by Sato Tsutomu
And so, as he intended, Azusa had become a prisoner of a strange sense of obligation. Even though she didn’t have an opposing candidate, she was whipping herself with “I’ve got to win, I’ve got to win”.
Probably, even after the speech was over, this tension would keep her will firm.
There wasn’t anything to worry about on this side of things.
“No matter what you think, the main problem is the Student Body General Meeting, right?”
There was no way she could hear his thoughts, but Suzune had given voice to the very issue he had been on the verge of considering. Suzune had been gazing at her desktop terminal display for some time now (it seemed like she was skipping lunch today). Her eyes were going up and down, probably scrolling over a text while reading, possibly reading it over and over, checking everything.
“The special meeting in the spring cut down a degree of grandstanding. We don’t want another mess like that, right now.”
Mari pointed that out as she closed her bento box.
“I certainly have no intention of causing a mess like that.”
Mayumi answered as she, too, cleaned up.
“I am a bit worried by the possibility of violence breaking out, but that’s probably an irrational worry.”
As everyone prepared their tea, Miyuki said that with a smiling face and an air of making a joke. At this time,
“A surprise attack? Well, the students at our school should know better than to attack a girl like her.”
Mari entered into the pause.
“Oh my, how rude. Taking on a girl, don’t you think that’s just awful.”
A smile that said clearly 'that was a joke' was painted on Mayumi’s face and could be seen by Tatsuya when she threw out her remark. There were no opponents who would dare challenge her in a battle of magic, at least no one powerful enough to do so would make a cowardly sneak attack. Mayumi held this conviction, firmly.
“I see… I don’t think taking precautions would be excessive.”
However, Tatsuya’s reply went in a slightly strange direction she was not expecting.
“Uh?”
“Because the president is a girl, moreover a beautiful girl.”
“Re-Really?”
Mayumi rebuffed the remark wearing the composure of an older person, but it could not be said she did very smoothly, as her eyes showed excitement.
On the other hand, Miyuki had a petulant face that said why did my brother blurt out something like that, and appeared to be examining him closely for other signs of infidelity.
“What do you mean? Why did you say something like that so suddenly?”
Miyuki wasn’t the only one who suspected him of infidelity.
The one who tackled her suspicions head on was Mari.
“Suddenly? A portion of the students are trying to rally approval to demolish the president’s plan. I thought we were discussing threats that could disturb the status quo?”
“A rumor of something like that has reached my ears as well…”
Mari replied in a way that seemed somewhat confused. From Tatsuya's perspective, the opposition group was skillfully maneuvering. He judged the intelligence reports with a greater degree of accuracy than Mari, because individual committee members did not normally do intelligence gathering.
“For the opposition group, the only days left to strike are today and tomorrow. President… it would be better if you never let yourself be alone today.”
“Ha-ha, Tatsuya-kun. Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?”
Mayumi took Tatsuya’s outburst as a joke and dismissed it with a laugh. But that did not go over well.
“Have you gotten hold of some intel…?”
With a knitted forehead Mari questioned Tatsuya who wasn’t acting like he was joking with Mayumi.
“Unfortunately, no. If I had gotten a hold of something I would feel more secure.”
“You’re not thinking about it too much, are you?”
“Ha-ha, maybe I am?”
When Suzune pointed out it could be just nerves, Tatsuya lightly laughed in agreement.
Nonetheless, that was merely a pretense, that was clear to anyone with eyes.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Tatsuya-kun.”
Only a little time remained of the noon break. Mari, who had just left the Student Council room and was in a nearby corridor, called out in order to stop Tatsuya, who was on his way back to his classroom.
Tatsuya and Miyuki simultaneously turned around; for some reason Mari wore a slightly bitter smile. The general public might think of them as ‘close siblings’, but that was because they were not always ignoring these little actions.
“Do you need something?”
Tatsuya nodded to Mari to continue, in order to quickly dispose of the matter.
“There’s a matter I wish to have a short discussion with you about. Could you come to headquarters?”
When she said ‘headquarters’, he didn’t have to ask of what; she meant the Public Moral Committee headquarters.
“Right now?”
“It won’t take much time. Oh, yes. If possible, could Shiba also be present?”
Tatsuya and Miyuki's faces, struck by surprise, looked at each other. This was the first time in their memory that Mari had said to Miyuki anything like ‘need you to do something’ or ‘something to discuss’.
“Miyuki, are you okay time wise?”
“Yes. Since fourth period is free, there’s no problem if I’m a little late.”
Free was an abbreviation for ‘free subject’. Science, language, and the like or magic other than actual practice could be studied by terminals for individual study. It was about the same as self study, so being a little late was certainly no problem.
“Is it alright with Onii-sama?”
Tatsuya on the other hand, had a small test on practical skill that was called ‘ability measurement’.
In the first course, an instructor used an instrument to process measurement (naturally, advice was also given), but in the second course, students individually, at their own convenience, used an instrument to process measurement; as long as it was sometime during the period he made the requisite score, it would be counted as a passing grade.
“—It’s okay.”
He nodded to Miyuki and directed an agreement to Mari; Mari said ‘sorry’, outpaced the two of them and advanced on foot to the stairs.
As they went to their committee’s headquarters, they did not use the shortcut that passed by the Student Council room.
Compared to half a year before, she was like a different person; it certainly seemed like a different room after all the cleaning and organizing he’d done. By the receiver set that wasn’t there half a year before, Mari and the siblings sat down facing across from each other. (By the way, the receiver set, as he had found out through cross-examination, had been moved to a storehouse because the room had been filled with so much stuff. It had been returned to its original spot so that they could monitor information frequencies.)
“—Okay, now, since it’s you two siblings, perhaps you have some idea of what this is about.”
At the emphasis made by Mari with her preface, Tatsuya thought “Huh?”
A subtle tension was radiating from her.
Unthinkable; Miyuki’s here so it can’t be that kind of reason. They came face to face in the Student Council room regularly. You couldn’t call the opportunities for them to have words nil; there was no reason for an upperclassman like Mari to feel tense at this point in their relationship.
“…What I want to discuss, it’s Mayumi. The truth is, I, too, am gripped by anxiety from what Tatsuya pointed out earlier.”
“The matter of those who oppose the plan to abolish the rule about Student Council members having to be chosen from Course One students?”
Mari didn’t notice due to her tension, but Tatsuya indicated his understanding.
“That’s right… I, too, think that there are too
many people in the opposition party. At the spring assembly, I did not feel that kind of mood from the people opposed when the announcement was made, but I believe I can remember that the people who made emotionally opposing outbursts were… more than a few. Since you’re both first years, you may not think about this kind of thing, but you can’t conduct a sabotage operation peacefully. After all, won’t somebody who runs around using violence always pop out? That is what is called sufficient warning.”
“Most likely.”
The one who thought that was Tatsuya, who was without hesitation or hatred and swiftly directed towards the gloomy faced Mari.
“Mayumi—probably because she is an ojou-sama[12], is unfamiliar with this kind of ‘malice’. That girl probably cannot understand the feeling that is said to make a cornered animal attack.”
Hmmm, Tatsuya agreed that it was a suicidal weakness.
Mari didn’t appear to be the bashful type.
Seen from the sidelines, it was abundantly clear that these two’s playful badgering was proof of how well they got along; from Tatsuya’s perspective, Mari worrying about Mayumi was ‘utterly natural’. However, Mari did not seem to think so.
“What you said just then… Mayumi seems to have not taken it too seriously. Because Mayumi has the special skill ‘Multi Scope’, that girl can guard her perimeter and nobody can take her by surprise, but since that ability is not a passive activation perception ability, when she doesn’t feel the need for vigilance, it’s like a toy trapped in its packaging.”
“…Hmm.”
Well, isn’t it about time Mari tells us what she wants us to do, Tatsuya thought.
“Eh— then, …sorry. I'm chattering without getting to the point…”
Good, Tatsuya didn’t have to say it aloud; Mari was returning to the main issue on her own.
“And so. I want you two to… if you could, leave school with Mayumi today for me?”
“—You mean see the president home?”
“You don’t have to go as far as her home—no, I’d be grateful if you would go that far. I think I don’t have to worry about her inside school grounds. In the classrooms, she’s surrounded by a crowd of groupies; in the Student Council room, there’s Ichihara and Hattori. The time I’m most worried about is when she leaves school. She won’t, for whatever the reason, let her groupies approach her outside of school.”
“Isn’t that because she is a direct descendant of the Ten Master Clans?”
Mari made a face that said ‘until now, I’ve never considered that’ when Tatsuya made his absent-minded assertion.
“…It’s like that?”
“Eh? I’m not a member of the Ten Master Clans; that was but a simple guess.”
“You might be right on the mark… Anyway, Mayumi generally leaves school alone. Even if someone made it look accidental, it would be easier than within school. If it wasn’t this point in time, I’d be talking to Hattori, but after he’s done with the Student Council, it seems that he goes over to the Club Management Group’s area to make various preparations… Under the circumstances, Tatsuya-kun, I’d like to rely on you. Since you possess the strongest anti-magic ‘Gram Demolition’, no matter what sneak attack they contrive, it will be okay, right?”
Tatsuya was gripped by a single doubt; however, he couldn't speak the words. Because, faster than he could open his mouth, Miyuki answered Mari’s question.
“Please leave it to us. If it’s my brother, there will be no slip-ups.”
Mari’s last utterance had not been a question as a formality, however. In actuality, it was a provocation, or perhaps an incitement. The words oddly stirred up Miyuki—they were for the purpose of inciting her to burst into the pause and keep mean-spirited Tatsuya’s questions like ‘Why should I, myself, have to accompany her away from school?’ from being spoken.
Instead, Tatsuya was looking at Mari who had a smirking evil grin.
“Wh-What? Is there something you want to say?”
“No, not particularly.”
“How mean spirited. If that girl got injured now, various things would worsen. In spite of understanding how precarious things are… it’s not as if I’m particularly worried about that girl.”
As he watched Mari make excuses with all her might, Tatsuya thought ‘so is this what is called a tsundere[13]?’ — he wasn’t quite certain.
◊ ◊ ◊
“—Thanks for your hard work. With this, all the preparations for tomorrow should be complete?”
In response to Mayumi’s closing pleasantries,
“Yes, the documents are all in order.”
By Azusa.
“The president has also completed her check.”
Hattori affirmed in a calm tone.
However Hattori did not simply make an answer to the question; his words were apologetic and contrite as he continued.
“…President, this is actually painful for you?”
“Yes, Hanzou-kun, thank you for your work. I’m already finished here, so don’t worry.”
After this, he had the formal investiture over at the Club Management Group. That was something Mayumi understood as well.
“Excuse me, President…”
“I said it’s okay. If A-chan is ready too, please leave.”
With great pain, Hattori regretfully gathered his things hurriedly, made a rapid “pardon me” as a goodbye to Azusa, put the Student Council behind him and went towards the preparation building.
“It’s time for you to leave too, Miyuki.”
In a similar tone, Mayumi directed her comment at Miyuki, who for some reason hadn’t even got up from her seat, although both second years had gone home (to be correct, Azusa was the only one who had gone home).
“If it is alright, I wish to wait here for a little longer.”
However, what was sent back as an answer was rather unusual from Miyuki.
“Tatsuya-kun?”
“Yeah. Seems like he’s somewhere a phone signal can’t reach, since I can’t contact him.”
“Somewhere a phone signal can’t reach…”
“Couldn’t it be the basement archives?”
Suzune whispered into the ear of Mayumi, who had tilted her head questioningly (although I called it that, the volume was such that it reached all the way over to Miyuki). Mayumi assented with an “uh, huh” look.
“That privacy barrier… is sometimes thick, since you certainly can’t contact him… alright.”
“I’m going to tidy up a bit more and then leave. Oh, Rin-chan, go home already. You have an errand you can’t get out of today, right?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry, President.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let you off today, so work hard tomorrow.”
Mayumi has no inkling, huh; there was no trace of doubt in her reply. She even let loose a light laugh. Suzune bowed without a word.
The Student Council room was down to the two of them; Mayumi and Miyuki turned to their desks in silence.
After a short period, at what Mayumi felt was just about the right length, the authorized person (in short, people whose student IDs were registered with the room’s verification system) arrival notice beep rang.
Miyuki arose and aimed her eye at the door.
“Sorry I made you wait.”
Miyuki’s anticipation was not in vain; Tatsuya entered the room.
“No, you haven’t done anything like that.”
As she watched Miyuki joyfully headed towards him with small, quick steps, Mayumi let loose a slightly surprised laugh.
“I’m used to it already but… you two are really close.”
“Oh, President. You’re by yourself?"
“Abandoned ship… but that’s okay. Yes, the only ones left today are Miyuki and I.”
Since he was also used to Mayumi, her impudence didn’t throw Tatsuya’s pace off. It was her usual light-hearted repartee.
“Shall we help you?”
“How unusual.”
Howev
er, her next words seemed to show actual genuine surprise.
“I wonder if snow might fall[14], too.”
“It’s impossible for me, but… my sister would have no difficulty. Miyuki, the president appears to desire snow.”
“Acknowledged. Well then, how much shall I make, Onii-sama?”
“Let’s see… if you pile it up to 10 centimeters, shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Wait! St-stop! It’s okay if snow doesn’t fall!”
At first she thought it was a joke so she had left it alone, but their expressions were far too serious. Spurred by a worry called “it’s a 10,000 to 1 that they’ll actually do it but, what if they do”, Mayumi frantically halted things.
“Good grief… Don’t tell jokes with a straight face.”
“Wasn’t it only natural that it was a joke?”
To Tatsuya, who wasn’t offering either a sweet smile or a broad grin as verification, Mayumi directed a look filled with defenselessness (trust) with all her might. However, she saw a complete lack of effect and simply shrugged her shoulders to say “oh, well”.
She, too, seemed extremely used to Tatsuya’s ways. —They were on equal footing.
“Let’s stop kidding around.”
Mayumi watched him with a penetrating look, but Tatsuya naturally ignored it.
“It’s going to get dark before long, but if there’s any remaining work, we’ll help you.”
The calendar had already passed the fall equinox. “It’s going to get dark before long” was no exaggeration in any way.
For now (?) she would take Tatsuya’s altruistic words at face value (maybe she “misunderstood” him); Mayumi’s face relaxed.
“Um… I’d better go home, too. Thank you for your concern.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Then President, why don’t we go to the station together?”
Thinking that Tatsuya would be readily shot down, this time Miyuki made an attempt.
While she was thinking that this was also an unusual occurrence, Mayumi’s face spontaneously broke out in a smile.
“Why don’t we all work together?”
“Since it’s already so late, I know it will take some time to get the documents from ‘underground’, so the first thing to do is to go now, so they can finish it for us before they go home.”