Furthermore, Yugen had been present as a combatant for the Mitsuya family during the incident five years ago. While Genji Mitsuya was a candidate for the representative role, he had married Honami—who had been on the Yotsuba side at the time—and since she was currently in a "delicate condition," Yugen was stepping in for the Mitsuya.
"I see," Maya mused. "Do you believe this sabotage will succeed?"
"...Their hand is too weak to truly collapse the peace treaty," Yugen said. "To achieve that, they'd need a GAA submarine to launch missiles at the capital from international waters. These deserters lack that kind of weight."
Based on his investigation, even with their equipment, they lacked a finishing move. Even if Australia attempted a Strategic-Class magic strike, the nature of the magic would make the perpetrator's national responsibility impossible to ignore.
Knowing the "original story," Yugen viewed this operation as one designed to fail from the start.
"However," Yugen continued, "I have no desire for interference while we are restructuring the national framework. Therefore, as the Chairman of the Clan Conference, the Kagurazaka head formally requests the Yotsuba's cooperation in preventing this sabotage."
The Clan Conference had maintained the structure established in 2089, but with the Isshiki family now filling the final seat. The Kinki region (excluding Hyogo and Osaka), including the Magic Association headquarters in Kyoto, was now under the direct jurisdiction of the two Guardian houses. This effectively severed the areas populated by Ancient Magicians from the influence of the "Kudou" (Nine) family.
Because the Kagurazaka and Uwaizumi families had taken over the supervisory role, it was decided that the Chairmanship would rotate based on their consultation and the agreement of the Ten Master Clans. For the next four years, Yugen would serve as Chairman. It was an appointment based on his proven track record, backed by the recommendation of six houses: Mitsuya, Yotsuba, Mutsuzuka, Juumonji, Shippo, and Isshiki.
Of course, given that he was still a high school student, Mototsugu Uwaizumi was appointed as Vice-Chairman to handle emergencies.
"We have no objection," Maya replied. "The Yotsuba cannot overlook this, so we accept the Conference's request. Do you have any specific instructions?"
"Yes... even if we capture these magicians, they may be trying to slip in moles to scout our internal affairs. Therefore, I intend to leave the custody of the prisoners to the National Police Agency."
Neither the Yotsuba, the Mitsuya, nor the Guardians wanted the headache of holding "her." Handing them to the National Defense Force would only provide the military with bargaining chips. Treating it as a domestic criminal matter under police jurisdiction was the most pragmatic choice.
"You won't give them to the military?"
"I believe we should eliminate any elements that can be used as negotiation bait. If necessary, I'll use my authority to transfer them from the military to the police myself. Please brief Tatsuya and Miyuki based on the envelope."
"Understood, Lord Kagurazaka. By the way... I trust Miyuki-san isn't being a bother?"
"On the contrary, her devotion is a massive help. She's actually with Tatsuya today, seeing off the Ichijo party."
Yugen wasn't avoiding Masaki out of spite; he simply didn't feel like dealing with the awkwardness that remained after their duel. He held no personal grudge against Masaki. Masaki had tried to move in on his fiancée knowing full well the situation, so Yugen had simply crushed him as a matter of course.
"My only concern is that Minami seems to be holding herself back," Yugen added.
"That child has always been a Guardian at heart," Maya said with a faint smile. "If you like, I can give her a little... push."
"...Please keep it within reasonable limits."
Yugen's schedule with his fiancées (technically "candidates") was currently on a two-week cycle. Weekdays were spent at the Shiba residence, while weekends were usually divided between the Kagurazaka main house, the villa, or the Uwaizumi estate. Between all the commitments, he managed to secure about two days a month for himself.
Even with his "cheat-like" abilities, he needed time to rest his mind. Usually, he spent that time at FLT helping Tatsuya (maintaining the cover of acting as a proxy for the shareholder, Gen).
Apparently, Miyuki's "push" had worked, but it hadn't made Minami any less shy. Not long ago, Yugen had been relaxing in his room after a bath when Minami, wearing an apron, walked in, turned bright red, and fled. It was a reaction so "normal" for a teenage girl that he almost forgot she was a former Modified Magician.
Later, he had returned to his room to find Minami sitting in a formal seiza on his bed in her underwear, bowing her head to the floor and asking him to "discipline" her. Yugen still wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to respond to that.
Once Tatsuya and the others returned to the Shiba residence, Tatsuya requested a briefing. Over coffee brewed by Minami, Yugen began to explain the mission. Tatsuya, for his part, wanted to make sure Miyuki was fully informed about the request Maya had received.
"First, as you know, Japan and the GAA have signed a peace treaty. But there's a faction of hardliners—much like those we dealt with last year—who have deserted. The GAA knows what happened with the USNA and Gu Jie; they want this resolved quickly."
"I see," Tatsuya nodded. "But there's a mastermind behind these deserters, isn't there?"
"...Yeah. Australia—or rather, the UK, in this instance."
"Why the UK?" Miyuki asked.
It was a fair question. The history between the Chinese mainland and the British Empire was fraught, most notably due to the Opium War and the cession of Hong Kong. To the people of the GAA, who held historical grudges deeply, British interference was rarely welcome. However, with the International Magic Association headquartered in London, the GAA couldn't ignore them, and much of the GAA's magic tech had filtered through Hong Kong from British sources.
"Remember the Yokohama incident two years ago?" Yugen said. "The registry of the disguised armed vessels the GAA used was actually Australian."
"Did you suspect a link between the GAA and the UK back then?" Tatsuya asked.
"Even earlier, actually."
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