Ms. Akiha snorted. "The client insisted on discussing business somewhere with a good view. What could I do?"
Officer Takagi did not quite understand. "Couldn't you discuss business somewhere else?"
Ms. Akiha shook her head as though she hated iron for not becoming steel. "With that attitude, you deserve to earn only that meager salary of yours. Do you know how difficult those clients are? Only by making them happy and satisfied, making them feel they've received enough attention, will they be willing to hand over their money."
Officer Takagi: "..." But you were in real estate, not selling insurance... Sigh, forget it. He did not understand the affairs of businesspeople. He should just keep quiet and be a bodyguard.
Amid the wordless silence, the two finally climbed the long stone steps and reached the open-air Observation Deck halfway up the mountain.
With the mountain no longer blocking the way, a cool breeze blew into their faces, and the view suddenly opened up before them.
Officer Takagi gazed at the green mountains in the distance and listened to the murmuring stream below. His expression relaxed slightly. Ms. Akiha actually had a point. This place really did make one feel refreshed, and it was easier to let down one's guard here. No wonder it was... uh, no wonder it was a negotiation spot so carefully chosen by a Scammer.
Just as he was grumbling to himself, a rapid series of bang-bang sounds suddenly came from the forest.
"?!" Officer Takagi jolted in alarm. His first instinct was to clutch his head and drop to the ground, but he quickly realized something was off. "No one would be so bored as to fire a machine gun in the mountains, right... Could it actually be a string of firecrackers?"
The thought made him