Following the conclusion of the day's training with the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, Tatsuya was summoned by Major Kazama to a private briefing room.
"At ease. Have a seat."
"If it's all the same to you, Major, I prefer to stand."
Tatsuya recalled a similar exchange during the Nine Schools Competition. As he had thought then, their relationship wasn't one where he could simply drop his guard and sit just because he was told to.
"I've said this before, Tatsuya—this is a private matter. There is no rank between us right now."
"…Understood."
Kazama seemed to have read his mind. Tatsuya hesitated for a fraction of a second, but seeing no point in arguing, he took a seat.
"I'll be blunt," Kazama began. "You aren't currently seeing anyone, are you?"
"That is blunt. No, I am not."
"I thought as much. It seems Elder Kudo has taken quite a shine to you. He's been making inquiries about having you marry into the Fujibayashi family—as a son-in-law."
Tatsuya's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed. "And what of the Lieutenant's feelings? She is still haunted by her past, isn't she?"
"Precisely why he's doing this, I imagine."
Both men knew the truth. Three years ago, during the invasion of Okinawa, Kyoko Fujibayashi had lost her fiancé. The grief still clung to her like a shadow—a fact both Kazama and Tatsuya were well aware of. Knowing this was the context for the proposal, Tatsuya couldn't help but direct a sharp, silent glare toward the absent Retsudo Kudo.
"Fortunately, there is no training tomorrow. And if I recall, you have no urgent business at school."
"Nothing that can't be handled remotely, but certainly nothing 'urgent.'"
"Then tomorrow, you will take Fujibayashi out on a date."
"I beg your pardon? Does the Lieutenant even know about this?"
"I expect you to be the one to ask her," Kazama replied with a small, slightly wicked smile.
Tatsuya looked visibly displeased, but after a moment's calculation, he concluded that a brief change of pace might not be the worst thing for either of them. He stood to leave.
"Dragging that grief around forever won't do her any good..." Kazama murmured to the empty room once Tatsuya had gone. He closed his eyes, offering a silent thought to the man Kyoko had once intended to marry.
Tatsuya had expected to be turned down, but to his surprise, Kyoko had agreed to the invitation immediately. Though he felt a bit caught off guard by her ready acceptance, a promise was a promise. He now stood at the designated meeting spot, waiting.
"I'm sorry, Tatsuya-kun! Have I kept you waiting long?"
"No. I only just arrived."
He wasn't just being polite; he really hadn't been waiting long. Kyoko had arrived several minutes before the appointed time herself, so she didn't seem particularly guilty.
"So, what inspired you to ask me out today?" she asked, her tone light.
"Straight to the point, I see. As I said before, I thought we could both use a change of pace."
"I find it hard to believe you'd be that considerate of your own volition."
She was saying something quite harsh with a bright smile, but since she was talking to Tatsuya, it was a perfectly reasonable doubt. Tatsuya didn't take offense; he simply let the conversation flow naturally.
"I'll explain the full reason later. For now, shall we move on?"
"I suppose so. If we stay here much longer, I might get killed by the glares of all the women staring at you." Kyoko gave him a mischievous, playful grin.
"And I'll likely be killed by the men staring at you, Fujibayashi-san."
"…Oh, stop it!"
Kyoko flushed, caught off guard by the way Tatsuya could deliver such a smooth compliment with a completely straight face.
"Still," she noted, looking him over, "in your civilian clothes, you look even less like a high school student than usual."
"I'm aware. Though I can't say it's a pleasant thing to hear people point out."
"Does it actually bother you?"
"Not deeply, but it's a point of minor concern."
There was nearly a ten-year age gap between them. With any other pair, the difference might have looked awkward or out of place. However, Tatsuya's inherent maturity bridged the gap perfectly. As they walked side-by-side, they looked remarkably well-matched.
"If I get to go on a date with you, I suppose I should be grateful for that mature aura of yours."
"Even you tell jokes, it seems."
"Oh? I was being entirely sincere."
Tatsuya allowed himself a wry smile. He had been on guard, wondering if Kyoko had already deduced the true nature of this "date," but her current expression suggested she was genuinely enjoying herself.
"Tatsuya-kun."
"Yes?"
Her face suddenly turned serious. Catching her shift in mood, Tatsuya mirrored her, his smile vanishing as he gave her his full attention.
"Just for today... would you mind calling me by my name?"
"By your name? You mean... Kyoko-san?"
"No. Without the honorific. I want you to say it without hesitation, just like you do when you call for Miyuki-san."
"Kyoko...?"
Tatsuya didn't understand the sudden request. With his limited emotional range, the nuanced social and romantic weight of dropping honorifics—especially in a culture as formal as theirs—was something he couldn't quite grasp.
"My grandfather is behind this invitation, isn't he?"
"…So you did know."
"Of course. The Major was being so transparently 'subtle' about it, and then you ask me on a date the very same day? It wasn't hard to connect the dots."
It had been Kazama's blunder, but Tatsuya took the responsibility, bowing his head slightly. "I apologize for involving you in such a charade."
"Don't be. You were dragged into it too, weren't you? All because I'm still clinging to the ghost of 'that person.'"
"If he was your beloved, I don't think you can be blamed for that."
"Maybe for a normal family. But I'm a daughter of the Fujibayashi family, a prestigious house of Ancient Magic. And I'm the granddaughter of Retsudo Kudo, the 'Trickster' himself. Letting my grief linger this long... it's considered a failure for someone of my lineage."
Tatsuya listened in silence. Her words were tinged with a sharp, self-deprecating edge. He knew it wasn't his place to interject, nor was it something he had the right to "fix" with logic.
"I'm hopeless. No matter what I do, I end up remembering him. I'm just using you as a substitute for him... even asking you to use my name like he did..."
Her voice began to tremble. Tatsuya realized that having her break down in the middle of a busy street would be problematic for several reasons. He gently guided her into a nearby cafe, finding a secluded corner away from the other patrons.
"I'm sorry. And... thank you."
"There is no need. I am also at fault for how this was handled."
Kyoko's resolve finally crumbled. She reached out, clinging to Tatsuya as the tears she had held back for years finally began to fall. Tatsuya didn't say a word; he simply held her, letting her weep until the storm passed. Though they were in a quiet corner, they weren't entirely invisible. A few patrons who caught sight of the scene quickly looked away and moved on, sensing a grief too private and too heavy to witness.
(Author's Note: This took a surprisingly heavy turn...)
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