Predicament

Conflict Arc 3

A/N There is a ton of scene changes this chapter, but no matter how I tried to re-structure this chapter I cannot help it. Sorry if it is inconvenient for your reading.

The state-wide shutdown imposed by the government had been lifted and First High School resumed its curriculum. News regarding Tatsuya's true identity has finally been leaked to the public and the response was nothing short of fiery. The shocking truth, coupled with the fact that he was a student of First High School, threw the entire student population into a frenzy as they marvelled at his achievements and feared him for his relations with the Yotsuba clan. After hearing of the news, students who had previously offended him were praying that he did not hold any grudges for they feared it would turn them into enemies of the Yotsuba Clan.

Along with the news came a consensus within the magic community that the Yotsuba was, without a doubt, the strongest military organisation in existence. Within a morning, the balance of power within the 10MC has shifted alarmingly. With each clan leader feeling even more threatened by the power of the Yotsuba Clan, an emergency meeting between prominent clan leaders was held.

"I believe that all of us here know why we are gathered here. The Yotsuba Clan is currently too strong. Even if all of us were to team up and go against them, I am not optimistic that we will be able to come up on top." Ichijou Gouki, the leader of the Ichijou Clan, started off the meeting in his thick and strong voice.

Sitting as part of the central round table, Koichi was the only one who was not visibly shaken by the news. He had already suspected Tatsuya of his identities prior to the release of the news, so it did little to shock him. In fact, he felt a sense of pity that he could not have the opportunity to uncover Tatsuya's identity by himself. Unlike the other clan leaders, he was the least fearful of the Yotsuba Clan. He knew that he still had his ultimate trump card – his daughter's relationship with Tatsuya. In the best possible outcome, Tatsuya may even join his clan and finally put the Saegusa Clan over the Yotsuba in terms of sheer power.

"That much is true, but before we proceed I will like to use this platform to share with all of you a piece of news. My daughter, as of recent, is dating Shiba Tatsuya. Of course, I did not know of his relations to the Yotusba clan, but even now I do not forbid their relationship."

Koichi's announcement came as a shocker to all that were present, but within the news, they were able to find relief. At least with Mayumi dating Tatsuya, if it all goes well, Tatsuya may very well marry into the Saegusa Clan which will weaken the Yotsuba Clan considerably. That is not to say that they were comfortable with the plan since it would mean that the Saegusa Clan will now be a big threat to every clan other than the Yotsuba Clan, which meant that they would still inevitably be threatened.

Koichi paid no heed to their concerned looks and tuned out for the remaining of the meeting, for he knew that the other resolutions to deal with the Yotsuba Clan would be pathetic. Right now, they can only pray that Mayumi is able to capture Tatsuya's heart and bring him to the Saegusa Clan. In that aspect, Koichi was spot on. After all the other clan leaders finished rambling for an entire afternoon, all they had managed to come up with was to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

(Scene Change)

Although Tatsuya knew that he would receive a lot of unwanted attention, he still insisted on attending school. He may no longer be Miyuki's Guardian, but he still felt compelled to protect Miyuki and that meant he had to stay near her. Furthermore, now that his ties with the Yotsuba Clan were exposed, Miyuki was bound to be dragged into the fray as well. This meant that they would be literal walking targets of fear and assault so Tatsuya could absolutely not spare any effort for Miyuki's safety. Of course, a part of him just wanted to see Mayumi in school too.