*Ding*
[Side Quest Completed! You just got the full attention of a powerful potential ally.]
Mike's eyes widened slightly at the lady system's voice that suddenly sounded in his mind.
'Yatta! One side quest just finished. But, which one? A powerful potential ally?' Mike cheered. He tried to focus his gaze on the upper right corner of his vision.
Of all the quest lists, there were only three of what he remembered in his mind.
'Only one side quest completed? Err... Something about being the main character of the night, right? The reward is a powerful potential ally, but who is that?' Mike wondered in his mind. There were several possibilities, but Minako's figure came to mind.
Even so, he just put that thought aside to pay attention to what he needed to face in the future first.
'But, why doesn't the quest to protect my Miss Fortune give any indication of completion? I managed to protect Yuna from those troublemakers, right?' Mike subconsciously frowned in astonishment.
'Or could it be, I still need to protect Yuna from any hardships?' Mike began to guess. And once again, Minako's earlier words echoed in her mind.
'For Yuna, strength alone won't be enough, huh... Apparently, Minako-sama knows a lot about the background of the Kisaragi Clan and Yuna. There's so much I need to prepare for everything, hmm...' Mike closed his eyes for a moment and made the decision to reassure himself.
If strength alone is not enough... Then detailed information, wits, ingenuity, and guile might help. And above all, careful planning. The matter that had been waiting for him had become even more complicated after all.
'I need to immediately cultivate my Exquisite Supreme Body. To ascend to stage five from stage two is difficult to do in a short amount of time, but that is what I need to solve all these problems and help Yuna. I hope only good things will await us. Amen.' Mike prayed in his mind to anyone who might want to hear his prayer.
Meanwhile, Yuna noticed the change in Mike's expression, even if it was only a glimpse. Even so, she remained silent and kept walking towards her limousine.
"Welcome back, Ojou-sama, Mike-sama." Alfred opened the car door with a respectful bow.
"Mm." Yuna just nodded and entered first when Mike invited her. After that, Mike sat next to her.
Everyone got into the limousine, and Yuna just asked Alfred to bring them home.
"Hmm-mm, tonight was amazing! Your performance is commendable, Mike-sama, hehe..." Kisa put her hands together with a cheerful smile.
"Hoho? It's a shame because I couldn't witness it live. But, I want to hear an exciting story about it, Kisa-han... Ahem, I mean, Kisa-sama!" Isei immediately corrected the use of the pronoun when Kisa gave him a sharp glare.
"Fufu, I'm also interested. Was your night on the show fun?" Asako covered her mouth and giggled lightly.
"Mike, what's on your mind? Are you having trouble with something? Can you tell me? I'll definitely help you." Yuna felt a little worried to see the calmness on Mike's face. It was as if she could feel the calm sea before the storm.
"Nothing. I'm currently not thinking about much other than to prepare myself for future plans. Thank you for worrying about me." Mike replied with a reassuring smile.
"But, I've caused you a lot of trouble. Why are you still able to keep your composure?" Yuna wasn't easily convinced.
"You promised to take responsibility, didn't you? I was just trying not to think about problems or anything like that. Do you think my performance was good? Your night event wasn't too bad because of me, right?" Mike tried to reassure the worried girl and changed the topic so that it wasn't discussed further.
Yuna took a subtle breath and responded with a tender smile. "Ah, um, you're surprisingly amazing, Mike. It's as if you've just treated everything under control and relaxed about all the troubles that come your way. Thank you for helping me."
"You're welcome." Mike returned the smile and leaned back to relax.
Meanwhile, Yuna folded her hands in her lap and sat quietly too, but her face looked relieved and happy.
"For some reason, I feel like they're not a fake couple, but the real one..." Isei whispered softly, but it was enough for everyone in the limousine to hear.
Yuna blushed a little, but she just quickly caught her breath so she wouldn't feel so embarrassed. She knew it was just to tease her.
"Yeah, that's my protege. He only took three hours of training, and he already knows what he needs to do very well. Good job, Mike." Kisa patted Mike's shoulder and slightly puffed out his chest. She felt pretty proud because she could be said to have significantly contributed.
"I'm flattered, Kisa-san. Thank you for your pretty ruthless guidance. Therefore, I didn't miss anything that could ruin the night." The corner of Mike's mouth twitched slightly. He gave his appreciation with a wry smile.
"Haha, no worries, no worries." Kisa waved her hand in front of her face.
"I'll be taking three days off from work. Alfred, please reschedule all my agendas." Yuna suddenly announced her decision.
"Understood, Ojou-sama." Alfred glanced at the rearview mirror and nodded in understanding.
"Hm? Why did you- Is it because of me?" Mike tilted his head slightly while giving Yuna a surprised look.
"Mm, I'll help you. Erm, everyone will assist you. You have to win that golden plaque challenge. We need to make sure that hateful man loses and won't bother us anymore." Yuna nodded with conviction on her face.
"I see... Thank you very much. But, allow me to remind you one thing, Yuna. This is not a fair match. There will be some dirty tricks or foul methods that might be legalized. It's not just a simple one-on-one fight in the arena, right?" Mike raised his index finger and spoke without hesitation. He knew very well that the world was unfair.
"Mhm..." Yuna loosened her shoulders. That was a bitter fact that she already knew but couldn't really accept. She lowered her head slightly and muttered. "Are you going to play dirty to win?"
"That's a bad use of words, Yuna. I prefer to use clever tricks. Winning isn't always determined by a great battle." Mike grinned, but he remembered something. "Oh but, I need all the information about Austin. Everything, the more detail, the better."
"You're being challenged to the golden plaque challenge, Mike-han!? You're really reckless and brave at the same time. You have my respect. It's related to that silver-haired guy, Austin, right? Don't worry, Kisa-sama, and Yukiko-chan will help you with such information problems." Isei gave two thumbs up with an impressed expression.
"Golden plaque challenge, huh... I am amazed that you would go that far just for our Ojou-sama's sake. I presumed that you are not ignorant. Mike-sama, can you tell us what you are planning?" Alfred suddenly asked in a somewhat cold tone.