At exactly eight o'clock—the appointed time—Katsuto stepped across the threshold of the Saegusa estate. He was ushered into the drawing room, where Kouichi waited to receive him. Without wasting a moment on pleasantries, Katsuto struck with a blunt observation.
"Are you the one pulling the strings behind the anti-magician media campaign?"
Kouichi's response was remarkably casual, his admission offered without a hint of hesitation.
"You've done your research, I see."
"Father! How could you?!" Mayumi cried out, her voice rising in a mix of shock and fury at her father's shameless nod of agreement.
"Calm yourself, Mayumi. Why are you so worked up?"
"How can I stay calm?! What you've done is a betrayal of the Ten Master Clans—no, it's a betrayal of the entire Japanese magic community!"
"It is no such thing. Mayumi, you are laboring under a misunderstanding."
"What could I possibly be—"
"Saegusa."
Katsuto's voice cut through Mayumi's interrogation. Remembering that they were not alone and that this was a formal meeting between houses, she reluctantly bit back her words and took her seat.
"Lord Saegusa," Katsuto continued, his tone level but heavy. "I cannot fathom your reasoning. I ask that you explain yourself."
"Is that a demand from the House of Juumonji?"
"It is a question from the House of Juumonji."
"Very well. If it is a formal inquiry from a fellow member of the Ten Master Clans, I shall answer honestly. First, to ensure there is no misunderstanding: this campaign was originally launched by foreign anti-magician factions. They didn't just feed information to the press; they provided significant financial backing."
"Financial backing for the media?" Katsuto asked, his brow furrowing.
"Under the guise of donations or advertising fees; names and reasons can be manufactured easily enough," Kouichi replied, his voice projecting a quiet, unshakeable confidence.
"Then your intervention in the press is a countermeasure against them?"
"Katsuto-kun," Kouichi said, his tone shifting to that of a pedantic teacher. "Do you know the most effective way to combat 'public opinion'?"
Katsuto remained silent. He knew Kouichi wasn't looking for an answer, but rather an audience for his own philosophy.
"True 'opinion' is a matter of judgment and belief. It belongs to the one who voices it, and that person bears the responsibility for it. However," Kouichi continued, "public opinion has a certain 'first come, first served' quality to it."
Mayumi, sitting beside Katsuto, had intended to remain a silent observer. But a specific nuance in her father's explanation struck a nerve she couldn't ignore.
"Are you saying the anti-magicians simply got there first, Father?"
"The seeds of anti-magician sentiment were sown over a year ago. They knew exactly how to exploit the fact that we, by the nature of our positions, cannot easily strike back."
Kouichi brushed off his daughter's outburst with practiced ease and turned his gaze back to Katsuto.
"Arguing against public opinion is rarely effective. So, Katsuto-kun, what do you think is the best way to neutralize it?"
"You divide it," Katsuto answered flatly.
"Precisely."
Even though both men knew it wasn't the only solution, Kouichi pressed on with his lecture.
"This is a pressure-release valve, Katsuto-kun. It is only natural for the 'have-nots' to feel envy toward the 'haves.' That frustration must be vented. Rather than letting it coalesce into a single, massive conflagration, it is better to split the sparks into several small fires. Small fires are much easier to extinguish."
"A small fire is better than a great one... I see the logic," Katsuto admitted. "However, people still lose their lives in small fires. If you scatter the sparks until the authorities can no longer keep up, those 'small fires' will spiral out of control and become a tragedy anyway."
"That is merely a hypothetical."
"As is your own theory," Katsuto shot back.
The two men locked eyes, a silent clash of wills filling the room. Sensing that Kouichi had no intention of yielding, Katsuto stood up.
"Lord Saegusa. The House of Juumonji expresses its deepest regret regarding the Saegusa family's manipulation of the media. We demand that you cease all involvement with this anti-magician campaign immediately."
"The House of Saegusa requests that the House of Juumonji submit its protest in writing. We shall provide a formal response once we have reviewed the document."
"Understood. It shall be drafted as soon as I return home."
"I apologize for making you come all this way today. Mayumi, Lord Juumonji is leaving. See him to the door."
Katsuto offered a silent, stiff bow, which Kouichi returned in kind. Mayumi hurried to lead Katsuto toward the entrance, her mind in a whirl.
By the time Mayumi returned to the drawing room, Kouichi was still there, reclining comfortably on the sofa. She stood before him, her expression carved from stone.
"Mayumi, Elder Kudo is aware of this matter. He did not object to my plan."
"The Elder...?"
The name of the "Old Man of the Nine Schools" gave Mayumi pause, just as Kouichi had intended. But she did not back down.
"I cannot claim to know what the Elder is thinking. All I know is that this—this meddling with the lives of our own countrymen and fellow magicians—is wrong."
Kouichi felt a flicker of genuine surprise at his daughter's uncharacteristic persistence.
"It will last a month at most. I have no intention of letting this escalate into a life-altering catastrophe."
"Even if it is only for a month—or even a week—a heartless slander can leave a scar that lasts a lifetime! When a pen is used with malice, it can inflict wounds deeper than any sword. The pen is mightier than the sword, Father, but that power isn't always used for good."
Usually, Mayumi would have conceded by now. This stubbornness was new. Kouichi watched her, a question forming in his mind.
"Mayumi... just who exactly are you so angry for?"
"What...?"
The question, tossed out almost as an afterthought, struck her with unexpected force.
"Is it for Katsuto-kun? Or perhaps for one of your juniors at First High?"
"It's not... it's not for anyone in particular..."
The girl who hadn't flinched at the mention of the legendary Kudo Retsu now stood frozen, her composure shattering.
"A-Anyway! I don't care what you or the Elder think; this activity should be stopped immediately!"
She fled the room, leaving Kouichi more puzzled than before.
"Has she finally found someone she cares for...?"
He knew she was opposed to his top choices for her fiancé—Itsuwa Hirofumi and Juumonji Katsuto. As he sat in the quiet of the drawing room, he couldn't help but wonder who had finally managed to stir his daughter's heart.
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