The chime echoing through the classroom signaled the end of the school day. Even with classes having gone online through lecture terminals, remnants of old traditions still lingered in such details. To be honest, today was probably an exception.
December 25th, 2096 AD. It was Christmas Day for the general public, but for the Magic High School, it was also the last day of the second semester of 2096. That being said, classes ended in the morning, and there were no ceremonial events like closing ceremonies.
If anything, only students whose promotion or graduation was in doubt would be called to the faculty room, but among the high-achieving students of Class 2-A, such individuals would surely be nonexistent. Being called out was unpleasant, but calling them out also involved unnecessary effort, leaving both sides with only a bad aftertaste.
He spoke as if he had experienced it before, but that was strictly a story from his previous life. In his case, the influence of his relatives meant that people who curried favor extended even to the faculty. At that time, he accidentally obtained the school's hidden ledger, and judging that the Board of Education would suppress it, he entrusted it to an acquaintance on the city council through his elder brother. It became a huge news story later, and all the people who had fawned over him were arrested, making him inwardly mutter, "Serves them right."
As he recalled such trivial matters from his previous life, Touya approached him, weaving through his classmates who were experiencing a mix of joy and sorrow. It seemed Touya had specifically come to Class A's classroom after parting ways with Tatsuya and the others for a moment.
"Yugen, I hardly need to ask, but how were your evaluations?"
"No problems. Touya, you seem to have done well too."
"Yes, well. Though, in my case, it's a bit depressing."
"Ah... that matter."
Touya's somewhat listless demeanor was largely due to an announcement made earlier this month through the Magic Association to the Ten Master Clans, the Eighteen Assistant Houses, and the Hundred Families. It formally announced that Atsuko Mutsuzuka, the current head of the Mutsuzuka family, would designate Touya as the next head, and that Ami Igarashi and Michaela Hongou would be welcomed as his fiancées.
It seemed Gozo and Mototsugu had been informed of this beforehand, and furthermore, Mototsugu had known Touya through martial arts instruction at Konoe Temple. Mototsugu, as the head of the Kamiizumi family, reportedly lobbied the government regarding this.
"But it's true that the senior has feelings for you, isn't it?"
"Well, that's true, but still."
Since that incident, the change in people's gazes towards Touya had been noticeable. Kumiko Kunisaki, a third-year student, who had participated in the same Low-and-Gunner event as Touya in this year's Nine Schools Competition and engaged in co-ed practice, had developed feelings for Touya, who treated her normally, despite her fear of men. At the time of the Nine Schools Competition, she had almost given up due to Touya being a direct descendant of a Ten Master Clan. However, when Touya's engagement was announced, the current head explicitly stated that it was currently in the "fiancée recruitment" stage. Hearing this, Kumiko also applied. Touya wanted to sigh, as Ami, having heard about it from somewhere, was apparently scheming to involve Kumiko as well.
"For one thing, I haven't had many trustworthy people until now, but the idea of me becoming the head in place of my sister, who's still in her twenties, just doesn't feel real. I understand if it's based on my abilities as a magician, but..."
"Well, that's certainly reasonable."
He had secretly heard from Touya himself that he was a regulated body. Yet, as if by some divine prank, there were no defects in his lifespan or magical power due to genetic manipulation. He could understand the feelings of those who researched him as a valuable sample, but they ceased to be human the moment they disregarded his dignity. He heard that the current head of the Mutsuzuka family was currently 29, which made her a junior among the Ten Master Clan heads. Her smooth abdication of the headship was likely met with skepticism even by Touya.
"You're not going to throw away all your work, are you?"
"Even I can't do that. I'm still a high school student, so I can't manage all the Mutsuzuka family's work."
Even in the Jūmonji family, Katsuto's authority as acting head was limited, and what he couldn't cover academically was handled by Kazuki. Perhaps Atsuko used that as a reference and decided to announce the engagement (fiancée recruitment) to establish herself as the Mutsuzuka family head.
As the next head and acting head of the Kagurazaka family, he was not unrelated to this. His current duties included negotiating with politicians and members of the imperial family. The number of approvals and paperwork related to the Kamisaka Group was also increasing, but they were instantly dealt with thanks to the 'Self-Parallel Acceleration Multitask Acceleration' he had acquired through his work in the National Defense Army's Weapon Development Department.
Because of this, the group's executives often remarked, "It's a relief that overtime hours have decreased" or "It's a help that paperwork gets done quickly," indicating a stronger trend towards a white-collar environment. However, he couldn't sincerely thank the eldest daughter of the Saegusa family, who was the root cause of this, because if he did, she would get carried away, just like her father.
◇ ◇ ◇
It was 5 PM. Even though classes ended in the morning, Tatsuya and the others, having finished student council, committee activities, and club activities, had gathered at their favorite cafe, Ein Blise.
"Alright, let's not worry about being a day late and sing along. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
They all chanted in unison at Erika's lead. While some might say this was a duty, he took a sip of his drink, thinking it was fine to let whoever wanted to do it.
"If I had my way, I would have wanted to do it while the sun was still out."
"You can't help that, Erikatchi. Everyone had their officer duties or club activities."
While there were indeed activities and greetings to mark the end of the second semester for the club federation, Yugen recalled how none of the members present had interrupted his words and listened attentively. He wore a puzzled expression.
"Yugen, did something happen at the club federation?"
"...I felt like withdrawing without saying anything."
"Can't be helped, right? With that atmosphere, even Erika and I couldn't cut in."
"I wasn't trying to blame anyone, though."
What happened was this: after stating the closing greetings for the second semester and announcements regarding the winter break, all the members of the club federation lined up in a salute-like pose, similar to the Disciplinary Committee, without a single person out of step. This was unavoidable, given that the fact of him being Miyuki's lover had spread, and he served as her stopper. However, he had no intention of commanding the club federation like a military. He responded to Shuji and Leo's words in a way that implied he had no objection.
"Still, this year's Christmas Eve was busy with various parties for everyone."
"Right... that old man was taking advantage of us."
"Ahahaha..."
They had originally planned to have a party on the 24th, but most of those scheduled to attend were called away to parties due to family reasons. Yugen, by invitation of the Imperial Family, attended a banquet at the Imperial Palace, and afterwards, in an audience with the current Emperor, he offered his opinions on future global affairs.
Erika, who complained, was sent off to the Kanto Regional Police party, accompanied by Hisakazu, the eldest son of the Chiba family. According to her, it was a condition laid down in exchange for approving her relationship with Leo. It was understandable that she harbored anger towards her father, who had never treated her as a proper member of the main family. The target of her complaints was, naturally, Hisakazu, her companion, who was still without an fiancée.
Mikihiko, smiling wryly, was dragged to a party hosted by the younger members of the Yoshida family. He wanted to decline due to the high female ratio but couldn't persist when his elder brother asked him to supervise. Instead, Mitsuki and Sana reportedly attended the party as his assistants.
"When I heard Yugen had an unavoidable separate engagement, Koh was disappointed."
"It can't be helped, can it? An invitation directly from His Majesty the Emperor cannot be lightly dismissed. Refusing would be considered disrespectful."
"Th-that means you went to the Imperial Palace, right?"
Shizuku attended a party hosted by her father's company. Honoka was also pressed into service, treated "like a daughter." Yugen initially declined, then, as his proxy, roped in Shuji and Yume, who were free, to represent the Kamisaka Group. It's a secret that Shuji gave Yume a knuckle blow when she tried to choose a revealing dress.
"Why call me to that event too, Big Brother?"
"It was the result of choosing the most appropriate person. A close relative of an overseas dignitary can't just easily appear."
"Indeed, the suitable candidates who can be near Yugen-san without causing issues are quite limited."
Even though Celia was naturalized on paper, she held the title of the current USNA President's granddaughter. Thus, she formally received an invitation from the Imperial Family as Yugen's bodyguard. When Yugen calmly responded to Celia's complaints, Miyuki, upon hearing him, voiced her agreement.
As a result of such converging circumstances, their friends' party was shifted to today.
Today's party included only second-year students: Yugen, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Leo, Erika, Mikihiko, Mitsuki, Sana, Touya, Himeri, Celia, Shizuku, and Honoka. The first-year students were attending their class parties.
"Another year is ending... or rather, I really wonder if a whole year has passed."
"I agree, Mitsuki."
Himeri agreed with Mitsuki's words, indeed, this year had been full of incidents that went beyond mere mishaps and almost escalated into international problems. The Parasite incident, which kicked it all off, made Celia, herself one of the involved parties, offer a wry smile.
"Ahahaha... speaking of which, Miyuki told me, the Pixie confession incident was brilliant, wasn't it?"
"If you want, I even have a transcript of it from that time. I also got Lina's feelings out of her."
"Seriously!? Big Brother, give it to me later!"
He hadn't asked at the time, but later, he had elicited Lina's feelings from Pixie and stored them as electronic data using 'Memory Compile'. When Celia latched onto Yugen's words, Tatsuya, the one towards whom those emotions were directed, looked at Yugen.
"...Yugen, I need to talk to you later."
"Understood. Don't worry, I won't misuse it."
"I'm not worried about that."
He probably wanted to ask about Lina, but the emotions originally directed only at Miyuki were loosening due to his involvement with Lina. He believed the psion control he was teaching played a large part in this. Needless to say, Honoka's face, who greatly influenced Pixie's thought formation, was bright red.
"Minamidatejima was also this year, wasn't it? By the way, how are Cocoa-chan and the others doing?"
"Ah. I mailed them Christmas presents, and I got thank-you emails. Everyone was happy."
Regarding the Wadatsumi series, as a result of discussions led by the Kagurazaka family and the Kamiizumi family, they are being looked after at the Kamiizumi family's main residence, with Mototsugu and Chisato acting as their surrogate parents. Their self-loss state due to magic use has recovered, and they have been treated to have a normal lifespan. Cocoa and Shia are studying to become magicians. Chisato, perhaps from her own struggles with magic, seems to be doing her best as a mother figure to Cocoa and the others. Gozo, incidentally, seems satisfied being called "Grandpa" by Cocoa and the others.
"The Seven Treasures were also this year, weren't they? The 'Stellar Reactor' experiment was truly amazing."
"It really was!"
"And there were changes to the Nine Schools Competition events too."
"...It's been incredibly intense, hasn't it?"
The 'Stellar Reactor' experiment conducted in conjunction with Assemblyman Kanda's unannounced school visit, the changes to the competition events by the National Defense Force against the Great Asian Alliance hardliners, the Parasite Dolls, and topping it all off, the troubles in Kyoto... It's hard to say, but the Saegusa family has become a bottleneck for the Ten Master Clans. He wondered why it didn't sound like an exaggeration to call them the "Ten Master Clan version of the Toyama family."
Mayumi, Kasumi, and Izumi were blameless. If anything, it all boiled down to a certain lolicon masked individual with a distinctive red mech who said, "You should curse your unfortunate birth." Not that he intended to make them charge in a flying boat.
"Hey, Tatsuya. I feel like this year was even tougher than the Yokohama incident."
"What a coincidence, Yugen. I felt the same way."
Yugen and Tatsuya, being both involved in and having dealt with those troubles, felt twice as much hardship as others. They wished for a peaceful year next year.
However, considering the flow of events, which, despite differences in outcome, were proceeding as in the original story, the thought of the hardships to come in the next year, or rather, from now on, made Yugen, who had spent his previous New Year's resting, honestly feel a little envious.
◇ ◇ ◇
7 PM. The party had concluded, and they stood in front of the shop. Honoka suggested going for hatsumode (first shrine visit of the New Year) to Tatsuya, but Tatsuya politely declined, saying he had plans for the New Year. Seeing Miyuki next to Tatsuya with a somewhat downcast expression, Yugen gently stroked her head. Miyuki closed her eyes contentedly.
"Miyuki, I'm sorry. I also have family matters, so I might not be able to move until New Year's."
"N-no... I apologize."
"There's no need to apologize. Well then, Tatsuya, take care of Miyuki."
"No need to tell me, but Yugen, you be careful too."
"Yeah."
He had, in any case, only told Tatsuya about his conversation with Mitsugu last month (though what he heard from Chihime and Gozo about the Yotsuba family remained a secret). Miyuki would probably realize it eventually, but he left the timing of telling her to Tatsuya.
Tatsuya, understandably, didn't think Mitsugu and the others would send assassins after Yugen. Rather, if the tables were turned and they faced accountability, the question would be what price they could pay against Yugen, who possessed the Kagurazaka's power and national-scale assets.
Normally, the three of them would return home together, but Yugen had to go to the Kagurazaka main residence in Hakone afterwards. This was a "strict order" from Chihime, the current head. He was supposed to have skipped the party, but upon hearing this, Chihime had urged him, "You won't be able to see Miyuki-san for a while, so make some good memories."
He watched Tatsuya and Miyuki walk away, then inwardly muttered, "Good luck," and left the spot.
Having returned to the Shiba residence together for the first time in a while, Tatsuya spoke to Miyuki at the entrance.
"Miyuki, rest in your room until you feel better. You can prepare dinner later."
"...Yes, understood."
Even without Tatsuya saying anything, Miyuki clearly wasn't feeling well. Miyuki nodded obediently to Tatsuya's concern, without arguing that she couldn't push herself in that state.
Even in a house with insulation, it couldn't withstand the winter cold for more than half a day. Miyuki warmed the room with magic, then turned on the heater. When it came to sustained scientific changes, including temperature fluctuations, machines definitely had an advantage.
After taking off her coat and uniform and changing into her casual clothes, Miyuki picked up an invitation envelope lying on her desk. Inside was an invitation to the Keishun-kai, to be held at the Yotsuba main residence next New Year. She had never been invited before, but this time, it was a command to attend, with Maya's handwritten signature. Miyuki naturally understood its meaning.
(Auntie intends to designate the next head of the Yotsuba.)
There were four candidates for the next head of the Yotsuba family: Miyuki Shiba, niece of the current head; Fumiya Kuroba, eldest son of the Kuroba family; Katsushige Shibata, eldest son of the Shibata family; and Yuka Tsukuba, eldest daughter of the Tsukuba family. Objectively speaking, Miyuki was undoubtedly superior in magical power among them. In that case, Maya's designation for the next head would naturally narrow down to Miyuki.
What was concerning here was that Miyuki was also part of Yugen, the next head of the Kagurazaka family's, engagement hierarchy. Moreover, she was given the closest position as first in line, allowing her to live in a more privileged environment than other fiancées.
She had no interest in being the Yotsuba's next head, but if she became the next head, Tatsuya's position would naturally become a close aide to the next head, and his position, which had been alienated within the Yotsuba family until now, would be greatly improved.
However, the position of the Kagurazaka family's next head's wife and the Yotsuba family's next head are incompatible. The former is a prominent family of Onmyodo-based ancient magic, serving as one of the Guardians. The latter is a family that boasts the strongest influence among the current Ten Master Clans. While there is an undeniable distant blood relationship between the two, it's clear from the fact that Yugen, the next head, left the Mitsuya family, albeit on his own initiative.
If she chose the latter, marriage would be an accompanying responsibility of the head. There was also the possibility of marrying someone other than Yugen, whom she loved. After all, Maya had consistently avoided mentioning Yugen's relationship with Miyuki, let alone the details of the Kagurazaka family's engagement.
The desire of a woman to be with the one she loves, and the selfishness of a sister who wants her beloved brother to be acknowledged. As Miyuki, swaying between these two, looked in the full-length mirror, her guardian spirit servant—Sei Shōnagon, a renowned female writer from the Heian period—looked back at Miyuki with a sidelong glance. This made Miyuki involuntarily flinch.
"Eh, S-Sei Shōnagon-san?"
"...Hey, Miyuki. Do you really have to choose one?"
"But, Auntie's..."
"No, but seriously,"
Miyuki pondered how to reply, but Sei Shōnagon blurted out as if to blow away Miyuki's concerns.
"You even went to do a night visit, and you spent many, many passionate nights, didn't you?"
"Eh, um..."
"You kept repeating Yugen-san's name when you were being held, and you craved him until you passed out."
"W-wait a minute."
"And to top it off, you repeatedly engaged in actions and words that could never be broadcast on media. Things like <------FORBIDDEN MATTER------> or <------CANNOT BE EXPRESSED------> or <------LEFT TO IMAGINATION------> and finally..."
"S-stop it!"
Deeply embarrassed by the merciless barrage of shameful facts and words that could never be uttered in public, Miyuki pleaded for her to stop, her cheeks burning crimson. Her contracted guardian spirit servant was in a position to know all the circumstances of the person she was contracted with, so she couldn't retort.
Before she knew it, Miyuki was more exhausted from trying to stop her guardian spirit servant than from her own worries. Sei Shōnagon chuckled and told her,
"Anyway, the Yotsuba's Keishun-kai isn't happening immediately after you arrive, is it? It's just a matter of proposing to your aunt, the Head, to improve your brother's status in exchange for declining the next headship, isn't it?"
"Indeed, that's true," Miyuki inwardly chastised herself for her shallow thinking. However, even though she was her own relative, it was difficult for Miyuki to fathom what her aunt, the head of the Yotsuba, was thinking.
"...I hadn't thought of that. But I wonder if Auntie will readily accept it."
"It'll be alright, Miyuki. Perhaps what I said might come true."
Saying that, the guardian spirit vanished from the mirror. Miyuki slowly touched the mirror, but there was no reaction. Yet, she couldn't believe she was lying.
"Anyway, I have to meet Auntie first. To do that, I absolutely have to make it to the Keishun-kai."
Miyuki's expression, as she muttered this, had completely cleared of its previous gloom. She muttered that her master, or rather, her fiancée, would laugh at her, and in her heart, thanked her "partner" for cheering her up.
Notes:
Touya's hardships are increasing. He is the same age as the protagonist, Tatsuya, Kousen, and Masaki, and has defeated 'Cardinal George,' so he actually has many fans (supplementary explanation). Miyuki's scene changed direction and became exhausting in a different way. The appearance of the guardian spirit servant is basically based on a certain game (a belated explanation).
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