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Vol. 5 Chapter 1.1




Translated by SoundDestiny Edited by SoundDestiny
The Value of a Smile
“Ah… Fuーmin, I love you… I love you so much…”
[TL:Mai uses A–shi to address herself]
After parting our lips, Fujiwara-san gazes at me with affectionate eyes.
It happened on our way back from school, in a narrow alley close to her mansion.
Since officially becoming a couple, I’ve been walking her home after school.
Partly because she wished for it, but there’s also another reason now.
The truth is, Anna Teruya suddenly disappeared from the detention centre where she was being held.
Due to the extraordinary events, Ryoko seems to believe that I must have been the one who kidnapped her, but I swear I haven’t done anything.
Considering the possibility that Anna Teruya, who escaped, might target someone, Fujiwara-san is the first person that comes to mind. It’s best to stay cautious.
“Hey, Fuーmin, do you like me? Do you love me?”
“Of course.”
“Say it properly, that you love me!”
“I love you, Mai.”
Though we may seem like an incredibly foolish couple, let’s try to act like lovers. Let’s follow the normal steps of a relationship. After all, I can’t be indifferent now that I’ve said that.
‘…Well, it’s not like I dislike it, though.’
In the dimly lit alley during the twilight, we embrace each other and passionately kiss repeatedly.
Our tongues entwine, and as we savour each other’s saliva, I feel strength in the hands that hold her body, and a sensation of blood rushing to my groin.
But then, I forcefully suppress the almost uncontrollable desire and burn with impatience, as if longing to take that final step.
The excitement when embracing my favourite princesses is different from the excitement of love.
Perhaps it’s part of the process of falling in love. Right now, I’m enjoying it.
“Well, it’s about time… Shall we go?”
“Eh! I don’t want to go home yet! I want to keep cuddling with you…”
“We’ve been together all day since this morning.”
Indeed, Fujiwara-san sticks to me even during classes. At first, the teachers paid attention to it, but recently they’ve started turning a blind eye.
“Muu… Fuーmin, don’t you want to cuddle with me?”
“Well, of course, saying I don’t want to would be a lie.”
“Boo, you’re not being straightforward. Ah, I wish we could get married soon, Fuーmin. Then we could be together every second…”
“Haha…”
I laugh it off. In her mind, it seems like getting married to me is already a settled matter.
“Oh, by the way, my stepfather… He said he wants to meet you, Fuーmin.”
[TL: Mai uses Ogifu-san.]
“Ahaha…”
I also laughed it off.
However, the next day, on Saturday morning, my parents approached me with serious expressions.
“We want you to go to Mai’s house today.”
“Huh!? Why?”
“It’s an order from the president.”
According to my father, he was summoned to the president’s office yesterday and received instructions to send me to the Fujiwara family’s house.
It was pressure from a business partner company. If not, they threatened to suspend all business transactions.
×××
“Shiratori…Can’t you be a bit more sociable?”
“What’s the benefit of being sociable?”
On the way back from visiting grandma’s house.
For me—Natsumi Shima, my grandmother and for Shiratori, her great-grandmother, they were asked to bring Shiratori along, but she had no interest in showing her face, so she reluctantly dragged her there.
[Shima,address herself as Uchi* not the house which also called uchi]
However, Shiratori remained unchanged even when dealing with her grandma. Without showing any smile, she repeatedly responded with a nonchalant [whatever]. Her attitude was so unfriendly it was almost rude.
‘Well, grandma seemed satisfied just by seeing her face, so it’s fine… Besides, compared to when she first came here, she has become a bit more human.’
While thinking about such things, as we walked along the long hedge in front of the grand mansion, we noticed a suspicious figure lurking in the shadow of a utility pole, gazing towards the mansion’s gate.
Unfortunately, that suspicious figure turned out to be someone we knew.
“What are you doing here, Kijima?”
“Pyah!?”
There stood Kijima Fumio.
Despite his unremarkable appearance, he was a notorious villain who kidnapped and enslaved numerous women—the very King of Confinement.
When addressed from behind, he jumped like a character from an American cartoon.
“W-What… Shima-san? Don’t startle me like that.”
‘…Even though he’s a villain, he’s too much of a scaredy-cat.’
“What are you doing? Stalking someone?”
“Don’t say it like that! It sounds bad!”
‘What’s he talking about? He did so much worse than stalking.’
I couldn’t help but give Kijima a disapproving look.
“If you’re not stalking, then why are you acting all sneaky?”
“Well… Actually…”
The content of Kijima’s story was so unexpected that I was taken aback.
“So, they took your parents’ company hostage to call you? Seriously, you’re something else. No wonder you’re related to the Fujiwara Group. What on earth did you do?”
“I don’t know…Maybe I’m being pressured to marry Fujiwara-san or they’re forcing us to break up. It’s probably one of those two.”
“I see…”
I contemplated the situation.
As someone who supports Hatsu-chan, part of me feels like it would be better if they broke up now. But if it turns out they have to get married, Hatsu-chan might regress into her child-like self and start crying again. I really don’t want that to happen.
I whispered to Kijima.
“If things get serious, you might end up kidnapping her parents.”
“Well, that’s the worst-case scenario. But if I do that, there’s a high chance everything I’ve built with Fujiwara-san will be ruined…”
“Haa…Hey, Shiratori. Can’t we do something about this?”
“Before I answer that, is this Fujiwara-san, the same person as Mai Fujiwara? His girlfriend?”
“Well, yeah, that’s right. Why?”
“Hmm…”
Shiratori started observing Kijima with a suspicious look.
Then, Kijima tugged at the hem of my T-shirt.
“Um, Shima-san, who is this person?”
“Huh? Haven’t you met before? Shiratori, she’s a second-year from the track and field team.”
Upon hearing that, Kijima seemed to recall something.
“Oh, right… I see.”
‘Well, there’s no need to explicitly mention that she’s my niece. It’s too troublesome to explain.’
Then, Shiratori turned her face towards me and gave a slight nod.
“…Alright. I’ll go with him.”
“Really!? Thank you!”
“Wait, wait, Shima-san! I can’t see what’s going on at all!”
I waved my hand at the bewildered Kijima and decided to go home alone.
×××
It turned into quite an odd situation.
To visit my girlfriend’s house, I was accompanied by a girl I had just met. Moreover, she was incredibly unfriendly.
‘Shima-san, what are you thinking…’
“Aren’t you going? Come on.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Prompted by Shiratori, I walked up to the gate and rang the doorbell.
Then, a man in his thirties, wearing a suit, came out.
“Are you Kijima-sama? The master is waiting for you. And who is this?”
“Um…she’s my companion.”
“I see. Please come this way then.”
Guided by the man, we stepped into the mansion.
We were led to a spacious Japanese-style room with a view of a Japanese garden.
The overly formal atmosphere made me feel nervous.
However, even stealing a glance, Shiratori’s expression showed no change.
After a while, a middle-aged couple, probably in their late fifties, who seemed to be Fujiwara-san’s parents, entered the room.
The father was probably in his late fifties, with his hair smoothly pulled back and wearing traditional Japanese clothing. He was slender but had sharp eyes and an imposing presence.
The mother appeared to be in her late thirties. Her facial features closely resembled Fujiwara-san’s. Her hair was cut at shoulder length, also dressed in traditional Japanese attire, and wearing a light green kimono with attached sleeves.
Sitting across the low table from us, the father looked at me and spoke up.
“…Mai might have some questionable taste.”
“Honey, you’re being rude.”
Well, it’s an undeniable fact, so I don’t really mind, but the mother apologised with a somewhat apologetic gesture.
“I’m sorry… Nice to meet you. I am Mai Fujiwara’s mother.”
“Th-thank you very much. I-I’m Kijima, and this is my friend Shiratori, who came along as my companion today.”
As soon as I mentioned [friend] Shiratori gave me a piercing glare.
‘Well, I can’t just say she’s an acquaintance, it wouldn’t be believable.’
“Um…where is Mai?”
Hesitantly, I asked, and the father responded in a dismissive tone.
“I’m the one who called you here today. Mai has nothing to do with it. She’s out on a mission as my assistant.”
I felt a little relieved that Fujiwara-san wasn’t involved.
I really wouldn’t want someone who takes their own parent’s company hostage like that as my girlfriend.
“But let’s get to the point…”
With that preface, the father took out a paper from his pocket and slid it towards me on the low table.
“Let’s have you sign this.”
As I took it in my hand, I couldn’t help but freeze in shock.
To anyone, it was undoubtedly a marriage registration form.
“S-Signing this…?”
Ignoring my confusion, the father started speaking eloquently.
“We’ll prepare a new house within the estate, but for now, it’s better for you to live together in Mai’s room. You can continue your university studies if you want, but after graduation, you will undergo training in one of our group companies as a candidate for my successor.”
“W-Wait a minute!”
“Do you have any objections?”
“Before talking about objections, isn’t this conversation going way too fast!?”
“When you were in trouble, manipulated by that girl Fukuda, I provided support from behind the scenes. Even when you were detained by the police. And in exchange for helping you, I gave conditions to Mai: to marry you and consider you as one of my potential successors.”
“Without my consent!?”
“It’s unnecessary. Such a thing.”
Frankly, his remarks angered me.
He was underestimating me, thinking I would just comply with whatever he said.
“I decline. I am dating Mai-san, not because I want to become your son!”
He looked surprisingly taken aback by my response.
“To marry a beautiful girl and ride the coattails of wealth, yet you say such absurd things. Well, fine then.”
I was surprised by how easily he backed down.
However, in the next moment, he twisted his mouth with an unpleasant grin.
“Then, how about you repay the money spent to save you? Specifically, it’s around four billion.”
“What!?”
“If you refuse our offer and can’t return the money, be prepared for the appropriate consequences.”
‘This cunning old man..Using money like a weapon to hit people’s faces!’
I thought about it. It’s not like I don’t have means to make money.
Lili told me that selling gems from the Demon World is prohibited as it could cause chaos in the market, but if it becomes necessary, there may be no other choice.
Seeing me remain silent, Fujiwara-san’s father spoke with a triumphant look on his face.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just a little whim of a doting father for his beloved daughter, Kijima-kun.”
However, in the next moment, Shiratori, who had been silent until now, said with her usual stern expression.
“So, it’s just a payment of four billion, right?”
I instinctively raised my head. Fujiwara-san’s father tilted his head.
“Can you pay that? You?”
“I won’t pay a single bit. I’ll only tell him how to get the money.”
“Oh… what are you planning to do?”
“I’ll make appointments starting from the top of the list of rich people and ask them to lend him the money.”
I couldn’t help but be amazed. There’s no way anyone would lend such a huge amount of money to a student like me.
But Shiratori’s tone remained unwavering.
“Isn’t it easier to charm one wealthy person with smooth words to earn four billion, rather than trying to make that much money?”
With her words divided, she audaciously pointed her finger at Fujiwara-san’s father.
“And you can’t deny this method, can you? Absolutely not.”
A heavy silence fell.
I held my breath, waiting for my father’s reaction.
He must be getting angry. That’s what I imagined, but contrary to my expectations, Fujiwara-san’s father burst into laughter with a wide open mouth.
“Hahahaha! How amusing! You’re an interesting kid! How about joining us in the future?”
“I decline. If I were to sell myself, I would choose a buyer who would pay a high price.”
Saying that, Shiratori glanced briefly in my direction.
“Is it him?”
“Well, who knows?”
“Hmm, interesting! Very interesting indeed!”
With those words, Fujiwara-san’s father laughed loudly and left the room.
And then, just the two of us, Fujiwara-san’s mother and I exchanged glances and tilted our heads.
“Um…what was that all about?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen him so happy like that.”
×××
Without understanding what was going on, we left the mansion.
“Um…Shiratori-san, could you explain a bit? What exactly was that all about?”
Walking ahead of me, she replied without looking back.
“The method to make that ridiculous amount of money… It’s actually something Fujiwara-san’s father, Masataka Fujiwara, did when he was told by the previous head of the family to come up with five billion yen as a challenge.”
“Since he actually achieved results with that method, he can’t deny it…”
“That’s right.”
I wonder how she knows about all this, but honestly, I’m grateful that she helped me out.
“How should I say this…..Thank you.”
“If you want to express your gratitude, then return it in a tangible form. I’ve decided that if I’m going to sell myself, I’ll sell to the highest bidder. Like I said earlier, King of Confinement.”
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
“Y-you knew?”
“How many times do you think I heard that while being the cherished princess, Fujiwara Mai-sama, during my captivity? If she has a boyfriend, the King of Confinement, it could only be you, right?”
“Hahaha… I’m at your mercy, I guess.”
“If I don’t obey, I’ll be kidnapped. In a sense, I’m like a pet on a leash right now. In that case, I might as well push my master to the heights of my desires. I think it’s a constructive way to look at it, don’t you think?”
“Um… I don’t fully understand, but…does that mean you’ll continue to support me?”
“Depending on how you look at it… yes.”
She answered without even looking back. She really lacks manners.
“In that case… I’d appreciate it if you could show a little more warmth towards me.”
At that moment, she turned around to face me.
However, her expression remained stern as ever.
“My smile doesn’t come cheap, you know. If you want to see it, you’ll need to provide appropriate compensation for it.”
TL: Hope you like this introduction to Vol5. But I have sad news…I’m a bit preoccupied by other novels, but don’t worry, I’m translating it behind the scenes and probably my editor won’t be able to help because he’s also preoccupied by other novels. So..see you in the next few months.
Read only at Travis Translations