The Irregular at Magic High School: Secret Silhouette
In the year 2095, magic is a recognized science. At First National Magic University Affiliated High School, known as 'Magic High School,' siblings Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba appear to be just a close brother and sister. However, the look in Miyuki's eyes holds something far beyond familial affection. One rainy night, she realizes the truth: 'I'm in love with my brother, as a man.'
Knowing this love is forbidden, Miyuki locks it deep inside her heart. But then, a new transfer student, Alice
The Irregular at Magic High School: Secret Silhouette - Awakening on a Rainy Night
Rumble, rumble — the sky groaned in the distance.
Shiba Miyuki looked out the window and let out a small sigh. Thick clouds blanketed the sky.
"I wonder if Onii-sama has an umbrella..."
The moment she spotted a figure standing at the entrance of the zelkova-lined path, Miyuki's heart gave a little leap. A posture with a perfectly straight back. Even from a distance, she knew. It was Onii-sama.
She approached with quick steps.
"Good morning, Onii-sama."
"Yeah."
Shiba Tatsuya gave his usual curt reply. Black hair, sharp eyes gleaming deep within. Not the white blazer worn by Course 1 students, but the plain uniform for Course 2. That fact made Miyuki just a little sad.
Miyuki's uniform was different. Her white blazer bore an embroidered golden emblem of an eight-petaled flower — the mark of a Course 1 student. Proof that she had placed at the top in both practical magic skills and theory exams. The silver-work armband of the Student Council President also glinted on her left arm.
As the two began walking side by side, the gazes of the surrounding students converged on them.
A Course 1 student and a Course 2 student.
A pairing that, by all rights, should never be walking together.
(*Let them look all they want.*)
Miyuki murmured in her heart. If anything, this time she could walk alone with him was so precious that she didn't want anyone interfering. She gently stroked the blue magic stone ring shining on the ring finger of her right hand. A gift from Onii-sama.
Rain began to fall, pattering down.
When Miyuki took a folding umbrella from her bag, Tatsuya naturally accepted it and opened it. They both slipped under the large black umbrella. A distance close enough that their shoulders might touch.
(*The way Onii-sama tilts the umbrella — he's absolutely making sure I don't get wet.*)
Miyuki knew it. She knew it, and deliberately said nothing. That, in itself, was a small happiness.
Once inside the school, the damp air had seeped even into the corridors. This National Magic University Affiliated First High School was located in Hachioji, Tokyo — a sprawling campus surrounded by the greenery of the Tama Hills. About three hundred students studied here, with the goal of nurturing the magic elite. But within that, there was a harsh dividing line.
Course 1 students and Course 2 students.
Course 2 students were sometimes called "Weeds" — *Weed*. Miyuki utterly despised that word.
It happened when they reached the stairway landing.
"Hey, out of the way, Weed."
A thick voice rang out. A male Course 1 student had deliberately bumped into one of the Course 2 students. The Course 2 student looked down and quickly stepped aside. The Course 1 students laughed raucously.
Miyuki's eyes narrowed.
"Just a moment, you there."
As Miyuki tried to step forward, Tatsuya gently caught her arm.
"Don't."
"But, Onii-sama—"
"Let it go."
Miyuki bit her lip. Even with her position as Student Council President, the invisible wall between Course 1 and Course 2 students was thick. Rather, *because* she was the Student Council President, she couldn't recklessly cause a commotion.
(*It's so frustrating.*)
Onii-sama was more capable than anyone. And yet, just because he was a Course 2 student, he received this kind of treatment. That was something Miyuki found unbearably hateful.
Morning classes ended, and Miyuki headed to the Student Council room. The corner room at the south end of the fifth floor. From the window, the streets of Hachioji stretched out far and wide. The scenery hazy with rain faintly resembled Miyuki's current feelings.
A knock sounded.
"It's open."
The door opened, and Chiba Erika poked her head in. Wearing the armband of the Public Morals Committee, her energetic short hair suited her perfectly. Her reddish hair swayed fluffily with every movement.
"Yo, President! Let's get this start-of-the-week meeting going!"
"Yes. Have a seat, Erika."
To Miyuki, Erika was one of the few people she didn't have to be guarded around. She was in the same Public Morals Committee as Tatsuya, and the type to acknowledge ability regardless of whether someone was a Course 2 student. That was why Miyuki could show a little of her true self.
The meeting's agenda was the issue of allocating usage time for the Magic Practical Skills Building.
"No matter how you look at it, this is messed up."
Erika spread the materials on the table, her voice tinged with anger.
"Course 1 students can use it for two hours each in the morning and afternoon, but Course 2 students only get one hour after school. And on top of that, all the latest CADs are prioritized for Course 1. It's way too unfair."
Miyuki nodded slightly. CAD — Casting Assistant Device. A machine that assists in the activation of magic. They came in various forms like pistol-types or bracelet-types, and were indispensable to magicians. But the latest models were expensive, and the current reality was that they were only lent out to Course 1 students.
"Changing the system immediately is... difficult."
"I know. But still."
Erika lowered her voice just a little.
"When I see someone as capable as Shiba being restricted just because he's a Course 2 student, it really pisses me off."
Miyuki's heart jolted with a thump.
(*Erika watches Onii-sama closely.*)
A feeling of happiness, and a feeling of unease. A strange sensation where the two mixed together. So that it wouldn't be noticed, Miyuki put on a smile.
"Yes... well. Onii-sama is special, after all."
She might have put just a little too much force into her voice.
Night, at their home apartment, Residence Verde. A high-end eight-story condominium on a hill, where the Shiba siblings lived together in a room on the sixth floor. The room was well soundproofed so that even if they conducted magic experiments, it wouldn't bother the neighbors.
When Miyuki returned to the living room, Tatsuya was dozing on the large gray sofa.
She quietly approached.
Tatsuya, who as a magician never let his guard down, wouldn't wake up only for Miyuki's presence. Just that fact made Miyuki feel a gentle warmth spreading deep in her chest.
"Onii-sama..."
She gazed at his sleeping face. The usually cool Tatsuya, whose thoughts were unreadable, showed such a defenseless face only in front of Miyuki.
(*Probably... I can think that, right?*)
Miyuki quietly returned to her own room. She opened her desk drawer and took out a notebook. Nothing was written on the cover. This was Miyuki's secret alone — her Onii-sama Observation Diary.
She ran her pen across the page.
*'Today's Onii-sama: Chose curry rice for lunch. Made eye contact with Erika for five seconds. The reason is unknown, but I'd like to casually ask about it later. Worked in the Practical Skills Building in the afternoon. After coming home, dozed on the sofa. His sleeping face is angelic.'*
As she wrote, she felt a little frightened of herself.
(*I'm abnormal, aren't I?*)
But she couldn't stop. It was the sole outlet for feelings she could tell no one.
Late at night.
A sudden clap of thunder shook the apartment building.
CRACK-CRACK-BOOM!
Miyuki jolted violently on her bed. Her heart began to pound unpleasantly. Next, the lights in the room went out. A power outage.
Darkness.
Rumble, rumble — the thunder sounded again.
(*No...*)
Memories from her childhood resurfaced in Miyuki's mind. The voices of her parents fighting fiercely. A night where everything seemed to fall apart, overlapping with the sound of thunder. Ever since then, she had become bad with thunder.
Her body trembled. Even hugging herself, the trembling wouldn't stop. Before she knew it, Miyuki had dashed out of her room.
She opened the door to Tatsuya's room.
"...Onii-sama."
Her voice was hoarse. In the darkness, she sensed Tatsuya sitting up. As if burrowing in, Miyuki slipped into the bed and clung to Tatsuya's chest.
"It's alright."
Tatsuya's voice was as calm as ever.
"Being afraid of thunder is something that can't be helped."
Miyuki squeezed her eyes shut. She was held in Tatsuya's arms. His body warmth transmitted through his clothes. The sound of a steady heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump.
But faster than that sound, Miyuki's heart was racing wildly.
(*Huh...?*)
It was a sensation she had never felt before. Even though she felt safe, the pounding wouldn't stop.
(*If only morning would never come.*)
The moment that thought floated into her heart, Miyuki understood everything.
(*I... am in love with Onii-sama.*)
Not as a sibling. As a man. Perhaps it had been that way for a long time. She had just been pretending not to notice.
At the same time, she realized one more thing.
(*This is the kind of thing I absolutely cannot say.*)
There was no way she could tell anyone about a romantic love between siblings. Even more so for a magician family. In a world where strategic marriages between families were the norm, a romance between siblings was...
Tears spilled from Miyuki's eyes. In Tatsuya's arms, she cried, stifling her voice. Heart-wrenching pain, and a little warmth. The two mixed together, and her chest felt like it might burst.
It was a long night.
Only the sound of rain echoed in the room.
The next morning.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window. The rain had already stopped. When Miyuki woke up, she was alone in the bed. Tatsuya wasn't beside her. For a moment she thought last night had been a dream, but seeing her pillow wet, she remembered it was reality.
When she went out to the living room, Tatsuya was preparing breakfast.
"Did something happen?"
For an instant, Miyuki felt her heart stop. But she immediately put on a smile.
"I was just scared of the thunder. I'm sorry, Onii-sama."
"...I see."
Tatsuya didn't ask anything more. That, conversely, tightened Miyuki's chest.
Even after arriving at school, Miyuki's heart still felt light and floaty. In the corridor heading to her classroom, she found herself unconsciously searching for Tatsuya's figure. But when she did find him, she'd remember last night and her face would grow hot.
(*I'm such an idiot.*)
She took her seat. The Course 1 classroom was spacious and bright. The desks were arranged with plenty of room, different from the Course 2 classrooms. As Miyuki took her textbooks from her bag, she reflected on yesterday's diary entry.
(*My feelings for Onii-sama... I'll keep them a secret forever.*)
She made that vow in her heart.
That was for the best.
At the front of the classroom, their homeroom teacher, Professor Sanada, stood at the podium.
"Alright, everyone take your seats! Today I'll be introducing a transfer student."
The classroom buzzed. Miyuki also looked up. A transfer student was rare. Because the entrance exams for this school were difficult, there were hardly any students who entered partway through.
The classroom door opened.
Professor Sanada came in, bringing someone with him.
In that instant, it felt like the air in the classroom changed.
Miyuki's first impression of the transfer student was that she was just a cheerful girl. But she didn't miss how the transfer student's gaze swept around the classroom and then stopped at one particular point.
Tatsuya's seat.
Deep in her chest, a small warning alarm began to sound.
(*...It's just my imagination.*)
Even as she thought that, Miyuki felt a small resolve budding within her.
*I won't hand over Onii-sama to anyone.*
How much that resolve would be tested starting today — Miyuki didn't know yet.
But outside the window, as if yesterday's rain had been a lie, a blue sky was spreading wide.
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