Luckily, Tatsuya’s worry that Maya might suppress the information about Minoru turned out to be for nothing.
It was Monday, June 17, the day after Tatsuya and Minoru’s unfortunate battle at the hospital in Chofu. Tatsuya had been called to the Magic Association’s Kanto branch. Only this time, their aim was not to convince him to join the Dione Project. He was requested to attend the ad hoc meeting of magician families as an observer—or better yet, as a witness.
Only Tatsuya and Katsuto were physically present in the conference room of the Magic Association’s Kanto branch in Yokohama Bay Hills Tower. Katsuto treated Tatsuya as a representative of the Yotsuba family and interacted with him in a professional manner.
In fact, he acted like their battle on the last Sunday of the previous month hadn’t even happened. At the same time, this unaffected behavior proved that he hadn’t fully processed what had happened yet. Either way, both Tatsuya and Katsuto were distant toward each other.
The ten faces of the Ten Master Clan heads appeared on the screen before them. Katsuto was, of course, the in-person exception, and Retsu Kudou stood in for his son Makoto. The members swiftly went through the bare minimum of formalities before diving straight into the agenda. Gouki Ichijou, who had recently recovered from his illness, was the first one to speak.
“It isn’t as if I don’t trust you. I just wanted to confirm,” he said in a hearty tone aimed at Tatsuya. “Is it true that Minoru Kudou has become a parasite?”
“That’s what he said,” Tatsuya replied. “From our battle, I could tell he was telling the truth.”
The members on the screen displayed three types of emotions. Some looked surprised, some displayed no emotion at all, and others sadly lowered their eyes.
“Is it also true that Minoru went to see Minami Sakurai, a magician under the Yotsuba clan’s care?” asked Gen Mitsuya, one of the surprised members.
“Yes. He also confirmed this himself.”
“Do Minoru and Minami have some sort of…special relationship?” Takumi Shippou inquired.
“I’m not sure,” Tatsuya replied.
The truth was that he had not confirmed the feelings of either party. If asked directly, Minami would probably have given the same answer as Tatsuya. It was highly likely that she was still confused about her feelings toward Minoru.
“Let’s put Minoru’s motives aside,” Kouichi Saegusa cut in. “While I believe the fact that he has set his sights on a member of the Yotsuba clan is certainly an issue, I am most curious about where he could have become possessed by a parasite.”
“That’s a good point, Saegusa,” Isami Itsuwa agreed. “Whether parasites have somehow made their way back into Japan or they were reborn within the country itself, this is an issue that we cannot ignore without facing real consequences.”
“About that…,” Retsu Kudou began bitterly.
But before he could finish his sentence, Tatsuya interrupted.
“The last time we were faced with an invasion, my friends helped me seal away two parasites. At the time, we were unsure how to destroy them, and they were ultimately stolen from us. I believe Minoru’s parasite came from these two.”
“And you have no idea who could have stolen them?” Kouichi pressed.
“That’s correct,” Tatsuya replied without hesitation.
“You never carried out an investigation?”
“Tokyo is not Yotsuba clan territory, so no.”
Tatsuya’s reply caused Kouichi to frown.
“The people involved in the incident were Mayumi Saegusa, Erika Chiba, and the Juumonji clan,” Tatsuya continued. “All of us shared information about the stolen parasites.”
“Yes, I heard about that,” Katsuto said, speaking as the head of the Juumonji clan.
At this point, Kouichi had no choice but to back down. If Mayumi was involved, the Saegusa clan had to take some of the responsibility for what happened.
Just then, Maya spoke up unexpectedly.
“One of the parasites is in my possession,” she said. “I took care of it while Tatsuya was in battle with the other one. However, I was never able to locate that second parasite once it was sealed.”
“Why didn’t you tell Tatsuya about this?” Mai Futatsugi asked in disbelief.
“I wanted him to focus on his studies,” Maya said reproachfully. It was clear to everyone in the room that this was a brazen lie, but she continued to pretend otherwise. “I had our parasite examined when Tatsuya told me about Minoru, but it seemed to be untouched.”
“Does that mean there is a strong possibility that Minoru was infected by the other parasite that went missing?” Atsuko Mutsuzuka wondered.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions now,” Raizou Yatsushiro cautioned. “We’re lacking too much information. Saegusa and Itsuwa’s worries are valid, but I believe we should focus on handling what we know.”
Atsuko nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
In other words, Raizou was suggesting that they concentrate their efforts on Minoru. “My apologies, Sage,” said Raizou, “but now that we are certain your grandson has been possessed by a parasite, we can’t just let him run free.”
“I understand.” Retsu nodded, clearly suppressing his emotions.
As the head of the Kudou family and Minoru’s father, Makoto Kudou might not have been able to be so calm. Retsu was attending the current meeting ostensibly because Makoto was busy with internal family matters. But the truth could be that Makoto would have found it much harder to negotiate.
“There have been confirmed cases of parasites seeking new targets after losing their original host,” Tatsuya added.
Though everyone present should have known this, their expressions revealed that they needed the reminder.
“Does this mean we should mobilize magicians capable of attacking spiritual entities?” Gouki asked.
“It would be much safer to try to render Minoru powerless without killing him,” Takumi suggested.
Gen nodded. “I agree.”
“Tatsuya, do you know how to seal a parasite?” Isami asked through the screen.
Before Tatsuya could answer, Retsu spoke up.
“I can tell you that.”
“You can?” Isami said in surprise.
“Excuse my forwardness, Sage,” Gouki began, his gaze palpably suspicious. “But where did you learn how to seal a parasite?”
“It’s no secret,” Maya interrupted. “He is the one who taught us the program to seal parasites in the first place.”
The sternness immediately faded from Gouki’s face.
“I’d like to consult Sage for guidance regarding Minoru’s capture. In the meantime, let’s focus on devising a plan,” Mai said, steering the conversation back on track just as it started to lose momentum. “Is it safe to say Minoru is after Minami Sakurai?”
“Yes, I believe Minami is his ultimate target,” Tatsuya confirmed.
“Then our most effective move would be to set up a trap at the facility where Minami is hospitalized,” Gouki suggested.
He seemed to have no qualms about using Minami as bait. Interestingly, Maya didn’t fight back.
“Excellent idea,” she said. “I will make sure Minami is fully protected.”
In a way, it sounded like she was indirectly rejecting any help from the Saegusa clan. This made Kouichi frown.
“Ms. Yotsuba, the Juumonji clan would like to support your efforts,” Katsuto offered, although it was unclear whether he was reading the room correctly.
“All right. As long as you remain outside the hospital.”
“That’s fine with us.”
“Then we would be happy to accept your help.”
That concluded Maya and Katsuto’s exchange, which kept Kouichi out of the loop.
“What should the rest of us do?” Atsuko asked.
“Minoru may have his sights on Minami Sakurai, but there is also a chance he may return to the Kudou family residence,” Takumi replied.
Minoru had been missing since the day before. Takumi reasoned that though the boy had not gone home yet, he could show up at any moment.
“I will of course catch him if he shows up here,” Retsu said. “We have no intention of hiding him.”
“That’s not what we’re worried about,” Mai reassured him. “Despite his poor health, Minoru has always been an excellent magician. Now that he has become a parasite, there is no telling how much his powers have grown. If you would like, I can send some of the Futatsugi clan to help handle him.”
“My family would be happy to help, as well,” Gouki added.
“I appreciate that.” Retsu bowed his head. “For the time being, I will take you up on your offer, Ms. Futatsugi. If we need more support, I will be sure to let you know, Mr. Ichijou.”
“Great,” said Mai.
“Understood,” said Gouki.
“Then to summarize,” Katsuto began, “the Yotsuba clan will oversee Minami Sakurai’s protection. The Saegusa clan will lay a trap in case Minoru stops by. The Juumonji clan will provide protection from the outside of the hospital. The Futatsugi and Ichijou clans will provide support at the Kudou clan’s residence. In the meantime, all other families will keep a lookout for Minoru. Does that sound good?”
A series of positive voices assented from the screen. The Ten Master Clan’s policy regarding the Minoru incident was settled.