The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 137: A Web of Relationships That Somehow Became Terrifying

After observing carefully for a while, Shunsuke realized he had been somewhat biased toward Eriri.

Though she appeared naive and without any cunning when interacting with him, her family (including Mrs. Izumi), and close acquaintances, she actually wore a mask in public. This was evident from her behavior at school.

The "masked" Eriri presented herself as the perfect elegant young lady, but in reality, she had no friends who could truly reach her heart.

Even though it seemed like she was being swayed by Haruno, it was actually just a case of "mask versus mask." Eriri would never genuinely open up to someone like Haruno.

Even if she was genuinely deceived into admiring Haruno as trustworthy and charismatic, her level of trust could never surpass that of people like Shunsuke, Mrs. Izumi, or Marin. This was Schrodinger's version of "being fooled."

Looking at it from this perspective, the only true "innocent bunny" present was Yukino.

Haruno was treating her like a fragile treasure in need of protection.

As Shunsuke pondered this, he joined the lively chatter of the small group of nearly ten girls.

"I didn't expect Moeha and Sanae to have such a good relationship," he remarked.

"Yeah, little Sanae is my second favorite friend," one replied.

"And who's your first favorite?"

"That would be Kei-chan! You don't know her, Shunsuke-nii. She's a classmate of ours, and she's super cute."

"Maki, Fujiwara, you two seem to be pretty familiar with Eriri. But she didn't study at Shuchiin, did she?"

"Yes, that's true. But since the Shijo family's main business is in Europe, we received considerable help from the Spencer family in the UK back then. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy for us as residents of Japan to establish ourselves in Europe."

"I don't fully understand, but it sounds like since my grandfather's generation — or perhaps even earlier — the Sawamura family has been a key political ally of the Fujiwara family, while the Shinomiya family, represented by Kaguya, has been our most significant partner in business."

Shunsuke nodded thoughtfully. The implied meaning was clear: "important helper" equals "important subordinate," while "important ally" translates to "political representative." That interpretation seemed spot on.

As he watched Kaguya approach Eriri and Sanae with a cold expression to greet them, Sanae was introduced to her by Moeha as her older sister.

Meanwhile, Maki "protected" Eriri by sarcastically telling Kaguya not to scare her.

Eriri then started chatting with Chika about manga, even sneaking in a conversation about H-manga.

Yukino stood silently with a cold face, rarely engaging with anyone, while Haruno made an effort to join various discussions but eventually ended up with Eriri and Sanae.

Observing this scene, with everyone somehow connected to him at the center, Shunsuke couldn't help but sigh.

The relationships among these top-tier families were like vast, intricate webs — interconnected and entangled. Most ties required only one or two intermediaries to link people, blending cooperation with rivalry.

Take the Sawamura family, for instance. They were loyal followers of the Fujiwara family, good friends with the Shijo family, and their key contact in Europe.

The Fujiwara family acted as political representatives for the Shinomiya family, which naturally made the Sawamura family their partner as well.

Even the conflict between the Shinomiya and Shijo families didn't prevent Sawamura from maintaining positive relationships with both Fujiwara and Shijo.

It was a highly intricate network where outsiders had no place.

At this point, one might wonder: What about the Yukinoshita family?

Well, the Yukinoshita family was exactly that — an outsider with no place in the web.

A mere Chiba prefectural council member was indeed impressive but meant little compared to the aforementioned families—not even on par with the Chitanda family.

Although the Chitanda family might not have as much liquid wealth as the Yukinoshita family, their status in their region was rock-solid and unlikely to waver for at least another hundred years.

The only problem was their location being too remote. Outside that area, especially in Tokyo, no one recognized their influence.

Thus, they also had no place in these intricate social circles.

Perhaps the reason Chitanda Eru's laid-back parents sent her to attend Sobu High was precisely because of this situation.

No matter how passive they became, their baseline status remained secure.

They even adopted a hands-off approach to Eru's marriage prospects, letting her decide as she pleased despite her being the sole heir.

This alone showcased just how remarkably nonchalant her parents were.

Watching Haruno's determined efforts, Shunsuke couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

If Haruno, as the elder sister, didn't put in the effort, their domineering mother would undoubtedly use Yukino as a pawn to be married off.

Even Yukino's father, who was nominally the head of the household and a doting parent, wouldn't be able to intervene—after all, he was merely a man who had married into the family.

Before marrying into the Yukinoshita family, Yukino's father's relationship with her mother resembled that of Hachiman and Yukino in their initial state, perhaps even worse.

As a former delinquent, Yukino's father had been tightly controlled by her mother since their student days.

He couldn't even smoke without sneaking around.

At least Hachiman had some leverage over Yukino back then and would presumably maintain a voice in the relationship if it progressed further.

In contrast, Yukino's father was utterly miserable. If Yukino's mother ever lost interest in him, he would become nothing more than a disposable "high-grade consumable" for the Yukinoshita family.

Thus, if one were to seek marriage into a wealthy and beautiful family, the ideal choice would be someone like Eriri Sawamura or Chitanda Eru, whose families and personal inclinations were non-interfering and supportive.

A second-best option would be someone like Shijo Maki, a naive romantic. However, someone like Haruno was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb.

And Shinomiya Kaguya?

Because she was so exceptional, it was really hard to make a clear judgment.

As the girls chatted excitedly with Shunsuke at the center of their circle, the area gradually became their domain.

Those who had once looked down on Shunsuke began to take this seemingly ordinary boy more seriously.

The four great families: the Shinomiya family, the slightly lesser Shijo family, the political Fujiwara family, the somewhat lesser Sawamura family, the wealthy Dekomori family, and the outlier Yukinoshita family...

—Hey, hey, hey! Who told me that guy was a commoner? What commoner has these kinds of connections? Our family doesn't even have these ties! If he's really a commoner, I'll slap myself to death with an egg!

Seeing the man, who was supposedly the boyfriend of the Momobami family's head, surrounded by daughters from so many prestigious families, others couldn't help but want to curse the person who had given them the wrong information.

They were also relieved they hadn't foolishly tried to provoke him earlier, instead choosing to watch quietly.

"Hahahahaha, Fujii boy! I can't believe so many beautiful ladies are gathered around you. You're really something else~," laughed Koenji, strolling over.

He casually placed his right hand on Shunsuke's shoulder, then slid it down his back...

"What a fantastic body," he commented, eyes gleaming.

Ugh!

Koenji, when did you turn into such a dangerous man?!

If I don't manage to hold myself back and use a Star Platinum to smash you into pieces, don't blame me!

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