Overall, an ugly thing with a lot of character.
Behind it, a thick aura of blood was gathering, obviously from the resentment of the three deceased workers.
Kaito wasn't interested in wasting time on this kind of small fry monster, especially one that randomly killed innocents, so he raised his hand.
ROAR!
Spiritual power quickly gathered, and in an instant, the familiar flame dragon appeared, letting out a mighty roar.
Kaito casually patted the fire dragon's head. It nuzzled his hand affectionately, completely lacking any domineering aura, instead, it resembled a small puppy being spoiled by its owner.
Secretary Sakiko had already witnessed her president's flame-handling techniques many times, so she wasn't surprised. She merely looked at the fire dragon with slightly envious eyes.
Yukino was also one of the few who knew the truth, so she wasn't too nervous either.
But Yukinoshita Haruno wasn't so calm.
In the previous second, the area had been empty, now, in the next second, there appeared a creature whose claws were thicker than her waist. The always-composed, mature onee-san was genuinely startled.
She instinctively dodged to the side and hid behind Kaito, clutching his arm tightly. Gone was the slyness of a vixen, instead, she looked more like a trembling little white rabbit.
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Chapter 207: Sakiko, You Should Go Home Now
"Relax a little."
Kaito didn't mind Haruno's action too much, casually offered a word of comfort, and then looked toward the nearby flesh-and-blood evil spirit composed of countless broken limbs and fragments.
The little fire dragon tilted its head, quickly understood its master's meaning, and let out a loud roar before pouncing toward the evil spirit.
Sensing the approaching danger, the flesh-and-blood evil spirit, which had been aimlessly wandering near the mixer, suddenly halted and turned its head.
At the end of its vision was a pillar of fire soaring into the sky, as if it was going to ignite the whole world.
"Be mindful of food hygiene," Kaito tapped the head of the silly little fire dragon and sighed.
Eating all kinds of random junk, never mind whether it'd upset the stomach, didn't it feel gross at least?
"Burp~" The little fire dragon let out a loud belch, its large bell-like eyes full of innocent expression.
'Truly a stupid dragon.'
Kaito didn't continue lecturing it. He waved his hand again to dismiss the tool dragon, and only then turned his gaze back toward his little secretary.
Meeting the president's gaze, Togawa Sakiko caught on and stepped forward.
"The request has been completed. Miss Haruno, next shall we talk about the matter of compensation?"
Sixty million.
That was the final amount received after resolving the evil spirit.
Yukinoshita Haruno was very generous, showing no signs of hesitation. Once she snapped out of her daze, she immediately had her secretary transfer the money. To show further sincerity, she even voluntarily added another ten million yen on top of the original amount.
Not only that, she also took the initiative to book a private room at a high-end restaurant and extended an invitation to Kaito, speaking with genuine courtesy.
Though in Secretary Sakiko's eyes, this was clearly a bad woman eyeing her precious cabbage, and also a declaration of war.
"I've eaten already. Not interested. Goodbye."
A rare weekend, spending it on socializing would be a complete waste.
Kaito very decisively rejected Miss Haruno's invitation without the slightest hesitation.
"That really is a shame."
Haruno didn't push it further. For a social expert like her, maintaining boundaries was very important.
After all, it was their first meeting, being too enthusiastic would only trouble Kaito, possibly even make him dislike her.
That wasn't what she wanted.
Anyway with Yukino as a middleman, there would be plenty of excuses to meet in the future.
Before that, however, there was something even more important to do.
She escorted them all the way to the door and watched Kaito and the others walk off. Then Yukinoshita Haruno turned around and looked at her still-dazed sister, revealing a little devil-like smile.
"What do you want to do?", Yukino instinctively took a step back, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and assumed a defensive stance from Aikido.
"Don't be so nervous, little Yukino~", Also an Aikido master, Haruno easily pulled her sister close by the shoulder, lips curling in a grin.
"Onee-chan just wants to know how exactly did you and that Kaito-kun meet?"
Leaving the construction site, it was still early.
Casually, Kaito gave Secretary Sakiko a 500,000 yen bonus, the huge number startled the girl.
"T-Too much!", Looking at the payment message on her phone, Togawa Sakiko shook her little head like a rattle drum, a face full of unyielding spirit, "President, I can't accept this."
In truth, the most important part of the request had been handled by the president alone. Her only contribution was being part of the vibe crew.
Last time's 150,000 yen bonus was already a lot, this time it tripled, and just holding it felt a little scorching.
"Really?", Kaito raised an eyebrow, "If you don't want it, I'll give the money to Mutsumi as pocket money instead."
Togawa Sakiko: ""
If you said you wanted to open a window, everyone would refuse. But if you said you were going to remove the roof, they'd agree to the window.
"T-Then forget it," The little secretary indeed folded under that threat, hugging her phone with a blushing face, refusing to let go no matter what.
Having settled Sakiko, and seeing that it was still early, going home now would be a bit dull.
Kaito thought for a moment and decided to take the opportunity to bring his little secretary out for a proper walk.
Come to think of it ever since he met Sakiko, all of her free time had essentially been dedicated to supporting the agency, carrying the weight of everything on her own.
While such dedication deserved strong encouragement, Kaito wasn't some kind of heartless boss. Giving her some proper relaxation was definitely necessary.
"W-Wouldn't this delay your time, President?"
It was obvious Secretary Sakiko was quite tempted by this suggestion. All this time, the chances to be alone with the president had been pitifully few. As for a date between the two of them thinking about it carefully, not even once?
"It's no delay."
Kaito shook his head, pinching his chin thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, ever since Mutsumi moved into my place, she hasn't really gone out much either. She's always cooped up at home. Might as well call her out too."
"Mutsumi's coming too?", Togawa Sakiko bit her lip, slightly disappointed, 'Doesn't this mean our two-on-two world is going to be invaded by a third party?'
But thinking further, she and Mutsumi were now firm allies. Beside them, there was also a sneaky cat trying to steal the president's girlfriend spot, eyeing them like prey. Now wasn't the time to fall out with Mutsumi, otherwise, wouldn't they be handing victory to the enemy?
So she didn't refuse the proposal. She just hesitated a moment before asking, "President, have you decided where we're going to play later?"
"Anywhere is fine," Kaito cleared his throat. Among the girls he knew, Sakiko's face looked the softest and most pinchable.
But that kind of action was a bit too bold, so he compromised by gently ruffling the girl's little head instead.
"It mostly depends on what you and Mutsumi want to do."
"Then, how about an amusement park?"
Togawa Sakiko lifted her face, her blue twin-tails swaying slightly in the wind. Her golden pupils sparkled just a little, "I really want to ride a Ferris wheel!"
Legend says, when the Ferris wheel reaches the very top, if a couple kisses, they'll be together forever.
Although that saying is super clich, girls are emotional creatures, whether it works or not doesn't matter, as long as it's romantic.
The only regret was she and the president weren't a couple yet. Even if they reached the top, they wouldn't be able to share a kiss.
But if she could ride the Ferris wheel with the president, rounding it up would mean completing half the legend. Even if they couldn't be together forever, half a lifetime should be no problem, right?
If they rode the Ferris wheel twice and rounded it up again, wouldn't that be a full lifetime?
Kaito wasn't aware of these little girl thoughts. But he didn't refuse. Just as he was about to nod and agree, in the distance, a black Maybach slowly approached.
Hearing the sound, Togawa Sakiko instinctively looked over, and the moment she recognized that luxury car, her smile gradually disappeared.
Finally, the black Maybach slowly stopped by the roadside.
The window rolled down, revealing the stern face of an elderly man.
"Sakiko, Go back home."
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Chapter 208: Launching Rebellion Against Graceful Grandfather
The afternoon sunlight dyed the clouds at the edge of the sky a warm orange, with a texture as soft as cotton candy.
Togawa Sakiko bit her lip tightly, looked toward the elderly man in the car, and only after a long time did she speak in a low voice.
"You really are everywhere."
"...Grandfather."
Togawa Sadaharu. The current leader of the Togawa Group, and also the nominal current head of the Togawa family.
Although he had already aged, this old man did not look the least bit decrepit. His head full of silver hair was neatly combed, and he had a stern square face. His official-like seriousness was as if carved, and one could imagine he was a dashing, handsome man in his youth.
"Sakiko," His tone was light, but it carried a firmness that allowed no doubt, as he repeated once again, "You should go home."
'Again, like this, always like this.'
In Togawa Sakiko's memory, her grandfather had always been this way. Whenever he spoke with her, he always carried an imposing and unquestionable air, as if in his eyes, the girl named "Togawa Sakiko" was just a puppet that could be manipulated at will.
Puppets did not need to have emotions, just needed to follow orders. Regardless of whether the order conflicted with your wishes, you were powerless to resist, and the only choice was to accept.
'But, Grandfather, times have already changed.'
She was no longer that weak, naive, and innocent eldest daughter of the Togawa family.
The current Togawa Sakiko was merely a diligent and conscientious little secretary beside the company president.
"I will go home," The girl lifted her face and tightly grasped the president's hand beside her, drawing strength from courage.
Those brilliant golden eyes shimmered. With her actions, she launched a rebellion against her graceful grandfather.
"But not now, and even less should it be by your coercion. It must come from my own will."
Even though his usually obedient granddaughter defied him, Togawa Sadaharu did not get angry because of this.
He merely fixed his gaze on their tightly intertwined fingers, and those iron-gray pupils did not look away for a long time.
Togawa Sakiko felt a bit nervous under the stare, yet she never let go of the president's hand. She only pressed her lips together, her eyes stubborn and unyielding.
"I see," After a long silence, Togawa Sadaharu finally said lightly, "Sakiko, you've become strong."
This ought to have been a compliment, like a gratified grandfather patting his granddaughter's head saying, "My girl has finally grown up."
But this old man's tone carried not a trace of warmth. Instead, it was cold and hard like a rock.
His gaze shifted slightly to the right and fell on Kaito's face. There was a momentary distraction, but he quickly regained his composure.
As the current nominal head of the Togawa family, Togawa Sadaharu never fought unprepared battles.
Since he personally came today, before coming, he had already collected all the recent information on Sakiko. Of course, he was not unfamiliar with the name "Kaito."
A once-in-a-thousand-years peerless beautiful boy like Hikaru Genji, an international student from the neighboring country Celestial Empire. Though young, he possessed the ability to easily purify evil spirits, and was suspected to come from an exorcist family across the sea.
The profile collected by his subordinates was very simple. Only the most basic information, not even enough to fill a single sheet of paper.
This was normal. After all, facing a mysterious transcendent being, investigating too thoroughly would only alert the target and might even arouse their resentment, inviting unnecessary trouble.
Though the Togawa Group did not fear trouble, there was no need to make enemies everywhere.
But this time was different.
As Sakiko's grandfather, this was a family matter of the Togawa family, with no room for outsiders to interfere.
As for Sakiko's opinion?
A child who didn't understand the world only needed to obey the arrangements of adults.
So he spoke for the fourth time. This time, with just two short words, "Get in."
The tone was even colder, like a final ultimatum.
This stance made the girl's chest rise and fall violently, and even her delicate face faintly flushed red.
It was out of anger at this stubborn old man who wouldn't listen, but also partly from fear.
After all, she grew up under her grandfather's sternness. Like a circus lion cub, taught with a whip from the trainer since youth. So even after it grows up and has the strength to tear a wild ox apart, it still reflexively fears the whip when raised.
In the midst of unease, someone gently tightened their grip on her hand.
As a boss who cared about his secretary, Kaito originally had no intention of speaking casually.
He only needed to be the source of strength for little Sakiko to face her grandfather, only stepping in at the critical moment to back her up.
If possible, he preferred to fulfill little Sakiko's desire to confront her grandfather on her own, relying solely on her own courage.
Unfortunately, this old fossil was getting more and more excessive, abusing his age.
Already that old, bullying a little girl was one thing, but even playing cold violence, it was just too ugly.
