At Tatsuya's request, Yugen had analyzed the US military units that had attacked them. He noticed that the chain of command for Lina and Canopus was separate. This confirmed what Lina had said and what Seria had predicted.
While Colonel Virginia Balance relayed orders to both, she handled the Joint Chiefs (Pentagon) orders through Canopus, while Lina received her orders directly from the President. Normally, the President—as Commander-in-Chief—could have stopped the interference with a single word.
(The President didn't stop them... No, he's planning to 'flush them out.')
A government scandal was now unavoidable. The President likely intended to use this to purge anti-government factions and humanists within his own ranks. Yugen pulled a letter from his desk drawer; it was from the current White House Chief of Staff.
The letter warned him to watch the USNA military's movements regarding Gu Jie and included a message from the President. There had long been rumors of collusion between the ruling party and humanist organizations; the President likely intended to launch a massive economic policy to win over public opinion while simultaneously disposing of those involved with the terrorists.
Setting aside international affairs, Yugen tucked the letter away and put on his school jacket. In the living room, breakfast was ready, and the atmosphere was so normal he almost forgot it was his birthday. They had planned a party with friends, but given the current climate, it had been canceled.
"Morning, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Minami."
"Morning, Yugen."
"Good morning, Yugen-san."
At school, he found several boxes on his desk—mostly from Course 2 students. He sighed, noting that the numbers hadn't decreased over the years. Honoka and Shizuku approached him shortly after.
"Morning, Yugen. Still as popular as ever," Shizuku teased.
"Morning. I'm an engaged man, you know. I sometimes question the logic of people who are this persistent."
"Well, you always make sure to give proper returns... Yugen-san, this is just a 'courtesy' chocolate from me," Honoka said, handing him a gift.
"That's rare of you."
Honoka's chocolate was a gesture of thanks for all the help he'd given regarding Tatsuya. Shizuku, however, handed him a "true feeling" chocolate, along with a separate birthday gift.
"I told her Yugen wouldn't mind if she didn't give anything," Shizuku said.
"But he's helped me so much, it felt wrong to do nothing," Honoka added.
"Well, I'll accept them gratefully."
Shizuku's bag contained two separate wrappings—one for the chocolate and one for the birthday present. Before Miyuki could return from her student council duties, Himeri and Seria arrived.
"Yahallo, Big Bro! Your beloved sister has brought you a gift full of lo—GAHHH!"
"Do you have to be this noisy every morning?" Yugen asked, applying a sharp iron claw to Himeri's head.
"That's a very crisp iron claw," Seria noted calmly.
"Stop it! Let gooooo!" Himeri wailed.
Yugen received chocolates and presents from both Himeri and Seria. Miyuki and Minami hadn't shown any signs of giving him anything this morning, as they planned to celebrate at home. However, they had requested that he come home a little later than usual, a request he couldn't refuse.
"By the way, did you get anything from Miyuki?"
"Not yet... Oh, morning, Masaki. Your desk is looking quite festive. The life of a popular guy is truly something else."
"...Morning, Kagurazaka. Are you really the one to be saying that to me?" Masaki replied.
Masaki began neatly packing the mountain of chocolates on his desk into a paper bag provided by a male classmate. At this stage, the chocolate count between Yugen and Masaki was slightly in Yugen's favor.
Yugen had once thought that being the head of the Club Management Group—like Katsuto or Hattori before him—would act as a deterrent to the opposite sex.
The reality was far less merciful. Because Yugen was originally from the Mitsui family, the current third-year students were familiar with him through Mika. Furthermore, since Kana was now a teacher at First High, his popularity had only surged.
"I'm glad I brought this tote bag for lunch, but seriously, what am I supposed to do with all this?" Yugen muttered.
"There were a lot from the third-years and first-years," Seria observed. "Even Izumi-chan came by to give you one."
Yugen wondered why the volume increased even though he was engaged. Perhaps they were trying to make a good impression as potential "candidates" should his engagement fail, but Yugen knew he didn't have the capacity to entertain strangers.
"I saw Leo and Mikihiko getting a fair share too... though they looked a bit conflicted."
"I mean, I'm happy to get them, but I don't know what to do with them," Leo admitted.
"I'm with Leo on this one," Mikihiko added.
In the original timeline, these two hadn't received nearly as much, but their excellent grades and polished appearance made them popular here. Leo, however, was speaking cautiously, likely due to Erika standing next to him with a blindingly sharp smile.
"Oh, isn't it nice? Popularity is a sign of good character, right?" Erika chirped.
"...Mikihiko, let's both be careful," Leo whispered.
"Yeah, I hear you."
Sensing the impending trouble, Seria finished her lunch. "Thank you for the meal. Your cooking has definitely improved since last month."
"I'm glad to hear it," Seria smiled. "On the other hand, my sister... she tried to use magic for cooking and I had to stop her in a panic."
"Using high-output thermal magic for cooking? That's hardly practical," Yugen noted.
Lina's chocolate had been delivered to Tatsuya via Seria. The taste had been vetted by Seria, Silvia Mercury, and—for some reason—Retsu Kudo. Even the "Trickster" hadn't expected his nephew's granddaughter to be so lacking in domestic skills, and he'd looked almost relieved that she hadn't inherited more "magical power" if it meant she might have gained some social competence.
Retsu's descendant who lacked the expected magic power vs. Ken's descendant who lacked social competence. Faced with this "ultimate choice," Retsu had muttered, "Perhaps it was better the way things turned out," earning a wry smile from Silvia.
Beyond them, Lina was currently being put into a joint lock by Seria after failing at another basic task.
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