With the ordinary guests gone, the atmosphere inside the hall instantly turned tense.
Mahito watched Luo Yu with clear vigilance.
With a flick of his hand, he released two refined souls. The twisted spirits transformed into two ferocious evil apparitions that stood protectively in front of him.
Then he glanced toward Uraume.
"Let's attack together and properly teach—"
He suddenly stopped.
"…Huh? Uraume?"
Before Mahito's eyes, Uraume's body slowly transformed into a sculpture of ice.
At the same time, her voice echoed calmly through the surrounding air.
"Mahito, I'll leave things here to you."
"I have other matters to attend to."
"Mr. Gan'an Shinomiya, regarding our cooperation, I will return to discuss it later."
Mahito's expression stiffened.
"…She ran?"
Now he was genuinely angry.
Uraume had abandoned him.
Seeing this unfold, Luo Yu couldn't help but laugh.
He swung Moonveil casually, releasing two luminous slashes that instantly destroyed the two evil spirits.
Then he charged straight toward Mahito and unleashed another dazzling strike.
Mahito clenched his teeth.
His body rapidly inflated like a balloon.
With a loud pop, it exploded apart, scattering fragments everywhere.
The pieces then merged into a writhing mass of boneless sludge that rapidly slid toward the window, attempting to escape.
Luo Yu calmly sheathed Moonveil.
Then he drew a greatbow.
Placing a glowing blue arrow onto the string, he aimed directly at Mahito's fleeing core and released the shot.
Mahito, who had been fleeing with his back turned, suddenly felt a surge of danger.
Turning his head, he saw the brilliant blue arrow streaking toward him.
He hurriedly threw a portion of his own body forward to block the attack while desperately continuing his escape.
From the earlier slash, he had already realized that Luo Yu's attacks carried a strange energy that was not easily resisted.
Puff!
The sacrificed body mass was instantly burned away by the arrow's magic.
Mahito coughed up blood.
Severely injured, he glared furiously at Luo Yu.
Then he finally escaped through the window and fled the banquet hall.
Once Mahito had disappeared, Luo Yu lowered the greatbow and turned his attention toward Gan'an Shinomiya.
"Mr. Gan'an Shinomiya."
"What do you intend to do now?"
Gan'an Shinomiya remained silent for several seconds before speaking.
"I hope you will not be offended, sir."
"This matter was indeed the fault of the Shinomiya family."
"We are willing to offer compensation."
Hearing her father say this, Kaguya Shinomiya—who had already been shocked by everything that had happened—looked at him in disbelief.
It was as though she were seeing him for the first time.
Luo Yu narrowed his eyes slightly with a faint smile.
"As for compensation, you can decide that yourselves."
"I'm not particularly interested in the affairs of powerful families."
"Just don't provoke me or the people around me."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"As for your cooperation with the Time Vessel Association… do you intend to continue?"
"I would suggest you refrain from dragging other families into it."
"Gojo Satoru will not show you the same courtesy."
He shrugged lightly.
"You know who Gojo Satoru is, so I don't need to explain."
"Of course, if you insist on continuing with your plans…"
"Then you will bear the consequences yourselves."
Based on Luo Yu's understanding of the major clans and leadership of the jujutsu world, if the Shinomiya conglomerate pushed things too far, the outcome would be far worse than simple bankruptcy.
After saying this, Luo Yu ignored their reactions.
He glanced briefly at Kaguya Shinomiya, whose presence seemed oddly out of place in the entire situation.
Then he returned to Ranni's side and left the banquet hall with the Yukinoshita family.
Watching them depart, Huangguang Shinomiya clenched his fists.
"Father… are we just going to let this go?"
Gan'an Shinomiya frowned deeply.
"This is not a force we can oppose."
"Even Uraume of the Time Vessel Association chose to withdraw."
"And you saw Mahito's fate."
He paused.
"That was while he was holding back because ordinary people were present."
"There's no need to panic."
"Since he came with the Yukinoshita family, it means his primary base of activity is not Tokyo."
"It's Chiba."
"As long as we avoid provoking him and maintain a respectful distance, our operations in Tokyo can continue."
"For the next few days, we will remain quiet."
"Gojo Satoru may have been drawn away, but he will return soon."
"After that, we will make new arrangements."
He then glanced at the two corpses lying on the floor and gestured toward Huangguang.
"Arrange for someone to send those two back to the Time Vessel Association."
"Huangguang, prepare compensation."
"Bring it to me for review once it's ready."
"Do not be stingy."
"We must show the sincerity of the Shinomiya family."
Finally, he turned toward his daughter.
"Kaguya, come with me."
"There is something I must discuss with you."
"Your marriage arrangement will be temporarily suspended."
"I have other plans for you."
"Yes, Father."
Meanwhile, outside the banquet hall.
Luo Yu had already led both groups outside into the night.
After exchanging brief introductions, Haruno smiled as she looked at Yukino.
"So that's how it is."
"You warned us because Luo Yu had already told you about the situation."
Yukino shook her head slightly.
"I only learned about it recently."
"I asked Luo Yu about the Time Vessel Association earlier today, just in case."
"He gave me a protective item and came here personally to ensure nothing happened."
Luo Yu chuckled lightly.
"And it's a good thing I did."
"Otherwise the consequences would have been serious."
"I didn't expect the Time Vessel Association to target her directly."
Yukino's mother stepped forward and looked at Luo Yu.
Her expression was no longer the stern demeanor she usually showed younger people.
Instead, it was filled with sincere gratitude.
"Luo Yu… Miss Ranni… thank you very much for today."
"If it weren't for your help, we truly wouldn't know what would have happened."
"The Yukinoshita family has some influence in Chiba, but here in Tokyo, we are powerless against the Shinomiya family."
Luo Yu smiled gently.
"There's no need to be so formal, Mrs. Yukinoshita."
"Yukino and I are classmates, and we're on good terms."
"If something like this happens, of course I'll help."
"It's getting late."
"We should head out."
Outside the banquet hall, the area was eerily quiet.
Even the security personnel who had previously been stationed nearby had disappeared.
Haruno watched as her father arranged transportation.
Then she said cheerfully,
"Luo Yu, you came all the way from Chiba today, didn't you?"
"In that case, why not stay in Tokyo for the night?"
"We'd like to treat you to dinner properly as thanks."
Luo Yu glanced at Haruno, who was smiling brightly.
Instead of answering immediately, he looked toward Ranni.
"Ranni, what do you think?"
Ranni considered it for a moment before replying calmly.
"Since we've come all this way, staying one night sounds reasonable."
"I'd also like to explore the area tomorrow."
"This city is quite interesting."
Seeing that Ranni wanted to spend a day in Tokyo, Luo Yu didn't refuse.
He turned back toward Haruno.
"Then we'll stay for the night."
"Thank you for the hospitality."
Haruno's smile grew even brighter.
"That's nothing."
"It doesn't even begin to repay what you've done for us."
"Mother, I'll contact the hotel and reserve another luxury suite."
Mrs. Yukinoshita naturally had no objections.
She wanted to express her gratitude properly.
But more importantly—
She wanted to understand the relationship between her daughter and Luo Yu.
Until recently, she had been dissatisfied with Yukino's sudden independence after entering high school, especially her decision to live on her own.
Since the semester began, she had barely spoken with her daughter.
But now she realized something.
Yukino had grown in ways she had never imagined.
She had even come into contact with people far beyond the reach of the Yukinoshita family in the past.
What kind of relationship would develop between her daughter and Luo Yu?
Perhaps…
It was time to reconsider how she treated Yukino.
The methods she had used before would no longer work.
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