Hearing her grandfather bring up that matter at this moment, Kaguya's heart panicked. She instinctively glanced at Yusei, and seeing his look of confusion, she suddenly remembered that Yusei didn't know about this.
But before she could sigh in relief, she heard her grandfather say with a smile, "Come to think of it, Yusei, you probably don't know yet, right? The Imperial Family has proposed to our Shinomiya Family-"
"Proposed?" Yusei was stunned, then quickly understood, looking towards Kaguya.
Kaguya's face turned pale. She glanced timidly at Yusei, then glared at her grandfather, feeling very resentful that he would speak so carelessly.
'A proposal? For Kaguya?'
Yusei instantly understood. His gaze towards Kaguya became somewhat complicated. He didn't know what he was feeling right now.
A sense of loss?
In a way, he was a person with strong possessive tendencies. But regarding Kaguya... he wasn't sure himself.
Their first meeting had been filled with crossed swords… he had even kicked her off the stage.
Later, they entered SAO, where many, many things happened. But most of the time, it involved him teaching Kaguya how to use sword.
Now, back in reality, he was with Asuna. Kaguya was Asuna's best friend who had also transferred schools, saying she needed to keep an eye on him to ensure he didn't wrong Asuna.
Having someone monitoring him didn't feel great. But the moment he thought that person was Kaguya, Yusei felt much more at ease.
Because he understood it wasn't really monitoring. Rather, it was more like the girl had delivered herself to him to be teased.
Teasing Kaguya each time, watching her pretty face flush with embarrassment and her stamp her feet, had its own unique flavor, different from being with Asuna.
Regarding matters of the heart, Yusei wouldn't say he loved Kaguya, but he also knew he had indeed grown accustomed to having this often tsundere, sometimes gentle young lady pestering him to learn swordsmanship and allowing herself to be teased.
As for Kaguya's thoughts, Yusei wasn't clear about that.
'But considering how I always soundly defeated her with the sword, it seemed unlikely she would like me, right?'
Girls liked sweet talk, especially girls in peaceful times. He had never given Kaguya that kind of treatment, so the idea of her falling for him was baseless.
Regardless, hearing Koken say that the Japanese's Imperial Family intended to form a marriage alliance with the Shinomiya Family caused his mind to momentarily go blank.
Yusei's gaze became somewhat distant as he looked at Kaguya. Kaguya, however, didn't notice because she didn't dare meet his eyes right now.
She was extremely flustered. She had originally intended to handle this matter herself without Yusei knowing, afraid he might get the wrong idea.
Now, it was all ruined by the old man.
So, Kaguya bit her red lip, her small hand slamming down on the table with surprising force, and declared solemnly, "I will not marry! To hell with the Imperial Family!"
Kaguya's voice echoed in the room. Her tone seemed more directed at Yusei than at Koken.
After she finished speaking, she kept watching Yusei's face for any change.
To her delight, his originally somewhat stiff expression softened considerably after her words.
This made Kaguya secretly happy.
'It seems my position in this guy's heart is still quite important.'
Koken took in the changing expressions of the two youngsters and smiled knowingly, "Kaguya, I understand your meaning. But you must realize, it is the Imperial Family after all. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse."
"While this won't cause any real impact on the Shinomiya Family, you also know... we are unclear about the extent of the power the Imperial Family holds. If they feel their pride is wounded and lash out recklessly, it won't be good for the Shinomiya Family, even if we aren't harmed."
Her grandfather's words weren't without reason. A trace of worry appeared on Kaguya's face.
She didn't know much about the Imperial Family. But if her grandfather said so, it must be true. He had no reason to lie to her.
"Hmph. Relics of a bygone era should just die out."
Yusei, who had remained silent until now, spoke calmly.
What kind of imperial turtles and rotten shrimp dare to set their sights on Kaguya?
Hearing Yusei's words, Kaguya felt a surge of emotion and sweetness. In her view, Yusei's current, somewhat cold and ruthless words were spoken for her sake.
This was the so-called 'a girl in love has zero IQ'. If it were the normal Kaguya, she would definitely stop Yusei, not feel touched.
After all, the other party was the Imperial Family.
If they were completely wiped out, the situation would become huge. The government would dig three feet underground to capture the perpetrator.
Koken looked at Yusei thoughtfully. He felt he might have gone a bit too far, but now that he knew the kid's feelings, things would be easier to handle.
"Don't be so violent. This isn't the Warring States Period anymore. A society governed by law should use the methods of a society governed by law to handle things."
"Let's do this. I'll give you, Kaguya, complete authority to handle this matter. The Imperial Family will probably send someone in three days. At that time, decide as you see fit. Don't worry about the Shinomiya Family."
"Just as this kid said, relics of a bygone era don't hold that much power in the new era. Well, speaking of which, the Shinomiya Family is also a relic of a bygone era, I suppose."
Yusei looked somewhat embarrassed. He also realized his reaction just now seemed a bit off.
"I think the Shinomiya Family is very 'new era'."
"Haha, think what you will. If you want to do something, just ask Kaguya for help. Don't bother asking for the opinion of an old man like me."
Koken laughed heartily and left the room, leaving only Yusei and Kaguya behind.
Because of Yusei's words earlier, the atmosphere was now a bit awkward... Neither knew what to say.
Finally, just as Yusei was about to stand up and take his leave, Kaguya spoke.
"I'll go with you tomorrow."
Yusei nodded, "I'll be counting on you."
Kaguya watched Yusei's standing figure, bit her red lip again, and added, "And in three days... will you stay with me?"
Yusei was slightly taken aback, then a smile appeared on his face.
"Of course."