Tuesday, April 24th. Takuma Shippou returned home late after another secret meeting with his fellow conspirator, Maki Kowamura, as they plotted their "New Order." It was already 11:00 PM. To avoid disturbing the household, he had eaten dinner out and sent word ahead that he would be late. Most of the live-in staff would be asleep by now, so Takuma slipped into the house through a side entrance not connected to the main chime.
However, the moment he stepped out of his shoes, a young man slightly older than himself was waiting in the hallway.
"Takuma-san. The Master is waiting for you in his study."
"...Understood."
"The Master" referred to Takumi Shippou, the head of the Shippou family. This young man, his father's assistant, had clearly been stationed there specifically to intercept him. What a pain, Takuma thought, though he knew better than to ignore the summons. After a brief, reluctant pause, he turned his steps toward the study.
Publicly, the Shippou family operated an investment consultancy specializing in weather derivatives. While the shift toward industrial plant-based farming had reduced the role of weather derivatives in the food industry, the rise of solar power as a primary energy source in developed nations had made sunlight forecasting a critical factor in corporate profit planning.
Takumi Shippou was addressed as "Master" or "Professor" because he was recognized as the nation's leading expert in annual meteorological forecasting. But tonight, Takuma was facing a different man: Takumi Shippou, head of one of the Eighteen Assistant Houses, a magician possessing skill that rivaled the Ten Master Clans themselves.
"Takuma. How is high school? Are you enjoying yourself?"
Takuma's immediate reaction was a flare of irritation. He calls me in at this hour for small talk?
"Father, I've told you many times. For me, high school isn't a place for 'enjoyment.'"
"Good grief, you're a stubborn one. There's no need to be so stiff-necked all the time."
"And why are you so complacent!?" Takuma's frustration finally boiled over at his father's relaxed posture. "The next Selection Conference for the Ten Master Clans is less than a year away. At this rate, that weathervane Saegusa family will snatch the seat away again, and the Shippou name will be forced to grovel in their shadow!"
Takumi's response was heavy with a sense of futility.
"The Selection Conference is meant to choose ten families from the Twenty-Eight. To obsess over the Saegusa family alone is ultimately meaningless, Takuma. Surely you understand that much."
This wasn't the first time they had had this conversation. For the past year, Takumi had tried to hammer this logic into his son at least once a day, barring the days they didn't see each other at all. Not once had Takuma nodded in agreement.
"It is not meaningless."
"The Saegusa are merely one of the Twenty-Eight," Takumi countered.
"They are different."
"Takuma—"
"They aren't like the others! The Saegusa are different!"
Takumi let out a long, weary sigh at his son's intransigence. "Who on earth planted this obsession in you?"
"It doesn't matter who! Is it not a fact that the 'Three-Staffs' betrayed the 'Three' and stole the achievements of the 'Seven' to secure their place in the Ten Master Clans!?"
"Takuma... 'Saegusa' was 'Saegusa' long before the order of the Ten Master Clans was even established. They were experimental subjects, just as we were. They were created. The only difference is that, unlike the other twenty-seven—no, twenty-six—houses who resigned themselves to being tools, they chose their own path. That is not something to be condemned. It is something to be admired."
"...So, Father, you're saying that betrayal and deception are acts worthy of praise?" Takuma spat.
"Are you not also currently trying to deceive and outmaneuver the current Ten Master Clans?"
"That's..."
Takuma's rebuttal snapped back at him like a boomerang, leaving him speechless.
"Enough. I knew you wouldn't be convinced no matter what I said. Besides, I called you here for another matter. Takuma, stay home from school tomorrow."
"Father? What are you talking about, all of a sudden?"
Takuma's confusion was genuine. He stared at his father with open suspicion.
"Tomorrow, MP Kanda of the opposition party will be visiting First High for an inspection."
"Kanda? The 'human rights' activist? The anti-magic extremist?"
"The very same. And he's bringing his entourage of media lapdogs with him."
"For what purpose?"
"No doubt he wants to perform a stunt—pretending to protect the 'human rights' of boys being 'forced' to use magic."
"Human rights!?" Takuma practically barked the words. His face was a mask of pure disgust, as if the phrase itself was an insult.
"I know how you feel," Takumi said, "but he is a member of the Diet. It would be... problematic if you caused a scene."
"I'm not a child, Father. No matter how much I despise the man, I'm not going to pick a fight without thinking of the consequences."
"Even if he is the one who starts the fight?"
"Of course! I won't be provoked that easily."
Takumi relaxed then, leaning back deeply into the cushions of his sofa.
"Fine. You've said it now. See to it that you take responsibility for your own words."
"I know! Is that all?"
"Takuma. The Saegusa family will be the ones handling this matter. Under no circumstances are you to interfere."
"The Saegusa!?"
Takumi's warning hadn't been born of worry for his son's temper; he had simply been waiting for the right moment to strike. As expected, Takuma reacted with violent opposition, but he had already given his word.
"Do not interfere. Take responsibility for your words. The Shippou family will not be involved in this. Is that clear, Takuma? This is final."
"—Fine! Understood!"
There was no taking it back now. Takuma had no choice but to concede.
"Furthermore," Takumi added, "this entire affair wasn't the Saegusa's idea. It's an experiment centered around a student in the Magic Engineering Course, a second-year named Tatsuya Shiba. The Saegusa family is merely assisting him."
"Shiba... Senior?"
Takuma had almost referred to him without a title—as he viewed the boy as a mere "weed"—but he managed to catch himself just in time. He thought he had smoothed it over, but Takumi saw right through the forced politeness.
"I hear he is an exceptionally talented magical technician. He made quite a name for himself at last year's Nine Schools Competition, contributing not just as a player but behind the scenes as well."
"So they say... I heard the Saegusa girl bewitched him just to get him onto the roster."
"Good grief... The next head of the Juumonji family was there as well. Mayumi Saegusa couldn't have decided that on her own."
Takumi tried to dismantle yet another one of his son's delusions, but he knew it was a lost cause. Sure enough, Takuma simply turned on his heel and stormed out of the study in a fit of pique.
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