" Mayumi? What are you doing here?"
Yunyi was puzzled. Shouldn't Mayumi Saegusa be staying in the logistics area right now?
"I'll help you take some of the blame," Mayumi Saegusa whispered in Yunyi's arms, her voice only the two of them could hear.
"This is really..."
Yunyi's feelings at this moment were somewhat complicated.
He will further reveal his strength in this match, firstly to intimidate Retsu Kudou, who is hiding behind the scenes and resorting to underhanded tactics, hoping that the old man will stop and not test him further. Secondly, he wants to relieve some pressure on Mayumi Saegusa.
Although both were interrupted by the other during their confessions and neither gave a clear reply or acceptance, their relationship is now that of lovers, not just a so-called "cooperation" as before.
However, Mayumi Saegusa is still the daughter of the Saegusa Family. Before she Yunyi this identity, she has to bear not only the burden brought by that old fox Koichi Saegusa, but also the opinions of the other members of the Ten Master Clans when she is with Yun Yi.
While marriage and relationships are typically matters for each family to discuss privately, in the current world, skilled magicians are, in a sense, a resource. This explains why Yunyi has been targeted by certain individuals since childhood. Similarly, this explains why, in the original storyline, even after the Yotsuba Family announced Miyuki Yotsuba's status as the next head of the family and entered into a marriage agreement with Tatsuya Yotsuba, they still faced obstacles from the Ichijo Family and Saegusa Family.
Do you really think it's just because they're afraid the Yotsuba Family is too strong and will disrupt the balance? In the end, isn't it because of the extraordinary bloodlines of Tatsuya and Miyuki, two magicians, that the two families are willing to do this? If Maya Yotsuba were to marry Miyuki to Masaki Ichijo, that old fox Koichi Saegusa would probably be laughing in his sleep!
Yunyi had decided to reveal more of his strength precisely to prevent such trouble from arising. However, just as he took action, Mayumi Saegusa followed suit in the same way, diverting his attention.
Defeating the next head of the Ten Master Clans? Such a feat would certainly attract extra attention if it happened to an ordinary mage. But what if this person already had a special relationship with one of the Ten Master Clans? Then all the attention would naturally shift to that family.
Yunyi ruffled Mayumi Saegusa's hair and said with a hint of helplessness, "Isn't this exactly what those two old foxes wanted?"
Mayumi Saegusa looked at Yunyi with a puzzled expression, somewhat confused about the meaning behind Yunyi's words.
But what could Yunyi do now that things had come to this?
Seeing the bewildered look on the little imp's face in his arms, Yunyi chuckled. What did that old fox want? He could just chop off their claws and see if they dared to cause trouble behind his back again.
As for the fairy in my arms...
Thinking of this, Yunyi gently leaned down and, under the gaze of countless students from the nine schools in the stands, kissed Mayumi Saegusa directly.
" Mayumi, if you want to help me share the burden, you should at least do this much!"
Yunyi's voice reached Mayumi Saegusa's ears, gradually bringing her back to her senses from her daze.
She raised her finger and touched her lips, feeling the moist sensation. Mayumi Saegusa's cheeks turned bright red at a visible speed, and something seemed to float out from the top of her head.
" Yunyi-kun... you... I..."
Mayumi Saegusa was somewhat at a loss. She didn't know what to say, and even the question of where to put her hands was on her mind.
Seeing her flustered appearance, Yunyi found it amusing. However, bullying this vixen in front of so many people would likely have serious consequences later, so Yunyi simply took her hand and walked into the contestant passage under the watchful eyes of countless students.
The two of them left, but their actions just now left the students in the stands with a huge shock.
It's important to understand that in this day and age, people try to avoid exposing too much skin in public. Such intimate gestures seem even more unconventional!
Retsu Kudou, who witnessed this scene through the live stream, revealed a meaningful smile in the VIP room. Seeing Yunyi easily crush Masaki Ichijo Shōki, his newly established plan to use Yunyi as the center to counterbalance the Yotsuba Family immediately began to waver. He feared that doing so would not only fail to control the Yotsuba Family and maintain the balance among the Ten Master Clans, but would instead allow the Saegusa Family to gain too much support, thus becoming the next "person" to disrupt the balance.
But after seeing that scene, he put away those little thoughts.
" Koichi, it's not this old man who needs to worry about things now." Retsu Kudou muttered these words before getting up and leaving.
Back in the logistics area, Mayumi Saegusa gradually recovered from the strange emotions she had just experienced. She pinched Yunyi hard, then pretended nothing had happened and walked inside.
Tatsuya Shiba and Mikihiko Yoshida, who had returned before the two of them, were receiving congratulations from others, but when they saw Mayumi Saegusa, they immediately shut their mouths.
"Huh? Mayumi, what did you do to them? Why did they become so quiet as soon as they saw you?" Yunyi, who followed closely behind, showed no awareness whatsoever and immediately began to tease Mayumi Saegusa.
"It's all your fault!" Mayumi Saegusa. She turned around, swung her hand, and punched Yunyi directly.
"Hey, you two! Stop flirting!" Mari Watanabe solemnly reminded the two, hoping they would tone it down and stop provoking others.
After all, only those of them who had stayed here all along knew the commotion that erupted in the logistics area when they saw the two kissing on the live stream.
Yunyi shrugged and didn't say anything, while Mayumi Saegusa blushed and hid behind Yunyi, blocking some of the gaze directed at her.
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Finally, it was Suzune Ichihara who stepped in and steered the conversation back on track, while also drawing everyone's attention back to the main topic.
Mayumi Saegusa breathed a sigh of relief, but just then, she suddenly noticed an unusual gaze. When she looked around to find the source of the gaze, all she saw was Shizuku Kitayama and Miyuki Shiba turning their heads to look at Suzune Ichihara; she saw nothing else.