A Fiancé Surprise – Chapter 144
The car rolled to a stop.
Its engine fell silent.
Dust curled softly around the tires as the heat of the Congo evening clung to the air. The door opened with a soft click, and the first to step out was the young-looking woman in white heels and a sunhat—the lady.
She stretched her arms slowly and looked around.
Then she smirked.
"Oh my, Mei Mei did a good job on spoiling him…"
Behind her, the short, bent figure of an old man emerged. Wrinkles marked his face like stone carvings, and his narrow eyes scanned the villa grounds with a sneer of distaste.
"Tch… unbelievable." He muttered.
"Seduced? He's already disappointed me."
The lady rolled her eyes and didn't bother replying. Instead, she walked confidently toward the front gate as if she owned the place, heels tapping on stone, shoulders relaxed.
The old man followed, but not before giving the air a sharp look.
"Too many crows here…" he muttered, voice almost too low to hear.
The lady, amused, turned halfway and answered without breaking stride.
"Oh, don't mind that. That's Mei Mei's cursed technique. She likes being prepared."
She gave him a coy glance.
"But why would she have so many around, hmm? Maybe this visit will be more… exciting… than you expected."
The old man just grunted in return.
And then the front door opened.
There she stood—Mei Mei—framed in the doorway with one hand resting against the doorframe. She wore a sleek black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her long silver hair tied into a loose knot, and lips painted a sharp crimson red. The setting sun reflected in her sunglasses as she offered a slow smile.
"Oh, you both arrived so fast."
Her tone was respectful. She even gave a small bow.
The lady smiled gently, lowering her sunglasses.
"We wanted to see him personally."
Mei Mei's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This woman looks way too young… to be one of the jujutsu higher-ups… Must be a cursed technique? Possible.'
Then her gaze shifted to the man beside her.
'Now he looks like a proper higher-up. That face says 'old as dirt.' And their cursed energy… definitely above grade 2. How strong are they, really? Hmhm… If I can figure that out, maybe I can sell the info later… for a nice little bonus.'
Keeping her mask on, Mei Mei smiled and gestured for them to enter.
"Talking about him… He's in the living room. I told him both of you are my relatives. Sorry for not informing you about this…"
The lady chuckled softly.
"Oh, it's fine. Both of us know how to keep up an act, right?"
The old man grunted again in response.
They walked with Mei Mei through the polished halls of the Congo estate, the air still and faintly sweet with the smell of foreign flowers blooming outside the open windows. Crows watched silently from the shadows of the beams, perched and listening.
As they walked, Mei Mei added smoothly:
"The mission so far has been going perfectly. He's fully under my charms."
The lady gave a short nod of approval.
The old man stayed quiet. Only his eyes moved, constantly scanning.
And then, as they turned the corner, they saw him.
A young man sat with his arms casually draped over the couch, a notebook open beside him. He wore a loose white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms and dark pants. His hair was uncut and messy, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that didn't belong to someone so young.
Both the lady and the old man froze for a second.
'Huh?'
They couldn't sense it.
Not even a thread of cursed energy.
'Is he that good at hiding it?'
'Or is something else going on?'
Ren looked up lazily from the notebook as they entered. His eyes passed briefly over the lady in the white dress—no recognition there—but then stopped on the man.
And for just a split second, Ren almost smiled.
'Oh?'
'Jiro Awasaka, huh! Holy shit—my guess was right?'
'Then the lady must be… Ogami? No way…'
His mind processed it fast.
'So this is where they went. Hiding in the jujutsu higher-ups all along? Makes a twisted kind of sense now…'
His eyes glinted.
'Both their cursed techniques are interesting as hell. If I had Rika right now… tsk, what a shame. Would've taken that old man apart.'
But outwardly, Ren's smile turned warm and innocent as he stood up and walked forward, offering his hand in greeting.
And in the calmest tone imaginable, he spoke:
"Oh? You two must be Mei Mei's aunt and uncle? Nice to meet you. I'm Mei Mei's fiancé."
The room went silent.
Even the crows outside stopped cawing for a beat.
Ogami blinked, her face unreadable, but her eyes twitched ever so slightly.
Jiro's mouth parted, and for a second, the old man looked like someone had just slapped him.
Mei Mei, meanwhile, turned toward Ren slowly—her cheeks starting to turn red.
'A fiancé!? You idiot!!'
'We were supposed to pretend to be dating—not engaged!!'
Her eyes widened in silent horror as Ren gave her a small smile! He was smiling! amused! like he hadn't just shattered the entire script they agreed on.
She clenched her fists at her sides.
But despite herself, despite the irritation, her heart skipped a beat.
She covered her mouth with one hand and coughed into it.
"Ahh… yes. My… fiancé."
She forced a smile and tried not to strangle him on the spot.
Ren just nodded calmly and sat back down like nothing had happened.
Ogami and Jiro glanced at each other in awkward silence.
And Mei Mei thought bitterly:
'This brat… He's not even taking this seriously. But now that he's said fiancé… I have to play along even harder!'
She sighed in her mind.
'I swear, I'll get back at him for this… with interest.'