The strongest high school student in Japan

"Thank you for your understanding, senior—" Mogami Jun thanked the other party profusely.

Anyway, he had achieved his goal tonight.

"Not only do I understand you, I also want to do my part... Junjun, I hope I can help her a little bit." Sagihara Shion suddenly made another request. "Although I am weak and can't do much, I still hope to give her some help within my ability."

"This..." The unexpected request caught Mogami Jun off guard.

"You must be wondering why I think so, right?" Sagihara Shion laughed, "Two reasons. One is that I don't want Junjun to do everything alone, so I want to share some of the burden. The other reason is... I don't want to see tragedy happen. If she is really as good as you said, then she deserves a better fate. I don't want to see another child fall into a desperate situation filled with mud because of her parents..."

Mogami Jun remained silent, thinking about what his senior said.

"Chun-jun, I can also try to do what you can do." Sagihara Shion continued to smile, and then leaned closer to look at him, "If there was such a Chun-jun who helped me sincerely and selflessly a few years ago, then how could I be so miserable?"

Jun Mogami finally understood.

This is what is called empathy.

In Sagihara Shion's eyes, Asana is just like the carefree her in the past who had everything, so she doesn't want what happened to her to happen to Asana again.

This can be considered as a disguised way of making up for regrets.

In this case, there is really no reason to break up. In a sense, the senior sister is also healing her own emotional trauma.

"If she has no objection, then of course," he said immediately.

Then, he changed the subject and said, "Senior, although I understand the pain you went through at that time, I must say that it was a few years ago. The past belongs to the past, and we live in the present. No matter what you went through before, at least you can get rid of the shadow now. Please be sure to face a new life!"

"Well, I will try my best to do so... But Jun-kun, don't forget, no matter what, I am just a girl. I have all the joys, sorrows, anger and happiness that girls have, so..." Sagihara Shion put on a stern face again, looking at Mogami Jun with a slightly resentful expression, "So... after all, you are still a little unhappy."

Mogami Jun finally understood how much girls cared about this kind of thing. Even someone with a personality like Sagihara Shion was still obsessed with it.

"I apologize again. Also, I want to ask, how can I make senior happy again?" Mogami Jun asked immediately.

"Well..." The corners of Sagihara Shion's mouth slightly moved, revealing a faint smile, "How about you lie on the ground and apologize to me?"

"Here?" Jun Mogami looked around, fortunately there was no one there.

"Well, can you... step on my head with your foot? It's better if you don't wear shoes..." He answered immediately. "That would be a complete apology, right?"

"Hey!" Sagihara Shion's face immediately turned red. How could she do such a thing?

“Hahahahaha…” Jun Mogami couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

218, Behind the Scenes

Amidst Jun Mogami's hearty laughter, the rare argument between the two people came to an end.

Although Senior Sagihara spoke harshly, her anger soon subsided after Jun Mogami apologized. After all, she was not an irritable person.

Jun Mogami knew this in his heart, so he was just joking when he said this.

However, deep down in his heart, for a moment, he actually imagined the feeling of having his head stepped on by his senior sister...

Of course, this is only a moment!

"Jun-kun, you are already this old, stop saying those embarrassing things." After a while, Sagihara-senpai finally regained her composure, blushing slightly and saying to Mogami Jun as seriously as possible, "You are usually a very serious person, why are you so frivolous sometimes?"

"Actually, I have a good sense of humor, but I'm just too lazy to be humorous with ordinary people." Mogami Jun replied with a smile, "Senior is an important person, so I can be humorous."

"Don't think I'll forget your mistake just because of that." Sagihara Shion's face turned even redder. "You must... you must remember this lesson in the future! Even I don't want to hear you praise others in front of me every day."

"Okay, okay, I've learned my lesson. Thank you for your magnanimity and forgiving me!" Mogami Jun put his palms together and apologized to Sakihara-senpai in a proper manner.

"Well, then it's settled. We'll go together later, and you can introduce me to Miss Izumo." Sagihara Shion nodded gently, accepting Mogami Jun's apology. "Jun-kun, I'll say it again, since you helped me, no matter what the reason is, I will be grateful to you - so when you use the same logic to help others, I will never be angry with you for it, don't worry."

Then, she suddenly frowned again, "But... I also admit that I hope my position is more important. Maybe this is just a fantasy beyond my ability, but even so, I will work hard to make the fantasy come true."

"Senior..." Jun Mogami didn't know what to say for a moment.

"There's no need to say anything. Let's end this topic here." Sagihara Shion raised her hand to stop Mogami Jun from saying the next words. "I don't need you to say meaningless and insincere words to please me. I should fight for what I want myself, not beg from others by pretending to be pitiful. So please don't say anything, because just saying these words in front of you already makes me feel ashamed. If you comfort me again, I will be ashamed..."

Mogami Jun was stunned for a moment, looking at Sagihara-senpai's serious face.

To be honest, he was a little touched.

Senior Sagihara's gentleness coupled with a bit of strength really impressed him.

When I was with my senior schoolmate, I seemed to be baptized by light all the time, and there was an indescribable feeling.

"Okay...senior." He nodded at last.

Next, the two chatted for a while, and finally said goodbye reluctantly when it was almost closing time.

Because he had been baptized by the holy light of his senior, when he left the library, Jun Mogami felt very happy. He walked back with brisk steps and almost hummed a song.

However, his good mood came to an end when he returned to his rented apartment.

Because he received a call from his father.

Mogami Jun seldom received calls from his father, and he knew that Mogami Qing was not the kind of person who liked to ask about his father's well-being or talk nonsense. As long as the call came, it must be an important matter, so he did not dare to neglect it and answered the call directly.

"Dad, what's the matter?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late." Mogami Kiyoshi's tone was as cold as ever, but he rarely apologized to Mogami Jun first.

Then, he went straight to the point, "I probably already know most of what's going on with the Izumo family."

"Please speak--" Mogami Jun listened carefully.

"The reason why Izumo Yosuke's attitude towards us changed so drastically that day might not necessarily be because of your performance—" Saigami Kiyoshi said calmly, "It might be because he heard his wife's opinion in the middle of the conversation."

"Huh? Mrs. Izumo?" Mogami Jun was a little surprised. "Does she have any opinion about me? Besides, wasn't she not there that day? Why does she suddenly have an opinion about me?"

Mogami Jun was indeed quite confused. After all, he had only met Mrs. Izumo once before, and it was impossible for them to have left a deep impression on each other. Why would she suddenly have a dislike for him?

Moreover, when they met for the first time, the two families seemed to have left a good impression on each other. At least on the surface, Mrs. Yun did not show any dissatisfaction with herself - of course, for a lady from a noble family like Mrs. Izumo, even if she had any opinions in her heart, she would not show it on her face.

"Denying you doesn't necessarily mean I hate you. These are two completely different things." Mogami Qing replied coldly, "She suddenly changed her mind. She must have been bewitched by the other side—"

"The other side?" Mogami Jun was still confused. "Which side?"

"You may not know that this Mrs. Izumo is of considerable rank. She was born into the Matsukata family, one of the famous families of the old times..." There was a different meaning in Saigami Kiyo's tone.

"Oh, I know. Even if they are the same lineage as the Meiji Restoration founder Matsukata Masayoshi and his son Matsukata Iwao..." Mogami Jun replied.

"Huh? How do you know all this? Have you investigated?" Zui Shangqing was a little surprised.

"Ah, no, I just heard it from Izumo Yosuke--" Mogami Jun smiled, and then told his father what he heard when he and Izumo Yosuke admired the two seals in his study.

"I see..." Saigami Kiyoshi finally understood, "Logically speaking, there's no need for him to tell you about this, right...?"

"I don't know why he told me, maybe to show off his collection." replied Jun Mogami.

"Forget it, don't worry about him. Anyway, the information we have so far is that the Izumo family was indeed interested in you, but because the Matsukata family suddenly pleaded with Mrs. Izumo, she changed her mind, and then she asked her husband to change his mind, so their attitude became so abrupt and left no room for negotiation."

"The Matsukata family...why are they trying to make things difficult for me?" Because it was so unexpected, Mogami Jun didn't even have time to get angry. Instead, he felt a little confused. "I've never met anyone with the last name Matsukata in my life. Why are they doing this?"

"Humph... Hehe..." Saigami Qing suddenly sneered, "Don't you understand yet? The only connection between you and them is that one person."

"Asana..." Mogami Jun seemed to understand something. "Could it be...could it be that they want to, too?"

"Yes, they also want to ask for marriage. To be more precise, it is Mrs. Izumo's brother who is asking for marriage for his son." Mogami Kiyoshi still sneered, "Under the pleading of her brother, Mrs. Izumo seems to have changed her mind."

"Wait! This is not right, right?!" Mogami Jun raised his voice, "Father, if I heard correctly, then the son of Mrs. Izumo's younger brother should be a cousin of Izumo Asana - is this okay?"

"Aren't you familiar with the Civil Code? Then of course you should know that there is no such prohibition clause in it." Said Saigami Qing.

Mogami Jun was suddenly speechless.

Unlike Chinese law which strictly prohibits marriage between direct and collateral relatives within three generations, under Japanese civil law, cousins ​​are fourth-degree relatives, and the law only stipulates that third-degree relatives (parents, siblings, uncles, nephews, etc.) are not allowed to marry. Therefore, strictly speaking, the Matsukata family's request does not seem to be in violation of the law.

Of course, most countries are the same as Japan on this issue.

"But if cousins ​​get married, it seems that it may seriously affect the next generation... For example, genetic problems or something." Although he knew that there was no legal obstacle, Mogami Jun still couldn't help but mutter, "It's too dangerous."

"This has nothing to do with whether it's dangerous or not. The important thing is that they are simply cheating!" Saigami Qing's tone was a little more annoyed. "If there is really someone who is better than you and takes your place, that's fine, but what's the difference between the Matsukata family and colluding with the referee to compete? I can't swallow this breath when they do something like this for no reason!"

Jun Mogami wasn't that angry.

Originally, he had never expected to be chosen by the head and wife of the Izumo family and become their son-in-law, so it didn't matter if he was really "eliminated", and there was no regret at all.

But...Asana is so pitiful.

Being sent away by my parents for no apparent reason, or given to my cousin? This is simply a joke.

It is hard to accept and I cannot agree with it.

"Dad, thank you. I finally figured out what's going on." Mogami Jun took a deep breath, "Come to think of it... Actually, I've also encountered something recently, and it's related to the Matsukata family."

"What?" Zui Shangqing asked hurriedly.

Jun Mogami then told his father that Mr. Ikawa had received a call from Mr. Matsukata, asking about his situation.

"Why did you tell me such an important thing only now?" Zui Shangqing was a little dissatisfied after hearing this.

"At that time, I thought he was just helping his sister investigate me. Who knew this would happen..." Mogami Jun couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"So he has been deliberately planning to deal with you for a long time? This scum actually played dirty tricks on us in private?" There was an unspeakable anger in the voice of Zui Shangqing, "He must have asked around about you, found something bad and told Mrs. Izumo, and then induced her to change her mind."

"That should be the case." Jun Mogami nodded and agreed with his father's opinion.

It is obvious that the Matsukata family must have suddenly decided to get involved halfway through, otherwise, they could have directly persuaded Mrs. Izumo from the beginning, and there would be no need for the Izumo family to recruit a son-in-law from outside.

Then they collected negative information about themselves everywhere and actually persuaded Mrs. Izumo.

Come to think of it...what kind of dark secrets did I have that were worthy of being publicized so much that my wife rejected it outright?

Jun Mogami thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

But it is obvious that, at least from now on, what they have done has produced results. The Izumo family has temporarily changed their mind and excluded the Mogami family from consideration.

That's why Zuishangqing was so angry.

Although it is not known what exactly prompted them to take such action, if nothing unexpected happens, perhaps this "competition" will end with the sudden victory of the "dark horse" Matsukata family.

That would also mean that all the preparations and efforts made by Mogami Kiyoshi and his father-in-law Kousuke Hezawa would be wasted, without any trace left.

Mogami Jun had been silent the whole time, and Mogami Kiyoshi thought he was a little depressed, so he spoke to comfort him.

"Chun, don't be discouraged. Things are not over yet. We still have ways to solve the problem. Your grandfather and I are both well-known people. How can we tolerate others playing with us in this way? No matter what the Matsukata family wants to do, no matter who has the support, we must find a way to make them give up!"

"Okay, I get it, Dad." Mogami Jun nodded, "I will also find a way to make their plans fail! Asana, they are not worthy!"

219, Admission

Time passed quietly, and it was finally time for Zhenyou and her friends to start their performance.

After receiving the free tickets, Mogami Jun distributed them to several friends, and kept one for himself, preparing to go to the scene in person to cheer for Zhenyou - although he didn't like watching similar programs, since Zhenyou herself invited him, he could only give her this face.

That afternoon, Jun Mogami took the tram to the theater. Everyone agreed to meet at the entrance, so he waited at the door.

Soon, his teammates from the debate team arrived one after another.

9501 Age 909

Hirofumi Hanyu arrived first, followed by Shota Matsushima and Kaoru Okabe.

Shota Matsushima was carrying a large backpack containing some items he would need later, such as glow sticks and so on.

As for why he was responsible...it was his fault for losing the rock-paper-scissors game.

After greeting each other, Shota Matsushima suggested that everyone enter together.

However, Mogami Jun shook his head.

"Wait a minute, there's still one person who hasn't arrived yet."

"You invited someone else?" Because he didn't know the whole story, Matsushima Shouta was a little surprised. "Who?"

"A friend of mine." Jun Mogami replied.

"Huh? Do you have any friends we don't know about?" Shota Matsushima seemed a little surprised. "Could it be a girl?"

Although he just said it casually and as a joke, his smile gradually froze when he saw Mogami Jun's expression.

"Wait, no way, this friend is really a girl?"

"I'm sorry, yes." Jun Mogami nodded.

“… Uwaaa…!” Matsushima Shouta suddenly let out a weird cry, “There are so many things to complain about that I don’t even know where to start!”

His expression was very exaggerated. He looked at Mogami Jun as if he was looking at a monster, and then he asked a few more questions in rapid succession, "You have a close relationship with a girl in private? How do you handle both of them at the same time? And... what I can't believe the most is that you actually dared to bring her here to watch Zhenyou's performance together? Aren't you afraid that she will see you standing together on the stage and get mad at you?"

"She was invited by Takasaki herself, and Mogami didn't bring her here on purpose." Seeing that the atmosphere was a little off, Hanyu Hirofumi beside him hurriedly explained for Mogami Jun, "Mayu gave a few extra tickets at the time, and specifically asked Mogami to give one to that senior..."