April 24th… Needless to say, today is Tatsuya's birthday. Due to last year's events, Miyuki was tasked with keeping Tatsuya occupied this time. In exchange, preparing a lavish dinner was too much for Minami alone, so preparations were made in advance during spare moments. Tatsuya himself can cook "decently," so those living in the Shiba household likely never struggle with self-cooking.
"Wow, that's impressive, Yugen-niisama. I had assumed people from the Ten Master Clans couldn't cook."
"Normally, you wouldn't learn without interest, but in my case, I spent a long time at the Uesugi household, helping with meals for the disciples."
Due to the martial nature of the Uesugi household, most disciples are male, leading to a shortage of hands for meal duty, so disciples often help out. Through this, Yugen became skilled at cooking and frequently sought advice from Shirou, his father's butler, to keep his skills sharp.
Perhaps because it had been a while since he cooked at the Shiba household, Yugen couldn't deny getting a bit carried away. Even the cake's cream decorations ended up looking like something from a high-end patisserie due to his enthusiasm.
It goes without saying, but Yugen has no intention of seeking anything beyond friendship with Tatsuya. Let it be clear: he has no such inclinations.
"Well, now we just wait for Tatsuya and Miyuki to return."
"Yes… somehow, I'm losing confidence."
"Stop it. You're making me feel pathetic."
When Miyuki returned and took her place, Tatsuya, now in casual clothes, was greeted with party poppers.
"Happy birthday!!"
"…I see. So that's why Yugen came back early."
Apparently, Miyuki had been overly conscious of the time, making Tatsuya initially wonder if she and Yugen had fought. But he couldn't think of any reason why Yugen would treat Miyuki, who's so attached to him, poorly, as Tatsuya later mumbled.
If those two ever fought, it's easy to imagine Miyuki's bad mood causing a frigid blizzard. In fact, between Okinawa and high school enrollment, she had fallen into a stressful "ice age" a few times a year. The cause was her affection for Yugen, though he had to repeatedly explain it was to avoid scrutiny of Tatsuya and Miyuki's identities due to his ties to the National Defense Forces.
"Half the prep was handled by Minami-chan, so it came together. Eat before it gets cold."
"Alright, I'll dig in."
While chatting and eating, the cake was brought out, and 17 candles were lit. Tatsuya blew them out as Miyuki and Minami sang the birthday song. Tatsuya noticed Yugen's silence during this but, aware of his unique disposition, didn't press the issue.
However, as the women's moods soured while eating the cake, Tatsuya shot Yugen a exasperated look.
"Here we go again."
"Seems like it. I didn't do anything special—just followed the recipe."
Despite this moment, Miyuki, cheeks puffed, clung to Yugen at a level that left Minami half-jealous before she hurriedly started cleaning up.
At any rate, they likely recharged for tomorrow's main event.
After a bath, Yugen returned to his room and noticed an incoming call alert on his terminal. Sitting at his desk and starting the device, he saw Chikage lounging casually, a wine glass in hand, which he half-ignored. Even if he cautioned her, she wasn't likely to listen in her current state.
"Yugen, good evening! Sorry, I was in Tokyo for a meeting with a guest."
"I see, like a second round of drinks. …With whom?"
Chikage didn't hide her guest to tease Yugen into asking. Given her position, she'd only conceal someone of equal or higher status.
"Of course, directly with His Majesty. You requested 'words' on that matter, right? We discussed whether there were any objections."
"Was it a bit rushed?"
"No, if anything, it's overdue considering last year's situation. Plus, with the USNA's meddling earlier this year, I had to light a fire under the Imperial Household Agency to get His Majesty to act."
Her "fire" was more like intimidation through sheer presence. Still, Yugen suspected there was more to Chikage's tipsy call. Noticing his expression, she began explaining.
"You know there are a few lawmakers pushing anti-magic or magician-exclusion rhetoric. I want you to use the skills you showed during the 'Headless Dragon' incident to undermine their support."
"I could do it easily, but how far should I go?"
Complete elimination of such factions was possible, but Yugen planned to leave a small group as a pressure valve for anti-magic sentiment.
Overdoing it could embolden the Defense Forces' hawkish factions. The nation's policy is "proactive self-defense," not aggressive expansion. Chikage, speaking clearly despite the wine, answered:
"Let's dismantle the Miniken Party to the point of collapse."
"…I'll contact multiple ruling party members, including Ueno Kozuke, with leaks. With elections near, they'll likely cooperate eagerly."
The timing would be set for after tomorrow's demonstration. Yugen had already laid the groundwork to curb anti-magic momentum, and Chikage's order provided a fortunate justification.
When shocking facts about the Miniken Party—worse than past opposition scandals—emerged, Yugen was stunned. Over half had taken donations tied to the mainland, and some exclusionist radicals were funded by the Great Asian Union government (via local proxies, but traceable to their officials).
It's unclear who knew (though some might suspect), but Chikage's proposal to disintegrate the opposition's largest faction to secure seats was undeniable.
It's their fault for breaking the law, so Yugen felt no pity. "My condolences," he'd say.
"The Prime Minister's cooperation was secured in a meeting with my father. Mother, what about the provisional Master Clans meeting?"
"It was unanimously decided that the Nanakusa and Juumonji will take the name, while the Mitsuya and Yotsuba handle the substance. By the way, when I mentioned Zhou Gongjin and Gu Jie, the young Kudou brat looked like he was chewing a bitter bug. Any guesses, Yugen?"
"The Kudou family already has bad blood for extracting magic tech from old-style practitioners, and you, Mother, are a prime example of that."
In the original story, the Kudou's ties to Zhou Gongjin came after 'Parasidol' was somewhat complete. But with Gu Jie's 'Frithskjalf,' such info is likely an open book.
Among the Ten Master Clans, the Mitsuya, Yotsuba, Nanakusa, and Kudou rank highest in information control. The Kudou head's behavior is concerning, likely due to using mainland techniques for parasite control—though Yugen, who alters parasites with different techniques, isn't one to judge.
Sipping her wine, Chikage responded to Yugen's pointed remark.
"Self-inflicted, yet the Kudou fool understands nothing. Oh, I forgot—tomorrow, you're deliberately using the Mitsuya name?"
"Given public recognition, it's the better choice. With the school and individuals' permission, the experiment will be provided to the media as video data."
Since Tatsuya and Miyuki are involved, Yugen secured approval from Maya, the Yotsuba head, and their mother, Miya. Using humanists caught by Fumiya and Ayako in Nagoya as a starting point, the Yotsuba will share credit for suppressing anti-magic sentiment.
It's like snatching the best part from the Nanakusa, but it also diverts their head's attention from Tatsuya and Miyuki. Since Kasumi and Izumi are core participants, it saves some face.
"I leave the responses to Kanda and the media to you, Yugen. It'll be tough tomorrow, but good luck."
"Thank you. Good night."
Despite the alcohol, Chikage's composure as a Guardian head was impressive. Ending the call and setting down the comm device, Yugen sensed someone outside. Cautiously opening the door, he found Tatsuya.
"Just you, Tatsuya. I thought Miyuki was lingering, drunk on the mood."
"I heard you talking to someone. Though, you're not entirely wrong."
According to Tatsuya, after the party, a dressed-up Miyuki wanted a private celebration. When she headed to Yugen's room, Tatsuya followed, concerned, and overheard Yugen's conversation, convincing her to return to her room.
"…I see. Oh, I forgot to give you your birthday present."
"No need to go that far. The food and cake were enough."
"No guilt here, but as a guest, I wouldn't be satisfied otherwise… Wait, I have something."
Yugen handed Tatsuya a cartridge-type storage for his "Trident," decorated in silver.
"What's this cartridge?"
"It's based on my 'Valkyrie,' but it contains all the activation sequences for the magic you use most. It even includes the recently mastered Psion Armor-Piercing Bullet sequence. Accept it as a birthday gift."
Tatsuya sometimes uses "Flash Cast" for magic, but this special storage, assuming public use, holds up to 10,000 sequences. It involves ancient magic secrets but doesn't touch Tenjin magic, so it's fine.
"At this point, it feels like a debt."
"No talk of debts with presents."
"Got it. Thanks, Yugen. I'll use it well."
Seeing Tatsuya return to his room, Yugen did the same. Tomorrow's the big day, so sleep is crucial. With that, he turned off the light and went to bed.
As an aside, Honoka gifted Tatsuya an antique pocket watch, chosen with Shizuku's help, with a 3D photo of Honoka inside (arranged secretly with Shizuku, using Miyuki's photo data).
Lina's gift was a fountain pen, and Seria mentioned Sylvia struggled with it. Without Sylvia's help, who knows what Lina would've given—something darker than a black hole, so Yugen stopped thinking about it.
"…Miyuki-san."
"…It's your fault, Yugen-san."
Later that night, waking for the bathroom, Yugen found Miyuki in his bed. Resigned, he slept beside her. Partly the cake's fault, he sighed at her unreasonable words.
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