Volume 22, Chapter 4

The Magic University had a special training program, but otherwise it differed little from other universities. If you look at the uniqueness of the atmosphere, then in the schools of magic assigned to the university, it is much more different from ordinary schools.

In the afternoon the dining room was crowded with idle students, who had free time. Communicating among themselves, they did not talk about fashion or food, most of the topics of conversation were related to magic. Nevertheless, the students seemed to be having fun. Even the fact that they are magicians living in such a troubled time could not prevent young people from enjoying youth and freedom.

However, not all students in the dining room were busy with conversations. There were those who read books quietly, and those who were absorbed in their thoughts. For example, a lonely Katsuto, who looked worried.

"Hello, Juumonji-kun." Can I sit with you?

And there were quite a few such students who interfered with the aforementioned people.

- Saegusa?

However, only Saegusa Mayumi was the only one who could come up to interrupt (?) Katsuto, known throughout the university, as the head of the Juumonji family, and also supporting the corresponding image.

-Of course. Sit down.

-Then I'll use your suggestion.

Featuring a complete lack of manners, Mayumi sat opposite Katsuto.

... From such behavior, a wave of rumors, such as "The head of the Juumonji family and the eldest daughter of the Saegusa family will soon get married!", spread without stopping. Although Mayumi did not like rumors about herself, she had a principle of not noticing them.

-Juumonji-kun, you seem to be worried about something?

-No ...

Responding with a negative, Katsuto looked irritably at Mayumi. This view read "do not go to me in such a place." But, unfortunately, Katsuto's desire was not transmitted to Mayumi.

- It's because of the Sunday meeting?

Katsuto unconsciously moved his eyes to either side. The head remained motionless so that the surrounding students could not understand that they were wary.

-Everything is fine. I put up the soundproofing field. "However, Mayumi did not seem to understand Katsuto's alertness level."

-... Saegusa, do not you know about the technique of reading on the lips? "Chet-no-e-na-gu-bam * [1]?" Telepathy?

-... Not at all. In any case, do not talk about it here.

-Mmm ...

Mayumi showed that she was thinking, putting her index finger to her chin, and looking upwards. Although it did not fit her child's image, but she radiated cunning from the very beginning.

-I got it. - With a smile Mayumi answered. Katsuto half-instinctively prepared to defend himself. - And where then it is possible?

Katsuto's intuition did not fail him.

- ... Do you want so much to get into this business?

"It's a shame to hear such words." Does not this at least superficially concern me? Or am I, in your opinion, not "young people from the Ten Master Clans"?

"... Understood." Do you know the "Serenity" cafe, near the station?

- I think I know it.

"Then how about a meeting there on the second floor at 5:30?"

-I got it. Sorry for bothering you. Well, I've got to run. Saying this, Mayumi stood up.

Only now did Katsuto notice that Mayumi did not order a drink, or anything else.

On the way home, Mayumi went into an old-fashioned cafe. It was called "Serenity". It seems like it meant "a place where silence resides" * [2].

-Hmm ... "People who love silence, we are waiting for you"? Is this their orientation? Very straightforward.

"And it's true ..." answered a completely indifferent voice. Mayumi was not alone.

"What is it, Mari?" You look a bit tired.

-I do not just look, I'm really tired.

-What, old age came early ~?

-Unlike the Magic University, the Defense Academy has a big workload on the body!

Students of the Defense Academy, in addition to basic training and combat practice, are required to attend special martial arts courses designed for combat magicians. Today, Mari was completely exhausted. In fact, now she wanted to take a quick bath and jump into bed. Because of this course of special martial arts, she was freed from the restrictions present in the hostel, so she could afford such a luxury.

-Okay, let's go faster. We are waiting for an important conversation? "Apparently, Mari just wants to sit down fast", - thought Mayumi.

-That's right.

The voice of Mayumi felt the care of an elderly woman.

When Mayumi told the waitress that they had a meeting here, she told them to go to the second floor. It seems that Katsuto was already there.

On the second floor there were four separate rooms. All the doors were closed. The location of the windows did not allow for spying. While Mayumi was puzzled at what door to knock, the near right door opened.

-Saegusa. Come in. - Called Katsuto holding the door. Mayumi and Mari walked past him into the room.

Inside there was only one table for four people. At first Mayumi thought that this was not suitable for a cafe, but after looking closely, she saw that the windows were double glazed, and the floor, ceiling and walls were soundproofed. It was like a place for private conversations. She realized that this is a separate paid room.

- Watanabe also came ...?

Offering the girls to sit down, Katsuto sat himself and sighed.

- I would very much like to keep this conversation private.

"Then should I leave?" Mayumi brought me here by force. - Without trying to argue, Mari stood up.

- No, really. You yourself said that the conversation is important?

Mayumi pulled her by the sleeve, and Mari sat down again. Reluctantly, she ordered coffee through the console on the table. Mayumi ordered tea with milk after her. After the waitress who brought the drinks left, Mayumi looked again at Katsuto.

- So ... What is troubling Juumonji-kun - this is something about Tatsuya- kun?

- That's right.

Katsuto decided that there was no point in hiding it. He calmly nodded to Mayumi's question.

"What are they talking about?" - A question mark surfaced over Mari's head. But she did not impatiently ask about it. She decided to wait, because in any case she will hear everything along the way.

- I don't think Mari knows, but last Sunday a meeting was held, which brought together young people from the Ten Master Clans. It is said "young", but a restriction "up to 30 years" was established.

-I heard about the meeting. There they discussed what to do with extremists who aimed at magicians?

-They did not talk about measures against extremists.

Katsuto said in a tired voice that Mari's answer was only partially correct.

-At this meeting, it was discussed how we, magicians should react to the anti-magic sentiments spread in the society.

"Is that not... meaningless?" I still understand the fight against criminals, but can you make those people who already have their own opinion "love magicians"?

Although Mari herself is from the Watanabe Family, but she does not belong to the mainstream community of magicians. Her connection with the society of magicians, known as the "magic world", is weak. In comparison with people like Mayumi, her life values are closer to ordinary soldiers.

"We cannot get it, but can we ask for it?" Having told in his address that magicians are useful to society, is it not possible to reduce hostility?

- Who knows ... with excessive obsession, you can get the opposite effect.

At the moment when the conversation Mayumi and Mari was ready to grow into an exchange of meaningless arguments, Katsuto intervened.

-Maybe Watanabe is right, but that day during the meeting the idea similar to Saegusa words, met the support of the majority of those present.

-Hmm ... Well, as an idea, it can be approached. But what exactly do you need to do? Send Mayumi to speak on TV?

-Mari! Why me !?

-Because of good looks, of course.

-What? Are you saying that I'm a hypocrite?

-Regardless of the reasons, this turned out to be the plan.

When the conversation was ready to turn into a verbal skirmish, Katsuto again intervened.

-But the plan, which gathered a large number of support votes, suggested making the successor-dono of the Yotsuba family the magicians representative.

"The younger sister ... that is, Shiba's bride?" And she was at a meeting?

- No. Shiba came alone.

"Tatsuya-kun?" Yes, it's not good.

Mari quickly understood everything. More precisely, rejected this plan.

"The excessively caring Tatsuya-kun will not allow his bride to do such things. Does Tatsuya-kun allow Shiba Miyuki to be publicly displayed?

-Right. This is what happened at the meeting. Thus, everything ended in an unpleasant atmosphere. In the end, Tatsuya-kun refused to participate in the dinner after the meeting and gathered the hostility of the participants.

Hearing what Mayumi said, Mari was surprised.

-All of them? Was there no one who would support Tatsuya-kun?

-There were no participants who showed that they are on Shiba's side. From Katsuto's answer, Mari's face appeared an annoying expression.

-Psychological pressure? This is an unhealthy approach. Looking at such a scene, magicians seem like ordinary people.

-Of course. Magicians can only use magic, and otherwise they are ordinary people.

"I was close to exposing Yotsuba's successor-dono. I think Shiba had reason to resist this.

Katsuto returned the conversation, which had gone elsewhere.

"The problem is that because of Shiba's isolation, the Yotsuba family can turn to a way of refusing to cooperate."

"Hey, when you say it, it looks like the parent's interference in the quarrel of the children ..."

- Mari now that Tatsuya-kun is the bridegroom of the next head and the son of the current head of the Yotsuba family. When Juumonji-kun says something, he never exaggerates.

Mari leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily.

-How complicated is the world of politics and aristocracy.

-Since blood relationship is essential, the appearance of an aristocratic system is inevitable. But I want to believe that this will not look like a feudal class society, but as a secular society with blood relationship, which was in the ancient city-states.

-In my opinion, it will be even worse. Because society, as in the ancient city- states, presupposes the existence of slavery.

-Ara. And if you replace the ancient slaves with machines, it will not be inhumane?

-Saegusa, Watanabe, stop. The conversation will not move from place to place, as long as you constantly leave the topic.

"... I'm sorry."

"... I'm sorry."

Katsuto sighed slightly, looking at his guiltily bowing friends.

"In any case, something needs to be done about this situation, when Shiba is seen as isolated from the other 28 houses." At the top of the magical world of Japan at the moment are the Ten Master Clans, but this does not mean that no one is dissatisfied with this.

-If the Yotsuba family leaves the system of the Ten Master Clans, then everything can come to the fact that they form a new faction ... Is this what Juumonji-kun is worried about?

With an acidic face, Katsuto nodded at Mayumi's question.

-Nevertheless, the conversation now does not mean that someone should apologize. Neither party violated the rules. Both Shiba and the other participants spoke in accordance with the established goal of the meeting, and acted quite logically.

Katsuto looked in turn at Mayumi and Mari.

"Since you tried so hard to make this conversation happen, then let me hear your opinion."

- Really ...

Mari was the first to react to Katsuto's question.

- If the problem is that the meeting was broken, how about holding it again?

Mari's proposal was unexpected for Katsuto. He looked at her silently for a while. And then Mayumi spoke.

- But under what pretext?

"It was a meeting to counter anti-magic sentiments, was not it?" If so, then this time it would be nice to call a meeting to discuss more concrete measures.

-Now, after the meeting ended with quarreling and separation from each other, how many families will accept the invitation?

-Precisely because there was a quarrel and separation. The Sunday meeting was organized by the Juumonji family?

Marie looked at Katsuto. He nodded with the words: "Yes, that's right."

-Initially, were specific measures defined at this meeting?

-No. The original goal was to have a free exchange of views.

-In other words, the real goal was to help establish interaction between young people. Is it not obvious that the participants, at a minimum, should act, suspecting others of hidden intentions?

-Yes ... So it is.

Agreeing, Mayumi sighed, lamenting the thoughtlessness of her brother, because of which plans to strengthen friendship were violated.

-In such a situation, I would not be able to calmly support the nomination of the next head of Yotsuba as an advertising idol. This is the same as if the personnel of the military base would have said: "And let's make the daughter of the base commander the base mascot for advertisements of this base." If a person wants to do it himself, then it's okay, but when a person has not even been asked his opinion, this is undoubtedly a problem. Read the atmosphere - that's what I wanted to say.

The example of Mari was imbued with military metaphors, but Mayumi and Katsuto understood what she was saying.

-Well, about reading the atmosphere, this phrase can be attributed to Tatsuya-kun. With the influence of the Yotsuba family, you could get away from this problem later. Frankly, it was stupid to resist this directly. With this approach, he is still a child.

"Tatsuya-kun ... child?" - Having experienced a strong sense of discrepancy, Mayumi half-unconsciously, questioned with doubt.

-No, Shiba most likely specifically objected. He does not care about the hostility of the rest of the 27 houses, except for Yotsuba. It looks like it was a demonstration of this intention.

-It's already ... To begin with, Tatsuya-kun still had to give in.

"It's true, but ... Even if the next meeting takes place, Tatsuya-kun's absence will be meaningless, not to mention that it can have the opposite effect."

"Hmm ..." Katsuto thought a little, sighing slightly. He also thought about what would be best if Tatsuya could compromise. It's just that he did not think about the meaning or reasons for that act.

-How about the fact that the three of us try to convince him? - Guessing Katsuto's concern, Mayumi suddenly made a proposal.

-The three of us?

-Yes. For example, let's say to him that it is necessary that Juumonji-kun retain face. In this case, Tatsuya-kun can and will agree.

-... And do I need to be there for this? "Hey, is he not your friend?"

-Well, for starters, I'm not from the 28 houses ...

Mari voiced that she was simply confused, not refusing. Mayumi's face, whose cheeks had just been inflated, was transformed.

-It does not matter ~. Because alone, I cannot support the conversation between Juumonji-kun and Tatsuya-kun.

-Mayumi, well, you ...

Mari put a hand to her forehead and sighed.

- ... Good. I have already gone too far. Juumonji, will this suit you?

Katsuto's head was packed with too much, and he could not quickly answer this question.

-As a result of the disappointing meeting, the Juumonji family was in a position close to losing their reputation. I do not know about Tatsuya-kun, but other participants should be concerned about this.

At the Mari's words Mayumi, she reacted with a face that says "exactly!".

"Therefore, if Juumonji-kun sends an invitation calling for another discussion, other families will have no choice but to agree."

"And Tatsuya-kun, as Mayumi said, we will convince the three of us." No, using Juumonji's honor as a shield, Mayumi and I try to convince Tatsuya- kun, and with him, if possible, and his bride.

-Miyuki-san, too?

-Shiba's bride ... For some reason it's difficult for me to say that. Are you worried about being with Shiba's former sister? Still, she is involved in all this. In addition, I think that Tatsuya-kun will behave more mature when the former sister is around. In a sense he will behave more moderately.

"And really ... I'll contact Tatsuya-kun myself." Juumonji-kun, are you satisfied with this?

- Yes. I count on you.

"If possible, let's meet on Saturday." On weekdays it will be hard for me.

"Why not Sunday?" - Mayumi asked in a teasing tone.

-Next Sunday I'm leaving for training at an open training ground.

-... It's hard for you.

Hearing the answer of a close friend, she changed her tantalizing tone to a sympathetic one.

- Thank you for your concern.

On the faces of Mayumi and Katsuto there were bitter smiles. Thus, they showed that they understand what it is doing.