After the meeting and dinner, Yugen returned to his room to change when the front desk called. "Why now?" he thought, but the caller's identity left no room for refusal. He agreed, checked his appearance, locked the door, and headed to a VIP room. There, Kyoko stood in casual clothes.
"Kyoko-san, is it? Welcoming me?" Yugen asked.
"Something like that. Come in," she replied.
Inside, an older man sat—Retsu Kudou, last seen at the mixer. Yugen bowed.
"It's been a while, Your Excellency. Since the mixer, but our last talk was last summer."
"Yes, quite a performance then. Sit, no need for formalities," Retsu said.
"Excuse me," Yugen replied, sitting across from him.
Retsu, former Kudou patriarch and architect of the Ten Master Clans system, was a legendary mage. Kyoko set a teacup before Yugen, pouring milk tea—knowing he wouldn't drink it straight.
"So, what's this about? I've heard some of what you discussed at the Mitsuya estate," Yugen said.
He'd mentioned staying with the Sibas but suspected Retsu knew. Yugen waited for his response.
"Your Pillars Break and Monolith Code events tomorrow and beyond will pit you against the Ichijo boy," Retsu said.
"With respect, my father told me to 'show the Mitsuya's strength.' I won't hold back, even against another Ten Master Clan," Yugen replied.
He'd temper his power to avoid wrecking the venue, but losing to the Crimson Prince wasn't an option. Retsu's expression grew serious.
"If I asked you to stop?"
"I'd question the Ten Master Clans' very purpose. Is that acceptable?" Yugen countered.
The Mitsuya's status rivaled the Yotsuba and Saegusa. Yielding to others would undermine the Ten Master Clans' core principle: supremacy. The system selected the strongest from the 28 Master Clans; any doubt in that strength was unacceptable. Yugen's retort was bold but deliberate, probing Retsu's intentions. Retsu's face softened.
"Well said. As expected of Gozo's grandson. Just a test."
"It looked serious," Yugen noted.
"You sensed it, didn't you?" Retsu smiled.
Yugen had felt Retsu's faint killing intent, milder than Gozo's magic-infused menace. They discussed school life, including Tatsuya and Miyuki, whom Yugen described as "close classmates and friends." Retsu didn't press further, but as a Ten Master Clan member likely to uncover their identities, Yugen stayed cautious.
After Yugen left, Kyoko sat in his place, questioning Retsu. "Grandfather, why summon him?"
"This stays between us, as Gozo told me," Retsu said, revealing Yugen's betrothal was arranged by the Ueyama and Kagurazaka families.
Retsu knew Yugen was in the military, in Kyoko's battalion, prompting this disclosure.
"Who else knows?" Kyoko asked.
"Only the Saegusa patriarch. I've met the Kagurazaka head, but like Gozo, their motives are unreadable," Retsu replied.
Kyoko, aware of the Kagurazaka's ancient magic lineage through her Fujibayashi family, wondered why Retsu pressured the Mitsuya. "Major Kazama says Yugen's power exceeds a high schooler's. I've seen it myself. He won't destroy the venue, but… are you trying to undermine the Mitsuya?"
"No," Retsu said firmly.
His concerns stemmed from Tatsuya, Miya's son, and now Yugen, raising fears about the Mitsuya. Gozo's blunt response in their meeting—"Focus on your grandchildren's path, you senile old demon"—left Retsu speechless.
"With respect, Grandfather, do you want the Kudou to make enemies of over half the 28 Master Clans?" Kyoko pressed.
"I understand. I'll meet the Kagurazaka head," Retsu conceded, hoping for a breakthrough.
Kyoko couldn't fathom why Retsu targeted the Mitsuya, given Yugen's proven might, equal to or surpassing Tatsuya's. As a soldier, she wished Retsu would focus outward—on threats like the Great Asian Alliance, New Soviet Union, or USNA—rather than internal politics. Her unit, meant to reduce reliance on the Ten Master Clans, still depended on them. Retsu, a former military mage, should understand this, Kyoko thought.
Meanwhile, Gozo welcomed a young woman in her early 20s, stylishly dressed, into his room. He wasn't charmed—she was his late wife's relative.
"Been a while. Ten years since we met face-to-face? We're getting old," Gozo said.
"You, looking late 30s after 'rejuvenating'?" she teased.
"Still sharp-tongued, Chihiro Kagurazaka," Gozo replied.
Chihiro, the 107th Kagurazaka patriarch, equaled Gozo's status as Ueyama head. A yin-yang master lineage predating the Ueyama, they were guardians of the nation. Chihiro hadn't planned to attend but came after her granddaughter's call.
"About my grandson, I presume," Gozo said.
"Yes. Those three are my disciples. Should I call you 'brother-in-law'?" Chihiro quipped.
"Same old teasing. The three said my grandson stopped Tenjin magic. I've told him to use it," Gozo said.
Gozo's late wife was Chihiro's sister, making them in-laws. Gozo didn't resist her jest. He'd ordered Yugen to display Tenjin magic's power.
"About Amaterasu?" Chihiro asked, twirling her fan.
"Even if he's mastered it, he can't use it. Stunning or blinding is one thing, but rewriting minds? No. Same for your Tsukuyomi, erasing minds," Gozo said.
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi—pinnacles of Tenjin magic—were inherited by Gozo and Chihiro, respectively, marking them as patriarchs.
"They haven't reached that level, so no worries," Chihiro said. "Has he read the Ueyama's secret Tenjin texts fully?"
"I don't know. I learned he mastered Tenjin magic after the Okinawa defense three years ago," Gozo replied.
Gozo had deciphered the texts and mastered Amaterasu. Yugen's mastery of high-level summoning suggested he'd read them fully.
"At his age, he tamed Ryujin, something even the Yoshida prodigy couldn't. Ancient magic users would swarm him," Gozo said.
"Promising. Worth the trip," Chihiro smiled.
Ryujin, a water-cycle spirit in ancient magic, was merely a high-level water summoning in Tenjin magic. Its difficulty was immense, yet Yugen succeeded.
"He's a mystery, reconnecting ties we cut," Gozo mused.
Ten years ago, the Ueyama and Yotsuba severed ties. Yugen restored them. Chihiro smiled at this.
"Sorry for burdening you with 'that child,'" Gozo said.
"It's fine. We avoided the worst. Though their branch family sees 'that child' as a sin, fearing him after seeking his power. Human, I suppose," Chihiro said.
Both were tied to "that child," a key figure in their nation's defense and a clan's vengeance. Three years ago, his power was proven. Yet his kin, who desired it, tried to kill him upon witnessing it. A late man had considered having the Kagurazaka adopt him, but it wasn't needed—though unresolved.
Yugen's growth stunned them. Equal to or surpassing "that child," they agreed his power shouldn't be unleashed. His betrothal, managed by their families, aimed to contain it.
"His Ueyama-Kagurazaka bloodline—proceed as agreed?" Chihiro asked.
"Fine, but don't force the match," Gozo cautioned.
"I saw something interesting at the venue. Leave it to me, brother-in-law," Chihiro said confidently.
The world was small, she thought, with Kagurazaka descendants, including her granddaughter, at the competition. Meddling outsiders lacked the courage to interfere. Hiding her smile behind her fan, Chihiro's confidence was clear to Gozo.
Note: New story is out, if you want to check it out.
Search --> Transferred to Kivotos, I Solve Everything with My Fists