The cozy, domestic warmth that usually lingered between the siblings vanished the moment they saw it. The site where they had originally sealed the Parasites was now a cold, barren void. The two entities they had worked so hard to contain were gone, spirited away by unknown hands.
"I'm so sorry, Tatsuya-san... I didn't mean to take my eyes off them, not even for a second."
"...Tatsuya-san, please, forgive us."
"Tatsuya, don't blame Shibata or Mitsui," Mikihiko's voice broke through the comms, heavy with a frustration that sounded like he was grinding his teeth. "I can personally guarantee that neither of them was careless. I was right there, and yet I didn't even notice when the sealed 'vessels' were taken. It was my seal... I should have known."
"The three of you, stop blaming yourselves," Tatsuya replied, his voice deliberately light. "I'm not bothered by it at all."
Through the receiver, he could hear the distinct layers of their distress: voices drowning in dejection, sinking into self-loathing, and trembling with indignant regret. Tatsuya did his best to sound reassuring.
"Tatsuya-san..."
The voice that came back sounded moved, almost overwhelmed with gratitude. Tatsuya realized they had likely misunderstood him; he wasn't putting on an act of kindness to spare their feelings. He truly didn't mind. He was certainly exasperated by the situation, but...
"It seems someone beat us to the punch and snatched the prize from under our noses. But all that means is that, this time, our opponent was one step ahead. We never actually had a concrete plan for what to do with them after they were captured anyway. There's no point in obsessing over it now."
It was the truth. They hadn't formulated a specific "post-capture" strategy. Tatsuya had vaguely assumed they would leave it to Mikihiko's family, the Yoshidas. He hadn't given a single thought to how the sealed Parasites might be utilized.
In that sense, having them taken by someone else felt like a more "effective" use of resources. At the very least, whoever took them likely wouldn't be clumsy enough to let them escape.
(Still... was this their goal all along?)
"Onii-sama?"
"No, it's nothing."
Tatsuya brushed off Miyuki's concern just as Erika and Leo arrived to join them. Shuji and the Combined Magic-Martial Arts Unit had already withdrawn.
After dropping Pixie off at the school's garage, the seven of them formed a single group and made their way toward the main gate to leave the campus behind.
Given the late hour, the security guard cast a suspicious glance at such a large group exiting at once. However, they had a pre-packaged excuse ready: an experiment involving ritual magic that could only be performed at this specific time. Between that and the dazzling, disarming smiles of the girls, they managed to escape further questioning and made it off the grounds successfully.
Once back home, Tatsuya immediately sent Miyuki to her room and sat down to operate his communication terminal. He dialed the number of the second cousin who had left a hidden message for him at the scene.
"Yes. Tatsuya-san, do you require something?"
"Was it Kudou Retsu?"
"...Calling at this hour and skipping the small talk to dive straight into the heart of the matter. How very like you, Tatsuya-san."
"I'll listen to your sarcasm another time. Was he your target?"
"It was an order from Lady Maya. I felt terrible doing it to you, but I figured you wouldn't want His Excellency, Lord Kudou, walking away with both of them. So, we decided to play nice and take one each."
"I see... Good work. I know you were acting as my aunt's proxy, but wasn't dealing with Kudou Retsu a bit much for you, Ayako-chan?"
Tatsuya had stood in the presence of Kudou Retsu before. He knew exactly what kind of overwhelming pressure the old man radiated. He also knew that for a middle school girl—even one belonging to a branch of the Yotsuba—that pressure was almost unbearable.
"...Yes. I felt like I was going to start shaking. But I told myself that if anything happened, you would be right there, Tatsuya-san. That gave me the strength to stand my ground."
"...You and Miyuki both. You overstate my capabilities. I can't do everything."
"But if anything were to happen to Miyuki-oneesama, you would overcome any obstacle to save her, wouldn't you? And if I were to be captured by Lord Kudou, the Head of the Family might just declare war on the Kudou clan. That would only result in you losing even more of your freedom..."
"Alright, I get it. Don't get so worked up. If Fumiya hears your voice and comes into the room, it'll be a headache for both of us."
"I... suppose you're right. That boy adores you. If he found out I was talking to you, he'd insist on joining in."
Tatsuya supposed he should be happy that both twins were so attached to him. However, their father, Mitsugu Kuroba, was far from pleased that his children were so fond of a man the Yotsuba considered a "failure." Now that the Parasite incident was settled, Mitsugu was likely home. If a commotion started and he found out, it would be nothing but trouble for Tatsuya and Ayako alike.
"Like my father, I don't understand why the Yotsuba people look down on you so much."
"As a 'Yotsuba Magician,' I am riddled with defects. I only possess the abilities of a 'Combat Magician.' It's only natural."
"But you are the one who raised me—who made Ayako Kuroba a Magician worthy of the Yotsuba! It is only natural for me to feel rage toward the adults who disparage you! If they intend to mistreat you any further, I'm ready to start a revolution within the clan alongside Miyuki-oneesama!"
"Just calm down... If you did something like that, the only ones to benefit would be the other Ten Master Clans. Especially the Saegusa and the Kudou—there's no telling what they would do."
"...I'm sorry. I lost my composure."
"As long as you've calmed down, that's all that matters."
Using the same gentle tone he used to soothe Miyuki, Tatsuya comforted Ayako. The effect was instantaneous; her voice regained its usual poise.
"Well then, Tatsuya-san. I imagine the Head of the Family will be contacting you soon. I'll leave the rest in your hands."
"You certainly have a way of drafting me into your schemes... Though, I suppose this is better than letting the Kudou family have both. Regardless, please give me a heads-up next time. You don't need to go through the trouble of leaving cryptic messages in the dark."
"Understood. Goodnight, Tatsuya-san."
"Yeah, goodnight. Give my best to Fumiya."
"Hehe. If I tell him that, he'll probably call you at the break of dawn, you know?"
"No matter what the world says, Fumiya, you, and I are cousins. In truth, there should be no need for such restraint between us."
"Father would certainly have something to say about that. But... I will pray for a day when we no longer need to hold back."
Ayako ended the call. Unlike the practiced, lovely smile she had shown Lord Kudou, this time she wore a look of genuine, pure happiness. It was a voice-only call, yet Tatsuya felt as though he could see her smile perfectly in his mind's eye.
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