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Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Enchanting Pursuit

Deep in the tent—though only a single cloth separated them—Mayumi led Tatsuya inside and, as expected, cast a spell.

"Impressive sound barrier," Tatsuya remarked.

"Thanks," Mayumi replied.

"So, what's the consultation about?"

Mayumi, slightly thrilled by their private space, steadied herself under Tatsuya's cool gaze. "The incident at Fourth High… we're calling it an accident for now, but do you think it was sabotage?"

"Likely," Tatsuya said. "There's no reason for Fourth High to install a battering ram, so it's reasonable to assume someone tampered with the activation sequence."

"Could we prove it? Maybe borrow Fourth High's CAD?"

"They're staying quiet, so there's probably no trace of tampering. Borrowing their CAD won't yield solid evidence."

"I see…" Mayumi sighed.

Tatsuya, cutting off her points to shorten their time in this space, had noticed sharp glares aimed at his back as Mayumi led him here—multiple pairs, no less.

"If, as you suspect, it's sabotage against our school, why?" Mayumi asked. "A grudge? Revenge for the spring incident? Even if Blanche was crushed, a few survivors might be seeking payback."

Mayumi brought up Blanche to convince herself, the unknown culprit stirring fear. Tatsuya could resolve her doubts but hesitated to share such sensitive information. Seeing her near tears, he decided to reveal a card.

"It's not related to spring," he said.

"How can you be sure?" Mayumi asked, her eyes locking onto him, hoping for a concrete reason.

"The night before the opening—technically, early that morning—a thief tried sneaking into the venue. I happened to be there when they were caught. I overheard some details. It's a Hong Kong mafia group meddling with the tournament."

"That's news to me," Mayumi said.

"I was told to keep quiet."

"Don't get involved in dangerous stuff, okay?"

"I know. And please, keep this to yourself. Even as a Ten Master Clans member, I was warned it's near military-grade secrecy."

"I understand. I won't tell," Mayumi said, raising her hand as if swearing an oath.

Tatsuya gave a wry smile. "You're reliable, aren't you?"

"What's that out of nowhere?"

"You've got the info I need."

"As I said, it was by chance."

Mayumi's sudden cheerfulness met Tatsuya's cool stare.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just… maybe don't show this side to others."

"Don't worry, it's just for you," she teased.

Tatsuya sighed, unable to believe this was the same serious person from moments ago.

"What's that sigh for?"

"It's just… I get that you carry a heavy burden as a senior and student council president, but being relied on too much is tough."

"So what? I can lean on you a little! Besides, you seemed pretty chummy with Third High's girls and Shizuku Kitayama!"

"You saw that?" Tatsuya sighed again, realizing she'd used her signature spell, Multiscope.

"What's your relationship with them?"

"The Third High Numbers girls?"

"Yes!"

"They seem fixated on me. They lost to a player I coached and wanted to claim it was a technical defeat, not a matter of power."

Mayumi didn't point out that technique is a form of power.

"Did they need to tell you that?"

"No idea. I don't care to know."

"And Shizuku hugging you? What was that about?"

"You saw, so you know. Shizuku was upset about losing to Miyuki and cried. I just hugged her to comfort her."

"You carried her afterward! So envi— I mean, scandalous!"

"I just took her to her room after she fell asleep. You saw, so you get it."

Tatsuya noted Mayumi's slight hysteria, her emotions barely contained.

"You call Shizuku and Honoka by their first names, don't you?"

"They asked me to."

"And Erika and Mizuki too?"

"Yes."

"What about Third High's Ichijou girls?"

"Airi and the others?"

Tatsuya answered reflexively, having been asked to use their names yesterday for convenience.

"You're already on a first-name basis? That's not fair!" Mayumi protested.

"President?"

"You call me President, but you're already calling the Ichijou heiress by her first name!"

Mayumi, lost in her agitation, didn't notice Tatsuya's call. An unsettling air hung around her. Tatsuya scratched his head, then backed her against the wall, trapping her with his arm.

"Calm down, Mayumi-san," he said.

"Y-Yes…" she stammered.

Tatsuya only meant to settle her, unaware of the term kabe-don. Mayumi, however, recognized it. (Is this… a kabe-don? From Tatsuya?)

Whether it was a true kabe-don didn't matter—it was to her. His use of her first name sent her excitement soaring, erasing her fears and filling her thoughts entirely with Tatsuya.

Author's note: I wanted to try this, but I'm not familiar with proper kabe-don, so please overlook any oddities…

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