"Junior Brother Ryoji, Kanata, what are you still doing here?" Toudou Touka opened the door and poked her head inside. Seeing the two of them sitting stiffly, she didn't dwell on it and simply smiled.
"Today's the commendation ceremony for the representative contestants! Hurry up and gather in the Great Hall!"
It was already early July.
About a month had passed since Ryoji returned from the Danmachi World. Hagun Academy's first semester was drawing to a close, with summer vacation just around the corner.
The entire selection tournament had concluded yesterday, and today was precisely the day for the commendation ceremony.
"Oh, right, Kanata, you should head to the Great Hall first," Toudou Touka said, walking in. Suddenly remembering something, she smiled at Kanata.
"Hm...? Okay."
Kanata Totokubara raised an eyebrow in surprise, then nodded with feigned composure.
Before leaving, she glanced at Ryoji, a hint of concern in her eyes.
'Has Touka found out?'
"Senior Sister, is there something you wanted to discuss privately?"
After Rich Lady Kanata left, Ryoji maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, though inwardly he was panicking.
"Junior Brother, I'm sure you have something to tell me, right?" Toudou Touka sat beside him, her expression serious as she stared intently.
"Huh? What could that be?" Ryoji feigned confusion.
'Fuck, has Senior Sister really found out?'
"Still pretending you don't know?" Toudou Touka's face darkened instantly, and she glared at him, cheeks puffed with anger.
"Eh... alright, I was wrong." Ryoji was speechless.
He had no choice but to helplessly admit it.
He knew this day would come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to arrive so soon, leaving him completely unprepared. Now he could only rely on his improvisational skills!
"It's good you realize your mistake! So Mamoru Akaza initially designated me? Honestly, why didn't you tell me beforehand? I wouldn't have stopped you..."
Touka Toudou muttered at him.
"Huh? You're talking about that?" Ryoji froze in surprise.
"Of course." Touka Toudou nodded matter-of-factly, then suddenly frowned. "Could it be that Junior Brother, you're hiding other things from me too?"
Touka Toudou realized the situation was more complicated than she'd thought.
Come to think of it, Junior Brother had indeed become far more secretive lately. He often vanished without a trace, leaving her wondering where he'd gone and what he was doing. When asked, he always gave vague answers.
"To be honest, Senior Sister, there's a great deal I've been keeping from you!"
Ryoji's expression turned serious as he turned to face her. He gently lifted Touka Toudou's chin, his gaze filled with tender affection. "You can't possibly imagine how much more I love you than you think!"
"Aiya, Junior Brother... How could you say such things out here?"
Touka Toudou's face flushed crimson, and she rolled her eyes at him with a captivating charm.
Though deeply embarrassed, she couldn't suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
'Such an easily won over Senior Sister.'
In that moment, Ryoji recalled Freya's earlier words:
'The reason you can't enchant people like I do is because your words and actions lack the charm mine possess. You're a master of spouting nonsense and provoking anger.'
In plain terms: 'No one gets turned on by an idiot.'
But once he deliberately adopted this tender, affectionate demeanor, no one could resist him.
'So... should I study how male hosts work?'
The audacious thought even crossed Ryoji's mind.
"Oh right, Junior Brother! I came here with something important to tell you!"
After a long while, Touka Toudou finally snapped out of her daze, brought on by her junior brother's sweet talk.
"Someone wants to see you!"
"Who is it? So important that Senior Sister had to make a special trip?"
"The Branch Leader of the League Branch!"
Touka's expression turned grave.
"That's Ikki-kouhai and their father—Kurogane Gen, the supreme commander of the Japan Blazers!"
...…
The sun was high in the sky, three hours past dawn.
The faculty and students of Hagun Academy had gathered in the grand auditorium for the awards ceremony honoring the representative contestants.
As a result, the conference room in the faculty building was unusually empty, with not a single soul in sight along the corridors.
Kurogane Gen stood stiffly by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the sprawling student campus below. His face remained impassive, betraying no emotion, leaving his thoughts shrouded in mystery.
Knock, knock, BOOM!
"Come in."
As the door swung open, two figures—a man and a woman—entered the conference room.
"Thank you for your hard work, Toudou student," Kurogane Gen said, turning to face the pair behind him, his gaze flickering slightly.
Ryoji's popularity had soared to unprecedented heights.
Ever since the final battle of the selection tournament aired on television, this courageous, resourceful, and fiercely loyal young man had captivated the hearts of the entire nation with his extraordinary charisma.
He would stand by his friends through thick and thin, confronting the Branch Chief head-on to expose his schemes. Moreover, his exceptional strength and irresistible charm left no flaws in either his appearance or character. If those who truly knew him were to witness this, they would surely exclaim, "You've all been deceived!"
Kurogane Gen, of course, had already heard of this young man who had become a nationwide sensation in just a few days, his popularity exploding beyond its initial circles.
"Please, have a seat. This must be our first meeting, Nangou-san," he said, gesturing for them to sit.
His demeanor showed no trace of the arrogance one might expect from someone in his position; in fact, as the highest-ranking officer, he was remarkably polite.
"What do you want?"
An ordinary Blazer might struggle to even stand straight before this high-ranking officer, but Ryoji showed him no deference whatsoever. Without even a perfunctory greeting, he sat down directly and cut straight to the point.
Toudou Touka remained standing behind her Junior Brother.
"Thank you for taking care of my son," Kurogane Gen said with a cold expression.
He was an impeccably meticulous middle-aged man, his face utterly devoid of emotion, as if he had suppressed all his feelings—almost like a machine.
"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Ryoji's eyes turned icy.
"Junior Brother," Toudou Touka gently patted his shoulder.
No matter what, the man across from him was the Branch Leader of the League, a figure of immense status who had contributed significantly to maintaining domestic security and social stability for many years.
"Why do you think that?" Kurogane Gen seemed genuinely surprised.
He couldn't quite grasp Ryoji's logic, so he countered with a question, his expression remaining utterly impassive, betraying no hint of confusion or anger.
"Wasn't it you who ordered the defamation of Kurogane Ikki?" Ryoji pressed, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man across from him. "You must resent your son deeply. Wouldn't clearing Kurogane Ikki's name be a thorn in your side?"
If that were the case, why bother with hollow pleasantries like "thank you for your consideration"? It was clearly a provocation.
"So that's how it is. It seems you misunderstand me greatly," Kurogane Gen replied, closing his eyes briefly as if searching for the right words. "It's true that I instructed Mamoru Akaza to handle Ikki's case, but I never considered you an obstacle. These are two separate matters. I sincerely appreciate your care for Ikki."
(End Of This Chapter)
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