With the Gu Jie incident resolved and the state of emergency lifted, a sense of normalcy began to return. Within the Diet and other government branches, discussions weren't limited to anti-terrorism measures; they were aggressively reviewing the laws governing magicians.
The Emperor's abdication—an move of unprecedented speed—was serving as a catalyst for the nation's metabolism, allowing a younger generation to take the reins of the country's symbolic center. Of course, the human tendency toward fear remained; a vocal minority continued to stoke anti-magic sentiment, proving that some things never change.
Masaki Ichijo had originally intended to return to Kanazawa immediately after the incident. However, at his father's behest, he was ordered to remain in Tokyo until March 10th. When Yugen heard Masaki's complaints relayed through Shinkuro, his response was a succinct: "Not my problem."
To make matters worse, Masaki's younger sister, Akane, arrived in Tokyo on February 24th, and Yugen found himself stuck playing tour guide. Airi and Toko—ostensibly in town for "family business"—joined them, much to Akane's visible annoyance. Even with the presence of Marika and Alisa, the fundamental difference in the girls' standing meant Akane was unwilling to yield any ground.
Understanding her brother's plight but refusing to give up her spot by Yugen's side, Akane clung to him throughout the tour, leaving Airi and Toko to share a sequence of wry smiles.
As for Masaki and Miyuki, Yugen had arranged for a "group outing" to avoid the scrutiny of a formal date. He enlisted Erika, Leo, Mikihiko, Mizuki, and Sana to accompany the trio, making the group look like nothing more than a lively circle of friends.
Yugen had paid for the entire day as "consolation for participating in a tedious farce." When he initially tried to hand out a million yen per person, Erika had stopped him with a flat: "I get what you're trying to do, Yugen, but please—have some restraint." He found her refusal inexplicable.
In the end, Masaki confessed his feelings to Miyuki, and Miyuki turned him down with impeccable, polite finality. Yugen hoped that would be the end of it, but the following Monday, Masaki challenged him to a mock duel. Not wanting to haggle over details, Yugen accepted every condition Masaki proposed.
The fight mirrored their past "Monolith Code" encounters—a long-range exchange of air bullets. However, this time, the restrictions were off (save for the use of Burst). Yugen neutralized every one of Masaki's attacks with Phalanx. Furthermore, he overlaid Masaki's compressed air sequences with an opposing magic formula, triggering a "Forced Definition Collapse" that sealed Masaki's ability to cast altogether.
With Masaki's offensive options gone, Yugen deployed an Offensive Phalanx, blasting Masaki back and knocking him unconscious. Tatsuya, observing the result, remarked dryly: "I think even my spirit would have broken under that."
It should be noted that Yugen fought strictly within the bounds of modern magic, using none of his Ten-jin or Ancient Magic. Since the multi-layered deployment and intermittent maintenance techniques of Phalanx were originally developed by the Third Institute, Yugen saw no reason why anyone should complain about him mastering it.
Masaki accepted Yugen's post-duel olive branch, but Yugen made a mental note: if the boy didn't give up after this, the next time, he would break his spirit for real.
March 10th.
Yugen visited the Yokohama branch of the Japan Magic Association. Although he had inherited the Kagurazaka headship from Chihiro, he was still a minor in the eyes of society. Most of his "work" as a family head took place in the shadows. Since his current meeting required absolute secrecy, Yugen didn't object to the clandestine arrangements.
"I apologize, Yugen-kun," Maya Yotsuba said, seated across the table. "Or should I address you as Lord Kagurazaka?"
"There's no one else here, so I won't be picky about titles," Yugen replied, placing an envelope on the table. "I understand the Yotsuba's current position, and I have business of my own to attend to."
At Maya's signal, Hayama took the envelope, inspected the contents, and handed it to his mistress. Maya scanned the documents, sighed, and tucked them back into the envelope.
"...Good grief. One disaster with Gu Jie ends, and another begins. But surely, Yugen-san, you could have asked Tatsuya-kun directly?"
"If I did, he'd start keeping a tally of favors," Yugen countered. "Fortunately, this year marks a five-year milestone, so there will be a memorial service. I'll be attending as the Mitsuya family representative anyway."
The documents Yugen provided detailed a plot by Great Asian Alliance (GAA) deserters—soldiers who opposed the peace treaty with Japan—to sabotage the completion ceremony of the artificial island off Kumejima later this month.
By delivering the intel as a physical document to Maya, Yugen was ensuring the Yotsuba could treat their involvement as "official business" rather than Tatsuya and Miyuki acting on a personal whim. He was essentially giving Tatsuya the opportunity to build prestige before his official succession as head. Maya realized this, of course, and chose not to comment on it.
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