The tearoom they were guided into was modeled after the traditional styles often seen in the Middle Ages. Swordsmanship and tea ceremony—though Erika murmured, "To a real master of the art, this is probably nothing more than child's play"—might seem like an odd pairing, but it was far from uncommon for those trained in martial arts or combat to cultivate connections through their discipline that led to a deep familiarity with culture.
Setting aside the Chiba family's connection to the tea ceremony, Erika entered first, carrying a tray with teacups in her hands. Since there was no particular reason to remain standing, Yugen and the others quietly sat down.
"Sorry about this—having you in a proper tearoom and not even making tea for you." "This isn't exactly the time to sit back and enjoy a quiet cup of tea anyway. Erika, look—this is the tracking route from the GPS built into Shina's CAD."
As Yugen operated his terminal while taking a sip of tea, a virtual monitor projected onto the tearoom wall, displaying in detail the route Shina had taken from First High School. Hearing Yugen's words, Leo chimed in with a question.
"Hey, Yugen. Just out of curiosity, is that built into the CADs you provided to us, too?" "Yeah. Even though they're prototypes, as long as they contain specialized magic technology that can't be made public, security needs to be airtight. By the way, Mikihiko probably knows the most about the power supply aspect." "...Ah, you mean that feature."
Mages don't use their CADs continuously. The GPS function is designed to activate during what is commonly called "standby mode." In Shina's CAD, the system boots up regardless of whether the auditory control feature is turned on or off, and its power source utilizes an even further miniaturized Psion-Electricity Converter—the same type used in last year's Nine Schools Competition.
"Looking at this, the destination is Karuizawa. And without even using a car train... Yugen, when are we moving?" "We strike late tonight. As for transport... I'll handle it with magic." "I see. If it's that magic Erika and I experienced, we'll be there in no time."
Even without using [Mirror Gate], Yugen possessed pseudo-teleportation class magic such as [Invincible Cannon] and [Sonic Drive], meaning that once police containment was ready, everything would be well in hand.
There was, of course, the risk of the enemy catching on to the magic, but advance arrangements had already been made to mitigate that risk. Even if it were exposed, from Yugen's perspective, it was merely one among the countless spells he had mastered.
"Though, I was thinking of adding a little twist this time. Hold on a second."
With that, Yugen left the tearoom, returning in less than a minute carrying a large suitcase. He set it down in front of Erika and the others. As they looked on in confusion, he prompted them to open it, and Erika took the lead in popping it open. Inside were several items that appeared to be necklaces.
"Yugen, are these CADs?" "Yeah. They come with a little gimmick—modeled after the [Thrust Suit] developed by the Maximilian Device. The code name seems to be [Blitz Suit]." "...This CAD is a suit?"
Deciding that seeing was believing, Erika focused her Psions into a necklace. The necklace glowed brightly, and a combat suit deployed, fitting tightly over her clothing.
"How is it? Not too tight?" "If anything, it fits too well—it's almost creepy... When on earth did you take my measurements?" "The CAD handles that automatically. Even for me, it'd be pretty weird to just be walking around with my childhood friend's body measurements."
Thanks to high-stretch specialized rubber and carbon materials, the suit could automatically adjust to fit a mage's physique within certain limits. Originally intended for integration into the next-generation [Movable Suit], Yugen had Sanada supply the experimental data as compensation for his recent disrespect.
Yugen's technique—which had made physical storage in the real world possible through CAD information alteration—was no exaggeration to call world-class. Precisely because of this, Yugen harbored no interest in titles like "the world's strongest."
Seeing Erika's result, Leo and Jiro put on their necklaces as well, donning the suits to check the fit. As for Mikihiko, given the nature of Ancient Magic, close-quarters combat was purely a contingency for him, so he seemed inclined to pass on wearing one.
"This is incredible. The fact that it doesn't interfere with CAD deployment is a lifesaver." "This really is impressive... By the way, what about these necklaces?" "They're effectively prototypes too, so hand them back after this operation is over. Naturally, they have features that can't be made public."
As Yugen explained, Erika seemed to have taken a serious liking to the suit. She was somewhat dissatisfied with Yugen's explanation, but having felt the sheer power of the technology firsthand, she grudgingly accepted it.
"Erika. Once this incident is wrapped up, I'll hook you up with a custom combat suit of your own, so let it go for now." "Huh? Ah, well... sorry if it sounded like I was begging." "Yugen, are you sure about that?" "Either way, there's no guarantee we won't get dragged into more trouble down the line."
Yugen didn't have endless free time, and having one more person who could swiftly handle Tatsuya-related trouble made life easier for everyone. Therefore, as compensation for updating the [Gods Assembly] combat suits using this experiment's data, he decided to pass on the older-model suit to Erika.
Furthermore, protecting the relatively defenseless Honoka and Mitsuki from opponents who bore hostility and malice toward himself or Tatsuya made logical sense.
"I'll give suits to Leo and Mikihiko as well. They may be older models, but they're still state-of-the-art combat suits by current magic technology standards, so accept them without worry." "...Now I'm starting to feel a little scared about whether we should actually accept this... What?" "No, I was just thinking that for someone as fearless as you, Erika, you're being unusually cautious." "I agree."
For Erika—who never hesitated to thoroughly roast her own father and usually charged into incidents and trouble with enthusiasm—this kind of cautious, "un-Erika-like" statement stood out. Mikihiko gave his honest impression, and Leo nodded in agreement.
"Why you! I know Yugen wouldn't hand over anything dangerous, but he hands out things that make you shed your humanity like it's nothing! The Thousand-Blade Style swordsmanship I've learned up until now has already been blown to pieces!" "A friend of mine once said there's no such thing as a normal human among mages... Prepare yourselves, because I'm going to train you ruthlessly over Golden Week."
Since she had reached a bottleneck regarding the Thousand-Blade Style, Yugen had already obtained permission from Gozo and Mototsugu to teach her Shinto Kage-ryu sword arts. In truth, when she underwent that brutal training alongside Leo prior to the Yokohama Disturbance, she had practically already stepped through the gates of Shinto Kage-ryu. Otherwise, he wouldn't be teaching her secret techniques now.
Incidentally, this fact had not yet been revealed to them. According to Mototsugu, the reason was: "I want them to train a bit more before having them test their metal against my disciples."
"...Um, Yugen-san. I will get stronger. Strong enough to protect Shina with my own hands." "I see... Once you've made up your mind, see it through to the end. Half-hearted resolve will cost you everything." "Yes!"
Perhaps inspired by the wild conversation up to this point, Jiro declared his resolve to protect Shina. Yugen placed a hand on Jiro's shoulder as he spoke. Upon hearing Jiro's spirited reply, Yugen put away his terminal and took a breath.
"Now, one final check. This operation is strictly retaliation by the Mitsuya family against the National Defense Army Intelligence Department—essentially a private feud. Even if you participate, I won't let you be charged with anything, and the police will be moving as well... Are you ready?"
Being here practically meant they had already made up their minds, but the main actor in this operation was the Mitsuya family. Furthermore, it was an act close to an unauthorized solo run, carried out without the explicit orders of the head or next head of the family. To ensure there would be no issues even if charges were brought, the heads of both the Kagurazaka and Kamiizumi families would stand on the front lines.
In response to Yugen's question, Erika and the others exchanged glances and nodded.
"Isn't it a bit late to ask that?" "That's right, Yugen. We owe you a ton. Let us pay back a little of that debt here." "Honestly, I don't even know how much work it'll take just to pay back what we owe." "You guys... Stop keeping score like Tatsuya." "Ahaha..."
It was Yugen who had made them stronger, but having them tally it up like a debt was, frankly, a bit troublesome. Jiro couldn't help but chuckle softly at the exchange.
"Ah, if it's Tatsuya-kun, he'd definitely keep a strict accounting. I bet Miyuki uses that kind of stuff to seduce you, too, doesn't she?" "If it were just seduction, that'd be fine, but when she begged me to let her be subservient, I genuinely had a headache. In the end, Tatsuya asked me to accept it too, so I had no choice." "...Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." "Don't worry about it."
Even Erika had anticipated that Miyuki might seduce Yugen, but learning that Miyuki had begged Yugen to let her submit to him made her offer an apology, having unexpectedly glimpsed the heavy burden her close friend was carrying.
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