✦ ✦ ✦
He relied heavily on his prowess as a magician. Being unmatched in his magic abilities was what gave him a wellspring of confidence. The moment Tatsuya neutralized his magic, Minoru became angry and frantic.
The only time he had lost a battle was through forfeit. This lack of experience in defeat haunted him right now.
After having lived his whole life with a frail body, he was borderline obsessed with the “if onlys” of having perfect health. If only he were healthy, he would never lose in a magic battle. Yet that conviction was overturned in a matter of seconds.
Despite his sudden lack of composure, there were plenty of reasons to sympathize with the young, almost seventeen-year-old boy—if he had been normal. But Minoru wasn’t normal. He wasn’t even human anymore. He attacked Tatsuya with a stronger and faster spell this time.
Tatsuya suddenly shifted gears into the role of a merciless combat magician. After dismantling Minoru’s second spell, he flew at the boy in one swift move.
His right palm pressed gently, almost tenderly, against Minoru’s abdomen. Through this palm, a burst of magic surged forth—an acceleration spell at point-blank range. The spell didn’t just affect Minoru’s stomach, it propelled Minoru’s entire body backward, sending it flying through the air.
Instead of slamming into the door, Minoru stopped midway and landed softly on the floor without a sound. Using Tatsuya’s acceleration spell as a springboard, Minoru cast an acceleration spell on himself to neutralize the impact and effectively cancel out the force. This technique allowed him to move away from Tatsuya.
“Miyuki!” Tatsuya shouted before Minoru’s feet could even touch the ground. “Cast a maximum interference field!”
“All right!”
As soon as Minoru landed, Miyuki’s interference field enveloped the entire hospital room. Minoru glanced briefly at Minami before swiftly unlocking the door and flinging it open. By rushing out into the hallway before Tatsuya could get near him again, Minoru managed to escape the effective range of the interference field.
One of the hallway’s closed windows shattered outward into the courtyard down below. Briefly meeting Tatsuya’s gaze, Minoru leaped through the now glassless window. Tatsuya understood the meaning behind Minoru’s glance.
“Miyuki. Stay by Minami’s side,” he ordered.
“What about you?”
“I’m going to fight Minoru.”
Minoru didn’t flee from Miyuki’s interference field out of fear. He was simply worried that fighting in the hospital room could potentially cause unnecessary harm, and he didn’t want to risk injuring Minami. To avoid this, he deliberately lured Tatsuya outside.
If Tatsuya stayed in the hospital room, Minoru would probably retreat for the day.
But the boy was very much attached to Minami. That much was painfully clear from their brief interaction. Even if he backed down now, he would surely come back.
Tatsuya’s priority was to protect Miyuki. He couldn’t afford to spend every waking hour at Minami’s side. His best option was to render Minoru powerless so he was no longer a threat. Tatsuya followed Minoru through the shattered window and down into the hospital courtyard.