Miyuki found herself puzzled by Yugen's distress over the letter of inquiry sent by the Ichijou family. One might wonder why he would go to such lengths, but the truth was that the Yotsuba family was no stranger to such close-to-home precedents.
Indeed, one need only look at the woman on the monitor—Maya Yotsuba—to understand. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Saegusa family's "Anti-Yotsuba Campaign" was born from her broken engagement to Kouichi Saegusa.
"Yugen-san, why does this trouble you so deeply?"
"mn, well, I understand why you'd feel that way, Miyuki. However, if we don't handle this problem delicately, there is no guarantee that the Ichijou family won't ally with the Saegusa family in the future to harass us."
『...Ah, I see. I understand your concerns, Yugen-san.』
After all, despite having been beaten so thoroughly and completely, the other side had still not given up on Miyuki. They had sent this inquiry specifically to throw a wrench into the announcement of her engagement, as if to say, this isn't over. The sender was the father, Gouki Ichijou; likely, he simply wanted his son to marry the person he loved. Though, part of the underlying cause likely stemmed from Yugen's older brother, Motoji.
"...If it has come to this, I'll stop using roundabout methods. Miyuki, I have a favor to ask."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I want to set up an opportunity for you to speak with Masaki. I want you to reject him, firmly and clearly."
In short, he was arranging a date between Masaki and Miyuki. However, this was strictly a one-time occurrence; there would be no second chance. Hearing this, Miyuki asked Yugen a question.
"Are you saying you want me to go on a date with Ichijou-san to demonstrate my refusal?"
"To put it bluntly, yes. Given his personality, he will never truly accept it unless he hears the words directly from you. That is why I need to ask this of you, Miyuki."
"...Very well. I suppose I shouldn't call this a condition, but in return... please love me thoroughly that night, alright?"
Yugen held his head in his hands, thinking, I knew it... just as she casually demanded something far more intense than a mere compensatory date. Beside him, Tatsuya let out a deep sigh, while Maya, watching from the screen, wore an amused expression as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
『Oh my, my. I look forward to seeing my great-grandchildren soon.』
"Listen here... I can't exactly do that while we're still high school students. At the very least, not until I've established a proper social standing."
『You say that, but there are already plenty who would be jealous that Yugen-san, who has established his status in various fields, would say such a thing.』
"..."
Indeed, whether it was regarding FLT, the National Defense Force, or the Kagurazaka family, Yugen had effectively established his status. However, most of that had been accomplished while hiding the name "Kagurazaka Yugen."
While some parts were practically open secrets, it was clear that the excuse of being a minor lost its meaning the moment he became the head of the Kagurazaka family. However, from the perspective of a non-magician, he still dragged around the "commoner sensibilities" of his past life, feeling that he should at least have a public title in order before taking that step.
"In any case, if Lord Ichijou asks about the inquiry during the Master Clans Conference, please answer in a way that implies this will be our final response."
『And what shall I do with the data you gave me at the end of the year?』
"Let's see... For the time being, please pass it to the Jumonji family. If it reaches the Saegusa family from there, that is fine. However, please strongly emphasize that it must be viewed in an offline environment."
『...Understood. And, thank you, Yugen-kun.』
The moment the communication cut off, Miyuki suddenly threw her arms around him. She seemed slightly disgruntled. Having sensed something from Maya's earlier demeanor, she was clinging to him, and even Tatsuya raised a white flag, unable to stop her this time.
"Anyway, let's have dinner. Minami-chan is watching us from the kitchen."
"Right. Is that alright with you, Miyuki?"
"...Yes."
Whatever the case, Yugen thought to himself that the list of things to discuss had grown. After dinner, he headed to the bathroom, only to be ambushed by Miyuki, who entered after him. Things spiraled out of control (though the final line was strictly defended—this was important), but eventually, everyone gathered in the living room. Once Miyuki had brewed coffee for everyone, Yugen began to speak.
"Regarding the end of the year... during my meeting with Maya-san, I handed over electronic data concerning Jiedo Heigu—Gu Jie—and his techniques."
"Are you saying his target is the Master Clans Conference?"
"The possibility is extremely high. Especially since this year, everyone is gathering in Hakone for the selection of the Ten Master Clans."
Although there had been no major movements yet, a figure believed to be Gu Jie had been confirmed in the downtown area of Los Angeles. Even though organizations he supported, like Blanche and No Head Dragon, had been dismantled, their remnants still infested the shadows. It was likely those remnants who were lending a hand to Gu Jie now.
Judging by the ship's loading status, departure would take about a week. It was calculated that they would arrive in Japan in half a month. The small missiles stolen from the USNA military facility amounted to, by calculation, at least "50 rounds"—or roughly 350 kilograms of ammunition if counting by warhead payload.
"That is why the Kagurazaka and Kamiizumi families will be involved in this year's event. Specifically, there is a hotel currently closed for reconstruction; we've asked the Kamiizumi family to handle the demolition and rebuilding. Furthermore, on the day of the Conference, top-class practitioners of the Shinkage-ryu Sword Arts will pose as hotel staff to welcome the Master Clans members. It's a sort of 'private booking'."
Information of this level was likely already known to Gu Jie, who possessed Hlidskjalf. He likely intended to condemn the Ten Master Clans through the media, and to that end, he planned to gather all members of the Divine Generals in Hakone.
It wasn't just in these times, but under international law, every ship was required to have a registry and file a route application. Otherwise, it would be classified as a "suspicious ship" and subject to forced military inspection.
Naturally, the small cargo ship Gu Jie planned to board had filed an application to stop at Numazu Port via Yokosuka Port. Stopping at Yokosuka was for foreign vessel entry procedures, but it was strange that no corpses or missiles were found at that point. Well, considering there are countless ways to facilitate such things through bribes or connections, Yugen had no intention of punishing anyone for negligence.
"I'll need you to join in this time, Miyuki. I intend to have you act as my support, or in the unlikely event Gu Jie targets the city, I will use my Osiris Sight to freeze the terrorists."
"You won't handle it directly, Yugen?"
"I have to command the other members, and I plan to erect a special barrier around the hotel."
"It will be fine, Onii-sama. As I said before, I have already steeled my resolve."
To erect the Vajra Formation (Kongoujin)—one of the Heavenly Immortal Barriers that relatively fixes targets in place, making objects defined within the circle absolutely indestructible—Yugen intended to rely on Miyuki for city support. However, thinking Tatsuya might be anxious, Miyuki soothed him.
"...In that case, Tatsuya, not exactly as support for Miyuki, but as a request to the Yotsuba family, I'd like to ask you to monitor the Hakone urban area. The magic Gu Jie uses will likely involve manipulating corpses, so I'll pass you that data later."
"Understood. If it's you, Yugen, it doesn't necessarily have to be a formal request."
"If I don't do it this way, you'll start bringing up the balance of debts and credits. I know how you are."
Before they knew it, they had become close enough to trade light banter like this. Miyuki and Minami both smiled at the sight. Then, Yugen turned his gaze to Minami.
"I want to ask Minami to assist Tatsuya. Officially, it will be framed as Minami, now a Guardian, receiving guidance from Tatsuya."
"Y-Yes! I understand! But how will we explain this to the school?"
"I'll run it through as you being 'personnel related to the Master Clans Conference.' Given the incident in the spring, the principal shouldn't object."
In the original story, Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami went to school as normal. Yugen had to go out of his way to change that flow. After working this hard, having the table flipped by Gu Jie was simply "distasteful."
Furthermore, Yugen asked Tatsuya to monitor the city because he had a "past track record" of stopping a suicide bombing. That dated back to this spring—specifically, May 15, 2096. It was when Yugen, Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami were waiting for a commuter taxi to go home.
Fanatics from a group called the Konishi Cult—who practically screamed "we are a cult"—attacked him and Tatsuya. While the two of them neutralized the attackers, Yugen recognized the presence of bombs on their persons and whispered, "These guys have bombs," to Tatsuya. Without hesitation, Tatsuya used Decomposition to remove all the detonators.
Since it turned out the cult was connected to an organization with the nauseatingly long name "The Association for Realizing a More Humane Life and Society than the Present," which advocated anti-magicism, the cleanup was tossed to the Kamiizumi family.
When heard that they were remnants of No Head Dragon, Gouzo reportedly brought out six live swords, according to a report from Mototsugu. It was clearer than seeing fire what happened next, so Yugen didn't ask any further questions, and Tatsuya had no desire to get involved further. That was the most sane reaction... just between us.
However, since his own family was involved, he couldn't just ignore it. Moreover, with Zhou Gongjin and by extension Gu Jie involved, he couldn't remain silent, so he stepped in under the guise of work for the Divine Generals.
As a result, the "Guru" of the Konishi Cult, Ran Konishi—whose real name was Xi Xiaolan—was captured. She was spared death by the Heavenly Immortal Barrier General Star Formation (Shouseijin) that Yugen deployed as an experiment—a magic that seals all magic usage by humans not recognized by the caster and cuts off external remote control—and was secretly sent to the Ise family by the Kagurazaka house.
There was something like a caterpillar on the chair she had been sitting on; it seemed she was being monitored by Zhou Gongjin. Just in case, Yugen faked a magical misfire to make it look like Konishi had died. Even with the knowledge Zhou absorbed, he seemed convinced of her death.
During that incident, Yugen made contact with an assassination syndicate called "Abousha," a group of ninja under the Kuroba family umbrella (recognized more as inheritors of special techniques other than ninjutsu, unlike 'Ninjutsu Users'). He had heard the name and the reality of the organization from Gouzo, but apparently, they came under the umbrella when Tatsuya and Miyuki were in their third year of middle school. It seems a girl belonging to the organization tried to kill a target, only for Tatsuya, acting on military orders, to beat her to it.
Well, if one knew nothing about Tatsuya, "killing him" wouldn't even be an option. Since personal data existed, one would think they could at least find out his mother was Miya, but perhaps her pride as a hitman was ignited. The result was the Kuroba family stepping in, which was probably the most peaceful outcome. It was certainly better than Tatsuya using Mist Dispersion to erase the entire building.
Why bring this up? Because that girl—Yuki Hashibami—was fighting a female college student who was in the cult, and Yugen easily neutralized the student with taijutsu, knocking her unconscious. To Yuki, who couldn't hide her surprise, Yugen simply muttered:
"Where there is life, there is hope, right? Seems they held a grudge over a friend... Hmm, if I train those two and that friend of theirs, they might just transform."
"Hah? What are you talking about?"
He rescued the brainwashed Hana Yamano and her friend, a naturalized Filipino named Anna Nakama—Filipino name Anna Santos—from the military facility. Since Anna showed signs of receiving highly addictive post-hypnotic mind control, Yugen unavoidably used Heavenly Sun Illumination (Tenyou Shouran) in conjunction with Reinforce (Region Strengthening) to turn all her memories since fleeing to Japan into "knowledge."
Since having her affection directed at him would be troublesome (due to the danger of dependency from the backlash of breaking the mind control), he asked Ayako to arrange it so Anna's loyalty (affection) would be directed toward Fumiya. As for Hana, he broke the brainwashing with Reinforce and inquired if Abousha or a Kuroba unit could take her in. While he was at it, he arranged for her to have a good relationship with Fumiya.
Since there was a psychic nearby (Zenrei), Yugen knocked Yuki unconscious and applied Reinforce. The result... even though he never wished for it, her chest was enhanced. Specifically, to about the same size as Hana, whom he had knocked out earlier. Do girls hold some kind of hope for large breasts? (Note: No physical changes were confirmed for Hana and Anna).
It became clear that Yuki harbored special feelings for Fumiya, though whether that would turn into love was up to them (he asked an acquaintance to set the mood). When Yuki woke up a few minutes later and snapped at him about her larger chest, he asked, "Shall I put them back?" to which she replied, "That's even worse," so they remained as they were.
At that time, he explained, "Fumiya asked me to help and support Yuki," and framed the physical changes as part of that support. Since he had actually been asked to do so, it wasn't a lie. Yuki muttered, "Th-That guy, could he be..." while blushing, so there was definitely a pulse.
Incidentally, those three have been undergoing strict training to become magicians at the Kamiizumi household since the new year. Yugen was confident there would be no issues, as he had a track record of using various people to cultivate magicians who didn't meet the evaluation criteria for a license. He prided himself on being "5000 trillion times more reliable than a certain game info magazine." Since Mototsugu was serving as the instructor, apparently Chisato was getting jealous.
Well, it goes without saying that the result of this magician training would lead to achievements in the Nine Schools Competition and thesis competitions, and at the very least, graduating from common sense regarding magicians.
While he was at it—though that's a strange way to put it—at Fumiya's request, Yugen sent members of Abousha who seemed capable in combat to places that knew the trade. He wondered where to send freelance hitmen with a grudge against the National Defense Force, but Yakumo ended up taking them. When asked if it was okay for 'Ninja' to become magicians, Fumiya replied, "In the worst case, we'll just absorb them into the Kuroba units," so Yugen left it at that.
However, Yugen did not tell Fumiya about the project where the three women, including Yuki, would fall in love with him—the "Kuroba Fumiya Engagement Plan." He only told Ayako. Upon hearing it, Ayako said, "You are wicked, Yugen-san," to which he replied, "You're pretty wicked yourself for planning to enjoy this, Ayako-chan," and they both shared a villainous laugh.
Although it wouldn't become romantic, Yugen felt once again that he could be good friends with Ayako. As for the question of what to do if it became polygamy... well, he had connections with the Prime Minister, so they concluded, "It's a bit late to worry about one or two more exceptions now."
Furthermore, since this involved the future of the Kuroba family, a branch family close to the Yotsuba main line, it became a grand project involving the current head Mitsugu and his wife Kuroba (née Shinonome) Aya, Mitsugu's mother and Maya's aunt Yotsuba Yume, and even the current head of the Yotsuba, Maya Yotsuba, and her head butler Hayama. Naturally, Gouzo and Senhime were also biting into this plot, and they had even secured the cooperation of Tatsuya and Miyuki.
In any case, do your best, Fumiya. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the Kuroba family rests on your shoulders.
Idling Talk (Author's Note):
"To ensure perfection on the day, I've decided to have Fumiya and Ayako-chan help out as well. I've already spoken to the principal of Fourth High, and since the order for Mitsugu-san came directly from Maya-san, he won't be able to refuse."
"You aren't going to ask Leo or Erika?"
"I don't think they'd be foolish enough to attack the school, but I secretly modified the school's sensors to detect explosives from all USNA military armaments. If they do attack, the sensors will definitely catch them. If the opponents are corpses, Leo and the others can handle them sufficiently."
Having too many people might make Gu Jie cautious, and Selina—who could be a maximum asset—needed to stay at the school as personnel to resolve unforeseen events caused by the deviation from original story knowledge. Besides, with Mikihiko and Sana, who are well-versed in Ancient Magic, the probability of taking damage was greatly reduced.
However, since there was a possibility the Mitsuya family could be targeted simply for being on good terms with the Yotsuba, strict security was already in place around Atsugi. The sensors around the mansion had also been modified, with permission, to detect the ammunition of the stolen missiles. Yugen strictly warned Jiro that if any suspicious shadows approached Shiina, he should "take Shiina and run with all your might."
"...You mentioned USNA military armaments just now. Is the enemy using USNA weapons?"
"To be precise, the explosives from outdated small missiles. At this moment, the only ones who know this fact are the people involved in the theft and myself."
"How did you find out?"
"Well, largely due to the nature of my magic—Kaleidoscope—but it was truly a coincidence."
Although he knew to some extent from his knowledge of the original story, determining where and how many weapons a superpower like the USNA managed was a bone-breaking task. Without thinking too much about that, while observing the movements of the faction including Kane Lows that was trying to utilize Humanism, he discovered the diversion of small missiles and had already secured their falsified records. Raymond Clark supposedly found out on January 23rd local time (January 24th Japan time), so Yugen had secured the information a little over two weeks early.
"I was watching to see if Humanism would flare up again, when I found that a political faction overseas—trying to turn the spearhead of Humanism toward this country—was trying to ignite the flames of anti-magicism through Gu Jie. As a byproduct, I caught onto the theft of the small missiles."
"I see. Yugen-nii-sama, why did those in the USNA choose this country, which is supposed to be an ally?"
"Ally and potential enemy—that is their perception. They are afraid."
"Afraid? Of what?"
"Just as Dahan was destroyed, they fear that this country, having suffered two nuclear strikes in World War II, might direct strategic-class magic at the USNA homeland in retaliation... It's only speculation, but the actions of the folks in the States are so close to that, I can think of nothing else. I feel like asking, 'Are you possessed by Franklin Roosevelt instead of a Parasite?'"
He had no intention of speaking ill of the former US President, but there was no doubt he was a factor in dragging out the Sino-Japanese War to protect continental interests. Furthermore, the influence of the man who refused negotiations as if denying Japan's expansion and thrust the "Hull Note" at them seemed to be dragging on even now... or so he didn't want to think. But from the moment the President stopped traveling abroad after World War III, it was no exaggeration to say the USNA desired hegemony but feared retaliation.
And that was clear from the fact that they held the impression of a potential enemy even toward Japan, their ally. They likely dispatched Stars using "Collective Self-Defense" as a shield, but what they were doing was magnificent interference in domestic affairs. In that case, one would have to consider scrapping the verbal promises with Colonel Virginia Balance and the agreements made during the Seventh Plague and Alcatraz incidents.
Perhaps the time had come for the USNA folks to learn a painful lesson that they were dead wrong to think they could get their hands on Japanese magic technology for free. And as for Gu Jie, Yugen intended to make him the "foundation" for this country to truly take form as an independent nation.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"