"Mm, go ahead!"
Saegusa Mayumi held out one hand, inviting them to do as they pleased.
After the two of them left, Jumonji Katsuto took his leave as well. As the head of the Club Alliance, he was busy too. Especially with the commotion that had happened today, he needed to get back to headquarters quickly and deal with the aftermath.
"Ah! I'm exhausted."
Once everyone had left, Saegusa Mayumi stopped maintaining her dignified image and slumped right over the table. Her slender, smiling face was squashed flat against it.
"Yeah! But at least we can use this incident to our advantage."
"Originally, your proposals would have needed some behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get them all implemented. But after what happened today, they'll probably pass without so many underhanded tricks."
Kudo Mitsunobu smiled at Saegusa Mayumi.
"But why did you suggest taking on five people by yourself? Wouldn't that put you at a disadvantage in the negotiations?"
Kudo Mitsunobu asked, puzzled.
"Well! I've always been pretty good at negotiations. Having more people there would only get in the way of my thinking."
"Never mind. You'll understand once you see it tomorrow."
"Don't worry. Jumonji didn't object, did he?"
"Then I'll look forward to seeing you negotiate tomorrow, Mayumi!"
Kudo Mitsunobu's offhand remark made Saegusa Mayumi's face flush red. Even her dainty, delicate ears turned a faint pink.
"Honestly, you're always saying things that embarrass me."
"But I doubt this matter will end so easily. Tomorrow will probably be when Blanche makes its move."
Kudo Mitsunobu paid no attention to Saegusa Mayumi's embarrassment. Instead, he spoke with eager anticipation.
"Ah! Ah! What a pain."
The second update is here right on time.
Whenever I write a fight scene, I keep getting stuck.
I'm slow at typing to begin with, and now 4,000 words a day takes at least four hours.
It's rough.
Please vote and follow!
The more I read Tsutomu Sato's original work, the more confused I get. What even is this? I'm trying to come up with a believable way for the second heroine to cross paths with Koushu, and my head's about to explode.
And gravity magic can somehow be connected to electronics? I'm losing it.
I want to come up with a few magic spells of my own, but I have no idea how.
"Is that what she meant? That she didn't need anyone else, because she was enough on her own?"
"Senior really is eloquent!"
Kudo Mitsunobu watched Saegusa Mayumi single-handedly keep the five people across from her firmly in check, and couldn't help staring in amazement.
"Mayumi's good at picking out the holes in what people say. And she's extremely quick-thinking. Unless the other side's arguments are flawless, numbers don't matter at all to her."
Watanabe Mari said with a smile. She sounded so proud, as if the person on the stage were her.
"Sorry, I'll have to excuse myself for a moment."
"What, you're not going to stay and watch?"
"I have something urgent to take care of. Watanabe, could you apologize to Mayumi for me later?" Kudo Mitsunobu said, raising his mobile terminal.
Kudo Mitsunobu hurried a few steps toward the exit. Just before reaching the door, he turned on his terminal, and the virtual display showed a beautiful young woman.
"Mitsunobu, I've sent you the information you wanted on Blanche's personnel."
"Should I say I'm not surprised, Electronic Witch? You found out where Blanche is based in Japan so quickly."
Fujibayashi Kyoko's brows furrowed slightly at the way Kudo Mitsunobu addressed her. "Mitsunobu, you're so rude to your big sister. I'll have to give you a proper scolding the next time we meet!"
As one of the few people who knew Kudo Mitsunobu's true circumstances, Fujibayashi Kyoko had initially had complicated feelings about her younger half-brother.
But they were family, bound by blood. No matter how complicated her feelings were, she couldn't help wanting to get closer to him.
"Don't be ridiculous. The last time I saw you was a year ago, wasn't it?"
Kudo Mitsunobu scoffed as well.
Even when he was young, he hadn't been fond of her, but she'd still looked after him tirelessly. So he did think well of her. At the very least, Fujibayashi Kyoko belonged to the family he wanted to protect.
"Oh? Is Mitsunobu acting spoiled with his big sister? Complaining that she hasn't visited him in ages?"
"I'm so sorry! Big sister's been busy with work, so she couldn't come see you. Next time, I'll take a day off and spend some time with you."
Fujibayashi Kyoko spoke in an exaggerated tone. She no longer had the mature, sophisticated beauty she'd shown earlier.
"That's obviously impossible!"
Kudo Mitsunobu remained as unruffled as ever. He was already used to Fujibayashi Kyoko talking to him like this.
If he strongly objected or argued back, she would only enjoy it more. He'd just be wasting his breath.
"But getting back to it, Mitsunobu, are you planning to deal with Blanche in Japan?"
Fujibayashi Kyoko's expression turned serious, and she dropped her playful act.
She'd received Kudo Mitsunobu's message late last night. She'd been relaxing in her bathtub at home after a long, busy day when his message came through.
She'd immediately called Kudo Mitsunobu, but his phone was already off. With her abilities, she could have forced her way into the communications system at his house even with his phone switched off.
But after thinking it over, she realized it would probably be pointless. Even if she got through, Kudo Mitsunobu wouldn't explain anything to her right away. With no other choice, she'd climbed out of the comfortable tub and started investigating for him.
Now that he had the information, Kudo Mitsunobu had no reason to keep his plans secret.
He raised his chin. "That's right. I'm going to teach those little rats a small lesson."
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