"Wait a minute!"
The moment Sayaka Mibu finished speaking, Erika Chiba, who was standing beside her, cried out in shock. She looked at Sayaka, but the finger she raised pointed straight at Mari Watanabe, standing next to Mayumi Saegusa.
"You mean this woman humiliated you in kendo!?"
Erika Chiba's sudden outburst caught everyone present off guard. Even Sayaka Mibu, distressed as she was, was startled by Erika and nodded blankly.
"Aaah! Damn it, how dare you do that!" Erika Chiba glared at Mari Watanabe, her eyes seeming to hold an urge to beat her up.
Mari Watanabe, however, was bewildered herself. She stared at Erika Chiba and asked in confusion, "Have I met you somewhere before?"
"You awful woman! You stole my brother Shuuji away, and you still have the nerve to say that! Argh! I'm so mad! I'm going to teach you a lesson!" Erika Chiba was on the verge of exploding.
Just then, Mayumi Saegusa suddenly interjected. "Um, shouldn't we deal with Mibu's situation first? Mari, was what Mibu just said true?"
"No, that's impossible. How could I have said something like that?" Mari Watanabe was at a loss for words. She had no memory of ever insulting Sayaka Mibu!
"Mibu, could you tell us more? About what happened with Mari," Mayumi Saegusa asked.
"Ah, yes, I can."
Startled by Erika Chiba's outburst, Sayaka Mibu had calmed down a little. She glanced at Mari Watanabe, then began recounting the unforgettable memory she had long buried in her heart.
"During club recruitment last year, there was a disturbance while the kendo club was recruiting members. Watanabe-senpai, who wasn't the committee chair yet, handled it with ease. That was when I saw her magic sword techniques, and I was moved by them. But when I went to her and asked her to teach me, she coldly refused."
"I remember exactly what Watanabe-senpai said: 'You're not qualified to be my opponent. Give up. Go find an opponent who suits you...' Wasn't I treated that way because I was a Course 2 Student?"
By the end, Sayaka Mibu's emotions seemed to be stirring again.
"Wait! Wait! I remember what happened then, and that's not what I said!"
Under Erika Chiba's accusing stare, Mari Watanabe hurried to explain. "My swordsmanship isn't good enough for me to be your opponent yet. Rather than me, you'd be better off finding someone at your own level to practice with. That's what I said back then!"
"Huh? At least you know your own limits! Hmph!"
As soon as Mari Watanabe finished speaking, Erika Chiba made a cutting remark.
"I remember now!" Hearing Erika Chiba's jab, Mari Watanabe turned sharply toward her.
"You're Shuuji's little sister! I didn't expect you to get into First High School too."
"Wh-what's going on?"
Sayaka Mibu felt utterly thrown. She looked uncomprehendingly at Erika Chiba and Mari Watanabe, who seemed to be arguing in front of her, her brain apparently on the verge of shutting down.
"She's a disciple of my family. She's a Mokuroku, and I'm an Inka. When it comes to swordsmanship alone, I'm better than her." Erika Chiba looked disgusted, as though the fact that Mari Watanabe was a disciple of the Chiba Family annoyed her greatly.
"Mari? Is that true?" Mayumi Saegusa asked.
"It's true." Mari Watanabe pinched the bridge of her nose. Remembering who Erika Chiba was gave her quite a headache.
"Even though she's a Course 2 Student, she's stronger than you, Watanabe-senpai?" Sayaka Mibu pressed in confusion. She seemed to feel that something was breaking.
"It's true." Mari Watanabe put her hands on her hips and spoke with a resigned look. "I am better than her at practical magic. But in swordsmanship alone, I'm no match for her. She may only be a Course 2 Student, but she's formidable with a sword."
"That brother of mine, Shuuji-he actually told you all that! Damn it!"
Hearing the praise in Mari Watanabe's words, Erika Chiba showed no sign of happiness. Instead, she looked rather cross.
"Now, now, Erika, let's put that aside for the moment and deal with the problem at hand first, all right?"
Seeing the conversation beginning to drift off course again, Miyuki Shiba hurriedly interjected and pulled it back to the matter at hand.
"So all this time, it was my own misunderstanding?" Tears filled Sayaka Mibu's eyes. She didn't know how to accept the truth before her, or how to face the year she had spent going down the wrong path.
"Mibu, that isn't the case." At that moment, Mayumi Saegusa spoke up, stopping Sayaka Mibu from sinking further into her emotions.
"As I said earlier, the head of Blanche's Japan branch is skilled at using hypnotic magic to control people. Your kendo club captain, Kinoe Tsukasa, was under his control, which is why he helped Blanche operate at First High School. I think it's very likely he had something to do with the misunderstanding between you and Mari."
Mayumi Saegusa's words were like a faint ray of light, allowing Sayaka Mibu, who had already been on the verge of breaking down, to see a glimmer of hope again-the hope of finding herself again.
"Mibu-senpai, don't be too hard on yourself. Your achievements in kendo are enough to impress anyone. This is recognition from a daughter of the Chiba Family, so you can be proud of it," Erika Chiba added at just the right moment.
Because of her family's traditions, Erika Chiba had always held a favorable opinion of Sayaka Mibu, a kendo girl who had once displayed outstanding talent. But at some point, her swordsmanship had become tainted. If Erika Chiba could help her purge that taint, she was more than willing to do so.
"That brings the matter to something of a conclusion. This attack was a terrorist attack orchestrated by Blanche's Japan branch. I'll report it as such to the Ten Master Clans. Jumonji-kun, you have no objections, do you?" Mayumi Saegusa laid out her thoughts and asked Katsuto Jumonji.
"Yeah, let's do that. Saegusa, I'll leave it to you," Katsuto Jumonji said.
"Clap~"
Mayumi Saegusa lightly clapped her hands, drawing Sayaka Mibu's attention to herself.
"Then, Mibu, could you tell us where Blanche's Japan branch is located? I believe you must have been there."