Saturday night, July 7th. Even though it was the peak of summer and the sun had only recently set, the Saegusa main residence was eerily silent.
Koichi Saegusa's eldest son had already married and moved into a luxury apartment in the city center. His second son was perpetually stationed at a magic research institute established by the Saegusa family—independent of the Old Seventh Institute—and effectively lived there. Both sons were children of Koichi's late first wife, and they seemed to intentionally distance themselves from their younger half-sisters. It wasn't that they were on poor terms, but a subtle, lingering tension remained between the two branches of the family.
While Mayumi was attending a university-hosted Tanabata party, Kasumi and Izumi had finished their baths early and retreated to their rooms, claiming to be exhausted. They were likely already asleep. Koichi, however, enjoyed no such respite. As he worked in his study, the subordinate he had been waiting for arrived.
"Enter."
At his command, Nagura—his current confidant—stepped into the room.
"What did Zhou Gongjin have to say?" Koichi asked.
"He reported that he has formally requested the head of the Kudou family to take in defectors from the Great Asian Alliance."
"I see... and his true motive for contacting the Kudou clan?"
"To interfere with the performance test of the 'Parasite Doll'—the parasite-possessed combat gynoids—during the Nine Schools Competition. His goal is to cause the gynoids to malfunction and harm the competing students."
Upon hearing Nagura's report, Koichi asked a few brief questions regarding the methods, but his interest quickly waned. He signaled for Nagura to leave.
"Shall we leave the matter be?" Nagura asked.
"It doesn't matter. Even if something happens, the Saegusa family is not involved. Besides, even if Makoto-dono falls into a trap, the Elder will surely find a way to smooth things over."
Koichi still possessed that much faith in his former mentor.
Sunday afternoon, July 8th.
Tatsuya had spent the morning at FLT testing a new thought-controlled CAD. Now, he found himself in the Shibuya sub-center with Miyuki. To be precise, he had been dragged there by Miyuki. The CAD testing had gone off without a hitch and finished well before noon.
Tatsuya had been the one to suggest going out, but since it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, he hadn't had a concrete plan. He had left the destination up to Miyuki, and the result was a shopping trip in the heart of the city.
They were currently wandering through a recently opened fashion department store. The building didn't have partitioned shops; instead, each floor was an open-plan layout where different brands shared the space. It was the kind of layout where an evening gown display might sit directly adjacent to the lingerie section—a nightmare for any man who didn't want to look like a loiterer.
Tatsuya had tried to stay alert at first, but since he was essentially just following in Miyuki's wake, he found it impossible to avoid certain areas. He told himself there was no reason to be bothered—having a guilty conscience about walking past swimwear or underwear was, in itself, a strange way to think. He decided to remain pragmatic.
That pragmatism backfired spectacularly.
Miyuki had selected some light summer clothes and asked to try them on, but the fitting rooms in that specific area were occupied. Rather than waiting, a persistent clerk guided them to an available room on the same floor. Unfortunately, it was the fitting room for the swimwear section.
"Shiba-senpai?! What are you doing in a locker room... Wait, don't tell me you have a secret hobby for cross-dressing?!"
"It's a fitting room, not a locker room, Kasumi-chan... Oh! Wait! That means you must be here with Miyuki-senpai! Where is she?!"
"Oh, so he's just her escort..."
As Tatsuya stood there, wondering how to handle the hyper-excited Izumi after she had just scolded Kasumi for her ridiculous assumption, the door to the fitting room right in front of him swung open.
"What is all the noise about, you—?"
Mayumi Saegusa stepped out, intending to scold her younger sisters. She was currently wearing a bikini that consisted of very little fabric and a great deal of exposed skin.
"Wh—Ta—Wh—"
"Please, stay calm, Saegusa-senpai," Tatsuya said.
He held up his palms and made a small, downward pressing gesture, as if trying to physically lower her blood pressure. The gesture seemed to work—or perhaps she simply froze—as Mayumi slowly backed into the fitting room and shut the door.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A second later, a blood-curdling scream echoed from behind the door. Tatsuya decided that now was the perfect time to execute a tactical retreat.
A short while later, the five of them—Tatsuya, Miyuki, Mayumi, Kasumi, and Izumi—were gathered around a table in a cafe inside the building.
"I honestly didn't know what was happening..." Miyuki remarked with her usual bluntness.
"I am so sorry for the scene," Mayumi whispered, looking as small as possible.
"No, Senpai, it wasn't your fault," Miyuki replied graciously. "If anything, I should apologize. I was the one who dragged my brother to a place like that. I am truly sorry to both of you."
"No, no! It's not your fault, Miyuki-san. It's not like... he saw me naked or anything. It was just a swimsuit! It would be weirder to be embarrassed about it, right? Sorry, Tatsuya-kun. For screaming. I was just... a little surprised."
"Is that because you're conscious of Shiba-senpai, Onee-sama?" Izumi asked innocently.
"Izumi-chan?! I—I am not 'conscious' of Tatsuya-kun in that way...!"
Mayumi's face turned a shade of red that rivaled a ripe tomato. Beside her, Kasumi looked bored, while next to Tatsuya, Miyuki's mood began to sour in a way only Tatsuya could detect.
"It was my mistake," Tatsuya interjected. "I should have moved away from the area immediately."
"No, as I said, it was my fault for bringing you there," Miyuki insisted.
"No, I'm the one who overreacted! I'm really sorry!" Mayumi cried.
Realizing the conversation was stuck in an infinite loop of apologies, Tatsuya decided the only way to end the awkwardness was to leave. He picked up the check.
"Oh, let me get that—" Mayumi started, half-rising from her seat.
"Consider it an apology for interrupting your sisters' shopping trip," Tatsuya said, holding up a hand to stop her.
Before she could argue, he took Miyuki by the arm and vanished from the cafe.
"So, Sis... do you really feel that way about Shiba-senpai?" Kasumi asked.
"I told you, no! Kasumi-chan, don't start saying crazy things too!"
As the sisters were left behind, a very complicated atmosphere settled over their table.
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