Chapter 214

"Let me think about it. After talking to my mother, I'll first ask Mr. Okura from yesterday to act as matchmaker, then I'll ask your parents for their consent, and then contact relatives and friends from both sides to attend the engagement ceremony..."

"You're very qualified, and I'm not bad either, so I don't think there will be too much resistance. If anything unexpected happens, I'll do my best even if it means kneeling down and giving up everything. How about it?"

You've thought of everything in such detail, what else can I do? Please, this makes me look like a weak, pathetic Shiro-chan!

"... I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to get married or engaged right now."

"Is that so..." She released him, her disappointment visibly evident, but then tried to persuade him to stay, "Then how about dating! It's okay to be in a relationship, right?"

"That one too..."

"Why?!" Her delicate body continued to sway uncontrollably, her expression stifled. She exhaled, and blood seemed to trickle from the corner of her mouth. "Is... is there something about me that doesn't suit your taste?"

"If you can, please just tell me, and I can change it!"

"No, Miss Wangzhong is truly outstanding," he said, looking away, "But I have more important things to do right now, so I don't have time to think about these things."

"Is that... the clothing business?" Ouka Mai was puzzled. If it was, it shouldn't conflict with her at all; on the contrary, it should be quite compatible. "Or is it your studies?"

"Neither. I'm sorry, it's a rather private matter, so I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, I see..." Despite her disappointment, she didn't press the issue further, but instead said dejectedly, "I didn't expect to be rejected so thoroughly."

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent didn't know how to comfort her. Compared to continuing to walk a tightrope after officially confirming their relationship, being single now was much more convenient.

The former not only violates morality and ethics but also risks being stabbed, while the latter is at most called a philandering scumbag who cheats on multiple women.

He understood what was more important.

Sometimes I think the world is really amazing. Even when doing the same thing, just by virtue of different identities, bystanders and those involved can have completely different opinions and thoughts.

"So this is what heartbreak feels like? It's truly a bitter experience..."

"..."

"I probably won't be able to sleep tonight either. I hope I won't have to be rushed to the hospital tomorrow morning because my heart has stopped beating."

"..."

"I think I might need to take a break from school for a while to heal my wounds through travel. Talent, would you like to come with me?"

"..."

Who goes on a breakup trip with the person who was heartbroken?! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!

"Haha~ Just kidding." Ouka Mai smiled, though it was a little forced. "I wanted to ask—will that important matter take a long time?"

Sakurakoji Talent pondered deeply. If it were before, he couldn't say for sure. If all went smoothly, it might take two or three years; if things were slow, it was hard to say how long it would take just to gather the required number of people.

But thanks to Ouka Mai's sudden attack—the only thing he had to thank her for—he unlocked a new way of "cultivation."

If we're lucky, we might be able to finish it soon, but we'll need to do further experiments to see how it goes.

Thinking about this, he was angry with Hoshino Ai, who not only attacked him while he was asleep, but also kept quiet about the bad things she had done, making him only realize it now!

That guy deserves to have his butt stepped on hard!

"Well, I can't say for sure, but if things go smoothly, it might only take a year or two," he said thoughtfully.

Actually, this timeframe was based on his worst-case scenario estimate.

If he uses any means necessary, he can end this fate that has been haunting him for at most six months.

"Huh? One or two years?" Ouka Mai looked at him in astonishment.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought it was a long-term plan that would take ten or twenty years, but it turns out it only takes one or two years?!" She grabbed his hand, surprised and delighted. "Are you serious? It really only takes one or two years?"

"... That's good." Should he have elaborated on the timeframe a little longer?

"Will you be able to date and get married normally in a year or two?"

"Right..."

"Oh, I see..." She breathed a long sigh of relief, the melancholy that had almost driven her to the brink of suicide vanishing completely.

"That's great news—well, though it's hard to say, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"You said..." Sakurakoji Talent sighed, "Could you please let go of my hand first?"

Are young women these days so blatantly taking advantage of others?

"Could you call me by my name from now on?" Ouka Mai asked awkwardly, looking away. "It feels a bit embarrassing if I'm the only one calling you Talent. It makes me feel like I'm being presumptuous."

"Of course! I know I've caused you a lot of trouble! It's shameless of me to make this request! But..."

"True Wei." He didn't have time to listen to her rambling anymore. He glanced at his phone and typed out his final whisper.

"Ugh!!!" Ouka Mai shyly covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

"This... this is even more embarrassing than I imagined. I never felt this way when other people called me."

"Oh, really?" He stared at his phone silently, responding indifferently.

Bah! You vixen!

He's calmed down from his initial shock, so don't expect him to do anything you'd like from now on!

"Looks like I'll have a good dream tonight, thank you!" Her smile remained unchanged, showing no disappointment at his indifference.

"Although it will take some time, I can wait patiently for you."

"During this time, I will still see you often, and we will deepen our feelings for each other little by little. When the time is right, we should be able to get our marriage certificate, right?"

"It's just canceling the engagement ceremony, it's no big deal!"

She nodded thoughtfully, feeling satisfied with the Mirai she had planned for herself.

"When you're devising your schemes, can you at least keep them from me hearing them?" He frowned, staring at her, admiring her unparalleled confidence.

You managed to cover that up for yourself, you're truly amazing!

"Alright, now that you've finished talking, go back. I have things to do later, go on~" He waved him away.

"Hey~ Didn't you promise to let me in?!"

"How dare you say something like that?"

"Hmm, is that not allowed?"

Seeing his firm refusal, Ouka Mai looked regretful.

"I understand. I'll be leaving right away, but please allow me to say one last thing."

"Alright~ Now that you've finished speaking, hurry up and leave. My maid will be here soon, and it'll be troublesome to explain later."

"Okay, what I wanted to say was, oh, Miss Aoyama?"

Sakurakoji Talent looked nervously towards the elevator lobby. How could he appear so suddenly?

But as soon as he turned his head, he realized, "Oh no, I was careless!"

Sure enough, their bodies, which were not far apart to begin with, were pressed together again, and his cherry-colored lips, which had been taken from him just minutes before, were once again captured by someone else.

Unlike the awkward encounter that lasted only a few seconds, the length of this interaction fully demonstrated just how terrifying Ouka Mai's learning ability truly is.

The second time, however, her skill level was far superior to before, her stamina doubled, and she even used all the moves she had previously dared not use on him.

It seems that the description of a talent that allows one to accurately grasp the essentials after just one encounter is not entirely unfounded.

Hey! Don't put your hand in...

"..."

"..."

In the empty and quiet lobby and corridor, only increasingly rapid breathing and some slightly inappropriate sounds echoed.

After a long time,

Ouka Mai took a few steps back, completely widening the distance between the two.

She touched her already moist, sexy red lips with her finger, her cheeks almost the same color, and the frustration of not achieving her goal vanished completely.

"My last words are, it really is delicious, especially the part with the Talent." She laughed triumphantly, a bright and cheerful laugh that completely concealed any despicable act she had just committed.

"Although it's regrettable that my wish cannot be fulfilled in a short time, let me use this memory to comfort and alleviate my loneliness."

"Oh, also, do you need any help before you leave? I heard online that it can be very uncomfortable to stay like that for a long time, and this is also my fiancée's..."

"Get out of here!" Sakurakoji Talent glared at her hatefully and slammed the door shut, leaving her outside.

She was outside the door, and I was inside, so I won!

But what exactly is this feeling that I've never experienced before?

Ha... If he were more unrestrained, he would have shown that girl how powerful he was long ago!

He didn't care about the rich heiress model, the talented and popular girl, or the high-attack, low-defense, green-resistant golden retriever... He just went up and punched her one after another!

Ge You lay dejectedly on the sofa, his dead fish eyes staring motionlessly at the familiar ceiling.

After a while, the sound of a doorknob turning was heard, and the door was opened.

"Oh, Young Master, you're up?"

Aoyama Nanami entered the living room carrying her usual cleaning supplies. She paused when she saw his unseemly sitting posture, then pretended not to notice and greeted him, "Good morning, Young Master!"

"It's not good at all..."

"Ah?"

"... Nothing, has that woman left?"

"That woman? I didn't see anyone outside..." Aoyama Nanami frowned, puzzled, and guessed, "Could it be Miss Sakuri again?"

The only person she could think of who would be staking out his door so early in the morning was Yōkadō Sakuri.

Despite giving her a stern lecture every time she bumped into her, the other woman simply ignored her completely, leaving her with nowhere to vent her anger...

On the contrary, sometimes she herself would blush and feel her heart race when teased by her own socially experienced words.

Chapter 270 Your Sister Isn't Clean

But what could she do? The other party was not only a household name but also a wealthy young lady from a prominent family. She, a mere maid, had absolutely no chance against her...

She makes no attempt to hide her pursuit and confession of Sakurakoji Talent; she doesn't even have the right to object, otherwise it would be considered an interference with someone else's free love—so the only criticism she can receive is for her stalker-like inappropriate behavior.

"It wasn't her. She's filming a program out of town today and left last night," Sakurakoji Talent denied, but was relieved to know the answer.

"I see... You really do know a lot about this." Aoyama Nanami's gaze was deep and thoughtful.

He merely chuckled inwardly at the faint disdain in her words.

Nonsense, that's only natural!

Otherwise, do you think he spends several hours every day texting them just to provide them with emotional support?

How can he navigate the outdoors with ease without knowing everyone's daily schedule in advance?

If one day someone were to catch him shopping, dating, or having intimate contact with someone, or even if Ogura Asahi and Sakurakoji Talent's identities were exposed—wouldn't he immediately scramble to his feet?

These are all very serious problems, okay?

Do you think anyone can be Master of Time Management?

With so many people's birthdays, could you possibly remember them all?

Once you've remembered all that, will you be able to prepare gifts that everyone will likely like on time?

He was already busy enough with remembering the birthdays of all his family Relatives every year, and now that's doubled... it's really...

In an ordinary family, this wouldn't be a big deal. Apart from a few very close relatives, they wouldn't care about others at all. But things are a little different here.

Even if you can't be there in person to give a gift and offer your congratulations, you should at least send a message or make a phone call to explain. Otherwise, there's a risk that the other person might think you dislike them.

This is probably the downside of having Family with heavy love, and it's also the reason why he cares so much about other people's birthdays—he's just suffered from too much PTSD.

He's been very busy lately, and he didn't even really celebrate his own birthday a few days ago. For the Ashiri of his mother and his wife a few days before that, he only sent his blessings and gifts, without holding any birthday parties.

By the way, Ashiri and Sakurakoji Luna share the same birthday, March 27th, which is convenient for him because it saves him the trouble of making preparations.