Truth be told, Azusa wasn't entirely comfortable around Tatsuya. Despite being younger, his mature demeanor and speech, coupled with their height difference, made her feel oddly intimidated. Knowing this, Tatsuya kept a respectful distance when dealing with her. But this time, Azusa volunteered to assist him. The original Monolith Code engineer had balked at working with Tatsuya, forcing a last-minute replacement search. Azusa was the first to step up.
She didn't consider herself worthy of assisting him. Tatsuya's technical prowess at school and his near-undefeated record in competitions set him far beyond a typical high school engineer in her eyes. A stray comment from the Mirage Bat finals, muttered in awe, had ballooned into a near-certain belief in her mind.
(Tatsuya's engineering skills, his perfect manual adjustments… Even if he's not the one, he's at least a collaborator… or could he really be…)
The thought of her idol, the mysterious genius "Taurus Silver"—whose age, nationality, and gender were unknown—standing before her sent a thrill through Azusa. Though unconfirmed, she couldn't help but cast fervent glances his way.
(My revered Silver-sama, a high school underclassman? But if Tatsuya is Silver-sama, so much would make sense…)
Since the Mirage Bat finals, one idea had consumed her: Tatsuya Shiba = Taurus Silver. It clung to her, driving her to stare at him with unprecedented intensity.
"Nakajo-senpai… Is something on me?" Tatsuya asked.
"Eh? N-No! Sorry!" Azusa yelped, jumping back as he pointed out her staring.
"I didn't mean to startle you that much," Tatsuya said.
"S-Sorry…"
Azusa, thinking she'd shocked him by recoiling despite the distance, apologized profusely, unaware Tatsuya lacked the sensitivity to care.
"No need to apologize so much," he said, returning to his keyboard, typing at a blistering pace. He was refining an ancient magic spell.
When Azusa first heard his plan, she'd doubted its feasibility. Tweaking ancient magic spells was within her skill, but Tatsuya proposed reading the activation sequence, keeping only essential parts, and discarding the rest—a near-reconstruction of the spell itself, akin to crafting new magic. Astonishingly, he did it purely on data, without casting. His work was so precise, it was as if he could see the magic unfolding.
Mikihiko, watching, was visibly stunned—not by the task's complexity, but by Tatsuya's speed. Only an aspiring engineer like Azusa could appreciate the rarity of his keyboard-only workflow.
(The shocking part isn't his style—it's that anyone at a high school could do this on command. I couldn't… No, no one could.)
In Azusa's mind, Tatsuya's skills far surpassed high school level. Others might agree, but she understood it on a deeper level—too deeply.
(But how do I confirm it? Ask the president to help? No, that's no good… I'm the one who's curious.)
Azusa had noticed Mayumi's affection for Tatsuya went beyond typical senior-junior fondness—a fact obvious to those close to her, though some remained oblivious.
(Telling the president about Tatsuya's… potential secret feels unfair. He's already so popular…)
Azusa knew Miyuki and Mayumi weren't the only ones drawn to Tatsuya. Sharing this with just Mayumi felt wrong when others liked him too.
(Miyuki might know, but she wouldn't spill. So I'd have to ask him directly…)
If it were that simple, she wouldn't be agonizing. In the end, she circled back to that thought.
"Done," Tatsuya said. "Nakajo-senpai, please check."
"…"
"Nakajo-senpai?"
No response. Puzzled, Tatsuya leaned in to peek at her face.
"S-Shiba-kun!?" Azusa stammered. "W-What…?"
"I thought you'd fallen asleep since you didn't answer."
"I'm not asleep! …Though I'm not denying I'm tired."
It was nearly 11 p.m., a brutal hour for Azusa, who usually slept early.
"Please check it," Tatsuya said. "I'll prep my CAD."
"Okay… Good luck," she replied.
Tatsuya tuned Mikihiko's CAD in under an hour—a speed Azusa couldn't dream of matching.
"How's it… look?" Mikihiko asked.
"…"
"Nakajo-senpai?"
Azusa didn't respond—she couldn't. Her conviction solidified: this wasn't her imagination. Tatsuya was her idol.
"Hey!" Mikihiko raised his voice.
"Eek!?" Azusa jumped.
"S-Sorry!" Mikihiko said, guilt flashing across his face. "I didn't mean to scare you…"
"N-No… What is it?"
Recalling why she was there, Azusa blushed as she grabbed Mikihiko's CAD. "It's… fine!"
(My Silver-sama… If I asked, would he tune my CAD too?)
Her gaze, not quite that of a lovesick maiden, locked onto Tatsuya. Mikihiko missed it, but Tatsuya noticed perfectly…