"Who was this envoy?" "Displaying now."
On the large display appeared a pair of individuals—a man and a woman. The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, while the man looked around thirty.
"This person… I feel like I've seen her face somewhere before…" "Judging by her posture, she's definitely military."
While Izumi tried to trace her memory from the video, Erika identified her military background within seconds based on her movement habits. Given that Shiro showed no reaction upon seeing the image, he clearly had no prior acquaintance with her.
"If I recall correctly, many military magicians enter and leave the Third Lab managed by the Mitsuya family, right?" "That's true, but…" "I believe no members of the Mitsuya family currently serve in the National Defense Forces." "Wait, but—" "Oops, my hand slipped!" "Guh!"
As Kasumi hesitated over Mikihiko's query and Izumi offered a correction, Leo tried to interject, only to be met with a swift elbow to the ribs from Erika. Among the group present, only the Nanakusa sisters and Shiro were unaware of the secret that Yugen served as a soldier in the National Defense Forces.
Silently thanking Erika for her quick cover, Yugen muttered in an exasperated tone.
"Why are you two doing a comedy routine… Regardless, it seems the word 'learn' isn't in her dictionary." "Her? Yugen, do you know the male soldier?" "No, Shizuku. The one I'm referring to is the woman. After all, she was the mastermind behind the unit that launched an attack two New Year's ago."
Erika and Izumi reacted first to those words. The former's family had eliminated the unit, while the latter had temporarily suffered a broken engagement as a direct consequence.
"Two years ago… You mean the incident involving Kazu-ani and Tsugu-ani?" "Yeah. The very one that led to my engagement with Izumi being temporarily called off." "So it was… this person…" "I-Izumi? Your smile is a bit terrifying…"
Though reactions varied, few showed extreme shock since her name had not yet been spoken aloud. Mikihiko then piped up with a question.
"So, Yugen, what's the plan? There's a chance this might be retaliation for the failed attempt on you." "Regardless of who they are, picking a fight with the Mitsuya family is an undeniable fact. I've asked Father and Motoharu-niisan to stay at home. Mototsugu-niisan, Shizuru-neesan, Kana-neesan, Mika-neesan, and I will take the lead on this." "Yikes… My condolences to them."
Erika grimaced upon hearing Yugen's answer. Having experienced Mototsugu's terrifying capability firsthand—and considering that Yugen would be joined by three former Student Council Presidents—the opposition's impending fate looked downright miserable.
While the combined forces of the Mitsuya, Kagurazaka, and Kamiizumi families were more than sufficient, Yugen turned his gaze toward Erika to ensure their trap was completely airtight.
"Erika, contact Toshikazu-san and have him gather some force. Though it'll be less of a combat squad and more of an 'escort for criminals.'" "Ah, got it. One word from his wife and my foolish brother will jump into action eagerly. Are you sure you don't want to call him yourself, Yugen?" "I don't want to owe the Chiba family any favors." "Ah, yeah, fair enough."
Understanding that Yugen's reluctance stemmed from recent events, Erika nodded and began operating her terminal. Izumi then stepped up to Yugen.
"Um, Yugen-ani-sama. Is there anything I can do to help?" "Let's see… Could you send an email explaining the situation to my other fiancées?" "Understood."
Unlike in the original timeline, Izumi was no longer affiliated with the Nanakusa family and possessed little independent influence. Thus, Yugen tasked her with notifying his other fiancées before turning his attention to Shizuku.
"Shizuku, please email Miyuki, and Honoka, email Tatsuya with the details. Make sure to add a note saying, 'We will handle this matter ourselves, so there is no need to intervene.'"
Considering the recent raid on the Yotsuba family, Tsukasa had likely left her options open. However, with their own forces fully mobilized, Tatsuya and Miyuki could focus entirely on their meeting at the restaurant. While the kind-hearted upperclassmen might consider canceling the meeting, arrangements could be made to handle whatever outcome arose.
"Yugen-ani, should we mobilize our family as well?" "No, that won't be necessary. If we stood by during my incident but acted generously for Shina, it would only incur Father's wrath. Besides, the head of the family is currently in Kyoto, isn't he?" "Eh, ah, right… (Honestly, I'm speechless at Yugen-ani's information gathering capabilities…)"
A major reason Tsukasa had chosen this specific day for her operation was that Koichi Nanakusa was currently away in Kyoto. Stunned by Yugen's casual revelation of this fact, Kasumi found herself unable to counter.
Before she knew it, Yugen had taken complete control of the operation, but she decided it was useless to argue over the details.
"By the way, Yugen. How come you recognize that soldier, but Shiro doesn't?"
Erika suddenly voiced her doubt. Anyone attending the Third Lab should have encountered her in some capacity—unless Shiro had been completely excluded from her spatial perception.
"Simple. She deliberately used the characteristics of her magic to avoid crossing paths with Shiro. The Toyama family excels at that kind of intricate trickery." "Eh? The Toyama family… As in one of the Eighteen Assist Clans?" "Yeah. Her name is Tsukasa Toyama. A military magician belonging to the Capital Counterintelligence Division of the National Defense Army Information Department—and the perpetrator who attempted to eliminate me two years ago."
Though framed in severe terms, Yugen disclosed Tsukasa's identity to ensure everyone grasped the gravity of the situation. Upon hearing this, most of the room fell into a stunned silence. The sole exception was Shizuku, who was affiliated with the [Jinshokai].
"You don't seem very surprised, Shizuku." "I'm plenty surprised. Honestly, we're fortunate Tatsuya-san and Miyuki aren't here right now." "I won't deny that."
Honestly, it was hard to fathom how long people intended to cling to archaic notions of "order." Magic technology had existed for less than a century, yet blindly accepting existing boundaries was a surefire recipe for disaster down the line. Existing technologies advanced continuously; there was no reason magic should be any different. Failing to replicate Relics only proved that current knowledge was far from mature.
People often said that aging minds became rigid and stubborn, suggesting it might be high time for a thorough generational reset.
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