They were heading to Maya’s study. It was Tatsuya’s first time to entering this room. No, there had never been anyone else who had ever stepped into this room besides Maya and Hayama, except for a few furniture maintenance technicians and a HAR. It could be said that Tatsuya was the second person she had ever allowed to enter this room.
Inside the room, there was a huge desk with a high chair with a backrest, a bookshelf as high as the ceiling, and a vintage reception set.
Hayama recommended to Tatsuya that he sit down on the sofa. Maya sat opposite of him, and asked Tatsuya with a voice that a parent would have about why he was looking around the room.
“Tatsuya-san, what are you looking at?”
“Excuse me. I just realized that the room where you always call Miyuki from isn’t your study.”
“You take notice about strange things.”
Maya’s laughter was glazed like a young girls.
“This is completely my private space. Even the HAR is a stand-alone unit.”
“A completely offline environment.”
“Yes.”
Maya’s answer wasn’t true. This room was equipped with a single network. However, it wasn’t a complete lie either, because that line was only operating from a specific device to deliver its search key data, completely independent of other devices, half of what she said was a true.
“Tatsuya-sama, do you mind having black coffee?”
Tatsuya could never remember an instance where Hayama called him with ‘-sama’. He mustn’t mind such a thing now.
“Yes, black please.”
Tatsuya answered him with as natural a tone as possible.
He placed a coffee in front of Tatsuya and a herbal tea before Maya.
Tatsuya had a little concern whether the smell of coffee would cancel the scent of the herb tea, but he didn’t particularly say anything as he wasn’t worried about it. He waited for Maya to put the cup to her mouth, before taking a sip of his coffee.
The coffee, much to Tatsuya’s regret, was more delicious than Miyuki’s coffee.
“It’s delicious… Although this might sound rude, but as expected of Hayama-san.”
“I’m honored by your compliment, Tatsuya-sama. I have a little trick up my sleeve.”
“Trick, is it?”
“Yes. It’s a shame, but I did it with a little help of magic.”
Maya revealed a happy voice in her surprise that he was willing to reveal that to Tatsuya.
“To be able to use such a delicate magic, even I am no match for Hayama-san. Truly, such a way of using magic is important.”
“No, it’s not something to exaggerate about. I’m just simply doing what I can according to my abilities.”
Hayama’s remark had invited Tatsuya into deep thought. However, Tatsuya cut off that temptation and turned his attention to Maya.
Maya as well, must have been waiting to discuss the main issue. She placed her cup on the saucer, and gazed at Tatsuya’s eyes.
“Well then… I wonder what should we start with?”
“Before that, do you mind?”
Tatsuya halted the conversation.
Maya seemed to know what he was expecting.
“Oh, what is it?”
Maya used one of her hands to cover her mouth, she showed a light surprised look in her eyes. However, she was not seriously playing dumb. The evidence she couldn’t hide anything was that the ends of her lips were slightly indented upward. Though it didn’t mean that Maya had a big mouth. However, she purposely smiled right before she hid her mouth with her hand.
“Why did you tell such a lie!”
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, not because he was amazed by Maya’s attitude and childishness.
However, the nature of his eyes was already sharp.
“A lie?”
Maya’s tone was fakely naïve, but Tatsuya didn’t show any anger or frustration.
However he didn’t allow any more spurious, so he put on the sharp look.
“The lie that Miyuki is not my real sister.”
Tatsuya declared so with a tone that might be expressed as rather gentle.
He felt that there was no need to raise his voice, what he was stating was just a fact.
“No, it wasn’t a lie.”
However, Maya denied that fact.
She denied it with a gentle tone, similar to Tatsuya’s.
Tatsuya couldn’t understand why Maya was so confident, this was reflected in his stare upon the face of his aunt.
Maya sipped her herbal tea leisurely.
“You said that there is a mountain of evidence that the both of you are real siblings, but can you really call it evidence?”
She put down her cup and gazed at Tatsuya’s eyes with an up-from-under look. Maya asked several questions while retaining that posture.
Maya didn’t laugh out loud, but smiled with a joyful smile. A delightful light was dancing flashily around her eyes.
“Family registration? We don’t really care about such things, do we?
DNA make up? That’s also a result that the hospital sent right? It’s not like Tatsuya-san’s own examination.”
Maya’s lips were a distorted clean crescent-shape.
“The Heads of the Branch Families only knew about Nee-san’s pregnancy. Even they didn’t know about anything that happened before her pregnancy, you know?”
Maya’s words stirred up his suspicion. Even for Tatsuya, it was irrefutable.”
“Oba-ue.”
However, Tatsuya’s voice wasn’t upset.
The unwavering voice struck Maya like a liquid iron, which erased the smile on her face.
“Who do you think I am?”
This time, it was Tatsuya’s turn to stare at Maya in silence.
“I can recognize the structure and components of material; it is one of my abilities to decompose the material into any phase of configuration. I can recognize the substance of components as well, it also means that I know about the base substances which make up something.”
“I thought your information analysis is limited to 24 hours of retrospective in time.”
“The information of the components is currently located in the present.
There isn’t any need for retrospective in time.”
Maya’s and Hayama’s expressions were consistent in showing that they didn’t expect the ‘unexpected’, but their feelings were based on different reason. Maya wore a ‘damn…’ face, while Hayama’s shock was only a simple shock shown on his face.
“That’s why I know. Miyuki and I have the exact same element in our bodies. I can clearly see that both of our bodies were formed by the same source of sperm from the same man and eggs from the same woman.”
“Oh my…”
Maya’s tone was one of saying ‘I surrender’.
“You are really set apart from other people.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I don’t mean to praise you though…”
Maya smiled with a hint of embarrassment, she dropped her eyes to the tea cup. Yet, she didn’t reach out for the cup, and returned her gaze to Tatsuya by raising her face.
“Very well. I’ll admit it.”
“Certainly, the thing I’ve said just now was a lie.”
“You were not born from my egg, but you are truly Nee-san’s child.”
…Tatsuya sighed lightly at the unapologetic confession from Maya.
“Then why did you say such a thing?”
“However, it wasn’t completely wrong that you and Miyuki aren’t real siblings.”
Although Maya’s words didn’t answer Tatsuya’s question, Tatsuya also didn’t miss a single word. He was as calm as can be when waiting for the continuation of Maya’s explanation.
“Because, Miyuki-san has a modified body.”
Tatsuya opened his eyes widely. He stopped breathing and couldn’t speak a word immediately.
“…Miyuki was genetically engineered? But there are no signs.”
“Yet, it’s the truth. Miyuki-san was made to nullify the distortion, to stabilize the instability, she can be said to have a ‘perfect modified body’, the Masterpiece of the Yotsuba.”
“Why…”
“Why did we make Miyuki-san? It’s for you, Tatsuya-san.”
Tatsuya was completely speechless. It was probably impossible, but had his heart received more of a shock, his consciousness would probably be bleached.
“Your power is something that mustn’t be allowed to be activated in an outburst in any circumstances. Although it’s a perfect strength for the case of an emergency, it must be stopped before it deprives you from having a life. It was possible for Nee-san to do so. Her Mental Structure Interference can force her way to interfere with the unconscious area of the opponent by closing their ‘Gate’ temporarily. However, Nee-san would die before you for sure. That’s why, it was necessary to create a magician who would always be at your side, Miyuki was created to stop you.”
Maya had a serious look so much that it was scary, she stared at Tatsuya’s eyes.
“Miyuki has a modified body who was created in order to stop you.”
“Miyuki, for me? Not me, for Miyuki?”
Tatsuya was dazzlingly stunned. He wasn’t even aware of the irrationality in his own words.
“That’s right. Miyuki-san was a girl born only for you.”
Maya softened her look and tone.
“In the first place, how could someone be born to be so beautiful naturally? With such a perfect appearance, completely symmetrical body, there’s no way someone like that is born naturally.”
Perhaps, Maya noticed the jealousy mixed in her voice, she wore an uncomfortable smile.
“Although I don’t think that we could successfully recreate a child like Miyuki-san even if we were to repeat the same procedure that made her.
In that sense, she exceeds the nature of humans, perhaps, even a God-like miraculous beauty.
“Does Miyuki know about this?”
Maya shook her head while smiling mercifully to Tatsuya’s question.
“No. I don’t want to let Miyuki-san know, and not a single Head of the Branch Families know either. The only ones who know about this are the late previous family head, Eisaku-ojisama, my late Neesan, me, Hayama-san, and the former head who oversaw the modifying facility, Kurebayashi-san and his few of confidants… Hey, Tatsuya-san.”
Maya tried to fix Tatsuya’s mood, she talked to him with a sweet voice.
“The bond between you and Miyuki-san is stronger than that of a parent and child, strictly speaking from a genetic point of view, the genetic relationship between you and me is much closer than you and Miyuki-san.”
Maya graced Tatsuya saying such words with a sweet voice.
“Moreover, the fact that you are my son might not be a complete fault.”
“But.”
Tatsuya’s rebuttal was interrupted by a honey like voice that seemed to wrap around him.
“Certainly, we are nephew and aunt genetically. But spiritually speaking, you are my son, Tatsuya-san.”
“Spiritually?”
Tatsuya couldn’t understand Maya’s words, so he decided to listen further in silence.
“Originally, all of Oji-sama’s and also Mitsugu’s generation were disappointed and feared your power. However, I was happy. I was cheering to the point that I wanted to dance out of joy. Because, your magic is the key that can fulfill my wish.”
She was probably recalling that time, Maya looked like she was about to tremble, she had a floating ecstatic expression.
“Your magic, is the star of death that will change the world. I can retaliate against the world. The world which took my past and my future, and tore away my modest happiness as a woman in a cruel way.”
The sweetness in Maya’s voice, had been contaminated with a curse, her grudge against the world.
“That’s why, it wasn’t a lie when I said I’m your mother. Because, the one who wished for your birth wasn’t Nee-san. You were born to this world by my desire. Mitsugu-san and the others were mistaken about that. The one who wished for the world’s destruction is me, it’s my prayer. You were born to answer my feelings. You’re biologically Neesan’s son, but the one who wished for you to be the way you are as a magician, was me. That’s why, as a magician, you are my son.”
“However, Oba-ue isn’t supposed to be able to use Mental Interference Magic.”
The words of objection barely slipped from Tatsuya, which also weren’t able to halt Maya.
“Yes, you’re right. That’s why it was a miracle. My strong wish had overturned magic and caused an out of place event. Perhaps, due to the fact that we’re twins. Nee-san is my twin after all, perhaps, her magic was moved due to my will. The feelings for my sister’s son, as my strong prayer was dedicated to you, I wonder if Nee-san’s magic realized about my wish.”
Maya spoke enthusiastically. No, she was feverish.
“Nee-san knew that. That the magic of her baby, had been quietly taken over by me. Nee-san had deprived me from myself, and I deprived her son from her. What terrible sisters.”
She wasn’t snorting, but voicing out with a passionate and sweet voice.
“Even so, Nee-san had tried to love you. Although in the end, she wasn’t able to love you, do you know how much effort she put in?”
While trying to explain about Miya to Tatsuya, Maya’s voice didn’t hide that she was ridiculing her sister.
“The Artificial Magician Experiment, was to keep your magic in check from running out of control because of an outburst from an emotional influence. That was the true purpose. So you are in a real sense, an experimental material without an experiment body, you weren’t just a sample. Although Nee-san had been reluctant right until the end, in the end, you might become a destroyer of the world, massacre of humanity, she subjected you to this, in order to prevent you from becoming satan.
In order to only take your strong feelings, it took everything out of Neesan. Actually, it was much simpler to blot out all of your emotions, the burden on Nee-san would’ve also been much smaller. Nee-san knew that it would shorten her own life, but she still carefully modified your mind.
The mind that had been twisted by me before you were born, Nee-san didn’t try to run away, but to modify you.”
Maya’s talk was halted; it was due to the fact that she was out of breath.
She didn’t even drink her tea, before resuming her story.
“In order for Miyuki-san to be able to stop you indiscriminately, Neesan tried to train her to be indifferent of you. Without interest, there wouldn’t be any hatred. And there was nothing to turn into pain. She didn’t want to stop your outbursts due to overwhelming emotion with
‘Cocytus’, and there was no guarantee that you’d be stopped either.”
There was such a deep thought behind the indifferent attitude of his mother, this was hard to believe all of a sudden. Perhaps if not Tatsuya, no one else would believe it either.
“It was for the same reason that Miyuki was educated thoroughly as a lady. So that her magic wouldn’t be based on her emotions. Always under control like a lady, and never to cause a hysteria like baring her feelings, she was shaped to grow into such a girl. I’d like to say that it has been completely successful, but in the first place, there’s no such thing as a perfect lady anyway.”
“…Miyuki is a perfect lady. My sister’s magic tends to run wild due to the effect of ‘Pledge’.”
“Oh my.”
Maya was spouting ‘pfft’.
“You siblings really have a good relationship. Seems like you’d do good as her fiancé from here onwards.
“Regardless of any psychological or physical connection, it is unquestionable that we are real siblings. Therefore, it’s impossible for us to be a couple right?”
“Why?”
“Even if you ask why…”
It was too obvious, Tatsuya failed to mention the reason immediately.
“In case you’re groundlessly concerned about your future children to be born with genetic abnormalities. Like I said earlier, Miyuki-san was brought together to have the best ‘perfect modified body’ from the technology of the Yotsuba. She not only was genetically engineered, but also thoroughly mentally adjusted by Mental Interference Magic. That child can overcome all the defects of a modified body, a Masterpiece of the Yotsuba which was completed in a human being and brought her to the next level. She is different from the failure of the Kudou Family.
Children born between you and Miyuki won’t have any defects. I guarantee that in the name of the Yotsuba. There isn’t a single gene in her that can lead to any abnormalities.
“But…”
“I’m sure that she won’t even mind that she has a modified body.
Perhaps, she would even rejoice over that fact. By modification, she will figure out that your body and her body’s genetic relation is quite far apart. That she is biologically connected to you is something inevitable after all.”
What Maya said might be correct. At the very least, Tatsuya couldn’t point out any mistakes, to tell the truth, Tatsuya already had an idea about this.
Miyuki’s body was undeniable, it came from the same cell components of the same parents as Tatsuya.
However, there were also certain mixed elements that he couldn’t explain.
Tatsuya understood that they didn’t cause harmful bodily effects to Miyuki’s body. Hence, he was thinking of those factors as natural mutation products. However, considering that they were brought about by modification, the large differences between him and Miyuki’s
‘components’ could be a more rational interpretation. He couldn’t help to admit so unwillingly.
“Tatsuya-san. You can tell Miyuki-san about this. That Miyuki-san has a modified body made for you, and also the fact that she physically and mentally doesn’t carry any factor that can cause disabilities at all. At the very least, there won’t be any problems physically for you and Miyuki-san to marry each other.”
Tatsuya stared at Maya’s face.
Maya also, returned a stare in silence.
“…Understood. Certainly, this is not something to be hidden from her.”
Tatsuya nodded after hesitating for quite a significant amount of time.
“That’s right. If you leave it as is, Miyuki-san will get worried.”
Even though Maya’s words were intended as a joke, Tatsuya couldn’t deny them.
“Please cherish Miyuki-san.”
Suddenly, Maya changed her tone.
“When you lose Miyuki, you’ll break apart. Your mind was designed to be that way. And when you break, you can burn the world.”
It was a prophecy, no, it was the tone of a prophecy.
“That’s why, please protect and cherish Miyuki-san with your hand for life.”
After that, Maya told her true feelings.
“Actually, I don’t really care either way.”
Within her eyes, the most intense light in the night could be seen.
“That time, when you destroy the world, the revenge of my heart will be completed.”
The hottest, flame of passion was lit.
“If you are able to protect Miyuki from the malice of the world, my revenge would take on another form. It is the revenge of a person who yielded against the world that trampled on the fate of people with arrogance.”
The name of that flame was madness.
“I’m sure I would be able to forget that scoffed ungraceful appearance that I received from the unfairness of the world.”
In the midst of her flame of madness, Maya put on an innocent smile.
“What a lovely thing that would be. What a wonderful son you are. You will fulfill my revenge. For ‘Yotsuba Maya’ who died at the age of 12.”
“Oba-ue. You’re crazy.”
“For that purpose, Tatsuya. You will marry Miyuki. I will not take any objections.”
Tatsuya’s words didn’t reach Maya’s consciousness. Even if she heard it, it failed to reach being recognized by Maya’s heart.
Hayama proceeded next to Maya, he replaced the herbal tea which had gone cold with a new one.
Maya directed her eyes to Tatsuya, with a drastic change, that not even a hint of madness was visible to Tatsuya.
“Tatsuya-san, do you want more coffee?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Really? Ah, it’s already this late.”
The dinner was over at 9 P.M. Now, the hand of time was past 10 P.M.
Tatsuya didn’t realize it by himself, but thinking about Maya’s explanation seemed to take an unexpectedly considerable amount of time.
“We have an agenda for tomorrow; we should end this soon. Tatsuya-san, do you still have anything to ask?”
“Then in the grace of your words, one last thing.”
Tatsuya was concerned that Maya’s madness might burn again, so he decided to ask about the things that he must know the answer to now.
“Oh, what is it?”
“Why did you choose tomorrow? Do you have any reason in announcing that I’m your son, that I will be announced as Miyuki’s fiancé?”
Certainly, the New Year’s Gathering is the meeting where everyone in the families are updated about the key condition of the Yotsuba. It was the most suitable to nominate Miyuki.
However, for Tatsuya, it was somewhat a weak reason for Maya to push all these things to be announced tomorrow as well.
“It’s not like we have to do it tomorrow, but I do have one reason.”
Contrary to Tatsuya’s concerns, Maya was calm, and she answered his question as if she was amused by something.
“Originally, I didn’t have any plan to announce you as my son at this year’s New Year’s Gathering. However, Tatsuya-san as well, you used such a flashy stunt.”
The one she referred as ‘flashy stunt’ was him using Material Burst to annihilate the GAA Fleet, there was no need for Tatsuya to confirm this.
“And then, the USNA had moved their Joint Chief Staff which directly controls magician troops, they even ordered a curfew for their investigation, you were that attention-grabber.”
“I’m sorry for that.”
Tatsuya involuntarily smiled wryly. He didn’t think that ‘whether there was a meaning for such confinement instruction’. At least for Tatsuya, it only looked like an afterthought of a reason.
“It’s good that it has passed.”
Maya nodded lightly. Even when her madness was hidden in the shadows, her familiarity to Tatsuya remained.
“But, even after the Stars withdrew from Japan, and Kudou-sensei went mad, or even the overseas Chinese Houjutsu user, you have been involved in various behind the scene jobs.”
The Kudou Family went mad, would be a comment for Parasite Dolls.
The overseas Chinese Houjutsu user was Zhou Gongjin.
After hearing that, Tatsuya thought, ‘certainly, many things happened this year’. Putting aside Maya’s convenience, Tatsuya certainly had no intention in being involved in a fight with the Yotsuba.
“That’s why, in the end, your debut is brought up to the New Year’s Gathering tomorrow.”
“So that’s the case.”
Tatsuya, for once, showed an understanding. At the very least, he found out that there was an opportunity and a need to spread the lie that he was Maya’s son during the Gathering tomorrow.
— However, that also didn’t mean anything.
“Then, this is the end of my explanation for real.”
Maya showed a satisfied smile. This discussion seemed to end with her being satisfied. At the very least, she managed to convince Tatsuya to a certain degree after all.
“Tatsuya-san, do you know where your room is?”
“I’m alright, Oba-ue.”
“Really?”
Maya didn’t seem to mind when Tatsuya returned to his old way of addressing her.
“Then sorry for not able to assist you, do you mind going back to your room alone? You can call someone along the way to help prepare the bath immediately before you reach your room.”
“Understood.”
Tatsuya understood firmly that this was the end of their conversation.
“Thanks for the coffee, it was delicious.”
Tatsuya bowed to Maya and Hayama, and left the study.
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