Mahouka: The Yotsuba Prince (OC x Mayumi)

Part 4'1

Chapter 41

EPILOGUE-1

INEI YOTSUBA

Inei found himself sitting face to face with his mother once more, and found himself more dulled and tired than anytime before. The war had changed him, two years of constant fighting—No. Not fighting, but slaughter had dulled him much and yet he had entered GAA with specific objectives, and now two years later he had achieved them all.

GAA was so decimated, their military and magical might so severely hampered than it would taken them at least two decades to even think of rebuilding their magical society, specially now that the man who had supported their society from the shadows for all these years was dead.

Gu Jie, the undying. The man who was in a way responsible for the tragedy that was his own life was now dead, and with that the last remnants of Dahan were erased from the face of this world.

The revenge of Maya Yotsuba was now complete, the people who had taken her life from her were now all dead, their country decimated, and the reason for it engrained into their deepest memories.

"Are you satisfied now?" he asked her, as he sat opposite to her, and despite the two years she had not changed much.

Though the same could not be said of him, for he knew that he had changed. In ways more than one.

"I had hoped to be," she answered solemnly as she looked him in the eye, and all he felt was pity for her in that moment.

"But truth is I am not, I feel nothing. Not a single thing," and that was the tragedy of Maya Yotsuba, to not feel a single thing. Something he had given much thought to during the campaign.

"Are you?" she asked him, and he sighed as he looked to the ceiling.

His own purpose of going into the GAA had been to neutralise Gu Jie, to make sure that the man would never harm him and those closer to him ever. And yet he had underestimated the sheer toll the war would take on him, how it would dull him to see and carry out the slaughter.

"I had hoped to be as well," he answered, for though it all did not satisfy him now, he hoped that the future would prove worth it.

"I see," Maya Yotsuba added as she gave him a slow nod and then put aside her cup.

"What a pair we are, mother and son," she commented with a chuckle, and there was self derision in those words as she looked him in the eye.

"We made an agreement when you left for the war two years ago. You have kept up your side of the bargain, and so it is time for me to keep up my end," she said as he shook her head.

"Not yet," and it was a decision he had reached after much thought and seemed to surprise her.

"What do you mean?" she asked as Inei sighed.

"Being a clan head comes with a certain set of responsibilities and duties and though I know I can carry them out easily, I wish to have sometime for myself, and that is why I am modifying the terms of our agreement," he said and saw her nod, as a smile appeared on her lips.

"That is cruel of you. Just when I had hoped that I would be done with all this," she replied, and he shrugged.

"Two years," he added and saw her eyes widen.

"You shall hold onto this seat for two years, and after that I shall succeed you as the clan head," and that was a decision he had reached after much deliberation, and thought.

"So be it," she agreed for she had no reason to deny him anymore, and he nodded as he gulped.

"Do you wish for it?" he asked, making her frown as he continued.