Chapter 9
INEI YOTSUBA
Inei's new home was much quieter than his previous one in Nagano, because of the lack of the cafe and he somehow missed it, being all alone in the home did not bother him yet he rather liked the hustle and bustle, and the sheer feel of running the place.
And so he was quite surprised when quite late into the night, he heard his doorbell go off, and he turned on his phone to see just who was bothering him so late into the night.
He was surprised when he found the faces of his two cousins standing there, holding a bag in their hands.
"Shiba-kun, Miyuki," he uttered as he opened the door, and they greeted him.
"Inei-kun, it is good to see you," Miyuki-said as she stepped forward.
"What are you both doing here?" he asked as he led them inside.
"Miyuki insisted that we needed to give you a present, a housewarming gift per se. And I needed to talk to you about something as well," Tatsuya replied, and he perked up at the second part yet ignored it for a moment as he turned towards his female cousin.
"You do know there was no need for it. I am nearly as new to this city as you are," he said, knowing that the two of them had moved to Tokyo only around half a year before himself.
"But still, I wished to visit your place. I hope it isn't a bother," she said, and he shrugged. He did not mind, he was resting after all.
"Come, sit down, I will get you some refreshments," he said as he walked to the kitchen and set water to boil, before walking out.
"This place is quite simple," Miyuki noticed and indeed it was, unlike more modern Houses his was relatively old school, with minimal involvement of technology, or magic for that part.
There were several reasons for that, the biggest being the damned system known as Echelon III, a system designed by an American named Raymond Sage Clark that allowed him to penetrate any digital file, no matter where and how you store it.
"I like it this way," he replied, the statement true in and of itself.
"You do not have a servant here with you or a Home Assist Device?" Shiba asked, and he shook his head.
"I manage my own affairs, and I dislike having servants waiting on me," he replied as he excused himself, finished making a simple tea, and took out something he had baked earlier as a force of habit.
"If I had known you were going to come, I would have made something better. But I hope this is to your liking," he said as he presented them with the tea and cake.
"You made this Inei-kun?" Miyuki asked.
"I did," he replied. He also designed the menu at his old cafe and occasionally cooked.
"Now, what brought you here, apart from welcoming me, for which I am grateful," he asked as he sat down on the sofa and looked at Tatsuya.
"I wished to talk to you about the school. More specifically about my suspicion that Blanche, the inter..."
"I know who Blanche is," Inei cut in. His interest, peeking at the mention of the anti-magic group that had its origins in GAA, the very place that had absorbed Dahan and, if his own suspicions were correct, had the same benefactor as the very institution that had made him.
"I believe Blanche is operating in the school," Tatsuya declared, but Inei could not believe his luck.
"The course two students," he guessed. They must be using them for their own agenda, he suspected, trying to recall details he had long forgotten about.
"Indeed, I was approached by someone I believe is associated with them," Tatsuya declared, and Inei raised a brow.
"And they are still alive," he asked, Tatsuya's eyes narrowed.
"They are simply misguided and being used by someone. I am still investigating this, but Maya-sama asked me to take you into confidence. She is asking you to spare the students who may have been manipulated by them. The rest are all yours to do as you wish," Tatsuya declared.
And he was surprised that she had figured out that much about him in so little time, well what else should he have expected of her.
"I do not care about pawns, Tatsuya-kun," he said as he leaned.
"What I am aiming for is the head of the Snake. The little pawns have nothing to worry from me," he said.
"That is all," Tatsuya said, and he leaned back.
"So, Miyuki-san, are you happy that your brother is getting some of the credit that he deserves?" he asked, trying to lighten his mood.
"Yes, and it is all because of you. Apart from that, I did not know that you could cook so well, Inei-kun," she complimented him.
"This is the best cake I have eaten in quite some time," she said as she pushed a plate infront of Tatsuya.
"Thank you," he said as he leaned back.
"May I ask one thing, Inei-kun," Tasuya began as they sat there, talking about various things for quite some time. Miyuki was in the kitchen, having taken away.
"Sure," he said as he yawned.
"Why are you painting such a huge target on your back?" Inei was surprised that he had figured that out as well.
"I do not understand what you mean?" he denied.
"You have openly declared yourself as a Yotsuba and are making your presence very public. Why?" he asked.
"Because I am to accomplish the very desire that gave birth to you, I am going to decimate the one who was behind what happened to Maya and Miya Yotsuba and myself," and he was taken aback.
"One, I thought the Dahan was behind it all, and they have already been eradicated," he asked, and Inei shook his head.
"The Dahan were pawns, just like Blanche and hundreds of other such organizations, pawns of one man. The very man who is behind all of this."
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MAYA YOTSUBA
"Gu Jie," Maya Yotsuba uttered the name, the one whose very existence had cast a shadow of tragedy on herself and her family.
The one responsible for her own tragedy and the subsequent tragedies that her clan and family had suffered.
"Do you really believe Inei-sama's words?" Hayam asked, and she nodded.
"I do. The boy has no reason to lie to me," she said, and he did not, not in this case.
The deal she had struck with Inei Yotsuba was simple, it was of mutual freedom for both of them. For her from her duties as the clan head of the Yotsuba and him from the curse and rage that he carried to this day.
"But still, is it really wise to give him such an open hand and consider him the next clan head?" Hayama's doubts were reasonable. After all, Inei-kun had little history with them and the clan,
Yet she saw through the facade of disinterest and laziness he had built around him, for she employed a similar facade. It was an illusion more to delude themselves rather than others, lest their rage take hold of them. For both of them were powerful enough to destroy everything in their rage.
And despite his disinterest, Inei Yotsuba had always sought a purpose in life, one that went beyond the absolute annihilation of all those involved with Dahan's magical Institute.
He had sought a family, and it was evident in how he treated those orphans. For all his cruelty, her son was the most human amongst them, reminding him of herself before the tragedy had changed her life forever.
It was why he had come to live in Nagano, for one part. There were other reasons as well, but in some ways, it was also a cry for help. It was him stretching out his hand to see if there was anyone who would take it. And they would, she would, the Yotsuba will, for he was her son, her kin both in suffering and in blood.
"The Ten Master Clans grow more and more wary of our power. Soon enough, they will think of striking at us and trying to weaken us. Our strength lies in our mysterious nature, and despite my belief in Miyuki's loyalty, we already ask much of my niece as Tatsuya's limiter. I have little doubt that she would have excelled as the next clan head, yet I have always known that she has little desire for it," and it was much like herself.
Maya Yotsuba had never desired to be clan head. She had been nominated by her own father when he had left to decimate the Dahan for the treachery they had committed against their clan and herself. She was powerful, yet she had little desire to lead, and yet she had done her duty, for she was the only one who could keep the clan together and protect her sister's legacy.
"Inei-kun's presence will allow us to shield Miyuki and Tatsuya, and the bond I wish to foster between them will make this clan stronger than it ever has been, and with him, Miyuki and Tatsuya together, I doubt there would be any power on Earth who could even imagine going against us," she declared.
For those three were all, Strategic-class magicians, each one of them capable of feats no magician alive could replicate.
"I apologize, my lady," Hayama began.
"I often fail to think how hard all this has been on you," he said, and she smiled.
"There is no need for that, Hayama. I did as was required of me, but I have ruled for two decades and believe my time is coming to an end. It is time for the next generation to step forth, and for the Yotsuba, that generation will be led by Inei Yotsuba."
And then she turned around and watched as a car rode into the Yotsuba Household, one that belonged to her teacher and the leader of the Ten Master Clan, Kudo Retsu.
"It seems they are already making a move."
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MAYUMI SAEGUSA
"MARIII!" the Saegusa heiress screamed into the phone as she rolled onto her bed, her face a hot mess as she thought of just what she had done yesterday.
"Why are you screaming in my ears now!" her friend admonished her, as she wept there.
"What am I to do now!" she screamed.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE ASKING A JUNIOR OUT! YOU IDIOT!" Mari had no sympathy for her.
Mayumi, despite being in her third year at First High had not even gone on a single date. Most students saw her as a Saegusa first rather than Mayumi, while others would be too intimidated by her.
Inei kun fit into neither of those categories. He cared little for her status as a Saegusa and was not intimidated by her. She found their interests rather similar, so she had more or less asked him out as he had walked her back to school.
"Uaaaaa," she screamed.
"STOP SCREAMING YOU IDIOT!" Mari screamed, and she stopped rolling on her bed.
"What are you even so worried about? It's just a simple date, you are not getting married to him," and she nodded.
"But he is younger than me. Two years," and Mari screamed.
"That matters little. He behaves more like an old man or a belligerent child most of the time. And two years is nothing. Even Naotsugu is like a couple of years older than me," her friend told her.
"But you are in the third year, and he is in university," she complained. she had met Chiba Naotsugu, Mari's fiancée, the infamous Phantom Blade of the Chiba clan, and indeed, he was about three years older than her.
Extrapolating their ages, the gap between herself and Inei kun did not matter much either, yet still he was her junior, yet she felt as if he was much more powerful than herself and had a lot more experience. She believed it was what drew her towards him, his maturity and self-assuredness that often came out as pride, but Inei Yotsuba was a boy who was honest with himself.
He did as he desired, unlike herself, who hid behind a thousand masks. His honesty made her like him and agree to this date.
"It's just a date. And now that you have agreed to it, there is no need to think so much. Just own up to it," Mari advised, and she nodded.
"When is it by the way?"
"In two weeks?" she answered.
"THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BOTHERING ME WITH THIS SO EARLY IN THE MORNING, STUPID MAYUMI!"
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