After finishing his Public Morals Committee patrol, Tatsuya was headed to the library when Mari called out to him.
"Hey, Tatsuya-kun, any of your friends seem like good fits for the Public Morals Committee?"
"For the committee? Maybe Mikihiko or Shizuku would work."
Tatsuya answered offhandedly, but Mari nodded thoughtfully, twice, then thrice, before continuing.
"Then ask Yoshida and Kitayama if they're interested."
"Me?"
"You, yeah."
Tatsuya's resigned sigh echoed a familiar exchange. He tried to push back.
"I'm not the committee chief, nor a former one like you, Watanabe-senpai. And next year, I'm moving to the student council. Shouldn't the current chief, Chiyoda-senpai, or even you handle recruitment?"
"Fair point. But I don't know those two well, and you'd make it quick and easy."
Mari's rebuttal was so reasonable that Tatsuya couldn't help but concede.
"…Don't blame me if they say no."
"Just asking is enough. You're reliable as ever, Tatsuya-kun."
Tatsuya stared at Mari, dumbfounded, as she echoed the tone of a former student council president.
Following Mari's request, Tatsuya summoned Mikihiko and Shizuku to ask about their interest in the Public Morals Committee.
"Tatsuya, I'm a Course 2 student, you know?"
"So am I. That's no excuse."
"Hmm…"
"If I say yes, will you teach me the ropes, Tatsuya-san?"
"Sure, for the basics. But committee work is mostly solo."
"I'll pass. I've got family training, and I don't have your nerves of steel."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Tatsuya knew what Mikihiko meant but feigned offense with a wry smile, reluctant to admit it.
"I want to try," Shizuku said. "Miyuki and Honoka are busy with student council, but I've got nothing."
"Alright. Let's head to headquarters to meet Watanabe-senpai and Chiyoda-senpai."
"Tatsuya, isn't Watanabe-senpai the afterthought here?"
Mikihiko's question was fair, but not when it came to the Public Morals Committee.
"Watanabe-senpai works harder than the current chief, Chiyoda-senpai, who tends to dump tasks on me or Isori-senpai."
"So I just need to greet them both, right?"
Shizuku's bluntness briefly froze Tatsuya and Mikihiko, but Tatsuya's focus never wavered for long.
"Okay, Shizuku, come with me to headquarters. Sorry, Mikihiko."
"No worries. I'm not in any clubs anyway."
Parting with Mikihiko, they headed to the Public Morals Committee headquarters. Though a direct staircase linked to the student council room, Tatsuya opted for the proper entrance this time.
"Excuse us."
"Hey, been waiting for you!"
"Watanabe-senpai, Yoshida declined, but Kitayama's on board."
"Great, welcome aboard!"
"Hold on, Shiba-kun. Why report to Mari-san and not me?"
"Because reporting to Watanabe-senpai is as good as reporting to you, Chiyoda-senpai."
"Fair enough."
Reporting to Mari inevitably reached Kanon's ears, given how often the retired chief frequented the room, still treated like the de facto leader.
"Then, Shiba-kun, look after Kitayama. You can teach her the ropes faster than anyone."
Tatsuya sighed. Like with Kanon, he'd been saddled with training a newbie. He wanted to argue that a second-year would be better suited, but convincing both Mari and Kanon was more trouble than teaching Shizuku, so he held his tongue.
"Starting tomorrow, then."
"Got it."
"Shiba-kun, show her everything. I'm off to the student council room."
Despite a mountain of paperwork, Kanon breezed up the staircase to the student council room. Mari, smirking wryly, made no move to help.
"…Alright, Shizuku, I'll start with paperwork. Watanabe-senpai, if you're free, you can leave. I don't have time to entertain."
"Cold as ever."
"Care to help, then?"
"Nope, good luck training her, Tatsuya-kun!"
Tatsuya's pointed glance made Mari sense her disadvantage, and she bolted from headquarters.
"You okay, Tatsuya-san?"
"Yeah… It's pretty much business as usual."
Tatsuya rubbed his temple lightly, answering Shizuku's concerned gaze.
"Hey, Tatsuya-san, unrelated to the committee, but…"
"What?"
"In Yokohama, when you made those locusts around the helicopter vanish—what was that?"
"…"
Shizuku's emotions rarely surfaced, but her curiosity rivaled the best of their friends. Tatsuya considered dodging the question, as the magic was classified, but Shizuku wasn't loose-lipped. Since most of his inner circle already knew about his "other magic," he decided a warning would suffice to keep it secret.
"That was my innate magic, Disintegration. It acts directly on the Eidos, breaking structures down to the atomic level. It works on anything—humans, machines, doesn't matter."
"That's… a top-tier magic."
"Because I was born with it dominating my calculation area, I can't freely use other magic. You know this, but I'm trusting you to keep it quiet."
"Yeah…"
"If you stay silent, I'll do whatever you ask, within reason."
Tatsuya figured an incentive would work better than a threat with Shizuku, but he hadn't anticipated her response.
"Then… be my exclusive engineer."
"Once I get my license, sure."
"And one more thing."
"There's more?"
Tatsuya hadn't expected multiple requests.
"This one's more important. Tatsuya-san, get engaged to me."
"…What?"
"Engagement. You know the Kitayama family's situation, right? And mages are expected to marry early. Before I'm stuck with someone I don't want, I want to choose my own fiancé."
"…"
Shizuku's resolve gave Tatsuya pause. He'd promised to honor her requests, and she'd seized the opportunity.
"Wouldn't a boyfriend be enough? Engagement's a bit sudden…"
Taking that as the best he could offer, Shizuku answered not with words but by pressing her lips to his as he sat there, stunned.
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