Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki.

Guide Yuan Bifang smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"Ok?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Makoto Haramura's eyes.

"Why do you say that suddenly?"

They didn't directly refuse.

Kidehara Kanata is right. In this plan, not only is strength necessary, but initial financial investment is also essential.

After all, he needed to make sure that the story of Kurogane Ikki spread.

It didn't just spread within Japan; it reached outsiders and even other forces, allowing them to hear snippets of the conversation.

Having existed for over a century and entrenched between two major powers, the Guide Yuan Zaibatsu absolutely possesses this capability.

With both strength and money, Guide Yuan could easily accomplish such a thing.

Just like you said.

"Having lived a conventional life for so long, I also want to see this wind of change blow and see what the world will be like after the change."

Guide Plain has taken a few more steps forward.

This time, Makoto Haramura misjudged Kanata Kitakata's strength and was caught off guard when the ball grazed him.

(Did I open the cage door that locked my heart?)

Makoto Haramura looked at Kanata Kitokuhara suspiciously, temporarily forgetting even the soft touch he had just felt.

It's a bit strange, but it's also fairly normal.

After all, with things like thought, sometimes you can understand things you didn't understand before in an instant just by turning a corner.

But if you haven't figured it out yet, there's probably no need to say more.

"It must be more than just looking."

"What do you want me to do for you?"

It's impossible to help without a purpose; Katsuragi must have his own reasons.

Only through reasonable mutual exchange can such a transaction structure be stable.

"Well……"

Kanata Kitoku gently touched her lips with her index finger, her emerald green eyes staring intently at Makoto Haramura's chest, seemingly deep in thought.

As the daughter of a large conglomerate, she was more aware of what Makoto Haramura was talking about, having been exposed to it from a young age.

Only when what one truly desires is laid bare can a transaction be truly secure.

And so it was. Out of the corner of her eye, Kitokuhara Kanata glanced at Haramura Makoto, her lips curving slightly upwards, her emerald green eyes darting around.

"I see. There is indeed something I need your help with, junior."

Kidehara Kanata's eyes sparkled, lively and adorable like a mythical elf.

"When your junior's plan succeeds, how about helping me resolve this engagement?"

A very reasonable request.

This request wasn't explicitly stated by Kanata Kitoku, but he probably guessed it.

After all, what would Kanata Takatokuhara want if she had everything since birth?

Only that marriage contract deprived her of the freedom to choose her lover.

This is the only thing that can bind Kanata Kitokuhara, and it is also the only thing that can bind her for life.

This is something that can be difficult to solve, but it can also be easy to solve.

The reason why the Kintokuhara Group needs Kintokuhara Kanata to form a marriage alliance is that it needs to maintain the family business and the family's status through this bloodline connection.

So all Haramura Makoto needs to do is become the replacement for that young master.

It's not necessary for Makoto Haramura to become number one in the world; in fact, as long as he becomes number one in Japan, he can negotiate with Kanata Kintokuhara's family.

"You're really in a hurry, senior."

"You've given me a year's timeframe like that? Do you have that much confidence in me?"

Kanata Kitehara is currently a senior in high school and has several months left before graduation. This means that she will be getting married and moving to Europe in a few months, and there won't be enough time for her to leave.

Therefore, he must grow to a sufficient level within a year.

"I'm very confident."

A slender, jade-like finger from Guide Hara reached out and touched Haramura Makoto's muscular chest.

"What, does the junior lack confidence in himself?"

"That won't do. If you say you can't do it, Stella will probably hate you in the future."

A sly smile played on her lips.

Anyone could immediately tell the deliberate intent she was implying in her words.

"..."

(Hey hey hey—)

(Now that we're a little more familiar, you're starting to talk nonsense with me, huh? Where's your ladylike British demeanor?)

(Also, I think I meant combat strength, not that kind of combat strength.)

(Stella knows best whether I'm physically capable or not. Don't try to spout nonsense. Believe me, I'll show you whether I'm up to the task or not.)

In an instant, countless complaints welled up in Makoto Haramura's mind, but he didn't say them out loud.

"never mind."

"We can discuss the specifics later when we have the chance. You should continue to rest well. I'll be leaving now."

……

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the joint training period has passed, and everyone is making good progress.

Almost everyone gained something from this training, though to varying degrees.

Furthermore, while the students of Jumen Academy have indeed grown, their sharp edges have been largely worn down.

They've basically stopped dreaming about making it to the top eight.

By the way, Makoto Haramura and Stella are the ones whose growth was relatively small.

They are basically all working on improving their skills, familiarizing themselves with their tactics, and making their fighting style more mature.

So he and Stella took a break today.

After the morning training session, Makoto Haramura and Stella went to play in the city outside Okutama.

They had been to Mount Okutama before and were quite familiar with the area.

"But the student council president is really amazing."

On the way, Stella and Makoto Haramura kept complaining like this.

"I thought I had found Raichi's weakness and could deal with and counterattack properly, but I didn't expect the student council president to have another trick up his sleeve."

"After all, my senior sister was originally Master's last disciple. Although she wasn't a born A-rank knight, her talent was definitely obvious."

"Otherwise, why would Master have accepted Senior Sister as his disciple?"

In the past few days, Stella and Toudou Touka have sparred the most.

From initially having to be extremely cautious when facing Raikiri, to now being able to perfectly counter and withstand Raikiri, and today, Toudou Touka has once again used his trump card.

"However, 'Takemikazuchi' feels a bit like my 'Himeryu no Ue'."

Stella shook her little head and said softly.

"Senior Sister's new move is to use her supernatural magnetic field to transform the space in front of her, and launch herself as a projectile from an electromagnetic cannon."

"This is not the same thing as Stella's 'Feathered Robe' that enhances herself."

Today, Stella was caught off guard by Toudou Touka and pierced through with a single strike, so she didn't understand the specific meaning of Toudou Touka's move.

How can we counter this move?

Stella wants to win, and to win, she needs to know how to respond.

Since she's your lover, you should make the most of her now.

Makoto Haramura grinned: "At this stage, it's still quite simple, isn't it?"

"After all, as things stand, Senior Sister's technique is still incomplete, and the backlash against herself is still very strong. Her physical strength hasn't fully caught up yet."

"So as long as you block one of her moves, and then counterattack the instant you block it, victory will be yours."

He reached out and pressed Stella's head down, gently stroking it.

"Wh...what is this! Touching my head like that...are you treating me like a child?"

Stella's face flushed red instantly. She glared at Haramura Makoto with a huff and muttered something under her breath.

"No, I just felt that Stella could definitely do it."

Makoto Haramura smiled gently; he was now completely used to Stella's usual arrogance.

It wouldn't be difficult for Toudou Touka to block her "Takemikazuchi" right now, since her acceleration hasn't reached its limit yet. Haramura Makoto still hopes that Stella can get used to this speed and react accordingly.

Otherwise, once the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival is held and Toudou Touka has fully perfected his moves, things will become difficult.

Even if Stella wins, she will probably suffer significant damage.

Stella was immediately immersed in the happiness of being trusted by her lover.

Makoto Haramura's casually wandering gaze suddenly sharpened, and he turned his attention to a certain direction.

He was a man wearing overalls and a baseball cap, with a slightly muscular build and a somewhat uneasy expression.

He kept one hand in his pocket, and his steps were not very natural.

"It's a little weird."

Makoto Haramura's sudden voice drew Stella's attention.

"What's wrong, Makoto?"

"He's very nervous right now, you can see that he's sweating a lot."

Both were extremely skilled martial artists, and even though they were about a hundred meters apart, large beads of sweat kept dripping from the worker's forehead.

It is indeed summer now, and the weather is indeed very hot.

However, the amount of sweat would never reach this level; this is not normal sweating. It is a manifestation of excessive sweating caused by extreme stress.

"That's true."

Stella suddenly became nervous as well.

As the saying goes, something unusual is bound to happen.

In broad daylight, with something that could be a murder weapon in his pocket, he was under extreme tension.

No one would believe that this man wasn't planning on doing something.

"boom--"

The traffic light I was waiting for turned green.

The pedestrians standing next to the man all started walking towards the other side of the road.

The man in overalls was a step behind, but he still followed closely behind the crowd. However, his right hand, which had been in his pocket, suddenly moved.

His breathing suddenly became rapid, and his chest heaved violently.

No one around noticed this strange change.

Stella's gaze suddenly turned anxious, and Makoto Haramura immediately reached out and pressed down on Stella's hand.

"Damn, you're too slow."

But at this moment.

A slender, thin figure suddenly appeared from the side and blocked the way for the plumber.