At Third High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, four young women trained quietly, their hearts burning with determination.
"Airi, pace yourself better or you won't last," Kazumi advised.
"I know! But it's tough," Airi replied, frustration evident.
"Still, you're already pulling it off," Kanon noted.
"We couldn't manage it," Koren sighed.
They were practicing flying magic, a technique Miyuki, their rival from the Nine Schools Competition, had mastered. But it wasn't going smoothly.
"I'm done for," Airi groaned.
"Come down before the safety kicks in," Kazumi urged.
"Fine," Airi conceded.
Flying magic, a sustained spell, drained psions quickly for those with limited reserves. Unlike Miyuki or Tatsuya, whose psion counts were exceptional, Airi, despite being from the Juumonji clan, struggled with her modest reserves.
"Even with breaks, using it for a full match seems impossible," Kazumi observed.
"But Miyuki did it, so I'll do it too!" Airi declared.
"Maybe Tatsuya-san tweaked the spell? We're using Taurus Silver's public version, but he could've refined it," Kanon suggested.
"That's possible. He might've adjusted it after sharing with other schools' engineers," Koren added.
"But Tatsuya-sama handed over the CAD to the organizers at the last minute. When would he have time?" Airi countered.
None of the four had seen Tatsuya's skills firsthand, so they couldn't gauge his speed. Assuming average tuning pace, they were stumped.
"With this spell as is, Miyuki must've trained relentlessly," Kazumi said.
"Yeah, if Airi's struggling, Miyuki probably did too," Kanon agreed.
"So, Airi, you're training again tomorrow, right?" Koren asked.
"Of course! …Or I would, but I've got family business tomorrow," Airi admitted.
"Busy being an Ichijo, huh?" Kanon teased.
"It's not that. My father set up an arranged marriage meeting," Airi said, exasperated.
Even as part of the Ten Master Clans, Airi's duty as an Ichijo included marrying a suitable mage to produce an heir. But after the Nine Schools Competition, her heart wasn't in it.
"Why not call Tatsuya-san? He might have tips," Koren suggested.
"I tried, but he's busy. It didn't go through," Airi said.
"What does he even do normally?" Kanon wondered.
"No idea…" Airi trailed off.
In her mind, a vivid image formed: Tatsuya living in a grand mansion, Miyuki by his side—her rival.
"Airi, why the scary face?" Kazumi asked.
"It's nothing. Koren, can you clean up?" Airi said curtly.
"Of course," Koren replied.
"See you later, Kazumi, Kanon," Airi called, storming off, irritated by her own vision.
"What's with her? That upset about the marriage meeting?" Kanon wondered.
"Probably. What else would make her so mad?" Kazumi said.
"Maybe she was thinking of Tatsuya-san and Miyuki popped up. They live together, after all," Koren speculated.
"Jealousy, huh? Living alone with Tatsuya-san would be amazing," Kanon mused.
"But, Kazumi, wouldn't you be too nervous to function?" Koren teased.
Kanon, Koren, and Kazumi assumed Miyuki, as Tatsuya's sister, lived with him effortlessly. But Miyuki carried her own quiet tension, secretly hoping—against near-impossible odds—that Tatsuya might one day notice her feelings. The three couldn't possibly understand; they weren't Miyuki.
Back at the Ichijo estate, Airi soaked in a bath to unwind.
"Honestly, Father arranging a marriage like I'm some political pawn…" she muttered.
As the only Ichijo daughter, Airi was expected to marry strategically. Someone like Katsuto, heir to the Juumonji, wasn't an option. But even a familiar suitor wouldn't change her mind—she'd been against marriage since before the Nine Schools Competition.
"If I had a brother or sister, things might be different. But I'm still an Ichijo," she sighed, resigned to her clan's expectations.
Yet, as a teenage girl, she found arranged marriages pointless, a fact her family seemed blind to.
"Why am I an Ichijo? Why isn't Tatsuya-sama from a numbered clan?" she wondered.
If Tatsuya bore a numbered name, he could be a marriage candidate. His televised feats at the Nine Schools Competition made him a worthy prospect in Airi's eyes. But his surname was Shiba—no number attached.
"Milady, you'll overheat if you stay in too long," her maid warned.
"I'm fine. I haven't been in that long," Airi brushed off.
Lost in thought, Airi had been soaking for nearly an hour. Ignoring the maid's advice, she lingered, desperate to resolve her swirling emotions.
"If Tatsuya-sama were here…" she began, then caught herself. "What shameless thoughts!"
It wasn't odd for a girl her age to think of a boy, but in the bath, it felt improper. Shaking her head vigorously to banish Tatsuya from her mind, Airi suddenly felt dizzy.
"Something's… off," she murmured.
"Milady, are you alright?" the maid asked, concerned.
"I feel… sick," Airi admitted.
"Oh no! Are you okay?" the maid exclaimed.
Helped to her room, Airi collapsed into bed. The next day's marriage meeting was the furthest thing from her mind.
Is it Miyuki or Tatsuya she's fixated on?
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