Yuugen and Toko were chatting in the cafeteria when another female student approached. Although affiliated with Third High, she was attending First High as an auditing student: Airi Isshiki, one of Yuugen's fiancées.
"My, Yuugen-san and Toko. Is this a secret tryst?" "A tryst, huh… What's sad is that you're not entirely wrong, though it's just my unfortunate nature."
Since the two were seated opposite each other at a four-person table, Airi sat beside Yuugen. Toko looked slightly dissatisfied, but wishing to avoid falling out of favor with her fiancé, she buried the feeling deep within her heart.
Yet another person to soothe, Yuugen thought, turning to address Airi.
"Speaking of which, Airi, you attended yesterday's meeting, right? Honest opinion—how did it look to you?" "Regarding yesterday… Lord Saegusa appeared somewhat overly self-important."
Among the three present, only Airi had attended the Youth Conference. Originally, she had not planned to attend either, but upon being told that the eldest son and heir apparent could not attend due to his enrollment in the National Defense Academy, she admitted to having been thoroughly puzzled.
"Normally, being enrolled in the National Defense Academy does not constitute holding military status, save for a few exceptions. In the end, simply because I was attending a magic high school and residing in Tokyo, I was ordered to attend in his stead." "You have it tough as well, Airi." "If it were only that, it would be fine. The problem is… when Lord Saegusa pushed Miyuki-san as a figurehead, it seemed as though no one wanted to take responsibility."
At yesterday's meeting, the attempt to prop Miyuki up as a figurehead had faltered due to Tatsuya's stubborn opposition.
To begin with, everyone understood that completely removing non-magicians' fear of magicians was extraordinarily difficult. Even so, failing to implement measures against the criticisms directed at magicians—who were already active in national defense and public safety—was inexcusable. It was a serious problem that so many people were taking advantage of their family names despite having successfully integrated into general society.
"…Airi, I'll tell you this beforehand: on the final Sunday of this month, I will hold a Youth Conference for the Guardians and the Twenty-Eight Families. The invitations have already been dispatched." "A conference?" "The reason my brother and I weren't at yesterday's meeting was that we had a prior commitment to meet with key government officials. I have to gather everyone together and deliver a lecture to those who tried to hoist someone else's fiancée as a figurehead while I was absent."
From information obtained beforehand, it was obvious that the Youth Conference would end in a stalemate. Therefore, Yuugen had prepared all the invitations while yesterday's meeting was underway and dispatched them via the Magic Association. The venue was set not in Yokohama this time, but at a resort hotel operated by the Kamisaka Group in Hakone, with both the conference hall and accommodations already secured.
The attendee list mirrored yesterday's Youth Conference, but this summons came in his capacity as the Chairman of the Master Clans Conference, imposing a duty and obligation on the Guardians and the Twenty-Eight Families to attend. His bringing it up to Airi was partly to designate her as the representative for the Isshiki family.
"I'm sorry, but I've appointed you to serve as the representative for the Isshiki family." "…Sigh, isn't there any way I could sever ties with my family?" "The only way to achieve that would be to cast aside the Isshiki name entirely." "I suppose that's true. I'm starting to feel envious of Shiori."
Honestly, it was odd for someone in their mid-teens to lecture older members of the Twenty-Eight Families, and there was a chance they might rebel, thinking, 'What is a mere youngster blabbering about?' However, judging by his achievements away from the public eye, Yuugen was indisputably head and shoulders above his peers among the Guardians and Twenty-Eight Families.
He had secured France—a cornerstone of Western Europe—as an ally, indirectly spurred state-building in South America and Africa, and, regarding the Yotsuba, captured Gu Jie alive after he heavily entangled himself with international criminal organizations like Blanche and No Head Dragon. Furthermore, Yuugen was the primary reason a full-scale nuclear war triggered by legacy remnants of the USNA had been averted.
"If the Youth Conference had left without deciding anything, taken the issues back, and planned to discuss them periodically to seek the support of non-magicians, I wouldn't have intended to hold another conference. But the result speaks for itself." "In the first place, how do you plan to win their support?" "I don't think it's impossible, you know?"
Part of the hint lay in the Nine Schools Competition. In fictional works, there were countless examples of skilled individuals competing under defined rules. While keeping magic secret presented an obstacle, if a foundation already existed, one only needed to consider methods and means to leverage it.
"For instance, turning magic competitions into professional leagues for entertainment. Some magicians might object, saying, 'We are not a side-show!' But could they say the same to professional athletes? That's what it comes down to."
While some magicians expanded into the entertainment industry by working as stuntmen, that carried substantial risks. In particular, the stronger a magician's capability, the better their appearance tended to be, making them visually striking on screen—yet simultaneously inviting unwanted jealousy, envy, and resentment.
If they wished to keep magic secret, they simply had to conceal it, and any magic permitted by regulations would strictly ban lethal spells. Ultimately, it was all a matter of perspective, and visualization technology for magic was already realized. While there remained a risk of bribing referees, as No Head Dragon had done, overall accountability could be sorted out over time; if necessary, the Kagurazaka and Kamiizumi families would take responsibility. In the worst-case scenario, they could request the Yotsuba family to eliminate threats behind the scenes.
"Compared to the entertainment industry, which often leans toward extreme directions, magic sports can be adequately regulated by rules. If the backlash from anti-magic movements is an unavoidable risk anyway, we should steer toward contributing to the real economy by captivating the majority of the public."
If enthusiasm surged in the entertainment sector, media outlets would prioritize profits over writing anti-magic commentary. Tomoichi and Yuugen agreed on this point regarding suppressing criticism against magicians.
However, Tomoichi's proposed dynamic—where responsibility arising from the process fell not on the proposer, but on the person pushed into the spotlight as a figurehead, while those who succumbed to peer pressure bore no responsibility—was exceedingly dangerous.
"To think that far ahead… among our peers, it's probably only you, Yuugen-san… I still have much to learn." "No, this is originally something the adults ought to be thinking about." "When I consider that this will eventually fall upon us, I can't treat it as someone else's problem."
As an aside, for the upcoming Youth Conference, Yuugen decided to invite not only Mitsuhiro, who had attended as an observer, but also Toshikazu Chiba, as a magician holding a public safety position. The perspective of an active police officer in the field could not be ignored, and by soliciting his candid opinions, the system of the Twenty-Eight Families could undergo a genuine overhaul.
The following day, Yuugen visited the Kamiizumi family's secondary residence in Tokyo.
As an instructor of the Shinkage-ryu sword martial arts, he was there to provide guidance while observing Marika and Alisa during their training. Even though they were his fiancées, Yuugen held nothing back when it came to martial arts instruction. Given that magicians faced a high risk of being targeted, he monitored their every movement without missing a single detail.
Sensing a presence nearby, Yuugen left the session to his assistant instructor and stepped out into the courtyard, where a girl dressed unmistakably like a kunoichi waited in attendance.
"Kagurazaka-sama, a message from the 'Hoshimi'." "I shall inspect it… Please convey that I have understood the details."
Answering with a brief "Understood," the girl masked her presence and vanished. Yuugen knew that the Kagurazaka family had taken in the Fuma clan; she was likely a descendant of that lineage.
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