It would likely be considered strange to say that I have no pleasant memories of my own entrance ceremony. However, being threatened and forcibly escorted to Hokkaido immediately after leaving my home tends to sour one's perspective. Looking back at the dry facts of the matter, I still find it hard to deny the feeling that I was simply kidnapped.
At the time, after being hauled off to the frozen north and hearing their "explanation," my honest impulse was to tell them not to drag me into their nonsense. Looking back now, it's clear that Major General Saeki mobilized the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion solely because she wanted to gauge my true potential.
I later confirmed this with Kyoko, Sanada, and Yanagi (who were then a Lieutenant and two Captains, respectively). They admitted that Colonel Kazama had ordered them to "summon Special Lieutenant Kamijou as a tester for magical equipment." Such a task could have easily been handled by Sanada or Yanagi; giving such an order to a Strategic-Class magician was not only unnecessary but an insult to the officers involved.
To be blunt, my few encounters with Saeki through the battalion were never pleasant. Had Kazama not been the commanding officer, I would have refused to be transferred to the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion entirely. The events following my own entrance ceremony provided the final proof I needed to steer my life away from her influence. My eventual entry into the Kagurazaka family was, in that sense, a godsend.
Thanks to Soga's quick thinking, I was no longer required to stand on the front lines as an officer of the 101st. Instead, Soga appointed me as a Special Mission Staff Officer reporting directly to the Commander-in-Chief—a calculated move directed at Saeki, who had once served as an intelligence staff officer herself. Soga understood Saeki's logic but refused to let her destabilize the Ten Master Clans for her own ends.
From the start, I had been wary of Saeki. I won't deny that my knowledge of the "original story" played a part, but even my first impression of her left a bad taste in my mouth; the idea of my Strategic-Class magic being used as a pawn for her personal gain was intolerable.
My suspicion was rooted in the events of the Great Asian War twenty years ago—the conflict sparked by the Great Asian Alliance's southward push to conquer the Indochinese Peninsula. After meeting Kazama through Sanada, I dug through the Army archives to piece together what had really happened.
At the time, the military brass was desperate to avoid a direct confrontation with the Alliance. The wounds of the World Global War, though ten years past, had not yet healed. That fragile peace was shattered by the actions of Kazama and the woman who supported him: Saeki.
Because she was exceptionally capable, the top brass couldn't simply cast her aside, even if they wanted to. Kazama was the one who paid the price, his path to a standard promotion cut short—though he never seemed to care much for rank.
After the Battle of Okinawa, Saeki used her influence to establish the 101st Independent Magic-Equipped Brigade, citing the need for a "military magician unit independent of the Ten Master Clans." She recalled Kazama, who had been stuck at the rank of Captain, to serve as Battalion Commander. She placed Kyoko Fujibayashi—the granddaughter of Retsu Kudo—as his adjutant. And to bring the Ten Master Clans under her thumb, she drafted Tatsuya and myself as Special Officers.
Saeki is known as a leading critic of the Ten Master Clans, yet she harbors no emotional or physiological hatred toward magicians themselves. Many rumor that she is a political rival of Retsu Kudo or that she acts out of a lingering grudge from her time studying under him, but Saeki herself is indifferent to such things. I understood that much.
However, based on information from Celia, I suspected that Saeki was the one who craved the use of Strategic-Class magic more than anyone. If she didn't, she never would have proposed a treaty to "manage" such magic. There is a profound irony in a military commander who claims to hate viewing magicians as mere tools, yet treats Strategic-Class magicians as nothing but weapons of war.
With the reorganization of the Master Clan Council, Retsu Kudo has fully retired from the magic community, leaving his entire foundation to the two Guardian Houses. As the head of one of those houses, I am technically under Saeki's command, but my secondment to the Army General Headquarters effectively makes me independent of her.
Now that the Guardians have explicitly taken the lead in overseeing the Ten Master Clans as the "Protectors of the State," Saeki and her anti-Master Clan faction find themselves in a delicate position. This is the primary reason she was unable to object when Soga issued my new orders.
Setting aside the history of past wars, I have placed strict informational constraints on my interactions with Kazama. To prevent intel from leaking directly to Saeki or her clique, any information I provide to Kazama is framed as "predictive intelligence for government experts provided by military specialists."
I have never disclosed the nature of my Innate Magics, Kaleidoscope and Reinforce, even to the leadership of the 101st or the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. While some of my martial arts and general magical prowess are known due to my grandfather's influence, I decided that revealing my unique abilities (including my "reincarnation boons") would only invite dangerous greed.
Furthermore, since my original family, the Mitsuya, has deep ties to international military intelligence, Soga leveraged that to place me in my current part-time role as a Special Mission Staff Officer. Between us, it was also Soga's way of getting back at Saeki.
April 7, 2097 AD.
Today was the day of the simultaneous entrance ceremonies for the nine Magic High Schools. While the Ichijou family had kept the previous day's incident off the Sado coast quiet (though the Guardians and the Twenty-Eight Families were already informed), it seemed Third High was proceeding with their ceremony as planned.
As student government members, Miyuki, Tatsuya, and Mizunami—along with myself, as the Chairman of the Extracurricular Activities Federation—arrived at school two hours early. Waiting for us in the auditorium were Mikihiko and Kasumi from the Disciplinary Committee, Riri, Izumi, and Celia from the Student Council, and the freshman representative, Shina Mitsuya.
"Good morning, Onii-sama," Shina greeted.
"Morning, Shina. Did you come with Saburo?"
"Yes. But he said he didn't want to get in my way, so he's touring the campus until the doors open."
Though Shina and I are now members of different houses, blood ties cannot be severed. Everyone present knew I was originally a Mitsuya, so no one batted an eye at her choice of address.
As we finished our greetings, Miyuki approached Shina.
"Mitsuya-san... or should I call you Shina-chan? I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, please don't apologize. I have older brothers and sisters who have already graduated, so being called by my name is fine. May I also call you Miyuki-oneesama?"
"Of course you may."
Since Miyuki and I are engaged, she and Shina are naturally destined to be sisters-in-law. This logic extended to Celia, Mizunami, Kasumi, and Izumi as well. As Shina spoke, I caught a glimpse of her neckband-style earmuff CAD, its coloring subtly hidden by her fluffy hair.
"I'm so sorry! I'm a little late!"
Honoka came rushing in, and with the Student Council finally gathered, we began our final briefing. Having been a council member last year, I found the process seamless. The Extracurricular Federation had already coordinated, and I doubted anyone would be foolish enough to cause trouble on the first day... probably.
Then, Miyuki handed me a small envelope containing a congratulatory speech. I tilted my head in confusion, but Miyuki simply gave me a pointed look.
"I gave the freshman response two years ago," she said. "I want you to deliver the congratulatory address today."
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