One might think the influence of the Big Four Zaibatsu sounds like a hyperbolic tale, but in reality, it isn't at all.
Just look at the "Trump" figure in the superpower nation from Ryunosuke's previous life, or the man who became the world's richest by selling electric cars—wasn't he the very one who helped that figure ascend the throne?
Thus, descriptions of the Big Four are not exaggerations; if anything, they tend to be a bit conservative.
Haruno hadn't given up and wanted to continue her attempt to hijack Ryunosuke, but her progress was halted by Yukino, who came running toward them.
Yukino looked completely winded, her hands resting on her knees as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her stamina was notoriously poor, and she looked utterly exhausted. Once her sister had discovered Ryunosuke's location, the elder Yukinoshita had moved far faster than her to get here.
Yukino cried out to stop her, "Nee-san! Stop acting so ridiculous!"
She absolutely loathed this behavior of her sister's. Even though she was the one who had brought Haruno to see Ryunosuke, did the headhunting have to be done so shamelessly? How was she supposed to face her schoolmates later?
Well, granted, she didn't actually have many friends to begin with.
Haruno mischievously ducked behind Ryunosuke's back, peeking her head out to address Yukino:
"Yukino-chan, don't be so mean. Onee-san just feels that Akasaka-kun has immense potential and wants to invite him to be an honored guest of the Yukinoshita family~"
Haruno blinked her large eyes with an innocent face. Yukino glared at her sister, then turned to Ryunosuke and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Akasaka-kun. My sister has been a nuisance."
Ryunosuke waved it off. "It's fine. Don't take it to heart, Yukino-chan."
"Yukino-chan..." Yukino's brow twitched; she seemed a bit uncomfortable with the familiar suffix.
Why was everyone calling her that? It was understandable coming from her sister, but on what grounds was Ryunosuke joining in?
The two began to engage in a minor bicker. Haruno looked back and forth between them, watching the pair as if they were flirting. She stroked her chin, plotting a devious idea, then clapped her hands and pulled her sister aside to whisper.
"Yukino-chan, help Big Sis with one thing. Pull Akasaka-kun into the Yukinoshita family. I feel your words might be more effective than mine."
Yukino knit her beautiful brows.
"Why on earth would you think my words would be effective?" She crossed her arms, failing to grasp her sister's implication.
Haruno simply smirked playfully and leaned in close. Yukino reflexively tried to pull away, but Haruno whispered right into her ear.
"Be honest with Onee-san—what exactly is the relationship between you two?"
Yukino frowned again. "What relationship? What kind of relationship could he and I possibly have? Aren't we just fellow students at the same school?"
Yukino looked genuinely puzzled, tilting her head cutely, completely failing to understand.
"Eh," seeing Yukino's reaction, Haruno realized her guess might have been off, but she wasn't ready to surrender yet.
"Could you try to persuade him a little more? This is a task from Mother. If I fail to recruit him as a family advisor, I could be in big trouble."
Haruno began to shake Yukino's arm. As the eldest daughter, she was starting to act shamelessly, coaxing her own younger sister. Yukino tapped her forehead, feeling embarrassed. "There are outsiders here; can you please maintain your image?"
Haruno couldn't care less. "An 'image' is just an act for others. Who here is going to care about my image? It's not like I'm facing a client."
Haruno's logic was so sound it left Yukino speechless. Haruno took the opportunity to pull her into a hug.
"You have to learn to be flexible, Yukino. Don't be so rigid, otherwise, no one will want to help you do anything," Haruno said earnestly. In truth, she wanted to tell Yukino not to shoulder every burden alone, but her sister was too stiff and often pushed herself far beyond her limits.
Haruno knew Yukino only wanted to prove to their mother that she was just as capable as her big sister.
Yukino brushed off her sister's prying hands, gesturing for her to stay back as she felt flustered. Rejected, Haruno pouted.
"Yukino-chan is so mean. And here I was giving wise advice. Eh, eh, wait—why are you pushing me?"
Yukino impatiently began to shove her sister away. After offering a final apology to Ryunosuke for the disturbance, she prepared to drag her sister out of there.
Haruno struggled with all her might. "Wait a second! I came here for important business! Don't push!"
"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Yukino's face grew incredibly dark. Now, her only goal was to remove this embarrassing person from the scene.
Haruno made one last stand by pulling a business card from her pocket and flicking it toward Ryunosuke. He caught it with sharp precision.
From the distance, Haruno's final shout echoed back:
"Akasaka-kun! That's Big Sis's business card! If you ever want to be the CEO of a public company, remember to call me! The Yukinoshita family's door is always open for you!"
Ryunosuke gave an awkward but polite smile, waving goodbye to Haruno in the distance.
"I'll... consider it."
Yukino felt so mortified her face flushed red with anger. She pushed her sister with even greater force until they vanished from sight.
Ryunosuke took a breath of relief. "It seems the 'big sister' character type is universally quite wild. Truly a wonder."
Ai's face also began to darken, as she was reminded of her cousin's behavior and the stolen cards. Suddenly, a terrible premonition washed over her. Given her cousin's nature, there was no way she had only stolen two deck sets.
As if realizing something catastrophic, Ai abandoned her boyfriend on the spot and sprinted toward her dormitory. Ryunosuke watched her go, bewildered by her sudden burst of speed.
On the other hand, Megumi's eyes began to sparkle. Now, it was just her and Ryunosuke alone. She began to walk sideways like a crab, slowly closing the distance toward him. Without Ai's interference, she intended to enjoy Ryunosuke's company to her heart's content~
Ryunosuke could only manage a wry smile.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Meanwhile, the moment she reached her room, Ai felt as if the world was collapsing as she threw open the door. Her room had been robbed blind. More accurately, her entire collection of rare cards—including Gandora the Dragon of Destruction (often called the "tantrum dragon" for its field-wiping effect)—had been hauled away by Masuzu.
Why was she so certain it was Masuzu? Because the culprit had left a note.
Ai picked up the paper with trembling hands. It read:
> "My dear little cousin, Ai-chan~ Big Sis is borrowing your cards for a bit to play for two days. If you mind, Big Sis can just buy them with cash."
>
> "There's a check I left on the table for about 1.18 billion Yen. I bought them at the highest market price, so don't miss them too much."
Ai's body shook violently with rage. She grit her teeth and tore the paper into confetti, screaming hysterically at the ceiling.
"DAMN YOU, NATSUKAWA MASUZU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Currently making her getaway on the motorcycle, Masuzu suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. However, she glanced at the large box filled with the cards she had swiped from Ai's room right after her duel with Ryunosuke ended, and she figured it wasn't a big deal.
Even if her little cousin hated her for the rest of her life—after all, to a Duelist, cards are everything!
"So, Cousin, forgive me. This is the last time. Besides, I've taken all your cards now, so there definitely won't be a second time, hahaha!"
Masuzu kicked the throttle, sending her D-Wheel roaring even faster into the distance.
👨🏻💻Support me by reading on my Patreon: Patreon.com/cw/transenden or bit.ly/4uObLvf
☕Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction
🛍️Benefits:
🎁Access 210+ chapters: [Anime Crossover: Making Money in Classroom of the Elite]
🎁Access Kamikawa Naoki
🎁Access 30 chapters: [Journey to Planar Word]
🎁Access 130+ chapters: [Infinity Reincarnation]
📜Update Schedule:
📨Translated Fanfiction: 3 chapters per day
📨Original Fanfiction: 1-2 chapters per day
👍🏻Thank you so much for your incredible support, everyone!👍🏻