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

After surviving the freshman recruitment chaos, Tatsuya enjoyed a brief calm—until a practical class dragged him into another mess. No combat this time, just a tedious task.

"900ms, Tatsuya-san, you're clear!" the instructor announced.

"Finally," Tatsuya sighed.

"Second try's still fast," Mizuki said.

"You cleared it in one," Tatsuya countered.

"Well, yes, but…"

Second-year students worked unsupervised, submitting tasks within the time limit, retrying as needed. Some, like Mizuki, aced it first try; others, like Tatsuya, needed more.

"Still, Tatsuya-san, practicals really aren't your thing," Mizuki teased.

"I've been saying that," he replied dryly.

Top magicians clocked under 500ms; Tatsuya's 900ms after two tries was hardly stellar. He had his reasons, but Mizuki, unaware, stared in surprise.

"I thought you were just being modest," she said.

"No flattery here, but if I were average at practicals, I wouldn't be in this class."

His academic scores were unmatched, but he kept his tone neutral to avoid sounding smug.

"If you were perfect at practicals too, you'd be unapproachable," Mizuki laughed.

"I'm not perfect elsewhere either."

Her carefree smile drew a wry one from him, but her expression soon shifted.

"Aren't you frustrated?" she asked.

"By what?"

"Being underestimated despite your real strength."

Tatsuya paused, not out of hesitation but curiosity about her intent.

"Processing speed is strength," he said. "A split second can mean life or death."

He deflected with generalities, but Mizuki's sharp gaze didn't relent.

"In real combat, you could deploy faster, right? You don't even need an activation sequence for simple spells."

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You've got sharp eyes."

Mizuki faltered. "I…"

"Sure, I could skip the sequence for this, but complex spells need one. I'm not studying magic for combat."

"I respect that!" Mizuki blurted.

"Huh?"

"You've got your own goals, not just becoming a magician because you can! I've only studied to control my eyes, but now I'm motivated to try harder!"

"Calm down, Mizuki," Erika interjected.

"Ah! I…" Mizuki flushed.

Tatsuya, meanwhile, mused darkly: Magic's a given for her… I'm just struggling, forced into being a magician.

"Hey, Tatsuya, help us out!" Erika called.

"Yeah, give us a hand!" Leo echoed.

"Perfect sync, huh," Tatsuya muttered, roped in by both.

Miyuki, done with Tatsuya's errand, headed to the lab with Honoka and Shizuku. A crowd of classmates had trailed her like goldfish poop but had since dwindled.

"Good riddance to that mob," Shizuku said.

"Shizuku, that's…" Honoka began.

"It's fine, Honoka. It's true," Miyuki said, smiling coldly. Honoka sensed her stress but stayed quiet, agreeing the crowd was a nuisance.

"Onii-sama, may I come in?" Miyuki asked.

"Sure, we're almost done," Tatsuya replied.

"What!?" Erika gasped.

"Pressure!" Leo groaned.

Tatsuya was coaching Erika and Leo, who were close to passing thanks to his makeshift tips.

"Nice job, you two," Tatsuya said.

"Thanks, Tatsuya," Leo grinned.

"How'd we pull it off, Tatsuya-kun?" Erika asked.

He explained: Leo focused better by not overchecking targets, and Erika's one-handed CAD use gave her an edge.

"It's a hack, not combat-ready," Tatsuya warned.

"You saw all that?" Erika marveled.

"You're unreal, Tatsuya," Leo added.

Their eyes drifted to Miyuki's bag.

"Onii-sama, is this right?" she asked.

"Perfect. No time to waste—let's eat here."

Leo and Erika pounced on the sandwiches Tatsuya unpacked, but Mizuki hesitated.

"Is eating allowed in the lab?" she asked.

"Only restricted near terminals," Tatsuya said.

"Oh." Mizuki grabbed a sandwich, hunger winning out.

"Have you three eaten?" Tatsuya asked.

"We ate earlier," Miyuki said.

"Surprising," Erika teased. "I figured you'd say, 'I can't eat before Onii-sama!'"

Erika's grin was playful, but Miyuki replied earnestly. "Normally, yes. But today, Onii-sama ordered me to. I couldn't disobey."

"Normally?" Erika blinked.

"Ordered?" Mizuki echoed.

Miyuki's unflinching nod left them speechless.

"Uh, Miyuki, try the task!" Erika blurted, desperate to shift the mood.

"Yeah, first-years do it too, right?" Mizuki added.

"It's useless outside class, but… Onii-sama, should I?" Miyuki asked.

"Go for it," Tatsuya said.

With his approval, Miyuki performed the task.

"…225ms…" the result read.

"Miyuki's speed breaks human limits," a first-year muttered.

"Insane," another said.

Second-years gaped; first-years mixed resignation with envy. Miyuki, though, wasn't satisfied.

"Without Onii-sama's tuned CAD, I can't perform at my best," she said.

"It's an old model. I'll ask the president or chairman to get you a better one," Tatsuya replied.

The others stood slack-jawed, unable to fathom her true potential.

Note: Tatsuya and Miyuki's speeds are faster than the source material, and Shizuku's sharp tongue is dialed up, especially toward first-years.