Yukima Azuma's words were vague, but Yukinoshita Yukino roughly understood the situation.
She even guessed who the friend Yukima Azuma was referring to was.
This solution could be said to be perfect.
If she had to find a problem, it would be: Why would the other party want to invest in Laplace Corporation?
Yukino knew the answer to this question.
Because the person they were investing in wasn't the company with vague prospects, but Yukima Azumathe radiant person was the real reason for the investment.
If she were an investor, she would also bet on Yukima Azuma, and it would be a big bet.
"I understand. The rest, I'll try my best to handle."
Yukino's voice was somewhat melancholic.
In such gray areas, she truly couldn't help Yukima Azuma much.
The only thing she could do was, in the bright light, try her best to do everything well.
"Yukino, I Can't Be Without You."
Having been told this, Yukino naturally didn't want to disappoint Yukima Azuma because of his choice.
Just as Yukino was about to turn her gaze back to the mountain of documents piled on her desk...
Yukima Azuma's finger pinched her cheek again.
"Been a few days since we met, have you lost weight?" Yukima Azuma asked, his tone was firm.
"You must be overworking yourself lately, not eating properly, right?"
"Come back early tonight, I'll cook soup for you."
Yukino sighed lightly.
She tilted her head, letting it lean towards Yukima Azuma's finger.
She always felt that Yukima Azuma was using some kind of "handsome man strategy" to keep her working.
If not, why would he be so kind to her out of the blue?
Flirting with her over and over, why not just marry her already?
Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly froze.
She just remembered something.
It seemed Yukima Azuma next to her was still not of marriageable age.
Realizing this, Yukino couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, as if she were a "middle-aged cow liking young grass."
Oh well, even if it's a "handsome man strategy."
Since hearing the words "I Can't Be Without You," she had no other choice but to stay by his side.
Therefore, even if it's bait, she would willingly bite without hesitation.
About half an hour later, Yukima Azuma left Yukino's office.
After he left, Yukino went to the restroom to wash her face.
Then, she returned to her desk.
Her gaze fell on the gift box on the table.
With a sense of expectation, she reached out to open it.
Inside the box was a cute penguin-shaped stuffed animal.
Its expression resembled that of a certain boy.
There was no distinctive feature of Hokkaido.
But Yukino really liked it.
She looked around the office.
Finally, Yukino placed the penguin-shaped stuffed animal, which resembled Yukima Azuma, in a corner of her desk.
It was placed where she could easily reach out and pinch it anytime.
Just as she finished setting it up, a knock echoed at the door.
"Director Yukinoshita, there have been some recent changes in the company's senior management. I brought the list for you."
A pleasant female voice came in.
"Umu, come in."
Yukino withdrew her hand and returned to her usual cold demeanor as the "Icey goddess."
Isshiki Iroha pushed open the door and walked into the office, handing Yukinoshita Yukino the list.
As Yukino glanced over the list, Iroha's gaze inadvertently fell on the penguin on the desk.
A slight disturbance stirred within her.
Isshiki Iroha had also graduated from Toyogasaki Academy.
Although she was a year older than Yukinoshita Yukino, she had heard of the person who created the "year of Yukinoshita."
After joining the company and interacting a few times, Isshiki Iroha had gradually developed admiration for this kouhai.
But this beautiful, icy woman who had once been completely solitary during her school years...
Did she like toys like this?
And even placed it in her office, a non-private space?
Isshiki felt that this wasn't like Yukinoshita's style at all.
Or perhaps, she was subtly showing a contrast.
Like... a young girl just starting to feel the first stirrings of love.
Who could it be?
The one who had melted the cold heart of this director.
Curiosity surged within Iroha.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving Laplace Corporation, Yukima Azuma headed toward the Sawamura house.
He had been invited to lunch at the Sawamura household today.
Sayuri's invitation was within Yukima Azuma's expectations.
But what surprised him was that last night, Eriri suddenly changed her attitude and actively "approached" him.
Now that he had "eat" Eriri, facing Sayuri made Yukima Azuma feel an extra three layers of pressure.
He rang the doorbell at the Sawamura house.
The door at the entrance immediately opened.
"Oh, it's Yukima-kun! Come in, come in!"
Sayuri greeted him with a genuine smile, extending her hand to pull him inside the mansion.
"Sayuri oba-san..."
"Ehh, why call me '-san'? It sounds so distant. From now on, just call me Sayuri."
"Is that really alright..."
"Of course, what's wrong with it? You know, our Sawamura family doesn't have those complicated rules."
"Then, please just call me Azuma."
Seeing the smile on Sayuri's face almost stretch to her ears, Yukima Azuma understood that Eriri had definitely spilled the beans.
Or at least Sayuri had noticed a slip-up.
But that wasn't too surprising.
Eriri was never the type to keep things secret.
Sayuri was smart, and more importantly, she understood her daughter better than anyone else.
From the moment Yukima Azuma "eat" Eriri, he did not expect this to be hidden from Sayuri.
Chapter 134: Declaring the Harem in Front of Sayuri!
Chapter 134: Declaring the Harem in Front of Sayuri!
Sayuri had stayed at home for the past two days while her daughter was traveling.
Each night, she slept on the new smart bed.
After cooking meals, she didn't even need to wash the dishes herself.
The experience was truly wonderful.
Upon receiving this gift from Yukima Azuma, Sayuri began to ponder.
Should she "bet" on him?
If Sayuri had a son, she wouldn't hesitate to place all her trust in Yukima Azuma.
Letting a "high-quality stock" like this slip away would truly be a loss.
But for her daughter, all she wanted was for the girl to live a peaceful and happy life.
No matter how high-quality a "stock" may be, there's always the risk of it dropping in value.
For years, Sayuri hadn't gambled because she didn't want Eriri to face even the slightest risk.
The Sawamura family's assets were already enough for Eriri to live carefree for a lifetime.
But this time, the gamble was different.
Her daughter had long since fallen into the quagmire calling love.
Sayuri didn't hesitate for long.
After a brief moment of deliberation, she almost immediately decided to take the gamble.
It was inevitable, after all.
No matter how much she tried to hold her ground, it was meaningless now.
Sayuri only hoped her daughter could fight for herself a little in the future.
Tsundere attitudes rarely have happy endings.
After all, the girls around that boy were simply too exceptional.
This should have been a full-blown "Harem carnage" long ago.
The fact that it remained peaceful until now was entirely due to how outstanding that young man was.
But if things kept stagnating...
Even without a "Harem carnage," her foolish daughter would struggle to secure an important position.
Over the past few days, while Sayuri was pondering how to encourage her daughter to take a more proactive approach, Eriri returned from Hokkaido.
The moment Eriri stepped into the house, Sayuri noticed something was off.
The aura around her daughter had completely transformed.
The sour little pear from before had suddenly matured into a sweet, fragrant one that couldn't be hidden.
This sudden change left Sayuri slightly stunned.
She hadn't expected her daughter to make such progress during this trip.
If it had just been the two of them, there was a chance of some youthful "accidental gunfire."
But this time, there were four people on the trip.
To make progress in such a situation, something must have happened.
Out of curiosity, Sayuri asked a few probing questions.
As a result, Eriri barely got a few words out before her face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she ran straight to her room.
Sayuri didn't manage to extract any concrete information.
But it didn't matter.
Wasn't there still someone else involved?
Sayuri smiled "kindly."
....
At the Sawamura residence.
Dragged inside by Sayuri, Yukima Azuma had just finished changing into indoor slippers when two "fluffy bundles" rushed into his arms.
Hogyokumaru nimbly climbed onto Yukima Azuma's shoulder and squatted down.
Shiratamaru lay on Yukima Azuma's arm, affectionately rubbing against him.
"They're not bothering you... Sayuri... are they?" Yukima Azuma still wasn't used to addressing her by name directly.
"Not at all. These two are so well-behaved. Now that you're back, I almost don't want to let them go," Sayuri replied with a smile.
These two intelligent little cats had given Sayuri the full joy of owning pets.
But as for whether she wanted to have one at her own house...
Sayuri felt it was better to pass on that idea.
She didn't think spending a fortune on a cat would necessarily bring satisfaction.
Finding the right one was a matter of luck.
Her daughter's luck, however, seemed to be quite good.
If she really wanted to have one, perhaps Eriri could try her luck.
The two of them entered the Sawamura living room, one after the other.
This is the first time Sayuri invited Yukima Azuma to her house, yet she didn't urge him to go see Eriri.
"Have a seat, let's have a little chat."
Sayuri sat down on one side of the table.
She first picked up the teapot she had prepared earlier and poured two cups of tea.
One of the cups was pushed toward Yukima Azuma.
Then, Sayuri rested her elbows on the table, propping her delicate face up with both hands.
Yukima Azuma sat opposite her, not tense, but very serious.
"So, you two have done it, haven't you?"
"Yes."
Right from the start, she dropped a heavy bomb.
But Yukima Azuma, fully aware of Sayuri's personality, wasn't surprised at all and simply nodded calmly.
"Honestly, I shouldn't meddle, but I just can't hold back my curiosity. Can you tell me the reason?"
"Why did you suddenly change, Azuma-kun? Weren't you waiting for Eriri to take the initiative?"
"Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too. Really, it's fine."
Sayuri spoke as she motioned for Yukima Azuma to drink his tea.
This wasn't just a question born of curiosity.
More importantly, she wanted to understand what Yukima Azuma truly thought.
In the past, Eriri and Yukima Azuma's relationship had fallen apart.
The main issue had always been Eriri's personality.
Since their reunion, it was clear that Yukima Azuma had been trying to guide Eriri toward maturity, helping her shed some of her childish tendencies.
Sayuri knew this well and fully approved.
A little maturity in Eriri was undoubtedly a good thing.
But now, Yukima Azuma had quietly "eaten Eriri clean."
Sayuri needed to know what he was thinking.
Had Azuma given up on changing Eriri's personality?
Or had he decided to embrace her tsundere nature and spoil her to the end?
Or was it simply that he had taken her without any promises for the future, risking another collapse like before?
Yukima Azuma lifted the teacup and took a sip.
Sayuri's tea was excellent, made from high-quality leaves imported from the best sources.
The flavor was truly exquisite.
After placing the teacup down, Yukima Azuma smiled wryly.
"You've misunderstood, Sayuri. It's not that I've changedit's that Eriri has changed."
Yukima Azuma's response left Sayuri momentarily stunned.
He then recounted the story of drawing fortunes at the shrine.
After understanding the whole story, Sayuri couldn't help but hold her forehead.
If she had known things could be this simple, she would have taken Eriri to visit every shrine in Japan to draw fortunes long ago.
Of course, Sayuri also understood that her daughter's transformation wasn't solely due to one fortune slip. It was the result of small changes accumulating over time.
The shrine visit was merely the final straw that tipped the scales.
But now, all of Sayuri's prior assumptions had to be discarded.
If the change had been Eriri's initiative, then based on Sayuri's keen judgment of people and her understanding of Yukima Azuma, she was certain:
No matter what happened, Yukima Azuma would never let go of Eriri.
However.
"So, what do you plan to do next, Azuma-kun? Don't you still have other girls around you?"
"The novelist who went on the trip with you, and Kato Megumi, the heroine of the light novel you wrotethey're even friends with Eriri."
For someone of Sayuri's standing, asking this was akin to posing a deadly question.
Yet Yukima Azuma's gaze didn't waver.
"I will open a harem!"
Without a hint of hesitation, he declared.
Yukima Azuma had never considered the idea of choosing.
Only children need to choose, he want it all.
Having once tasted loneliness, he never wanted to return to those days again.
Whether it was Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kato Megumi, Eriri, Bocchi, or Yukinoshita Yukino, Yukima Azuma wanted to keep them all close.
This had been his intention from start to finish, and he never planned to hide it.
"To say something like that in front of Eriri's mother?" Sayuri pointed to herself, feigning shock.
Yukima Azuma nodded.
Sayuri stared at Yukima Azuma for a moment, then her smile returned.
"How nice. If Eriri's father had half your courage, perhaps we all could have lived together."
(note: she means herself and Mr. Spencer's harem, she is the winner in harem war)
Sayuri picked up the teapot and poured more tea into Yukima Azuma's cup.
"Even if you want to open a harem, I'll support you. But there's just one conditionyou know what it is, don't you?"
Yukima Azuma finished the freshly poured tea in one gulp and nodded.
"I will bring happiness to Eriri."
"That, I believe, Azuma-kun. Good luck!"
Sayuri encouraged the young man in front of her, the one who had just declared his intent to create a harem and taken her daughter.
