The main text is complete, and extras are under construction. The next novel will be "To Maintain Competitive Balance, I'll Have to Date Them All" (focuses on sports anime, an all-in da...
Chapter 53: The Treasure Raccoon Butler is on the move!
The little black-faced guy's question was quite ignorant, and Chaomu wanted to roll his eyes at him.
"Let's not talk about you stealing my business for now... I asked you to like me, but you didn't do it." She stared at him with some resentment. "For failing to meet the customer's request, Amuro-kun, does this mean you're no longer qualified as a gigolo?"
It's fine that he's stealing her business, but he's also so petty that he doesn't let her ship her products, causing her to frequently come up empty-handed. He even asks her why she hates him? Doesn't he know what's going on?
Toru Amuro also felt that he was very wronged - at that time he hesitated out of pure kindness because he didn't want to deceive the girl, but who knew that she would remember it until now.
"Just because I didn't lie to you outright? Besides a cheating gigolo, who would say they like you on the first day they meet?" He frowned in confusion. "Is that why you think I'm unprofessional?" Or did his hesitation at the time inadvertently hurt the girl's feelings? But Chaomu didn't seem like that kind of person...
"If I had lied to you directly and told you that I liked you, would you have been happier?"
"That's not the case." Chaomu answered without hesitation, "Fake love is useless to me."
The disguised appearance cannot increase her chances of drawing cards. What she wants is genuine goodwill.
"If Amuro-kun can't like me, then it's only natural that I dislike you." As she spoke, the girl's golden eyes were filled with self-righteous confidence, as if she didn't think there was anything wrong with her words at all. "Besides, you're my competitor, so isn't it normal for me to dislike you?"
...It's either love or hate... Is this guy a child!
Her logic was baffling at first, but upon closer inspection, it made some sense... After all, Chaomu wasn't very old, so it was understandable that he would have such a childish idea... No, we couldn't rule out the possibility that she was actually being unreasonable to lower his vigilance - maybe that was why Hiro let down his guard against her.
Thinking of Kotani, Toru Amuro's thoughts turned serious again: had she also made a similar request to Hiro? Disguising herself as a young girl in need of love was a classic tactic...
"So, Miss Chaomu wants a challenge game that plunders my sincerity?" As he waited in anticipation, the blond youth's face lit up with his typical business smile. He leaned in close, the gold powder on his chest almost brushing against her nose. "If you wish, I wouldn't mind offering my sincerity..."
The faint fragrance filled her nose, and Chaomu felt like sneezing for a moment. She covered her nose and was about to step back when he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms.
At that moment, she heard the sound of high heels approaching the terrace. She realized almost immediately and stopped struggling: Midorikawa had led Ms. Shimizu here.
"After all, I've already had feelings for Miss Asamure..." With his bare arms draped behind her waist, Amuro Toru's eyes flickered as he leaned close to her ear, "Every time I see you, I can't help but feel..."
"Miss Asamure's eyelashes are like butterfly wings covered in stardust, and your angry golden eyes shine brighter than the neon lights of Shibuya. Every time I see you running around with your tail swishing, I want to catch you, crumple you up, and shove you in my pocket..."
Chaomu's tail felt cold: "......?"
Although she knew it was acting, she couldn't help but reveal a somewhat disgusted expression: Ugh, so corny.
Toru Amuro, who was standing nearby, took in her expression clearly, and his eyebrows twitched slightly for a moment: What is this guy disgusted with?
The footsteps were still some distance away, and since they had nothing else to do, Chaomu enthusiastically answered his question in a whisper, "That's so corny, Amuro-kun. Is this the extent of being a professional gigolo? Pretentious and stiff, it's obvious he's never been in a real relationship—how many shojo manga have you read?"
"...I usually perform better with human women," the blond youth narrowed his eyes dangerously and retorted against her furry ears, "but trying to talk sweetly to a living raccoon with such a sharp tongue and powerful attacks is a bit premature. I'll try harder next time."
When he said that, Chao Mu thought for a moment that he had discovered her true form, and the hair on her ears stood up a little. But she quickly realized that he was simply mocking her evening attire and personality.
This guy is really bad when he is not acting as a gigolo...
The purple-gray eyes and the golden eyes stared at each other, and they both knew that they were fighting with their eyes - but for Ms. Qingshui who had just come over, it was obviously not the case.
"...Toru-kun...?" Although she had known he was a gigolo for a long time, it was the first time she saw him with such an expression. Shimizu Sachiko took a step back, her eyes a little dazed. "And...Miss Asamure...?"
The target NPC was already in position. Chaomu exaggeratedly hugged the dark-faced man's neck tightly and buried his face in the chocolate milk. "Wow, Tou-kun clearly said that he only loved me - last week in the love hotel, he even said that he would give me his salary card for safekeeping and pay for my college education... But it turned out to be all a lie...!"
The warm breath arched in his chest, and Amuro Toru's heart was beating wildly because of her rubbing. He felt that his scumbag status had reached a new level under her impromptu performance, but he could only cooperate and continue to act: "Why would I lie to you, Xiao Mu? It's just that I have more important things to do now. Just hold on for a while, and when I make enough money, I will come back to support you-"
"Before that, I'm sorry to have to put you through this." He held her hand affectionately, and with his other hand, he pulled her away a little, unable to bear it any longer. "You shouldn't have spent all the money you earned from working last month, right? Let me help you save some money, okay?"
"I can spend money to support you... I'm willing to do anything for Tou-kun..." Chaomu held his heart and said with emotion, "But Tou-kun, can't you really spend more time with me? Every day I can only watch you and other women being affectionate...!"
"They are all work. Only you, Kogure, are a part of my life." Amuro Toru's accent was made to sound like a translator. After failing to save the situation, he gave up thinking and continued to recite the lines according to the plot, "I meet you in my dreams every night..."
This line comes from Midorikawa Kei, who later examined the love letters from Councilman Fujita that Moroboshi Dai had examined at the Shimizu residence that night. According to various intelligence reports, Councilman Fujita had developed feelings for his wife's younger generation when Shimizu Sachiko was only fifteen or sixteen years old, writing numerous cheesy love letters that captivated the naive girl.
The familiar conversation had obviously completely aroused Shimizu Sachiko's bad memories - the images of the young man she had a crush on and the old man who deceived her feelings gradually overlapped. She staggered back with an ugly expression, her fingertips trembling slightly: "You, you guys...!"
Those familiar words forcibly pried open her memory. When she was young, Councillor Fujita had pressed a love letter into her hands, with the same affectionate words: "She is the bargaining chip in the marriage between politics and business, only you, Sachiko, are the home of my soul."
It was under this kind of deception that she was lured into abandoning another relationship. At the time, she consoled herself by saying, "Yuri-san and him were just playing their own games," and that she hadn't betrayed anyone. Yet, she often found herself in agony in the dead of night, unable to look directly into the eyes of her older best friend, who had always tolerated her.
Thinking of her two "sisters", Sachiko Shimizu suddenly had an epiphany.
"Did Miya-nee and Yuri-nee ask you to... put on this show?" This overly naive and sensitive young lady suddenly showed surprising sensitivity. She steadied herself by holding onto Midorikawa's arm and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Do they still think I'm the same brat who needed to be coaxed? How could I be fooled by such exaggerated acting skills...!"
...Ah, I'm exposed. Mission failure?
Chaomu blinked, and was about to let the black-faced man quickly make excuses. The latter's face showed no unusual expression, as if he had anticipated the current situation. He just smiled bitterly and said, "Sure enough, I can't hide it from you."
Not only him, Midorikawa Kei, who was holding Ms. Shimizu's arm, also seemed to be in no hurry. She seemed a little stupid as she was the only one who was panicked at the scene.
The player who was just skimming through the story adjusted his expression, changing his gaze to one of wisdom that saw through everything, while calmly flipping through the pages to review the previous events.
After turning a few pages, she came to her senses: Mr. Cowherd's plan can be said to be interconnected. Compared to letting Ms. Shimizu be deceived and hurt, it is more impressive to let her realize that it was an act and have a feeling of enlightenment; at the same time, Toru Amuro, Kei Midorikawa and she will not completely offend Ms. Shimizu because of this, and they can still make a living in the Shimizu family in the future.
This was not quite what Chaomu had expected. She had originally thought that she and Xiao Heimian would pretend to be driven away, and then Midorikawa would carefully comfort Ms. Shimizu under the wisteria trellis... Based on the current trend, what was the purpose of this trellis?
Soon, Mrs. Kawasaki and Mrs. Fujita came out from behind the curtains and told her the answer.
The older lady clapped her hands with a smile. "I knew this trick wouldn't work on Sachiko. After all, Sachiko is so smart—Yuri even bet me you wouldn't be able to figure it out."
"...Arisato-nee always treats me like a child." Shimizu Sachiko turned her head away, her eyelashes fluttering as she let out a few glittering drops of light. "How could I not notice this..."
She had actually known it all along, and Mrs. Fujita had never blamed her—it was just that she herself was still upset because of the guilt of betraying her friend, and in the end, she still needed others to comfort her...
"Come on, little one. You had the same expression when I caught you drinking secretly at my party ten years ago." Mrs. Fujita pinched her face, forcing her to turn around. They met each other's eyes, wiping away the tears. "You hid on the terrace, crying until your mascara smudged, and you insisted you were the most unsuccessful lady in Tokyo... like a little girl who accidentally broke a vase."
By then, Nakamura Yuri had married into the Fujita family, becoming Mrs. Fujita. Her marriage to Councilman Fujita was purely one of arrangement, and both had lovers outside the family. From a young age, Yuri's mother had taught her not to expect too much from marriage, love, or men... She simply needed to "manly" and embrace the benefits of marriage without compromising on relationships that were destined to be betrayed.
Kawasaki Miya and her had similar upbringings, and their mothers had similar personalities and shared philosophies, which led them to know each other from a very young age. Shimizu Sachiko's mother was also supposed to be with them, but she was in poor health and died young, leaving no one to fully fulfill her motherly role and teach young Sachiko how to escape the schemes of men.
A woman much younger than her buried her face in the crook of her neck. Yuri gently patted Sachiko's back, her eyes involuntarily darkening as she thought of her husband. Some men always considered conquering their wives' best friends a badge of honor, and that old man Fujita was undoubtedly one of the most despicable scumbags among them.
She didn't blame the young girl for being led into the abyss, she just hated that the old guy hadn't died yet... But it would be soon, anyway, there was solid evidence that he had cheated on several women, and sooner or later he would be kicked out of the house.
"Okay, stop crying, little cat," when Sachiko Shimizu raised her head, Yuri was the kind sister again.
She gently wiped away her best friend's tears, and took the young woman to a seat with Kawasaki Miya. "The night is still long, darling. There's no need to cry over an unimportant man. Don't you like Toru-kun? This Jing-kun is not bad either, right?"
"The little rabbit and the golden retriever have something to show." Mrs. Kawasaki snapped her fingers casually, and the blond young man followed suit with great insight. "I heard that Tou-kun is a pretty good street dancer. Does Jing-kun know how to do that?"
"...I guess I understand a little bit..." Midorikawa Kei coughed lightly and exchanged a helpless look with Yu Junran, "I'll try my best..."
The two gigolos were dancing passionately under the lights. The raccoon, who hadn't unlocked the skill book in this area, hugged his tail and took a half step back, hiding himself in the shadows. He looked at the task progress bar: it had indeed risen to 99 percent.
"Let Sachiko Shimizu have a great time", this commission, which was the most important in the eyes of the two ladies, was successfully completed - Ms. Shimizu smiled happily.
However, regarding the lost treasure...is there still a one percent chance of uncertainty?
Chaomu stared at the progress bar that was almost filled up and fell into a brief contemplation.
I always feel like there's something missing...
While she was thinking, Mimi Moroboshi, who had been lying motionless on the rooftop in the wind for a long time, suddenly moved. The cat's paws representing the pet's movements moved on the map and gradually coincided with her position.
【Mimi Moroboshi is watching. 】
The small text on the pet's status bar was clickable. Chaomu tentatively tapped it, and suddenly a different perspective appeared before his eyes. Under the scope, a well-dressed and somewhat elegant middle-aged man walked through the banquet hall with disgust on his face, asking others something.
Above the NPC's head, Councillor Fujita's name is marked in light gold, the color of an important NPC.
Good Mimi, I found the enemy and opened a can of food for him.
Chaomu narrowed his eyes slightly, left the terrace quietly, and pulled the curtains again to hide the ladies who were talking and laughing behind him.
When she landed on the steps, Councillor Fujita was asking the waiter if he had seen his wife. His old face was quite handsome, no wonder he could deceive the young girl.
"...Didn't see Arisato? And what about Sachiko? Where did she go?"
The waiter of the Shimizu family looked embarrassed. He obviously knew the relationship between his young lady and this man, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should say it.
"According to Mrs. Kawasaki's order, guests who do not cross-dress according to the rules in the banquet hall will be asked to leave."
Before he could reply, Chaomu stepped forward and stopped Councillor Fujita with a single hand. Her pale golden eyes looked at him indifferently, as if he were not a distinguished guest. "All gentlemen present must be fully clothed. Your attire does not currently meet the standards."
"Now, you have two choices - are you going to take off your clothes and put on that doggie apron and wag your tail at Ms. Shimizu, or are you going to leave here in a respectable manner?"
The mission progress was only one percent away, and she would not let the suspicious man who was suspected of wanting to take Ms. Shimizu's treasure take a step forward.
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The author has something to say: Reward for putting down the chapter.