March 28th. The day of the party had finally arrived.
With Kazama leading the security detail alongside the Great Asian Alliance forces under Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu, the threat of the deserter units was largely considered under control. A quick review of the additional guest list revealed few variables; the only potential wildcards were two mages from the Australian military.
For Yugen, the task he had requested of the current head of the Yotsuba family reached its climax today. However, the tactical landscape had shifted in their favor. Colonel Hans Ernst of the South American Federation and Efia Mensa from France had joined their ranks as additional combat assets.
With a Strategic-Class mage on one side and a powerhouse of Tactical-Class caliber on the other, Kazama had judged that Tatsuya no longer needed to embed himself with the front-line units. Since Tatsuya was set to make his formal public debut as the next head of the Yotsuba family, there was no need to force him into unnecessary combat maneuvers.
"Yugen-kun, everything is ready on our end."
The voice belonged to Chihime. Originally, the Yotsuba family had intended to send their own representatives, but the matter was settled when Chihime insisted on appearing in person. The plan was to travel from the Okinawa main island to Kume Island via a small private jet, prepare themselves, and then enter the venue. Tatsuya, Miyuki, Mizuki, and Lina had already been briefed on the itinerary.
Furthermore, contact had been made with Shizuka and Honoka, who were already on Kume Island. Behind the scenes, there was a brief moment of comedy when Honoka—overwhelmed with humility at the idea of the Kagurazaka family providing makeup services—had to be physically calmed down by Shizuka.
"The party starts in the evening, but I have a feeling it's going to be a long night," Chihime remarked. "When do you plan on speaking with the Isori boy?"
"I'll tell him once we arrive," Yugen replied. "I feel a bit guilty for waiting until the last second, though."
The reason Yugen had kept Isori in the dark was simple: he wanted to avoid a panic should the information leak through Isori's fiancée, Kanon. While Yugen wanted to trust a member of the Hundred Families, the gap in reliability between Isori and Kanon was too wide to ignore. To ensure the operation's stability, he had chosen the path of least chaos.
The flight was uneventful, and they arrived at Kume Island Airport to find Shizuka and Honoka waiting for them.
"Morning, Yugen. I assume you had quite a pleasant time last night?" Shizuka greeted him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Don't put that kind of pressure on me, Shizuka-san," Yugen sighed.
"Hehe, just a joke."
Last night had been... eventful. Yugen had been trying to enjoy a quiet soak in the tub when Miyuki had ambushed him, not even bothering with a towel. A flustered Mizuki had chased after her, only to be stripped of her own clothes by Miyuki's hand. As for what happened next—suffice it to say, "nothing" was not the answer.
Yugen had no desire to "drown," but as a man, it was difficult to reject the advances of such captivating women. Of course, he only allowed such liberties because they were his formal fiancées; anyone else attempting such a feat would have been reflexively neutralized and handed over to the authorities.
When he had mentioned this distinction to Miyuki, she had simply smiled. "It's because you can be so clinical about it that we—myself included—yearn to be held by you." Perhaps his mental age, bolstered by memories of a previous life, made him appear unusually composed.
As Honoka engaged Tatsuya in animated conversation, Miyuki turned to Yugen.
"Yugen-sama, what are our plans for the afternoon?"
"I heard the party is a buffet-style standing reception. I was thinking we could grab a lunch featuring the island's local specialties. Shizuka, what do you think?"
"I was thinking the same thing," Shizuka replied. "I've already scouted a few places."
Shizuka mentioned that she planned to stay separate from her family until the party began. Though her parents and her younger brother, Wataru, were on the island, she felt no need for a "family-only" afternoon, largely due to the presence of her best friend, Honoka.
"Usually, Yugen handles all the research," Shizuka added.
"I just prefer not to open Pandora's box without knowing what's inside... Ow! Why are you pinching me?"
"That's for the feeling of being constantly outmaneuvered," she pouted.
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