The late-night transfer of FLT shares, along with the current Head's decision to marry off Miyuki, Yuuka, and Mizunami—all of these were outcomes arising from Yugen's desire to stand alongside Tatsuya as an equal friend. The generosity shown to the Yotsuba family alone was immense, but looking on a global scale, he had somehow risen to become one of the world's leading magnates.
At one point, Yugen himself had sulked, complaining, "This isn't just 'never having to worry about money for the rest of my life' level anymore!", which had drawn a laugh from Gen despite himself.
"You should count your blessings, Genji. Thanks to Yugen, you were saved from having to take multiple wives." "Yes, indeed… I have nothing but gratitude for my younger brother, who can remain perfectly unbothered while surrounded by so many fiancées."
Naturally, while he had exercised self-restraint at the Mitsuya house (and held back during the Parasite Incident), ever since shifting to a life commuting between the Twin Tower Mansion and the Shiba residence, he was surrounded not only by his fiancées but also his mistresses, leading physically and emotionally intense days—a fact that even they were unaware of.
Mayumi had invited Tatsuya and Miyuki to a traditional restaurant in Akasaka. It was a place where one could only enter if they possessed at least three times Tatsuya's age, along with status, fame, power… or perhaps all of those combined. Upon arriving, Tatsuya couldn't help but feel that his close friend would look right at home here regardless of age.
Even so, the staff did not display any discomfort toward guests who seemed out of place, guiding them with warm, polite smiles. Tatsuya and his group arrived three minutes before the appointed time, and they were shown to their seats at exactly five o'clock, where Katsuto was already waiting.
"Have we kept you waiting?" "No, you are right on time."
Katsuto did not fault them for the slight delay. Tatsuya sat down first, followed by Miyuki and Mizunami, who assumed formal kneeling positions. However, Tatsuya felt a slight touch of doubt seeing that Mayumi, who had invited them, was absent—a doubt that was resolved almost immediately.
"I'm so sorry~! Did I keep you waiting?" "No, we only just arrived ourselves."
Behind Mayumi was Mari, whom Tatsuya inwardly deduced had likely been dragged along by Mayumi, based on his past experiences with them. Once everyone was seated, Mayumi opened the conversation.
"Now then, Miyuki-san has likely heard about the situation from Tatsuya-kun, but… Tatsuya-kun. I am truly sorry for the insensitive proposal my brother made the other day."
Her very first words were an apology. Even though she was no longer part of the Saegusa family, she couldn't view herself as entirely uninvolved, having been indirectly connected. Properly speaking, Tomoichi himself should have come to apologize to Tatsuya and Miyuki, but this approach was taken out of concern that it might only complicate matters further.
"There is no need for Saegusa-senpai to feel burdened. In that situation, I had no reason as a representative of the Yotsuba family to shoulder all the responsibility, and I merely voiced strong opposition out of concern for the danger to Miyuki. If anything, I am the one who should apologize for souring the atmosphere of the meeting." "Tatsuya-kun… Even so, my brother was undoubtedly the one who triggered it. So please, accept my apology." "Understood. I will accept your apology."
Tatsuya noted that his resistance was motivated by the danger to Miyuki, and considering the strain placed on his friend, there was fault in his own actions as well. Hearing this, Mayumi looked as though she wanted to say "Tatsuya-kun did nothing wrong," but she bowed her head once more to apologize. Seeing this, Tatsuya bowed his head in return to accept it. As he raised his head, he turned his gaze toward Katsuto.
"Now then, if I may call you Juumonji-senpai. I was informed by Saegusa-senpai only that there was something to discuss regarding the recent meeting, but nothing beyond that. May I ask for clarification on that matter?"
This setting was strictly between the successor of the Yotsuba family, Shiba Tatsuya, and the current head of the Juumonji family, Juumonji Katsuto. In response to Tatsuya's formal tone acknowledging that boundary, Katsuto gave a slight nod before speaking.
"The reason I requested your presence today is regarding the recent meeting. I assume you have heard about what happened at the social gathering afterward, and I consider it a serious concern that it ended in a complete breakdown."
As the organizer of the meeting, Katsuto was troubled that it had concluded in a way that effectively alienated the Yotsuba family. If this situation persisted when the Kagurazaka and Yagyu families joined in the future, it would be extremely unfavorable. If left unchecked, it could even trigger unwanted actions against all participants.
"Even if that meeting didn't produce concrete measures, it would have been enough to establish a general direction. Asking a group of next-generation heads—who have had virtually no prior interaction—to suddenly settle detailed plans was an unreasonable expectation to begin with. You understand that much, don't you, Shiba?" "I do understand. In that case, why did you not stop Saegusa-dono at that moment? Was maintaining your appearance as the meeting's organizer really that important?" "…I won't deny it. I admit that was a shortcoming on my part."
Despite having heard from Mitsukai about the possibility of proposals leveraging the appearance of magicians during the youth conference, Katsuto hesitated to disrupt the meeting he initiated, ultimately incurring the displeasure of the Yotsuba family. He readily admitted that the fault lay with him.
"However, please do not misunderstand. I certainly hope the Yotsuba family will cooperate in counteracting the anti-magic movement, but I have no intention of forcing the Yotsuba family to shoulder the entire burden. Please believe at least that much." "…Very well. I understand, and I accept it. So, what is it that you require me to do?"
From Tatsuya's perspective, Tomoichi aside, Katsuto's character was not one prone to lying. Even looking at the recent meeting, becoming a family head had not drastically changed his nature. After Tatsuya accepted Katsuto's words and asked his question, Katsuto adopted a serious expression once more and looked at Tatsuya.
"I am planning to hold another meeting for the younger generation. I am fully aware you might suspect this is merely changing the venue without any real substance." "I do not mind that, but can you guarantee that the proposal brought up by Saegusa-dono during the last meeting will be completely discarded?" "Of course. If worse comes to worst, I will personally persuade Saegusa-dono."
Judging by Katsuto's expression, it was certain he would fulfill his promise here. Tatsuya glanced at Miyuki, who noticed his look and gave a subtle nod of agreement. After confirming her consent, Tatsuya shifted his eyes back to Katsuto.
"On our end, we accept Juumonji-dono's apology." "I see. The date for the next meeting has not been set yet, but it will take place in the near future." "…Good grief, was my presence even necessary here in the end?" "Now, now, Mari…"
With the discussion between Katsuto and Tatsuya reaching a conclusion, Mari muttered a complaint under her breath. Mayumi stepped in to soothe her, but it undeniably lightened the atmosphere of the meeting.
"At any rate, since the concerns regarding tomorrow's field exercise have been cleared away, let's call it a good outcome." "The National Defense Academy seems busy, especially Watanabe-senpai." "What's this, Shiba? Are you actually worried about me?" "No, I said that because I am confident you can handle it, senpai."
Perhaps because they used to belong to the same Disciplinary Committee, hearing words of concern—rare as they were—come from Tatsuya toward Mari brought a smile to Mayumi's face, to say nothing of Miyuki.
Of course, behind the scenes of this peaceful exchange, Katsuto, Mayumi, and Mari were still completely unaware of the fact that Shiina had been taken by the National Defense Army Intelligence Department, and that Yugen was already taking action to deal with it.
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