Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 18 - Master Clans Conference (II) - Chapter 6.1

Chapter 6

On February 5th, 2097 A.D., around 10.30 A.M., a large-scale bombing took place in a certain hotel in Hakone.

The targeted hotel was the venue selected for the Ten Master Clans Conference. At the time of the terrorist attack, the 18 Assistant Houses had already left the hotel premises. However, the Family Heads of the newly selected Ten Master Clans were still inside the building, discussing the problems faced by the Japanese Magic Community.

Tatsuya, Miyuki, Minami, Takuma, Kasumi, and Izumi had received the news during class and immediately headed out to the scene. Upon arriving, they could hear screams ringing throughout the neighborhood.

There were injured and dead people being carried out of the burnt hotel.

Many of the injured were sitting by the street while being treated. There were intermittent roars from bombs left in the rubble that were just now exploding. The unexpected devastation was similar to the Yokohama Incident from the autumn of 2 years ago.

Tatsuya held Miyuki back by grasping her shoulder as she attempted to step towards the hotel.

"Onii-sama…?"

Miyuki looked back, and Tatsuya shook his head.

"It's better to not interfere."

Tatsuya restrained Miyuki as she tried to extinguish the fire with her magic.

The fire was more or less extinguished already. It was still dangerous, since they didn't know how many explosives were left inside, but the firefighters on location were trained for this. Tatsuya thought it would be better to leave this to the experts, as the group wasn't familiar with this field.

"More importantly, we should try to locate Aunt-, no, Mother and the others."

Tatsuya almost said ‘Oba-ue', then he remembered that he was together with Takuma and the others. It was probably unnecessary to correct himself, but he was determined to avoid any situation that could bring any doubt to the ‘setting'.

"Over there."

Even when he was talking to Miyuki, Tatsuya kept looking around, and faster than Takuma and Izumi did, spotted the Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans.

Although seeing the Family Heads together as they currently were was quite intimidating, he was curious as to why they'd stick together in this situation. Tatsuya tilted his head and immediately saw the figure of a plainclothed detective next to them.

"Otou-sama!"

Izumi broke out into a run while disregarding her surroundings.

"Ah, wait a minute, Izumi!"

Kasumi also chased after her recklessly.

"That, is that a detective…?"

Even though they were all searching for their parents, Takuma seemed to be much calmer than the twins.

However, even he yielded to circumstances.

"Onii-sama, what do you think about this?"

Apparently, the Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans were being questioned about the situation, so Miyuki asked Tatsuya what they should do. Minami was also looking at him expectantly.

"Let's keep an eye on Izumi and the others alone."

The six of them had left school early to rush over here. Given the situation, they didn't even have time to change out of their uniforms.

Due to this, with his apparent status of an upperclassman, he had an obligation to stop the freshman who were about to start a ruckus.

Tatsuya conveyed 'no other choice' from his eyes to Miyuki and Minami as he walked to where Maya was standing.

"Why are Otou-sama and the others being interrogated by the police!?

They're the victims here!"

Sure enough, Izumi was lashing out at the detective. Contrary to her usual lady-like behavior, she could bare her fangs at times like this.

Although, in the eyes of the public, it might be perceived as youthful and impulsive.

(Even so… Why did no one stop Izumi?)

None of the Family Heads tried to restrain the loudly protesting Izumi, rather, everyone was just watching from the sidelines. At the very least, her father, Saegusa Kouichi, should have rebuked her. But he hadn't, and even with his meek expression, you could see he looked pretty amused with the laughter in his eyes.

The detective was only taken aback for a moment, but it seemed things would turn sour shortly if Izumi wasn't kept in check. In the end, it would unnecessarily lead to a worse situation —— for his Aunt —— for all of them. Since the adults had washed their hands of the matter, Tatsuya reluctantly took the role upon himself.

"Izumi, that's enough."

"Shiba-senpai, why did you stop me?"

Izumi shook Tatsuya's hand off her shoulder.

Using the force that was directed towards him, Tatsuya controlled Izumi's center of gravity.

Izumi resisted, but Tatsuya led her movement, as if they were dancing, to painlessly tear her attention away from the detective.

"Cool your head. The police are only doing their duty."

His words weren't intended for Izumi alone. They were also directed to restrain Kasumi and Takuma.

"If you're getting in his way, the questioning will only get longer. I'm sorry for the disturbance."

The second half of his sentence was directed to the plainclothed detective. The strangely acquiescent words, which assumed the blame was Izumi's, were received with a nod from the detective.

Tatsuya pulled Izumi's hand, and hinted to Takuma and Izumi to leave the adults in order to let them settle their business first.

The Family Heads of the Ten Master Clans, excluding Maya, looked at him with great interest.

Kouichi and Gouki in particular gave him a very intriguing look.

Either the questioning had just started, or as Tatsuya said, it was prolonged for longer than expected. At this point, the Family Heads weren't just being questioned by the plainclothed detective, but a crowd of police officers had surrounded them as well. It was as if they were suspects.

However, that was not important to Tatsuya.

For him, the most important thing was Maya's safety. If Maya were to die now, it would be inconvenient. As Miyuki has just been revealed as the Yotsuba Family's next Family Head, Tatsuya could no longer be hidden in anonymity behind the scenes.

While he could maintain his position, he had yet to form any stable footing. His only allies were the personnel of the FLT Third Division, Ushiyama and company. Neither Kazama nor Yakumo would want to interfere when it's disadvantageous for them. They couldn't exactly be called ‘Sponsors'.

Maya can be said to be one of the most powerful Magicians in the world.

It wasn't a bluff. There was almost no one who could beat her in magic combat. There were no Magicians who wouldn't be harmed by ‘Meteor Shower', even Tatsuya was no exception.

Tatsuya's ‘Decomposition' Magic had good chemistry against Maya's ‘Meteor Shower'. However, Maya's initiation speed was also top-notch, matching her magic power, and she was also able to wield her power with versatility. These were deficits Tatsuya couldn't compensate for.

Maya also possessed magic besides just ‘Meteor Shower'. And Tatsuya wouldn't always get the initiative, either. If Maya's ‘Meteor Shower'

were to be activated before his ‘Decomposition', even Tatsuya wouldn't escape unscathed. He was only able to emerge victorious thus far due to ‘Regrowth', and as long as Maya didn't possess that power, she probably wouldn't be able to win against Tatsuya. Once ‘Meteor Shower' was invoked, even the strongest defense magic like ‘Phalanx' from the Juumonji Family wouldn't be able to withstand it.

However, that was only in terms of magic combat strength. Maya's body was only on par with that of a normal human. She had never undergone any special training to maintain her beauty or health, just like any other weak woman. If she were to get cut, she would bleed like anyone else.

No matter how skillful someone was as a Magician, it was impossible to continuously maintain a personal barrier. Continuous defense-type magic hadn't been properly implemented yet, and it was far from practical use. In fact, calling it experimental would be appropriate. For Yotsuba Maya, even a single bullet could threaten her life.

Tatsuya had prepared himself to use ‘Regrowth' in front of public eyes when he had rushed here, but for the time being, he had confirmed Maya's safety. ‘Seems like it'd take some time to be able to talk to her — — though there's nothing in particular to be said —— should I go back to school?' Tatsuya was pondering when suddenly a red uniform came into view.

"Ichijou."

It was quite a loud voice, but not loud enough to be called raucous.

However, Masaki reacted to Tatsuya's tone rather firmly.

"Shiba."

He must have been looking for his father, Gouki. Masaki rapidly took in his surroundings while walking up to Tatsuya.

"Shiba-san, you're here as well."

Gazing at Miyuki who stood beside Tatsuya, Masaki changed his expression; it was a complex mix between disappointment and joy.

Miyuki linked her arm to Tatsuya's —— or not.

They weren't even in close contact.

Rather the gap between Tatsuya and Miyuki had spread even further.

However, Masaki perceived that being due to the fact that they had suddenly went from siblings to lovers.

"Yes, this has become quite a problem."

Masaki's emotions weren't hard to read, even for Miyuki. Proposing an engagement towards someone who just announced their own engagement, even if it was out of sheer passion… Masaki's smiling face had a complex, yet easy to understand expression on it.

To be honest, Miyuki was just being timid to keep Masaki from feeling awkward. The Ichijou Family denying her engagement to Tatsuya didn't change her status as Tatsuya's fiancée. Even with that in mind, she still felt miserable when she came to understand her wish might not come true; it was a highly unpleasant feeling.

That being the case, Miyuki wasn't so immature as to make Masaki uncomfortable. Additionally, even though she was unhappy with Masaki's actions, she didn't have any aversion to him as a person. As such, putting on an amiable smile was an easy task to accomplish for her.

Although, it was probably a good idea for Masaki to give up as soon as possible. ——To be honest, even Miyuki desired for him to give up on her as soon as possible.

"Yeah… for the Head of each house to be gathered here…"

Masaki's mood brightened from seeing Miyuki smile at him.

"Yes. The police seem to be questioning them."

"Questioning!? Excuse me. I'm going over first."

Fortunately, his judgement wasn't impaired too much by the unfolding events. As if realizing the impending crisis that the questioning of the Heads of the Ten Master Clans could create, Masaki regained his original purpose of going to his father's side.

On the other hand, Katsuto came out of the swarm of policemen. He was released early due to consideration of his age as a minor. (In the past, an adult was anyone over 18, but it was reinstated to 20 again. Reduction of the 'of age' limit was required in order to mass mobilize young soldiers during wartime, it was done all around the world. The adult age standard was even reduced to 16 at one point, before being raised to 25 at its extreme.)

Katsuto walked straight over to Tatsuya and company. It seemed like he had seen what Izumi had done just now.

"Shiba."

Since there was no follow up on his words, there was no mistake of whom he had just called. At the very least, Tatsuya thought that Katsuto wouldn't be shameless enough to call Miyuki without the proper honorific.

"Has the police interrogation been completed, Juumonji-senpai?"

Tatsuya directed his attention to Katsuto. Currently, they were standing in front of each other as a Senpai-Kouhai from school, not as members of the Ten Master Clans.

"No, I was thinking of updating you guys on the situation."

Katsuto seemed to take the bait, and the awkwardness in his attitude disappeared.

Katsuto looked around Tatsuya's companions. He knew about Kasumi and Izumi since way back. It was his first meeting with Takuma and Minami, or at least, they had never gotten a proper chance to have a conversation.

"Are you perhaps, Shippou-dono?"

Katsuto spoke to Takuma.

"Yes, I'm Shippou Takuma. Nice to meet you Juumonji-san."

In contrast to Tatsuya, he greeted Katsuto as a member of the Ten Master Clans rather than as a Kouhai from First High. Although there was a difference between their status as a Family Head and the son of a Family Head, since they were standing as members of the Ten Master Clans, they were of equal footing.

"I'm Juumonji Katsuto. Pleased to meet you."

"I as well, nice to meet you, too."

However, even with the equal footing, and without the Senpai-Kouhai formality, Takuma did not make any cheeky gestures, even with his mouth, in their first meeting.

"This girl is Sakurai Minami, a Year 1 student who has been living with us."

Provided the chance, Tatsuya introduced Minami to Katsuto. She politely bowed to Katsuto, and he seemed to have come to the realization that Minami's identity was, to some extent, like that of a Servant of the Yotsuba Family. After responding briefly to Minami, Katsuto returned to his point.

"You guys came here after receiving the disaster notification, didn't you?

As you can see, Yotsuba-dono, Saegusa-dono, and Shippou-dono are safe. There are no injuries whatsoever."

The notification he referred to was an email in their mobile information terminals, which stated that his immediate family and acquaintances had encountered a disaster. Mobile information terminals gathered and relayed a lot of helpful information, such as reporting a fire and earthquake alarm in close proximity to the attendees, it had a radio service to inform the recipients of the notification of the recorded destination, and included a life log which monitored the owner's state in three stages; 'safe, danger', and 'death'. This information was supplied alongside local government information emails.

However, the notification was sent right as the disaster occurred, so there was no way to get an update to the situation unless the transmission was set to be continuous. Masaki, and even Tatsuya, were rushing because of that.

"Seems so. By the way, Senpai, do you mind telling us what exactly happened?"

"Hmm… If the others were here it would be easier to explain, but…"

After hearing Katsuto's words, Tatsuya looked around. Members of the Yotsuba Family could be seen furtively mingling amongst the people as to not stand out, and the Butler Hanabishi who was in charge of the unit was seen spreading his members among the crowd. ——Unfortunately, there was no hint of any suicide bomber to be found.

"Please."

Tatsuya lowered his head, conveying a heartfelt message that he didn't mind even the smallest bits of information. Katsuto nodded and gave a brief account of what happened.

"To be honest, we don't know the details either."

During the meeting, they were attacked by a suicide bomber and went to the roof seeking refuge. Katsuto also mentioned that the suicide bomber had used animated corpses for the attack.

"At this point in time, it's not yet determined that we were the target.

Although I believe that there's a high chance that the meeting was targeted, it seems to be inconclusive, even for the police."

"Excuse me, Katsuto-san. No, Juumonji-senpai."

After calling Katsuto by name, Kasumi hurriedly corrected herself to address him as a Senpai. Since her sister knew of Katsuto even before during High School, she recognized him more as her sister's friend instead of as a Senpai from the same High School. ——Kasumi and Izumi probably felt uneasy to call him ‘Katsuto-san' while her sister always called him ‘Juumonji-kun'.

"Kasumi, what is it?"

Likewise, Katsuto felt the same.

"What did the police ask my fath-… no, what are they asking everyone?"

"We were asked to explain since we were at the scene and had witnessed it unfold from the start."

"Then, Otou-sama and the rest aren't under suspicion of being criminals?"

Izumi, who was standing next to Kasumi, had a tense vibe about her.

The twins were showing a normal reaction, but Tatsuya and Miyuki were surprised that Izumi seemed to be earnestly worried about her father.

Due to that, Katsuto's eyes had a flicker of hesitation when Kasumi stared at him.

"They're not suspected of any conspiracy. Even so, the police doubt that conflict between magicians could lead to suicide bombing."

Still, he didn't try to dodge Kasumi's question.

"That's…"

While a stunned utterance escaped her mouth, Izumi's hand clenched tightly.

Unreasonable, she was definitely thinking so.

It wasn't just thought by Izumi. Takuma, who had been quietly listening in anger, had also balled his hand into a fist.

"They seem to think like the Anti-Magician faction."

While Tatsuya was famous due to his reputation for controlling his emotions, he couldn't help but vocalize such an ironic observation.

"Onii-sama, could there be officers present that support the ‘Humanists'…?"

Miyuki's words made the faces of the group become sour.

"No, that's not it. If there were any, this interrogation would be much more flagrant."

Tatsuya recalled the relentless interrogation he got from the police in Arashiyama, Kyoto after he fought the Traditionalist Magicians manipulated by Zhou, who detested the Ten Master Clans. He denied Miyuki's concern.

The freshmen seemed visibly relieved by his confirmation. Katsuto lifted his eyebrow, letting out a surprised expression through his eyes.

"Shiba, aren't the two of you cousins, not siblings?"

Before Miyuki got upset, Tatsuya answered that question with a laugh.

"Ah, Miyuki's ‘Onii-sama' is it? Since we'd regarded each other as siblings until recently… as expected, it's hard to immediately adjust."

"I see. Fair enough."

Katsuto's doubt dissipated. This showed that Tatsuya's response was just too natural, rather than Katsuto being gullible. There was no trace of guilt at all, and his act seemed genuine.

"Huh, Aniki?"

Just at that moment, almost too conveniently, Katsuto's attention was taken by Kasumi's loud voice.

"Tomokazu-san, is it?"

Noticing the young man who was waving to Kasumi and Izumi, Katsuto muttered the name of the young man.

"Shiba, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

"No. There's nothing."

"How about you, Shippou?"

"Likewise, I don't have any more questions."

After confirming with Tatsuya and Takuma, Katsuto nodded.

"Then, I'll be excusing myself."

Katsuto proceeded to walk in the direction of the young man.

"Miyuki-senpai, Shiba-senpai."

Immediately, Izumi turned to Tatsuya and spoke.

"It seems like our brother is also waiting, so we'll excuse ourselves. I think we'll be going back with him as well, so don't mind us."

"Shiba-senpai, President, please excuse us. Sakurai-san, you as well."

Subsequently, Kasumi bowed to Tatsuya and followed her twin, waving to Minami as well. The twins went after Tomokazu, the young man whom Katsuto was approaching.

"Onii-sama, that man is related to Izumi-chan and Kasumi?"

Miyuki, upon seeing Tomokazu's back, immediately sought confirmation to Tatsuya.

"Yes. Saegusa Tomokazu-san. The Saegusa Family's eldest son. Izumi and Kasumi's step-brother."

"I see…"

The reason for Miyuki's curiosity was due to the fact that Kasumi called him ‘Aniki' and Izumi referred to him as ‘Ani', and there was no distance felt whatsoever.

"By the way, Onii-sama, about our earlier conversation."

"Ah, the police have yet to be filled with anti-magic ideologies, it seems to be that way. Also, from the way they were talking just now, it seems like a needless concern."

Tatsuya answered so, anticipating Miyuki's question.

"Rather, that was rather lenient of him to say considering the situation."

Adding a sigh to his sentence.

"…Not only anti-magic principles, the police haven't been corrupted with any polluted ideologies. Either of those would be a big problem, no?"

Miyuki gazed towards Tatsuya with a puzzled look as he smiled.

"If there were some officers that had subscribed to the anti-magic ideology, that would be enough to depose them."

Tatsuya explained with a serious look, minding the future possibilities ahead of them.

"At any rate, we don't need to do anything for now. If it's information we want, we can always get it from the police."

"It might seem impossible, but… if the police, as an organization, is taken over by the anti-magician ideology… what are we going to do?"

"It's highly unlikely."

Tatsuya, with a bitter expression, shook his head at Miyuki's question.

"As long as the enemy doesn't develop a method to stand against magic, the magic police are already on standby. Hence, the government would make its move before anything too serious happened, but…"

"Is there any chance that it wouldn't end so favorably?"

The way Miyuki asked Tatsuya did not hide any of the anxiety in her voice.

"Even though there doesn't seem to be a detective here, this terrorist attack is actually being handled well. Most likely due to the Ten Master Clans being involved, they're following up on the matter."

Tatsuya didn't directly answer Miyuki, instead he took a step back to look at the root of the problem instead.

"If an unbiased detective came to a conclusion, there's a high chance the general public would agree with him."

Tatsuya fixed his eyes on Maya.

The Heads of Ten Master Clans were still surrounded by the police.

"Depending on how the media publicized this attack, the reaction could vary greatly. Unfortunately, they'll probably go with 'magicians caused civilian casualties' and the like…"

Tatsuya diverted his gaze to the group of people who were injured.

Some were being transferred to the ambulance with serious injuries, and there were only ten people left. Even in such a situation, the number of fatalities hadn't reached double digits. This result could be considered miraculous.

"Even though the terrorist would take full blame for this attack, there would still be a lot of people like myself who would think that 'Magicians caused this, and they have a responsibility for reparations', and inevitably would be convinced this was the truth."

"But, we, Magicians, are also Japanese citizens like them, aren't we…"

Miyuki showed a glimpse of sadness in her eyes.

"However,"

Even so, she didn't look away. Although Miyuki appeared to be fragile, she wasn't timid.

"The media is not always hostile to Magicians. Last April, despite the small number, there was a campaign to acknowledge the rights of Magicians."

As Miyuki said, there was such a campaign discussed in the news last April, to counter the arguments of the media's hostility against magicians.

However, this time, the situation is different. The number of casualties are higher, and the damage was more severe.

"You're right. Even the Ten Master Clans won't be able to sit still now."

Yet, Tatsuya didn't say anything that would increase Miyuki's anxiety.

Whether or not he was pessimistic or optimistic about the future, things that are bound to happen will happen anyway. As of now, neither Miyuki or Tatsuya could do anything. Due to this, Tatsuya refrained from saying anything that could worsen the atmosphere.

"More importantly, we've made sure that Haha-ue is alright, so let's go back to school."

He already confirmed the situation from Katsuto's explanation, and staying longer there wouldn't change things. This situation was better left to the police. Trusting Tatsuya's judgement, Miyuki replied ‘yes, Onii-sama', and Minami also bowed in agreement, following them silently.

"How about you, Shippou?"

"I… will stay here a little longer."

Takuma answered so, when Tatsuya asked him.

"I see."

Tatsuya didn't oppose his decision. He wasn't responsible for taking care of Takuma, and their relationship wasn't that close either. Tatsuya urged Miyuki and Minami to leave the area.

"Umm, Shiba-senpai."

From behind, Takuma's voice could be heard to have hesitation in it.

"What?"

"About our earlier conversation… No, nevermind."

Takuma retracted his words.

It was clear that Takuma was doubting him, but Tatsuya kept his face with ‘I see' expression and turned his back against Takuma.

The hotel was burnt down, with many injured and many dead.

The ghastly mastermind behind this terrorist attack was observing the aftermath from a house located 9km east of Odawara.

A suicide bombing was the perfect tool for Jiedo Heigu. It inflicted major damage while keeping losses to a minimum.

The explosives didn't get caught by the detectors which had been pre-installed in the city, which was to be expected from a weapon deemed obsolete by the USNA Army. The shields hadn't been activated either since the explosive detectors didn't go off.

Even his corpse puppets which were manipulated with 'Zombification'

didn't get discovered by the sensors. His dolls got into the hotel unimpeded.

The security measures in the city were flawed to a laughable degree. In his evaluation, the city he had until recently lived in while in the USNA had much tighter security. He had a sense of self-satisfaction when he thought of this.

Even the Ten Master Clans had been unable to injure him, which had been according to plan. He had expected to be able to escape without a scratch instead of triggering something short of a full war, military infantry and all.

As expected, the Ten Master Clans had only defended themselves, selfishly protecting themselves at the expense of others. If they had used their magic to protect everyone else, the injured count might been curbed at 20 people, and the outcome of 50 he achieved wouldn't have been possible.

They ended up as collateral damage due to the Ten Master Clans.

This was the message Jiedo Heigu wanted to spread to the Japanese.

The Ten Master Clans would abandon ordinary citizens if it was to save themselves.

You, the Japanese, would be killed because of the Ten Master Clans.

The Ten Master Clans, the Yotsuba, I will take away your place in Japan the same way you took mine.

My homeland, where I belonged was Dahan…

Jiedo Heigu smiled in the darkness of his silhouette as he stood up.

Strewn about his feet were the owner of the house and his family, laying on the floor lifelessly.

STARS No. 2, Benjamin Canopus, was currently in a room inside the USNA Embassy. He was staring at the screen relaying the scene of the terrorist attack at Hakone.

His smart and fearless face was colored with a bitter expression.

Although they were of different countries, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the civilians who fell victim to terrorism.

As an austere soldier, Canopus believed that military personnel who protected non-combatants and complied with the classic laws of war should be full of pride. STARS missions, however, often required him to operate covertly and break these laws he respected. He was constantly struggling with this inner conflict, and that's why he decided to forgo any involvement with civilians which could affect his heart.

He would have stopped Heigu's attack if it was possible. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to reveal the embarrassing weaponry theft to Japan, and in turn this caused Japan to be unprepared for the terrorist attack.

This resulted in the unnecessary loss of Japanese civilian's lives.

Since he was not allowed to inform them, he was also ordered to not cooperate with Japan's military or police to further ensure the weapon theft remained a secret.

He had received a kill order for Heigu, and he needed to keep a low profile while doing so, to prevent any intel leakage to the Japanese authorities. Luring out Heigu to the high seas and eliminating him there was the best possible outcome, or so he was told.

Canopus had a 'soldier to the bones' kind of mentality, but he understood that a command must be obeyed. The moment military personnel deviate from a given order, they would be deemed an outlaw, guilty of insubordination.

It was a smarter choice to follow his orders from the military, lest he be branded a fugitive.