After seeing Yukinoshita Haruno off, Mori Shinra, who had returned to his apartment, reviewed the rewards from the previous request.
The rewards were not as plentiful as he had imagined.
After all, it was a series request; strictly speaking, it couldn't even be considered a standalone request, only a stage of the purple request.
Therefore, he only received 3 wish power points, roughly equivalent to the reward for a blue wish power request.
The moment he got them, they were thrown into the gacha pool, exchanged for 2 points in Physique and 1 point in Spirit.
He was still 7 pulls away from the pity.
He closed the panel and opened the request log, beginning to check the new request he had just received.
[Yukinoshita Haruno's Advanced Assessment (Part 2)]
[Request Content: In light of your overly outstanding performance, Yukinoshita Haruno has shown hesitation about whether to continue letting you interact with Yukino. But she soon discovered that your relationship with Yukino has already exceeded her expectations, even showing signs of becoming too big to manage. Yukinoshita Haruno has no solution for this.]
[At the same time, after the conversation at the dinner table, Yukinoshita Haruno realized that Yukino is still trying to imitate her, wanting to walk the same irreversible path she is on. Various signs have finally made her decide: she hopes you can increase the intensity and help Yukinoshita Yukino grow.]
[She believes that with your abilities, you will certainly not let Yukinoshita Yukino follow her old path and become a 'fake' without a 'self'.]
[Note 1: Increase the intensity, but do not increase the intensity too much.]
[Note 2 (Gold): Your sharpness has successfully allowed you to perceive Yukinoshita Haruno's true nature, but it has also aroused her vigilance. Please act with discretion until you are completely certain.]
Mori Shinra carefully read the request content and the system's little tips.
He subconsciously stroked his chin.
It seems my previous deductions were spot on.
I had guessed wrong several times in a row with Mai's situation, which made me lose a bit of confidence and almost quit the authoritative circle of reasoning.
But looking at it now... I'm still pretty good.
This 'increase the intensity, but do not increase the intensity too much'... is it having an internal left-brain-right-brain conflict with me?
...
At the end of June, the third-party investigation into the company where Mai's mother worked was basically complete.
The situation was relatively good.
It certainly wasn't as good as it was two years ago before Mai announced her hiatus from the entertainment industry, but after a six-month painful transition, the company's development had stabilized.
It was at a mid-tier level within the industry; not great, but not too bad either.
Mai's mother had continued to manage other artists after Mai left, but she had shifted more of her focus to the company's management.
Furthermore, as she was the company's founder and largest individual shareholder, she still held significant sway in the company even after Mai's departure, though it was no longer the 'one-woman show' it used to be.
In fact, the investigation showed that Mai's mother was clearly not the type of manager to be content with the status quo.
After the company had recovered, she had been actively seeking new development directions.
Therefore, when the investment department under Hayashi International approached her, even though she knew Hayashi's side likely had ill intentions and would probably divide the company's controlling shares, Mai's mother showed a very positive attitude.
If it were just a typical capital firm requesting to invest, Mai's mother might have hesitated, worrying about letting a wolf in the door.
But for a major international conglomerate like Hayashi International wanting to invest, Mai's mother had no such worries.
The reason was simple: the difference in their scale was too vast.
To put it bluntly, if Hayashi International was truly determined to acquire her company, even if she disagreed, they had at least ten ways to make her comply.
Moreover, for her company, an investment from such a large corporation was practically a pie falling from the sky.
Others couldn't get this opportunity even if they wanted it.
At first, Mai's mother wondered why this pie from Hayashi International had suddenly fallen onto her company's head.
It was only when she saw the news of her daughter Sakurajima Mai's impending comeback appearing in major media outlets that she had a revelation.
Chiba City, in a high-end chain cafe.
A metropolitan woman dressed in formal attire—a dark blue blazer and a knee-length pencil skirt—sat in a private room.
This person was Sakurajima Mai's mother.
Mai's mother raised her wrist to check the time.
The thought of seeing her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend in a moment stirred a complex, indescribable feeling in her heart.
This was especially true after learning that her daughter's boyfriend also wanted to invest in her company, and could even become her superior in the future.
That feeling was simply beyond words.
"Knock, knock."
Two short, light knocks sounded.
Mai's mother collected her thoughts, cleared her throat, and said, "Please, come in."
The one who opened the door was a staff member from the cafe.
Behind her followed a young man and woman.
The girl wore a mask and a bunny hairpin in her hair, dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.
The boy wore a dark sweatshirt and jeans.
Standing together, they looked like any other young couple you might see on the street.
The only difference was perhaps that their visual appeal was just a tiny bit higher... by a few billion points.
Despite the mask, Mai's mother recognized the girl at a glance: her daughter, Sakurajima Mai.
As for the boy beside her, he must be her daughter's boyfriend, Mori Shinra.
He's even more handsome in person than in photos.
His overall demeanor is full of vitality.
Even from the perspective of a talent agent, she couldn't find any flaws.
"He is the boyfriend I am currently dating, Mori Shinra."
After the server left, Mai introduced her boyfriend to her mother.
Then, she turned to Mori Shinra to introduce her mother, "This is my..."
"I am Mai's mother."
Before Mai could finish, her mother took the initiative to interject.
"Hello. My name is Mori Shinra. I am Mai's boyfriend." Mori Shinra showed no sign of nervousness.
He very naturally stated his identity as Mai's boyfriend in front of her mother.
From this composure alone, Mai's mother could confirm that he was a child from a prominent family.
After all, ordinary high school students would usually feel nervous or flustered when meeting their partner's parents.
But Mori Shinra was completely natural in her presence, and his manners were impeccable.
He clearly has a strong sense of confidence.
"I know. Mai told me about you on the phone. Please, sit down," Mai's mother said, gesturing.
After they were seated, Mai first used the tablet on the table to order coffee for herself and Mori Shinra.
She then looked at her mother, signaling to ask if she wanted help ordering.
"An iced americano, thank you," Mai's mother said with a slight nod.
Mori Shinra, sitting to the side, observed the mother and daughter saying "thank you" for just ordering a coffee, and he could imagine just how stiff their relationship was.
After the orders were placed, Mai's mother was the first to open the conversation.
She asked:
"How long have you two been dating?"