Returning to the hotel, Yugen picked up three packages at the front desk. One was for Tatsuya, from their school. Back in his room, he left Tatsuya's package on the desk and opened the other two.
(One was rushed for the rookie matches… Ushiyama-san overdid it. Probably pushed the technicians again.)
Yugen planned a post-competition thank-you gift. The first package held two compact attaché cases. One contained two pistol-shaped specialized CADs, custom-made to barely meet competition regulations. He connected one to his terminal for activation sequence installation and auto-tuning, then closed the other. The second package held a CAD optimized for Mikihiko's spirit magic, also regulation-compliant.
Yugen hoped not to use it. Headless Dragon likely wouldn't risk an over-attack on a Ten Master Clans heir, but their leader harbored a grudge—near jealousy—against the Yotsuba, extending to other clans. With the Mitsuya-Jousen connection, it's plausible they investigated Gousan via Frithskálf. Gousan was resolved to end them.
If USNA intervened, Gousan planned to unleash "Thunder End Dragon" on the White House. His wide-area magic barrage, ignoring coordinates with indiscriminate interference, was unstoppable, even by "Parade." Yugen found his casual national-level threats excessive.
Yugen had endured Gousan's wide-area magic training. Even top-tier mages struggled to emerge unscathed. Gousan, thrilled by Yugen's survival, taught him several lethal A-rank spells. Yugen wanted to protest their kill potential. Shizuru's ensuing lecture and half-day yoga punishment were unknown to most. Yugen questioned the Jousen head's dignity—perhaps just doting on her grandson.
Headless Dragon's reputation was poor, especially for their inhumane "Sorcery Booster." Via Jousen, Yugen leaked their hideout info to global intelligence, timing a raid for the rookie Monolith Code's first day. USNA's "Stars" would fully deploy, fitting their Canada-US-Mexico union's resource-heavy approach.
Yugen stored the second case, grabbed the first and Tatsuya's package, and left. He bumped into Tatsuya entering the adjacent room—their rooms were side by side. Tatsuya noticed the packages.
"Those for me?" Tatsuya asked.
"One's yours. Mine's the specialized CAD," Yugen replied.
"He rushed it again… Help bring them in?" Tatsuya unlocked his door.
Yugen set the cases on Tatsuya's desk. Tatsuya stowed his case and opened the package, revealing a sword-like CAD resembling a oversized, blunt cleaver.
"Hardening magic-inspired?" Yugen asked.
"Yeah. Couldn't match your tech, but I wanted to rival the CAD you made for the president. Not 'Taurus' level, though," Tatsuya said.
"It's cobbled from commercial parts, dumbed down to high school magic engineering. Needs 'Silver' programming to improve," Yugen noted.
From the original story, Yugen knew it was a single-function hardening magic CAD, designed with Mayumi's single-magic CAD and Mari's hardening techniques in mind, per Tatsuya. They shared a grin, Yugen respecting Tatsuya's software skills, Tatsuya admiring Yugen's hardware.
"Other activation sequences possible?" Yugen asked, swinging it lightly.
"With a selector switch, yeah," Tatsuya replied.
"Fair. Can always grab more CADs from vendors if needed."
Yugen's income—from FLT stocks, magic engineering, and military pay—made him wealthy. His account balance, unthinkable in his past life, baffled him. CAD costs were "necessary expenses" for self-defense, exempt from his frugal past-life mindset.
A high schooler's wealth was absurd, but "Taurus Silver" revenue dominated. Force Silver series CADs, 90% government-subsidized, cost over a million yen each—ten million unsubsidized, enough for a house. Standard CADs matched high-end appliances, justifying mages' earnings. Some didn't get it, but human perspectives vary.
Yugen's "Valkyrie" and "Odin" CADs, with black-box components, would fetch billions, per Tatsuya's estimate after inspecting them.
Yugen returned the CAD to its case—testing indoors risked breaking things.
"Testing with Leo?" Yugen asked.
"Yeah. You'd probably stretch it 30 meters," Tatsuya teased.
Yugen once used hardening magic to swing a 2-meter boulder 100 meters, earning Kazama's "how far beyond normal are you?" remark. Yugen saw it as hammer-throw logic, using hardening magic to protect his joints, but resented the "beyond normal" label. Clearing New Shadow Style's "human graduation" training forced him to accept it grudgingly. Same thing? Nuance, please.
Gousan once swung 100 hardened wooden swords. Kazama called him "not human." Yugen agreed, noting Gousan's reverse-aging from 40s to late 30s, likely from "Domain Enhancement" repairing his magic calculation area. Details remained unclear.
Yugen kept quiet as footsteps approached. Tatsuya noticed but waited. After confirming entry, Miyuki, Erika, Mizuki, Honoka, Shizuku, Touya, Leo, and Mikihiko entered. Ten in Tatsuya's room was cramped, some sitting on the bed.
Erika eyed the CAD eagerly; Leo feigned disinterest, avoiding her gaze. Tatsuya explained it to Miyuki, closed the case, and tossed it to Leo, who caught it effortlessly. Tatsuya tasked him with testing.
As they left for the outdoor training area, Yugen, stuck watching worried Miyuki and curious Erika, distracted them. Sitting at the desk, he focused, extending his hand. A magic circle—pentagram and inverted pentagram combined—drew everyone's attention.
"Yugen, what's that?" Mikihiko asked.
"Just old-style magic practice. Only deploying the circle, no alterations," Yugen replied.
"Jousen secret?" Mikihiko pressed.
Yugen nodded. The Tenjin Magic circle, not a spell, held strong interference power. Paired with basic modern magic, it enabled potent alterations with minimal psion cost. Safe for those present, Yugen wanted them to know this basic for competition use. The circle's activation was heavily encrypted, requiring personalized psion tuning, rendering it unique magic. Decrypting oral traditions was tough—only Gousan, Mototsume, and Yugen mastered it in New Shadow Style.
"Using old-style magic in the rookies?" Erika asked.
"With modern magic," Yugen said, dismissing the circle.
He planned modern magic only, but Gousan's order mandated both. Tenjin Magic's processing mirrored modern magic, making CAD integration easy. Security ensured data safety, though Yugen stayed cautious. Gousan threatened magical association pressure—hopefully not literal.
"Combining both? Never thought of it," Mikihiko said.
"Most stick to one. Not everyone can copy it," Yugen replied.
Gousan's "show your top Tenjin Magic" order prompted Yugen to confirm, promising to limit alteration scale to spare the venue. A misunderstanding with Gousan went unnoticed until Yugen's top-tier magic debuted in rookie Pillars Break.
Simultaneously, in a hotel VIP room, Mitsuya Gen, Yugen's father, spoke with Jousen Gousan, his father-in-law, like father and son, without tension.
"How's it with the Saegusa?" Gousan asked.
"No issues since then. But they're scheming Yugen's engagement," Gen replied.
"Pity. Without military ties, I'd approve Izumi-chan. Still hung up on Yotsuba?" Gousan sighed.
Gousan criticized Saegusa Kouichi's motives. Post-Yotsuba's ruthless rise 30 years ago, Gousan, at Kagurazaka's request, performed "something" on them. A letter from Yotsuba Genzou could've softened it, but Gousan's self-inflicted mess required his cleanup, realized only when Yugen found the letter.
"Izumi-chan or Mayumi-chan?" Gousan asked.
"Maybe. I know about Itsuwa's eldest, but rushing risks suspicion. I want their feelings first," Gen said.
Mages favored early marriage. Shizuru (20), Kana (19), and Mika (18) faced endless proposals, including Katsuto-Mika from Juumonji. Shizuru and Kana drew offers from Twenty-Eight and Hundred Families.
"My daughters are fine with my picks, but that's pressure. Shizuru's helping," Gen said.
"If Shizuru approves, no issue. She's like her mother… so, Yugen?" Gousan mused.
Gen hesitated, knowing Yugen's admirers. As a covert strategic-class mage, keeping him in Mitsuya could unbalance the Ten Master Clans. Proposals, including rejections, came from Ichijou, Yotsuba, Itsuwa, and Saegusa. Gen knew of a Yotsuba girl Yugen's age, fond of him post-enrollment. Canceling Yugen-Izumi's engagement felt rude but lucky, ironically due to rival Toyama.
Marrying Yugen as a Mitsuya risked making the Jousen-linked clan too powerful, inviting Saegusa or Kudou interference. Gen and Gousan agreed. Yugen's marriage was delegated to Jousen and Kagurazaka per their "pact." As a father, Gen prioritized Yugen's issues before his daughters' engagements.
"The pact's on track?" Gen asked.
"Slightly off, but fine. He wants to see Yugen at the competition, then fulfill it," Gousan said.
"Moving Kagurazaka's head shows Yugen's potential," Gen noted.
The pact, set for Yugen's 18th birthday, was moved up three years due to his rapid growth. Gousan's approval of Yugen's New Shadow Style master title tied to this.
"He needs to get romance… who's he take after?" Gousan grumbled.
"You, Father-in-law. Though I'm no better," Gen admitted.
Their shared romantic obliviousness bonded them. Genji, love-sensitive like his mother, contrasted Gen and Gousan's denseness. Mototsume inherited it, and Yugen's similar nature promised trouble. They sighed deeply.
Note: New story is out, if you want to check it out.
Search --> Transferred to Kivotos, I Solve Everything with My Fists
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