In other words, against the role of the Emperor who normally does not interfere in national politics, the current Emperor would strongly request this of the Prime Minister as his "Word." It was essentially a threat: if the Prime Minister could not accept it, his certification would not be recognized. And, the Emperor would offer his own living abdication as penance for breaking custom, passing the throne to the Crown Prince.
Hearing these words of determination, Yugen and Mototsugu raised their heads in unison.
"I am deeply humbled by Your Majesty's agonizing decision."
"It is fine. As long as young people like you are exerting yourselves as heads of the Guardians to protect the nation, this is all I, as a symbol, can do. Kagurazaka-dono, Kamiizumi-dono. Please continue to protect this country in the future."
"Yes!"
"Your words are wasted on us."
After concluding the meeting with the Emperor at the Akasaka Imperial Property, they thought they would be going home, but the staff guided them to the Akasaka Detached Palace, the State Guest House. Wondering why, the mystery dissolved in the reception room they were shown into.
"Ah, Yugen-kun! It's been a while for you too, Mototsugu-kun."
"...It has been a while. Hey, Yugen. Was Mio-san always this kind of person?"
"I'm the one who wants to ask that."
Given the location, Mototsugu and Yugen whispered to each other about Mio's tone of voice. Mio was aware that Yugen was the cause, but seeing the two men looking somewhat unconvinced, she puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"Muu, Yugen-kun is so cold. Catching such a beautiful girl and then neglecting her."
"Neglecting... Basically, Mio-san, you were at the Itsuwa main house in Shikoku for military duty, weren't you? I am still a student, so I can't just go out whenever I please."
"But you traveled domestically and internationally with Gouzo-san, didn't you?"
"No, that was just my grandfather dragging Yugen around on his own accord..."
After the Okinawa Defense Battle, Gouzo threw his work as head of the family onto Mototsugu and flew around Japan and the world with Yugen. Honestly, to the level where he had fewer memories of middle school than elementary school, they traveled under the pretext of "medical treatment." During that time, they met famous doctors around the world and received their stamp of approval that there were "no issues."
When they went to the Niger Delta region, they saved a girl (learning later that it was Efia Mensah; airmail was basically sent via the French government) who was being assaulted by soldiers who had ruined their dinner. Gouzo then turned the base where the soldiers fled into scorched earth with Phantom Dive (Thunderclap Severing Flash), raining down high-voltage lightning.
Upon learning it was a base for forces supported by the Great Asian Alliance, the enemy sent a large army, but it was too late. From Gouzo's perspective, the grudge over food (plus the fact that the opponent was the Great Asian Alliance, who had defeated Dahan) outweighed their lives.
—To not know me, you have some nerve. Alright, Yugen. We're kicking them all out of Africa.
—Haa!? Are you sane, Old Man!!
Eventually, Yugen gave up, put on a mask for cognitive interference, and annihilated the troops with Lightning Disaster (Thunderclap Instant Light), a Strategic-Class Magic he pseudo-constructed and improved from the Great Asian Alliance's Thunderclap Tower. Gouzo then erased the Great Asian Alliance's Niger Area Army Base with the Strategic-Class Magic Hell End Dragon (Thunderbolt Demise Dragon).
The final damage to the Great Asian Alliance Area Army and the armed forces they supported amounted to 100,000 (not only in the Niger Delta region, but almost all Great Asian Alliance soldiers on the African continent were sacrificed). The damage to the French-aligned armed forces that considered the Niger region their turf was zero (there were some people scouting nearby by chance, but they sensed the danger and fled immediately).
Due to this battle—or rather, this annihilation drama—the Niger Delta region sought the protection of the French government, which had been supporting them. The French military was dispatched immediately, and it formally became French territory. This event, later called the "Miracle of the Niger Delta," spread across the entire African continent in the blink of an eye.
Western nations, excluding France, searched for the whereabouts of the magicians who performed this miracle, but no information came out. The only clue they eventually obtained was "a pair of Asian males." After all, almost no soldiers returned from the Great Asian Alliance side, and even the survivors were traumatized, screaming "L-Lightning... Stop, don't come!" so there was no way to know what had happened.
Since the magic monitoring system via stratospheric platforms did not detect any signs of large-scale magic activation equivalent to Strategic-Class Magic, further investigation was deemed impossible and terminated. (Since the damage was caused by lightning-based magic, it was ultimately concluded that it was either a self-destruction by Thunderclap Tower or a rebellion caused by an unofficial Strategic-Class Magician of the Great Asian Alliance comparable to the Thirteen Apostles using Thunderclap Tower).
The French government, the only one to know their deeds, handed over a massive reward under the guise of consolation money (the money itself came from the President's pocket). However, after giving all that money to the girl who had been assaulted by the armed soldiers, the pair vanished as if they had never been there. And thus, that girl—Efia Mensah—came to follow a destiny different from the original story.
Idle Talk (Back to the Present):
"Ahem. I, Itsuwa Mio, have applied to be Kagurazaka Yugen-dono's fiancée. I expect a good answer."
"Knowing Mother, she probably won't refuse. Well, even if it's confirmed, it looks like you'll be in Tokyo for the time being."
"I'm prepared for that. So, Yugen-kun, Mototsugu-kun. I will convey a matter of concern from my father."
"Itsuwa-dono?"
The concern from Itsuwa Isami, head of the Itsuwa family of the Ten Master Clans, conveyed by Mio. It was regarding the recent increase in maritime movement from the USNA direction. They had naturally grasped that movement, but when stated with specific numbers, the increase was clearly significant.
"Is Itsuwa-dono concerned about the illegal entry of Humanists who might be coming from the USNA?"
"Most likely. Naturally, when it comes to movements outside the country, even the Itsuwa family has its limits, so I thought to convey this to the Kagurazaka and Kamiizumi families."
"...Yugen, how do you see it?"
"That possibility exists. As long as there are people within the government who have connections to Humanists, the status of surveillance on the other side can be managed however they like depending on the bribe."
No matter how much that country prepared systems to guard against terrorism, if there were groups within the government supporting Humanism, anything could happen. Rather, they might even allow departure if it meant quieting disturbances within their own country. In that sense, the possibility of Humanists coming from the USNA was extremely high. High enough to make one want to declare the USNA a "selfish nation" that would calmly drag its allies into trouble as long as its own country was fine.
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