Setting Out for the Nine Schools Competition

"Now that we've finished discussing that matter, Koushu, let's talk about something else!"

The old man's faint smile returned.

"What is it?"

Kudo Mitsunobu's mouth twitched. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm fairly well-informed, you know. This time, you can't brush me off like you did before when I ask about you and the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family."

"Grandpa, what kind of grandfather has people at school keeping tabs on his grandson's love life?"

As soon as Kudo Mitsunobu said it, he knew Kudo Retsu had definitely bribed a student at the school to keep an eye on him every day.

If Saegusa Mayumi hadn't become so much more open about things, naturally no one would have noticed.

But now, Saegusa Mayumi cared less and less about what other people thought, and often showed him affection in public.

There was no way to hide it.

"As his grandfather, I don't see anything wrong with wanting to know about my grandson's love life."

"I'd say you're very much in the wrong, Grandpa."

Kudo Mitsunobu now thought the old man's sense of right and wrong had gone completely haywire.

"Young master, the master has his reasons for doing this," Kuki Ken interjected from the side.

"That's right. You're still young, Koushu, but once you inherit the Kudo Family, you'll have to get engaged."

Kudo Mitsunobu frowned at Kudo Retsu's words.

"Grandpa, you're still in good health. There's no need to rush into passing the position on!"

That was right. On the surface, Kudo Shingen was the head of the Kudo Family, but in truth, Kudo Retsu had always been the one in control.

Kudo Retsu didn't trust Kudo Shingen's abilities or his conduct, so he had never given him any real power.

By now, Kudo Shingen was little more than a puppet Kudo Retsu kept in the public eye.

"Magic is still a young profession, after all. At my age, I can no longer maintain much fighting strength."

"So I intend to pass the position on to you soon."

"I see!"

Kudo Mitsunobu understood how much strain it put on a ninety-year-old man to spend every day managing the country and the family.

Especially when his own father was such a handful and his grandfather always had to clean up after him.

And there was no problem with him becoming the head of the family. When he crossed between worlds, time in this world stood still, so it wouldn't interfere with anything.

Seeing how readily Kudo Mitsunobu accepted it, Kudo Retsu nodded with satisfaction, then changed the subject.

"So, let's get back to discussing you and the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family!"

"She's two years older than you, but that's still within an acceptable range."

"From the information I've gathered, she's an excellent magician with outstanding social skills. She seems like a fine young woman."

Kudo Retsu was glad his grandson had found someone he liked. Until now, his grandson had seemed completely indifferent to romance.

But as the next head of the Kudo Family, Kudo Mitsunobu couldn't avoid getting married. In the end, even if he didn't want to, Kudo Retsu would have had to choose a wife for him.

Most magicians married that way, but he still hoped his grandson could find someone he liked and spend his life with her.

In a family as prominent as theirs, a first wife wouldn't be divorced unless she died unexpectedly.

If the two of them weren't suited to each other, they would be unhappy for the rest of their lives.

"Yeah, she's the one."

Kudo Mitsunobu answered frankly. He and Saegusa Mayumi had been getting along quite well lately.

It would be a stretch to say he'd fallen deeply in love with her in such a short time, but she was suitable as a marriage partner.

At the very least, she was better than a complete stranger he knew nothing about.

"Good. I'll talk to the head of the Saegusa Family about it soon. His daughter's grown up, after all. It'd be a problem if he chose someone else for her in the meantime."

By "soon," Kudo Retsu really meant he planned to call Saegusa Koichi tomorrow.

While looking into the matter, he'd heard that the Gorin family had been asking the Saegusa Family for a marriage arrangement, while Saegusa Koichi was also considering Jumonji Katsuto of the Jumonji House.

The sooner they acted, the better.

"Isn't that a little too soon?"

Kudo Mitsunobu thought his grandfather was being a bit too decisive.

He even suspected that in the next two or three days, Saegusa Mayumi would come to him, blushing, and ask what was going on.

Chapter 40: Setting Out for the Nine Schools Competition

Several days had passed since they returned from Nara to Tokyo. The Nine Schools Competition rally had been held two days ago, and today was finally departure day. Everyone had to gather at school in the morning to ride the bus together.

Kudo Mitsunobu naturally didn't ride his motorcycle today. Instead, he chose to walk.

Only, the route he took was slightly different from usual.

"Why did Mayumi suddenly ask me to wait for her at the station today?"

Kudo Mitsunobu stood in front of the bus stop beneath the blazing sun. He could use magic to regulate his body temperature, but he still hated the glaring sunlight.

"Do you have a problem with waiting for me here?"

Saegusa Mayumi held down the brim of her hat with one hand, while resting the other on her hip.