The Beach

Saegusa Mayumi quickly stepped forward and pulled her somewhat irrational younger sister back, because she had already seen Shiba Miyuki frowning.

Having gotten rid of Saegusa Izumi, Shiba Miyuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After exchanging contact information with Saegusa Izumi, she quickly left with Shiba Tatsuya.

Seeing Saegusa Izumi holding her phone with a happy expression opened Kudo Mitsunobu's eyes; he had never realized Saegusa Izumi was this kind of person before.

Since dinner was already arranged at the Saegusa Family, they didn't eat out. After buying clothes, they went to the Saegusa Family's mansion together.

Of course, Saegusa Koichi was already waiting in the living room.

"Dad, let's go upstairs and change our clothes."

After greeting Saegusa Mayumi and Saegusa Koichi, she led the two sisters upstairs.

"Koushu, you don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

"Of course, Uncle, please make yourself at home."

"Then come with me to the study for a chat? There's still some time before dinner starts."

Kudo Mitsunobu naturally nodded in agreement and followed Saegusa Koichi to his study.

Saegusa Koichi's study was decorated in a very ordinary way, with a large desk and a leather swivel chair behind which was a large bookshelf filled with books.

The room was decorated with green plants all around and on the table.

After the two took their seats, Saegusa Koichi spoke.

"Come to think of it, this should be our first meeting!"

"I don't recall ever seeing you Koushu, attend a banquet held between Master Clans before."

Saegusa Koichi asked tentatively, a question he himself hadn't fully investigated.

He naturally knew that Kudo Shingen had a young son, but the Kudo Family had always been responsible for communication between the Master Clans through Kudo Mitsunobu's older brother and sister.

As for Kudo Mitsunobu, he had never shown his face, so Saegusa Koichi assumed that Kudo Shingen's newborn son must have no magical aptitude or extremely low aptitude, which was why he had been hiding his identity.

Because in their eyes, Kudo Shingen's aptitude was already extremely poor, and his previous offspring were only slightly better than the average family magician, but not by much. It was only natural that he thought this way.

A few months ago, when he first heard from Retsu Kudou that Kudo Mitsunobu was going to be promoted to First High School, he didn't pay much attention. In his mind, he would at most be a Course 2 Students.

However, when Retsu Kudou contacted him saying he wanted to get engaged to Saegusa Mayumi, he then carefully investigated Kudo Mitsunobu's background.

He broke all the test records at the start of the semester, and according to his intelligence, he was also closely related to Kudo Mitsunobu when resolving the [balance] riot.

With all that already in place, and the fact that the next head of the Kudo Family has been chosen to be engaged to Kudo Mitsunobu and his outstanding eldest daughter, there shouldn't be any problems.

That's why he agreed.

But what Kudo Mitsunobu's performance during the Nine Schools Competition really shocked him. The bloodstained prince, Ichijo Family was most proud of, was like a toy that Kudo Mitsunobu could play with at will.

"Because I was always learning magic and magical crafting techniques, my grandfather naturally told me to interact with other people more, but I was just too busy at that time."

These matters did not involve any secrets, and Kudo Mitsunobu had no need to hide them, so he told Saegusa Koichi the truth.

Saegusa Koichi readily accepted the offer and even took out a ring-shaped CAD device from his drawer, produced by Kudo Mitsunobu, and placed it on the table.

"Without continuous hard work and dedication, it would have been impossible to create such an excellent CAD product at this age."

"It's a pity that the person I sent was a little too late, otherwise I would have wanted a CAD program Mayumi's!"

Saegusa Koichi fiddled with the ring on the table while making half-joking remarks.

"Uncle, you're too kind. I'll send someone from my company to customize a CAD file just for you when I get back."

That would be wonderful.

Saegusa Koichi smiled gently, and the two chatted about mundane things until a maid came up to call them down for dinner.

"Nagura, what do you think?"

After finishing dinner and seeing off Kudo Mitsunobu, Saegusa Koichi sat in a chair in his study, as if talking to thin air.

The bookshelf was pushed open, not from the side, but from the inside out.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair, whose age was comparable to that of Kuki Ken, walked out from inside.

"The adults' and young lady's judgment is certainly sound; Young Master Kudou is an exceptionally talented individual."

The white-haired old man spoke very respectfully.

"Yes! Mayumi's marriage couldn't be delayed any longer. As the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family, I wanted to take force against her and stop her from being so willful."

"But since Miss has found someone she likes and the choice also aligns with the interests of the Saegusa Family, this is something to be happy about."

Butler Akikura was Saegusa Mayumi grow up and had always served as Saegusa Mayumi bodyguard.

You could say that Saegusa Mayumi is like his child.

"Yes!"

Saegusa Koichi's cold expression gradually softened.

P. S.: Chapter 4 is here, the beach chapter. Next chapter to follow.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Beach

A damp, salty sea breeze blows, and as far as the eye can see, there is only the boundless blue ocean and white sand, with a few scattered seashells dotting the beach.

She kicked off her sandals and placed her fair, delicate feet directly on the sand.

"So comfortable!"

Saegusa Mayumi had a blissful expression on her face. The sand didn't hurt her feet at all; instead, it gently enveloped her toes. Plus, the warmth of the sand after being exposed to the midday sun felt like a foot bath.

"Mari, Kasumi, Izumi, you should try it too, it feels really good!"

The three girls were quite fascinated by Saegusa Mayumi's expression and followed Saegusa Mayumi, kicking off their sandals.

"What a pity! Miyuki called yesterday and declined the offer."

Although it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, Saegusa Mayumi still made a special call that evening to ask Shiba Miyuki again.

As a result, she was politely rejected by Shiba Miyuki.