"I see. It seems we didn't think things through," Mayumi Saegusa said.
"Honestly, if that's the case, we have a problem," Mari Watanabe said, sounding somewhat helpless herself.
Yunyi shrugged indifferently, but glanced out of the corner of his eye at Tatsuya Shiba, who sat beside him.
So, Mr. Tatsuya Yotsuba, our god of destruction, how much of what I just said did you believe? Yunyi wondered as he looked at Tatsuya Shiba's blank, wooden expression.
"Um, may I ask something?"
Just then, Miyuki Shiba suddenly spoke up with a question.
"President, Chairwoman Watanabe, since you invited Liu Yunyi to join the Public Morals Committee, that means its members don't have to be Course 1 Students, right? In that case, could you invite my brother too? I believe my brother would be more than capable of handling the Public Morals Committee's work!"
"Hey, Miyuki..."
Tatsuya Shiba was somewhat exasperated. He hadn't expected his sister to bring him up again at a time like this. But before he could say anything more, Yunyi spoke up from the other side. "Tatsuya..."
Hearing his voice, Tatsuya Shiba turned to look at him.
"Your sister is trying to get you better treatment and wants you to show a better side of yourself. Personally, I don't think you, as her brother, should stop her in a situation like this. After all, you'd make Miyuki lose face."
Yunyi's words took Tatsuya Shiba aback.
"This..."
"That's not true at all. Please don't misunderstand, Liu Yunyi!"
Yet the person who replied to Yunyi in a somewhat heated tone wasn't Tatsuya Shiba, but Miyuki Shiba herself.
"Hiss..." Yunyi drew a sharp breath in surprise and uncertainty, then smiled helplessly. "All right, all right. Looks like I was meddling. I'm sorry, Tatsuya, and you too, Shiba."
Seeing how readily he apologized, Miyuki Shiba said no more. Tatsuya Shiba, on the other hand, thought for a moment before speaking. "No, Yunyi, you weren't wrong. I really was inconsiderate in how I handled this. Miyuki, I'm sorry."
"No, no, Brother, you don't need to apologize at all. I know very well that you aren't like that." Miyuki Shiba hurried to explain that she hadn't thought anything was wrong.
Just as Tatsuya Shiba was about to comfort his sister, Yunyi suddenly leaned a little closer and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Tatsuya, personally, I think you're a little overprotective of your sister. If this goes on, I'm quite worried about Miyuki's future."
With that, he hurriedly sat up straight without waiting for Tatsuya Shiba's response. Tatsuya Shiba, meanwhile, fell into thought again after hearing his words.
Miyuki Shiba had always paid close attention to her brother's condition. Although she hadn't heard what Yunyi said, her brother seemed a little off after listening to him. That was absolutely unacceptable to Miyuki.
Before Miyuki could turn her slightly hostile gaze toward Yunyi, Mayumi Saegusa cut into the trio's conversation.
"Um, Miyuki, are you serious about that proposal?" Mayumi Saegusa asked.
"Yes, Miyuki, the Public Morals Committee's work does involve some danger. And as a Course 2 Student, Shiba would have some difficulties because of his position," Suzune Ichihara added.
"Yes! I believe my brother can certainly do the job!" Miyuki Shiba replied to them without hesitation.
"In that case, we..." Mari Watanabe began, but before she could finish, Yunyi cut in. "Um, shouldn't we have Tatsuya demonstrate his abilities so everyone can make a better judgment?"
"True. How about we give him an assessment after school?" Mari Watanabe accepted Yunyi's suggestion.
"I think that works. What do you think, Miyuki?" Mayumi Saegusa asked.
"I agree too!" Miyuki Shiba said.
Everyone chimed in, and just like that, the matter was settled. Of course, they had all unconsciously followed Yunyi's lead, completely overlooking Tatsuya Shiba's own wishes.
Tatsuya Shiba sensed that something was off about it, but he couldn't say what.
In fact, his suspicion was correct. The reason Mayumi Saegusa and the others had followed up on Yunyi's suggestion was that Yunyi had secretly used a Kotodama Curse, or Kotodama Magic.
If he had used the spell as he had the day before, everyone would surely have reacted. Magicians of Mayumi Saegusa's and Miyuki Shiba's caliber in particular would have noticed the instant they received outside interference. But Yunyi had skillfully reduced the spell's influence and slipped it into the conversation, casting it by taking up someone else's train of thought. That greatly reduced the chance of anyone noticing.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Yunyi rose with a smile, stretched, and took his leave of Mayumi Saegusa and the others. Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba did the same.
The lunch break was nearly over anyway, so Mayumi Saegusa and the others naturally didn't stop them. After saying goodbye, everyone returned to their respective classes and classrooms.
On the way back to the classroom, however, Tatsuya Shiba asked Yunyi a question.
"Do you really think I'm a little overprotective of Miyuki?"
Hearing the question, Yunyi couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Tatsuya, has no one really ever told you that before? Your protectiveness toward Shiba is more than just excessive! Personally, I think it's far too excessive! I even think your desire to protect Shiba is bordering on possessiveness! You two are brother and sister!"
Yunyi's words shocked Tatsuya Shiba. Was he possessive of Miyuki?
Seeing his shocked expression, Yunyi chuckled inwardly.
Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba weren't ordinary siblings! Although most people in the Yotsuba Family saw Miyuki as a strong contender to become the family's next head and Tatsuya Shiba as her guardian, in Yunyi's view, their positions should have been entirely reversed!
Tatsuya Yotsuba should have been the Yotsuba Family's next head. After all, his "Decomposition" was stronger and more troublesome than the "Night" of Maya Yotsuba, the family's current head! Miyuki Shiba, meanwhile, was a near-perfect adjusted human created by the Yotsuba Family! She was also a limiter switch belonging to Tatsuya Shiba alone, created by the Yotsuba Family for the eventuality that he might run wild someday!