"Superintendent... did you eat something bad? Or are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"Inagaki-kun? I'm aware of it, but hearing you put it into words hurts quite a bit, so please stop."
The runaway incident involving the Chiba family ultimately ended with the head of the family giving in, allowing Toshikazu and Shuji to return home. However, perhaps due to her relationship with the eldest daughter of the Chiba family, Erika, the youngest child, maintained that while she would drop by the dojo, she would never step foot into the main residence.
Since she was still a minor and unmarried daughter, her family register remained with the Chiba family. However, her life rolling into the room where Leo lived remained unchanged, and Toshikazu's frank assessment was that it wouldn't be surprising if they slid naturally into marriage as things were...
Although the betrothal between Leo and Erika was recognized, there was the issue of the Saijo family's weak standing as magicians. However, what solved this was the history of the Saijo family.
Tracing their roots revealed that they had branched off from a clan that originally bore the name Saijo as a side branch of the Sanjonishi family. The historical documents left behind in the notes of people from that era kept by the Kamurazaka family, along with the existence of the family tree, played a major role in confirming this.
The fact that the person who was Leo's great-grandfather readily accepted the conditions when taking his grandfather, Georg Ostburg, as a son-in-law was said to be because he had heard down through the generations of their ancestors' wish to restore their long-lost honor... or so Leo himself heard from his grandmother (Georg's wife).
Digression aside.
"Um, could it be that Toshikazu-san has problems with his conduct?"
"Problems? Oh, he certainly does. After all, despite being a police officer, look at this state he's in. He finally got a wife, and yet he's struggling to handle her."
"Ah—Inagaki-kun?"
"Despite having the demeanor of a playboy, this man has never properly dated a woman. I'm constantly telling him he should at least take a lesson from his younger brother."
"...A-Ahaha."
Though he didn't explicitly say "I wasn't assigned to be a babysitter for a superintendent," Inagaki's words clearly conveyed that sentiment, leaving Jiro with nothing to do but laugh weakly. After all, Jiro himself was currently right in the middle of dealing with his own relationship troubles with women.
In the end, after being worked to his absolute limit, Jiro returned home in a state of complete exhaustion, only to be met with Shina's pouting face—a fact known only to the two of them, their parents, and the servants of the mansion.
◇ ◇ ◇
It was 5:00 PM when Yugen finished the meeting and returned to the Shiba residence. He had received an email from Tatsuya beforehand letting him know they wouldn't be back until around 8:00 PM. Thinking he might prepare something, he opened the refrigerator, only to find dinner already prepared and wrapped in clingfilm.
"...She really didn't need to go that far."
While feeling that it was a bit like unasked-for kindness, he didn't want to waste the feelings of Miyuki, who had likely made it. Just as he took it out, the videophone ringtone sounded from the living room.
Perhaps because he had been staying here as a boarder for a long time, he could tell immediately just from hearing the ringtone. However, there was a touch of surprise that it was a call from the "Yotsuba Main House."
(If I remember correctly, Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami were supposed to visit the main house today. If she had business with Tatsuya, I doubt Maya-san would call when her son isn't here. Which means... the purpose of the call is me?)
Closing the refrigerator door and setting the dinner plate on the kitchen counter, he pressed the call button on the panel. The room lights dimmed, and the image of Maya Yotsuba, the head of the Yotsuba family, appeared on the monitor. Instead of her usual dress, however, she appeared in casual private clothes, making his eyes widen unconsciously.
"...Good evening, Maya-san. I was surprised, as you aren't in your usual dress."
『Fufu, is that so? When I appeared at today's meeting in this outfit, not only Takkun but also all the young people bearing the future of the Yotsuba doubted my sanity. Even Miyuki-san said, "Aunt-sama, whatever happened to you?" Isn't that cruel?』
"Dressing in a way you normally don't can sometimes make people suspect a 'change of heart,' so their reaction was entirely reasonable."
If people knew that the person pouting like a child was the very same woman rumored to be the "Queen of the Night," one had to wonder what kind of reaction they would have... But putting that aside, Yugen got straight to the main point.
"So, Maya-san, contacting me specifically at a time when Tatsuya and the others aren't around means you have some confidential matter to consult with me about?"
『Yes, exactly. I have a consultation for you, Yugen-san. Is the encryption strength sufficient?』
"Please wait a moment... Yes, it's fine. Now, could you tell me the main topic?"
This communication utilized the "Spirit Mirror Carbuncle," but Yugen layered his "Pentagon" on top of it to establish a double layer of defense before asking Maya to state the main topic of her call.
Maya then began discussing the contents of the meeting at the Yotsuba main house, having judged that it would be best to inform Yugen, who was the head of the Kamurazaka family and their sponsor.
"A new experimental facility on Miyaki Island? Leaving the former Fourth Institute as it is poses problems, and since the island originally belonged to the Yotsuba family, I have no objections... but special prisoners were incarcerated there, weren't they?"
『Of course, discussions regarding that matter have already been concluded.』
Miyaki Island is located 50 kilometers east of Miyakejima and was formed by volcanic activity in the early 21st century, which is why it is sometimes called "21st Century New Island." On the surface, it is owned by a real estate company in Tokyo, but through several intermediary layers, the actual owner is the Yotsuba family.
Currently, it only houses a prison for criminal magicians, without large-scale development. There used to be a Defense Navy base, but it was abandoned due to the active volcanic activity at the time. As for the dangerous criminal magicians, a portion of them have been taken in by the Kamiizumi and Kamurazaka families and are currently in the process of being "rehabilitated" into proper magicians.
『Come to think of it, I heard from Takkun that you, Yugen-san, will be handling the hardware update for the experimental equipment of the former Fourth Institute.』
"That happens to be my specialty. Furthermore, I judged that continuing the research of the former Fourth Institute holds immense value in filling the gaps present in modern magic."
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