Arcadia's Team-Building Event? (5K)

Kyoko Fujibayashi looked in the direction he had just been staring at, and just then she saw the boy he had been looking at, who was also looking in their direction.

"Ah, so it's him. Could it be that Yotsuba Clan is also captivated by my cousin?"

"... Fujibayashi-sensei's cousin?"

The surprise didn't come from Mahiro, but from Minami.

As Mahiro's maid and a magician from the Yotsuba Family, she was well aware of Kyoko Fujibayashi's identity.

Aside from her rank of lieutenant in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, she was also related to the Kudou Family. If he was her cousin, wouldn't that mean...?

"Kouson, come over and say hello!"

"Excuse me!"

At Kyoko Fujibayashi's call, the boy, displaying a flustered demeanor befitting his age, squeezed out of the crowd and walked to Fujibayashi's side.

They stopped at a point opposite to where Mahiro.

"Hello, nice to meet you."

He introduced himself in a still somewhat flustered voice.

"I am Kudou Family, the youngest son of Makoto Kudou family, and a Minoro Kudou -year student at Second High School. Mr. Yotsuba Mahiro, Ms. Sakurai Minami, it's an honor to meet you."

That's right, this young man is Minoro Kudou, who is also the pinnacle of technology from the Ninth Research Institute, which inherits ancient magic.

Like Yotsuba Mahiro and Miyuki Shiba, she is a body-adjusting mage.

However, unlike Minoro Kudou, he was physically weak and sickly.

"Yotsuba Mahiro. I didn't expect that the young master of the Kudou Family would know me."

Mahiro's tone was very kind, and Sakurai Minami, as his maid, nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Nice to meet you, Minoro Kudou."

"Miss Sakurai, there's no need to be so polite... As for why I know Yotsuba Clan, it's mainly because I witnessed Yotsuba Clan's activity in the audience of the Nine Schools Competition last year."

Ah, I'm younger than both of you, so please just call me Kouson. I also hope you won't use honorifics when addressing me."

"Then please don't call me Yotsuba Clan Kouson, Mahiro."

"Yes, Mahiro..."

Minoro Kudou wore a joyful smile, the kind that only appears when someone makes a new friend.

Despite possessing an exceptional appearance, he seems to be overly modest in his personality, completely different from the other members of the Ten Master Clans. Unlike the Katsuto Jumonji or Masaki Ichijo, he doesn't exude a sense of pressure and arrogance.

Well, in the end, this is just a superficial phenomenon; in terms of strength, this Minoro Kudou is not bad at all.

Even Kyoko Fujibayashi couldn't help but praise it.

"My cousin Kouson is just as good as you. If you were to participate as a contestant this time, I think the competition would be very exciting, but it's really a pity."

Kyoko Fujibayashi whispered in Mahiro's ear.

"Really? No problem, we can spar sometime when we have the chance."

Mahiro did not refute, but simply responded in accordance with the other party's wishes.

He couldn't be bothered to argue about who was right or wrong about something so trivial; it was pointless.

However, what he didn't notice was the fleeting sadness in Kyoko Fujibayashi's eyes.

Kouson was in poor health. Although he possessed unparalleled talent, Kouson spent almost a quarter of the year in bed.

Even participating in the Nine Schools Competition was a rare indulgence for her cousin, who secretly brought Kouson out of the house and participated without telling the Kushima main family.

It was just a project I signed him up for, to fulfill his wish, nothing more.

If Kouson wanted to have a head-on match with Yotsuba Mahiro, it would be very difficult for him given his physique.

Then, Masaki Ichijo came over and greeted him, expressing his regret that they couldn't play against each other.

Mahiro simply nodded slightly in response.

Socializing is really tiring...

Shortly afterward, the banquet began with the opening ceremony speeches.

Unlike last year, that old guy Kudo Retsu didn't pull any tricks this time; it was just a very ordinary opening ceremony.

Afterwards, the contestants from various universities returned to their rooms or worked with the technicians to prepare for tomorrow's competition.

However, the atmosphere was somewhat tense and heavy.

Many people have probably already noticed the differences in this Nine Schools Competition.

"Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

"Brother Mahiro, what are you muttering about?"

"It's nothing, let's continue."

Mahiro and shook his head, refocusing his attention on debugging the CAD software.

The subjects of the adjustment were the two sisters of the Saegusa Family, Izumi Saegusa and Kasumi Saegusa.

The two sisters participated in the Battle Board event.

The training required a helmsman and a gunner, and it was originally part of the USNA Marine Corps' amphibious support training program.

But for twins like them, the innate understanding between them couldn't be more perfect.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was tailor-made for us.

"If Mahiro have any concerns, please put them aside. Izumi and I promise you we won't let Mahiro down and will bring back a championship!"

The lively Kasumi showed off her little muscles through her sleeve.

Izumi nodded in agreement.

Having fighting spirit is a good thing, but sometimes it can be a bad thing. For example, right now, just after the two sisters finished making their bold statements, another voice rang out.

"Arrogance and complacency aren't good things either. With your personality, you might crash and burn in the competition."

The voice was elegant and gentle, yet carried a hint of condescending sarcasm.

The Kuroba siblings walked in, and Ayako Kuroba gracefully lifted her skirt and gave him a slight bow.

"Brother Mahiro".

"What are you doing here, you filthy woman?!"

"Oh dear, I don't smell bad at all, unlike you who's always running around the Public Morals Committee. I wonder if you take a proper shower after sweating?"

Ayako smiled and replied.

"As for why I'm here, it's because I need my dear brother Mahiro to help me adjust the CAD settings to prepare for tomorrow's competition."

Like the Saegusa sisters, she Fumiya also applied for Battle Board.

They were participating in the individual competition, and although they weren't on the same track as the Saegusa sisters, Ayako's words were enough to provoke Kasumi.

"What did you say?! What do you mean by 'running around all sweaty every day'?! I shower every day!!!"

"Elder sister..."

Izumi tugged at Kasumi's sleeve, stopping her from continuing.

Even Ayako couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Sigh, this kid is inexplicably straightforward, it even reminds him of that stubborn little idiot Pony.

"Alright, let's stop here for now."

Mahiro handed the adjusted CAD to Izumi and Kasumi, saying, "The CAD is almost finished. We'll make some minor adjustments tomorrow morning based on your physical condition. As for the match tactics, just follow the plan I taught you before."

"Yes, Brother Mahiro!"

The two sisters left the room, but before leaving, Kasumi couldn't resist giving Ayako a defiant glare.

Ayako didn't care at all, and even grabbed Mahiro's arm right in front of Kasumi.

"Alright, stop fooling around, bring out your CAD software."

Under his instructions, the two of them placed the CAD on two separate platforms, while he multitasked, adjusting the state of the spellcaster.

With his current brain processing power, doing something like this would be a piece of cake.

As they watched the dazzling stream of data scroll across the screen, both Fumiya and Ayako's eyes shone with admiration.

"Brother Mahiro, you're amazing!"

"Yes, yes, even the top technicians probably couldn't do what Brother Zhenxun did."

"Alright, you two, stop flattering me. Do you need me to give you any tactical advice for tomorrow's game?"

Mahiro two accounts simultaneously, Mahiro still managed to find time to talk to the two of them.

"Hehe, no need. I'm not like those two silly girls from the Saegusa Family, who would only cause trouble for Brother Mahiro and increase his workload."

Ayako put her hands behind her back and said with a slightly smug look on her face.

However, Fumiya, standing to the side, seemed hesitant to speak.

If you let Mahiro devise the tactics, you could spend more time with Mahiro, sister...

However, he dared not say these words aloud, fearing that he would be beaten up by Ayako if he left the room.

Chapter 181 Team Building in Arcadia? (5K)

"Hey, Mahiro- nii, what do you think of my clothes?"

"Move aside, let me see you first!"

"No way!"

Early in the morning, shortly after Mahiro got up, there was a knock on his door. When he opened the door, a group of girls in swimsuits rushed in.

You don't even need to look to know it's Kasumi Saegusa, Izumi Saegusa, and Ayako Kuroba.

But there were two more people following behind.

"Honoka? Shizuku? What are you doing here too...?"

"That..."

"We'd like to Mahiro to help us check how our swimsuits are and if there's anything wrong with them."

Honoka and looked shy, unable to speak for a long time.

In the end, Shizuku had to act as her mouth double, saying what she wanted to say.

Although Shizuku's face was also slightly flushed.

That's right, the event they both participated in was also Battle Board, since their original event was canceled.

Moreover, when it comes to teamwork, it's probably impossible to find a more compatible pair than twins.

"Alright, alright, girls, you're all dressed very well, so hurry up and get ready for the competition, it starts soon."

Mahiro beckoned the group of beautiful women to leave, urging them on.

After he finished washing up and helped them with their final adjustments, the first day of the competition began.

The first day's activities, besides Battle Board, included Shield Down.

Neither of these competitions has a rookie category; they are simply divided into men's and women's categories.

Battle Board is actually quite simple; it's a combination of the previous "Mirage Bat" and "Speed Shooting." The goal is to navigate through a circular waterway within a limited time and accurately hit one hundred targets. The time taken to navigate the waterway and the number of targets hit are the key factors in determining the winner.

Fortunately, both the Saegusa Family sisters and the combination of Honoka and Kitayama Shizuku performed very well.

Especially Izumi Saegusa, who is a marksman, and Kitayama Shizuku.

The two stunned the audience once again.

Kitayama Shizuku used the "Multiple Shot" technique she designed last year, and its speed and accuracy remain unmatched this year. Izumi, on the other hand, used Mayumi's advanced version, "Bala."

The enthusiastic cheers from the audience, and her performance, strongly suggest that she is following in her sister's footsteps as the "Fairy Sniper."

As for Ayako Fumiya, needless to say, they were already elites in actual combat, so this kind of competition was too easy for them.

As for the arena where the Shield Down, to be honest, it still surprised him quite a bit.