Last night, Masaki Ichijo received a phone call from his father, Gouki Ichijo.
At first, Masaki Ichijo was somewhat shocked when he heard Gouki Ichijo say that he wanted to win over Liu Yunyi. But when Gouki Ichijo explained his reasons for doing so, Masaki Ichijo understood, although he still felt some resistance to this approach.
"Transfer to Third High School? Sorry, I really don't understand. What benefit would I get from doing this?" Yunyi was puzzled; he genuinely didn't understand Masaki Ichijo's move.
"Benefits?" Masaki Ichijo repeated, though he himself didn't know what benefits this would bring to Yunyi.
He already disliked this approach; he was simply there to convey Gouki Ichijo message. As for offering any advice or persuasion, he hadn't really given it much thought.
"To be honest, I don't think transferring to Third High School will bring me any benefits, and it might even cause trouble. But Masaki Ichijo, I also have a proposal here, would you like to hear it?" After Yunyi made it clear that he would not transfer, he immediately began to try to persuade Masaki Ichijo.
"Would you like to transfer to our First High School?"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing Yunyi's proposal, the first to react was Shinkuro Kichijoji, who was standing aside and should have been just a background figure.
Masaki Ichijo blinked in confusion for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"I think my answer is the same as yours," Masaki Ichijo replied.
"Really? That's a shame." Yunyi shrugged.
Seeing his expression, Masaki Ichijo smiled, then put on a serious face and said, "Sorry, the previous proposal was just to convey my family's wishes. Since you're not going to accept it, let's see what happens on the field. Your strength has piqued my interest."
"Your identity is also very useful to me. Masaki Ichijo, let's have some fun together," Yunyi said.
His answer caused a slight change in the expressions of Masaki Ichijo and Shinkuro Kichijoji. However, before they could reply, Yunyi turned and left.
On the way back to the hotel, Yunyi kept thinking about why Ichijo Family had made such a proposal.
If it's because of the strength he displayed in the competition, then why didn't the other high schools try to poach him? Besides, the Nine Schools are affiliated with the Magic University, and there's a high probability that graduates will enter the Magic University. There's absolutely no need to pull this poaching stunt at this time.
"The higher-ups of the nine schools all have connections with the Ten Master Clans. Could it be that this is another test by the Ichijo Family, orchestrated by the Old Man Kudou?" Yunyi wondered to himself.
In fact, his guess was correct; the proposal was indeed put forward by Retsu Kudou. The reason the Ichijo Family was chosen to handle this matter was because Masaki Ichijo and Yunyi were about the same age. A conversation between young people is always much better than one involving an old man like him.
Not long after Yunyi rejected the proposal, the news reached Retsu Kudou's ears.
He looked at the information about Yunyi in his hand and finally sighed softly.
His goal has always been to maintain the balance among the Ten Master Clans. But Yotsuba Clan is now far ahead of the other Ten Master Clans. Even the other Saegusa Family, which is known as one of the "Twin Peaks," is gradually falling behind the Yotsuba Clan in the process of development.
"Fortunately, this little guy has a close relationship with the children of the Saegusa Family. If we can't prevent him from establishing connections with the two children of the Yotsuba Family, we can only hope that he will lean more towards the Saegusa Family. But if that happens..."
Thinking of this, Retsu Kudou put down the materials in his hand. He picked up his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
"Hello..."
"Hey! Hey! Yunyi-kun, wake up!"
The incessant calls in his ears made Yunyi frown.
Standing by the bed, Mayumi Saegusa watched Yunyi turn over and pull the blanket over his head, her expression blank with astonishment.
"Seriously, Yunyi-kun, why can you sleep so much?" Mayumi Saegusa muttered.
Looking out the window at the sunset, Mayumi Saegusa sighed helplessly and left the room. She had originally wanted to ask Yunyi to go watch the final of the Newcomer Battle of Mirage Bat, but he was sleeping so soundly that she had to give up the idea.
However, Yunyi didn't sleep for long. Shortly after Mayumi Saegusa left, his phone rang.
"Hello, Walker~"
Upon hearing the other person's voice, Yunyi immediately woke up.
"I'm no longer in the America, so please don't call me by that name anymore," Yunyi replied, scratching his head.
"Ah, sorry. I forgot you went back. But it seems you didn't stay in your own country either, you went to Japan?"
"Yes, I'm currently at a magic high school here. Okay, let's get down to business."
"Okay. I've made some progress on the matter you asked me to investigate. There were indeed a few individuals of unknown origin in that lab. However, the experiment was halted after Congress took notice, and those people have disappeared. As for where they went, I have no way of tracing it."
"Seriously, how did you manage to get that captain's job? Is that all you've got? You didn't get in through connections, did you?"
"Hey! Yunyi, you bastard! I earned my reputation through skill! Skill!"
"A newbie who's never won a single game has no right to say that! Don't argue. I'm asking you, can you confirm whether they just disappeared suddenly or were taken away by someone else?"
"He was picked up by someone, and it was the military. The reason given was an order from Congress; after a routine questioning and investigation, he was released. But they haven't shown up since."
"Alright, I understand. These people are probably still in the military's hands, but they're probably not from your faction, or rather, they're controlling your intelligence. It seems you, as captain, are really not taken seriously. I'm telling you, Lina, listen to me, stop struggling, retire. Come work for me on my ship, it's perfect for you, really."
Yunyi's words infuriated Angelina on the other end of the line, but unfortunately, she couldn't win an argument or a fight, so she could only angrily hang up the phone and solemnly swear never to interfere in Yunyi's affairs again.
Hearing the disconnection sound from the phone, Yunyi sighed, "He has absolutely no self-awareness, yet he insists on being some kind of Sirius. Isn't he afraid of being sold off? He's incredibly stupid."