Chapter 495

Finally, he picked up the patterned, high-quality square white fabric from the large bed, wrote something on it, opened the safe, and placed it on top of several other fabrics of the same size.

Back at the bedside, he quietly lay down beside her, gazing at her angelic sleeping face and listening to her even breathing, feeling as if time itself had become peaceful.

He kissed her on the forehead and cheek, then got up, grabbed his laptop, and left the room.

Sigh, another responsibility has taken its toll... Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Especially for rare and protected animals that have not been poached or exploited, there is a serious risk of liability if one eats them.

But to be fair, it was truly delicious, so much so that he almost forgot about the other person's situation and completely succumbed to its allure...

That's all!

The greater the responsibility, the more preparations are needed to cope with it, such as making money!

Without sufficient logistical funding, how could he possibly support his million-strong army?

Although we believe in gender equality these days, and he has no obligation to earn money for his partner—in fact, considering his exceptional qualities, it should be the woman who's supporting him—he's a traditional guy, after all.

If he wants his lovers to accept traditions—such as polygamy—he will inevitably have to shoulder the social responsibilities of a traditional man.

Therefore, sufficient funds and material conditions are fundamental.

Although he is now very rich, extremely rich, with more money than he could ever spend in several lifetimes, and supporting them is no problem at all—he can't just sit around and live off his wealth!

Fortunately, if this project he's currently working on can proceed step by step according to the project plan... he could earn far more money than he has so far!

It is even possible that they could reach the current level of wealth of the Okura Family, achieving true riches comparable to those of a nation.

Then he really won't have to worry about money anymore.

He sat on the sofa in the living room, closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, trying to regain and gather his somewhat scattered mental energy.

A few minutes later, there was a flash of light in the living room—but nothing, he simply opened his eyes.

He opened his partner's contact information, confirmed that the other party was still awake, and then invited them for a video call.

Thump...

The invitation was accepted very quickly, in just two seconds, but it was changed to a voice call.

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent's expression was enigmatic, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

His business partner seems to have an even more mysterious and eccentric personality than he does.

He rarely even bothers to show his face anymore; do you know what a great honor that is!

Do you even know how long he mentally prepared himself before deciding to officially appear on stage and pressing the call button?! And you're still not willing?!

He deserves to be humiliated like this! He must be killed!

How could it be repaired!!!

After a series of heavy breaths--

"Never mind, geniuses are all eccentric..." he comforted himself, suppressing his emotions.

"Moshi Moshi~ Is this Mr. Armand de Dracula?"

The call was connected, and a clear, gentle, and melodious young female voice, like heavenly music, came from the other end of the electronic device.

Hmm? Is it a girl?

Sakurakoji Talent was stunned. How come this person is different from what he expected? He thought it was... No, no, no, it's also possible that the other party is just making things up. After all, the other party didn't want to video chat, maybe they were using a voice changer!

These days, anything is possible!

But if it really is a girl, is it because she doesn't want to reveal her face that she refused the video? Is she too ugly, or is she afraid of being targeted? But he's not bad-looking...

"Moshi Moshi~ Mr. Dracula?"

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, I was thinking about something for a moment."

"No, no, no~ It's not a problem at all. But if I may ask, it's so late, is there something important that you contacted me?"

As for her... let's tentatively call her "she." He didn't see anything wrong with her straightforward statement and answered just as decisively:

"Yes, what I'd like to discuss with you tonight, Miss, is the additional investment you inquired about last time."

"Would you like to make an additional investment... please tell me."

Sakurakoji Talent could sense that the other person's voice was noticeably more tense, and they even swallowed slightly, as if this was very important to "her".

Sure enough, money is still useful, even for a genius like "her".

"Well, based on the remaining plan you provided, the reports, progress reports, and on-site completion status that I've reviewed... Overall, I'm very satisfied with your capabilities! I've decided to approve your request for additional investment!"

In the end, he even used honorifics.

It wasn't just because of the other person's respectable talent, but also because... well, the other person was his powerful father who could help him achieve a leap in wealth, so what's wrong with showing some respect?

"Oh, oh, you flatter me! You don't have to do that!"

"No, no, no, it's only right to show basic respect to a talented person—or rather, a genius—as a young lady who is a genius. This is what I learned from my uncle."

"I see... If you insist on doing this, how much additional investment are you planning to make?"

It seems the other party doesn't care much about that; what "she" is most concerned about is money.

Could he be a money-grubber? It doesn't seem likely, since he didn't embezzle project funds.

Is it to realize one's own dreams? To spread one's talents throughout the world?

How noble and virtuous she is, transcending vulgar tastes! Completely different from a vampire capitalist like him... He felt ashamed in his heart for his lowly thought of only making money to support women.

"How about five billion?"

"Fifty billion yen? That's a bit..."

The other person's voice sounded troubled, and they were clearly in a difficult position.

The initial investment was already several tens of billions of yen, and if the additional investment is only five billion yen, it is clearly not enough to do anything.

"Could you please make an exception and add a few more? I will certainly do my best to contribute to Mr. Dracula's cause!"

"No, I think you've misunderstood, Miss. It's not fifty billion yen."

"Hmm? What does that mean?"

"It's five billion dollars."

"..."

On the other end of the call, even the breathing seemed heavier, as if time had temporarily stopped.

A long time.

"Really, really? With so much funding, even Mr. Dracula..."

"That's right, to be honest, this is the vast majority of my assets. Without it, I don't have much left."

He joked with a laugh, "If I fail this time, I might as well declare myself bankrupt!"

Of course, this was just a joke. Even if he fails, at least... he can still live off the rent from the Ten no Yashiro!

If all else fails, he can still be a shameful freeloader, living off his parents for decades without any problem!

Many options available~

"If that's the case, why...?"

"There's no reason why, it's just that your abilities and achievements impressed me. You need money, and I need projects; it's a win-win situation."

"But what if it fails..."

"There's no such thing as a guaranteed profit in investing. As long as you don't abscond with the money, I won't blame you even if it ultimately fails."

On the contrary, if you dare to run away, as long as you are still in this world, I will hunt you down with all my might!

--He kept the rest of his sentence to himself.

"..."

There was silence on the other end. Twenty seconds later, "she" let out a long sigh, her tone devoid of its previous playful banter, and unusually serious. "Understood. I assure you, I will make good use of these funds and guarantee the project's ultimate success!"

"But actually, we don't need that much money right now..."

She originally thought that in order to achieve her goal, she would only need to obtain funds that were roughly the same as her initial investment, or two or three times that amount.

To everyone's surprise, the other party immediately gave ten times the initial investment... Is this what rich people are like?

It's so simple and unadorned, it has a kind of pure numerical beauty...

"Let's use the surplus funds elsewhere: marketing to increase user numbers, developing merchandise, producing related items, expanding into other international markets, rewarding creators, increasing production capacity... There are countless ways to spend money, and I still feel it's not enough."

He wasn't happy that the other party said they wouldn't need that much money; instead, he rationally discussed building the future puzzle and estimated the required funds in his mind.

He didn't know the other party's reasons or where the end goal was, but since he had started, he would not stop until he had unleashed the full potential of the project.

Although I still feel it's not enough, I shouldn't be short of money anytime soon.

If we really don't have enough left, let's give an Okura Family a chance to invest. We shouldn't let the profits go to outsiders!

"If we run out of money later, I'll find a way to raise more. Just go for it! I believe in you!"

"I am truly grateful... How can I possibly repay such a great kindness?"

"Working hard is the best way to repay you—ah, if you insist, let me see your true face!"

"Haha... Let's talk about that when the time is right. I'll definitely meet you then."

Is it there?

"You have a keen eye."

The two tacitly ended their conversation, and their slightly eerie laughter echoed in the living room.

"Alright, that's all for tonight. First, make a regional fund allocation table, and then I'll have someone transfer the funds to different countries and regions—that's more economical. I don't have any extra money right now, so it's better to be frugal."

"I totally understand! Goodnight!"

You too~

Just as he was about to hang up, the other party hurriedly added, "Oh, right! There's something I'm not sure if I should tell you..."

"What is it? Please tell me."

After discussing the important matters, Sakurakoji Talent also took off his mask, took out his fully charged phone, and began to deal with the accumulated unread messages.

Even in the middle of the night, he was still receiving flirtatious text messages... Isn't that amazing?

But since it's the weekend, it doesn't seem that magical?

First, he comforted Kogisora Yukina, who wanted to talk to him on the phone but was rejected, and then he did the same to Ouka Mai! To prevent Kasumigaoka Utaha from finding out, the call later might have to be done outdoors!

Then there's Kitagawa Marin, still staying up late to watch anime, and Inoseri Nina and the others, who just finished practice, and his very clingy god-sister who wants to come to Tokyo... Should I go over there later and fulfill her wish?

Phew... I'm truly guilty of many sins, but thankfully my physical strength has increased.

Besides... never mind, he's already feeling suicidal...

The female voice, seemingly synthesized using a voice changer, ignored his commotion and continued, "Lately, things don't seem to be very peaceful in the world... Please Kokoro."

With just one sentence, his finger, which was leaving afterimages on the screen, abruptly stopped in mid-air, unable to press down for a long time.

He closed his eyes slightly, then turned his gaze back to the laptop screen with a stern expression, his thoughts racing rapidly.

"Although it's not a major issue right now, there could be danger if we get caught up in it, and we can't predict what will happen in the future..."

Sakurakoji Talent tossed his phone aside, rested his chin on his hand, and pondered. Just how much did "she" know?

Judging from his tone, it was clear that he knew something.

Does "she" refer to Adolescence Syndrome, or something else? And how was this known?

If that's what he meant, even he himself only found that tiny bit of information because he personally encountered it and deliberately investigated it, and yet the other party already knew about it...

As for himself, because very few people know the truth and it's mostly based on verbal accounts, he probably hasn't been exposed yet.

After thinking it over, he decided to continue maintaining a good relationship with "her".

"I understand, thank you for reminding me. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to help you within my capabilities."

Is this because of the partners?

The other person asked playfully.