Chapter 121
When a woman asks you to help her with a necklace, it can mean quite a few things.
And now she wants me to help her?
Haru, with her hair up, casually turns her body to expose the nape of her neck.
I take the necklace from her and can’t help but stare at it in disbelief.
“Master?”
“Ah, uh, yes.”
I naturally put the necklace around her slender neck in a casual manner.
Maybe I was overthinking it.
Maybe she just asked me to do it because it was hard to put on the necklace by herself.
Come to think of it, when you buy a necklace, some people offer to help you try it on, right?
“So, what do you think?”
“Yeah. As soon as I put it on, I knew how to use it. Certainly, it’s going to be a great help later on, thank you, Master.”
“Yes, I’m glad to hear it.”
Haru nods, her expression still impassive, as if she didn’t think much of it.
I’ve been overdoing it.
Before I know it, Haru is looking at herself in the full-length mirror. She’s examining her necklace and seems to be quite pleased with it.
Just then, there’s a soft knock at the door.
-Master. It’s Alessia. I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready.
I can’t believe how much time has passed.
The sun had already set outside the window.
“Let’s go out now, Haru, shall we?”
Haru is still looking in the mirror and she answered my question without looking up.
“…… I’ll be right there, you go first.”
“Really?”
It wasn’t my room in the Corleone mansion anyway, so I decided not to bother.
“I’ll go first, then, so take your time.”
“Thanks for the consideration.”
As I left the room a day later, I saw Alessia standing in a somewhat distant position.
“At your service, master.”
“Alessia, this isn’t our mansion, don’t you think you should get some rest?”
“Since it’s not our mansion, I have to work harder, and for me, serving you two is rest.”
I felt a little embarrassed to tell her that she should take a break when she was smiling so brightly.
“If you’re okay with that…… By the way, where do the other members of the organization eat?”
“I heard there’s a private dining room for members. I think me and the other coworkers will all be eating there. For a cafeteria used by members, the facilities are great.”
“Really?”
After all, the welfare of the members of a venue of that size was different.
When we arrived in the dining room, I saw Jiyun and grandfather sitting at the table.
Jiyun was still rubbing her eyes as if she hadn’t woken up yet.
“Are you okay, big brother?
Jiyun said in a stammering voice and smiled sheepishly.
Grandfather looked at her and smiled brightly, then quickly wiped the expression off his face.
“So, where did you leave Haru and come here alone?”
“She said she needed a moment, so I came first.”
“Oh, well, girls her age have a lot to worry about, makeup and all, so I suppose that’s understandable.”
Luckily, he didn’t seem to mind too much.
We sat down and he opened his mouth first.
“You caught that less than a day ago, didn’t you?”
“What? Ah…….”
Apparently, he was referring to Yenika.
“I was lucky, because it was a face I recognized.”
The thief had been mentioned a few times in the game.
I was able to find her because she was a named NPC, but I might not have been able to find her if she had been a nameless, generic thief.
If the <Personality Book> alarm hadn’t popped up upon arrival, it would have been a bit more difficult to find the shotgun.
“I’ll hand her over to the police, so you shouldn’t worry too much.”
“I see.”
She might think that was better than being handed over to Corleone.
If she was handed over to us, she wouldn’t go to Niflheim, but she’d know there was a worse hell than that.
Just then, the dining room door opened and Haru walked in.
“I apologize for being late. Mr. Chairman.”
“No, you’re not that late.”
“Now that sister is here, what are we going to eat?”
Jiyun, who had been dozing off, realized that they were about to eat and shook her head to wake up.
“Okay. Now pick up your cutlery, are you hungry?”
“Mmm, no, I’m fine.”
When Jiyun shakes her head, grandpa nods and pats her on the head, as if to show her some consideration.
“Yeah, yeah. He must have taught you good manners at least, he’s a good boy.”
“Hehe.”
That’s how dinner started, with grandpa picking up his cutlery.
As I had noticed at lunch, if the meals at Corleone were westernized, here the table was filled with a variety of Korean dishes.
I wish I could come back here more often…….It was delicious.
“Is that a new necklace around your neck?”
I looked up at the sudden mention of the necklace and saw the old man looking at Haru.
“Oh, you mean this one.”
In response, Haru holds up the necklace.
“It was an undeserved gift from master.”
The corners of Haru’s mouth turned up slightly as he spoke.
“Heh. You mean Eugene?”
Grandpa’s gaze turns to me.
“A necklace as a gift to Haru? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh.”
Something about his reaction is off.
“Yeah. Hmm. That’s possible, if you’re from the Inomiya family…….”
“……Grandfather?”
“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. Yeah, I’m just glad you two seem to be getting along. You and Haru didn’t get along so well when you were younger.”
I think he’s getting the wrong idea.
I’m about to explain about the necklace when I hear Jiyun’s voice.
“Ooohhh…… necklace……brother……Jiyun will get one too?”
“Huh? Jiyun?”
Jiyun’s eyes, which had been sleepy just a moment ago, suddenly shone brightly.
“……Of course you will.”
“Really?!”
“Of course. By the way, brother forgot it at home, can I give it to you when you get home?”
“Wow! Yes!”
While saying that, I busily type a message.
[I need you to get me a necklace for Jiyun tomorrow morning]
……That should do it.
I feel a little bad for Han Seo-Joon, who’s having the weekend off, but I can’t bear to see that look of anticipation turn to disappointment.
Seriously. It got to the point where I didn’t know if the food was going to my mouth or my nose, even though I hadn’t enjoyed Korean food in a long time.
‘……Ah, I’m exhausted.’
I’m here for a break, right?
* * *
“Grandpa, we’ll go back now.”
“Grandpa~ Goodbye~”
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
“Okay, okay. Be careful.”
At the entrance to the mansion grandpa, who came out to see us off as we left to return home, still wore a stern expression and stroked Jiyun’s head.
After the meal yesterday, there was no big event.
The most we could do was make some small talk and catch up, and then Haru went to talk to Grandpa separately.
But the most important thing was something else.
[Billy the Kid’s Shotgun]
One of the reasons I came to this place.
True to his promise to give me the item if I caught the thief, my grandfather not only gave me the shotgun, but he made the bold choice to give me all the items I recovered from the thief.
I mean, they were all things that would have been lost without me anyway, so why not let me have them?
Of course, the items were nothing compared to his wealth, so I kept my mouth and took them all.
With the guns legally in my possession, I went to talk to Haru and was guided by butler Kim to a place where I could test the weapons to see how they performed.
‘It was more than I could have imagined.’
The dummy was shattered by a single shot, a testament to its sheer destructive power.
Of course, it was only possible because it was fired at a range of less than three meters, but…… it was enough to shatter even the shields of most Awakeners at that distance. It was a destructive power that made me think.
“Hey, Grandpa!”
Opening the window of the departing car, Jiyun Yi stuck out her hand and waved.
“It’s dangerous.”
“Yeah.”
But Jiyun is quickly restrained by Haru sitting next to her.
After closing the window again, Jiyun suddenly turns her attention to me and giggles.
“My maternal grandfather is such a nice guy!”
“Isn’t he?”
“Yes!”
It’s only been a day, but Jiyun has grown very fond of her grandfather.
“Grandpa’s house is so fun, and there are so many delicious things to eat!”
“Really? Then come with me next time.”
“Yep! Sister Haru should come too!”
Jiyun said and grabbed Haru’s hand.
Haru looks at Jiyun with a surprised expression.
“……You mean me too?”
“Yes!”
“If you say so, Miss……yes, I will definitely make sure to come with you.”
Alessia turns around and puffs out her cheeks as if she’s being playful at the sight of the two getting along.
“Lady. You left me out of the loop.”
“Aww! Alessia’s in, too!”
“Really?”
“Yes! You have to come with me hand in hand.”
As I sat in the backseat listening to the three of them talk, I suddenly wondered.
“By the way, Haru. I was wondering what you and Grandpa talked about yesterday, if I may ask?”
“Yes. Yes? Uh, you mean yesterday?”
Haru was surprised when I asked her a question out of pure curiosity.
I hadn’t seen Haru so surprised in a while, so it was a bit embarrassing.
“Well, it’s……it wasn’t really an important conversation, since it was mainly about the Inomiya Group.”
But why is she so embarrassed?
I’m sure she has her own reasons, so it’s best not to ask more.
“……Yeah, well, whatever.”
With that, I put my head down and stared out the window.
I took yesterday off, and I don’t even feel like I got any rest. When I get home today, I’m going to lock myself in my room and get some real rest.
My dad also told me to take it easy this weekend, so I’m sure he won’t make me do any work.
While I’m thinking about that, I’m having a peaceful fantasy.
“Familia Chat”
[Jin-woo: Members]
[Jin-woo: Members]
[Jin-woo: Members]
Suddenly, a message from Jin-woo, who had turned off his aggro in the chat room, flashed before my eyes.
[Jin-woo: It’s a big deal]
[Young-jae: What is it since morning?]
[Se-ah: It better be important.]
[Me: ?]
And the next message that popped up was the one that explained why Jin-woo was so upset.
[Jin-woo: The student council called to thank me tomorrow]
[Young-jae: Eh?]
[Se-ah: Ing?]
[Me: ?]
That wasn’t aggro, was it?
