NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Chapter 15-Defiance!
KATSUTO JUMONJI
Katsuto Jumonji was more than just a student. He was the scion and acting head of the Jumonji clan of the Ten Master Clans, and like the whole organization, he was concerned about the recent appearance of the young Yotsuba clan boy.
It was always known that Miya Yotsuba had given birth to two children and their identity remained hidden to this day, the Clans respected the secrecy and privacy of the Yotsuba clan and did not pry but the elders in the organization knew of the two children.
But the same could not be said of Inei Yotsuba. The boy had appeared out of thin air and was rather public with his identity in a way that only a handful of Yotsuba had been to this day, and then that spelled trouble.
From what he had been able to piece together, Miya Yotsuba's two children were hailed as prodigies and were rumored to be the best magicians of their generation. Add to that the overwhelming prowess of Inei Yotsuba and Maya Yotsuba, who were still rather young, which made the Yotsuba simply too powerful as an existence. Something that threatened the very balance of the Ten Master Clans.
It was this trouble that brought him to the school's student council office. The school had been closed for a day after the whole Blanche incident and was set to open today. Today, the convention to solve the dispute between course one and course two students was to be held, so he was not surprised to find both Mayumi and Mari Watanabe present.
"Jumonji-san," Mayumi seemed surprised at seeing him, as she should be, for it was unusual for him to visit the Student Council Room, especially so early in the morning.
"Saegusa, can we talk?" he asked, and she nodded. And Mari realized that this was a clan matter, and so she raised her hands and walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Saegusa.
"So, what brings you here, Jumonji-san?" Mayumi asked as she motioned for him to take a seat.
He sat down to her right.
"Last night there was an informal seating of the representatives of the Ten Master Clans," he informed her and saw her frown as he took out his phone.
"And may I ask what the topic of this meeting was?" she asked pointedly.
"You know that very well, Saegusa," and with that, he passed her his phone as he played the very video that had come into discussion last night,
"That is a video of Hajime Tsukasa's interrogation," he explained. The Blanche leader's interrogation was a den of information and revealed much about the organizations working in Japan.
Though more damning for them was not what was in the video but rather what was not in it.
And he watched as suddenly the purple-haired man began to scream as the interrogator asked him a very specific question, a question about Inei Yotsuba and what had transpired in that abandoned building.
"That was the exact thing that happened with him and any other person who was asked about what transpired in that building," he elaborated and saw Mayumi's expression shift as she bit her lip.
She handed him back his phone.
"All the prisoners answered every question except that. Even now, the Ten Master Clans remain oblivious to the nature of Inei Yotsuba's prowess. He spared only a few from that building. According to Tatsuya's reports, there were more than three dozen men stationed inside, men who were armed and fully trained, yet when the police inspected the building, they found only a handful of people and a sea of blood," he finished, and that had been a disturbing finding.
He pocketed his phone as Saegusa turned towards him.
"What do you want, Jumonji-san?" she asked sharply, and he looked into her eyes, trying to think of the appropriate words to use.
"It is evident that Yotsuba used some kind of Mental-Interference Magic on those magicians. The question is, did he use one on you as well?" Her eyes narrowed immediately.
"That is a grave accusation to make," and if they could prove it, they could bring the Yotsuba to heel rather easily. Attacking an heiress of one of the clans and colluding with terrorists, a slew of charges could be brought against him.
"So, do you deny this," he asked.
"Unequivocally," she said seethingly, and her answer took him aback. Yet the tone and nature of her answer made another thing rather clear.
"And yet you will not say what transpired in that building or what he did to those terrorists?" he asked. She bit her, and he saw her fight with her conscience for a minute before she shook her head.
"It is not my secret to tell," she replied, and he looked her in the eye. Of everyone in the school, he had thought he knew Saegusa the best and thought her to be similar to himself. He was a scion of a great clan bound to duty, yet he was wrong.
He had never seen this side of her, this emotional and sentimental side.
"Why? Why protect him? You know of the danger the Yotsuba pose to th..."
"And what danger may that be? We are people first, magicians second, and the elite third? Inei-kun is a friend, and it is my duty as a human to play my role," she spoke resolutely, her mind already made.
"We will find out the truth. One way or another," he told her as he rose up.
"And for that, I wish you luck. But I am afraid I will not be of any help in that sense," she replied.
"We will have to see about that."
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SHIBA MIYUKI
The Grand Hall was filled to the brim with students from both courses, sitting in silence as the two representatives debated on the stage.
Mayumi-san and Mibu-senpai each tried to make their argument, and the Student Council Body and the representatives from the Course Two students all sat on stage.
Though her focus was not on the debate itself, for she already knew its outcome, Saya Mibu was charismatic and enthusiastic about her cause. Yet she was faced with a person who far outclassed her in wit and charisma. There was hardly a chance that Saegusa Mayumi would lose, and as the debate went on, that became more and more apparent.
Yet she cared little for the debate and instead walked towards the side of the stage, a place which was seemingly empty at first glance, yet truly was not.
"Using magic on your fellow students like this is against the rules, cousin," Miyuki said as she stopped and greeted her cousin, who was standing there.
Inei-kun raised a brow at her.
"I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about," he denied her accusation, making her chuckle as she joined him and stood by the wall.
"I have finally begun to understand your magic a bit," she said, and she had. It was much like her mother and her own magic. Mental-Interference Magic, and he seemed to have a mastery over it, unlike anything she had ever seen.
This time, he had left a suggestion in the mind of the student to ignore the shadowy corner of the room, enhancing their perception of the shadow, and so unless someone was to actively search for him in this dark corner of the Hall, they would simply look past it.
"Still, shouldn't you be on stage?" she asked, and he shrugged.
"I like my peace and quiet. Plus, I don't think my presence would have been welcome much on the stage," and that was indeed true and sad.
Rumors about Inei-kun had begun circulating in the school, painting him as a monster who had killed all of the Blanche members, and though she knew of them to be true, she also knew that he was not, in truth, the monster they made him out to be.
"We received a letter from FLT yesterday. The company has released our mother's shares to my brother and me, making us the biggest shareholders of the company," she informed him, and there was little change in his expression as he stood there.
"I believe this was your doing," she asked, and he nodded.
"I did suggest it. It is time your brother received the station and respect he is owed," he replied, and she smiled.
"I am thankful for your help in this cousin. I will not forget this favor," she said as she gave him a small bow.
"I understand what it feels like to be feared for something out of your control. The Yotsuba's fear of your brother's prowess is justified, but I believe that it is time that we look past it, though I will say that this will all depend on you, Miyuki," and she frowned as she looked up and saw his gaze focused on herself.
"Me?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Indeed, the Yotsuba is special. We are Japan's boogeyman. The hidden blade for the country to wield in times of crisis, and your brother's prowess is a big part of it. Given his condition and loyalty, many higher-ups both inside and outside the clan find it hard to trust him, and with the power at his disposal, they would see him as a liability first," he warned, and she was acutely aware of that.
"I know that," she said.
"And only the name of the clan he bears will be able to keep the wolves at bay, and the only one who can keep him tethered to the clan is you," he said, and her face warmed at that as she nodded.
"I understand," she said, turning towards the stage once more. She felt a pair of eyes turn towards them and smirked, knowing exactly who it was that had spotted them.
"It seems I am not the only one who has spotted your little trick," she teased, and he shrugged as he looked towards the President, who turned her head towards them slightly as she talked as if to say.
'I can see you.'
"Interesting," her cousin said with a smirk, yet this one was much more subtle and indulgent than his usual smirks.
"Speaking of the president, don't you have a date with her this wee..."
0000
At night in the Shiba house, Shiba Tatsuya found himself working late into the night on one project for FLT. Flying magic, a magic thought to be a near impossibility, though Shiba Tatsuya was not one to accept such statements easily, for Flying Magic was impossible for the Modern Magic they used.
He knew of an ancient magician who could replicate it, so as he sat in his lab, he tried to make that thing possible, and things came together. Slowly, of course, but steadily.
And during one of his smaller breaks, he heard his phone ring. A rarity so late into the night, which became even more rare given just who was calling him.
It was their Aunt Maya.
From what he could recall, this was the first time she had ever called on him like this, and she often preferred to talk to both him and Miyuki. And to do so so late into the night spoke of an emergency.
So, he picked it up and put the phone to his ear.
"Tatsuya here," he greeted.
"I hope you are doing well Tatsuya-kun, I hope I haven't disturbed your sleep," his Aunt greeted him.
"No, I was working on a project of mine," he replied, and she chuckled.
"Such a hard-working boy. But please do be careful. Speaking of that, I believe you must be curious about why I have called you so late into the night," she began, and he nodded.
He was indeed curious.
"Well, there has been a rather sensitive development in the USNA that I wished to talk to you about," she began, and he frowned at the mention of USNA, for he had little qualms about that.
"USNA has just updated their most wanted list in more than a decade," she informed him.
"The USNA now has an unknown figure as their most wanted criminal. The Unnamed and unknown figure responsible for the STARS massacre."
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