Yunyi's face was terribly grim. He said to Mayumi Saegusa, "Sorry, President. I dragged you all into trouble."
"Yunyi, who are these people? Why are they attacking you?" Mayumi Saegusa finally asked the questions on her mind.
Yunyi pressed his lips together. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw more people dart out of the elevator and enter the restaurant. He made a decision.
"Mayumi Saegusa, can I trust you?" Yunyi asked seriously.
Mayumi Saegusa didn't know why Yunyi was asking such a question, but she nodded firmly. "Yes, Yunyi, you can trust me! I swear on the Saegusa name-"
Before she could finish, Yunyi pressed a finger to her red lips.
"There's no need. I don't need a Saegusa's guarantee. I only need yours."
With that, Yunyi stood up and turned his back to Mayumi Saegusa. "Mayumi, cover your sisters' eyes. Don't let either of them see even a glimpse of what happens next!"
Mayumi Saegusa had just been about to urge Yunyi to get out of the way. Standing up in a place like this would make him an easy target!
But the next moment, several bullets flying at high speed stopped dead in the air just before they hit Yunyi. Then they flew back the way they had come, far faster than before!
"Don't worry. These attacks can't hurt me in the slightest!"
With that, Yunyi turned his gaze toward the attackers' hiding places.
"Domain expansion! Fool's World!"
Yunyi raised his arms to either side. In that instant, the Psions around him all came to a standstill, as though they had received some command.
The sudden change stunned Mayumi Saegusa behind him! She had activated the line-of-sight magic she specialized in after taking cover here. But the moment Yunyi expanded Fool's World, her magic was terminated by an external force! Within this domain, every last Psion was under Yunyi's control.
The spellcasters among the attackers sensed the change as well. Their faces filled with terror, and they shouted repeatedly for their companions to open fire!
But the bullets that had flown back had already caught them off guard. If they wanted to resume suppressive fire now, they would have to find new firing positions.
Yunyi, however, had no desire to keep playing with them. He locked onto the attackers' hiding places and extended one hand, aiming his palm in their direction.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The Psions within the domain gathered, gradually forming a fire dragon constructed of Psions above Yunyi's head.
The fire dragon's mouth opened slightly, and flames could be seen flickering within. The next moment, it raised its neck, aimed at the places where the attackers were hiding, and spewed a blazing stream of fire!
"Wh-what kind of magic is this!?"
The attackers were frightened by the sight. As far as they knew, no such magic had ever existed!
But Yunyi had no intention of answering their question. The moment the Psion fire dragon attacked, the battle was as good as over!
Flames engulfed everything in front of Yunyi, whether the attackers or the restaurant's furnishings!
The magic erupted inside the restaurant, shattering all the floor-to-ceiling windows! Yet the three Saegusa sisters, whom Yunyi shielded behind him, were completely unaffected! They couldn't even feel the scorching heat, hot enough to burn everything to ashes.
A moment later, the flames receded. But the scorch marks left on the floor and the fires that had yet to go out proved beyond doubt that what had just happened was no illusion.
Mayumi Saegusa looked at Yunyi with some trepidation, but her hands remained clamped firmly over her two sisters' eyes.
"Yunyi, what was that just now?"
Hearing Mayumi Saegusa's question, Yunyi pressed his lips together.
"Mayumi, we'll talk about this later. I'll get you all out of here first."
With that, he pulled Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa from Mayumi Saegusa's arms and held them close. Then he said to Mayumi Saegusa, "Mayumi, grab my arm and don't let go."
Mayumi Saegusa was a little confused, but she took hold of Yunyi's arm.
The next moment, however, Yunyi's actions made all three sisters cry out in alarm!
Ten minutes later, at Yunyi's home.
Mayumi Saegusa and Yunyi sat on the living room sofa. Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa had been badly frightened and were now asleep in a guest room at Yunyi's home.
An unknown amount of time passed in silence before Yunyi spoke. "I'm sorry, Mayumi. I gave you all a scare today."
"Everything that happened today was real, right? It wasn't an illusion. It really happened, right?" Mayumi Saegusa's voice trembled slightly. She didn't want to doubt herself, but what she had seen left her no choice.
Moreover, the latest news report was already available on her terminal. It covered the attack on the top floor of the department store.
Because Yunyi had taken Mayumi Saegusa and the others away from the scene, there was no one left alive when the police and other relevant personnel arrived. Yunyi's magic had also devastated the scene, leaving almost no other traces of the fight.
Yunyi nodded and raised his hand slightly. A sphere visible to the naked eye formed in his palm.
"I'm sorry I hid things from you before. What you're seeing now is the magic I'm best at: Domain Magic. What happened at the top-floor restaurant was just one technique derived from Domain Magic. As for its essence, unfortunately, I can't tell you."
"Yunyi."
Mayumi Saegusa wasn't surprised by Yunyi's explanation. If she possessed magic like that, she wouldn't readily reveal everything about it to others either.
"Who exactly are you, and what did you join First High School to do!?" Mayumi Saegusa was somewhat agitated. As a daughter of the Saegusa Family, she was no naive little rabbit who knew nothing!
"Mayumi, you must already have your own suspicions, right? I'll leave it to you to find out the truth for yourself. What I can tell you is that, if circumstances permit, I won't hurt anyone at First High School," Yunyi said.
To Mayumi Saegusa, his assurance sounded like a declaration. It was as though he were saying that, if necessary, he could kill anyone at will.
It took a great deal of courage to be classmates and friends with someone like that. Especially after forming some suspicions about his identity, Mayumi Saegusa truly felt at a loss.
"I don't want to become your enemy," Mayumi Saegusa said softly.