Tatsuya led the group to a restaurant currently being used for their meeting. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a large, upscale residence—clearly one of those exclusive establishments that operated strictly on a referral-only basis.
While Miyuki and Minami looked slightly puzzled by the choice of venue, it wasn't particularly surprising. Given the sensitive nature of their dealings with magicians, there were always aspects of their lives that required absolute privacy. Inside, they found not only Katsuto, but also Kana, Toya, and Masaki.
"Thank you for waiting," Tatsuya said as they entered.
"Forgive me for the sudden summons. Lord Yugen, I appreciate you making the trip," Katsuto acknowledged.
"Think nothing of it, Lord Juumonji," Yugen replied smoothly.
With eight people present, they split across the tables. Tatsuya sat with Toya and Minami at a table for four; since Tatsuya hadn't been directly involved in the specific details Katsuto wanted to discuss, he took a secondary role.
This left Katsuto, Masaki, Yugen, Miyuki, and Kana at the main table. Katsuto took the host's seat at the end, with Miyuki seated across from Kana and Yugen positioned directly across from Masaki.
As if following a script, Masaki immediately leaned toward Miyuki, his voice filled with concern as he asked if she had been injured. Miyuki offered a polite, practiced smile, assuring him she was perfectly fine. Masaki visibly slumped with relief, his face flushing slightly.
"Yugen, today sounded like a disaster," Katsuto said, turning the conversation to business.
"I won't deny that. Fortunately, I had the upper hand, so I was able to stop the leader of the Humanists before he could use his gun or his magic."
Yugen and Katsuto were both heads of their respective houses, but Yugen saw no need to stand on ceremony here. He answered Katsuto's prompt while adding facts that hadn't yet been made public.
"Magic?" Kana interjected. "Was the leader of the Humanists actually a magician?"
"No. To be precise, he was being used as a relay point—like a wireless sub-unit. It was an Ancient Magic technique used to project spells through him. It shared some DNA with the research once conducted at the Third Institute, so I was able to neutralize it immediately, Kana-nee."
The technology to cast magic on a distant target had originally been a project of the Third Institute, later shared with the Tenth. Remembering the events of the previous summer, Kana fell silent.
"Furthermore," Yugen continued, "those involved were remnants of Egalite—a front for Blanche. As for the source of their Antinite, it appears a portion of the supply confiscated by the National Defense Force during the incident two years ago went missing. I have friends in the military, so I dislike speaking ill of them, but this can only be described as gross professional negligence."
Katsuto's expression hardened. Both the Juumonji and Saegusa families had been instrumental in dismantling Blanche; he clearly hadn't expected remnants to still be active. But the underworld was far more labyrinthine than Katsuto likely realized. In that darkness, "cutting off the lizard's tail" to survive was standard procedure.
"...Yugen, is that the truth?" Masaki asked, his voice low.
"It is. The design of the rings they were using was too similar to be a coincidence, so I had it checked immediately."
Yugen had contacted General Soga to verify the storage status of the Antinite held by the Weapon Development Department. The fact that the discrepancy was found within hours suggested the trail was easy to follow for those who knew where to look. They were currently auditing access logs, but Yugen doubted they would find a clear culprit. If they didn't, he would simply find another way to handle it.
"I've asked a specialist to analyze the ritual sequence cast on the leader. We should have results by tomorrow at the earliest. I'll share what I find with you then, Senpai."
"We appreciate it," Katsuto said. "But are you saying you won't be joining the tactical unit?"
"If we add too many captains at this stage, the ship will sink. I'll stay back for now."
Yugen and Mototsugu intended to move only during the final move of the game. Katsuto nodded; he understood that Yugen's intervention now would only complicate the chain of command.
"Even so, Miyuki-chan, that must have been terrifying," Kana said sympathetically. "About a week ago, Mika and I saw some suspicious people surrounding First High students, but they ran the second they saw us."
"Is that so?" Miyuki murmured.
The fact that they had fled from Kana and Mika—both of the Ten Master Clans—suggested that those two were considered low-priority targets compared to Miyuki.
"If Miyuki-chan is being targeted, she needs a guard," Kana noted. "But I suppose with Yugen around, that's already covered."
"Kana-nee... you might be a target next, so please don't walk around alone," Yugen said, his protective brotherly instincts surfacing.
"If I'm worried, I'll just grab a few students to walk home with me," she laughed.
Kana trusted Yugen's strength implicitly, and since he had handled today's ambush personally, she saw no reason to worry. Tatsuya and Miyuki watched the exchange, recognizing the genuine bond of blood between the siblings.
"True," Masaki added, a bit bitterly. "If someone goes after Yugen, they'll probably end up socially erased before they can even cast a spell."
"Watch it," Yugen shot back. "I'm a Magic High School student before I'm the head of the Kamigazaka family. If you want to talk about reputations, what about the 'Walking Terminator of Rupture' over here?"
"H-Hey! Yugen!?" Masaki stammered.
"It's the truth, isn't it? You slaughtered enemy forces at Sado and Yokohama with Explosion. That's a matter of record."
When Yugen pointed out that Masaki's magic turned battlefields into scenes from a slasher film, Masaki tried to deny he was that kind of person, but he flinched under the weight of the truth.
"Well, at least you showed some growth in Kyoto," Yugen conceded.
"...Are you trying to praise me or insult me? Pick one."
"Both."
"Good grief..." Masaki sighed.
He wanted to argue, but with Miyuki watching, he couldn't afford to act like a petulant child. Yugen, sensing Masaki's restraint, decided to press a different point.
"By the way... were you planning to use Miyuki as a decoy?"
"I would never—!"
"Right. George likely suggested it as a theoretical possibility, and then you offered to take her place, which would have rendered the 'decoy' part meaningless."
Masaki's military record was famous—and infamous—both at home and abroad. Putting someone known for such lethal magic in the vanguard as bait was a tactical failure waiting to happen. It would only serve to incite more fear against magicians.
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