The following day, Yuuta did not attend school.
A sudden instruction had come from the clan head, Yotsuba Genzou, ordering Yuuta to accompany him somewhere.
Without asking many questions, Yuuta quickly swapped his school uniform for formal attire as commanded.
Not long after, the two of them were seated in the back of a luxury car driven by Tajima, speeding away from the mountain ranges that shielded Yotsuba Village.
The destination for their journey this time was Ikoma City, located at the northwestern tip of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region.
Inside the car, the silence felt suffocating.
The uncle and nephew rarely interacted privately outside of clan business.
Genzou was a man who radiated immense authority, while Yuuta preferred to remain secluded within his own thoughts.
Genzou finally broke the silence with an unexpected question.
“Yuuta, is there a girl you like at school?” Yuuta was startled by such an absurd question.
“No, Uncle.
At the moment, my primary focus is my studies.
I want to learn various types of magic and gather enough data to create a Strategic-Class Magic as soon as possible.” Hearing a nine-year-old child speak of creating magic with a destructive caliber on par with a nuclear bomb, Genzou let out a small laugh—a rare sound that was seldom heard.
“Grand ambitions, Yuuta.” Genzou said with a thin smile.
“Just name whatever you need for your research.
Whether it be funds, laboratory equipment, or test subjects, the Yotsuba Clan will provide them to you without exception.” Yuuta felt a slight surge of emotion upon hearing that guarantee.
“Thank you very much, Uncle.
I deeply appreciate it.” Inwardly, Yuuta reflected on how massive the advantages were when coming from a large, wealthy family.
Children from upper-class families possessed the luxury of failing repeatedly, as every failure was viewed as an investment toward future success.
This was a drastic contrast to poor children; for them, a single failure could destroy their lives and reset every hard-won achievement back to zero.
Genzou spoke again, his voice sounding more inquisitive.
“I heard there is a girl who is always close to you at school.
Word has it, that girl is your former girlfriend.” “…” Yuuta remained silent for a moment.
He was fully aware that no secret could be hidden from the Yotsuba Clan’s information network.
Thus, he decided to blend a bit of a lie with the truth so his answer would sound plausible.
“That is true, Uncle.
Previously, I felt curious about what it was like to be in a romantic relationship, so I tried dating Nonoa.
However, after experiencing it, I found that romance isn’t nearly as interesting as studying the complexities of magic.
So, I decided to stop.” “I see…” Genzou nodded lightly, not intending to comment further on the romantic life of a nephew who was still very young yet already so pragmatic.
Genzou glanced out the car window, watching the rows of trees rushing past along the Nara Prefecture road.
His stern face showed no emotion, but his next question made the temperature inside the cabin seem to drop several degrees.
“Yuuta, between my two daughters, which one do you like more?
Maya or Miya?” “…” Yuuta did not answer immediately.
As someone with an adult consciousness inside a child’s body, he could already smell the direction of this conversation the moment Genzou brought up Nonoa.
However, he chose to play it safe and act like a confused nephew.
“I love them both as sisters, Uncle.
But I don’t quite understand…
what do you mean by that question?” Genzou turned his body slightly, looking at him with the sharp gaze of a father.
“You must understand, Yuuta.
You, Maya, and Miya are not biological siblings.
You are cousins.
Legally, there is no issue with you marrying one day.
In fact, it is a necessity in order to produce offspring with a bloodline far superior to the current generation.” In this world, bloodline was not just a status symbol; it was everything.
Magic had been classified as a hereditary genetic ability.
The capacity of one’s Magic Calculation Area was determined while they were still in the womb.
Genetics dictated everything: how large the Psion reserves were, how fast they could process Magic Sequences, and how strong their interference power was over the real world.
Yuuta himself was an incredibly valuable individual.
He inherited uniqueness from two bloodlines of the Yotsuba Ancestors who had undergone experiments at the Fourth Institute Laboratory.
His Psion reserves and Magic Calculation Area were the best of the best.
It was no wonder Genzou was so reluctant to let Yuuta’s genetics spread outside the Yotsuba Clan.
Yuuta leaned his head back against the car seat while his inner self began to churn.
(How funny…
this Mahouka world is truly similar to the Naruto world.
The foundation of its primary power is bloodline supremacy.
No matter how hard an ordinary person trains until they bleed, their efforts can easily be surpassed by those born with ‘privilege’ in their DNA.) He thought of Rock Lee.
That man was the definition of boundless hard work, training his speed for years until it reached an absurd level.
But what was the result?
Uchiha Sasuke only needed a month of intensive training before the Chunin Exams to match that speed, thanks to his Sharingan and natural talent.
(In the final stages of the Naruto story, Lee was never even shown to be able to open the Gate of Death, while Sasuke’s power had reached the Six Paths level.
It’s the same in this world.
Without great genetics, you are merely an extra on the stage of geniuses.
And now, Uncle is trying to ‘lock in’ my future so the next little genius is born from his own daughters’ wombs.) Facing a father who was openly telling him to choose one of his two daughters, Yuuta decided to use a tactical retreat.
“Uncle, with all due respect, I feel it is still too early for us to discuss marriage.” “My focus right now is to become a strength for the clan.
Furthermore, marriage is a two-way street.
What about Maya and Miya’s opinions?
They have the right to determine their own futures.” Genzou tilted his head slightly, his sharp eyes staring as if peeling back every layer of his thoughts.
“You doubt their feelings?
I am their father, Yuuta.
I can see how they look at you and vie for your attention at every opportunity.
I am certain they would not mind marrying you rather than facing the risk of an arranged marriage with a man from a branch family or another clan they don’t know.” “…” Yuuta went silent for a moment, staring at the droplets of rain beginning to wet the car window.
“Still, Uncle…
we should discuss this matter again when we are teenagers.
Right now we are still children, and our views of the world and relationships are still too narrow.
Deciding their future now will only limit their potential.” The real reason why a man with a playboy reputation at school like himself would reject such an enticing offer was not because of morality.
Yuuta was well aware that any relationship he forged here would end tragically.
Once he completed his main mission in this world, the Infinity Reincarnation system would immediately return him to the real world.
To him, planting the seeds of deep emotion would only become a burden when the time for parting arrived.
That was why he maintained emotional distance and never let his heart truly be captivated by anyone in the Mahouka World.
The other Ascendants held a similar mindset.
In their eyes, everyone born and raised in this world was nothing more than an NPC in a highly sophisticated game simulation.
Giving sincere love to an NPC was a ridiculous notion for those who were only passing through temporarily for a mission.
“…” Genzou let out a long sigh; it seemed he could accept the logic offered by his nephew.
He did not press the marriage issue further, realizing that forcing his will on a child as brilliant as Yuuta would only trigger unnecessary rebellion.
“Fine.
We will postpone this conversation until you enter High School.
But remember, Yuuta, your bloodline is the clan’s most precious asset.
Never forget that.”