"Hehehe… I suppose this must be the 'young master' of the Sayanomiya family. I've heard so much about you! So much!"
Everyone froze for a moment, only Sora's voice echoed continuously in the hall.
Everyone here knew the relationship between Sora and Miss Kaoru. The four great families had even sent Miss Kaoru as their representative to probe Sora's intentions. But now this Demon King called Sayanomiya Kaoru "young master," which implied…
Coming back to their senses, Erica and Liliana's cheeks flushed faintly, their shoulders trembling slightly as they tried to suppress laughter.
The four heads and the young Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko turned to look at Miss Kaoru with strange expressions, seemingly puzzled.
As for Ena, fearing she might laugh out loud and be scolded by her grandmother, she covered her small lips tightly with one hand and pinched a soft spot on her body with the other.
Miss Kaoru was dumbfounded, completely stunned and unable to react!
Finally regaining composure, seeing everyone looking at her, Miss Kaoru felt as if countless electric currents were running through her body, her face turning pale and flushed in turns.
The strange expressions of the four heads, Erica's teasing fox-like gaze, and Sora's feigned ignorance all made Miss Kaoru want to explode and kill someone!!!
Taking a deep breath, gritting her silver teeth, Miss Kaoru trembled as she stepped forward…
…
"I, Sayanomiya Kaoru, pay respects to King Kusanagi."
Her beautiful eyes stared at Sora, almost spitting fire. She emphasized the words "I" and "pay respects," gritting her teeth, her voice low and trembling slightly.
Feeling like she was about to go mad with anger, Miss Kaoru swore that this bastard in front of her was the most detestable person she had ever met in her life!
"Oh, so you're a girl! Hahaha… Sorry, sorry, you're the one who wears men's clothes, so I accidentally mistook you."
Still pretending to be surprised, Sora shamelessly shifted the blame onto Miss Kaoru.
Hmph, clearly a girl, but you insist on dressing like a boy every day. Aren't you just forcing me, Sora, to tease you?
Miss Kaoru's body trembled, her chest felt tight, and she had the urge to cough up blood, but she held back and took a step back, turning her head aside.
Miss Kaoru was really worried she might lose her mind and fight this bastard…
Not worth it! Not worth it!!!
Everyone in the room was a top-level intelligent person and now understood what was going on. The heads of the Kuhoutsuka, Renjou, and Seishuuin families all wore teasing expressions, while the head of the Sayanomiya family looked a bit embarrassed, glanced at Miss Kaoru, and shook his head helplessly.
As the heir of the family and the next head of the Sayanomiya family, Miss Kaoru's abilities were unquestionable, but her strange habit of dressing like a boy…
"All right, everyone has traveled far as guests, please have a seat."
"Karen, Arianna, Shizuka, serve tea to the guests."
Seeing Miss Kaoru was already quite angry, Sora didn't want to break her down all at once, so he let her off for now. Clapping his hands, he changed the subject.
Everyone found a nearby seat and sat down. Two young maids and Shizuka-chan brought freshly brewed hot tea from the kitchen and placed a cup in front of each person.
Shizuka-chan glanced at Sora, her eyes showing faint dark circles, hesitated, but finally gave a soft hum without saying anything.
Since there were guests at home now, she decided to let this annoying Oniichan off for the time being.
Last night, the evil noises from next door kept her and another maid, Arianna, awake. Now every night was torture for them!
And the root of all this torment was this hopelessly evil guy in front of them!
"Hehe… Head of the Renjou family, the other heads all brought their heirs, why are you sitting here all alone?"
Although Sora had serious business with the old men, he wasn't in a hurry. Taking a sip of tea, he teased the lonely Renjou family head.
"Ahem… Please forgive me, Your Majesty. The legitimate heir of my family had an accident, so a new heir has not yet been established."
A flicker of embarrassment and helplessness flashed across his expression as the head of the Renjou family respectfully replied to Sora.
As an ancient family that once served the emperor, the head of the Renjou family addressed Sora using the traditional titles between monarch and subject.
Seeing that the other family heads and Miss Kaoru showed no unusual reaction, it was clear they were well aware of the Renjou family's situation. Nodding slightly, Sora did not press further; he was just casually asking, not genuinely concerned about their trivial troubles.
Afterwards, Sora chatted casually with the family heads. In such a setting, juniors like Miss Kaoru had no right to speak unless asked, and even then only briefly.
As heads of the four great families, these men were naturally erudite, knowledgeable about both ancient and modern matters. Whatever topic Sora brought up, they could respond eloquently, which eventually made Sora feel a bit awkward.
This guy was usually lazy and good-for-nothing, spending his school days playing games and sleeping with Erica. He used to do some homework and tests, but now he left everything to a certain genius little girl, often not understanding what was being discussed!
He deeply felt the truth of "ignorance is truly frightening," but showed no remorse because whenever this happened, Erica would kindly step in to save him.
Erica, a genius girl specially trained from childhood by the Copper-Black Cross, was naturally highly knowledgeable—far surpassing that lazy guy by miles. Moreover, Erica had a natural talent for social interaction. Although the family heads were all sharp, handling them was still easy for her.
Erica was also very smart. Because of her intelligence, she never flaunted it. After dealing with the family heads, she would gracefully retreat and hand the stage back to Sora, never appearing overly dazzling.
Though not from their own families, the family heads couldn't help but admire the girl. Looking at Erica and the equally talented Liliana standing beside Sora, the family heads sighed inwardly: the Demon king really was surrounded by outstanding talents!
Glancing at their own family heirs nearby, the family heads felt some regret. They had thought they held absolute advantage, but the Demon king's side was not represented by their people, but by the Copper-Black Cross and the Bronze-Black Cross!
Except for the beginning, Miss Kaoru hardly spoke again, silently cursing a certain jerk who had deliberately embarrassed her and almost made her furious enough to vomit blood.
Because the strong and assertive Seishuuin Suiko was present, Ena behaved properly, but looking at the two girls beside Sora—especially Erica, who often stepped up to cover for him—the girl pouted in dissatisfaction.
Sora's knight should be hers, not that despicable impostor!
Besides Miss Kaoru and Ena, there was also Comrade Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko. He was a good comrade, faithfully listening to the leader's speech and always smiling, offering praise at the right moments.
Looking at Erica and Liliana beside Sora, Mikihiko's eyes showed admiration. Unlike those incompetent second-generation heirs who caused trouble relying on family power, he was a well-educated, outstanding young man groomed as the family heir. His knowledge, wisdom, and strength were all exceptional, qualifying him to compete for the next family head.
Thus, Mikihiko knew what to think and what not to, what he could have and what he should not hope for. Though admiring the two girls, he knew they were beyond his reach.
However, he was interested in the quiet little girl silently sitting in Sora's lap, nibbling on her snack. According to family intelligence, this seemingly harmless little girl was extraordinary—she nearly turned the whole Earth upside down, the legendary heretic goddess Athena!
Sensing someone staring, Athena looked up and glared. Though she did not unleash any divine power, it startled Mikihiko, who quickly stopped looking her way.
Soon, several kitchen maids brought out lunch, serving delicious dishes. Sora invited the elders to join. After all, they were guests; it would be rude to eat while they watched hungrily.
After some modest refusals, the elders accepted. An invitation from a Demon king was not easy to decline! Though they were preoccupied, they still had to be polite.
With a slight smile, Sora observed their expressions carefully. He had been rambling to unsettle these experienced family heads before getting to the point.
After lunch, the maids cleared the table and served hot tea. Sora felt the time was right to reveal his intentions—
"Family heads, actually, I invited you here today for an important matter."
Taking a sip of tea, Sora smiled gently and spoke calmly.
At his words, the hall fell silent. Erica and Liliana's lips curled into faint smiles, while the four family heads' expressions stiffened, all thinking, "It's finally here!"
Seeing Sora like this, Miss Kaoru stopped sulking and felt nervous.
Could it be that this guy was really going to challenge the four great families today?