I did my research and the name Masaki Ichiro should have been Guedel Clark to fit canon as he's the one who influences Mibu and spearheads the terrorist attack on first high.
SInce I've been using Masaki, I kept using him up until this chapter.
Gu Jie or his faction within No Head Dragon is speculated to be the one behind Guedel Clark thus his appearance here.
Chinese names are really hard to translate!!!!!!
*****
The anti-magic organization [Blanche]'s Japan branch had been utterly annihilated. By the time the Metropolitan Police Department arrived, their expressions were already stiff with unease.
The former biofuel waste facility was nothing but ruins—scorch marks across collapsed walls, frozen fragments scattered about, and faint magical residues lingering in the air like whispers of a battlefield. It didn't look like the aftermath of a police raid. No—it was the remains of a one-sided purge.
And the most terrifying part was this: all of it had been accomplished by a single student from First High School.
Even if the target had been a terrorist organization, the unlicensed deployment of magic resulting in fatalities was, from a legal standpoint, a direct challenge to judicial authority—a blatant slap in the face to the system itself.
Yet, just as had been agreed beforehand, Yotsuba Mahiro—no, the boy publicly known as Shiba Tatsuya's "cousin"—took the responsibility upon himself.
When confronted by the commanding officer who had rushed to question him, Mahiro only answered with a sharp, cutting statement:
"My name is Yotsuba Mahiro. If you have complaints, take them up with my mother, Yotsuba Maya."
The sheer weight in his voice silenced the officer instantly. Even Mayumi-senpai, who had accompanied him, could not find the opportunity to mediate or soften the blow.
The policemen froze, their words withering in their throats. Not a single one dared to bring up the words "arrest" or "interrogation."
Because everyone present understood—provoking the Ten Master Clans was equivalent to suicide.
Though their history stretched back less than a century, the Ten Master Clans' influence had long since seeped into the military and judiciary, anchoring itself at the very heart of the nation. They refrained from meddling in overt politics, but their grip on Japan's survival as a magical superpower was absolute.
And among them, the Yotsuba Family was the most feared. A clan whispered about even within the Ten Master Clans, with Yotsuba Maya as its ruthless matriarch.
To invoke Maya-sama's name was to cut through authority itself.
"W-wait… this guy's really a student at your school?" The police officer in charge, Chiba Juwa, rubbed his scalp in frustration, looking toward his younger sister for confirmation.
Erika-chan, her bright red hair standing out even amidst the wreckage, gave an awkward laugh. "Ahaha… well, sometimes I think the same way as you, onii-san. But yeah, he's my classmate. And believe it or not, he's actually a good person."
"…A good person who just used A-class destructive magic to wipe out an entire terrorist branch alone?"
Juwa's retort was met by Erika-chan's trademark smirk. "Ufufu~ being too picky about the little details makes you sound like a baka, onii-san. Besides, those creeps got exactly what they deserved."
Juwa sighed in defeat, shoulders slumping. His sister's sharp tongue was impossible to match. Still, he wasn't wrong—this was far beyond the realm of what a high school student should be capable of.
And even more importantly—
"Erika. Care to explain to me what you were doing here?" Juwa pressed.
"I just wanted to help out, okay? Though honestly, I didn't even get to do much. By the time I rushed in, Mahiro-kun had already cleaned everything up. I didn't even get to smash a single terrorist…" she muttered, clearly sulking.
Her words carried more of a pout than a report, like a child denied a favorite toy. Truly befitting the daughter of the Chiba Dojo—hot-blooded, brash, and carrying no trace of delicate "ladylike" behavior.
Her brother could only sigh helplessly.
Thus, the incident with [Blanche] came to an official close.
Thanks to the direct involvement of the Saegusa, Jumonji, and above all, the Yotsuba Families, the aftermath was swiftly "managed." The mastermind GuJie was imprisoned, but the rest walked free.
Masaki Ichiro, the Japan branch leader, had perished in the assault. With Mahiro and Erika remaining silent about the details, the evidence was deemed insufficient. Sayaka, who had been manipulated into joining Blanche, was also spared legal punishment.
The disciplinary measures handed down by the Alliance amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist. The school damages? Officially attributed to "terrorist actions." Even the long-neglected facilities magically became Blanche's responsibility.
It was like a thief who stole a single million yen, only for the next day's papers to inflate the number into a billion. A blatant exaggeration, but convenient for those in power.
Still, the incident left real scars.
And yet, Sayaka remained in the hospital.
Her physical injuries were minor by modern standards—a fractured arm could be healed in minutes with proper medical magic. But the psychological damage left by Blanche's mental interference was another matter entirely. Those kinds of wounds lingered, unseen and difficult to mend.
So, under the excuse of her arm injury, Sayaka requested an extended leave of absence and remained in the hospital for monitoring. The doctors needed to ensure there were no hidden aftereffects of mind manipulation.
During this time, the Student Council, the Public Morals Committee, and the Club Alliance threw themselves into reorganizing the school. There was endless paperwork, reports to rewrite, and reputations to repair.
And so, Yotsuba Mahiro—an "outsider" to all those factions—was left completely free.
Every day after classes, he would casually make his way to the hospital, checking in on Sayaka. Their conversations grew longer, their smiles warmer. Bit by bit, the distance between them shrank. It was a quiet, almost natural development.
On the surface, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction— At least, for Mahiro, it was.
Yet the world beyond First High had taken notice.
Although the Blanche incident seemed small to Japan's broader magical society—hardly worth mentioning compared to larger conflicts—it still made waves. The name Yotsuba Mahiro had now officially entered the sight of the Ten Master Clans, the Eighteen Supporting Houses, and even the extended Hundred Families.
The ripples reached the Yotsuba Main House.
...
Within the mansion of the main branch, the atmosphere was heavy, despite the soft fragrance of tea drifting through the room.
By the wide floor-to-ceiling window, Yotsuba Maya sat elegantly, dressed like a noblewoman of old. Her crimson lips left a faint trace on the porcelain teacup she held, and a mysterious smile lingered there, as though she were savoring a secret only she knew.
"Hehe… in just a single month, that child has caused quite the stir."
At her side, the family's long-serving butler, Hayama, adjusted his glasses and bowed. "Shall we continue to overlook his actions, Lady Maya?"
Maya's eyes narrowed, the corners of her lips curving upward as she sipped her tea. "It's fine. Let Mahiro-kun do as he pleases. This is… rather interesting, don't you think?"
"But Lady Maya," Hayama pressed with rare urgency, "if this continues, it may lead to even greater trouble. Moreover, rumors are spreading—rumors that tarnish your name."
Maya interrupted with a light laugh, her voice melodic but sharp. "I've already said it, Hayama."
She lifted her gaze, her reflection shimmering faintly in the surface of the black tea. For just a moment, it seemed as though a fleeting star passed through her eyes.
"What Mahiro said… is true. As his mother, I did abandon him. I kept him locked in the Fourth Research Laboratory for years, and I never provided him with a CAD of his own. For him to hold resentment is only natural."
Her words, wrapped in a sorrowful tone, sounded almost like a confession. And yet, Maya's performances were always layered, her true intentions hidden behind theatrical expressions. She even allowed a trace of sadness to pool in her eyes, so convincing that it became difficult to tell where the acting ended and where her real emotions began.
"But hearing my precious son voice such things in public… as a mother, I cannot help but feel a little… sad."
Whether those words were spoken to Hayama or to herself, even she may not have been certain.
Gently, she placed the teacup down, her smile returning. "Hayama, notify Shiba Ryuurou to finalize the CAD at once. When it is ready, have the designated observer deliver it as a gift to Mahiro-kun."
"Understood." Hayama bowed deeply, though his expression remained uneasy. "However, Lady Maya… if it is sent so directly, I fear he will refuse it without hesitation."
"That's true."
For once, Maya's expression shifted into something almost girlish. She puffed her cheeks ever so slightly, pouting like a teenage maiden facing an unexpected obstacle.
But the mood lasted only a moment. Slowly, her lips curved into a smile that carried the weight of calculation.
"Then… let Tsukuba Yuuka act as the messenger, under the name of the Tendou main family. If I recall correctly, she has a good relationship with Mahiro-kun. He will not be able to dismiss her so easily."
Hayama bowed once again, though deep in his heart he thought: Even when it comes to affection, Lady Maya turns everything into strategy.