WebNovels

Chapter 48 - [48] You Have Something to Say, Don't You? (Bonus)

At the same time, in Yokohama's Chinatown...

Though it couldn't be called a full imperial banquet, the table was laden with an extravagant spread of high-end Chinese dishes. A group of people sat around it, their expressions gloomy and irritable.

The opulent decor, dominated by red and gold hues, only served to accentuate the grim expressions on their faces.

"...Wasn't this year's Nine Schools Competition supposed to favor Third High? How did First High suddenly produce a temporary engineer out of nowhere? Not only did he optimize CADs exceptionally well, but he also modified the magic of the Ten Master Classes' Saegusa family! And now he's become the dark horse champion of the Ice Pillar Break event!"

"This wasn't part of the plan!"

"We should have sent more operatives from the start to inflict greater damage on that damned First High!"

They were conversing in English.

"Find a way to disqualify this person. I don't want to see him in any upcoming matches."

These individuals displayed distinct Eurasian mixed-race features.

Each sat with their hands clasped beneath their chins, reminiscent of Commander Ikari.

"Exactly. If the betting favorite wins this time, we bookmakers will be completely ruined."

"This round's betting pool has attracted particularly high-stakes clients. Even for us, the payout would be astronomical. Our quarterly revenue would take a massive hit, which means..."

They exchanged grave looks.

"...Every person here would become targets for headquarters' purge. Depending on the losses, the boss might handle it personally."

One of them gazed up at the golden-thread embroidered tapestry of a dragon coiling through the sky and muttered in a hushed tone.

A suffocating silence descended upon the group.

"...I've already taken action."

Someone suddenly spoke up: "The Nine Schools Committee has already banned his magic, but completely eliminating him is difficult. Neither of his two events requires CAD inspections."

"Just who is this student?!"

Someone was already gnashing their teeth, barely containing their fury.

"Yotsuba Mahiro. Reportedly an adjusted-type magician from the Yotsuba family, though currently in a state of being discarded by the main house."

"A Yotsuba... magician..."

Several members seemed to recall something, their breathing hitching as their faces twisted in horror.

"In that case, we'll make other First High competitors withdraw! Like Watanabe Mari, who's competing in tomorrow's surfing sprint semifinals."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Then it's settled. By any means necessary, Watanabe must be forced to withdraw!"

...

...

...

The next day's events proceeded as scheduled.

As usual, competitors' CADs needed to be submitted to the committee for scanning.

On the first day, Mayumi-senpai had personally delivered Watanabe-senpai's CAD. Today, with the Ice Pillar Break semifinals scheduled slightly later, Mahiro dutifully fulfilled his engineer duties by bringing the tuned CAD to the inspection area.

The inspection site was crowded.

Some people were even scanning three or four devices at once.

But the scanning process was quick, and soon it was his turn.

CAD inspections had become routine over these past few days—a procedure that should have concluded smoothly.

However.

The moment the scanning beam passed over the CAD, all optimism vanished instantly.

Something had been forcibly implanted into the CAD!

His body reacted faster than his brain could process.

The instant he detected it—

He had already grabbed the person in charge by the collar, yanked them over the desk, and slammed them onto the ground.

A wail echoed through the area.

Then came the roar.

To be precise, it was the security officers shouting in fury as they charged toward him.

But before they could even lay a hand on him, they were overwhelmed by the scattered psion storm, collapsing unconscious on the spot.

With one hand gripping the person in charge by the throat, he slowly leaned down. His deep, pitch-black pupils were as still as an ancient well, yet beneath the surface surged a torrent of murderous intent.

"Daring to do something like this in front of me... Don't you have something you should be saying?"

The restrained person in charge panicked for a moment at his question, but then stiffened their neck and spat out:

"W-what are you talking about? I don't know! Let me go right now... or—or I'll make sure you regret this! I'll have First High's results disqualified!"

"Not that."

Thud!

Mahiro mercilessly drove his fist down, instantly splattering blood across the person's face.

Yet, he had no intention of stopping.

He struck them methodically, as if performing a mechanical task.

With each punch, he asked again—

"Don't you have something to say to me?"

When no answer came, he delivered another blow.

Bones cracked, teeth shattered, the bridge of their nose collapsed—only for all the injuries to heal completely the next second, as if time had reversed.

It was an endless torment.

Splattered blood stained the dirt and sand with dark blotches.

This was less an interrogation and more an outlet for his fury.

The rage he felt toward the other schools and the organizing committee—all of it was now being unleashed on this single person.

But with no answer forthcoming after so long, Mahiro slightly increased the force of his punches, accelerating their rhythm.

"You know what I want to hear. Say it."

Another ruthless punch landed on the person's face.

"—Say what you're supposed to say."

Another strike.

"Say it!"

"Guh...! Cough...! Gah—!"

The person in charge crumpled to the ground like a rag, their consciousness hazy, the agony in their skull rendering them speechless.

Mahiro noticed this.

So he unclenched his fist and released their neck.

Was he letting them go?

No.

"If you won't say it, then I'll take it myself."

His hands pressed against the person's temples as psions, like long needles, pierced through into their brain.

"Gah...! Agh...! Guh...! Gwooooh...!"

Their body convulsed violently the moment the psions invaded, muscles seizing up like a fish stranded on land.

Their eyes rolled back, revealing the whites.

White foam continuously spilled from his mouth, saliva and snot pooling on the ground.

His memories were being forcibly and rapidly flipped through by Mahiro.

Such a thing would be impossible for any other family, but for the Yotsuba, who excelled in mental magic, it was effortless.

As for whether there would be any aftereffects—he simply didn't care.

Persistence paid off. After scanning the man's memories, Mahiro finally found what he was looking for.

The international criminal organization "No Head Dragon," the underground betting surrounding the Nine Schools Competition, and the inside man within the Operations Committee...

A dangerous glint flashed in Mahiro's eyes.

"Now, I've finally got you by the tail."

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