At the same moment, in the heart of Tokyo, at the Juumonji family's main estate, Katsuto, looking strikingly natural in a tank top, spotted a girl approaching. Her long, navy-blue hair was tied back, and her amethyst eyes sparked like lightning—Riri, the newest addition to the family. He called out to her.
"Riri, it's rare to see you out at this hour."
"Oh, Katsuto-nii-san. Are you... training?" she asked, her voice tentative.
"Yeah. No need to be so formal, Riri. It stings a bit when you act like that," Katsuto said with a wry smile.
"S-Sorry," she stammered.
Having become family just days ago, Riri was still reeling from losing both parents in the South Shield Island battle. Katsuto had attended the master clan conference as a proxy during the incident, but by the time he learned the details, the attackers had already retreated. Though not personally responsible, he apologized to Riri. She gently declined, insisting he had no obligation to do so. In lieu of apologies, they vowed to accept each other as family.
Riri couldn't deny some resentment toward those who killed her parents. Yet her mother had always taught her, "Don't harbor hatred—strive to save others. 'Phalanx' is a magic for protection." To honor her mother's legacy, Riri accepted Kazuki's offer to join the Juumonji family as a foster daughter.
Katsuto's younger siblings were initially baffled by their new sister, but as the eldest, he ensured they adjusted, preventing major discord. Still, Kazuki's half-joking complaint—"You're stealing my fatherly authority"—left even Katsuto flustered.
Riri, having lived without awareness of her Ten Master Clans heritage, struggled to adapt—a challenge even Katsuto found hard to grasp.
"Three days from now is your entrance ceremony," Katsuto said. "You'll be in the same year as the Saegusa twins and the Shippo heir. Be cautious."
"You're warning me about them, Katsuto-nii-san, when you saw the Saegusa as rivals?" Riri teased.
"Who told you that... Father?" Katsuto sighed.
He couldn't deny his past recklessness. Mastering "Phalanx," a Juumonji secret technique, had made him overconfident, believing no one could surpass it. Yet he was bested by a Mitsuya, another Ten Master Clans member. Before he could ask how Riri knew, Kazuki's influence came to mind. Her knowing smile confirmed it.
"Don't worry, I won't spread it around," she said. "But one thing—how should I deal with the Saegusa twins and the Shippo heir?"
Katsuto crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought. Riri's question reflected her struggle as a new direct-line Juumonji, unaccustomed to the master clans' dynamics, unlike those raised in their traditions. Reflecting on his own experience, Katsuto decided she should seek guidance from someone who, though no longer a Ten Master Clans member, stood above them and could teach her how to wield strength.
Uncrossing his arms and meeting her gaze, he spoke. "When I enrolled, I tested my strength against Saegusa and Watanabe but never beat Mitsuya."
"Mitsuya... the three sisters who graduated?" Riri asked.
"Partly, but I mean their brother, now a Kagurazaka—Yugen Kagurazaka, your senior by one year. I challenged him last spring and lost. In the Nine Schools Competition, he utterly dominated Ichijo."
"I saw him on the broadcast," Riri recalled. "Everyone was talking about him after summer break. The 'Crimson Prince' couldn't touch him."
During last year's Nine Schools Competition, in the Men's Ice Pillars Break rookie event, Third High's "Crimson Prince," Masaki Ichijo, stunned with his "Explosion" instant kills. Yet First High's Yugen Mitsuya's magical prowess left even Riri awestruck. His defense, maintaining flawless ice pillars against attacks, was world-class, and his offensive magic effortlessly shattered opponents' defenses, embodying the Ten Master Clans' ideal of "ultimate strength." In Monolith Code, he neutralized Masaki's magic and shielded teammates from what seemed like an overpowered air bullet.
At Riri's middle school, the Nine Schools Competition dominated post-summer break chatter. While many athletes shone, Yugen's performance stood head and shoulders above the rest.
"For Ten Master Clans mindset, ask him," Katsuto advised. "He's no longer one of us, but he's likely the strongest of our generation."
"If you say so, I'll start by meeting the Saegusa twins and Shippo's heir and figure out my approach," Riri said.
"Good. You don't need to emulate my rivalries with Saegusa or Watanabe," Katsuto said gently.
The Ten Master Clans prided themselves on strength, but Katsuto had his path, and Riri would find hers. Proving supremacy didn't always mean defeating others with magic. Had he been the proxy representative back then, he might've been harsher, he thought, a wry smile flickering inwardly.
"One more thing, and I hope it's not rude," Riri added. "Ease up on the intense stare, Katsuto-nii-san. People might think you're glaring."
"Ugh, sorry," Katsuto muttered.
His siblings rarely spoke so bluntly, but Riri's advice echoed Mayumi's past warning: "Your serious face scares girls, Katsuto-kun." His role as Juumonji proxy had made him seem intimidating, a fact that stung slightly.
◇ ◇ ◇
Back from the Kitayama party, Yugen showered, changed into sleepwear, and sat at his desk, booting up his terminal. Information gathering was a daily ritual, spanning magic, economics, and politics. If he wanted, he could hack the stratosphere platform's magic surveillance system, but he only copied data, never seizing control. Among the logs, he found that Takuma Shippo had visited Maki Sawamura's home.
Gave them a nudge toward a silver screen debut, and it's backfired, Yugen thought. Do they even realize what they're doing?
Takuma was establishing himself as a male actor, pulling in non-mages who couldn't become magicians. Maki was doing the same, targeting similar individuals. But Takuma's disdain for the Saegusa was intensifying, his newfound influence making him arrogant. The Ten Master Clans had no numerical hierarchy, yet his fixation on the Saegusa was painfully narrow-minded.
Their "New Order" risked negating the current governance system of guardians, mentors, and Ten Master Clans. At worst, the Shippo family could be expelled from the twenty-eight master clans, and the influential Sawamura family might face exile from the business world. Did they even grasp the danger?
And in Nagoya, humanists are meeting the media... call logs mention a major opposition politician. That's for later, Yugen noted.
The humanist movement in the USNA had waned, largely due to their aggressive push during the Seventh Plague compensation disputes, reigniting fears of nuclear weapons' dangers. They weren't wrong, and magic served as a deterrent. The USNA's ruling party couldn't tolerate such a regressive movement. The Stars had dismantled most humanist organizations, and Yugen's leak of their inhumane crimes online—reminiscent of Blanche—flipped public perception. It was their own doing, self-inflicted.
Still, under Gu Jie's orders, they were manipulating Japan's media. Yugen had evidence of Zhou Gongjin's involvement but wasn't ready to oust him—Zhou was bait to lure out Gu Jie.
"These guys are ruining my chance at a normal student life," Yugen muttered, half-joking.
For now, he was relieved to avoid trouble with the freshman representative. But when told about the third-year discussions on the three organizations' staffing, he barely suppressed a sigh.
◇ ◇ ◇
April 6, 2096—the first day of the new academic year for second and third years. Yugen and Miyuki, in Course 1 uniforms, walked to school with Tatsuya, whose Magic Engineering uniform bore an eight-gear emblem matching the Course 1 eight-petal flower.
"It's been a year already," Yugen mused. "Feels nostalgic. Last year's rampage at the Defense Academy seems like ages ago."
"Captain Sanada showed me that demonstration," Tatsuya said. "Even I couldn't move like that."
"Can't be helped. Our strengths differ."
Everyone had strengths and weaknesses. Tatsuya would need to "decompose" tank parts or soldiers to match Yugen's chaos, but exposing young soldiers to such brutality might break them. Yugen's hellish training was the root of his prowess.
"I cleared three months of Defense Army work before the entrance ceremony, but my boss lied about a combat test. I snapped, and that mess happened. Didn't talk to the major for months after."
"Makes sense," Miyuki said. "What do you think, Brother?"
"Self-inflicted," Tatsuya replied. "Not exactly a topic for the street."
Yugen had preemptively handled Defense Army tasks to avoid disruptions during the entrance ceremony, only to be dragged into a Defense Academy combat demo. Missing his once-in-a-lifetime ceremony, he felt no sympathy for Kazama, who bore the brunt of his temper. Tatsuya figured Yugen had countermeasures in place, as usual.
"Speaking of last year, Miyuki gave the reply speech," Yugen said. "It was bold. You okay?"
"Yes. Honestly, I felt a kinship knowing you shared my thoughts," Miyuki replied.
It was too late now, but Yugen had planned to challenge Course 1's superiority and Course 2's inferiority in a reply speech, a radical critique of the magic high school system. He had no mercy for those who tried to expel Mika in the past. Fortunately, he'd vented that frustration in the student council election.
"Did you pressure Tatsuya to give the speech?" Yugen asked.
"She did," Tatsuya said. "I managed to deflect it."
"Brother!" Miyuki huffed.
Honestly, Yugen never imagined bantering like this with the Shiba siblings in this world. Initially, he just aimed to avoid upsetting them. Becoming their friend led to being hailed as potentially the world's strongest—a title he had no interest in claiming. Fighting was a last resort, but power was necessary to fend off threats.
Sensing a gaze, Yugen scanned for its source without meeting it. Gozo's brutal training had taught him to identify people by their aura, even without "Osiris Sight." He could now recognize anyone he'd seen before. Frowning slightly, he pinpointed the presence—likely Takuma Shippo, in a magic high school uniform. A quick check with "Kaleidoscope" confirmed it: Takuma, lurking in the shadows, watching them.
Their conversation was shielded by Yugen's soundproof field, an extension of "Auditory Enhancement," so Takuma couldn't hear. Why was a non-representative freshman here? Yugen sent a fleeting burst of killing intent. Takuma, startled, scanned his surroundings and hurriedly left.
"Yugen-san, something wrong?" Miyuki asked.
"Just a stray mosquito out of season," Yugen said. "Hit it with some sharp intent."
"You could probably take down a beast with just that," Tatsuya quipped.
"That's beyond superpowers, Tatsuya," Yugen replied, sighing with a tired expression.
Miyuki, sharp as ever, noticed the intent but dropped it after Yugen's explanation. Tatsuya's bad joke drew a weary mutter. Then, a cheerful "Morning!" rang out from behind, signaling familiar faces joining them as they continued to school.
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