t want to be passive, but what can I do?”

“I want to tell you, ‘Find the answer yourself,’ but yeah. Well, here’s an idea; you have the chance to confirm how you really feel about Tatsuya- kun.”

Mayumi said, “I know,” then she stopped. “What do you mean by that?”

“If you know if you have feelings for Tatsuya-kun, you can align your interests with your father’s. You can act like you are being used by your father, but in reality it’d be you who’s actually using him.”

“Using that sly dog, you say.. That’s tempting.”

Mayumi stopped short of hinting at an evil smile without realizing it.

“..But that would involve a lot of work.”

“You’ll know that once you actually try dating him, now won’t you? “Date someone I don't like? Rather, someone I'm not sure I like or not?”

Realizing they had almost gone full circle with the denial, Mayumi surrendered and spoke her thoughts.

"That wouldn't be too weird, would it? Isn't that a common saying? 'Let's start by being friends,' or something along those lines?"

"That's not what you'd say to someone you don't really know. We're bound to start out as friends with our current relationship. And just what do I do when that fails? Say I dated him, and we went straight to being engaged. I can't back off with just 'Turns out being lovers won't work out' after going through all of that!"

“So that’s how it is?”

“Of course!”

"I see.. Well then, it seems your only choice is to date Tatsuya-kun without his sister finding out."

"How did you even reach that conclusion!?"

“Didn’t you want to confirm it for yourself? How you feel about Tatsuya-kun?”

“I told you that wasn’t the case..”

“Well then, why are you discussing this with me?” Mayumi’s expression froze.

"Haven't you always come to me when you're troubled? Even though it may be your first time dating someone who's already engaged, isn't being unable to solve this on your own the problem? If you think hard enough, shouldn't you have just declined the proposal? Since he's already engaged, the situation is borderline impossible as it stands."

“..I did decline. But that sly dog would keep bringing it up again and again.”

“Your father probably has seen through that, you know. The fact you don’t really object to it.”

“....”

“Mayumi. At this rate, you’d just end up going with the flow, indecisive until the end.”

“Even if you say that..”

Mayumi was stumped. She might break down if she went any further than this. Mari pretentiously turned her eyes to the multifunctional military watch wrapped around her left wrist.

“——Our time’s up. Mayumi, you should properly think it over.”

“Yeah. ..Thank you, Mari.”

Mari stood up while Mayumi also nonchalantly left her seat.

? ? ?

Tatsuya who had just arrived at home saw he had mail, which was unusual and forced a frown out of him. It wasn't an email, but rather a discrete communication using the message board for First High's students and alumni.

The sender was Mari.

Tatsuya thought that she might have sent it to the wrong person, but he couldn't check that without opening the letter. He also thought of opening it using a trick to prevent the read receipt, but it would lead to a more cumbersome after effect. He wouldn't mind if he didn't have to meet Mari afterwards, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Even though he had a hunch this would lead to a meddlesome situation, he opened the message.

The first thing he concluded was the message was, indeed, for him.

The message started out as a simple seasonal greeting, asking about his recent condition, and how he had been doing as of late. It was unexpectedly written in a polite manner. It was probably the result of her military education.

The heart of the mail was very simple.

It was merely a question of whether they could meet the following night. It would be a good idea to keep this a secret.

Well, normally that would be the case, but now that he had a fiancée, he needed her permission to meet a girl alone.

Without sending a reply, he knocked on the door leading to the room next to his.

“Watanabe-senpai said she wants to meet with Onii-sama?”

Tatsuya saw abundant suspicion in Miyuki's expression. If it was just a little flicker of doubt, he would write it off as an inevitability, but being distrusted to this extent was totally unexpected.

"I'm as surprised as you are about this sudden invitation. The last time I saw her was during the graduation ceremony."

Tatsuya was nonchalantly playing the innocent.

“Then what is her intention with this?”

Miyuki didn’t think that Tatsuya was cheating on her, it was actually Mari who she was doubting.

Tatsuya (in Miyuki's perspective) is a very attractive man. Even though it was known that Mari has a boyfriend, Tatsuya would be a very desirable partner to have in an affair (again, in Miyuki's perspective).

"It isn't a love affair."

He wasn’t only aware of what his sister was thinking, but he also frankly expressed that he saw through her.

Miyuki’s face quickly became red.

While observing his innocent sister, Tatsuya feigned ignorance and continued speaking.

“Chiba Naotsugu-san is a good lover for Watanabe-senpai.”

“..She might have had a fight with him.”

Miyuki hid her embarrassment by stating her opinion with a disgruntled tone.

“If she just wanted to grumble, she would have called Saegusa-senpai, right?”

Miyuki's easy to understand behavior made Tatsuya chuckle during their exchange.

“..No, actually, it’s the opposite.”

Taken by surprise, she put on a serious, albeit dazzling, expression.

“The opposite.. So that means Saegusa-senpai vented to Watanabe- senpai?”

Tatsuya put on a completely serious expression and nodded back to Miyuki’s question.

"It isn't limited to just Watanabe-senpai. If a First High alumni had something to discuss, considering what's happened recently, it would most likely be about the Yotsuba Family matter."

“Ah, that’s right.”

There are also people who give suggestions without considering the time or place, and merely say it for their own convenience. Miyuki's first thoughts went to that by reflex, but she also understood that there are some exceptions to this.

"Even if you think about it, I'm going to ignore the exceptions we can't do anything about."

Miyuki’s thoughts were plainly seen through again by Tatsuya. “....”

Miyuki's white skin became vermillion again.

Without concerning himself with her looking at the floor, Tatsuya continued his reasoning.

"If I were to guess as to who will take action regarding the notification given by the Yotsuba Family, the most likely culprits would be those from the Ten Master Clans. I assume that Saegusa-senpai was dragged into a scheme conceived by the Head of the Saegusa Family. Then, the puzzled Saegusa-senpai went to Watanabe-senpai for advice. Considering their relationship, this invitation isn't a mystery at all."

“It can’t be!”

Miyuki vigorously lifted up her face which still had a tinge of red to it. Intense anxiety surfaced on her face.

“Why are you panicking like that?”

He couldn’t understand why Miyuki got panicked, because of that Tatsuya paused his reasoning and asked why.

“Could it be that.. the Saegusa Family is scheming to make Onii-sama Senpai’s fiancée?”

Miyuki's thought took Tatsuya by surprise. This would definitely warrant her concern.

“..No matter how you look at it, isn’t that progressing a little too quick?”

Of course it wasn't an impossibility, but Tatsuya was of the mindset it wouldn't happen even if the chance was there. Mayumi's nature wasn't one that would be obediently married as a political piece.

"I wonder..”

Miyuki and Mayumi shared that trait, neither would readily become a puppet of their own parent. But if Mayumi shared her father's decision

——it would be a whole different story.

“No, it isn’t like that.”

To shake off her anxiety, she spoke words of denial to herself.

“So then Onii-sama, what are you going to do with Watanabe-senpai’s invitation?”

"I don't have the luxury of ignoring it. Plus, I'm curious about why she went through so much trouble to contact me."

Tatsuya nuanced his words to mean 'there is no other way' so he could avoid distressing Miyuki.

? ? ?

The next day, in the afternoon at 5:55 P.M., Tatsuya visited a café near the National Defense Academy’s Special War Skills Research Department's auxiliary building.

To make it brief, the Special War Skill Research Department is a course with a curriculum for Magicians focused on research and also training for combat Magicians. They conduct a lot of joint research and also have a secondary building near the Magic University.

The Special War Skill Research Department’s students have been exempted from a dormitory lifestyle. Even so, Mari made the location for their appointment to be near the school building due to military drills they have on Sunday.

Tatsuya arrived 5 minutes before the meeting time. Then at 5:59 P.M., he saw Mari’s figure.

“Hey, sorry to make you wait. It’s been a while Tatsuya-kun.”

“Yes, it has.”

Under the coat, Mari was wearing plain clothes. Her pants-suit combo wasn't rare in the university, nor in government or company offices. Chances are that she got it from the National Defense Academy, and it was a uniform.

"I rented a room in this area."

Mari gave an explanation when she noticed Tatsuya gazing at her clothing. It seems she picked this place not because of being near the school, but rather that it was conveniently close to her place.

"That's right, we also had a drill today too.. I feel bad for calling you out at this hour."

“Let’s ignore that for now. What’s your business with me?”

Tatsuya wasn't trying to push Mari away. Just like she had said, it was quite late for a man and woman to be meeting. Since they were close to the National Defense Academy, it wasn't a strange sight to see students visiting this place.. but to avoid misunderstandings, they decided to finish their matters quickly.

"That's right. We both have classes tomorrow, so let's save the idle chatter for next time."

After stating her piece, she ordered a hot coffee from the terminal on top of the shop’s desk.

"But I'd rather not leave with just having water. Please wait a little bit."

Just as Mari said, she didn't say anything until her drink arrived. She was planning her words during the lull.

By happenstance, the shop they were meeting at wasn't an 'old school' shop. It didn't even take a minute from ordering for the completion ring to sound out. Mari came back from the counter and sat in front of Tatsuya, suddenly moving her face close to his.

“Tatsuya, what do you think about Mayumi?”

Without any preface, she whispered a question.

“I think she’s a great Magician. She has talent, and also experience. As for her life and stature, she can separate them well. I have a good impression of her because of that.”

In spite of that sudden question, Tatsuya answered it without any hesitation.

“..You know, I hate that part of you.”

Mari glared at Tatsuya with an annoyed expression. She could tell that he knew what she was getting at, even if he put on a face feigning ignorance.

Tatsuya reacted to Mari’s glare without faltering. She didn’t even put her drink down.

"Why do you want to know about something like that?"

Tatsuya's expression changed to a frown as he fired a question back.

Mari didn’t answer Tatsuya.

"I’m gonna ask again. What do you think of Mayumi as someone of the opposite gender? Do you like her? Do you dislike her? Please answer seriously.”

"As someone of a different gender, it can't be explained in such black and white terms."

“Even so, I want to hear it.”

Tatsuya didn’t have any obligation to answer Mari’s question. With Tatsuya’s current situation, answering would bring him more trouble than merit.

"I will say that I like her.”

But he still answered. Not because of the pressure the girl in front of him was putting out, but rather out of curiosity as to what would come next.

"As someone of the opposite sex right?”

“Yes."

"I see..”

Tatsuya didn't have any sensibility on the feeling of 'liking someone from the opposite gender.' It wasn't within the extent of his limited emotional processing. Affection for a member of the opposite sex was of far lower priority than his fondness towards Miyuki. But he didn't have to explain any of that to Mari.

“Is that affection considered love?”

"It is not. If I must say it, these feelings are more like sexual desire."

Tatsuya showed no embarrassment when delivering that line. Mari, on the other hand, was blushing.

"Y-you have that kind of desire as well, huh?"

'Mari was quite inexperienced on this topic,' Tatsuya thought. Even though premarital sex was a taboo in this generation, her reaction was very innocent for someone who had been in a relationship for a long time.

Of course, Tatsuya had the common sense to not sexually harass Mari with those words.

“Of course I have it. It’s a primordial desire to preserve one’s own lineage.

That wasn't a lie. But Tatsuya didn't share the whole truth that his upper sexual limit was predetermined. It has no capability to rule over his actions or thoughts. Miya's Mental Interference Magic ensured this.

Because of that, Tatsuya's matter of 'sexual desire' isn't about to entice him to make out. This had no need to be said either.

“Watanabe-senpai. You asked me about how I feel towards Saegusa- senpai. What do you plan to do with this information?”

Mari hadn't recovered from the shock she originally got from Tatsuya. Having the main subject of their meeting suddenly brought up, she consoled herself to stop her flustering.

“Tatsuya-kun, would you want to try going out with Mayumi?”

"..By going out, you mean like that, right? Does Senpai not know about Miyuki and I?"

Tatsuya's cold glare disheartened her, but she gathered her courage and continued.

"I know that your little sister is actually your cousin, and you both are engaged to each other.”

“So you should understand that Saegusa-senpai and I shouldn’t be going out.”

Tatsuya's gaze became even more frigid.

Cooling magic should be his little sister's domain, but Mari felt his look could freeze her to death. She was screaming internally at herself to stay awake, for some reason she had started hallucinating that falling asleep could cause her to die from frostbite.

“Your engagement is being contested by the Ichijou Family. Isn’t that right?”

“You are quite informed. Did you hear that from Saegusa-senpai?”

The formal objection made by the Ichijou Family shouldn't have reached her ears. The engagement between Tatsuya and Miyuki was legal —— though, if the actual link between Tatsuya and Miyuki got leaked, they would be punished for forgery of official documents ——, the Ichijou Family had already caused a scandal in the world of magic. With that in mind, this whole topic has been kept more or less private.

"Oh yeah. Also, Mayumi is in the same situation as well. Hmm, saying this the wrong way will cause misunderstandings.. Mayumi is in the same boat as the Ichijou Family's eldest son. They're both being ordered to fill the same role."

The iciness in Tatsuya's glare vanished. It was replaced with a chill that made Mari shift uncomfortably in her seat.

“That.. is a shocking story.”

Tatsuya's remark was his evaluation of the Saegusa Family's decision, but his heart was different. He shuddered in amazement at the revelation that Mayumi was made to be a fiancée candidate for Tatsuya. He was awed at Miyuki's intuition being so spot on. Even though she is still considered a young lady, a female's intuition is scary.. that was the only thought in Tatsuya's mind.

"I think so too.”

Mari's casual remarks were welcomed by Tatsuya's sharp tongue.

“Do you really understand what will happen?”

"What?”

“The one who will be slandered by the public won't be me, but Saegusa- senpai.”

Mari's eye suddenly tinged with soft light.

"How kind of you.”

“This amount of concern is normal.” Tatsuya's gaze didn’t relax.

"If Mayumi didn't have feelings for you, I would have dropped this a long time ago. I told her she didn't have to suffer from this, but she doesn't understand her own feelings."

And then? Tatsuya asked back with his eyes.

"Mayumi doesn't comprehend how she feels about you. She doesn't know the depth of her affection. No, it's more like she doesn't want to admit it. She's running away from her emotions."

“Isn’t that because she understands her position in this matter?”

“She does. Mayumi isn't able to just choose someone based on love interest. Having a lover and being married are different things, so falling in love is pointless. That's how she feels about it.”

"Are you sure you aren't overthinking this? There's certainly a tendency to prevent high level magicians from being single, but it isn't to the point where you can't pick your marriage partner."

“How about you? Your little sister?”

This time Tatsuya stayed silent.

Mari didn't pursue any further for information about those two.

"I want to make her experience love. It may be an unneeded and meddlesome thing to do, but after thinking about her situation, I don't want her to just throw in the towel. You're a guy so you probably don't understand what I'm getting at."

"You're right. I don't.”

"Ok.. well at least just understand this; Mayumi has recognized that she has feelings for you. You might be the first and last love that she has."

Mari's words were full of sincerity. She was only thinking about her friend's feelings.

"You’re overthinking it again.”

But Tatsuya threw that sincerity aside with only those words. "Tatsuya-kun, you!”

"I don't know her as well as you do, but Saegusa-senpai doesn't seem like she'd be that weak."

Mari's enraged tongue was stopped by Tatsuya's objection.

"Give up on this matter. Abandon it. She won't be seen as an obedient child if she pursues this road. Even if I don't return her feelings, she would eventually find someone. Right?"

Tatsuya stood up, looking down at Mari who was at a loss for words.

"And above all else, it's impossible because I am Miyuki's fiancée." The payment for Mari’s drink had already been taken.

And like that, Tatsuya left the shop.