The Infinite Dimensions Starting from The Irregular at Magic High School

"If it's just an apology, I'll accept it. Let's settle it that way. How does that sound?"

"I have no objections."

"I don't have any objections either. Mahiro, you really do have a point. If we handled it according to Mari's ruling, it really would look like we were favoring Course 1 students."

They had always been working to change the relationship between Course 1 and Course 2 students.

Naturally, they wouldn't reject Mahiro's well-reasoned proposal.

It was just that Katsuto Jumonji's expression had darkened a little at the time. Only later did he learn that Kirihara Takeaki had originally been one of Jumonji's people—or rather, someone Jumonji had his eye on and was preparing to bring under his own influence.

And as they were leaving, Mari Watanabe was still asking him whether he wanted to join the Public Morals Committee.

In her eyes, Mahiro was a perfect fit.

But he still maintained his refusal.

However...

"At the end of the day, the reason I ended up opposing Mayumi-senpai and Watanabe-senpai was because you didn't tell the truth, wasn't it, Tatsuya?!"

Now it was Miyuki's turn to be surprised. She blinked in astonishment and looked at Tatsuya, asking, "Brother, did you really lie, like Mahiro-oniisama said?"

"No."

Tatsuya shook his head in denial. "I merely concealed part of the facts in pursuit of a more peaceful solution."

"Yes, yes, you have your reasons. So you think the initial ruling that treated the kendo club as equally guilty was a peaceful solution, do you?"

Tatsuya fell silent and did not answer.

Aside from that, there was actually one more thing Mahiro did not say.

The Public Morals Committee was responsible for handling improper use of magic in the first place. It was not supposed to play the role of a peacemaker smoothing things over.

The others, meanwhile, watched the two of them clash head-on and did not dare speak.

Tatsuya was calm, and Mahiro was easygoing.

That had always been their impression of the two of them.

But none of them had expected these two to come into conflict, and this was also the first time they had seen Mahiro act so forcefully.

"Um..."

Just then, Mizuki's soft, timid voice broke the deadlocked atmosphere between the two of them.

"What is it, Shibata-san?"

"Um, Yotsuba-san denied the decisions of the Club Federation and the Public Morals Committee. Will he be targeted afterward?" Mizuki asked worriedly.

That was also what the others were worried about.

After all, the dignity of the Ten Master Clans could not be insulted. That was a consensus shared by every family.

"Well~ who knows? Maybe tomorrow the Student Council will team up with the two major departments and kick me down to Course 2. If that happens, you guys had better not look down on me."

Mahiro picked up his teacup and took a light sip, joking as if nothing had happened.

"Huh? Seriously?!"

The group froze for a moment, and Honoka was the first to speak. "Do they... really have that much authority?"

Kitayama Shizuku replied, "Quality answer: I don't know either."

"Don't worry. If Yotsuba-san becomes a Course 2 student, we'll absolutely welcome him!"

"Idiot Leo, why does the way you said that make it sound like you can't wait for Yotsuba-san to become a Course 2 student?"

"What do you mean, woman? When did I ever say that?!"

"That's exactly what you meant~"

As expected, Erika and Leo started arguing again.

Seeing them like this, Mahiro couldn't help but smile.

Going to school really was great.

However, while it was impossible for him to be demoted to Course 2 and that part had been purely a joke, the aftermath of this incident would definitely not be small.

Just as he had expected.

The conflict that had occurred in the Second Small Gymnasium, as well as the decision made afterward, did indeed cause quite a stir.

The commotion lasted a full week. Basically, most Course 1 students looked at Yotsuba Mahiro strangely, and behind his back, they called him "the traitor of Course 1."

In particular, the people from the Fencing Department wished they could challenge him to a PK right there on the spot.

But when they thought of what had happened to Kirihara Takeaki, they obediently chose to remain silent.

And just like that, club recruitment week came to an end.

No matter what raging waves it had stirred up, they had all already settled back down.

And at noon one week after recruitment week ended, he received an invitation from Mibu Sayaka.

"I mean, Mibu-senpai, I know you invited me here, but you didn't have to wait at the door, did you?"

As soon as he arrived at the café, he saw Mibu-senpai standing by the entrance, her striking ponytail drifting slowly in the breeze, swaying amid the fluttering cherry blossoms.

She was not wearing the white kendo uniform he saw her in every time, but dressed in her school uniform, she had a different sort of charm.

"Otherwise, Yotsuba-kun might not be able to find me, right? Since I was the one who invited you, I'd feel bad making you spend time looking for me."

It was the sort of thoughtful gesture a girl would make—or rather, the sort of gesture this senpai would make—and the warm smile she directed at Mahiro was simply impossible for a boy his age to resist.

As expected of Kendo Komachi.

Although it was lunchtime, there were not many people in the café. He and Sayaka chose seats by the window.

"What would you like to eat, Yotsuba-kun? It's my treat."

"Really? Then I won't hold back."

Mahiro ordered a steak set without the slightest hesitation, plus a cup of coffee, while Sayaka ordered a serving of Japanese-style fried noodles and a glass of juice.

Though, to be honest, the food here was not very good. It was only at the level of being edible.

After all, unlike the student cafeteria, the café's food was basically all made by automatic serving machines. It was more or less like instant heated fast food, so he could not expect too much.

Starting in a few days, I should bring my own lunch.

He thought that, but his hands never stopped cutting into the steak.

By the time lunch was about to end, Sayaka, having finished her fried noodles, was focused on drinking the vivid red juice in her cup through a straw.

After drinking two-thirds of it in one go, she seemed about to say something and lifted her head.

Only to meet Mahiro's gaze right then.

At first, she was a little dazed, but gradually, her cheeks began to turn red, as if the coloring in the juice had spread onto her face.

"Mibu-senpai, do you really like fruit-flavored drinks?"

"Ugh... What's wrong with liking sweet things? Fine, I'm childish!"

As if embarrassed, she started sulking.

"I wouldn't call it childish. It's normal for girls to like sweet things. I just meant that if you like it that much, senpai, I can treat you to another cup. You don't have to rush."

Facing Sayaka's sulky behavior, Mahiro spoke in a soothing tone.

It was almost as if he were comforting a child.

"N-no, that's all right, thank you..."

"This one cup is enough..."

Perhaps it was because his tone had been inappropriate, but Sayaka grew as shy as an ostrich, almost lowering her head until it was buried in her own chest.

But immediately afterward, she seemed to figure something out.

"Um... please allow me to sort out my feelings again..."

She suddenly said that.

Then she straightened her posture again.

It was as if she had breathed a sigh of relief. Though she did not place a hand on her chest, it was still obvious.

Compared to the Mibu-senpai he had seen last week, Sayaka at this moment seemed even cuter.

"Now, please allow me to express my gratitude again for what happened before."

Sayaka placed both hands on her closed thighs, straightened her sitting posture, and bowed.

Mm, she had returned to being that kendo senpai again.

"Mibu-senpai, you don't need to be so formal. After all, you're someone I know. There's no way I could just stand by and watch you get hurt."

"No, it's not just about you helping stop Kirihara-san."

Sayaka shook her head, denying what he said.

"After all, Kirihara-san and I had that sort of private duel. According to how the Public Morals Committee usually handles things, our kendo club should have been punished as well..."

"But I know that because of this matter, Yotsuba-kun had quite a conflict with the head of the Club Federation and the Public Morals Committee Chair, and that was why Kirihara-san and the Fencing Department apologized to us."

"So, thank you very much, Yotsuba-kun!"

Sayaka lowered her head deeply.

Not only that, if he had not snapped her awake in time before Club Recruitment Week and eased the confusion in her heart a little, that duel with Kirihara probably would not have been won so easily.

"Please raise your head, senpai."

His voice seemed to possess some sort of magic, making Sayaka sit up straight without thinking and meet his eyes.

"Mibu-senpai, I didn't do these things for the Kendo Department. I only hoped to have a fair environment, even if it was only fair on the surface, rather than one that merely shouted slogans of fairness."

"If the Kendo Department really had been in the wrong in this matter, I wouldn't have argued against Watanabe-senpai's judgment either."

"Well, that's true..."

Sayaka muttered in embarrassment, a hint of dissatisfaction still audible in her voice. "But if it were the Public Morals Committee, I'm afraid we'd be the only ones taking the loss this time..."

"The Kendo Department has run into plenty of things of a similar scale before, but every time, we were reported without anyone even asking who was right or wrong. Those Public Morals Committee members just wanted to pad their own records."

It seemed Mibu-senpai had a deep prejudice against the Public Morals Committee.

But speaking of the Public Morals Committee...

"By the way, senpai, did you know? I've actually received an invitation from the Public Morals Committee too."

"Ah... Ah?! S-sorry, that's not what I meant... Really!"

It seemed this senpai had misunderstood something, and before she knew it, she grew flustered and hurriedly began explaining.

"What I mean is, Yotsuba-kun is different from those people, and even different from those Course 1 students, too. That's also why we were spared punishment. Um, I wasn't trying to bad-mouth the Public Morals Committee... Well, no, I do really hate those people, but... Wait, huh?"

Sayaka's words became completely disorganized, even turning into nonsensical rambling. Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until in the end, she was only moving her lips without making a sound.

Then she noticed that this underclassman's eyes seemed to be carrying a smile, and she could not help lowering her head shyly.

"...Hey, Yotsuba-kun, do you really like bullying people...?"

"Of course not." Mahiro waved a hand and said with a smile, "I just thought you suddenly looked very cute, senpai, so I wanted to tease you a little. Sorry."

"But, that aside, Mibu-senpai, you didn't come here only to thank me this time, did you? Is there something else?"

If she just wanted to express her thanks, she could have done it in the student cafeteria. There was no need to choose a café with fewer people.

This was obviously something she wanted to discuss.

Cute, he says...

Sayaka muttered this in a tiny voice, then quickly suppressed her embarrassment.

Perhaps because her desire to achieve her goal overcame her emotions, she finally got to the point.

"...I'll get straight to the point."