William 24

Title: The Trail Has Revealed Itself

After sparking Mayumi’s curiosity, she would undoubtedly use the Saegusa family’s resources to investigate.

Though he was reluctant to admit it, the Saegusa family’s investigative capabilities were likely more thorough than the Kudou family’s.

After all, each family developed in different directions. The Saegusa and Yotsuba families had deeper influence in the military compared to the Kudou family.

Mayumi’s chest rose and fell slightly, her graceful curves swaying, drawing attention.

She looked at him with dissatisfaction but didn’t say much.

Though their time together hadn’t been long, Mayumi felt she understood Kousen’s character well enough. She knew that even if she pressed him now, it wouldn’t yield any results.

In the end, she could only investigate on her own.

Kousen shrugged. He was quite curious about her reaction once she uncovered the truth.

At the same time, he also wanted to see if they could exchange information later.

“Mayumi, we should get going.”

“If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late for afternoon classes.”

“Hmph!” Mayumi pouted like a child, clearly intending to ignore him.

After all, she was still a young girl. Even if she understood Kousen’s character, she’d still sulk when she felt like it.

Her charm, enhanced by her sensory magic [Enchanting Face], made young men unable to resist her allure.

In normal situations, guys would rush to comfort Mayumi and apologize without a second thought.

But Kousen was unaffected by her [Enchanting Face], and right now, he wasn’t particularly interested in wasting time consoling her.

Seeing Kousen walk away, Mayumi dropped her pretend anger.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Kousen didn’t head straight back to his classroom but went directly to the school’s practical simulation testing room.

This was why he wasn’t in a rush to return to class this afternoon. In practical tests, he only needed to show up when it was his turn.

Of course, Mayumi was taking the same subject.

After entering Magic High School, both First and Second Course students frequently underwent practical tests like this, about twice a week.

These tests had a purpose: to let students clearly gauge whether their magic skills had improved.

“{200 m/s}, Kudou, your magic activation speed is truly remarkable.”

The teacher in charge of the test spoke with a cheerful expression, as if Kousen’s achievement was somehow tied to him.

It wasn’t entirely wrong for the teacher to think this way. When the principal called for a vote on whether Kousen should join the Student Council, he was one of those who voted in favor. The better Kousen’s grades, the more it proved his decision was correct, and he naturally felt proud.

“Not really, thank you for the praise, Sensei. It’s nothing special.”

Kousen bowed politely and stepped down from the testing platform, as other students were waiting behind him.

“Good job, Kudou.”

A large, imposing figure blocked Kousen’s path. It was Juumonji Katsuto.

“Oh, so today Juumonji-senpai’s class is testing in the room next door.”

Kousen had finished all three of his tests, and there were no other schedules. He followed Katsuto and found a place to sit.

“Juumonji-senpai, what’s the reason you’re looking for me?”

Kousen, now seated, asked directly. The two weren’t close enough to chat casually without a reason. They usually sought each other out only when something was up.

“No need to be so serious; it’s not a big deal. I just heard your class was testing next door, so I came to chat.”

“Got it. So, what does Juumonji-senpai want to talk about?”

“Nothing specific, just about the recent [Blanche] activities at school.”

As soon as Katsuto finished speaking, a blue dome enveloped them, forming a sort of soundproof barrier.

(I didn’t expect Juumonji Katsuto could even use magic similar to the Tooyama family’s.)

Kousen thought to himself, but on the surface, he showed an expression of admiration.

“Impressive, Juumonji-senpai, but this soundproof barrier is different from a regular one.”

“Correct. A normal soundproof barrier works by neutralizing sound through vibration magic, so it doesn’t affect sound transmission from outside to inside the barrier.”

“But mine simply strengthens the density of the wall. Our voices can’t go out, and sounds from outside can’t come in.”

“In that case, let me take over. Not being able to receive external information is quite inconvenient.”

Katsuto nodded, and Kousen took control.

“This works better. Juumonji-senpai must want to discuss how to deal with [Blanche].”

“Correct.”

“I’m not particularly interested in them. Plus, the news about [Blanche]’s activities at school is mostly based on guesses from the clues we have.”

“There’s no substantial evidence, so even if we want to investigate, there aren’t many leads to follow.”

“My suggestion is to wait. If they’re planning a conspiracy, they won’t just stick to small actions like now—those are meaningless.”

“Wait until they show their tracks, then we can crush and apprehend them.”

That was Kousen’s original plan. If he hadn’t talked with Tatsuya earlier today, he wouldn’t even have bothered looking for someone to investigate.

“You think so too.”

“At least, I think it’s the most suitable solution.”

Kousen spread his hands.

“Alright, let’s leave it at that.”

Just as the two were about to end the topic and say their goodbyes, the loudspeaker on the wall let out a shrill sound.

Kousen immediately dispelled the soundproof barrier to see what was happening.

“All students, we are a volunteer alliance aiming to eliminate discrimination at school.”

“We wish to negotiate with the Student Council, Disciplinary Committee, and Club Federation on equal terms.”

Hearing the voice from the loudspeaker, Kousen gave a mocking smile.

“Juumonji-senpai, it seems their trail has revealed itself.”