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One thing I did not get at all is how the Yotsuba kept the siblings' very
existence hidden right under the noses of the other families and the public.

I would expect all of Japan to be constantly buzzing about the Ten Clans'
heirs, like the world gossips about the succession line of the British crown.

Some thoughts to consider about the Shiba siblings:

  1. Their mother's wedding could not have been in secret. Even if it was a discreet event, it would be easy to find out that she married.
  2. In their childhood, they were part of the Yotsuba family, who could not have erased their existence from public records.
  3. Tatsuya's connection to FTL was never hidden. His shared surname with the company's CEO should have drawn some suspicion.
  4. Who is the heir apparent to the Yotsuba at the time the siblings attended high school? The Yotsuba, a member of the Ten Clans, would have needed someone to fill the gap in order to keep their image.

I don't know if this was left unexplained in the light novels, but it is
completely handwaved in the anime.

Juumonji Katsuto even seems suspicious of Tatsuya when he asks him if he has
some connection to the Ten Clans (right before suggesting betrothal into one
of them).


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What steps did the Yotsuba family take to keep the Shiba siblings hidden from the other families?


To an extent, this is also handwaved in the light novels as well - the
_specifics_ of how the siblings were/are protected are not disclosed. However,
there are many references to the Yotsuba family's incredible power and
influence, which allows us to infer - to a certain level - what's going on.

* * *

While the Japanese public may well have been interested in the heirs of the
"10 families", the Yotsuba are a special case. More so than the other clans,
(such as the Ichijou, Saegusa and Juumonji) the Yotsuba are an inherently
secretive family, even before considering Tatsuya and Miyuki's special case:

> "Because the Yotsuba Family, who maintain a systematic policy of secrecy,
> would never invite a large number of outsiders as guests... the siblings had
> brought themselves to the mountain village that was not recorded on any
> map..."
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence, Chapter 1_

And

> [...] not even Miyuki knew the number for the direct line. The information
> control surrounding the Yotsuba Family was several times more intense than
> the government, and that was no idle exaggeration by those in the know.
>
> _Volume 9 - Visitor I, Chapter 6_

Prior to the sibling's enrollment at First High, they too would have naturally
been caught inside the familial policy of secrecy, meaning their chances of
being discovered by outsiders was slim. Even during this time, Tatsuya is
under strict instruction from his mother to remain inconspicuous:

> "Tatsuya, it’s as you heard. You’ll be accompanied by Miyuki san on your
> tour of the base."
>
> "Yes."
>
> "Just keep one thing in mind. In public, don’t go using honorifics or the
> like when addressing Miyuki-san. Rather than ‘Ojou-sama’, just ‘Miyuki’ is
> fine. Actions which could lead to the discovery that Miyuki-san is a Yotsuba
> Head successor are prohibited."
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence, Chapter 9_

In addition, the military assists the Yotsuba in keeping Tatsuya's existence
under wraps, as his power as a strategic-class magician is important for them
to guard as well:

> "It is most likely some of them will link this with the annihilation of the
> fleet the Great Asian Alliance dispatched three years ago. It would be a
> very undesirable outcome for us to have Tatsuya-san's identity to come out."
>
> "I fully agree."
>
> Seeing Kazama's nod, Maya gave a broad smile indistinguishable between real
> and fake... Maya's negotiation with Kazama was steered to obtain the most
> satisfactory result for the Yotsuba.
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence, Chapter 15_

Working in collaboration with the military by extension means working with the
_"Electron Sorceress"_ [Fujibayashi Kyouko](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Fujibayashi_Kyouko) , who can manipulate electronic
information to an unfathomable degree, creating an almost watertight seal
around the siblings information.

* * *

This leaves a situation where even Kokonoe Yakumo, a renowned information
broker, cannot uncover any of their background information:

> Tatsuya squinted his eyes. "Our situation as well?"
>
> Yakumo laughed heartily. "I've inquired into it, but wasn't able to unearth
> any noteworthy secrets. The intelligence manipulation surrounding the two of
> you is truly invincible. Or should I say, worthy of its high reputation."
>
> _Volume 2 - Enrollment II, Chapter 9_

The same is true for the information network available to the Kitayama family:

> In response, Tatsuya received it with a magnanimous look.
>
> “Who the devil are you? With Kitayama’s…… The information network from the
> “Corporate Alliance” couldn’t even find your Personal Data!”
>
> _Volume 12 - Double Seven, Chapter 2_

* * *

When it comes down to it though, the people that have the power, influence or
luck to uncover the truth about the two would be too scared to both continue
their investigation or disclose the information to anyone else after hearing
the name 'Yotsuba':

> The Yotsuba name had even more impact than the Saegusa name. The political
> utility of the Saegusa name was higher, but the Yotsuba name incited much
> more fear in people with influence.
>
> _Volume 12 - Double Seven, Chapter 6_

This fear is also shown when Erika stumbles across Tatsuya's secret
accidentally, and warns her brother against investigating him too much:

> “I see…… I understand. Then let’s proceed along these lines.”
>
> ……Fortunately, she was able to convince her brother without dropping the
> name “Yotsuba”.
>
> _Volume 11 - Visitor III, Chapter 15_

Even those _not_ in the higher echelons of magicians should be rightfully wary
of the Yotsuba family - after all, this is the clan that previously took down
[**_an entire nation_**](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Dahan) in under 2 years! Furthermore, at present,
they're quoted as being _even stronger_ than then:

> [...it] was utterly incredible that they could have forgotten such a harsh
> reminder in the last 20 to 30 years. Not to say the might of the Yotsuba
> Family – “might” that hinted at influence but was more along the lines of
> violence – was far greater now than it was in the past.
>
> _Volume 11 - Visitor III, Chapter 15_

* * *

For the points you raised:

  1. This isn't covered in the light novels, so I can't reference anything in particular, but given the other information, it's safe to assume that anything the Yotsuba wanted to keep secret (like children from a marriage) could be kept secret.

  2. Their _existence_ isn't erased, but all the data relating to them has been heavily modified, to the point where only the bare essentials are available, and there's nothing that could link them to the Yotsuba:

> "After all, I can’t attend high school without Personal Data.”
>
> Tatsuya’s answer made perfect sense. However, Benio felt that this was the
> rub.
>
> “Please don’t underestimate adults. It is true that your PD has the lowest
> level of information, interlaced with extra information that complicated the
> picture and a few negative reviews, so it wasn't overly perfect."
>
> _Volume 12 - Double Seven, Chapter 2_

  3. When involved with FLT, Tatsuya goes by the alias 'Silver', and not his family name 'Shiba', which would help against identification from most staff or customers. In addition, while FLT is "owned" by Tatsuya's father, it's actually under Yotsuba jurisdiction, meaning they would have a careful eye on the situation, especially Tatsuya's colleagues who would be more likely to accidentally uncover sensitive information.

> Like FLT, this hotel was one of the dummy corporations that was controlled
> by the Yotsuba Family in the background.
>
> _Volume 10 - Visitor II, Chapter 9_

  4. At the time the siblings are entering high school, there is currently no selected Yotsuba heir. If you recall back to episode 9 of the anime, Tatsuya chastises Aoki for calling Miyuki the next head, even though there has been no announcement regarding that position. Given Yotsuba Maya is also regarded as one of the world's most powerful magicians, I doubt anyone would be pressuring her too much for a decision. Additionally, as referenced earlier in the answer (quote 3), it seems they want to keep Miyuki's position a secret to outsiders for the time being.


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I would like to add on a few explicit details.

1) Yotsuba Miya (Tatsuya's mother) is officially dead after 20 years of
hospitalization, having never bore any children.

This is evidenced by Angie Sirius's thoughts in the Visitor Arc, where she
claims the only person capable of alters the structure of the mind is dead,
and never had any children.

2)Tatsurou (Tatsuya's father) and Miya most likely married in secret, after
which Miya took on the Shiba last name. The children, having the Shiba last
name, was basically a part of a nondescript family.

3)Tatsurou used a business name as the CEO of FLT. The Light Novel never
explains whether or not Tatsurou's personal name can be found out. Assuming it
can (This is unclear in the novels; Tatsuya's Personal Data does include who
his father is, but I'd guess, for various reasons, that it does not show a CEO
of FLT as his father), Shiba could be a common last name (though it would be
suspiscious.)

Even if Tatsuya can be traced to be the son of a CEO of FLT, that doesn't say
very much about him. FLT is not officially affiliated with the Yotsubas, and
even if it was, it does not mean that the CEO is a Yotsuba, or has any
relations to the Yotsuba.

4) There is none. The Yotsubas do not reveal this information, and no one can
force them to. In fact, the only known member of the Yotsuba group is Miya and
Hayama.

I would like to add on that despite these measures, Retsu Kudou still know
about Tatsuya and Miyuki.


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