Yusei's words first stunned everyone present, then elicited different reactions.
Kaguya looked softly at Yusei. The fact that he cared about her feelings, that he wouldn't ignore her for the sake of his own pride, made her feel exceptionally valued by him.
Prince Nariwa, however, looked embarrassed. He also realized the impropriety in his words just now and desperately wanted to explain himself to Kaguya.
But seeing Kaguya's unfriendly expression, he knew he had already left a bad impression.
He felt somewhat dejected, but he couldn't give up now. After all, he had already boasted.
Now, he could only hope that Kaguya would see the difference between people clearly and make the right choice.
"Then let's bet that whoever loses automatically gives up the chance to stay by Shinomiya-san's side. How about that?"
"This is targeted at me and has nothing to do with Shinomiya-san. Or rather, this is also a good choice for Shinomiya-san. After all, an incompetent person doesn't deserve to have Shinomiya-san."
Yusei looked deeply at Prince Nariwa, a playful expression appearing on his face.
"You're right. Incompetent people indeed don't deserve to have Kaguya. However, a bet is established under the condition that both parties' stakes are equal."
"Right now, I'm taking on more risk than you. Do you have any additional conditions? Let me say this first, save things like money. I don't need that."
"...Fine!" Prince Nariwa finally said through gritted teeth, "Then I'll wager the Yata no Kagami from our Imperial Shrine!"
The Imperial Family's elder beside him nearly turned green upon hearing this. He quickly pulled Prince Nariwa aside.
"Your Highness! That is a sacred treasure of Amaterasu Omikami! It cannot be wagered! It is the faith of our nation, how can it be used as a stake?"
"Hmph, that thing is just gathering dust. And what we worship isn't that broken mirror itself, but Amaterasu Omikami. That mirror is nothing more than an antique, utterly useless. It would be better to get Amaterasu Omikami a new mirror for worship."
"This..." Hearing Prince Nariwa say this, the Imperial Family's elder also hesitated.
It wasn't wrong, as that thing really was just for show.
The so-called Imperial Regalia, the divine mandate... that was just something used to fool the ignorant masses in the past.
Not just Prince Nariwa, even the elder believed that mirror was just an antique with a long history.
If they could use this antique to secure a chance to marry Kaguya, which could greatly enhance the current Imperial Family's prestige, it would be a sure-profit transaction.
With this in mind, a golden idea suddenly popped into the elder's head.
"Perhaps... it really is time to get Amaterasu Omikami a newer Yata no Kagami?"
Seeing his uncle fall into thought, Prince Nariwa knew he had agreed.
Prince Nariwa looked at Yusei and snorted, "Well? Do you agree? That is a sacred treasure passed down from the Age of the Gods by Amaterasu Omikami."
"A sacred treasure?" Yusei looked strangely at Prince Nariwa, "If it's a sacred treasure, can you just give it to me so readily?"
But a divine artifact was better than nothing. Actually, he was quite interested in some antiques. For example, he recalled that [Nameless], which is passed down through generations in the Shinomiya Family, was very good.
"Correct, it is a sacred treasure!" Prince Nariwa nodded, though feeling somewhat guilty.
In truth, even though everyone in the Imperial Family considered that mirror just an antique, if he hadn't lacked anything else to wager, he wouldn't have used it as a stake.
The Imperial Family's current situation was quite pitiful. Not only did they have no power in the political world, but even when trying to do business, they faced numerous obstacles.
Those Diet members paid them lip service, saying the state would provide for them.
Yeah, that's right. Every year, the state gave them a considerable sum of money for Imperial expenses, so they were relatively wealthy.
But the problem was, this was equivalent to them being raised like pigs… the kind that aren't slaughtered.
They could do nothing, and they were merely a symbol... with no power and no freely disposable money.
They had long wanted to change this situation.
A marriage alliance with the Shinomiya Family was an excellent option. With the Shinomiya Family's influence in Japan, the Imperial Family, with some maneuvering, might be able to place quite a few Imperial Family's members into political and military positions.
This would break their stalemate.
After weighing the pros and cons, and considering that his family currently had nothing of value, Prince Nariwa simply decided to wager the antique, Yata no Kagami.
Yusei didn't know about all these convoluted schemes, but hearing about an antique like Yata no Kagami piqued his interest. He immediately nodded in agreement.
"Fine, let's do it."
Seeing Yusei agree, Prince Nariwa quickly added, "But the stake is a divine artifact. In that case, my side's wager has increased again."
Yusei frowned, "Then what do you want? Money?"
Kaguya beside him immediately said, "If it's money, I have plenty. It should be enough to serve as a stake."
Looking at this harmonious couple, Prince Nariwa's face turned a bit green, but he maintained his smile.
"No need to add a stake. But in return, I demand the right to decide the event and method of the competition."
Kaguya had originally been thinking she would decide the event as Kendo, so Yusei could completely crush the other party.
But now, the other party actually demanded the right to set the topic, 'What if he chose something like academics?'
Others might not know Yusei, but Kaguya was clear… this was a guy guaranteed university admission with abysmal grades.
Yusei held Kaguya back. He chuckled and shook his head, then said to Prince Nariwa, "It shall be as you say."
Prince Nariwa was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately finalized it.
"Good! Then it's one match to decide the outcome. We will compete in... Kendo!"
"Huh?"
Yusei, who had been certain the other would choose academics, was also stunned, 'Had I heard wrong?'
'This guy wanted to compete with me in Kendo?'
Kaguya was also dumbfounded, completely unable to understand what this outstanding PhD Graduate from a top university was thinking.
'Shouldn't he choose his own most specialized field? Why run straight into the line of fire?'
As for Prince Nariwa, seeing the stunned expressions on Yusei and Kaguya's faces, he felt extremely pleased with himself.
'Compete in academics? Don't be ridiculous. For a commoner to be favored by Shinomiya-san, looks were certainly secondary… talent was the priority.'
'In school, what represents talent? Naturally, it's academic performance.'