Beast [Irregular at Magic High School fanfic] (Boyxboy)

Chapter 3

It was harder than I thought.

I walked with Brother until the station, then went somewhere quiet and empty. My CAD is actually my headphones. You might say my only strength lies in the digital world. I took a deep breath before activating Beast, taking my time to completely verify the correct variables before releasing the sequence. Within a minute, I took the form of a brown mouse with turquoise eyes. I snuck back to my siblings, Brother secretly stowing me away in his bag.

The train ride went smoothly, as did most of the day. But by lunch, Beast was getting harder and harder to maintain. I was in Brother's pocket now, as he was in the Student Council room with Sis and a few others. They were talking about reassurance of completely unaltered CADs. Apparently that was a problem the last time.

"But even if another incident occurs, we won't know until it does..."

"Isn't there a way to check every CAD before the events?"

"Well, there is, but it takes too much time. Time that could be spent fine-tuning CADs to their utmost."

"If I may, I may have a solution to that. It would take a lot to allow, though."

"Depending on that solution, I'm sure Juumonji and I can work something out. What is it?"

"Brother, you couldn't possibly mean...?"

"More of a 'who' than a what. My little brother may be inexperienced with engineering, but he takes great pride in being able to identify and remove specific codes and sequences of altering."

"Meaning...?"

"If I gave him a version of the CAD's completed sequencing and coding, then had him look over the CAD before the event, he'd be able to pinpoint any alterations to the device within minutes."

"He can read sequences like you?"

"Not exactly. His specialty is with technology, not sight. If it helps you understand, he types manually, the same way I do."

"Tatsuya... Suppose we do agree to let you brother look them over... How long would it take? And who would repair it if it is indeed altered?"

"He can do that much himself. As for time, he only has to read it over once."

"Do you have proof of his skills, Shiba?"

"That depends on the sort of proof you're looking for.."

"How about a demonstration? Can you get him to come here after school for everyone to see? I can bring Juumonji, too. That way we both have seen it with our own eyes, and can properly negotiate with the rules."

"That's fine with me."

Hmm... I suppose what he said is true... But I don't like being pressured. Doing something like that in a room full of people could make me slip-up. Brother, what are you thinking?

Unless... is he trying to make it so I can be in human form during the NSC without raising suspicion? I don't need compensation..

>>>>>>>>

After school, Brother let me out of his pocket. I made it off the campus and into a side street before my magic faded completely. I leaned against the brick wall for a few minutes after returning to my original form.

My magic always made me feel like I'd been hit by a truck..

Once I was mostly recovered, I headed back towards the school. Brother and Saegusa met me at the gate. The latter smiled warmly at me, to which I gave a small nod before turning to my brother. He greeted me like usual, with silence, and began leading me inside. Saegusa frowned at our interaction.