24 1

Vol. 24 Chapter 1


"Taurus Silver is a student at the National Magic University Affiliated High School, Mr. Shiba Tatsuya. People of Japan. I want you to convince Mr. Shiba Tatsuya.


The appearance of the mysterious personality in the video, calling himself one of the "Seven sages", caused a wide public outcry not only in Japan, but also in America.


In the field of Magic Science, Taurus Silver is given as much attention as the pioneer of the "Cardinal code", Kichijoji Shinkuro. But unlike Kichijoji, who had no new achievements since the discovery of the Cardinal Code for Weight-Type Magic, Taurus Silver, implemented a practical version for Flight-Type Magic, which was appreciated.


"Cardinal George" in the theoretical field and "Taurus Silver" in the technical field. This was the common view of Japan by the American Magic Association.


And now, hidden for all this time, the identity of Taurus Silver was revealed. Furthermore, it turned out that he was also a high school student like Kichijoji Shinkuro. This news, that became a sensation, attracted attention from those who ordinarily aren’t interested in magic.


Raymond laughed when he saw the reaction of ordinary people on the Internet, which he expected would be quite turbulent. He realized what he was doing were dark things and therefore can’t enjoy it together with his friends from school.



	His work in the role of "Seven sages" was a secret that was only known by himself and his father, Edward Clark. He couldn't boast about this in front of his simple friends.



	The moment Raymond got up from the table and thought it was time for dinner, the home security system alerted his father's return home. At the same time, Raymond came to the realization that it is unusual for his father to appear in the daytime.


His father Edward comes home once or twice a week. When he needs his father, he usually goes to his office. ... And his mother divorced his father and left when Raymond was 10 years old.


The day of the week on which Edward usually came home hadn’t arrived yet. Naturally Raymond realized that it was his "prank" that caused Edward's unusual actions.


“Dad, welcome back.”


Of course he'll be angry. In anticipation of this, Raymond came out of his room and greeted his father with a smile.


“Raymond, it was a stupid act!”


“Sorry.”


Edward's voice was more rigorous than Raymond expected. However, Raymond's apology was only in words. Neither his thoughts nor the expression on his face hinted at any fear.



	He understood that his father must be seriously angry.



	“... But the result was convenient. If the privacy of the minor violated the public opinion, the media and human rights organizations would raise unnecessary fuss. I would have suffered greatly if I had taken this next step in the pursuit of Shiba Tatsuya.


“I'm glad I helped my dad.”


Raymond only made a submissive face for a few seconds. Edward's reprimand and his true intentions that followed were within Raymond's expectation.


The USNA government, a democratic state, cannot openly violate the rights of magicians. Especially the rights of a minor. That is why Edward could not use the real name of Taurus Silver to control the public opinion of the Japanese. Despite this, he expected that for USNA, it was most advantageous if the name "Shiba Tatsuya" would come under pressure of the public opinion.



	But if this information is leaked from sources other than government officials, the government of the USNA will not be attacked by the media and human rights organizations. The disclosure of the identity of Taurus Silver by Raymond, who plays the role of one of the "Seven Sages", meets these requirements.


Raymond guessed it.


"Can I do anything else for dad?"



	Raymond's question was not the desire to fulfill his duty as a son, but the desire to play further.


Edward squinted a little. Of course, he also realized what his son expected from his actions. He did not scold him because he came to the conclusion that "The Seven Sages" are quite useful.



	“I plan to visit Japan in the near future.”


“You, personally?”



	Edward nodded to Raymond's question.


“You want to go too?”


“Can I? I'll go!”


Raymond immediately accepted his father's proposal.


When Tatsuya watched the video address of the Seven Sages, it was 7 o'clock in the morning. It took three hours before he came out of deep reflection and started acting.


At 10 o'clock in the morning. Tatsuya called the main house of the Yotsuba.


“Sorry about the wait. Terrible things have happened, haven't they?”


Unlike the previous times, when he wanted to talk to Maya, this time she didn't pretend she wasn't there. However, instead of a dumbfounded expression, Maya's greeting, which appeared on the screen , contained not a drop of concern.


“Yes. I believe that we will no longer be able to confront this passively." Tatsuya answered directly to the tantalizing words of Maya.



	“... I wonder if we can respond well?”


Maya slightly knitted her eyebrows, showing that it would be unpleasant if the expectations were not met.


“I called to talk about it.”



	Even when Maya showed that she was in a bad mood, the expression on Tatsuya’s face did not change. Not showing even a polite smile, he finished the entry and moved to the main issue.


“Do you have any ideas?”


“Yes ......”


A light smile vanished from Maya's face, and she pondered. Tatsuya silently waiting for the answer, watching her image on the screen.


“I'll send a man to pick you up. It's a little early, but let's talk at lunch.”


The second hand of the clock managed to make half the turn before Maya gave this order.


“Understood.”


Tatsuya thought it wouldn’t be a problem if they discussed it on the phone. But he didn't mind a personal meeting to talk about it. Tatsuya respectfully bowed to the image of Maya on the screen.



	Tatsuya arrived at the main house of Yotsuba at 11:30.



	Hanabishi Hyougo, who was sent to pick up Tatsuya, immediately led him inside the main building.



	In the canteen, where the name of the successor was announced on New Year's Eve, everything was prepared for a joint dinner, but Maya was not there yet. Now Tatsuya no longer feared the authority of Maya. But he was pleased with the fact that he did not have to wait long for the person at the highest level of power in this family.


Maya appeared five minutes after Tatsuya took his place.


“I'm sorry I made you wait.”


“No, nothing like that.”


Tatsuya got up from the chair, and bowed to Maya in the dining room.


“Clear.”


Having received permission from the nod of the displeasured Maya, Tatsuya sat back on his chair.


Their places were opposite of each other. To make it easier to speak, the table was replaced by a smaller one compared to one from New Year's Eve.


Behind Maya stood Hayama, and behind Tatsuya stood Hyougo.





On the signal of Hayama, the female maids entered the dining room and put down the food.


It was not a full dinner, but only soup and some garnish, as to not disturb the conversation.


“Eat, don't be shy.”


"With your permission."


As directed by Maya, Tatsuya picked up his chopsticks. Still, all his attention was directed to Maya.


"This time it was unexpected even for me.”


“For me, too.”


So he wasn't embarrassed when she suddenly spoke to him.


“Tatsuya-san knew about him, didn't he?”


“Raymond Clark? Yes, but as I previously reported, we never communicated directly.”


After the parasite incident was resolved, Tatsuya gave Maya the details of the case in a written report. The report also contained a complete rehash of the case where Raymond Clark offered his assistance in supplying information.


“I wonder if you could find out if there was a connection between Raymond Clark and Edward Clark.”


"You can't say exactly. Although he offered to help with information on a permanent basis, but since then I have not had a connection with him.”


In that video message, Raymond said to Tatsuya, "I'll try and continue to give you information that you can count as important." But he never fulfilled that promise.

	“I mean, did you forget about him?”


"In the sense that I didn't remember him, that's right. I only left the existence of Hliðskjálf in the depths of my memory, but I had to study the matter more seriously. I think Taurus Silver's identity was already known to Raymond Clark at the time of contact, but I'm sorry I couldn't catch him by surprise to reveal details about the tool he was using.”



	“... Well, this is the last thing, there's nothing to be done.”


Maya's response sounded like some obscure hitch. Tatsuya thought, "Come on."


“As you say.”


As a result, he just bowed, pretending to agree.


“There's one more question, Tatsuya-san.”


But Maya, during this momentary confusion, seems to have realized something important. She suddenly decided to change the subject.


“What did you do with your seal? I see it's been released.”


“It was destroyed to increase my chances of victory against Juumonji-dono.”


Tatsuya did not panic and was not afraid, and immediately gave a direct answer to the question of Maya. Besides, her question didn't sound like a charge.





“Destroyed? Not released?”


Maya with doubt inquiringly bowed head. Her face showed that she doubted whether she had correctly heard.


“Yes. The vow itself was annulled." Tatsuya again answered Maya's question without fear and hesitation.


"It was very reckless..." Maya said.


“He was not an opponent that could be defeated without recklessness.”


"Couldn't you win even in a sealed state?”


There were signs of accusations in Maya's voice. But it was concern about the recklessness of Tatsuya. For some reason, it was not a charge of unwittingly withdrawing a vow.



	"But since you really won, it wasn't a mistake.”


“I'm sorry to bother you.”


Tatsuya could not understand the real intentions of Maya, so he just briefly answered and bowed.


“So... It's time to move on to the main issue.”


Was she satisfied with the answers, or was it just time? Maya urged Tatsuya to explain the plan for "retaliation".


Tatsuya had not finished eating, but he temporarily put his chopsticks down.


“I would like to get permission to hold a press conference in the main office of FLT.”


“Are you saying you're going to take it personally?”


Maya slightly rounded her eyes.


“Yes.”


"And what, I wonder, are you going to say to the journalists?" Maya asked, giving Tatsuya a curious look.





“I am going to announce a project for a plant for the processing of oceanic water using the "Stellar Furnace". ”


“ "Stellar Furnace" You mean the thermonuclear reactor you developed a sequence of magic of constant gravitational control for? What is this project?”


“The Extraction of both useful and harmful Substances from the Coastal Area of the Pacific Ocean using the Energy produced by the Stellar Furnace (extract both useful and harmful Substances from the Coastal area of the Pacific using Electricity generated by Stellar-Generator). The first letters of the basic words were taken from this phrase, and the abbreviation "project ESCAPES" was made.”


Now, for the first time Tatsuya first revealed his true goal to Maya.


“— ... It's quite interesting. Tatsuya-san plans to achieve the creation of an independent State for magicians with this "project ESCAPES" ?”


“I did not plan to separate from the country. To cover all necessary necessities of life is unrealistic to be done by magicians alone.”


“You won't even require autonomy status?”


"I think that this will be of little use, even if the government is too stimulating.”


“You don't have a childish way of thinking.”


Maya hid her mouth with her hand and narrowed eyes. But the expression on her face made it clear that she was silently laughing, but to Tatsuya, it was clear that it was not from a bad impression.


"It will be sufficient for me that the rights of magicians, guaranteed by public foundations, will indeed be protected.”


“To get the government to implement this. That is Tatsuya-san’s purpose for this, isn't it?”


“Yes. Although I do not deny the possibility of obtaining real autonomy as a means to implement this.”


Unable to tolerate any more, Maya laughed out loud.


“— ... Right. But I am sure that the general public will be against such a regime of governance as autonomy.”


Maya laughed enough, and then looked Tatsuya straight in the eye.


“I understand Tatsuya-san’s plan. I see that you have thought this through enough to succeed.”


Tatsuya understood the meaning of Maya's words when she only marked herself by saying, "I see."


“Does that mean that the opinions of Aunt alone will not be enough to allow this?”


“Yes, it does. But not in the sense that we need approval from all the side branches.”


Tatsuya silently stared at Maya's eyes, waiting for her to continue.


“It concerns sponsors, especially close to our Yotsuba family.”


“Is it about His Excellency Toudou? Although I only know his name...” “Ara, you're right.”


Maya was a little surprised, but immediately nodded with an emotional smile on her face.


"Then the conversation will be short.”



	Maya wet her throat with green tea. When she returned the cup to the table, Hayama immediately replaced a new one for her.

	"The condition is that Tatsuya-san has to explain this to His Excellency Toudou what we have just discussed, and to persuade him to give his permission to do so. I'll arrange a meeting with His Excellency.”


“Understood. I'm sorry to bother you.”


Without showing any apprehension, Tatsuya bowed in a sign of consent.


"But since we need to make some preparations in FLT, let's define an action plan. How about Friday, in four days, at 10 o'clock in the morning?”


“I don't have any plans, so I don't mind.”


After all these events, Tatsuya’s schedule both as a student, and as a developer, and as a special officer, was empty. He therefore accepted in an instant to Maya’s proposal.


“The press conference will be postponed if His Excellency will not be able to meet in the near future. And if you can't get His Excellency's consent, it will be canceled.”


"It's inevitable, I understand.”


“Yes.”


Maya nodded with a smile, looking at the demonstration of submission by Tatsuya.


As soon as the meeting with Maya was over, Tatsuya went back to the villa in Izu. He originally did not plan to stay there, but no one was going to hold him.


Since the new year the attitude of the servants to Tatsuya has changed a lot. However, due to the fact that he was very seldom in the main house, respect was extremely scant.


“— ... Tatsuya-san does not seem to care at all.”


Sitting in her office, which was her "personal space", Maya unwittingly said part of her thoughts aloud.


A nearby Hayama had heard her words.


But he didn't comment on the muttering Maya, and just put a cup of tea in front of her.


"Hayama-san..." “Yes, Madam?”


Although by Maya's voice it was possible to think that she was talking to herself, but Hayama answered her calling voice without panic or confusion.



	“What do you think about it... About what Tatsuya-san told us?”


“— Speaking of the story of Tatsuya, do you mean the question of the vow? Or is it about the press conference?”


“I speak about both questions... Right, first I'd like to hear Hayama-san's opinion about the abolishment of the Vow.”


"Yes, indeed... In my humble opinion, this will not cause any particular problems.”


“The printing itself was removed, but there will be no problems?”

	Maya asked Hayama with unconcealed surprise in her voice.


“With all due respect, but was not the role of the Vow completed when Tatsuya became the groom of the next Head-sama?


“— but wasn’t his seal intended to insure obedience to the Yotsuba family?”


“I know. But madam. I dare say it rudely, but you seriously think that it is necessary to fear the current Tatsuya’s magic going out of control?”



	“A complete vow withdrawal. This means that Tatsuya can now at any given time, 24 hours a day show all 100% of his magical abilities. This means that he can freely use Material Burst.”


“Initially Tatsuya’s power was sealed out of fear of uncontrollable activation of Material Burst.”


Anger, sadness, hatred, if only one of these arises and the boy could in turn instantly attack any point of the world with magic, the destructive power of which surpasses any strategic nuclear missile. Even if the Earth itself is not destroyed, all sentient beings on it will be easily destroyed. And people are no exception.


To prevent such a situation, the Yotsuba family sealed the force of Tatsuya.


But the seal was not complete. The Yotsuba family did not renounce the power with which only one person can confront the whole world. They valued this power.


By conducting a pre-determined procedure, Tatsuya could temporarily gain the ability to use the Material Burst at his own discretion.


The seal of the vow was needed to prevent the impulsive use of destructive magic by Tatsuya, regardless of its intentions. It was installed in case he could not control his magic.


But the vow connected not only Tatsuya’s magic abilities.


The binding spell on Tatsuya was designed to use the magic power of Miyuki. To keep the power of Tatsuya sealed, so the vow consumed a large amount of Miyuki’s power.


The vow is not needed when Tatsuya can hold his magic under the control of his will.


“We can say that the vow was not "not necessary", but rather a harmful thing that reduced the fighting power of the Yotsuba family, suppressing the forces of two powerful magicians, Tatsuya and Miyuki.”


Maya received from Hayama a rather unexpected question, and could not immediately answer it.


“The ability of Tatsuya in the management of magic is such that it competes for first or second place in the entire Yotsuba. We can say that it is the highest level in the whole world.”


“— ... Right. At least he's taller than me.”


Hayama neither confirmed nor refuted Maya’s assessment.


“As long as no misfortune comes to Miyuki-sama, the magic of Tatsuya-sama will not get out of control.”


"And if something happens to Miyuki-san, the vow will not stop the riot of magic... that is what Hayama-san is trying to say?”


“You're right. Therefore, I believe that the Yotsuba family should protect Miyuki-sama by any means. I apologize for my cheeky words.”


“I understand. It's a fact.”


Maya reached for a cup of tea, but halfway removed her hand and sighed deeply.


“To have too much force, indeed, is troublesome. If we want to use it, after all, it will be an abuse for us. And if we want to isolate it, we won't be able to ignore it anyway.”


“We cannot say that there is no real threat. To compromise, to betray oblivion or surrender? If we do not select the force that is the source of the threat, then surrender to the enemy is only a temporary solution.”


“You're right, Hayama-san. As long as the enemy is not devoid of strength, surrender is not a solution. But if this force is inseparable from the enemy's essence, there is no other choice but to destroy it.”


"But it's only in case you can't compromise, right?"


“It is quite common opinion that the search for compromises is one of the options for postponing problems... But in our case it will be quite difficult, isn't it? Because the threat of this magic is exposed to all countries of the world.”

	“Do you think that there will be people planning to kill Tatsuya-sama?”

	While Hayama asked, he replaced the contents of the tea cup.


“I think that there are already some forces that have reached the phase of practical execution.”


Taking the cup in hand, Maya said this before touching her lips.


“It's a pretty big deal.”


Maya lateral vision caught the expression on Hayama’s face. Contrary to Maya's expectations, Hayama was not smiling. Maya felt that she should somehow change the object.



	"But Tatsuya-san can't be killed, is it?"


“I think so. Tatsuya is almost immortal. However, Miyuki is not.”


Maya put the tea cup on the table so abruptly that there was a loud ringing.


“— ... What happens if Miyuki-san falls under an assassination attempt aimed at Tatsuya-san?”


"I believe that the people of the Yotsuba family should try to avoid this possibility by all means.”


After answering Hayama, Maya plunged into silence.



	“Miyuki is protected by Tatsuya like no other. Even now they are in different places, this is not a hindrance to Tatsuya. Tatsuya’s protection is effective from any distance.”


Magical ability that can dissipate the very essence of magic, that is his sequence of magic.


And another ability that can cancel fatal injuries until the person has died.



	Maya felt relieved when she reminded herself that Miyuki was safe because she was protected by Tatsuya.


But it is obvious that Tatsuya is not all-powerful.


The victory in the battle with Juumonji Katsuto was not easy.


Tatsuya was unable to neutralize the protective version of the Phalanx. It is able to dispel any sequence of magic, but it does not mean that it can neutralize any magic.


To defeat Katsuto, Tatsuya had to use a physical attack in the form of a neutron beam.


It is impossible to protect from a neutron beam, because simultaneously with irradiation, the use of a neutron barrier is impossible. But you can evade it. In addition, "Baryon Lance" is a magic that puts a lot of strain on Tatsuya’s magic calculation area, so if it is dodged, it creates a serious gap in his defense.


Tatsuya himself will never die, no matter how he is attacked. However, it is not safe to say that there will be no cases of getting such an attack, from which he won’t be able to protect Miyuki, because this will give him a fatal trauma. Perhaps a magician capable of making such an attack exists somewhere in this world.


No, not "possible." Tatsuya received heavy damage, losing one hand from the cannon of charged particles from Angie Sirius. ... Although with modern regenerative medicine, it would eventually recover even without his superpower "Regrowth".


In addition, Tatsuya was unable to neutralize the "Tuman Bomba" in the Soya Strait. And the reason was not because he was remotely kneeling from the base of Kasumigaura. Also, he would have been defeated by Katsuto if he hadn't prepared Baryon Lance in advance.


“— ... Hayama-san wants to say that the protection of Tatsuya-san leads to the

	protection of Miyuki-san, and that, in addition leads to the fact that the magic of Tatsuya-san will not get out of control?”


"I think that even in a sealed state, Tatsuya will never be defeated. However, does the limitation of Tatsuya-sama’s power, limiting his ability to protect Miyuki-sama not contradict the original goal to prevent the rampage of Material Burst?”


“True... You may be right, Hayama-san.”


Maya relaxed her shoulders and leaned back in the chair.


“If you consider the ability of Tatsuya-san, who does not allow his magic to go out of control, the limitation of force can be said to give a reverse effect.”



	Hayama respectfully bowed to Maya.


“Well. I give my permission to destroy the Vow.”


“Do not "Ignore", but "Allow".”


Hayama slightly raised his eyebrows with surprise.


"Mitsugu-san and Touka-san can raise some noise on this, but if it goes too far, I'll talk to them myself to convince them.


"As you will. I will try not to bother Madame with this question as much as possible.”


“Yes, thank you.”


Thus, Maya and Hayama finished with the theme of willfully removing the seal on Tatsuya.


“By the way, what do you think about "Project ESCAPES"?”


“It's amazing.”


After hearing Hayama’s voice filled with unexpected emotions, Maya turned to him in surprise. The person standing next to Maya, Hayama, looked the same as his words indicated.


“You really appreciate it, don't you?”



	"Project Dione by Edward Clark was an idealistic project that the responsible magician has difficulty resisting.”


“— Indeed, it is difficult to go against what is positioned as the dream of all mankind.”


If humankind adheres to the current growth rate, it will sooner or later be faced with problems such as limited space on earth and a lack of resources. A plan to address this issue has been presented.


It was stated that this requires the power of magic, and it is impossible to refuse cooperation. Even if it is necessary to sacrifice the lives of magicians, if they renounce it, they will be called traitors of humanity.


Regardless of the success or failure of the project.


"However, Tatsuya’s project itself demonstrates another solution. Let it be a fair, it direct opposes the idea of Edward Clark.”


“As for the grandiosity, the plan of Tatsuya-san is a couple of steps inferior to "Project Dione".”


Maya seemed to think Hayama overestimated the proposed plan by Tatsuya.


So she ironically objected to the words of Hayama.


“I mean, it's more realistic.”



	But Hayama did not praise the plan of Tatsuya in a burst of feelings.



	“It seems that capital owners prefer to invest in cases that show more realistic prospects.”


It seems that he first of all assessed the effectiveness of the plan as a means of retaliation.


“— ... Theoretically, it is.”


With a slight sense of unwillingness to admit her defeat, Maya agreed with the opinion of Hayama.


"As Madam said, the chance of success of a fairy tale, which is a pipe dream, is rather low. But it benefits from the power of persuasion from the assistance provided by other countries.”


"It would be good if His Excellency decided the same.”


“Can Tatsuya persuade Toudou Aoba? It all depends on whether Tatsuya can overcome this deadlock.”


“By the way, Madam.”



	This time Hayama changed the subject, not answering the muttering Maya.


“What is it?”


“— as I mentioned before, I do not think that a compromise is impossible.”


“— in the question of the Tatsuya-san’s magic threatening the whole world?”


“Yes. Tatsuya-sama earlier said that he did not deny the possibility of getting magicians themselves. If Tatsuya-sama will act not individually, but on an equal basis with representatives of the State, there will be no need for compromise.”


On the same day, when a mysterious man revealed the identity of Taurus Silver.


From the very morning the media stormed the entrance of First high. Classes started earlier than they appeared, so there would be no pupils caught on the way to school, who would be surrounded and have microphones waved before them. But by the beginning of the second lesson, both the main and service gates were completely crammed with the employees of various mass media companies.


The reporters requested materials on Tatsuya, but the school rejected all requests. Given the importance of protecting the privacy of the minor, as he did not commit anything illegal, it is natural that it did not sound that he does not attend school.


Despite the refusal to issue information, the media did not give up. No, that seems to have been unimportant from the start, whether the school will allow it or not. Even when the morning half of the classes ended, and a lunch break came, a crowd of journalists still captivated the whole neighborhood around the school.

	"They're still here..." “It seems even more of them have shown up.”


On the words of Izumi, watching the main gate of the school from the window of the school board, an exhausted voice answered her in Kasumi, also observing the situation on the street.


"The back gate is full of reporters..." added Honoka with a timid voice. She could see the situation outside, sitting in her place, because she directed the light rays to her field of view. In fact, it was a violation of school rules about unauthorized use of magic, but here and now no one was going to complain.


“It's going to be a problem when everyone goes home from school.” A frowning Miyuki murmured.


“Should we call the police?”


Miyuki slightly shook her head at the offer of Shizuku.


"Let the teachers think about it. We cannot make such decisions ourselves.”


“Understood.”


It was just a fleeting idea, and Shizuku didn't cling to it.


“But President, I think we will not be able to reach our house safely only by our efforts...” with a helpless expression on her face, Shiina turned to Miyuki. If Saburou was here, he wouldn't have any qualms to say something like, "I will protect you," to cheer Shiina up, but it looks like he was having trouble communicating with the school board, so he stayed away from this room.”


When Shiina said, "only by her own efforts," she naturally hinted that they would not use magic. Theoretically, magic can be used for self-defense. But the definition of the legality of using magic for self-defense was greatly hampered. If press freedom is used as a shield, even though they are minors, the likelihood that the use of magic is legitimate will be rather low. In so-called "experts" there was still a deep rooted evil, which sees "journalism" as something sacred.


Miyuki, apparently, also feared it.


"We need to think about some countermeasures.” She answered with a serious expression of her face.


Needless to say, the First High School was not the only place where the media was. Many reporters also crowded near the work place of Taurus Silver, the office of Four Leaves Technology. There were a lot of reporters, openly recording everything on camera, because there was no need to pay attention to the privacy of minors. If they were not involved in the media, they could be suspected of interfering in official business.


However, after noon in this frantic activity to gather information came a break.



	But it happened not because common sense woke up in journalists and reporters.


Two o'clock in the afternoon. The media received a response from FLT with the consent to provide information.


“— ... In four days we will hold a press conference by Taurus Silver. It will be held on Friday at 10 o'clock in the morning in this building on the first floor, so today we ask you to leave. Those who do not leave this place will be refused to visit the press conference. In addition, if there are complaints about the collection of information not only from the staff of our firm, but also from students of the First High School, the attendant will also be refused to visit.”

	After a young office worker in charge of public relations appeared, a loud voice announced the decision, immediately among the press here were those who objected to it. In general, they only, in varying degrees, expressed frustration, but the reason behind the shouting was roughly the same.


"This is a violation of press freedom!”


It was a boilerplate phrase. However unexpected it was, the journalists stopped their onslaught.


They probably thought about what would happen if the press conference was canceled if they were going to have a riot.


Most reporters realized that instead of trying to set up other companies, it would be better to secure their share at the same time.


The journalists gathered in the main office of FLT, exchanging informal phrases with each other, eventually dispersing, without causing disturbances.


The office of the Development manager at FLT headquarters. This room was the personal office of Tatsuya and Miyuki’s Father, Shiba Tatsurou. Nominally, Tatsurou was the largest shareholder and had a luxury office, which was even bigger than the director of the company.


In this room Tatsurou now received a representative of the true owners of FLT, sent from the main house of Yotsuba.


“Good work in counteracting the media.”


A young man who was about 25 years old, though thanking Tatsurou with a polite tone, still looked like looking down on him.


“No, I just gave a couple of instructions to public relations.”

	Tatsurou could not fail to feel disgusted by the fact that he must obey some guy, who is 20 years younger than him. But he didn't show it in any way. Regardless of who the representative is, Tatsurou did not have the courage to show disobedience to the main family here.


"How humble. But it was a pretty fine regulation of the issue. Please continue in the same vein and make the necessary preparations so that there are no extra problems on Friday.”


“You can rely on me.”


“Excellent. Good day, then.”


Nodding, Hanabishi Hyougo wanted to leave the office.


“— ... I'd like to ask you something.”


When he had already turned around to go to the exit, Tatsurou hesitated to call him.


“What is it?" Hyougo asked, turning with a slight smile on his face. Tatsurou averted his eyes from Hyougo’s face. He did not ask Tatsurou to hurry up and waited silently. When the second hand of the clock managed to make half the turn, Tatsurou finally overcame his hesitation and spoke.


“What is the main family planning to do with this child?”


“This child? Maybe you're talking about Tatsuya.”


Tatsurou’s lips trembled, and he could not answer the question of Hyougo. It was as if his throat and tongue were unable to work adequately now.


“So it is about him? Sorry, but since I'm a young and an inexperienced beginner, I can't figure out what thoughts our head has on him.”


In this polite tone, there was a contempt that said "you're even lower than this rookie." Tatsurou figured it out and started to get out of it.



	“In addition, Tatsuya-sama is the groom of the next Head-sama. Tatsurou-dono, with your role, it's not something that you should care about.”



	"B-but I am his father!”


Tatsurou raised his voice maybe because he neglected the feelings of the parent to the child, or because he could not endure humiliation.


“I know that. What's the matter?”


But whatever he answered, Hyougo did not give meaning to the words of Tatsurou.


“When it was decided that Miyuki-sama will be the next head, and Tatsuya-sama will become her fiancé, the role of Tatsurou-dono was fulfilled. Isn't that good?”


“W-what...” “I thought Tatsurou-dono didn't like Tatsuya-sama? But now you don't have to behave like a parent or a child anymore?”


Tatsurou could not object to Hyougo.


“Then, I will give one piece of advice. Miyuki is your daughter, but Tatsuya is not your son. The real mother of Tatsuya-sama is our head-sama. And the real father of Tatsuya--is not you, Tatsurou-dono.”


This was the story that Maya invented to marry Tatsuya and Miyuki. But now everything went to the fact that this lie will become the truth.


“If Tatsurou-dono showed his love in the role of the parent of Tatsuya-san, the main family would respect these bonds. But you rejected Tatsuya. The current relationship should be what Tatsurou-dono wanted.”


Tatsurou had no arguments. He could not object to what Hyougo said.


The number of people surrounding First High school was significantly reduced by the end of the afternoon half of the lessons. But about half of them still remained at that time.


This does not mean that they have abandoned their collection of information. This was due to the fact that the employee of FLT voiced the threat "Those who cause problems for First High School will not be permitted to attend the press conference."


In other words, almost half of journalists and reporters did not succumb to these threats. Perhaps most of them just didn't get the instructions associated with it.


Despite the fact that their number was halved, it was still enough to scare the students.


This time there were no magicians among the crowd of journalists around of First High. For students of First High, capable of using magic, it was strange to fear "ordinary people", unable to use magic. Among the "ordinary people" most thought so.


Indeed, if the Students of First High use all their power, if they "commit an act of violence", they could easily throw away all these journalists. But as a result, they will be declared criminals and expelled from society. But even if it is so successful that they are not blamed now, it is easy to imagine a future in which they are afraid, hated and suspended from them.


The first school students understood that they had no other choice but to live in human society. It was a fear of 'pen violence' that could take away their future, where they live peacefully as members of society.


“We can't just break through with force, right?”


"Kasumi-chan, don't say such dangerous phrases.”


“That's why I asked if we can't.”


Answering Izumi, Kasumi again looked at the open space in front of the school gates. They stood at the beginning of a straight road leading from the school yard to the school gate. They hid from the journalists behind a tree and looked at the situation outside.


“Is... Ah, Miyuki-sempai.”


Noticing Miyuki coming out of the school building, Izumi interrupted the conversation with Kasumi. Kasumi continued to watch the media, and Shiina, hidden behind these two, timidly looked at the situation outside, but after the words of Izumi they looked towards the school building.


“Miyuki-Sempai, how are you doing?” Izumi asked when Miyuki, who was accompanied by Minami, approached a distance close enough for dialogue.



	“Unfortunately, the director wants to avoid police intervention.”


In the voice of Miyuki, responding to Izumi, there was no pity, but a confession that everything turned out as everyone thought. The point was that the school did not plan to deal with the media.


"Then do we have to be obedient to the hands of the reporters...?" Shiina, who had such a face as if she was now crying, was anxiously asking Miyuki.



	“I think that people from the media will not do anything wrong...”


The voice of Miyuki lacked confidence. Honest reporters will not use force. But among these reporters could well be present fanatical supporters of the anti-magic movement.


“Miyuki.”


Honoka, who was going to them through the school yard, called Miyuki. Followed by Shizuku and Mikihiko.


“Honoka, how's the back gate?”


“Bad. The crowd is such that you cannot slip through.”


"There are even people among them who feel clearly evil. In my opinion, it would be better to refuse the use of the rear gate.” Mikihiko added after Honoka’s answer. Shizuku nodded in support of the words of Mikihiko.


“President.”


The Chairman of the club management group Igarashi, as well as Tomitsuka, Takuma and Saburou, who was not supposed to have a connection with the club management group, were approached from the opposite side of Honoka.


“Chairman Igarashi.”


Miyuki turned around, hearing the voice of Igarashi. Despite the fact that they are already been familiar enough, Igarashi froze.


Tomitsuka, who was more resistant to the beauty of Miyuki than Igarashi, spoke instead of him. But the one worried most of all here were not Tomitsuka and Takuma, but Saburo. He did not even look towards Miyuki, but immediately rushed to Shiina, asking, "Are you alright?".


“We have notified all clubs about termination of activity. Everyone should now be ready to go home at any time.”


“Thank you for your work." Miyuki responded with gratitude to Tomitsuka’s report.





"But what do we do, President?" Even if we go home with the whole crowd, students will still be caught... Maybe we should mobilize the guys from the sports clubs to build walls.”


"You can't make living shields out of fellow students. That is gender discrimination, Shippou-kun.” Miyuki politely rejected the kind guys idea of Takuma.


Shizuku considered Takuma’s offer "A good idea", so showed a dissatisfied person after the words of Miyuki. But among those who did not support the idea of Takuma, there were no other ideas, and all sent their views to Miyuki in the hope of receiving further guidance.


Miyuki deeply sighed, seeing that she was being given the views of her classmates standing in the school yard, hiding behind the alley trees so that they could not be seen from the school gates.


But instead of complaining about them, she resigned herself to the idea of "nothing can be done."


“— ... I'll talk to them.”


"You, Miyuki-Sempai!" Izumi shouted with surprise.


“Yes. I'll ask the media people to go home.”


“It's dangerous!”


“I'm against it, too.”


After Izumi, Shizuku also tried to stop Miyuki. Since Shizuku was not as overexcited as Izumi, she was more convincing for Miyuki.


“I don't want to do it myself, but can I just stand here and do nothing? I'm the President of the school board.”


"But Miyuki and Tatsuya-san have a special relationship.”


“Right. That's why I should.”


“It’s the opposite.”


“The opposite?”


"They have certainly studied the available data and know that Miyuki is a former sister and now a bride of Tatsuya-san. It would not be difficult for the media to find out.”


Shizuku gave an unusually long speech for her in talkativeness. She probably felt

	the impending danger that Miyuki would come out to the reporters.


“Do you realize that's not normal? If it aggravates the situation, it will not only be your problem, Miyuki.”


“— ... Are you saying this could lead to a worsening of the reputation of all magicians in general?”


“I do not want to admit it, but the probability of this is not equal to zero.”


Miyuki’s mood worsened. In a sense, she was guilty of her engagement to Tatsuya.


Although Shizuku noticed this, she was not going to retreat. But Honoka and Mikihiko, standing nearby, were very nervous.


"The sense of responsibility for Miyuki can be understood. But this time it is better to stop.”


Kitayama Ushio, father of Shizuku, is the owner of a large group of companies. When it came to Ushio, even the media hampered, and calls for open attacks became rare. But he was always cautious in counteracting the media.


Perhaps it was because of her father's image because she could not consider it. It seems that Shizuku assessed the power of the media so high that she was the most afraid out of anyone present here.


"Even if you say so...”


Now it is a situation where nothing can be done. Of course, Miyuki was going to continue with her initial idea. But she suddenly sent her gaze behind the backs of the reporters, and froze in that position.


“— ... Miyuki-Sempai?”


Ignoring the voice of Izumi, Miyuki continued to look in that direction, with round eyes.



	The voice of Izumi simply did not reach her consciousness.


Feeling amiss, everyone looked where Miyuki looked. Carefully coming closer, the rest also realized that a car is approaching.


"Is it really...?" Honoka muttered. She's not the only one who knew who was approaching in this car.


Suddenly Miyuki tried to run to the school gate. But Minami stopped her, grabbing her arm from behind.


Miyuki was surprised. She regained her self-control, and she realized that she had forgotten. Miyuki smiled at Minami, and she let go of her hand and bowed.


Miyuki went calmly and Minami followed her.


Honoka and Shizuku, Kasumi and Izumi, Shiina and Saburou, each pair exchanged views, and they all went after Miyuki and Minami.


The last ones left were Mikihiko. Tomitsuka and Takuma, who remained in the school yard without going out to the gate.


The journalists, reporters and operators gathered at the school gates noticed the approach of the electric vehicle and freed the road. Recently, the police liked to arrest people for obstructing road traffic. Although this is a minor violation, it clearly is an illegal act, so it will be difficult for the media to file a complaint.


If you are lucky, they can get inside when the electric car will enter. They had such assumptions.


The electric car stopped in front of the school gates.


With a little delay after that, from the other side of the gate came Miyuki and the rest. Few of the reporters and journalists noticed them. The man who came out of the electric vehicle caused a lot of noise among the mass media representatives.


“— ... Why...?


Swallowing the phrase "Onii-sama", Miyuki said only that. The one who came out of the electric vehicle’s driver’s seat was Tatsuya.


"You are Shiba Tatsuya-san, aren't you?"


For media representatives, the appearance of Tatsuya now was quite unexpected. Tatsuya was dressed in the uniform of First High and did not use any means of disguise or concealment of his face. If it was a reporter who had already studied data on Tatsuya, he would have unerringly recognized him by his appearance. But by the tone of the reporter, who first spoke to Tatsuya, it was evident that he doubted himself.

	“Yes, it is.”


Tatsuya answered in a calm voice. He had a natural tone of voice, and he had no impression that he was pretending not to understand what was going on.


“— ... Is it true that you are Taurus silver?”


The reporter for a moment was discouraged by this imperturbability, which showed that most likely, an interview will not work, but he quickly pulled himself together and demonstrated his excellent ability to be arrogant.


“I thought we had already talked to the press?”


Tatsuya’s response was neither "Yes" nor "no"


“On Friday in the main office of FLT, a press conference will be held by Taurus Silver. If in doubt, go ask yourself.”


The voice of Tatsuya was loud enough to be heard not only by reporters, surrounded with microphones, but also by everyone else. Including from the farthest ranges. Including even those who stood on the other side of the closed school gates.


“A press conference? They decided to do it...”


The mumbling that came from Mikihiko was half admiring and half shocked.


Miyuki stood motionless with wide open eyes, and covered her mouth with her hand.


Tatsuya looked at Miyuki. Even if he hadn't heard the voice of Mikihiko, he already knew that Miyuki and the rest were behind the gate.


"Please clear the way."


Tatsuya appealed to a group of journalists huddled around the gates of the school. He did not shout and did not even speak with an elevated voice. This voice has absolutely no pressure.


But despite this, the surrounding journalists and reporters retreated back, standing unsolidly on their feet.


But some of them still remained standing before Tatsuya, blushing with shame for their weakness.


“So you're Taurus Silver!”


“Excuse me, who are you?”


Tatsuya responded with an indifferent voice to this allegation.


“What?”


It seems that his question for the Bonin journalist was something unexpected. However, he looked foolish only for a few seconds, then he came to himself, and he proudly announced the name of one of the major newspaper on which he works.


“Clear. But if you're not a single journalist, you should have heard from your company.”





“What was there to hear!?”


The journalist was about 30 years old. Of course, he did not like that a young guy who is younger than him for more than 10 years, behaving so unsuitable. He asked Tatsuya in an aggressive manner.


In the eyes of Tatsuya, looking at this journalist, there was no irritation, no anger, no contempt, no pity. In other words, it was a sight equivalent to looking at someone on the side of the road.


Seeing this view, the journalist did not fall into the frenzy, but trembled. The journalist looked at Tatsuya like he was a creepy creature belonging to another species. If someone had met a harmless man, but then found out that the man was actually different from him, he would have had a similar view, as the journalist now has.


“Those organizations that receive complaints about interrogating students from First High will be denied admission to the Taurus Silver press conference. FLT should have alerted them.”


The wave of confusion spread to the press officers gathered here. Apparently, half of those present didn't even hear what Tatsuya said.


“It's only four days. I think waiting so long will not be considered a violation of the freedom of the press.”


The words of Tatsuya did not convince the journalists. But stubborn objections did not follow.


Because before they started swearing, they heard a loud clap.


This clap was the sound of the shot. The screeching scream of one of the female reporters was followed.


The reporter that interrogated Tatsuya fell, landing on his ass. Tatsuya noticed that someone was going to shoot, so he pushed the reporter out of the trajectory of the bullet.


Tatsuya stood with his back to the journalist. As if in slow motion, he instantly turned around and caught a bullet with his hand.


After that he pried his left hand’s fist open. A pistol bullet fell out of it.


Reporters standing next to Tatsuya froze, looking at this scene. Some of the reporters noticed that Tatsuya was wearing black gloves, but it still didn't explain anything. Even if you wear high-performance bulletproof gloves, they won't catch a bullet.


The crowd of journalists, reporters and operators turned chaotic. People with panicking cries tried to escape from the killer with a pistol, resulting in them crushing each other. Some stumbled and fell, but the rest, whether they were comrades or rivals, were fleeing and just trampled and kicked the fallen.



	The killer didn't even look at the runaway reporters. Bloodshot eyes looked only at Tatsuya.


Clutching a pistol in his hand, he kept shooting at Tatsuya


There were several sounds of shots in a row. Tatsuya caught all the flying bullets.


Needless to say, it was not a simple trick.


Releasing the magic of Decomposition in all directions, Tatsuya did not destroy the bullets themselves, rather he dispelled their momentum (vector) moving it forward.


By the way, if you try to Decompose too much, then at the point of exposure, an anti-acting force occurs. This will not reduce the damage to the hand from the bullet and would not lessen as if it was a physical impact.



	But from the beginning, it is necessary to mention, that decomposition of impulse of a flying bullet without application of external influence is not a physical "phenomenon". The "Information" that the "bullet pulse dissipates" existed not only at the point of impact, but also in the entire surrounding space. As a result, the bullets that flew to the palm of Tatsuya had already practically stopped.


But the essence of this could only be felt by magicians. Hid amongst the journalists, a terrorist from the anti-magic movement panicked, seeing with his own eyes such a physically impossible phenomenon as a man "Catching bullets".


Even after the shutter stopped moving back (that is, the cartridges ended), he still kept Tatsuya in sight and continued to pull the trigger convulsively.





Tatsuya did not try to grab the terrorist, though he clearly lost his mind and had plenty of open places to attack. This was because he wanted to show the journalists and reporters that he was being attacked, not the other way around.


Tatsuya’s eyes looked at the clownery with a senseless pull of the trigger, but his consciousness was occupied with vigilance against possible accomplices. But at this point there were no signs of the appearance of other attackers.


“Looks like it was a single criminal.” Coming to this conclusion, Tatsuya went to this terrorist.


That man had a bizarre cry. It is not known whether it was possible to call it a cry, because the people who did not see this man, would confuse it with howling stray dog. or the "Howling of an injured person" *.


[“Loser, Loser, loser, loser” such words were used. But literally it translates to "Losing dog". In English, there is also an analogue with a similar value: "Underdog ".]


Tatsuya made the second step, walking with the usual walking gait. The man threw the gun to Tatsuya, when the cartridge was empty. Tatsuya did not even shirk, and the gun just flew past him.


Already shouting something more similar to the human language, the terrorist put his right hand in his pocket and took out a short knife.


It was the so-called Bonder Knife, where the grip of the blade was in the hand while the blade protrudes forward out of the fist. Wearing this was completely illegal, but after using the gun it was silly to think about this.


Although he had a short blade, the length was enough to kill a man.



	Nevertheless, Tatsuya has made the third step, completely ignoring this blade.



	Taking another step, they would have been at arm's length between them.


But this last step was made by this man, a terrorist. He poised a stab at Tatsuya's belly.


Although it was a surprise for him that it was not in the face, he dodged the blow, leaving the body to the right. At the same time he grabbed the left hand of the man behind the wrist of his right hand and pulled it, returning the body back.


The man lost his balance and fell.


At this point, finally, a guard working for First High appeared. He slightly opened the gate and climbed into the resulting gap. Naturally, there were no crazy journalists, who decided to take advantage of such a chance to get in to the territory of the school.


The guard rushed into place. Prior to the arrival of the guard Tatsuya stood there, stepping on the compressive bonder knife in the right hand of the man.


Among the concerned media staff, there was a noise of voices trying to understand what had happened.


“Was that magic just now?”


"There is no way.”


Talk about this thought was heard from different directions. Everyone was surprised by the fact that Tatsuya caught a criminal without magic. In fact, he used magic when catching the bullets, but the sensors available to those people were unable to detect the magic of Tatsuya.


The magician was catching bullets, not using magic, and defused a man with a knife without getting any wounds. Reporters, operators and journalists were all frozen and stood there, unable to understand.


Tatsuya took advantage of this hitch, penetrated the school gates and brought Miyuki and Minami to the car. He seated them near the rear seats, sat down on the driver's seat, and drove the car. The reporters reflexively disembarked from the road, letting them pass.


“— ... Onii-sama, when did you get the right?”


Miyuki had a lot of things to ask, but the first thing she asked was a relatively unimportant question.


There are also other conditions for obtaining driving rights in addition to reaching the age of 18. But unlike in past times, there is now an opportunity to circumvent these limitations. If there is a need to perform work duties, and there is a guarantee from the employer, then, as in the case of the rights to a motorcycle, the right to control a car can be obtained after the completion of compulsory education. For example, Katsuto got the right to manage a conventional car immediately after admission to First High, under the pretext of the need to work in a construction company managed by the Juumonji family. These rights are only necessary for management to be a passenger, they are not needed. However, the certification exam is much more difficult than usual.


Tatsuya did not use this exception. His work as Taurus Silver is a secret (now we can already say "was a secret"), so he could not fulfill the condition of "Employer's guarantee".


He got it right after he moved to Izu. After all, the machine is much more convenient in most cases.


"I didn't even know... You could have told me. Onii-sama is so secretive.”


“Ha-ha, I'm sorry.”


Tatsuya turned to the cute, resentful Miyuki, and apologized. Of course, he could afford to do this because the car was driving autopilot. After such a minded response, Miyuki finally felt relieved.



	“— ... But why did you come to pick me up? Why take the risk and appear before the media?”


"Because I thought that Miyuki, as the President of the School Council, would not be able to resist any action. I couldn't afford to burden you with such tedious things.”


“Onii-sama…”



	Miyuki, as usual, made an enthusiastic face, and on Minami’s face was an unnaturally completely disappeared expression.


“So, what was your real goal?”


When Miyuki asked about the real intentions of Tatsuya, her voice was still slightly intoxicated with delight. Minami’s eyes opened wide and blinked because she was frightened by the loud sound of a dove. She did not expect that Miyuki would doubt the words of Tatsuya.


“That hurt. I didn't lie.”


Unlike the contents of the phrase, the voice of Tatsuya was cheerful.


“But it's not just that, is it?”


Miyuki also spoke with a smile, but she did not feel deceived at all.


“I had a goal to warn the media. To tell them, that if they will continue to be unceremoniously here and sniff around, then in the future they will not be able to receive important information. Another goal was also to show that I am not afraid of the media. But the main thing was getting rid of the troubles that bothered First High, and thus to reduce the load on the Miyuki.


“— ... I got it. Now I understand.”


Implying in the answer that she "did not understand anything ", Miyuki just gave up.


As expected by Tatsuya, the reporters surrounding First High disappeared. It can't be said that it was "fast", but 30 minutes after Tatsuya’s electric car left, all reporters and journalists had already dispersed.


There were no reporters who pretended to be gone, and hid themselves and caught the passing pupils to pry the information. Therefore, pupils of First High (and working staff) were able to return home safely from school.


After all, the threat of losing the invitation to Taurus Silver’s press conference proved to be effective.



	Taking Miyuki to her new home in Chofu, and having received this information from an observer of First High, Tatsuya returned to Izu. Those who watched First High was not Tatsuya himself. But he had connections with those who orchestrated the surveillance.


Returning to Izu, Tatsuya met with his information provider, who returned before him and waited for him in the villa's living room.


“Hyougo-san, today you have taken good care of various affairs.”


“Tatsuya, you have also worked well today.”


Hyougo stood opposite of the chair Tatsuya sat on. Naturally, Tatsuya was not going to get up, and Hyougo stubbornly was not going to sit down. In addition, Tatsuya called him "Hyougo-san" Not because they befriended, but to distinguish him from his father, who, like Hyogo, is the butler of the Yotsuba family.


“No, I just took Miyuki. Yes, thanks for the info on the attacker.”


By the information about the attacker, he meant the case where the terrorist shot at Tatsuya. To be honest, Tatsuya was informed in advance by Hyougo that among the crowd of the First High reporters, murderers could hide.


“Everything went well?”


“Yes. Although it was unexpected that he was the only one.”


“To make sure Miyuki did not get wounded by stray bullets, we had taken care of them in advance to reduce their number... Were these actions unnecessary?”


“Reduce the number? Got it... No, I think it was reasonable.”


“Thank you for your praise.”



	Hyogo bowed, putting his hand on his chest.

	“It seems that because of the shooting on Tatsuya, the media staff has gotten excited. There were reports that they have begun to see hints that there could be a connection between that armed terrorist and the anti-magic movement.”


“It seems that it was expedient to give him a shot.”


“For people who do not deal with weapons, the scene in which they see a man shooting is quite shocking, even if the victim is their sworn enemy. And this time, because of the fact that Tatsuya-sama was catching bullets and leaving them in the same form, the impression was even stronger. I suspect that the effect of this will begin to spread gradually.”


“Would it be better if I was injured?”


“Probably, yes. However, Miyuki-sama would be saddened if Tatsuya-sama

	shed blood, so stopping the bullets was the best solution.”


“Really. There would be a reverse effect if Miyuki lost her head and her magic would get out of control.”


Tatsuya sarcastically chuckled, saying this, but Hyougo bowed, pretending not to notice it. Like these two said, Tatsuya deliberately gave the terrorist a shot at him. Although the terrorist was not a fake in itself, but before the plan of attack was known, two people were preparing to play that role.


"The original plan was to let them know that if they were close to the magicians, they could be attacked by supporters of the anti-magic movement.”


“I think this warning came to them. I am also thinking of preparing a few reports that Anti-magic is a hateful terrorist for all.”


“I'll leave it to you.”


“As you wish.”


Hyougo bowed again, putting his hand on his chest, and his face looked happy perhaps from the fact that he enjoyed this backstage work.

	In addition to the villa where Tatsuya lived, the Yotsuba family had another property in Izu. It was a small separate house from which it was possible for Miya to rest and not disturb her.



	Among the Yotsuba, Miya was the only owner of magic with unique properties. Even if she was overloaded with the use of magic and could not fully work as a magician, it was still expected that all sorts of vile hunters will try to kidnap her for this unique skill.



	In fact, there were as many as three attacks to kidnap Miya, and all of them were repulsed, so the construction of the house was not an unnecessary concern. However, after Mia's death, the house was abandoned and only occasionally visited to maintain order.


Although all this time Tatsuya resided only in the villa, the possibility of using that house after a long time was also considered.


Yuuka did not find any problems with furniture, appliances and other accessories.


“Thank you for your work.”


Tsukuba Yuuka, the eldest daughter of the Tsukuba family, one of the side branches of the Yotsuba family, nodded generously.



	“If the luggage is transported, can you take the case?”


It was the evening of the day when Tatsuya dined with Maya, discussing how to react to the information War announced by the two Clarks, Edward and Raymond. It goes without saying that Yuuka visited this little house not for entertainment, but to complete the task entrusted to her by the head of the family Yotsuba.


The work entrusted by Maya to the Tsukuba family was to erect a "cleansing from people" barrier, which should keep the media from approaching the villa where Tatsuya resides. Such spells are a specialty of ancient magic, and modern magic was not initially focused on such activity. But among all families with a family relationship with Yotsuba, the Tsukuba family was best specialized in the Mental Interference Magic. Using such conditions to activate the magic that the duration is increased by decreasing the power, you can build barriers not worse than those of the users of ancient magic.


They arrived at the observation house in the evening, so when the installation of the barrier was completed, it was already dark. If you can use magic, it doesn't mean that you can see in the dark. Night vision is a magical ability.


“Madam, a suspicious person has been found.”


“Uh, where?”


That's why Yuuka didn't notice that man.


“— ... Oh, I see. Looks like he's watching the villa where Tatsuya-san is located.”


A suspicious man was dressed in a dark blue jacket and trousers, which were poorly distinguishable in the dark, and had binoculars hanging on his neck. Even at the place where he stood, one could come to the conclusion that he, as Yuuka said, came to watch the activity of Tatsuya.


Yuuka’s subordinates spotted this man with a newly created barrier. This barrier, created under the guidance of Yuuka, interferes with the idea that people can recognize the existence of the villa where Tatsuya is staying in. The principle is the same as that of "Ghost Walker" used by Zhou Gongjin and Chen Xianshan. The eyes see something, but the consciousness thinks it doesn't see it.


And how does that affect the person who was watching the villa right before the barrier was erected? He'd think the villa was suddenly gone.


No wonder he may accidentally stop hiding his presence.


Conversely, if this person did not even flinch, it would mean that he has the skills to hide his presence from Yuuka and her subordinates.


“Grab him. Not to kill. No serious injuries.”


“Understood.”





The magicians accompanying Yuuka, dissolved in the darkness, leaving one of them as her guard.


“In any case, Tatsuya-san certainly noticed him...”


Yuuka looked at the villa where Tatsuya was located. The bright light from the windows made the villa noticeable in the dark.


Tatsuya hardly did not notice that someone was peeping. It seems that he left that man because he came to the conclusion that there would be no real harm from him. Or he thought that even if he catches him, then the follow-up action on the issue can be a troublesome affair.



	This man hid on the land belonging to the villa. All surrounding areas were the property of the Yotsuba family (more precisely the real estate company, which was secretly managed by the Yotsuba family). But there were no fences there. Even if the offender is apprehended under the pretext of an unlawful invasion, he can pretend that he has not noticed and in retaliation accuse one of exceeding the necessary measures.


“— ... Looks like he's decided to throw those difficulties at us.”


Tatsuya should have noticed not only a suspicious person, but also Yuuka’s group. He thought he didn't have to get his hands dirty. Yuuka deeply sighed, remembering the face of her not-so-sweet distant relative.



	“Head-sama, the construction of the barrier has been completed without delay.”


“Good work.”


After completing the interrogation of the suspicious person, Yuuka returned to a small house and called Maya with a report.


“After that, we discovered a suspicious type, watching Tatsuya-sama. We caught him and interrogated him.”


“And?”


Maya slightly rounded her eyes, and the corners of her lips slightly raised, forming a smile.


“Did you determine his affiliation?”


“It was an agent of the Tomita family.”


“Tomita of a hundred families... I think they were on a special account with the Magic Association, weren’t they?”


“Yes. The observation of Tatsuya-sama was conducted on the proposal of the Magic Association.”


“Clear...”


Maya nodded with a charming smile on her face. Yuuka felt a chill on her back, but she somehow managed to keep her face calm.


“According to the agent of the Tomita family, he had no intention to cause harm. Apparently, the Magic Association thought that Tatsuya-san would try to hide somewhere.”


“Clear.”


“We still have the agent. What do we do with it?”


“Let him go. No need to erase memory.”


“— ... Will it be okay?”


“Yes. Our Yotsuba family never abandons their people. It is necessary to remind the Magic Association about this.”


“... Too impertinently" Yuuka unwittingly thought so. At least she didn't say it out loud.


If we remember the circumstances of Tatsuya until last year, it is quite a good impression.


No, it's not just the past. Yuuka believed that the duel with the head of the Juumonji family was a battle that he had to go to alone as the one who would become the husband of the next head of the Yotsuba family. But at the same time she felt that not taking any measures against the Military Intelligence Department was quite brutal on the Yotsuba’s part.


“You wanted to say something else?”


“Yes, but it does not apply to the task.”


Yuuka answered Maya's question immediately, as if she were not thinking of anything superfluous. Because of such abilities, Yuuka was in the first place among the four candidates for the right to be the next head of the family.


“I don't mind.”


“My mother is worried that the seal on Tatsuya-san has disappeared.”


“ "Worried" is a rather discreet description, isn't it?”


Even if Maya was joking, Yuuka couldn't refute it.


Touka, Yuuka's mother, is proud of her magical powers. Of course, this kind of pride is present in every magician, but Touka’s is a special case. Knowing this, not only Maya, but anyone could guess that the destruction of Pledge made Touka hysterical.


“Does the head think that this is not a problem?”


Instead of arguing, Yuuka directly asked about Maya's intentions.


“That Pledge was scattered? Hmm, I don't think there's going to be a problem, but... There's nothing to be done about it, right?”


“Nothing to be done?”


Maya's response surprised Yuuka.


“I knew it could be dissipated in theory. But who would have thought that Tatsuya-san would be able to do something that could be dangerous for Miyuki-san?”


“Yes. Really.”


According to the system of Pledge itself, it was expected that, when destroying the magic itself, the spell supporting Miyuki would get seriously damage. Therefore, it was

	really unexpected that Tatsuya went to that risk.


“In addition, we will not be able to re-impose Pledge on Tatsuya-san.”


Yuuka had nothing but to admit to what Maya said.


Pledge places a heavy burden not only on those who use it, but the person who maintains the Magic Sequence. Not just in a case where there is a recoil from Pledge being dispelled; in a situation where Pledge acts, it keeps the magician from losing control of their magical skills on a daily basis.


The current Tatsuya can now use magic that would have before reduced the magical skills of Miyuki.


“When we cannot do anything, can we only run away from reality?”


This comment by Maya was an acute criticism, hidden under the guise of reproach to Yuuka and her mother, who had gone beside herself because of the destruction of Pledge.


“True... I think you're right." Yuuka answered, realizing this. She answered not because she had no choice because she was submissive, but because she understood the meaning of the expression "escape from reality."





Chapter 2


The profession of Shibata Katsushige, the next head of the Shibata family, one of the side branches of the Yotsuba, officially meant that he worked as the Secretary in the Ministry of Defense.


The Katsushige’s Magic combat power was extremely high, but instead of using magic in battle himself, his work was to reflect on how to use magic in battle.


In South Amerika, Africa and Central Asia there were still long battles, but East Asia and the western part of the Pacific region have been in a state of calm since autumn of the 19th year. Thanks to this, many employees of the Ministry of Defense did not work overtime and left early.


The day after the media raised a big hype (ordinary citizens who had no relation to magic, did not even know about the topic) around the disclosure of the identity of Taurus Silver.


After leaving the office at 19 o'clock, Katsushige didn’t go home, but to a hotel in the center of the city. Although it was not a first class hotel, whose name was known even abroad, it was popular among businessmen for delicious food and an acceptable level of safety.


In the restaurant of the aforementioned hotel, he quickly found the person with whom he had been assigned a meeting. Naturally, he found him quickly, because here, everything was arranged in the form of separate rooms, and he knew which room to go to.


“Hi. I'm sorry I called.”


He was dressed in a regular suit of a man of the same age as Katsushige’s father. Even to Katsushige, who knows his occupation, he looked like an ordinary businessman.


“No. It's all because my dad couldn't come. Forgive us for the impolite change of the contact person.”



	“No, no, no. Asking for a meeting so suddenly is a thoughtless act from me. Here I have to apologize.”


“If you say so, then I am grateful, Kuroba-san.”


Like Katsushige said, the partner he met was Kuroba Mitsugu, head of the Kuroba family, one of the side branches of the same Yotsuba family.


At the invitation of Mitsugu, Katsushige sat down. Mitsugu also sat down at the same time. The waiter, who entered the room with Katsushige, came to the table. Mitsugu and Katsushige only ordered sake and light snacks and let the waiter go.


“So.”


Mitsugu straightened out, and then slightly bent over the table.


“Today I called for an important reason. We need to talk about him.


“Are you talking about Tatsuya-kun?”


Mitsugu said "about him" unclearly, but Katsushige easily guessed the person he meant was Tatsuya. But Mitsugu did not make a mistake, and did not make a gloomy face.


“Right. Yesterday the identity of Taurus Silver, in the end, became well-known. What do you think, Katsushige-kun?”


“Was it not inevitable when Edward Clark made it clear that he knew the name of Taurus Silver? Although it is unfavorable for the Yotsuba family, but I do not think that Tatsuya-kun is to blame.”


The answer Katsushige gave was not what Mitsugu expected.


“But don't you think that this situation could have been avoided if he hadn't entered First High and obediently sat at home? Because it is obvious that "project Dione" takes into account not only the achievements of Taurus Silver, but also the experiment "Stellar Furnace", which he did last spring.”



	Katsushige shook his head at the words of Mitsugu.


“Admission to First High was not Tatsuya-kun’s intention. It was inevitable because of the Yotsuba family's sentinel system.”


“Katsushige-kun may not know, but after the incident Yokohama the head-sama ordered him to drop out of school and sit under house arrest. But he did not obey and continued to attend First High. If he were to disappear from the stage at that moment, he would never be noticed.”


“No. After using Material Burst, it was only a matter of time before Tatsuya-kun would be discovered by the behind the scenes of international politics, only this would have happened in another form. Besides, at that moment it was impossible not to use Material Burst. Without this magic, Japan would have suffered immense damage.”


“Is that so?" There is a Yatsushiro family in Kyushu. If there is a battle at sea, the Itsuwa family will depart. In naval battles, the Itsuwa family has a great battle force even without the use of "Abyss" by Mio-Jo. The Great Asian Alliance is a strong enemy, but I don't think we'd lose to them if we hadn't used the Material Burst.”


“Even so. At that stage there was no other choice but to use Material Burst. In war, Victory is not always the best way out, but it does not mean that you have to lose. After the invasion of the country, the forces for the next battle would remain less. Not only time, but also economic power is needed to replenish the combat force. If you look at the Great Asian Alliance, suffering from the consequences of the monstrous attack of Material Burst, you will understand.”


Mitsugu had nothing to object to. He knew and understood it even without these words.


“— ... I understand your thoughts that his magic is irreplaceable for National Defense. Then it is even more impossible to let him go to America.”


Mitsugu changed his approach.


“Yes.”


Katsushige only briefly expressed his consent.


“In that case, should he be protected by the Yotsuba family?" And the USNA government can surrender if, for example, he dies suddenly.


Mitsugu, who received the approval from his words, gathered his strength and said what he wanted.


“And if he, moreover, will be killed by "Humanists", it should reduce the expending public opinion about magicians.”


“Really.”


“In this case... Kuroba-san.”


Using as a pretext the will of one of the side branches, Mitsugu was going to ask Maya for Tatsuya to be caught and locked away. But Katsushige abruptly interrupted Mitsugu’s speech, in which he wanted to ask for cooperation.


“I couldn’t understand why all the heads of the side branches look at Tatsuya-kun with such hostility.”


Katsushige said "couldn't" in the past tense: So Mitsugu already understood the meaning of this sentence.


“So the other day I checked it out, and I asked my dad. He did not want to confess for a long time, but in the end he told everything.”


“— ... I see.”


The people of Mitsugu’s generation promised to keep this story secret. But Mitsugu did not feel that he should criticize the head of the Shibata family, understanding his motives. No, it is right to say that he had no right to criticize. Because Mitsugu himself was the first to reveal the secret. Despite the fact that the one he disclosed it to was Tatsuya himself.


“Kuroba-san. I can't agree with you and my father. To be hostile towards Tatsuya-kun is wrong.”


The voice of the waiter was heard from outside the room.


They briefly interrupted the conversation, waited for the waiter to put glasses on the table with chilled sake and left the room, and then continued.


“— ... But he's dangerous.”


“One person possesses the power to destroy the whole world. One influential person has access to a "button" that can destroy the whole world. One government possesses a military force capable of destroying the entire world. Of these three concepts, the first two seem to differ in nature from the latter, but in their essence they are all the same thing. As far as how "democratic" the country is, its military force is always ready for use. Otherwise there would be no point. There is no point in maintaining military capabilities if the country itself is destroyed while democratic procedures are in place. Civilian control is what deters influential people from willful use of the army in fear of losing office, and stops the use of already applied force. In the presence of a system capable of completely discontinuing the use of military force, in any case it will be impossible to properly defend from, even taking pre-measures in advance.”


“However, instead of the complete absence of brakes, it is better to have at least some. Even if it is only a partial limitation.”


“You're right. Therefore, dictators should not be allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction. Military power must be under civilian control. But

Kuroba-san. Influential people elected by Democratic vote can also turn the key to launch strategic nuclear missiles. Even if the startup key is divided between several people, it is necessary to understand that the owners of these keys are chosen by influential people themselves, without the participation of voters.”


“— ... This is an extreme argument.”


“The fact that Tatsuya-kun will destroy the world is also an extreme argument.”


“If you think so, the use of weapons of mass destruction by dictators is also an extreme argument.”


“No. A dictator is called a dictator because the structure of his power is arranged so that no one can stop him. It's different with a normal person. You can't interfere with a person's thoughts. What a man thinks, what he decides, cannot be stopped by other people. But if it is an ordinary person, not a dictator, then they can be influenced to be stopped. You can limit them to change their mind. He can be persuaded.”


“— ... Are you saying that ordinary people are closer to influential people from the democratic government than to dictators?”


“People living alone... No, people who think they live alone will be closer to dictators. However, those who wish to live with someone, people who feel that they cannot live alone, cannot become dictators.”


“— ......”


“Kuroba-san. It is not necessary to consider Tatsuya-kun a dictator. If you really care about the future of the world, then he should not remain alone. Sorry for the rudeness, but what you want to do will only backfire. This will not only harm the fighting power of our country. As a result, it will harm the future of the world.”


“— ... Is that your opinion?”


“I came here instead of my father. You might have guessed from this fact.”


Katsushige got up.


“Kuroba-san. Be realistic.”


Finally having said this, Mitsugu continued to sit, while Katsushige went home, where he was waiting for Kotona and he cooked her dinner.


At the same time, when Mitsugu and Katsushige parted in a tense atmosphere.


At the headquarters of the Magic Association in Kyoto, the Chairman of the Association, Tomitsuka Hitsui sat at the desk in her office, clutching her head.


Before her eyes on the table lay a document containing an urgent request from the USNA. It said that Edward Clark plans to visit Japan and asks to organize a meeting with Taurus Silver, that is with Shiba Tatsuya.


“Ah-ah, that's it! What do you think I should do?”


Hitsui hysterically shouted, looking at the document lying on the table.


“No, I know what to do! We need to arrange a meeting with Shiba Tatsuya!”


Still holding on to her head, she chided herself. Hitsui’s head was boiling.


“Yes, it is understandable...”


As a result, an exhausted Hitsui’s face fell on the table.


“But I have no such power...”


Still with her face lying on the table, Hitsui sighed deeply and long.


“And give up... I can't...”


Hitsui slowly lifted the upper half of her body from the table.


“This Saturday... It's too urgent, and it feels like the situation will get worse...”


She looked at a small display standing on the side table on the side of her desk. An overview of the latest news was displayed there.


“Taurus Silver will hold a press conference the day before that? Why of all the days exactly the day before? Yes, and what does he want to talk about?”


Reflection over it, Hitsui decided it wasn't that bad.


“Why does all this happens when I am the Chairman...”


Her head collapsed on the table again.


It was late evening, after 21 o'clock, when Maya called Tatsuya.


“I'm sorry about the time.”


“No, I've been waiting for this call. Many thanks.”


“Don't worry. It's about my promise.”


Indeed, when they spoke last time, Maya said she was arranging a meeting with Toudou Aobo. But Tatsuya didn't expect Maya to call in person to report it.


“Did you get a meeting time from His Excellency Toudou?” Tatsuya asked, hiding his surprise, having made a face expressing nothing.


“Yes, that's right. Looks like he's ready to take you tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.”


Maya had a smile, showing that she noticed the excitement of Tatsuya, but she did nothing so hostile, like reproach him for it.


“Where will the meeting take place?”


“In the Temple of Kyuuchouji *. I heard that Kokonoe Yakumo-san will be present at the meeting.


[The name of the temple is written in the same characters as "Kokonoe", but it is read differently]



	This time Tatsuya could not hide the surprise. Maya giggled, as if saying, "I caught you."


“— ... Sorry. But I was also surprised to learn about it. and Tatsuya-san, I see, is also surprised. Now I feel a little calmer.”


“I'm surprised. Is the master somehow involved in this?”


“His Excellency and Yakumo-san seem to have been well acquainted for quite some time. But the connection between them is a mystery.”


“I thought so too.”


Tatsuya responded quickly, but in reality, together with a strong surprise, had tormenting doubts.


The one who introduced Tatsuya to Yakumo was Kazama. Officially, they do not have any connection to the Yotsuba. He communicated directly with Kazama and with Yakumo. He thought that their words could be trusted, considering that the 101 Independent Magic Equipped Battalion secretly quarreled with the Ten Master Clans.

	However, everything changed with this additional information about the friendly (how close this "Friendship" is, is unclear) relationship between Yakumo and Toudou Aoba.


Tatsuya and Yakumo’s relationship isn’t one of disciple and teacher. This was decided at their first meeting. They only were sparring partners for magic martial arts training, Yakumo has taught Tatsuya nothing. He was taking questions, but he could not answer them. Such was the agreement about his visits to Yakumo.


However, Tatsuya learned a lot from Yakumo. For example, without the help of Yakumo, he would have hardly been able to complete the development of "Far Strike" needed to confront the parasites.


Also, although Yakumo’s position about "answers to questions" has not changed, Tatsuya has received a lot of knowledge from Yakumo, even in cases where this knowledge corresponded to "A question that he cannot answer."


Tatsuya thought it was just some kind of fad for Yakumo. He felt that Yakumo, whom he had not known at the time, had done it for some purpose. He also suspected that it might have been a plan to separate him from the Yotsuba family so that it fell under the control of the self-defense forces. However, the more he communicated with Yakumo, the more scattered these suspicions became.


But doesn't that mean he should have thought that?


Yakumo was not easy. No, according to Tatsuya’s judgment, he was an uncontrollable suspicious man. However, Tatsuya for some reason trusted Yakumo...


“Well, then tomorrow at 7 o'clock in the evening I will visit the temple of Kyuuchouji. Thank you very much for the information.”


Answering Maya, Tatsuya tried to remain vigilant in order not to show his anxiety.





Chapter 3


On Monday, when Raymond Clark in the form of "the first Sage" performed on TV, the population's interest in Taurus Silver rose sharply. But the next day the interest began to fade away, and today, on Wednesday, it has ceased to be a topic for discussion among ordinary people.


There are no people in the world of magic who do not know the famous Taurus Silver. However, those who can use magic make up only one thousandth of the adult population. But this does not mean that 99.99% of people live without magic, because some people are related to magic in the role of engineers, managers, politicians, soldiers and other civil servants, even without the ability to use magic in practice.


In recent years, even people who are engaged in magic began to appear, while speaking of the Anti-magician movement.


Quite a few citizens indirectly benefit from the use of magic for public order, national defense and disaster response. However, most people still live without a direct relationship to magic.


Magic is not a necessary factor for the life of modern society. At least in a social environment where you can live peacefully. Thus, even if the innocent magicians (better to say whose guilt is unknown) are harassed, they treat it indifferently. Being indifferent, you will not feel guilty.


Even if one high school student, known as Taurus Silver, tries to impose a future contrary to their will, for ordinary people it was no more than one third of the articles in the newspapers.


In the evening, when Tatsuya arrived at the temple of Kyuuchouji, this situation still remained unchanged.


18:45. Tatsuya left the train booth at a stop in front of the steps leading to the gates of the Kyuuchoji temple.


Nobody was with him. To come alone was one of the conditions for Tatsuya from Toudou Aoba.


Tatsuya, from the booth, looked slowly at the sides. Although he consciously acted so conspicuously to check... I mean, to show that he's checking that there's some kind of security around here, and that he's on the lookout, but he really couldn't find any signs of the observers.


There were signs of persecution, they disappeared just before he arrived at the foot of this hill, so it seems he was not mistaken.


It wasn't a coincidence. Perhaps the disciples of Yakumo (or even Yakumo himself) took care of it. As Yakumo does not trust the reception of guests (even if they are not invited guests) to inexperienced people making mistakes, Tatsuya decided that he did not need to worry about it.


Whom he should worry about--is about himself. Even Yakumo should not interfere with a personal conversation with the famous Toudou Aobo, a secret player in the backstage arena of the political and business world. But you can't be completely sure of that. Perhaps this place was chosen to check Tatsuya out.


Given this opportunity, he arrived 15 minutes early just in case. But if Yakumo is serious, it is extremely doubtful that so much time is enough. Keeping this in mind, no matter how overzealous, Tatsuya went up the stone steps.


Unfortunately, Tatsuya fears have come true.


Roughly in the middle of the path along the stone steps, the space around suddenly contort. He was shown the illusion that the ladder began to increase... No, that he himself began to shrink.


He realized that his consciousness was affected by magic. This characteristic continuous effect was the peculiarity of ancient magic. Modern magic, on the contrary, gave importance to speed, and it did not have such features as long action to maintain the effect.





With his sight, Tatsuya could see that reality and the illusion were overlapping. This was because Tatsuya was pushing out the interrupting spells that were trying to penetrate his mind with a Magic Sequence, reading the contents of these sequences of magic.


Even with magic acting on the Mind (Pushion information body), the sequence of magic was in the form of a Psion information body. Although Tatsuya was not able to use Mental Interference Magic, if the Magic Sequence is in a state where the activation is not yet complete, he could defend against the magic of the enemy or even intervene in the spell. The magic caused him to take some time to activate the magic with his hand. If this wasn’t Tatsuya, he would have already become a prisoner to the illusion.


But he did not fall for the magic of illusions. Knowing Yakumo, he wouldn’t have expected this magic to stop Tatsuya. Kokonoe Yakumo was not a naïve adversary, continuing to use those methods that he has already shown that do not work. Once Genjutsu * does not work then move on to the next...


[The same magic of illusions, just apparently a term from ancient magic.]


"... Physical attack" It happened at the same time as Tatsuya said it to himself.



	From two sides he was attacked by cutting vortexes.


These were not vacuum blades. It was magic, which, with the support from the air, crushed stone to powder, condensed in the form of ultra plates and sent them in to flight with high speed.


On the edges of the stone steps there were no hedges, only a grove. Tatsuya instantly decomposed these four flying blades, flown from the darkness, which used to be nothing.


Of course, Yakumo’s attack should not have ended with this. A man named Kokonoe Yakumo was not so kind as to (even when he is not serious) to finish a case with two types of attack, Genjutsu and cutting vortexes.


The stone steps, where Tatsuya was standing on, were not long. This evening was cloudless and the moon shone. He was to be able to see the temple gate even at night, but now everything in front of him was filled with impenetrable darkness.



	And from this darkness flew arrows.

	Close sounds were not heard. He could not feel any signs of magic, damped sound, or signs of magic sending the arrows. Was it a magic trick to let out arrows without a sound, or a bow made to not make a sound when shooting?


Sending this thought to the far corner of the mind, Tatsuya sent the bulk of his consciousness to the rain of the arrows.


He laid out all the arrows as one aggregate. Applying magic, Tatsuya finally noticed that the arrows are intangible.


"Magic of false information bodies!?" It was not a simple illusion. It was Genjutsu, influencing the information dimension and deceiving vision, "seeing" "Information". This is a magic of the same type as the "Parade " which Lina specializes at.


It was a trick to expect that the attack would be something tangible.


Tatsuya aggravated all five senses and ran up the stone steps. There were signs of any presence in front of him.


Tatsuya did not stop and slow down and cautiously moved forward, but at the same time he could not suppress a sense of surprise in himself, that was directly carried out.


In this battle, for the first time Tatsuya discovered the location of the enemy.


Sharpened hearing caught the sounds of rustling clothes.


Heightened smell of incense, which impregnated the clothing.


Heightened sight noticed the contour of the figure, which came out of the darkness. The figure was above him on the ladder.


Being below, Tatsuya was in a clearly disadvantaged position. Tatsuya jumped.





When he was at the same height as the enemy, he pulled his leg forward for a blow, without fear that the situation would become uncomfortable.


The enemy curved the upper part of the body and dodged the jumping kick by Tatsuya.



	Flying past the remaining enemy, Tatsuya landed on a stone stage.


Now Tatsuya was higher. But now Tatsuya was in an insecure position, rotating back to the enemy.


Heightened touch caught the airflow. The enemy's attack was aimed at the back. Using Flash Casting, Tatsuya activated Move-Type Magic.


The magic activated with Flash Cast had a small scale and a low power. The speed could be called the only advantage. But if you need to move only 60 centimeters, then with the flash casting, it was not a problem. And to evade the enemy's fist, the distance of 60 centimeters is also enough.


When the enemy's direct punch overcame a distance of 30 centimeters, Tatsuya was already twice as far away. The enemy's attack ended in a blunder. Tatsuya turned around and prepared to attack at the same time as the enemy began to move forward.


The edge of Tatsuya’s palm was at the enemy's neck. The enemy's Fist (Yakumo) was at Tatsuya’s armpit. Both of them stopped their hands on the verge without causing a blow.


“Master. It was a pretty rude greeting.”


“It's almost time. Come along. His Excellency is waiting.”


Tatsuya looked at the watch. It showed 18:50. It's only been five minutes since he started climbing the stone steps. Tatsuya didn't think he could fight Yakumo in such a short time. It seems that Yakumo himself had chosen how long the fight would take.


Although Tatsuya limited himself as not to cause damage to the environment, he was serious in this battle. However, Yakumo was able to act so as to take the schedule into account. With a little regret, Tatsuya realized that he was still far from Yakumo.


When Tatsuya entered the main hall of the temple, there was no dust on his suit.



	All of the consequences by Yakumo’s "prank" had been removed using "Regrowth".


Yakumo led him into the inner room. Toudou Aoba expected him in the side room, which led him through a passage to the right of the main premises of the temple (where an altar of a deity stands, which is prayed to in the temple).


He had a suitable shaven head for a Buddhist temple. However, he was wearing a high-class business suit, clearly sewn to order. He easily held his back straight, his shoulders were wide, and the lower part of the body also had a dense physique. Signs of old age were already noticeable, but when he was young, he was undoubtedly a strong guy.


But at the same time, on his head, below his would-be hair is the most distinctive feature.


These bulging eyes under thick gray eyebrows. His face is not beautiful, it could be called Majestic. However, its turbid-white left eye caused a strange feeling of oppression of the interlocutor. This left eye created an impression of heterogeneity.


Tatsuya also paid attention to this left eye. He realized that he had already met this old man in this temple in January of this year, on the 4th, to be more precise. But they did not quite meet, he only saw Toudou from his back when he was leaving the temple. Toudou then turned and looked at Tatsuya with his murky white eye, but said nothing and left.


“Can I start introducing myself?” Tatsuya asked after sitting down on his knees and bowed.


At first he thought it would be better to sit quietly until Yakumo presents him, but then he felt that in this case he would be captured in the blink of an eye by the opponent's pace.


“Permitted.”


The answer Toudou gave would sound like an anachronism if it were to be said by another person, but not by him. But the voice of Toudou perfectly fit his manner of speech.


“Nice to meet you. My name is Shiba Tatsuya. It is a great honor for me to meet you.”


"I am Toudou Aoba. Yotsuba Tatsuya, I've been looking forward to seeing you.”


Toudou called Tatsuya "Yotsuba Tatsuya" instead of "Shiba Tatsuya". Tatsuya, who was still in his bow, did not react to these words.


“You can raise your head. I permit you to talk directly.”


Tatsuya straightened out like he was told. He did not look away, but looked Toudou straight in the eye. This was his interpretation of the meaning of "permit you to talk". But neither Toudou himself nor Yakumo reproached him for that.


“I heard from Maya. That you want to explain something to me.”


“Yes.”





Tatsuya didn't use such standard phrases, like, "Could you give me your time?" or "Could you listen to me?". He intuitively understood that Toudou did not need such formalities.


“I'm listening to you.” And Toudou, indeed, immediately asked to go to the main topic.


“In short, I have a plan to build a plant that produces energy resources using magic.”


Tatsuya said this as a preface, and began explaining the details of the "project ESCAPES". Toudou did not interrupt Tatsuya and listened to his whole story to the end.


“Clear.“ Toudou said after Tatsuya finished the story, saying he wanted to have a press conference as a means of retaliation in an information war that was announced by the two Clarks, Edward and Raymond.


“Then, can you allow me to go out in front of the media?”


“I give my permission. You can also use my connections to ask others for cooperation.”


“Thank you very much.”


Although Tatsuya said so, he felt no joy but vigilance. He concluded that everything went too well. Consent was not to be unconditional. There must have been some conditions. He was afraid he would be put in some impossible conditions.


“By the way, I want to ask you something.”


“What's that?”


Tatsuya answered, without changing the expression on his face, but he could not get rid of the feeling that he was trying to evade the question.


Toudou may have noticed the alarmed Tatsuya, but did not take advantage of it.

	“In your explanation, you mentioned that you are not looking for political power.”


“Yes.”


More precisely, he said that he is not going to ask for more power, if it does not interfere with the work of the plant, but he was not required to demand political power, so he did not dare to correct what Toudou said.


“I'm not just talking about the power plant. The power you possess is incomparable to anything. It's not just that it exceeds the limits expendable for one person. In fact, this is not something that may be allowed to any organizations other than the state.”


Tatsuya didn't mind that. He himself seriously considered the same as Toudou said. But despite this, Tatsuya was not going to give up his power or trust it to anyone.


“Why do you use this power?” “What do you want to achieve with this force?”


“A happy life.”


Tatsuya responded immediately without showing any hesitation. Hearing this answer, Toudou clearly frowned his eyebrows.


“Are you saying that this undeserved power of one man should only be used for one's own sake? Are you not interested in the welfare of society and the preservation of the state?”


“A happy life is impossible without the well-being of society. Also, I believe that at the current stage of human development, the existence of States is absolutely necessary for the maintenance of public order.”


“I mean, do you mind giving your power to the state for your own well-being?”


“I would not use such arrogant phrases as "giving power"... But if you look from the standpoint of public order and National Defense, you, Your Excellency, are correct.”


“That's good. Yotsuba Tatsuya.”


Toudou again called Tatsuya "Yotsuba Tatsuya". They sat opposite to each other and looked into each other's eyes. Seeing the expression on the face of Toudou, Tatsuya realized that he was not mistaken, and said so intentionally.


“I want you to do what I used to do. Be the deterrent force of this country.”


The words of Toudou puzzled Tatsuya.


“What do you mean by deterrent force? Does he want me to officially announce that I am the user of Material burst? But then it cannot be called "the same as before."


“— ... You want me to declare myself a magician of strategic class?” Tatsuya decided not to waste time, rewinding his thoughts in a deadlock, and directly asked Toudou about his intentions.


“Now it is not necessary. But if you need to, do it.”


“Does that mean that in case of a military threat, I have to confront it? Like in the fall of two years ago?”


At the end of October 19th, Tatsuya destroyed the fleet of the Great Asian alliance with Strategic Class Magic. “Does it mean that he will have me play this role again in the future?”


“Deterrent power is the ability to avoid a threat to become a reality. The ability to confront a military threat that has become a reality is a conventional military force, not a deterrent force. The power of deterrence is something that is desirable, but should not be used.”


But this probably wasn't what Toudou wanted.


“You don't understand?”


“It's a shame to admit, but I don’t.”

	In fact, he didn't fully understand what Toudou said. But Tatsuya decided not to speculate, but just to ask the right answer.


“This is nothing complicated for you. It is enough to deter other countries by instilling fear in them.”


“Understandable.” mentally agreed Tatsuya. This was roughly the same conclusion he came to.


Apparently Toudou wants Tatsuya to play the role of the Demon King. But not as the king of demons, as in an RPG, which must destroyed by a hero. It’s more like a transcendental being who can cause disasters by simply touching it.


“Your Excellency has previously said that it is desirable that a deterrent force should not be used. But to scare the enemy, don’t you need to show them your strength?”


“If there is a need to demonstrate, usage can’t be avoided. I'll leave that decision to the people behind you.”


And it seems that he will not have to choose this remedy. Tatsuya recently wondered whether a deterrent force was a necessary evil.


Changing the activity of magicians from the military sphere to a civil one. As a result, that part of the military force, which is piled on the shoulders of magicians, will be reduced.


Magic is a force that is somehow unrelated to the amount of material resources. The magicians that provide combat power are the aspect with which even small countries can confront large countries with many resources.


If the magicians' fighting power is not grasped, small countries will likely not be able to confront large countries. Unfortunately, it is easy to predict a future in which the world will plunge into the era of war if the four major world powers notice it and begin to absorb the world. And if the world is again enveloped in the fire of war, magicians will start to be used as weapons. Trying to improve the lives of magicians is a vicious cycle.



	Perhaps to avoid such a future, he will inevitably have to become a deterrent force, replacing the lost fighting power of magicians who have gone into the civil sphere. Tatsuya thought so before he heard Toudou’s demand.


If Tatsuya becomes a deterrent force, then "Project ESCAPES" — the first step to releasing magicians from their fate as weapons — will receive not only the tacit approval of Toudou, but also his support. Tatsuya had no reason to refuse.


“As Your Excellency wishes.”


Tatsuya expressed his intention to accept the Toudou’s proposal with an indirect expression.


“Are you sure?” For the first time, Yakumo spoke, who until now only silently listened to the conversation between Tatsuya and Toudou. “In that case, you will be lonely.”


“I don't mind.”


Tatsuya really needs only one person. If this person is near, he will never feel lonely. The feelings of Tatsuya were arranged in such a way.


And he knew that this person, Miyuki, would never leave him. Even death will not be able to separate Tatsuya and Miyuki. Because he won't let that happen.


Being separated from other people was not a cause of concern for Tatsuya. Yakumo’s warning did not frighten Tatsuya.


“The conversation is over.”


It seemed that Yakumo still had something to say. However, Toudou decided to wrap things up. (for Toudou it was an intervention).


“Your Excellency. What should I do?”

	Tatsuya was not going to talk to Yakumo. As he realized that Yakumo was worried about him, he decided to avoid quarrels that could ruin the relationship in the future.


“I'm not going to give you any specific instructions. Do what you think you need to do.”


The words of Toudou did not mean the granting of unlimited powers. It was the opposite.



	This meant that Toudou would not be responsible, no matter what happened.



	Responsibility for any problems would fall on Tatsuya.


“I accept your offer.” Considering this fair, Tatsuya answered Toudou.


Behind-the-scenes leaders never take responsibility in case of any problems. The burden of guilt has always been on the direct performers. Toudou couldn't even mention it.


“Well. In that case, I'll also talk to my friends. It was a useful time.”


Thus Toudou notified that the meeting is over.


“In that case, can I leave you?”


“You can go.”


Tatsuya deeply bowed, touching the forehead of the floor, and then stood up. He sat on the bare floor (tatami) from the beginning, the seat cushion (BUD) was not provided. Holding his face down, not to look at the interlocutor, Tatsuya turned his back to Toudou and went out.


After seeing Tatsuya to the gate of the temple, Yakumo returned back. Toudou waited for him to no longer be in same posture with which he talked to Tatsuya. Yakumo replaced Toudou’s cooled tea. While Toudou drinks tea, Yakumo sat in front of him, waiting.


“And what do you really think about this conversation?”



	As a sponsor of the Yotsuba family, Toudou Aoba had access to detailed information about Tatsuya. It's impossible for Toudou not to see this information. He also exhaustively studied information about Tatsuya from external sources. Yakumo

	asked about the impression of their real meeting.


“He's more broken than I expected.”


Yakumo counted Toudou’s answer as "interesting".


“Have you been disappointed?”


“Even if it is broken, it does not mean that it cannot be used. For example, even if the weapon has a broken fuse, the bullet will still fly out if you pull the trigger.”


“It depends on how to use it?”


“Although there is a danger.”


Toudou looked into Yakumo’s eyes. His murky white left eye looked directly into the Yakumo’s soul.


"It seems that Your Excellency's power of Sight did not act on him.”


“— ... Forgive me. It was unconscious.”


“No, I don't mind.”


Toudou Aoba hails from a Charmers family. If the data about his pedigree were true, it was one of the oldest families of supernatural power users in Japan.


But Yakumo knew that Toudou Aoba was not be able to make full use of his "eye", because instead of honing his skills as a caster, he chose the way of fulfilling his family's responsibility to control the casters. If he said it was unconscious, it is true, not an excuse. Yakumo easily accepted Toudou’s apology.


"Like you said, I couldn't look deep into the heart of Yotsuba Tatsuya. The Yotsuba, too, were able to create something interesting.”


“Although it happened accidentally, but he is the final "Product".”


Yakumo’s response paraphrased the expression Toudou used.


“Right.” Toudou couldn't resist a stretched smile. However, he immediately returned a serious face. ”Kokonoe Yakumo. I want to ask you something.”


“Yes, what is it?”


There was still a light smile on Yakumo's face.


"In an emergency, will you be able to kill Yotsuba Tatsuya by your own power?"


However, having heard the question Toudou, Yakumo, as expected, could not continue to smile.


“Hmm... Based on the experience of the previous test, I would say that the odds of winning are about 60%. If we include the outcome when we knock out each other at the same time *, we will get 70%”


[The author uses the term from Kendo, which means a draw at simultaneous strikes. As I understand it, Yakumo means that an additional 10% will be found if he is trying to beat Tatsuya at the cost of his own life.]


Under the previous test, he meant the battle on the stone steps. This wicked joke seems to have had such a hidden meaning.


“Even with all your skills is there only a 30% chance to leave with nothing?”


Toudou was genuinely surprised. But Yakumo’s answer had not yet finished.


“No, the remaining 30% means my own defeat. The battle between this inept monk and him cannot end with escape.”


“— ... Are you saying that even you, known as the reincarnation of Casin Koji, cannot escape?”


“Six months ago I would be able to escape... Yes, and now the odds are just the same 60%. If it is a year later, this inept monk will not be able to do it at all.”


“— Even so...?”


Such a kind of visage Toudou, probably, has not shown to anybody, except Yakumo. Although the fact that Toudou gave Yakumo some slack was also due to the fact that he was really shocked.


“Judging by his abilities surpassing those of this inept monk, there is nothing to be surprised about. Among the young people with whom this inept monk is familiar, there is only one person who can resist him. And if you look around the world, these people will not get more than the fingers on two hands.”


“— ... Terrible times have come.”


“And that's true. ... Your Excellency, another cup?”


“Fine.”


Yakumo took the cup from Toudou and went to the stove. With skillful movements he quickly brewed the tea, and then carelessly put the cup back. The old man Toudou carelessly, ignored the rules of decency, brought the cup to his mouth and slowly drank.



	“Thank you for the treat.”

	“Don't be grateful.”


“Oh, yes. For some reason, only your skills of brewing tea do not improve.”


Due to the arrogant words of Toudou, Yakumo answered only with the curve of a smile.


“I'll go.”


Toudou stood up.


“I'll take you.” Yakumo said, not getting up.


“You don't have to.” Without turning around, the old man Toudou said this, and opened the sliding door.


When Tatsuya returned to the villa in Izu from the temple of Kyuuchouji, it was already around 10 o'clock in the evening. As soon as he returned, he went to the TV screen, but he wasn't going to call Maya. Time was already late. He only wanted to convey a short message that "Consent was received", through Hayama or his assistant.


“— ... Tatsuya-san, did you want something?”


However, for some reason Maya suddenly immediately appeared on the screen. Like she was waiting for a phone call.


“Sorry about the time. I just got back from Kyuuchouji temple.”


He reflexively responded with an uninteresting formal phrase, but Maya did not expect a witty answer from him.


“Clear. Good work. Did you meet His Excellency?”


“Yes. I got a project permit.”

	“Clearly...” Maya slightly screwed her eyes and looked at Tatsuya.


“— and what was demanded in return?”


Apparently, Maya also thought from the very beginning that in order to get support from Toudou, he needed to give something in return. The fact that she did not tell him in advance meant that she believed that Tatsuya would do it anyway, so there would be no real harm, and so he would not have to worry much.


“I was asked to act as a deterrent force against other countries.”


“— in such a sense, does that mean that Tatsuya-san finally has to reveal himself as a Strategic Class Magician?”


Maya's delusion was the same as that of Tatsuya. That's why it didn't arouse a smile.



	Tatsuya thought she really believed that.


“No. There is no need to officially announce it now. His Excellency said that he left all decisions to me.”


“Everything to you? Oh, my... It's a serious responsibility.”


Maya's thoughts were on the same path as Tatsuya. Was it because it was the rational process of thinking, or because Tatsuya in general is very similar to Maya...? These were the thoughts that now occur in the far corners of Tatsuya’s consciousness.


“— ... In any case, the main thing is that His Excellency's consent has been received. You can hold a press conference without changing the schedule.”


“Thank you very much.”


Maya felt relieved after Toudou’s consent was received. Tatsuya also felt relieved when he received that response from Maya. The experiences that will be used by someone seem to be the same at the top and bottom, when there is, in reality, someone else.





“By the way, Tatsuya-san, do you remember our conversation about Miyakijima?”


In order to catch the suddenly replaced topic of conversation, Tatsuya threw away all his superfluous thoughts and concentrated his consciousness.


“Is this a conversation that was in the middle of April? When you said that a new research center would be built on Miyakijima?”


“Yes, that's what I mean. I was thinking of partially changing this plan to attract attention to the plant from Tatsuya-san’s project.”


Tatsuya couldn't answer quickly.


“I also discussed it with Hayama-san. I think this is the best place for the Tatsuya-san’s project. How would you like that?”


“— ... Using the word "attract", you mean as in third-party business partners?”


His face did not show the feeling of alertness because all of this seems too convenient for him, Tatsuya first of all asked a question that seemed harmless. Upon hearing the question, the Maya smiled with a happy expression on her face, as if she were saying, "Well, I guess he noticed."


“With the current scale of the project, only our own subsidiaries will suffice to implement it, but I believe that with the prospect of the future it is better to attract third-party assistants from the very beginning.”


In this matter Tatsuya had the same opinion. If you run the factory only with companies associated to the Yotsuba, it is highly probable that the magicians involved there will also be only those who are under the patronage of Yotsuba. Then it will not be a "release of magicians", but only "a new project Yotsuba".


“The area of the island is small, so, even if it becomes a virtual autonomous region, not many will raise complaints about this.”



	With this opinion Tatsuya also agreed. Although it’s an area of 8 square kilometers, in fact, this was comparable to a small town, but those who raise the noise of a "Mutant rebellion" or "the Kingdom of Magicians" will only be a few.


“Well, how would you like that?”


“I think I should be grateful.”


“In that case, can we begin with construction?”


“Yes. I'm counting on you.”


Tatsuya had a vague sense of concern that his plan could be used for some other purpose. But he convinced himself that it is necessary to give priority to promote of the project.


CEO of the "Hokuzan groups", Kitayama Ushio ("Business name" — Kitakata Ushio), has a great influence not only in business circles, but also in politics. It was not uncommon for him to hold meetings with the Government, but in most cases, his schedule is adjusted according to his circumstances, even if the schedule is planned in advance.


But on that day, on the last Thursday of May, Kitayama Ushio was quite unexpectedly invited to a luxurious Japanese-style restaurant.


He cancelled all other plans and went to this restaurant because the inviting partner was someone he could not refuse.


Toudou Aoba. The circle of people who knew the name of this shadow influential man was limited. Unlike the famous "Traders of influence", Toudou Aoba never openly went on stage. But those who benefited from his name were aware that his abilities were undeniable.



	Fortunately, Ushio was never threatened by the shadow activity of Toudou. However, the founder of a rapidly growing company, which competed with Ushio, lost all his property as a result of underestimated the influence of Toudou. He received a long prison term for an ordinary crime, which in normal cases could not cause such problems, and was deprived of the right to start a new business. Ushio considered it an obvious demonstration to the rest.


“It is a great honor for me to be invited by you.”


“I'm sorry I called you so suddenly.”


Toudou Aoba was already 60, and Kitayama Ushio was in his early fifties. Toudou’s tone was a little rough, but given the age of both, it did not sound unnatural. But the difference in their attitude reflected not the difference in their age, but the difference in the type of influence (political influence and economic power) that they owned.


First, Toudou and Ushio killed a little time with the usual secular conversation. But Toudou Aoba, it seems, was not so tactless as to suddenly call one of the country's largest businessmen to just chat.


He was just worried about the eyes and ears of the waiter serving them. The institutions used by such people as Toudou, are not only expensive, but besides providing tasty food and drinks, their employees also perfectly observe "the rule of the three monkeys" ( "do not look", "do not listen", "do not say"). Perhaps the man who survived in the world of wiles and intrigues, simply could not give up this superfluous vigilance.


"I called you today because..." After some time, Toudou began to speak when the time for delicacies and sake were over. “— ... I want you to support the business of a young man.”


“Do you mean for me to invest in this novice business of this young man?”


Such inquiries were not uncommon for Ushio. But he was interested in it, because such a request was made personally Toudou himself.


"And who is this amazing man who has earned the attention of your holiness?"



	“You already know this guy. His official name from the family register is Shiba Tatsuya.”


“— ... Shiba-kun?” After a long pause, Ushio was able to speak only that. To hear this name from the mouth of Toudou was quite unexpected for him. — then this new business is something related to his inventions as Taurus Silver? or something related to a thermonuclear reactor?”


“The second. Shiba Tatsuya tries to release magician from the role of weapons, giving them work to produce energy.”


“I understand. I accept your proposal.”


This time the answer was immediate. So much so that even Toudou was a little confused.


“Don't you have to think about it?”


Even after this offer, there was no doubt in Ushio.


“Your Excellency must know that my wife and daughter are also magicians. My wife has been forced to live as a "weapon" for a long time, even though she has now retired.”


Of course, Toudou knew about Benio, the wife of Ushio, and his daughter Shizuku.



	He looked forward to continuing the story.


“But if the war begins, not only my wife, but my daughter will be sent to the battlefield. If it comes to a full-blown war, magicians, useless in the workplace, can be forced to become a combat force. I'm afraid of that.”


“— but if we talk about the benefits, besides the war, there is still a project, announced by the nearing States.”


Naturally, Toudou did not really want to cooperate with "Project Dione". These words were intended to show how serious Ushio is in his statement.


“I don't want to sacrifice my wife and daughter. That is worse than forced military use.”


“Hou. Why do you think that?”


This question was no longer a test for Ushio, it proceeded from real curiosity.


“— The essence of the "project Dione", the expulsion of magicians in to space. I do not know whether it is the will of Amerika, the intrigue of Edward Clark, or if it is done for some other reason, but it seems they want to expel Shiba-kun from the earth. But the damage is not the only thing. If the project is launched, the involved magicians will no longer be able to live on Earth. The earth will cease to be their home. This is the project.”


The answer Ushio coincided with the conclusion that Tatsuya made. And most likely, Ushio and Tatsuya are not exceptions. There are probably many people who came to such conclusions enveloping this project.


“Right.”


Frankly speaking, Toudou also noticed the hidden target of the Dione project.


“On the other hand, according to the project by Shiba Tatsuya, the area where magicians will feel at home will only expand. Energy production is necessary even during wartime. On the contrary, its importance is growing. When Shiba Tatsuya’s plant will be included in the state system of power supply, they will not be so careless, as to throw magicians on the front, causing a lack of energy. It’s well thought out.”


And Toudou most valued "project ESCAPES" and Tatsuya for creating a compromising relationship between the supply of combat power and the supply of energy, which will create a situation where it becomes impossible for magicians to be used as weapons.





In terms of National Defence, this is an unacceptable situation. But if this was everything to the project, Toudou would have destroyed the Tatsuya’s project.


But Tatsuya agreed to become a deterrent force.


If the system of energy production with the nucleus in the form of a star reactor spreads to the whole world, other countries will lose their fighting power of magicians, and the relative military power of Japan with a trump card in the form of Material Burst will only increase.


Although it was not clear yet whether someone comparable to Tatsuya who could be a deterrent force would be born in the next generation, but he will let the rulers of that time take care of it. Since Toudou lived in the present, he took responsibility for the present. He has not overestimated himself enough to be responsible for the future.


“I Agree.”


Ushio was not particularly worried about the lack of combat power of magicians. He wasn't a politician. He believed that if there is no magical combat force, it can be compensated by a conventional combat force. His company was not engaged in weapons, but if there was such a need to protect his family, he would without any doubt begin to fully support the military industry with his company.


“Could you tell me more about the Shiba-kun’s project?”


Tatsuya’s project corresponded to his interests. Ushio decided to meet him. Usually whenever his family is concerned, his thinking lapsed suspiciously. However, in such matters, Toudou was not going to deceive him, and this should not be a problem.


“You'll ask him for details.”


But now he could not deny that he doubted him too much.


“Really. Sorry for the rudeness.”



	Realizing this, Ushio sincerely bowed. Cooling his head, he sent his consciousness to what he really had to check out here.


“Your Excellency. I wanted to ask you something.”


“What's that?”


“What is the position of the Government regarding the project?”


Now, the whole world welcomes "project Dione". There is no country that has officially taken an early position. He was afraid that the launch of a plan, opposing "project Dione", can be regarded as a diplomatic negative phenomenon. Toudou Aoba also understood it well.


“The Japanese government will not intervene.”


He made his position clear by saying this.


Chapter 4


Friday, May 31, 2097.


Since the morning, numerous media representatives have rushed to the main office of Four Leaves Technology.


Needless to say, their goal was a press conference held by "Taurus Silver". The meeting was to begin at 10 o'clock, but as the crowd of reporters and operators met in front of the building could interfere with traffic and other people's work, the venue was opened earlier, at about 9 o'clock.


Even traditional large newspapers, usually without any interest in the magic industry, organized several groups in the very first rows. Although many of their colleagues had a conceited relationship, but for a third-party observer, these colleagues were no different from the first.


Their indiscriminate conversations died down when the staff responsible for communication with the media came to the podium. The reporters, holding their breath, watched the FLT employees perform last checkups of the microphone and lighting.


The digital clock in the conference room showed 10 o’clock. The front door of the conference hall opened, and Tatsuya and Ushiyama came to the podium.


Under the clicks of the shutters Tatsuya stood in front of the microphone. The chairs on the podium were not used.


Behind Tatsuya hung a big screen. On it appeared the description "Stellar Furnace Energy Plant Project".


The conference room was filled with noise. These were voices expressing doubt as to why the presentation of a new business project is taking place. Not paying attention to the confusion of the assembled, the responsible employee announced the beginning of the press conference.

	“— I am Shiba Tatsuya, and I am responsible for the development of software for Taurus Silver projects.”


"I am Ushiyama Kinji, and I am responsible for the development of hardware for Taurus Silver projects."


The noise immediately increased. Media representatives gathered here firmly believing that that this young man (although he was still a schoolboy, the appearance of Tatsuya can be expressed by the word "young man", and not "boy") in the suit was the real identity behind Taurus Silver. But this man in the working jumpsuit also called himself Taurus Silver. In the media camp, chaos began.


“-uh, Taurus Silver is not the name of one developer.”


As the reporters did not follow with questions, Ushiyama continued to speak.


“It’s the name of the development team, consisting of him and me. We have already updated the personal information about the applicants, and you can confirm it at the patent office.”


“— ... Why did you deceive the people so much?" When at last a hand was picked, one of the female reporters asked this. In fact, they were insensible words, which lacked respect for the interlocutor.


“We weren't going to cheat. Often applications for patents are filed under the name of the firm, and even now it is common practice to keep confidentiality of personal information about the individual members of the group.”


“B-but Taurus Silver is regarded as a brilliant engineer, who in just 1 year has advanced the development of CAD software by 10 years, and your company did not deny it, right?”


“We have never confirmed excessive estimates like "brilliant engineer" and other things like that.”


The reporters had nothing to say to this irrefutable answer by Tatsuya.

	“The reason for the confidentiality of personal information was that the Youn- *... That Shiba is a minor. For the same reason, we refused to hold an interview.”


Ushiyama continued nervously.


[He almost misspoke, beginning to say, "Young master.]


The privacy of minors in the present period was a stable social principle. The media couldn't go straight against it.


"Does it mean that what the mysterious man named "The First Sage" said in that message, was only half true?” Another reporter delicately changed the subject, asking another question.


“Because Taurus Silver is the name of the team consisting of me and Ushiyama, the message that Taurus Silver is me, Shiba Tatsuya, is misinformation.”


Tatsuya changed his first-person address to "Watashi" to seem impolite to this media representative. After all, the content of the answer was a direct attempt to quarrel with him.


“Misinformation on TV?”


“The news showed information different from the truth. That's called misinformation, isn't it?”


“But the fact that you are Taurus Silver is true!”


There was a piercing hysterical scream from another part of the conference room.


“— it was mentioned earlier that Taurus Silver is not the name of one person.” Tatsuya turned to this reporter and answered him with a calm but seemingly brazen voice. Objecting voices stopped.


“However, it is also true that we have caused confusion among people around the world.”


Here Ushiyama took advantage of the moment, and his awkward voice wedged in to the conversation.


“Therefore, here and now, we are announcing the correct information regarding Taurus Silver.”


The conference room was noisy again.


“— ... What do you mean?”


“It means that we are terminating our activity as Taurus Silver.” In this sense, Tatsuya returned the obvious answer to the brave question.


“Does that mean you're stopping CAD development?” The question came from a reporter from a single publication firm familiar with the magic industry.


“Ushiyama will continue to develop CADs, and I'll do another thing.” Tatsuya said this and pointed his hand at the screen behind him.

	“— This is a new project for the organization and supply of Energy for industrial and domestic needs, using a Stellar Furnace, or in other words a thermonuclear reactor, which works with Gravity Control-Type Magic.


Journalists began to talk indiscriminately within their groups. Tatsuya silently stared at them until the noise died down.


“The design of the installation is not new." Tatsuya said this, so order could return to the conference hall. Representatives of the press did not interrupt his explanation.


“— the installation is planned to be built on a remote island or on the sea surface. With the help of the power generated by the Stellar Furnace reactor, hydrogen will be produced from the sea water, which will be further sent to land. We hope that together with the process of hydrogen production, we will contribute to the purification of the marine environment by removing harmful substances from sea water.”



	A simple animation appeared on the big screen showing the mechanism of the installation. Comments on the animation were not told by Tatsuya, but by an FLT employee.


After the animation was finished, the conference room filled up with loud noise. A correspondent from an industry magazine raised his hand as an interested person.


“— ... Are you not going to send electricity directly from the thermonuclear reactor?”





“I think that many will be concerned about the stability of the Stellar Furnace reactor, so first we decided to build a plant at a sufficient distance from the urban area. Therefore, taking into account the loss in the transmission of electricity to the far distance, I designed the scheme of converting it into hydrogen fuel.”


“I think that a significant number of magicians will be needed for the operation of a thermonuclear reactor.”


It was said by a reporter from a publication directly related to magic.


“You're right. Magicians participating in this project will be transferred to the island or floating base, on which the plant with the presented installation will be located.


“— Are you going to create an independent State of magicians!?”


This question was asked by a reporter from a newspaper that was usually set up to be negative towards magic.


“Because of its peculiarities, the plant will not be able to function with only one magician. The staff will include more non-magician engineers.”


“— in other words, do you mean that a minority of magicians will rule the majority of ordinary personnel?”


“— The plant will be operated in compliance with all laws and regulations.”


Tatsuya could not restrain his habit of fighting against magicians. However, he now gave a textbook answer, and at the present stage, when there was no specific data, no one could continue to make false accusations.


“How do you respond to the request for participation in "Project Dione"? “


This was a "cover fire", the question was asked in a provocative voice by a reporter from the same company as the previous one.

	“The request from the National Scientific Agency from the USNA was about the participation of a schoolboy, calling himself Taurus Silver. But a little earlier, "Taurus Silver" ceased to exist, so I can no longer respond to this request.”


“These are empty excuses!” The reporter reflexively shouted in response to the brazen words of Tatsuya.


Tatsuya himself considered it an empty excuse, so he was not embarrassed by this exclamation.


“Did Mr. Edward Clark from the National Science Agency require me to participate?”


This objection was also prepared in advance. It was a counterattack that the reporter would not be able to answer with "Yes."


“But it's obvious that Mr. Clark meant you when he was talking about Taurus Silver.”


However, the reporter still persisted.


"Is that so?"


Tatsuya knew what the reporter said was true, but for the rest it was not so obvious. Tatsuya did not answer with "Yes" or "no", he just answered with a question. The reporter was just speculating. So when he was asked, "Is that so?", he had nothing to say.


“Even if another invitation comes from the Dione project, I won't be able to accept it. The project of a plant with the Stellar Furnace reactor has already moved to the stage of choosing the place for construction. I don't have time to participate in other major projects.” Tatsuya summed it up.


Tatsuya’s press conference was broadcasted live on TV.


Speaking of TV, it was meant not to be covered by many large radio channels. Rather to a small cable news channel. The target audience of this channel were magicians and people interested in magic. It broadcast various news related to magic, and was also known as the channel, broadcasting absolutely all Nine School Competitions.


Kudou Minoru, who missed school because of his poor health, watched this broadcast, sitting on his bed in his room.


“Tatsuya-san is so amazing...” said Minoru while sighing when the broadcast was over. He turned the TV off and went to bed. There was a whirlpool of admiration for Tatsuya in Minoru’s thoughts.


He also admired the plan for the energy plant with the nucleus in the form of the "Stellar Furnace" (at the press conference, Tatsuya did not use the name "Project ESCAPES").


He admired the power with which Tatsuya was able to overcome the pressure of what made him an enemy to the world, and used the heightened attention for his own purposes.


Minoru envied Tatsuya to the depths of his soul.


Tatsuya did not give up and, freely and unrestrictedly, use his wisdom and power to fight the society and the world.


And he, in comparison with this, only lies on this cramped bed, watching other people's affairs. Which is unfortunate.


Minoru was thinking. That if he only had a healthy body...


Minoru was sure that he was not inferior to Tatsuya in mind or magic. This was in no way overconfidence by Minoru.


Minoru assessed his abilities after he saw Tatsuya’s abilities. His ability was recognized not only by himself. Also by his grandfather, Kudou Retsu, who always cherished his own talent.


He successfully avoided this bad feeling at the Thesis Competition of last year (although Tatsuya was in it but did not present), Minoru won there, beating Isori Kei from First High and Kichijouji Shinkurou from Third High.


When he remembered the Thesis Competition, he went through his memories, one after another. The memories of the events that took place less than a month before the contest came back to him.


About how they first fought together the next day, October 7th.


The next time they met was two weeks later, October 20th.


The day afterwards, he was bedridden from the heat and made it uncomfortable for them.


On October 27th. Having closed Zhou Gongjin’s escape route, he believed that he managed to repay the debt that he owed that he had from when he got ill.


Minoru remembered that entire day. After all, this was the first time since his birth that he was useful to someone. So Minoru remembered this day...


With these memories in his thoughts, Minoru did not notice how he fell asleep.



	In his dream he returned back to that day, October 27, 2096.


There was a guy in on the other side of Uji Bridge. In a dream, Minoru observed himself from a stranger’s view.


From the car on which he stood, sparks and fire poured out.


Right before the engine exploded, he jumped out of the car and looked intently at Minoru.

	Minoru realized that he was Zhou Gongjin. This is what the dream looked like from his view. He escaped along the Uji river, going in a downward direction.


Then he was attacked by a “Girl” that suddenly appeared with a bob hairstyle.



	Despite the fact that this was a dream, he could clearly feel strong pain.


These memories, they should have not been known by Minoru. This experience he should not have experienced.



	Before him, Ichijou Masaki appeared, and behind him, Tatsuya.


Maybe he's rebuilding this scene in his imagination based on reports from the incident? Minoru was covered in cold blood, despite the fact that he was in a dream.


Masaki’s attack tore the inside of his shins of both legs. This time there was no pain.


“I will not perish. Even if I die, my existence will continue!”


He thought he said this with his voice. Undoubtedly, one who dies like this, holding such a thought, usually will wander in the world of the living as a ghost. Minoru felt sympathy, having personally experienced the last moments of Zhou Gongjin’s life.


But the dream was not over. Zhou Gongjin's consciousness continued.


Zhou Gongjin sailed upstream the Uji River.