Yugen and the others savored a delicious dinner, the clink of utensils filling the air with warmth. Ms. Kurosawa, ever the attentive host, had worried whether the meal would suit Ceria's foreign palate, but as Ceria's soul was Japanese, her taste buds posed no issue. Her habit of begging for Japanese cuisine at her grandfather General Kudou's estate suggested that life in the States leaned a bit too "heavy" for her liking.
After dinner, Yugen sat alone at the edge of the pier, gazing out at the sea's dark horizon. The creak of the wooden boards alerted him to an approaching presence, and he turned to find Ceria standing there.
"Big brother, it's still March. Stay out here too long, and you'll catch a cold," she said, her tone teasing yet concerned.
"Just felt like catching some air," Yugen replied softly.
Ceria settled beside him, her eyes drifting to the starlit sky. Moments like these—sharing a quiet night together—were unthinkable in their past lives. A question stirred in Yugen's mind, and he turned to her.
"By the way, since you were reincarnated, have you ever encountered others like us?"
"Nope, not so far," Ceria said, shaking her head. "If I'd reincarnated as a character from the original story, who knows?"
Ceria had become aware of her own consciousness around age four, she explained, and the presence of a young Lina nearby had sealed her realization of her fate. Lina was destined to be scouted by the USNA military, inherit the title of "Sirius" in Stars, and inevitably clash with "Big Brother" Tatsuya. While the original story spared her death, Ceria was determined to avoid any misstep that might lead to her being erased.
"With General Kudou as my maternal grandfather, a president as my paternal grandfather, and a high-ranking government official for a father… it's no wonder Lina's sense of justice is so strong," Yugen mused.
Ceria laughed. "Speaking of grandfathers, what's your dad's side like?"
"Don't know much about him," Yugen admitted. "He's supposedly living out his days in Okinawa."
Yugen had assumed his grandfather was long gone until a letter arrived at the Mitsuya family after the Okinawa invasion, confirming his survival. His name was Mitsuya Maito, the first and greatest magician of the Third Research Lab—the founding head of the Mitsuya family.
"I'll probably visit Okinawa at some point and meet him," Yugen said.
"We don't exactly have normal families, do we?" Ceria remarked.
"Expecting normalcy from a magician's lineage is asking too much," Yugen replied with a wry smile.
Maito, the first family head, had lost his beloved wife in the Cluster Wars. He celebrated his son Gen and Shiho's marriage with joy but turned to arms brokering to gather global military intelligence, protecting the Mitsuya family by minimizing war's collateral damage. This inadvertently drew unwanted pressure from the Toyama family, a regret that lingered. As an apology, Maito passed the family leadership and his intelligence network to Gen before retiring to a modest home in Okinawa, his wife's birthplace. According to Gen, "He looked younger than when he retired, despite being ninety." He appeared younger than even Gōzō—a claim too striking to dismiss.
"I've had enough of sword-slinging protagonist mentors with Kuzo-sensei and Grandfather," Yugen said. "Another one wouldn't surprise me. But Ceria, if the USNA's submarines get in the way, disable them—non-lethally."
"How much are we charging the USNA for this?" Ceria asked, smirking.
"Hostages are secondary. The real prize is up in the sky."
No matter how stable its orbit, a satellite would eventually fall to Earth. Most posed no threat if left alone, but exceptions existed. The USNA's negligence—ignoring the Seventh Plague and its backup, Alcatraz—was infuriating, especially after the Parasite and strategic-class magic incidents had been swept under the rug.
"Ceria, is the USNA's Joint Chiefs so obsessed with being the top magical nation that they're blind to everything else?"
"Oh, you bet," she said, rolling her eyes. "During my recruitment, they grilled me endlessly. I told them, 'Touch Lina, and I'll make sure you're in the hospital for months.' That shut them up."
The cost of dismantling military weaponry was unclear, but with nuclear power plant decommissioning costing hundreds of billions of yen, the Seventh Plague—loaded with sixty tons of depleted uranium in thirty large-scale ground-attack missiles, "Hail of Fire"—would likely run into the trillions.
"I'll let you in on something," Yugen said. "The USNA wouldn't leave the Seventh Plague without a contingency. I dug deeper and found Alcatraz, a strategic military satellite on the moon's orbit, programmed to launch 120 tons of nuclear missiles at major world cities—outside the USNA—if the Seventh Plague fails."
"Why wasn't it dismantled when you found it?" Ceria asked.
"The location's the problem. Disabling Alcatraz triggers the Seventh Plague's 'Hail of Fire' and ground-based nuclear missiles. Vice versa, too. The USNA's obsession with global dominance during the Cluster Wars birthed this demonic system. They abandoned the Seventh Plague without dismantling it because of Alcatraz."
Yugen explained that if the Seventh Plague deviated from its orbit, its system would disconnect from the nuclear missiles. Alcatraz would then leave lunar orbit, and the linkage would temporarily deactivate until it reached satellite orbit. That brief window was their only chance to act.
"Even demanding tens of trillions wouldn't be unreasonable," Ceria said.
"I'll leave that to Mother," Yugen replied with a grin.
The linkage system ensured that a malfunction wouldn't trigger an accidental nuclear launch, sparing the USNA from the International Magic Association's wrath. Yugen couldn't help but smirk at Ceria's suggestion that demanding a fortune for cleaning up the USNA's mess was justified.
March 20, 2096
Kasumiura Base, National Defense Army. The 101st Brigade's Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was stationed here, and Tatsuya had come to collect equipment from Captain Sanada for Kua's rescue mission.
"Thanks for preparing the Covert Mobile Suit, Captain," Tatsuya said.
"No trouble at all," Sanada replied. "I've heard some of the situation. Collecting combat data makes this a worthwhile investment."
The Covert Mobile Suit, a prototype designed for high-altitude rapid-deployment blitz operations, featured a hooded cloak that transformed into a streamlined shape via magic. Its drawback—limited visibility—made it usable only by someone like Tatsuya, who could perceive beyond normal sight. Development had been frozen until Yugen customized it for Tatsuya, incorporating combat data from the Yokohama Incident, rendering it unusable by anyone else.
"Lieutenant Jōjō tuned it meticulously," Sanada said. "You should have no issues, Lieutenant Kuroda. Has the Magic Association been informed?"
"The Jōsen and Kagurazaka families have handled that," Tatsuya replied. "Their next moves depend on them."
With Yugen coordinating through the Jōsen and Kagurazaka families, the Ten Master Clans' Council had no choice but to act. Claiming "humanitarian protection of magicians ignoring regulations" ensured their involvement, indirectly implicating the Yotsuba family through Tatsuya and the Mitsuya family through Yugen. Kua's directive to seek Saegusa Mayumi meant the Saegusa family would likely join, with Katsuto as a probable representative due to his experience.
"Defense Force regulations prohibit minors under eighteen from military service except in emergencies," Tatsuya noted. "The Navy's blatantly violating that."
"I'm sixteen," Sanada pointed out.
"That's beside the point," Tatsuya said. "Here, take these."
Sanada handed over two cartridge-type storage devices containing Tatsuya's magic: Deep Mist Dispersion and Beta Trident.
"Deep and Beta?" Tatsuya asked, frowning. "Deep is fine, but Beta isn't combat-ready."
Beta Trident required ten seconds initially (five after training with Yugen) for activation and computation, taxing the magical computation domain and requiring a ten-second cooldown, making it impractical for battle. Sanada, however, smiled.
"These aren't Beta Trident. They contain Holy Trident, a spell you developed. Its principles went over my head."
Beta Trident decomposed matter in three stages: atomic, hadronic, and beta decay, converting most into plasma and stabilizing radioactive isotopes. Its independent formulas occupied an entire specialized storage, causing delays. Yugen unified the decomposition process with a fourth foundational formula, streamlining the three stages, reducing lag, and automating computations using a novel magic linkage system from his magical geometry research. Named Holy Trident for the aurora it generated as a side effect, Sanada explained.
"Collect its data as payment for the Covert's 'rental fee,'" Sanada said.
"I'll never hear the end of this from him," Tatsuya muttered. "Understood."
"Good luck, Lieutenant," Sanada said, saluting.
As they exchanged salutes, both knew Tatsuya's power could defy reason itself. Yet even he acknowledged Yugen as someone "not to be crossed," a sentiment they shared with a knowing smile.
The subject of those whispers, Yugen, was seething.
Normally unfazed by rumors unless they caused him harm, his anger was palpable. Ceria, recalling his fury from their past lives, looked pityingly at the restrained Navy soldiers. Miyuki's icy gaze could freeze the air with a single breath, while Leo, Erika, and Mikihiko, fresh from battle, exchanged wry smiles.
"You think you'll get away with this?!" Lieutenant Iida spat.
"That's our line, Lieutenant," Yugen retorted. "Trespassing on private property with baseless accusations? The Navy's discipline is rotten."
Thirty minutes after Tatsuya left for Kasumiura Base, an unscheduled airship and landing craft arrived at the pier, soldiers pointing guns and demanding a "patient" who'd escaped a Navy hospital. Kua, however, was an institute escapee, not their target. When Yugen denied their claim, combat erupted.
"What's that shield?!" a soldier shouted.
"Impossible! It rivals Phalanx!" another cried.
"(Leo, these guys are idiots, aren't they?)" Erika whispered.
"(Don't say that… but yeah, I'm just grateful for Yugen right now,)" Leo replied.
Though not as formidable as the Jūmonji family's Phalanx, Erika muttered to Leo as she drew Hayatemaru, channeling psions to extend its blade. Leo activated Siegfried, transforming his wristband into a gauntlet—a relic in appearance from his grandfather but entirely new inside. As Erika dropped the shield and dashed forward, she slashed Hayatemaru sideways, knocking a soldier into the sea. Leo seized the moment as the others turned to her.
"Got time to gawk? Dragon's Breath!" Leo roared.
Dragon's Breath converged and solidified air into a striking force. Leo's computation speed, honed for convergence-type hardening magic, could drop below 200 milliseconds. Yugen's thought-operated CAD enabled wide-range air fixation, making it a lethal technique even when swordplay wasn't viable. With pre-set ranges, Leo's natural control shone, requiring no remote activation.
As soldiers were blown away, Erika grew more enthusiastic. Mikihiko, meant to provide rear support, noted, "They're having too much fun," preparing Dragon God as a precaution—a sign of his growing ruthlessness.
Other soldiers landed from another direction but collapsed instantly, felled by Sana wielding twin iron fans.
"Is that all?" Sana said, her voice laced with disappointment. "Mikihiko would see through my techniques easily. How sad."
Her fans, etched with ancient Tōdō family spells, activated magic when infused with psions. Unsuited for precise control, they demanded the user compensate—a challenge Sana's exceptional talent met, undoubtedly influenced by Yugen.
"Sana, you okay?" Miyuki asked.
"Fine, Miyuki," Sana replied. "It's vexing to trouble my lord."
"You've got it rough," Miyuki said.
"You're one to talk," Sana shot back.
The Tōdō and Yotsuba families were sponsor and Ten Master Clans, respectively, but Miyuki's engagement to the Kagurazaka heir leveled their status. Though it seemed political, it was blossoming into love. Sana, having "offered" herself to Mikihiko—alongside Mizuki in a bold move at the villa—understood Miyuki's feelings.
"By the way, you call Yugen '-san,'" Sana noted. "He wouldn't mind if you dropped it."
"If I did, I'd rely on him even more," Miyuki said, blushing.
"(Sharing a bed and more, and she's worried about that? I can't even imagine,)" Sana thought.
Sana knew of Yugen and Miyuki's intimacy, and Aonami had filled her in on events before her transfer. Aonami had praised Chikahime's decision, saying, "One wife might break under him. It's like he harbors a dragon within." Sana initially thought it an exaggeration, but meeting Yugen confirmed her father's words. His six fiancées glowed with beauty, and when Shizuka's chest surpassed Erika's, the latter was devastated, her frustration spilling onto Leo.
"All done, Yugen?" Tatsuya asked, returning.
"Yeah. Tie them up," Yugen replied.
The restrained soldiers were gathered, their airship and landing craft cloaked by Yugen's magic and moored behind the villa for Tatsuya's return.
"Your actions have provoked not just the Kagurazaka family, but the Tōdō, Chiba, Mitsuya, and Jōsen families," Yugen said, pointing Odin at Iida's forehead. "I see how the Navy views magicians. The rumors about South Shield Island's treatment of them seem true."
Iida sweated under Yugen's murderous intent. Assuming Kua would be an easy target was a grave miscalculation, one any cursory investigation of Yugen's group would have prevented. It was too late for regrets.
"You'll sleep now," Yugen said. "By the time you wake, it'll all be over."
As Yugen pulled Odin's trigger, Iida's consciousness vanished. A flash of light enveloped the soldiers, fading in an instant. Miyuki, sensing it wasn't Tatsuya's Decomposition, turned to Yugen.
"That wasn't like Brother's magic," she said.
"Just sent them flying," Yugen replied.
He had used Invincible Cannon, a long-range mass teleportation spell based on Ayako's Pseudo-Teleportation, once used to send a wooden bear to the Fuji Training Grounds. It moved targets unharmed at 2,500 km/h—Mach 2—shielded by a magical barrier to negate air resistance. Used on conscious humans, it would leave lasting trauma. Yugen could have used Mirror Gate, but its public use was risky, so he chose Invincible Cannon as punishment. One landing craft was sent via Mirror Gate, but the airship and another craft were left, their recognition codes altered to appear as Kagurazaka-owned Defense Force vessels.
"Got air transport and a bonus," Yugen said. "Why the silence?"
"You're the world's mastermind," Erika quipped.
"Alright, spring calls for red-and-white manju," Yugen teased.
Erika's careless remark sparked a nightmare for the women, unfolding in the not-so-distant future.
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