The reason Yugen took Tatsuya's place to handle the USNA military forces was not merely because of his deep-seated feud with the National Defense Forces. It was also because there was no telling when the "Plus One" factor, which had been keeping a low profile recently, might suddenly resurface.
Furthermore, after visiting Kokonoe-寺 yesterday to verify the information delivered via Hoshimi after school, Yakumo scratched his head with an apologetic smile and explained the situation.
"---So, you want me to intervene in the conflict between the Yotsuba and the Intelligence Department?"
"That's about the size of it. As you might guess, the client is Lord Todo, and the previous head, Senhime-sama, has also given her approval. However, while neutralizing the Intelligence Department is fine, they requested that Tsukasa Toyama not be captured."
"Why is that?"
"His Lordship merely said that causing a scene at this point would lead to unnecessary trouble. The previous head shared that same opinion."
In short, they wanted to replace Tsukasa in the scenario where Lina was abandoned during her assault on Tatsuya by Lina and Stardust in the original story, effectively neutralizing the situation. It wasn't a particularly difficult order, and the martial techniques Yakumo had taught Tatsuya were well within reproducible limits.
To an outsider, it might look like Todo had chickened out. Yet, given the matter involving his father, he was hardly a fool. The moment Tsukasa Toyama detained the USNA soldiers, a grudge was born; however, if their mutual interests aligned, hostility could easily flip on its head.
In the worst-case scenario, it was reasonable to assume they wanted to avoid a situation where the National Defense Forces Intelligence Department and the USNA military joined forces.
"Troublesome, is it...? Well, I can hazard a guess, so I won't pry too deeply. I take it you haven't been briefed beyond that either, Master?"
"Regrettably, no. Normally, it might be wise to dig deeper even if it means being a bit reckless, but the previous head explicitly warned me not to push my luck."
Regarding Aoba's condition that Tsukasa Toyama not be detained, Yugen presumed it was meant to crush the military's pride despite her lack of emotional volatility. While it was completely unclear how much her reputation would suffer from this, the "trouble" he referred to was likely deeply intertwined with the Four Elves.
"They'll probably deduce it through magic anyway, but I think I'll try deceiving them for a bit. I've completed a spell specifically for that purpose."
"You mean that spell? The first time I saw it, I nearly lost confidence in myself."
The magic Yakumo referred to was a modified version of the Ancient Magic [Mirage of the Mantle] created by Yugen, officially named [Deep Abyssal Water Mirror]. By directly copying the wavelength of the target's "Psi," it was a copycat-style magic that could impersonate not just visual appearance, but also the user's Psion and Pushion wavelengths.
"But you managed to see through it, didn't you?"
"Come now, that's only because you lowered yourself to my level. If you unleashed your full power, even I would prepare to meet my maker."
The drawback of this magic was that the target had to be within the user's line of sight during cast time, and because it couldn't copy the target's unique habits, it naturally couldn't replicate their technical skill. In fact, during tests against Yakumo, the output relied entirely on Yugen's own proficiency rather than Yakumo's, causing noticeable differences in power and spell durability even when using the same Ninjutsu. As for whose power proved superior... it was best left to the imagination.
"If I were to release that power fully, craters would open up everywhere, and politicians and bureaucrats would end up frothing at the mouth. Though, when I traveled to the New Soviet Union, I forgot to hold back, and the surroundings of Moscow ended up covered in craters."
"...You really have given up on being human, haven't you?"
"I've come to terms with it long ago."
Regarding the Gu Jie incident, the magic Gozo used could also allow one to shapeshift, but that only sufficed because Gu Jie was someone who rarely appeared in public. Yugen had doubted whether a full-fledged impersonation spell would ever be necessary, but once he started making it, he couldn't leave it half-finished.
Whether there would ever be a need to use it again in the future was highly questionable.
"Speaking of which, regarding the Intelligence Department trying to make use of your younger sister... considering how soft you are on her, much like Tatsuya-kun, I assumed you had already explained the situation to her... Why didn't you?"
"As expected, huh... There are two main reasons."
On the day of the Young Leaders Conference, Yugen had heard from another military magician acquaintance that Tsukasa Toyama had visited the Third Research Institute. Having heard through Jiro that Shiina was at the Institute that day, he had already grasped that Tsukasa was up to something.
Though Yakumo's statement confirmed his suspicions, it still gave him a headache.
"First, the matter regarding the Toyama family's punishment for attacking me was already settled through an agreement by my grandfather—the Kamiizumi family. If I told Shiina, she wouldn't just dislike Tsukasa Toyama; she'd beat her to a pulp beyond recovery. That would turn into a 'private feud' among the Twenty-Eight Families, and given current social standings, the Kashiwa clan might stick their noses in."
"I see. If an internal conflict among the Senate's Four Elves broke out right now, certain opportunists would gleefully exploit it. So, what is the second reason?"
"It lies in the fact that Genji-niisan's wife—Honami-san—is a 'person related to the Yotsuba family'."
If Shiina were the sole target, he would have told her about his own attack. However, if they failed to secure Shiina's cooperation, the possibility arose that Genji's wife, Honami Mitsuya (formerly Honami Sakurai), would get dragged into the mess between the Yotsuba family and the Intelligence Department.
Furthermore, Laura, who had become Shiina's younger sister, was affiliated with the USNA, and Alisa carried the bloodline of the Juumonji family. To top it off, Lina was currently connected to the Mitsuya family as well. Depending on how far the Intelligence Department extended its scope, the handling and subsequent disposal of the situation would vary drastically.
Given the relationship between Mitsuya and Toyama, Yugen didn't want to eliminate the most likely option for exploitation only to increase other risks. Therefore, Yugen requested Gen not to disclose the attack to Shiina.
"At school, Mizunami is enrolled under the guise of being Honami-san's niece. While there's a chance Mizunami could be targeted, endangering Honami-san while she is expecting would be far worse. So, I deliberately left behind the option that Tsukasa Toyama could exploit most easily."
Honestly, he didn't want to ignore the risk of putting Shiina in danger. However, the biggest reassuring factor was that even if the Intelligence Department tried to utilize Shiina, they couldn't actually harm her. This was because her auditory manipulation didn't just affect physical sound—it influenced magical sound as well. If a soldier showed malice, the current Shiina would notice instantly.
"So you didn't steer toward eliminating the Intelligence Department entirely?"
"Under current circumstances, with the New Soviet Union and the UK stirring up trouble, adding the USNA and the National Defense Forces to the mix is the last thing we need. I wanted to avoid a troublesome alliance born of aligned interests. Even if we strike, purging the corruption within the National Defense Forces is the job of the National Defense Forces."
"...Haha, I see. I get the general idea now. You truly are a child of the Kagurazaka, aren't you?"
All agreements concerning the Ten Master Clans Conference, the government, and the National Defense Forces are inherited by the two Guardian families. Whether this incident was viewed as a "private feud" between the Twenty-Eight Families or a "conflict" between a clan of the Ten Master Clans and the National Defense Forces made a world of difference. The clause preventing Kudo Retsu from taking key positions in the government or military was clearly designed to avoid a civil war arising from such misinterpretations.
Since the National Army Intelligence Department itself was orchestrating this operation, it was only right that the National Defense Forces took responsibility through self-cleansing. The forces capable of executing that were currently deployed to Hokkaido to handle the New Soviet Union, so they would have to move when the time was right.
Of course, landing the initial blow was guaranteed to fall upon his shoulders.
"I'll take that as a compliment. So, Master Kokonoe... is the Intelligence Department targeting Tatsuya? Or is it Miyuki?"
"I suspect it's 'both.' Seeing as they're attempting to use the USNA military, my research suggests they're likely trying to recreate the scenario where Lina attacked Tatsuya-kun."
"Though Miyuki wasn't in danger of being attacked back then... Understood. I'll take the job."
Having had such an exchange at Kokonoe-寺, Yugen—disguised as Tatsuya—killed time in a café while using [Osiris Sight] to observe the situation in detail. He carried a spare 'Trident' that he had asked Tatsuya to adjust specifically for today, though the chances of using it were infinitesimally low. It was strictly an "emergency sidearm."
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