Setting aside the risks to the individual put on display, appealing to societal contribution through such a scheme wasn't inherently bad. However, unless the underlying "role" assigned to modern magic—acting as a deterrent to nuclear weapons and avoiding total nuclear war—was reexamined, public prejudice against magic wouldn't change so easily.
Without altering the core foundation of modern magic, even pulling an idol-like stunt would likely end up a crude, temporary fix. If someone existed who could point that out head-on, Yugen would certainly want them on his side.
"No matter how distinguished a Ten Master Clan family you're born into, once you enter society, your individual capabilities are evaluated first. It's nothing new for the child's generation to suffer simply because their parents were exceptionally capable." "So, you don't expect this meeting to end peacefully then, Yugen?" "Even limiting it to the Twenty-Eight Families, several members belong to the military. I hold a similar position behind the scenes myself, but for the efficiency-minded Senior Juumonji not to include my name alongside yours on the letter... It seems Saegusa Koichi might be trying to score achievements for his son."
Even magicians could not defeat old age and lifespan. That was a truth not even the legendary swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna could overcome. Given the nature of magicians, those born normally should theoretically live longer than non-magicians, but that trend was mostly visible in Ancient Magic; in Modern Magic, average lifespans often skewed shorter. The existence of Adjusted Magicians played a significant role in that reality.
Among the current heads of the Ten Master Clans, the youngest was Katsuto at 19 (20 by traditional counting), while the oldest were Futatsugi Mai and Mitsuya Gen in their 50s. The only ones who had explicitly designated their successors were the Yotsuba family (Tatsuya) and the Mutsuzuka family (Toya)—both in their teens. Setting aside Yatsushiro Raizou among the younger generation, even prospective heads lacked notable achievements. Ichijo Masaki was the prime candidate for the Ichijo family, but while his magic capacity was unquestioned, his lack of practical administrative experience was glaring.
Saegusa Koichi was 47, putting him on the older side among the conference members. It was understandable that he wanted to add prestige to 26-year-old Tomoichi as the next head.
"The Saegusa family will be reassigned to guard and monitor the Okinawa region following the structural reorganization. If he wants to build momentum toward that, his actions have a veneer of justification... but Tatsuya, if by some chance they try to push Miyuki into becoming their figurehead, put a stop to it. You can even use my name if necessary." "...Understood. May I take that as a statement from the Chairman of the Master Clan Conference?" "By all means. I won't allow a single person to bear all the heavy responsibility and risk alone. Even if we were to do something like that, all thirty families—the Twenty-Eight Families plus the two Guard families—and by extension, the entire magician society, must share the responsibility equally. Otherwise, it's non-starter. So even if a letter addressed to me arrives later, I intend to politely decline, saying I have family business that day."
By making it clear he stood as Tatsuya's backer, Yugen affirmed his stance against placing anyone in the crosshairs. Tatsuya, realizing from Yugen's insight that the situation was unlikely to yield anything positive, nodded in agreement.
"Yugen-san, do you really believe it will escalate to that extent?" "I don't know what kind of person Saegusa Tomoichi is. But the moment Senior Juumonji was pushed to the forefront instead of making it a joint initiative between the Saegusa and Juumonji families, I judged him to be on the same level of caution as Saegusa Koichi. They may be people we'll have to face for decades to come, but there's no need to compromise with them."
Even though the story had drifted considerably from the original timeline, the strange feeling that original knowledge still applied in a roundabout way settled over him. It seemed likely that some form of correcting force would act upon the situation between Minoru and Minami as well.
However, Yugen's knowledge only extended as far as Masaki's "Ocean Blast." He had heard about the events after that from Celia, but he didn't think for a moment that everything would unfold exactly as written.
"Besides, I already have plans for the day of the meeting. I have to discuss future matters with the Kamiizumi family."
In truth, Yugen and Mototsugu had already arranged to hold a conference this coming Sunday. While the youth meeting was important, the conference among the Guards took top priority. Its contents concerned international movements, so if forced to choose, attending the youth meeting had to take a backseat.
Absences from both himself and the second brother might cause issues. However, when it came to practical action, his side had been the primary driver; from the perspective of those taking proactive measures, the other clans needed to step up their involvement as well.
They might hold pride as magicians, but hiding behind secrecy would resolve nothing. That said, sacrificing someone as a scapegoat was something he would never tolerate. Sunday's conference would serve as the litmus test.
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