"Halloween of Scorching Heat and Aurora"
The battle against the Great Asian Alliance's special forces in Yokohama, coupled with their fleet at Jinhae Naval Port and the unannounced New Soviet fleet from Vladivostok, prompted Japan's Foreign Ministry to release satellite imagery. While not explicitly framed as "revenge for three years ago," media speculated heavily, linking it to the Okinawa Defense War.
The Japanese government announced: "Due to acts of aggression, strategic magic was used under active self-defense." Inquiries flooded in, but the response was curt: "Details of magic and mages are national critical secrets."
Some argued for naming state-recognized strategic mages, but such magic-centric views risked fueling anti-magic sentiment. FLT's "Taurus Silver Project" countered this by unveiling magical medical technology. Welcomed by overworked medical staff, it faced resistance from hospital executives and medical boards. However, a November 1 medical bill mandated its research as a national project, forcing compliance.
FLT also released clinical trial results for psion laser therapy on non-mages, doubling cure rates compared to traditional methods. Taurus Silver earned acclaim for benefiting non-mages. Additionally, appliance makers announced Silver Bright, a new commercial appliance line with FLT's core components and external designs by manufacturers, cementing FLT's status as Japan's top CAD maker.
November 2, 2095. Magic high schools, closed temporarily due to the invasion, gave students a break. Yugen, having completed his strategic mage duties, faced the tedious task of aftermath processing.
"Deployment?" Yugen asked.
"Yes, officially a show of force to press for a peace treaty," Mio replied.
At the Kagurazaka's Tokyo villa, Yugen met Mio, Japan's sole state-recognized strategic mage. Expecting Hiroshi's presence, Yugen was surprised Mio refused him, citing personal reasons. Instead, Shizuku and Himeji joined. As Kagurazaka heir, Yugen viewed this as a friendly meeting, not immediate work, with no intent to leak details.
Miyuki, focusing on a weekend Yotsuba visit, was excused. Yugen had no plans to involve her in political matters yet, despite her Godo Kai role.
"I'll be away from Tokyo… I don't want to leave Yugen-kun! Why so formal?" Mio whined.
"Mask's off, huh?" Shizuku remarked.
"Pretty calm for facing a Ten Master Clan strategic mage," Himeji noted.
"Haha…" Mio laughed nervously.
Shizuku's bluntness reflected Kagurazaka's boldness or her mother's influence. Mio, supposedly wheelchair-bound, leapt up to hug Yugen, startling onlookers. Satisfied, she returned to her chair, resuming her composed demeanor.
"Phew… anyway," Mio began.
"Too forced. Someone grab a harisen," Yugen teased.
"No! My growing chest will shrink!" Mio protested.
"Yugen…" Shizuku chided.
"Kidding. (A harisen shrinking her chest? What superstition?)" Yugen thought.
The serious talk derailed. Shizuku's nudge refocused Yugen. His casual tone with Mio stemmed from his Kagurazaka proxy role and the Nine Schools Competition, where Itsuwa retainers surrounded them. His barriers then were rudimentary; even with reincarnation perks, Yugen prided himself on mastering fundamentals.
"Government's statement pointed to you, Yugen-kun. Father likely suspects, but knows you're not Clan-bound or swayed," Mio said.
"If so, will you consult anyone?" Yugen asked.
"No way. I won't betray… my lifesaver," Mio replied, blushing.
Her lovesick demeanor prompted Shizuku and Himeji to exchange knowing nods, sensing a familiar path.
"Are we your only stop?" Shizuku asked.
"I'll return home, then visit Saigusa and Mitsuya with Hiroshi. Saigusa's tied to an engagement," Mio explained.
"Engagement… Saigusa-senpai?" Yugen asked.
"Just a 'candidate,' I heard. Their lack of progress is causing me grief," Mio grumbled.
"I'm not that person!" Mio added.
Visiting houses by rank was considerate, and with schools closed, Mayumi was likely home. Yugen had informed Mio of Mayumi's minimal involvement. Saigusa had invited Yugen via Mitsuya, but he deferred, still bitter over their Yotsuba rivalry, their scrutiny after his unofficial match with Katsuto, and their objections to his Kagurazaka adoption. Despite Mitsuya's Yotsuba ties, Yugen saw Saigusa's actions as ego-driven harassment—only a genius or masochist would view them kindly.
As a former "Three" like Mio, Yugen couldn't fathom a married man clinging to old love. His own past—losing a girlfriend to a relative but accepting it—shaped his perspective. Understanding someone obsessed with rekindling past romance was inherently difficult for someone who let go.
"I get it, Mio-san. I used strategic magic against the New Soviets as Godo Kai, eliminating a national threat," Yugen admitted.
"Godo Kai? Huh?" Mio stammered.
Mio's confusion stemmed from Yugen confirming her suspicions and revealing his Godo Kai role. It overwhelmed her.
"Yugen-san, you're confusing Itsuwa-san," Himeji said.
"She's a state-recognized strategic mage, yet… are female strategic mages doomed to be useless outside magic?" Yugen mused.
His comment referenced Angie Sirius, Stars' commander. Years ago, Gousan stormed a USNA base as a "dojo breaker." Yugen, searching for him, hadn't mastered stealth and was spotted. Gousan had entered a Stars-exclusive training ground.
"Hostile intent!?"
Sensing it, Yugen donned a combat mask and crashed through the floor. A shockwave—strategic magic Heavy Metal Burst—hit, which he blocked with Phalanx. Beyond the hole, a combat-suited figure aimed a CAD under a clear sky.
"Identify yourself! Surrender!" the figure demanded.
Yugen's Tenjin's Eye confirmed Heavy Metal Burst. Seeing no surrender, the figure—Angie—prepared another cast.
"Using strategic magic in sparring? What a useless mage!" Yugen roared.
To disrupt her, Yugen cast Gouchi Hatsui, a Tenjin gravity spell crushing Heavy Metal Burst's interference and the building's remains. Angie, losing her footing, crashed and fainted.
Digression over.
"No way, but got a guess?" Shizuku asked.
"Stars' commander, Angie Sirius—world's 'strongest' (ha). She's worse than Mio-san," Yugen said.
"You met her?" Himeji asked.
"Years ago. She fired strategic magic on sight, so I collapsed her footing," Yugen replied.
If true, Yugen defeated a top-tier strategic mage years prior, surviving and winning—a fact shocking Mio.
"How'd you get there?" Mio asked.
"Grandfather took me abroad to broaden horizons. Regular international flight. No government stops him or Mother," Yugen explained.
Magic's link to national interests tightened mage oversight post-cluster wars. Before, only the Emperor bound Guardians like Gousan. Blood didn't guarantee magic; if it did, most would be mages.
Off-topic.
Yugen, then not Mitsuya, hid his feats or attributed them to kin. International travel was smooth, and Gousan "persuaded" Public Security to stay silent. His single large-scale magic use was miraculous—turning a bokken into carbon nanotubes, raining hundreds, was strategic-level. Anything in Gousan's hands became a weapon, even tofu. Examples: a hamburger causing compound fractures, sand as a shotgun, a tomato headshot bursting a terrorist's skull, restraining a raging bull single-handedly, fishing a submarine with a rod—mere glimpses of his feats, where a bull was the "healing" part.
Shockingly, the British Royals and Pope bowed to Gousan. Yugen stopped pondering Gousan's "isekai protagonist" antics, outshining Tatsuya.
Seeing Mio off, Yugen rang a bell. Tadatsume, from the main estate, appeared.
"Yugen-sama, you called?"
"Thought another servant would come. Deliver this to Saigusa and prepare a car," Yugen instructed.
"Understood," Tadatsume replied, leaving with the letter.
Shizuku and Himeji approached.
"Heading out, Yugen?" Shizuku asked.
"To Saigusa. Senpai's discreet, but their 'fox' is craftier. Also, need to curb their Yotsuba probing," Yugen said.
"When'd you notice?" Himeji asked.
"A shikigami in their bodyguard, Nagura, caught them sniffing Yotsuba," Yugen revealed.
Mitsuya's Defense Force ties shielded Yugen, but Saigusa could uncover Tatsuya's battalion link. As a Yotsuba sponsor, Yugen wanted no conflicts.
"As Godo Kai, Miyuki freezing Saigusa would make a pretty ice pillar," Yugen mused.
"She's second to you in potential," Himeji noted.
"With them, probing's safer shallow. You two stay. I'll handle Saigusa alone," Yugen decided.
In his room, Yugen donned a gray shirt and black suit—Godo Kai's informal uniform, skipping a tie for Saigusa's lack of ceremony. Shizuku and Himeji snapped photos, sent to Miyuki via Shizuku.
"Miyuki, in high spirits?" Tatsuya teased.
"Fweh!? N-No… maybe or maybe not!" Miyuki stammered.
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