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Yuuji stood right beside Aika in the midst of the large crowd of students, both male and female from all the schools who had gathered for the Nine Schools Competition. They have gathered, or to be more precise, surrounded them from all sides as words of awe, praise, and questions were said and asked in shy, embarrassed, curious, and excited tones. 

 

News, or more aptly described as rumors, of their exploits, achievements, and appearance have become incredibly widespread, enough to pique the interest of students from the other Magical University affiliated highschools. And now that they were able to meet them in person, all their expectations about their appearance have been broken and surpassed.

 

Great interest, lust, excitement, and awe were apparent in the eyes of females towards Yuuji and males towards Aika. And it was easy to see why. 

 

The most popular bachelor whose achievements and especially appearance have become a topic of interest and a target of affection for girls from all nine highschool has been the scion of the Ichijou Family of the ten master clan, Ichijou Masaki. 

 

But compared to Yuuji, his appearance might as well be only slightly above average. Yuuji, with his mannerism and coupled with his otherworldly visage that could charm anyone with but a glance of his face and body that epitomizes masculine beauty, was simply incomparable to other men they’ve ever seen in their lives, and perhaps even in the future. And to top it off, he was apparently the ace of the freshmen male team of the First High School.

 

Similarly, while there were many beautiful girls with a great number of colorful achievements such as Shiba Miyuki, Saegusa Mayumi, and Isshiki Aiki to name a few, Aika was simply a Goddess among women. A perfectly beautiful face by all standards, a body that would incite men with lust at but a glance, a gaze that could imprison hearts of men with but a glance, and a smile that could topple nations, she was simply… beautiful in all senses of the word. 

 

Shiba Miyuki was perhaps the only one who could come close to her in terms of appearance. However, the nature of their beauty was inherently different. 

 

If Aika was a bountiful Goddess of beauty, love, and sex that had descended into the world of mortals to mingle and befriend, Miyuki would be a snow fairy. Her elegance and gracefulness would charm and awe others around her. And yet, they would always feel the presence of a wall of ice that hides the passion and liveliness one would expect from a teenager.

 

Even before the previously most sought after bachelor Ichijou Masaki, who was clearly interested in her given his nervous demeanor, she would only talk to him like she would any other male, if not slightly more polite given his background. 

 

Thus, it was no wonder that many more would gather around Aika and Yuuji than Miyuki, despite her well deserved popularity. But, it was a welcome change for her. Since no one was bothering her, she immediately returned to her beloved onii-sama’s side after briefly talking with Ichijou Masaki and chatted with him with a wide smile all over her face. She was so happy that she could spend her time at this evening party with her onii-sama.

 

However, the same couldn’t be said for Yuuji who had been fending off the thirsty, hungry female hyenas from touching him inappropriately, as well as defending Aika from the gazes of the annoying bugs who’s clearly ogling at his girlfriend.

 

I’ve remembered all of your faces… Just pray that we don’t meet during the event…

 

Even if his face was full of smiles and words that left his mouth were polite, such thoughts were all he had going around in his mind. All he wanted right now was to escape this encirclement and go find Erika so he could spend his time having fun with his girlfriends.

 

And having memorized every little change in his expression and emotion from looking at him all day and night, Aika sensed his annoyance and couldn’t help but giggle inwardly.

 

He’s very cute when he’s jealous, and the sex they’d have after he feels that way was even more amazing. 

 

In truth, it was the reason why she had been putting up with the obvious lewd gazes she had been receiving from the little boys around her. She just wanted to lit the fire in her beloved Yuuji a little so he would pound her into mercy all night until she couldn’t stand~ 

 

She can just use her magic to make it seem like nothing happen after all, so she could get her beloved pounding whenever she wanted~

 

Alright~ Time to end this farce and start the true party with friends~

 

“Ah, that’s right~ I’m really sorry guys, but we’ll have to go now~ We’ve promised our friends to hang out with them tonight~ Right, Yuuji?”

 

Realizing her intention, Yuuji immediately nodded and put on an apologetic smile to the people around him. 

 

“Oh, that’s right. I’m very sorry, everyone. But please excuse us.”

 

Sounds of disappointments resounded from the crowd, but wanting to leave a good final impression, they all relented and made “promises” one-sidedly to meet again in the future and become friends before letting the two go.

 

Having escaped the encirclement, Aika’s smile turned into a genuine one as Yuuji sighed in relief.

 

“Phew~ That was a hassle, wasn’t it~?”

 

“It was… I almost blew up when that one guy tried to place his dirty hand on your shoulder…”

 

“Fufu~ Then…”

 

Aika moved closer, pressing the side of her abundant breasts to his arm, and whispered with a sultry tone.

 

“Show them who I belong to~ Mark me with your cum~ Give me hickies all over my neck and body~ Pound me until I can’t moan anymore~”

 

“Aika…”

 

Yuuji narrowed his eyes at Aika as she smiled and looked at him seductively, trying his best to hold himself from pulling her into his embrace and ravage those luscious lips and tongue. 

 

Her lewd words were a clear invitation for him, but now was not the time. Not yet… But it will be soon…

 

He clasped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him forcefully, eliciting a playful gasp or moan from Aika, before whispering to her ear.

 

“Tonight. My room. Prepare an excuse for your roommate, because I won’t be letting you back until tomorrow moring.”

 

“Mmnnh~ Yes, darling~”

 

Aika’s body shuddered in pleasure as his voice and breath tickled her ears. As expected, his voice never fails to make her weak to her knees, especially when he’s using that deep, authoritative voice. 

 

Seeing Aika becoming meek, his lips curled into a wide smile before he returned to acting normally in front of the other students in this banquet while Aika followed him in a daze.

 

They walked around, trying to find Erika. They knew she was going to be a waitress, but it was pretty difficult to find her given the number of people in this ball. But after a while, they could finally see a glimpse of the familiar red-headed beauty and immediately bee-lined to her direction.

 

“Hey, Erika~!!! You’re sooooo cute~!!!!”

 

The sight of Erika in a maid’s or waitress’s outfit snapped Aika back into her normal self and she immediately approached her, observing her very closely as she circled around her to get a full 360 view of her figure. 

 

“Ahahaha… I’m not sure if I’m all that cute, but I do kinda like it.”

 

Erika touched the ends of her hair shyly. She knew her image doesn’t fit the word “cute” or “adorable” by any stretch of the word, but being complimented from wearing this kind of outfit still made her a bit happy. 

 

“You absolutely are. You’re very cute.”

 

“T-Thanks-”

 

She felt her heart flutter at his words, but before she could turn to look at him, she saw his face coming very close before it veered to her ears.

 

“Enough that I want to bring you back to my room right now, do everything we just did, and more.”

 

Her face immediately burst into a blushing mess. The glass of fruit infused water on the tray she was holding shook and rattled for a moment as she took a sudden step back from Yuuji.

 

And before her brain processed what just happened, Aika jumped in and added oil to the flame.

 

“Fufufu~ You’ll have to dress up as a maid again when we go back home~ Don’t worry, I’ll join you and I’ll make sure to order the super lewd ones~”

 

“G-Geez! S-Stop it, you two!!! Not here!!!”

 

Her flustered whisper shout coupled with her extremely adorable flustered expression caused the two to burst into laughter to her embarrassment and annoyance. And in the end, Yuuji and Aika had to apologize to Erika multiple times before she finally forgave them. 

 

“Oh by the way, where’s Mizuki, Mikihiko, and Leo? Are they working in the back?”

 

Erika shrugged helplessly and shook her head.

 

“Do you think Leo is fit to be a waiter?”

 

“Nope~”

 

“Ah… I guess not, huh? How about Mizuki?”

 

“Too shy. So those two are working in the back, washing dishes. Mikihiko is on the floor though. Let me get him!”

 

Erika went off for a few moments before returning with Mikihiko, dragged and flustered.

 

“H-Hey… S-Sorry for the outfit…”

 

“Don’t worry. You look good.”

 

“Uhn~ Don’t worry~ All the waiters are dressed like that!”

 

“T-Thank you…”

 

Mikihiko let out a helpless laugh. He looked quite tired judging from his eyes and tone of voice, which caught Yuuji’s attention.

 

He had experience waitering in his aunt’s cafe, and during an extremely busy time at that. So he was quite interested in how waitering in a cafe would differ from waitering in a banquet like this.

 

“How is working here? Tough?”

 

“Well, aside from the social part, it’s not that terrible.”

 

“Ah, I see. Do you have to talk with the guests?”

 

“Not too much. We are expected to answer their questions or lead them to a place in the ballroom or to get them drinks we don’t have on the tray, but not too much conversation aside from that.”

 

“I see… Well, I wouldn’t want to hold you here for too long. Good luck on your work.”

 

“Mm. Thanks. See you later guys.”

 

“See you~”

 

Mikihiko nodded his head slightly before turning heels and walked away, returning to his work.

 

“Then, I’ll go back to work too! You two enjoy the party alright?”

 

“Uhn~ And don’t forget to come to my room later, Erika~”

“Sure-”

 

“Then we can go to Yuuji’s room together~!”

 

“Wha-?!”

“Alright~ Ah, it’s Mayumi-senpai and Mari-senpai~! Yuuji, let’s go talk to them~”

“A-Ah…”

 

“W-Wait!”

 

Aika grabbed Yuuji by the arm and immediately dragged him away, leaving the flustered red-haired girl in the waitress’s outfit flustered and alone.

 

Yuuji looked back and gave her a helpless smile before her figure was obscured by the bodies of other guests as they walked further and further away towards Mayumi and Mari. 

 

“You’re such a tease. I worry her heart won’t be able to take it.”

 

“Hehe~ Don’t worry~! She wants it too~ You don’t know how enthusiastic she looked when I told her about our sex life~!”

 

“...Hopefully nothing too overt?”

 

“I told her about how you’d finger my ass while pounding me from behind~”

 

“......”

 

“Come on, now~ She’s a big girl already~ She’s interested in this too now that she got a hubby~”

“I know, I just… No, nevermind. I’ll let her do what she wants whenever she wants it. I’ve already let her… play with it with her mouth, so I guess it won’t be long before we do it.”

 

“Yaaay~ One step closer to a three-some~!”

“Sssshhh! Don’t raise your voice when you’re saying stuff like that!”

“Hehe~”

 

A tired sigh found its way out of his lips once again as Aika smiled mischievously. Fortunately, the music played by the orchestra and the amalgamation of voices from the conversations around them drowned out Aika’s remarks, even for those who were literally beside them. No one could’ve heard it if they weren’t leaning her ears to them. 

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Mari let out a deep sigh as she stared at the direction of the large crowd that had formed almost immediately after Yuuji and Aika arrived. 

 

She hadn’t had the chance to talk to him at all since arriving at the hotel since she’s busy meeting with her engineer and discussing the plan for the competition with Juumoji and Mari. She thought they could chat with him tonight, but when she finally found him in the crowds, he had already become the center of a large crowd along with Aika.

 

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

 

Mari asked, looking at her confusedly. But instead of answering, she just averted her face away from her with a little pout. 

 

Hmph… I can have fun without talking with him.

 

She thought childishly in her head, masking her disappointment with annoyance. 

 

“No… It’s nothing…”

 

“Hm?”

 

Her lips curled into a frown before she shook her head and swept her gaze across the welcoming banquet. 

 

All participating members, athletes and engineers, from all nine schools have gathered here. She could recognize some famous names and first years from other schools, such as the crimson prince, Ichijou Masaki and Cardinal George, Kichijouji Shinkurou from Third High School. She could also recognize Kuroki Risa from Seventh High School and Hidaka Makiko from Ninth High School, her rivals in previous battle board events. 

 

There were also some faces she remembered from the previous Nine Schools Competition, though she didn’t know the name, and some she didn’t recognize at all. They might be first year students or simply athletes or engineers she didn’t get a chance to meet. 

 

But, her attention quickly gravitated towards an area of the ball where a large crowd had gathered around someone. 

 

It wasn’t strange for crowds to form in this type of event, especially since she knew that the Crimson Prince and Cardinal George of Third High School were present, but the size of the crowd was… larger than usual. Moreover, she saw the Crimson Prince talking with Miyuki a few distance away for a moment before she excused herself and returned to her brother. 

 

Meaning, they must not be surrounding the Crimson Prince. And the only one she knew who could attract such a large crowd was…

 

Ahh… So it’s him. Heh, I guess he would attract moths like a fire.

 

Her lips curved into a smirk when she saw a glimpse of his appearance from the spaces in between the heads of the people in the crowd. 

 

It was not surprising to find him in the center of attention. News and rumors of his skill and talent have spread far and wide. He had displayed his skill many times on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, and his appearance had made it difficult for the female student population to not spread his picture and talk about his shining achievements. 

 

Not to mention, she had been hearing new rumors about how rich he actually was, which further made him an object of affection for the majority of the female student population.

 

Even she couldn’t help but admit that Yuuji, the man she thought of as a little brother, was an exceedingly attractive man. Even more so than her beloved.

 

It wouldn’t be strange if he’d get multiple confessions a day and receive even more love letters from those he charmed by just being there. 

 

But, he has an exceedingly beautiful and similarly talented girl beside him, so he won’t just fall for any girl… If any girl could steal his heart, it’d either be Aika, Miyuki, or…

 

Her glance secretly fell upon her best friend by her side. The beautiful, intelligent, and talented heiress of one of the ten master clans, who was currently staring longingly towards the direction of the crowd, as if her long lost beloved was somewhere within it. 

 

Although Aika and Miyuki were both extremely powerful opponents, she’s still confident that her best friend could somehow charm him with her smile and cuteness.

 

However, Mayumi never made a move on him. At least not to her knowledge. But she was sure that she held some sort of affection and longing for him. 

 

I mean… Just look at her now. If that’s not the gaze of a girl who’s longing for someone, then I don’t know what is.

 

Her lips curled into a helpless smile. With how mature, charismatic, and intelligent Mayumi was, she sometimes forgot she was extremely innocent and inexperienced when it comes to romance, especially her own. 

 

Should I give her a push? If she realizes her feelings, maybe she’ll start moving…

 

The gears in her head began to move as a plan to encourage her friend to take the first step began to form in her mind. 

 

Yes, that should be helpful… And I’m certainly not doing it to see her flustered and embarrassed expressions.

 

Mari smirked silently before she began.

 

“Wow, that’s quite a crowd, huh? I bet Yuuji is at the center of it.”

 

“Eh? W-What are you talking about?”

 

Mayumi flinched visibly and turned to her in a fluster, like a doe in headlights.

 

“That crowd. I doubt even the heir of that Ichijou clan would attract that big of a crowd. It must be Yuuji. With his looks and his reputation, it’d make sense, no?”

 

“U-Uhn, I guess so…”

 

Mayumi averted her slightly blushing face with a pout and took a sip of her drink.

 

“I can already see how many girls he’s charming just by standing there. He might have even made some of them fall in love with him.”

 

“Pfft-! *Cough* *Cough* M-Mari?!”

 

“What? Am I wrong? You know that his appearance is simply cheating, right? And not to mention, he’s extremely talented, smart, kind, and apparently, filthy rich. Of course he’s going to attract girls to him.”

 

“T-That’s right, but… A-Aika-san is with him, so he should be fine.”

 

Mari sighed helplessly and put a hand on her shoulder.

 

“You should move quickly, Mayumi. He’s extremely desirable.There would be no end to the list of girls who’d be trying to gun for him. If you don’t get into the race now, other girls will win first.”

 

“G-Geez! I-I know! Now stop talking about this!!! Hmph!”

 

Mayumi turned her face, which had turned a shade redder, away, not wanting to hear anything about the topic anymore. But the words of her best friend stuck with her, and a sense of uneasiness began to surface.

 

Her gaze unconsciously found its way back to the crowds, which had now dispersed, meaning that Yuuji was no longer there. And yet, she stared at the direction in a daze. Mari’s words replayed over and over and over in her head, and the image of Yuuji’s smile which had kept her awake at night began to make her feel uneasy and hurried.

 

Yuuji-kun…

 

She stayed in her own thoughts for a while, trying to sort out her feelings. This was the first time she had ever experienced  this kind of thing, and she didn’t know how to proceed! What if he only sees her as the “president”? What if he only sees her as a friend? 

 

Such thoughts prevented her from making a move. She didn’t want to ruin her relationship with him now. Yet, her heart demanded her to make a move so she could have his heart.

 

She raised her glass towards her lips to take another sip, only to find that it was already empty. 

 

Hah… Why am I like this…?

 

The clash between her mind and heart continued to muddle her thoughts and feelings. But then, a familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

 

“Mari-senpai~ Mayumi-senpai~ Hello~”

 

Her head immediately turned towards the two, and the moment her gaze landed on the smiling visage of Yuuji, her face burst into a blush. 

 

“A-Aika-san, Y-Y-Yuuji-kun, hello~”

 

She let out a forced laugh before slightly positioning her body slightly behind Mari, who was waving at the two.

 

“Hey, you two. Enjoying the party? I saw the two of you being surrounded by students from other schools. Right, Mayumi?”

 

“U-Uhn, I saw a lot of girls trying to be chummy with you, Yuuji-kun.”

 

Mayumi glanced up accusingly at Yuuji, her lips pouting as the annoyance and jealousy from recalling those girls getting really close and openly flirting with him resurfaced.

 

Her reaction was a bit surprising to Yuuji, but it was a pleasant one. Mayumi reacting that way when he was approached and flirted with by other girls meant that… she held some kind of feelings towards him as well. 

 

His expression from the initial shock of Mayumi’s reaction quickly turned into a soft, gentle smile that charmed her in that instant.

 

“They were simply curious about us since we seemed to have made a name for ourselves outside of school, president Mayumi. I did not do anything unbecoming towards them as a member of the First High school representative team.”

 

“I-I see… That’s good.”

 

Mayumi averted her gaze away and twirled the ends of her hair, trying to feign indifference. But the slight smile on her lips belied all her efforts, and Mari smiled upon seeing it.

 

“How about you, Aika? There were a lot of guys there too, right? Are you bothered by anyone?”

 

“There were~ But it’s fine~! Yuuji protected me~! As long as I stay with him, I won’t have to break their fingers or their ego~! Xixixi~”

 

Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as Mari also smirked and nodded to her. 

 

“Good. If anyone tries to bother you, do those things and tell me about it. I’ll make sure to bring it up to their school.”

 

“Yes, chairwoman~”

 

Just then, the voice of a man resounded throughout the ballroom for an announcement

 

“At tonight’s Nine School Competition banquet, we have a number of eminent guests in attendance. Let us now take this opportunity to receive some words of encouragement from the chairman of the Magic Association, Kudou Retsu-sama.”

 

Murmurs began to clamor amongst the students in attendance in recognition of the name. No one in the world of magic would not know of the name of the Patriarch of the Ten Master Clans, and even those who weren’t would also know his name as the chairman of the extremely influential magic Association. 

 

However, the murmurs quickly came to a halt when the lights in the entire ballroom dimmed, plunging everything into darkness except for the stage. 

 

On it, standing under a single spotlight, was a beautiful woman with long and shiny brown hair, curled immaculate at the end and flowed down to her waist. The spotlight that shone upon her healthy complexion, unblemished in the slightest, lended her figure, clad in a sleeveless pink dress and a bright yellow shawl, an ethereal glow.

 

Her figure charmed most of the students, but they were immediately snapped out of it when they realized something was wrong. 

 

Why was a beautiful woman standing on the stage when it was supposed to be the famous Kudou Retsu?

 

Confusion began to spread and murmurs alight once again amongst the students.

 

“Hm? Did something go wrong?”

 

“Was there some kind of trouble?”

 

Mayumi and Mari commented under their breath as Yuuji slightly narrowed his eyes and focused his senses towards the stage.

 

No… It’s sensory interference magic…?

 

His gaze quickly went behind the beautiful woman and saw an old man in a suit standing behind her. His white hair combed back to perfection, his back was ramrod straight as he stood there with his hands behind his back. And despite simply standing there with his appearance slightly obscured from the senses, Yuuji could still feel the charisma emanating from the man simply by body language alone.

 

That must be Kudou Retsu… As expected of the man who stood at the pinnacle of this country’s magic society.

 

He glanced at Aika, and saw her giggling silently. Her gaze also looking past the beautiful woman and towards the Patriarch of the Ten Master Clans who seemed to be playing a prank on everyone. 

 

Hm? Did she already know about thi- Aaaaaahhhh, that’s right! Something like this happened in the anime too…

 

Yuuji sighed inwardly upon the realization. He completely forgot about this little event after everything that had happened today. With the accident in the bus, his hot and steamy rendezvous with Erika, the banquet, and also promising a hot and steamy rendezvous with Aika, there was simply no way he could remember about this event right away.

 

Kudou Retsu whispered something to the woman’s ears and the woman walked away off stage. Then, all the lights in the ballroom turned back on, revealing his figure to the surprise and shock of the students. 

 

Yuuji saw him turn his gaze towards him and gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement.

 

Is it because I noticed him…?

 

Yuuji returned the nod from the Patriarch before he began his speech. 

 

“First, let me apologize for making you a party to my prank. What you just saw was more of a sleight-of-hand than true magic. But as far as I can see, only seven of you saw through it as a magic trick. In other words… If I were a terrorist, and unleashed either poison or bombs upon you, only seven of you would have been able to do anything to stop me.”

 

A few gasps of shock resounded amongst the students that represented the top talents from all nine schools of magic in Japan. 

 

“My young students of magic. Magic is a means; not in of itself an end. The magic I used just now, while large in scale, was extremely low in potency. Yet, you are deceived by this weak magic, and therefore failed to perceive my presence. You should never be remiss in your efforts to improve your magic skills. That said, I would like you to keep in mind that your efforts alone won’t be enough. Large-scale magic used erroneously is inferior to small scale-magic used creatively.”

 

He continued.

 

“My young students of magic. I am looking forward to seeing how creative you can be.”

AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!

Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr.eon.com/verglasx ~!!