The announcement that Tatsuya Shiba had been designated as the next head of the Yotsuba family, and that his biological mother was the current head, Maya Yotsuba. And the fact that Yugen Kagurazaka had succeeded to the headship of the Kagurazaka family. These facts alone were shocking enough for Mayumi and her sisters, but Kouichi continued his explanation before Izumi's mood could sour.
"And this is the important part. Both families stated that they are recruiting fiancées for Tatsuya Shiba-kun and Yugen Kagurazaka-kun, but Yugen Kagurazaka-kun simultaneously announced his engagement to Miss Miyuki Shiba."
"Yu-nii and President Shiba... yeah, well, that makes sense."
"Yes, considering how close the two of them are, it's only natural."
"No, why is Izumi acting so proud?"
In response to Kouichi's words, Kasumi and Izumi, who both had relationships with Yugen and Miyuki, accepted the engagement between Yugen and Miyuki without surprise. Having coincidentally run into them before last year's Nine Schools Competition, it was obvious they were on a date. Since they were in the same class, the general perception was that the only time they acted separately was during gender-segregated classes.
Izumi puffed out her chest, speaking with pride as if it were her own achievement. Kasumi, slightly put off, offered a calm retort. Seeing this, Kouichi asked, seemingly wanting to hear the details of their relationship.
"Hmm, Kasumi and Izumi seem to know how close Yugen-kun and Miss Miyuki are. Are they really that close?"
"Yes. At First High, they are practically in an open relationship to the point where there isn't a single student who doesn't know. Izumi probably knows more about the details."
"Signs that they were dating could be seen as early as our entrance ceremony. Furthermore, Yugen-niisama personally acknowledged his relationship with Miyuki-senpai in front of Onee-sama, so there is no doubt about it."
"I see..."
In response to Kouichi's question, Kasumi and Izumi explained based on facts without much embellishment. Kouichi's reaction showed understanding, though these were not the words he most desired to hear.
Then, Kouichi cut to the chase regarding the engagement matters for Tatsuya and Yugen.
"Kasumi, I sensed that you have feelings for Tatsuya Shiba-kun. Therefore, I have already applied to the Yotsuba family for you to be Tatsuya Shiba-kun's fiancée. I forgot to mention, but it seems Tatsuya Shiba-kun and Yugen Kagurazaka-kun have been permitted, albeit as a special exception, to marry multiple women."
"By the way, what will happen to Izumi?"
"Izumi's engagement was reinstated during the meeting with the Kagurazaka family last spring. We have received a letter confirming that from the Mitsuya family as well."
"..."
Knowing her shrewd father, Kasumi had guessed he would have already applied for her engagement, so she didn't show any sign of refusal. Instead, she asked about her sister whose engagement had been annulled, out of concern.
In response, Kouichi stated the fact that Izumi's engagement had been reinstated. However, Izumi, who would normally have said "Thank you very much," was glaring at Kouichi with a serious expression. Given past events, she probably couldn't fully trust his words, Kasumi sighed inwardly.
Then, Mayumi, who had been quietly watching the situation unfold, finally spoke up.
"Father. By 'last spring,' are you perhaps referring to the time when Yugen-kun visited and spoke about media relations?"
"Yes... There is no need to worry. Because I am properly fulfilling the agreement, Izumi's engagement has not been annulled."
(This sly old tanuki... Yu-kun already knows everything, you know? Including the fact that how Izumi-chan is treated will change.)
The verbal promise made between Kouichi and Yugen. It was that if there was any connection with "a certain person"—the Overseas Chinese Fangshi (Zhou Gongjin) in Yokohama who killed Nakura—he must cut ties immediately. Otherwise, he was not to maintain any connection. Furthermore, the Saegusa family was not to be involved in dealing with that person.
Kouichi had indeed cut ties with Zhou Gongjin. However, it had been proven true, including by the person's own testimony, that Saburou Nakura, his confidant at the time, had contacted Zhou Gongjin after the agreement was made, and that Kouichi had instructed Nakura to kill Zhou Gongjin in an attempt to outmaneuver the Yotsuba family.
The reason Izumi's engagement hadn't been annulled despite this was simply because the procedures for the formal engagement were already arranged in a way the Saegusa family knew nothing about. When deciding to impose a clear penalty on the Saegusa family while respecting Izumi's feelings as a woman, it was judged most effective to cut off the Saegusa family's connection as external relatives to the Kagurazaka family.
Mayumi had been informed of this by Yugen, but thanks to her daily practice of feigning innocence, she successfully avoided Kouichi's suspicion. Then, Kouichi made a proposal to Mayumi.
"…Mayumi. Actually, a letter arrived from the Itsuwa family formally notifying us that you are being removed as a fiancée candidate for Hirofumi-kun. However, you are turning twenty this year. I want you to understand that as a parent, I would like you to start thinking about marriage soon."
"Y-Yes..."
"Actually, the Ichijou family sent a letter of inquiry to the Yotsuba family. It seems the content concerns an engagement between Masaki Ichijou-kun and Miss Miyuki Shiba."
She accepted the dissolution of her relationship with Hirofumi, with whom she had lost contact recently, as unavoidable. However, the next thing out of Kouichi's mouth made even Mayumi tilt her head in confusion.
She had witnessed Masaki inviting Miyuki at the dance party after the Nine Schools Competition two years ago, and from his expression then, it was immediately obvious he had feelings for her. Leaving aside the content of the inquiry that might interfere with Yugen and Miyuki's engagement, Mayumi sent a gaze that seemed to ask why she was being involved in this. In response, Kouichi adjusted the center of his sunglasses frames and asked:
"Mayumi, I know you have feelings for Yugen Kagurazaka-kun. However, since the Saegusa family has already had Izumi's engagement recognized, offering sisters of the same blood from one family might invite unnecessary scrutiny. Therefore, if you are willing, I intend to send a letter of inquiry asking if an engagement with Yugen Kagurazaka-kun is possible... What will you do?"
"…I do not mind. No, please do."
Mayumi herself had continued to rebel because she didn't want to do exactly as her father said. In the midst of that, Yugen, whom she met, looked very enviable to her.
Mitsuya and Saegusa... both were supposed to be Ten Master Clans, yet seeing Yugen and his sisters behaving without being bound by that name made her question whether her own obsession with the Saegusa name was truly correct.
Yugen understood the pride of the Ten Master Clans, but more than that, he valued how one should be as a human being. When Azusa ran for Student Council President, he admonished Miyuki for suppressing the riot and then hit her with harsh words.
She envied him for that, and before she knew it, she was attracted to him, and did not feel very happy about his closeness with Miyuki. If Miyuki had used the Yotsuba surname at that point, she might have swallowed her tears and quietly withdrawn.
Mayumi bowed politely to Kouichi's proposal without offering any objection. Then, she noticed suspicious gazes directed at her from her younger sisters.
"Onee-chan... so you really were targeting Yu-nii."
"Onee-sama... I suspected the thieving cat might be a relative."
"Both of you, what do you mean 'really'!? Besides, Yu-kun is required to have multiple fiancées, and I don't even know if I can get engaged yet!"
"All three of you, settle do—ugh."
From Kasumi's perspective, being close friends with Yugen, Mayumi was a respectable older sister. But knowing the trouble surrounding Izumi, she foresaw a future where Mayumi's potential engagement to Yugen would only increase her own stress. Rather than opposing it, she wanted to say, "Don't take advantage of Yugen's kindness."
From Izumi's perspective, she was convinced that Mayumi was "a thieving cat plotting to monopolize the person Miyuki-senpai and I love." Even with the premise that multiple fiancées were acceptable, knowing that her sister in front of her was quite possessive, she was honestly anxious about whether Mayumi would disrupt the harmony with the other fiancées.
Against Kasumi and Izumi's scornful eyes and merciless words, Mayumi shouted a rebuttal based on facts, but it didn't reach their ears at all.
Kouichi tried to admonish them, but in the next instant, he was hit by something emitted by Izumi, lost consciousness, and slumped back onto the sofa. Noticing this immediately, Mayumi questioned Izumi, who had her hand held out toward Kouichi.
"Wait, Izumi-chan! What did you do to Father!?"
"No need to worry, Onee-sama. I just hit Father with a lump of Psions. I've long been prepared to be disowned by the Saegusa family if necessary."
"…I didn't hear anything, and I didn't see anything."
"Kasumi-chan!?"
Afterward, when Kouichi woke up, Mayumi and the others were gone. As for how to grasp what had happened... Kouichi, who was not well-liked by not only Mayumi but also Kasumi and Izumi, had no means to verify it.
Around the time that was happening at the Saegusa house, in the main mansion of the Itsuwa family—one of the Ten Master Clans—located in the old city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.
Sitting in an electric power-assisted wheelchair, Mio Itsuwa, the eldest daughter of the Itsuwa family and one of the "Thirteen Apostles"—National Strategic-Class Magicians officially recognized by the state—was in the study facing the head of the Itsuwa family, Isami Itsuwa, listening to his explanation.
"So Yugen-kun has become the head of the Kagurazaka family."
"Yes. Moreover, the fact that the government has recognized multiple fiancées for him, just like Tatsuya Shiba-kun, implies a high possibility that both of them possess power equivalent to, or akin to, Strategic-Class Magicians."
The Itsuwa family held their position in the Ten Master Clans because of Mio's existence. However, there had been a fear that the Itsuwa family might fall from the Ten Master Clans depending on how long the originally frail Mio could live. Amidst this, Isami had set his eyes on Yugen, who had improved her constitution. Since Yugen was the third son of the Mitsuya family at the time, Isami had considered adopting him as a son-in-law to marry Mio.
However, that dream was dashed when he left the Ten Master Clans to become the next head of the Guardian Kagurazaka family. And the fact that he had succeeded to the Kagurazaka headship the other day felt like the final nail in the coffin.
"Since Hirofumi has become estranged from the eldest daughter of the Saegusa family, we have sent a letter of engagement proposal to the second daughter of the Mitsuya family, for whom he has been pining. And, Mio. I apologize for dragging you around for family convenience, but we have submitted a proposal to the Kagurazaka family for you to be Yugen-kun's fiancée. I have no excuse for this becoming an ex post facto approval."
"…No, as one of the 'Thirteen Apostles,' I was prepared for this. Besides, even if it is ostensibly a political marriage, I will be able to be with the person I like. And since the Kagurazaka family base is in Hakone, I believe I can fulfill the role of protecting the key point of the capital."
Isami didn't know, but the Mitsuya family was already proceeding with sending Kana as Tatsuya's fiancée, and Kana herself was positive about the engagement. The Itsuwa family sending an engagement proposal for Hirofumi and Kana to the Mitsuya family would create a situation similar to the Ichijou family's proposal regarding Tatsuya and Miyuki's engagement in the original work.
Of course, neither Isami nor Gen at this time would have even imagined such a situation occurring.
For the Itsuwa family, the improvement in Mio's constitution meant there was a chance she could bear children. Anticipating a period of calm due to the peace treaty with the Great Asian Alliance, they decided to propose Mio as Yugen's fiancée. If a child were born between Strategic-Class Magician class individuals, the child's magical aptitude would be highly expected. Mio accepted Isami's proposal obediently, including her feelings of affection for Yugen.
"So, Father. Since Yugen-kun is the head of the Kagurazaka family, simply sending a proposal would not be proper for a member of the Itsuwa family of the Ten Master Clans, nor for a 'Thirteen Apostle.' Therefore, I would like to go directly to the Kagurazaka home in Hakone. Is that acceptable?"
"About that... A 'Summons Order' has been issued to you from the government, Mio. They want you to come to Tokyo immediately. At that time, you are to meet with Lord Mototsugu Kamiizumi, head of the Kamiizumi family, and Lord Yugen Kagurazaka, head of the Kagurazaka family, at the Imperial Palace."
Originally, after her deployment in anticipation of combat with the Great Asian Alliance, Mio had been kept at the Itsuwa main house under the pretext of watching the situation unfold. This included Isami's kindness in trying to keep the improvement in Mio's health unnoticed, and Mio had accepted that kindness. However, staying shut in her room would affect her health, so she occasionally went to the training grounds to work on her physical fitness.
While she didn't harbor faint hopes of growing taller due to her age, she attended the nearby Matsuyama Dojo of the Shinkage-ryu Kenjutsu (Sword Martial Arts) to make use of her vast magical power. The female instructor in charge of that dojo knew Mio's identity (she was one of Gozo's daughters, the younger sister of Shiho and the sister who married into the Toudou family, making her Chisato's aunt) and gave her a training menu different from other students. Furthermore, once a week, the instructor personally came to train Mio (ostensibly for self-defense, but the content was full-scale anti-personnel combat training).
Returning to the topic, the Japanese government issued the summons order not only because they considered the absence of a "Thirteen Apostle" in Tokyo problematic (despite the Jyumonji and Juyama families being present as key defenses for the capital, perhaps implying a lack of full trust in them), but also because they judged there was no reason to keep Mio at the Itsuwa main house given the lull provided by the peace treaty. If it were just that, Mio might not have been convinced, but it included a summons to the Imperial Palace and further demanded a meeting with Yugen, who had recently become the Kagurazaka head.
"With Yugen-kun... Indeed, those two families are in a position above the Ten Master Clans. Does that mean I must go as a 'Thirteen Apostle'?"
"That is correct. I am not worried about you, but I will accompany you. Hirofumi needs to learn the work to seriously succeed me soon, or we'll be in trouble."
In short, Hirofumi would be kept at the Itsuwa main house as the acting head for a while. Isami intended to go to Tokyo anyway to lay the groundwork for the Master Clans Conference approaching in about a month. Ostensibly, he was going as an escort for Mio, who couldn't move freely, and was also asked to accompany her to the Imperial Palace.
"The Itsuwa family holds the status of the Ten Master Clans because I am here, but are you still uneasy?"
"…The Itsuwa family handles maritime transport as a family business, but the movement of goods recently has been somewhat strange."
"Strange, how?"
Isami would not have leaked such things if Mio were as she used to be. However, hoping for Mio's improved constitution and the existence of the man who became the Kagurazaka head, Isami presented Mio with concerning information gathered from the family business.
"While movement of goods from the Great Asian Alliance direction is slowing down, in comparison, movement from the USNA direction is becoming quite active. I don't think the USNA and the New Soviet Union will clash in this situation, but vigilance is necessary."
"…Um, could it be that the USNA is still wary of the 'Scorched Halloween' from two years ago? Or perhaps it is a case of the Humanists, who are still active in that country?"
"Humanists, huh... (Come to think of it, the Yotsuba family said last spring that they captured Humanists in Nagoya.)"
The Itsuwa family's shipping company was based in the Shikoku region (Matsuyama), but by placing branches in Kyushu (Kagoshima), Kinki (Osaka), Tokai (Nagoya), and Kanto (Yokohama), they kept an eye not only on the management of vessels in the Pacific but also on surveillance from overseas. Based on their transaction records, the recent growth in transactions from the USNA and Great Asian Alliance directions was concerning.
In response to the possibilities Isami raised, Mio suggested the possibility of a recurrence of the Yokohama Incident—which was the cause of her deployment—and the existence of Humanists who still maintained power in the USNA. Hearing this, Isami recalled that when discussing countermeasures against Humanists at the temporary Master Clans Conference last spring, the Yotsuba family stated they had detained USNA Humanists in Nagoya.
Perhaps the possibility of Humanists secretly entering the country again was emerging. It was conceivable that they could incite another anti-magic movement in this country. And considering the meaning behind Senhime revealing the existence of a person named Gu Jie back then, Isami sensed that time was running short. Reaching that conclusion, Isami decided to ask one thing of Mio.
"Mio, when you meet Lord Kamiizumi and Lord Kagurazaka at the Imperial Palace, please consult them about this."
"…Is the matter urgent?"
"It doesn't leave the realm of speculation, but considering what happened two years ago, we cannot rule out the possibility that Humanists who have smuggled themselves in might take radical action. In fact, rumors are circulating that Humanists in the USNA are using old-style military weapons that have been diverted. Considering the strict gun laws in this country, bringing in firearms cannot be dismissed as merely 'strange'."
Thus, considering the events of last spring, the Itsuwa family decided to provide information to the Mitsuya and Yotsuba families. The Mitsuya family was well-versed in foreign affairs, and they had heard that the Yotsuba family had a track record of capturing Humanists. Moreover, considering Mototsugu and Yugen were formerly of the Mitsuya family, Isami harbored a conviction that being overly cautious would not end in wasted effort.
Author's Note:
Regarding the Saegusa family (Mayumi), I went with the flow of sending a letter of inquiry following the example of the Ichijou family. However, since Izumi is getting engaged as a daughter of another family, even if Mayumi is accepted, whether she can marry as a member of the Saegusa family is... something only God knows.
The Itsuwa family plot is almost entirely original settings, including original elements for their maritime shipping company. I judged that even if not for surveillance purposes, since the Itsuwa base is located in the Inland Sea, it would be inconvenient for going out to the Pacific, so it wouldn't be strange to have branches in areas facing the Pacific.
Similarly, the Yotsuba family has FLT, one of their funding sources, in Machida, Tokyo—which is neither their base (presumably around the border of Yamanashi and Nagano) nor their surveillance/defense region—so I used a similar form here.
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