03x10 - Ancient City Insurrection Part II

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KUDOU RESIDENCE NARA PREFECTURE

KUDOU

Thank you for allowing us
to have your time tonight.

It's been a long time.

The last time we met face to
face was last summer, I think.

Thank you again for your support
regarding the Golden Electron Silkworms.

In truth, I'm not in any position
to appear before you in person...

but you asked to see me yourself today.

That makes me happy.

I'm honored.

Kyoko has informed me of
the nature of your business.

To capture Gongjin Zhou.

This would be a mission ordered by
Maya, no... by Ms. Yotsuba, I presume.

That's correct.

Ah...

The Ten Master Clans are shackled by the
rules designated by the Clans Conference.

One of them prohibits any collusion or collaboration
without first going through the Conference...

except in the case of emergencies.

Right.

We cannot accept a request for cooperation
from the Yotsubas as the Kudou Family.

So, I intend to accept this request from
you, Tatsuya Shiba the individual...

as Retsu Kudou, another individual.

Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.

Good work, all three of you!

We have a simple meal prepared,
so please join us if you'd like.

He should be here any minute now.

What?

Come in!

Pardon me.

Grandfather told me to join you all.

Nice to meet you. I'm the
youngest son of Makoto Kudou...

the current head of the Kudou Family, a
first year student at Second High School.

Minoru Kudou.

I'm honored to meet you all.

Nice to meet you. I'm Tatsuya Shiba.

I'm his younger sister, Miyuki.

I had the privilege of seeing your performances
during the Nine Schools Competition.

Oh, and please call me "Minoru."

Since I'm younger than you.

I'd also appreciate it if you
didn't use honorifics with me.

Then, we'll call you "Minoru," all right?

And please call me "Miyuki"!

You can just call me "Tatsuya."

Oh!

Pardon me!

I still haven't greeted you!
My name is Minami Sakurai!

I'm very pleased to make your
acquaintance, Master Minoru!

Oh, well, that was so polite of you.

But... if you don't mind, I'd rather
not be called "Master Minoru."

Minoru, please forgive her.

It's Minami's custom, or
should I say it's her nature?

Do you think you could indulge her?

Well, if that's the case...

it's nice to meet you, Ms. Sakurai.

Please, if you could call me "Minami"...

Uh, r-right. Very well, then.

Minoru, it's not a matchmaking session,
so there's no need to be so nervous.

What? Oh, sorry, Big Sister Kyoko.

You, too, Minami. I'm sure it's
difficult to open up all a sudden,

but you should relax a bit.

Sorry, Big Sister Miyuki.

Now, now, don't say that, Miyuki.

It would be too much of a feat for a


in front of a boy her
age whom she's just met.

Brother, I'm also 16, and I'm
meeting Minoru for the first time.

Are you telling me that I don't
fall under the "girl" category?

But you're not just any girl.
You're a refined young lady.

Well... listen to you, Brother!

You two siblings are
very close, aren't you?

They're so close, I don't know what to do.

I don't remember ever putting
you on the spot, Ms. Fujibayashi.

I'm a little envious.

Since my brothers are a lot older than
me, I don't really talk to them that much.

And I don't have any friends, either.

Really? You must have
friends at school, right?

I've been frail since I was born.

So, I tend to miss school a lot.

But I'm feeling well this week!

Oh, wait! You're all spending
the night here, aren't you?

No, we have lodgings nearby.

So, you're not going to
spend the night here?

Don't be unreasonable now.

It's better to wait until you're
closer to do that kind of thing.

Right.

Anyway, why don't you take them
on a tour tomorrow, Minoru?

Yes. Since I tend to
stay home from school,

I know I'm more knowledgeable about
Grandfather's work than my brothers.

Is your task to search for the
Traditionalist Magicians, Mr. Tatsuya?

More or less.

Then, I think I might be useful to you.

Since the Traditionalists' bases
are concentrated the most in Kyoto.

There's also quite a number
of primary bases in Nara.

I'll show you around tomorrow.

We'll take you up on that offer.
I'm counting on you, then, Minoru.

Right!

OCTOBER 7, A.D. 2096

Good morning, everyone!

I've come to pick you up.

Minoru, is that...

Oh...

This?

I need to be able to store more
than 99 activation sequences.

That's why I'm wearing one on each wrist.

But thanks to this Thought-Controlled
CAD, it's much easier now.

That's impressive that you're
able to use that many spells.

You're praising me too much.

There's a base right in the city?

No, the Traditionalists'
major base is in Mikasayama.

Brother?

There were so many tourists,
and now they're gone.

A Mental Interference-Type
Spell. It's a barrier.

Do you mean enemies?

It seems like there's a high-ranking
barrier magic user among them.

They kept their magic
output to a minimum...

and made sure we wouldn't catch
onto them until the last minute.

Of course, they probably didn't count on you
noticing their spell so soon, Mr. Tatsuya.

Minami!

Right!

What? - What?

Amazing! It's like the Holy Grail!

Please let me handle the rest.

Oh!

Is that an illusion? Unbelievable!

Parade.

It's the Kudou Family's secret art,
incorporating elements of ninjutsu.

That precision is incredible!

I think he's even better than Lina!

Take this!

Did anyone get hurt?

Uh, no.

The fact that they were
waiting to ambush us here...

means that they probably knew we
were heading to their secret base.

It looks like it.

Most likely, they've already
cleared out of that base.

Brother, don't you think it
would be wise to get moving now?

If we stay here too long, people will...

You're right.

Let's call it a day, then.

THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL
ANCIENT CITY INSURRECTION PART II

I'll see you guys off here, then.

I enjoyed myself today.

No, you, too, really helped us out.

Will I see you again?

Well, our work isn't done yet. We should
be traveling back here again soon.

When that happens, I think
we'll be needing your help.

Please, I'll be happy to
do whatever you need!

If I can be of use to you in
any way, I'll be glad to help!

Thanks, Minoru.

All right, then, see you.

Yes! See you then!

- OCTOBER 8, A.D. 2096

- Nakura...

Do you remember that
boy named Tatsuya Shiba?

He was Ms. Mayumi's underclassman in high
school and a good friend, I believe.

That's right.

That boy visited the Kudous
the day before yesterday.

It seems like he had a
meeting with Master Kudou.

I don't care if Gongjin Zhou
gets taken out by the Yotsubas.

But if he's ever held
c*ptive by the Yotsubas,

it's highly likely that it'll
inconvenience my own family.

We can't let the Yotsubas know of that
man's connection to the Saegusas.

You're aware of Gongjin Zhou's location?

We have a method of contacting him.

Then, summon Gongjin Zhou.

And dispose of him for sure.

Understood.

Oh... And remember to have someone take
over bodyguard duty for Mayumi as usual.

I know what I have to do.

Um, Yoshida, you can go now, really.

No, then there'd be no point.

If anything were to happen to
you between here and your house,

I wouldn't be able to look
your parents in the eye!

But... Yoshida, you're so busy now that you're
the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee,

so I can't help feeling bad that you have
to escort me to school and back every day.

It's fine. Going home from school
with you is fun for me, too.

What?

O-Oh...

Please, be my guest.

Okay, I'll get in first.

Is something the matter?

No. It's nothing.

OCTOBER 10, A.D. 2096

What happened? Is it urgent?

On our way home yesterday,
someone was targeting Ms. Shibata.

Mizuki?

Ms. Shibata has no idea.

It was just shikigamis and
someone watching her from afar,

but I nullified all of their spells.

I see. It really was a good
thing that you were with her.

Why would they go after Ms. Shibata?

They weren't just your average th*gs!

You mean they were professional criminals?

Those were underground magicians!

So, why would they be
targeting Ms. Shibata?

If the Thesis Competition
is their objective...

then Mr. Isori and Ms. Nakajo
should be the ones they're after!

Tatsuya! You're not hiding
something from us, are you?

That shikigami activation sequence you showed me
the other day... You didn't just stumble upon it!

It had something to do with
that incident, too, didn't it?

Tatsuya, you're always denying things by
saying, "There's no need for that"...

but I feel indebted to you.

It's all thanks to you that I was able to
regain my confidence and powers as a magician.

But...

if I don't know what's going on, there's
no way I can protect Ms. Shibata!

I can't go into detail as to why.

Tatsuya!

The foreign magicians who guided the enemy agents
during the Yokohama Disturbance last year...

are being sheltered by
the Traditionalists.

That's who I'm pursuing.

Sorry.

That's all I can tell you.

I'm the one who should be apologizing.

And thanks for telling me.

Tatsuya...

You said they were Traditionalists, right?

The Traditionalists'
headquarters is in Kyoto...

where this year's Thesis
Competition is being held.

That's what I've heard.

I was going to send you guys to Kyoto so
that you could also check on the security...

but I think I'll join you.

And?

That way, you'll be free to
move around in the city.

On paper, I'll write that you're patrolling the
venue and its surroundings over a wide area.

I'd really appreciate that.

So, Mikihiko, what about you?

I'm going to be your decoy.

I'll unleash a flashy search talisman that'll
really rub the Traditionalists the wrong way!

I see.

But... there's also a chance that you'll get
attacked while setting off your talisman.

Why don't you reach out
to Leo and Erika, too?

Good idea.

Well, I'm sure those two will butt
in even if I don't ask them to.

No doubt.

What about Mizuki?

It would be too dangerous
to take Ms. Shibata.

In that case, let me find
a bodyguard for Mizuki.

Can you do that?

Of course.

After all, I'm the one who off-loaded
the job onto you in the first place.

OCTOBER 11, A.D. 2096

Mr. Nakura...

Did I keep you waiting?

No, you're right on time...

Mr. Zhou.

It's been a long time.

What did you want to see me about today?

Are you aware that Kudou has
joined forces with the Yotsubas?

Could that be for my sake?

To think that not only the Yotsubas,
currently the most powerful in the world,

but also Kudou, who was once known as
"the Pinnacle," would be targeting me...

I must say, I've really
come up in the world.

Having been hostile to them
for years, Kudou must know...

all there is to know about
the Traditionalists by now.

It probably won't be long before
he tracks down your hideout.

I see. That's true.

So, are the Saegusas going
to offer me a new hideout?

Yes.

I will take you to a place where
the Yotsubas can never get to you.

Oh?

And the name of that place...

It wouldn't be "the afterlife," would it?

No! The name of that place is "Hell"!

Is that Water Needle?

Asking to meet you by the
river was a mistake, I see.

And your spell uses shadows as a medium
to create synthetic beasts, right?

You can tell?

I'm going to get rid of those
unruly dogs, owner and all.

I just had this suit tailored for me, so
I can't have you riddling it with holes.

It appears that I wasn't being
deceived by an illusion, was I?

That's right. I was the one who
was taking you on in battle.

Deceiving... vectors...

Is this...

Qimen Dunjia?

Still, I have to say, I haven't
shed this much blood in a while.

Personally, I'd say that your powers
are superior to Mitsugu Kuroba's.

I'm honored to hear that.

You and I shared the same sake together.

Do you have any last requests?

If you say so, there's just one.

What would that be?

I want you to...

die along with me!

Since it's your last request...

I'd love to grant it to you, but...

...unfortunately, it's not possible
to k*ll me using magic of that level.

THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL
ANCIENT CITY INSURRECTION PART III