After entering the banquet hall, Shin glanced around.
There were a few familiar faces—mostly students from Shuchi'in Academy, ones he recognized from the original work he'd seen before transmigrating, rather than people he'd met in this world.
He had initially wondered if he might run into someone he knew here—like Yukino Yukinoshita, Mitsurugi Meiya, or even Kousaka Kirino.
But thinking about it now, Yukinoshita's father was just a local councilman and company president, the Mitsurugi family were renowned in kendo but not particularly influential, and Kirino's father was merely a diplomat.
To the average person, their families might seem impressive—enough to qualify for Shuchi'in Academy—but compared to the Shinomiya conglomerate, they were on entirely different levels.
An elite banquet like this naturally wouldn't invite their families. The Shinomiyas might not even know they existed.
Just then, Shinomiya Oko and Shinomiya Gan'an approached—with Kaguya Shinomiya following behind them, Chika Fujiwara trailing after her.
"Welcome, Lord Shin."
Shinomiya Oko wore a faint smile, though paired with his naturally intimidating face and shaved head, he looked more like a yakuza boss than a corporate heir.
But the fact that he was the one taking the lead suggested that Gan'an was indeed preparing to pass the Shinomiya family to Oko—otherwise, he wouldn't have been the one to greet Shin.
Shin didn't have particularly strong feelings about Oko. Though the man had been dismissive at first, after witnessing Shin's power, he had quickly switched to shameless flattery.
At least he knows when to bend.
As long as Shin held power beyond Oko's comprehension, the man would never dare to scheme against him. In that sense, he was easy to control.
"Allow me to introduce Kaguya Shinomiya, the young lady of our family."
Oko stepped aside slightly, revealing Kaguya behind him—his posture almost like a waiter presenting a high-end product.
To him, Kaguya probably is just a commodity.
In the original work, Kaguya had called him a "feudal relic of the Shōwa era," a man raised under patriarchal values who treated women as tools.
Kaguya stood there expressionless, dressed in an elegant dark gown that perfectly matched the image of a noble young lady.
She was a far cry from the easily flustered, scheming Kaguya of the original story.
Beside her, Chika Fujiwara stood with an awkward smile, watching Shin.
When she noticed him glancing at her, she even gave a small wave—earning a slight nod and smile in return, which immediately made her face burn red.
This is the first time I've gotten so flustered over such a simple response from a guy…
Clearly, their previous encounters had left a deep impression on her.
"Kaguya and Lord Shin are of the same age. Why don't we leave the younger generation to mingle? We adults need not intrude."
Shinomiya Gan'an, who had been silent until now, spoke up calmly—yet decisively setting the stage for what came next.
The main purpose of this banquet was to establish a connection between Shin and Kaguya, but they couldn't force the issue.
So, they would let the two interact naturally. If Shin took an interest in Kaguya, that would be ideal.
But if he didn't, they certainly wouldn't try to push her onto him—that would only breed resentment.
"Indeed. We'll leave you to it."
Oko nodded in agreement, stepping back to let the younger generation converse.
---
Soon, Shin, Kaguya Shinomiya, Chika Fujiwara, and Ai Hayasaka were seated together.
Though many in the hall were watching Shin, the Shinomiyas' prior warnings ensured no one dared interrupt.
The only ones visibly surprised were Fujiwara's family, who stared in shock as their daughter sat at the same table as Shin and Kaguya.
"Big Sis actually knows that VIP from the Shinomiya family?"
Fujiwara Moeha, Chika's younger sister, gaped at the sight of her sister chatting normally with Shin.
"Since when?! She never mentioned this!"
Of course she hadn't.
Every time Fujiwara had met Shin, things had taken a very strange turn.
If she'd dared to tell her family about those encounters, it wouldn't just be a matter of being airheaded—it'd be outright insanity.
"Isn't this good? That Shin seems quite friendly with Chika."
Fujiwara's mother, observing the scene, nodded approvingly.
As an adult, she could read deeper into the situation—Shin's familiarity with Fujiwara was far more natural than his interactions with Kaguya.
This sparked some thoughts in her mind… but specifics would have to wait until she discussed it with the rest of the family.
---
Kaguya Shinomiya wasn't much of a talker. In fact, due to her family's influence, she hadn't had a proper conversation with anyone in a long time.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone with Shin—Fujiwara and Hayasaka, both familiar with him, were present.
Their presence served as a bridge, occasionally bringing up topics that allowed Kaguya and Shin to exchange a few words.
Still, this was Kaguya's first time speaking so casually with a male peer, and her tension was palpable.
Though her face remained expressionless, Shin could tell she was nervous.
Fujiwara, meanwhile, seemed desperate to shake off Shin's lingering influence on her, so she kept scrambling for conversation topics—
Until she landed on one that instantly grabbed everyone's attention:
"By the way, I overheard a lot of people here talking about you possibly having superpowers, Is that… true?"
The moment the words left her mouth, even Kaguya couldn't help but glance over with curiosity.
To be continued…
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