"You've worked hard, Shin, having to go out so late to handle business."
Upon returning home, Shin was greeted by Megumi, who had come out to welcome him.
It seemed the others in the household had silently agreed to give Megumi most of the opportunities today, as it was her first day here.
However, this preferential treatment would likely only last for tonight. Starting tomorrow, the others certainly wouldn't hold back in competing for Shin's attention.
"It wasn't much trouble—just a trivial matter I could handle easily."
Shin replied with a smile. Though the situation involved two major yakuza groups, to him, it truly was just a minor errand.
After all, if Shin really wanted to act, he could wipe the Ryuuzu Group off the map of Japan with just a flick of his finger.
But he couldn't be bothered. Since he had already granted the Kiryuu Group Stand abilities, dealing with such matters was their responsibility.
Of course, Kiryuu's request for Shin to escort Ryuuzu Momo home tonight wasn't an attempt to order him around—it was more likely that Kiryuu simply thought Shin might be interested in Momo.
While Shin did have an appreciation for beautiful girls, it wasn't as exaggerated as Kiryuu assumed. He didn't have enough time to divide equally among too many of them.
A moderate number was fine. In fact, Shin was quite satisfied with the current number of girls around him—any more, and he wouldn't be able to give each the attention they deserved.
That said... if any girls took the initiative to approach him, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
With that, Shin and Megumi chatted and laughed as they walked toward the bathroom.
Megumi had already been planning to take a bath, while Shin, having just returned from outside, also wanted to wash up before resting.
As the saying goes, "Perfect timing beats early arrival." So, the two decided to take a bath together—though what might happen during said bath was better left unsaid.
However, as Shin and Megumi headed for the bathroom, two small heads peeked out from around the corner of the hallway.
"Mom's rivals keep increasing..."
Illya watched Shin and Megumi's retreating figures with a troubled expression.
She had been hoping her mother, Irisviel, would receive more of Shin's affection. But now, it seemed the number of people competing for his attention was only growing.
Though Shin generally treated everyone equally—even at night, when it was usually a group affair—Illya still couldn't help but worry.
"Lord Tohru also has rivals."
Kanna nodded in agreement. Like Illya, she was considering the situation from her own perspective—specifically, Tohru's.
However, Tohru, as a maid, often found excuses to get close to Shin and engage in intimate contact. Compared to Irisviel, she had more opportunities.
"Looks like I'll have to help Mom work harder..."
Illya quietly pondered how she could further assist Irisviel in winning Shin's favor.
---
"Well? Did you find out anything?"
In the Yukinoshita residence, Mrs. Yukinoshita held a phone to her ear, speaking to her eldest daughter—not Yukinoshita Yukino, but Haruno Yukinoshita, who was far more adept at handling family affairs.
"Hmm... I didn't really uncover much."
Haruno's tone was awkward.
"After all, this involves someone the Shinomiya Group values highly. They've buried the information deep..."
Indeed, Mrs. Yukinoshita had tasked Haruno with investigating Shin.
News of the Shinomiya Group's banquet couldn't stay completely hidden. Many families had caught wind of the rumors—specifically, that the Shinomiyas seemed to be courting a "psychic" teenager.
For the Shinomiya Group to go out of their way to please someone, that person undoubtedly possessed extraordinary abilities. Naturally, many families wanted to make contact behind the scenes.
The Yukinoshita family was no exception. Though they were already considered an untouchably elite family in the eyes of many, their status paled in comparison to the Shinomiya Group.
Thus, after hearing the rumors, Mrs. Yukinoshita had informed Haruno and instructed her to look into it.
Of course, while she had assigned Haruno the task, Mrs. Yukinoshita hadn't held high expectations—she was simply operating on a "no harm in trying" mentality.
"I see... Well, there's nothing to be done, then. It seems cutting corners won't work."
Mrs. Yukinoshita sighed lightly but didn't blame Haruno. Her reasoning was sound—if the Shinomiya Group wanted to conceal something, the Yukinoshita family wouldn't be able to uncover it.
Soon, the call ended.
Haruno set down her phone, a bitter smile on her face.
She had lied to her mother.
She had actually uncovered information about Shin—quite easily, in fact.
This was largely thanks to Fujiwara Chika's impulsive decision to seek Shin out. By simply investigating Chika's recent movements, it wasn't hard to trace her to Private Toyosaki Academy.
Digging deeper, the boy named Shin soon appeared in Haruno's sights.
She could have reported this to Mrs. Yukinoshita—but then she thought of her younger sister.
Yukinoshita Yukino also attended Private Toyosaki Academy. If Mrs. Yukinoshita learned that Shin and Yukino went to the same school...
Though Yukino often acted exasperated with her older sister, Haruno still cared deeply for her.
She didn't want Yukino to be forced by their family to interact with Shin.
"Sigh... A psychic? Sounds like some urban legend."
Haruno was somewhat skeptical of the rumors about Shin's "psychic powers." But with the Shinomiya Group—a top-tier zaibatsu—backing the claims, it wasn't something she could dismiss outright.
It wasn't as if Shin could have tricked the entire Shinomiya Group, right? A family that had risen to such heights couldn't possibly be that foolish.
"Still, since he's at Private Toyosaki Academy... maybe I should ask Komachi."
Though she was troubled over how to handle the information about Shin, his presence at the Academy gave her an opportunity to contact Hiratsuka Shizuka for details.
Hiratsuka, as someone deeply invested in her students, would likely know something about Shin.
To be continued…
Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus
Join my Discord server for the latest updates and have face-to-face talks with me!
discord.gg /fD76Qn4VhB