My Brother Won't Lose

"Yes, I'd be delighted."

This time, Shiba Miyuki didn't hesitate or resist as she had before. She stood up at once and accepted.

Then Saegusa Mayumi turned her gaze to Kudo Mitsunobu.

"As a formality, would you be willing to join the Student Council as vice president, Koushu?"

Kudo Mitsunobu bowed his head deeply, just as Shiba Miyuki had.

"I'll do my best."

"Miyuki, you'll be secretary. Azusa will explain your duties."

Shiba Miyuki nodded as she sat back down, showing she understood.

"President, I told you not to call me Azusa in front of the underclassmen." The petite upperclassman puffed out her cheeks like a pufferfish again, making her displeasure clear.

"By the way, Watanabe-senpai, didn't you ask Saegusa-senpai to tell me yesterday to bring Tatsuya along to the Student Council today?"

Kudo Mitsunobu looked at Watanabe Mari, who had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines.

"Oh, right!"

Watanabe Mari remembered what she'd asked for the day before. But she'd only come up with the idea after Saegusa Mayumi told her the plan, so she still needed to confirm a few details.

"Shiba. I remember you told me yesterday that you can see through magic activation sequences, right?"

Shiba Tatsuya wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he had said that himself. And since Kudo Mitsunobu had mentioned having a similar ability, Tatsuya figured that admitting he had one too wouldn't seem all that shocking to the others.

"That's right."

After hearing Shiba Tatsuya's confirmation, Watanabe Mari turned to Saegusa Mayumi. "Mayumi, there's still one opening for a Disciplinary Committee member appointed by the Student Council, left vacant after last year's graduate, isn't there?"

"Mari, I told you that this is still—" Saegusa Mayumi stopped midsentence.

As if she'd suddenly thought of something, her wine-red eyes gleamed. She sprang to her feet and slapped a hand on the table.

Nakajo Azusa jolted in fright, nearly tumbling off her chair.

"That's a great idea, Mari! It solves two problems at once."

"Student Council members have to be Course 1 Students. That's a strict rule, so there's no getting around it. But the Disciplinary Committee doesn't have so many requirements."

"Koushu, you were thinking the same thing, weren't you?" Watanabe Mari asked, looking at Kudo Mitsunobu with a faint smile.

"Yeah. I thought it over after I got home. You didn't seem like the kind of person who'd do anything unnecessary, Watanabe-senpai."

"So if you specifically asked me to bring Tatsuya along, there had to be a reason."

"That was the only reason I could think of. I'm glad I guessed what you had in mind."

Kudo Mitsunobu scratched his head as he spoke.

"How nice! You even thought of the same thing as Mari."

"But what a shame. Mari already has a boyfriend, so you don't have a chance!"

Saegusa Mayumi said it with a smile, but for some reason Kudo Mitsunobu felt as if a cold glint were fixed on him.

"Oh, Mayumi, are you jealous?" Watanabe Mari teased, clearly enjoying the show.

Everyone else watched in silence, eager to see how things would unfold. Only Shiba Tatsuya furrowed his brow, feeling that something was about to be said that he didn't want to hear.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Saegusa Mayumi turned her head away as if in a huff, muttering under her breath.

"Enough, let's get down to business, senpai. Lunch break will be over soon," Kudo Mitsunobu urged, glancing at his watch.

Saegusa Mayumi turned back and shot Kudo Mitsunobu a withering look before continuing. "Then this year's Student Council appointment goes to Tatsuya. Mari?"

Though they'd talked at length, not much time had passed. Shiba Tatsuya had only just gotten a bad feeling, and the next moment, it came true.

"Wait a minute. What about my own wishes? Besides, I have no idea what a Disciplinary Committee member is supposed to do."

Shiba Tatsuya stood up as he spoke. His main reason for coming to Magic High School was to stay by his sister's side and keep her safe, so he had no interest in taking on a high-profile role.

Besides, being on the Disciplinary Committee sounded like a hassle. It would surely take up a lot of his free time.

"Didn't we leave the details of the Student Council's work unexplained to your sister and Kudo-kun, too?"

What was that saying again? People who hardly ever spoke could be devastatingly sharp when they made a quip.

Whether it was her pointed remark to Shiba Miyuki just now or what she'd said to Shiba Tatsuya, every word had cut straight to the point.

"Tatsuya, only Student Council members and Disciplinary Committee members are allowed to carry a CAD with them," Kudo Mitsunobu said. Since the day before, he'd noticed how wary Shiba Tatsuya was.

Someone as cautious as Tatsuya wouldn't obediently hand over his CAD for the school to keep during classes. To someone like him, that would be the same as putting his life in another person's hands.

Kudo Mitsunobu figured that the CAD Tatsuya handed in was one he didn't usually use, and that he'd found a way to keep his regular CAD with him.

So he was sure Tatsuya would be swayed by this.

As it turned out, he was right. After hearing those words, Shiba Tatsuya seemed to soften his initial refusal.

Kudo Mitsunobu's words had struck a real nerve. Having to hide his CAD every day was a hassle.

Shiba Tatsuya thought it over for a while, then sighed.

"Then what exactly does a Disciplinary Committee member do?"

His gaze went to Kudo Mitsunobu first.

Kudo Mitsunobu looked as though he were enjoying the show.

His gaze shifted to the right.

Not one person was willing to answer his question.

The last person.

Once again, I'm asking for your support and your votes. I hope this chapter does well.

The second update is up now.