November 6, AD 2095

Yotsuba Main House

Parlor

While he was looking out the window, Tatsuya suddenly turned around to the entrance.

From the outside, the mansion looked like a traditional Japanese building, but on the inside, it was an almost unscrupulous blend of both Eastern and Western stylistic choices. East-West chaos may have better described it: Some rooms were entirely Japanese-style, while others were perfectly Western.

This parlor—the “audience chamber”—was one of those perfectly Western rooms. Its wallpaper, ceiling, flooring, lighting, and windows were all taken from Western designs. Even the entrance was a swinging door rather than a traditional Japanese sliding one.

Tatsuya watched said door as a knock, knock, knock came from beyond it.

“Come in,” said Miyuki, remaining seated on the sofa.

With a polite “excuse me,” the door opened and a maid appeared. However, she wore a Japanese-style outfit, layering an apron over a kimono. She was most likely a jochu, a live-in housekeeper, so perhaps the term maid was incorrect. Nevertheless, Tatsuya couldn’t help but get the impression that she was a walking anachronism in this room.

The Japanese maid bowed deeply to them before stepping aside. Behind her stood a man in a suit—a man Tatsuya knew well.

Miyuki covered her mouth with a hand to hide her surprise. She didn’t know him as well as Tatsuya did, but she was still aware of his identity.

After the man entered the room, the maid bowed again, then closed the door, leaving without explanation. Her only job must have been to guide the man here.

“Been a while, Tatsuya. A whole week, in fact,” joked the man in an even tone. It was Harunobu Kazama, leader of the Independent Magic Battalion.

“Major? Why are—? No, did my aunt call you here?”

Tatsuya almost asked what he was doing here, but he switched gears to get a mere confirmation. Kazama had no reason to personally visit the Yotsuba main house, so it was clear that the Yotsuba had summoned the Independent Magic Battalion’s leader here.

“That’s right,” he replied. “She didn’t tell me you’d be attending as well, though.”

As Kazama entered the room, Miyuki stood up. “My apologies, sir,” she said.

He’d only spoken the truth; he wasn’t petty enough to take offense over something like surprise guests. Tatsuya knew that, so he passed it off with a shrug, but Miyuki seemed unable to ignore the mismanagement on the part of her family member.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Kazama.

He and Miyuki didn’t share much in common. Without Tatsuya, they would never have met at all. Therefore, if a third party had been present, he wouldn’t have spoken so candidly with her. He seemed to slip into thinking of her as Tatsuya’s little sister, however, when Tatsuya was the only other one around.

But though they didn’t see each other very often, she first met the man the same time Tatsuya did. Her acquaintanceship with him went back to that incident three years ago.