Predicament

Yotsuba Crisis Arc 4

"It has been a while since we last sat down to have a conversation, please make yourself comfortable Sir."

"It indeed has been, I believe that there will only be one agenda today." Kudou Retsu said as he made himself comfortable in Koichi's Study.

"Of course, I would not dare to take up too much of your valuable time," Koichi said with the utmost respect towards Kudou Retsu, his teacher in life.

"Regarding that boy Tatsuya, what are you going to do with him?" Retsu inquired with concern rather than curiosity.

"Nothing much, I am just attempting to fish for his true identity out of boredom," Koichi replied casually.

"Let me ask you my question again. What do you intend to do with Tatsuya-san?" Retsu knew that it was a lie from the moment Koichi opened his mouth, after all, there was no way he would not be able to tell if his pupil was lying.

"You see right through me, I am deeply apologetic Sir. I can only say that I intend to make him into the weapon of the Saegusa family. I am certain that I can unlock all of his potentials and harness his powers for the Saegusa family."

"You want to turn him into a weapon? Stop your foolish ideas before it is too late! Magicians are humans too!" Koichi's intentions went against his principles, so as Koichi's teacher, he could not help but be infuriated by his pupil's decisions. "I did not teach you of such inhumane acts, don't ever call me your teacher if you proceed with your plan."

"Allow me to explain. Tatsuya-kun is a special case, he is the only magician who is eligible to be called a weapon, he is unable to feel strong emotions."

"What? That is impossible, he is a human after all."

"He has a complicated history which ties to this unique phenomenon which only makes him that much more interesting."

"Even then, he is pitiful enough. He deserves our sympathy, not to be a weapon." Retsu was still adamant on his stand.

"No, he is the chosen one to achieve this spectacular feat, I do not think that holding him back will serve him any justice."

"Remember my advice the first time I spoke to you over the phone regarding Tatsuya-san?" Retsu said with a sigh, he gave in to Koichi.

"Of course, never will I forget your wise advice. However, I would have to admit that I am incapable of deciphering your message." Koichi's face brightened up, not expecting Retsu to give in so easily.

"Without a given context, it is impossible to do so but you must keep it in mind. The moment you figure it out, you should run, but just remember that you cannot hide. You will meet your marker – Him." Retsu said ruthlessly before calming himself down with a sip of tea the servants had so thoughtfully prepared.

"If I may so ask, is there any information that you could so graciously share with me regarding Tatsuya-san?" Although he knew that he was pushing his boundaries, Koichi had to take the risk. He was simply far too obsessed with figuring out Tatsuya's identity.

"With all the troubles you went through digging out information about him, you should know him better than me. Furthermore, I would be long gone if I knew anything noteworthy." While Retsu appeared to give Koichi a cold shoulder, he was, in fact, reiterating his warnings of how dangerous Tatsuya is.

(Scene Change)

As soon as Tatsuya opened his eyes, nostalgia engulfed him. He was lying on the bed he used while he was still staying at the Yotsuba main residence. He mustered his strength and sat up, his head throbbing at the same time. Taking a deep breath in, he looked around the room and confirmed that it was left in the exact state before he moved out. As his gaze returned to him, he saw Miyuki's head resting on the side of his bed sleeping worriedly. 'I must have been out for long.' Tatsuya said inwardly as he searched for the clock in the room. 'It is already dawn, I guess I must have been out for more than half a day.' Tatsuya murmured, still trying to take in this new experience. Never in his life had he collapsed, his magic Regrowth would always kick in before he even had a chance to collapse. However, this time Regrowth did not automatically activate when Tatsuya lost consciousness, raising some new questions around his magic.