It's been a long while, if I'm not mistaken, this is the longest it ever took for me to update. Nine months? Ten months? Anyway, work has been hard and life harder. I feel like I could even break a diamond with it.

Also, I'm really sorry to say but this time it's NOT A DOUBLE UPDATE. First time in years too the I release a single chapter. Some might say "this guy spends months without updating this story but he releases fanfics from other series and says he has no time". They are not wrong but I did say before that if I just keep writing the same thing I tire out. In my defense, I only write other stuff when I have an idea, like, if I suddenly get an idea for another story, it gets hard to focus on this one so I just write the other short story to get rid of the idea. Kinda lame for an excuse, I know but it's also how my head works.

Anyway, sorry about the delay and enjoy the chapter. (Please don't ask me about the date of the next release, I cry everytime I look at my unfinished work at my desk and the tests I still have to take.)

"Mahouka" - speech

(Mahouka) - thoughts, explanation

Mahouka - time, location

{Mahouka} - my comments

I don't own anything.

Yotsuba villa, Izu

"Ehem! And now, A few words from our dear host!" Erika said as she raised the glass in her hand.

"I wasn't informed about making a speech though?" Tatsuya protested.

"It's fine, isn't it? Just humor us a little." Lina said.

"Yeah. Don't ruin the mood, Tatsuya-kun." Mayumi joined in.

"Come on now, everyone. Tatsuya-kun may still be a little tired from the operation." Kyouko supported.

"Just a few words then." Shizuku insisted.

"...A few words it is." Tatsuya decided to let it go.

Everyone had one glass in their hands, aside from Pixie. Though Minami was also holding one glass, she had no actual intention of partying and was going to dedicate herself to serving throughout the party.

"I would like to thank everybody present here today. Thank you to the ones who prepared this party and especially to those who helped our operation succeed. Cheers." Tatsuya raised his glass.

"Cheers!" everyone followed suit.

Aside from Mayumi and Kyouko, all of them were minors so they were having juice. Or so they thought…

"Honoka, you drinking?" asked Shizuku with a flushed face.

"Shizuku, your face is a little red. Are you okay?" Honoka was worried.

"Did she get alcohol by mistake?" Tatsuya wondered.

"Last time she drank she looked like that so…" Miyuki recalled. {refer to Visitor Arc}

"I'm not *hic* drunk." Shizuku insisted.

"I see." like last time, Tatsuya just agreed.

"Oh, I think mine is alcoholic too." Erika said after a sip.

"Mine is fine." Lina said.

"It seems Shizuku-san was the only one who got the wrong one." Ayako confirmed.

"It's fine just for today, right? I mean, we won't allow her to drink any more alcohol than she already has but since it is already done, no point in crying over spilled milk." Kyouko said.

"I guess. But I feel a little like we failed as the elders here. It barely started and someone already got drunk by accident." Mayumi lamented.

"It's fine. It makes the party funnier, ops, livelier." Erika said.

"Erika, your true feelings are leaking out." Miyuki warned.

"Oh, right! Honoka said something about Lina singing?" Erika changed the subject.

"Y-You are passing it to me?!" Honoka was startled.

"Don't bully Honoka~." Shizuku drunkenly said.

"Shizuku-san, this is bonding. There is always a little bit of mischief." Ayako assured.

"I see?" Shizuku was convinced.

"I-I only agreed because Tatsuya didn't get to hear me sing before." Lina said.

"Well, I…definitely want to hear it." Tatsuya received a quick 'roll with it' look from Miyuki.

"T-There's no helping it then. Since you want to hear it." Lina looked happy.

"Lina-san really is a bit of a tsundere, huh?" Kyouko commented.

"Quite unexpected, right? Even more since she is a foreigner." Mayumi agreed.

"Let's take turns singing then." Ayako said.

From then on, everyone sang at least once. They all could sing a little, aside from Tatsuya that is. It's not like his voice was bad, just his tone was a little too robotic. Erika laughed her ass off, Mayumi and Ayako chuckled a little and the rest held back their little laughs. But the stars of the show were Lina and Miyuki singing in a duet. Their highlight was a song that was oddly familiar called Sanzen Reloaded {Mahouka Reloaded Memory opening song, sung by Miyuki and Lina's voice actresses}. After that, everyone just started doing their own thing, be it singing again, chatting or eating.

Shizuku was still drunk and almost undressed due to the heat so Honoka was trying to stop her.

"Honokaaa, it's too hot in here. Let's turn the AC on."

"It's already on, Shizuku! And why are you undressing?! Rather, Tatsuya-san is also here so stoop!"

"It's fine. We are engaged."

"Even if we are, it still isn't proper to just undress like this!"

Lina became the second minor that drank by accident and she looked wasted. She looked very happy but she had her upper half lying on the table while Ayako tried to give her water to sober her up.

"Everything is spinning~. Soooo fun~. Like a rollercoaster."

"Lina-san, don't you mean a carousel? And I think you had quite enough. Though you shouldn't have had it in the first place. I get that it was an accident and you mixed the cups but I will be telling Sylvia-san about it later, ok?"

"Nooo. Sylvie will scold me, Ayako."

"Yes, yes. Have some water and prepare your heart."

Mayumi also got drunk and tried to cozy up to Tatsuya, hugging his arm to her chest. She was then met with the serious Miyuki trying to stop her from getting too touchy.

"Ta-tsu-ya-kyun! Are you having fun yet~? Onee-san is asking you~."

"Mayumi-san, please stay at least one arm away from Tatsuya-sama. In your current state I fear it's not safe to get into close contact."

"That's not fair, Miyuki-san. Just you getting to hug Tatsuya-kun is unfair~."

"I agree with Miyuki, Mayumi-san."

"Ehh~? You two ganging up on me like that is not nice, you know~."

Kyouko was just watching the unfolding scene amusingly with Erika, who was recording a few parts of it to tease them later.

"Maybe they have gone a little too far? I wonder if this much is still acceptable. Perhaps we will have to ban alcohol from our celebrations till everyone gets older."

"Hahaha! No way, this is funny!"

"But won't it be a problem if what happened gets out?"

"Nah, I doubt anyone here will spill the beans."

"Well, I guess there's that."

Minami and Pixie were already tidying up the place, always avoiding the others to not look like they were hurrying them to end the party. Minami considered helping Miyuki in dealing with Mayumi but in her own way Miyuki seemed to be having fun, so Minami opted to help Ayako carry Lina to her room while Pixie helped Honoka carry Shizuku.

At this point, the party was all but over. Everyone who could still stand was tidying up the room. Tatsuya knew that their troubles were far from over, though they managed to take Gu Jie into custody, there was collateral damage to the surroundings. Saeki's behavior was getting increasingly obnoxious and Edward was also still at large. And before all that, he had to deal with school and he could only imagine the looks he was going to receive. Still, Tatsuya felt they needed to treasure these little moments of peace, after all, he had no idea when they would be able to enjoy them again.

"Master, you have a call from the main house." Pixie's robotic voice sounded.

"It's fine, Tatsuya-sama. The cleaning is almost over. Just leave the rest to us." Miyuki assured him.

"I see. I will leave it to you then. Pixie, I will take the call in the other room."

Tatsuya excused himself and turned on the screen. Into his view came his aunt (mother), Maya.

"Good evening, Tatsuya-san. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Hahaue. I believe you are as well."

"I'm doing fine of course. But I was more worried about you. Surrounded by your cute fiancees, without your mother to watch over you, I was worried you were going to be devoured." Maya said, putting her hand on her cheek in a troubled gesture.

Despite her gesture, Tatsuya could see playfulness in her eyes. He also doubted that Maya was going to help him even if she was here. Most likely, she was going to make the situation worse. Though Tatsuya and Maya had a neutral-hostile relationship for most of his life, after Maya took him as her son, he realized she had some sort of weird and mad adoration for him. Rather, for his world-destroying power and the possibilities it brought.

"...Hahaue, surely you didn't call me just to chit-chat. And the girls won't do something like that."

"Fufu! Just humor your dear mother a little, Tatsuya-san." Maya seemed to be enjoying herself, Maya that is, Tatsuya was not having fun in the slightest.

"..." Tatsuya just stared at her in silence, unwilling to go along with her facade.

"Fine, fine. Let's talk business then. I swear, Tatsuya-san, you need to chill out sometimes."

"I will keep it in mind." Tatsuya said, nonchalantly.

"...You don't sound like you will. Anyway, there's been progress regarding our little friends from overseas."

"From America, is it?"

"That's right. We received intel that Edward Clark has made contact with other countries. Influential individuals from other countries, more specifically."

"Is the source of the intel accurate?"

"Whether it's accurate or not, I believe Lina-san is the most qualified one to judge that."

"So it comes from one of Lina's acquaintances."

"Indeed. This is off the records but the one who sent us this information is the second most powerful magician in the USNA."

"Benjamin Canopus, huh? Lina mentioned him before." Tatsuya recalled.

Of course, Lina had no intention of giving away top secret intel that could affect her homeland but when it was about dealing with radicals like Edward Clark the story was a little different. And what she told Tatsuya about Canopus was mostly personal, that he was a father figure to her. She did mention that he was a powerful and experienced soldier and that without using Brionac, she couldn't beat him. That was a simple statement but it meant a lot to say that he was stronger than the Angie Sirius so long as she didn't use her trump card.

"He must have taken a huge risk contacting us." Tatsuya said.

"Indeed he has. Though our talk was short so as to avoid being discovered, we did manage to ascertain his honesty."

"Was it for Lina?"

"While I do believe Lina-san played a big part in it, his main reason was his country. It seems Edward Clark's actions were against Mister Canopus' moral compass. His actions were too self-centered and it seems he was using magicians as tools."

"Oh? Since the USNA hasn't officially done anything to Edward Clark…" Tatsuya said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Either they are unaware of his actions or they are waiting to see how far he will go. If he succeeds, Japan will weaken and they can get rid of him after announcing him as a culprit for the rift between our nations. And even if he fails, they can still just get rid of him as a loose end."

"I would like to believe it's the former."

"Because of Lina-san, right?"

"While Lina's personality makes her unsuited to be a soldier, she is still a precious SCM. For the USNA to play with fire while she is in our care would be a no brainer. Though they could be planning to use Lina as a justification."

They could claim they weren't in cahoots with Edward Clark by pointing out how dangerous it would be to act against Japan when Lina was there. A risky move of removing oneself from the list of suspects by becoming one of the potential victims. Counter an opponent's logical argument with an illogical action, actions do speak louder than words after all.

"That is a possibility. But I for one believe that they left Lina-san here for another reason."

"Which is?"

Maya put her hand on her cheek with a "oh my" gesture.

"To get a powerful magician. If Lina-san made a 'mistake' with her fiance and got pregnant before the wedding, perhaps the USNA could claim the first child saying that the next one would belong to Japan."

"...That sounds like an unpleasant scheme." Tatsuya frowned.

"It would be, after all, a child born between two SCM, something that never happened before. It's no wonder a country like the USNA is desperate for it. Well, it's still just speculation. Aside from the ones higher in the chain of command, the rest of the American government and military should not be aware of your identity as a SCM."

"I'd rather not have to consider such a speculation."

"Sooner or later you will have to, Tatsuya-san. But let's move on to the more pressing issues. Your return to First High that is."

"Will Miyuki be assigned more guardians?"

"I was thinking of asking Lina-san to take on that role. After all, with your development of the Stellar Furnace you will be too busy and it will be difficult to attend highschool."

"What about the others?"

"For now, Mayumi-san and Kyouko-san will receive additional support from their own families. Ayako-san already has Fumiya-san in addition to the Kuroba Branch. Erika-san also has her clan, even if it's smaller than the other ones. As for Honoka-san and Shizuku-san, we thought about using a simpler approach. To ask that your friends help out while they are inside the school."

"Leo and Mikihiko?"

"From what we've seen so far, they do have the skills but we will still keep a few of our eyes and ears around the girls when they are outside the school just to be sure. Though, we will advise the girls to avoid acting alone. As long as they are together, they can protect each other as well as themselves. If you are still worried, we can transfer Ayako-san and Fumiya-san to First High."

"No, there's no need. Concentrating our forces in a single place is not ideal. And I don't think they will reject the idea but I have some reservations on involving them in our business. Especially as I don't know what they think of me now that my status as a Yotsuba has become common knowledge."

"If they really are your friends, surely they won't abandon you simply because of your family. And if they do, we will have to speed up the plan to have your fiancées move in with you. It pains my heart to throw my little son into the wolf's den but I might have no choice." Maya said as if she would find it amusing no matter the outcome.

"...Regardless, we will only know at the time. Erika told me she already spoke with them about my position and she said I shouldn't worry about their view of me." Tatsuya ignored the last part.

"Erika-san sure works fast. Her stance on tackling relationship problems head-on is something you could learn from, Tatsuya-san."

"While I do agree that managing relationships is not my specialty, I do believe I do at least the minimum necessary."

"Speaking of relationships, it seems that the Ichijou Clan has officially given up on proposing to Miyuki-san. They also sent a formal apology saying they were too hasty." Maya spoke as if just remembering.

"Earlier than expected." Tatsuya raised an eyebrow.

"It's thanks to Miyuki-san. I can only imagine the earful she must have given to Ichijou Masaki-san. And I believe they must have decided that now was the best time."

Right now, all were focused on Gu Jie and Edward Clark, mainly the former since he made an attempt against the magicians of Japan as a whole. In order to keep judging eyes from the Ichijou Clan, they fell back during this time when the priorities were on the invaders.

"Well, I believe I took more than enough from you, Tatsuya-san. You should go back to your fiancées before they start badmouthing their mother-in-law." Maya put her hand to her cheek as if troubled.

"Not at all, Hahaue. And they won't do something like that. Have a nice evening." Tatsuya said as he turned the call.

Tatsuya went back to help clean up the after party and the night ended peacefully. Shizuku, Lina and Mayumi were struck with a hangover the following morning but recovered quickly. And that same following morning, just as Erika was talking with Lina in the kitchen…

"Uuurg… That was horrible." Lina complained.

"Really? You looked so happy during the entire experience. You were smiling from ear to ear till you fainted." Erika said.

"But I don't really remember any of it…"

"Whaat?! You can't be serious! Don't tell me you really forgot about that!" Erika suddenly exclaimed.

"Wh-What?" Lina asked, a little fearful.

"Did you really forget how you were all over Tatsuya yesterday?"

"Wha-! I-I didn't do that!" Lina fervently denied.

"How can you be sure? You just said you don't remember anything." Erika pointed out.

"...I'm not falling for that, Erika." Lina said, turning her face away.

Still, Erika could see that Lina was hesitating a little, still unsure if she was being played. She was but she had no way to be sure. No way, aside from witnesses that is. If only she asked the right person.

"Honoka! Just at the right time!" Lina exclaimed.

"What is it, Lina?" Honoka had just walked in.

"Erika here was saying that I was all over Tatsuya while I was out of it yesterday. But there's no way that's true, right?! It was just another of Erika's jokes, right?! Right?!" Lina approached Honoka, desperate for a confirmation.

"O-Oh! You mean yesterday? W-Well…" Honoka was a little overwhelmed by Lina's proximity.

*staaare*

Honoka noticed that Erika was sending a signal through her eyes. "Play along" it said. Honoka is not the type to lie and they all knew it, which is why Lina asked her. However, while Lina picked the right person, it was at the wrong time. Honoka, a little influenced by Erika, thought that maybe this was finally her chance to be part of the side that teases rather than always being teased.

"A-Actually, you were really aggressive yesterday, Lina!" Honoka affirmed, averting her eyes.

"N-No way!" Lina despaired.

"I-It's true, you know? It was quite a struggle to separate you from Tatsuya-san!"

"Aaaargh!" Lina crouched down, holding her head.

"Fufufu!" Honoka was almost skipping.

"You finally crossed to this side, Honoka." Erika looked strangely proud.

Honoka felt really good and refreshed that moment, like someone who finally finished all summer homework to enjoy the rest of her vacation. The little prank was eventually exposed and Lina sulked a lot afterwards. But they all got a little closer thanks to that and that was all that mattered. Meanwhile, the others were also doing their own thing…

"I can't remember…" Shizuku looked a little unhappy.

"Fufu. Don't worry too much, Shizuku-san. Just don't do it again, at least while you are still a minor." Kyouko said.

"Yes. It wasn't as bad as Mayumi-san." Tatsuya assured.

"Hm. Honoka said Mayumi-san was really aggressive while Lina just fainted."

"Luckily, not everyone is an assertive drunk like Mayumi."

"Indeed. It was worse before." {refer to Ancient City Insurrection Arc}

"Before? What happened, Tatsuya-kun?" Kyouko asked.

"I believe it would be better to ask Mayumi-san, directly." Tatsuya tried to avoid answering.

"Tatsuya-kun, you can't just back out after saying that." Kyouko cornered him.

"That's right, Tatsuya-san. You have to say it." Shizuku came from the other side.

Tatsuya just knew that if it were Miyuki, Honoka, Mayumi or even Ayako, they would have hugged his arms from both sides by now. Luckily, it didn't seem like Kyouko and Shizuku were going to do that now but maybe it was only a matter of time. He felt like he shot himself in the foot by letting it slip that he had a previous incident with a drunk Mayumi but now it was too late. Saying it would make Mayumi sulk but not saying it would make the two girls at his side sulk. Between one or two people, he chose the lesser of the two evils.

"Please keep it a secret from her, ok?" Tatsuya pleaded.

"My lips are sealed." Kyouko swore.

"Hm. Same here." Shizuku nodded.

Tatsuya had his doubts about how much he could trust Kyouko, after all, Kyouko seemed like she could forget that promise just to tease Mayumi. But given the situation, he decided to let his future self deal with it.

"Well, when I was still pursuing Zhou Gongjin, I spent some time in a bar with Mayumi-san to get some information. And since the public opinion of that area was against magicians, we decided to hide our identities as magicians."

"Oh, I think I know where this is going. Mayumi must have said something along the lines of pretending to be lovers while you were gathering intel, right?" Kyouko said with a chuckle.

"She didn't directly suggest that but she started to refer to me more intimately than normal and prohibited me from calling her 'senpai'."

"Knowing Tatsuya-san, you must have declined in some roundabout way." Shizuku said.

"I was focusing on the intel so I decided to play a role that suited me best." Tatsuya defended.

"Let me guess, you were playing bodyguard, right? Then Mayumi must have gotten mad and started drinking non-stop, which led her to getting drunk and she probably did something similar to what happened yesterday." Kyouko surmised.

"That's about it."

Tatsuya honestly thought he could end the story there. He thought wrong.

"Tatsuya-san, you left the most important part out." Shizuku said, looking straight at him.

"Oh, you are right, Shizuku-san. He almost had me tricked." Kyouko followed suit.

"What might you be talking about?" Tatsuya was defiant to the end.

"Tatsuya-kun, if you keep resisting like that, I can't help getting suspicious and will just have to make assumptions of my own. And they just might be worse than reality." Kyouko warned with a smile.

"Give up, Tatsuya-san." Shizuku also sent him a small smile.

"...Fine." Tatsuya surrendered.

He had to talk about the way Mayumi was too drunk to go back to her own room, making him "escort" her back. When he asked for her room key to open the door, Mayumi attempted to hide the key in her cleavage which, thanks to his fast reflexes, remained as an attempt. After getting into the room, Mayumi asked him to undress her to avoid wrinkling her dress. He promptly undressed in a single move and threw her on the bed before dashing out of the room, all without sparing her figure a proper glance.

"So Tatsuya-san already saw Mayumi-san in her underwear before he did any of us (Miyuki aside of course)." Shizuku unexpectedly pouted.

"Well, since we are talking about Tatsuya-kun, I'm sure he did without sparing a second to Mayumi's undressed and vulnerable form. But…" Kyouko said a little menacingly.

"...It's a little frustrating." Shizuku finished.

"I don't think there's a need to get competitive over this…" Tatsuya tried.

"There is." Shizuku cut him off.

"Agreed. The fact that Mayumi was stealing a march even before she got engaged doesn't sit well with me." Kyouko added.

"She was drunk…" Tatsuya said in vain.

Tatsuya thanked the heavens that only Shizuku and Kyouko were in the room. It seemed they were going to fulfill their promise to keep this a secret since who knows how the others would react if they heard this story. Though, in other places, things were also heating up…

"I must admit, I have had a hunch since before but you really are formidable, Mayumi-san." Ayako praised.

"Hm? What are you talking about, Ayako-san?"

"She is talking about yesterday's episode, Mayumi-san." Miyuki guessed.

"Uh!" Mayumi spilled.

Though Miyuki looked calm, her eyes were sharp, staring straight at Mayumi. Mayumi felt intimidated by her gaze and tried to avert her eyes, only to be met with Ayako's gaze. Mayumi knew that she drank a little too much last night and it was not the first time she had an episode like this. Mayumi was someone who could recall what happened during her drunken bolt, as such, she also recalled that it was not the first time she actively approached Tatsuya while drunk. That last part though, was a secret from the others and for her own good, she should not share it.

"*cough* I showed something disgraceful to you all. You two should not do this when you get older, understood?" Mayumi tried to somehow play mature, but she was blushing hard.

"Mayumi-san, from now onwards, you are forbidden from drinking, at least during our parties." Miyuki announced.

"I-It was an accident, Miyuki-san!" Mayumi panicked a little

"Miyuki-oneesama, maybe that's a little too harsh."

"Ayako-san…" Mayumi saw hope.

"She should be forbidden from drinking when Tatsuya-san is nearby." Ayako declared.

"Ayako-san!" Mayumi saw hope getting crushed.

"Agreed." Miyuki nodded.

"C-Come on, you two! Don't bully your elders! I'm practically your onee-san, you know!"

Mayumi always felt that Miyuki was too mature, leaving aside the times that Tatsuya doted on her. But seeing her and Ayako, who was also younger, lecturing her on behavior, hurt Mayumi's pride. She also felt something similar when she interacted with Tatsuya only for his composure and professionalism to outshine her own. Mayumi really couldn't help but think to herself "I'm supposed to be the dependable upperclassman!". Just as Mayumi was wondering how to restore her friends' respect, she saw Miyuki and Ayako letting out small laughs.

"C-Could it be…? Were you two playing a prank on me?" Mayumi gaped.

"Prank might be too strong of a word but we were indeed joking with you, Mayumi-san." Ayako confirmed.

"I'm sorry Mayumi-san. But it was rather hard to pass on a chance like this." Miyuki continued.

"H-Hard, you say? Y-You shouldn't tease your elders like this, okay?! I'm essentially your Onee-san, you know?! You two could show a little more respect!"

"Oh, it's not like we don't respect you, Mayumi-san. You just looked a little cute, panicking like that so we couldn't help ourselves." Ayako chuckled.

"A-Adorable…" Mayumi seemed rather shocked.

Miyuki thought about it before but it seemed Mayumi had a complex about her height. Mayumi's face was not childish and her figure was good but her height could be said to be lacking a little, at least she wished she could grow a few inches more. Calling her "cute" was supposed to be a compliment but Mayumi inadvertently associated the word with her short stature, similar to how one would use words like "cute" and "adorable" for young girls and "beautiful" for mature ones. Of course, this was all due to Mayumi's little complex and no one around her thought she was childish due her height.

"Mayumi-san, please don't take it too seriously. We do respect you as our elder. We only play with you because we feel close to you." Miyuki assured.

"...I know. I'm sorry I overreacted. I get a little too conscious sometimes." Mayumi also took a step back.

"I also apologize. I didn't think you had a sore spot like that. I was insensitive." Ayako bowed her head.

"It's fine, Ayako-san. In the end, even these little moments aren't too bad." Mayumi smiled.

When she thought back, it was only the previous day when they were fighting for their country against zombies. These little moments of peace might not have any significance for the country as a whole and they might not have any big impact on their lives but they were still precious moments of peace. If they were not careful, that peace might be taken away. After all, enemies were something they had in spades, both in and out of Japan.

"But going back, please refrain from drinking too much from now on, Mayumi-san." Ayako reminded.

"A-Are you still going about that?! And I don't drink that much! I just got a little too excited this time! It doesn't happen often!" Mayumi panicked.

"Please follow Kyouko-san's example, Mayumi-san."

"M-Miyuki-san! Not you too!"

Mayumi's screams were promptly ignored by Minami and Pixie.

Somewhere in the USNA…

"Tch! So useless." Edward scoffed.

"Man, that was a surprise. To think the Dark Sage was taken down so easily. As expected of the TMC I guess? One shouldn't look down on the power of a polygamist." Raymond joked.

"This isn't funny, Raymond. I wasn't expecting that ancient magician to do much but the damage he dealt was still lower than I would've liked it."

"He still dealt collateral damage to some civilians and some houses." Raymond shrugged.

As he said, Gu Jie did kill and zombify a few civilians and soldiers and his explosions did damage a few houses. However, the damage was minor and since Gu Jie was captured, he was going to take the full brunt of the resentment of the public that Edward wanted the japanese magicians to take. While Edward could still stir the public, he needed more to accomplish his plan perfectly.

"Will we give up then?" Raymond asked.

"As if. The plan will continue but we may not have the support we were counting on."

"William McCloud and Igor Andreevich Bezobravzov. Since our Project Dione won't have all the momentum we hoped it would, maybe these two will step out, right?" Raymond guessed.

"Even if McCloud does, I don't believe mister Igor will give up so easily."

Seeing that Edward did not deny that Igor will leave them but said that he won't give up, Raymond guessed that…

"Oh, so he will act on his own? Will he use Tuman Bomba?"

"I believe so. He didn't seem to be the type to use a long meticulous plan. I can only hope it works if he does make the attempt. But that is still an 'if', for now, they are both still on our side."

Edward didn't seem so sure of himself despite what he said. His initial plan of sending Tatsuya to the moon wasn't looking very promising at the moment. The next plan would be to find a way to kill him but Edward had to fear retaliation from the Yotsuba in this case. Truth to be told, while Edward did recognize the Yotsuba's power, he still had faith that his homeland could repel them. The previous experiences with the Yotsuba, mainly the Parasite incident, would suggest otherwise but Edward still believed he would somehow triumph. Unknown to him, his treachery was already known by his superiors and they were merely putting him in a balance. Which brings more benefits and which brings more risk? Watching Edward and letting him do his thing or getting rid of him now and scoring points with the Yotsuba? It was all a matter of perspective.

Japan, Kudou household

"Tatsuya-san really is incredible." Minoru admired.

It had just been announced on the news. The recent bombings were caused by a magician from the GAA, the same author responsible for the recent disappearances in the same area. He was stopped by a joint operation from several members of the TMC and though his sentence was not yet announced, anyone who could tell a death sentence awaited him. This is about all the news publicized but Minoru received the news through his family about the key members of this operation. He heard that Tatsuya had a leading role and captured Gu Jie alive.

(If I was put in the same situation, would I have spared Gu Jie?)

Though Minoru wondered that, deep down, he already knew the answer. No, he would have just killed Gu Jie then and there. That in itself wasn't a problem, even if it was just his corpse, they could still present it to the public. But being able to calmly think it through and present the terrorist alive for good measure was something Minoru was not so confident in doing. But he still felt a strange fixation.

(Tatsuya-san was able to not only lead the operation but also capture Gu Jie alive… Even if I didn't spare Gu Jie when put in Tatsuya-san's feet, I don't think I'm inferior. Tatsuya-san is surely incredible but I'm no pushover either. Surely there's something I can do too! If only I could do something about this body of mine…)

Minoru recalled the recordings he saw a few days ago, the one about the Parasites. Beings from another world that stole bodies and had a powerful regeneration. Minoru was strangely drawn to them, he felt that if he could have a body as resilient as theirs, he could do so much more. Maybe even get Minami's attention…

(W-Why did I suddenly think of Minami-san? Even before, I spoke more with Tatsuya-san and Miyuki-san but why do I think so much of Minami-san? When she suddenly got flustered she was really cute but…)

For now, Minoru was still the same person who wanted to prove himself but maybe something could happen in the future. Something that could provoke a sudden change in his behavior. Only Minoru himself could decide if he was going to accept or deny that something and the time to make that decision was drawing near, still out of Tatsuya's perception.

Aaand the chapter is over. As a… consolation you could say, I will leave under this line a few previews for events yet to come, just a tease of sorts. If you are not interested or don't want to be spoiled (it's just a few lines really), don't read it.

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"Sir, your transporte is ready."

"With this, Shiba Tatsuya will meet his end for sure. The world won't allow a single individual with such power to exist." a certain SCM ominously said.

NEXTNEXTNEXTNEXTNEXT

"They will pay. The TMC, no, the Yotsuba will definitely pay for this affront! They will learn that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in my country!" a certain fox angrily swore.

"Major General…" a certain tengu quietly gulped his protests down.

NEXTNEXTNEXTNEXTNEXT

"Part of me feels a little guilty about this." said a certain short graduate.

"Hey, come on, look alive. It's time to celebrate! I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" a certain graduate student unintentionally jinxed.

Thank you for your patience. See you soon (hopefully).