On his way to report to the Disciplinary Committee headquarters after patrol, Tatsuya ran into someone he'd rather avoid. Before he could slip away, she called out.
"Well, if it isn't Shiba-kun!" Reimi Yasutomi's voice rang out, bright and teasing.
"Hey," Tatsuya replied, offering a curt nod and turning to leave.
But Reimi wasn't about to let him escape. Despite her usual airy demeanor, she moved with surprising agility when it came to Tatsuya, her arm looping through his before he could protest.
"During the Thesis Competition, you caught a bullet with your bare hand, didn't you?" she said, her eyes gleaming. "I've got questions, so you're coming with me!"
"Can't it wait until after my report?" Tatsuya asked, his tone measured.
He was confident he could shake her off once they parted, but first, he needed an excuse to dislodge her grip. The report was a legitimate reason, and he figured it would get him out of this mess.
Reimi nodded, then peered up at him. It was just the height difference, but her upward gaze felt deliberate, almost provocative. Tatsuya felt a twinge of a headache, knowing passersby might misinterpret the scene.
"If it's work, I guess it can't be helped," Reimi said with a pout. "Let's go, then."
"Huh?" Tatsuya blinked.
"To your report," she clarified. "It won't take long, and my being there won't cause any trouble, right?"
It was trouble—plenty of it—but Tatsuya knew arguing with Reimi was like pushing against a curtain. Resigned, he pried her arm off and headed to the Disciplinary Committee headquarters, keeping a careful distance.
"Hey, why'd you pull away?" Reimi whined, trailing after him.
"You should be more aware of how much attention you draw, Sensei," Tatsuya said dryly.
"And you should be more aware of how much attention you draw," Reimi shot back. "How much people care about you."
"No way I'm drawing that kind of attention," Tatsuya said. "It's just Miyuki being with me most of the time."
Tatsuya's senses were razor-sharp for hostility, but he was slower to pick up on admiration or affection. He wasn't oblivious, but those signals took longer to register compared to threats.
"You know," Reimi said, her tone teasing, "a lot of girls come to the counseling room to talk about you."
"About me?" Tatsuya frowned. "Did I cause them stress or something?"
"Not exactly…" Reimi said, then smirked. "Well, in a way, maybe."
"Hey," a new voice cut in, sharp and annoyed. "Can you finish your report and stop flirting in front of me? Are you mocking me because I can't go see Kei?"
Kanon Chiyoda, spotting Reimi trailing Tatsuya into the Disciplinary Committee headquarters, shot them a glare laced with sarcasm. Tatsuya had no intention of flirting—nor was he, in fact—but Reimi's aura seemed to scream otherwise, and Kanon clearly wasn't buying it.
"All clear," Tatsuya reported, ignoring the jab.
"Good work," Kanon said. "I'm off to see Kei."
With that, she bolted up the direct staircase to the Student Council room, leaving Tatsuya with a wry smile.
"No one's here," Reimi said, glancing around the now-empty headquarters. "Mind if I do my investigating here?"
"Investigate what?" Tatsuya asked, skeptical. "There's no trick to it."
Tatsuya had no intention of discussing his magic, hoping to brush her off and be done with it. Reimi, however, was undeterred, staring intently at his palm, occasionally poking it while muttering to herself.
"How did you catch that bullet?" she mused. "I've never heard of magic like that, and no amount of physical skill could pull it off…"
Knowing she wouldn't uncover his secrets just by staring, Tatsuya humored her, letting her poke and prod for a while.
"By the way," Reimi said suddenly, "Hirakawa-san came to the counseling room recently."
"Which Hirakawa?" Tatsuya asked.
"The older one," Reimi clarified. "She said you helped her out, but she's not sure how to repay you."
"Is that so," Tatsuya said, his tone neutral.
He figured Koharu wouldn't spill the details, given the confidentiality, and he didn't think he'd done anything worth repaying. But Reimi's next words caught him off guard.
"Hirakawa-san's always getting saved by you," she said, a hint of envy in her voice. "I'm a little jealous."
"Why?" Tatsuya asked. "I didn't do anything special. I just left the decisions to Hirakawa-senpai."
He tried to steer the conversation toward the Thesis Competition or her withdrawal from school, hoping she'd take the bait. But Reimi knew more than he expected.
"Here's the thing, Shiba-kun," she said, her voice dropping. "I know something happened to Hirakawa-san, Kirihara-kun, and the others."
Tatsuya's gaze sharpened, his mind racing. Where had she learned this? Was she a threat?
"I won't tell anyone," Reimi assured him. "No one would believe me anyway."
"What exactly do you know?" Tatsuya asked, his tone cautious.
"No use playing dumb," she said. "I know you used your magic to save them. I know their severed bodies were… restored."
"Who told you?" Tatsuya demanded, then corrected himself. "No—where did you see it?"
"Just a coincidence," Reimi said. "I was escaping in the Chikura family's helicopter and got curious about the front lines. That's when I saw you saving those three."
"That was your magic," Tatsuya said, a realization dawning. "I thought it was an enemy."
He'd sensed someone watching but hadn't pinned it on Reimi's clairvoyance.
"Your magic is incredible," Reimi said, her eyes wide with awe.
"And I didn't know you could use far-seeing magic," Tatsuya countered.
"Just a dabbler," she said modestly. "But now that I know your secret, you'd prefer I keep quiet, right?"
"I'd rather not have to make you disappear," Tatsuya said, half-joking but with a steely edge.
"Don't say scary things like that!" Reimi laughed, then leaned in. "Here's my condition for staying quiet."
Tatsuya braced himself, sensing trouble. Eliminating her would only draw suspicion, so he listened.
"Go on dates with me when you have time," she said. "Not just once, either."
"So, you're saying I should go out with you?" Tatsuya clarified, raising an eyebrow.
"In short, make me your girlfriend," Reimi said, her smile bold but nervous.
Tatsuya let out a wry chuckle at the gentle "blackmail." Instead of answering, he leaned in and kissed her, silencing her proposal with a quiet intensity.
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