The Yotsuba main estate, as seen from beyond its gates, resembled an oversized traditional warrior-family manor. Compared to an ordinary home, it was undeniably spacious—one might even call it a "mansion" without raising eyebrows. Yet to anyone who had beheld the grand residences of the Saegusa or Ichijou families, its modest, almost austere presence would come as a surprise.
The Yotsuba cared nothing for sprawling grounds. A clan that clung fanatically to secrecy had no need to entertain hordes of outsiders; a palatial estate would only be a nuisance.
Even though it was her mother's ancestral home, Miyuki stepped through the weighty gate alongside her brother with the detached air of a stranger.
It had been one week since that day—the incident later dubbed the "Scorching Halloween" by posterity. The siblings had come to this mountain village, unmarked on any map, at their aunt's invitation. Miyuki, however, regarded it as little more than a summons to appear.
They were ushered into a reception room that belied the estate's severe exterior: modern, airy, almost cavernous. A maid showed them in and asked them to wait. Miyuki noticed the girl's eyes linger on Tatsuya with unmistakable interest; a single, deliberate cough from Miyuki sent the maid scurrying from the room in an instant.
They had not been led to the small parlor reserved for private use, but to the grand audience chamber known as the "throne room." This alone told Miyuki that today's summons was issued not by her aunt as a doting relative, but by the head of the Yotsuba Clan in her official capacity. Not that this came as any shock—she had known from the start.
Still, Miyuki reflected, it had been three years since she and her brother were called to this room together. She had met her aunt alone on occasion, but whenever Tatsuya met Maya it was usually in a conference room at the Kantō Branch of the Magic Association. For Maya to receive Tatsuya here, at the main estate, with Miyuki present… whether that was a good omen or an ill one, Miyuki could not decide.
"Don't worry. We're not the same people we were three years ago."
Her anxiety must have shown on her face. Tatsuya gave her a firm, reassuring nod from where he stood beside the sofa on which she sat, his gaze meeting the anxious glance she cast upward at him.
Three years ago, he had stood in the same spot—behind her. Yes, that was the difference.
He was probably referring to their strength. Indeed, both had grown immeasurably since then. Tatsuya in particular now possessed combat prowess rivaling their aunt, the woman whispered of as the "Witch of the Far East" and the "Queen of the Night." Accounting for magical compatibility, Miyuki was certain Tatsuya would triumph in a one-on-one duel. Of course, Maya—who doted on Tatsuya to an almost pathological degree—would never dream of raising a hand against him.
Yet beyond the shift in power dynamics, something else had changed, Miyuki felt.
The bond between her and her brother. The feelings she harbored for him.
Sinking deeper into the sofa, Miyuki's mind drifted three years into the past…
Meanwhile, Maya—while receiving separate guests—reflected that it had been three years since she last met Tatsuya and Miyuki together beneath this roof.
(Three years already… I always knew my sister tormented little Tatsuya-kun, but I never imagined the branch families and even the servants would follow her lead in looking down on him. That hasn't changed even now. Yet ever since the sister who hated him most passed away and I began openly spoiling him, the branch families have stopped sneering at him quite so brazenly. Though I hear people like Katsushige and Aoki still haven't let go of their contempt.)
Unlike the household staff, the heads and heirs of the branch families were fully briefed on Tatsuya's true capabilities. Even so, reports reached Maya that Kuroba Katsushige, head of the Kuroba Clan, persisted in his condescending attitude. His children—Ayako and Fumiya, currently in audience with her—regarded Tatsuya with open respect and adoration.
(Katsushige was always closer to my sister. If she mistreated Tatsuya-kun, it's no surprise the habit rubbed off on him.)
In life, Maya's elder sister—Shiba Miya, née Yotsuba Miya, the siblings' birth mother—had never been particularly close with Maya. Yet Katsushige had always acknowledged Maya as clan head and himself merely a branch leader, so open conflict had been avoided.
"Madam, Lady Miyuki and Lord Tatsuya have arrived. I have shown them to the grand audience chamber."
"Understood. Thank you, Hayama-san."
Truth be told, Maya wanted nothing more than to rush to them that very instant. But the Kuroba siblings were still present. She could hardly slight them—especially not their father, Katsushige—nor compromise her dignity as clan head, even if Ayako and Fumiya already knew full well how she doted on Tatsuya.
"Madam, has Brother Tatsuya arrived?"
"Yes. I imagine you're both aware, but he did rather… reshape the Korean Peninsula with that spell of his."
"I always believed Tatsuya-san could do something like that if he wanted," Ayako replied, "but I never dreamed he actually would."
Fumiya's eyes gleamed with curiosity; Ayako tried to look resigned yet couldn't quite hide her fascination. They're still children at heart, Maya thought—then corrected herself. No, Tatsuya is the one who's unnaturally mature for his age.
"Madam, would it be all right if we greeted Brother Tatsuya afterward, just briefly?"
"Of course. You are second cousins, after all."
Another visitor awaited Maya's attention, but she brushed the thought aside and granted the siblings' request without hesitation. Then, just like Miyuki, her mind winged its way back to that audience chamber three years ago…
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