Ikka rushed forward and captured the spellcaster who had been watching 虹恋 .

  Recently, Ikka had been practicing her techniques constantly.

  Ever since she realized at the hospital that her abilities could actually help people, she had been training almost every day.

  (I did it…!)

  Her spell activated, binding the man's movements.

  "虹恋! I caught a suspicious guy!"

  Ikka usually called him Hinomichi-kun, but in that moment she instinctively used the name she had called him since childhood.

  虹恋 felt as if he had heard the voice of a childhood friend he hadn't heard in a while.

  Saeki turned around when he heard Ikka's voice.

  His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the captured man.

  Saeki recognized him.

  The man was one of the spellcasters under Saeki's direct command—

  a member of Ichika's faction.

  He was also the same spellcaster that Nia and 虹恋 had seen at the hospital.

  "You…"

  Saeki rarely showed emotion, but his eyebrow moved slightly.

  Just then—

  Clack.

  A familiar sound of footsteps approached.

  Ichika and Felicia appeared.

  Ichika calmly took custody of the spellcaster from Ikka.

  Beside him, Felicia smiled elegantly.

  Ikka, meanwhile, shrank back slightly.

  The difference between timid Ikka and the confident Felicia was like that between

  a lion and its prey.

  Of course, Felicia had no intention of devouring her.

  But the pressure alone was enough.

  "Hello! Takachika and 虹恋.

  And you must be Watari, Rikuta… and Kuuga Ikka, right?"

  Ichika, completely in doctor mode, approached the group of students.

  "School is dismissed for today.

  Since the parents are busy with the meeting about the incident, I came to pick you up in their place."

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "...Didn't that sound suspiciously loaded just now?" Watari muttered.

  Led by Ichika and Felicia, the group headed toward the limousine.

  On the way, Saeki disappeared somewhere with the captured spellcaster.

  "虹恋."

  "Huh? Grandpa? Grandma? Why are you here?"

  Inside the limousine, 虹恋 noticed familiar faces.

  "This is our car," his grandfather said casually.

  "Oh."

  虹恋 tilted his head with mild curiosity.

  But—

  "Wait!!

  Those are the people who were sitting in the VIP seats at the entrance ceremony!!"

  Watari and Rikuta exclaimed in shock.

  The two boys were completely intimidated.

  Meanwhile, 虹恋's grandmother and Ikka had already begun chatting casually as if nothing unusual was happening.

  (I understand you, boys.)

  Ichika nodded knowingly as he listened to their reactions.

  虹恋's grandparents had intercepted him on his way to a meeting that he was attending in place of the missing Harumiya parents and grandparents.

  They had practically kidnapped him, dragged Felicia along from wherever she had been, forced them both into the limousine, and brought him to the school as substitute guardians.

  "Your family really is weird," Nia whispered to 虹恋 from the seat beside him.

  "What's weird?"

  虹恋 looked genuinely confused.

  That blank expression said it all.

  Realizing that neither his intentions nor the situation were getting through to 虹恋, Nia covered his face with his hand.

  Seeing that reaction—

  "...Heh."

  Ikka let out a dry laugh.

  The fact that 虹恋 had no interest in how strange his family was—

  and that he hadn't even noticed it—

  was simply normal

  for Ikka and their other childhood friend.