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The Army Intelligence Department was quick to act.
It was the afternoon of June 16th, a day after the secret leadership meeting. Saegusa Kouichi, the head of the Saegusa Family, was called to the minister's office at the Ministry of Defense.
The owner of the minister's office, Furusawa, was a young politician in his early 40's. With his fresh looks and sharp tongue, he has gained a huge following among the electorate. The person in question was aware of this and thinks highly of himself. Minister Furusawa welcomed Kouichi, who was nearly ten years older than himself, with a confident attitude.
"…Even if you say so, my daughter hasn’t committed any crime that would cause her to be restricted from traveling."
However, Kouichi's clear refusal of the request to have his daughter refrain from traveling left Furusawa with his composure dented.
"Or are you saying that my daughter is under some serious suspicion? To the extent that you would go to the point of restricting her freedom of movement, a right granted to all citizens of this country?"
Out of politeness for the man in his position, Kouichi had removed his sunglasses.
He aimed his prosthetic eye, which reflected no emotion, and his naked eye, which held even more coldness than his prosthetic eye, directly at Furusawa.
"N-Not at all, I had no intention of suggesting such a thing, sir."
Furusawa's tone had unconsciously shifted to one of humble deference.
"However, it has long been the customary practice for magicians to refrain from traveling abroad."
"Your Excellency, Minister of Defense."
Kouichi's sharp tone interrupted Furusawa's remark.
"Are you saying that a citizen, who is a rightful member of society, has the privilege to do so, but a magician does not?"
"…No, I don't think so."
Furusawa stood in a much more powerful position than Kouichi.
But in this case, his official stance was on Kouichi's side.
He doesn't have any legal authority to use as a means to make Kouichi obey him here and now.
"However, there are a number of potential problems associated with magicians traveling abroad, and there has been a long history of magicians willingly refraining from doing so."
"Your Excellency, Minister."
Once again, Kouichi interrupted Furusawa from speaking.
Furusawa was still lacking in many ways as a politician when it came to trying to persuade Kouichi with his political power rather than through any legal authority.
"What exactly are the potential problems? Do you think that my daughter will betray Japan and defect to the USNA?"
"No, I wasn't suggesting that!"
"Oh, are you perhaps concerned for the safety of my daughter? If that's the case, I'm sure she'll be fine since her destination is the former Canadian territory of the USNA, where the public order is excellent. Though it's within the same USNA, there aren't such risks as with the former Mexican territory."
Almost like a whole new person, Kouichi gave Furusawa an amiable smile.
However, his naked eye now had the same inorganic light as his prosthetic eye.
The inhuman glint in his eyes exerted a pressure on Furusawa that made him yield.
A cabinet minister and a single civilian. The difference in their social status was evident.
However, apart from their social positions, they also differed in their strengths and weaknesses as people.
In this sense, it could be said that Furusawa perhaps had excellent survival skills since he didn't misjudge the situation, nor did he engage in a direct confrontation. Without a doubt, this was an important quality for a politician to have.
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