The Parasite inhabiting P94—now to be called Pixie—had made its presence known. Most students were stunned by the encounter, but a few remained unfazed: Himeri and Sana, versed in ancient magic, and Yugen. Noticing this, Pixie turned its gaze toward Yugen.
"You aren't surprised," it said, its voice carrying an eerie calm.
"I'm shocked on the inside," Yugen replied. "But from what I see, you'll follow Tatsuya's orders without issue."
Thanks to his knowledge of the original story, Yugen had masked his presence during the thesis competition to avoid Pixie's detection. Normally, Pixie would focus solely on Tatsuya, but its attention toward Yugen suggested a divergence—likely due to absorbing more than just Honoka's psion waves.
Himeri and Sana's lack of surprise raised questions, but Pixie preempted them.
"When I absorbed Honoka Mitsui's psion waves, they included gratitude toward you. The barrier magic around the garage was masterful," it said.
"I see…" Yugen said, piecing it together. "That explains some things, though the inorganic interference raises plenty of questions."
Yugen had orchestrated Honoka and Tatsuya's meeting, and Honoka's fervent emotions had blended seamlessly into the outcome—a near-miraculous feat. The only conclusion was that the artificial skeletal frame's transformation was enabled through Yugen's influence, with his barrier magic lowering the difficulty of altering physical laws. Set strongly to evade Ceria's notice, it had inadvertently mimicked the containment properties of "Brionac."
With all eyes on Yugen, he spoke with a resigned tone.
"You might've guessed, but this is the same Parasite that attacked the school," he said.
"I had a hunch," Tatsuya replied. "Why didn't you eliminate it?"
Elimination hadn't worked before, and it wasn't guaranteed to work now. With methods to propagate Parasites likely established—most notably the "Parasite Dolls"—Yugen had to consider the risks.
"If I'd destroyed it and others got desperate, we'd have Parasites multiplying chaotically," Yugen explained. "For now, we call it Pixie, right?"
"Yes, that was my intention," Pixie confirmed.
Using Parasites as weapons was illogical. Current spells carried uncertainties, risking damage to control or containment magic. Even a powerful psychic ability could backfire if turned on allies. Weapons prioritize allied safety, much like the stringent security on nuclear arms to prevent enemy access. Betting on such an unstable weapon was, frankly, a hard pass. The same could be said for "Alice."
"From my judgment, Pixie doesn't seem driven by the Parasite's survival instincts to cause harm," Yugen said. "Himeri, Sana, what's your take?"
"I agree," Himeri said. "No threat here."
"Same," Sana added. "Pixie, do you intend to harm us?"
"No, not at all," Pixie replied.
Absorbing Honoka and Lina's psion waves had instilled a strong desire to serve Tatsuya, blending Honoka's caution with Lina's boldness in a balanced mix. The frame's transformation likely reflected Lina's "Angie Sirius" athleticism, powered solely by its built-in fuel cell—a cheat-level efficiency.
As Pixie poured out its devotion to Tatsuya, Honoka, overwhelmed with embarrassment, tried to scream but was restrained, ultimately collapsing under her own emotions.
"There's a lot to take in," Gojuri said. "Yugen-kun, what's the plan?"
"Well…" Yugen began.
As the highest-ranking member present, Yugen faced a pressing issue: the planned "assault" that night. He'd received intel from Ceria but warned Tatsuya discreetly to avoid suspicion. Given the prior incident with Sergeant Charles Sullivan, Tatsuya took the warning seriously.
"Pixie belongs to the school, so it's beyond a student's reach," Yugen said. "I'll discuss it with Mother to close the matter for now. Let's call it one of the 'school's seven mysteries.'"
"You, of all people, suggesting that?" Erika quipped.
In truth, Yugen had already arranged with Chikihime to transfer Pixie's ownership to Tatsuya, with the school holding partial admin rights. After Tatsuya's graduation, a new 3H would be deployed, funded partly by "Taurus Silver" profits—supplemented by a discreet Yotsuba payment.
Erika's jab stung, but Yugen ignored it to keep things moving.
With Pixie's issue tentatively resolved, Yugen sat alone in the Shiba family's living room, tapping away at his terminal. Tatsuya and Miyuki were out, with Tatsuya escorting Miyuki to her training. Yugen had been invited but declined, citing urgent Pixie-related matters. Miyuki relented, albeit reluctantly.
While true, Yugen also wanted solitude to address the "farce" he'd discussed with Ceria. As if on cue, the living room's intercom chimed. Operating the panel, Yugen saw Ceria's face on the screen.
"That was quick," Yugen said. "I expected you to take longer."
"With 'Brionac' in play, I don't need to babysit," Ceria replied. "Fooling Colonel Balance was tough, though… Are you really going through with this?"
Her expression betrayed worry—not about the plan, but about facing Tatsuya and Miyuki's wrath if Yugen became an enemy. Yugen agreed that compromising to keep the invincible "Onii-sama" as an ally was less hassle. Of course, that compromise had landed him with Miyuki as a fiancée.
"If I don't play it seriously, Balance will get suspicious," Yugen said. "After Valentine's Day, though, smoothing things over with Miyuki might take more effort."
"Wait, big brother, are you one of those guys?" Ceria teased.
"Keep talking, and I'll book you a 'Levatein'-powered trans-Pacific or world tour," Yugen shot back.
He'd pulled "Levatein's" specs from the Pentagon—a one-off magical weapon far surpassing "Brionac," usable only by Ceria. The USNA's caution around her was palpable.
The call used Ceria's reincarnation perk, a communication method undetectable even by "Frithskálf," as it leveraged the information dimension—beyond modern magical tech.
"S-Spare me…" Ceria said. "But you're not denying it."
"I'm aware I'm a guy," Yugen said dryly.
"So, I get swept off my feet after losing?" she teased.
"No merit in touching a walking red flag like you," Yugen deadpanned. "Denied."
"Ugh, you're so mean, big brother!"
Despite the looming life-or-death stakes, the banter felt anything but serious. Still, they proceeded with mutual understanding—otherwise, things would get messy.
"Even if you're fine with it, you've got two grandfathers to deal with: the USNA president and General Kudou," Yugen said. "The former's on board, but if the latter returns to Japan, it'll complicate things."
"Yeah, that's the problem," Ceria sighed. "General Kudou's brother connection alone guarantees trouble… Why am I stuck in this mess?!"
Yugen wanted to yell the same. He'd learned from Gozo that Ken Kudou, unlike Retsu with his enhancements, possessed innate magical prowess. Retsu likely knew, but his son, Mayumi, probably didn't. Lina and Ceria's "Kudou" surname and Stars enlistment made sense, but Ken's youthful appearance, despite his doting nature, raised questions Yugen shelved for later.
"As planned, it's a one-on-one duel on the rooftop, but Balance will likely deploy 'Stardust,'" Yugen said. "As for Tatsuya… unlike the original, 'Brionac' won't work."
"I figured… Lina mentioned the shrapnel incident," Ceria said.
Tatsuya's Psion Shield, strengthened since last summer, was formidable. Erika, who tested its strength, remarked, "Tatsuya-kun's shield could disintegrate a CAD—it's scary." Tatsuya seemed unimpressed, but Yugen confirmed he was unconsciously linking his virtual magic calculation area to "Decomposition" and "Regrowth," compensating for output deficits. This created a constantly reinforced Psion Shield, a superior version of "Phalanx." All Yugen could say was, "As expected of Onii-sama."
Calculations suggested Tatsuya could withstand "Brionac" head-on—though real-world results might differ. Yugen couldn't fathom how to defeat such an invincible figure.
"What about the National Defense Force?" Ceria asked.
"No issues here," Yugen said. "Father's handling it. But the Nanakusa and General Kudou are moving behind the scenes. Since we're the cause, we'll settle it."
Originally, Erika's brother Shuji was assigned to guard and monitor Tatsuya, but he'd be a liability now. Through Gen, Yugen had the Defense Force block interference. Gen, understanding Tatsuya's capabilities, agreed readily.
To be safe, Yugen arranged for Shuji to train temporarily with the Ueyama family's Shinonome-ryu. The Defense Force wouldn't ignore someone of his caliber. Meanwhile, the Nanakusa family, via military channels, was probing Tatsuya and likely turning a blind eye to tonight's assault. Yugen knew Nanakusa mages were lurking around the Shiba residence, with Retsu Kudou undoubtedly in the loop.
"Tatsuya-oniisama aside, they're targeting you too, right?" Ceria said. "And weren't you engaged to that devilish senpai's sister?"
"That happened without my knowledge," Yugen said.
His engagement to Izumi was Gen's doing, revealed only after its dissolution. One reason was Yugen not bearing the Mitsuya name at the time. Marrying a Ten Master Clans daughter to a distant ancient magic relative would've sparked backlash, so the announcement was delayed until Yugen enrolled at First High under the Mitsuya name.
As mages often marry young, Yugen was prepared to accept it for his father's sake, especially since Izumi wasn't a stranger. But she'd ended it herself.
"Thanks to the Yotsuba, it worked out," Yugen said. "The Nanakusa family's another story, though."
"If we're talking complications, what if Retsu, my great-uncle, learns about me and Lina?" Ceria said.
The looming battle was daunting, but the greater weight was the inescapable burden of their Ten Master Clans lineage—a shared "karmic debt" across nations.
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