Two weeks later, Yuri and Murata were back at Shinou's Temple. They weren't expected for at least another week, but this early arrival was a part of their secret plan to carry out the mission 'Lets Quell The Unwanted Engagement'. So, no one from the castle knew that they were there and they'd asked Ulrike and the other temple maidens to keep their presence quite. So overall, things were good and falling exactly as they should've been, yet.

"Tell me Murata, why did we have to bring a breakable glass, as well as plastic knives, forks and spoons?" Yuri asked with his arms full of bags of plastic objects.

"Well," Murata replied. "I wasn't sure which ones would be needed. So, I decided to bring them all. It actually depends on how you proposed which determines the procedure of breaking your engagement, or switch it."

"How I proposed? It makes a difference?" Yuri asked curiously. "And what do you mean by 'switch it'?"

"Oh yes, it makes a great deal of difference. So, tell me everything about how you and Lord Von Bielefeld became engaged in the first place. Tell every detail." Murata said, carefully bypassing the switch question for the moment.

So, Yuri told him everything that happened from the moment he first arrived in Shin Makoku. He told him about his and Wolfram's duel and what happened during it. He also included the details that he was told by the others (since he doesn't remember anything after switching into
Maoh mode), when he regained his conscience after the duel.

"Ahaa Shibuya, you really know how to get yourself into these messes, don't you."

"It's not my fault."

"Well, you did slap Lord Von Bielefeld, thereby proposing him. Then, you accepted a duel and even won the said duel, thereby sealing yourself permanently to him in engagement."

Yuri glared at him, "Excuse me. I hadn't even been in this country for 24 hours. How the hell was I supposed to know that slapping a person's left cheek would be an instant engagement and picking up a knife was a duel?" Hearing Murata snicker, Yuri glared at him and asked, "So, tell me Murata the know-it-all, if he had insulted your mother, and you even knowing about the custom, would you have done something or would you have gladly accepted the insult?"

Murata laughed, "Okay. Okay, point taken."

"So, tell me Oh Great Sage, if this engagement is permanent then how exactly are we going to break it or switch it or whatever?"

"Well, all we need to do is make Lord von Belefield to step on a fork. Since we're using plastic here, he'll most likely break it. Then, he needs to step into the center of the star that I've drawn on the floor. And then, break the glass of water placed in the center of the said star. Then, the person he's going to be engaged to needs to throw a spoon at him. Thereafter, whether he catches it or picks it up doesn't matter as he will then be switched to that person in engagement. We're using these small cups because the ancient laws merely state that it has to be a glass of water. It doesn't say how big the water glass has to be. Do you understand?" Murata asked even though he could see that his friend understood nothing.

"Oh, is that all? Isn't there a less complicated way?"

"Death."

"Really funny."

"Well, there is another way. But I, personally, don't think that you're ready to go there yet."

"And that is?" Yuri asked innocently.

"Well," Murata started, his glasses flashing. "You could always sleep with Sir Weller, you know have sex with him, and then have the word get to Lord Von Bielefeld about it and have him officially call it off. Though, I won't be able to guarantee your own safety after that, as well as Sir Weller's."

Yuri groaned at such a ridiculous reply. As much as he loved Conrad, he knew that even if he himself was ready to do that, which he wasn't at the moment, then there was no way Conrad would be. If a simple kiss sent Conrad running, then he'd never agree to something like that. Plus, just as Murata himself mentioned, Wolfram would literally kill them both if they dared tried.

"So, what exactly does this do?"

"Well, since you can't break it, the only way to do this is to switch the engagements and, hence, leaving you free."

"And just how exactly are we going to find someone that would be willing to take Wolfram as his/her fiancé? Don't get me wrong. He's a nice guy, but he wears a frilly pink nightgown to bed and then he always kicks me in his sleep and takes over the whole bed. Although ever since Greta started to sleep between us, he seems to have calmed down some. But on some nights she's just as bad as he is."

"I think I can handle him."

"EH?" Yuri was shocked. "Y-You want to take him?"

"Don't look so shocked, Shibuya. Lord Von Bielefeld is a very handsome person. I never bothered to say or do anything before because I thought that you two were getting closer. I should have known that you'd eventually dump him for Sir Weller."

Yuri felt like a child being reprimanded for making bad choices. He was tired of it. It was his life, to scream out loud, and his choice to choose who he wants to spent his life with.

"Of course we became closer, what do you mean?" Yuri replied indignantly. "But he insists on sharing a bed and Greta is our daughter. And I still have no desire to marry him. Hell, he even mentioned that we should hurry, get married and give Greta siblings. He's already planning that far. I, seriously, don't even want to think of something like that. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Murata."

Glasses gleaming in the sun, he said, "Don't worry about it, Shibuya. After having to babysit Shinou, I think I can handle Lord Von Bielefeld. He can't be worse than that."

"Now, that's not a very nice thing to say." A new voice said.

Yuri looked over to find Shinou leaning against the wall, obviously eavesdropping. Without even looking back, Murata asked, "I suppose you have a problem with our plan?"

Shinou smiled, closed his eyes and looking away replied, "No, not at all. In fact, I totally support Yuri in his choice. I'm sure, just like you, that it's about time that he makes his decision." Opening his eyes and looking over at Murata, Shinou continued in a serious tone, "Though, I still have my doubts about your true motives, My Sage."

"True motives? What true motives?" Yuri asked, panicked.

"Whatever do you mean, Shinou?" Murata replied, ignoring Yuri. "Shibuya no longer wishes to be engaged to Lord Von Bielefeld, and I'd like to grab the chance to court him."

Shinou glared at him, "Chance?"

Murata shot Shinou an equally scalding look and said, "Yes, a chance."

Yuri could just watch the heated conversation dumbly. He could tell that Shinou wanted to say something more, but Murata didn't give him a chance to do so, as he quickly turned to Yuri and said, "Shibuya, why don't you go see if Yozak is here yet."

Yuri blinked, confused, "Yozak? But I thought we were trying to keep our stay here a secret until we were ready?"

"Well, it won't take me long to set everything up. I'll have it all prepared long before he gets here. I asked Ulrike to send him a message earlier, saying that she had urgent business with him and need Yozak's presence at the temple right away."

"Okay, but why?"

"Well, didn't you say it yourself? That until the switch is completed; we don't want to alert anyone of our presence. However, in order for this to work, we need Lord Von Bielefeld present here. To achieve this, I plan on asking Yozak to kidnap him."

"KIDNAP? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Yuri panicked.

"Calm down, Shibuya. We can't exactly have Yozak calmly explain to him that we want to see him, without alerting the whole castle. Do you want that?"

Yuri sighed, defeated, "You're right. The moment he hears that I'm here, he'd want to meet me first and then will start screaming, demanding to know why I was here and not at the castle. The, the entire castle will be gathered here, thereafter. I really don't want the commotion."

"Exactly. That's why I had wanted to set this all up at night and have decided to bring him here in secret."

Yuri looked at Shinou, "Are there really no other ways to switch?"

"I'm afraid that if you, both, really want to go through with this, then this is the best way. The answer to your question is yes, there are many other ways to switch as well as nullify an engagement."

"I chose this method because it is a little known and little used tradition. Just as you pointed out, Shibuya, it is a touch complicated. That is why I felt that this was the best method. I'm sure Lord Von Bielefeld is well versed in all manner of switching and breaking engagement traditions. He would recognize the known ones instantly and would know how to avoid them all. Since this is a
tradition almost never used, I felt it was perfect for our job."

"Now Yuri," Shinou said. "Why don't you go ahead and see if Yozak has arrived yet." He had a very important thing to discuss with his sage that requires privacy.

Yuri looked, cautiously, between Shinou and Murata, searching for any traces of deceit. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't counter the fact that his spying skills were dead zero. So, he simply decided to leave the mystery of the two men's cryptic talks alone. Besides, he could clearly see they wanted to say something to each other that didn't involve him hearing it. But still, he felt a little nervous about leaving. Nothing good came out of such secret talks, especially
if they're the one to take place between Murata and Shinou.

"Murata?" he asked quietly.

"It's fine Shibuya. You go ahead and bring Yozak in when he gets here."

Partially satisfied with the answer, he just made a grunting noise, bowed and left, leaving the two men alone to talk. Besides, it wasn't like he could stop them.

"So, what do you want to say that requires such privacy?" Murata asked indignantly, after Yuri had left.