Having understood what his boss, Sayuri, meant, Hakuto no longer had any concerns—after all, he was just a part-timer.
He put down his phone and looked at Eriri in front of him, once again putting on that gentle smile.
"Eriri... can you listen to me for a moment?"
Hearing this, Eriri lifted her head to look at Hakuto. Her slightly red and swollen eyes, paired with her adorable face, made her seem so helpless.
"Mm... go ahead, Shiratori."
"The Eriri I remember isn't like this. She wouldn't humble herself like this, nor would she plead with me like this."
"In the eyes of others, you're a perfect young lady, and even when you return to your true self, you're still a famous doujin artist..."
The more Hakuto spoke, the more uneasy Eriri felt.
"Stop... just stop..."
"Hey, Eriri, I'm really happy that you like me. Those two years were a joyful time for me as well. Anyway, thank you..."
"Shiratori..." Eriri's body trembled slightly.
"I should get going now, or that idiot president will start yelling at me again."
Following Sayuri's request, Hakuto had said a lot of nice things to Eriri.
He wasn't sure if his words would help her pull herself together, but at the very least, he had done what was asked of him.
This time, whether it was because of his words or because Eriri had come to terms with things on her own, she took the initiative to let go of Hakuto.
Seeing her release him so easily, Hakuto was a bit surprised. He thought it would take more effort.
"I'm glad you could think it through, Eriri."
"Even if I kept holding on to you, you'd still leave, wouldn't you?"
"Haha..." Hakuto let out an awkward laugh. "I'm not a good person. There's no need to waste your time on me..."
He meant what he said.
This wasn't some humble excuse—he genuinely wasn't a good person.
If he counted all the people he had put in the hospital, the number would be at least in the dozens, if not over a hundred.
If that were the standard for judging good and bad people, then he was undoubtedly a terrible person.
"Goodbye. I hope next time we meet, you won't run away the moment you see me." Hakuto teased.
His words had a deeper meaning. On the surface, he was saying not to run away at the sight of him, but in reality, he meant that she shouldn't waste any more time on him.
"Mm... goodbye..."
Eriri's goodbye sounded forced.
She watched Hakuto's departing figure, then wiped away her tears and smiled.
"Shiratori... I won't give up..."
Hugging his coat tightly, she spoke with determination.
Sayuri had worried about the contract causing Eriri unnecessary pain.
But she had never considered what would happen if Eriri remained in the dark.
As for Hakuto, he couldn't be bothered to deal with it anymore. He had even considered using his ability to settle the matter just now.
But after thinking about the side effects, he decided against it.
"Wait... I forgot my cookies!" Hakuto suddenly realized. "Damn! What am I gonna do for lunch?!"
He was annoyed. He had planned to have that pack of dry cookies as his lunch!
But now, that plan was ruined.
"The president probably prepared lunch..." His eyes shifted as he thought of a rather unkind idea.
However, in the next moment, he shook his head.
"Forget it. I just made over two million today—I should treat myself to something good!"
As he walked, Hakuto somehow ended up back at Nao's stall.
Seeing the crowd of customers swarming the place, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Nishimori's influence is really something..."
With that, he walked forward, ready to use his reputation to help Nao maintain order.
But before he even got close, her distinct voice reached his ears.
"One at a time! One at a time!"
"Aaahhh! I never should've let that Hakuto leave!"
Nao had clearly underestimated Nishimori Yuzuki's influence. The sheer volume of business was far beyond her expectations.
After a long while, the crowd at the stall finally started to disperse—not because they had gotten what they wanted, but because the merchandise had completely sold out.
"Hah? Why didn't anyone buy Zhiend's merch?"
Nao slumped into a chair, staring at the leftover Zhiend merchandise, and grumbled.
"Maybe they just have no taste..." Hakuto chimed in from behind her.
"Right! That's exactly what I—wait, when did you get back?"
"About half an hour ago?"
"Hah?! So you just stood there watching the chaos for half an hour?"
"Not my fault. The crowd was too crazy. Those die-hard fans didn't even fear me."
"Yeah... that makes sense." Nao waved dismissively, not bothering to dwell on it.
"Where's Takajo?"
"He had some other business. Oh, right, I need to talk to you about something!"
Saying that, Nao grabbed Hakuto and started leading him somewhere.
"What, are you treating me to a meal? Not now, I was planning to splurge at a fancy restaurant..."
"What? You're taking me to a fancy restaurant?"
"Hah? Did something go wrong with your ears?"
"Tch~"
Nao was clearly just messing with him, deliberately trying to get a reaction.
But the next second, she pulled him over to a small stall nearby.
"This is...?"
Inside the stall, a small enclosed space was created using red curtains.
"You'll see when you go in!"
Nao dragged Hakuto inside.
Behind the curtain, there was only a single chair. Across from it sat a boy, separated by a glass panel.
"President... Are we about to make some shady deal?"
"As if! Look at this!" Nao held up a hand-drawn sign.
"Solace for the soul... Do you have unanswered questions? Do you have troubles you need to share? Do you find yourself crying in a place where no one can see you?"
Reading this, Hakuto almost lost it.
"Wait, president, since when did you have the skill to comfort people?"
"Of course, I don't... but that's what you're here for!"
" What do you mean?"
Hakuto had a bad feeling about this. Nao's heart was practically pitch-black! Though still not as bad as his own.
"Isn't this your specialty?"
"I came back to maintain order, not to work..."
"I don't care!"
Without hesitation, Nao pushed him down into the chair, directly facing the boy across from him, with only the glass between them.
"President! I have social anxiety!"
"It's fine, it's a one-way mirror!"
"Actually, I still have a two-million-yen deal to close..."
___
Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~
Check out the other translations too
___