"It hasn't been long, yet you are inviting me back here again already. Tell me, what is it that is you are up to?"
Sitting in a grand room of the Saegusa Residence was Koichi and Kudo Retsu. Koichi had invited Retsu over again and while Retsu was initially reluctant to make a visit to the Saegusa amidst the high tensions out of fear that it may be seen as a partnership between the Kudo and Saegusa clan by others, he was convinced that Koichi had his own plans and wanted his opinion before acting. Judging off the devious plans Koichi had last time around when they met, Retsu felt that he had to stop Koichi if he came up with yet another immoral plan.
"That boy Tatsuya, he is as you have said, Sir. Even then I cannot help but marvel at the abilities he has, not to mention that he has so many aliases."
"Do you still think of him as nothing but a mere weapon? Getting him may strengthen your clan, but it is not the means to the end – it will not get rid of the Yotsuba clan for you. You had better get rid of such thoughts while you can and release your daughter from being your pawn."
"Surely, you do not think that I'm making use of my daughter. She is genuinely in love with him."
"For your own good and for your daughter's sake, I hope you mean it."
"Of course, I wouldn't dare lie to you, sir. That aside, looking at the current situation, I cannot help but feel that we need a sacrifice in order to appease the people. If anything, we have to abandon the wait-and-see approach and act fast before it escalates any further." Koichi had only just begun divulging his plans and Kudo Retsu already had an uncomfortably look on him.
"What do you mean by 'sacrifice'? Surely you don't mean to give in to the demands of the protestors?" Retsu shot Koichi a doubtful look as he tried to guess what Koichi was driving at.
"What I mean is to make use of a scapegoat and have the scapegoat destroyed. That would appease the protestors, would it not?"
"A scapegoat… Hmm, who would it be then?"
Exposing his sly grin, Koichi revealed it and received an immediate outburst from Kudo Retsu. Koichi had expected as much and of course, he did not get the approval of Kudo Retsu. However, it was nothing but a minor setback for him. Having the approval of Kudo Retsu might mean the support of the magic community since he held such a huge influence, but Koichi was also influential enough to pull it off without Kudo Retsu's help although he would have to struggle just a little more. Either way, prior to this meeting he had already set his plans in motion without an intention to stop regardless of the outcome of this meeting.
(Scene Change)
Tatsuya had all his focus on his tablet. He had an important exchange that was to happen any time now and he couldn't allow it to go south. Ever since he had received the full plethora of information from Maya, he had decided to be more proactive and act independently from the Yotsuba clan in dealing with the current situation. This was something only he could do and he had no other choice but to act upon it to the best he can if he wanted to protect everything he had up until now.
At the appointed time, he received the important package, containing the tape of the conversation between Kudo Retsu and Saegusa Koichi, via the designated email. He quickly pulled it offline to make sure no one else would be able to fish it out from the Internet before examining the tape meticulously, not missing out on even a single word. Of course, all of this information did not come without a cost. In exchange for this tape, he made use of a favour Nakura owed him from that time Tatsuya spared his life.
Tatsuya could only sigh after reviewing the video. He had known Koichi to be sly, but he did not expect him to be this underhanded. The more he came to know of, the more stakes were involved. At this rate, the situation will get much messier and will definitely blow out of hand.
Tatsuya knew that he had to create a window of opportunity for him to make a move in order to stop Koichi but his options were restricted by the current situation with the protestors. Any move he makes will be heavily scrutinised and possibly taken out of context to fuel the protest even more, so he had to exercise extreme caution.
The ringing of the doorbell snapped his train of thought and put him on alert. His Clairvoyance sensed nobody at the door or in the vicinity except for the spies and paparazzi camping outside. Still, he proceeded to the door with caution and opened the door to find nobody but a small package addressed to him.
A big 'confidential' word was stamped across the package and Tatsuya ripped it open to find nothing but a palm-sized tube and a pair of tinted glasses. He tried speculating what it may be but nothing came to mind. Playing with them made him no progress as well as by the end of the day, he was still just as clueless regarding the function of the tube and glasses as when he just received it. Out of frustration, Tatsuya accidentally allowed some of his extra Psions to spill out, sparking a beam of light out of the palm-sized tube he had been fondling with all day. It projected a blurry hologram, making the words indecipherable but wearing the glasses evidently helped. The sole word the hologram displayed was 'Hliðskjálf'.
He browsed the Hliðskjálf and quickly understood the prowess of the Hliðskjálf. It could obtain any information put on the Internet even if it is just for a brief second since he could find the videotape Nakura sent over to him. He regretted having made Nakura send over the video via the Internet, but then again having Nakura delivery it would be too suspicious as well given the number of pair of eyes constantly watching him. Now he can only hope that the videotape will not be leaked, or the consequence will be dire.
(Scene Change)
As the protest wanes on, it quickly escalates to be the worst in living memory. No matter how relentless the government is to call for the protestors to restrain, nothing seems to get through to the protestors. The first victims of the protestors are the Yotsuba Clan as the protestors labelled them as reasons leading to the misery of the people. The Tokai region under the influence of the Yotsuba Clan feels the tensions of the protest more than anywhere else in Japan. The only saving grace the Yotsuba Clan had right now was that the protestors had not yet known the location of their main house, thus their peace was not disturbed but that was about to be taken away as well. While surfing the Hliðskjálf, Maya discovered the location of the main house floating around and it was only a matter of time before the information gets to the protestors. Checking the address of the Sage that revealed the information, she found the address to be vastly unfamiliar. She was certain that she had never seen the address before and that it was not the doing of Jiedo Heigu.
Judging by the timing of the information leaked, which was off-sync with Jiedo Heigu's information leak, Maya deduced that it was a separate act by another individual who wishes the demise of the Yotsuba clan. If only she knew the identity of that individual, then she would be able to thoroughly crush him.
"Hayama, prepare to move to our secondary residence," Maya commanded. The last thing she wanted was for her peace to be disturbed. If that were to happen, she cannot guarantee that she will not personally torture every single offender. "Also, before we move just kill off Jiedo Heigu. The last thing I want is for him to be let loose amidst the chaos."
"That should do it for now, albeit they are just temporary measures." All she could resort to at this point were temporary measures. After issuing her orders for the day, she walked across her room and activated a familiar magic sequence on the drawer. The drawer recognised the magic sequence and gently slid out, revealing a palm-sized tube and a pair of glasses. Holding the tube in her hands, she fed it some Psions and wore the pair of glasses to surf the Hliðskjálf as per her usual routine. Only this time around, what she found was far more infuriating than her everyday dose of bad news. Although the videotape which Tatsuya had Nakura send over was almost immediately pulled out of the Internet, it could not escape the grasp of the Hliðskjálf. Maya's anger engulfed the room in darkness, as her window panes shrilled before shattering, showering the floor with thousands of glass shards.
Unlike dealing with Jiedo Heigu, Maya could take action this time around against Koichi. She had been itching for some blood to spill and this was the perfect opportunity for her to have some fun.
Hayama came into the room once again, partly to clean up the glass shards littering the floor but mainly to report on the disposal of Jiedo Heigu. Hayama had found an unsuspecting palm-sized tube and a pair of glasses which Jiedo Heigu had somehow managed to keep on him without being found until the moment he was disposed of. Maya quickly snatched the tube away from Hayama since she knew it was far, far more than just a mere tube.
(Scene Change)
Saegusa Koichi was going about his usual morning routine. He grabbed a cup of coffee he had his servant make and headed for the room only he had access to in the deepest part of the Saegusa residence. The room was filled with information of the highest degree of secrecy, ranging from the magic of the Saegusa clan to the darkest family records. Yet none trumps the Hliðskjálf sitting in the middle of the room. Koichi, as with all other Sages, has the habit of surfing the Hliðskjálf to scout for useful information. His intentions were to use the omnipotent Hliðskjálf to obtain information that could expose the Yotsuba clan and finally use public pressure to get rid of them. What he was not expecting was that even on the Hliðskjálf there was very little information regarding the Yotsuba clan, so his plan to use them as a scapegoat was not exactly coming along as well as he thought it would be. After browsing for a while, he had found a video that not only piqued his interest but made him ball up his fist in anger too.
An hour had not even lapsed since and Nakura's heart had already stopped beating for good.
(Scene Change)
Recently, she could not help but let out sighs after sighs. It was warranted, given the state of the nation. It did not help that her boyfriend was caught up in the middle of the whole situation and her father was making questionable moves. The perk of having a spectator role this entire time has given her a broader perspective and time to analyse the situation. The thought that her own father was using her as a pawn did flash through Mayumi's head and she could not dismiss the possibility although she really wanted to trust that her father would not stoop so low.
If she were to be honest with herself, she was still trying to digest the identities Tatsuya had. Although she was quick to accept it on that fateful day Tatsuya decided to spill the beans to her personally, as she gave more thought about it she realised how scary Tatsuya can truly become. This was particularly since she had personally seen Tatsuya at his scariest, at the verge of going berserk. The realisation hit her that if he had wanted and if he truly had gone berserk, he could very well destroy an entire continent by himself with a single shot of Material Burst. She could not help but shudder at that thought but she could not dismiss it since she knew of it as a real possibility. To truly accept Tatsuya who has such godly powers is truly difficult, but she was determined to do so. She was not going to give up on Tatsuya just because of who he is, not when her love for him is stronger than ever.
Yet, all things considered especially given her status, being attached to Tatsuya given his identity is a controversial move but surprisingly, her father gave her his full support. This sparked questions in her head and she could only come up with a possible conclusion that her father wanted to harness the powers of Tatsuya to cement the Saegusa clan as the strongest clan in existence. It did not sit well with her since she did not want Tatsuya to be used as a mere tool in her family, but she could not go against her father as well. She knew very well the egregious relationships between the Yotsuba and Saegusa clan, so her father would definitely not allow her to join the Yotsuba clan after her marriage. Therefore, the only way for her to marry Tatsuya was if Tatsuya joined her clan which she felt was also unlikely since the Yotsuba clan would have no reason to approve of it.
She cannot help but feel that the future with both her and Tatsuya together is an unlikely event given the circumstances. She loathed the cruel fate that she was forced to face. Meeting the person of her dreams, getting together and only to be forced apart by the circumstances. All that she could pray for was a way for her to escape from this vicious fate.
Unfortunately for her, her troubles were met with even more trouble. In a blink of an eye, her room was engulfed in eerie darkness. All she could see were flashes of the magic sequence before her consciousness faded.
(Scene Change)
A sleek, black limousine approached the Shiba Residence. As it came to a stop in the vicinity of the house, the afternoon sun started to fade into pure darkness, covering the entire area in nothingness.
Tatsuya could not help but notice that Maya had arrived as he sat in the living room, awaiting Maya. He knew he did not even have to unlock the door for her since she had access to basically everything.
Maya took her rightful seat in the centre of the living room, dismissing Miyuki as soon as she sat down. Her agenda today did not involve her so she did not intend for Miyuki to even know about it since she knew Miyuki may not cooperate with her.
"Amidst this time in which the Yotsuba clan is in much suffering, there is an opposing clan who wants to get rid of us. I'm sure you know who it is. You should know what to do, so handle it fast."
Tatsuya clenched his teeth upon hearing Maya's orders. The fact that Maya had access to the Hliðskjálf was one of the worst-case scenarios that Tatsuya had pictured but it made sense to him. After all, no matter how extensive the clan's network of informants is, it is still excruciatingly difficult for Maya to know of all the information she has especially when she knew of Tatsuya's identities leaking to the public prior to everyone else. Now, not only does he have to deal with Maya's orders which could turn into a threat anytime she fancies, but he also had to juggle his relationship with Mayumi and deal with the consequences afterwards. While assassinating Koichi would not be too difficult to pull off, the sudden death of such a prominent figure will have many repercussions to follow. It would further worsen the turmoil the magic society is in and add more confusion to the chaos, not to mention that it would be impossible for him to continue his relationship with Mayumi as well.
"Regardless of how influential our clan may be, such a murder case will not be overlooked easily, especially in this time of chaos." Tatsuya did not want to carry out Maya's orders, but it would not be beneficial for him to straight-up oppose Maya too. What he needed was to make more allies, not more enemies.
"Do not underestimate the influence of our clan when we decide to show ourselves to the world."
Trying to reason with Maya was futile once she had made up her mind but Tatsuya still had to give it a go. Now that it failed, he was truly caught in a precarious situation.
Tatsuya's silence was making Maya impatient but she did expect as much. Considering his situation, he is bound to have many concerns, but that did little to bother Maya. As far as she was concerned, there was a threat to her clan and she wanted Tatsuya to deal with it and she was not going to take no for an answer regardless of the concerns Tatsuya has.
"What other concerns do you have? If your concern is your relationship with Mayumi-chan, do rest assured too. She already knows what is about to go down."
The mention of Mayumi made Tatsuya tense up from head to toe as he furrowed his brows, still unsure of the meaning behind Maya's words until Maya took out her terminal and Mayumi appeared on the screen. Without Tatsuya realising, Maya had personally kidnapped Mayumi. Anger flashed on Tatsuya's face as he clenched his fist although he tried suppressing his emotions as much as he could, stopping himself from going absolutely berserk. Retaining his rationality, the first thing he did was to double-check Mayumi's location on Clairvoyance.
"You wouldn't have known, even if your Clairvoyance is passively tracking her. I used magic passed down from our clan to seal off your little magic marking her. When I lift the magic, you should come to her as soon as you can."
Backed into a corner, Tatsuya had to comply. For the time being, before Maya lifts the magic, all he could do was anxiously wait.
Maya only smiled, pleased that she was able to exploit yet another soft spot of Tatsuya to obtain the result she had wanted. She left after her business with Tatsuya was done and finally light reigned in the area again.
(Scene Change)
The whole Saegusa Residence was in an uproar. The news of Nakura being dismissed had made rounds but the most pressing piece of news was the break-in. Subsequently, they discovered that Mayumi had gone missing and deduced a case of kidnapping, throwing the entire Saegusa clan into a state of emergency.
Koichi was no doubt in a foul mood. Not only did he have to deal with a betrayal, now his precious daughter was missing too. He turned on the Hliðskjálf to search for information regarding the whereabouts of Mayumi and landed himself at a declaration of war. It seemed like a message left deliberately by a Sage for him, revealing the location of Mayumi and a condition for him to come along. Without a second thought, Koichi grabbed his CAD and rushed off. Although he was not the best combat magician, he was still confident in his own abilities. With the exception of a few people, nobody would be able to stop him from saving his daughter.
However, this time around his had a premonition that things would not turn out well. If the culprits behind the kidnapping were just protestors, it would be relatively easy for Koichi to deal with. Then again, which average protestor would be able to by-pass top-grade security and take out a magician as powerful as her daughter? Whoever it was, the culprit must be powerful, powerful enough to potentially rival him. Although he did not want to admit it, he had a suspect derived from his gut feeling who turns out to be his only fear as well. The last person he wanted to face, the last person he wanted as the culprit was none other than Yotsuba Maya.
As a person who trusts his gut feeling more than anything else, Koichi could not help but feel even more troubled than he already is. In times like this, he knew what he needed was a backup plan to serve as insurance and he could think of nothing but releasing the address he found on the Hliðskjálf to the public.