Lina had recently transferred here so there wasn't much of a surprise,
but this was the first time they were walking together alone. Strictly
speaking, with all the students milling about the two of them weren't
walking alone on campus, but the uncomfortable atmosphere wasn't
likely to change depending on whether other people were present or
not.
First of all, in Tatsuya's defense, the uncomfortable atmosphere wasn't
because he had an amazing beauty like Lina walking next to him, but
because Lina never let up on that inquisitive feeling of hers. Every
once in a while, she would secretly sneak a "Hm~~" peek at Tatsuya,
and, despite her efforts at trying to conceal these looks, Tatsuya felt
that they were only digging her deeper.
Even so, Tatsuya couldn't just directly come back with "You're a spy,
aren't you". The pressure just kept building like a volcano ready to
burst.
"Did Lina's old school not have this system?"
Tatsuya felt that he couldn't stand this silent drama any longer
(technically, they were only a dozen yards from HQ). What sort of
heavy silence is this, Tatsuya thought as he indulged in his rarely seen
sense of public service and provided the initial question. -- Now that
he thought about it, that was a terribly malicious question.
"Eh? Uh......"
Malicious, because he could see Lina's anxiety.
Rumor had it that everyone bestowed with the title of "Sirius" was a
front line fighter through and through. Surely it wasn't possible that
Lina never went through infiltration training, Tatsuya thought, unable
to decide if he wanted to laugh or cry.
"......It can't be helped if a Year 1 student doesn't know anything about
it."
Feeling somewhat guilty for Lina's distressed state, Tatsuya tried to
give her a way out. There was no need to shred her disguise, since
putting all the cards on the table would only make things more
troublesome.
"Eh...... Ah, just so. That's the reason why I wanted to understand the
secret to why a Year 1 student could join in this activity on this
campus."
She wasn't really adept at handling curve balls, but she had a good
head on her shoulders, Tatsuya thought. She was nimble enough to
grab the lifeline that other people threw to her, which might actually
put her on a better footing than his own sister.
As he suspected, he was being stabbed left and right by all sorts of
gazes. However, probably wary of leaving a negative impression in
front of the transfer student, no one actually made a move against him.
As such, Tatsuya led Lina through the primary practical exercise
rooms and research labs. This patrol accompanied with explanations
gave the impression that he was giving a campus tour.
Lina halted her footsteps at one end of the building that ran alongside
the research labs near the staircase that led to the neighboring
building.
"Are you tired? Do you want to head back?"
Of course, he knew that this wasn't the real reason she stopped. He
was only using this to open the conversation.
"No, I'm fine."
Her tone gave the impression that she wasn't sure where to begin.
"What is it?"
At Tatsuya's urging, Lina finally broke free of her hesitation.
"Tatsuya is a substitute -- a Course 2 student, correct?"
"That's true, is there a problem?"
It had been a long time since someone came straight out with that
question. Is it this again? Rather than having that feeling, he was
rather refreshed by this and replied with a question of his own.
"When I asked Miyuki as to why you wore a different uniform than
everyone else in Class A, she told me in a rather annoyed voice."
Lina burst into laughter when she recalled that incident. That certainly
sounded like Miyuki's button being pressed, Tatsuya chuckled wryly.
"But, when I asked Kanon earlier, she said that Tatsuya stands in the
top tier among Magicians in First High.