This chapter is updated by Novels.pl
Sunday, February10th. The ti was almost 3 P.M.
Tatsuya took Miyuki with him as they visited the Kitayama Family's mansion. No, it would probably be more accurate to say that it was Miyuki who was taking Tatsuya there.
The reason that the siblings were visiting the Kitayama Family was because Shizuku had invited Miyuki yesterday in the classroom. At first, Miyuki thought that it might have been an invitation to a formal Tea Ceremony, which was why she intended to wear a furisode (long- sleeved kimono). But when Shizuku had cleared up the misunderstanding by saying I just ant having regular tea', Miyuki had blushed in embarrassnt.
The two of them kept their shoes on as they entered an elegant Western- style room. Looking at the painting that hung on the wall and the vase on display, Tatsuya couldn't help but wonder, Just how much did these cost?' However, he imdiately brushed that thought aside. Tatsuya and Miyuki weren't children anymore, so he wasn't anxious about breaking sothing. However, he thought that if he paid too much attention to the value of those items, it would prevent him from feeling at ease.
When they entered, Shizuku was already seated. Shizuku's outfit was composed of a one-piece long-sleeved dress that fell to her knees, and a collar that covered her neck. She was also wearing high-heeled pumps. It wasn't an outfit as formal as sothing like an "afternoon dress" but it wasn't a mistake to say that she had probably put so thought into it.
In fact, Miyuki was dressed in a very similar manner. Tatsuya had received Miyuki's advice as to whether or not he should co dressed casually or formally, but still, he couldn't help but secretly feel relieved at not having misread the mood of this gathering.
In the end, Tatsuya had chosen a simple dark suit. He had considered coming in his school uniform but decided against it, and had instead opted for a suit that would match Miyuki's clothing style.
Seeing Tatsuya and Miyuki, Shizuku stood up.
"Welco and thank you for responding to the invitation."
Clasping both of her hands at her abdon, Shizuku perford a courteous bow, which was quite an excessively formal greeting.
"Thank you for inviting us."
Matching Shizuku's gesture, Tatsuya returned a well-mannered response, though he was sowhat lacking in grace. Miyuki followed after her brother half a second later. It was a graceful, impeccable bow.
"Please."
Shizuku urged Tatsuya to sit. Her concise way of speaking hadn't changed, however, and her actions were twice as polite as usual. There must have been a reason for Shizuku to have fully entered Young Mistress Mode' today.
Shizuku signaled using her eyes to a nearby maid who had been waiting patiently. Despite being a maid, she was already in the first half of her thirties. Her face was agreeable, but it only took a glance for Tatsuya and Miyuki to understand that this woman had not been chosen for her outward appearance. Rather, it was her skill.
The sound of boiling water could be heard not long after she elegantly placed the kettle on the electromagnetic cooker and turned it on. It was highly likely that before boiling, the already-hot water had been prepared.
The maid took a teapot out of the insulation device. She then put tea leaves in the pot that was now hot enough.
She stopped the electromagnetic cooker imdiately after the hot water started to boil, and after which, she then poured the hot water into the pot that contained the tea leaves.
Promptly covering the teapot with the lid, the maid cast her gaze downward and took a step back.
"Tatsuya-san, if you prefer coffee, I can have it prepared imdiately."
Her manner of speaking was the sa as always. However, the mood was different. It looked like Shizuku was slightly nervous.
"No, I happen to like tea as well."
For now, Tatsuya also returned an answer with the sa tone as always. He opted against trying to inquire as to why she was so tense. He would probably understand pretty soon anyway so he didn't see any reason to press the issue.
"By the way, Shizuku."
Following Tatsuya, Miyuki also spoke in her usual tone. "Is Honoka not coming today?"
"Umm Yes, well"
Shizuku remained evasive, implying that she'd prefer it if they didn't ask.
Shizuku was at a loss for words. Miyuki, whose social etiquette was the highest of the three, knew better than to try and force an answer.
"Ojou-sama."
Amidst the silence, unexpectedly, the maid who had been staying silently behind Shizuku spoke up.
"Eh, ah, thank you."
It was a warning to not let the tea steam too much. Shizuku opened the lid of the pot, stirred the contents for a bit with her spoon, then pulled the lid over it again.
After that, she took the ceramic tea-strainer, lifted the pot, then evenly filled the three tea cups in front of her. The cup filled until the last drop went to Tatsuya, and the nearby cup was placed in front of Miyuki.
"Please."
"Thank you."
Tatsuya voiced his gratitude while Miyuki silently bowed.
"It's delicious."
Miyuki was the first to voice her opinion, to which Tatsuya strongly nodded.
"Shizuku, you're not only skilled with green tea but with black tea as well."
"It's nothing much"
Shizuku was slightly embarrassed and averted her gaze. "Miyuki, have you already tasted tea made by Shizuku?"
"Yes, Onii-sama. The green tea that Shizuku prepares is delicious, too."
"Miyuki's was better."
With a curt expression, quite obviously to hide her embarrassnt, she answered so as she brought her gaze to Miyuki.
"Miyuki, Onii-sama?"
"Eh? Ah"
Miyuki didn't imdiately understand what Shizuku wanted to say. She quickly understood that the question was You're calling your older cousin Onii-sama?'.
However, this was a rather natural question. At school, Shizuku had witnessed Miyuki call Tatsuya Onii-sama' countless tis already.
"I have been addressing him that way since junior high school so You can say that it has beco a habit."
Still, Miyuki answered politely. Maybe it was because she felt slightly guilty that she went as far as to add an explanation.
Which invited another question. "Since junior high school?"
"Yes, umm, a lot happened."
Miyuki answered ambiguously. She had started to call Tatsuya Onii- sama' following the events in the sumr at Okinawa when she was in her first year of junior high school. Before that, her mother had forbidden them from acting like a brother and a sister.
Even though she had been a child who didn't know anything, the very mory of her selfish behavior towards her beloved brother caused her to feel uncontrollable disgust. Those were days of her life that she'd rather forget. Moreover, the exact events of this affair had to be kept secret from others.
An awkward silence invaded the place once more.
However, a well-tid knock from the door saved them from the atmosphere.
A maid, different from the one who helped with the preparations of the tea, opened the door.
"Ojou-sama, Danna-sama (Master) is here."
"Let him co in."
Without asking for Tatsuya and Miyuki's opinion, she answered right away.
It seed that today's invitation had co from Shizuku's father, Tatsuya imdiately thought.
"Forgive
for interrupting in the middle of your conversation."
Shizuku's father, Kitayama Ushio, stood next to Shizuku and greeted Tatsuya and Miyuki, who had already stood up as a sign of respect. Even though Ushio was wearing a buttoned-down shirt with a double-knitted jacket, it couldn't be said that it gave an untidy impression.
"We should be the ones saying that, forgive us for intruding."
If Ushio was indeed the one who had invited Tatsuya and Miyuki, then it would have been appropriate to thank him for it. However, Tatsuya kept acting as if it had been his daughter that had invited them. Keeping it that way would probably make for an easier interaction, Tatsuya thought.
For a mover-and-shaker of the economic world to employ such roundabout ways, Tatsuya couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that he wanted. Tatsuya wasn't so much excited as cautious about the whole deal. They weren't re high school students anymore. The top companies in the world might want to make an ally out of the Yotsuba, and even just making their enemies aware of such a relationship would be advantageous.
Tatsuya was once approached by Shizuku's mother. However, a mother's worry had prompted her to act that way in order to protect her daughter from a possibly undesirable person they knew nothing about, so she had questioned him. Tatsuya was under the impression Ushio wouldn't do the sa.
"Not at all, I'm the one intruding on a gathering of young people, after all."
"There is nothing strange or impolite in what you did. On the other hand, we ca here without extending a greeting to you. We are terribly sorry."
"Shizuku was the one who invited you, do not worry about such things. To begin with, there is no such need in this house. Incidentally, there happens to be sothing I'd like to talk with you about."
"If it's alright with you."
"That's a relief. Please, let's sit down and talk then."
After saying so, Ushio took the seat opposite Tatsuya's. A mont after, Tatsuya, Miyuki and Shizuku sat down.
"Well then, there is but one thing to talk about. That is, the negative campaign towards Magicians."
Although this subject had been well within what Tatsuya expected, the fact that Ushio got down to business imdiately surprised him a little.
"Both my wife and daughter are Magicians. I can't help being concerned. With the current tendency of people to hate Magicians on sight, I'd like to know what the Ten Master Clans plan on doing."
"Even though I can't give too many details on the matter, it was only before New Year's Eve that I was officially recognized as a mber of the Yotsuba. Also, Miyuki lived separated from the Main House. We're far from being in a position wherein we are aware of the Ten Master Clans' decisions.
Ushio nodded with a calm expression. There wasn't a trace of suspicion in his gaze as Tatsuya answered him.
"I see. I heard from my wife that the leaders of the Japanese Magic Community have different rules and customs."
Tatsuya lightly nodded to confirm Ushio's words. That was not to say that Ushio was done.
"Still, there's no way you haven't heard anything, right? Can you at least tell
if they actually plan on interfering?"
The only matters that Tatsuya was aware of were things related to his own mission. But it wasn't particularly stated that he wasn't allowed to talk about the contents of said mission.
"Even though it might be sothing that you are already aware of since it was made public, the Ten Master Clans are looking for the mastermind behind the terrorist attack. It has been decided that the culprit will be handed over to the police but I will join in the search as well."
"I see. The declaration made by the Japanese Magic Community will soon be carried out, then. Will asures be taken against this anti- Magician crusade?"
"I haven't heard anything in that regard."
"I see"
Ushio let out a deep sigh after hearing Tatsuya's answer. A teacup was placed in front of him by a maid who had been on standby near him.
Ushio thanked the maid with a quick glance and quenched his thirst with the presented drink.
"Like I said previously, I cannot just shrug off this anti-Magic movent as if it was soone else's problem. If the Ten Master Clans need help, then I can cooperate to deal with the dia."
With the backup of the Kitayama group, it's certain that they'd get considerable influence over the dia. Even if the antagonistic trend couldn't be reversed instantly, weakening it would be possible.
Tatsuya deed this a desirable offer. He knew how powerful public opinion truly was. Even the Yotsuba couldn't survive without the support of the Japanese community. In today's World, there was no room for an independent country where Magicians were in charge.
"Unfortunately, I am not in a position wherein I can speak or represent the will of the Ten Master Clans. Neither I nor Miyuki are allowed to represent the Yotsuba Family at the Master Clans Conference, either."
However, Tatsuya's answer was a neutral one.
"Moreover, I think that in the current situation, intervening on behalf of the Magicians with the dia would be undesirable for Kitayama-san. Taking Shizuku-san into account, this only strengthens my opinion."
A sharp light erged from Ushio's eyes. Until then, he had been wearing the face of a father, but right now, it was probably the face of one of the pillars of the business world.
"Now, I have to wonder why?"
"The anti-Magician movent is much like an anti-socialist movent. It would be no mistake to say that Magicians are currently an outlet for the dissatisfaction of society. Even under normal circumstances, Kitayama-san is already the target of jealousy and discontent due to your thriving business, so I think that we shouldn't give activists even more material to be agitated about. These people don't discriminate. Not only your wife and Shizuku-san, even you and possibly Wataru-kun could be exposed to their malice."
Ushio took the tea cup and brought it to his mouth.
It wasn't because he was thirsty, but because he wanted to evaluate Tatsuya's speech thoroughly.
"Even though I think categorizing all the criticism towards Magicians as anarchism is dangerous, I understand that you are worried about the well-being of my children. Still, are you fine with this?"
"If Magicians No, if students of First High ever beco victims of malicious acts or cris, then it is quite likely that I will ask for your help."
"So you're saying that you have no intention to prevent the damage before it actually occurs?"
"It is impossible to follow the actions of every student outside of the school. We could encourage prudence, but anything beyond that would be difficult."
"That is certainly the case."
Ushio turned a fleeting glance of appraisal towards Tatsuya.
It however quickly disappeared behind a composed and smiling face.
"I understand your stance. I will exert caution as well. However, if the situation ever degrades, feel free to co and consult
anyti. I might sound persistent, but again, this isn't just soone else's problem for ."
"Understood. When that happens, I will be counting on you." While bowing his head in respect towards Tatsuya, Ushio stood up. "I'm done troubling you. Please, enjoy yourselves."
Leaving such parting words to Tatsuya and Miyuki who had stood up as well to bow, Ushio left the room.
Tatsuya had refused Ushio's offer because it wasn't his duty to handle the dia.
It wasn't like the Ten Master Clans thought that intervening in this matter was unnecessary, though. On the night of the day Tatsuya and Miyuki visited the Kitayama mansion, Kouichi invited Congressman Ueno to an expensive restaurant.
Congressman Ueno was a young politician of the governnt based in Tokyo who was known for being friendly towards Magicians. Not too long ago, it was said that he would ascend to the post of Minister.
However, with the recent anti-Magician trend, he had suffered quite the setback and was now in a tricky position. Still, it wasn't like he could just jump ship and change his camp, it was much too late for that. Due to this, he had to remain passive for the last few days.
After the garon (waiter) brought Kouichi a cup of coffee, he then instructed him to not let anyone enter for a while and to close the door behind him.
"Did you enjoy the al?"
"Yes, it was delicious."
"Glad to hear it. I will transmit your praise to the Chef."
"Don't trouble yourself with that, I will tell him myself. Recently, there has been quite a bit of eavesdropping and spying in Akasaka and Shinbashi, so I couldn't find the ti to properly relax. This sort of establishnt is quite useful."
Kouichi and Ueno were both roughly the sa age. The conversation between them was always smooth and natural.
"Well then, Saegusa-san. Shall we talk about the real reason for my presence here?"
The one who ended the ceremonies to get down to business was Ueno. "If I had to venture a guess, I would say that it's about the dia?"
"As expected of Ueno-sensei. You hit the nail on the head."
Kouichi nonchalantly flattered Ueno. However, Ueno only displayed a wry smile. With the current situation in mind, there wasn't really anything else Kouichi would want to talk to him about. He didn't feel awkward about it, but he was conscious of the fact that it had been sothing rather easy to guess. He didn't feel like the praise was warranted.
"This is a request from none other than Saegusa-san himself. I am ready to take so risks as well. Should we put so pressure on the dia? Or should we try to turn the hate towards the terrorists by saying the Magicians are also victims in the affair?"
Ueno was broadly grinning. Even though as a politician he was still rather young, he had already acquired quite the knowledge and experience in the power struggle that he had to go through to enter the governnt.
"No, I don't plan on asking for sothing so unreasonable."
However, Kouichi was apparently against this strategy. If Kouichi had accepted Ueno's proposal, it'd have been a consequent debt, which Ueno might have planned on using in the future to be granted various services from the powerful Saegusa family.
Currently, out of all the Ten Master Clans leaders, it was no doubt Kouichi who possessed the most experience in negotiations. Seizing the initiative against soone like Kouichi was sothing Ueno simply wasn't good enough to do.
"What I'd like to ask of Ueno-sensei is to take extre care that, if any Magician is ever hard due to the actions of the anti-Magician group, such a cri wouldn't go unpunished."
Kouichi's request was a fairly small one compared to Ueno's proposal from before.
"Not forgiving a cri is par for the course but Is this really all you want of ?"
Kouichi smiled and shook his head at Ueno's incredulity.
"A society where the natural matters are dealt with the way they should be is exactly what every citizen hopes for, Ueno-sensei. For instance, if students of First High were injured by activists of the anti-Magician group, even if the victim would be the Magicians, an excuse such as "self-defense" could be used to make them the culprits instead."
"No, surely these kind of things"
"Are you sure?"
Ueno felt like he had been caught in an illusion, seeing Kouichi's artificial eye letting out a suspicious light even through his sunglasses. It seems he had been caught up in the atmosphere.
"Since there was a possibility of being threatened if I decided to use Magic, in order to protect myself, I resorted to violence. Can you really say that neither the dia nor the usual anti-Magic community would support such a reason?"
Seeing Kouichi's discreet smile, Ueno couldn't help but swallow his breath.
"If they start out with threats and harassnt, and Magicians react even the slightest in return, the anti-Magicians could resort to violence and defend themselves with that kind of self-serving claim. And with the dia and politicians backing them, it would only increase their sense of superiority. Can you honestly tell
that won't happen?"
"This is"
"Spreading false information and revealing illegal acts that a group has done, then threatening them and inciting violence towards them It's not an unusual way to crush an opponent party and their reputation. However, we can't allow Magicians to be on the receiving end of such a farce. I fear that this country may end up in a deplorable situation, one where Magicians are all but ignored if they complain about injury, damage, or the like.
"Saegusa-san, don't tell
you"
Ueno's voice trembled. He wasn't afraid about the situation Kouichi described possibly becoming a reality. Rather
"Are you thinking about sacrificing students of Magic High Schools and Universities to reverse the public opinion?"
The faint smile of Kouichi disappeared, he looked at Ueno.
"If nothing happens, then there will be nothing to worry about. But it is still impossible to halt unjustified acts against Magicians before they occur."
Locking eyes with Ueno, Kouichi's smile deepened.
"Even if the police decided to keep a close watch, it's not like they would be really able to interfere until a real problem popped up. Therefore, if such a thing happens, it must be dealt with quickly and fairly, as all affairs should be, even if the victims were to be Magicians. Ueno-sensei, I will count on your cooperation."
"Understood."
Returning an answer that had a lot of trouble coming out, Kouichi looked at Ueno with a suspicious smile once more.
Monday, February 11th. As usual, Tatsuya was headed to school accompanied by Miyuki and Minami. While he was going to his classroom, he felt a strange atmosphere on the school grounds.
On the day following Gu Jie's declaration about the recent terrorist acts being his doing, the atmosphere had been quite tense. However, it wasn't exactly the sa this ti. Although anxiety was definitely part of the mix, you could feel that curiosity was the prevalent sentint. If you were to strictly compare the general mood, it was pretty similar to when Lina had co to study here.
The classroom of Class 2-E was no exception. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Mizuki. It seems like everyone is restless, did sothing happen?"
While returning her greeting, Tatsuya asked Mizuki if she had any information about this phenonon.
"I, too, can't say for sure but It appears that Ichijou-san from Third High has co to our school."
"Ichijou?"
Even though he did not rise his voice too loud, it was a fact that even Tatsuya couldn't help but be surprised.
Had Masaki just co to Tokyo, then it wouldn't have been that surprising. Tatsuya had heard from Maya that he was participating in the terrorist search under Katsuto's guidance. That is why him leaving school for a while and staying here was in the range of predictable events.
Still, there should have been no need for him to co to First High. After all, Hachioji, where First High was situated, was quite a distance away from Tokyo where the residence of the Juumonji family was located. The Magic University where Katsuto was currently studying at was at Nerima, which was also pretty far away. It was difficult to think of his visit to First High as incidental.
It couldn't be that he is going to transfer to First High?
"From whom did you hear this story, Mizuki?"
"From ."
The answer ca from behind Tatsuya. She didn't co from her usual place near the window, but from the entrance of the classroom of Class- E and stood behind him.
"Good morning Erika. So, have you seen Ichijou?" Tatsuya asked so, turning around.
"Although, it's not like I saw him with my own eyes or anything."
Erika gave up trying to surprise Tatsuya, and answered his inquiry with a bored face.
"Ichijou-kun was taken by the Vice-Principal to the Principal's office, or so people say. I asked around to see if this wasn't just a joke, but apparently pretty much everyone has the sa version of the story, so there's probably no mistake."
Erika had a lot more acquaintances than Tatsuya. If you were talking strictly about how many people knew them, then Tatsuya ca out on top. However, in terms of having a social life in First High, Erika was leaps and bounds ahead.
This was information gathered by Erika from her asking around. So it's true that Masaki ca to First High then, Tatsuya thought.
"The Principal's office, then?"
The story about the Vice-Principal taking him to the Principal's office was also probably true. Tatsuya thought about the possibility of it being for That' scenario that he had imagined.
Miyuki wasn't a person who enjoyed themselves in speculating about other's affairs in the way Tatsuya did.
"Everyone, as you probably all already know, Ichijou-kun from Third High will be staying at a house in Tokyo for about a month"
It was not simply a guidance teacher from Class-A that was now talking, but the Vice-Principal Yaosaka himself, and right next to him was Ichijou Masaki.
The fact that Masaki was present was already quite the shock, but associating this with the fact that it was the Vice-Principal himself who was doing the explanation, it managed to overload the students to the point his words took a while to actually register.
Even though no one dared to whisper to each other while the Vice- Principal was there, a restless atmosphere perated the classroom. This mood was even further strengthened when Yaosaka pronounced the words Business related to his family'. There wasn't a single student in Class-A that didn't understand the aning of those words. House, in other words, Ichijou Family's business. The students knew that, without a doubt, this was related to the other day's terrorism events.
However, there was a distinct difference in enthusiasm between the gazes that the boys threw at him and the gazes of the girls.
"Vice-Principal. Does that an that Ichijou-san will transfer from Third High to our class?"
One of the schoolgirls raised her hand, her question mixing curiosity and hope.
This was sothing Yaosaka had already explained, but he persevered and repeated once more.
"There will be no transfer. As you probably understand from his uniform, Ichijou will remain in Third High's registry. However, since he will not be able to follow his course from here, for a ti, using the network of Magic High Schools and Universities, he will follow Third High's curriculum using this class' terminals."
Asecond-year student from Class-A unfortunately dropped out two months ago. That person's desk had stayed empty.
"Even though practice sessions will be separated, he will study with everyone. No doubt it will beco a good stimulus for everyone present,
Ichijou-kun included. I hope you will all get along and have friendly competition. Well then, Ichijou-kun"
Urged on by Yaosaka, Masaki took a half step forward.
"My na is Ichijou Masaki, from Third High. This chance of studying together was due to the kindness of everyone from First High. It will only be for a short period of a single month but I look forward to cooperating with you."
At the sa ti Masaki bowed, a warm applause erupted in the classroom. Since Class 2-A already had experience with this sort of event with Lina's temporary visit last year, they were the class that was the most accustod to the whole experience.
This fact weighed in Principal Momoyama's decision to put Masaki in Class-A.
It was absolutely not due to consideration for the recent proposal of the Ichijou Family to the Yotsuba Family.
However, Miyuki couldn't help but view this in a dubious light.
While she openly clapped with the others and maintained her smile, she internally sighed.
During that day's lunch period, Masaki didn't sit at the sa table as Miyuki. He gave precedence to deepening his friendship with the males of his own class, Class-A, and was currently in Morisaki's group.
Watching from her seat in the distance, Erika muttered surprising'.
"I thought he'd try to stick to Miyuki for sure"
"If he did that, he'd probably be hated by both the guys and girls of his class."
Smiling wryly at Erika's blunt opinion, Mikihiko objected.
"Since Lina was a girl there wasn't really anything strange about her and Miyuki being together but Ichijou-san is a man so"
Smiling as well, Honoka aligned with Mikihiko's opinion.
"Yeah I guess. Having your ass chased around by hordes of girls on your first day really gives you the image of prince right?"
"Erika-chan, that word"
Though Mizuki slightly reproved Erika's ungraceful comnt, consent was also mixed in.
Erika turned towards Mizuki with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Was there sothing strange in what I said?"
"Ass is a bit"
"So ass is no good then. How about butt?"
"Erika-chan"
"What kind of person was Lina?"
While Erika and Mizuki had started to play around
or more accurately, Erika had started to one-sidedly tease Mizuki
Shizuku asked Honoka a question.
"Now that I think about it, we didn't really talk about Lina to Shizuku much."
Lina had moved to First High under the guise of a student exchange program, and that exchange partner had been, of course, Shizuku. Since they hadn't even t while moving to each other's countries, Shizuku basically knew nothing of Lina.
"I heard that she was a blond-haired beauty.
"That's true. Golden hair and blue azure eyes, such bright colors. She was really cute."
"More than Miyuki?"
"Eh? No way."
Honoka had instinctively answered, so she was stealing glances at Miyuki who was smiling with a troubled face.
"Umm, maybe their types were different? I an, Miyuki is in the "beautiful" category."
Seeing Miyuki becoming more and more perplexed, Shizuku actively nodded to Honoka's words. As expected of best friends, this pattern in their behavior suited them well.
"However, if I had to put Lina in a category, it'd be "lovely". Her face was like that of an expensive doll's, but at the sa ti she was friendly, easy to talk to cheerful, bright, and definitely lively."
"I think those words are basically the sa."
"Ugh A-anyway, she gave off what you'd call an Arican vibe."
"That is rather rude to Aricans in general"
"Overall I guess she would be a good match for Miyuki!" Honoka dodged Shizuku's heated argunt,
"Her Magical power was also amazing. She was a good match for Miyuki in that aspect as well!"
Such was her conclusion.
"Equal to Miyuki? That's impressive."
Shizuku was genuinely interested about that part, so that sentence of hers wasn't ant to tease.
"Considering she had been sent, in a sense, as a representative of the USNA, it was to be expected."
Hearing Tatsuya, Leo and Erika couldn't help but put on a grin. Both of them, however, firmly understood that Lina's identity was to be kept a secret. They wouldn't do sothing as stupid as mouthing off in a place where soone might hear them.
Not knowing about Lina's identity, Shizuku tilted her head in wonder at seeing Erika and the others' smiling faces.
"Putting aside her Magical prowess, she was quite an entertaining person. Shizuku would've certainly liked her too. She was pretty vulnerable to heated argunts."
Before the conversation could shift in an unwanted direction, Tatsuya gave a casual remark.
"Tatsuya-san. I'm not the high-king of tsukkomi."
"Onii-sama I think this is rather rude to both Shizuku and Lina."
Receiving successive objections from Shizuku and Miyuki, Tatsuya apologized with a "My bad" while smiling.
"Still, to think Ichijou-kun would co to First High, I never imagined this even in my dreams. Was a clear reason given for his transfer?"
Thinking that the subject of Lina had run its course, Mikihiko asked the three people from Class-A about sothing that had been on his mind since this morning. The reason he used an overly polite tone was because, of course, those three students included Miyuki.
"He's not transferring, though."
"Due to matters concerning his family, he's going to stay in Tokyo for a while. It looks like he is going to follow Third High's theory course online using our terminals. That's why he's not wearing First High's uniform, but the uniform from Third High."
"By family business, does that an the Ichijou Family?"
Hearing Honoka's explanation, Mikihiko turned a frowning gaze towards Tatsuya.
"With the recent events in mind, he might be here for sothing relevant to the terrorist attacks Tatsuya, do you know sothing?"
Receiving a direct question, Tatsuya did not lie nor did he use his right to stay silent.
"Do you know about the recent declaration made by the Magic Community?"
"Umm, you an the one about searching for the terrorist mastermind?"
"Ichijou ca to Tokyo for that reason. And while I'm at it, I'm going to add that Saegusa-senpai, Juumonji-senpai and myself will join the search."
This was, in part, to show the World that the Ten Master Clans wouldn't sit by and forgive acts of terrorism. It was one of the things declared to the dia by the Magic Community. Since Tatsuya understood that much, there was no real reason to keep it a secret.
"I see say, Tatsuya."
"What is it?"
"Umm, can I help?"
Mikihiko's reaction, however, was fairly unexpected for Tatsuya.
It was more of a retaliation for the terrorist act against the Ten Master Clans
They weren't exactly looking for Gu Jie. Moreover, homicide, casualties and the like, these were normally jobs for the police. Even if they were the Ten Master Clans, there is such a thing as overstepping their authority.
The Ten Master Clans were cooperating with the police to change the current opinion on Magicians. If they borrowed the help of soone outside of the Ten Master Clans, it wouldn't have nearly the sa impact.
"I'd rather have you take care of the anti-Magician group's actions."
Tatsuya oriented Mikihiko's concern in another direction. It wasn't just for the sake of changing the subject or anything, it was a problem that needed attention as well.
"The anti-Magician group?"
"Weren't you the one who talked about students being observed and also being victims of abusive language?"
"Ah, yeah. You're talking about that."
It was Monday, during the second week of this term, he was talking about the content of a report made by the disciplinary committee.
"It was a brief conversation, but you rembered it well, huh?"
"I was actually just thinking that you may have forgotten about it."
Hearing those unexpected harsh words from Tatsuya, Mikihiko blinked several tis.
"This happened before the terrorist attacks. Right now, the public opinion of Magicians is in a critical situation, and to begin with, Humanists don't exactly think highly of us. So coupled with the recent happenings, there is a possibility that direct violence might be employed against the students."
Tatsuya's way of concluding matters was to strengthen Mikihiko's sense of the incoming crisis. When Tatsuya thought that Mikihiko was quietly pondering, he had in fact taken out his terminal to check so data.
"There is no report of assault yet Still, it's true that the number of harassnt cases happening outside of the school has clearly increased"
The data Mikihiko was currently poring over was a damage report that the disciplinary committee had gathered.
"I'm sorry, Tatsuya. Looks like I really screwed up. Until now, I was only paying attention to the school's interior."
Even though Mikihiko was blaming himself, one couldn't help but sympathize with him. Ever since the terrorist's (Gu Jie) declaration on Wednesday of last week, the students were fairly agitated, anxious even. Quarrels would erupt within the school grounds at the drop of a hat. Despite the fact that those were rare occurrences, there were cases where it even developed into scuffles between students. As a mber of the disciplinary committee, Mikihiko's priority was, of course, the troubles that happened within the school.
"Would you mind sharing this data with the Student Council? Until last week we had been counting the number of incidents, so I'd like to compare with yours."
Despite saying that, since the voices of concern ca from the students themselves, he had to report to the staff room at the very least. What Tatsuya ant was that he wanted to write a report on the consultations made to the disciplinary committee rather than the Student Council.
"Understood. I will do my best so that Tatsuya can concentrate on his duty."
"He's counting on you, disciplinary committee chairman!"
Erika cheered on a Mikihiko who was nodding with motivation. Even though her tone had been half-joking, Mikihiko understood that she was genuinely encouraging him.
After the class ended, Tatsuya decided to visit Class 2-A's room. "Onii-sama, did you co to get ?"
Miyuki, who perceived his approach, went out to et Tatsuya in the hallway. For Tatsuya, who should've been going towards the student council's room, it was unusual for him to co and get Miyuki.
"Yeah. I also have a few things to talk about with Ichijou." However, Tatsuya's answer disappointed Miyuki slightly. "Ichijou-san? Understood. I will call him."
Still, she didn't show her disappointnt. Miyuki showed a smile and went back to her classroom.
Her smile gave Tatsuya a sense of discomfort.
It wasn't the first ti this had happened. He saw that smile a few tis already this year, it was a different smile from before. This sensation reminded Tatsuya of the Yotsuba Family's New Year's eting'.
That event caused an undesirable change in Miyuki. Tatsuya's intuition told him not to ignore this matter as it might cause unwanted trouble.
However, he wasn't allowed to ponder on the issue right now. "Shiba-san, thank you very much Shiba, what do you want?" Right now, he had to give priority to Masaki.
"Ichijou, are you aware that Juumonji-senpai is planning a eting to talk about our mission?"
Tatsuya didn't need to explain in detail what this mission was about. As mbers of the Ten Master Clans, both of them knew that they had been ordered to search for the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks.
"No, this is the first I have heard of it but"
However, since Masaki had just co to Tokyo, he did not know about it.
"Well, even if I say a eting, it will be more like an exchange of currently known information between Juumonji-senpai, Saegusa-senpai and myself. You should co along as well."
"I see"
Masaki pondered over Tatsuya's invitation. It didn't take him that long to co up with an answer, just less than 10 seconds.
"If it's alright with you, allow
to participate."
Masaki fully understood that for this kind of investigation, communication and sharing information was important. What he was worried about was that if he, as a student of Third High, were to join a eting composed exclusively of First High students, the mood might be awkward. Though after realizing it wasn't the ti to have such petty thoughts, he imdiately ca to a conclusion.
"I see. Today's eting will be at 1800 Hours. I will send you the map, so please take out your terminal."
"A-alright."
With a slight feeling of surprise, Masaki took out his own personal digital assistant from his pocket. With this conversation flow, he had expected a "Then, let's go together" due to him being a Third High student. To be honest, Masaki wasn't thrilled with the prospect of walking together with his rival in love, so if he had been asked to follow him around, the offer would've been declined. He sort of lost his montum at this anticlimactic result, since Tatsuya proposed a totally different course of action.
Masaki was also rembered that this wasn't Third High, and a slight feeling of loneliness invaded him.
"Did you receive all the data?"
Masaki's change of expression didn't escape Tatsuya's eyes. However, Tatsuya had no interest in what Masaki thought or felt. He asked in a business-like manner if he had received all the information needed.
"No problem."
"Then, see you there at 1800 Hours."
After Masaki had nodded to his parting words, Tatsuya turned his attention to Miyuki.
"Miyuki, let's go?"
Even though Tatsuya was exempt from student council activities due to the search mission he was given, he thought that since he had co all the way to the classroom of Class-A, he could accompany Miyuki there.
"Yes."
After Miyuki nodded to Tatsuya with a smile on her face, she turned to Masaki to say goodbye.
"Then, Ichijou-san, we will be going."
"Do your best for the student council activities." Masaki answered so with a ek face.
After seeing Masaki off, Tatsuya and Miyuki headed towards the Student Council room.
Even though Tatsuya had his back turned, he could feel his gaze. There was no ignoring Masaki's subdued acrimony this ti.
At precisely 1800 Hours, Tatsuya went into the restaurant that Katsuto was waiting in. He left at 1900 Hours.
There was no progress to be reported today by any of them, either. They had shared information about the affair in Kamakura during the day. Of course, they only shared information they could freely talk about. That was why tonight's eting ended after an explanation of the current investigation led by Masaki. Therefore, it was over in a ti that was neither too short nor too long.
Afterwards, Katsuto, Mayumi and Masaki ate dinner together, but Tatsuya declined and went ho. Of course he had also been invited, but they didn't insist after he had refused. Katsuto and Mayumi seed to have considered Tatsuya and Masaki's antagonism due to Miyuki.
In the train that was bringing him back ho, Tatsuya thought about Miyuki. She had forced a smile for a long period of ti when he had co to get her after school at her classroom.
It was not like today was the first ti he had noticed this. After they ca back from the Yotsuba eting of the New Year, it happened quite a few tis, and it caused Tatsuya to feel anxious every ti. However, since it looked like Miyuki didn't want Tatsuya to notice, he hadn't asked her about it until now.
However, after seeing her today, he couldn't stop thinking that way anymore. It was pretty easy to understand that she was forcing herself. Before solving the worry he had been having, Tatsuya thought it was necessary to talk to her.
While he went from his cabin to the commuter that would take him ho, Tatsuya thought about how he should bring up the subject into their discussion.
Bluntly asking would be a bad move. Forcibly making Miyuki talk might hurt her as he wasn't aware of the nature nor the gravity of her worry. Leading her to it with other questions might be the sa as forcing her in the end. It's not like she was a prisoner whose information needed to be extracted, and the purpose wasn't to learn about her worry.
Tatsuya stood before his own house, not having decided anything. Stepping forward, his hand that was extending towards the door knob was slightly slower than usual.
"Welco ho, Onii-sama. Did sothing happen? Are you feeling ill!?"
Usually, he would have already opened the door, but seeing him being slower than usual, Miyuki's face was drained of color.
"No, I was just thinking about sothing. I'm back, Miyuki."
What are you doing, worrying Miyuki that way' thought Tatsuya.
It wasn't like he had his montum taken away, but he still hadn't confronted Miyuki about it even as they finished dinner. It was already getting quite late.
After finishing his al, Tatsuya declined a tea-ti offer and went to take a bath. Feeling refreshed, he decided to try to talk to Miyuki once more.
When Tatsuya ca back to the living room, he was t by a Miyuki who had put on a knee-length classic one-piece dress with frills. She had already removed the white apron that she had on a while ago.
"Onii-sama, I will make coffee imdiately, please wait for a mont."
Even faster than Tatsuya could open his mouth, Miyuki quickly said so and left her seat.
Could it be that she is avoiding him? Tatsuya quickly denied this possibility.
He doesn't think that she is avoiding him.
Miyuki had seen through what he wanted to ask her, and didn't like it. That is what Tatsuya thought.
However, it was undeniable that the fact that this caused Tatsuya anxiety was sothing Miyuki was conscious about. As opposed to Tatsuya who only knew about a vague restlessness of hers, Miyuki perfectly understood the reason for his.
What on Earth could Miyuki be worried about
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
While Tatsuya was still throwing conjectures around, Miyuki entered the living room with a coffee tray. He was pulled out of his deep thinking by Miyuki, and he instinctively raised his face and looked at his watch.
Putting the coffee cups and the saucers on the table, Miyuki anxiously peered into Tatsuya's face.
"Umm, Onii-sama Are you really feeling alright? Are you sure that you aren't tired? You seed fairly distracted tonight."
Tatsuya wanted to click his tongue for his blunder. He had made Miyuki worry once more. This wasn't the ti to be lost in thought, he said to himself.
"Miyuki, won't you sit for a mont?"
"Yes?"
However, this was his chance. In this situation, although he thought it was slightly unfair, Miyuki wouldn't be able to run away or change the subject.
"What I'm worrying about Miyuki, is you."
If this had been last year, that sentence would've brought Miyuki imnse joy.
However, as she was now, her eyes swam all over the place trying to avoid Tatsuya's gaze.
"What are you so worried about?"
Miyuki refused to look at him directly. Still, not stopping at that, Tatsuya went all in.
"I don't such a thing."
Miyuki's answer had absolutely no persuasive power whatsoever. Understanding this fact herself, she wasn't only looking away, but was averting her whole face.
"Miyuki. Won't you tell ?"
Miyuki looked at him from the side, blinking restlessly. Her eyes were still not focused on anything. For her, keeping a secret from Tatsuya was probably impossible.
If Tatsuya had looked at her for 10 more seconds, Miyuki probably would have given in and shared her worries. However fate is whimsical, and this ti, it was on her side. One could see it as bad luck that she was deprived of her chance to alleviate her concerns.
Miyuki stood up panicking when the sound of the video phone rang out. Even though there was a wireless console under the table, Miyuki jumped with vigor and went towards the panel on the wall.
Miyuki raised a voice of surprise when she saw the displayed na of the one calling.
"Onii-sama, it's a call from Oba-sama!"
"Put her on."
As he answered, Tatsuya had already moved in front of the screen's cara.
Miyuki pressed the answer button of the panel.
On the video phone's screen, Maya's face appeared.
"Good evening, Tatsuya-san. I was worried you may have been in the middle of sothing."
Although it wasn't easy to understand what she ant since they were facing each other, Maya's gaze was turned towards the table where the coffee cups were.
"No, it's alright. Oba-ue, what business brings you here today?"
For soone like Tatsuya, such an answer lacked composure. However, Maya did not comnt on it.
"Last Saturday, Gu Jie managed to run away. Since we understood how, I thought I would let you know."
Hearing this, Tatsuya thought "Is this sothing that the Head of the Yotsuba Family should say?". However, this thought was premature.
"It seems like our communications have been intercepted."
"Strong codes are supposed to protect the communications between mbers of the Yotsuba Family."
"We use a code changing every hour like the national defense but apparently this asure has been defeated."
As Maya said, the encryption key used by the mbers of the Yotsuba changed every hour.
That was why Tatsuya went to the Magic Association every month to et an envoy who would hand over codes for the following 60 days (The extra amount being there as a reserve). Even the encoding machine that Ayako gave to Balance contained 43,200 codes, and to prevent an eventual theft of the codes from the machine, security of the highest order had been included.
To think that all of those security asures have been for naught was hard to believe.
"Then, should I think of this very call as one that might be intercepted as well?"
However, no matter how hard a thing it was to believe, Tatsuya didn't really have any reason to doubt it, thus, he accepted it as the truth.
"Indeed. That is why the next ti we find a clue, we will transmit it to you by letter."
"Understood."
Even if she said that she would send a letter, there was no way she'd entrust it to the regular mail services, thought Tatsuya.
And one more thing. Since she contacted them tonight, it ans that a new clue had been found today, Tatsuya understood that she planned on transmitting this information tomorrow.
"That is all I wanted to say about this matter Oh that's right, Tatsuya- san. Did things go well with Juumonji-dono and the Saegusa Family's daughter? The Ichijou Family's son also joined from what I heard."
"If you're talking about the eting, everything went well."
What is this about suddenly, thought Tatsuya, but he answered without giving much of a thought.
"Is that so? Please do your best. However, getting along too well is a no- go."
Tatsuya looked at Maya with a quizzical expression.
Was his expression that strange? A smile appeared on Maya's face.
"My, my, didn't you notice? It wasn't Juumonji-dono who made the Saegusa Family's daughter participate, but the Saegusa Family itself. Using the etings as a pretext to make you and her have sothing like a date."
What are you saying in front of Miyuki. A vivid panic awoke in his heart, however, it wasn't shown on his face.
"So they had such an intention. I will be careful."
Showing his displeasure with a frown, he returned such an answer.
"Yes, do so. Then I bid you farewell. I wish you a good night as well, Miyuki-san."
"Thank you very much."
"Have a good night, Oba-sama."
The call ended. In front of the now pitch-black screen, Tatsuya turned towards Miyuki.
As he expected, Miyuki was pretty angry. However, it didn't show on her face.
A strong malaise invaded Tatsuya. And yet, he felt like he knew the cause.
Tatsuya didn't feel any joy at being envied. He never wanted Miyuki to sulk or bla him, not even once. At the sa ti, he never thought of Miyuki being jealous as a bother or troubleso, either.
Tatsuya thought that there was no reason for Miyuki to restrain herself in any way. However, this could also be seen as his younger sister growing up, or even a proof of her growth; that was one way of looking at it.
There were also people who say that a woman's envy represents the depths of her love.
Still, one cannot say that envy is a virtue. While his intuition told him that this change in Miyuki was undesirable, his common sense judged that it might be a suitable change for a lady.
You can be open about your jealousy like before, was sothing that Tatsuya couldn't tell her.
The next day, February 12th, it had started to snow.
Due to the thick clouds that were covering the sky, it was still dark outside despite the fact that it should have been sunrise soon.
Coming down from Yakumo's temple, Tatsuya was running down the street at a speed nearing 60 kiloters per hour.
With his speed and the current weather, it was pretty difficult to identify the people he was passing by. Even so, anybody would've been able to recognize that woman, especially Tatsuya.
She had quite a peculiar appearance.
To be precise, Tatsuya couldn't have recognized her face. Her casquette (cap) that dropped to her eyes, large sunglasses, and muffler that covered her face all kept her face hidden.
Even though he was running on a downhill slope, Tatsuya managed to stop two steps in front of her.
"Good morning, Yoshimi-san."
Yoshimi made a quick bow in response to Tatsuya's greeting.
She took a portrait envelope out of her coat and presented it to Tatsuya.
Maya's ssenger was Yoshimi. "I have accepted it."
Tatsuya said so after receiving the letter, and upon hearing this, Yoshimi's face moved up and down ever so slightly. Tatsuya wasn't even sure if she was actually looking at him behind her sunglasses.
Failing to perceive her expression, Tatsuya looked at Yoshimi's face once more. And, he felt that it was really unnatural. Trying to hide her face in plain view, if he had been the one observing, no doubt he'd have thought her to be suspicious.
Since it was roughly in the middle of winter, it wasn't that strange to have a muffler up to her nose.
The casquette might also be acceptable in the world of fashion, The combination of those two wasn't anything out of the ordinary. No doubt, the problem ca from
"Yoshimi-san, I think that this appearance has the opposite effect, it makes you stand out quite a bit. Shouldn't you remove the sunglasses?"
Despite knowing that it was uninvited interference, Tatsuya offered so advice.
Twice, Yoshimi shook her head left and right.
After coming back ho and taking a shower, Tatsuya decided to open the letter he received from Yoshimi before having lunch.
"Onii-sama, the preparations for the al are complete."
Miyuki ca from the dining hall to call Tatsuya. She imdiately realized what the letter he had in his hand was about.
"Is this what Oba-sama talked about yesterday?"
"Indeed."
Tatsuya nodded while standing up, he then handed the letter he had just finished reading to Miyuki.
Miyuki took the letter with a bit of hesitation, and opened her eyes wide as she read what it contained. The look on her face was filled with surprise.
This letter suggested that there was a possibility that Gu Jie's escape was made possible due to the cooperation of soldiers of the Defense Forces.
"It seems like no organization is unrelated to shady things. The Defense Forces are no exception. Though, I'd like to think that only a part of it is rotten."
Tatsuya took the letter from Miyuki's hands and put it back into the envelope he held.
"That being said, we shouldn't dwell on our past mistakes, especially when our target is willing to harm us to gets what they want. We have no reason to show restraint."
"Onii-sama"
Miyuki looked up at Tatsuya's face with an anxious expression.
Tatsuya smiled while lightly patting his sister's head then headed towards the dining room.
Class 2-A's lesson at 1 o'clock was practice. Today's subject was The definition of Magic's ending conditions'.
There was no Magic that lasted forever. There was a limit to the effective ti of every Magic. But at the sa ti, with Magic that didn't have clear ti limits, there was no way to precisely understand how long the effects would last.
It is impossible for a Magic Sequence to interfere with another. Unless we're talking about unusual Magic like Spell Dismantling (Gram Demolition) and Spell Dissolution (Gram Dispersion), interrupting the casting of a spell is impossible. Only overwriting the phenonon alteration with more power is possible.
Thus, for a Magic to overwrite another, an interference strength greater than that of the Magic you want to overwrite is required. That stays true even if your objective was to "return an event modified by Magic to its original state". In the case of a Magic with uncertain ending conditions, the load on the Magician would increase even further. That is why the definition of ending conditions for Magic is an extrely important factor in a Magician's ability evaluation.
Generally, there were two ways of defining such a thing. One was to include the magic's effective ti (start to finish) directly into the Magic Sequence. This thod had been put to great use in Taurus Silver's flying devices.
Another was to define the conditions of the Magic's success. Until the objective of event modification is achieved, the activation continues. Hence, it is a thod to put an end to the effectiveness of the Magic Sequence itself. This thod tends to be used a lot in practice.
Today's class was about practicing Magic spells with variable durations of effectiveness. The training thod used was for a student to change the color of a plastic ball from white to red, then to green, then to blue, and 10 sets of 3 color changes were to be perford in 30 seconds. Although the ti and frequency could vary, the average of 1 second per color remained.
If the change was done too late, then the ti limit would be exceeded. On the other hand, if it was executed too soon, the interference strength required to overwrite the previous Magic Sequence would increase. If this mistake was to be repeated multiple tis then performing the Magic would progressively beco harder, putting a lot of stress on the student.
Today was rely a practice session, not an evaluation, so the students had to group up and alternate in using Magic. The one not performing the Magician's role had to perform the role of a tikeeper. In other words, while one of them executed Magic, the other kept track of the various timing aspects that this practice required; the tikeeper had to focus on the nurical stopwatch on his terminal, or at least that was how the previous training session went.
The problem was that the number of students from Class-A during the previous session was odd. The option of forming groups of three people was abandoned and in the end, a single person had to practice on their own. As luck would have it, that person had been Miyuki.
Actually, everyone in the class had wanted to raise their hands and pair up with Miyuki. The problem was that everyone else had already picked their partner, and now wanted to switch. It wasn't like nobody wanted to group up with her.
Since yesterday had been the day of lessons and experints, such a problem hadn't popped up. Much like last week, the situation today shouldn't have happened. If it hadn't been for the fact that Masaki had just moved in'.
"Shiba-san, would you pair up with ?"
After Masaki had been told the goal of this practice session by the teacher, he had gone towards Miyuki. He proposed pairing up to the lone student.
Noise flittered across the practice room. Words of regret and so curses escaped the lips of various boys in the classroom. It was limited to a re "Damn, too late!".
"Yes, with pleasure. I look forward to working with you, Ichijou-san."
Even Miyuki might have found it unpleasant to practice alone. Hearing Masaki's request, she nodded with a radiant smile.
When Masaki heard the explanation for the exercise, he muttered "Isn't that easy?".
These days, the second year students of Third High were practicing the use of Magic on a target behind a wall. That being said, the real purpose of this was to be able to cast Magic on an invisible opponent, or one taking cover behind an object.
Compared to the combat application oriented practices of Third High, Masaki couldn't help but think of First High's practices as a way of competing in cleverness.
And after watching Miyuki performing the task, this impression only strengthened. Miyuki perfectly changed the color of the ball in 10 sets within the allotted ti of 30 seconds. What Masaki felt admiration for was the more bright and vivid colors of the ball than her perfect timing. This plainly showed the level of her interference strength.
"30 seconds exactly. As expected of Shiba-san."
"Thank you very much. Ichijou-san, you can start whenever you want."
With social etiquette in mind, Masaki had praised Miyuki's talent, and being urged on by such a lovely girl afterwards, he was now brimming with enthusiasm.
All unneeded feelings disappeared in an instant, and Masaki was now focused on his target like in a real combat situation.
"How about the count? Do you want the notice set at 10 seconds?"
Hearing Miyuki's proposition, Masaki was about to say "There's no need
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