As a man of the sky, Rudel spoke the words, but he showed zero interest in the cosmos. Before Hans could even ask why, Rudel answered him.
"I am a pilot. I want to feel the wind. I cannot fathom placing myself in a void where the wind does not blow."
(And I'm the one who has to deal with the fallout of that attitude.)
"Hahaha… But Ernst, you would have spent your life smoldering in obscurity if you hadn't met me."
(…I won't deny that.)
Hans was still young; there was room to grow. But if he had been left behind while the world surged forward, he might have grown to resent his environment. Having desired power because he lacked it, he had learned the heavy responsibilities and burdens that came with it. Ironically, Hans now understood the world from both the perspective of the weak and the strong. His eyes were open to a reality his former self could never have grasped.
(At any rate, I hope the USNA doesn't lose its mind and run wild, but we can't be complacent… Things are going to be busy when I get back.)
Returning to his hotel, Hans collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes. When he finally woke up, he found the girl who was to be his future wife clinging to him in her sleep. Resigned, he quietly settled back down for a second nap.
The day after the party, the graduating seniors returned to Tokyo by plane. However, the current students stayed behind to enjoy a cruise on a glass-bottom boat. Yugen, who had acted as a crew member during the previous incident, was now lying on the deck as a guest, with Miyuki sitting beside him.
"This turned into a 'vacation that wasn't a mission' after all, didn't it?" Miyuki remarked.
"Ugh, please… I don't even want to count this one," Yugen groaned.
Compared to the storm-tossed travels he had experienced with Gōzō, this was "tame," but Yugen still refused to categorize it as a proper holiday. Just then, Shizuku approached with drinks. Yugen sat up and took a glass from her, as did Miyuki.
"What were you two talking about?" Shizuku asked.
"Thanks, Shizuku. Oh, I was just telling her I refuse to recognize this trip as a 'tourist visit.'"
From the magic association riots in the USNA and the Stars' intrusion into training grounds to fighting anti-magic terrorists, dealing with ancient magicians in the UK, capturing paparazzi, visiting film sets in France, getting caught in bullfighting accidents in Spain, and tangling with the Mafia in Italy and the Vatican… in the West alone, he felt like he'd compressed several years' worth of incidents into a single trip.
In the Middle East, he'd been swept up in a religious "Holy War." In the Indo-Persian Federation, he'd crushed Great Asian Alliance agents. In Australia, he'd been chased by regular army commandos. To top it off, in the New Soviet Union, he'd faced a state-sponsored assassination attempt, which he had answered by sending the General Secretary to the hospital for several months using the secret arts of the Shinkage-ryu.
Whether inside Japan or out, he seemingly couldn't catch a break.
"…I'll tell you and Miyuki now, but part of this mission was a request to improve Tatsuya's social standing," Yugen admitted.
"I won't ask who requested it… It was my Aunt, wasn't it?" Miyuki sighed.
"Well, if Honoka doesn't make up her mind soon, we're never going to get anywhere."
Lina, Kanon, Ayako, and Honoka. Miyuki let out a sigh, sensing the hand of Maya Yotsuba behind the schemes to push Tatsuya's engagements forward. Shizuku, meanwhile, was blunt about her friend's lack of resolve.
"By the way, when are you two heading back?" Shizuku asked.
"We go back to Tokyo first thing tomorrow morning. I need to start meetings for the entrance ceremony preparations soon."
Entrance ceremony duties usually fell to the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee, but the Department Federation also had to assist. Furthermore, the incoming freshman representative was someone Yugen was deeply connected to, making his involvement necessary.
Usually, these preparations would be finished well in advance, but the mission had pulled him away immediately after the closing ceremony. He was starting from scratch. Fortunately, as a former freshman representative himself, Yugen had already given the new rep advice on the speech. Even without his help, the Mitsuya family had plenty of experience with top-tier students, so he wasn't overly worried.
"This year's representative is a girl again, right?" Shizuku noted.
"Yes. Someone you've met before, Shizuku," Miyuki added.
"Right. Yugen, how is your sister doing from your perspective?"
"How is she? Honestly… I can only describe Shina as 'eccentric' in a completely different way from the rest of us."
He wasn't insulting her. Shina had inherited so much influence from her sisters, her mother, and Yugen himself that she had reached a level where she could function without earmuffs. Her bodyguard, Jiro, had also achieved Course 1-level strength. The entrance exam results were clear: Shina was the top representative, and Jiro was the runner-up.
"She grew up to be a true Mitsuya… Hey, why are you two looking at me with those judging eyes?"
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