The restless air of Valentine's Day lingered well into the after-school hours. One might optimistically hope that even a humanist would hesitate to interfere with the path of love and risk eternal damnation, but the reality was far grimmer. While anti-magic sentiment in the media was steadily rising, no one had yet dared to raise their voice in open, public protest.
Since he had been asked to return home late, Yugen decided to join the school patrols—a task he hadn't performed in some time. Or rather, to be more accurate, a task he hadn't been allowed to perform recently.
Feeling the saccharine atmosphere permeating the campus, Yugen realized it would be boorish to intrude. He activated his specialized Invisibility (In'gei) to its full extent and continued his patrol as a ghost. He justified this to himself with a simple logic: he wouldn't want someone intruding on his private moments, so he wouldn't do it to others.
Finding himself with still more time to kill, Yugen left the school grounds and took a commuter to the Mitsui estate in Atsugi. Having sent a quick email beforehand, he was met at the entrance by Shiro Yaguruma, the father of Samuro.
"I apologize for the sudden visit," Yugen said.
"Not at all. The Master has ordered us to provide you with every convenience. Please, allow me to show you in."
In the current investigation, the Shippou and Mitsui families were acting as assistants to the Juumonji family. Yugen had come to review the progress of the investigation and the details of the explosives and weaponry recovered from the recent terror incident—items he himself had restored to their original state using Heavenly Sun Discernment (Ten'you Shouran).
"Yugen-dono, what brings you here today? Are you perhaps being kept out of the house because of your birthday?"
"...I really can't hide anything from you, Father. Yes, that's exactly it."
Publicly, Yugen now held a higher social standing, but in private, they maintained the rapport of a father and son. Gen Mitsui, like Yugen, found rigid formality exhausting, and the two shared a light laugh. Gen had been strict with his heir, Motoharu, regarding the family business, and Motoharu—fully aware of his own capabilities—had taken those lessons to heart.
"I also came to hear the results of the analysis. The enemy has sophisticated hacking tools and the US military is on the move, so I figured it was best to handle this in person."
"I see... Here is the data on the explosives and weapons you asked me to look into."
Gen handed over a stack of physical papers. Yugen scanned them quickly before returning them. The explosives weren't particularly old, but the weapons themselves were outdated models. More importantly, the manufacturer was undeniably USNA.
"This type of explosive was completely phased out and destroyed in this country five years ago," Yugen noted. "While one can't rule out the possibility of them being hidden away, the fact that the weapons are USNA-made is indisputable."
"So... the goal is to create a scandal to distract from the USNA's own internal issues while fueling anti-magic sentiment here," Gen mused.
"Is it possible they are targeting this country's Strategic-Class Magic?"
"The probability is high."
If this came to light, other USNA allies wouldn't be able to ignore it. They would face the same risk of copycat terror attacks, potentially collapsing the very alliances meant to ensure global security.
The targeting of Gu Jie was no coincidence. Looking at the trajectory starting from the Scorching Halloween, it was clear the plan was to use the rise of anti-magic sentiment to flush out Strategic-Class Magicians (SCMs) and eliminate them. This was a direct parallel to the Project Dione seen in other timelines.
"Tatsuya's Material Burst, the Hell End Dragon that Grandfather plans to pass down to Mototsugu-niisan, my own Mirror Dispersion and Starlight Breaker... and if you add Mio-san's Abyss, this small nation possesses at least five Strategic-Class spells," Yugen calculated.
Japan was flanked by the New Soviet Union and the Great Asian Alliance—two superpowers that could not be ignored—while their ally, the USNA, remained a potential competitor. Surrounded by giants, the deterrent of Strategic-Class Magic was an absolute necessity.
Of course, some would criticize this as "having too much" from a power-balance perspective. But given the history of the Second World War, the Great Asian Alliance, the New Soviet Union, and even the USNA could not be fully trusted. It was better to have the means of self-defense and not need them.
During the operation on South Shield Island, Lina had apparently spoken of a "world order." Seria, hearing this through their twin telepathy, had reportedly put Lina in a headlock and demanded, "Since when did the world revolve around the USNA? Answer me!"
It was an ironic question coming from the American-born Seria, but it highlighted a truth: the USNA, the New Soviet Union, and the Great Asian Alliance were all trapped in the shadow of the old "Five Great Powers." The same could be said for the UK and France, though France at least seemed more pragmatic, prioritizing other matters over Strategic-Class Magic.
"Is past glory really that wonderful?" Yugen wondered aloud. "It might be fine for the rulers, but it's a nightmare for the ruled. The most important thing should be suppressing the act of state-sponsored murder we call war."
"Yugen..."
"When resources are finite, it is human nature to fight over them. But that doesn't make it right to steal another's land or property. What the Great Powers did to the African continent was nothing more than state-sanctioned crime."
Yugen's eyes hardened. "I took up Strategic-Class Magic to bring the hammer of reality down on those trying to reclaim their old vested interests. Glory doesn't put food on people's tables. If they want it that badly, they should pursue it on their own and sink without dragging anyone else down with them... Sorry, Father. I got carried away."
"Don't worry about it. If anything, it's the inadequacy of us adults that forced such a burden onto you. What kind of Master Clan head am I... I have no right to lecture you."
The reason Yugen had assisted Gouzou in the Niger Delta was to expose the state-sanctioned crimes of the Great Asian Alliance and make them pay. Having lost influence after that incident and the Scorching Halloween, the Alliance feared a return to its fractured past and was looking toward a re-invasion of Africa as an outlet for its frustrations.
Yugen figured if they were that desperate, they should invade the New Soviet Union near its capital and carve out everything east of the Urals. In the chaos, Japan could reclaim Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands under the guise of "recovery from illegal Soviet occupation."
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