Published at 26th of March 2019 2:11 am

Volume 17, Chapter 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

January 8th, the first day of the new semester. Tatsuya's group of three people went to school 30 minutes ahead of the usual time.

It wasn't because of some sort of opening ceremony. Even though the three of them were members of the Student Council, it wasn't because they needed to make preparations for an event related to the beginning of the new semester either.

The reason they were going there earlier was because they had received a direct message from school. Yesterday, Tatsuya and Miyuki received an e-mail asking them to come to the Principal's Office before the school opened.

The e-mail had arrived in the afternoon. At the time, even though Miyuki was still in the house, Tatsuya was already headed towards FLT. Therefore, it was only after dinner that they had a chance to talk about it, they immediately understood the reason behind the summons.

It would be hard to think of any other reason than the recent confirmation to the Magic Association about Tatsuya and Miyuki's positions about being a part of the Yotsuba Family.

A mix of questioning, and reprimand for reporting false information about their identities to the school and pressure to ensure that, despite the fact they were engaged, they would still act with moderation within the school grounds. These kinds of things were expected.

This prediction would prove to be spot on.

In front of Tatsuya and Miyuki was the Dean Yaosaka, and deeper into the office, behind an imposing desk, was the Principal himself, Momoyama Azuma. Meanwhile, Minami was in her classroom. The mail had been addressed to Tatsuya and Miyuki only.

"Then, you're saying that you never intended to report false information to the school?"

"Indeed. Since it was even recorded in the Family Registry, up until now, I too believed it."

Momoyama could have been frowning due to the militaristic tone of Tatsuya, or it could have been because of his composed attitude, devoid of any tension, that he felt was bordering on insolence.

Yaosaka had become quite perceptive of the Principal's mood changes over the years and he was starting to get nervous himself as he continued to interrogate Tatsuya.

"Then that means the Family Registry was falsified? In the eventuality that your custodians intentionally falsified official papers, there is a possibility of you being erased from the School Registry."

"About that, I have heard that you have already received a letter of apology from my father as well as documents explaining this whole affair."

"I certainly received such a letter. That there was a writing error from your departed mother on your birth certificate and that you had never noticed until now, was that it. However, I question the idea that it is impossible not to notice such a mistake for as long as 17 years."

"My father holds no interest in me. Now that I think about it, it might have been because I was never his biological son."

Even after hearing of a parent never caring about his son, Yaosaka's expression didn't particularly waver. That's because these sort of stories, whether in the present or the past, were not that rare.

Therefore, he did not think of Tatsuya's excuse as a lie.

"Principal, I do not think that Shiba-kun's explanation has any particularly strange points."

Momoyama did not return an answer immediately.

"The Public Data, including the Family Registry, has already been corrected. If we take their family's special circumstances into account, I do not think that there is a need for punishment, what do you think.”

"I understand the circumstances."

Momoyama was solemnly nodding. On the other hand, Yaosaka was showing clear signs of relaxation.

"Indeed, neither of you is responsible for this. It is not the place of the educational team to inflict punishment on the innocent party. However, even if your revocation from the school registry will be canceled this time, do not forget what such errors can bring about. Please transmit this important reminder to your parents."

"Understood."

In order to match the bowing Tatsuya, Miyuki made courteous bows as well.

"From here on, even though you are engaged, I will require that you act with moderation within the school's premises. With your special circumstances in mind, I don't plan on opposing your cohabitation."

"Thank you very much."

The siblings bowed to Momoyama once again.

"…Up until now there were a lot of things that were excused because you were siblings, however, do not forget that from now on you will be seen as engaged."

"Understood."

After Yaosaka brought this fact to their attention, the questioning and admonition in the Principal's Office came to an end.

◊ ◊ ◊

The ‘sermon’ from the Dean and the Principal ended much quicker than expected. Still, compared to the usual time Tatsuya was a little late in going to Class 2-E.

"Ah, there he is."

That was probably the reason why Erika had been waiting by the window until he arrived.

"Yo, Tatsuya. Been a while."

It seems like Leo, after learning that Tatsuya hadn't yet arrived, had went back to his own classroom for a while. Leo greeted him from behind when he passed by Class-F.

"Erika, Leo, long time no see."

Tatsuya stopped in the hallway and answered them like this. By the way, the reason Erika's name was the first to come out of his mouth was because otherwise she would enter a bit of a sulking mood.

"Tatsuya-kun, when did you return from Tokyo?"

The moment Erika enquired so, Tatsuya recalled that he had made a promise to report as soon as his business was finished.

"Four days ago. Sorry about not keeping you informed."

Tatsuya wasn't the type to forget things. To be more precise, he was unable to forget things. However, this once, he didn't even have the spare time to remember it.

"It's okay. It must've been pretty tough right?"

"I know right, but anyway, it's probably going to be even worse from now on. I've already got past the initial shock so, no problem on my end."

Tatsuya felt a slight surprise at Leo's unexpected speech. It was no surprise at all for Erika to be aware of the latest letter from the Yotsuba Family to the rest of the Magic Association. The Chiba Family was included in the list of the various Families to which duplicates of said letter were sent to after all.

However, Leo's house had no relationship with the Japanese Magic Community. As a matter of fact, Leo's magical genes came from his grandfather who was a refugee originating from Germany, he has no blood ties to any other Magician Family that Japan exploits. That is why he shouldn't have the means to get information from the Magic Association nor even hear rumors from any of the Houses that are part of it.

Has the information about me, Miyuki and the Yotsuba Family's relationship already spread that far… The answer to the question Tatsuya was asking himself was soon afterwards given to him.

As soon as he entered the classroom, all of his classmates' stares gathered on him, then immediately turned away.

"Good morning."

Tatsuya more or less understood what the others were thinking of him, still, he greeted Mizuki who was sitting next to him as usual.

"Ah, umm, good morning…"

As expected, Mizuki immediately averted her eyes after returning the greeting. It was made obvious that she had heard about Tatsuya and Miyuki's situation.

Tatsuya also turned his eyes away from Mizuki and ejected the terminal attached to his desk.

The two people who had talked with Tatsuya before he entered the classroom. Erika, who was resting her elbow on the window's bottom frame, and Leo who was right behind him, sent anxious looks his way.

Tatsuya met their gazes and wore an expression that said ‘don't worry’.

This morning, Mikihiko didn't appear in Class 2-E.

◊ ◊ ◊

The morning classes came to an end. It looks like Tatsuya's classmates' way of dealing with him was to ignore him as much as they could.

Tatsuya typically didn't talk much with his classmates in the first place; however, it was the first time not even a single person addressed him for half a day. Despite the fact he had kept his distance, it had been a daily occurrence that people asked him for help when they had problems.

Tatsuya didn't care about his classmates' stares, even if they were filled with ill will or hostility. If they were ready to ostracize him then he would just have to shut out and deny their very existences.

It's not as if Tatsuya hated humans.

But at the same time, it's not like he particularly liked them. —— Himself included.

Tatsuya strongly felt that so long as Miyuki was near him, he didn't need anything else.

The existence of people other than Miyuki was of no real importance to him, although it was preferable to have people around in order to live a pleasant school life, it went no further than that. For that reason however, he wanted to maintain at least reasonably good relationships so as not to let them turn into clear hostile ones.

In the current atmosphere, it would be unpleasant to make the first step. That was what Tatsuya thought.

"Mizuki, I'm going to the Student Council Room, could you please relay so if anyone asks."

"Y-yes!"

Her voice to Tatsuya, Mizuki's reaction showed signs of fear.

So as to not lose Mizuki completely, it had been necessary to interact, even at the cost of scaring her.

Tatsuya wasn't lying when he said he was heading towards the Student Council Room. However he made a U-turn in front of the door.

That was because Honoka and Shizuku were inside.

Without opening the door nor using his ‘Elemental Sight’, he could understand this much, if they were only separated by a single door. It would be another story if they could make their presence difficult to notice like Tatsuya, for him, this had become an unconscious act, regular students however were unlikely to conceal their presence on the school grounds.

Since Honoka was a member of the Student Council it wasn't surprising that she was present. He was also used to Shizuku spending a lot of time there as well. However, the fact that the two of them were present on this particular day was indeed surprising.

Contrary to his expectations, Miyuki wasn't present in the Student Council's Room.

Tatsuya left the place as it was.

The reason Honoka and Shizuku were in the Student Council Room was to escape the curious glances they would be exposed to in the dining room. It was a pretty well-known fact in First High that they were close friends of Miyuki's. The number of girls in their second year who also knew about Honoka's feelings towards Tatsuya were not just a few.

For the same reason, Miyuki avoided the dining room. Even more so because she was the one who the rumors were talking about. As the Student Council President, Miyuki often ate her lunch in the Student Council's Room. Tatsuya thought it'd be the case today as well. If anything, Tatsuya thought that the one who would want to avoid Miyuki was Honoka, but it seems like it was the opposite.

Keeping in mind what the Principal told to them this morning, for the time being Tatsuya thought it would be best to avoid having lunch together. It seems like Miyuki thought this would be a necessity as well,

Tatsuya had come up with this proposition as soon as they came out of the Principal's Office, wearing a dissatisfied expression she had reluctantly accepted.

For that reason, they hadn't determined any particular meeting spot. However, by focusing his senses even just a little, Tatsuya would be able to immediately tell where Miyuki was. It wasn't that difficult to imagine what she was up to either, after confirming her position, Tatsuya headed towards the place she was.

The door to the rooftop was opened. And without a shadow of a doubt, Miyuki was there.

Even though snow hadn't fallen or anything like that, the temperature was still only in the first half of the single digit range. If you think about it, there really wasn't any other student who would come here with such cold weather. It was a good place for someone who wanted to be alone.

"Ah, Onii-sama. I've been waiting for you."

Well, it wasn't exactly ‘to be alone’ though more like ‘for the two of us to be alone’. It seems like that was Miyuki's plan from the very beginning.

"If you had told me I'd have come immediately you know?" Miyuki softly smiled at Tatsuya's answer.

"There is no way Onii-sama wouldn't know where to find me."

Befitting of the smile turned towards him, Tatsuya's body was being enveloped in a gentle warmth. It wasn't just his imagination. That was Miyuki's magic.

"Onii-sama, you still haven't had lunch right? Please sit over here."

Miyuki offered the seat next to her. She was currently sitting on a three- person bench, at the right end of it. Since Tatsuya had originally planned on sitting next to her, he accepted her offer without any reservation.

Miyuki took out two boxes of varying sizes from the insulated pack that was resting on her lap. The small one was left on her lap and she presented the bigger one to Tatsuya. Needless to say, they were bento- boxes.

"So you even prepared bento-boxes?"

"Yes, I prepared them after Onii-sama went to his morning training. I thought they would be useful today."

Now that she mentioned it, Tatsuya remembered that Minami was carrying a fairly large bag while they were headed towards the Principal's Office.

"I see. Thank you, Miyuki."

Tatsuya thought that it'd have been pointless to not express his gratitude beforehand. However that's not exactly what he should have said, or so he thought. Miyuki most certainly prepared the bento-boxes because she anticipated what would happen today. And the reason for keeping silent about them was probably that she didn't want him to realize how bad the situation would be.

"Don't mention it. Still, it looks like we'll end up having lunch together after all."

Tatsuya couldn't help but turn a wry smile at Miyuki's words mixed with a little scorn.

"If you had told me about the bento-boxes this morning I wouldn't have suggested we take our lunches separately."

"Oh my, is that true?"

Despite her dissatisfied tone Miyuki was in a cheerful mood. Probably because, setting the small details aside, they were having lunch with only the two of them.

However, in Tatsuya's eyes, a little bit of bravado might have been mixed in as well.

"Alright then. Then, allow me to dig in."

"Please, do so."

Receiving the authorization to, Tatsuya opened the lid of the bento-box.

Showing a mischievous smile, Miyuki held out a pair of chopsticks for Tatsuya.

"Anyway, there should be no problem in allowing me to feed you as well."

Maintaining her balance so as not to drop the bento-box on her own lap, Miyuki picked up a piece of Tatsuya's lunch with her own chopsticks. She then brought it near Tatsuya's mouth.

"Allow me."

Saying so without any sign of panic, Tatsuya moved his neck so as to eat what Miyuki was holding with her chopsticks without touching them.

Miyuki's face quickly reddened.

Miyuki rearranged her sitting posture in a panic and opened the lid of her own bento-box.

In other words, she had just performed a self-destroying move.

"The bento-box prepared by Miyuki is as expected, really delicious." While openly stating so, Tatsuya stole side-glances at Miyuki's face.

And, he estimated that the teasing should not go any further. To tell the truth he really wanted to follow up with a "Won't you feed me for a bit longer?" but restrained himself.

"…Being just the two of us is nice, however, having only the wintry sky as a scenery can get pretty depressing. If we could find a suitable, unused classroom I'd like to relocate there from tomorrow on."

Tatsuya didn't want this little joke to take a bad turn so he changed the subject, Miyuki, who was hanging her head down, looked up at him.

"Is it okay for us to… eat together from tomorrow on?"

"I think it might be preferable to do it like this for a while. Although, the days when the Student Council has a lot of work will be different."

Even though that was going in the opposite direction from what they had planned this morning, Miyuki didn't object.

"Let's find one before the end of the day."

Clenching her hands into fists, Miyuki powerfully declared so.

"I'll search for one on my own as well, so don't push yourself too hard."

At Tatsuya's smile, the younger sister's burning enthusiasm calmed down.

"——How was Class-A?”

Tatsuya started this conversation after the both of them had finished their bento-boxes and cleaned up.

"I know it can't be helped but it's still uncomfortable. It looks like everyone is looking at me from afar and it feels like they're all talking behind our backs."

"No one addressed me either today."

"I wasn't even able to talk to Honoka or Shizuku." Hearing this, Tatsuya slightly frowned.

"…Were they angry?"

"As long as I was directly talking to them they responded but… Yes. At the very least I got the impression that they were avoiding me."

Miyuki seemed a little lonely while answering.

"Won't it be alright even if we don't talk to them about it? I think these two will understand that we had no choice in the matter."

"…It would be great if that was the case." Miyuki’s smile had a tinge of sadness mixed in it.

"I think it'll be alright. There's no use worrying about something we can't do anything about."

Tatsuya put his hand on Miyuki's cheek. Miyuki pressed her own hand against his and shut her eyes.

"Understood."

"Time might settle all of this on its own. For now, it's not to a point where we should be pessimistic about it."

"I see… However, that is the same for Onii-sama."

Miyuki turned a playful gaze towards Tatsuya.

"Since we're talking about Onii-sama, maybe your friends are thinking of leaving you alone ‘until time settles things’ as well? I think that occasionally, one should step up to solve these kinds of problems, don't you think?"

"You got me."

Tatsuya smiled wryly with a "touché" expression.

◊ ◊ ◊

After returning home, Tatsuya called the direct number for the Yotsuba Family’s Head.

Even though Tatsuya wasn't allowed to directly call Maya up until New Year's Eve, their current relationship was officially that of a Mother and Son.

Miyuki was next to Tatsuya. Even though this was usually the time to start preparing dinner, Miyuki knew this matter took precedence. Tonight's dinner had been left in Minami's hands.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. The timing on Tatsuya-san's report is excellent."

In fact, this call was the second. During the first call it had been Hayama that appeared on the screen. He asked them to call back in roughly 20 minutes, instruction that Tatsuya followed to a T.

"Do you have an order for us?"

"Would you let me hear your story first, Tatsuya-san?"

Even though Tatsuya was slightly anxious about what business she might have with them, he obediently followed her request.

"Today we were called by Momoyama, the Principal of First High."

Starting like this, Tatsuya reported what had been said during their meeting.

"Momoyama-sensei is pretty strict…"

Maya let out an amused tone for some reason. Judging by the way she was talking about him, they were probably acquaintances.

"In any case, thanks for reporting. Tatsuya-san doesn't need to do anything in particular."

"As you wish."

Tatsuya and Miyuki bowed towards the camera.

"There is something I need to inform you of, on my side." After the both of them looked up, Maya began explaining.

Apparently, they were about to receive a new mission. Thinking so, Tatsuya adopted the posture of someone listening with attention.

"Regarding the matter of the notification to the Magic Association about your engagement, it seems like we have received a formal protest from the Ichijou Family."

"Oba-sama, why would the Ichijou Family do something like this?"

Even though Miyuki's voice had remained calm on the surface, a strong resentment was hidden beneath it. Understanding this much wasn't that hard for Tatsuya and Maya.

"It's not easy to say but."

While that might have been true, Maya didn't keep it to herself and started explaining. It wasn't because she was sensitive about Miyuki's feelings that she hesitated, rather, it seemed like she was thoroughly enjoying the sight of Miyuki struggling to keep her emotions in check.

"The Ichijou Family’s argument is that the blood ties are too close. The talent of a Magician is a property of the Nation, it would do no good to have the next generation plagued by genetic abnormalities."

"Such."

"Surely this isn't all there is to it."

Interrupting a Miyuki that was about to shout, Tatsuya presented Maya with a question.

"The prevention of future generations' gene abnormalities is not a concern limited to Magicians. That is why the law might forbid a marriage depending on the degree of kinship."

"This might not be the only reason but it certainly makes up the largest portion of their objection."

"Conversely, the Ten Master Clans shouldn't have the power to question the validity of a lawful engagement. Surely the Ichijou Family had something else to say?"

Hearing Tatsuya's point, Maya expressed a satisfied smile and nodded. "It's exactly as you said. As expected of Tatsuya-san."

Tatsuya on the other hand didn't express any satisfaction at being praised.

"Then, just what exactly did they say?"

"Well, that is… They proposed that their eldest son to become Miyuki- san's betrothed."

"Please decline!"

To Maya's answer, Miyuki's voice rose in a flash. "Miyuki."

"It's alright, Tatsuya-san."

Although Tatsuya was about to reprimand Miyuki for raising her voice like that, Maya showed tolerance towards her pleasant response.

"It is natural that Miyuki-san is angered. I also have a problem with the fact they replied with a notification of marriage with a marriage proposal of their own."

"In that case, the rejection answer…?"

Miyuki expectantly asked this.

"No, not yet, Miyuki-san. I don't plan on answering the Ichijou Family for a while."

However, contrary to her expectations, Maya's answer was a subtle ‘No’.

"If that is the case, won't our position suffer?

Maya answered Tatsuya's question with a nod carrying the meaning of an "I know".

"I do not intend to leave it as is forever. That's why the two of you shouldn't worry about it too much, alright."

"No imprudent moves, is it?"

"Indeed. You two just have to happily spend time together as usual."

To Maya's sentence who emphasized the word ‘Happily’, "Oba-sama…"

Miyuki looked away with an embarrassed expression. "Understood."

However, Tatsuya bowed towards the camera while keeping a serious expression.

◊ ◊ ◊

Even though it was now the second day of the school semester, there was no change in the current life of Tatsuya and Miyuki at First High. The other students hesitated to approach them, yet but they were unable to hide their curiosity. Oh well, this isn't the kind of situation that can get better in just a single day after all. ——It could easily get worse in a single day however.

Originally, Miyuki had a tendency of being idolized in First High. Appearance, Ability, just because of those two traits of hers alone, she was hard to approach. And now, lineage was added to the mix. Not only her classmates and underclassmen but even her upperclassmen were nervous in her presence.

On the other hand, the number of people who deep in their hearts felt ‘fear’ towards Tatsuya were not just a few.

Fear. Horror. Anxiety. The kind of fear, dread and awe that an exceptional warrior would inspire.

And after they learned that Tatsuya was a part of "the" Yotsuba Family, these feelings were amplified. Getting closer is too scary and at the same time, they're too afraid to completely ignore him. This contradiction made it look like they were being cold towards him.

The interest they bore towards them, of course, wasn't only because of their youthful High School Student curiosity. Stars and Idols being the center of scandals was not something new. They couldn't help being curious about the story of the siblings that had too good of a relationship, were later revealed to be cousins, got engaged and are, even now, still living together.

Before the start of morning classes. Soon after arriving at Class 1-C, Minami was encircled by a crowd of people who seemed to be mainly composed of girls.

"Like I said already, nothing has changed from before."

Minami had been repeating this answer many times already since her arrival. Her responses sometimes varied between “They didn't do such a thing” to “I am not allowed to respond to this” or even “Sorry, I can't answer.”

"Eeh, but, you are together all day long right?"

"That means, when they're going to sleep as well… right?"

A high-pitched shriek shot up from the crowd. Minami on the other hand emitted a discreet sigh.

"As I said already, Tatsuya-sama and Miyuki-sama never do these kinds of things."

Despite the fact that Minami was well aware that they wouldn't listen, she kept answering faithfully. She did so because they might take her silence as consent otherwise.

Maybe her perseverance won out in the end because the next questions were different.

"By the way Sakurai-san, up until December you were calling the Shiba siblings ‘Tatsuya-niisama’ and ‘Miyuki-neesama’ right? Could it be, Sakurai-san is also a member of the Yotsuba Family?"

The chattering of the crowd that was around Minami stopped immediately. What would she answer? They were waiting with bated breath for her response.

"I have been addressing them this way until now because it was a direct order from Tatsuya-sama. I am, well, I have a debt towards the Yotsuba Family, so…"

Her original answer would have sounded too much like the truth that ‘she is a being dedicated to serve the Yotsuba Family’ so she hurriedly changed it. However, due to this, she stumbled during her explanation, this really betrayed the given impression that ‘she's hiding something’.

"Hmm, really?"

"It is the truth."

Because it was a fact that she was lying, even the voice that she used to refute the others' doubts was pretty weak. If she had raised her voice and used a strong denying tone, it might have been easier to deceive the students.

"Eh… So the Yotsuba Family also does these kinds of things."

There are plenty of dangerous things in a Magician's work. It wasn't that unusual to hear reports of Magician's sons and daughters dying while performing their work or accomplishing their duties. In First High. No, in this very Class-C classroom, there have been such cases already. That was the reason there wasn't any particularly awkward reaction at Minami's ‘they helped me’ explanation.

"However, since you actually received help from the Yotsuba Family, that means you can't be considered to have no relation whatsoever with them right?

That may be the case but was it natural to investigate by directly asking the concerned person persistently?

"No, not really…"

"Alright everyone, the lesson will begin pretty soon! If you don't go back to your seat as soon as possible you might lose a few points on your evaluation scores."

The person who had just saved Minami from the very inconsiderate questions from her classmates was the person who was pretty much the leading figure of this class.

"Saegusa-san? But we still have some time."

To Kasumi who had loudly interrupted the questioning from the back, a single female student had a look at her terminal to confirm the hour and answer back.

"The lesson will begin pre-tty soon right?"

However Kasumi countered her complaint by repeating the exact same phrase with a smile.

"I-I guess."

It wasn't because what Kasumi said was correct, but rather, there wasn’t a student who could resist the overpowering feeling that her smile gave off and thus, Minami’s surroundings slowly cleared as students were returning to their seats in groups of two or three.

Kasumi folded her arms and saw off the remaining students before proudly sitting at her own seat.

"Um, Saegusa-san. Thank you very much." Minami expressed her gratitude to her back. "Don't mention it. I hate these kinds of things too." Kasumi turned her head towards Minami and winked.

During recess time Minami managed to avoid being the center of the usual crowd. However that was only because second period was a practical class and they couldn't do that while moving towards the classroom. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy to dodge during lunch break. The number of classmates who thought this would be the best time to talk freely weren't just one or two.

More than half of Class-C stood up as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the morning classes.

"Sakurai-san, you're going to the Student Council Room right? Let's go together."

However, the one who was the fastest in inviting her was Kasumi.

In a sense, it was a natural result since the seating arrangements for the First Year’s was the traditional gender-based syllabic order. Kasumi's family name was, of course, ‘Saegusa’ while Minami's was ‘Sakurai’. In other words, Kasumi's seat was just in front of Minami. So it was indeed natural that, given everyone reacted at the same time, Kasumi would be the first to reach her.

"Ah… Yes."

Minami was slightly surprised at this sudden conversation. Her surprise was understandable, after all, despite the fact they had been classmates for nine months now, it was the very first time that Kasumi directly invited her somewhere.

Kasumi didn't have anything against Minami herself. Since she was a close acquaintance of Tatsuya's however, she kind of avoided her up until now. And suddenly, this happened. Minami wasn't the only one who was surprised.

"Come on, let's go."

Being urged on by Kasumi, Minami reached the bag that contained her bento-box in a bit of a panic and stood up from her seat.

"Well, Saegusa-san."

They were headed towards the stairs leading to the Student Council Room when Minami matched Kasumi's pace and started up a conversation, her expression was that of someone who had a few questions.

"Hmm, what is it?"

After stealing a glance at Minami, Kasumi replied with a curt question.

"Just like this morning, thank you very much for what you did. However, may I ask why you are helping me."

Up until now Kasumi never gave Minami any reason to think she disliked her, but it's not like she gave her any reason to think she liked her either. That certainly wasn't just an impression on Minami's part. It was a fact that there had never been any degree of conversation above the expected minimum between the two classmates. Minami herself never really tried to proactively talk to Kasumi, hence why she still couldn't understand the reason behind her actions.

"I told you before. That I hate these kinds of things."

The smile that Kasumi turned towards Minami seemed a little awkward. The reason was that being openly told by someone who you aren't well acquainted with to begin with, ‘you helped me’, was a little too much for Kasumi, in other words she was shy.

"I know how these sort of things feel like. They likely don't have any bad intentions, they’re just satisfying their curiosity, but they can get pretty insensitive sometimes."

"You're right."

Minami wasn't hurt because of the barrage of inconsiderate questions in itself but by the fact that there were a lot of questions she couldn't answer due to her position. Still, since she also wanted the other side to take her feelings into account, she couldn't help but nod at Kasumi's words.

"Sigh. I also have had quite a few bad experiences."

Minami understood that she was trying to cheer her up. Kasumi unintentionally referred to herself using ‘Boku’, something she had never done at school.

Kasumi didn't notice her blunder.

When it reached her ears, Minami was a bit taken aback, due to her training as a servant however she managed to keep a straight face.

◊ ◊ ◊

Saturday, January 12th, it was the first weekend since the beginning of the new school semester.

Even though the classes on Saturday were only in the morning, the dining hall was still left open for the students with Club activities and members of the Committee. Erika, Leo and Mizuki had Club activities while Mikihiko had his duties as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, they all gathered in the dining room to prepare for the afternoon.

Compared to a month ago, the number of people present during their lunch break had been halved. Since Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Honoka were members of the Student Council they should be having lunch in the Student Council Room —— though in Tatsuya and Miyuki’s case, it seems that since the beginning of the new school semester until yesterday they had taken their lunch in secret in another classroom. This is what information Erika had heard from Shizuku.

The reason there wasn't much of a conversation at their table wasn't only because of their decreased number. The usual mood-maker, Erika, her expression and her every gesture were practically oozing of irritation.

Maybe Mikihiko thought it was best to quickly disperse, he finished his lunch in a hurry and was about to stand up from his seat.

"Miki, wait for a bit."

However, Erika who forced him to sit down again stopped his movement dead in its tracks.

"What is it."

In order to hide his trembling due to his escape attempt being found out, he answered with a strong voice.

"Wait until Mizuki finishes her lunch."

Of course, Erika wasn't the type to back down that easily. The one who tremblingly calmed down the two's arguing was Mizuki.

In the end, Mizuki put down her chopsticks on her plate which still had about a third of its original contents left.

Currently, the four of them were sitting in the following order, Erika and Mizuki were next to each other while Leo was in front of Erika.

Erika directed a sharp voice towards Mikihiko, who was sitting diagonally from her.

"Miki, just what are you doing exactly?”

"What do you mean."

Mikihiko once again answered in a strong tone however, his voice was unnaturally stiff.

"I see, so you won't understand unless I say it directly? In that case I will!”

Erika's swung her palm down on the table.

She paid no attention whatsoever to the numerous stares that turned towards her due to the loud sound she had just made.

"I’m asking you why the hell are you avoiding Tatsuya-kun!"

The dining room instantly became silent. Everyone's gazes were concentrated on Erika and Mikihiko. While Erika could ignore the others' stares, Mikihiko didn't have such composure.

"I'm not really… avoiding him or anything."

"Huh? So you're gonna play dumb?"

Mikihiko faltered in the face of the fire that was in Erika's eyes.

"It's obvious that you're avoiding Tatsuya-kun, even to this idiot over here."

The person Erika was pointing to with her finger was Leo.

"Who are you calling an idiot! …Putting that aside, Mikihiko. It's just as this tomboy is sayi--"

After having said that, Leo suddenly let out a scream. "Ouch! You…! You have something on your shoe!"

"Don't worry, it's not an iron tip or anything like that."

If you were to ask what just happened, it seems like Erika kicked Leo's leg under the table.

The atmosphere loosened a little. For Mizuki and Mikihiko, this wasn't that rare of an occurrence.

"Sigh… Somehow I feel exhausted."

This allowed them to take a breather before going right back in, even for Erika, this had been convenient.

"Oh well. Miki, to be honest, I don't even want to hear why you're avoiding Tatsuya-kun. However, if it's just because Tatsuya-kun is from the Yotsuba Family, then it's not a reason to avoid him like you do. If you think it is, then there is no point in calling yourself his friend."

Erika quietly stared at Mikihiko in the eyes. It was because Erika had been so aggressive that Mikihiko had been obstinate a few moments before. However, with such sincere eyes turned towards him, the guilt that he felt deep inside didn't allow him to feign ignorance anymore.

"…It's not because he's a member of the Yotsuba Family. No, to be honest that is one of the reasons. Rather I resent Tatsuya for not telling any of us sooner.”

Despite saying that he was resenting him, the expression that Mikihiko wore was one of regret.

Erika and Leo instinctively looked at each other.

"Wait a second, Mikihiko. Don't you think it's a bit wrong?"

Leo kept on talking to a Mikihiko that couldn't look at him in the eyes.

"Don't you think Tatsuya felt bad being forced to hide this from us? You should understand better than anyone that this was some kind of tradition he had to abide to right?"

"Miki."

Erika sent a sharp voice flying towards a Mikihiko that still didn't show any reaction to Leo's words.

"Let's assume you had heard of this directly from Tatsuya-kun, what would've changed?"

Mikihiko was at a loss for words. No, even if he tried to answer back he was unable to form a coherent response. Using this opportunity, Erika pressed even further.

"If you had heard this from Tatsuya-kun directly, do you think it'd have ended with a simple “Oh, I see”? Do you think you'd have been able to hang out like before? Looking at the way you reacted to this affair, I really don't think that's the case."

Mikihiko couldn't answer back. He couldn't even come up with a makeshift lie.

"In other words, Miki, you're just afraid of the Yotsuba name."

"…What about you Erika."

Mikihiko finally abandoned the tough act he was putting on until now. Taking a defiant attitude, he answered back at Erika with a somewhat pouting voice.

However, that was a silly question.

"What do you think, of course I'm terrified."

For Erika, bluffing about her own weaknesses was something she simply couldn't do.

"He's a member of that Yotsuba Family. If we ever found someone who wasn't afraid after hearing that, he'd just be a gigantic fool. We're way past the limits of the things you can just hear about for the first time and be done with it."

"Then how can you just keep going on like nothing happened!?"

"Isn't it obvious, it’s because we're friends."

Erika answered his question wearing the exact same expression that she had when she admitted that she was afraid earlier.

"The Yotsuba Family is scary. No one knows what they do and it makes me uneasy. But still, Tatsuya-kun is my friend. Even if I don't trust the Yotsuba Family, I trust Tatsuya-kun. And that holds true even if there are a lot of things he needs to hide."

Erika was stared at Mikihiko in the eyes and delivered the finishing blow.

"To begin with, there are things Miki hides from us as well, and they're not limited to a mere 10 or 20 things either."

"That's…"

"I won't let you say that it's not the case. We've been hanging out for a long time after all."

"……"

"It goes for me as well. Things I don't want you guys to know, things that I absolutely don't plan on sharing with you, there are a lot."

Mikihiko looked away awkwardly. The reason was, he actually had an idea as to what her ‘things she doesn’t want known’ was referring to.

"There were things he couldn't share with us? Well of course, we're not married or anything, so isn't it actually normal."

Mikihiko looked away dejectedly. As he was right now, he didn't have any excuses left.

"How come… Erika and Leo were able to find so quickly the correct way to deal with all of this?"

Outside of Mikihiko's field of view, Erika stole a glance at Leo.

"I guess that's because I’ve never faced a Yotsuba. I don't even know how dangerous Yotsuba Magicians are. However, I know Tatsuya. Despite knowing how dangerous Tatsuya can be, I also know that I can trust him to the end."

Leo felt embarrassed at his own speech and forced a clumsy smile before continuing.

"Well, it might be a misunderstanding. Though I figured it out on my own. I understand why he was keeping silent about it and above all, I trust Tatsuya because he's my friend. Letting this ‘possibility’ ruin our relationship would be stupid."

"Leo… you're an amazing guy."

Mikihiko wasn't the only one watching Leo with an amazed expression. Erika was the same. When she caught Mikihiko's eyes turning towards her she hurriedly regained her composure.

"Was it the same for you Erika?"

"Not exactly… Even I wasn't able to immediately come out with the appropriate reaction. However, I didn't need to dwell on it for three or four days."

Erika learned about Tatsuya's lineage in February of last year. Even if she was aware of that fact, the shock she received was exactly the same as the others. However, even if their situations were different, Erika managed to recover from the mental damage in less than a day.

If Erika hadn't suffered the same kind of shock then it would have been impossible for her to understand Mikihiko's dilemma to this extent, that's what he thought. However, he couldn't come to terms with the fact that while he had been indecisive, she had overcome the trauma.

"…I see."

Mikihiko shut his eyes and ceased all movement. His posture didn't have the serenity of someone meditating, but the suffering of an internal conflict.

"…I understand."

After opening his eyes, Mikihiko reported so to Erika.

"I also think of Tatsuya as a friend. I will do my best. On Monday of next week, everything will be settled."

Mikihiko's expression seemed a little refreshed.

Erika smiled with satisfaction, she then turned her eyes towards the nearby Mizuki.

"Mizuki, this goes for you as well."

"Eh!?"

Mizuki's reaction wasn't that of someone who had just been suddenly greeted, rather, it was as if she had just dodged a spear by a hair's breadth.

"You must stop treating Miyuki and Tatsuya-kun so coldly. Even Miki said he'd do his best, so you should be able to do it as well, right?"

"Hmm…"

"You-can-do-it-too, right?"

"Y-Yes… Understood! I will do something about it!"

Erika forcefully pressed the indecisive-looking Mizuki. "Shibata-san, I will do my best as well. Let's do it together." To answer Mikihiko's words of encouragement,

"…Yes! Let's do our best."

Mizuki cheerfully nodded.

Admonishing Mikihiko in front of Mizuki had been Erika's plan. Erika expected Mizuki to be difficult to persuade if she had tried to do it alone, that's why she first made Mikihiko promise to amend his relationship with Tatsuya, to get her to do the same.

The result was just as she had predicted.

However, as she had planned, faced with the two people who (mentally) held their hands in encouragement, Erika showed an “I can’t stand this” expression and turned her head away.

◊ ◊ ◊

Due to Erika's (and Leo, a little) persuasiveness, Mikihiko and Mizuki decided to abandon their current attitude towards Tatsuya and Miyuki.

However, fighting her feelings wasn't that easy for Honoka.

She had already decided how she would act towards Tatsuya in the future. However, she had yet to muster the courage to actually do it, not to mention how she should act towards Miyuki.

Honoka honestly thought of Miyuki as a friend.

However, at the same time, she was a strong rival in love. Moreover, she was leading by two or three steps already.

After being admonished by Shizuku, she no longer cared about the fact Tatsuya and Miyuki had deceived her. After all, it seemed like Tatsuya and Miyuki themselves had been deceived.

Still, it wasn't possible for Honoka to smile at them like before. Due to Honoka's behavior, Miyuki herself didn't know how to act and the atmosphere had become awkward between them, it was a vicious cycle.

Even now, Honoka was running away from the Student Council Room and was heading towards the Club Management's Headquarters. Honoka was the Student Council Treasurer. Allowing a supplementary budget to the various Clubs was part of her job. As such, there wasn't anything strange in her visiting the Club Management's Headquarters. However even if the people in her surroundings didn't think it was strange —— she herself knew that she was just avoiding Miyuki. The fact she was actually aware of that fact depressed her even more.

The current head of the Club Management Group was in the same club as Honoka, an acquaintance of hers since their first year, his name was Igarashi. A boy whose temperament was a subtle balance of gentleness and timidity. There was a saying that went “He's neither sugar nor salt” though in Igarashi's case, you could definitely say that he was sugar.

He wasn't to Honoka's taste but in her current emotional state, he was an agreeable partner. He had become a suitable person to speak to when she wanted a change of mood.

"Excuse me. It's Mitsui from the Student Council."

"Please, you may enter."

After she reported her visit through the interphone, the answer didn't come from the speakers, the door opened and she was directly invited in.

The student who had come out was the first year Shippou Takuma.

Even though, at first, there had been a lot of bad rumors about him from his classmates, his attitude greatly changed near the end of April.

His self-assertiveness was just as strong as usual, however he did not feel the need to push it anymore.

His ambitions and desire of taking over leadership was still present, however taking a good look at him, you could notice that his former complacent attitude had for the most part, totally vanished.

Well, to begin with, his hot-blooded nature couldn't be easily changed but he had come to a point where he could honestly apologize and reflect if you pointed out his mistakes.

Above all, anyone could tell that he was putting in the effort to ‘change’ and ‘grow up’, he thus garnered the sympathy and even trust from his classmates.

It had accumulated to a point where during the Nine Schools Competition, he had spontaneously become the manager of the nine first years registered on First High's team.

Without any arrogance, he steadily increased his abilities. As of today, not only his classmates but also various seniors openly recognized his efforts.

Honoka as well bore ill will towards Takuma at first, after the incident with Tatsuya. However, right now, she didn't have a bad impression of him. She could humbly recognize that he was a promising junior.

"Excuse me, I had an appointment with President Igarashi."

"With the President? There was a call just a few moments ago and he had to go out."

Honoka reported that she would be coming over just before going out of the Student Council Room. However, it seems like some sort of trouble had risen. Even though the former President Hattori's efforts had been concentrated on abolishing the stigma that only top students could attain important posts, Igarashi seemed to have had a negative effect on peoples’ attitudes.

Honoka thought it would be great if that was just a coincidence. Even though she shouldn't be one to worry about others' situation considering her own mental state, this was undeniably her good nature speaking. In that respect, Honoka couldn't really complain about Igarashi.

"Was it urgent business?"

While Honoka thought it couldn't be helped and started to go back, she was stopped by Takuma's voice.

"Yes but since he's not present I thought I would come back later."

"Wait a moment please."

Was Takuma in charge of the communications, rather he took the wireless headset that had a microphone attached. It was a device that had integrated brain wave assistance. He put on the headset and turned towards the desktop terminal.

"This is Headquarters, Shippou speaking. …Mitsui-san from the Student Council is here. …Yes, understood. I will transmit the message."

Takuma took off the headset and stood up, he then turned towards Honoka.

"Mitsui-senpai, the President asked me to tell you to wait, if possible, as he is on his way."

"On his way… How long will it take?"

"He wasn't that precise but if we take past examples into account, I would say about five minutes."

Five minutes was roughly the amount of time it would take her to go back to the Student Council Room. Since she didn't really want to go back there yet, Honoka decided to go along with Takuma's recommendation and wait.

(Still, these days, I did nothing but out of office work, the desk work must have been accumulating…)

However, it was especially when she wasn't doing anything that Honoka unintentionally cornered herself the most. This too, was because of her nature.

(It would probably end in the blink of an eye if Tatsuya-san were to help… Though I can't ask him, it would definitely be awkward…)

(But, Miyuki is sure to handle the task… Even without me saying anything, and if she was to ask for Tatsuya-san's help… Then, won't they think that I am unneeded!?)

Honoka made her face go pale by herself. "Um… Mitsui-senpai, are you feeling unwell?"

If you were to look at her from the outside, then eight or nine times out of ten you'd reach that conclusion. Even if you were someone as self- centered as Takuma.

"Eh!?"

However, in her current state, of course the meaning of that question would fly over Honoka's head. In the first place, she wasn't so much thinking as she was being caught up in intense delusions, she wasn't the type to be able to shelve these sort of thoughts instantly when someone interrupted her.

"Really, it's nothing."

Still, this reaction, no matter how you looked at it was just a bluff.

Takuma thought so as well.

And in his mind, he even added his own explanation.

"Mitsui-senpai, how should I say this…"

"Yes?"

"Um… I fully understand that this is none of my business but, about the matter with Shiba-senpai…"

"Wait a moment, Shippou-kun? Just what are you talking about?"

A flustered Honoka tried to stop the words coming out of Takuma's mouth.

However, even if Takuma was wrong about Honoka's condition, he certainly wouldn't misunderstand the reason for her depressed attitude.

It was precisely because he was right that Honoka was flustered. What Takuma was about to say, Honoka didn't want to hear it.

"I think you should give up on Shiba-senpai." Despite that, Takuma had said it.

"Stop!"

"But at this rate, Senpai will suffer from it!"

Takuma had changed his attitude these days, his behavior had greatly improved. Still, he hadn't given up on his ambition just yet. He still had hope that as a promising Magician, by making Honoka his ally, he could get close to Shizuku eventually.

But above all, Takuma was attracted to Honoka.

It happened the day Takuma and Kasumi had gone overboard, which ended up with a fight between the Saegusa twins and himself. A lot of people had rebuked him, Honoka however had stretched a helping hand towards him. Speaking objectively, the only thing she did at the time was lean on him and ask “Can you stand?”, it wasn't as if she had lent him her hand or anything.

What started with the one-sided embellishment of that memory hadn't yet bloomed into fully romantic feelings. They didn't really have many occasions to talk to each other either so that description was appropriate.

Though today, by chance, the two of them were all alone, and coincidentally, he also witnessed Honoka's distress due to her unanswered feelings. You could say that Takuma short-circuited, he was running wild.

"Senpai! I’m-!”

Honoka closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands. Takuma stretched his arm towards Honoka's hands.

"Shippou, what are you doing…?"

However, that was as far as he would go. The voice of President Igarashi, who had just arrived at the Headquarters, stopped Takuma's rampage.

Igarashi was not alone. Shizuku walked out abruptly from behind him and stopped in front of Honoka, she buried Honoka's head in her chest.

"Shizuku…?"

"Yeah."

Shizuku gently patted Honoka's back several times to tell her that everything was alright now.

The stiffness left Honoka's body.

Shizuku turned cold eyes towards Takuma while still holding Honoka. "What were you saying?"

The tone of her voice was fitting for the look she was giving him.

"Well, that's…"

Takuma had intended to finish his sentence that started with "I’m-" by saying "I’m worried about you!".

“Trying to seduce someone when they're feeling down, you're the worst."

Shizuku had accused him. Still, it wasn't entirely wrong.

The reason Takuma wasn't able to answer was certainly because he himself was conscious of that.

"Let’s go, Honoka?"

Shizuku took Honoka out of the Club Management's Headquarters. No word of protest came out of Takuma's mouth.

Igarashi, who had come to fulfill his promise, could do nothing but stand there dumbfounded.

◊ ◊ ◊

That day, Honoka didn't return to her house. As usual they were coming home from school separately from Tatsuya and Miyuki, when they arrived at the station Honoka was ordered by Shizuku to stay at her house.

She didn't even ask if she was okay with it. It was a unilateral decision.

It's not like staying at Shizuku's house was unpleasant or anything. She was aware of her own current indecisiveness and if she was left alone she would probably feel depressed very quickly, that is why Shizuku's invitation was welcomed.

She had dinner with Shizuku's parents, who had hurried back home, and as usual they stepped in the bath together. However, once there, the usual chattering didn't come out.

What differed from usual was the fact that Shizuku took Honoka to her room afterwards.

Honoka had her own room in the Kitayama Family's house. Although it was just a guest room on paper, the reality was that this was a room for her use only. The interior matched Honoka's tastes and you could even find her underwear in the closet.

Though aside from that, there wasn't much Honoka herself used in this room. When Honoka stayed overnight, she would usually hang around in Shizuku's room, and even sleep there in fact. Today however, Shizuku took her towards ‘Honoka's Room’.

Honoka obediently sat on her bed, compared to just a few moments ago however, while she had been wearing a happy expression during dinner, a grim, painful one now floated on her face.

Shizuku sat in front of her.

She kneeled on the floor seiza-style.

Of course, sitting on the bed, Honoka's face was higher. Shizuku looked at the downcast, pained face of Honoka directly.

"Honoka."

"I know…"

Honoka tried to escape Shizuku's look by looking even more downwards.

"You're probably pitying me right now…"

With a trembling voice that threatened to turn into sobbing any minute, Honoka said so.

"Even though I'm completely fine."

"But, you’re making such a face."

"Eh…?"

Honoka lifted her head.

Shizuku's stare hadn't changed from the time she sat on the floor, it was still fixed on Honoka.

"Honoka, this entire week you wore such an expression."

"What kind of expression…?”

"A crestfallen one."

Honoka couldn't help but gape in shock. "It can't be…"

"Even worse than Shippou's."

Without holding anything back, Shizuku pointed that out.

"Everyone in your surroundings who’s looked at you has said the same."

"I don't want that! I don't want others to take pity on me!"

"It doesn't matter what Honoka thinks. They're thinking like that for their own good."

Shizuku, firmly grasped both of Honoka’s hands away from covering her eyes, and she stared straight into her eyes.

"They're showing sympathy because they pity you, but doing so, they can reassure themselves that they're not miserable."

"I'm… I'm not miserable!"

"Hmm."

Shizuku nodded at the words Honoka managed to squeeze out. Honoka matched Shizuku's gaze by her own volition.

"I know that Honoka isn't miserable. It's just that everyone else doesn't know that."

Shizuku had been looking at nothing but Honoka this entire time.

"They don't know about Honoka's determination. They don't know that Honoka is strong."

Honoka nodded with her eyes.

"That's because Honoka didn't show them that she wasn't miserable."

Shizuku released her hands and stood up. "Honoka."

This time, it was Shizuku who was looking from above. "Monday."

Honoka inhaled with a serious expression on her face. "Show me that there's no reason for anyone to pity you."

Without waiting for either a 'Yes' or a 'No' from Honoka, Shizuku left the room.

◊ ◊ ◊

Sunday, January 13th. Tatsuya was going to FLT. The CAD Development Center, in other words the Third Division, wasn't particularly different from usual despite today being a holiday.

Even though as its name suggests, this place is mainly about CAD Development, Tatsuya wasn't currently working on developing a CAD nor a software related to CADs.

He was working on his Stellar Furnace, the energy providing resource, the design for the model plant of non-military Magic usage.

The company wasn't aware that Tatsuya started making such a thing. Mainly because he didn't report about it. After all, Tatsuya wasn't exactly an employee of FLT, he was a researcher currently under contract. Meaning, aside from confidentiality clauses he had to respect, he had quite a bit of freedom.

Due to his position, Tatsuya benefitted from a private room at his disposition in the Third Division, so if he really wanted to do things secretly it was doable. Even Ushiyama, who is considered the second half of Taurus Silver, wasn't aware of it yet.

Nevertheless, the other members' attitudes never changed. "Ah, good morning Young Master."

"Young Master, good morning."

While heading towards his private room, many people greeted Tatsuya. They were already aware of his identity as a member of the Yotsuba Family. That was because Tatsuya had already gathered all of them and publicly made that revelation known earlier this year.

Still, their attitude didn't change and they addressed him as usual “Young Master”. It seems like positions in the Third Division attracted people who turned their backs on authority, so it's not surprising that learning he was part of the Yotsuba Family didn't trigger any reaction beyond the “What of it”. Thanks to that, he could concentrate on his plans for his own project.

The non-military Magic Usage Project (Extract both useful and harmful Substances from the Coastal Area of the Pacific using Electricity generated by the Stellar-generator), construction plan ‘ESCAPES’. It was the ‘means of escape’ for Magicians from their fate as living weapons.

At first, this Project was made as a means to ‘escape’ from the Yotsuba Family’s influence and provide him with the means of living afterwards. Even though his motives were now slightly different as a part of the head family of the Yotsuba, it didn't change the fact that it would be a large advancement for the non-military applications of magic. With the nuclear fusion reactor operated by magic, stable electricity and fuel can be produced. Moreover an important position in the industrial society can be secured just with the by-product of supplying mineral resources from the Sea. As a result, Magicians will be able to provide for themselves without being forced into the Military. That was the baseline thinking behind his project.

The current sources of electrical power were natural energy such as the heat from sunlight, the force of the wind, the biomass. ——As a result of increased reliance on such renewable energy, modern industries had become extremely dependent on weather conditions.

Of course, this was much preferable to a society dependent on fossil energy and nuclear fission energy. Especially for long-term development, it was crucial for mankind to actively protect the environment. However, it was undeniable that this provoked an unstable fuel delivery situation. The system behind orbital satellites equipped with photovoltaic solar panels was also one of the projects destined to lower this reliance on weather conditions for energy supply.

The rough outline of Tatsuya's Stellar Furnace was composed of four crucial points: The furnace itself produces Electricity. It then uses this electrical power and from its high temperatures creates hydrogen gas by electrolysis. Thus again using the electrical power of the furnace, fresh water is produced using reverse osmosis on sea water. The leftovers from the previous operation are thus highly concentrated sea water, in which useful resources as well as toxic substances can be extracted.

Although, Tatsuya's knowledge of industrial technology stayed at a High School Student level. It wouldn't do any good to not cooperate with specialists for matters other than the Stellar Furnace itself. Even though the manufacturing of hydrogen gas and collection of all usable resources in sea water could be done directly with Magic, the responsibilities of Magicians would be too consequent. Using Magicians as part of the engineering process itself would be mistaking the means for the end, moreover it wasn't what Tatsuya desired.

(The ones who should approach the non-Magic Community should be the Magic Community itself. It will be easier to find partners if the Yotsuba name is used, moreover the opposition from the Magic Association will be avoided. So the problem will lie in making concrete arrangements.)

The groundwork was already completed. The conceptual plans for the Stellar Furnace should be ready within 3 months, the baseline design could be expected within half a year. From then on, even Tatsuya had to admit that he would need cooperation.

(It might be a little too fast considering I'm still only a High School Student…)

He wouldn’t be able to find anyone willing to participate due to his young age. That was Tatsuya's greatest cause for concern at the moment.

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