by Sato Tsutomu
The world affairs as of AD 2095
With the global drop in temperature, then World War III and twenty years of continuous warfare, the world map has been totally redrawn. The current situation is shown as follows.
The United States linked with Canada and every Central American nation from Mexico to Panama to form the USNA.
Russia reabsorbed Ukraine and Belarus to form the New Soviet Union.
China conquered the northern parts of Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and the entire Korean Peninsula to form the Great Asian Alliance.
India and Iran took in Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) and South Asia (Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) to form the Indo-Persian Union.
The rest of the nations formed their own military alliances in defiance to the Big Three.
Australia chose de facto seclusion.
The European Union failed, breaking up to east and west along the Franco-German border. With both sides not forming into unified countries, their respective unions were considerably weaker than they were before the wars.
Half of the African nations disappeared, and the remaining nations have effective sovereignty no further than their cities.
Apart from Brazil, South America has collapsed into small local-level countries.
Strategic-level Magicians (The Thirteen Apostles)
As modern magic is created from highly advanced science and technology, few countries were able to develop strong military-grade magics. As a result, only a handful of countries were able to develop strategic-level magics that would rival weapons of mass destruction.
However with the continuing practice of providing developed magics to ally nations, it is also usual to acknowledge allied magicians as strategic-level magicians for their high capabilities with strategic-level magics.
As of April 2095, there are thirteen magicians publicly announced nationally for their skill in strategic-level magics. They were called the Thirteen Apostles, and were seen as a big factor in the world's military balance. Their affiliations, names, and magics were detailed below.
USNA
Angie Sirius (アンジー シリウス) [Heavy Metal Burst]
Elliot Miller (エリオット ミラー) [Leviathan]
Bart Roland (ローラン バルト) [Leviathan]
- Only Angie Sirius was affiliated with the Stars, Miller is based in Alaska, and Bart remains fixed in Gibraltar.
New Soviet Union
Igor Andreevich Bezobrazov (イーゴリ アンドレイビッチ ベゾブラゾフ) [Tuman Bomba[1] (トゥマーン ボンバ)]
Leonid Kondrachenko (レオニード コンドラチェンコ) [Zemlya ármiya: Army of Terra シムリャー アールミヤ]
- Kondrachenko remained immobile at Black Sea base due to advanced age.
Great Asian Union
Liú Yúndé (劉雲徳) [Thunder Tower]
- KIA'd on 2095/10/31 war with Japan
Indo-Persian Union
Barratt Chandra Khan (バラット チャンドラ カーン) [Agni Downburst]
Japan
Itsuwa Mio [Abyss]
Brazil
Miguel Dias [Synchro-Linear Fusion]
- provided by USNA
United Kingdom
William McLeod [Ozone Circle]
Germany
Kara Schmidt [Ozone Circle]
- Ozone Circle was a joint dev't of the old EU as an ozone hole countermeasure. Prototyped and completed in the UK, its activation sequences was opened to the former EU nations as per agreement.
Turkey
Ali Shaheen (アリ シャーヒーン) [Bahamut]
- Bahamut's activation sequence was a USNA and Japan joint dev't, provided to Turkey by Japan.
Thailand
ソム チャイ ブンナーク [Agni Downburst]
- provided by Indo-Persian Union
Chapter 1
November 6th, AD 2095 / Yotsuba Main House - Reception Room
A rather large building done in the style of a traditional samurai residence.
That is the impression of the Yotsuba Main House as seen from outside the gate.
Compared to a typical residence it is certainly spacious. Even calling it a mansion would not be a misnomer.
However, someone who had seen the grand mansions of those like the Saegusa Family and Ichijou Family would probably be rather surprised by its simple snug appearance.
The Yotsuba do not care about the spaciousness of their house. Because the Yotsuba Family, who maintain a systematic policy of secrecy, would never invite a large number of outsiders as guests. Perhaps they think a grand mansion would only be an encumbrance.
Without regard to the fact that her mother's home, Miyuki mused over the matter from an outsider’s perspective, as she and her brother stepped through the massively built gate together.
It had been one week since that day — the day that would come to be known in the future as ‘The Scorched Halloween'.
The siblings had brought themselves to a mountain village not recorded on any map by foot, in accordance to their aunt’s invitation — which should rather be called a summons to appear before her.
Despite what might be imagined from its outward appearance, they were ushered into a modern and quite expansive reception room where they were informed to wait. This was not a small reception room used for privacy; it was a large room that could be classified as an ‘Audience Chamber’ which let them know that today’s summons was not a personal one from their aunt, but from the Master of Yotsuba Family.
—Well, we had discerned that from the beginning, thought Miyuki, nevertheless.
This would make it three years since she had last been summoned to this room together with her brother.
Although Miyuki was present and accounted for, her aunt, who until now for one pretext or another did not try meeting her brother except in occasions when the entire family gathered together for celebrations or congratulations, had after three years met him face to face.
Of course, Miyuki could not determine whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"—Don’t worry. We are not the same as three years ago."
Her uneasiness had apparently shown on her face. Miyuki tilted her eyes upward to find Tatsuya nodding reassuringly in her line of sight as she peeked at him.
Next to the sofa Miyuki was sitting on, he remained standing.
Three years ago, he also took the same posture.
Three years ago, he stood behind Miyuki.
Yes....things were different from three years ago.
Tatsuya was probably talking about how their abilities had changed from three years ago. Unquestionably, the two of them had gotten stronger that they could not be compared to three years ago. Especially in regards to Tatsuya, he had attained combat power that rivaled that of their aunt, Yotsuba Maya, famed as one of the world’s strongest magicians, known as "The Maou of the Far East" and "The Queen of Night". If you examine their magic affinities in detail, it would be readily apparent that in a one on one confrontation Tatsuya would win.
However, more than their power relationship with their aunt, there were things that changed from three years past, Miyuki thought.
—That was the relationship between her brother and herself.
—Her own heart, and the feelings it directed towards her brother.
The mind of Miyuki who was sitting on the sofa with a perfectly corrected posture drifted to that time three years ago...
Chapter 2
August 4th, AD 2092 / Okinawa - Naha Airport ~
Onna Serika Vacation home
—Beginning from around Common Era 2030, the earth underwent a radical drop in temperature; the world’s overall food supply deteriorated on a massive scale. Since around 2020, advanced agriculture production came to be a solar-powered industry and this limited the influence it had on advanced industrial nations. However, the impact of the damage on the emerging industrial nations that had experienced an accelerated population explosion brought on by radical economic growth was a profound one.
With the drop in temperature and desertification proceeding simultaneously in the North China region, it was confronted with an extremely serious situation.
The residents of North China, in accordance with the traditions of their people, weathered such dire straits. Colonization by Border Transgression — in short, by using illegal immigration.
However, Russia did not assent to the influx of illegal immigrants. This resulted in illegal aliens being thoroughly expunged, even from unpopulated wildernesses and rented out nooks of houses.
Those who possess true power, cannot grow weary of bloodshed.
China admonished Russia in the name of humanitarianism; Russia admonished China in the name of international law.
The antagonism of both nations was not confined between them.
Crossing national borders in the name of humanitarianism is banned by international law.
Throughout the world, kindling was laid just waiting for a match.
In this environment, there was a food shortage caused by temperature dropping.
There was a struggle over energy resources to be used to alleviate the problem.
For the kindling to become an inferno, even a slight impetus would have been enough.
In Common Era 2045, World War Three — an outbreak of 20 years of wars clustered across the world started.
From 2045 to 2064, wide scale border disputes throughout the world made this an era of continuous war.
Not a single nation was able to remain a bystander; this was truly a world war.
When the conflicts finally ceased, the world’s population was a third of the size it had been in 2045; it had been decreased to 3 billion people.
Russia reabsorbed Ukraine and Belarus into the New Soviet Union (ShinSoRen); China governed over the northern parts of Burma, Vietnam, and Laos as well as the Korean peninsula through the Great Asia Alliance (Asian Alliance); India and Iran devoured various countries in central Asia to construct the Indo-Persia Union; the USA absorbed Canada and Mexico to fuse all of North America into one nation (USNA); the EU split into eastern and western parts; half of the various countries of Africa dissolved; in South America, aside from Brazil, the region was divided into small countries where governments did not have much reach beyond their own location.
The world had been transformed this way by 20 years of warfare, even though it never resorted to nuclear warfare, and magicians were one part of this world and its transformation.
In 2046, "The International Magic Federation" was established.
Their purpose was to prevent the pollution of the earth beyond what it could recover from through the use of radioactive materials in weapons of mass destruction.
Within the bounds of their stated purpose to halt the use of nuclear weapons, magicians freed themselves from the yokes of the countries they belonged to and were permitted to intervene with their skills in border disputes. Even magicians on the front lines taking part by killing each other would cease their skirmish when they observed signs of the use of nuclear weapons; whether it was their own country or their enemy’s country, they would cooperate to stop the deployment of nuclear weapons.
The banning of nuclear weapons has been established as the paramount duty of magicians around the world.
This pact, "The International Magic Federation’s Charter", targets radioactive materials that can be used for weapons that contaminate the environment. Strictly speaking, that does not include clean nuclear bombs. However, since in order to detonate a state of the art nuclear bomb made to be use for great battles, a small nuclear bomb was indispensable, this resulted in a complete ban on nuclear weapons.
Thus, in the period of war that lasted twenty years, there was not a single usage of nuclear weapons.
The International Magic Federation was honored for this achievement. Internationally recognized as an agency of peace even after the world war ended, it occupies a position of prestige—
I heard the announcement that it was time to put on my seat belt and closed the file of teaching material in "Contemporary History - A Guide" that related to magicians. The contents were a little difficult for someone like me who had just become a middle school student, but it was sufficient to keep me from being bored.
I had heard that modern airplanes were not subject to failure caused by electromagnetic interference generated by information terminals. However, turning information terminals off during takeoffs and landings was a traditional courtesy. Not only me, the other passengers also turned their terminals off. I did not intend to be the only one disobeying the rules of common sense like a spoiled child.
The seat was covered by an egg shaped safety shield, a real-time image of a southern island was projected on the interior.
Looking at that vivid greenery and sparkling ocean, makes the world’s temperature drop seem like an event in a fictional story.
Nevertheless, that event is an unequivocal fact.
Before we were born, the world’s climate began getting warmer but, we can look at the traces of the temperature dropping all around us.
For example, the dress code.
Not exposing bare skin, this manner in which we dress is nothing but a trace of the deep impression the era of the temperature dropping left on the world.
Well, I have no interest in dressing to expose my shoulders or breast area — and in the first place, it would not be a flattering style on me, yet—, it’s not compulsory to have a skirt so long the hem drags, and I like clothes. However in private places, there are no rules over the manner of dressing so it’s not like it really hinders us.
While I am thinking of these trivial things, the airplane touched down at Naha airport.
I could hardly feel any tremors from the landing.
The seat belt that was only a meaningless formality unlocked and I opened the shield of the capsule seat.
Underneath was a regular seat, the seat was so narrow my elbow collided with it, it seemed like we were crammed in here without a trace of civility but, if I had to put up with who knows how many people I don't know and had never seen before at point blank range for an hour, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.
I waited for Okaa-sama to leave her seat. Together we turned to the passenger exit.
We were using the summer break for a private family vacation trip.
A family trip was originally a private matter, I think, but in the case of our family trips, they were almost never private. Even so I was regrettably cheerful.
The only cloud on the horizon was that it was not just Okaa-sama and I, Ani[2] would also be with us.
◊ ◊ ◊
When we left the VIP lounge in the arrival lobby, Ani had already gone and picked up our checked in luggage and was waiting for us.
Having Ani travel all by himself and get the luggage wasn’t some form of petty meanness.
Executive Class passengers had precedence when it came to disembarking from the plane. Their luggage also had precedence in being returned, nay, as expected he did have to wait a little. Considering the time it took to get the luggage ready for pick up, having Ani, who was a commercial class passenger, go and pick up the luggage for us is not pointless.
Naturally, there is a proper reason for Ani to be seated in commercial class alone.
In Executive Class, in addition to the normal cabin attendant, special crew members who specialize in handling violence act as guards and keep a watchful eye. If a criminal incident like a hijacking, suicide bomber or such were to occur, it
would be in the loosely guarded commercial class. Ani is assigned a commercial class seat, for the sake of handling such an unlikely occurrence. That being said — even I acknowledge that the way my family handles such matters is not normal.
While I walk with Okaa-sama, I happen to glance over my shoulder. Ani is pushing the cart carrying our luggage all alone as if it were perfectly normal without a trace of dissatisfaction on his face, silently trailing us.
Like he always does.
I do not particularly hate this Ani.
I merely have trouble interacting with him.
I have no idea what he could possibly be thinking.
Why, is he commonly treated like a servant when he is family? If he were a servant, it would probably be normal to be calm at receiving this treatment.
I know I have been told that this is the duty he has been assigned to do.
I also acknowledge our family’s uniqueness.
Nevertheless, Ani is only a first year middle school student like me.
Ani was born in April and I was born in March.
We were born within a year of each other, so we are in the same school year. This is only a coincidence brought about by our birth months. However, all the same, this does not change the fact that until March of this year he was an elementary school student like me.
Considering that fact, how can he take to being ordered about by me, his younger sister so calmly—
The eyes of Ani and I met.
My several glances over my shoulder are probably bothering him.
"...What is it?"
I recognize that the reason Ani also directed his eyes towards me is because I have been looking at him intermittently.