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

Chasing Hajime into the building's depths, Tatsuya sensed his presence as he slipped into a room.

(Hajime makes eleven terrorists. That's all of them. Ten machine guns, no other ranged weapons.)

Physical barriers meant nothing before Tatsuya's magic. Ambush? Useless. He pulled the CAD's trigger, dismantling the machine guns, and strode into the room. The terrorists, stunned by their weapons' disintegration, didn't hesitate long—perhaps confident in their advantage. A grating noise filled Tatsuya's ears.

"How's that, magician?" Hajime sneered. "This is real Cast Jamming! Nothing like facing Mibu alone!"

"Massive Antinite supply, huh?" Tatsuya muttered, unimpressed. "Your patron's the Ukraine-Belarus Re-Separationists, backed by the Great Asian Union. Hypnosis and now this—you're showing your hand, third-rate."

Hajime flinched at Tatsuya's bored tone but quickly smirked. "So what? You can't use magic here! Your fancy deductions die with you!"

Activating Cast Jamming, the ten terrorists charged with knives. Tatsuya, eyes dull with disinterest, pulled the CAD's trigger again.

"Pointless struggle…" Hajime began, but froze.

Blood sprayed from his comrades' bodies.

"Gah!" one screamed.

"What the—!?" another gasped.

"How!? How can you use magic in this Cast Jamming!?" Hajime stammered. "And what is this magic…?"

"I erased the interference wavelengths from your Cast Jamming," Tatsuya said flatly. "How? You don't need to know."

His gaze, utterly bored, pinned Hajime. Trembling, Hajime backed against the wall.

(Underestimated a mere high schooler… what have we unleashed? He's completely irregular!)

A blade-like shape sprouted from Hajime's side.

"Eek!?" he yelped.

"Looks like I hit the mark," Kirihara said, stepping in.

Surveying the carnage, Kirihara glanced at Tatsuya. "Yo, Shiba-bro. You did this? Not bad. So, who's this guy?"

Hajime cowered under Kirihara's stare, crawling to escape.

"That's Blanche's leader, Tsukasa Hajime," Tatsuya said, already disinterested.

"Him? The one who tricked Mibu!?" Kirihara growled.

"Eek!?" Hajime squeaked.

A shrill hum filled the air. Kirihara's High-Frequency Blade slashed. Having carved through walls with his replica katana, severing an arm was child's play. Hajime's arm fell without resistance.

"You—!" Kirihara roared.

"Stop, Kirihara!" Katsuto ordered, stepping through the path Kirihara had cut.

"President…" Kirihara muttered.

"No need to dirty your hands further," Katsuto said.

"…Understood," Kirihara replied, stepping back.

Katsuto glanced at Hajime, then burned his severed arm with magic, uninterested.

"Argh!" Hajime screamed, the stench of charred flesh rising as Blanche's leader collapsed.

"Shiba, is this all of them?" Katsuto asked.

"Yes," Tatsuya replied.

"Good. I'll call my family. They'll handle the rest," Katsuto said.

"Please," Tatsuya said.

The Juumonji family's influence rivaled the police agency's top brass. This ensured the incident—and Tatsuya and Miyuki's involvement—stayed under wraps.

(Now, Miyuki…)

Connecting to Idea, Tatsuya assessed the situation. Wordlessly, he aimed his left-hand CAD at a wall and pulled the trigger.

As Juumonji members stormed the hideout, Miyuki waited outside, her eyes fixed on one person's return.

"Onii-sama! You're safe!" she cried, rushing to him.

"I'm fine," Tatsuya said, his voice calm.

Relieved, Miyuki's expression faltered as she recalled her actions, guilt creeping in.

"Onii-sama, I…" she began.

"It's fine, Miyuki. Don't worry," he said.

Following his sidelong glance, Miyuki looked over. Juumonji members carried an unconscious terrorist past them.

"That man…" she whispered.

"No lasting damage, no threat to his life," Tatsuya said. "Just in a cold-sleep state, by chance."

"Onii-sama…" Miyuki's voice trembled.

Tatsuya knew everything yet never blamed her. But Miyuki knew why the man she'd frozen had moved again. It was one of Tatsuya's freely usable magics—one she wished he wouldn't use.

(I froze him. Onii-sama didn't pass that room, yet he knew… and still, I…)

Since the summer of her first year in middle school, Miyuki had strived to act worthy of being Tatsuya's sister. Yet, overcome by emotion, she'd burdened him again. She sank into regret, mostly at home. To others, she seemed fine, but at home, she'd lock herself in her room or fumble small tasks.

In those moments, Tatsuya spoiled her endlessly. Miyuki, never showing her gloom outside, let herself lean on him.

On April 24, after the Blanche incident, Tatsuya and friends visited a café known for its delicious cakes.

"Pretty lively today. What's up?" the owner asked.

Tatsuya, with a wry smile, started to answer. "It's like a celebration for—"

"It's Tatsuya-kun's birthday party!" Erika blurted.

"What!?" Leo, Mizuki, Honoka, and Shizuku gasped in unison.

Apparently, Tatsuya hadn't told his friends.

"Erika-chan! Why didn't you tell us!?" Honoka cried.

"I didn't know the exact date! I just told Miyuki yesterday that April's close enough," Erika said.

"I was surprised she knew," Miyuki added.

"Wait, Tatsuya-kun, is it really…?" Honoka asked.

"Yeah, today's my birthday," Tatsuya confirmed.

"You planned this!" Honoka accused.

"I said nothing," Miyuki said, smiling innocently.

Erika grinned mischievously while Honoka and Shizuku slumped, upset they hadn't prepared gifts and had no time to.

"Then this cake's our gift to you!" the owner declared.

"Agreed!" Erika cheered.

"Oi, didn't you know already?" Leo jabbed.

Erika dodged his comment with a laugh, continuing to revel in the chaos.

Next time: Which will Sayaka choose?