Chapter 25: She’s the Hidden Treasure of the Ishikawa Family

The day of the Noyama family party had finally arrived.

Ishikawa Yuka was currently in a car with her older brother Yota, heading toward the venue.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong, Yuka? Are you nervous?”

Hearing the groan she let out while clutching her aching stomach, her brother asked with concern.

“Yeah…”

Rather than nervousness, it was more like a stomachache… though the cause of the pain was likely the stress of being nervous.

She hadn’t expected to join the “stomachache tribe” while only in the first grade.

“Haven’t you been through that special training with Toraiwa-sensei this past month? Just have some confidence.”

“Okay…”

She wanted to believe that as well.

At the very least, when it came to preventing assassination, she felt well-prepared.

Even for poisons claimed to be colorless and tasteless, she had learned to identify them, smell them out, and even learned methods to neutralize them if accidentally ingested.

Of course, she would stand no chance in a direct confrontation with an assassin of the master’s caliber, but such a thing shouldn’t happen at a crowded party venue.

Since the methods of assassination were limited, she should be able to handle it.

The problem lay in her etiquette and conduct.

Although she had indeed undergone rigorous training, her anxiety remained.

The name “Toraiwa Style” alone was enough to be ostracized by other etiquette schools.

Even if she perfectly executed Toraiwa Style etiquette, she might still end up as a laughingstock in the eyes of ordinary high society.

“If you’re that worried… ah! Right, there’s a saying that ‘practice makes perfect.’ Today is your first time, so it’s fine if you make a little mistake. You’ll naturally get the hang of these things after doing them a few times.”

“Oh, Brother…”

‘That is exactly the problem…’

Nogami Hiroki and Kurohara Masahira likely intended for her to make a mistake at the party, making a fool of herself in front of everyone to become the laughingstock of the social world.

Once that happened, it would be the equivalent of Ishikawa Yuka being socially assassinated.

In this circle, once you gained such a reputation, you would be hindered by it at every turn in the future.

Her personal reputation and public opinion didn’t matter much to her.

She didn’t plan on looking for a marriage partner in the social world anyway.

But her reputation was inextricably linked to the Ishikawa family.

To avoid the flag where the Ishikawa family would go bankrupt regardless of which route was taken, she had to be exceptionally careful even about seemingly trivial and insignificant matters.

“Alright, we’re here. Don’t be so tense; just relax. Even if Yuka makes a mistake, Brother will help smooth things over for you.”

“Thank you, Brother.”

Being encouraged by the sixth-grade Yota and told he would clean up after her made her—someone whose mental age was long since adult and who was male in a previous life—feel like the roles were reversed.

But in her past life, she was just an ordinary person with no connection to high society and had never even attended a party like this, so it couldn’t be helped.

Accompanied by her brother, Yuka stepped out of the car and entered the venue for the Noyama family party.

“Wow…”

Before even entering the banquet hall, the building itself left her in awe.

After presenting their invitation at the entrance, she was guided inside.

She hadn’t expected that in modern Japan, there would actually be a place hosting a party… like that of royalty or nobility in a story.

Then again, this world closely resembled the game world of Love 100%, so it couldn’t entirely be called modern Japan…

Even so, this was a completely different world compared to her past life; let alone experiencing it firsthand, she had never even seen such a thing.

Unknowingly, her tension vanished, and she became completely absorbed in observing her surroundings.

“Pfft. This version of Yuka actually looks like a first-grader. You’re usually so mature that you feel older than me, but right now you really look like a little sister.”

“Ah… sorry…”

Yuka, walking through the venue with her brother, seemed to have been looking around a bit too much in her fascination.

It looked undignified, entirely like a country bumpkin, which made her feel ashamed.

She had to restrain herself a bit.

Everything around her was just so dazzling that she had lost herself for a moment.

Including her past life, she had lived longer than her brother and should have accumulated more experience.

Although she had no connection to high society, her social experience was certainly richer; being told she looked like a child by a sixth-grader was truly embarrassing.

“Alright, once we pass through these doors, it’s the banquet hall. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

She had to get serious from this point on… actually, she should have been serious before getting here, but she had gotten carried away just now.

Yuka braced herself and nodded to her brother.

“Then let’s go. This is Yuka’s debut.”

“…”

‘I don’t think that’s quite it…’

Nogami Hiroki didn’t throw this party just to hold a debutante ball for her.

The superficial reason was a social gathering for students of Ōka Academy and related parties.

Centered on this year’s newcomers, it also invited older students with the goal of strengthening ties between high-status families attending Ōka Academy.

But she knew full well that this must be a trap set by Nogami and Kurohara, aimed at belittling her and the Ishikawa family.

It was a party meticulously planned to assassinate the social existence of the meddlesome “Miss Yuka.”

Therefore, she could not afford a single mistake today.

She had to handle everything perfectly, thwart the schemes of Nogami and Kurohara, and protect the future of the Ishikawa family and herself.

‘Here goes, Yuka!!!’ she cheered herself on silently.

The attendant opened the doors for them, and they stepped through…

Many people in magnificent attire were conversing casually in small groups.

Though each person’s voice wasn’t loud, with so many people gathered, it created quite a wave of sound.

However, when the doors opened and the brother and sister stepped into the hall, the surroundings were instantly enveloped in silence.

The hall became so quiet it felt as if sound had vanished in an instant; everyone stopped what they were doing to look at them, creating the illusion that only the brother and the Yuka accompanying him were moving.

Yuka dared not relax for a second, focusing all her attention and staying mindful of everything just as Toraiwa-sensei had taught her.

From her stride and breathing to the movement of her fingertips, she mobilized all her nerves, even cautiously handling the gazes of others.

She didn’t look around aimlessly, but her gaze flowed appropriately, scanning the surroundings.

She matched her brother’s stride and speed perfectly without any disarray, keeping her breathing in sync.

“That is Young Master Yota of the Ishikawa family… then the girl he’s accompanying is…”

“Is that the rumored hidden treasure of the Ishikawa family…”

“I think her name is…”

“Miss Ishikawa Yuka.”

Gradually… as they walked from the entrance into the hall, whispers began to ripple through the surroundings.

Although she couldn’t hear everything, Yuka understood she had become the focus.

Most of the reactions seemed to be hushed discussions about Ishikawa Yota walking around with an unfamiliar girl.

This was only natural.

Normally at her age, she should have already debuted in the social world.

Appearing for the first time now would inevitably spark various rumors.

Since she was receiving such attention, she absolutely could not make any mistakes.

She had to complete every step perfectly.

Recalling that month of hellish special training—compared to the training with the master, this was nothing.

“Good evening, Yota-senpai. Good evening to you too, Ishikawa-san.”

“Masahira, good evening.”

“Kurohara-senpai, good evening.”

As they neared the center of the hall, Kurohara Masahira as expected came over to talk.

‘Is he already trying to make me mess up and bring me down?’

If she made a mistake in front of everyone, the effect would certainly be significant.

The newly debuted daughter of the Ishikawa family losing her poise immediately would surely become a laughingstock.

But unfortunately, she was no longer the same person she was a month ago.

For this day, she had worked herself to the bone in rigorous training.

“To the bone” was not a joke or a metaphor; she had even shocked herself when she actually vomited blood.

Now it was time to show the results of that special training!

“Yo! You came! You’re late!”

Behind Masahira, Nogami Hiroki also approached.

‘Is he planning to start now? Fine! Bring it on!’

“Nogami-senpai, thank you for the invitation today.”

“Yo!”

…Why does this guy only ever know how to say “Yo”?

Even if he’s the arrogant Nogami Hiroki, his vocabulary should be a bit richer than that… is it because he’s only in the first grade?

“Today is Yuka’s debut in the social world, so please be a little lenient with her.”

‘Brother~! Why are you saying such unnecessary things!? This is already a war! A war between the Ishikawa family and the Nogami-Kurohara alliance! How can you say such pleading words to the enemy!’

“Alright, alright! Welcome, welcome, Yuka! I’m glad you could accept Hiroki’s invitation.”

“It has been a while, Mrs. Noyama.”

Even Hiroki’s mother came over.

Yuka was very bad at dealing with this lady.

She was always over-enthusiastic and would say things like wanting Yuka and Hiroki to get engaged without a second thought; it was truly terrifying.

Could it be that to bring down the Ishikawa family, she wanted to use an engagement to make the two families appear close on the surface, just to probe for internal information?

The Noyama mother and son, Masahira, her brother, and herself—this rare combination conversed in the very center of the banquet hall.

Talking in such a conspicuous position with such an eye-catching lineup naturally drew the gazes of the entire room.

Yuka, who absolutely could not make a mistake, focused all her spirit, leaving not a single opening.

She had long since grown accustomed to this kind of scene during her special training with the master.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry for keeping you here. There’s still some time before the dancing, so please enjoy the food. The dishes here are exquisite.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Mrs. Noyama ended the conversation and turned elsewhere, and Nogami Hiroki and Masahira also left for the time being.

Yuka and her brother moved to the edge of the venue.

They couldn’t occupy the center of the hall forever.

Since they were advised to enjoy the food, they had no choice but to go get some.

If they didn’t eat or drink anything, it would be perceived as a lack of confidence in their etiquette.

She had to complete this perfectly! Recall the special training with the master!

It didn’t matter if Toraiwa Style etiquette looked strange to the world.

Anything, when studied to the extreme, appears extraordinary.

“Should I get some for you?”

“No, it’s fine. Thank you, Brother.”

‘Brother probably can’t distinguish toxins.’

She had to identify them herself.

And even if the food wasn’t poisoned when she took it, she couldn’t rule out someone dropping poison from the ceiling.

She couldn’t leave it to her careless brother.

She wanted to select food that hadn’t been poisoned, but at a glance, nothing seemed to be wrong.

However, she still couldn’t let her guard down.

Someone might drop poison from above, or mix it in while she was taking her portion.

Since so many guests were invited, the likelihood of randomly poisoning the food was low.

If someone were to act, the target would only be the portion she took.

Therefore, she had to stay vigilant not only while taking the food but also after it was on her plate.

…However, no one administered poison.

Was the timing not right yet?

Poisoning at the start might be difficult because their guard was high?

Perhaps they were waiting for time to pass, waiting for them to grow tired and relax before acting?

Yuka dared not be careless as she brought the food to her mouth.

“…As expected of a party prepared by the Noyama family. The dishes are very delicious.”

“Yeah. It would be great if Yuka could relax and enjoy the food.”

She hadn’t relaxed her guard.

But the food was indeed excellent.

Since other families were present, the Noyama family couldn’t possibly host a party that would invite criticism.

The people invited to this party were primarily students of high family standing attending Ōka Academy and their families.

Many other families had their parents attend.

Unfortunately, her parents couldn’t make it today, but they said they would show up if possible.

These occasions were often used to establish connections with other families.

Therefore, most families would send at least a representative.

Parents spent their time at such events exchanging greetings and establishing or strengthening relationships with other families; that was their job.

The timing of the invitations to other families for this party did seem quite late.

Most of these families ran large companies.

Inviting the parents of these families only a month in advance was quite rushed.

Her parents’ schedule also didn’t align because of this, so they could only say “we’ll show up if we can make it.”

Despite that, seeing so many adults from various families present showed the importance of a Noyama family party.

In reality, this was likely more of a networking event for the parents rather than a social gathering for the children.

“Yuka, good evening.”

“Marina! Good evening.”

In front of Yuka, who was staying quiet and keeping a low profile in a corner of the venue, Anmiya Marina approached, dressed in a cute gown.