Kirihara's eyes widened, cold sweat trickling down his face.
Morisaki gritted his teeth in frustration, glaring at Tatsuya with pure animosity.
Miyuki raised her hand, preparing to unleash her magic, but she was instantly halted by Tatsuya's sharp gaze.
"Kirihara-senpai, using dangerous magic in a public place is a violation of the rules." Tatsuya's voice was flat, but his gaze was piercing and heavy with pressure.
Kirihara shuddered, instinctively taking a step back, intimidated by Tatsuya's stare.
Sayaka was startled; her cheeks flushed as her heart began to race uncontrollably. At that moment, a sense of admiration for Tatsuya bloomed rapidly within her heart.
"That back... it's so broad and strong. What is this feeling...?"
"As a mere ordinary student, you have no right to judge others. Especially not in front of a member of the Public Morals Committee like myself." Morisaki's tone was haughty, sounding even more superior than before.
Tatsuya let out a cold sigh before fixing a sharp gaze on Morisaki.
"As a member of the Public Morals Committee, you have tarnished the very foundation of that organization's ethics. Do you feel no shame?" Tatsuya's voice remained calm, showing not even a shred of concern for Morisaki.
"Tarnished the foundation? Who did?! I'm just doing my duty as a member of the Public Morals Committee!" Morisaki snapped.
"Childish, emotional, and reckless. Why would the committee even recruit someone like you?" Tatsuya's look was one of utter disdain.
Morisaki gritted his teeth again in anger. "Shut up! Don't interfere with the committee's work!"
Morisaki raised his hand, activating a spell through his CAD. Tatsuya let out a light sigh and simply swiped the air with his bare hand.
Bang!
A Psion wave surged forward, instantly shattering Morisaki's magic activation sequence.
It happened so fast that Morisaki could do nothing but stand there, stunned. The surrounding students gasped, staring at Tatsuya in disbelief.
"What was that?"
"He didn't use a CAD, did he?"
"Magic without a CAD? How is that possible? As expected of the Yotsuba Prince."
"It seems the rumors about the Prince being the strongest young magician are true."
"The Yotsuba family truly lives up to their reputation as 'The Untouchables'."
Tatsuya clearly heard the whispers of the crowd. However, he had no intention of denying them, maintaining a perfect poker face the entire time.
"Morisaki, you've broken the rules by activating dangerous magic. You should turn yourself in before I take further action."
"Shut up!" Morisaki tried to activate another magic sequence, but Tatsuya crushed it once more.
Bang!
Gahk!
This time, Morisaki felt a brutal backlash—an unbearable wave of dizziness. He nearly collapsed on the spot.
"What is the meaning of this!" A man's sharp voice rang out as Hattori Hanzou entered the gym with a stern expression.
Tatsuya suddenly had a bad feeling. Hanzou's aura of hostility was clearly directed at him the moment their eyes met.
'I'm certain I haven't done anything to anger him yet. He wouldn't challenge me to a fight, would he?'
Tatsuya wasn't afraid; he just didn't want the hassle of a fight where the outcome was already certain. He didn't underestimate Hanzou, but the gap in their combat power was impossible to ignore.
"Hattori-senpai!" Morisaki looked at him like a savior, immediately recounting the events while twisting the narrative to his favor.
Tatsuya's gaze sharpened; even he felt a flicker of annoyance at being slandered so blatantly by Morisaki.
"Yotsuba, aren't you overstepping? You are interfering with official Public Morals Committee business!" Hanzou's tone was sharp, his hostility no longer hidden.
"That's not it! He was just trying to defend me!" Sayaka cried out.
"Course 2 students stay out of this. This is a matter for us Course 1 students."
"..." Sayaka fell silent, stepping back in shock at Hanzou's cold dismissal.
Tatsuya's expression shifted drastically.
"As the Vice President of the Student Council, you shouldn't say such things so openly. Especially not in front of so many people."
Hanzou smiled dismissively. "I'm just stating facts. Why bother hiding it?"
Sayaka's body trembled, her eyes welling up with tears that looked ready to fall at any moment. Tatsuya sighed, turned, and walked to Sayaka's side under the doubtful gazes of the crowd.
Tatsuya gently patted Sayaka's head. Sayaka was startled, and crystal-clear tears finally began to fall.
"Hoo? So you have a thing for that girl, Yotsuba? No wonder you're being so protective," Hanzou smirked coldly.
Tatsuya looked back with a look of displeasure.
"It's not about liking someone or not. This is the first time I've met Senpai. I helped her simply because it is what a gentleman should do."
Ba-dump!
Sayaka blushed deeply, her heart racing uncontrollably. Hanzou and Morisaki fell silent, feeling as though they had lost the argument to Tatsuya.
In the distance, Miyuki began to radiate a freezing aura from her body, forcing Erika and Mizuki to back away.
"Miyuki-san, don't freeze people to death, okay?" Erika's voice was anxious, clearly terrified of Miyuki's magic.
"Ara ara~ Erika-san, now who would ever do such a thing?" Miyuki smiled warmly, but her ice magic grew even colder, biting to the bone.
Mizuki, whose eyes were more sensitive than most, shuddered and hid behind Erika. Erika complained about being used as a shield, but she didn't leave her best friend's side.
To be continued...