William 09

Title: Let’s Stop Here

“Who are you?”

Tatsuya shifted his steps slightly to the right, shielding Miyuki behind him.

The others present also showed wary expressions, as Kousen had been standing behind Mayumi earlier.

Though Kousen hadn’t spoken earlier, they assumed he’d returned to settle the matter.

Tatsuya was different from the others. He sensed that Kousen was the owner of the spying gaze from before.

That’s why he hid Miyuki behind him—if Kousen had ill intentions, he could act immediately.

Kousen noticed their wariness, shrugged, and gave a friendly smile.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Kudou Kousen from Class 1-C.”

“Sorry about that attack earlier.”

Then Kousen shifted his gaze to the burly man in the crowd.

(Kudou.)

Tatsuya’s pupils narrowed briefly, but he quickly returned to his usual calm expression.

“No worries, you controlled the intensity of your attack carefully, didn’t you?” The burly man laughed heartily, clearly unbothered by the incident.

“Well, I’m a bit confident in my control skills.”

“Oh, by the way, I’m Saijou Leonhard. If you don’t mind, just call me Leo.”

Kousen’s friendly demeanor and immediate apology upon appearing earned him the goodwill of everyone present, and they began introducing themselves.

After all, they weren’t particularly close. Mitsui Honoka and Kitayama Shizuku were First Course students, while the others were Second Course students, so the two groups didn’t interact much.

The only connection was Honoka’s admiration for Tatsuya.

Tatsuya temporarily lowered his guard, though he might investigate Kousen after returning home.

Of course, Kousen planned to do the same.

At the moment, he was very intrigued by the Shiba siblings.

“But it’s getting late. How about we head out?”

“There’s a café near the station. I’ve been there before—the ambiance is nice, and the coffee’s pretty good.”

The group consisted of four First Course students: Miyuki, Honoka, Shizuku, and Kousen.

And four Second Course students: Tatsuya, Erika, Leo, and Mizuki.

The eight of them sat at a large table, not divided like the typically hostile First and Second Course students at school.

Instead, they mingled, with Kousen sitting next to Erika and Shizuku.

Kousen glanced at a message that had just come in on his terminal, then placed it back on the table.

“Wow, she predicted this, even though she acted clueless earlier.”

“Shiba-san, the President sent me a message saying you need to come to the Student Council for lunch tomorrow!”

Miyuki nodded slightly, indicating she understood.

Kousen then looked at Tatsuya.

“Tatsuya-kun, you don’t mind if I call you that, right? It’s a bit hard to distinguish when calling both of you Shiba-san.”

“Of course. I’ll call you Kousen too!”

Tatsuya nodded calmly. It wasn’t that he particularly liked Kousen, but this was one of his ways to ensure his sister’s high school life remained pleasant.

As long as someone didn’t threaten his sister, he’d show this friendly demeanor to anyone.

“President didn’t just call your sister. Tatsuya-kun, you need to come too!”

“Me?”

Tatsuya was clearly surprised but agreed nonetheless.

After all, he thought the president likely had no business with a Second Course student like him. It was probably just about something related to his sister.

“But, Kousen, you seem awfully close with the President. Aren’t you a new student too?”

Leo, who had been quiet, suddenly asked. After all, he was the only one present unaware of the significance of Kousen’s surname.

“Are you dumb?”

Erika shot Leo a look as if he were a carbon-based lifeform.

“What do you mean, woman? Why are you talking to me like that?”

Leo was visibly annoyed. Since meeting this morning, this woman had been picking fights with him, and now she called him dumb.

“Leo, you’re in the wrong this time!”

Miyuki sitting beside him, spoke up.

“Leo, the President’s surname is Saegusa, and Kousen’s is Kudou. Still don’t get why they know each other?”

“I get it!”

Leo immediately understood. He wasn’t truly clueless. At the very least, he clearly remembered the surnames of the Ten Master Clans that dominated Japan’s magic world.

“While your analysis makes sense, I still want to clarify that I didn’t know the senior before.”

“Our first meeting was at the start of school.”

“Then how are you two so close?”

Shizuku asked with a flat expression.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but we got close after Senpai asked me to join the Student Council.”

Kousen pretended to scratch his head, showing an embarrassed expression.

However, half of those present didn’t fully grasp the background or strict requirements for joining the Student Council, so they only let out sounds of admiration.

Those who understood, like Shizuku and the Shiba siblings, wouldn’t ask questions that could ruin the mood.

“But Kousen is really friendly. Not at all like someone from a big family.”

Mizuki, who had been quietly sipping her coffee, suddenly spoke.

“Exactly, exactly. Nothing like that Morisaki Shun from earlier.”

“Right, right.” Leo crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.

“While I appreciate the compliments, not everyone is like Morisaki-kun.”

“But you don’t need to worry about this. At least in my opinion, you’re all very talented.”

“Once there’s news from the President, you’ll definitely be able to move up.”

Kousen spoke confidently. Originally, he and Mayumi planned to handle this discreetly.

But after careful observation, he realized the group present wasn’t ordinary.

“Move up, you say?”

Miyuki was visibly anxious, picking up a hint from Kousen’s words.

After all, she was deeply dissatisfied that her brother was placed in Second Course, despite his brilliance.

“Let’s stop this topic here. I can only say this much for now.”

“Wait until the President implements the new policy, and you’ll understand.”

Kousen raised his hand to signal a stop, also calming the slightly stirred emotions of everyone present.