The Irregular at Magic High School: Everyone Loves My Brother?!

Three days after Tatsuya and Miyuki apprehended suspected Blanche members, the fragile calm of Tatsuya's school life shattered.

"Everyone!!" a voice blared through the speakers.

"So loud!" a classmate groaned, covering their ears.

"What the hell?" another muttered.

"Must've botched the volume," someone else said.

Tatsuya's expression was one of resignation. No one had reserved the broadcast room for this hour—it was clearly unauthorized. The voice ranted about ending discrimination, but Tatsuya knew better. This was the work of Egalite, a Blanche subgroup.

"Tatsuya-kun, think the disciplinary committee's getting called?" Erika asked, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"Probably… and there it is," Tatsuya said, as the summons came through.

Erika's barely concealed thrill made Tatsuya want to sigh. This classmate seemed to revel in danger.

"I'm heading out," he said. "Don't do anything reckless."

"Got it!" Erika chirped.

"Yeah, sure!" Leo added.

"…Mizuki, if something happens, stop them," Tatsuya said.

"M-Me!?" Mizuki squeaked.

Realizing there was no reliable brake in this group, Tatsuya suppressed another sigh. With calls from both the disciplinary committee head and the student council president, skipping out wasn't an option—lateness probably wasn't either. He left the classroom for the broadcast room, only to find Miyuki waiting.

"Miyuki? You got called too?" he asked.

"Yes, Onii-sama. May I join you?" she replied.

"Sure, but your class doesn't need to pass here to reach the broadcast room," he noted.

"Just a feeling," she said.

Tatsuya was certain she'd waited for him but didn't press. Their destination was the same, so he saw no reason to refuse. They hurried to the broadcast room together.

"You're late," Mouri snapped.

"Sorry," Tatsuya replied, his apology perfunctory.

He assessed the situation. The broadcast had stopped—likely the power was cut. The door was locked, with no signs of forced entry. The occupiers must have taken the master key.

"Clearly a crime," Tatsuya said.

"Exactly," Suzune said. "We should proceed carefully to avoid escalating things."

Her tone seemed aimed at someone specific. It wasn't hard to guess who.

"They don't seem like the listening type," Mouri countered. "We need to resolve this quickly, even if it means force."

Mouri's hotheadedness clashed with Suzune's caution, pushing for a swift takedown.

"What's your take, Juumonji-senpai?" Tatsuya asked, noticing Mayumi's absence despite her summons.

"I'm open to negotiation," Katsuto said. "But whether we should risk damaging school facilities for a quick resolution is tricky."

"Noted," Tatsuya said, bowing slightly.

Pulling out his mobile terminal, he ignored Mouri's prickly glare—not that it fazed him.

"Mibu-senpai? It's Shiba," he said.

The room stirred. No one expected him to call Sayaka, an occupier, directly—let alone have her personal number.

"So, senpai, where are you… In the broadcast room? That's unfortunate… No, I'm not mocking you," Tatsuya said.

Students, including girls, crowded closer to eavesdrop on Sayaka's voice. Feeling Miyuki's mood sour, Tatsuya decided to wrap up quickly.

"To the point," he continued. "Juumonji-senpai is open to negotiation. The president's stance… No, she's on board too."

Catching Suzune's gesture mid-denial, Tatsuya adjusted his words, deciding it was better to align for now.

"Yes, your freedom is guaranteed," he said. "We're not police; we can't lock you up… Alright, then."

"Hey, Tatsuya-kun, was that Mibu Sayaka?" Mouri asked.

"Yeah," he said. "She's coming out soon."

Glancing at Suzune and Katsuto, he added, "We should prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Mouri asked, her expression skeptical.

Tatsuya met her gaze, puzzled by her confusion, then clarified. "To subdue the group inside. They're definitely armed with CADs, maybe other weapons too."

"…Didn't you just promise her freedom?" Mouri said, gaping.

Mouri's shock gave way to questioning, mirrored by Suzune's stunned silence. Both awaited Tatsuya's response.

"I guaranteed Mibu-senpai's freedom," Tatsuya said. "And I never said I was negotiating for the school or the committee."

His blunt bombshell left Mouri, Suzune, and even Katsuto speechless. Only Miyuki, unfazed, laughed as she chided him.

"You're awful, Onii-sama," she said.

"Old news," he replied.

"True," she said. "But we'll discuss you having Mibu-senpai's number later."

Her misplaced irritation drew a wry smile from Tatsuya. He'd only kept Sayaka's number—forced on him for meetups—out of laziness, not sentiment.

As the broadcast room door opened, disciplinary committee members swarmed, restraining the emerging group. Sayaka, caught off guard, shouted at her supposed negotiator.

"You tricked me!" she yelled.

"No," Tatsuya said. "I guaranteed your freedom, not theirs. And the president and head are open to talks."

"Exactly," Mayumi said, appearing at the perfect moment.

Where had she been? Before anyone could ask, she whisked the occupiers away. Mouri, visibly annoyed, kicked the floor and dragged Tatsuya to the disciplinary committee office. For the next two hours, he endured her complaints, a trial too grueling for even his wry smiles to soften.

The day after Egalite's group occupied the broadcast room, Tatsuya and Miyuki waited at the station for someone.

"Oh? Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki-san—what's up?" Mayumi said, spotting them.

"I'm curious about yesterday's incident," Tatsuya replied.

Mayumi's eyes widened. "That's surprising. I thought you didn't care about others' business."

"Generally, I don't," Tatsuya said. "But this doesn't feel like someone else's problem anymore."

Though he didn't know Egalite's full motives, Tatsuya was certain Sayaka wanted to recruit him, which was why he'd waited for Mayumi.

"Gathering intel on the enemy is key," he added. "And this doesn't seem like something the president can handle alone."

"Are you calling me incompetent?" Mayumi teased, hands on her hips, looking up at him.

From the outside, it looked like playful banter. Whether that was their intent was another matter, but Miyuki, sensing Mayumi's amusement, began to chill the air around them.

"I didn't say that," Tatsuya said. "Just that it's too big for one person."

"Fair point," Mayumi conceded, dropping her hands and walking ahead. "It's more than I can handle alone."

Tatsuya followed silently, but Miyuki lagged, thrown off by how naturally they'd ignored her. According to Mayumi, Egalite's stated goal was abolishing discrimination between Course 1 and Course 2 students, but they hadn't offered any concrete proposals.

"So, we're holding a debate in the auditorium tomorrow," Mayumi said.

"That's sudden," Tatsuya noted.

"Strike while the iron's hot!" Mayumi said. "It's a chance to hear their side. If it's just a debate, I won't lose."

"You seem excited, President," Miyuki said, breaking her silence. Mayumi's enthusiasm felt like she was looking forward to a game.

"If they have solid arguments to outtalk me," Mayumi said, "it'll help improve school operations, right?"

Tatsuya gave a wry smile. It almost sounded like she wanted to be outdone.

News of the debate spread like wildfire, and the reformists scrambled to recruit allies.

"Abolishing discrimination, huh?" Erika said. "What's your take, Tatsuya-kun?"

"If they were serious, they wouldn't act like this," Tatsuya said. "It's not an ideal that wins hearts, so they're rounding up supporters."

"Always so mature," Erika said.

"Am I? People usually call me cynical," Tatsuya replied.

"To us, you think like an adult," Erika said. "High schoolers don't think like that."

Her words could imply Tatsuya wasn't a typical high schooler, but she meant no harm. He knew it and let it slide.

"Hey, Tatsuya," Leo called.

"What's up?" Tatsuya asked.

"Mizuki's getting hassled by an upperclassman in the hall," Leo said. "Should we step in?"

"Do it yourself," Erika snapped.

"I thought Tatsuya, as a disciplinary committee member, could handle it diplomatically!" Leo shot back.

"True," Erika said. "You'd probably just punch first."

"What'd you say!?" Leo growled.

"What!?" Erika fired back.

Tatsuya sighed at their bickering but was concerned for Mizuki. With few classmates around at this hour, their argument wouldn't bother anyone, so he left them to it.

"Um… I'm saying…" Mizuki's voice wavered.

As Leo had said, Mizuki was being cornered by an upperclassman—less a conversation, more harassment.

"Disciplinary committee, Shiba," Tatsuya said, cutting in. "Prolonged detainment could be seen as disruptive. Please stop."

Only then did he recognize the upperclassman—the guy who'd nearly attacked him with magic during recruitment week.

"Alright, I'll back off," the guy said, bolting away.

"Who was that?" Tatsuya asked.

"Tsukasa-san, kendo club captain," Mizuki said. "He's got spirit radiation hypersensitivity like me. He said joining a certain club helped his symptoms and invited me, but it got pushy… Thank you, Tatsuya-san. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up."

"Thank Leo," Tatsuya said. "He spotted you and told me."

"Leo-kun? But even if he'd come, would it have helped…?" Mizuki trailed off.

A fair question. Tatsuya gave another wry smile, having just confirmed Leo's reasoning.

"He figured I'd handle it more diplomatically," Tatsuya said.

"True," Mizuki agreed.

Tatsuya smiled again at her quick agreement, though his mind was elsewhere.

That night, Tatsuya and Miyuki visited Yakumo's temple.

"It's awfully dark," Miyuki said. "Is Sensei asleep?"

"Nah, he's on the veranda," Tatsuya said.

"Impressive, Tatsuya-kun," Yakumo said, appearing. "I put effort into hiding, you know."

"I don't think you'd break a promise by sleeping," Tatsuya said.

Yakumo sighed at Tatsuya's deadpan response and pointed to the spot beside him. "Sit. Then we'll talk."

If he were meditating, Yakumo might seem monk-like, but he wasn't that pious.

"Sensei, if you're awake, why no lights?" Miyuki asked.

"Habit," Yakumo said. "I'm a ninja, after all."

"Alright, Sensei, let's get to it," Tatsuya said.

Yakumo gave a wry smile at Tatsuya's no-nonsense attitude. "In a hurry, huh?"

"I'd rather not leave Miyuki near you too long," Tatsuya said.

"That's harsh," Yakumo said. "I'm a monk, you know."

"With 'degenerate' tacked on," Tatsuya shot back.

Their banter flowed easily, a sign of their close bond, free of real tension.

"So, what do you want to know?" Yakumo asked.

"About Tsukasa, third-year, kendo club captain," Tatsuya said.

"I know him," Yakumo said. "But wouldn't asking Kazama be faster? Fujibayashi's daughter is there too."

Miyuki's shoulder twitched at Yakumo's words, a reaction both Tatsuya and Yakumo caught.

"I'd rather not bother the major," Tatsuya said.

"Right, your aunt and Miyuki-kun weren't thrilled last time," Yakumo said.

Playtime over, Yakumo got serious. He told Tatsuya that Tsukasa was Blanche leader Hajime's stepbrother. They hadn't been close after their parents' remarriage but grew tight over time. Yakumo shared even privacy-violating details with Tatsuya.