Look at that, double release. Well, not much to say. I wrote both of these chapters a few weeks ago but... I kept thinking "maybe I will change this or maybe this part will be better if I write it like this" and as result I took too long.
"Mahouka" - speech
Mahouka - place, time
{Mahouka} - my comments
List of Clan Heads:
Ichijou Gouki (1)
Futatsugi Mai (2)
Mitsuya Gen (3)
Yotsuba Maya (4)
Itsuwa Isami (5)
Mutsuzuka Atsuko (6)
Saegusa Koichi (7)
Yatsushiro Raizou (8)
Kudou Makoto (9)
Juumonji Kazuki (10)
Ten Master Clan meeting {do not mistake it for the conference from Volume 17 and 18}
The day had finally come. All the Clan Heads gathered, as asked by Maya. Most believed that Maya called this meeting so she could address the recent announcements and discuss the proposal made by the Ichijou Clan. Some sharper minds understood that instead of just waiting for the next conference, Maya did this now so she could stop the Ichijou from planning anything. But only the Kudou and the Saegusa knew about the other issue, the one regarding Gu Jie.
"Then, let's start the meeting. I take it no one will oppose my leading this meeting as I was the one who called for it, right?"
To Maya's inquiry, no one raised their opposition. Even if it was somewhat obvious, she still needed to ask as a formality. It's a tradition that the eldest among the Clan Heads acts as the facilitator in charge of the meetings but as Maya was the most knowledgeable one right now, they decided to let her take the lead.
"First of all, about the recent announcement..."
Hearing this, all Clan Heads became tense. Everyone knew that this was supposedly the main topic for this meeting. But going straight for it, with no prelude or warning, inconsiderate, or perhaps, one could say, clever of Maya.
"My son, Shiba Tatsuya, is now engaged to my niece, Shiba Miyuki. In addition to that, his other partners are Kuroba Ayako, Saegusa Mayumi, Fujibayashi Kyouko, Angelina Kudou Shields, Mitsui Honoka, Kitayama Shizuku and Chiba Erika."
"Yotsuba-dono, forgive my discourtesy but… Honestly, I find it a little difficult to give my congratulations in this situation."
"It is fine, Mutsuzuka-dono. I did not call for this meeting expecting… positive opinions."
The first to speak was Atsuko. She held some admiration for Maya and she got along with her as a fellow female Clan Head. In a way, she was the closest to an ally that Maya had among the Heads. But even for her it was difficult to just smile and swallow this like it was nothing. A custom that still exists but it's not exactly common nowadays being used like it was a matter of course. Maya too, made her position clear. Effectively, she just declared that this meeting was mainly to get rid of the opposition, the Ichijou more specifically.
"Yotsuba-dono, may I say something?"
"Go on, Ichijou-dono."
Seeing as Maya had gone straight for the heart of the matter, Gouki decided to do the same. The Heads all knew that a possible storm was unfolding right before their eyes but they could only watch. Maya though, was just maintaining her usual smile.
"Though your family has indeed announced that Tatsuya-dono is engaged to multiple ladies as well as Miyuki-dono, we wish for you to consider our request."
The Yotsuba did not say anything regarding Ichijou's request. That was because they did not need to. When Tatsuya's polygarism was announced, Miyuki was still included as Tatsuya's fiancee. They had already answered, just indirectly. But, as there was no direct answer, the Ichijou also saw no reason to stand down.
"Ichijou-dono, isn't Masaki-dono your successor? You should understand that it's not possible for two successors to marry. Each has to succeed their own clan after all. Even without that factor, it's extremely impolite of you to request for my niece while she is already engaged to someone else."
Maya decided to start with a logical argument. Overall, Gouki was supposed to have an advantage in this field as marriage between cousins was indeed risky. But there were still some things the Ichijous had not considered. Even if, by some miracle, Miyuki's engagement was nulled, there was no reason why Masaki had to be the one. While Masaki was indeed a promising candidate, the final decision lies with the Yotsuba. If the Yotsuba chooses someone else, the Ichijou won't be able to use more logical arguments without looking like they are trying to show their son off. But Gouki was obstinate.
"I understand that it was rude but we wished for your clan to seriously consider our request."
"Seriously, huh?"
"Indeed, if Yotsuba-dono agrees to our request, we intend to give Masaki to the Yotsuba."
Gouki's words rised a commotion among the Heads. Regardless if it was Maya, who was opposite to Gouki, or Kazuki and Isami, who were the closest to Gouki's allies as one could get, no one could have predicted such a proposition. Masaki was known as the Crimson Prince for his deeds during the battle of Okinawa a few years ago, and his fame was further strengthened by his accomplishments during the Scorched Halloween, when he led one small army of volunteers to victory. Giving away one's successor, not to mention one so highly regarded, was not something anyone could do. Perhaps, the most surprising part, was that Maya couldn't feel a single hint of treachery. Gouki was doing something "foolish", fully aware of how it looked from others perspective. As a parent, it was a praiseful thing to do, but as a Clan Head, not so much.
"I see… It appears I may have underestimated your… determination too much, Ichijou-dono. And for that, I apologize."
"It's fine, Yotsuba-dono. I'm well aware that my actions are unbelievable for a fellow Head, but this is just how much I care about my son's happiness."
"Hm…. I do understand that sentiment of wishing for your child's fortune."
"Then..."
"But I am sorry to say. My answer remains unchanged."
Gouki's strong point was his emotions and he really did believe that maybe he managed to move Maya with it. While Maya indeed recognized Gouki's determination and stopped thinking of him as a nuisance, he was still in her way. Koichi knew from the start that this approach was not going to work. After all, his long time enemy, Maya, was not going to stop simply because someone made her feel a little emotional. Also, while Koichi was hopeless in the emotion department, even he knew that Gouki's feelings could not match the feelings of the eight girls combined. Even if Gouki's goal was Miyuki alone, all the girls were friendly with each other and they would support one another in times of trouble.
"Yotsuba-dono, while not exactly for the same reasons, I do agree that Ichijou-dono's option is more certain. This could ruin the potential of the next generations."
"I also concur."
"Itsuwa-dono and Juumonji-dono, while that is indeed a valid point, it's a good argument at best. Regardless of how reasonable it is, Tatsuya-san's engagement cannot be forcibly nulled by it."
Kazuki and Isami both raised their opinions. Since Gouki was speaking with feelings alone, they decided to give a little support with reason. But Maya easily shot them down. Because this was the most logical argument they could use, it was also the easiest to predict. As such, Maya already had her response ready, like an actor that already memorized their lines. No matter how many reasons they presented, they did not have the authority nor the right to hinder this engagement. Maya was telling them that the only way to stop the engagement was to convince either her or Miyuki. Which could only be done by emotions and, unexpectedly, logical arguments weren't very useful in this case.
"Your reason… may I hear it?"
"I understand Ichijou-dono's feelings, which is also why I can't accept it. My niece, Miyuki-san, loves my son, Tatsuya-san, more than anything in this world. And the same can be said for Tatsuya-san. I wish to respect both of their feelings."
At this point, the meeting between the Clan Heads had pretty much turned into a discussion between Maya and Gouki alone. While Mai and Atsuko nodded their heads to Maya, showing that, as women, they understood Maya, they never said a word. The other Heads as well, given the nature of this discussion, they felt like it was not their place or responsibility to intervene. If Gouki tried to argue with reason it would be different. Even Koichi and Makoto, Maya's supposed "accomplices" in this situation, were only going to watch. So to speak, they didn't believe for a second that Gouki could succeed.
"So they had mutual feelings… However, Miyuki-dono probably does not know much about Masaki."
"The same could be said about Masaki-dono, right? From what I heard from Miyuki-san, your son does not know much about her aside from appearance and name."
The cruel truth that Masaki was only attracted to Miyuki's looks made Gouki feel very ashamed. Saying that Masaki fell in love at first sight made him no different than the other countless boys who happened to see Miyuki before. To put it simply, it made him insignificant, just another among the crowd. Even if he tried to argue that "he loved her dignified atmosphere and her gentleness", it didn't change the fact that he was only talking about her outward appearance. Claiming that he "loved" her just because of that sounded too absurd. Even so, Gouki still tried his best.
"Then...how about this? We could have the two interact with each other. If they get to know each other better and she still refuses, we will give up."
"...Ichijou-dono, do you even realize what you are saying? For some time now, you have been really rude towards both Tatsuya-san and Miyuki-san. And what you just said can only be interpreted as saying that Tatsuya-san is inferior to Masaki-dono as a man."
"...!"
Gouki didn't mean to, but he ended up acting as a doting parent a little too much. He wanted to avoid, at all costs, offending the Yotsuba but, caught up in his own momentum, he slipped. The other Clan Heads continued maintaining their silence. Partly because they believed that Gouki brought it upon himself.
"And another thing, Ichijou-dono. Let's assume that I went along with your suggestion, what then?"
"...What do you mean, Yotsuba-dono?"
Maya had just pointed out a "mistake" on Gouki's part. And it seemed that she was not done yet. For Gouki, who had pushed the situation this far, he could only move forward, no matter how much humiliation he knew was awaiting him.
"Can you really say that you will give up? Or rather, that your son will? After getting more acquainted with Miyuki-san, won't he just decide to keep persisting since he came all the way?"
"!"
It was a simple question but Gouki couldn't hide the surprise, or better, the realization that came along with it. If Masaki was allowed to approach Miyuki and she rejected him, would he really just give up? "No", that was the answer. After getting permission to approach Miyuki and getting rejected, Masaki would simply decide to not give up after getting this far. When someone is desperate and they promise to do something only one time, they generally end up breaking the promise on their own.
"Do you have something else to say, Ichijou-dono?"
"..."
Even though Gouki was clearly done, Maya asked him anyway. Perhaps she was making sure he didn't have anything else to add, perhaps she was just kicking the horse while it was down.
"Though I look like this, I am not a heartless demon, Ichijou-dono. So I will compromise a little."
"Compromise… How do you mean, Yotsuba-dono?"
"I will not cancel the engagement, however, I will not stop your son from approaching my niece."
"So, this will depend on Masaki...?"
"Yes, that's what I mean."
The conclusion will be decided by their children, not by them. That's what Maya wanted to say. If Masaki really hoped to tie the knot with Miyuki, he had to do it by himself. Gouki knew that his son never approached a girl in his life but he liked to believe that when the time comes, Masaki will make a stand. "I managed to give you a chance, Masaki", that's what Gouki thought… But he failed to see what Maya truly meant.
"No matter what you or Masaki-dono do, you will never win", Maya only gave Masaki a chance, because she was already assured of her victory. That is to say, Masaki never had a chance to begin with. Another thing Gouki had no knowledge of, at the same time he was talking to Maya, Masaki was also doing the same with Miyuki just outside. Just as Maya gave Masaki the green light, Miyuki was already rejecting him. It was all over before it even began.
At the same time as the meeting, in the opposite room
"It has been a while, Shiba-san."
"...Yes, it has, Ichijou-san."
""...""
Just as Lina feared, they met Masaki. Kyouko couldn't stay since she had more work to do but Minami and Lina were keeping an eye on Masaki. Minami was staying silent with a poker face while Lina was almost glaring at Masaki. He seemed really happy at seeing Miyuki and a little embarrassed too, probably because what he did was akin to a confession. But he seemed too relaxed, at least according to what Lina heard from her fellow fiancees, he wasn't nearly as calm and collected as he should be when Miyuki was in front of him. Most likely, he was trying to convince himself that Miyuki had not realized his feelings for her and just thought that the whole proposal thing was just something his father came up with. At least that's what Lina thought.
Masaki wasn't surprised at seeing Minami with Miyuki but he showed a little curiosity when Lina said her surname was "Kudou". Aside from that, he seemed a little sad that he couldn't talk to Miyuki alone but he was reasonable enough not to actually ask an engaged woman for an one-on-one talk. Lina was really surprised at how much Masaki embodied the saying that "love is blind". She knew she wasn't the sharpest knife around but Masaki seemed to turn into an actual idiot as soon as Miyuki so much as smiled at him. Miyuki was indeed smiling when she greeted him but her eyes were not smiling and the air around her showed that her mood had considerably worsened when he spoke so gleefully to her. Not surprising considering that the man in front of her was the main obstacle in front of her life's dream.
"A-Are you busy right now, Shiba-san?"
"...No, as a matter of fact, I just finished my business here. I'm just waiting for Obaa-sama."
"T-Then, do you mind if we t-talk for a bit?"
"That would be perfect. I also have some things that I wished to discuss with you, Ichijou-san."
Masaki was blushing and looked as happy as a child that was praised by his mother for getting a good grade. Miyuki just kept her usual business smile and Lina suddenly felt the urge to leave. A part of her wanted to keep an eye on Masaki but the rest wanted to leave as it seemed Miyuki was about to kill him (emotionally) and it was too pitiful to watch.
"Then, what is it that you wished to talk about, Ichijou-san?"
"Err… I..."
"There's no need to be so flustered. Do take your time."
"I-It's okay. I won't take much of your time."
Masaki was right about one thing, Miyuki did not hate him. She also wasn't merciless as she wasn't urging him to say what he came to say and leave. Seeing Miyuki so calm, Masaki took a deep breath and resolved himself.
"Shiba-san, about the request that came from my family, I'd... like to say that it came mostly from me. It wasn't because my father forced me nor was it because I wished to secure a future for the next generation."
"..."
Everyone present already knew that, aside from Masaki of course. The only one who somehow believed that Miyuki did not take notice of his feelings, was Masaki himself. All talk about "ruining future potentials" and "arranged marriages", they all knew that it had nothing to do with it.
"I…. Shiba-san…. I love you, Shiba-san! I fell in love with you at first sight! When I first saw you during the NSC, I just felt that you were the only one for me!"
Masaki said everything in one breath since he knew that he would stutter if he hesitated for even a second. He knew that it was reckless, confessing right after trying to disrupt one's engagement. Normally, Masaki wouldn't have the balls to do something like this. But the encouragement he received from Gouki and Shinkurou for the past few days pushed him forward. Not only that, but Masaki felt that every second that he wasted, was one more second for Tatsuya and Miyuki to get even closer. Though he confessed now, he wasn't really expecting her to accept his confession, he just wished to make his position clear and then try his best at winning her slowly after. Miyuki understood that and she had no plans for an "after" to ever come.
"Ichijou-san… I apologize but I cannot accept your feelings."
"...I know. I already expected that but…. Hearing it hurts more than I thought."
"I'm sorry."
"No... It's not Shiba-san's fault but... Can I ask something?"
"What is it?"
"Shiba-san can't accept me… because of the engagement?"
"...No. Even if I wasn't engaged to Tatsuya-sama, my answer would be the same."
"..."
Masaki already had a feeling it was like this. Even if Tatsuya had remained just as Miyuki's brother or if he at least wasn't engaged to Miyuki, Masaki's situation was not going to change. What Masaki wished the most, was for Miyuki's love. He wished for her to marry out of love and he understood that even if she somehow married him now, she had no love for him. Even if he knew, it was still his first time getting rejected and it hurt more than he imagined it would. Tears did not fall from his eyes but his expression warped and he clenched his fists tightly.
"Shiba-san… I know it's strange to ask this but… Can I keep trying?"
"...Ichijou-san, it's not my place to answer that question."
"It's just… I don't want to bother Shiba-san but I can't give up either."
"Ichijou-san, if you insist that I answer your question, you will hear things that may hurt you deeply. Even so, do you still wish to hear my opinion?"
"...Yes."
Masaki looked like he was preparing his face to take a punch, no, make that an air bullet like the one he shot at Leo during Monolith's Code. If Masaki truly wished to understand Miyuki, he needed to learn what her current view on him is like. Even if he got hurt in the process.
"I want you to give up, Ichijou-san."
"...! Does Shiba-san hate me?"
"That is not the case. But you were too optimistic about this. I certainly do not hate you, Ichijou-san but that does not mean I hold any particular positive feelings towards you."
"!"
"Make no mistake, I do believe you are a good and responsible person. But you really overstepped your boundaries this time."
"..."
Ichijou didn't say anything in response. More accurately, he couldn't say anything. Not just from the emotional shock but because of Miyuki's current state. It was like staring at a queen, he felt like he couldn't speak without her permission.
"I love Tatsuya-sama more than anything. It was like a dream coming true when Obaa-sama announced our engagement. But then you, someone who was not even from the same clan and was not even close enough to be called a friend, came trying to get in my way."
"!"
Halfway, Miyuki's tone got more angry and started speaking slightly more rough. Masaki saw, for the first time, Miyuki's anger. And her words were tearing his heart apart. He suddenly felt like his heart weighted a ton. But Miyuki did not stop. Masaki had confirmed that he needed to hear her so all he could do was endure for now.
"Ichijou-san, what do you know about me?"
"...I."
"You said you fell for me but, why exactly? We have not spoken for long, just a few minutes at best. You do not know anything relevant about me, so weren't you just enchanted by my looks?"
"N-No, I…!"
"Then do tell what made you feel like that."
"I-I do admit that I also fell for Shiba-san's looks but it wasn't only that! Your grace, your dignity… everything about you…!"
"That 'everything' doesn't amount to much, Ichijou-san."
"...I!"
"Ichijou-san, answer me this. You interfered with my long-time greatest desire because of a shallow reason like that?"
"...!"
Masaki, who seemed to have recovered enough to answer again, came to another stop. Masaki got a little frustrated, to him it wasn't shallow at all. But that small frustration got swallowed by his realization. He realized that if he was about to marry the love of his life, whom he had been dreaming for for years, and someone who he talked with just once or twice came trying to interrupt, he also wouldn't take it very well. Sure, for Masaki himself, who never fell in love before, it was very important, but for Miyuki, who was just being hindered and wasn't even close to him, it was indeed a "shallow reason".
"...Ichijou-san, I will say it again. I do not have a bad opinion of you. So, please don't make me hate you."
"...!"
"I do believe we could be friends but nothing more. I can say with confidence, even if Tatsuya-sama was not with me, the conclusion you hoped for would never come."
"..."
"Well then, I believe you would prefer to be alone now, so I will take my leave. Please excuse me."
After saying her part, Miyuki stood up and left without looking back. Minami and Lina, who remained as expectators for the entire talk, followed behind Miyuki in silence. Even if Miyuki said that she wanted to be alone, she was only talking about leaving him alone so, of course her escorts followed her. They both felt some pity for Masaki as their situations were very different from his. Minami fell in love at first sight with Minoru but from the start she never actually thought about a relationship with him as her role as a "disposable" servant of the Yotsuba made it seemingly impossible. Lina on the other hand, was left with a small hope, when she parted with Tatsuya, he said that if she ever needed his help to leave the military, he would be there. Masaki though, had just been crushed along with his hopes. Even after Miyuki and co had left, he didn't move a muscle, just silently crying his sorrows away. Miyuki did feel sorry for him, but if it was to eliminate any future interferences, she would shoot him down as many times as needed, as harshly as she needed to.
Only after the Heads meeting ended and his father went looking for him did Masaki finally move. Seeing his son in that state, Gouki felt vexed over not realizing what Maya's words truly meant. But, more than that, he felt regret over not stopping his son. He felt that Masaki should give it his all and that it was better to regret doing than regret not doing. But now, he didn't seem so sure of himself. He immediately called for Shinkurou and asked him to spend some days in their house to help cheer up Masaki. Even during the ride home, Masaki never said a word.
A few minutes before the end of the meeting
"Well then, let us move to the next topic."
"Pardon my interruption but I thought this meeting was only to address the engagement. So there is still more to discuss?"
"Yes, Mitsuya-dono, there is. And it concerns everyone present here, no, actually, it concerns the entire magician japanese community."
Maya's words caught the Heads attention. Until now, they were just witness, or perhaps expectators, but this new subject seemed more related to them. Of course, since they were involved, Koichi and Makoto already knew what it was about. Koichi kept his cool while Makoto started sweating a little. They both knew they were going to lose face because of this.
"Some of you may be familiar with the name 'Zhou Gongjin'. Of course, I'm not referring to the Three Kingdoms. The Zhou Gongjin I'm talking about was a magician from the GAA who was also responsible for various incidents. The terrorist attack on First High, the sabotage during the NSC, the anti-magician movement, the Traditionalists recent actions and even the invasion of the GAA. That man had a hand on all of these."
All of the Clan Heads tensed up. They {excluding Koichi, Makoto and Gouki} never imagined that such a magician was hiding inside their country. One capable of orchestrating so many incidents, while also remaining hidden, had the potential to become a national threat.
"Yotsuba-dono, just now you said 'was', didn't you? That means that that man is no more?"
"Indeed, Mitsuya-dono. Last October, with the assistance of Ichijou Masaki-dono and Kudou Minoru-dono, Tatsuya-san disposed of Zhou Gongjin." {refer to Volume 15}
"Ooh!"
The Heads were filled with pride hearing about the young generation's deeds. Minoru had poor health but his magical power was incredibly high. Masaki was famous as the Crimson Prince. While Tatsuya was a little incognito compared to the other two, he left an image as an engineer and a strategist during the NSC, there's also his victory over Ichijou during Monolith's Code.
"There are still some… details that need to be brought to light but I will leave them to the next time."
Both Koichi and Makoto knew that Maya was talking about their involvement with Zhou Gongjin. Since they were "allies" now, Maya wasn't simply going to throw them to the sharks. Right now, Maya was going to focus on the most important parts, not the past but the present.
"According to our searches and the information provided by the USNA, there is another magician coming to Japan. He is one of the Seven Sages, Jiedo Heigu, the Dark Sage. He also goes by the name Gu Jie."
"Considering your shift in topics, should we assume that Jiedo Heigu is related to Zhou Gongjin?"
"Indeed, Juumonji-dono. Jiedo Heigu is Zhou Gongjin' master. He specializes in ancient magic with highlights to zombification. We were informed that he stole missiles from the USNA and fled the country. Though his exact location is unknown, his target is definitely Japan."
"In that case, we must assume he is as crafty, or even worse, than his disciple."
"And that's not all, Yatsushiro-dono. There is another problem. But we cannot address this one at the moment."
"And what might it be about?"
"We received information that a member of the National Science Agency, Edward Clark, might be targeting our country."
"Why would someone from the USNA try to attack Japan?"
"I believe his goal is not to attack us but to weaken. Though he was aware of Jiedo Heigu, he did not raise an alert. It's believed that he is hoping for Jiedo Heigu's success to take advantage of the situation. His exact goal is still unknown."
"Are there any chances that this might not be true?"
"There are, Futatsugi-dono. But I doubt that it's false. If anything, it's more likely that a few individuals are not satisfied with Japan's current power."
Japan is a small country, it can't compete with big countries like the USNA. However, the reveal that a magician (Tatsuya) with an unknown powerful strategic-class magic existed in that small country shocked many around the globe. With power like that, Japan can rival these countries, or so many feared. Edward Clark is one of such people. He serves not the country but his own ideal vision of how the country should be. One could say that he is very simple-minded, he does not accept those he judges "dangerous" and actively tries to get rid of them. Edward's plan is to make use of Jiedo Heigu's plan. Jiedo Heigu is planning on controlling corpses with his magic to detonate the missiles as a suicide attack to involve as many civilians as he can in the incoming conference. By attacking the location where the Clan Heads are, he knows that the media and the Anti-magician movement will move to place the blame on the magicians. He wants the country to expel it's magicians and leave them with no place to go.
Edward's plan is to use the momentum from Jiedo Heigu's plan to attack Tatsuya. If the anti-magician movement grows stronger in Japan, it will weaken in the USNA and the japanese magician community will grow desperate for a solution. Then, he will announce Project Dione, a project about terraforming Venus and that would greatly contribute to mankind's future, thus, making it a "perfect" solution to the problem of magicians being seen as dangerous. That project requires certain capable individuals, like Taurus Silver. It's real intent is to expel magicians that Edwards considers a threat out to space. Little did Edward know, he is picking a fight with the wrong opponent this time.
{One thing I would like to make clear. I know there are many people that hate Masaki but I'm not one of them. I do find his actions regarding Tatsuya and Miyuki's engagement quite annoying though. Like, he is not a bad guy but it ticks me off a little when he tries to interfere. His "speech" at the end of the novel (Volume 32) was a little hard to look at for me. "Are you really saying that now, man? Have you really not learned anything from the these years?" or something like that.