Benio's conversation shifted to Shizuku and Honoka. Naturally, Shizuku was dear to her, but she also regarded Honoka like a daughter due to their families' close ties—a sentiment undoubtedly tied to her own circumstances.
"At first, I thought Honoka was drawn to you, Yugen-kun," Benio said. "But I noticed you kept a certain distance."
"It's partly her situation, but being overly depended on can become a 'shackle' at times," Yugen replied. "Besides, I like to think I understand my own limits."
On the surface, it was a reasonable excuse, but in truth, Yugen knew that letting Honoka fall for him risked entangling him in events from the original story. He'd gone to great lengths to avoid a future where Pixie clung to him, and with the Shippo family's eldest son in the picture, he'd maneuvered to shift her focus to Tatsuya.
Honoka had admitted to harboring some affection for Yugen but said, "I didn't want to interfere with Shizuku's first love." Now, her feelings were clearly for Tatsuya. As a friend, Yugen wanted to support Honoka's romance, as did Shizuku and even Miyuki.
"I see," Benio said. "With your family's status, you could've drawn her in."
"Forcing it is pointless," Yugen countered. "True cooperation comes from mutual respect. You'd know that best, Benio-san."
"You're right," she conceded. "Perhaps you've got a point."
Yugen knew hiding all his cards was unfair, so he treated selective disclosure as a "necessary expense." Benio, seizing the moment, asked about the object of Honoka's affection—Tatsuya.
"This boy Honoka's smitten with... Tatsuya Shiba. Who is he?"
"That's a vague question," Yugen said, smirking. "You make him sound like some shady, unidentified figure."
Benio had likely heard about Tatsuya from Shizuku, especially given his prominence in the Nine Schools Competition. She'd probably tried investigating him herself, but Tatsuya Shiba's personal data was pristine—listing only that he was Ryuro Shiba's son, FLT's development director.
"Even the Kitayama 'corporate alliance' network couldn't dig up his PD," Benio said. "From what Honoka says, he's far beyond an ordinary high schooler."
"That could apply to me too," Yugen teased. "What exactly do you want to know about Tatsuya, Benio-san?"
Since arriving in this world, Yugen had juggled multiple identities: Tatsuzo Joban, special staff officer for the 101st Brigade's Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion; Koto Joban, magic engineer in FLT's CAD Development Division 3; and Yuto Nagano, his pre-high school alias, now his Kagurazaka business name, Yuto Kamisaka. Listing them made him want to sigh—his exploits arguably outshone Tatsuya's. It wasn't an excuse, but the result of acting freely on the original story's cues, and he wouldn't deny it now.
Moreover, transitioning from a Ten Master Clans mage to a guardian made Tatsuya's secrets seem almost trivial.
"So, how much do you know about Tatsuya-kun?" Benio pressed.
"Almost everything," Yugen said. "But most of it's beyond what I can casually discuss. However..."
"What?"
"Your family, the Naruse, isn't entirely uninvolved," he hinted.
Benio's mother was Chihiro's sister, and Chihiro's uncle was the grandfather of the current Yotsuba head. That vague connection was the most Yugen could offer. Tatsuya's magic and origins couldn't be revealed, tied as they were to his complex background.
Benio wanted to press further, but Yugen was her cousin by registry and a guest representing the Kagurazaka family. As the hostess, offending him—especially a Kagurazaka—was unthinkable, tantamount to career suicide. For her husband's sake, she held back.
As if sensing her struggle, Ushio approached, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Looks like your loss, Benio," he said. "Sorry, Yugen-kun."
"No worries. I understand your concern for Honoka," Yugen replied. "As for your question, I'll ensure it's answered in the near future." He bowed deeply to Ushio, who returned the gesture, then headed toward Tatsuya and the others.
If Tatsuya elicited such suspicion, Yugen's own enigmatic presence must be even more perplexing. Still, he'd earned enough trust to be invited to the Uesugi family's pre-Nine Schools training camp. When he subtly asked about it, the response was telling.
"Yugen-san, you tend to sweep away everyone's happiness," Miyuki teased.
"I'm not that greedy," Yugen shot back. "I don't steal people's joy."
"It's more like you're an old-school samurai, punishing the wicked," Tatsuya added.
Being compared to a retired warrior or a relentless vigilante on a white horse irked Yugen. He wasn't angry, but he wished they'd choose their words more carefully. Then he spotted Shizuku's younger brother, Wataru Kitayama, who bowed politely.
"It's been a while, Yugen-san," Wataru said.
"Hey, Wataru-kun. Were you asking Tatsuya about magic engineering?"
"Uh, yeah, a bit embarrassingly..."
Through Shizuku, Yugen had met Wataru, who once asked about becoming a magic engineer. Magic engineers were technicians with magical skills, but the broader field of magical engineering included non-mages working with magical technology. Modern magic incorporated scientific approaches, and CADs, the quintessential devices, had industrial elements. Wataru had likely asked Tatsuya, who probably gave a blunt response.
"You're in sixth grade this year, right?" Yugen asked.
"Yes! You remembered?" Wataru said, surprised.
"Well, you're practically family," Yugen replied, then thought, Looking closer, his magic calculation area is locked? Likely the Naruse family's doing—Benio's probably involved.
He hadn't noticed before, but using "Osiris Sight," Yugen saw a seal on Wataru's magic calculation area. After studying Kagurazaka barrier techniques, he could read its structure. It wasn't just suppressing magic skills; if fully released, it was justified, as Wataru's psion body matched Kosen Kuroshima's almost perfectly. Seeing Yugen deep in thought, Shizuku whispered.
"Yugen, is something up with Wataru?"
"Shizuku... in a way, he's like you. But it's trickier, harder to handle."
"So, he can use magic too?"
"Not quite. If he uses magic, his psions could go haywire, damaging his psion body and health. Unsealing it risks repeating Kosen's fate."
Yet, it was a silver lining. Even without using magic, Wataru could control psions. Magic calculation areas were for casting spells, but controlling bodily psions required fixing their flow as a mental concept. Failure to do so could overload the calculation area, causing burnout and permanent loss of magic. Yugen had proven that techniques like "Gram Demolition"—firing a psion mass—could be used without the calculation area, purely through training. He'd refined "Gram Demolition" by defining its output and convergence, reducing psion consumption. When he explained this to Tatsuya, who used the optimized version, Tatsuya remarked, "I never thought to streamline Gram Demolition. You're a genius beyond reason." Yugen didn't get it.
Seeing Yugen and Shizuku deep in discussion, Wataru tilted his head but smiled, reassured by their bond. Miyuki, outwardly smiling for the party, was inwardly jealous of Shizuku. Tatsuya, sensing her emotions, suppressed a sigh with his iron will and spoke up.
"Yugen, Shizuku, serious talk?"
"Not too serious yet," Yugen said. "Wataru-kun, ever thought about Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship?"
"Isn't that the martial art Gozo-san practices?" Wataru asked.
"Close enough. It usually requires a recommendation, but I'll write one. I'm a Shinkage-ryu master, after all."
Yugen suggested Shinkage-ryu because, if Wataru could control his psion body, unsealing his calculation area would be safe. Shinkage-ryu included techniques to circulate internal energy—specifically, accelerating psion flow without stressing the psion body. Its pinnacle, "Phase Shift Armor," linked the mental and psion bodies, merging psions with psychic energy (called spiritual energy in ancient magic). This strengthened the psion body, preventing damage from high-speed psion movement while retaining high-density psions.
This training reinforced both mental and psion bodies, balanced by physical conditioning—a core Shinkage-ryu method. Only Yugen and Genji, his student, fully understood and applied it. Leo used a prototype knuckle-duster CAD based on this, leveraging his hardening magic and psychic sensitivity. Gozo, a natural genius, mastered it instinctively but taught through "practical force."
Yugen's Shinkage-ryu rank had been elevated from assistant master to master upon advancing grades. Gozo wanted him as grandmaster, but Genji's compromise granted Yugen the master rank while still in high school—an extraordinary feat. Shizuku and Yugen knew Gozo never cut corners in martial arts. Meanwhile, Tatsuya was calming a starry-eyed Miyuki, enthralled by Yugen's prowess.
Shinkage-ryu required a recommendation from a mid-level or higher practitioner in the military, police, or firefighting. Yugen had joined via Genji's letter but endured Gozo's ambush and five years of brutal training, pulverizing his past life's pacifism into dust.
"Convince your parents first," Yugen said. "Half-hearted effort won't cut it. Are you ready?"
"Yes! I want to be a great man like you, Yugen-san!"
Great? Yugen thought. Me, the guy called a gigolo for being polite to women? If I'm great, Katsuto's a saint. He'd never say that to Katsuto, who'd be flustered. Wataru, showing Shizuku-like initiative, left to talk to his parents.
As he departed, a couple approached—proof of Tatsuya's godlike knack for attracting trouble. The man, in his mid-twenties, was Shizuku's cousin, whom Yugen had met before. He knew Yugen as "Shizuku's friend" (her engagement was known only to her, her parents, and grandmother, not Wataru). They exchanged greetings.
"Been a while, Yugen-kun," the cousin said.
"Likewise. Who's the lady beside you? I don't recall seeing her before."
"We're getting married this year," he said, beaming.
"Congratulations," Yugen replied, with Shizuku offering polite pleasantries. The cousin, a bit sheepish, admitted he hadn't received an engagement ring yet.
As an aside, Yugen had quietly given rings to Miyuki, Shizuku, and Himeri after Chihiro mentioned the engagements. Each cost millions of yen—a trivial expense compared to Taurus Silver's earnings and recent windfalls. He'd also given rings to Yuka, Shizuku, and Ceria, but that was beside the point.
Instead of the cousin introducing her, the fiancée spoke up.
"Nice to meet you, Shizuku-san, Yugen-san. I'm Maki Sawamura. A pleasure."
As someone familiar with the original story, Yugen thought, Of course she shows up. Given the Kitayama family's ties, connections to the entertainment industry weren't surprising. Maki, who schemed with Takuma Shippo to build a "New Order," was a renowned actress, lauded for her performances in TV dramas and films. Honoka, the group's entertainment buff, gasped.
"Are you the Maki Sawamura, nominated for Best Actress at the Pan-Pacific Cinema Awards for Midsummer Drift Ice?"
"You watched it?" Maki replied, her refined smile tinged with pride.
Yugen, drawing on experience, caught the smugness in her expression. Maki likely saw Honoka as someone she could "pull in," unaware of her feelings for Tatsuya—a sign her information network didn't extend deeply into First High.
"Absolutely! I saw it in theaters. It was amazing!" Honoka gushed.
"Thank you," Maki said, chuckling.
During summer break, Shizuku had asked Yugen to help Honoka, who wanted to date Tatsuya but was too nervous to go alone. Shizuku, busy, had roped in Miyuki, resulting in a pseudo-double date. They watched Midsummer Drift Ice at Honoka's recommendation. Miyuki, with a chilling smile, had said, "Didn't you say stepping out to learn is important, Brother?" Tatsuya, ever the guardian, saw it as a chance to gather intel on the entertainment world—a workaholic trait that made Yugen want to jokingly suggest a hospital visit.
Using "Auditory Enhancement," Yugen overheard Maki talking to Tatsuya and Miyuki while standing beside Shizuku, who listened to her cousin's lovesick chatter. Yugen sensed the cousin was being used, but he had no intention of meddling in their romance. Tatsuya and Miyuki praised Maki's acting but declined her invitation—"It's tempting, but I'll pass"—and headed to the food table, followed by Minami and Honoka. Shizuku's cousin rejoined Maki, but Shizuku whispered to Yugen.
"Hey, Yugen. She's using him, isn't she?"
"She's a femme fatale," Yugen replied. "Targeting Tatsuya and Miyuki means she doesn't know the full story."
"If she did, she wouldn't approach them," Shizuku said. "I'll warn Honoka."
"Do that. I'll be busy keeping Princess Miyuki happy."
Their banter, honed by countless social events, hardly seemed like high schoolers' talk. With that, Yugen and Shizuku joined Tatsuya and the others at the table.
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