The Four-Leaf Gathering, Each with Their Own Agenda (5K) (Continued)

In the end, Tsukuba Yuuka did not agree to his request.

But he didn't refuse.

Mahiro didn't rush her, but instead let her think it over slowly before making a decision.

The Spring Festival celebration will take enough time for Tsukuba Yuuka to consider.

The news of their meeting naturally reached Maya Yotsuba's ears.

"Madam, is it really alright to let Mahiro and Miss Tsukuba Yuuka meet so casually?"

"What are you worried about, Hayama?"

As the old butler, Hayama poured Maya a cup of freshly brewed flower tea and added some condiments according to Maya's habits.

Maya picked up the flower tea that Hayama had poured, took a small sip, and asked:

"Mahiro is Mahiro meeting with her cousin whom she hasn't seen in a long time, what could possibly happen?"

"That's true, Madam, but we're at a critical juncture right now, and each branch family has already made its own plans."

"If Mahiro were to contact Miss Tsukuba Yuuka at this time, it would likely have a negative impact on the Tsukuba Family."

After all, the Tsukuba Family intended to support Miyuki's rise to power.

Hayama's meaning couldn't be clearer: the branch families were preparing to unite against Mahiro and didn't intend for him to become the head of the family.

Maya could naturally understand and was well aware of how the branch families treated her child, Mahiro.

He once considered him to be on par with Tatsuya.

But--

"I believe that child will be able to resolve this once he becomes the head of the family."

"But Madam, what if the Mahiro master refuses?"

"Giggle..."

Hearing Hayama's question, Maya covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Hayama, you still don't understand Mahiro's personality at all. That kid is very petty and holds grudges. I believe my child will definitely take over the position of family head, and he has no reason to refuse."

As she spoke these words, Maya's eyes flickered slightly, filled with determination.

Seeing Maya Yotsuba's certainty, Hayama, the butler, didn't continue speaking.

Because it's meaningless; he's just a butler.

He couldn't overstep his bounds and interfere with the head of the family's thoughts, and he was also well aware that once Maya made up her mind about something...

No one can change this.

As the sun gradually sank below the horizon, the full moon slowly rose from the other side.

As the cold wind blew a few snowflakes down from the window, an unsettling feeling of impending storm filled the air.

"Excuse me, Maya."

Just then, the door was knocked a few times and then pushed open. An elegant woman dressed as a maid walked in and gave Maya a slight bow.

She is Shirakawa, the head maid of the Yotsuba Clan main family.

"What is it?" Maya put down the teacup with lipstick marks on it and asked quietly.

"In reply to Madam, as you requested, all the visitors who came to discuss the family division have gathered in the dining room and are awaiting your arrival."

"Where's Mahiro? Has he arrived yet?"

"Not yet, but His Majesty the Seitenshi Emperor, Kisara, and Lady Esdeath have all taken their seats."

"Okay, tell them to wait a moment, I'll be there soon."

Maya glanced at the time on the clock and replied lazily.

However, despite saying that, Maya remained seated in her chair without making any move.

It's now 6:50 pm.

The restaurant at the Yotsuba Clan's main residence was already packed with people.

In truth, the number of people who split up the Yotsuba Clan family isn't that many, but it's not that few either.

After all, there are seven branch families in total—Tsukuha, Shiiba, Mashiba, Shibata, Kuroba, Takekura, and Shizuka Family.

If we include the Shiba family, where Yotsuba Miya and Miyuki live, then there are a total of eight.

But when they arrived at the restaurant and saw the people who were already there, their expressions immediately changed.

They saw a young girl dressed entirely in white sitting on one side of the seats; her beautiful face was simply breathtaking.

Sitting next to them were two equally beautiful girls, one in black and the other in ice-blue.

However, these members of the branch family had no intention of appreciating it at all, and didn't even give it the slightest bit of a friendly look.

They didn't know the identities of the girl in blue and black, but they knew the girl in white.

She is the administrator of Arcadia City on Mashima Island, and is Yotsuba Mahiro's person.

But the mere mention of Arcadia City ignites their anger.

Despite the Yotsuba Family spending a huge amount of money to build such a prosperous city, it turns out to be inhabited by a group of wild children who came from who-knows-where.

There are quite a few!

Wasting the funds earned from their various branch companies on this kind of thing, what exactly is Yotsuba Mahiro trying to do?!

This anger also strengthened the resolve of the branch family members present to never let Yotsuba Mahiro the position of family head!

Thinking of this, their gazes all turned to Miyuki, who was also in the crowd and possessed beauty comparable to that of the pure white-clad girl, their eyes filled with hope.

However, Miyuki had no intention of paying them any attention; instead, she seemed rather worried.

The Shibata, the Mashiba Family, and several other families have all approached her, expressing their desire to support her in becoming the head of their respective families.

She certainly did have the qualifications, and could even be considered the most suitable person.

But this is all predicated on the absence of Yotsuba Mahiro.

The head of the Yotsuba Family is always the most outstanding and strongest magician of each generation.

After the selection process, there are currently four candidates for the next head of the family.

Miyuki Shiba, Kuroba Fumiya, Tsukuba Yuuka, Shibata Katsushige.

Among them, Miyuki was the most outstanding magician.

She had been instilled with this idea by the family's servants since she was a child.

For instance, core members of the servants like Chief Butler Hayama, Second Seat Hanabishi who is in charge of assigning dirty work, and Third Seat Kurebayashi who is in charge of managing the facilities for magicians, wouldn't say such things casually.

But those below them spoke without restraint, constantly praising her as the most outstanding.

While the idea might be a bit lacking in humility, Miyuki did indeed think so, but there was a prerequisite: that is, without Mahiro.

She knew very well just how amazing her cousin, Mahiro, was.

Even though he was confined in the Fourth Laboratory for so many years and only recently began to roam the outside world, his exceptional magical abilities remain an undeniable fact.

Not to mention her, even her Tatsuya couldn't match that seemingly world-class magical skill.

So, should we make her the head of the family?

To be honest, she didn't want to be one, and had absolutely no interest in it.

Even if I'm forced into this position, I will absolutely not accept it.

Miyuki clenched her fists slightly, having already made this decision in her mind.

"Miyuki -sama? Miyuki -sama..."

A soft call from the side brought Miyuki back to reality, indicating that it was time for her to take her seat.

The person who spoke to her was Minami, who was wearing a black long-sleeved dress.

This time, she attended not only as a maid at the Yotsuba Clan's main residence, but also as Miyuki's companion and protector.

This was arranged by Mahiro.

After all, it's not appropriate for Tatsuya to appear as a guardian on many occasions, like today.

Tatsuya is only a guardian in name, but in reality, he is attending this banquet as Miyuki's older brother, as a person.

This is also the meaning of "Mahiro".

Even Tatsuya didn't care about this, and even some members of the branch family had their own reasons for it.

However, apart from Miyuki, the other branch families also brought their own guardians. Only the Kuroba Family siblings and Tsukuba Yuuka were without anyone else by their side.

Ayako Kuroba and Kuroba Fumiya don't need this because of the special nature of this sibling pair.

However, Tsukuba Yuuka was due to the fact that her guardian, who had been taking care of her, was killed right in front of her some time ago.

Even now, she is still struggling to recover from that grief.

When she saw that the other members of the branch family were all accompanied by their own guardians, many of whom were familiar faces, Tsukuba Yuuka's mood became even more depressed.

I couldn't help but recall the condition I made when I Mahiro myself...

When--

When--

When the clock struck seven, it immediately caught the attention of the branch family members. Everyone, including Tsukuba Yuuka, turned their gaze toward the newly opened inner door of the restaurant.

That's the door reserved for the head of the Yotsuba Family.

At the gate, Maya, dressed in a dark red dress that was almost black, appeared behind Hayama.

Everyone stood up.

Even the Seitenshi and the like are the same.

Although they were the hosts of the banquet, they still had to show Maya Yotsuba the appropriate respect.

Even a battle maniac like Esdeath was well aware of this.

But then, when they saw the people walking in with Maya, the branch family members all showed expressions of astonishment.

"It's really true... Lord Yotsuba Miya."

Seeing that figure, as elegant as the night, yet exuding an air of intellect, Tsukuba Yuuka couldn't help but murmur aloud.

She was also surprised, but there was an element of expectation in her surprise.

The news of the Yotsuba Clan's resurrection Yotsuba Miya reached almost all the branch families, but most of them didn't take it seriously, including Tsukuba Yuuka.

She only remembered this after her guardian passed away, which became one of the reasons she attended the Spring Festival.

It can now be confirmed that the Lord of the Yotsuba Miya, who passed away several years ago, has indeed been resurrected!

"Hello everyone, welcome to this somewhat unexpected gathering. Please have a seat."

Maya's voice echoed in the quiet restaurant.

After saying that, she gracefully sat down in the chair that Hayama had pulled out, Yoruichi Shihōin.

Her violet-like eyes slowly swept across the banquet tables, finally settling on the second seat on the left.

That's the location Mahiro for.

The table in the middle was like the Chu River and Han Border, with all the family members, including Miyuki, sitting on her right.

On the left, starting from the third seat, are the Seitenshi, Kisara Tendo, and Esdeath.

Unfortunately, Mahiro's seat remains empty.

"We're not there yet..."

Maya held her cheek, looking quite troubled.

"Could you all wait a little longer? Let's wait for my little Mahiro arrive. That kid really has no sense of time... Of course, if any of you are hungry, you can eat something first, that's fine too."

All eyes met briefly.

They understood each other's meaning through each other's eyes.