Okiya Subaru lowered his head reflexively at Uzo's rejection, showing that he had taken the lesson to heart and was reflecting on it.
But soon, he suddenly found the tone familiar—it was very much like a professor methodically shooting down every proposal he put forward, then ruthlessly tossing him a single sentence: "Redo it"...
Hm? Wait.
Come to think of it, by convention, after this, a less severe professor might...
Okiya Subaru put on an eager-to-learn expression and silently prayed that Uzo was a good person—an superior who could say something like that probably was not too harsh, right? Besides, Uzo was young. Maybe the Black Organization's new generation really was moving in a more civilized direction. After all, that was the mainstream trend of the times...
Fortunately, Uzo did seem easy to talk to.
He unfolded the sunglasses he had been idly playing with in his hand, set them on the bridge of his nose, stood up, and headed toward the steps leading to the exit.
As he passed Okiya Subaru, he lowered a hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Come with me."
Okiya Subaru quickly gathered the things he had brought and rose to follow.
When they reached the First Floor, he had no time to settle the bill. He had to forgo his change, hand over both the receipt and the exact cash, then hurried out onto the street.
This was considered an old district. Many residents had gradually moved away, leaving quite a few vacant construction sites abandoned. There were not many people around, and it was relatively quiet.
Okiya Subaru looked at Uzo walking diagonally ahead of him, then at the sunglasses on his face, silently pondering: This should be Uzo himself, and it was the second possibility I had just inferred—Uzo had