Mari Watanabe's words took everyone by surprise. They had expected a harsh punishment, but this was all?
Tatsuya Shiba and Yunyi, however, saw things differently.
Tatsuya Shiba glanced at Mayumi Saegusa and Mari Watanabe. When he noticed that both women were looking at Yunyi, he became even more certain of what he had been thinking.
Yunyi chuckled and replied, "As long as the other side has no objections, I'm fine with anything. I'm not the one losing out, anyway."
His words made the Course 1 Students who heard him grit their teeth. Given where they were, though, they could only swallow their anger.
With both sides agreeing to settle, Mayumi Saegusa immediately declared the matter closed.
"Then that settles this incident. However, I hope everyone will obey school rules from now on. Otherwise, we won't be nearly as lenient as we were this time."
Everyone responded in agreement with Mayumi Saegusa.
Just as everyone thought the matter was settled and they could leave, Mayumi Saegusa looked at Yunyi again.
"Oh, right, Liu Yunyi. May I ask you a question?"
Yunyi chuckled, thinking, Here it comes.
"You want to ask about my magic, President Saegusa?"
Mayumi Saegusa was a little taken aback by Yunyi's directness. But she was only stunned for a moment before she recovered.
"That's right. I've never seen the kind of magic you used. Is it unregistered magic? And if you can use a technique like that, your grades should be better than they are." For some reason, Mayumi openly asked a question she should not have brought up in public.
Someone else might have refused outright to reveal information about their magic technique. Yunyi, however, could not have asked for a better opportunity. He was confident enough that he could fool everyone present. That included Tatsuya Shiba, who was sitting beside him and had been watching him the whole time!
"The magic I use is a type of Ancient Magic, Kotodama Magic," Yunyi said calmly, revealing his magic outright.
"You've all seen what it does: it interferes with the target's actions through words. As for my grades..."
At this, Yunyi put on a somewhat helpless expression.
"The practical exam score is determined by the speed of magic activation, the scale of the magic sequence, and the strength with which it rewrites the target's information, right?"
"I'm very confident in the activation speed of my Kotodama Magic. Unfortunately, the other two are both subpar."
"I see. That really is a shame," Mayumi Saegusa said.
That was what she said, but it was not what she thought.
If Yunyi's magic was used properly, there were times when it could be more effective than magic with great destructive power, or even magic on a massive scale.
"Typical anti-personnel magic," Mari Watanabe offered her own opinion.
The others present might not have understood it as thoroughly as the two women, but they had formed their own impressions of Yunyi's magic. Tatsuya Shiba and Honoka Mitsui, however, were exceptions!
Tatsuya Shiba had used his "eyes" to observe Yunyi when he cast Kotodama Magic. But he had seen neither the flow of psions nor the process of the magic sequence rewriting information. Based on those observations, he concluded that what Yunyi had said earlier was a lie!
Tatsuya Shiba had no intention of exposing it on an occasion like this, however, because there was something unusual about the impression Yunyi gave him. That feeling was especially pronounced when the two of them were alone together.
As for Honoka Mitsui, although she could not say for certain that Yunyi was lying, she had her doubts. She attributed them to her own lack of knowledge, though, rather than to him deceiving them.
With the topic concluded, Mayumi announced that everyone was free to leave and go home.
Yunyi took the lead without hesitation. He was the first to rise, and after saying goodbye to the classmates beside him, he strode out.
His attitude made the Course 1 Students uncomfortable once again, to some extent. This time, though, none of them said anything more. Everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible, since they had not come here for a casual visit.
Once everyone had left, Mayumi Saegusa turned to Mari Watanabe. "Mari, what do you think?"
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as he says. After all, I tried all sorts of methods and still couldn't break free of that restraint," Mari Watanabe said.
"Could it be that this kind of magic has a more pronounced effect on the human body, or on living beings?" Mayumi asked.
"Maybe. Either way, I'll keep a closer eye on him."
Mari Watanabe paused briefly, then continued, "Mayumi, this year's first-years won't be easy to handle."
"You're right." Mayumi slumped onto the table as if all the energy had gone out of her.
After returning home, Yunyi connected to a secret communication line.
Before long, a vigorous-looking old man appeared on the screen.
"Hey, old man. Seeing that big smile on your face really hurts. Isn't it even a little sad for you to have your dear junior leave your side?" Yunyi teased.
"Cut it out, you little brat. You've left my side so many times. When have I ever been sad about it? If you ask me, the air around me smells a lot better when you're gone!" the old man shot right back.
"Fine, I knew it. There's no chance of anyone in our family caring for their juniors! But old man, now that I'm not there, you'd better look after yourself. You're not young anymore, so stop spending every day on work meant for young people. If you get careless and hurt yourself, I'll have to come back and watch over you. What a hassle."
"Get lost, get lost, get lost! You little brat, you never have a nice word to say! Now tell me, what did you contact me for?" The old man steered the conversation straight back to business.
Yunyi put away his smile and began discussing serious matters with the old man.
"As planned, I gave the student leadership at First High School a preliminary glimpse of what I can do. I gained something, but I didn't manage to draw out the next head of the Jumonji Family. And the Saegusa Family's daughter is more unusual than the reports suggested, so finding an opening with her might be troublesome. That's why I'd like to make a slight change to the plan. What do you think?"
The old man thought for a moment before nodding in agreement with Yunyi's proposal.
"Intelligence is only intelligence. There's no way to be one hundred percent certain of that sort of thing. While you're undercover, you may change the plan within limits you believe you can control. But you must promise me one thing: until you're one hundred percent certain, do not have excessive contact with the Ten Master Clans!"