The final week of June brought with it the looming shadow of term exams. Despite the hour, the Student Council room of First High was a battlefield of percussive keystrokes, electronic pings, and the hushed murmurs of reports and consultations. Roughly an hour after the final bell, Tatsuya Shiba stood and approached the President's desk.
"President, I've organized all reports and proposals from the Administrative Board and the Public Morals Committee into the pending folder. Please review them by tomorrow."
Azusa Nakajou looked up, blinking. "I see... You know, Shiba-kun, I really wouldn't mind if you just handled the final approvals yourself."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Tatsuya replied flatly.
Whether she truly trusted his judgment or was simply trying to dodge the paperwork, Azusa's attempt to offload her duties was met with a blunt shake of the head.
"If you'll excuse me."
"Thank you for your hard work," she sighed.
It was still well before the school's closing gates. The other officers remained glued to their stations, showing no signs of stopping. Yet, Azusa accepted Tatsuya's "escape declaration" as a matter of course. In truth, Tatsuya's early departure was at Azusa's own request—or rather, her plea.
The current council consisted of six members: the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, and two Secretaries—one more than the previous year. While the workload per person should have decreased, Tatsuya's presence had shifted the scales too far. Simply put, his processing speed was monstrous.
Most student council work involved simple binary decisions, tedious organization, and soul-crushing data entry. When Tatsuya operated at full capacity, he could finish a day's worth of administrative labor for the entire room by himself, leaving the others with nothing to do but watch.
"Shiba-senpai, could I ask for a moment of your time?"
"Of course. That section there—"
Before he could leave, Izumi Saegusa stopped him to clarify a point in her current task. When she had first joined, Izumi almost exclusively relied on Miyuki, but lately, she found herself turning to Tatsuya. Ever since his mock battle with Takuma, she had researched his record as thoroughly as possible. She had come to realize he was a man worthy of profound respect—and, perhaps, she was becoming a bit too aware of him.
After finishing his explanation to Izumi, Tatsuya turned to his sister and gave a short nod.
"Miyuki."
"Yes, I'll be waiting," she replied with a smile.
"Tatsuya-san, would you mind if I walked with you to the station?" Honoka Mitsui asked, looking up from her secretary's desk.
"Not at all."
Tatsuya accepted with a small smile. Bit by bit, he had begun making a conscious effort to treat Honoka as someone special. Seeing that slightly strained yet deliberate smile, Honoka's heart raced, and her fingers flew across her keyboard with renewed vigor.
None of the other officers noticed the slightly lonely gaze Izumi cast at Tatsuya's retreating back as he left the room.
It was that awkward time of day—too late to start a full club session, but too early to head home. Tatsuya changed into his outdoor fatigues in the deserted locker room, stowed his uniform in his classroom locker, and headed for the training forest behind the school.
This artificial woodland wasn't just for magic practice; it was a meticulously designed landscape of varying elevations, dense thickets, ponds, and sand traps, all intended to push the physical limits of students aiming for careers in the military, police, or rescue services. Consequently, the forest wasn't just the domain of magic clubs. Purely athletic outdoor groups had their allotted times here as well.
Tatsuya was heading toward one such non-magical club.
"Yo, Tatsuya!"
"Tatsuya-sama!"
Before he could even offer a greeting, Leo's boisterous voice rang out. Minami, who had been holding a large kettle, hurried over to him and gave a polite bow.
"Sorry to intrude, Leo. I see you're working hard, Minami. By the way, where is Captain Agata?"
"Right here," a voice barked.
Kenshirou Agata, the President of the Mountaineering Club, stepped forward.
"Captain, thank you for having me again today."
"Hah, don't mention it. Stay as long as you like. Actually, if you've got the energy, why don't you help me whip these freshmen into shape?"
At Agata's words, half of the club members—currently looking like literal shambling corpses—flinched visibly. None of them, however, had the strength left to actually run away.
"I suppose I could," Tatsuya mused. "After I finish a lap of the course myself."
"A lap first? You've got too much damn energy... Compare that to you lot! Whining over a measly ten-kilometer forest run! Look at Saijou, he's still got plenty of spark in him!"
"...Please don't... compare us to Leo..." one of the students wheezed.
"Stop your crying! The third-years ran an extra lap! Now get up! You aren't dead yet!"
The second-year members managed to haul themselves up, but the freshmen were beyond the point of pride. They remained sprawled on the dirt.
"Guess I've got no choice... Sakurai! Do it!"
"Yes, sir."
On Agata's command, Minami tilted the large kettle in her hand.
"Is that boiling water?" Tatsuya asked, eyeing the steam.
"Nah. Just about forty-five or forty-six degrees Celsius."
"At this time of year," Leo explained, "if you splash them with cold water, it just feels good and they end up falling asleep. This keeps 'em moving."
As the freshmen shrieked and scrambled away from the hot spray, Tatsuya, Leo, and Agata stood off to the side, chatting.
"Hey, Tatsuya," Leo said, looking over at the girl with the kettle. "Why did Sakurai join our club, anyway?"
"A bit late to be asking that, isn't it?"
"I mean, I've been wondering for a while... With her magic talent, wouldn't the big-shot magic clubs be tripping over each other to recruit her?"
"She said she wanted to strengthen her physical foundation," Tatsuya replied.
"I think she moves well enough for a first-year girl as it is," Agata grunted.
"I'm sure Minami has her reasons," Tatsuya said vaguely.
In truth, Minami's primary motivation was to kill time. She joined the club specifically so her schedule would align with Tatsuya and Miyuki's student council hours, ensuring they could all go home together.
It was a reason Tatsuya felt was better left unsaid.
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