National Magic University breathed with an air of freedom that was noticeably absent from magic high schools. Within just two weeks, Mayumi had already come to appreciate the difference. Today, she was dressed in a pastel, A-line bandeau dress paired with a three-quarter sleeve cardigan. It was a style far more revealing than her high school uniform, yet neither the students nor the faculty cast a single judgmental glance her way.
She was currently heading to the cafeteria in response to a summons—a request to meet from a male freshman. Despite the nature of the invitation, she felt neither nervous nor particularly excited. The reason was simple: she knew the person who had called her very well.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Juumonji-kun."
"Not at all. I only arrived five minutes ago myself. Thank you for coming on such short notice, Saegusa."
Five minutes ago. Not "I just got here." Mayumi felt a small smile tug at her lips; it was a characteristically precise response from Katsuto.
"Don't worry about it. For you to call me out like this, it must be something important, right? Especially in a place as public as this."
Mayumi was well aware of the rumors circulating that she was a candidate to become Katsuto's bride. To an outsider, the idea wasn't far-fetched; in fact, the more one knew about the inner workings of the magic community, the more likely they were to assume such a union was being planned.
She had meant the comment as a joke, but she couldn't entirely deny that the thought crossed her mind. Personal feelings aside, once someone is labeled a potential suitor—even if they're only second on the list—it becomes difficult to view them as a simple friend.
"I thought it would be better than meeting in some unnervingly secluded spot," Katsuto replied.
It was a classic response: gentlemanly on the surface, but stone-cold "blockheaded" underneath. It left Mayumi with a faint sense of dissatisfaction, feeling as though she were the only one overthinking their social standing. One look at Katsuto's practical, unembellished fashion confirmed he didn't have a romantic bone in his body.
However, her lighthearted thoughts vanished the moment she noticed the news articles Katsuto was scrolling through on his terminal.
"...How unpleasant," she muttered. "On the surface, they pretend to advocate for magicians' rights, but their real goal is clearly to ostracize us from society. These hypocritical articles are the worst kind. Don't you agree?"
Katsuto didn't answer her complaint immediately. Instead, he pulled his mobile terminal-style CAD from its holster and operated it with practiced ease. Unlike at high school, carrying a CAD was not prohibited on the university campus. The restrictions on magic use were also far more relaxed. While labs and practice rooms operated on a "blacklist" system—forbidding only specific, dangerous spells—the general public areas allowed many spells on a "whitelist" basis. The sound-isolation barrier Katsuto was currently deploying was one such permitted spell.
The purpose of the barrier was obvious: they were about to discuss something secret. Yet, there was nothing in the private lives of Mayumi and Katsuto that required such discretion. One look at Katsuto's face told her this wasn't going to be a joke or idle gossip.
"Is it really that serious?"
"Since the beginning of the week, anti-magician rhetoric in the media has been on the rise," Katsuto began.
"I've noticed that as well."
Katsuto stared intently at Mayumi as she gave her somber nod of agreement.
"Um... what is it?" she asked, shifting under his gaze.
"The reason the media's tone is split into two distinct narratives is because they are being fueled by two different sources."
"You mean there are two separate factions behind this?"
"As you know, the Juumonji family is not particularly adept at intelligence gathering," Katsuto said. "I cannot provide absolute proof for what I am about to say. However, it is not without foundation. Will you listen without losing your temper?"
"Fine. Let me hear it."
Realizing this was unlikely to be a pleasant conversation, Mayumi instinctively straightened her posture.
"Of the two prevailing narratives, the one attacking the National Defense Force... there is a high probability that the Saegusa family is the one instigating it."
"What...!"
"There may be other conspirators. But at the very least, the Saegusa family is playing a major role."
"That's impossible!" Mayumi slammed her hands onto the table and stood up. Even though her voice was trapped within the isolation barrier, the magic didn't block light; the sight of her standing up so abruptly drew the eyes of everyone in the café. "I know my father is a schemer who loves his backroom deals. Even as his daughter, I don't always know what he's thinking. But no matter the reason, he would never forget his duty to the Ten Master Clans. He would never do anything to disadvantage the Japanese magic community!"
Mayumi glared at Katsuto, her eyes ablaze with a fire that pushed back against the natural pressure of his presence. Meeting that heat head-on, Katsuto replied calmly.
"Then it is likely that Lord Saegusa believes this is to the benefit of the Japanese magic community."
"Don't be ridiculous! What these people are saying essentially boils down to the idea that the world would be better off without magicians. Do you really think my father is so foolish that he'd be deceived by a superficial 'human rights' movement? Even coming from you, Juumonji-kun, that is an insult I cannot ignore."
"I have no intention of being disrespectful."
There wasn't a hint of defensiveness in Katsuto's voice. His absolute certainty caused Mayumi's anger to cool into a chilling realization.
"Are you saying... that he understands their goal is to ostracize magicians, but he's letting them do it for some other purpose?"
"What that purpose is, I do not know," Katsuto said. "All I know is that, on the surface, Lord Saegusa is conducting a media campaign that appears to betray the Ten Master Clans."
Mayumi fixed him with a piercing stare, but Katsuto didn't flinch. He was an immovable object.
"...Fine. Juumonji-kun, do you have plans tonight?"
"No."
"Then I want you to come to my house. I'm going to ask my father directly if what you've said is true, and I want you there as a witness."
"I understand. That would be a great help to me as well."
And so, their secret exchange at the café came to an end, with the final verdict deferred until that evening.
(Katsuto really is the only one with the nerve to drop a bomb like that on Mayumi...)
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