Let me first explain the recent situation. Perhaps because the "Irregular at Magic High School" genre itself is prone to attracting negative attention, this book has been subject to dynamic review several times recently, and consecutively at that. Because of this, I haven't updated much lately, fearing it might be canceled altogether. However, after thinking about it, I've decided to try my best to finish it, so updates will resume today. But because of this situation, I don't dare to expand too much into original content, so I can only try to wrap it up as quickly as possible, giving the whole story a complete ending. For this, I can only apologize to everyone, as it might feel more satisfying compared to the earlier parts.
That night, at the Shiba residence.
When the car stopped in front of the mansion, Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba got out. Tatsuya Shiba immediately sensed many unfamiliar presences in the vicinity. Just as he was about to use his "eye" to observe the surroundings, the mansion door was pushed open from the inside, and Hayama slowly walked out of the house.
"Mr. Hayama?"
Upon seeing the old man, Tatsuya Shiba felt relieved. However, he was somewhat puzzled by Hayama's appearance at his home. Based on his understanding of Maya Yotsuba, even if she had notified him in advance that she would be coming to the house tonight, she shouldn't have entered the house without permission before the siblings returned home.
"I apologize, Lord Tatsuya and Lady Miyuki. A lot has happened today, and the head of the family needs a quiet environment to deal with it, so we had to enter the mansion ahead of schedule. Please forgive us." Hayama bowed.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance at Hayama's explanation and said nothing more. They were well aware of the upheaval that today's events would cause within the Ten Master Clans.
"It's alright. By the way, Mr. Hayama, may I ask what the outcome of the Master Clans Conference was?" Miyuki Shiba asked. It might be inappropriate for Tatsuya Shiba to ask this question, but since she was currently acting as the head of the Yotsuba Family, it was reasonable for her to ask.
Hayama gently shook his head. "Lady Miyuki, the conclusion of the Master Clans Conference was not ideal. It's best if the clan head informs you both personally."
After saying that, Hayama gestured for them to enter. The brother and sister exchanged another glance before stepping into the house.
As soon as they entered the house, the two saw Maya Yotsuba sitting in the living room. Unlike their impression of her, Maya Yotsuba looked noticeably tired today. Beside her sat another girl. Upon seeing Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba, the girl immediately seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, clearly feeling considerable pressure from being alone with Maya Yotsuba.
" Tatsuya, and Miyuki, you're back." Maya Yotsuba spoke first, gesturing to the sofa beside her, and continued, "You might be a little tired from just getting back, but time is short, so let's get down to business first."
Seeing her actions, Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba immediately adopted serious expressions. After the two were seated, Maya Yotsuba spoke, "You two must have been paying attention to today's Master Clans Conference, right? Tatsuya and Miyuki, before we discuss the results, I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Tatsuya Shiba frowned slightly; this situation was one he hadn't anticipated. He and Miyuki knew perfectly well why the Master Clans Conference was being held, but the attendees were all clan heads, and a conclusion should already be reached, so what was the point of listening to their opinions?
" Miyuki, you go first." Maya Yotsuba, seemingly oblivious to Tatsuya Shiba's expression, turned her gaze to Miyuki Shiba and urged her on.
"Yes, Master." Miyuki Shiba replied.
She hesitated for a moment, organizing her thoughts before speaking, "I think the debate at the Master Clans Conference likely stemmed from the Master Clans Conference opinions of winning over or eliminating the target. I'm not entirely sure of the final conclusion, but if it were up to me, I wouldn't want to be enemies with that person."
At this point, Miyuki Shiba paused slightly before continuing, "As someone who has sparred with him using magic, I still remember the feeling of helplessness I had when standing against him. And as we had more and more contact, what he revealed became increasingly unbelievable."
"Logically speaking, an undercover agent like him should be trying his best to hide his brilliance within our Japan. However, due to some special reasons, he ended up with President Saegusa. And during the Nine Schools Competition, he seemed to have had some misunderstanding with President Saegusa. Since then, he seems to have stopped hiding himself and has been naturally revealing more and more of himself."
"I have a guess that he might not take his infiltration in Japan very seriously; this is just my feeling. But I have another guess, though it doesn't sound very pleasant."
Maya Yotsuba listened to Miyuki Shiba's words, initially appearing relaxed, but gradually, she also became serious.
"I really should listen to the opinions of those of you who have been in close contact with them," Maya Yotsuba sighed softly.
" Miyuki, continue with your less-than-pleasant guess."
Upon hearing Maya Yotsuba's words, Miyuki Shiba nodded gently.
"I think, if it were him, it might not be because he didn't take infiltrating Japan seriously, but because after infiltrating for a while, he thought he had figured out the strength of our Japan magicians and felt that with his abilities he was fearless, which is why he turned out the way he is now."
"A massive, deceleration spell that can even stop a large-scale tsunami, Spatial Magic, and the spell that my brother, Fumiya, and I witnessed not long ago—after seeing all of these, I've come to this conclusion."
After saying all this, Miyuki Shiba seemed to deflate, and leaned back gently against the sofa.
Seeing her like this, Maya Yotsuba couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was probably the person in the world who understood Miyuki Shiba better than anyone else. Even Tatsuya Shiba, who had always been by her side, didn't understand her as well as she did in some ways. For her to have such thoughts, it was clear that the shock that person had given her had exceeded her expectations.
Maya Yotsuba turned her gaze to Tatsuya Shiba beside her. " Tatsuya, what's your opinion?"
Without much thought, Tatsuya Shiba immediately gave his reply.
"I wouldn't mind establishing any adversarial relationship with him."
Tatsuya Shiba's answer was very concise and clear, which surprised Maya Yotsuba. Compared to their conversation at the Yotsuba Clan's main family home last time, Tatsuya Shiba's stance was clearly more firm this time.
"Reason?" Maya Yotsuba pressed.
"He's too dangerous. If we don't have the certainty of killing him with a single blow, then establishing an enemy relationship with him would be like planting a bomb within ourselves, and one that can't be defused," Tatsuya Shiba replied.
"What if we use the method you mentioned last time?" Maya Yotsuba continued to ask.
Tatsuya Shiba and said, "I'm not absolutely certain. If we fail, then I—no, I should say we—will face his counterattack and retaliation. If that happens, Yotsuba Clan may cease to exist."