The Telltale Signs Had Already Come to Light

"I'm fine!"

Kudo Mitsunobu shook his head.

"Since Tatsuya-kun has already figured some things out on his own, we can tell him."

"Besides, this isn't the kind of secret that needs to be kept under wraps."

Nakajo Azusa was probably the only person present who was completely in the dark. After all, Ichihara Suzune came from a family that had once belonged to the Numbers, Watanabe Mari came from the Hundred Families, and everyone else was a direct descendant of one of the Ten Master Clans.

Shiba Tatsuya shared some information that most magicians already knew, so no one could question how an ordinary student knew so much.

"Not bad, Tatsuya-kun. Your analysis is pretty much the same as mine."

Kudo Mitsunobu endorsed Shiba Tatsuya's assessment, then continued.

"Now that you're one of the few people in the know, please keep an eye on your surroundings, Tatsuya-kun. If you discover anything, it would be a huge help."

"Sure, I'll keep an eye out."

Shiba Tatsuya agreed at once. In fact, that seemed to be his main goal: to get official authorization to investigate.

He wasn't really interested in getting involved in something like this, but Blanche's appearance might threaten his younger sister's peaceful school life.

He would have investigated on his own even without authorization. But if someone got hurt or killed during the investigation, covering up the evidence without exposing his identity would be a real hassle.

With authorization from these two members of the Ten Master Clans, he would have to operate within certain limits, but Kudo Mitsunobu and Saegusa Mayumi could handle everything once the matter was settled.

"Is it really all right to leave this to them?"

"After all, they're different from us."

Saegusa Mayumi still wasn't entirely comfortable with Kudo Mitsunobu giving Shiba Tatsuya the authority to investigate.

The families enjoyed supreme authority in Japan's magical world, and they were sheltered by their families in return. So it was only natural for them to step forward now. They had long since prepared themselves for this, without a word of complaint.

That was simply how society worked: the more power you gained, the more responsibility you had to bear.

But to Saegusa Mayumi, the Shiba Siblings were just ordinary students without even a family to back them. They had no reason to put themselves in danger.

This was nothing like serving on the Disciplinary Committee and keeping an eye on students at school. Blanche was made up of vicious terrorists, the sort who killed without a second thought.

"Mayumi, don't underestimate the two of them."

Everyone else had already left the Student Council room to get ready for class. Now that it was just the two of them, he naturally used the new form of address Saegusa Mayumi had asked him to use.

When Saegusa Mayumi first heard Kudo Mitsunobu call her by her new nickname, a bashful blush appeared on her face.

"No, this has nothing to do with how capable they are."

"I mean they don't need to take this kind of risk. It isn't their responsibility."

Saegusa Mayumi gave an indignant little huff.

"No. Perhaps they do have a reason to take responsibility for this."

A mysterious smile flickered across Kudo Mitsunobu's lips.

"How could that be?"

"How coul—"

Saegusa Mayumi repeated the words twice, clearly joking, then suddenly thought of a possibility she had never considered before.

Her small, cherry-red lips fell wide open. An egg would have been too big, but she could probably fit a chicken egg in there now.

"Perhaps. It's only a guess, though."

Kudo Mitsunobu chose not to give Saegusa Mayumi a straight answer. He knew that an ambiguous response like this would only make her more curious.

In the original story, Saegusa Mayumi and Jumonji Katsuto had both suspected Shiba Tatsuya's true identity several times.

But Saegusa Mayumi was so fond of Shiba Tatsuya that she kept it a secret for him.

@Six-Fingered Zither Demon Shang Lianqing @Primordial Sun @Cang Xue @Qiao Nijiang @Xiaoyao's Whispers @A Thread of Longing @Radiobob @Dream Deity Thank you all for your tips, especially since I received my first "Salted Fish Lunge" yesterday. I'm deeply grateful.

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Chapter 24: The Telltale Signs Had Already Come to Light

Once Saegusa Mayumi's curiosity had been piqued, she was bound to use the Saegusa Family's resources to investigate.

Though she didn't particularly want to admit it, the Saegusa Family would probably be able to dig up more than the Kudo Family could.

After all, the families had developed in different directions. The Saegusa Family and the Yotsuba Family had more influence over the military than the Kudo Family did.

Saegusa Mayumi's chest rose and fell slightly, her shapely figure moving with it, an alluring sight.

She shot Kudo Mitsunobu a displeased look but said nothing more. They hadn't known each other for very long, but she felt she already understood his personality fairly well.

She knew that even if she pressed him for answers now, she wouldn't get anywhere.

In the end, she would have to investigate on her own.

Kudo Mitsunobu shrugged. He was also curious about how Saegusa Mayumi would react once she learned the truth.

He also wanted to see whether they could share what they found out.

"Mayumi, we should get going too."

"If we don't leave, we'll be late for afternoon classes."

"Hmph!" Saegusa Mayumi puffed out her lips like a sulky child, clearly refusing to acknowledge Kudo Mitsunobu.

After all, she was a young woman too. She could understand his personality, but that didn't mean she couldn't still sulk.