The mock battle with Tomitsuka had concluded. Tatsuya was passing through the school gates with Miyuki and her entourage, intent on heading home, when they crossed paths with an unexpected figure.
"Ichihara-senpai. It has been quite a while."
"Indeed. I believe the last time was the graduation ceremony? It's good to see you again, Shiba-kun."
"Likewise. It's a pleasure, Ichihara-senpai," Tatsuya replied with a polite nod.
Standing before them was Ichihara Suzune, a distinguished alumna of First High currently attending Magic University. Since this was her first time meeting the woman, Minami—recognizing her as a mutual acquaintance of the siblings—offered a formal greeting.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Sakurai Minami, the cousin of Master Tatsuya and Mistress Miyuki."
"I am Ichihara Suzune. The pleasure is mine."
Miyuki, maintaining her perfect poise, tilted her head slightly. "By the way, Ichihara-senpai, might I ask what brings you here today?"
Had this been Mayumi, she likely would have offered some playful excuse about checking in on her younger sisters. Suzune, however, was characteristically direct.
"I have a few things I wished to ask Shiba-kun. Do you have some time to spare after this?"
"I don't have any pressing engagements," Tatsuya replied, "but I'm curious as to what you would need to ask me, Senpai."
Tatsuya couldn't recall anything he'd done recently that would warrant an inquiry from her. He exchanged a brief look with Miyuki before turning a questioning gaze back to Suzune.
"I wanted to ask about the recent Stellar Furnace experiment—specifically, the circumstances that led to it and the hardware configurations you employed."
"Ah, I see. I can show you the initial proposal, and if you require a detailed explanation, I'm happy to provide one. Minami, please take Miyuki and head home first."
"Understood, Master Tatsuya."
As a fellow researcher in the same field, it was only natural that Suzune would be captivated by the experiment Tatsuya had designed. Her university studies had likely kept her occupied until today. Understanding this instantly, Tatsuya informed the girls that he would be taking a detour to assist Suzune. Avoiding their usual haunt, Eine Brise, he led her toward a different, quieter cafe.
Upon entering, the staff momentarily froze at the sight of the striking pair, but they quickly recovered and ushered them to a table. The two sat in a comfortable silence until their order arrived. After taking a refined sip of her coffee, Suzune was the first to speak.
"That experiment was magnificent. Had I the time, I would have loved to witness it in person."
"We didn't exactly announce it in advance. Even if you were free, it's unlikely you would have been able to secure a viewing."
"Why did you choose that specific timing?" she asked, her sharp eyes searching his. "Knowing you, it wasn't a mere coincidence that Representative Kanda of the Civil Rights Party happened to be visiting that day."
"I should have expected you to see through that," Tatsuya admitted. "I was aware of Representative Kanda's schedule. I knew he intended to use the media to incite anti-magician sentiment, so I decided to leverage his presence to flip the narrative through public opinion. As it turned out, the experiment was so effective that such manipulations were hardly necessary."
While this wasn't information he would share with just anyone, Tatsuya trusted that Suzune wasn't the type to gossip. He laid out the inner workings of the project while she pored over the draft proposal he pulled up on his terminal.
"A truly fascinating study," she murmured. "It's no wonder Professor Tsuzura took such an interest."
"It was only possible because of that specific team. I couldn't have achieved it alone."
"I felt the same during last year's Thesis Competition," Suzune said, a rare softness in her voice. "It was only because of you, Isori-kun, and so many others that I was able to make that presentation. Our approaches may differ, but we are moving toward the same goal—though you seem to be several steps ahead of me."
Returning the terminal to Tatsuya, Suzune let out a small breath of relief. She had been so engrossed in the data that she hadn't noticed her cup was empty; she moved to take a sip, realized it was dry, and averted her eyes with a faint, embarrassed flush.
"I wish I could have participated in this... I find myself quite envious of Isori-kun and Nakajou-san."
"I had discussed it with them during the planning stages. I did wonder if word might eventually reach you or Nanakusa-senpai."
"A missed opportunity, then. Please, do let me know the next time you plan something of this scale."
"I will. By the way, Senpai, how are your CAD tuning skills progressing?"
"...It seems I still have much to learn from you. Would you be willing to give me a lesson?"
"I don't mind. If you have the time, we could do it now."
"Certainly. Shall we head to First High?"
Suzune assumed the school lab was the only place with the necessary equipment. Tatsuya's counter-proposal, however, was elsewhere.
Upon entering the Shiba residence, Suzune could not hide her astonishment at the basement laboratory. The sheer quality and sophistication of the tuning equipment surpassed many professional facilities.
"Shall we begin?"
"Um... whose CAD will I be working on?"
"I have Minami's CAD here, unadjusted. I've already completed the data measurements, so please use this as a test run."
"Understood."
Using the CAD and the data provided by Tatsuya, Suzune began the delicate process. Beside her, Tatsuya started on a different task, but Suzune was too focused to notice.
"Wait... how should I handle this parameter?"
"For that part, you do it like this."
Tatsuya reached around from behind her, his hands overlapping hers to guide her through the sequence. To any outside observer, the proximity would look indistinguishable from an embrace.
"Onii-sama! What on earth are you doing with Ichihara-senpai?!"
Case in point.
Miyuki, having completely forgotten herself in Suzune's presence, launched an instinctive magical "attack" at Tatsuya. It was a strike that, to Suzune's eyes, should have been devastating—yet in the next heartbeat, the force was dispersed as if it had never existed.
"I was merely teaching her the tuning procedure," Tatsuya said calmly.
"I... I see. My apologies, Onii-sama."
"Excuse me... what was that just now?" Suzune blinked, stunned. "Shiba-kun, didn't Miyuki-san's attack hit you directly...?"
"Ah! Um, that was..."
Seeing Miyuki begin to panic, Tatsuya offered a small, reassuring smile and gently ushered his sister out of the basement. The silent message was clear: I'll handle the explanation; go calm yourself down.
"I must ask you to keep what you just saw a secret," Tatsuya said, turning back to Suzune.
Suzune's shock quickly morphed into a clever, calculating glint. "Then, in exchange, I have a condition: please grant me as much of your time as possible on weekends."
"...I will give you as much time as I can, Suzune-san."
Tatsuya judged it a fair trade. However, he soon realized his mistake. Suzune didn't want the time for technical adjustments; she wanted "dates"—shopping trips and outings that left Miyuki and Minami in a perpetual state of foul humor. In the end, Tatsuya found himself busier than ever, struggling to manage the domestic fallout while his own free time vanished entirely.
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