Chapter 56: You'll keep my secret, right?
Time came to night.
Yotsuba Mahiro was lying on the large bed in the hotel, waiting for a call.
Due to Senior Watanabe's accident, and the need to deal with Headless Dragon, his dinner appointment with Sayaka was canceled.
So it was changed to breakfast.
However...
"It's so late, and the call hasn't come yet... Never mind, I'll just take a nap first."
It was already eleven o'clock.
Mahiro also felt a bit sleepy, so he decided to take a short nap.
But shortly after he closed his eyes, the sound of the room door unlocking came from inside the room.
Immediately after, the bed suddenly sank, and it felt as if something heavy was pressing on him.
"I said, Ayako... Didn't we agree to call? Why did it turn into a night raid?"
Opening his eyes, what he saw was a pair of wine-red eyes that showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
The delicate girl who looked like a doll during the day was now resting her hands on his chest, sitting on him, emanating a warm softness.
"Mahiro-san, do you dislike Ayako?"
Ayako answered a question with a question, changing her address.
"Not calling me Onii-chan anymore?"
Mahiro felt a bit nostalgic.
He remembered the last time he was called that was about ten years ago, when he first met Ayako.
At that time, Ayako was a genuine loli.
He was amazed at first sight; she looked exactly like Maya!
From then on, Kurobane Ayako would frequently visit the Fourth Research Lab to see him. In a way, he watched her grow up.
Speaking of which, is this a different kind of Genji plan?
"Don't change the subject!"
Just as his thoughts drifted to the past, Ayako's resentful voice pulled him back to reality.
Looking at Ayako in front of him, who was pouting with displeasure, Mahiro couldn't help but smile.
"How could I? What reason do I have to dislike the lovely Ayako?"
"Then why did Mahiro-san refuse Maya-sama's marriage proposal?"
Upon hearing Ayako's question, Mahiro's hand, which had subconsciously reached out to stroke her rolled hair, suddenly froze.
Sure enough, she still asked about this.
"This humble maiden really likes Mahiro-san..."
Ayako said with her peculiar speech habit, her wine-red eyes meeting his for a moment, then she shyly leaned against him.
For a girl of this age to say such words in this manner, it felt... strange somehow?
Not to mention, she had a face that was seventy percent similar to Yotsuba Maya.
It felt as if that woman was acting spoiled with him.
It was a bit hard to bear.
"Alright, let's talk about this later. Let's finish the job at hand first. You're still a junior high student. Let's discuss it when you become a high school student!"
"Ugh, Mahiro-san always uses such perfunctory excuses to put Ayako off..."
Although she said that, it was still a promise.
Ayako's flickering eyes showed a strange look full of anticipation.
...
.....
....
After Ayako's brief night raid, they set off.
Yotsuba Mahiro changed his clothes and headed straight to the hotel's underground parking lot.
In the parking lot, a black long Mercedes-Benz had been waiting for a long time. Yotsuba Mahiro walked straight to it and opened the car door.
"Mahiro-nii-san!"
As soon as the car door opened, Fumiya inside greeted him warmly.
However, Fumiya at this moment was completely different from his previous frail young master attire; he had become even more... adorable.
That's right, adorable.
Like Ayako, he had a pair of intoxicating wine-red eyes and wore red lipstick that was inappropriate for his age.
He wore a short black wig with a white hairband, and had changed into a black dress, tights, and black knee-high boots.
He looked exactly like a short-haired Yotsuba Maya!
"Hmm, Fumiya, I'll trouble you and Ayako this time."
Yotsuba Mahiro just glanced at him, nodded, and greeted him, showing no strong reaction.
He was already used to it.
Because they couldn't expose their identities during the operation, and Fumiya's magic characteristics made him suitable as the main attacker, Ayako dressed her adorable younger brother as an adorable little girl, under the pretext of—hiding his identity.
It wasn't the first time they had done this.
Although the first time, Fumiya would be very shy when meeting people.
But over time, and with more occurrences, he himself had gotten used to it.
Indeed.
When it comes to cross-dressing, it's either 0 times or countless times.
However, after he got into the car, Fumiya saw Ayako following behind and immediately said with displeasure:
"Sister, you're so slow! We agreed on ten minutes, but half an hour has passed! If you keep this up, Maya-sama will scold you!"
"Oh~ Fumiya, are you trying to lecture your sister? You're a hundred years too early."
Ayako, who was already in the car, merely gave Fumiya a sidelong glance.
Fumiya's body immediately stiffened, and he meekly said nothing more.
Indeed, sisters have a natural advantage and suppression over their brothers.
And it's the same no matter what age.
After a while, the parked Mercedes-Benz slowly drove out of the hotel's underground parking lot.
However, what they didn't notice was that in another corner of the parking lot, a business van was also parked.
About ten minutes after they left, it also drove out of the hotel and headed in the same direction as them.
...
"The primary target of this operation is the [Grand Hotel] located in Yokohama Chinatown. That is the hidden location of the [Headless Dragon] East Japan Headquarters."
"Its members include—Douglas Huang, the leader of the general headquarters, and executives James Zhu, Gregory Liu..."
It was late at night.
The vehicles had already arrived at Yokohama's Chinatown, and all deployments were complete.
They were crouched on the rooftop of a building.
Under the quiet, bustling neon night.
Yotsuba Mahiro was sitting on the edge of the rooftop with his legs dangling.
He listened to Fumiya's intelligence summary while gazing at the brightly lit high-rise restaurant in the distance.
"By the way, Mahiro, aren't you going to change your clothes to disguise yourself?" Fumiya suddenly asked.
"Hmm?"
Hearing Fumiya's words, he subconsciously lowered his head and looked at his clothes.
His pure white school uniform did seem quite conspicuous at night.
"Then I'll change."
Yotsuba Mahiro's mind stirred, and under the cover of the Thought-Body, a 'shell' enveloped his body, and his external information body was undergoing reorganization.
Although there wasn't much change in his physique, his clothes, appearance, and even hair color underwent drastic transformations.
His dark short hair turned into long silver hair, gently fluttering in the night breeze on the rooftop.
His red eyes seemed to reflect the starry night.
Even his school uniform turned into a pure black tailcoat.
His usual elegant and amiable demeanor had vanished, replaced by a noble and sinister charm, adding a touch of allure.
Though still handsome, at this moment, he was strikingly alluring.
From a distance, he looked like a distinguished silver-haired God of Death.
Seeing Yotsuba Mahiro's transformation, the Kuroba siblings couldn't help but exchange glances.
They saw astonishment in each other's eyes.
Mahiro is truly powerful; he can even use the Kushima Family's "Parade" so skillfully, without a single hint of incongruity.
Perhaps only Kudou Retsu, Maya's teacher, could achieve this?
"Alright, as per our old routine, let's begin."
"Yes!"
...
At the same time.
"Damn it, damn it! Our inside man failed!!!"
It was still that luxurious private room, still the same few people, and still a few exquisite dishes on the table in front of them.
And this time, just like last time, no one was enjoying them.
Anger was clearly visible on the faces of the people seated around the round table.
"Is it still that high school student named Yotsuba Mahiro?"
"That's right! Who else could it be besides that brat?!"
James gritted his teeth and slammed the table, making the plates on it clatter.
"Damn it, what if he's a Yotsuba magician? Does he not know the simple truth—'blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents'?!"
"If it really comes down to it, we'll fight them!" Someone suggested, "What can the Yotsuba do? Yotsuba Genzo, the culprit who attacked the Great Han back then, is long dead, and even the Witch of the River of Sorrows has been in her grave for three years. The entire Yotsuba Family only has Yotsuba Maya left.
Do you really think we're afraid of the Yotsuba?!"
"Oh? So you're not afraid."
Just as these people were in the midst of their heated discussion, an unfamiliar young voice suddenly interjected into their conversation.
"Who's there?!"
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, but when they turned their heads, they found no other strangers apart from a few bodyguards.
Was it a hallucination?
Just as that thought emerged,
Suddenly.
A large hole appeared in the south wall.
It wasn't broken through by impact, nor was it slowly cut, nor was it pulverized, but it suddenly vanished.
As if decomposed, the concrete wall instantly disintegrated into dust, and even the steel bars, steel plates, and wiring embedded deep within the wall were neatly decomposed.
Everyone present was drenched in a cold sweat.
One must know that this room had been reinforced to the point where even C4 couldn't blow it open; it was practically a floating fortress!
But now...
"Who exactly is it?!"
"Stop yelling, aren't I right here?"
The voice reappeared, along with its owner.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and their eyes immediately widened.
At some point, a white-haired man suddenly appeared and sat on the edge of the round table, tossing a black dagger in his hand, with his legs crossed, looking utterly relaxed and at ease.
Naturally, it was Yotsuba Mahiro after his disguise.
As for the method of entry, it was Ayako's magic—'Apparent Instantaneous Movement'.
It involves encasing oneself or one's allies in a cocoon of air, neutralizing inertia, and then moving long distances by passing through a vacuum channel in an instant.
The effect is identical to instantaneous movement.
Of course, Ayako's magical power alone would never be able to teleport such a long distance.
But in his hands, it was different.
Wherever his eyes could see, he could move.
"Yo, everyone, I received a lot of care during the Nine Schools Competition, so I came today specifically to return the favor."
"Everyone, attack! Get rid of him!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the executives simultaneously ordered the bodyguards—the Spell Casters—to attack together.
"How pitiful,"
Mahiro murmured regretfully, looking at the black-clad strongmen surrounding him.
A Spell Caster refers to a former magician whose self-awareness has been forcibly stripped away, leaving only their physical body to serve as a device for casting magic, and who has also been developed as a weapon, representing the ultimate fate of a magician.
This technology is especially prevalent in ROMA, which places the highest emphasis on human rights.
'It seems they're also involved with the USNA...'
Thinking this, Mahiro slowly snapped his fingers.
With a crisp sound, the strongmen were instantly disintegrated into nothingness, returning to dust.
"...My Number Fourteen... Number Sixteen... What, what kind of monster is this!!!"
Seeing the Spell Casters he had purchased at a high price from ROMA eliminated without even a single hair remaining,
One of the middle-aged men, wearing a branded suit and adorned with jewels on his hands, frantically clutched his cheeks, letting out an undignified shriek.
As an executive of the Headless Dragon, when had he ever witnessed such a sight?
"So noisy, what gibberish are you spouting?"
Mahiro frowned and swung the dagger to the side.
The middle-aged man, who had just been shouting and speaking English, was completely disintegrated, leaving only a few ashes on the carpet.
"Gregory!" Douglas roared the man's name, his eyes bloodshot.
"Oh, so that was Gregory Liu just now."
Mahiro chuckled.
To them, that voice was more terrifying than a demon.
"Who, who exactly are you? What grudge do we have?!"
"Idiotic question, next."
With another swing of the blade, another person perished.
This time, the remaining few dared not speak, not even daring to breathe.
And in his blind spot behind him, one person was quietly inching towards the door.
When he was less than three meters away,
He then lunged towards the door—
And the wired telephone next to it.
"How foolish."
"Hey, hurry up and send people! There's an intruder!!!"
The man shouted into the phone, but there was no response from the other end.
The others also mimicked him, quickly pulling out their wireless devices.
But there was no signal on them either.
"Sigh, calling you idiots would be an insult to the word 'idiot.' Since I can appear here, I must have blocked all communications, right? You don't understand such a simple principle...
And you wasted a chance to escape with your lives."
Mahiro, looking utterly composed, muttered words of regret.
Then the Thought-Body wave spread out again, and more than half of the people disappeared.
Now, only three people remained in the room.
"James!!!"
Watching his companions disappear before his eyes.
And dying in a way that defied human existence, utterly annihilated.
Douglas's mind was on the verge of collapse.
Now he understood that the man before him was a complete and utter demon!
He was even more terrifying than their leader!!!
And this scene also brought back a distant memory of his, a similar event that had occurred in Okinawa.
"That magic that can erase everything... You... are you that Okinawa Demon, Mahishvara?!"
"?"
Mahiro slowly formed a question mark.
He hadn't expected to accidentally make Tatsuya take the blame again.
But it didn't matter; after all, that guy had official backing, so a few more debts wouldn't weigh him down.
Thinking this, the corners of his mouth already curled up, and he slowly turned to look at the last few people.
The result...
Thud!
Douglas, the leader, knelt on the ground.
"Please spare me, I can tell you anything you want to know! I'll do anything, anything!"
As the leader of the Headless Dragon's Japan branch, he knelt on the ground without any dignity, begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face.
This sight was truly a rare one.
"Really? You'll do anything?"
"Yes!" Douglas nodded his head like a pecking chick, "As long as you let me go, as long as it's something I can do, I'll do anything!"
"I'll withdraw from the Nine Schools Competition, leave Japan, even give you all my money, anything! Just spare my life!"
The terror brought by the man before him had surpassed his loyalty and fear of his leader.
"Very well, then help me deliver a message to your leader—Richard Sun. Tell him that I will be coming to have tea with him soon."
"N-no problem, I'll definitely deliver your message!"
Douglas was startled at first, then quickly nodded in agreement.
Though he greatly feared his leader, he feared this demon even more!
"Oh, and one more thing, regarding me being Mahesvara, you all must keep it a good secret, understand?"
"U-understood! We will absolutely not tell anyone."
The few of them nodded in unison.
"Good answer, I like it."
Mahiro bent down and patted Douglas's shoulder.
Just as the other party breathed a sigh of relief, he stood up and suddenly swung his dagger.
The few of them only saw the thin blade draw a black line in front of them.
Douglas and his confidants completely disappeared from this world, leaving no trace.
And a moment later, a blizzard descended, completely freezing the top floor of the restaurant!
....
.....
....
At the same time.
Yotsuba Maya, who had not yet left the hotel, was still in the VIP reception room.
However, an old man sat across from her, his aged face looking quite serious.
"Madam, your tea."
Hayama placed the freshly brewed herbal tea in front of her.
Maya picked up the teacup, gently sniffing the pleasant and elegant aroma wafting from the rim, thoroughly enjoying it.
"Kudou-sensei, are you really not going to try Hayama's craftsmanship?"
"No need."
The old man refused sternly.
"Is that so? What a pity..." Maya's lips curved into a happy arc, "Do you know, Kudou-sensei? Hayama spent a lot of effort researching how to brew this cup of tea, even incorporating magic into it."
"This delicate way of using magic, I'm afraid even you, Sensei, who is called the most skillful magician, wouldn't be able to do it, would you?"
"No, Madam. In terms of magic usage alone, the Grandmaster's delicacy and exquisiteness are unparalleled."
Hayama said respectfully.
Perhaps it was just talking about ordinary household matters, or perhaps it was a provocation; the back-and-forth between the master and servant seemed like a play in Kudou Retsu's eyes.
A play put on for him.
However, the old man was patient and remained silent.
Maya also noticed this, so she placed the teacup back on the tray and met the old man's gaze.
But it was Kudou Retsu who spoke first.
"Maya, it's been a long time since we sat together like this, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has been a long time."
As if reminiscing, Maya's gaze lifted slightly, and she affirmed with a smile: "Since my sister's funeral, Sensei and I haven't seen each other again. It's been almost three years now."
"Three years, huh..."
Kudou Retsu also seemed to fall into a reverie, sighing softly: "Although it's only a short three years, Maya, you've changed a lot."
"Hehe, indeed, time spares no one, after all."
Maya chuckled and said: "Aren't you the same, Sensei? At the venerable age of ninety this year, you've grown older than before..."
"No."
Kudou Retsu interrupted: "I'm not talking about age, but that you've become even more insane, Maya."
At these words, Maya covered her mouth with one hand.
"Oh, Sensei, what makes you say that? Compared to the past, I've reined myself in quite a bit now."
Although she deliberately put on a slightly surprised expression, her beautiful red lips curved into a subtly dangerous arc.
Indeed, compared to the past, her behavior had become much more restrained.
If it were just that, Kudou Retsu naturally wouldn't have said such a thing.
But—
"You let 'him' out, isn't that crazy enough?"
Kudou Retsu's tone became stronger, with more questioning than his previous calm indifference.
But Maya tilted her head as if a little girl who didn't understand, guessing for a long time what her teacher was talking about.
"Hehe, Sensei, are you perhaps talking about Masayuki?"
"But 'letting him out' isn't quite the right word. It's just that I, this pathological mother who feels sorry for her child, suddenly had a change of heart."
When she said this, Maya's face still held a loving smile.
"I'm just doing what a mother should do now: letting my child go to school, make friends.
Then, spoiling him a little, fulfilling his whims and demands. Is that considered crazy?"
"Your goal isn't just that, Maya."
"What purpose do you think I would have, Sensei?"
Maya smiled, picked up her teacup, took a small sip to wet her throat, as if giving the old man time to think.
After a moment, she leisurely put down the teacup, clasped her hands over her lower abdomen, and continued:
"I've never been able to control that child; you, Sensei, should be the clearest about that."
"Moreover, you should also know how that child came to be."
Kudou Retsu: "...."
The old man fell silent.
What Maya said, he did indeed know.
Yotsuba Mahiro was an ominous existence, a symbol of sin from the moment of his conception.
And looking at the woman before him, sometimes Kudou Retsu even missed the time when he took the two sisters as disciples and taught them.
But when Yotsuba Maya was twelve years old, everything changed.
That year, the sisters Shinya and Maya, along with the current Saegusa head, Seven Herbs Koichi, and others, attended the International Magic Association's Asian Branch-sponsored exchange meeting for young magicians, as members of a quasi-envoy group.
As a result, unidentified terrorists appeared at the scene.
To protect Shinya, Maya was abducted, and in order to rescue Maya, Seven Herbs Koichi was severely wounded, losing an eye.
By the time the Yotsuba Family identified the terrorists and retrieved Maya, it was three days later.
For three full days, Maya was subjected to three days of inhumane human experimentation, after which her uterus was dug out for magician breeding experiments.
As a result, Maya completely lost her fertility.
After returning, Maya attempted suicide several times, her spirit on the verge of collapse and death. Ultimately, it was her older sister, Yotsuba Shinya, who utilized her own excellent magical characteristics to transform Maya's 'experiences' into 'knowledge,' thereby saving Maya from the brink of spiritual death.
However, from that day on, Yotsuba Maya was truly dead.
The person before him was merely inhabiting the shell of Yotsuba Maya, driven by hatred as nourishment to continue 'living.'
Yes, Yotsuba Maya hated.
She hated everyone.
She hated this world, cruel and unreasonable, which had stolen her past, her future, and her happiness as a woman.
She wished, she prayed, for this world to be destroyed.
As fate would have it, Shinya became pregnant.
So, she placed this hatred upon the infant in Shinya's womb.
Under her prayers, Shinya's belly grew larger day by day.
Perhaps her madness and hatred had reached their peak.
And so.
A miracle truly descended.
Following Shinya's pregnancy, Maya herself became pregnant!
But to be precise, it wasn't within her body, but her organ became pregnant.
The uterus, hidden deep within the Fourth Research Lab, constantly immersed in nutrient solution, which could no longer be reinserted into her body nor conceive anything, actually grew larger day by day, giving birth to new life within it.
As if in response to her madness,
As if echoing her hatred.
Thus, Yotsuba Mahiro was born.
A Cursed Children, blessed from birth.
Possessing a pair of cursed eyes—no matter what magic, no matter what technique, as long as he saw it once, he could perfectly replicate it.
However.
The Yotsuba Family, however, considered this bloodline to be impure.
Many believed that the Fourth Research Lab's experiment had succeeded, using Maya's organ as a surrogate to give birth to the most impure bloodline.
Only Maya herself knew that it was a miracle bestowed upon her by the gods!
Just like the miracle of magic, a product of fairy tales!
Therefore, she poured her heart and soul into shaping this child into the avenger she desired.
Even before birth, genetic modifications were initiated, even making him a more perfectly adjusted body than Miyuki, the Fourth Research Lab's greatest masterpiece!
After that, she exhausted all her connections to educate this child, to let him learn and constantly grow.
As a weapon, as an avenger, Yotsuba Mahiro was undoubtedly qualified.
But now—
"You let him out."
And with Shiba Tatsuya.
Perhaps other families were unaware, but Kudou Retsu knew Shiba Tatsuya's identity.
He was the child of the elder of the twin sisters, an equally ominous and powerful existence.
Now Maya had actually put them together!
"What exactly do you want to do, Maya?"
This was the second time Kudou Retsu scrutinized his former disciple.
But Maya's answer remained the same—
"I just want to be a good mother and give him the best of everything, Kudou-sensei."
"Enough, if that's the case, then this conversation ends here."
Kudou Retsu gave up.
He knew it was impossible to get any answers from this disciple's mouth.
"Then, Sensei, get some rest early. The Nine Schools Competition work must be very busy, right?"