Tsukasa frowned as Tatsuya—or more accurately, Yugen, who had disguised his appearance with magic—disposed of the soldiers in barely three minutes. However, her expression shifted into a entirely different kind of dismay when every single street camera in the park suddenly went pitch black. She was not the only one shaken; the surrounding staff and field commander were visibly panicking as well.
"What on earth happened?! Report status, now!!" "I-I don't know! Forget the cameras, even the target's signal on our sensors has completely vanished!" (No response on the Psyon sensors either? What in the world is going on?)
The Psyon sensor monitors attached to the street cameras showed zero trace of the telltale emissions that usually accompany magic activation. Puzzled by this deviation from the original plan, Tsukasa shifted her gaze toward the school's security monitors, forcing herself to regain focus.
"Captain." "What is it, Sergeant?" "I'll be stepping out to commence the operation. May I be excused?" "...Understood. Permission granted."
The commander, a second lieutenant, knit his brows at her request amidst the ongoing chaos. However, remembering the explicit order handed down by his superiors regarding this mission—grant Sergeant Toyama's requests maximum leeway—he gave Tsukasa the green light.
If she's only going to be an obstacle in the chain of command, it's better off if she leaves. Seeing her request as a blessing in disguise, the lieutenant was more than happy to show her out. Whether that split-second judgment would work out in his favor, however... was something he himself could not possibly have known.
◇ ◇ ◇
Around the same time, Yugen and Yakumo were walking side-by-side through a crowded area a short distance away from the park. Pedestrians parted around them as if instinctively avoiding an obstacle, yet none of them possessed any actual awareness of the two men. It was as though their minds had been conditioned beforehand to perceive them as static objects—like utility poles—that simply could not be walked through.
"Thank you for the trouble, Sensei Kokonoe." "Hahaha, something of this caliber is no trouble at all. It serves as excellent training for my disciples, after all. On another note, are Miyuki-kun and Minakami-kun going to be fine on their own?" "The odds of them falling behind anyone in the realm of Modern Magic are practically non-existent. Besides, they have the 'deadliest bodyguard' waiting in the wings."
Strictly speaking, as her fiancé, Yugen should have been the one protecting her, but Tatsuya had stepped up to cover for the two girls this time. His reasoning had been: "If I don't settle at least a portion of my debt to Yugen, I'll lose all self-respect." It is worth noting that hearing this line brought a wry smile to Yugen's face, while Tatsuya's younger sister couldn't suppress a quiet giggle.
"Not the 'strongest', but the 'deadliest'... A remarkably fitting description. Even so, I half-expected you to find an excuse to join in yourself." "I already feel immensely indebted to Tatsuya regarding Miyuki; I'd be at a loss if I racked up even more unasked-for favors behind my back. Besides, I have the aftermath of the Yotsuba vendetta to clean up." "Accumulating favors without your knowledge, huh? Yes, I suppose even I would find that troublesome."
The cleanup of the Yotsuba vendetta—specifically, the matter regarding the remains of the Yotsuba clan members, including the former head, Genzo Yotsuba, who had perished alongside Kozo. Utilizing his magic, Yugen had painstakingly located and restored all 30 bodies before covertly transporting them back to Japan.
Needless to say, this action had initially caused quite a stir with Kozo regarding the Grandmaster of the Shinsaguri Sword Technique. Setting that aside, a quiet and solemn funeral was held once more for the Yotsuba clan. The restored bodies were cremated, and their ashes were laid to rest in a modest grave built in the Yotsuba village, with Kokonoe Temple serving as their family temple due to prior connections.
"Setting that aside, locating and holding memorial services for bodies that have been dead for nearly 35 years... Master Yotsuba and Hayama-dono were profoundly grateful, were they not?" "What came after was a total nightmare, though."
While he managed to avoid a direct assault from Maya, he ended up getting ambushed simultaneously by Miya, Miyuki, Minakami, and Yuuka. The only saving grace in that disaster was that it occurred during spring break. Unsurprisingly, Senhime had laughed hysterically upon hearing about it.
Despite being a high school student who preferred not to drown in romantic entanglements, he found himself trapped in a dilemma—balancing the expectations of his fiancée and lovers. To be frank, he often found himself at a loss on how to react. Yielding to those moments ultimately meant he couldn't resist the impulses of a teenage boy, though he took meticulous care to display that side of himself only to those he truly trusted.
"If this were strictly about Buddhism, you'd be called a fallen monk. Then again, rumor has it the First Generation was quite popular with the ladies as well. That is a realm entirely beyond me." "Beyond you? As a Buddhist monk striving for enlightenment, aren't you supposed to abstain from earthly desires in the first place?" "My, what harsh words."
Since the location of the Intelligence Department's headquarters had already been identified, Yakumo's disciples and the Kuroba unit—spearheaded by Fumiya and Ayako—were tasked with handling it. As originally planned, everyone except Tsukasa was detained. They were temporarily held at Kokonoe Temple before Seiha Todo took custody of them to wrap up the affair. Wanting no part in keeping potential seeds of conflict around, Yugen's side readily accepted the arrangement.
◇ ◇ ◇
The etiquette school Miyuki attended was an institution catering to young ladies of prominent families (though in this day and age, formal nobility didn't exist, so the term effectively referred to upper-class daughters whose families could afford the exorbitant tuition). The security staff consisted of women capable of easily neutralizing ordinary criminal organizations. Thus, despite the archaic 'no men allowed' rule, many parents felt entirely safe entrusting their daughters to the facility.
Today, however, that 'myth of safety' was destined to shatter.
"Miyuki-sama." "I have mixed feelings about the fact that both of their concerns proved to be correct."
As Miyuki and Minakami spoke in hushed tones, a female instructor was frantically ushering ten students, including Miyuki, toward the safe room. Aside from Miyuki, only one other student was a Magician, whereas all the guards were Magicians appearing to be in their twenties or thirties.
Yugen and Tatsuya had warned them in advance about the possibility of an attack. Tatsuya had taken a flexible intercept stance near the school, explicitly stating he would not intervene unless the school fell into a genuine emergency. That restraint stemmed from respecting the official 'no men allowed' policy—a rigid adherence to rules that Miyuki found endearingly typical of her brother.
If nothing had happened, that would have been ideal, but the attack ultimately came to pass. While their foresight was commendable, Miyuki used the word 'mixed' because there was nothing joyous about trouble actually breaking out.
"Hiding in the safe room might be a bad tactical move, but causing trouble for the other students by acting independently would be worse. Waiting for Brother to sweep the area shouldn't be a problem. Are you fine with that, Minakami-chan?" "Yes."
Having made her decision, Miyuki acted swiftly, taking the lead to guide the other students along the designated evacuation route toward the safe room. They moved in an orderly line: Miyuki and Minakami in front, followed by the other students, the guards, and finally the instructors.
◇ ◇ ◇
(Almost entirely according to plan... Good grief, Yugen never fails to amaze me.)
Meanwhile, Tatsuya—disguised in a fantasy-like appearance with silver hair and golden eyes thanks to Parade—was parked near the school on an Intrepid, a military-grade motorcycle built on the same framework as his custom Dreadnought. He was actively monitoring the school's interior via a virtual display.
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