"Karura, Erina is going to draw lots. Now it's your time to shine."
In the evening, after a full day of wandering around and finally returning to their lodging, Kure Fuki turned and spoke to Kure Karura.
Karura froze for a second.
Then she blinked.
"Sister Erina is going to draw lots? Then of course I have to go with her."
She said it as if it were obvious.
"What if Sister Erina runs into danger on the way?"
...Sister Erina?
The moment Kure Fuki heard that form of address, she felt something was wrong.
And when she saw Karura suddenly spring up and start happily changing clothes, that feeling intensified.
"Ah, right! Sister Erina is going to draw lots, so I need to accompany her."
Karura spoke while moving quickly.
"I heard that Sister Erina was in danger before. If Jaden hadn't been right there, things could've gone really bad."
She finished changing, blinked again, then looked at Kure Fuki with an innocent, overly cute expression.
"Hehe~ Sister Erina said that if the bodyguard mission goes well this time, she'll cook something delicious for me when we get back."
"Hehe~"
She laughed softly, then pushed the door open and ran off to find Erina.
Kure Fuki stood there.
Completely stunned.
It needed to be said-
The original reason the two of them had come here was because of Jaden.
If possible, the ideal outcome would be for one of them to become Jaden's wife. They didn't even need Jaden to marry into the Kure Clan.
After all, they could always intermarry again in the next generation.
Jaden's son or daughter.
Start cultivating the relationship early.
A hundred-year plan, right there.
And if Jaden's feelings toward Erina were too "pure," then stealing a taste-just once-would also be acceptable.
That had been Erioh Kure's expectation.
On top of that, Karura genuinely liked Jaden.
Kure Fuki had originally come as support.
A wingman.
An assistant.
But now-
In just a few days-
Karura had been completely conquered.
By Erina's cooking.
Looking at it this way-
Hiss.
Kure Fuki inhaled sharply.
It seemed she had no choice but to step in personally.
She scratched her head, discarding every previous assisting plan she had prepared, and began seriously thinking about what kind of offensive she should take if she went after Jaden herself.
In short-
Karura eating Erina's food and defecting had completely wrecked her plan.
No wonder.
No wonder Erina had remained so calm and composed after the two of them became her bodyguards.
Even when Karura's intentions had been so obvious.
-So this was her method.
Erina Nakiri.
A terrifying woman.
...
While Kure Fuki was troubled by this problem, somewhere else, someone else was worrying about a very similar issue.
On Ganryu Island.
Not only were the fighters of the current tournament present, but many members of the Kengan Association had also arrived to spectate.
Kaguya Shinomiya was among them.
Of course, this wasn't because the Shinomiya family was a formal member of the Kengan Association.
Rather, any activity held by the Kengan Association was unconditionally open to direct members of the Shinomiya family.
As for why-
"I didn't expect even Katahara Metsudo to be supported by forces within the family."
Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Ai Hayasaka and sighed quietly.
If she were the legitimate successor of the Shinomiya family, that sigh might have carried pride.
But now-
The reality was that Shinomiya-
Or rather, a large portion of the Shinomiya family-
Stood on the opposite side of her.
Because of that, every time she sensed the scale of the Shinomiya family's power, she couldn't help but sigh.
Compared to her eldest brother and her third brother, who both held succession rights, she had very few supporters.
And she lacked legitimacy.
The power she could command was limited.
Which meant the things she could do were limited.
And precisely because she had already resolved herself, she began noticing the Shinomiya family's shadow in places she had never known before.
That only made her already limited opportunities even fewer.
That was why she sighed.
When Ai Hayasaka saw her like this, she spoke in her usual flat tone.
"Miss Kaguya, Katahara Metsudo was indeed supported by the family head in the beginning."
"But their relationship is no longer the same as it once was."
"The current Kengan Association is less a Shinomiya family asset and more of Katahara Metsudo's private club."
She paused briefly, then added.
"Moreover, if one of the competing parties wins the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, Katahara Metsudo's fifty-year rule will end."
"The position of Kengan Association Chairman will change hands."
Hearing this, Kaguya Shinomiya nodded.
Her hair was now worn long.
Her expression was icy as always.
But when facing Hayasaka, her voice still carried a trace of warmth.
"That's right."
"That's why we came to Ganryu Island this time."
"If we choose correctly and build a relationship with the future Kengan Association Chairman in advance..."
"Our opportunity will come."
"Miss Kaguya... but I don't believe Katahara Metsudo will fail so easily."
"I know."
Kaguya closed her eyes briefly.
"That's why this is a gamble."
"There's no guarantee of success."
"And I must choose in advance."
"That's why I'm conflicted."
Her gaze dropped to the documents in her hands.
One stack after another.
Until her eyes stopped on the data for Totsuki.
The fact that Erina Nakiri-someone her own age-had already become the head of the Totsuki Corporation made her pause.
Then she noticed Totsuki's representative fighter.
Jaden.
The same man who had once rejected her.
The same man who never contacted her again after accepting her business card.
...Ah.
Kaguya Shinomiya sighed.
"Hayasaka."
"Let's choose Totsuki."
Hayasaka froze for a moment.
Then she closed her eyes slowly and gave her final advice.
"Miss Kaguya."
"According to our intelligence, the relationship between Erina Nakiri and Jaden is far from ordinary."
"Jaden rejected you once already."
"I believe..."
"We'll be rejected again."
Kaguya shook her head.
"Last time may have failed because we were too direct."
She stood up, set the documents aside, and walked to the mirror.
Slowly, she raised her right hand and touched her face.
"This time, we'll change our approach."
"Start with small collaborations with Totsuki."
"Use every connection we can leverage to create concrete promises of benefit."
"Then..."
"We wait."
"If Totsuki succeeds, we use those promised benefits to pursue deeper cooperation with Erina Nakiri-who will have become the Kengan Association Chairman."
"And if she refuses us at that point..."
Kaguya looked at her reflection.
She forced the corners of her mouth upward, forming a slow smile.
"-Then we must at least make Jaden, the man who helped Totsuki claim the chairman's seat..."
"Fall in love with me."
"Or you."
Hearing this, Ai Hayasaka felt a wave of helplessness.
But she also understood.
Her young mistress had truly been pushed into a corner.
In such a situation, a bit of irrational thinking was understandable.
Still, she had to ask.
"And if Totsuki fails?"
Fails.
The smile vanished from Kaguya Shinomiya's face.
As if it had never existed.
So fleeting that Hayasaka almost thought she had imagined it.
"We chose Totsuki."
"So if Totsuki fails..."
"We fail as well."
After all-
"The Shinomiya family's situation has reached a critical point."
"If we can't make a decisive move within the next month..."
"We will lose completely."
"And this time..."
"...will likely be our last act of resistance."
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