Even though she had never really cared much about the Soga clan's family affairs,
Su Youzi still knew that the Soga clan had many branch families.
And—
Many of those branch families did not have a good relationship with the main family.
Although they all wore welcoming smiles on the surface, behind the scenes, they had always been watching the main family like tigers stalking their prey.
They could hardly wait to tear a piece of flesh from the main family.
Su Youzi of the past had been happy to watch the Soga clan's internal strife, but...the situation was now just a tiny bit different.
She had only just become certain that Soga Toyura might not actually be as cold and unapproachable as she seemed on the surface.
On the contrary—
This woman might even be the kind of tsundere rarely seen nowadays, even in anime—tsun-dere.
That changed everything.
Su Youzi looked at the orange-haired girl before her.
She could not summon even the slightest bit of goodwill toward her.
Although the girl looked polite and obedient, and all the sneering and contempt toward her had come from the people beside the girl, she had promptly stopped their malicious remarks.
But...nobody was a fool.
At most, those people were merely her claws—her dogs.
If a dog barked furiously at someone, that was still a failure of its owner's discipline.
Moreover...those words might have been things these lackeys had heard from their master.
Su Youzi had originally wanted to say directly, Which branch family's precious trash did you crawl out of?
She had not even wanted to bother with such an obnoxious attention-seeker.
But—
Looking at the girl's arrogant expression, Su Youzi suddenly became curious. What had given her the nerve to provoke her?
The training hall had fallen into an unusually profound silence.
Countless gazes turned toward Su Youzi.
"That's..."
"Is that Senpai Su Youzi?"
"The person standing in front of Senpai Su Youzi...isn't she that genius new student from the first year of the Assault Department?"
"What's her name...Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi?"
"I heard she's already entered the First Sequence."
"Oh no...she's from the Soga Family." Some of the junior girls who admired Su Youzi already looked uneasy.
At Shiritsu Megumi Garden Academy, the relationship between Su Youzi and the Soga Family was no secret.
The Soga clan was a clan of Mental Ability Users.
The students' whispers were not difficult for Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi to hear.
The girl raised her chin slightly before Su Youzi, with a hint of pride.
Like a...red-headed duck preening its feathers.
Su Youzi's smile gradually turned malicious.
Listening to the nearby students' discussion, Su Youzi more or less understood where the girl's arrogance came from.
A First Sequence Ability User, huh~
Impressive. Truly impressive.
"My father is Soga Ishikawa Irube," the girl said, looking at Su Youzi.
"My name is Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi."
Su Youzi raised an eyebrow. "So you're the younger sister from the Ishikawa family."
In simple terms, the girl was from the Ishikawa family under the Soga clan, and her name was Kiyomi.
Hmm—
Kiyomi. That was also a type of citrus fruit.
What a nasty sense of humor.
Compared with Youzi's name, "Yuzu"—a wild citrus fruit that was fragrant but overly sour and had little flesh, containing mostly juice—
It was usually only used as a seasoning.
Kiyomi...was much more palatable.
Seeing Su Youzi's indifference, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi clenched her fist inside her sleeve.
What right does this good-for-nothing have?
She had only awakened her ability at the age of seventeen, and had merely been lucky enough to be born into the main family.
Compared with the attention Soga Toyura received from everyone—so much that people did not even dare look directly at her—Su Youzi did indeed seem much more shabby.
But...if she encountered Su Youzi at the Soga Family, she would still have to bow and scrape before her.
"Did Kiyomi come looking for me about something?" Su Youzi asked, her smile curling upward.
The self-esteem of these branch-family members really was such an interesting toy.
[ Ding— ] The intelligent machine female voice rang out at precisely the right moment.
[Part 6—Showing Your Edge]
[As you gradually reveal your edge, you will certainly encounter many obstacles.]
[Then...start by clearing your first obstacle: defeating Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.]
[Make the Soga clan remember your name—]
[Mission Requirement: Defeat Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi. Your performance will be rated based on the process of defeating Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.]
[Mission Reward: Receive a reward based on your rating.]
At that moment—
The orange-haired girl was no longer a red-headed duck or an obnoxious trash character from a game in Su Youzi's eyes.
She was a treasure chest!
A walking treasure chest!
A sparkling treasure chest!
She did not even know what the reward would be, but in any case—
Su Youzi became excited first.
"Next month is Elder Sister Toyura's birthday. Kiyomi only came to remind Sister Youzi..." The girl maintained her smile. "Don't forget."
Behind her, the few girls deliberately laughed.
"That's Soga Toyura's eighteenth birthday."
"Lord Kiyomi, don't joke around..."
"How could the Soga Family possibly let a piece of trash like her..."
Before they could finish speaking, the scabbard had already flown past one of their faces.
Her brown eyes widened.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's expression suddenly turned cold.
"Sister Youzi..."
"What they said was indeed somewhat inappropriate, but...there's a saying: 'When you beat a dog, you should still look at its owner.'"
The girl stood before Su Youzi, her long orange hair seeming to rise without any wind.
She glanced back at the others.
The girl who had spoken was reaching toward her face in shock, her fingertip touching the warm, wet blood.
"Slap yourself." Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi still wore that seemingly harmless smile.
"Yes..."
Smack, smack—
She turned to look at Su Youzi, who was holding a katana. "Sister Youzi..."
The true blade had finally been revealed.
"Heh—" At that moment, a woman's mocking laugh came from behind Su Youzi.
"When you beat a dog, you should still look at its owner?"
"Do you even make keys?"
"How many?"
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had just been about to rebuke her when her gaze was captured by the woman behind Su Youzi, whose outfit was provocatively alluring to an absurd degree.
Those blood-red eyes made Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi feel as though she had plunged into hell.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Fear spread through her heart.
She seemed to see one crimson beast after another crouching low and baring its fangs, their throats rumbling with threatening growls as they surrounded her completely.
The surging killing intent made her feel as though she had fallen into an icy pit.
That woman...that woman was an Ability User above the Third Sequence.
How was that possible!?
That good-for-nothing Su Youzi actually had an Ability User above the Third Sequence backing her.
The Soga clan was a clan of Mental Ability Users.
Mental Ability Users...were the most resilient, yet also the easiest to break down, when facing the might of a higher-level Ability User.
"Ugh—" A whimper was forced from the girl's throat.
Su Youzi gently stepped in front of Kujo Ryuko.
Kujo Ryuko looked at Su Youzi in astonishment.
Although...her killing intent was not directed at Su Youzi at all, Su Youzi would still have to endure some mental pressure by standing directly in front of her.
Yet the girl showed no abnormal reaction whatsoever.
Just this alone meant she had already crushed the so-called First Sequence Ability User opposite her.
"The Soga Family's own affairs should be left for me to resolve."
Su Youzi smiled at Kujo Ryuko.
In front of an "outsider," Kujo Ryuko gave Su Youzi plenty of respect, becoming as obedient as a giant cat.
She glared viciously at Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi before withdrawing her pressure and standing behind Su Youzi.
Thump, thump—
The few girls behind Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi collapsed into one another.
Su Youzi smiled sweetly. "Kiyomi~"
"Do you still have anything to say?"
Before you continue