At six in the evening—the banquet celebrating Shinomiya Kaguya's entry into high school finally came to an end. As most of the guests left the venue, Yashajin Kouten walked over to Uchiha Ryo's side and suddenly spoke.
"Shinomiya Un'yo... what exactly did he say to you? If he dared to threaten you, perhaps I can help."
"It's alright, Head of the Yashajin family. Shinomiya Un'yo doesn't have the ability to threaten me. His matter has already been resolved."
Yashajin Kouten nodded. "In that case, would you like a ride back in my car?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Head of the Yashajin family, but I still have some things to take care of, so I won't be leaving with you."
Yashajin Kouten noticed several gazes coming from a distance. They seemed to be from the young ladies of prominent families...
This young friend Uchiha was truly impressive. But it was a good thing his granddaughter, little Ai, was only ten years old.
After Yashajin Kouten left, Yukinoshita Haruno was the first to walk over.
"Ryo-kohai, do you need me to give you a ride home? It just so happens that you and Yukino live together."
Yukino glared at her sister. "We're just neighbors."
"Well, I still have things to do. You guys go on ahead."
Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly stared into Uchiha Ryo's eyes and asked, "Ryo-kohai, are you... really a member of the Shinomiya family?"
"I am not."
Haruno pouted. "You answered so quickly, without a moment's hesitation."
Uchiha Ryo smiled, took a few steps to stand in front of Yukinoshita Haruno, and said in a voice that almost only the two of them could hear.
"The Shinomiya family is not yet worthy of my service."
If the previous answer could have been a lie, the moment these words were spoken, Yukinoshita Haruno completely dismissed the idea that Uchiha Ryo was a secret genius cultivated by the Shinomiya family.
She knew a little about the Shinomiya family's educational system, such as with Shinomiya Kaguya, or even Shinomiya Un'yo.
Perhaps they could lie, and they could learn to disguise themselves, but they would never belittle their own family. In their hearts, the Shinomiya family was the heart of the nation!
Haruno nodded. "Yukino~ Let's go home."
However, if Uchiha Ryo was not a member of the Shinomiya family, then what was his identity...
Something's not right! Yukinoshita Haruno's expression changed. Since Uchiha Ryo could stand on equal footing with Shinomiya Un'yo, the power behind him was by no means inferior to the Shinomiya family, and might even have a deeper foundation.
Heavens, what kind of person has Yukino gotten to know...
As the Yukinoshita family and the Chitanda family left one after another, Uchiha Ryo went to the inner residence of the Shinomiya household. His destination, however, was Shinomiya Un'yo's private meeting room.
"This place is quite nice, just like a secret base."
Although Shinomiya Un'yo's character was questionable, his taste was not bad. Just the furnishings in this room must have cost him at least a few hundred million from the family's funds.
"Mr. Ryo, I'll be direct. You said you could make me the head of the Shinomiya family! How exactly do we do it?"
Uchiha Ryo opened the freezer and found that besides various famous wines, there wasn't even a single non-alcoholic beverage. Bad review.
"Well, I have three methods. It's up to you to choose which one."
Shinomiya Un'yo could barely contain his excitement. "Please tell me, Mr. Ryo. As long as I can become the head of the Shinomiya family, I promise I will do everything in my power to help you!"
Do everything in his power, not the Shinomiya family's... But Uchiha Ryo ignored the problem with Shinomiya Un'yo's wording and said directly.
"First, tell me the locations of your two older brothers. I can kill them without a trace. As long as there are no competitors, the position of the Shinomiya family head will be yours sooner or later."
Shinomiya Un'yo fell silent. He didn't care about killing Shinomiya Oko and Shinomiya Seiryo, but was it really a good idea? After all...
"The first method won't work! There's a big drawback. Even if there's no evidence to prove I was the one who killed them, all eyes of suspicion will fall on me. The next head of the Shinomiya family will absolutely not become a laughingstock."
Although Shinomiya Un'yo had long coveted the position of family head, he was still rational. He could disregard the bonds of brotherhood, but he could not allow the Shinomiya name to become a laughingstock! He could not allow the next head of the Shinomiya family to be rumored to have killed his brothers to seize power!
Uchiha Ryo stroked his chin. "Second method, I can directly control your father, the head of the Shinomiya family, to personally write a will, passing the position of family head to you. And I can do it at any time."
Hearing the second method, Shinomiya Un'yo's eyes lit up. If his father, Shinomiya Gan'an, really did personally write a will passing the position of family head to him, then even Shinomiya Oko...
Impossible. That guy would definitely find a way to cry to their father, and even try everything to seize power.
Although Shinomiya Gan'an's will would make some of the older shareholders of the Shinomiya group side with Shinomiya Un'yo, those two, Shinomiya Oko and Shinomiya Seiryo, who were thick as thieves, would never give up!
After a long while, Shinomiya Un'yo sighed.
"This method will only give me a moment of glory. But at that time, my two older brothers will definitely get angry and split the family, and in the end, they will do everything in their power to deal with me."
Uchiha Ryo sat on the sofa and suddenly looked at Shinomiya Un'yo seriously.
"Let me just ask, if you were to inherit the position of family head right now, without the previous head and your two older brothers, could you manage such a huge conglomerate?"
"Of course I..."
Uchiha Ryo continued to ask.
"Even with your father's will, will the old generation of the Shinomiya group's board of directors really approve of you?"
"Even without your two older brothers, can you properly manage the power they have controlled for many years?"
Shinomiya Un'yo's face was dark, but he couldn't refute it. The Shinomiya conglomerate was no small power. With several thousand subsidiary companies under its name, the Shinomiya group held an absolute position that ordinary people could not imagine, whether in business, politics, or both sides of the law.
The education Shinomiya Un'yo had received was indeed the imperial studies for inheriting such a family business, but his ability was not yet sufficient.
At least for now, even if he were given the entire Shinomiya group, Uchiha Ryo estimated that in less than three years, the entire family would be thrown into chaos by Shinomiya Un'yo.
The look in Shinomiya Un'yo's eyes as he looked at Uchiha Ryo now contained a great deal of sincere respect, not fear.
"So the third method you mentioned is..."
"I estimate that you and your two older brothers almost never interact, right? That won't do. What you need to do next is to step out from your current stage, step out from behind the scenes, and truly try to lead the public-facing enterprises of the Shinomiya group."
A venomous snake hiding in the shadows can never become the king of beasts revered by all. You can be unscrupulous, but your bottom line must be flexible.
It is not that you gain everyone's approval after obtaining power, but that you are qualified to obtain that power only after gaining everyone's approval.
"Shinomiya Un'yo, you can make your decision now on the three choices I've given you."
"Will you have me eliminate your other competitors, or directly control the head of the Shinomiya family to give you the answer you want! Or... will you crawl out from the shadows and advance towards the position of family head yourself."
"Of course, as your partner, I will clear away all the stumbling blocks that obstruct your path forward."