While Masaki was curious about the person Katsuto had met, he felt a sense of incongruity at the idea of anyone viewing Tatsuya as a threat.
During the capture—or more accurately, execution—of Zhou Gongjin, Masaki had acted alongside Tatsuya and Yugen, ultimately helping to bring about Zhou Gongjin's defeat. Even so, he did not know Tatsuya's character deeply enough to offer more than an "I don't know."
"How did you respond, Katsuto-san?"
"I told her that Shiba is a man who strictly adheres to faith and duty. As for his sister, I refrained from commenting."
"...I felt that aspect of his character as well. Though, if you ask me, Tatsuya-san's level of strictness is still relatively gentle."
The person who came to Masaki's mind as being even stricter regarding faith and duty was, without a doubt, Yugen. In his case, physical differences like gender or disparities in magic power were entirely secondary.
What he valued above all was "peace." Should anyone disrupt it, he would not hesitate to use any means necessary to shatter their will to fight. And if they persisted in their hostility, he would not shrink from staining his hands with blood.
Masaki was well aware that Yugen had played a major role in the Kudo family stepping down from the Ten Master Clans, having heard the full details of the conversation between his grandfather, Retsu, and Yugen directly from Retsu himself.
"Katsuto-san... is the Toyama family scheming to eliminate the Yotsuba family?"
"No, she explicitly stated that the Toyama family has no intention of picking a fight with the Yotsuba."
"But you mentioned that person was affiliated with the Defense Force, right? In that case, the possibility remains that the Defense Force itself might clash with the Yotsuba."
"...Indeed."
Given the presence of Retsu's sympathizers, Masaki knew it was unlikely that the Defense Force as a whole would oppose the Yotsuba. However, there were undoubtedly more than a few individuals within their ranks who viewed the Yotsuba's threat with unnecessary alarm. If so, a fraction of those people might direct their spearhead toward Tatsuya and Miyuki.
Understanding the implication behind Masaki's words, Katsuto closed his eyes and sank into thought.
"By the way, Katsuto-san... regarding this Sunday's meeting, why was I included on the invitation list? I assume the Kudo family will be attending regardless."
"Regarding the meeting, while the invitation itself lists me as the organizer, the initiative actually originated from a consultation with Tomoichi Saegusa."
Katsuto revealed Tomoichi Saegusa's involvement without reservation. The other clans would likely see through it anyway, and Katsuto could not deny that, given his own disposition, his actions had been overly hasty.
"I see. Still, even as Riri-san's fiancé, I am not officially a member of the Juumonji family yet."
"According to something I heard from Riri, you used to assist Lord Kudo with his work in the past. Furthermore, I was concerned about Shiba's potential presence."
"In short, you're asking me to act as a mediator for the meeting?"
"I will do everything I can, but given my position, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to take sides."
As the organizer, Katsuto wanted to avoid doing anything that would cause the meeting to collapse. Yet he knew that such an outcome wouldn't be surprising in the least. Depending on who attended from the Yotsuba family, the discussion could easily devolve into chaos.
Recalling their earlier conversation at the Mibu residence, Masaki couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. Katsuto responded with a helpless, wry smile.
"Well, my father suggested that might be the case, and I've already sent a letter confirming my attendance, so it's too late to back out now."
"I am sorry to put you in this position, Masaki. Though, it would be best if these concerns turn out to be unfounded."
"...Do you really think that's likely?"
In response to Masaki's question, Katsuto recalled how Tomoichi had hesitated to invite representatives from the two Guardian families during their discussion. While Tomoichi had stated he would handle sending those invitations, whether they would actually show up to Sunday's meeting was beyond Katsuto's knowledge.
"Speaking personally, I've spent a fair amount of time around Yugen-san, and from my perspective, the chances of him attending this meeting are extremely low."
"Even though it's a gathering for the younger generation of the Master Clans?"
"He wouldn't turn his nose up at a simple social gathering, but to someone who has stood on the front lines against the anti-magic movement, he would likely dismiss this whole thing with a single phrase: 'Your judgment is far too slow.'"
As the chief officer responsible for detaining the terrorists in the recent incident, and subsequently assuming the position of chairman of the Master Clans Conference, Yugen had handled everything from reconciling with the "Traditionalists" to dealing with the Defense Force. To someone who had faced those issues head-on, watching others ignore long-standing problems until now would look like nothing short of negligence.
"The same goes for his elder brother, the head of the Kamiizumi family. Through my grandfather's work, I've long known about magicians suffering behind the scenes. To claim to oversee all magicians while failing to save them... Of course, I'm not saying the Twenty-Eight Clans—myself included—are omnipotent, but talking without taking action when action is possible accomplishes nothing."
Having spent years suffering under a mysterious physical condition despite his immense capabilities, Masaki felt a deep frustration toward those who could move freely yet failed to take active steps to protect magicians.
The Blanche incident, too, had ultimately stemmed from disparities in magic ability that went unaddressed until they erupted. Katsuto had faced that issue back then as Head of the Club Management Council, but the one who actually commanded the operational team was Yugen—then going by the surname Mitsuya. Katsuto and Mayumi had simply acted upon his advice.
"To the two of them, the actions of the other direct descendants of the Ten Master Clans look like 'doing nothing at all.' Naturally, people have duties as working adults or students, but even within those bounds, those two get done what needs to be done."
"...What do you think we should do, Masaki?"
"Well... asking people to suddenly love magic is unrealistic, so I think we should start by making basic knowledge about magic accessible and easy to understand."
Completely eliminating fear and aversion toward magic was an immense challenge. Striking away the "fear of the unknown" was harder still. Therefore, Masaki believed the first step should be dispelling ignorance as much as possible.
Having finally organized his thoughts through the conversation with Masaki, Katsuto spoke up, shifting from listener to speaker.
"Thank you, Masaki. To be honest, even if Shiba does attend the meeting, I couldn't see it ending peacefully. The same could be said if Kagurazaka were to attend."
"Katsuto-san, the way you phrase that makes it sound like Tatsuya-san and Yugen-san enjoy causing trouble."
"...My apologies. Knowing their dispositions, I am well aware that isn't the case."
Though he didn't voice it to Masaki, Katsuto's decision to invite him also involved internal Juumonji family considerations. As a clan head, Katsuto knew his thinking tended toward pragmatic constraints, keeping him from advocating for more radical ideas. He had hoped that Masaki—formerly of the Kudo family and soon to be part of the Juumonji family—might offer a more flexible perspective.
Apologizing inwardly for burdening his future brother-in-law—who wasn't much younger than himself—with adult political realities, Katsuto offered Masaki a quiet smile.
The second half of the text highlights the background behind Masaki's invitation to the meeting and Katsuto's true intentions.
Although Masaki currently remains merely a former member of the Kudo family, Katsuto felt it would reflect poorly on his standing as the organizer to ruin the meeting himself. Thus, he reached out to Masaki, who is practically becoming part of the Juumonji family.
Above all, Masaki became widely known following his performance at last year's Thesis Competition, so virtually everyone among the direct lineage of the Ten Master Clans recognizes his name. The main concern lies in whether the Kudo family intends to manipulate Masaki, though it is undeniable that the Kudo family's influence rested almost entirely on Retsu Kudo himself.
Katsuto struggled with family relationships due to the weight of being the eldest son, while Masaki was kept at a distance by his family due to his unique constitution. Despite their differing circumstances, both shared the common burden of navigating complex family dynamics, making it natural for them to form a bond.
Then again, family issues are practically ubiquitous among magician households—not just within the Ten Master Clans. Though it is best left unsaid which specific families are the worst offenders.
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