154 You Were Fooled by Her! (2/2)
”I’ll call Shika-chan over for breakfast as well.”
He escaped using a logical excuse.
Mai rubbed her chest after she watched Seiji leave the dining hall.
Her heart was beating rather quickly.
‘I went a bit… overboard.’ She smiled wryly as she suppressed her fluctuating emotions.
Seiji’s cell phone rang while he was on his way to Shika’s room.
When he took out his cell phone, he saw that it was a number he didn’t recognize.
He frowned slightly at his cell phone but chose to accept the call anyway.
”Hello, who’s this?”
”Are you Seigo Harano… Seiji Haruta?” A grim and dark-sounding male voice was on the other end of the call.
Seiji stopped walking towards Shika’s room. ”I am. Who might you be?”
”My name is… Okubo Yoshiaki,” the male voice stated.
Seiji narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.
Okubo Yoshiaki… He was Natsuya’s duel opponent as well as Shika’s most recent temporary contractor.
”Natsuya Yoruhana probably didn’t tell you, but I’m…”
”I know who you are. She told me everything. You were a ‘divine child’ in the past, right?”
The voice on the phone remained silent for a period of time.
”So she told you… what a vulgar woman.”
Okubo Yoshiaki sounded like he was trying to remain as calm as possible, but his tone sounded even grimmer and darker than before, and from this Seiji could detect Okubo’s inner rage.
”Vulgar?”
”She puts down her opponent and brags about her underhanded victory. She’s that type of woman; she’s always been that type of woman.”
”I feel that she only told me the truth.”
”That wasn’t the truth! You were fooled by her! Everyone was fooled by her!!” Okubo Yoshiaki’s voice rose in volume as he continued, ”Two years ago, I should have won that duel! She only won using underhanded techniques!”
”Underhanded techniques?” Seiji remained unflustered.
”That’s right… The duel was supposed to be a one-on-one duel, but she managed to secretly borrow another’s power.”
”There were judges present at the duel, right?”
”Judges… Both those old guys favored her! They merely pretended not to see anything! I finally detected it afterwards and complained about it, but not only did they ignore me, they even made fun of me viciously!!”
Seiji could feel the hatred and contempt emanating from the other end of the cell phone.
Seiji decided to move his cell phone slightly farther away from his ear.
”Why? When you asked for elders to be the judges, were all the judges her elders?”
”There was one judge from each family acting as the two judges, but the Yoshiaki family elder secretly hated me because I defeated his grandson before… I only learned this afterwards.”
”Oh…”
”Do you understand now? Everyone was fooled by her! Including you, Seiji Haruta!!” Okubo stated coldly. ”I don’t know what methods she used to convince you to join her, but I know that she’s a vulgar woman who’ll use any underhanded technique! The only reason she approached you was for your usefulness to her!”
”Please tell me more about this.” Seiji still remained calm.
”You’re someone from the Haruta family; even if you’re currently exiled, you’re still a part of their family… If something really happened to you, the Haruta family wouldn’t ignore your plight!”
”That woman merely wanted to make use of this, so she convinced you to come to her territory as a human shield!”
”Don’t be seduced by her fanciful words! Don’t lose yourself in the tiny insignificant things she gives you! And, above all, don’t believe that she has any feelings for you!!” Okubo’s words sounded rather steely as he continued, ”I know that this will be cruel to you, but this is reality! So wake up, Seiji Haruta, and don’t be seduced by that vulgar woman with nothing but a beautiful outer appearance!”
”Oh… Then what do you think I should do then?” Seiji acted confused.
”Help me! Help me defeat her so that justice can win!!” Okubo said in a serious and earnest tone. ”As long as I defeat her, I can regain my pride, take back the respect I deserve, and let everyone know about her true, ugly self!”
”You’ll become a hero, Seiji Haruta! I’ll display my gratitude and share my glory with you in front of everyone! Of course, there are tangible benefits for you as well. Whether you want money or women, I can grant you anything you desire!”
”I can even help you return to your family! As long as I prove myself and reclaim my pride and honor, my family will listen to me! When that happens, if I ask my family to help you out, the Haruta family will seriously consider accepting you back within their ranks.”
”Oh, that… sounds pretty good.” Seiji acted as if he was almost convinced.
”I’m truly sincere about all this, Seiji Haruta. Haruta-kun, as long as you help me, I’ll help you as well. I’m different from that vulgar woman who only wants to take advantage of you. I’ll reward anyone that helps me generously.”
Okubo’s tone of voice seemed rather self-confident as he must have believed that he had almost succeeded in convincing Seiji to switch to his side.
”What you say definitely sounds appealing.” Seiji pretended to sound almost completely convinced.
But in reality, Seiji’s expression hadn’t changed one bit. His expression remained calm and distant, with not even an eyebrow budging.
”I think I can consider it… but before that, can I ask you a few questions?”
The voice on the phone was silent for a few seconds.