and Sawaki-senpai simply think I have enough Psion volume to blow away Tomitsuka's contact-type demolition."
"But they lack the evidence to realize it's actually your 'Decomposition'... I see. You're walking a dangerous tightrope, as always."
"It's not as dangerous as it looks. Certainly not enough for you to worry, Satomi."
Satomi's eyes brightened. "Finally, you've dropped the polite speech. You've been so formal all day I was starting to think you'd forgotten our rule."
One of the agreements between them was that Tatsuya would drop his formal keigo and honorifics whenever they were in the privacy of their homes. However, since arriving, he had instinctively stuck to his polite register, making Satomi wonder if he was slipping back into "student mode."
"I didn't forget. It's just that I use polite speech so often that switching it off feels... unnatural."
"We're dating, Tatsuya-kun. I don't want my boyfriend talking to me like a subordinate. Besides, being addressed by my name without a title was supposed to be my special privilege—shared only with Miyuki-san. But then Minami-chan arrived, and then Kasumi-chan and Izumi-chan..."
"I call Honoka, Shizuku, Erika, and Mizuki by their names, too."
"That's different! That's just as friends!" Satomi huffed, her logic becoming increasingly frantic. "I'm your girlfriend; I'm supposed to be special! I can accept those four because they were around before me, but Minami-chan, Kasumi-chan, and Izumi-chan all showed up after I did! Why do they get to be on a first-name basis so easily? It's not fair!"
Tatsuya watched her incoherent rambling for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and pulling her into a hug.
"I only do things like this with you," he whispered. "Spending time alone in a room, holding you... I don't even do this with Miyuki or Minami."
"Of course you don't..." Satomi murmured, leaning into his chest. "I'm your girlfriend. I don't care if they're sisters or cousins—I'm not letting them have this time with you."
"Good grief... You're a possessive one, aren't you?"
"Is that a problem?" she asked, looking up at him through her lashes.
Tatsuya shook his head, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Not at all. I'm here because I want to be. Because I love you, Satomi."
"Mm... Hey, let's take a bath together."
"I suppose I have no choice. You won't let me leave until I say yes, right?"
"Right!"
Satomi beamed at him, and Tatsuya responded with a look of mock exasperation. But as Satomi looked into his eyes, she knew he wasn't troubled at all. He was exactly where he wanted to be.
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