Kudo Mitsunobu nodded.
"Although he's already been frozen into a block of ice, I imagine Ichijo Masaki could easily detonate the water molecules inside it. So he'll definitely enter the event that best showcases his family's magic."
"When the time comes, I'll perfectly suppress him with magic of the same caliber. That should settle things."
Saegusa Mayumi couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Ichijo Masaki. This was supposed to be his chance to shine, but now there was a weirdo intent on finding some way to beat him to a pulp.
Thinking of that, Saegusa Mayumi looked at Kudo Mitsunobu with some confusion.
"If I remember right, the Kudo Family doesn't have any grudges against the Ichijo Family, does it? Or do you have some personal grudge against him?"
"How could I have a grudge against him? This is just normal competition. Those who aren't strong enough will naturally have to leave in defeat."
Kudo Mitsunobu found Saegusa Mayumi's sudden train of thought rather amusing.
"Who from the Student Council is here now?"
The Student Council members were responsible for overseeing most of the Nine Schools Competition arrangements, such as assigning participants to events, arranging hotel accommodations, recruiting technicians, and organizing the rally.
But since it was summer vacation, and nearly all the Student Council members were competing in the Nine Schools Competition, they weren't keeping to their usual schedule when coming in.
"Mari just messaged me. She said everyone else is here already, apart from the two of us."
Saegusa Mayumi spoke unhurriedly, and showed no sign of picking up her pace. She didn't seem even slightly guilty that everyone at the Student Council was waiting for her.
Of course, Kudo Mitsunobu had no intention of hurrying either. As mentioned earlier, in a way, he was just like Saegusa Mayumi.
They naturally acted with poise and courtesy around strangers or people they'd just met, but in front of those they knew well and felt close to, their rather mean-spirited sides came out without fail.
"By the way, it's already noon. Should we go to the cafeteria and get some lunch first?"
"I got up a little late this morning, so I didn't cook anything."
"Oh!"
Saegusa Mayumi clapped her hands together, putting on an expression of delight.
"That's perfect, then! I brought two lunch boxes. Want to try my cooking?"
As she spoke, Saegusa Mayumi opened her handbag, revealing two beautifully made lunch boxes.
"You really made these yourself?"
Kudo Mitsunobu could hardly believe his ears. He'd known Saegusa Mayumi for three months, but he'd never once seen her bring a lunch box from home.
Usually, she either ate in the cafeteria or had food prepared by the maid at her house.
"Of course I made them myself! I spent ages getting them ready."
Saegusa Mayumi was a little annoyed. She'd gone to all the trouble of spending the whole morning cooking for the person she loved, and he was still questioning whether she'd made them herself.
It was as if all her effort had gone to waste.
"No, no, I'm not questioning that."
"I just meant that if you made it yourself, maybe I should take a stomach medicine first, just in case."
"Oh, is that all!"
Saegusa Mayumi's little grumble vanished just as quickly.
"Take a stomach medicine first, just in case?"
Once she caught on, Saegusa Mayumi reached beneath Kudo Mitsunobu's ribs and pinched him. "Could you repeat what you just said? I don't think I heard you clearly!"
"No, I said I'm really looking forward to trying your cooking, Mayumi."
"Only an idiot would repeat that!"
Kudo Mitsunobu shook his head frantically. He could already feel the soft flesh at his waist being twisted into several turns, and the sharp pain was making it hard for him to keep from crying out.
"Is that so? Good, then!"
Only then did Saegusa Mayumi nod in satisfaction and withdraw her hand.
When the two arrived at the Student Council room, everyone had already started eating lunch. Saegusa Mayumi took a relatively large lunch box out of her handbag and handed it to Kudo Mitsunobu.
Kudo Mitsunobu took the lunch box and opened it right away. The food wasn't so lavish as to be extravagant; it was just ordinary fried shrimp, hamburger steak, boiled vegetables, and a few hand-formed rice balls.
Mm, Mayumi really did make this herself, Kudo Mitsunobu thought.
He'd seen the lunch boxes Saegusa Mayumi brought from home before, and just by looking at it, he could tell that this one was very different from those.
Kudo Mitsunobu picked up a golden fried shrimp and slowly put it in his mouth. It surprised him right away.
Before eating, he'd thought Saegusa Mayumi might deliberately play a trick on him and load the lunch box with all sorts of extra ingredients.
But it turned out to be surprisingly decent. It tasted like ordinary home cooking. It wasn't especially delicious, but it was certainly good enough to fill his stomach.
"Hey, what do you think? You haven't said a word!"
Saegusa Mayumi stared at Kudo Mitsunobu in displeasure. She'd been watching him for ages.
"Mm, it's pretty good."
Kudo Mitsunobu gave Saegusa Mayumi an excellent rating. After all, she was a young lady who'd never had to lift a finger around the house, and she'd gone out of her way to make him lunch. Even if it wasn't tasty, he should gratefully eat it.
Besides, Saegusa Mayumi's cooking wasn't bad, so calling it excellent wasn't an exaggeration.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you two want to flirt, could you find somewhere private after school?"
Before you continue