Fumiya slumped, thoroughly dejected by Tatsuya and Yugen's "surrender" to the whims of the girls. To be honest, Fumiya yearned for a more traditional sense of masculinity—perhaps because his missions often required him to disguise himself as a woman. That said, he wasn't exactly in a rush to grow up just to prove a point.
"Father used to grumble, 'As long as he takes after his mother, there's no need to hurry,' but the pressure from Grandmother and the Head of House is mounting," Ayako said, driving the point home. "Among the Yotsuba relatives of our generation, Fumiya is the only one whose future remains undecided."
"I understand that, but is there really a need to rush things at sixteen…?" Fumiya muttered.
From his perspective, it felt premature for a sixteen-year-old to have his entire future set in stone. However, with Tatsuya now the successor to the Yotsuba family, Katsushige's engagement to his Guardian had been officially recognized. With Miyuki, Yuuka, and now Ayako all having their paths laid out, it was only natural that the family's collective gaze would shift toward the remaining outlier: Fumiya.
"Ayako, just how many candidates are there for Fumiya?" Lina asked curiously. Unlike her original self, Lina had been strictly disciplined by Celia, allowing her to build far better rapport with the Yotsuba inner circle.
"Four at the moment. However, I've been told to establish ties with the daughters of Ancient Magic families through my mother and grandmother. I'm not sure we can count them on both hands anymore."
"Why is this happening to me?!" Fumiya cried out.
Miyuki delivered the finishing blow with a gentle smile. "Fumiya-kun. It isn't polite to keep a lady waiting, you know."
"Miyuki-san?!"
Tatsuya glanced at his friend. "...Yugen, what should we do?"
"...There is no avoiding destiny, Fumiya. Not in this house," Yugen replied with a sympathetic but firm look.
To be perfectly frank, when Yugen stepped away to help Tatsuya and Lina with their preparations, he wouldn't have denied that he was partially using the mission as an excuse to escape the heavy matrimonial atmosphere.
Given the state of the submarine, it was highly likely they would remain in the waters around Kume Island until the day of the party. Tatsuya's primary motivation for moving now was simple: he didn't want to carry any unnecessary mental burdens. While the enemy hadn't yet noticed the marker he'd placed on James J. Johnson, there was no telling how long the deception would hold. That was the variable Tatsuya wanted to eliminate.
After seeing Tatsuya and the others off from the hotel to begin the suppression of the submarine, Yugen returned to the suite accompanied by Miyuki and Mizuki.
◇ ◇ ◇
A meeting regarding the memorial service was scheduled for tomorrow, but with Yugen present, no one was particularly worried. Yugen was a scion of a heroic lineage; if anyone tried to push unreasonable demands on him, it was easy to imagine him silencing them through means far more direct than magic.
Since it was uncertain if Lina and the others could officially participate in the military operation, Tatsuya had gone alone to meet Major Kazama. He was greeted by Kyoko Fujibayashi, who had been alerted to his arrival.
"My, Tatsuya-kun. Visiting at this hour? Is this an invitation for a moonlit date?"
"I'm not nearly charming enough for that, First Lieutenant... I believe Yugen sent word ahead?" Tatsuya replied, a hint of exhaustion flickering across his face.
Kyoko's playful demeanor shifted slightly, though her tone remained familiar. "Yes. Honestly, I suspect Yugen-kun already knows exactly who is pulling the strings from the shadows, even if he can't officially stick his nose into it. So, what do you have for us?"
"We were attacked by a submarine earlier today. Based on the tactics, I surmise it belongs to an enemy operative unit."
"...Well, with you and Yugen-kun there, I suppose there was zero risk of being captured. I'll discuss this with the Major immediately. Could you wait here with your collaborators?"
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