A Little Harem Mess (5K) (Continued)

Shippou Takuma was a decent person, or rather, his anger outweighed his other desires. He didn't even have the thought of spying and went straight to the sofa to sit down.

Maki, on the other hand, was taking a leisurely shower in the bathroom.

After washing up, she put on a comfortable dress and a loose long coat and came out. She took out a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the wine cabinet and sat on the other side of the sofa, some distance away from Shippou Takuma.

While her pale thighs were exposed, she slowly uncorked the wine, letting the deep red wine overflow the glass.

All the movements looked so leisurely and methodical.

"Come on, let's have a drink and relax."

Maki pushed one of the cups towards Shippou Takuma, but he didn't pick it up at all, instead clenching his fists and sulking.

However, she didn't mind. Instead, she chuckled, picked up the wine glass, swirled it around, and enjoyed the fruity aroma of the red wine wafting from the rim, as if gradually immersing herself in a certain atmosphere.

This is a ritual for Maki to relax her tense nerves after returning home from "work".

She was used to being relaxed, but someone else wasn't.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Shippou Takuma slammed his fist hard on the marble coffee table.

"Maki-nee, you actually have the mood to drink?!"

The sound was like the low growl of a wounded beast licking its wounds.

"Hehe, Zhuomo, are you throwing a tantrum at me?"

Maki swirled her wine glass, looking at the slightly immature boy on the other end of the sofa. His face was dignified for his age, yet still retained a touch of childishness, and he seemed somewhat arrogant.

But after hearing her words, Zhuomo immediately deflated and withdrew his claws.

"No, Maki-nee, I..."

"Don't rush, think it over. I understand how you feel right now."

Maki interrupted the boy calmly, then stretched out her long, slender leg towards him, gently placing her pearly white toes on the base of the wine glass, and pushed the glass towards him again.

"Here, have a drink first, to ease your tense nerves."

Her tone was slightly flirtatious and seductive, as if possessing some kind of magic, causing the young man, whose heart was fluttering with desire, to swallow hard and take a sip of his wine.

"Yes, that's right, that's correct."

Maki nodded in satisfaction, then once again immersed herself in the aroma of the red wine.

However, a fleeting hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

In her eyes, Shippou Takuma was nothing more than a little brat who liked to act mature. If it weren't for the fact that Shippou Family had a certain status and power in the magic world, she wouldn't bother with him at all.

A moment later, Shippou Takuma had finished the half glass of red wine, and his face was flushed with a hint of intoxication.

"Maki-nee, let's talk about serious matters."

"Yes, that's right. Let's get down to business."

She put down her cup and glanced briefly at the boy, who had returned to sitting upright.

Judging from Maki's interest, Shippou Takuma this attitude was too hasty, but she did not impose her temper on the boy who was almost a decade younger than her.

After all, the other person is neither a younger boyfriend nor a sugar daddy.

"As you can see, I think I've made contact with Kitayama Shizuku today. Although so far, all she remembers is my face and name."

"... Didn't she say she wasn't interested in you?"

"Hehe, is that so? But her friend Mitsui Honoka, is quite interested in me. You wouldn't be unaware of the relationship between Ms. Mitsui and Kitayama Shizuku, would you?"

At this point, Maki paused for a moment.

Shippou Takuma's face flushed even more, clearly indicating that he didn't quite understand.

Seeing this, Maki simply smiled slightly, and then spoke again:

"Alright, alright, don't worry. Mitsui Honoka is also a top-notch student. If we can get her to join, she'll definitely be useful, and it will probably increase the chances of winning over Kitayama Shizuku."

"But I think it would be better to have more companions among the same grade or first-year students."

Shippou Takuma and shared his own insights.

Maki agreed.

"The idea is good. But think about it, are there any outstanding talents among this year's freshmen? Or rather, how many of your classmates are worth trying to win over? You definitely can't win over Ayako Kuroba and Kuroba Fumiya, are you going to try to win over the Saegusa Family twins?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even if it means death, I would never try to win over the Saegusa Family!"

Suddenly, Shippou Takuma unleashed a strong aura of malevolence, as if he harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the Saegusa Family.

The dispute over the number "seven" is a conflict between the Shippou Family and Saegusa Family, but it's only Shippou Takuma's own opinion.

He felt that the Saegusa Family was in no way inferior to the Shippou Family. It was just that Saegusa Koichi was lucky to be able to hold the position of the Ten Master Clans. If he were the head of the family, he would have abolished the Saegusa Family long ago.

From this brief observation, Maki had a Shippou Takuma's inner thoughts, and shook her head in disappointment.

Kids will be kids; they just can't keep their composure.

She thought this to herself, but outwardly remained expressionless, explaining in a calm and unhurried tone:

"Our goal is to win a new order in our respective worlds; forming factions is not the goal itself. Fighting for the throne of the mountain king within the university is meaningless. Shouldn't we prioritize winning over influential figures like the Kitayama Family?"

Hearing this, Shippou Takuma suddenly realized that he had been completely blinded by his inner resentment.

"I understand. I will prioritize Mitsui Honoka as my primary target."

"That would be best, using her as a stepping stone to get closer to Kitayama Shizuku and more people. However... I think you should still call her 'Mitsui- senpai' properly. If you're not careful, you might accidentally call her by her full name at an unexpected moment."

He pondered for a moment, then his expression turned awkward, and his gaze darted around.

Maki took a small sip of wine, a somewhat languid expression on her face.

"Furthermore, through this connection, we can also make contact with the Yotsuba Family, specifically the current head of the Yotsuba Family — Miyuki Shiba, and her older brother Shiba Tatsuya. However, the process may be difficult, since Miyuki Shiba is that man's fiancée."

"Miyuki Shiba..."

Mentioning this name, Shippou Takuma frowned again, gradually recalling everything that had happened at the party. The humiliation made him grit his teeth, as if he wanted to tear someone to pieces.

"That damned Yotsuba Family... Yotsuba Mahiro! What gives them the right to be so arrogant!"

"Hehe."

Seeing this, Maki couldn't help but smile again, her smile carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

"Tsuru, even if you don't admit it, the Yotsuba Family and Yotsuba Mahiro do have the right to be arrogant."

Kowamura Maki was unaware of what was happening on Mashima Island, or rather, apart from those who were able to set foot on the island, no one else knew anything about Mashima Island.

However, she knew that the Yotsuba Family was currently the most powerful among the Ten Master Clans.

Although it was once considered one of the two most powerful families alongside the Saegusa Family, it is no longer the case that it is now completely dominant.

Otherwise, why would that old guy Kudo Retsu be so eager to suppress the Yotsuba Family and achieve so-called "balance"?

Not to mention Yotsuba Mahiro, it is said that even Major Sirius of the USNA was captured and taken hostage, and the USNA still does not dare to ask for one of the Thirteen Apostles back.

"Never mind, let's take it slow and figure things out."

She seemed to have given up on further provoking the teenager, and suggested in a tone that subtly encouraged him:

"Let's start with Ms. Mitsui, then get close to Kitayama Shizuku and Miyuki Shiba. There's still some time before they graduate, so we can take it one step at a time."

"By the way, if I remember correctly, Miyuki Shiba's brother Shiba Tatsuya, seems to be quite annoying, and Miyuki Shiba is currently Yotsuba Mahiro's fiancée. Perhaps this could be a key point of attack?"

As she spoke, Maki seemed to have thought of a way to split the Yotsuba Family, and a wicked smile gradually appeared on her lips.

For the next period of time, Zhenxun Mahiro a relatively peaceful life, spending his days either with girls or just with them.

The search and investigation on Gu Jie's side was also ongoing.

It has to be said, this old guy is really quite capable; his whereabouts are quite difficult to track down. Even professionals like Shadow Garden have only been able to get a glimpse of him so far.

There's simply no way to determine the exact location.

No wonder, at ninety years old, he's practically an old relic in the magic world, and in some ways even more troublesome than that old Kudo Retsu.

Meanwhile, Maya Yotsuba is currently preparing for the clan meeting with Miyuki.

Since it was initiated on short notice, there was a lot of preparation work to be done, and Maya also planned to properly teach and train Miyuki.

This will ensure that she becomes a valuable asset to Makoto in the future, rather than just a Mahiro face.

Therefore, Miyuki also asked the school for leave for the time being.

However, just as the clan meeting was about to begin, Mayumi Saegusa suddenly arrived to visit the Yotsuba Family with her two twin sisters.

"Mahiro- kun, I've come to see you."

Mayumi, who was visiting Yotsuba Clan's main residence, greeted him with a smile.

"Hmph, Brother Mahiro, it seems like you haven't come to see us sisters in a long time." The two sisters, hiding behind Mayumi, peeked out cutely and said to Mahiro with a slightly pouty expression.

After all, Mahiro's journey through time had taken too long, and even the twins were already in their second year of high school.

Once Miyuki graduates, they will completely compete with Ayako for the Student Council president position.

However, compared to the straightforward and lively Kasumi, Izumi remained as polite as ever, bowing respectfully to him with her hands placed in front of her.

"I apologize for visiting Mahiro. Please forgive my intrusion."

She was still very polite, and her hairstyle remained unchanged—still a straight, shoulder-length bob. Even her feminine charm remained the same.

However, things might be a bit lively at the Yotsuba Clan's main residence right now.

Ayako Fumiya had originally planned to come over on the weekend to report some things to him, but then they encountered the Saegusa Family visiting.

In an instant, Ayako, Kasumi, and Izumi's gazes met, three pairs of six eyes locked in a staring contest.

Mayumi, she looked around and found that apart from a few scattered servants and guards outside the door, she didn't see Miyuki, which made her secretly pleased.

Finally, I had a chance to spend time alone with my junior Mahiro.

There was no way around it, the pressure was just too much.

Aside from the perfect junior, Miyuki, who seemed like a creation of heaven, she hadn't expected that her rivals would also include Maya Yotsuba and Yotsuba Clan Yotsuba Miya, two seniors.

She learned these things from Miyuki.

Upon learning about Mahiro's many past experiences, she felt a pang of sympathy.

However, now that she knows Mahiro has reconciled with her mother Maya, she is Mahiro, but the pressure is indeed immense.

It should be noted that these two women were once the most beautiful women in the Ten Master Clans. Whether in terms of appearance, etiquette, or strength, they were all unique and could be called the strongest sisters.

Aunt Maya was even my father's fiancée, and although Aunt Yotsuba Miya aged prematurely due to overuse of magic, she was still in no way inferior, not to mention that she was now snatched back from the hands of death by Mahiro.

However, just Mayumi was pondering these things, her two younger sisters excitedly rushed over and happily took over Mahiro and right arms.

This sight made Ayako's eyes twitch, and her small hands involuntarily clenched the hem of her skirt.

"I didn't expect the Saegusa Family to be raised like this, going straight for their master's arm?" Ayako forced a smile and said in a sarcastic, affected tone.

"Hmph, what does it matter? My sister is definitely going to marry Brother Mahiro anyway, so what's wrong with giving her future brother-in-law a hug?" Kasumi retorted confidently.

"Hey, Kasumi... not brother-in-law, but husband..."

Izumi's face was flushed red, almost as if it were about to bleed, and she gently reminded him.

"Oh right, husbands! Izumi, my sister, and I are all going to marry Mahiro -nii!"

Ayako: "..."

Ayako was furious upon hearing this, and Fumiya, who was standing nearby, sensed that something was wrong and quickly grabbed Ayako's hand to stop her.

No, I should say I knew it would turn out this way. You see, back at school, Ayako and Izumi Saegusa often had all-out brawls.

Even though they couldn't use magic, both girls were quite skilled in physical combat and were always locked in fierce battles at school.

At this moment, Fumiya's attempts to stop her were utterly useless. Ayako simply shook off her brother's hand, completely disregarding ladylike elegance, and proudly declared to the two women:

"I'm telling you, it's impossible! Wishful thinking! Only Sister Miyuki is qualified to be Brother Mahiro's wife, and I am Mahiro Brother Masahiro's concubine! My whole heart and soul belong to Brother Mahiro, and I can be played with as I please! I can serve you at any time!"

Mayumi Saegusa was already sitting to the side watching the excitement, occasionally glancing at Mahiro with a meaningful and pleased look.

Mahiro sat there speechlessly.

What's this?