Edea: Hero Summoning Conspiracy

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Of course, the first place the information spread was throughout Sacred Forest Academy. One S class student in particular received this piece of information as she was in her dressing room preparing for a pictorial.

"What!?" Kuronuma Ayame stood in surprise after clicking on the notification that indicated that there had been news on the school boards about Kouzuki Kazuya.

"Is something the matter ojou-sama?" her manager and bodyguard asked with concern. The young miss was only affected by little things and seeing her pale complexion, something must have definitely happened.

Ayame didn't answer the question because she had a lot of things on her mind. She would have believed such a thing could have been a rumor because the school forums liked to talk about such things. If it weren't for the various posted photos and other evidence, she would have scoffed at them as well. Wasting no time, she immediately called someone who could confirm such a thing.

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"Grandfather!" she shouted at Komori as soon as he answered the call. "I thought that you were going to take care of Kazuya-kun's engagement!"

"Huh?" Komori was glad to receive a call from his lovely granddaughter despite her now busy schedule. That was until she heard the temperamental girl's shout as soon as he answered. "I've been discussing it with Old Kou but there hasn't been anything officially set yet. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing officially set!!!?" Ayame couldn't help but get annoyed at this and immediately informed Komori of what she just learned.

"This…" Komori couldn't help but frown. He hadn't heard anything about it because even if it had already been settled, he would be the first person who Jirou would gloat to. That old rival of his didn't even waste time to rub salt in his wounds when Ayame lost to Nanami in the recent tournament.

Ayame already knew about the agreement of betrothal between Kouzuki Kou and Shiroyuki Jirou because of her grandfather. Though she didn't think much of it because it was rare that such things were to be successful in this day and age, what she heard today would have made her efforts for the last few years worthless.

Komori had been trying to convince Kou to consider Ayame as Kazuya's partner by using everyone's reluctance in the past. What he didn't expect was that Isshin shamelessly agreed with his reasoning so that he could put his own granddaughter on the table.

"Everything I've been preparing for… Everything…" Komori heard his granddaughter's sullen voice and felt heartache. He was aware of what Ayame was planning and he didn't object to it because if Kazuya had eyes, he would definitely choose Ayame over the others. It was just she needed time to prepare to appear before him again as a person who had a complete transformation.

Everything had been going well and Ayame had been satisfied with her rise in popularity. It was only until recently that she had experienced a setback. This was her last year in high school but her undefeated streak was broken by Akabane Nanami, the girl who was supposed to have been beneath her all her life.

"I don't think you should believe what you heard" Komori finally spoke. He explained the absence Jirou's gloating as evidence. "The boy could have been bluffing for all we know. He did get confessed to by an influential person after all" he reasoned.

"But…" though Ayame's found a little hope after hearing that. She still wasn't convinced because Tomoyo's existence that was always beside Kazuya was like a shadow that was looming over her heart.

It all started out with a simple feeling she had when they first met. She felt some sort of force gripping her soul as soon as her eyes fell upon a boy that was a few years younger than her. The words that the respected Nagato Tsuna said to her when she was a little girl came to mind as she approached the boy and declared him to be a person that was most likely described to her by Tsuna.

Though Kazuya already tried explaining to her that what she detected was the mana that leaked from his body, she didn't believe it. She had seen people with affinities to mana before but none of them gave them the same feeling as he did when she first found him. Nagato Tsuna, Kouzuki Kou, Shiroyuki Tomoyo, Nanami Akabane were examples of people that had some control over mana yet none of them was able to reproduce the feeling she felt when looking at Kazuya.

"I'll try and confirm it with old Kou. These kinds of things wouldn't have been unknown and unannounced to us friends so I'm sure that the kid was just worming his way out of a tight spot" Komori confidently declared. He was already familiar with the tactics Kazuya had invented as well as the strategies in their manual that would have to be called shameless yet effective. He couldn't tell Ayame such things because it would be a breach of trust so he could only console her with this.

"I understand" Ayame ended the call and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed someone else's opinion so she started typing out a message to send to that strange friend of hers that always had answers to her questions.

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While Ayame had been sullen inside her dressing room, another girl was grinning like a little girl after she had just finished reading the information in the school message boards.

"Hehe~finally it comes out of your mouth" Mei listened to the recording again and couldn't help but have this satisfied feeling. She had been a little worried after hearing that Stockton Kurumi had once again returned to Sacred Forest Academy. The girl had locked on to Kazuya from a young age and although she left for a few years, her return meant that she still had some intentions towards Kazuya.

The last time Kazuya mentioned the engagement between them was when he still hadn't been completely truthful about everything and acted or at least tried to act like the age he was. This made Mei unsure if he really considered the deal between Kyouko and her valid inside Kazuya's mind.

Even though he only mentioned it when Kurumi was cornering him with her persistence, Kazuya admitted their engagement with his voice and that was all it took to make this busy CEO happy. The two of them could barely spend any time with each other because of what happened when Kurogane Shishio made his move so she had to make an effort to learn any news about Kazuya that he didn't mention to her.

"This is a good opportunity to speak about that agreement." Though Mei was sure that Kazuya was still aware of it, she was still unsure if he just used it as an excuse to throw off Kurumi's pursuit. She was glad that her Kazu rejected that princess at every turn but she wanted to learn if he really had their engagement in mind.

While Mei was happily doing her work, her former boss who was inside her office in the Kouzuki Corporation's headquarters had a frown on her face after reading reading about what had just happened. As her son grew up and officially entered puberty, he never mentioned such things and like the books she read before, the boy had started to keep silent about topics like the opposite sex.

Though it wasn't really on purpose on Kazuya's side, it didn't help that the main reason for them to talk about the opposite sex moved out of the house. The casual agreement she had with Mei was now turning out to be more of a problem that she had expected. Stockton Kurumi was really a good candidate for her son's future wife but it looks like he really had no interest in the girl.

"It shouldn't be… right?" a thought came to her mind as she thought about the stuff Kazuya said in his younger years. It was when they were talking about marriage in the future.

"[I will also marry mom in the future. She and big sis are my wives]" was what he said just a few years ago. This thought made her heart warm as well as her face a little flushed. The proud son who had been innocently saying those words turned out to have a mature mindset so she didn't know if he really meant those words or not.

"What did you mean by 'it couldn't be?' Kyouko-sama?" the girl had taken over Mei's duties officially asked. Yumi was the one who showed her the information about Kazuya on the message board of Sacred Forest Academy.

"Err…" Kyouko snapped out of her thoughts and was reminded that she was not alone. She couldn't help but look at Yumi who had completely taken over Mei's former position as her trusted and main assistant.

"If only Mei was more like you Yumi" Kyouko couldn't help but compare the two especially since this Yumi had learned the ropes from Mei herself.

"Like me?" Yumi couldn't help but wonder what Kyouko meant by that. She had idolized Mei and was more than happy to take over her position because her mentor needed to be the head of the company that the young master had created.

"Yeah! You listen to me and give me adequate advice like she does except without all the other nonsense" Kyouko smiled. She was more than satisfied with Yumi and her performance. The only thing she had problems about was how this girl had liked to imitate Mei to the point that she inherited the actions Mei did with the men who tried to approach her. She was afraid that her former assistant would make this new assistant of hers be unable to find a suitable husband in the future.

"I don't think so at all Kyouko-sama. Though Kazuno-sama may be a little roundabout with her words, I cannot be like her and casually point out things that I cannot bring to say" Yumi honestly responded. Mei was more blunt with Kyouko and didn't hesitate to point out her mistakes or argue with her. Yumi on the other hand was part of the Fujiyama family who serves the Kouzuki family and she had been taught ever since she was young to always be respectful to any member of the Kouzuki family. This was one thing that even Mei's teachings couldn't change about Yumi.

"Is that so? You're plenty helpful when I ask for your opinion and although you do it politely, you still point out mistakes that doesn't require much arguments" Kyouko appreciated this girl and her opinions. She was truly a good student that Mei raised herself. "Say…" Kyouko had a funny thought. "Are you interested in my Kazuya? Do you want me to talk to him into marrying you instead?"

"!!??" Yumi immediately looked down and tried to hide her face that was heating up. "I w-wouldn't d-dare Kyouko-sama. Please don't tease me" Yumi stuttered.

"Hehe… you're really cute Yumi-chan." How could Kyouko not notice the feeling of this assistant of hers had for her son? Her son was probably the only person in the Kouzuki household who hasn't noticed yet. If there was no requirement Yumi to have her attention on something else, she would always turn towards the direction of her young master who would be concentrating on his own thing. "If you can marry my Kazuya then he wouldn't have to worry about taking over the company since he has such a capable wife to take care of it for him."

"I would be more than happy to help the young master if he wishes it. I wouldn't dare fight with Kazuno-sama over his affection." She politely declined Kyouko's offer.

"You should learn to be more honest and selfish Yumi-chan. That selfish girl Mei doesn't even think I'm aware of how she really feels about my Kazuya. She still thinks that I think she's using him as a way to get to me but her actions have already told me what I need to know. One thing she could learn from you is how to be honest" Kyouko giggled. Mei had been trying to prevent anyone from noticing the feelings she had been nurturing for Kazuya. It was most likely due to their difference in age.

"I will be satisfied as long as I can serve the Kouzuki family as well as make the young master happy. That is my current wish" Yumi didn't hesitate to say.

"I want you to answer me truthfully. Do you have any other men that interest you other than my son?" Kyouko inquired with a serious look. She was really impressed by this girl's loyalty and if it weren't for her being in the Fujiyama family Kyouko would probably prefer her over Stockton Kurumi as Kazuya's partner.

"None" she answered without hesitation.

"Why?" though Kyouko knew what this girl felt for her son, she never asked for the reason until now.

"One of the reasons is because the young master is unlike any of the other men. Most of them would look at women like they were objects or would be mainly motivated by lust. Though the young master has already awakened such instincts, he has not changed from when he was a boy and has focused on his matters above anything else"

"Oh?" Kyouko was proud of her son and was very satisfied with Yumi's answer. There was just one thing about her answer that was a little strange. "How do you know that he has awakened a man's natural instincts?"

"Because…" Yumi hesitated. She knew that she messed up by being too honest with her answer. It was already too late for her escape Kyouko's questioning now so she just decided to come clean about a certain incident that happened when she tried to wake Kazuya up on one occasion.

"I didn't expect you would be a victim of his sleeping habits as well…" Kyouko sighed. "There's no need to worry. I will make my son take responsibility for his actions hehe… I won't let you take back your words you said that you would be happy as long as my Kazuya was by your side" Kyouko lauged.

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On the other side of town, Kurogane Shishio had been arranging several matters in the headquarters of the Kurogane Conglomerate. He had been quite busy in not only planning to pass his test but also dealing with the responsibilities of being the one calling the shots in the company. His father had done this singlehandedly in the past and led their clan into the peak before letting the other members of the family take several responsibilities. It resulted in their current state which was still recovering from the recent losses in the past few years.

Though Kurogane Tenma was still the head of their clan, he basically already handed most of the matters of the family business over to the other members and used it as a test to figure out the structure of the next generation. Very few people didn't notice this intention so all those who caught Tenma's eye worked to meet his expectations and those who didn't always worked hard so they would catch his attention.

"Shishio-sama, there is a phone call" his assistant came inside the office to inform him.

"Didn't I tell you that I wasn't going to take any calls?" he glared at his assistant.

"But sir it's Tenma-sama saying he wasn't able to get through your private number" this statement made Shishio notice the phone on his desk that he had failed to charge. This made him look for the phone in his desk that was already covered by the scattered papers on his desk.

"Father? I was a bit careless and forgot to charge my phone. I apologize" he quickly apologized after picking up the call.

"Looks like the talk from before has gotten to you" Tenma scoffed. Shishio who had usually careful with his every move made such a careless mistake. This had proven that he was indeed very busy and affected by their last talk. "You don't even know why I called right?"

"Did… something happen?" Shishio knew that he couldn't hide anything from his father so he decided to come clean. His assistant still hadn't informed him of anything major happening so it looks like it was something that happened today.

"Look at you, already diverting your attention from your son as soon as you became complacent on becoming the next clan head." Shishio heard his father's sigh and became slightly nervous. Disappointing Tenma was easy to do but impressing him was like earning trust that had been lost.

"Did Kazuya get into trouble?" he couldn't help but ask. His father had gotten news of what Kazuya had done before him so this made Shishio get assured that the interest in his father showed towards his son had been genuine. The only matter now is what the boy actually did that could have earned the displeasure the grandfather he had impressed enough to consider making this stubborn clan head to skip over a generation.

"He didn't. He just let an extremely rare opportunity pass by him because of his upbringing." Tenma didn't hide the displeasure he felt. "Do you know if your son has been engaged by the Kouzukis?"

"Engaged…?" Shishio pondered for a bit and remembered a report that he received when he was gathering information about Kazuya. It was reported by a waiter that was more than willing to spill the information he overheard at one of the venues that hosted the gathering of Kouzuki Kou's circle of friends. "I believe that there was a prior agreement between Shiroyuki Jirou and Kouzuki Kou that was made before Kazuya was born" he reported.

"So it's true…" Tenma once again sighed. This report was ignored by Shishio because he knew his son's personality. He wouldn't have let an engagement decided by his grandfather affect his life. They weren't in the best of terms and that didn't change after Kouzuki Kou came back and rejoined the family.

"What happened father?" Shishio was still unclear about what his son had done for his father to have asked such a question.

"Your son just declined a marriage proposal by the princess of Stockton International. He stated that he had already been betrothed long ago and wanted to go through with it. Such a wasted opportunity! He could have had a grasp on Stockton International in the future yet he didn't even hesitate to reject that Stockton girl!" Tenma was mad just remembering what he considered as a stupid mistake that someone as capable as Kazuya just made.

"What!?" Shishio was shocked as well. He initially wanted to use the friendship his son had with the princess of Stockton international to gain some benefits for their company. After hearing about what happened from his father, Shishio was both enraged and disappointed at his son for letting such an opportunity pass by. If it were him, he would have taken such a proposal in a heartbeat and broke any engagements he already had.

The Kurogane father and son couldn't help but blame the Kouzuki blood in him for making such a mistake. The boy was still a little naïve and like any other Kouzuki, a slave to his promises and commitments. Though the boy was plenty capable, these traits were not from their blood because for them, benefits for their own clan was above everything else!

"I… will have a word with him when we meet next father" Shishio made up his mind and decided to talk to his son about it. He wanted his son to at least think about what kind of decision he just made.

"No. You will only give yourself a bad impression if you tried." Tenma rejected his son's idea. He had gotten an understanding of how his grandson's personality. "Any attempt we make to change his mind will only repel the few good impressions our clan has on him."

"Then… are we going to let him make such a mistake?" Shishio understood what Tenma was saying and agreed. He had spent more time trying to know everything about his son and interfering with such a matter would automatically have the opposite effect towards him.

"Though Kazuya has already made such a mistake, that doesn't mean that we can't do anything about it. I'll be giving you another task and this will be something that both of us have to work on" Tenma hatched up a scheme. "You should have dinner later tonight at the Great Century restaurant. Stockton Jonson and his daughter are booked to have dinner there after tonight. That will be your chance to make a connection"

"A connection? Aren't we on bad terms with their company?" Shishio couldn't understand what Tenma was planning. He already tried to get in contact with Stockton Jonson in the past but everything he tried was only responded with a 'not interested' response.

"Are you sleep deprived? Who are you? You're not a representative of the Kurogane Conglomerate when you talk to them, you are going to be speaking with them with your identity as Kazuya's parent!" Tenma scolded.

Shishio felt stupid after his father explained. He would have usually understood such an idea right away but he had never considered using his status as a parent to improve his connections before. Being a parent was something very new to him and he never expected to make use of Kazuya to bridge such a connection with such a powerful person.

"I understand father. I apologize for not realizing it sooner. I never thought about it from that point of view either. It looks like I still am not used to being considered a parent" he confessed. Though it was true that he cared about his son a lot to have changed without noticing, he had never really had the chance to be a parent because his son had been capable and mature enough. Shishio never had any chance to experience being a real parent.

"I'm going to be borrowing my grandson from you as well." Tenma also wanted to make use of this. "I will be taking him to be seen in public with me so that I can help changed their perception about our family and company.

"But father… Didn't Kazuya just reject the proposal of Stockton Kurumi?" Shishio couldn't help but ask. He felt something was wrong because his father didn't usually overlook such a basic yet important piece of information.

"This is precisely the additional matter I am going to be asking you to handle along with your test" Tenma's voice lowered.

"You can't possibly mean…" Shishio had a scary thought.

"Looks like your brain still hasn't gone completely rotten" he laughed.

"Going against the Shiroyuki family…" Shishio was quite hesitant. Though they were not as rich as the Kouzuki clan, they could be considered very powerful because of the number of people in power that had been indebted to them. Not to mention the number of students that were trained by a living legend such as Shiroyuki Jirou had their own influence.

Unlike the plan with Kouzuki Kyouko, they didn't have any preparations because they never knew that such a thing happened today. Neither family had been open about this arrangement, no one could blame Shishio when he didn't take such a report that was mentioned once to be true.

"Is that too much for you to handle?" Tenma scoffed at his son's hesitation. It was true that this was sudden but from Tenma's point of view, it involved less risks than the plan they hatched against Kouzuki Kyouko. Their clan had no clear hostilities with the Shiroyuki family aside from them being allies with the Kouzukis.

"I would need some time to come up with a plan to deal with the Shiroyuki girl" Shishio had no clear plan nor any idea on how to approach such a plan.

"What are you worried about? As long as you play your cards right, our clan would not be suspected" Tenma tried to give his son a hint because he was only saying such things because the plan he had in mind to divert suspicion was something that required his son to have been informed about information that normally wouldn't have been available after his own generation.

"!!" Shishio came to a realization after pondering for a bit. "I will make appropriate preparations father."

"Good! Once that Shiroyuki girl has been taken care of, the relationship we made with the Stocktons would be of great use. Her death will leave Kazuya open to accept the proposal of the princess of Stockton International."

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