The Shiba Family's Foolish Deer (5K)

"Hey, isn't this the famous Sirius, Major Angelina Hillius? Long time no see, how have you been?"

Mahiro's gaze swept back and forth between the person opposite him.

A pure white T-shirt paired with shorts, knee-high boots with thick soles, and white lace tights that subtly reveal the skin.

She looks like a young delinquent from the early 2000s.

Not to mention her blonde hair styled in a side ponytail, she really did look like a delinquent.

"As long as I don't see you, everything is fine!"

In response to his enthusiastic greeting, Lina crossed her arms, turned her head away coldly in a huff, and her golden ponytail swayed slightly with her movement, draping over her chest.

She still remembers the humiliation etched into her body.

"That's a real shame. You'll probably be seeing this face for the rest of your life."

Mahiro shrugged indifferently.

Lina muttered under her breath, "You jerk..."

"Oh my, it seems Miss Lina and Mahiro have a very good relationship."

After getting into the car, seeing Lina Mahiro, Miori Shiba help but tease, "Looks like we had good taste. It wasn't a waste of time to specially bring Miss Lina over from Mother to act as her bodyguard."

"You woman, how could I possibly have a good relationship with this pervert!" Lina shouted in shame and indignation, denying it.

"But we really like the Mahiro."

Angelina: "..."

That one sentence left Lina speechless, unable to refute it at all.

Yeah, whatever makes that bastard happy.

This is also why she, Sylvie, and several other team members were able to stay safely on Mashima Island under the protection of the Yotsuba Family.

It means that whatever Yotsuba Mahiro wants to do, she has to agree unconditionally.

After all, they were prisoners, and Yotsuba Mahiro wasn't some heinous criminal. Apart from the initial few excessive things he did to her, he hadn't done anything else outrageous.

Moreover, she was the one who deceived the other party first, trying to extract information; in the end, she only had herself to blame.

Thinking of this, Lina's demeanor visibly wilted.

Seeing that Lina had stopped arguing, Miori Shiba smiled and looked away from her, then plopped down on Mahiro's lap.

She wrapped one arm around his neck, and with the other hand grabbed his wrist and tucked it into her collar.

"Is it this exciting right from the start?"

"Of course, this is a gift we're giving to you, Mahiro. Do you like it?"

No man could possibly say he doesn't like this kind of gift, right?

The driver, who was driving, heard their conversation and silently raised the barrier.

"What shameless things are you doing?!"

Lina, who witnessed it firsthand, saw her fair face turn red at a visible speed, even extending to the tips of her ears.

"Oh dear, what's wrong? Is Miss Lina going to join in too? If it's Miss Lina, we certainly don't mind."

"... Who, who wants to participate! And this is on the bus, can't you guys be serious for once?"

"Cannot."

Mahiro and Miori Shiba answered Lina's question almost simultaneously.

Just kidding, you can join if you want, but Lina doesn't have the right to stop you.

And so, the black sedan drove on an absurd journey.

When she got out of the car, Lina was the first to escape. A faint blush still lingered on her face, and even her Tanba had come undone.

Miori Shiba, on the other hand, leisurely straightened his clothes and stepped out of the carriage.

She then took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, removing a stray black hair that was stuck to her lips.

As for Yotsuba Mahiro, he looked refreshed and in high spirits.

He looked at Lina, who was retching, with a smile in his eyes and said:

"Oh, are you carsick? Feeling unwell?"

"Asshole!"

Lina, gripping the car door, gritted her teeth and said angrily:

"I'm never riding in the same car with you again!"

Chapter 321 Shippou Family's Silly Roe Deer (5K)

Business dinner scene.

All kinds of beautiful women and gentlemen gathered in one hall.

Soothing and tranquil music drifted through the hall, while groups of important figures gathered in the center.

Most of the men wore suits, while the women all wore custom-made gowns that were vying to outshine each other.

When Miori Shiba walked in arm in arm with Mahiro, they became a breath of fresh air in the entire room.

There was no other reason than that Miori Shiba's kimono was too eye-catching among these Western-style evening gowns, and many people understood what it represented once they saw that iconic kimono.

That was Miori Shiba, the person in charge of Shiba Heavy Industries.

As for Lina, who was to act as a bodyguard, she was left in the car; bodyguards couldn't get involved in this kind of situation.

Besides, most people present were more curious about who the handsome young man following Miori Shiba was.

There's nothing we can do about it. Over the years, Yotsuba Mahiro has rarely attended such banquets, and even among the Ten Master Clans, she's not like Mayumi Saegusa, who often represents the Saegusa Family head.

Or perhaps become as renowned as Maya Yotsuba.

So basically, no one present knew him.

But that didn't stop the wealthy people from coming over to say hello.

After all, Shiba Heavy Industries is backed by the Yotsuba Family and FLT, and has become a top CAD company in just one year. It is also said to cooperate with the military in arms trading. Everyone would want to curry favor with them.

Miori Shiba, on the other hand, was quite used to these situations and handled them with ease.

After Mahiro responding to a few questions, Makoto got bored and said goodbye to Miori Shiba. She went to the food area, grabbed a few desserts, picked up a bottle of champagne, and quietly ate them in a corner of the banquet hall.

Soon after, several familiar figures approached.

It's Gamma, and also Kitayama Shizuku and Mitsui Honoka.

Since it was a business dinner, mainly for business collaborations, Kitayama Shizuku's father brought them along. Gamma, as the vice president of Shiba Heavy Industries and the president of the soon-to-open Mitsukoshi Trading Company, was also present at the event.

The moment Honoka saw Mahiro, her eyes lit up, and she rushed over without any regard for the occasion.

"Mahiro! Long time no see, I miss you so much!!!"

As if to vent her longing after such a long time, Honoka clung to him and wouldn't get up.

Mahiro smiled helplessly, put down his champagne glass, and patted her back with a touch of affection.

"Alright, alright, I know you miss me, Honoka, but you should consider the occasion. There are so many people watching."

Upon hearing this, Honoka's face flushed bright red.

"That... that's not it, I just..."

She quickly jumped out of Mahiro's arms, waving her little hands haphazardly.

"Alright Honoka, now you're even more embarrassing."

It was Kitayama Shizuku who spoke. She walked gracefully toward them, wearing a blue-and-white floral dress and with her fine gray hair falling loosely. Her every step exuded elegance, the perfect demeanor of a young lady from a wealthy family.

Only her beautiful face remained expressionless, making it difficult to discern her emotions.

But the longing in her eyes as she looked at him was about to overflow, no less than that of Honoka.

She held her champagne glass and gently clinked it against Mahiro's glass.

"Welcome back, Mahiro."

"Thanks."

Mahiro smiled, picked up the champagne glass in a gesture of respect, and then took a small sip.

As for Gamma, she came over and immediately moved close to him, seemingly wanting to whisper something in his ear, but was stopped by Mahiro.

"Just say it, there are no outsiders here."

There were indeed no outsiders.

Because his location was in a corner of the banquet hall, and the surrounding area was empty except for them.

Gamma didn't waste any time and spoke directly:

"Mahiro, we haven't been able to find Gu Jie yet, but two police officers have gone missing, and we suspect they've fallen into Gu Jie's hands."

Upon hearing the news about Gamma, his brows furrowed immediately, and his heart skipped a beat.

Two police officers are missing...

He remembered the plot; it was indeed in Gu Jie's hands. One was named Chiba Toshikazu, Erika's older brother, and the other was Chiba Toshikazu's partner, whose name was something like Inatsune.

However, they weren't arrested.

Instead, he was killed by Gu Jie during the capture of Gu Jie and turned into a zombie.

Thinking of this, Mahiro's gaze subtly swept over Kitayama Shizuku and Honoka's faces, then he calmly nodded and said:

"Okay, I understand."

It's not a big problem. As long as the person hasn't been dead for too long, they can still be saved.

He didn't want to see Erika, that mischievous troublemaker, standing in the cemetery, tears streaming down her face.

"Mahiro- kun, what happened?"

It was Kitayama Shizuku who spoke, while Honoka looked at him with a worried expression.

They all noticed that Mahiro's expression had been off.

They had heard about the dangers of the other world, and the fact that after experiencing such perilous things, they were still in danger even after finally returning home made their hearts ache.

"It's nothing, just a grasshopper hopping around in late autumn."

Mahiro waved his hand dismissively.

To him, Gu Jie was indeed a grasshopper that couldn't be brought to the forefront, only daring to crawl in the shadows behind the scenes.

But Kitayama Shizuku Honoka didn't think so; they felt he was just putting on a brave face.

"... Are you sure it's okay? I can help too!" Honoka asked, mustering her courage.

"Yes, that's right, I can help too. Besides, I've heard Raymond mention the name Gu Jie before."

Kitayama Shizuku spoke softly, her furrowed brows suggesting she was lost in memories.

"If I remember correctly, this Gu Jie's real name is Gide Black Gu. He's the mastermind behind the anti-magic international political group 'Blanche,' a very dangerous individual."

When Kitayama Shizuku was studying at Berkeley, she did more than just study; she also gleaned a lot of information from Raymond.

Gide Black Gu was one of them.

Although "Blanche" is currently facing suppression from various countries, it remains an extremely dangerous terrorist organization.

However, Mahiro suddenly gestured for her to be quiet. Following his gaze, she saw a young man walking towards her in the distance, with a young woman leaning against him.

One look at that woman was enough to tell she wasn't a magician, just an ordinary person.

But the young man was a bit different. He was wearing a sharp suit, but his handsome features looked very serious and tense, even somewhat stiff and unnatural.

His back was ramrod straight, like a child attending such a banquet for the first time, completely unaware of what relaxation was.

"... Hello, Kitayama -senpai, Mitsui- senpai, and Luna- san."

"...?"

Kitayama Shizuku looked at the person in front of her and slowly typed a question mark.