Hearing the facts stated from Yugen's own lips, Yuuka couldn't stop the cold sweat running down her back, despite the warmth of the living room. The Tsukuba family had maintained a neutral stance, so they likely wouldn't be subject to punishment for the disturbance, but it couldn't be said they would bear no responsibility at all. Perhaps noticing her anxiety, Yugen let a smile slip.
"Yuuka-san. My mother is well aware that the Tsukuba family was not involved in this incident. Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility of your engagement being annulled."
"Eh, ah, right... But then, why are you acting as my bodyguard, Yugen-kun?"
"You could call it a tendency of the Yotsuba branch families... Grandfather told me that they were plotting to kill Tatsuya. I've received confirmation from Minami-san as well, but... if Miyuki is to head to the main house, it is self-evident that Tatsuya and Minami will accompany her as guards."
If something were to happen to Miyuki, Tatsuya might snap and march on the Yotsuba main house, even if he had to erase everything in his path. However, even he possessed enough common sense to comply with societal rules as much as possible. Therefore, a forced breakthrough would be a last resort for Tatsuya.
"The Kagurazaka family acts as a sponsor for the Yotsuba, but the decision of the next head is the prerogative of the Yotsuba family head; it is an internal matter. That said, since a portion of the National Defense Army is moving, we cannot ignore it. So, the request I made to Maya-san was to act as Yuuka-san's bodyguard, and also to volunteer as a 'witness' to ensure that all candidates for the next headship attending the New Year's Celebration arrive at the main house by the 31st."
"To go as the Head's proxy... so that's what this means."
"Yes, exactly."
No matter how bold the members of the Yotsuba branch families might be, they couldn't make any foolish moves in the presence of the Head's proxy. Especially not when that proxy was a Strategic Class Magician with world-leading magical technical skills.
Realizing the fact that, in terms of raw ability, only Tatsuya could stop him, Yuuka let out a dry laugh.
"By the way, what is the price the Yotsuba family is paying for this?"
"I left that entirely to Maya-san. After all, this was requested as my 'selfishness,' and it was something I had sounded out Hayama-san about before the Thesis Competition."
"I-I see... (To think he anticipated this more than two months ago... Perhaps the Head was secretly consulting with Yugen-kun.)"
She was also informed that when they eventually met Tatsuya and his group, Yugen would use the Kudou family's secret technique, Parade, to change his hair and eye color, acting under the guise of a stray freelancer magician using the business name "Kamisaka."
"Well then, since we have some time, shall we check the proficiency of your magic training?"
"N-Now? ...Will it be okay?"
"What on earth did you imagine?"
"N-Nothing! ...Are you interested?"
Even though he had clearly used the words "magic training," Yuuka was worried about her own scent (due to the cold sweat). Yugen sighed grandly in his heart. In response to Yugen's somewhat biting tone, Yuuka blushed and hastily tried to smooth things over, while showing a gesture that hinted at seduction.
In response, Yugen took action... by hoisting Yuuka onto his shoulder as if he were carrying a sack of rice.
"Eh, wait!?"
"Today, I'm going to put you through the wringer."
"Eh, you're going to be rough with me?"
"I'm not quite sure what you're talking about."
That is that, and this is this. With that attitude, Yugen carried her straight out of the villa's living room... for magic training, of course. The fact that their banter had become so lighthearted was proof that both Yugen and Yuuka had let their guards down with one another.
Usually, there would be servants at the villa, but Yugen was tasked with managing the household affairs. While operating the household automation—which normally required multiple people—via a foldable terminal in his hand, Yugen set about preparing dinner.
Seeing Yugen, dressed in a butler's uniform, handling chores she would usually do herself, Yuuka looked at him with half-lidded eyes.
"...Aren't you a little too used to this?"
"You say that, but at the Kamiizumi house, I had to prepare meals and do laundry for over a hundred people, including the disciples. Cleaning the bathroom was also on a rotation, so I naturally got used to this sort of thing."
At the Mitsuya house, he had mostly used 3H (Humanoid Home Helper) robots and household automation, but at the Kamiizumi and Yaguruma houses, he had been incredibly busy with tasks like preparing meals for the disciples.
Incidentally, the Matsumae-zuke style pickles he made to kill time were surprisingly well-received, with comments like "eating this lets me move without getting tired" or "training became fun." For the record, he didn't use anything illegal. At most, he built the pickling barrel from scratch and, lacking suitable stones for weights, went out of his way to procure some from the Sea of Trees near Mount Fuji.
But that is a story for another time.
They sat down to eat dinner, and after the meal, Yuuka spoke.
"I understand why Miyuki-san and Minami-chan don't want to let Yugen-kun hold a kitchen knife."
"Is that so..."
It wasn't that it tasted bad. It was undeniably delicious. However, having something of this level made so easily caused her to feel a strange sense of frustration as a woman. She had heard about this from Miyuki when she visited the Shiba home, but witnessing it firsthand, she thought, I really can't accept this.
However, the person being told this wore an expression that suggested he found it hard to accept the criticism.
"In that case, wash my back and then sleep with me. I'll forgive you if you do that."
"I feel like that's no different from what I do when I visit the Shiba house."
"I'm not sweet enough to let a rare opportunity slip by."
Yuuka didn't think about monopolizing him. Considering Miyuki, she had no complaints as long as he paid attention to her at the current pace. In fact, since their interactions—even just once a week—were so intense, it was actually strange that she had managed to avoid pregnancy despite everything they did.
She had only been told that "there is a magic for that," but given that Miyuki, who had been with him longer than Yuuka, still "hadn't become so," it must be true. Yuuka reasoned that trouble was being avoided beforehand because everyone was on an equal footing regardless of rank.
"Besides, since you're acting as my bodyguard, Yugen-kun, you have to experience something delicious in return."
"Is that how it works?"
"That is how it works."
Yuuka, too, was prepared to stick her neck into trouble. Even though she could have avoided interference from other Yotsuba branch families by heading straight to the main house, she seemed to have chosen not to.
In any case, to fulfill his duty as Yuuka's bodyguard, Yugen followed her instructions.
The next morning, Yugen woke up earlier than Yuuka. Taking care not to wake her, he slipped out of bed, quickly changed clothes, and began preparing breakfast. Nearby, a foldable terminal—the same one used during the Southern Shield Island operation, though with several updates—displayed the movements of the National Defense Army obtained from the Yata no Kagami.
(The Enhanced Psychics that should be managed in Matsumoto are hiding along the route from Kobuchizawa Station to the Yotsuba main house... The person likely involved is... Lieutenant Yaguchi, a man who belonged to the hardliner faction against the Great Asian Alliance. Most likely, they intend to take Miyuki hostage to secure Colonel Sakai's release.)
Even considering the abilities of the Enhanced Psychics managed there to be high, Tatsuya—who was stronger than in the original story—would have no problem. Furthermore, the day before the Christmas party, Yugen had provided Tatsuya with a spell sequence as an apology for not being able to attend the party at the Shiba house.
In addition to the final adjustments for Baryon Lance, he had given him the Silver Taurus Delta, a Loop-Cast Specialized CAD compatible with parallel thought processing, designed to utilize Tatsuya's abilities more practically in combat. He had developed it thinking the Silver Taurus used in the original story lacked sufficient specs. It assisted in the deployment of Tatsuya's specialties, the Decomposition and Regrowth systems, as well as the non-systematic magic Gram Demolition and Gram Dispersion.
On top of that, with Minami's magic, the setup was finished so that no matter how much interference occurred due to the simultaneous deployment of magic sequences by the enemy, it wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, Yuuka appeared in her nightwear, rubbing her eyes. Yugen poured water into a glass and handed it to her, which she drank in one gulp.
"Good morning, Yugen-kun. You're up early."
"Good morning, Yuuka-san. Waking up early is a remnant of my martial arts training."
After eating breakfast, Yuuka, concerned about Yugen checking his terminal while doing chores, changed into casual clothes. She placed the book she had been reading to kill time on the armrest, stood up, and peered over Yugen's shoulder to observe.
"Yugen-kun, what's shown on that terminal?"
"This? It includes some military secrets, but I'm observing the movement of people starting from Kobuchizawa Station."
"...Are you using surveillance camera footage from the Stratospheric Platform?"
"No, this is something made possible by my unique magic."
The Conceptual Interference Magic, Kaleidoscope. At first, he had used it assuming it was a sensory magic. After all, because he successfully viewed the Yotsuba main house, he had convinced himself of that. He thought there were things even sensory magic couldn't penetrate, but it turned out there were no limits. Moreover, he could perceive Psions, which shouldn't be perceptible without a catalyst.
As a result of various experiments since then, it was determined that this magic was capable of interfering with "concepts."
"Yugen-kun's unique magic... Is it different from Tatsuya-san's magic?"
"I know Tatsuya's magic involves military matters, but the magic I possess is special."
Originally, it is general knowledge that innate magic occupies the Magic Calculation Area. However, in his case, by sandwiching the process of reincarnation, he acquired a pseudo-innate nature, gaining Kaleidoscope and Reinforce.
The "Conceptual Interference" possessed by Kaleidoscope and the "Expansion and Strengthening of Physical and Mental Domains" possessed by Reinforce interfered with each other. As a result, a Magic Calculation Area for handling these two unique magics was formed separately from the Magic Calculation Area he possessed naturally. Upon further analysis of this phenomenon, it was found that his spirit grew in tandem with his physical growth, and his mental domain expanded by accumulating all kinds of experiences.
"To tell you the truth, I haven't told the other two about my unique magic either. So, I intend to reveal it taking this opportunity... though Tatsuya might have already realized it."
"That's unexpected... I thought for sure you had told them."
"I purely forgot."
Tatsuya had heard that Yugen healed Miya and Itsulwa Mio. Given that magic treatment is difficult to resolve with modern magic, there was a possibility Tatsuya realized Yugen possessed unique magic. The reason he hadn't revealed it since moving in was simply that his time was taken up by school life and troubles, and furthermore, he was having so much fun with magic training and development that he forgot to mention the crucial part.
"I'll tell you first, Yuuka-san. I possess two unique magics. One is Kaleidoscope. Classified as Outer-Systematic Magic in modern magic, it allows for conceptual interference."
"C-Conceptual interference... Then, can you make anything cease to exist, or make things real?"
"I believe it's possible, but I haven't tried. I didn't want anyone to notice the anomaly and expose my magic."
On the foldable terminal, the presence of people heading toward Nagano in a private train cabinet was detected. By its nature, the cabinet managed the data of the passengers on board via ID chips. The personal data of Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami riding that train was displayed.
"This terminal is not connected to the internet at all. By directly intercepting data sent from satellites of various countries in the stratosphere and orbit, I can obtain detailed data. It seems Tatsuya and the others have arrived at Kobuchizawa... shall we switch the screen?"
Just as the tea was ready, Yugen skillfully picked up the tray and the foldable terminal and began to move, with Yuuka following him.
Moving to the living room, he placed the tray down, set the terminal on the table, poured tea into the pre-warmed cups, and handed one to Yuuka. Yugen added sugar and milk to his own to make milk tea, sipping it while operating the terminal.
Suddenly, multiple virtual monitors appeared directly above the terminal. Yuuka couldn't hide her surprise at being able to see Tatsuya and the others from every angle.
"Y-You can do this much? Are there cameras attached to them?"
"No, there aren't. This is a feat possible only because it is my magic."
(...If he can do this, my actions are completely transparent to him.)
If Tatsuya, who was sensitive to sensing presence and existence, hadn't noticed, then the terrifying power of Yugen's unique magic really sank in. Yuuka murmured this in her heart.
Tatsuya and the others boarded the car that came to pick them up. Ten minutes into their drive on the road toward the Yotsuba main house, grenades were fired from delivery trucks positioned in front of and behind their vehicle. Perhaps anticipating Minami's barrier deployment, 11 magic sequences were deployed surrounding the car.
"11 at the same time? That's quite skilled."
"Well, an ordinary magician would be out instantly with this."
"True, if they were ordinary."
Then, the grenades were dismantled and fell around the car, and the interfering magic sequences were effortlessly unraveled. Judging that a forced breakthrough was impossible, the car made a U-turn toward the town, but at that moment, someone jumped out of the car. It was immediately obvious from the clothing that it was Tatsuya.
Tatsuya dismantled the guns aimed at him and dismantled the lug nuts on the tires to cause the wheels to fall off, preventing pursuit of Miyuki and Minami. The enemy targeted Tatsuya, who was nearby, and attacked with close-quarters combat knives.
"Tatsuya-san is being reckless too... Wait, that movement, is that an Artificial Psychic!?"
"Electrical charging reaching lethal levels and self-acceleration spells that ignore inertia... They can't even be called enemies for Tatsuya."
In terms of manipulating electricity, Hattori's Slithering Thunders or Minoru's Spark were superior. In terms of freely controlling the body and weapons within a self-acceleration domain, Mayumi, Erika, and Gozo were stronger.
Though, in Gozo's case, far from ignoring inertia, the very trajectory of his slashes was bizarre. According to Erika, who underwent Gozo's training last year, "It can only be described as strange, ignoring all common sense."
Because Yugen knew movements on that absurd level, he considered the movements of the Enhanced Psychics "naive," but Tatsuya was overwhelming the psychics one after another effortlessly, not even considering them a threat. Defeating them while using Decomposition as little as possible might be Tatsuya's version of kindness.
"...Well, it was more impactful than watching a bad action movie, so I should be satisfied just seeing a glimpse of Tatsuya-san's true strength. However, looking at this, it seems they'll be attacked tomorrow as well."
"Indeed. Next time, they might bring in EMP bombs in addition to conventional firearms."
"Eh?"
Tatsuya's opponents this time were only the Enhanced Psychics who were supposed to be under house arrest at the military facility in Matsumoto; the unit from Uji could not be confirmed. Furthermore, with the police making a move, it was certain that even if Mitsugu wasn't directly involved, someone from the Kuroba family was. Among the Yotsuba branch families, the Kuroba family, responsible for intelligence, was the prime candidate for having significant connections within the police.
The Uji unit had taken significant damage from Selina's EMP attack (Strategic Class Magic Heavy Metal Burst and Electromagnetic Wave Convergence Magic Gungnir) during the recent assault, so Yugen had heard that EMP bombs were deployed as a countermeasure. Therefore, it was highly probable they would be used.
Eventually, Yugen confirmed that Tatsuya sensed the arrival of the police, returned to Kobuchizawa Station, regrouped with Miyuki and Minami, and headed back to Tokyo. With that, Yugen deactivated the virtual monitors.
(Author's Note)
I thought that if one looked at Tatsuya and the others' actions from a bird's-eye view, it would look like this, so I went with this development. The reason such absurd things are possible is due to the protagonist's cheat magic.
And so, Selina ends up playing a subtle role in justifying the weapons the next enemy uses. I hadn't thought too deeply about this part of the development, but since it resulted in a justification for the Uji unit using EMP bombs, I considered it a good outcome.
If this attack weren't against Tatsuya, there would genuinely be casualties. Seriously.
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