Interstellar Travel Starting from Demonic Inferiority Chapter 17

Kudo Mitsunobu continued to add, as he knew he couldn't push Shiba Tatsuya too hard; if he demanded an all-out battle, Shiba Tatsuya would certainly refuse.

Before Shiba Tatsuya could say anything, Shiba Miyuki's eyes visibly brightened.

Initially, Shiba Miyuki had been hesitant when she heard about a mock battle, as it went against her brother's desire to keep a low profile.

But after Kudo Mitsunobu finished his explanation, Shiba Miyuki felt there was no need for concern.

The school's top brass would be watching, so the scale of the battle wouldn't be too large.

Her brother would be facing Kudo Mitsunobu, the next head of the Kudo Family.

As long as he could hold out for two minutes without losing, he could win everyone's respect without revealing too much information.

Shiba Tatsuya took a deep breath, meeting his sister's expectant gaze.

"Very well, I accept."

When Kudo Mitsunobu pushed open the door, he felt the atmosphere in the Student Council was somewhat stifling. Hattori Hanzo stood before the window with his hands behind his back, his spine straight, lost in thought.

"Senior, what's wrong?" Kudo Mitsunobu asked in a low voice as he sat down directly next to Saegusa Mayumi.

"Vice President Hattori is angry because Junior Shiba joined the Public Morals Committee!"

It wasn't Saegusa Mayumi who answered him, but Watanabe Mari, who was sitting across from them.

"Hanzo-kun is just a bit stubborn, that's all," Saegusa Mayumi said with a laugh.

Hattori Hanzo turned around at this moment, his tone somewhat heavy. "Mitsunobu, why did you agree to let Shiba Tatsuya join the Student Council?"

Kudo Mitsunobu understood immediately; it turned out that the Hattori Hanzo before him was a staunch believer in Course 1 supremacy.

He couldn't help but glance at Saegusa Mayumi sitting nearby. He had seen that everyone in the Student Council seemed to hate the Course 2 system, so he had assumed everyone felt the same way.

He never expected that someone as imposing as Hattori Hanzo would be the one standing in the way.

"I simply believe that Tatsuya-kun has the ability, Senior Hattori."

Kudo Mitsunobu spoke without reservation. Even if he had felt a slight affinity for Hattori Hanzo before, that didn't mean he would accept being questioned by him.

"Ability? He is nothing more than a Course 2 student. If he had real ability, he wouldn't have been assigned to Course 2."

Hattori Hanzo's words were agitated, a far cry from the gentle and refined demeanor he had shown during their first meeting.

"I, for one, don't believe my judgment is wrong!" Kudo Mitsunobu retorted.

"Besides, didn't I say that I would be having a mock battle with Tatsuya-kun later?"

"Or does Senior Hattori think I will lose?"

Kudo Mitsunobu said with a sharp, imposing tone.

Although he believed Shiba Tatsuya had some ability, no matter how strong Shiba Tatsuya was, he didn't think for a second that he would lose.

But as the next head of the Kudo Family, he could not accept anyone questioning his own strength.

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm just saying he has no qualifications to face off against a Course 1 student, so why go through all this trouble? There are plenty of talented individuals among the Course 1 students if you want to add new members to the Student Council."

"There is absolutely no need to specifically pick a Course 2 student."

Hattori Hanzo explained. Although his own family had considerable power, it couldn't compare to the Ten Master Clans' Kudo Family.

He didn't want his words to be misinterpreted by Kudo Mitsunobu and bring unnecessary trouble to his family.

Kudo Mitsunobu sighed. "Let me ask you this: is Senior Hattori a believer in Course 1 supremacy, or a believer in meritocracy?"

"As a side note, I am a believer in meritocracy."

"Then you should have rejected Shiba Tatsuya joining the Public Morals Committee outright."

"Senior Hattori, please answer my question first," Kudo Mitsunobu interrupted.

The words "Course 1 students" that Hattori Hanzo wanted to blurt out stuck in his throat, because he had always preached that Course 2 students were inferior to Course 1 students in terms of ability.

He certainly couldn't shoot himself in the foot now, and he felt that if he said that, the distance between him and the president he admired would only grow further.

"Of course, ability is more important," Hattori Hanzo said reluctantly.

"Then, since I am personally testing Tatsuya-kun's ability, does Senior Hattori have any further complaints?"

"Or perhaps Senior Hattori is questioning my own ability? In that case, I can have a mock battle with you first to prove my strength."

"Or do you think I would go easy on him just because I know him?"

Kudo Mitsunobu's barrage of questions hit Hattori Hanzo like a rapid-fire cannon.

Hattori Hanzo opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Question Kudo Mitsunobu's ability?

Don't be ridiculous. He could see the eager look in Kudo Mitsunobu's eyes right now; if he dared to say that, Kudo Mitsunobu would drag him to the combat room the very next second.

"I will keep a close eye on things." Hattori Hanzo tossed those words over his shoulder before turning away again.

Kudo Mitsunobu shrugged indifferently, then reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a handgun, its body entirely black with silver-edged corners, the character (Night) imprinted upon it.

"Oh, so this is your specialized CAD? I actually thought the earring on your ear was your personal CAD!"

Seeing Kudo Mitsunobu produce the handgun, Saegusa Mayumi shifted her chair a little closer and spoke.

"I'm impressed you noticed, Senpai. I've only used it in front of you twice, haven't I?"

Kudo Mitsunobu set down the firearm he had been inspecting and instead reached up to touch the earring on his ear.

"This is actually a CAD?"

Without anyone noticing when she had arrived, Nakajo Azusa had already darted to his side, gazing at his earring with eyes as pitiful as a wounded young beast.