At the Ueyama family's main estate in Takasaki, former Gunma Prefecture, Gozo sat in a detached room, facing a monitor. At 88, his age belied his mastery of modern magic and technology, rivaling even the younger generation.
His current conversation partner was Chihime, the current head of the Kagurazaka family, displayed on the screen.
"It would be better to meet in person, but I'm tied up. My apologies," Gozo said.
"No need to worry. I understand, with the Rosen Magicraft issue and all," Chihime replied.
The Ueyama family had taken the lead in revising the Nine Schools Competition's operations, addressing both the Defense Forces' covert actions and last year's No Head Dragon infiltration. The Defense Forces and Magic Association couldn't object to these reasonable measures.
While Mototsume, the current head, should have handled this, he was away on other business, and Gozo, leveraging the Ueyama's connections, took on the role.
"Regarding the Tokyo Offshore Tower incident, Yugen reported that the New Humanity Front used Dancing Blaze and Cast Jammer, spells exclusive to Stars," Gozo said.
"We've heard the same. Zhou Gongjin might have obtained that information during the Parasite Incident, but the issue is the New Humanity Front's ties to USNA magical societies," Chihime replied.
The mage community, a small fraction of humanity, naturally forms cooperative networks due to limited individual power. Years ago, during a trip, Gozo and Yugen had "thinned out" organizations that targeted them, but smarter ones avoided them, escaping harm.
"Gu Jie is a troublesome one… oblivious to being used by the USNA, or rather, Edward Clark," Gozo said.
"One of Echelon III's developers, right?" Chihime confirmed.
"Wanting global dominance through information is understandable, but it's just a hassle for those caught in the crossfire," Gozo remarked.
Gozo and Chihime had once joined an extralegal international guerrilla unit during the World Cluster Wars to avert nuclear conflict, protecting a nation without its own nuclear umbrella. Though invasions by neighboring countries caused damage, Japan maintained its national integrity.
Strategic magic was vital for this maritime nation's defense. The Great Asian Alliance, New Soviet Union, USNA, and Europe all coveted Japan's magic, and Gozo had no intention of sparing even current allies if they sought to undermine it.
"The hardliners against the Great Asian Alliance and Retsu have been subdued, but Saeki's scheming something. Likely aiming to suppress Yugen and Tatsuya-kun's strategic magic," Gozo said.
"Is that your intuition, Brother-in-law?" Chihime asked.
"I won't deny it. But they don't get it. Unlike us, the Ten Master Clans can't exceed civilian bounds. It's understandable to see a civilian with nation-shaking power as dangerous," Gozo replied.
Gozo understood the fear of a civilian wielding such power but believed aligning mutual interests was the proper approach. Fixating on magic while ignoring other factors was, in his unfiltered view, "shortsighted."
"We'll discuss that later. If Zhou Gongjin is taken down, Gu Jie will likely step in himself. His target… probably next year's Master Clans Conference," Gozo said.
"Yugen consulted me about that last summer. The trap's already set," Chihime replied.
"That guy's mind works faster than any Kagurazaka head in history," Gozo said.
"Brother-in-law, he's still the next head," Chihime teased.
"What are you saying? Acting as head makes him one in all but name," Gozo countered.
At their age, Gozo and Chihime saw the future as the younger generation's responsibility. Gozo entrusted his legacy to Mototsume, while Chihime chose Yugen as her successor.
◇ ◇ ◇
All New Humanity Front members were detained, their base and funding sources largely uncovered. They had independent ties to USNA magical societies, with some members confirmed to have entered the US by concealing their magical factors.
FEHR—Fighters for the Evolution of Human Race, a legally recognized magical society in Vancouver—had cut ties with the New Humanity Front a month before the tower attack. Even FEHR, more "radical" than "proactive" in mage protection, couldn't condone their methods. Rumors suggested an anonymous tip prompted the split.
Most members who went to the US were absorbed by FEHR. Pursuing this further wouldn't yield constructive outcomes, so investigations ceased.
"I'm off," Tatsuya said.
"Take care. No need for souvenirs," Yugen replied, seeing Tatsuya off.
As the door closed, Yugen's words hinted at his role in arranging today's events. Miyuki peeked from behind a corner, eyeing Yugen.
"Yugen-san, Onii-sama's gone out, hasn't he?" Miyuki said.
"Yeah. I didn't expect you to push for Tatsuya and Honoka's date," Yugen replied.
"Onii-sama's hopelessly clueless with women," Miyuki said, looking slightly weary.
Miyuki's shifted romantic focus played a part, but her reaction echoed her spring conversation with Ayako, fitting the original story's protagonist vibe. Continuing the talk in the living room over coffee prepared by Minami felt more natural than standing at the entrance.
"Clueless is a bit harsh," Yugen said.
"I want him to be proactive like you, Yugen-san," Miyuki replied.
"My case? My outer and inner moats were filled, and my escape routes cut off," Yugen said wryly.
After the tower incident, returning to the Shiba household, Yugen faced Miyuki's aggressive affection. He couldn't deny worrying her, but skipping relationship steps and diving into established dynamics left him no room to refuse.
A year into dating Miyuki, they maintained a semblance of equality. He'd avoided her desire for "subservience," but somehow ended up with multiple fiancées and a mistress. The risk of that becoming reality kept him on edge.
Despite mage society's realpolitik favoring early or political marriages, Yugen believed in moderation. Chihime's claim that his stamina far exceeded normal limits was something he questioned.
"Plus, the women into Tatsuya are on a whole other level of intense," Yugen added.
Currently, Honoka of the Element clan, Lina as Angie Sirius of Stars, and Ayako, the Kuroba family's eldest daughter, openly showed affection. The Hirakawa sisters hinted at feelings, and Suzune, a graduate, showed interest, though not confirmed as affection. Subaru undeniably had interest, and Kazuko mentioned Kanna Kannou from Third High being intrigued. Recently, Kasumi had asked about Tatsuya, indicating curiosity.
"Well, Tatsuya's been holed up at Yakumo's temple for magic training, and Yakumo approved his date—though probably for amusement," Yugen said.
Yugen knew Tatsuya was developing a close-range direct attack spell immune to Decomposition, with Yakumo's help. Assisting with the hardware design made it an open secret, but Yugen didn't pry.
"Aren't you helping with Onii-sama's new spell, Yugen-san?" Miyuki asked.
"He told me he needs to figure it out himself," Yugen replied.
The FAE (Free After Execution) theory was proven with Brionac, but stabilizing it as a practical technique was unresolved. Psion restoration was so rapid that casting another spell within a millisecond was nearly impossible.
Yugen had independently developed the PFE (Psion Free Execution) theory, bypassing physical law constraints. He'd explained it lightly to Tatsuya, but Tatsuya was fixated on FAE-based spells, possibly due to rivalry with Lina.
"Besides, I'm busy with my own spell development… What's up, Miyuki?" Yugen asked.
"I was just thinking, after adapting Aunt's spell so much, do you still need more?" Miyuki said.
"It's not unreasonable to ask," Yugen replied.
He was perfecting Starlight Breaker, incomplete in power control during Halloween of Scorching and Aurora, and developing a non-lethal organic interference spell for ancient magic, lowering a mage's psion activity to induce sleep. A downgraded Dream World, it could neutralize non-mages nearly harmlessly.
The "nearly" accounted for risks like falling upon sleep or domino-effect collapses in crowds.
"I'm aiming to legitimize magic use for self-defense within reasonable limits," Yugen said.
Non-damaging modern magic would lean toward mental or emotional interference—organic interference spells often shunned. A simple spell, like a security buzzer embedding a disliked sound wavelength into psions, required minimal processing. Neutralizing hostility reduced the need for excessive force.
"Also, mage fundamentals rely heavily on physical ability, but magic high schools stick to basic PE levels. That's an issue," Yugen said.
"Yugen-niisama, that's…" Minami began.
"I get what you're saying, Minami, but in real combat, standing still to cast is rare unless you've got a strong barrier like you, Juumonji-senpai, or Riri," Yugen replied.
He wasn't advocating military curricula for magic schools, but top-tier mages often excelled physically. The current Mitsuya head's children, including Yugen, proved this.
"Or you need overwhelming area interference like Miyuki," Yugen added.
"Onii-sama's the prime example," Miyuki said.
"He's trying hard to beat Yakumo-sensei," Yugen noted.
Yugen heard about Tatsuya's training from Yakumo, whose underground facility at Yakumo Temple aimed at countering nuclear weapons. Tatsuya's spell, however, wasn't for neutralizing nukes or radiation but something closer to the opposite.
"Do you know what spell Onii-sama's developing, Yugen-san?" Miyuki asked.
"I've consulted with Director Ushiyama on the hardware… Probably a close-range attack spell using highly penetrating neutrons," Yugen said.
"Doesn't that risk violating radiation weapon laws?" Miyuki asked.
"Tatsuya's magic can neutralize that," Yugen assured.
He didn't mention his own PFE-based attack spell, which created a psion void to bypass trajectories or defenses. Similar in concept to Tatsuya's Baryon Lance, it wasn't neutron-based. Using Meteor Line's theory, it was a one-hit-kill spell that didn't stop until hitting its target—named Gae Bolg, Spear of Death Flight.
"By the way, Minami, I'm working on a defense-focused spell for you. I'll pass it along when it's done," Yugen said.
"Eh!? Yugen-niisama, you don't have to…" Minami protested.
"Minami, you're Miyuki's guardian apprentice, but to me, you're family. I don't want regrets if something happens," Yugen said.
After the tower incident, Yugen planned to upgrade Minami's barrier magic, though most were downgrades of his Mirror Force. Elevating them to the Juumonji's secret Phalanx level would suffice. He was also training Minami's abilities and developing a wide-area defense spell against strategic mages, with approval from Miyuki, Tatsuya, Maya, and Hayama.
"There's no guarantee foreign strategic mages like Lina or greedy factions won't target Tatsuya. Nor that Tatsuya or I can always be by Miyuki's side. When that happens, protecting Miyuki falls to you," Yugen said.
"Yugen-niisama…" Minami murmured.
"So, I'm handling your CAD and training… Miyuki, stop pinching my side during serious talk," Yugen said.
"It's unfair that it's just Minami-chan…" Miyuki pouted.
"Why, though?" Yugen asked.
Seeing Miyuki's jealousy, Minami blinked before bursting into a smile.
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