That morning, Miyuki was roused by a call from Yakumo. Apparently, Tatsuya hadn't shown up for his usual morning training.
"Brother, it's Miyuki. Are you awake?"
Miyuki could count on one hand the times her brother had woken later than her—practically unheard of unless she'd made a special effort to rise early herself.
"Excuse me," she said softly, stepping into his room.
He might still be asleep. Perhaps the exhaustion from repelling the Great Asian Union's invasion had finally caught up with him. If Tatsuya were an ordinary person, Miyuki might have entertained such thoughts. But Tatsuya wasn't the type to oversleep from fatigue, nor did his body hold onto exhaustion for long.
"Brother?"
The bed bore a noticeable lump beneath the covers. Miyuki didn't know how Tatsuya usually slept, but this shape was unmistakably… small. Too small.
"…What?"
Lifting the blanket, Miyuki peered inside—and froze, utterly speechless.
Desperate for guidance, Miyuki placed a call to the Yotsuba main house, despite the early hour and her reluctance to involve others.
"What's wrong, Miyuki-san? A call from you at this hour?"
She'd marked the matter as urgent, and Hayama, the butler, had promptly connected her to Maya. Miyuki's uncharacteristic panic must have signaled to Hayama that this was no trivial matter.
"My apologies, Aunt Maya. But it's an emergency."
"Really, what's happened? Has Tatsuya-kun disappeared?"
"Well… in a way, you could say that, but…"
Miyuki's vague response made Maya tilt her head in curiosity. In all their interactions, Maya had never seen Miyuki so flustered.
"Please, don't be shocked," Miyuki prefaced.
"Alright," Maya replied, bracing herself.
"…What?"
"This is the situation…"
When the boy appeared on the screen, Maya, like Miyuki that morning, was struck dumb.
"That child… is that Tatsuya-kun?"
"Yes… it's definitely my brother."
"Huh? Hey, Sis, who's this?"
"Is that… really Tatsuya-kun?"
The boy looked unmistakably like a young Tatsuya, but his demeanor was all wrong. Raised as a Guardian from childhood, Tatsuya had never spoken with such innocent, unguarded curiosity.
"This is our aunt, the head of the Yotsuba main house," Miyuki explained gently.
"The main house? The head?"
"Miyuki-san, explain this in detail," Maya commanded, her tone as regal as ever, though her eyes betrayed a spark of delight at the sight of "shota" Tatsuya.
"Well, this morning, Yakumo-sensei called to say Brother hadn't shown up at his usual time. I grew worried, checked his room, and found him… like this."
As she spoke to Maya, Miyuki couldn't help herself—she hugged the pint-sized Tatsuya tightly, stroking his head. The gestures she usually received from her brother were now ones she bestowed upon him.
After ending the call with Miyuki, Maya summoned Hayama to her room.
"Hayama-san, what do you make of Tatsuya-kun's situation?"
"Well… it warrants investigation. But I can only imagine what Aoki and the others might say."
"Indeed. Very well, Hayama-san, I leave this matter to you. Find the cause immediately."
"Understood. I'll arrange for Tatsuya-dono to visit the estate."
"Please do. And when you do, I want to be present."
Maya's barely concealed eagerness to see "shota" Tatsuya in person drew a knowing, affectionate look from Hayama, who bowed respectfully.
"Is something the matter?" Maya asked.
"No, I was merely wondering if Tatsuya-dono might have had a chance to live like that," Hayama mused.
"…Impossible. I sealed his future long before he was born."
Only a select few knew the truth of that statement, Hayama among them.
"Then, if you'll excuse me," he said.
"Keep this from Aoki-san and the branch families, of course."
"Understood."
With another deep bow, Hayama left the room.
Despite Tatsuya's diminutive state, it was a weekday, and school awaited. After much deliberation, Miyuki decided to bring him along.
"Good morning, Miyuki. …Wait, where's Tatsuya-kun?"
On the way to school from the station, Erika, unusually early, called out to them.
"Good morning, Erika. My brother… he's right here."
"Where? …Wait, this kid?"
Erika's gaze fell on the boy hiding behind Miyuki.
"Yes… I don't know why, but when he woke up this morning, he was…"
"Huh, so this is what Tatsuya-kun was like as a kid?"
"!"
As Erika reached out toward him, Tatsuya flinched, his shoulders trembling. The sight sparked a mischievous glint in Erika's eyes.
"Hey, Miyuki," she said.
"What?"
"What about classes? Tatsuya-kun's a Course 2 student, so how about I look after him?"
"…I'm not sure. Entrusting him to you in this state feels like nothing but trouble."
"It'll be fine! Come on, Tatsuya-kun, don't be scared. Let's go with big sis, okay?"
"Really?"
Tatsuya peeked nervously from behind Miyuki, and Erika, who'd been plotting mischief, found herself utterly disarmed by his cuteness.
"(So… so cute… I want to punch the old me for even thinking of teasing him!)"
"Erika?"
Miyuki's unease shifted as Erika suddenly squirmed in delight.
"Oh, Miyuki-san, Chiba-san… who's this boy?"
"Saegusa-senpai…"
Mayumi appeared at the worst (or best?) possible moment, causing Tatsuya to duck behind Miyuki again.
"He's… my brother."
"I'm sorry, what?"
As Miyuki explained the situation to Mayumi, Erika couldn't take her eyes off the young Tatsuya. He, in turn, warily inched closer to her, curiosity battling caution.
"…And that's what happened," Miyuki finished.
"I see…"
"!?"
Suddenly, Tatsuya was hoisted into the air, flailing his legs in surprise. The culprit?
"Saegusa-senpai! Were you even listening!?"
"Of course I was! But an innocent Tatsuya-kun? That's, like, ultra-rare!"
Mayumi had scooped him up from behind, beaming.
"For now, we'll look after him in the student council room. Third-years barely have classes anyway."
"…Please don't traumatize my brother."
Though plagued by more than a little worry, Miyuki decided the student council room was safer than a classroom full of strangers. Deep down, she wanted to dote on him all day herself, but that wasn't an option. The student council room, at least, would keep him out of the spotlight.
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