Published at 26th of March 2019 2:11 am

Volume 18, Chapter 6

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

On February 5th, 2097 A.D., around 10.30 A.M., a large-scale bombing took place in a certain hotel in Hakone.

The targeted hotel was the venue selected for the Ten Master Clans Conference. At the time of the terrorist attack, the 18 Assistant Houses had already left the hotel premises. However, the Family Heads of the newly selected Ten Master Clans were still inside the building, discussing the problems faced by the Japanese Magic Community.

Tatsuya, Miyuki, Minami, Takuma, Kasumi, and Izumi had received the news during class and immediately headed out to the scene. Upon arriving, they could hear screams ringing throughout the neighborhood.

There were injured and dead people being carried out of the burnt hotel. Many of the injured were sitting by the street while being treated. There were intermittent roars from bombs left in the rubble that were just now exploding. The unexpected devastation was similar to the Yokohama Incident from the autumn of 2 years ago.

Tatsuya held Miyuki back by grasping her shoulder as she attempted to step towards the hotel.

"Onii-sama…?"

Miyuki looked back, and Tatsuya shook his head. "It's better to not interfere."

Tatsuya restrained Miyuki as she tried to extinguish the fire with her magic.

The fire was more or less extinguished already. It was still dangerous, since they didn't know how many explosives were left inside, but the firefighters on location were trained for this. Tatsuya thought it would be better to leave this to the experts, as the group wasn't familiar with this field.

"More importantly, we should try to locate Aunt-, no, Mother and the others."

Tatsuya almost said ‘Oba-ue', then he remembered that he was together with Takuma and the others. It was probably unnecessary to correct himself, but he was determined to avoid any situation that could bring any doubt to the ‘setting'.

"Over there."

Even when he was talking to Miyuki, Tatsuya kept looking around, and faster than Takuma and Izumi did, spotted the Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans.

Although seeing the Family Heads together as they currently were was quite intimidating, he was curious as to why they'd stick together in this situation. Tatsuya tilted his head and immediately saw the figure of a plain-clothed detective next to them.

"Otou-sama!"

Izumi broke out into a run while disregarding her surroundings. "Ah, wait a minute, Izumi!"

Kasumi also chased after her recklessly.

"That, is that a detective…?"

Even though they were all searching for their parents, Takuma seemed to be much calmer than the twins.

However, even he yielded to circumstances. "Onii-sama, what do you think about this?"

Apparently, the Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans were being questioned about the situation, so Miyuki asked Tatsuya what they should do. Minami was also looking at him expectantly.

"Let's keep an eye on Izumi and the others alone."

The six of them had left school early to rush over here. Given the situation, they didn't even have time to change out of their uniforms.

Due to this, with his apparent status of an upperclassman, he had an obligation to stop the freshman who were about to start a ruckus. Tatsuya conveyed 'no other choice' from his eyes to Miyuki and Minami as he walked to where Maya was standing.

"Why are Otou-sama and the others being interrogated by the police!? They're the victims here!"

Sure enough, Izumi was lashing out at the detective. Contrary to her usual lady-like behavior, she could bare her fangs at times like this. Although, in the eyes of the public, it might be perceived as youthful and impulsive.

(Even so… Why did no one stop Izumi?)

None of the Family Heads tried to restrain the loudly protesting Izumi, rather, everyone was just watching from the sidelines. At the very least, her father, Saegusa Kouichi, should have rebuked her. But he hadn't, and even with his meek expression, you could see he looked pretty amused with the laughter in his eyes.

The detective was only taken aback for a moment, but it seemed things would turn sour shortly if Izumi wasn't kept in check. In the end, it would unnecessarily lead to a worse situation —— for his Aunt —— for all of them. Since the adults had washed their hands of the matter, Tatsuya reluctantly took the role upon himself.

"Izumi, that's enough."

"Shiba-senpai, why did you stop me?"

Izumi shook Tatsuya's hand off her shoulder.

Using the force that was directed towards him, Tatsuya controlled Izumi's center of gravity.

Izumi resisted, but Tatsuya led her movement, as if they were dancing, to painlessly tear her attention away from the detective.

"Cool your head. The police are only doing their duty."

His words weren't intended for Izumi alone. They were also directed to restrain Kasumi and Takuma.

"If you're getting in his way, the questioning will only get longer. I'm sorry for the disturbance."

The second half of his sentence was directed to the plain-clothed detective. The strangely acquiescent words, which assumed the blame was Izumi's, were received with a nod from the detective.

Tatsuya pulled Izumi's hand, and hinted to Takuma and Izumi to leave the adults in order to let them settle their business first.

The Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans, excluding Maya, looked at him with great interest.

Kouichi and Gouki in particular gave him a very intriguing look.

Either the questioning had just started, or as Tatsuya said, it was prolonged for longer than expected. At this point, the Family Heads weren't just being questioned by the plain-clothed detective, but a crowd of police officers had surrounded them as well. It was as if they were suspects.

However, that was not important to Tatsuya.

For him, the most important thing was Maya's safety. If Maya were to die now, it would be inconvenient. As Miyuki has just been revealed as the Yotsuba Family's next Family Head, Tatsuya could no longer be hidden in anonymity behind the scenes.

While he could maintain his position, he had yet to form any stable footing. His only allies were the personnel of the FLT Third Division, Ushiyama and company. Neither Kazama nor Yakumo would want to interfere when it's disadvantageous for them. They couldn't exactly be called ‘Sponsors'.

Maya can be said to be one of the most powerful Magicians in the world. It wasn't a bluff. There was almost no one who could beat her in magic combat. There were no Magicians who wouldn't be harmed by ‘Meteor Shower', even Tatsuya was no exception.

Tatsuya's ‘Decomposition' Magic had good chemistry against Maya's ‘Meteor Shower'. However, Maya's initiation speed was also top-notch, matching her magic power, and she was also able to wield her power with versatility. These were deficits Tatsuya couldn't compensate for. Maya also possessed magic besides just ‘Meteor Shower'. And Tatsuya wouldn't always get the initiative, either. If Maya's ‘Meteor Shower' were to be activated before his ‘Decomposition', even Tatsuya wouldn't escape unscathed. He was only able to emerge victorious thus far due to ‘Regrowth', and as long as Maya didn't possess that power, she probably wouldn't be able to win against Tatsuya. Once ‘Meteor Shower' was invoked, even the strongest defense magic like ‘Phalanx' from the Juumonji Family wouldn't be able to withstand it.

However, that was only in terms of magic combat strength. Maya's body was only on par with that of a normal human. She had never undergone any special training to maintain her beauty or health, just like any other weak woman. If she were to get cut, she would bleed like anyone else.

No matter how skillful someone was as a Magician, it was impossible to continuously maintain a personal barrier. Continuous defense-type magic hadn't been properly implemented yet, and it was far from practical use. In fact, calling it experimental would be appropriate. For Yotsuba Maya, even a single bullet could threaten her life.

Tatsuya had prepared himself to use ‘Regrowth' in front of public eyes when he had rushed here, but for the time being, he had confirmed Maya's safety. ‘Seems like it'd take some time to be able to talk to her —

—though there's nothing in particular to be said —— should I go back to school?' Tatsuya was pondering when suddenly a red uniform came into view.

"Ichijou."

It was quite a loud voice, but not loud enough to be called raucous. However, Masaki reacted to Tatsuya's tone rather firmly.

"Shiba."

He must have been looking for his father, Gouki. Masaki rapidly took in his surroundings while walking up to Tatsuya.

"Shiba-san, you're here as well."

Gazing at Miyuki who stood beside Tatsuya, Masaki changed his expression; it was a complex mix between disappointment and joy.

Miyuki linked her arm to Tatsuya's —— or not. They weren't even in close contact.

Rather the gap between Tatsuya and Miyuki had spread even further. However, Masaki perceived that being due to the fact that they had suddenly went from siblings to lovers.

"Yes, this has become quite a problem."

Masaki's emotions weren't hard to read, even for Miyuki. Proposing an engagement towards someone who just announced their own engagement, even if it was out of sheer passion… Masaki's smiling face had a complex, yet easy to understand expression on it.

To be honest, Miyuki was just being timid to keep Masaki from feeling awkward. The Ichijou Family denying her engagement to Tatsuya didn't change her status as Tatsuya's fiancée. Even with that in mind, she still felt miserable when she came to understand her wish might not come true; it was a highly unpleasant feeling.

That being the case, Miyuki wasn't so immature as to make Masaki uncomfortable. Additionally, even though she was unhappy with Masaki's actions, she didn't have any aversion to him as a person. As such, putting on an amiable smile was an easy task to accomplish for her.

Although, it was probably a good idea for Masaki to give up as soon as possible. ——To be honest, even Miyuki desired for him to give up on her as soon as possible.

"Yeah… for the Head of each house to be gathered here…"

Masaki's mood brightened from seeing Miyuki smile at him. "Yes. The police seem to be questioning them."

"Questioning!? Excuse me. I'm going over first."

Fortunately, his judgement wasn't impaired too much by the unfolding events. As if realizing the impending crisis that the questioning of the

Heads of the Ten Master Clans could create, Masaki regained his original purpose of going to his father's side.

On the other hand, Katsuto came out of the swarm of policemen. He was released early due to consideration of his age as a minor. (In the past, an adult was anyone over 18, but it was reinstated to 20 again. Reduction of the 'of age' limit was required in order to mass mobilize young soldiers during wartime, it was done all around the world. The adult age standard was even reduced to 16 at one point, before being raised to 25 at its extreme.)

Katsuto walked straight over to Tatsuya and company. It seemed like he had seen what Izumi had done just now.

"Shiba."

Since there was no follow up on his words, there was no mistake of whom he had just called. At the very least, Tatsuya thought that Katsuto wouldn't be shameless enough to call Miyuki without the proper honorific.

"Has the police interrogation been completed, Juumonji-senpai?"

Tatsuya directed his attention to Katsuto. Currently, they were standing in front of each other as a Senpai-Kouhai from school, not as members of the Ten Master Clans.

"No, I was thinking of updating you guys on the situation."

Katsuto seemed to take the bait, and the awkwardness in his attitude disappeared.

Katsuto looked around Tatsuya's companions. He knew about Kasumi and Izumi since way back. It was his first meeting with Takuma and Minami, or at least, they had never gotten a proper chance to have a conversation.

"Are you perhaps, Shippou-dono?" Katsuto spoke to Takuma.

"Yes, I'm Shippou Takuma. Nice to meet you Juumonji-san."

In contrast to Tatsuya, he greeted Katsuto as a member of the Ten Master Clans rather than as a Kouhai from First High. Although there was a difference between their status as a Family Head and the son of a Family Head, since they were standing as members of the Ten Master Clans, they were of equal footing.

"I'm Juumonji Katsuto. Pleased to meet you."

"I as well, nice to meet you, too."

However, even with the equal footing, and without the Senpai-Kouhai formality, Takuma did not make any cheeky gestures, even with his mouth, in their first meeting.

"This girl is Sakurai Minami, a Year 1 student who has been living with us."

Provided the chance, Tatsuya introduced Minami to Katsuto. She politely bowed to Katsuto, and he seemed to have come to the realization that Minami's identity was, to some extent, like that of a Servant of the Yotsuba Family. After responding briefly to Minami, Katsuto returned to his point.

"You guys came here after receiving the disaster notification, didn't you? As you can see, Yotsuba-dono, Saegusa-dono, and Shippou-dono are safe. There are no injuries whatsoever."

The notification he referred to was an email in their mobile information terminals, which stated that his immediate family and acquaintances had encountered a disaster. Mobile information terminals gathered and relayed a lot of helpful information, such as reporting a fire and earthquake alarm in close proximity to the attendees, it had a radio service to inform the recipients of the notification of the recorded destination, and included a life log which monitored the owner's state in three stages; 'safe, danger', and 'death'. This information was supplied alongside local government information emails.

However, the notification was sent right as the disaster occurred, so there was no way to get an update to the situation unless the transmission was set to be continuous. Masaki, and even Tatsuya, were rushing because of that.

"Seems so. By the way, Senpai, do you mind telling us what exactly happened?"

"Hmm… If the others were here it would be easier to explain, but…"

After hearing Katsuto's words, Tatsuya looked around. Members of the Yotsuba Family could be seen furtively mingling amongst the people as to not stand out, and the Butler Hanabishi who was in charge of the unit was seen spreading his members among the crowd. ——Unfortunately, there was no hint of any suicide bomber to be found.

"Please."

Tatsuya lowered his head, conveying a heartfelt message that he didn't mind even the smallest bits of information. Katsuto nodded and gave a brief account of what happened.

"To be honest, we don't know the details either."

During the meeting, they were attacked by a suicide bomber and went to the roof seeking refuge. Katsuto also mentioned that the suicide bomber had used animated corpses for the attack.

"At this point in time, it's not yet determined that we were the target. Although I believe that there's a high chance that the meeting was targeted, it seems to be inconclusive, even for the police."

"Excuse me, Katsuto-san. No, Juumonji-senpai."

After calling Katsuto by name, Kasumi hurriedly corrected herself to address him as a Senpai. Since her sister knew of Katsuto even before during High School, she recognized him more as her sister's friend instead of as a Senpai from the same High School. ——Kasumi and Izumi probably felt uneasy to call him ‘Katsuto-san' while her sister always called him ‘Juumonji-kun'.

"Kasumi, what is it?"

Likewise, Katsuto felt the same.

"What did the police ask my fath-… no, what are they asking everyone?"

"We were asked to explain since we were at the scene and had witnessed it unfold from the start."

"Then, Otou-sama and the rest aren't under suspicion of being criminals?"

Izumi, who was standing next to Kasumi, had a tense vibe about her. The twins were showing a normal reaction, but Tatsuya and Miyuki were surprised that Izumi seemed to be earnestly worried about her father.

Due to that, Katsuto's eyes had a flicker of hesitation when Kasumi stared at him.

"They're not suspected of any conspiracy. Even so, the police doubt that conflict between magicians could lead to suicide bombing."

Still, he didn't try to dodge Kasumi's question.

"That's…"

While a stunned utterance escaped her mouth, Izumi's hand clenched tightly.

Unreasonable, she was definitely thinking so.

It wasn't just thought by Izumi. Takuma, who had been quietly listening in anger, had also balled his hand into a fist.

"They seem to think like the Anti-Magician faction."

While Tatsuya was famous due to his reputation for controlling his emotions, he couldn't help but vocalize such an ironic observation.

"Onii-sama, could there be officers present that support the ‘Humanists'…?"

Miyuki's words made the faces of the group become sour.

"No, that's not it. If there were any, this interrogation would be much more flagrant."

Tatsuya recalled the relentless interrogation he got from the police in Arashiyama, Kyoto after he fought the Traditionalist Magicians manipulated by Zhou, who detested the Ten Master Clans. He denied Miyuki's concern.

The freshmen seemed visibly relieved by his confirmation. Katsuto lifted his eyebrow, letting out a surprised expression through his eyes.

"Shiba, aren't the two of you cousins, not siblings?"

Before Miyuki got upset, Tatsuya answered that question with a laugh.

"Ah, Miyuki's ‘Onii-sama' is it? Since we'd regarded each other as siblings until recently… as expected, it's hard to immediately adjust."

"I see. Fair enough."

Katsuto's doubt dissipated. This showed that Tatsuya's response was just too natural, rather than Katsuto being gullible. There was no trace of guilt at all, and his act seemed genuine.

"Huh, Aniki?"

Just at that moment, almost too conveniently, Katsuto's attention was taken by Kasumi's loud voice.

"Tomokazu-san, is it?"

Noticing the young man who was waving to Kasumi and Izumi, Katsuto muttered the name of the young man.

"Shiba, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

"No. There's nothing."

"How about you, Shippou?"

"Likewise, I don't have any more questions."

After confirming with Tatsuya and Takuma, Katsuto nodded.

"Then, I'll be excusing myself."

Katsuto proceeded to walk in the direction of the young man. "Miyuki-senpai, Shiba-senpai."

Immediately, Izumi turned to Tatsuya and spoke.

"It seems like our brother is also waiting, so we'll excuse ourselves. I think we'll be going back with him as well, so don't mind us."

"Shiba-senpai, President, please excuse us. Sakurai-san, you as well."

Subsequently, Kasumi bowed to Tatsuya and followed her twin, waving to Minami as well. The twins went after Tomokazu, the young man whom Katsuto was approaching.

"Onii-sama, that man is related to Izumi-chan and Kasumi?"

Miyuki, upon seeing Tomokazu's back, immediately sought confirmation to Tatsuya.

"Yes. Saegusa Tomokazu-san. The Saegusa Family's eldest son. Izumi and Kasumi's step-brother."

"I see…"

The reason for Miyuki's curiosity was due to the fact that Kasumi called him ‘Aniki' and Izumi referred to him as ‘Ani', and there was no distance felt whatsoever.

"By the way, Onii-sama, about our earlier conversation."

"Ah, the police have yet to be filled with anti-magic ideologies, it seems to be that way. Also, from the way they were talking just now, it seems like a needless concern."

Tatsuya answered so, anticipating Miyuki's question.

"Rather, that was rather lenient of him to say considering the situation." Adding a sigh to his sentence.

"…Not only anti-magic principles, the police haven't been corrupted with any polluted ideologies. Either of those would be a big problem, no?"

Miyuki gazed towards Tatsuya with a puzzled look as he smiled.

"If there were some officers that had subscribed to the anti-magic ideology, that would be enough to depose them."

Tatsuya explained with a serious look, minding the future possibilities ahead of them.

"At any rate, we don't need to do anything for now. If it's information we want, we can always get it from the police."

"It might seem impossible, but… if the police, as an organization, is taken over by the anti-magician ideology… what are we going to do?"

"It's highly unlikely."

Tatsuya, with a bitter expression, shook his head at Miyuki's question.

"As long as the enemy doesn't develop a method to stand against magic, the magic police are already on standby. Hence, the government would make its move before anything too serious happened, but…"

"Is there any chance that it wouldn't end so favorably?"

The way Miyuki asked Tatsuya did not hide any of the anxiety in her voice.

"Even though there doesn't seem to be a detective here, this terrorist attack is actually being handled well. Most likely due to the Ten Master Clans being involved, they're following up on the matter."

Tatsuya didn't directly answer Miyuki, instead he took a step back to look at the root of the problem instead.

"If an unbiased detective came to a conclusion, there's a high chance the general public would agree with him."

Tatsuya fixed his eyes on Maya.

The Heads of Ten Master Clans were still surrounded by the police.

"Depending on how the media publicized this attack, the reaction could vary greatly. Unfortunately, they'll probably go with 'magicians caused civilian casualties' and the like…"

Tatsuya diverted his gaze to the group of people who were injured. Some were being transferred to the ambulance with serious injuries, and there were only ten people left. Even in such a situation, the number of fatalities hadn't reached double digits. This result could be considered miraculous.

"Even though the terrorist would take full blame for this attack, there would still be a lot of people like myself who would think that 'Magicians caused this, and they have a responsibility for reparations', and inevitably would be convinced this was the truth."

"But, we, Magicians, are also Japanese citizens like them, aren't we…" Miyuki showed a glimpse of sadness in her eyes.

"However,"

Even so, she didn't look away. Although Miyuki appeared to be fragile, she wasn't timid.

"The media is not always hostile to Magicians. Last April, despite the small number, there was a campaign to acknowledge the rights of Magicians."

As Miyuki said, there was such a campaign discussed in the news last April, to counter the arguments of the media's hostility against magicians.

However, this time, the situation is different. The number of casualties are higher, and the damage was more severe.

"You're right. Even the Ten Master Clans won't be able to sit still now."

Yet, Tatsuya didn't say anything that would increase Miyuki's anxiety. Whether or not he was pessimistic or optimistic about the future, things that are bound to happen will happen anyway. As of now, neither

Miyuki or Tatsuya could do anything. Due to this, Tatsuya refrained from saying anything that could worsen the atmosphere.

"More importantly, we've made sure that Haha-ue is alright, so let's go back to school."

He already confirmed the situation from Katsuto's explanation, and staying longer there wouldn't change things. This situation was better left to the police. Trusting Tatsuya's judgement, Miyuki replied ‘yes, Onii-sama', and Minami also bowed in agreement, following them silently.

"How about you, Shippou?"

"I… will stay here a little longer."

Takuma answered so, when Tatsuya asked him. "I see."

Tatsuya didn't oppose his decision. He wasn't responsible for taking care of Takuma, and their relationship wasn't that close either. Tatsuya urged Miyuki and Minami to leave the area.

"Umm, Shiba-senpai."

From behind, Takuma's voice could be heard to have hesitation in it. "What?"

"About our earlier conversation… No, nevermind."

Takuma retracted his words.

It was clear that Takuma was doubting him, but Tatsuya kept his face with ‘I see' expression and turned his back against Takuma.

◊ ◊ ◊

The hotel was burnt down, with many injured and many dead.

The ghastly mastermind behind this terrorist attack was observing the aftermath from a house located 9km east of Odawara.

A suicide bombing was the perfect tool for Jiedo Heigu. It inflicted major damage while keeping losses to a minimum.

The explosives didn't get caught by the detectors which had been pre- installed in the city, which was to be expected from a weapon deemed obsolete by the USNA Army. The shields hadn't been activated either since the explosive detectors didn't go off.

Even his corpse puppets which were manipulated with 'Zombification' didn't get discovered by the sensors. His dolls got into the hotel unimpeded.

The security measures in the city were flawed to a laughable degree. In his evaluation, the city he had until recently lived in while in the USNA had much tighter security. He had a sense of self-satisfaction when he thought of this.

Even the Ten Master Clans had been unable to injure him, which had been according to plan. He had expected to be able to escape without a scratch instead of triggering something short of a full war, military infantry and all.

As expected, the Ten Master Clans had only defended themselves, selfishly protecting themselves at the expense of others. If they had used their magic to protect everyone else, the injured count might been curbed at 20 people, and the outcome of 50 he achieved wouldn't have been possible.

They ended up as collateral damage due to the Ten Master Clans. This was the message Jiedo Heigu wanted to spread to the Japanese.

The Ten Master Clans would abandon ordinary citizens if it was to save themselves.

You, the Japanese, would be killed because of the Ten Master Clans.

The Ten Master Clans, the Yotsuba, I will take away your place in Japan the same way you took mine.

My homeland, where I belonged was Dahan…

Jiedo Heigu smiled in the darkness of his silhouette as he stood up. Strewn about his feet were the owner of the house and his family, laying on the floor lifelessly.

◊ ◊ ◊

STARS No. 2, Benjamin Canopus, was currently in a room inside the USNA Embassy. He was staring at the screen relaying the scene of the terrorist attack at Hakone.

His smart and fearless face was colored with a bitter expression. Although they were of different countries, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the civilians who fell victim to terrorism.

As an austere soldier, Canopus believed that military personnel who protected non-combatants and complied with the classic laws of war should be full of pride. STARS missions, however, often required him to operate covertly and break these laws he respected. He was constantly struggling with this inner conflict, and that's why he decided to forgo any involvement with civilians which could affect his heart.

He would have stopped Heigu's attack if it was possible. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to reveal the embarrassing weaponry theft to Japan, and in turn this caused Japan to be unprepared for the terrorist attack. This resulted in the unnecessary loss of Japanese civilian's lives.

Since he was not allowed to inform them, he was also ordered to not cooperate with Japan's military or police to further ensure the weapon theft remained a secret.

He had received a kill order for Heigu, and he needed to keep a low profile while doing so, to prevent any intel leakage to the Japanese authorities. Luring out Heigu to the high seas and eliminating him there was the best possible outcome, or so he was told.

Canopus had a 'soldier to the bones' kind of mentality, but he understood that a command must be obeyed. The moment military personnel deviate from a given order, they would be deemed an outlaw, guilty of insubordination.

It was a smarter choice to follow his orders from the military, lest he be branded a fugitive.

◊ ◊ ◊

Eventually, the Heads of the Ten Master Clans were released by the police, and they travelled back to the Kantō Branch Magic Association Building in the helicopter that Masaki was riding. Of course, Katsuto was together with them, as well as the ones who were expected to be with them. This included Kasumi, Izumi, their brother, Kouichi's first son, Tomokazu, and Takuma.

When they arrived at the Magic Association, the Heads of the Ten Master Clans went to a conference room, while Masaki, Kasumi, Izumi, Tomokazu, and Takuma were waiting in a separate room in the building. Despite the fact that it was a sudden announcement, the Magic Association managed to arrange a round table for the Heads of the Ten Master Clans to sit at. They looked at each other's faces, before the eldest of them broke the silence.

"Let's stop wasting time with meaningless prelude. Everybody please voice out ideas, if you have any, on how to deal with this emergency."

Futatsugi Mai, who was the focus of the other nine, stared back at each of them one by one.

After a glance around the table, she held her gaze on Kouichi who was sitting directly across from her.

"It will be difficult to control the mass media."

Kouichi, who had the most influence in the media industry, said that with a gloomy face.

"As of now, there are 16 casualties, but that number might soar above a couple dozen. Just the number of casualties is more than enough to throw the public opinion into a frenzy."

"Even so, it doesn't mean that we can afford to do nothing."

From his seat, Itsuwa Isami stated his opinion. His voice, however, did not carry any strength.

"No, it's probably best to wait for now. An overly controlled public opinion might backfire if done hastily. It might even carry heavier consequences for us."

Mitsuya Gen cast his opinion reluctantly.

"That's right. In the first place, we are also victims, and there's nothing we have done that requires justification. If we react rashly now, there's no guarantee that we wouldn't hurt ourselves."

Yatsushiro Raizou consented.

"However, standing still without taking any action also wouldn't be a wise decision. This isn't our only problem. The whole population of Magicians is also under scrutiny."

"I agree with Ichijou-dono. We shouldn't overdo our counter-measure, but we definitely cannot stay still. If we do not resist, we will end up being cornered by our enemy."

Gouki and Mutsuzuka Atsuko insisted that they should take aggressive measures. The meeting had barely started, but the mood had started to break down early on. Mai furrowed her eyebrows in concern, and she urged those who had yet to comment to join the discussion.

"Juumonji-dono, how about you? Please don't hold back, and feel free to speak your mind."

Katsuto lowered his head to the others before he started to talk.

"It's probably impossible to try to control the mass media. I agree with Saegusa-dono on that."

Unexpectedly, he started with such a flat statement. "Then, is it better for us to do nothing?"

Interestingly enough, Raizou showed a rather surprised expression. "No."

Katsuto focused his eyes at Raizou, without even moving his neck.

"Let's not resort to such tricks, I believe we should openly declare our position. Particularly, in condemning the terrorist attacks against the Magic Association."

"I see."

Raizou nodded, he was clearly caught unprepared. He was so focused on what was in his hand that he had overlooked the straightforward approach.

"I believe that Juumonji-dono's suggestion is the most realistic countermeasure we can take as of this moment."

Shippou Takumi gave consent to Katsuto's proposal.

"Ah, I also think that making a statement through the Magic Association is a good solution."

Raizou said so while slightly raising his hand.

"Yatsushiro-dono, isn't that only an excuse to escape from giving your idea?"

Atsuko brewed some tea.

The unscrupulous Gouki frowned at the remark, yet the object of the remark, Raizou, was laughing in a carefree manner.

"Yotsuba-dono, what do you say."

As a gesture of goodwill to Raizou, and to divert the attention from himself, Atsuko swiftly directed a question to Maya.

Maya, rather than focusing on answering Atsuko, opened her mouth towards Kouichi who was sitting by her side.

"I don't think we have much choice here. Am I right, Saegusa-dono?"

"That's true."

Kouichi nodded with a straight face towards Maya's statement, even though it sounded like a provocation.

"So, we will put out a statement via the Magic Association that condemns this attack, and we will also state our intent to fully cooperate in catching the perpetrator."

After he made sure that nobody was against his statement, Kouichi opened his mouth again.

"Of course, this will involve control of the mass media."

"However, didn't you say yourself that exerting such control would be difficult, Saegusa-dono?"

Being reminded by Gen about what he said, Kouichi nodded and faked a smile.

"Yes, we will be unable to do anything about those who claim the responsibility is purely on us Magicians, but we can't afford being passive about this. In the end, the bad guys are the terrorists, and I believe continually inducing this impression while controlling the media is the optimal solution."

Gen didn't give any reply to Kouichi.

"I wonder if things would go so smoothly. Once public opinion goes against Magicians, it won't be easy to overturn it."

"The hostile atmosphere towards Magicians has existed for a long time. However, by diverting attention to the terrorist, we can at least ease the increasing negative opinion towards Magicians. If we also cooperate in catching the criminal, the terrorist becomes the scapegoat, and the hostility aimed at us for this incident should vanish."

"Capturing the terrorist with our own hands? Wouldn't that impose a greater risk for us?"

Gouki interrupted the discussion between Kouichi and Gen.

"In order for us, the Heads of the Ten Master Clans to move, we need military approval. Although that's only a verbal agreement and not a written rule, we should not disregard the procedures that have been given to us in order to maintain a relationship with the government."

"Ichijou-dono, you do know that such a permit from the military has a very low chance of being accepted, right?"

Gouki shook his head in reply to Kouichi's question. He also implied ‘that's not all'.

"If we allow for a second and third attack to be carried out during our search, the public opinion of the Ten Master Clans, no, of Magicians will suffer even more."

"However, that doesn't mean we'll just idly sit around while the terrorist attacks us."

Maya's intervention, was met with surprises. Since she directly replied to Gouki, with her eyes fixed on him.

"In order to catch the criminal, and to prevent a copycat attack, I think we must dispose of our mask and mobilize our strength. The Ten Master Clans have the power to catch the criminal."

If this statement hadn't been made by Maya, who openly supported Kouichi, people might have had an easier time accepting it.

"However, I can understand Ichijou-dono's concern."

"…What do you mean?"

Gouki wasn't the only one who stared at Maya with a puzzled look. Kouichi also reflected a quizzical expression towards Maya in his eyes.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to be directly involved in the search of this attacker. Although letting the perpetrator remain at large is a problem in itself, I still think it's a necessity for us to be on the lookout for another terrorist attack for now."

"So we should focus on preventing another attack from being carried out?"

Maya nodded, to answer Mai's question.

"Then, should we assign someone to keep an eye out for the terrorist?"

Atsuko's question wasn't meant for only Maya, but also towards the other members who were in the meeting.

"I'm sending Tatsuya from my family."

Maya, however, seemed to misunderstand the question as something aimed at the Yotsuba Family.

"Let's give the responsibility to Masaki."

As if to compete, Gouki quickly threw in Masaki's name. "Yotsuba-dono, Ichijou-dono, please wait a minute."

However, in exchange of the nominations from their own families, Mai seemed to be unsatisfied.

"The nominees you have both put forward are still in high school. To be on the lookout for a hidden criminal will take a lot of time and effort. Even if they are a part of the Ten Master Clans, ultimately, they're still students. I don't think it's wise to sacrifice their academics for this matter."

Gouki's hot-bloodedness was rebutted by the common sense that came from Mai.

"It's heartwarming to hear your concern, Futatsugi-dono. However, you need not worry."

However, Maya returned a calm smile to Mai.

"You are correct in saying that locating a terrorist and his colleagues may take a long time, but if Tatsuya receives backup from the Yotsuba family, he won't even need a month to remove the terrorists. That wouldn't be enough to disrupt his schooling."

She replied with a strong degree of confidence, as if she could foresee the future. Mai was taken aback by Maya's statement.

"…But still."

However, the opponent was someone from the Ten Master Clans as well. Mai was not so easily trusting what Maya said.

"The fact that Tatsuya-dono is still a high school student is undeniable. No matter the degree to which your family supports him, chasing a terrorist isn't a good idea, right?"

Maya replied to Mai's statement with a slight smile as if seemingly saying, "Well, you're too late."

The terrorist attack that had happened a year ago, in April of 2095, had been covered up well till now. The information had been released to the Ten Master Clans, previously.

They still had no hints about Tatsuya's magic, but it was clear to them that Tatsuya and Katsuto were the ones who defeated the criminals. The record of events that transpired was held by the Juumonji Family, and was given to the Ten Master Clans once the Yotsuba Family announced that Tatsuya was a member of their family.

Although the assassination of the ringleader of No Head Dragon was kept a secret, Tatsuya's involvement in the Yokohama Incident at the International Conference Center was already out of the bag. There was also the Parasite Incident which had been uncovered. Maya even spoke about the matter of Zhou Gongjin last fall. It was plain to see Tatsuya being a high school student hadn't stopped his participation in other dangerous events.

"Shall my eldest son, Tomokazu, lead the operation against the terrorists?"

The one who suddenly threw in his idea into the stalled atmosphere was Kouichi.

"My eldest has already completed his education, and his work hours can be adjusted. We can start looking around Hakone for preliminary clues left by the terrorist. The Kantō-Izu region is, after all, under the jurisdiction of the Saegusa Family."

Kouichi glanced around the table to see the others' reactions.

"If you cannot believe me after my involvement with Zhou Gongjin, Juumonji-dono, you are welcome to take the lead, while Tomokazu can assist you."

Everyone's expressions showed puzzlement, unable to comprehend what Kouichi wanted to achieve with this.

"…Are you, perhaps, trying to pay for your mistake?"

Mai had eye contact with Maya, as well as Gen, to see if they had figured out what Kouichi meant.

Kouichi meekly nodded.

"Of course I don't expect to regain your trust with only this much, but I would like to think that this is the first step to do so."

"Isn't that a fine idea."

Maya looked at Kouichi, and showed her support for him.

"After all, Kantō is Saegusa-dono's and Juumonji-dono's territory. If Saegusa-dono has decided to move, then I will be happy enough to leave it to you."

Maya said so while smiling at Mai.

"If everyone agrees with this plan, then I will take the responsibility upon myself."

The one who responded to that smile was not Mai, but Katsuto.

"If you need any form of help from Tatsuya, please don't hold back."

"Likewise. Regardless of the form, if you ever need a hand from Ichijou- dono, we'll be there."

"Of course, I will not spare any resource. You can also mobilize Masaki as you like."

Lowering his head to Gouki and Maya, Katsuto turned to Kouichi.

"Saegusa-dono. Formally, I will be responsible, however, I plan to leave command to Tomokazu-dono."

"Thank you very much."

Kouichi carefully bowed to Katsuto who is young enough to be his own child.

"However."

But, Katsuto's sentence had yet to end.

"The Yotsuba Family's Tatsuya-dono and the Ichijou Family's Masaki will cooperate under my command."

Kouichi narrowed his eyes sharply for an instant. Nobody noticed this though, as he was wearing his sunglasses even though he was indoors.

"I do not comprehend your reason, but I do not mind it." Kouichi nodded towards Katsuto.

This time, Katsuto bowed calmly at Kouichi.

"Then, concluding this discussion, we will deliver a message via the Magic Association that condemns the terrorist attack. We will also assign Juumonji-dono and Saegusa-dono to cooperate in apprehending the terrorist."

Mai reconfirmed the conclusion of the discussion to the others. Even so, Raizou quickly interrupted.

"I'm not against any of that, but I wonder if their base is even in Japan at all."

He decided to point out that the corpse manipulation technique was foreign,

"Unmistakably." Gouki denied flatly.

"The corpse manipulation technique is not one that can be programmed beforehand to activate later on. At the very least, in order to control that many corpses to such a degree, someone nearby must be controlling them."

"How close would that be?"

Gouki stopped to think for a while before answering Isami.

"Depending on the Magician's skill, the furthest would be 10 kilometers."

Then, he added on.

"We should assume the Magician in question does not have a very high degree of skill."

"We can't help but hope that's the case, can we?" From his side, Katsuto stated so plainly.

"If our opponent is really that skilled, we probably wouldn't be able to capture him anyway."

"That's right. I think it's better to form a general strategy to capture him." Raizou expressed his support to Mai's plan about forming a strategy.

As if a trigger was pulled, the others were voicing out their support one after another.

◊ ◊ ◊

After the meeting concluded, the unscheduled conference room was emptied.

Each of the Family Heads went home immediately. They needed to strengthen their vigilance in their own regions in order to prevent another terrorist attack.

Even though they were 'in charge' of the region, it wasn't as if the Ichijou Family, whose stronghold was in the Hokuriku-San'in, could perform a thorough monitoring. They couldn't prevent any high-level magic crime happening in the Tōhoku Region either. The Ten Master Clans, in their respective regions, have their own worries to deal with regarding the aftermath of the attack.

The ones who were responsible for preventing terrorist attacks were the police, while the Ten Master Clans were only supposed to cooperate. However, in order to ensure proper cooperation, the role of the Family Head was indispensable. ——As for the Yotsuba Family, even when the help they could provide was unknown, it would be a pain to actually mobilize without the Family Head coordinating it.

Due to that reason, each Family Head was rushing back to their own homes.

Not even Ichijou Gouki and Masaki were exempt, as they were rushing back to Kanazawa on a helicopter.

"Masaki."

After taking off from the Magic Association heliport, they went North- West, and Gouki started a conversation with his son.

"Yes."

From his tone, Masaki understood that he was talking as a Family Head, and not in a parent-child relationship, thus, Masaki replied formally.

"The meeting we just concluded was regarding how we will handle the terrorist attack."

"Yes."

"The Ten Master Clans will issue a statement condemning this act of terrorism, and we will also be searching for the mastermind. Juumonji- dono has been put in charge, and Saegusa's eldest son, Saegusa Tomokazu-dono will be assisting him."

"What will the Ichijou Family's role be?"

"The Ten Master Clans is led by Juumonji-dono to prevent another terrorist attack. Masaki, you'll be assisting Juumonji-dono in this."

"Yes."

Masaki straightened his back and answered. His face was filled with excitement instead of nervousness. For Masaki, the role of catching the terrorist mastermind was an honorable one.

"Of course, you'll need to take a little time off from school, this includes the upcoming public holiday. I will settle this with the principal."

"Understood."

Masaki had quite an attachment to his school life. The truth was, he didn't want to take time off. However, his responsibility towards the Ten Master Clans weighed greater on him.

Masaki's face was already stiff, but it froze as soon as he heard Gouki's next words.

"Shiba Tatsuya of the Yotsuba Family will join the group under Juumonji-dono. Masaki, make me proud."

"Yes."

Masaki nodded with a strong fighting spirit.

◊ ◊ ◊

The events of February 5th, 2097 were coming to an end.

After rushing to the site of the terrorist attack, Tatsuya and Miyuki (and Minami), were taking a break at home.

Tatsuya was relieved that Maya was safe, but tomorrow's criticism would be harsher than ever. Yet, he couldn't deny that it was driven by the mood of the people.

He also felt an average amount of anger towards the terrorist.

Tatsuya also learned how to show condolence towards the victims and survivors.

His true relief came from the fact that Miyuki was not targeted this time.

Regarding this incident, Tatsuya had no desire to be involved. As expected from him, so long as Miyuki was not in harm's way, he would be content. Also, the worries he had for Maya were from considering Miyuki's feelings.

Lower on his priority list was First High. If it ever got attacked though, even Tatsuya may not be able to ignore it.

Apart from things like that though, such as the attack targeting the Master Clans Conference, Tatsuya had no reason to voluntarily move.

Well, as long as he was not ordered to.

To keep the thoughts about the terrorist out of his mind, Tatsuya taught Miyuki the challenges of magic science application in her room. Before long, he was interrupted by the sound of the telephone. However, before Miyuki could pick up the phone, the 'answer' button changed. Either Minami had picked up the phone, or the current call wasn't intended for Miyuki. It could also have been the contact number for the house being changed.

Just as Tatsuya moved his attention away from the phone, it rang again. This time it was the sound of a forwarded call.

"Yes."

Miyuki pressed the receiver button and talked through the mic.

"Miyuki-sama, the Family Head wants to talk to Tatsuya-sama." Minami said so from the other end.

"Understood. We'll go to the living room."

After giving instructions to Minami, Tatsuya rose and proceeded to the living room without any hint of surprise on his face. Miyuki followed right behind him.

"Sorry to make you wait, Oba-ue."

Tatsuya immediately bowed while saying so in front of the screen, even with Minami in the room. In front of others, Tatsuya might have needed to address Maya as ‘Haha-ue', but if he was with an insider, then he'd call her ‘Oba-ue'. He had noted that Minami hadn't announced to anyone that Tatsuya and Maya are not parent and child, but rather aunt and nephew. However, since it was a secret from everyone else, it was better not to say too much.

"I, too, am sorry for calling at such a late hour."

"No, I was still in the middle of studying."

Against Tatsuya's honest answer, Maya was laughing. "Even Tatsuya-san needs to study, huh."

It was not a fake laugh. Maya seemed to be earnestly happy.

"Despite what I do, I'm still a high school student, so I can't neglect my studies."

Tatsuya answered seriously, hinting to Maya that she should get to the point.

"…Certainly, as a student, your first priority should be studying. It's a pity that I can't let you be devoted to such an activity."

Maya changed her expression from laughing happily to a smirk from the other side of the screen, as Tatsuya observed.

Tatsuya automatically straightened up, prepared to listen to her order.

"Tatsuya-san, I need you to arrest the mastermind of today's terrorist attack."

"Arrest? Not to kill?"

"Ah, the way I phrased myself wasn't very clear. The terrorist's life doesn't matter. Find him, and make him harmless."

"Understood, Oba-ue."

Tatsuya immediately bowed. He didn't give a military salute as he was facing a civilian. He replied with ‘understood', instead of ‘mission accepted', but as expected, the influence of the Independent Magic Battalion was visible.

In the first place, even if he had given a military salute, Maya wouldn't have cared.

"It was the Master Clans Conference's conclusion. The leader will be Juumonji-dono, but the main force will come from the Saegusa Family."

"Then, am I also going to be under command of the Saegusa Family?"

"No. Juumonji-dono has requested that Tatsuya-san is to cooperate directly with him."

Maya casually dropped a bombshell.

"When I say Juumonji-dono, I am talking about Katsuto-san. He has become the new head as of the Master Clans Conference."

However, it didn't seem to detonate as expected. "I see."

"Oh dear, you don't seem to be surprised."

"The Independent Magic Battalion had heard two years ago that Juumonji-senpai was going to inherit the title of Head."

"Hmm… seems like I must be alert of the military's intelligence network. Or, is it because of that lady's power?"

Maya was referring to Fujibayashi Kyouko. Maya was well acquainted with Kyouko's power as the ‘Electron Sorceress'.

Suddenly, Maya focused her eyes.

"Ichijou Masaki-san will join Tatsuya-san in cooperating under Juumonji-dono's command to capture the terrorist."

"Ichijou-san!?"

That bomb was about the size of a firecracker, but it was still quite a nuisance for Miyuki, who stood beside Tatsuya.

"Pardon my rudeness."

After raising her voice, Miyuki asked for forgiveness with a meek voice and blushing face.

"I don't mind. It was unavoidable that you'd be surprised." Maya gave her forgiveness through the screen.

Not to say that she was proceeding at her own pace, but Miyuki voiced out a question that she had in mind for Maya.

"About the earlier topic, what about school? Juumonji-sama's operation to catch the terrorist will be conducted in Kantō, right? I don't think it's something that can be settled within a week's time."

Maya laughed and smiled widely on the other side of the screen, after hearing Miyuki's question.

"It won't take that much time. Since we already know the name of the culprit, the opponent must be quite powerless."

Tatsuya was surprised by this news. For Maya to already know something like this was a big deal. She knew who the mastermind was, while Tatsuya didn't even know the reason behind the attack.

"The name of the mastermind is Gu Jie. His english name is Jiedo Heigu. He was the former leader of the Kunlunfang Institute of Dahan. When the Kunlunfang Institute was destroyed, he seemed to have escaped death. His appearance is of a man in his 50s with a dark/black body and white hair. Well, appearances can always be changed."

The image that Maya gave was consistent with Lina's information. Perhaps, they have the same source, Tatsuya thought.

"Do you know his face?"

"I don't know that much."

Even so, it was still a lead, such was Tatsuya's thought. Maya said that she knew the name of the perpetrator, but names could be changed anytime. It was very optimistic of her to think that the search could be ended soon.

Tatsuya didn't express this, but Miyuki was confused instead.

"You don't have to be that worried, Miyuki-san. At any rate, we can get a hold of a rough location by foretelling here."

Apparently, there were Magicians of the Yotsuba Family that Tatsuya didn't know about. Someone with time regression (post-cognition) or a residual mind-tracking (psychometry) ability seemed to exist in their ranks. Tatsuya interpreted the magic ‘fortune-telling' as such. The Kuroba Family already had such an unusual intelligence capability, and now throwing that kind of magic into the mix… Tatsuya was reminded again that he still didn't know much about the Yotsuba Family.

However, now was not the time to think of such things.

"Tatsuya-san's role comes into play here. Once you meet him, he can't escape your eyes, right?"

"Zhou Gongjin almost slipped through… but I will do my best with my limited ability."

Tatsuya focused himself on the task given by Maya from the other side of the screen and reverently bowed.

◊ ◊ ◊

After concluding her call with Tatsuya, Maya put down the phone with an expressionless look.

Hayama was standing behind her as he usually did.

Maya opened her mouth to talk to her butler, despite not looking at his face.

"Hayama-san, have you found any leads?"

"Nothing as of now, my lady."

"I see."

Maya showed vague signs of irritation to Hayama's answer. She hadn't shown this side of her when she called Tatsuya, nor during meeting in front of the other Heads of the Ten Master Clans.

Realizing this, Hayama didn't say 'don't be rash'. The memory of all those casualties wouldn't be washed away within 3-4 days, and Maya would also be aware of that.

"My lady, do you regret that you didn't act upon the information which Colonel Balance provided?"

Instead of calming his master down, Hayama asked about the reason behind Maya's anxiety.

Maya responded with a long and rough sigh reflexively. "…There's no escaping you, Hayama-san."

Maya showed a small, tired smile, instead of irritation.

"Despite receiving a warning ahead of time, the enemy still managed to score an attack."

It was expected for her to be exhausted. On top of the evacuation after the terrorist attack, followed by the unscheduled Master Clans Conference, she was also held for questioning by the police in the process.

Maya was an excellent Magician, but her body was just like any other woman's. She didn't only look young on the outside, she had maintained her youth for her whole body. However, even a 30-year-old lady has her own limit in the level of activity she can withstand.

"My lady, I understand your feelings, but even if you are irritated or become anxious like this, the Yotsuba Family isn't invincible."

Physical fatigue reduces mental vitality, but it's also a sign that one's body needs rest. If she didn't realize this herself, then there was a need for other people to point this out to help her.

"…You're right. Although we can find them in no time, it's not as if we can find them today or tomorrow, so let's rest for the night."

Fortunately, Maya's mental state wasn't so bad as to forsake the need for rest.

"If something happens, please update me tomorrow morning."

"Please leave it to me, my lady."

Hayama bowed reverently, and left Maya in her study.

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