A loss that should have humbled him...

The dust from the duel still hung thick in the air, curling like smoke around shattered fragments of concrete and earth. The training ground had fallen silent, save for the occasional cough or the scrape of boots against the floor. Even the lights overhead seemed muted through the haze.

        The student council members lingered along the perimeter, scattered and uneasy. Whispers flickered between them like static… How did he do that? …but none dared to voice it aloud.

        Eto stood near the corner, arms folded, her expression calm and composed as always. Of course, because she never doubted Mikado. She had known, long before today, exactly what he was capable of. Her eyes, sharp and steady, watched the clearing dust with quiet patience, betraying nothing for the council to read.

        Aida moved closer to Mikado, who knelt beside his bench to retrieve the storage bag holding his wooden nail. His movements were deliberate, unhurried, as if the duel had been nothing more than a warm-up. Dust clung to his uniform, to the hair plastered across his forehead, yet his expression remained calm, almost casual.

        "Everyone still looks like they've seen a ghost," Aida muttered, glancing at the stunned council members. She exhaled, planting her hands on her hips. "It's… just a mock duel, right?"

        It was a mock duel.

        But for Kanzaki, assaulted by fear, it became a battle where pride stood against fear, and shame waited at the edge.

        Mikado's gaze flicked briefly toward Eto. She met his eyes for just a moment before looking away, her expression unreadable as always. Then he returned his attention to the wooden nail.

        Kanzaki lay unconscious on a bench across the hall, flanked by two council members who had carried him there. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. The outcome was clear to everyone present, yet impossible to reconcile.

        To them, Mikado was still the lowest of the low. A Class F failure who had stood against a Level Five mage, the Morning Star, a title earned through undeniable achievement.

        The hall remained thick with dust and tension, the echoes of the duel lingering in the silence. For the council, the victory was bewildering. For Eto, it was a quiet confirmation of what she had always known. And for Mikado, it was simply another step forward, another small motion in a path he had already begun walking, one that no one else could yet comprehend.

        "Wait!" A voice suddenly called out to Mikado just as he was about to leave, intending to head to the restroom and cool himself with some water.

        He turned around and saw that it was Aida. Her expression was tense, as if she were on the verge of firing off a string of serious questions.

        "What is it, Senior Yaegashi?" Mikado asked, forcing a smile in an attempt to ease the atmosphere.

        "…What was that?"

        It took Aida a moment to form the words. Her eyes wandered for a few seconds, as though she were searching for the right way to phrase them.

        "Was that magic? Your movement and speed suggest it was." She paused, then continued. "Specifically, magic amplification. That boosted physical ability, senses, and that speed."

        Her brows knit together.

        "That shouldn't be possible." She hesitated, then continued, more quietly, more carefully. "You're labeled a failure, yes, but don't misunderstand me. Class F isn't a collection of incompetents. Each of them has their own circumstances. Their own injustices."

        She paused.

        "Your friend Modara, for example."

        Then her gaze sharpened.

        "But you… you're different."

        Her voice wasn't accusatory. It was professional, tempered by something human.

        "As members of the student council, we have access to records. I looked deeper."

        She shook her head slowly.

        "You were never able to activate your magic structure. It was logged as an error." Her eyes locked onto his.

        "You're unable to open your magic structure at all."

        She drew in a slow breath.

        "By magic standards…"

        Her eyes didn't leave his.

        "That makes you the real failure at Magic High School."   

        At that moment, Eto walked over and stopped beside Aida, arms relaxed at her sides, observing like a detached bystander watching the exchange unfold.

        Mikado responded, his tone even as he denied Aida's suspicion. "As you said yourself, I'm unable to activate my magic structure. So it's unlikely."

        "Then what was that?" Aida pressed, her gaze locking onto him.

        "It was pure physical ability," Mikado said. "There was no magic involved."

        That much was true, yet even as the words left his mouth, he could already foresee the trouble they would invite.

        Aida's expression hardened    

        "That's impossible." There it was, her outright rejection. "Raw physical strength alone couldn't account for what you did. Your speed, your timing…"

        Mikado let out a quiet breath, neither defensive nor proud.

        "Strength alone wouldn't," he agreed. "That's why it wasn’t just strength." He met her eyes steadily. "Ancient martial arts make it possible. Disciplines refined long before modern magic theory, techniques that push the human body to its absolute limits."

        Aida frowned. "And you expect me to believe you've mastered something like that?"

        "I don't need you to believe it," Mikado replied calmly. "Only to accept the result." After a brief pause, he added, "It was enough to defeat the Morning Star."

        Beside Aida, Eto remained silent, her expression unchanged

        It was only natural for Aida to have questions, most of them valid, and to outright reject the answers Mikado offered. As she herself had stated, Mikado was incapable of using magic. That much was undeniable truth. He had never once been able to activate his magic structure.

        And yet, despite that, he had defeated a Level Five mage.

The contradiction was absurd. Almost laughable, like a human boxer standing toe-to-toe with a raging bull.

        Knowing Mikado's inability to use magic, it would have been stranger if Aida hadn't questioned him.

        "Aida."

        It was Eto. She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, offering a gentle smile—one meant to ease the tension, justified as it was, since it felt as though the world itself were toying with her.

        "My bad," Aida admitted with a quiet exhale. "It just feels absurd." She looked back at Mikado and bowed her head slightly, an unspoken apology. Questioning him, then dismissing his answers as ridiculous, had crossed a line.

        Mikado returned the gesture with a small nod, wordlessly assuring her it was nothing.

        "Then I suppose," Eto said smoothly, breaking the moment, “this validates his appointment to the Public Morals Committee."

        She spoke as if the matter were already settled. Kanzaki had been the loudest voice opposing Mikado's appointment, and now that Mikado had defeated him, the issue of being a Class F student, or a so-called failure, no longer held weight.

        Eto glanced at Aida, then back at Mikado. To anyone else, her expression was unreadable as ever. But Mikado knew better. Beneath that calm exterior, she was quietly delighted. No matter how chaotic things had become, she had still gotten exactly what she wanted.

        "Absolutely." The sudden agreement drew everyone's attention. They turned to see another male student stepping forward.

        "I agree," he said, addressing the council. "And I don't think anyone here still disagrees." His gaze swept over the members who had previously sided with Kanzaki. "I'll admit it, I was against it at first. But after seeing him defeat a Level Five mage, the Morning Star himself, I don't see how there's still a problem."

        He shrugged lightly. "If anything, that settles it. He's more than qualified to serve on the Public Morals Committee and enforce regulations."

        Then, grinning, he slung an arm casually around Mikado's neck.

        "Oh, right. Name's Hirohiro Kenji, a senior just like Aida and the Fire Empress here. Just call me Mero. It's way easier than my family name."

         "Ryuugamine Mikado," Mikado replied, briefly introducing himself while noting just how much of Mero's weight was leaning against him..

        "I'm sorry, Ryuugamine," Aida remarked flatly. "This guy's concept of personal space is nonexistent."

        "Hey, I heard that," Kenji shot back with a grin before finally stepping away. "I'll be looking forward to working with you. I'm a member of the Public Morals Committee too."

        He withdrew his arm and offered Mikado a proper handshake instead.

        "Aye," Mikado said, accepting it.

        Kenji's grin softened into curiosity. "You really can't use magic, huh? I can't sense even a trace of it from you."

        Mikado didn't answer. He simply shrugged one shoulder, offering no explanation.

        "By the way, forgive Aida for questioning you, and then rejecting your answers," Kenji said. He withdrew his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, his posture naturally towering over Mikado. "No offense meant, but I would've done the same if she hadn't spoken up first."

He glanced briefly at Aida before continuing. "To be honest, it was the two of us, Aida and I, who actually dug into your background. The others were too busy to spare the time, content to accept the label they gave you." His tone sharpened slightly. "A failure. The lowest of the low. Just like Kanzaki over there."

        Kenji flicked his brow toward Kanzaki, who still lay unconscious on the bench.

        "And that's what surprised us," he went on. "You don't have the capacity to use magic. You've never once activated your magic structure. You've never once been a mage." He let out a small breath. "That's why Aida's reaction was natural. Anyone in her position would have questioned it."   

        Then, almost as an afterthought, Kenji continued, his tone turning thoughtful.

        "Which raises another question, why is a non-mage like you attending a magic high school?" He gestured vaguely around them. "Living here, in Second Shibuya. A district meant exclusively for mages, under the protection of the Magic Association's wall."

        He paused and glanced at Aida. She gave a small nod.

        They had shared that question for a long time, ever since they'd uncovered the truth about Mikado. The difference was that now, they finally had an answer.

        "…Damn."

        Kenji placed a hand on Mikado's shoulder, his tone shifting as if he were about to crack a joke.

        "If you can take down a Level Five mage that easily using nothing but physical ability," he said, grinning, "the Association's definitely going to keep a close eye on you. Honestly? It'd be a disaster if some shady organization tried to recruit you."

        He waved it off lightly. "Not to exaggerate, but that'd spell real trouble."

        "You're giving me too much credit, Senior," Mikado replied calmly. "If I went up against the Fire Empress here, I wouldn't stand a chance." He paused, then added with deliberate innocence, "And honestly, I just got lucky today. Beating the Morning Star was a coincidence." He emphasized Eto's title on purpose, using it instead of her name. Eto's eyebrow twitched upward, just slightly. Enough for Aida beside her to notice.

        "…Hah."

        "Hahaha!" Kenji burst out laughing. "Humble too? I like you already. Starting today, you're my friend."

        Before Mikado could respond, Kenji once again hooked a muscled arm around his neck.

        "—By the way, that was sick, you know?" Kenji went on, eyes gleaming. "That sidestep you did to dodge Kanzaki’s Earth Dragon attack, the way you pulled out that storage bag of yours to throw him off and break his focus, and don't even get me started on the wooden nail." He let out a low laugh. "Honestly, I've got nothing more to say."

        Pure admiration flowed through his words.

        "That aside, I hope Kanzaki actually learns something from today’s loss." Kenji tilted his head toward the unconscious boy. "If you didn't know, he's been competing in magic tournaments since grade school. That's how he earned the nickname Morning Star—though he hates it now. Says it sounds childish."

        Kenji shrugged.

        "He's talented. Ridiculously so. Undefeated for years." His expression darkened slightly. "But that ego of his? That arrogance? It blinds him to his surroundings. That's what led to his loss today."

        "Hey!" Aida cut in, shooting Kenji a sharp look, don't badmouth him written clearly in her eyes.

        Kenji only smiled back, unapologetic.

        "I'm just stating facts. Besides, this isn't even his first loss," he continued. "It happened back in his final year of middle school. He was matched against the pale and got completely crushed."

        Aida stiffened.

        "And after that?" Kenji scoffed. "Nothing changed. If anything, he became even more self-centered "

        Kenji spoke casually, but Mikado caught the oddity in it.

        A loss that should have humbled him… yet did the opposite. Mikado understood. The one who defeated Kanzaki back then wasn't just any mage.

        It had been Aka Akasaka—a Level Six.

        Losing only to someone so far beyond his reach had allowed Kanzaki's ego to bloom unchecked. In his mind, it meant there was no one who could defeat him, except a Level Six mage.

        "By the way, Seniors," Mikado said, addressing the three students who stood several grades above him. "You appointed me to the council to help change how Class F is viewed by the others. But I'm not the only student from Class F."

        He paused, deliberately reminding them that there were two of them.

        "You don't need to worry," Aida replied calmly. "We already have plans for your friend, Modara. In fact, we're considering giving him a position within the student council committee as well. As I mentioned before, we're aware of what is happening to Class F. When we investigated your background, we did the same for your friend, and we concluded that he's worthy of it."       

        "...Thank you." Mikado bowed his head, the words carrying more weight than they should have, as the thought lingered that Kakeru deserved all of this far more than he ever did.