The morning after spending a night in the guest room of the Yaguruma main house, Yugen used 'Masquerade Parade,' put on his glasses, and began jogging in comfortable athletic wear. This was not just ordinary jogging; it involved alternating between normal running and 100-meter full sprints to build resistance to varying loads and enhance endurance.
After finishing his run, he ate breakfast in the living room, and Junichirō's sisters watched him with great interest, perhaps intrigued by the 'Parade' itself. Junichirō gave a wry smile, and Keiichirō gently admonished his daughters. After breakfast, when things had settled down a bit, Yugen started walking, intending to resume his training. He heard voices coming from a dojo on the lower level of the training hall (the Yaguruma family's martial arts dojo was divided into rooms based on the skill level of its students).
He had heard that only upper-level practitioners came at this time, so someone was probably practicing on their own. Peeking through the gap in the door, he saw a single woman striking a sand-filled target.
She appeared to be a woman in a martial arts uniform with silver-blonde hair tied back. She clearly seemed to be a foreigner. Thinking it rude to just watch, he entered, and the sound of the door opening made the woman turn to look at him.
Yugen was instinctively surprised. Golden hair and deep green eyes. Yugen knew who this person was. From his memory, it was undoubtedly Arisa Iba. Looking closely, he saw a faint hint of a sarashi (chest wrap) peeking from the neckline of Arisa's uniform. As he speculated whether she didn't have sports-specific undergarments like that, Arisa tilted her head and stared at him.
That was understandable. Yugen, as 'Yuri,' was currently a young man with silver hair and grey eyes, and wearing glasses for good measure. So, to Arisa, he would be a complete stranger. Thus, Yugen straightened his posture and greeted her.
"Ah, my apologies. I seem to have interrupted you."
"Your Japanese is excellent."
"Well, my parents are Japanese, after all. Please call me... Yuri."
He thought it was too simple, but he figured if he used an overly elaborate name, he'd be teased later. Besides, he judged that this name would be fine given his appearance. Then, Arisa bowed politely and introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Yuri-san. I am Arisa Iba."
"Nice to meet you too, Iba-san. So, Iba-san, it looks like you were practicing on your own. Is something bothering you?"
"Ah, yes. Well, I have someone like a younger sister, but compared to her, my progress has stalled..."
According to Arisa, the girl like a younger sister was probably Marika. Marika's progress was fast, and Arisa had been practicing on her own to avoid being left behind, but she explained that her strikes just weren't improving.
"Hmm... Iba-san, try striking again, just like you did before. I might be able to figure something out by watching."
"Ah, yes."
Arisa nodded at Yugen (Yuri)'s words, took a breath, and resumed her striking practice. As she did so, Yugen used 'Osiris Sight' on Arisa to investigate her magical aptitude, after carefully observing her martial arts movements, of course.
If Dalia's words about Arisa being a "great magician" were true, it wouldn't be surprising if a part of that was inherited by Arisa. Fortunately, because Yugen understood all the magic in this world, he was confident he could directly pinpoint its source.
And Yugen grasped the magical aptitudes hidden within Arisa.
There were two such aptitudes.
One was the magic calculation area overclocking technique, 'Overclock.'
And the Ten Master Clans Jūmonji family's unique secret art, 'Phalanx.'
The fact that these two were hidden within Arisa meant that Arisa's father was undoubtedly someone from the Jūmonji family. In other words, Arisa was a direct descendant of the Ten Master Clans and the Jūmonji family's "hidden child." As Yugen was stunned by this revelation, Arisa approached him.
"Yuri-san? Is something wrong? Am I, perhaps, not suited for martial arts?"
"Ah, my apologies. I was just thinking. So, Iba-san, parts of your movements are "too fast." Take your stance again, and strike."
"Y-Yes."
As Arisa took her stance, Yugen placed a hand on her back. Then, the moment Arisa attempted to strike, he poured Psions into her, correcting the parts of her movements that were too fast. The dull thud against the target that had sounded moments before now produced a sharp, ringing sound.
Arisa's face broke into a smile at the unprecedented sensation, and she grasped Yugen's left hand with both of hers.
"Ah, thank you! I feel like I've finally broken through! Oh, ah, I-I'm sorry!"
"It's fine, it's fine. In any case, I'm glad I could help."
Everyone has individual differences in their operational tolerance speed. Of course, it's possible to enhance it through training, but limits will still arise somewhere. To compensate for this, there are techniques, and by refining techniques, they become skills, and at their culmination, secret arts exist.
Arisa, in trying to catch up with Marika, was unconsciously attempting to replicate Marika's speed, trying to achieve a tolerance speed she couldn't originally produce. That's why her body couldn't reproduce the commands from her mind. Yugen merely smoothed the connection to her body by suppressing her movements to just below her maximum allowable speed.
This correction was temporary, so if Arisa continued to practice repeatedly without forgetting this feeling, she would surely be able to grow.
As if to shatter this peaceful atmosphere, Yugen felt murderous intent from behind him. Yugen leaped back, and a clearly high-speed kick slammed into the floor.
"Asha, are you alright!?"
"Miina!? Wait, that person is...!"
"I don't know who you are, but Asha already has a prior engagement! If you're going to steal Asha away, then fight me!"
The identity of the person was Miina—it was undoubtedly Marika Tōgami. He glimpsed a sarashi wrapped around her chest as well, but... looking at her chest might be a man's regrettable nature.
Arisa tried to appease the overtly wary Marika, but Marika's words "prior engagement" made her blush with embarrassment.
"...Hmm?"
"Hey, why are you tilting your head! You were making eyes at Asha, weren't you! My eyes can't be deceived!!"
"Making eyes... Whoa!"
He had only given Arisa martial arts advice, so he tilted his head, unsure how that was twisted into Marika's "making eyes," but Marika's fist came flying, and he dodged it by a hair's breadth.
"Hey, don't run!"
"Is there any reason not to run in this situation?"
"You... just like Yugen-nii, always so quick...!!"
Marika and Arisa also learned martial arts, following Yugen's example, but Marika always challenged him to a fight. However, even then, he possessed enough skill to easily overpower Ryōsuke. He couldn't childishly defeat her, so he would appropriately deflect her attacks and aim for her to run out of stamina, continuing to evade until Marika admitted, "I lost."
But that was over four and a half years ago. Marika's movements, having grown since then, were incredibly fast. Well, it might be rude to compare, but it was sadly still at a level where it seemed to stand still compared to Kōzō's attacks.
"You... don't you dare underestimate me!"
As Yugen intended to wear her down, dazzling Psion light burst from Marika's body. The fact that this was a sign of magic activation was immediately apparent to Yugen, and even to Arisa, who hadn't seriously studied magic.
"Doryaaah!!"
And Marika launched a right fist directly at Yugen's face.
Normally, Yugen's 'Phase Shift' would neutralize it. Even if he were to get injured, his Self-Repair magic would instantly heal it. However, if that would stop Marika's attack, the answer was "no."
The only ways to stop Marika in her current highly agitated state were for her to win, or for her magic calculation area to overheat. That's why Yugen flicked his head, sending his glasses flying in a direction where no one was.
When Yugen turned his face towards Marika, her fist, clad in a magical barrier, was right before his eyes. And Yugen received Marika's magic-clad fist... with his forehead.
"...Ah."
"...W-Why..."
To avoid damage to his brain, he locally defended his brain with 'Phase Shift' and shunted the impact into the ground by relaxing his muscles. However, he couldn't avoid external injuries, and blood was flowing from Yugen's forehead from Marika's attack.
Not only Arisa but even Marika couldn't hide their surprise that the attack, which had been evaded moments before, had connected. Marika released her Jūshin family's unique magic, 'Reactive Armor.'
Yugen was glad that Marika and Arisa had begun learning martial arts by emulating him. It was also true that before his reincarnation and involvement with the Yotsuba, it had given color to his vaguely defined way of life. That's why Yugen willingly took Marika's attack.
Ignoring the stunned duo, Yugen picked up his glasses as if nothing had happened. Just then, Keiichirō entered, sensing Marika's Psion (wave).
"Excuse me, regarding earlier... Yuri-san, your injury!?"
"Oh, this? I impulsively took that young lady's fist to my forehead. It's nothing serious."
"That won't do! Someone, treat Yuri-san. Tōgami-san and Iba-san, you two will sit here in seiza."
"Y-Yes."
"...Yes."
Keiichirō, largely guessing the situation, entrusted the treatment of Yuri (Yugen)'s injury and the supervision of the two girls to another student and quickly left the spot. Arisa hastily replied to Keiichirō's firm words, and Marika barely managed a reply before sitting in seiza on the spot.
With that scene in his peripheral vision, Yugen left the area for his injury treatment.
◇ ◇ ◇
Since the Yaguruma main family didn't know all of his magic, he resigned himself to receiving treatment. Treating injuries was something that had happened a few times in his previous life. In this life, he had acquired Self-Repair magic early on, so he had never sustained injuries that would leave scars. At most, protecting Miyuki during the Okinawa Defense Battle was probably his most severe injury... though it was healed by Tatsuya's 'Regeneration.'
After his treatment, Yugen, with a wound pad on his forehead, was told to quietly remain in the guest room, and resignedly lay down on the tatami.
"...I couldn't really use a secret art, after all."
At first, Yugen considered using one of the Shin Kage-ryū Sword Martial Arts Combat Secret Arts, "Byakko Raijinshō" (White Tiger Thunder God Palm). However, this secret art had the characteristic of increasing its power according to the amount of information between him and his opponent—it seized Psion information contained in the Idea dimension and converted all of it into destructive power—stripping away all defensive magic like 'Reactive Armor' from an undefended opponent and unleashing a massive clump of dense Psions and compressed air.
In short, if he didn't significantly hold back, it wouldn't just be a complete overkill, but it could even destroy the dojo, so he willingly took Marika's punch. He considered it the price for not having met them for over four and a half years.
Then, hearing a sound, he sat up as a servant of the Yaguruma family slid open the fusuma door, sat down, and bowed.
"Kagurazaka-sama, the Master requests your presence."
"Understood."
He was honestly embarrassed and wanted to remove the pad from his forehead, but he decided to accept this as "retribution" for his actions. Well, he had already healed the wound with Self-Repair magic, but in this regard, Tatsuya had also injured his ear during the Monolith Code at the Nine Schools Competition last year, so he might have felt similar emotions.
Guided by the servant, Yugen was led to the reception room, where Chihime and Keiichirō, Marika and Arisa in changed casual clothes, and Marika's parents, Ryōtarō and Serika, were seated. Chihime spoke to them.
"He is my son, Yuri. He is currently assisting me at the Kōzaka Group—serving as a director."
Since Chihime spoke, Yugen judged it inappropriate to speak and silently bowed his head. As he sat next to her at Chihime's invitation, Ryōtarō bowed deeply.
"Yuri-kun, my daughter has caused you a great deal of trouble. It's not a problem that can be resolved with just an apology for injuring a director of the Kōzaka Group, but I am truly sorry."
Following Ryōtarō's example, Serika bowed her head, and Marika, realizing from her parents' demeanor that she had done something awful, also bowed. Arisa also bowed deeply. Then, Keiichirō, who had a stern expression, spoke.
"Hmm, originally, Chelsea-dono (Chihime's alias, nicknamed because she was un-Japanese in the past) and Yuri-dono were here for final negotiations, but this incident cannot be overlooked. In the worst case, we may have no choice but to nullify all previous negotiations."
"S-Such a thing..."
Ryōtarō and Serika slumped their shoulders at Keiichirō's words, and Marika's face turned pale, realizing she had caused trouble for her parents with her actions. Arisa looked at Marika with concern. It was Chihime who offered a lifeline here.
"Yaguruma-sama. There's no need to be so angry. At its root, it was a children's squabble, and while my son is silent, he is not angry. Am I right?"
When Chihime said this, Yugen silently nodded. He had originally taken the attack himself, so there was nothing to be angry about. Looking at him, Chihime continued.
"However, from what I've heard, your daughter, despite her immaturity, caused an injury using magic, which would normally be a crime. But as a condition for keeping silent about this incident, I would like to welcome Marika-san... and Arisa-san as my son's fiancées."
"Eh...?"
"H-Hold on! Why does it come to that!!"
"Marika!"
Arisa was stunned by Chihime's declaration, Marika was about to protest, and Ryōtarō was trying to admonish her actions. Keiichirō's silence suggested he had been given some prior arrangement by Chihime.
After making that statement, Chihime looked at their reactions and asked with a smile.
"Oh, judging by your expressions, do you already have someone you like?"
"...! It's none of your business! And Arisa, don't you dare mention Yugen-nii!"
"Ah, u-un."
Marika, blushing, retorted against Chihime's playful smile and words, and then warned Arisa. Arisa, recalling her beloved, blushed deeply and looked down.
Yugen inwardly sighed deeply at the situation, which had become a farce orchestrated by Chihime. It was like a hidden camera prank. Realizing that this wouldn't get anywhere, he looked at Keiichirō, who shook his head. This seemed to mean that Keiichirō couldn't handle it either. Well, given that the opponent was the current head of the Kagurazaka family, Yugen understood that it was a difficult matter for the head of the Yaguruma family to even speak up.
Ryōtarō and Serika also looked confused, unsure what to do. So, Yugen resignedly removed his wound pad and glasses, released 'Masquerade Parade,' and spoke.
"Good heavens, Mother, enough with your jesting. Asha and Miina are troubled."
"Eh... Eh!?"
"Yuri-san...? Your hair color... And that nickname..."
He hadn't altered his voice magically, but since they hadn't interacted verbally for over four and a half years, they probably hadn't noticed. Marika was surprised that Yugen's hair color had changed—returned to its original color—at his words, and Arisa was additionally surprised that he had used a nickname that only close people would use.
Ryōtarō and Serika were also surprised, but since they had originally noticed Yugen, their surprise was less than the two girls. Chihime, seeing this, also released her 'Parade,' returning to her original black hair. After that, Yugen bowed again.
"My name is Yugen Kagurazaka, formerly Yuto Nagano, the third son of the former Ten Master Clans Mitsuya family, and the adopted son of Chihime Kagurazaka, the current head of the Kagurazaka family, who is next to me, and the next head of the Kagurazaka family. As I have become a famous person, I apologize for appearing here under a false guise... It's been a long time, Ryōtarō-san and Serika-san. And Asha and Miina, it's been a long time. Has it been over four and a half years?"
"Y-Yugen-nii? The Yugen-nii who defeated the 'Crimson Prince' at the Nine Schools Competition is that Yugen-nii?"
"...Yugen, Onii-chan..."
Marika and Arisa, hearing Yugen's words, finally understood that Yugen Nagano was Yugen Mitsuya, who had defeated the 'Crimson Prince' and won the Nine Schools Competition, and now Yugen Kagurazaka, and spoke his old nickname. Then, Arisa slowly stood up, rushed to Yugen, and embraced him.
"Yugen Onii-chan, it's been a long time!"
Yugen, with a "good heavens" expression, embraced Arisa, who rarely showed such an unreserved smile. Ryōtarō, Serika, and even Chihime and Keiichirō looked at the two with warm smiles. And Marika could only stare in astonishment at the aggressive actions of Arisa, who was both like a sister and a "rival in love."
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