The Unknown God at First High

Chapter 16: Blown Cover

It was currently 8:40 on the day of the thesis competition. Ryuga was sitting down in a lounge-like area of the convention center. He had his left leg crossed over his right leg as he stared at a door, waiting for it to open. After a short amount of time, the door opened, and Ryuga could see Tatsuya and Miyuki waving goodbye to Kyoko. Ryuga sat up out of the chair and walked towards the siblings. He waved as he got near them, then spoke.

Ryuga: "Hey. So what's up?"

Tatsuya: "My suit has been delivered. If anything should happen, I've been giving orders to respond. If that happens, I'll leave Miyuki in your care."

Ryuga: "All right."

Both Miyuki and Tatsuya were surprised by his lack of a joking remark. They assumed he was making a serious face since it was a serious situation, which it was. Miyuki bowed to Ryuga, while holding the sides of her skirt.

Miyuki: "I'll be in your care."

Ryuga: "Don't worry. Nothing will be able to hurt you while I'm here."

Tatsuya: "Is that pride, or confidence?" Ryuga chuckled.

Ryuga: "Maybe both? Anyways, you should get ready, the competition is starting in a few hours."

Tatsuya: "Yes. Take care of Miyuki."

Ryuga: "Yeah I got it. Try to have a little fun."

Tatsuya chuckled lightly as he walked away. Ryuga and Miyuki stood there staring at each other for a few seconds. Ryuga broke the eye contact by bowing and directing her with his hand.

Ryuga: "Let us find our seats, shall we? Madam?" Miyuki let out a small laugh and nodded.

Miyuki: "Yes, let's."

He lead her down a hallway and to the main convention room. Once they entered, they looked to see if they could find any familiar faces. Ryuga saw Erika waving at them, and he, along with Miyuki, took the two seats next to them. When they sat down, Erika noticed that Ryuga was, again, to the left of Miyuki. She wanted to comment about it, but restrained herself once she remembered what he said the last time. 

Erika: "Glad to see you two could make it."

Miyuki: "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Her smile had a glow to it, one that did not go unnoticed by many of the boys in the crowd. 

-Timeskip- 

Several hours later, the competition was about to start. Most of the seats were filled with students, and Ryuga could see the guards wearing bulletproof vests over their coats, making him a bit suspicious. His suspicions were confirmed once Tatsuya called him on his phone. Ryuga picked it up and answered softly.

Ryuga: "Yes?"

Tatsuya: "Lu Gonghu has escaped."

Ryuga: "Understood."

Tatsuya ended the call at that, just as Ryuga was about to press the red button. The three-second phone call made the ones sitting close to him curious. Erika, in particular, was very curious.

Erika: "Who was that? Perhaps a lover we don't know about?"

Ryuga looked at her with a deadpanned face and stated:

Ryuga: "Tatsuya."

Erika blushed before promptly looking at the stage when the lights dimmed. The curtains opened for the audience to find First-High's machine up first. Suzune explained what its purpose was and demonstrated it perfectly. She explained how the machine would only need a magician for the initial start, and it would be able to run on its own after that. The crowd applauded loudly. The lights brightened, and an announcer's voice could be heard.