March 25, 2095
It was, coincidentally, a friend's birthday, but as Yugen had yet to officially take the Mitsuya name, meeting them wasn't in the cards. Still going by "Yuto Nagano," he received a summons the previous day. At the Mitsuya family's main estate, his father handed him a letter.
"Any idea what this is about, Dad?" Yugen asked.
"No clue," Gen replied. "It's from the Magic Association, but they specifically requested you. Must be important."
"I haven't claimed the Mitsuya name yet… but alright."
Refusal wasn't an option. Coincidentally, Yugen was already headed to Yokohama Bay Hills Tower to handle an errand for a friend, so the Japan Magic Association's Kanto Branch summons fit his schedule. The letter—rather than an email—hinted at its gravity, a suspicion born of his growing ties to the Defense Forces. The sender's name, "Maya Yotsuba," suggested a thorny matter.
Before the association, Yugen stopped at a jewelry store in the tower. Not for a birthday gift, but to deliver on his friend's request. The owner, spotting him, bowed politely. He knew Yugen was a Mitsuya—his father, Gen, a friend, had bought his wedding ring here, forging their connection.
"Here it is," Yugen said, handing over the item.
"Exquisite," the owner said. "Thank you, young master. This saves me."
"I'm not officially 'Mitsuya' yet," Yugen corrected, half-smiling.
The item was a hairpiece, crafted at Gen's request for "Kōto Uesugi." Yugen, after agonizing over the theme, designed it with a snowflake motif, fitting the store's aesthetic. He'd woven in a talismanic ward, pouring as much care into it as he would a CAD. A one-off job, it was a labor of passion. The owner's delight was expected, but Yugen hadn't anticipated it reaching Miyuki's hands—discovered later during a clash between Course 1 and Course 2 students. He'd privately congratulated himself for keeping his composure.
Too embarrassed to mention it, Yugen kept it close to his chest. Tatsuya, sharp as ever, might've already pieced it together.
Leaving the store, Yugen headed to the Magic Association's Kanto Branch. The receptionist's recognition of him as a Mitsuya confirmed "Yuto Nagano" was fading. In the designated room, he found Maya Yotsuba, the clan head, and Hayama, her chief butler. Yugen bowed as a Mitsuya.
"Lady Yotsuba, Hayama-san, it's been a while."
"Indeed, Yugen-san," Maya said warmly. "No need for formalities. Hayama, if you would?"
"Of course," Hayama said, excusing himself briefly.
Maya stood, grabbed Yugen's arm, and—to his bewilderment—pulled him into a lap pillow. "Uh… why is this happening?" he asked, flustered.
"Consider it a sign of my fondness," Maya teased. "I have a job for you."
Resigning to the unyielding lap pillow, Yugen urged her to continue. As the world's most formidable magician, keeping Maya in good spirits was prudent—especially since he preferred avoiding pointless conflicts. Hayama, with a wry smile, handed him a paper dossier. Yugen scanned it and returned it.
"Combat-specialized magicians under enhancement protocols… I see, erasing traces of an impending skirmish. I'll take it, but no need to handle the attacking magicians directly?"
"That's for Tatsuya-san," Maya said. "You know what today is, don't you?"
"Yeah… just a gift and letter, as usual."
It was Miyuki's birthday. Getting caught up in trouble on such a day—typical of Tatsuya's protagonist aura, Yugen thought. Given Miyuki's nature, she'd likely dive into the fray voluntarily. A sibling match-pump, in a way.
"Here's part of your payment, then," Maya said. She tossed an empty teacup into the air, and the room plunged into "night." Light shattered the cup cleanly. Yugen resisted the urge to clutch his head.
"What a reward… 'Meteor Line,'" he muttered.
"My sister mentioned you used a similar spell," Maya said. "I thought you could handle it. Well?"
"I can manage," Yugen replied.
He grabbed a saucer, tossed it, and filled the room with "night." Controlling a rain of light, he pulverized the saucer alone, then used airflow manipulation to sweep the fragments into a trash bin. Maya clapped like a delighted child.
"You're remarkable," she gushed. "No wonder you woke my sister as a 'woman.'"
"Uh… how do I respond to that?" Yugen stammered, glancing at Hayama.
"That's for you to decide, Yugen-dono," Hayama said, sidestepping. "I lack the authority."
Yugen sensed his own role had made the Yotsuba "untouchable" in a new way. Reflecting later, he realized both Miyuki and Miya had taken a liking to him—a complication he wasn't sure how to handle.
Later, at Bay Hills East Tower, the forewarned magicians attacked. Miyuki subdued them with her overwhelming interference, neutralizing their firearms with freeze magic. When one drew a knife, Tatsuya intervened, disintegrating it with "Decomposition" and knocking them out with a strike to the solar plexus.
Watching via "Kaleidoscope," Yugen tapped his terminal, swiftly manipulating data. Instead of deleting evidence, he degraded images to obscure details—a surprising request, likely to avoid tipping off the Saegusa that the Yotsuba had acted.
"Now for the 'finishing touch,'" Yugen murmured.
His job was done, but he chose to drive one more wedge. It would alter the original timeline, but it aligned with his goal: magic that affirmed magicians as humans, not weapons. Unlocking "Valkyrie" and releasing all limiters, he raised the CAD skyward, building the spell formula. As he pulled the trigger, the formula activated.
In that moment, centered on Bay Hills Tower, Japan's sky turned to "night."
It was Miyuki's birthday. She wasn't greedy—too well-mannered, perhaps. When asked about gifts upon entering First High, she'd said, "Anything from Onii-sama is fine," leaving Tatsuya stumped. Yugen (then Yuto, in his mind) would've been a better consultant.
"I'll stick around and grant a wish within reason," Tatsuya had said. Miyuki's restraint was wise, but Tatsuya pitied Yugen if she ever unleashed her whims on him.
Since Yugen began staying with the Shibas, Miyuki's mood had been radiant. Still, Tatsuya wished she'd stop asking him about clothing or underwear choices. Despite his dulled emotions, he wasn't immune to desire. Their mother and aunt would've indulged her recklessly, so Tatsuya reluctantly advised her, admitting he was soft on her.
Miyuki drew eyes effortlessly, though she ignored leering gazes, disciplined enough to see through them. Unless hostile, Tatsuya let it slide, ready to eliminate any real threats.
During spring break, the crowds were thick, so Tatsuya held Miyuki's hand to stay close. A snowflake-themed hairpiece caught his eye—a decent gift add-on. Miyuki loved it, and he bought it. Its design, laced with a magical ward, suggested a magic engineer's side project. Later, using "Regrowth," Tatsuya traced its maker to Yugen, marveling at their connection. He kept it from Miyuki, deciding she or Yugen should broach it.
At lunch, eyes followed Miyuki. A waiter offered a "lovers' parfait" as a courtesy. Before Tatsuya could clarify they were siblings, Miyuki agreed to share it. She coaxed him to feed her, perhaps projecting her feelings for "him" onto Tatsuya.
Post-lunch, while window-shopping, a call came. Hearing the request, Tatsuya inwardly groaned but told Miyuki it was a Magic Association summons. She guessed the source and agreed to meet later. Her identity couldn't be exposed, so Tatsuya went alone.
Maya and Hayama tasked him with capturing enhanced experimental magicians—not "processing" them, likely due to timing and surveillance concerns. "The cleanup's handled separately," Maya said. "No need to worry."
"By the Defense Forces or Saegusa?" Tatsuya asked.
"Neither," Maya replied. "Someone you know."
Tatsuya's mind went to Lieutenant Fujibayashi for advanced data manipulation, but Maya's denial and Hayama's wry smile suggested otherwise. He dropped it.
Maya's intel warned of an attack that day. Tatsuya rushed to Miyuki, knowing she'd act first with her unmatched interference and anti-firearm magic. The opponent, a former military magician, was skilled in close combat, so Tatsuya intervened, decomposing their knife and striking them down. Taking Miyuki's hand, he restored her hairpiece with "Regrowth" and left.
Exhausted, Tatsuya didn't voice it, but as they headed home, Miyuki gazed at the night sky. A wide-range mental interference spell activated—not hostile, but soothing. "Onii-sama… what's this?" she asked.
"Snow of light?" Tatsuya ventured.
Miyuki touched the glowing flakes, which burst into rainbow particles and faded. Neither had seen such magic. Her radiant smile prompted Tatsuya to ask, "That happy?"
"I don't know why," she said, "but I feel the one who cast this shares our hopes."
Wishful thinking, perhaps, but Tatsuya didn't deny it. He felt the same.
Days later, after Blanche's Japan branch fell, Tatsuya visited Sayuri in the hospital and met Hayama, who demanded an explanation. In exchange, Hayama revealed Yokohama's cleanup: Yugen, not Yuto, had handled it, mastering "Meteor Line" on the spot as Maya's advance payment. His adapted mental interference spell, "Meteor Snowlight," had blanketed Japan, per Hayama's report, with a note to keep it from Miyuki.
Tatsuya couldn't help but think: Yugen's one strange guy.
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