It was indeed inevitable for people to have such thoughts.
"I think there's a problem with what Senior Watanabe said," Mahiro suddenly interjected.
Mori looked at him, puzzled, "What problem?"
Mahiro explained, "Indeed, in the Nine Schools Competition, Magical Engineering Technician can be a part of the winning factor, but by no means the whole."
"After all, Magical Engineering Technician is not a god and cannot arbitrarily influence the course of a battle. All we do is try to unearth the potential of the players, but overall, it still depends on the players' own efforts."
"Not to mention Senior Mayumi, just taking Kitayama Shizuku, whom I'm responsible for, as an example, it's precisely because Kitayama Shizuku herself is excellent enough that she can use the tactics I designed for her."
This was indeed a fact; everyone had to admit it.
After all, whether it was the vibration-based magic similar to "Magic Bullet Shooter" in "Precision Shooting," or the Sonomaiser and spell disintegration used in "Ice Pillar Break."
If one didn't possess enormous computational ability and thought-quantity, it would be impossible to use them.
Not to mention operating two CADs.
At this moment, Mahiro spoke again:
"If that explanation isn't enough, then let me use myself as an example."
"In the recent competitions, I not only had to debug CADs and research tactics for Senior Mayumi, Kitayama Shizuku, and Senior Mori, but I also had to adjust myself and accept the unfair rules from the Nine Schools Competition committee, and didn't I still win both titles in the end?"
"Or take Hattori Hanzou-senpai, for example. Although his engineering skills aren't strong, didn't Hattori-senpai still overcome that and win the championship?"
"So, if you're bad, practice more. There's no need to emphasize objective reasons. Losing is losing. It's too ugly to force an excuse."
Although his words were harsh and contained a bit of self-praise, they were undoubtedly true.
Moreover, being able to win the championship even when targeted by the committee was indeed something to boast about.
If it were anyone else, they would probably have told everyone by now.
"That's right, Mahiro-nii-san is absolutely correct. If they themselves aren't diligent enough, even if they're given engineers like Big Brother and Mahiro-nii-san, it would be useless," Miyuki was the first to speak.
And her evaluation was even sharper than Mahiro's.
Next was Ichihara Suzune: "I also agree with Mahiro's statement. The boys' team should indeed reflect on themselves instead of making excuses."
"Th-that... I think so too," Nakajo Azusa, exuding a small animal aura, weakly raised her hand.
And Kitayama Shizuku echoed, "Mahiro-kun is right, if you're bad, practice more. Just like foolish Honoka, who was in charge of the 'Surfing Race' event under Senior Nakajo, still won the championship."
"Eh, eh, eh? Why are you suddenly talking about me?!"
Upon hearing Kitayama Shizuku suddenly comment on her, Honoka couldn't help but shyly grip her cup tightly.
"Oh~ I didn't expect so many people to speak up for you."
Mori's tone was subtle, and her gaze, full of ambiguity, swept across the girls present.
Ichihara Suzune and Nakajo Azusa were out of the question; having worked together for so long, she knew their personalities very well.
As for Shiba Miyuki and Kitayama Shizuku...
Ultimately, her target landed on Kitayama Shizuku.
"Speaking of which, Kitayama-senpai, I heard you've been trying to recruit Mahiro recently, planning to make him your exclusive engineer?"
"Yes, that's right," Kitayama Shizuku confessed, "At first, I did have that thought, but now it doesn't matter even if he's not my exclusive engineer."
Fortunately, this time she didn't use ambiguous language to say those terrible things.
"Oh? Then what do you say, Mahiro?"
Mori, as if teasing, cast her dark golden gaze upon him.
Kitayama Shizuku: (Gaze)
Stare--
Kitayama Shizuku's sharp gaze also silently fixated on him.
Mahiro helplessly raised his hands in surrender, "Please let me go, I can't accept."
"Can you tell me why?" Kitayama Shizuku asked.
Although she had expected this outcome all along, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed inside.
"Sigh, don't look at me with that gaze. I'll just give you one reason, and you'll understand: what if I one day return to the Yotsuba?"
"Ah...."
Kitayama Shizuku couldn't help but let out a small gasp.
Aside from the Shiba siblings, everyone else also looked at him with great surprise.
Mayumi was about to ask, "Is that even possible?" but then remembered that the Yotsuba Family Head had specifically come to the Nine Schools Competition venue to watch Mahiro's match, so she swallowed her words.
It really was possible.
"So, it's not that I don't want to accept, but that I can't."
If he really accepted Kitayama Shizuku's exclusive technician job, then Yotsuba Maya would probably use her connections to completely devour the Kitayama family shortly after.
He couldn't do such a despicable thing.
But that didn't mean he could let Senior Watanabe, who deliberately caused trouble, off the hook.
"W-what..."
His half-smiling gaze made Mori feel a bit uneasy.
"Nothing, I'm just curious about one thing. Speaking of which, where's your boyfriend, Senior Watanabe? He was clearly injured in the Nine Schools Competition, but he didn't even come to visit you."
"Instead, he's always freeloading off me every day."
"A bit unqualified, isn't he...."
Freeloading was one thing, but he also acted as such a high-wattage third wheel every time.
It got to the point where Sayaka was always discussing swordsmanship with her, and only at night did Sayaka belong solely to him, allowing for brief moments of tenderness.
"Um... Mahiru, don't you know?"
"Know what?"
Facing Mayumi's question, Mahiro cast a bewildered gaze.
"It's just that Mori doesn't have a boyfriend at all."
"Huh???"
Now it was Mahiro's turn to be surprised.
Senior Watanabe doesn't have a boyfriend? Really?
But the fact was, it was true.
Someone had pursued Watanabe Mari before.
That was when she was training at the Chiba dojo, and she was pursued by Chiba Shuji, the second son of the Chiba, also Erika's older brother, known as the "Chiba's Qilin Child."
But Mori rejected him at the time, which made Chiba Shuji very sad and disappointed.
And Erika, who deeply admired her brothers, consequently became hostile towards Watanabe Mari.
...
.....
.....
The next day, the competition proceeded as scheduled.
With only two days left of the main competition, all high schools showcased their unique skills.
Although First High securing the overall championship was already unchangeable, other high schools still exerted all their effort for the upcoming matches.
All of them were striving to compete for second place.
However, Watanabe Mari still won the "Star-Picking Mirage" on the first day, marking the curtain call for her three years of school life.
Although it wasn't as breathtaking as flight magic, the continuous movement and hardening to form a composite spell for repeated jumps, like climbing a heavenly ladder, were enough to amaze everyone.
That's right.
This time, there was no interference from the Headless Dragon.
In the rookie competition, Tatsuya still used flight magic for Miyuki.
The reason was that Miyuki, after being comforted by Mahiro that day, seemed to have understood something and decided to face the competition with her full power.
Consequently, Miyuki used the flight magic that Tatsuya had just recently invented, astonishing all nine high schools.
And the subsequent "Secret Monument Decryption" was perfectly suited as the grand finale.
Katsuto Juumonji, leading Tatsumi Kotaro and Hattori Hanzou, displayed excellent tactics and magic during the competition, earning everyone's recognition.
Especially the final battle against Ichijo Masaki from Third High, which could be called a practical combat masterpiece.
It was just a pity that the air bullet encountered Katsuto Juumonji's "Phalanx," and Ichijo Masaki, despite his best efforts, could not win.
Therefore, he suffered a crushing defeat.
He created the first myth of consecutive defeats among the Ten Master Clans, although all his opponents were members of the Ten Master Clans.
However, perhaps because this was an internal struggle within the Ten Master Clans, the elder Kudou Retsu unusually appeared in the special viewing area to watch the competition.
After it ended, Kudou Retsu seemed to sense a gaze from the audience below.
He slowly lowered his head, his gaze meeting Yotsuba Mahiro's.
"Old Man Kudou, as promised, I've come to see you."
After the Nine Schools Competition, Yotsuba Mahiro found Kudou Retsu as agreed to discuss the international criminal organization [Headless Dragon].
But what was different was that this time, Kudou Retsu was accompanied by a black-haired woman.
Wearing a white dress, tall and mature, she was none other than Kudou Retsu's granddaughter, a Second Lieutenant in the Independent Magic Equipped Battalion—[Electronic Witch] Fujibayashi Kyoko.
"Hi~ Masayuki, it's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"
Fujibayashi Kyoko smiled sweetly, waved at him, and greeted him very naturally.
"Yes, Miss Fujibayashi, it's been three years since Okinawa," Mahiro replied calmly, "But since Miss Fujibayashi is here, I suppose I don't need to talk about the [Headless Dragon] anymore, right?"
He slowly shifted his gaze, looking at the old man across from him who was drinking tea.
"Yes, I already know about the [Headless Dragon], and the moles in the Nine Schools Competition operations committee have been dealt with."
Under his gaze, Kudou Retsu put down his teacup. His calm smile made it impossible to discern his joy or sorrow.
"On behalf of the Nine Schools Competition's official side, I thank you for your help, and I personally wanted to see you."
"Really?"
Mahiro smiled slightly, "I can believe the first half, but wanting to see me... there's no need for such polite words, right?"
He didn't think this bad old man would be idle enough to wait for him here to chat.
"I think, among everyone I know and who knows me, you, Old Man Kudou, are probably the one who least wishes to see me outside the Fourth Research Lab, right?"
"After all, the title 'Forbidden of the Fourth Research Lab' was given to me by you, Old Man Kudou."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air instantly froze, filled with silence.
Fujibayashi Kyoko, who was serving Kudou Retsu, couldn't help but hold her breath.
She hadn't expected Yotsuba Mahiro to show absolutely no respect to her grandfather....
"Heh heh, your mouth is still as sharp as ever, little fellow." Kudou Retsu seemed to have expected it, revealing a gentle smile, completely unfazed by his disrespectful words.
Mahiro also felt as if he had punched cotton.
This was the bad thing about these shameless old men; each one was thicker-skinned than the last.
He could only sigh helplessly and bid farewell:
"Since there's nothing else, I'm going back. The Nine Schools Competition's celebration party is waiting for me, so please excuse me for not being able to continue chatting with you."
With that said, Mahiro stood up and left.
Without any lingering.
Kudou Retsu slowly watched Mahiro leave, took a sip of his cold tea, and sighed inwardly.
This child was extremely resistant to him, so a good conversation was certainly impossible, and using force was even less so, as all magic would be ineffective in front of this child.
Only by using other methods could this released monster perhaps be restrained.
"Grandfather, are you alright?"
"I'm fine... But Kyoko, what do you think of this Yotsuba Mahiro?"
"Me?"
Fujibayashi Kyoko was startled for a moment, then her mouth slightly parted, and her face instantly turned pale.
Others might not understand, but how could she not comprehend the meaning behind her grandfather's question? Yet, she never expected her grandfather to drag her into this battle.
Fujibayashi Kyoko couldn't help but say in a trembling voice, "Grandfather, do you mean...?"
"You should know the purpose of the Ten Master Clans' existence, right? Besides leading the Japanese magic world to continuous progress, it's also to ensure that each family restrains one another, preventing magicians from losing control."
Fujibayashi Kyoko did not respond. As Kudou Retsu's granddaughter, she was well aware of its significance.
"But in recent years, Yotsuba has become too powerful. Whether it's Shiba Tatsuya and his sister Shiba Miyuki, or Yotsuba Mahiro, their existence will make the Yotsuba family dominant, gradually dismantling the framework of the Ten Master Clans."
"And Yotsuba Mahiro is the most dangerous among them. A magician's power alone cannot match him; even the young lady of the Gorin, or even I, cannot do it."
"Therefore, to deal with such a ferocious beast, the only way is to find a way to put a sturdy chain on it and slowly tame it."
Fujibayashi Kyoko fell silent.
She wanted to say, couldn't someone else do this?
According to existing intelligence, Kuroba Ayako of the Yotsuba branch family, Saegusa Mayumi of the Seven Herbs Family, and even Mibu Sayaka, the daughter of Mibu Yozo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all had a special affection for him.
However, she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.
To be honest, she was not young, already 24 years old, and her family was indeed pressing her about her marriage.
And for large families in the magic world, there was no such thing as freedom in marriage.
But the problem was, to marry a young man nearly eight years her junior, she had no idea what to do...
...
.....
....
However, on his way back to the venue, just as he reached the garden near the courtyard, he was stopped by a tall, burly man.
"Senior Jumonji, is there something you need?"
"Yotsuba, spare some time."
Katsuto Juumonji said so.
It seemed he had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Don't worry, I just want to talk to you for a bit, it will be over quickly."
As if sensing his wariness, Katsuto Juumonji added this.
Although that firm, serious square face showed no trace of friendliness.
"What is it?"
Following Katsuto Juumonji's footsteps, they arrived at a secluded corner deep within the garden courtyard.
Although it was quiet, it wasn't completely silent; someone must have opened a window, as faint music from the banquet could be heard.
"Yotsuba, I remember you were a discarded member of the Yotsuba, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
His initial persona was indeed like that.
Bearing the Yotsuba surname, but not truly a Yotsuba person.
And Yotsuba Maya, on her part, seemed to have accepted this explanation, even actively covering for him.
"—That's good."
Who knew if this guy was gloating or what.
He scrutinized Mahiro with his serious gaze for a long time, then nodded expressionlessly.
"Then, as an assistant magician of the Jumonji of the Master Clans Council, I propose.
Yotsuba, do you want to rejoin the Ten Master Clans?
Of course, not returning to the Yotsuba."
"Senior Jumonji, do you mean... marrying into a family?"
"Yes, that's right. Let me think... How about Saegusa?"
Katsuto Juumonji seemed to be serious, even considering it carefully, "She seems to like you very much, Yotsuba."
He naturally knew that the relationship between Senior Mayumi and him was very ambiguous.
After that kiss in the reading room, when Mayumi didn't pull away at all, he already knew.
However.
This was the first time he discovered that this big, burly man with thick eyebrows and large eyes actually had so many tricks up his sleeve?
He was even arranging a blind date for him.
Unbelievable, simply unbelievable.
Was this some kind of Lion King Matchmaking Agency from another world?
"Let's talk about such things later."
In the end, he just left this one sentence, without giving Katsuto Juumonji a prepared answer.
Or rather, he didn't need to explain to anyone.
He would walk his own path; he didn't need, nor would he allow, anyone to interfere or arrange it for him.
After two rounds of mental torment from Kudou Retsu and Katsuto Juumonji, to be honest, he was already a bit tired.
But he still chose to return to the banquet hall.
The atmosphere in the hall was completely different from the tense one two weeks ago; the banquet was enveloped in a peaceful atmosphere.
Since the competition was over, and they were not sworn enemies fighting for their lives, there was naturally no need to maintain that tense atmosphere.
Although they were still young and could not completely let go of the desire to win or lose.
However, after ten days of intense battles, most students would, due to the rebound effect of excessive tension, become much more amiable in their psychological state.
The post-competition banquet was still hosted by the organizing committee, and students still wore their school uniforms as their formal attire.
The girls also wore sheer dresses they didn't usually use.
They danced gracefully with their respective partners on the banquet floor.
This was also an old tradition of the Nine Schools Competition, meant to reconcile students from different schools?
However, as soon as he entered, he became the center of attention at the banquet, as almost everyone had been talking about him in the two days after the competition ended.
Naturally, some girls came forward to invite him to dance.
But he politely declined all of them, holding a drink and squatting in a corner, trying to make himself less conspicuous.
"Ugh, so troublesome..."
"Is that so? Even though you're so popular?"
He looked up to see Senior Watanabe with neat short hair, looking mischievous as if she wanted to tease him.
But he just sighed helplessly.
"If possible, I hope to have some peace for a while."
Too much had happened in the Nine Schools Competition; he desperately needed a good rest now, preferably sleeping for several days and nights.
"Can't be helped! Who told you to be so conspicuous in the Nine Schools Competition, being both a competitor and an engineer, and achieving good results in both?"
Watanabe Mari covered her small mouth while patting his shoulder.
"It's all your fault..."
Mahiro rolled his eyes at Senior Watanabe.
He was truly helpless against this woman's sarcastic remarks.
Because it was the truth.
Just then, his peripheral vision caught a group of beautiful figures walking towards them.
It was Miyuki, Kitayama Shizuku, and Honoka, the three little ones.
"It seems the little princesses are looking for you, so I won't bother you."
Watanabe Mari spoke to herself and withdrew, replaced by Miyuki who came before him.
A hand as pure white as jade reached out to him.
Miyuki tilted her head, smiling gracefully, "Brother Mahiro, may I have this dance?"
Originally, it should be the man inviting the woman, but with Yotsuba Mahiro, it was completely reversed.
But since it was Miyuki's invitation, how could he have any reason to refuse?
"Alright, I'd be delighted."
Yotsuba Mahiro put one hand behind his back, imitating a gentleman, and gently took Miyuki's hand with the other.
The two walked together to the center of the dance floor.
Her soft, delicate body leaned against Yotsuba Mahiro, and her fair, slender arm rested on his shoulder.
And his hand naturally embraced Miyuki's slender waist.
Their eyes met, and with the soft, soothing orchestral music, they slowly began to take elegant dance steps.
He had never received any aristocratic education, so this reaction was entirely based on mimicking his past life's memories.
Fortunately, he didn't make a fool of himself.
However, his acceptance of Miyuki's invitation seemed to open some kind of signal.
After one dance, there was a continuous stream of invitations.
After that, he only accepted invitations from a few familiar people.
That is, Honoka and Kitayama Shizuku.
It's just that his dance steps were not exquisite, not as elegant and noble as others, but simply correct.
After all, they were replicated, so it was only natural.
Shizuku even quietly commented during the dance, "It's like dancing with a dance machine," a sentiment that was both praise and criticism.
"I especially don't want to hear that from you," Yotsuba Mahiro retorted softly.
However, what made him most tired was dancing with Mayumi.
The saying that dance can reveal one's personality was perfectly demonstrated in Mayumi's case.
To say she couldn't dance.
But the dance steps she displayed, paired with the background music, appeared very elegant and beautiful.
The problem was, every one of her steps didn't keep up with the music's beat, as if she deliberately did so to add difficulty for him.
Still so fond of pranks, huh.
After one song ended, Yotsuba Mahiro was completely exhausted.
But he didn't stop; instead, he walked directly in front of a young lady and extended his hand to her.
"Miss, may I have the honor of this dance?"
"Me... me?" Mori blinked in surprise, holding a champagne glass.
"Of course." Mahiro smiled elegantly, even using that smile to provocatively utter incongruous words:
"Anyway, whether it's one sheep or a flock, it's all the same. I've already danced with so many people, so Senior Watanabe, you wouldn't make a difference… Or are you saying Senior Watanabe can't dance at all?"
"Who, who said I can't!"
Facing his provocation, Mori immediately put down her wine glass, took his hand, and walked towards the dance floor with him as if in a huff.
At this moment, the banquet also welcomed its last song.
But as expected, just as he thought, Senior Watanabe's dance steps were indeed very clumsy.
Many times, she would lose the beat.
Fortunately, Mayumi's earlier mischief had allowed him to get used to Senior Watanabe's dance steps.
Under his guidance, Mori gradually caught up with the beat and became more proficient.