The day after dismantling No Head Dragon, Tatsuya found himself back in the room used by the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
"Good work yesterday," Major Kazama said, his tone gruff but approving.
"No trouble at all. But why was Internal Affairs so keen on getting information about a mere criminal syndicate?" Tatsuya asked, his voice tinged with indifference.
To Tatsuya, No Head Dragon's data was of little personal interest. He'd extracted it on a whim, but its true value eluded him.
"No Head Dragon is the supplier of the 'Sorcery Booster,'" Kazama explained.
"Tatsuya-kun, do you know what the raw material for a Sorcery Booster is?" Captain Sanada chimed in.
"I've heard it's human brains," Tatsuya replied flatly.
"Exactly. To be precise, the cerebral cortex of a magician. Apparently, by subjecting them to the same terror at the moment of death, they can produce Boosters with consistent performance," Sanada elaborated.
"Like the principle of kodoku…" Tatsuya mused, referring to the ancient practice of sealing venomous insects together until one survives, imbued with their combined strength. "That explains why Internal Affairs was so invested."
"Mibu was thrilled," Kazama added. "The intel you brought was a goldmine."
"If that's the case, couldn't you have told me upfront?" Tatsuya asked, a faint edge to his voice.
Kazama smirked. "You made a deal with Public Safety for intel, didn't you? It's the same thing. How we use the information you provided is our call."
Tatsuya fell silent, unable to counter. After all, he'd used intel bought from Haruka to crush No Head Dragon. Kazama's logic was unassailable.
"Well, regardless, great work. Your abilities made this a swift resolution," Kazama said.
"And we got sniper data from twelve hundred meters, too. I'm honestly grateful, Tatsuya-kun," Sanada added, his face practically glowing as he reviewed the data from Tatsuya's elimination of No Head Dragon's members.
Tatsuya gave a curt bow to Kazama and Sanada, then nodded to Yanagi and Yamanaka seated nearby before heading for the door.
"Wait a second," a voice called.
"…Yes?" Tatsuya turned, suppressing a sigh as he faced Kyoko, whom he'd deliberately avoided looking at.
"Don't forget our promise," she said, her tone firm but warm.
"I haven't. But both you and I will be busy for a while, Lieutenant Fujibayashi. It'll probably have to wait until September at the earliest."
"Promise? Tatsuya, did you make some kind of deal with Fujibayashi?" Kazama interjected, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing major. Just a thank-you for her driving me," Tatsuya replied smoothly.
"Once you set a date, let me know. I can arrange leave for both of you," Kazama offered.
"Major?" Tatsuya tilted his head, puzzled by Kazama's sudden generosity.
Unbeknownst to Tatsuya, Kazama's mind was echoing with Lieutenant Retsu's complaints from the previous night. (There's a bit of an age gap, but Fujibayashi's clearly taken with Tatsuya. Even His Excellency seemed intrigued by him. If they got together… well, maybe that's a stretch.)
"Major, I'll take my leave," Tatsuya said, snapping Kazama out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, good work," Kazama replied absently.
As Kazama sank into his musings, Tatsuya gave a final nod and left the room.
Though the overall championship had already been decided, the Nine Schools Competition hadn't concluded all its events. Tatsuya entered the venue to watch the Monolith Code preliminaries, scanning for an empty seat. Suddenly, a shard of ice flew at him from an angle. He caught it effortlessly and lowered his hand, only to lock eyes with Miyuki.
"Quite the rough welcome," he remarked dryly.
"It's because you pretend not to notice me, Onii-sama," Miyuki replied, her tone a mix of reproach and affection.
Miyuki had called out to him, but she wasn't alone. A group of stunning girls surrounded her, all sharing her sentiment. Tatsuya hesitated to approach—not because of them, but because of the guys nearby, eyeing the one empty seat he'd been aiming for.
"Tatsuya-san, where've you been?" Honoka asked, her voice curious.
"Talking with an acquaintance," he replied vaguely.
"An acquaintance? Here?" Shizuku pressed, tilting her head.
"Exactly because it's here. Erika, didn't you run into your brother earlier?" Tatsuya deflected.
"Tatsuya-kun!" Erika snapped, flustered.
"Erika-chan, did you make up with your brother?" Shizuku asked, intrigued.
Tatsuya's diversion worked. His position made it tricky to discuss his "acquaintances" openly, and shifting the focus to Shujii was a neat escape.
"Erika's brother is that 'Kirin Child of Chiba,' right?" Miyuki asked.
"You know about him, Shizuku?" Honoka said.
"Kind of," Shizuku replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, but right now he's just a pathetic guy fooled by some weird woman," Erika muttered.
"Weird woman?" Mizuki asked, curious.
"Erika-chan, you shouldn't badmouth Watanabe-senpai," Honoka scolded gently.
Amy, who'd been quiet until now, perked up. "Wait, what? Erika's brother's girlfriend is Watanabe-senpai?"
"Enough! The match is about to start, so be quiet!" Erika snapped, her face red.
Her outburst finally hushed the group, but while the stands fell silent, the field buzzed with excitement.
"As expected of Juumonji-senpai," one spectator said.
"He's on a whole different level of reliability," another added.
"That's not true! Tatsuya-san and the others were amazing too!" Honoka protested.
"Yeah, Tatsuya-san, you should have more confidence in yourself," Shizuku added.
"…Thanks," Tatsuya replied, managing a faint smile despite his mild discomfort.
"You can make that kind of expression too, huh, Tatsuya-san?" Amy teased.
"What kind of expression?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"You know, the one just now."
Tatsuya didn't get it. It was unconscious, and he couldn't exactly check his own face. But that fleeting expression had captivated the girls in the stands.
"Onii-sama, I'd like to talk later," Miyuki said, her voice carrying a hint of possessiveness.
"Sure, that's fine," Tatsuya replied, unfazed.
Unbeknownst to him, his effortless charm had sparked a flicker of jealousy in Miyuki. (Onii-sama's smile is so rare, even for me… To see him direct it at Shizuku and Honoka means they've gotten closer to him, doesn't it?)
"By the way, where are Leo and Mikihiko?" Tatsuya asked. "They're watching too, right?"
"They're in the infirmary," Erika answered. "Miki felt sick, so Leo took him."
"Mikihiko? Did the crowd get to him?" Tatsuya asked.
"Probably. Leo didn't want him to be alone, so he went along," Erika explained.
Tatsuya nodded, satisfied. "Still, I wouldn't have pegged Leo as the type to care about that."
"He's still a guy, isn't he? Though, charm-wise, you're about a hundred times better, Tatsuya-kun," Erika teased.
"Not as good as your brother, though," Tatsuya shot back.
"Tatsuya-kun!" Erika flushed, raising a fist as if to swing but stopping herself, mindful of the crowd and the ongoing match.
"Hey, how about ice cream after this? I saw a vendor earlier," Amy suggested.
"Sounds nice," Honoka agreed.
"It's getting hot, so it's perfect timing," Shizuku added.
"What do you think, Onii-sama?" Miyuki asked.
"Sure, why not?" Tatsuya said.
"Then it's Tatsuya-kun's treat!" Erika declared, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Perhaps in retaliation for his earlier jab, Erika had roped him into paying. Tatsuya, feeling he might've gone too far, accepted the condition.
"Alright, everyone, after the match, Tatsuya-kun's treating us to ice cream!" Erika announced gleefully.
"Wait, everyone?" Tatsuya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Obviously!" Erika shot back.
"Fine, fine," he conceded.
His wallet wasn't the issue, but Tatsuya failed to consider how it might look to others: one guy surrounded by six beautiful girls.
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