Tatsuya headed back to his room from the Pillars Break arena when a group of girls blocked his path.
"You lot now…" he muttered.
"You lot? What's that about?"
"Forget it. My business."
Before him stood a group of Third High first-year girls, led by one of the Numbers.
"So, what's up?"
Unlike with Masaki or Shinkuro before a match, Tatsuya's tone lacked menace. Still, the fifteen-year-old girls stepped back slightly, unnerved by his presence.
"We… had something to say to Tatsuya-sama," Airi began, hesitating. "This seemed like a good time…"
"You're our opponent, technically," Tatsuya pointed out.
"We know," another girl chimed in. "But Airi insisted she had to tell you something."
"Yeah!" another added. "We all had stuff to say, so we came together."
Airi alone might've struggled to face him, so Kanon and Keiko joined her. Tatsuya wasn't refusing, but he put up a token resistance to avoid misconceptions.
"No match now, and I'm free, so fine," he said, relenting before they mistook his stance for bullying.
"I'll go first," Airi declared, stepping forward as Tatsuya settled to listen. He noted their hierarchy but wondered if Airi simply had the most to say.
"I lost to Akechi-san, true," Airi said, voice firm. "But it wasn't her skill. It was your CAD tuning and strategy, Tatsuya-sama. Not my magic power lacking!"
"I get that, but did you need to come say it?"
Neither Tatsuya nor Eimi believed she'd outmatched Airi in raw magic. His surprise tactics had clinched it. He didn't fully accept the credit, but Eimi's boasts made denial pointless.
"I didn't want you thinking I'm nothing!" Airi blurted.
"Same here," Kanon added. "I lost in Speed Shooting, but it was your CAD tuning, not the player. I won in Cloud Ball, after all."
"Me too," Keiko said. "Your tuned players felt stronger. Battle Board was a loss, though."
"Honoka's a real talent," Koren added. "And their strategist outplayed ours."
"You should know," Tatsuya cut in, "I planned Honoka's strategy."
"What!?" Airi gasped. "But you didn't handle Battle Board!"
"Not the tuning. I drilled that strategy into her during practice."
"So it's true…" Airi murmured. "You're a formidable foe, Tatsuya-sama."
Tatsuya frowned, puzzled by her hostility. "Airi, why target me? The players are your rivals."
"Call me Airi!" she insisted.
"Kanon."
"Keiko!"
"Koren."
Sighing at their insistence, Tatsuya relented. "Fine, Airi. Why the hostility toward me, not the players?"
Airi's cheeks flushed crimson. "No First High girl, save Miyuki Shiba, is our match. You're our true opponent, Tatsuya-sama."
"Miyuki moved to the main tournament, so no direct clash," Kanon added.
"We respect you that much!" Keiko chirped.
"It's frustrating, but I couldn't have come up with that strategy," Koren admitted.
"That's all we wanted to say," Airi finished.
"Alright, Airi, Kanon, Keiko, Koren—time to head back. This is First High's area."
Tatsuya's gentle tone made them blush as they bowed politely and left, their upbringing evident in their grace.
"Finally…"
As Tatsuya resumed walking, another girl stood in his way—or rather, stood frozen.
"Shizuku."
"Tatsuya-san?"
Shizuku ran to him, her voice breaking. "I lost…"
"Yeah. I messed up, Shizuku."
"Huh? You didn't do anything."
"Thinking you could master Phonon Maser in two weeks was a bad call. Without it, the match could've been closer. I'm sorry."
Shizuku shook her head, stunned. "Without it, I wouldn't have even scratched Miyuki. I failed because I'm not good enough. You're not to blame…"
Burying her face in his stomach—height differences preventing his chest—she sobbed. Tatsuya gently hugged her, stroking her hair.
"Tatsuya-san?"
"Cry if you're frustrated. But don't let it drag you down forever. That won't make you stronger."
"Mhm…"
Given permission to lean on him, Shizuku clung tighter, tears flowing freely.
"I'm so frustrated, Tatsuya-san… I couldn't touch Miyuki…"
"Yeah."
"You gave me that trump card, and I still couldn't reach her."
"Mhm."
"I feel like I let you down."
"Not at all."
Tatsuya enveloped her gently, countering her self-doubt. The usually stoic boy showed a rare softness. Exhausted from crying, Shizuku fell asleep in his arms.
"No helping it…"
Carrying her, Tatsuya headed to her room, recalling she shared it with Honoka. He hesitated.
"Honoka, sorry, can you open the door?"
"T-Tatsuya-san!? Hang on!"
A flustered voice answered. Tatsuya couldn't fathom why she'd panic.
"Come in… Oh, Shizuku?"
"She cried herself to sleep. I'll put her in bed and leave."
"Y-Yeah, of course…" Honoka let out a nervous laugh, as if expecting something else.
"Oh! Thanks to you, I won the championship!"
"A small part. Your skill did the rest."
"No way! Without you, I—"
Sensing another emotional outburst, Tatsuya quickly excused himself. One was enough.
In the room, Honoka stroked Shizuku's cheek. "You were so frustrated… facing that overwhelming gap."
Seeing her usually reserved childhood friend bare her emotions to Tatsuya, Honoka felt a spark of rivalry.
"I won't lose to you, Shizuku. You're a tough opponent, but I won't back down!"
Yet neither girl wanted to ruin their friendship. They'd be rivals, not enemies—bound by years of trust. Honoka kept her declaration to herself, speaking only to the sleeping Shizuku.
Sibling vibes aside, Shizuku's starting to lean on Tatsuya. Dependency was supposed to be Honoka's thing…
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