As Shizuku ended her call with Yugen, Honoka entered, now in her uniform after her triumphant win in the Women's Battle Board finals. Shizuku, already aware, offered congratulations. Noticing Shizuku's lack of tears, Honoka guessed she'd been talking to Yugen.
"Congrats, Honoka," Shizuku said.
"Thanks," Honoka replied. "You were… incredible."
"I don't even fully understand it myself," Shizuku admitted.
Her vague words puzzled Honoka. She knew Shizuku had trained for Speed Shooting and Pillar Break, and had stumbled upon her use of "Phonon Maser." Even Honoka was stunned by Shizuku's deployment of a spell surpassing it. Seeing Shizuku's apparent ignorance, Honoka suggested, "Ask Tatsuya. You said he helped with practice."
"Good idea," Shizuku said. "He might know something. But first, I want to watch Yugen's match. Hold on, I'm changing."
No answers would come from dwelling here. Shizuku nodded, swapped her furisode for her uniform, and joined Honoka to head to the monitor room for the men's finals. There, they found Tatsuya and Miyuki.
"Congrats, Honoka," Tatsuya said.
"Congratulations," Miyuki echoed.
"Thanks!" Honoka beamed, sensing the awkwardness between Miyuki and Shizuku, fresh from their duel. Shizuku, perceptive, pulled out her specialized CAD and showed it to Tatsuya.
"When did you tweak 'Phonon Maser' like that?" she asked.
"I only adjusted it slightly," Tatsuya said. "The output wasn't meant to reach that level. Was the strain okay?"
"It felt as manageable as your version," Shizuku replied.
Their exchange clarified: Tatsuya hadn't crafted a "Phonon Maser" variant with such power. Miyuki, eyeing the CAD, recalled something. "Onii-sama, that CAD resembles Yugen's blueprints."
"Good catch," Tatsuya said. "Any other clues?"
"I saw Yugen working on a startup sequence in the president's room, separate from Mayumi's," Miyuki said. "It might be related."
The evidence pointed to Yugen designing Shizuku's spell. "I grabbed the wrong CAD during adjustments, thinking it was mine," Tatsuya admitted. "My oversight. I'll hold onto this."
"Is Yugen really just a high schooler?" Honoka asked, incredulous.
"He is," Miyuki said, "but we'll need to talk to him later."
Tatsuya marveled at Yugen's ability to reengineer an A-rank spell with such finesse. The CAD went into his custody, and they settled to watch the match, though Miyuki's planned "interrogation" of Yugen loomed as a humorous consequence.
A chill, like a fleeting murderous intent, hit Yugen. Punishment confirmed? he thought, dreading a post-match freeze. Heading to the control room, he ran into an unexpected guest: Crimson Prince.
"Scouting the enemy before the match, love-challenged strategist Cardinal George?" Yugen teased.
"I feel slandered," Crimson Prince muttered, "but I'm here with Shōki's message."
"Oh? What's that?" Yugen asked, inwardly scoffing at the errand-boy role.
"'I've been watching since the mixer. I'll beat you and win over Shiba-san!'" Crimson Prince relayed. "Don't make me run these errands."
"Is Shōki my stalker or something?" Yugen quipped.
"Definitely not," Crimson Prince said. "Akane wouldn't stand for it, and I'd cut ties with him."
"Fair point," Yugen conceded.
The message was predictable, almost headache-inducing. Seeing Crimson Prince's exhaustion, Yugen said, "I'll answer Shōki in the match. Next time, I owe you a treat."
"I'll take the sentiment," Crimson Prince replied, heading back to Shōki.
Yugen boarded the turret's platform. The finals awaited: Yugen versus Shōki Ichijō, the "Crimson Prince." Opponent aside, Yugen would unleash everything—short of strategic-class magic, banned by rules.
Men's Rookie Ice Pillar Break Finals: Yugen Mitsuya (First High, Year 1) versus Shōki Ichijō (Third High, Year 1). A clash of Ten Master Clans heirs drew every eye to the field.
Yugen wielded a silver mobile-terminal CAD. Shōki gripped a crimson gun-type CAD. Red signals lit the poles, shifting to yellow as their expressions hardened. At blue, both unleashed their magic.
Shōki activated "Explosion," the Ichijō clan's secret, with full force. But it failed to manifest.
Zone interference? No, something else… Shōki thought, stunned. His eyes widened: every pillar in Yugen's field vanished silently, instantly. No modern systematic spell could do this—an utterly alien experience for Shōki.
Yugen's spell shocked the crowd, from general stands to VIP seats, including Gōzō and Mototsugu. Having mastered the Tenjin magic grimoire, Yugen uncovered a hidden truth in "Amaterasu." Parsing its formula revealed it wasn't meant for solo activation—the standalone version masked its true form.
He'd tested this method with another spell, confirming its viability, and applied it to "Amaterasu" during solo practice. Neither Gōzō nor Mototsugu knew, as the grimoire lacked formal instructions. Yugen's terminal calculations deduced the spell's effect, revealing why it was undocumented: its power demanded secrecy.
"Amaterasu"'s true activation required simultaneous casting of seven top-tier attribute spells—Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Wind, Metal (Thunder), and Earth—linked through the Five Elements' cycles of destruction and creation. Yugen named it "Amaterasu Kengen" (Radiant Amaterasu), a spatial interference spell that rewrote all phenomena, including magic, nullifying their existence.
He triggered "Amaterasu Kengen" at the match's start, rewriting Shōki's "Explosion" into lightwave data, causing it to collapse. Yugen's pillars, untouched, stood firm, while Shōki's were rewritten as vapor, erased. "Meteor Rift" and "Tenrai Shinryū" had been decoys to mask "Amaterasu Kengen." Per Gōzō's advice, Yugen tempered its power to avoid tactical-class levels, as unadjusted, it could easily exceed them.
That was unmistakably "Amaterasu," Mototsugu thought, sweating in the VIP seats, but I didn't know it could do that…
Seven elemental spirits swirled around Yugen, affecting the entire field. His pillars stood pristine; Shōki's vanished. Shōki's preemptive "Explosion" was nullified before activation. Mototsugu knew he'd need to ask Yugen for details.
Gōzō, clutching his head, clearly hadn't expected "Amaterasu." He'd assumed Yugen's limit was top-tier attribute spells. Yet, per their agreement to use his strongest magic, Yugen unleashed "Amaterasu" in its true form—a method only the founding Tenjin master had wielded alone.
"Yugen's talent is terrifying," Gōzō said. "Mototsugu, let's go."
"Right…" Mototsugu replied, shaken.
Yugen's solo mastery of a spell no head since Abe no Seimei had achieved marked him as a worthy Tenjin successor.
Post-match, Yugen descended the turret, heading to the control room. Sensing an unfamiliar presence, he entered cautiously. Inside was a stylish woman in her twenties, though her appearance belied her age. She smiled wryly at his wariness.
"Oops, scared you?" she said.
"Obviously," Yugen replied. "This is for authorized personnel only."
Before he could ask her identity, the door opened. Gōzō and Mototsugu entered, startling Yugen. "Grandfather? Brother? Why are you here?"
"Yugen, where did you learn that activation method?" Gōzō demanded. "And Chihime, why are you here?"
"Just checking out the Kagurazaka heir," Chihime replied.
Her mention of the Kagurazaka clan and Gōzō's familiarity overwhelmed Yugen. Mototsugu's head-shake signaled he was out of his depth. Yugen sighed. "I'll hear you out, but can I change first? Wait outside."
Chihime teased, "I'll help you change!" but Gōzō bopped her head, dragging her out. Yugen changed, feeling more drained by this than the match.
Later, Tatsuya was emailed discreetly about the encounter. At Chihime's hotel room, Yugen, Gōzō, and Mototsugu gathered. Chihime cast a soundproof barrier, sat, and introduced herself.
"I'm Chihime Kagurazaka, head of the Kagurazaka clan. Nice to meet you, Yugen Mitsuya."
"Yugen Mitsuya, likewise," he replied. "Chihime-san."
"No need for formality," she said. "Call me Chii-chan!"
Her Mayumi-like vibe earned a glance at Gōzō, whose look said resistance was futile. Yugen settled on "Chihime-san."
"How did you discover 'Amaterasu''s true activation?" Gōzō asked.
"I noticed the grimoire's description wasn't for solo casting," Yugen said. "Was that a mistake?"
"A mistake?" Gōzō said. "Only a few heads know that method. You're the first since the founder to activate it solo."
Seriously? I matched Abe no Seimei? Yugen thought, slumping onto the table. Chihime giggled.
"Am I dead? Execution?" Yugen asked.
"No!" Gōzō exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"
"Your no-holds-barred martial arts training," Yugen said. "I figured secrets were the same."
"Fair, but you're safe," Gōzō assured.
Chihime smirked. "You're quite the terror, Gōzō."
"I expected him to master attributes, not true 'Amaterasu,'" Gōzō said.
"I didn't either," Mototsugu added.
"Amaterasu" required decoding the entire Tenjin grimoire, recognizing formula connections, and controlling spirits—skills only a prodigy could combine. No head since Seimei had managed it solo.
"Honestly, I misjudged your potential," Gōzō said. "So, Chihime, as Uesugi head, I nominate Yugen as Kagurazaka's next head."
"Wait, what?" Yugen said. "Chihime mentioned that earlier. Explain."
The Uesugi and Kagurazaka clans' ties dated back 500 years, with periodic marriages to preserve magical bloodlines. Gōzō's late wife was Chihime's sister, making them in-laws. Their youthful appearances were par for the course.
"My children are all daughters," Gōzō said. "Chihime's son leads the Ise clan but lacks the skill for 'Tsukuyomi.'"
The Kagurazaka's ultimate spell, "Tsukuyomi," needed a capable male heir. Gōzō chose the Mitsuya clan, with three sons, proposing Yugen as a Kagurazaka adoptee. "Eight years ago, you were frail," Gōzō said. "We considered sending you to them, but you recovered miraculously."
Sorry, I'm a different person now, Yugen thought. His Okinawa actions had mended Mitsuya-Yotsuba and Uesugi-Yotsuba ties, Gōzō noted. Then he asked, "Three years ago in Okinawa—what are you?"
Yugen realized his secret couldn't hold. Only Gen had known, a miracle. Hesitant with Chihime, a stranger, he confessed his reincarnation, hoping to gain allies. Mototsugu was surprised, but Gōzō and Chihime seemed unsurprised, likely forewarned.
"I didn't know much," Mototsugu said. "Your behavior with Shina changed slightly, but you've been my brother for eight years. You helped with Senri, so no worries."
"I'll never forget waking you and finding… that," Yugen said, recalling a compromising moment with Shizuru.
"Sorry," Mototsugu muttered.
Maintaining sanity, especially around Miyuki at the Shiba house, felt miraculous. "Only you three and Dad know," Yugen said.
"You're my grandson," Gōzō said. "I'll teach you 'Hell End Dragon'—ow!"
"Stop it, old man!" Mototsugu snapped. "I'll make you retire soon, Yugen."
"Was this in your past life?" Chihime teased.
"Nope," Yugen said.
Their acceptance, likely due to magic's own absurdity, was a relief. But Yugen sighed inwardly—they hadn't addressed Chihime's marriage talk.
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