There was still some time before the second round of Mirage Bat. Having already finished tuning the spare CAD, Tatsuya gazed at the sky alongside Miyuki.
"Nice weather. It'd be great if it holds until night."
"It's supposed to clear up by evening."
"Starlight might interfere… but it's better than rain."
"True…"
Their conversation trailed off, and Tatsuya glanced at Miyuki with a curious look.
"Something wrong?"
"It's about Kobayakawa-senpai…"
"I know. Later, okay?"
Noticing Azusa nearby, Tatsuya cut the topic short without delving into its core.
"By the way, Miyuki, competing with upperclassmen in this match—you'll be fine, right?"
"Yes? I think so…"
Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Miyuki faltered but didn't ask why, as Tatsuya's glance conveyed the reason.
"With this weather, you won't lose sight of the light orbs, and you probably won't need that in the qualifiers."
"But, Onii-sama, we can't let our guard down, right?"
"Exactly. Overconfidence or carelessness could lead to serious mistakes. Don't forget that."
"Yes!"
Pretending not to notice Azusa, the siblings continued their conversation and began to walk away.
Azusa didn't think Tatsuya and Miyuki's chat was carefree. Miyuki's skills alone made her a shoo-in for the qualifiers, and with Tatsuya's support, talking about the night's finals didn't seem premature or overeager.
(Miyuki-san could probably win the finals on her own, and with Tatsuya-kun supporting her… Most people would get cocky, but those two stay sharp… And maybe, just maybe, Tatsuya-kun…)
Vaguely aware of Tatsuya's true nature, Azusa wasn't shocked by the earlier commotion. His resort to violence had surprised her, but his uncovering of the sabotage? Not at all.
(Of course "he" could do that easily. It's no wonder "he" outclasses us.)
Unlike other engineers who refused to acknowledge Tatsuya's skills, Azusa had long given up competing with him. Since reaching that realization, she'd even hoped to learn from him.
(But it's not just as an engineer… Tatsuya-kun excelled in Monolith Code too…)
As an engineer, magic power wasn't critical, so she could accept his prowess there. But Monolith Code was different.
(His grades aren't that great… but that's just school tests. Those don't account for real combat with magic. In actual magical battles, Tatsuya-kun's undeniably top-tier…)
Azusa didn't mock herself as a Bloom or Course 2 students as Weeds. Still, deep down, she believed she was superior. She understood the Course divide was based on test results, but the gap between Tatsuya's grades and his real-world combat performance left her grappling.
(If Tatsuya-kun's actually a top student, what's the point of school tests? What even is a "top student"?)
With no way to know Tatsuya's secrets, Azusa mulled this alone. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Tatsuya and Miyuki had left.
"Ah-chan, don't stress so much."
"President!? When did you—"
"You were staring at Tatsuya-kun with a serious face. He's a special case."
Azusa thought calling a junior "that" was a bit much but didn't interrupt.
"Sure, Tatsuya-kun's a true 'top student,' but that doesn't make school tests meaningless. They're still grounded in reality."
"But, President, his test scores…"
"I know…"
Mayumi had been pondering the same thing as Azusa.
"And it's not just that. Some Course 1 students treat him like an enemy. They'd be better off just accepting him."
"They're hung up on him being Course 2."
Glancing at the emblem on her uniform, Azusa noticed Mayumi's wry smile and tilted her head.
"It's only because the embroidery for uniforms wasn't ready in time."
"Really!?"
"You didn't know? We expanded enrollment mid-term, so the embroidered uniforms weren't ready. They planned to standardize them next year, but the distinction stuck because it was convenient… That's why the uniforms are still different."
"I had no idea…"
"Don't tell Miyuki-san about this."
"Got it."
Azusa agreed, knowing Miyuki would likely lose it if she heard.
"By the way, Ah-chan."
"Yes?"
Sensing a topic shift, Azusa braced herself. Unlike with Mayumi or Mari, she wasn't used to verbal sparring with the President.
"You seem awfully focused on Tatsuya-kun. Could it be…"
"No way! I just want to learn his tuning methods or ask about hardware since he's so knowledgeable! That's all!"
"I didn't even say anything yet."
"A-Ah…"
Curling up like a small animal, Azusa blushed. Mayumi smirked briefly, satisfied, but her expression soon turned serious.
"President?"
"I didn't expect even you, Ah-chan… Koharu seemed to fall for him earlier too… This is getting complicated."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, never mind. Anyway, Ah-chan, you're also handling Mirage Bat, right? Finished tuning?"
"Of course! But I'm not like Miyuki-san, whose qualifier win is practically guaranteed."
"A first-year being a lock for the qualifiers is already absurd."
First-years skipping the rookie matches for the main event was rare, and one advancing through qualifiers was unprecedented. The magical power gap between first- and second-years was typically larger than between second- and third-years, since formal magic training began in high school. Yet Miyuki was seen as a sure bet for the qualifiers—and even a championship contender.
"Anyway, stop worrying about Tatsuya-kun."
"Understood."
Unaware that Mayumi was subtly checking her, Azusa took the words at face value and stopped dwelling on Tatsuya.
Poor Ah-chan, missing Mayumi's check…
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