As the match ended and Tatsuya returned to the tent, he was met with an overwhelming welcome.
"Tatsuya-kun! Are you okay!? Any injuries!? Can you even walk!?"
"President, please calm down a bit."
Mayumi flung herself at him from the front, and Tatsuya barely held his ground—only to be hit with more force from behind.
"Tatsuya-san!"
"Honoka, Shizuku..."
To an outsider, it might look like a shameless harem scene, but there wasn't a trace of romance in the moment.
"So, Tatsuya-kun, are you really okay?"
"It's not as bad as the Committee Chair thinks. Just a ruptured eardrum."
Pointing to his deaf ear, Tatsuya gave a wry smile, silently pleading for help. Mari caught the hint but pretended not to notice.
"Still, how are you unscathed? Didn't Ichijou's attack hit you directly?"
"I dodged at the last second. The shockwave blew me back, but the damage isn't much."
Of course, it was a lie, but Tatsuya delivered it convincingly. He couldn't reveal the truth, so this answer had been prepared in advance.
"We were so worried! We thought you'd been seriously hurt..."
"Yeah, but you dodged so well. From our seats, it looked like a direct hit."
"Same on the monitors. It definitely looked like it hit you."
"Well, it's an ancient-style technique, so I can't say much, but it's meant to look that way."
Another lie, naturally. No such technique existed, ancient or otherwise. Taking advantage of the others' unfamiliarity with ancient styles, Tatsuya boldly used one of his pre-planned excuses for just such a moment.
"By the way, where are the other two?"
"They said they're heading to the infirmary. I'll go there myself after reporting."
"Then go right now! Even if you dodged the hit, that shockwave was intense!"
Tatsuya didn't immediately react to Mayumi's shouting. It wasn't just his deaf ear—though that was part of it—but he was pondering why she was yelling, which delayed his response.
"Mayumi, don't shout so much. Tatsuya-kun knows his own condition, and besides, we're the ones who'll get annoyed by the noise."
"While you're at it, Mari, why don't you get checked too? Have them layer some healing magic on you."
"...Fair point."
Stung by the jab, Mari averted her gaze and left the tent.
"Well, I'll head out too."
"Good work, Shiba."
With a silent nod to Katsuto's words, Tatsuya exited the tent. He could heal the injury if he wanted, but staying unscathed after that blast would raise too many questions, so he left the eardrum untreated.
On the way to the infirmary, he spotted Leo and Mikihiko approaching from the opposite direction, already treated and playfully bickering.
"Hey, Tatsuya."
"Heading for treatment?"
"Yeah, I finished reporting, so you two can head back to your rooms."
"Sweet. That place gives me the creeps."
"Me too..."
The tent was filled with First High's leaders and main event players—all Course 1 students. Even though the leaders had handpicked them, as Course 2 students, they couldn't help feeling out of place and preferred to avoid lingering there.
"Then once your treatment's done, let's hit the victory party."
"Erika and the others will probably show up too."
"Sounds good, but I've still got Mirage Bat as an engineer."
Though his role as a player was over, Tatsuya's work as an engineer—critical work at that—was far from done.
"No worries! It won't drag on too late."
"Yeah, there's a curfew, and we're not players anymore anyway."
Parting ways with Leo and Mikihiko, Tatsuya reached the infirmary and sensed a familiar presence inside.
"Excuse me."
"Yo, I've been waiting for you!"
First High's health teacher, Remi Yasutake, was there. It wasn't odd for a school nurse to be in the infirmary, but Tatsuya had an inexplicable unease about being treated by her.
"Why is Ms. Yasutake here?"
"It's First High's infirmary, isn't it? I came in case of emergencies."
"...The Nine Schools Competition isn't supposed to have injuries."
"But there've been a ton this year, right? So they called me in partway through."
Unable to argue with Remi's unverifiable claim, Tatsuya resigned himself to treatment.
"Your eardrum's ruptured... I'll apply healing magic for now, but..."
"It's not fully healed, so I'll need to get it layered before the effect wears off, right?"
"As expected, you get it. Also, I'd like to check your whole body."
"There's no need. Like I said in the tent, I dodged the direct hit."
"Let me at least do a physical exam. I was worried, you know."
Before he could protest, Remi began checking him over. Since he'd already healed himself with his "true magic," there was nothing to find, but Tatsuya let her proceed until she was satisfied.
"Alright, you seem fine."
"As I said."
"I've told you before, I need to check for myself to be convinced. Besides, I was genuinely worried about you, so let me have this."
Leaving the infirmary after treatment, Tatsuya noticed a group of Third High girls peeking anxiously from around a corner.
"...What are you doing?"
They hadn't expected to be spotted from that distance. Airi and the others flinched, then sheepishly stepped out.
"Tatsuya-sama, are you unharmed!?"
"That idiot Ichijou, attacking Tatsuya-san like that..."
"An over-attack should be a disqualification! Why'd they let the match continue?"
"It happened in an instant, and since Tatsuya-san kept fighting normally, the judges probably let it slide. But Ichijou's definitely disqualified."
"I've explained already—I managed to dodge the direct hit, so I'm fine. Besides, Ichijou's reaction came from real combat experience. Can't fault him for that."
"But still..."
Airi seemed ready to argue, but Tatsuya gently patted her head, silencing her.
"It's over now. Dwelling on it will only cause trouble, so you don't need to worry anymore."
"Y-Yes..."
Mesmerized by Tatsuya's touch, Airi gazed at him dreamily until Keiko and Shiori's sharp stares snapped her back to reality.
"Thanks for worrying. I'm okay, though. And you should head back soon, or people will start wondering."
He lightly patted Keiko, Shiori, and Kanren's heads too, sending the four back to Third High's area. After walking a bit further, Tatsuya turned with a softened expression.
"Miyuki, stop hiding and come out."
"You noticed?"
"You've been watching the whole time, haven't you?"
"Onii-sama, you're quite the popular one."
"I just made them worry, that's all."
Understanding what his sister was implying, Tatsuya cut her off. Pulling her close, he patted her head even more gently than he had the others, leaving Miyuki unable to voice the complaints she'd meant to air.
"They're planning a victory party in the room. You'll come, right, Miyuki?"
"Is it okay if I do?"
"It'll be fine. Mikihiko figures Erika and the others will show up too."
Completely outmaneuvered by Tatsuya, Miyuki walked beside him with a smile.
It's been a while since Remi appeared—hope it doesn't feel forced...
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