On her way home from the day Katsuto had asked to consult with her, Mayumi stopped by the quaint, understated coffee shop he had specified. The shop was named Jackson—a title meaning "a place where tranquility resides"—and Mayumi had frequented it several times in the past.
"It's been a while since I last came here… but I'm sorry, Tsugumin." "No, my position doesn't allow me to treat this as someone else's problem either. Mari, you really don't have to push yourself, you know?" "I'm fine, Ami."
Considering the potential for "unwarranted suspicion regarding a private meeting between a man and a woman" if Mayumi went alone, Mayumi had reached out to Ami since Ami frequented the establishment. In turn, Ami had invited Mari, given her ties to the parties involved.
"Honestly, wouldn't you rather just hurry home and collapse into bed?"
Unlike Magic University, the National Defense Academy left no student exempt from the standard training and combat regimen, regardless of their department. Although Ami showed concern by adding, "I won't force you," Mari chose to tag along out of a competitive streak—reasoning that "if I complained over something of this level, Erika would never let me hear the end of it."
"I have no counter argument to deny that, but I refuse to give Erika a reason to laugh at me." "I see…" "Now, let's go inside. He should already be waiting for us."
Because Mari's enrollment in the Special Combat Techniques Department exempted her from dormitory life, she could not deny Ami's observation, yet she laid bare her true feelings nonetheless. Seeing that Ami had no intention of forcing her to go home, Mayumi cut the conversation short and led the way into the shop.
After informing the staff that they were meeting someone, a waitress instructed them to proceed to the second floor. It appeared Katsuto was already present. The second floor consisted of four private rooms, all with closed doors. As Mayumi wondered which room held their host, the door on the far right opened, and Katsuto appeared.
"Futatsugi, please come in."
Mayumi and her companions filed in past Katsuto, who held the door open. While private rooms in a coffee shop seemed somewhat unusual, Mayumi noted the double-glazed windows and soundproof walls/floors, assuming the establishment likely charged an individual room fee for such amenities.
"Watanabe and Igarashi came as well, I see." "It couldn't be helped. Besides, the two of them are practically involved with the Ten Master Clans as well."
After inviting them inside, Katsuto let out a sigh. Mayumi offered the explanation, but neither Mari nor Ami interjected regarding her glossing over the underlying cause. As for the seating arrangement, Mayumi sat beside Katsuto, while Ami sat directly across from him, with Mari at her side.
Everyone ordered a drink. Timing her start just as the waitress delivered the beverages and left the room, Mayumi took the initiative.
"Now then, Juumonji-kun. Is your consultation regarding the recent Youth Conference? Or does it concern the New Soviet Union?" "In this instance, it is the former." "In that case, does it involve Tatsuya-kun?" "Did you hear that from Mutzuka…? Ah, yes, that is correct."
Having heard through the grapevine that Ami was living with Touya, it was not surprising for her to know the details of the Youth Conference. Since the only matter requiring strict secrecy was the Gu Jie incident, Katsuto answered without showing any reluctance toward Ami's question.
"I heard about that from Mayumi. If I remember correctly, wasn't it a discussion regarding measures against anti-magic extremists?" "It was not about measures against extremists. It was a conference to discuss how we, as magicians, should address the general anti-magic sentiment in society." "Does that even serve a purpose? Touya-kun mentioned that unless we change the fundamental nature of magic itself, altering public sentiment is going to be virtually impossible anyway."
Perhaps because Touya possessed a unique background and experience even among direct descendants of the Ten Master Clans, Ami's blunt quote of his realistic stance on magic brought dry, strained smiles to the faces of both Mari and Mayumi.
"Did Mutzuka go so far as to say that…? He did not criticize it to that extent during the conference, however." "He mentioned wanting to give you face, Juumonji-kun. But even if you try to promote a positive image, flaunting magic will only bring everything right back to square one."
Ami spoke on Touya's behalf, explaining that because it was rare for the younger generation of the Twenty-Eight Families to gather, he had chosen his words carefully to avoid making a bad first impression right out of the gate.
"Promoting an image, huh… For example, what if we put someone like Mayumi here in the media to speak?" "Why me?" "Her face is already known from the Nine Schools Competition, and I think she'd be well received." "That's not the point!"
Mayumi snapped at Mari's suggestion. While it was true that Mayumi had strong public appeal and her moniker, the Elfin Sniper, was a potent asset, Mayumi instantly caught Mari's teasing intent and responded with sharp refusal.
Perceiving that an argument was brewing, Katsuto stepped in to intervene.
"Watanabe's proposal did gather a degree of support. However, the plan that garnered the most backing was having the younger sister of the Yotsuba's next head represent magicians as a whole." "The Yotsuba's… Miyuki-chan? Juumonji-kun, was she present at that meeting?" "No, only Shiba attended." "Only Tatsuya-kun? Ah, then that plan is completely out."
Ami picked up on the situation immediately upon hearing Katsuto's explanation, and Mayumi muttered her realization as Katsuto answered Ami's query. Knowing Tatsuya's character, it was unthinkable that he would accept the risk of pushing his own family member forward as a figurehead. Naturally, the plan was shot down the moment it was proposed.
As if validating Mayumi's deduction, Ami continued.
"There's no way Tatsuya-kun would allow Miyuki-chan to be exposed to the public eye. If I recall, wasn't there a wave of opposition against that plan as well?" "Ah. A chorus of objections erupted from Mitsuya, Mutzuka, Shippou, Isshiki, and Ichijou, as well as Mitsuhiro, who was attending as an observer, leading to the proposal's rejection. Those who opposed did not attend the dinner following the meeting." "So half of the direct lineages of the Ten Master Clans effectively opposed it… Were there any other families that objected?" "None in particular."
Mari nearly clicked her tongue at Katsuto's answer. While one could call it peer pressure, Mari herself could not remain completely detached, being related on her mother's side to the Mitsuya family.
"The problem is that, due to this incident at the conference, the Twenty-Eight Families are perceived as lacking unity. While the restructuring of the Japanese magic community proceeds under the two Guardian families, we cannot overlook a situation where our steps are out of sync." "…Come to think of it, Juumonji-kun, speaking of direct lines in the Master Clans Conference, Kamiizumi and Kagurazaka—Mototsugu-senpai and Yuu-kun—should be included too, right? Were those two not at the meeting?" "I received a message from Lord Saegusa stating they would be absent, but did Futatsugi hear nothing?" "I haven't heard a single thing."
From Mayumi's perspective, it was suspicious that two individuals under thirty who were already heads of their respective houses had failed to show up. However, as she belonged to a different family now, she had not received updates on her former household's affairs, nor did she intend to go out of her way to ask.
"…Those two wouldn't absent themselves from a conference barring exceptional circumstances. In that case, Mayumi, couldn't this be the work of your former household?" "The problem is that it's entirely plausible." "Setting that matter aside, I would like your opinions on how we ought to proceed." "Hmm… then how about convening a meeting specifically to discuss concrete measures this time? In the end, only a few people actually put forth proposals, right? I think it would be best for everyone to bring their own concrete proposals as 'assignments' and align them where realistic."
What Ami suggested was not a meeting driven by peer pressure, but rather an approach where each of the Twenty-Eight Families brought their own ideas regarding anti-magic sentiment. The suggestion caught Katsuto entirely off guard.
"It's easy to just jump on an idea someone else came up with. But hearing Touya-kun talk made me realize that the participants seem to lack a sense of responsibility as representatives of the Twenty-Eight Families. It makes me question whether they are truly capable of bearing the future of the Master Clans Conference." "Though your words are harsh, Ami is entirely correct."
While Tatsuya bore responsibility in the sense of crushing the organizers' momentum, those attending as representatives of the Twenty-Eight Families needed to realize what it meant to bear accountability.
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