"I see. That's why you came to the hospital to see me so early this morning, and why you seemed so hesitant."
Meanwhile, Mayumi Saegusa Mari Watanabe, finally confessed what had happened the night before under his interrogation. She was in a terrible mood, torn between the person she liked and her best friend; she felt like she was facing a choice with no solution.
"I'm telling you, Mayumi, you're really being a bit ridiculous!" Mari Watanabe looked at her friend with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Seeing that Mayumi Saegusa and Yunyi's relationship was becoming increasingly close, and that Mayumi Saegusa had also become more lively, she hadn't bothered to inquire about their interactions. But this oversight had led to the current situation.
"Huh? Mari, what do you mean by that?" Mayumi Saegusa asked, puzzled.
"What I mean is, although we're friends, Yunyi and I aren't exactly close. So, even if he knows I might be targeted, whether he wants to stand by and do nothing or take the opportunity to achieve his own goals, that's fine. You can't expect him to accept me as a friend just because we're close. That's a huge taboo in a romantic relationship!" Mari Watanabe reached out and poked Mayumi Saegusa's forehead.
"Huh? Is that really the case? And Mari, aren't you angry?" Mayumi Saegusa still couldn't understand.
"Of course, I get angry sometimes. But that's between him and me, it's a problem we need to solve ourselves. The best attitude you can have with this is not to pursue it, not to ask questions, just pretend you don't know. You overheard him, and then you jumped out and blamed him. I really want to know if he ever thought of strangling you when you said those things," Mari Watanabe teased.
"Is... is it really that serious?" Mayumi Saegusa asked cautiously.
"It might not happen this time, but it could happen a few more times. Besides, that guy seems a bit off today. I think he might really be taking what you said to heart. Mayumi, if you really care about him, you'd better talk to him about it as soon as possible. Those guys often don't really consider a girl's feelings," Mari Watanabe advised.
Mayumi Saegusa fell silent. Her actions last night were indeed somewhat irrational, born of a surge of anger. But, would Yunyi be affected by these things...?
While Mayumi Saegusa and Mari Watanabe were having their life counseling, Yunyi's second round of the competition had already ended. Because he still hadn't used CAD, he attracted the attention of the organizing committee. Before he could participate in the third round, he was asked to leave by the organizing committee staff.
Before leaving, he made an agreement with Tatsuya Shiba not to reveal that CAD had been tampered with for the time being, and to use the excuse that CAD could not handle the Activation Sequence. When Suzune Ichihara and the others received this news, they immediately contacted Mayumi Saegusa, but unfortunately Mayumi Saegusa and Mari Watanabe were busy answering questions and did not pay attention to the message coming from the terminal.
After the two women finished their conversation, Mari Watanabe noticed the series of messages on the terminal that had been left aside.
"Hey, Mayumi, something terrible has happened!" Mari Watanabe's expression changed drastically.
"Huh!?" Mayumi Saegusa was also startled!
"News from Ichihara: Yunyi's magic has attracted too much attention, and he's been taken away by the committee! Jumonji went with him, but there's still no result!"
"What!? How could this happen!" Mayumi Saegusa shocked and, ignoring Mari Watanabe's shouts, ran quickly towards the logistics preparation area of First High School.
Upon seeing her arrive, Suzune Ichihara finally breathed a sigh of relief.
" Rin, how's it going? Has Jumonji-kun sent any message?" As soon as she entered the preparation area, Mayumi Saegusa asked directly.
"Not yet, the situation might be a bit bad. However, the message Jumonji sent earlier told us not to act rashly for the time being," said Suzune Ichihara.
"What do you mean? Has something else happened?" Mayumi Saegusa pressed.
"Yes, that's right." Suzune Ichihara paused slightly before continuing, " Grand Master Kudou also noticed Liu Yunyi's magic. That's why things have become a bit complicated."
"This..."
Mayumi Saegusa was speechless now.
If it were the organizing committee or someone else, she and Jumonji could exert some pressure using their status as members of the Ten Master Clans. But now that Retsu Kudou has gotten involved in this matter, things are really getting complicated.
" Rin, I'm leaving this to you. I'll go check over there!"
After saying that, Mayumi Saegusa left without waiting for Suzune Ichihara's reply.
Watching her departing figure, Suzune Ichihara let out a heavy sigh.
"I have fully understood the situation. Based on the scale of the Activation Sequence provided by the organizing committee, it is indeed a very complex Ancient Magic, and it is normal that it exceeds the capacity of the CAD limit."
Retsu Kudou gave his assessment after reviewing the materials.
"But Master, that's the rule of the Nine Schools Competition. If all the participants use..."
"Alright, you don't need to say anything more." Retsu Kudou interrupted the organizing committee staff's explanation. He looked around at everyone present and finally fixed his gaze on Yunyi.
After a moment's hesitation, he continued, " The Nine Schools Competition has never explicitly stated that users of Ancient Magic cannot participate. Furthermore, the activation of Ancient Magic has its own unique characteristics. Therefore, I believe that Liu Yunyi from First High School has not violated any rules."
His words were tantamount to sealing the deal. The organizing committee members were already under pressure when facing Katsuto Jumonji. Now, with Retsu Kudou speaking out for Yunyi, where would they find the courage to refute him?
Thus, the inquiry ended with the intervention of Retsu Kudou. Because the competition was still ongoing, Yunyi had to return to the arena immediately. Before leaving, Retsu Kudou said to him, "I'm very interested in your magic. I hope we can have a proper chat sometime in the future."
"It is my honor, Grand Master Kudou." Yunyi replied calmly before turning and leaving the conference room.
" Jumonji-kun, your First High School has produced a very good student." Retsu Kudou looked at Katsuto Jumonji had not yet left.
"Grandmaster, what do you mean by this?"