He managed to secure Masaki's cooperation. Well, Masaki probably believed that distinguishing himself here would create a good impression on Miyuki.
For starters, he hadn't received an apology for the attempted Over Attack in last year's Monolith Code finals. Moreover, he must understand that it takes considerable effort to sway Miyuki's heart. In Yugen's case, Miyuki had fallen for him at first sight, and his selfless act of saving her had made it definitive.
He didn't consider Miyuki's pampering a hardship at all. On the contrary, as a man, it was a privileged position, and complaining about it would risk attracting envious glares, to the point where other men might shed tears of blood.
Honestly, he hadn't fully understood or predicted that their relationship would skip the dating steps, like "King Crimson" blowing past them, and directly proceed to premarital intimacy. Well, he had been prepared for some physical contact or lucky perverted incidents once she started trying to sleep in the same bed, but that was truly unexpected.
While there was the capture and cleanup of Zhou Gongjin, he believed the subsequent challenges would be the most difficult. Especially with the Yotsuba family's New Year's Celebration—directly connected to "Yotsuba Succession"—looming at the beginning of next year.
After securing cooperation, he contacted Tatsuya via email. Tatsuya happened to have just left a tofu restaurant on the approach to Kiyomizu-dera (though not mentioned in the email, it was undoubtedly the place where Yugen and Koko had eaten), and they agreed to meet at Kiyomizu-dera.
About ten minutes after that reply email, Tatsuya and the others also arrived. Masaki, seeing Miyuki, immediately called out to her. To those who knew Yugen and Miyuki, Masaki's actions seemed "comical."
"Tatsuya, I apologize. For making you call off the search."
"No, we also gathered information on our end."
According to Tatsuya, the magic user they met at the restaurant revealed that they had met Yugen and Koko, and even said that inquiring with Yugen was the fastest way to get detailed information about Zhou Gongjin. In any case, Yugen prompted Tatsuya and the others to sit down and explained again.
"...That magic user, Koko and I certainly met as well. During that encounter, they also disclosed information about Arashiyama, but to get straight to the point: Zhou Gongjin is not in the Arashiyama area. He is currently hiding at the National Defense Land Forces Uji Second Supply Base."
"The National Defense Land Forces!? I see, that matches the information that magic user mentioned!"
Hearing Kousen's surprised words, Tatsuya murmured, "No wonder we couldn't find him." Then, Yugen continued.
"However, waiting for the leisurely response of the National Defense Force would have a significant impact on the thesis competition. Therefore, we will raid the base tonight and capture Zhou Gongjin. I have even received permission from Mother to kill him if necessary."
Zhou Gongjin was a continental sorcerer, someone who had not only defeated "Number Fallouts" but even someone Kuroba Mitsugu couldn't kill. Furthermore, it was expected that the soldiers at the base would attack, manipulated by Zhou Gongjin.
Hearing Yugen's words, Tatsuya, who had already intended to do so, nodded and asked,
"The fact that Ichijou is here means he's also cooperating, right?"
"Of course, Shiba. Zhou Gongjin is not unrelated to me either."
"...Understood. I'll believe your words."
First, as the initial step, they would lure the base personnel to the north side. They could make it conspicuous with magic, but that role was assigned to Celia.
"Celia, I need you to strike the northern part of the base with magic."
"...Then, can I use 'that'?"
"You may."
What Celia referred to as "that" was Angie Sirius's strategic-class magic, 'Heavy Metal Burst.' Unlike Lina, Celia, who could fully control that magic, would be able to contain the damage to a localized area. It had been revealed during the Minamishima incident that the base's functions could be temporarily paralyzed by electromagnetic interference from plasma.
As for civilian damage, roughly 500 billion yen in compensation after this incident would likely silence everyone. It was close to a so-called "wielding stacks of cash" tactic, but they couldn't be picky.
The concern would be protests from the USNA, but considering how grandiosely they messed up with the Minamishima incident, if the USNA were to make a fuss just because Celia used 'Heavy Metal Burst,' their pride and credibility might sink to Mariana Trench levels.
Besides, Celia was already considered discharged and naturalized, so the USNA had no grounds for rebuttal anyway.
"Erika, Leo, Himeri, I primarily want you to back up Celia. Keep in mind that base personnel—at worst, armored vehicles and tanks—might appear."
"What about perception obstruction?"
"I've prepared for that, so you can pick it up later."
Naturally, wearing helmets would create a disadvantage for Erika, who uses swordsmanship, as she wouldn't be able to exert her full power. Honestly, if someone could visually perceive Erika moving at supersonic speed, Yugen could guarantee they'd become a splendid soldier in the future.
"Miyuki, wait at the Uji River overpass. Koko and Mizunami, I need you to provide backup for Miyuki."
"Yugen-nii-sama, is there a low possibility of Zhou Gongjin escaping to the east?"
"Of course, I've taken measures in case that happens."
In fact, at the time of the Nagura incident, he had asked Tōkamine-san through Fumiya and Ayako to station Kuroba's unit there. In addition, there were also members of the Ise family, so the possibility of Zhou Gongjin escaping even with 'Kimon Tonkou' was virtually zero.
"Kousen, could you ambush him at the Uji River bridge? I'd like Riri-chan to guard you there, just in case."
"Y-yes!"
"I hear Zhou Gongjin's 'Kimon Tonkou' is a technique that distorts direction. So, it seems I have good compatibility with it."
No matter how skilled Zhou Gongjin was, he couldn't break through Kousen's 'Parade.' And if by any chance Zhou Gongjin were to charge with a car, Riri's 'Phalanx' could completely block it. This knowledge came from the original story where Katsuto completely stopped a charging car.
"So, Tatsuya and Masaki, you two will pursue Zhou Gongjin. I will use my special authority as a Special Major General of the National Defense Force and have you both infiltrate the base as temporary Special Inspectors."
"Special Inspectors?"
"This is the first I've heard of it, too. Yugen, could you explain?"
Masaki tilted his head at the unfamiliar term, and Tatsuya also requested an explanation, as it was knowledge not included in the special regulations. So, Yugen began to explain. Thanks to Masaki saying nothing when Yugen mentioned being a Special Major General of the National Defense Force, interpreting that the explanation was already given, Yugen continued.
"Yes. Otherwise, Tatsuya and the others might be accused of illegally infiltrating a National Defense Force base. When I transferred my affiliation to the Independent Magician Batallion, I was granted several authority retentions. One of them is 'requesting cooperation from local magic users based on emergencies'."
This was originally an authority held by the government that controlled the military. However, Yugen had a track record of repelling enemy forces by placing Tatsuya under provisional command during the Okinawa defense battle. It was recognized with Gouzou's endorsement that no one other than Yugen could command Tatsuya, a nationally uncertified strategic-class magic user.
Honestly, he hadn't expected to use this authority, given the 'Shinkai' situation, but this time, he couldn't help but be glad he had it.
"Using that authority, everyone here will temporarily become Special Inspectors—simply put, I'll put you all under my control as temporary officers. Well, it's a formality with no real enforcement."
"Eh, I'll do anything if Onii-chan orders it!"
"Seriously, stop it."
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