Shinra's second dance with Haruno attracted the attention of many people present. The men were mostly stunned by Haruno's beauty, while the women were mostly resentful that Haruno was monopolizing Shinra.
As for whether anyone would stand up and accuse the two of not following the ball's rules... please, everyone who could stand here was savvy. Those who were less capable, who didn't understand social graces, their families wouldn't allow them to attend this level of banquet.
They were afraid they'd cause trouble for the family!
Perhaps some were dissatisfied with Shinra and Haruno not following the rules, but they would not show it. They would even offer warm applause and praise after the dance ended. This was social grace.
In Japan, the ability to "read the air" is truly drilled into people from a young age.
In Japan, a person who doesn't understand social cues, no matter how good their family background, would probably find it impossible to get anywhere.
Another dance ended. After dancing two songs in high heels, even Haruno's stamina was somewhat strained. One hand rested on Shinra's chest, the other on his palm. Her red lips parted slightly, exhaling a fragrant breath. A thin layer of sweat was faintly visible on her cheeks, shoulders, and chest. There was no unpleasant odor; in fact, it made her perfume even stronger.
The blush on her cheeks from the exertion made this already exquisite lady even more charming.
This time, Haruno didn't even need to use the excuse "I'm a little tired" to refuse subsequent dance invitations, because anyone with eyes could see that she really was tired.
If she didn't rest and danced another song, she would probably make a fool of herself on the spot.
After realizing this, the gentlemen present all showed looks of pity and began to look for their next partners.
As for Shinra, it wasn't that he wasn't tired, but it couldn't even be considered a warm-up. Compared to Haruno's panting appearance, his complexion was as normal, and he hadn't even broken a single drop of sweat.
"You really didn't have to finish the whole song, making yourself so tired and uncomfortable." Shinra said.
A single song at a ball often lasts about five or six minutes. There is no mandatory requirement for guests to dance the entire time. Both joining in the middle and ending in the middle are permitted.
And because Haruno was wearing open-toed high heels today, after the high-intensity dancing, her heels were bright red, and it looked as if the skin had been rubbed raw.
However, Haruno seemed unconcerned, smiling brightly as she said, "No, I feel great right now!"
"Your skin is broken, and you still feel great?" Shinra knew just how uncomfortable it was to have your heel rubbed raw by a shoe. The pain was one thing; the key was that it also itched.
"It's just a little broken skin, it's not even bleeding." Haruno didn't even lower her head to look. This bit of pain was nothing to her.
This is nothing.When she was learning etiquette at home, broken skin and bleeding were practically everyday occurrences. The most severe time, she didn't hold a teacup steady and scalded her entire right hand. Fortunately, the treatment was timely, so it didn't leave a scar. Even so, she had to rest for a full week.
Shinra didn't argue further with Haruno. He just let her sit on a nearby sofa to rest for a moment, while he went to the side and called over a waiter, giving him a few instructions.
Before long, Shinra walked back to Haruno with the medicine the waiter had brought.
"This is?"
"Iodophor and a hydrocolloid dressing."
"I know iodophor, but what's a hydrocolloid dressing?"
"You can think of it as an upgraded version of a band-aid." Shinra explained as he sat down beside Haruno.
"I can do it myself."
Haruno took the initiative to take the medical supplies from Shinra's hand. She wasn't prepared to just sit there and watch Shinra treat her wound.
If it were a normal woman, she might have pretended to be weak and accepted Shinra's service with peace of mind.
But Haruno was different. The education she had received since childhood did not allow her to show any breach of etiquette in such a formal setting.
Admittedly, Shinra helping her with her wound was a gentlemanly act. If they weren't at a banquet, but in a private setting, Haruno might have let Shinra help. She might even have used the opportunity to tease him a bit.
But they were at a banquet now, with many people watching. Under no circumstances could Haruno let Shinra apply medicine for her, lest he be looked down upon by those around them.
Seeing Haruno say this, Shinra didn't insist. His thoughts were much simpler than Haruno's; he just assumed she didn't want a man touching her feet.
After all, for many women, the foot is a rather private and sensitive part of the body.
As for whether helping a woman treat a foot wound in public would affect his own image in the eyes of others, Shinra could only say, let them think what they want. He wasn't living for others.
Haruno disinfected the wound with the iodophor. Then, under Shinra's guidance, she applied the hydrocolloid dressing to her heel. The cool, soothing sensation felt very comfortable. With this layer of protection, she no longer had to worry about the thin straps of her high heels continuing to harm her heel.
"I didn't realize you were so considerate." Haruno stood up and walked a few steps. When she found that her heel no longer hurt, she revealed a satisfied smile.
"Next time you wear heels like this, remember to put on some anti-blister tape." Shinra advised.
Anti-blister balm also had some use, but it could be slippery, which wasn't very friendly for someone wearing high heels. So, it was best to use anti-blister tape or a medical-grade hydrocolloid dressing. It was transparent and aesthetically pleasing, and she wouldn't have to suffer.
After this episode, Haruno completely stopped worrying about anyone asking her to dance. Although, this way, her hopes of expanding her network tonight were likely dashed, it didn't really matter to her anymore.
Because she had already gotten something better.
However, compared to Haruno's "leisure," Shinra's side was much busier. After just one song, many women approached him. Some beat around the bush, trying to get Shinra to ask them. Some were direct and invited him. And some didn't want to dance, but simply came over to chat and show concern.
Compared to the reserved and pure high school girls, these adult women were more direct and passionate. They didn't care about the details; they just went for it!
Unfortunately, the flower may be willing, but the water (he) is not. He couldn't 'go for it'.
Faced with the numerous dance invitations from the female guests, Shinra refused them all without exception, using the excuse that he was feeling unwell. He was not used to having excessive physical contact with women he did not know.
Besides, these people's motives weren't pure, and they didn't have colorful exclamation marks above their heads, so Shinra couldn't be bothered to play along with them.
Amidst the resentful gazes of the female guests, the ball ended, and the banquet entered its closing stages.
As the host, Fujiwara Yukinori appeared once more. With a reserved smile on his face, he spoke polite words, thanking everyone for gracing the banquet with their presence. In reality, it was debatable whether he could even recognize everyone present.
But again, he might not remember who came, but he would definitely remember clearly who didn't come.
Shinra didn't see his Old Master. Just as he was thinking that the man wouldn't just leave him here and go, the old butler he had seen at the mansion found him and handed him a file.
"This is..." Shinra was a bit confused.
"These are the share documents Chairman Mori promised. Young Master, you only need to sign them, and the shares will belong to you."
"So fast?"
Shinra had been wondering what would happen to his shares if the Old Master Mori left first. He didn't expect the man to be so prepared. The share transfer documents were delivered to him before the banquet even ended.
Regarding this, Shinra only wanted to say two words to Old Master Mori: Magnanimous!
Call me next time you have a good deal like this.
"In addition, Chairman Mori asked me to pass on a piece of news to you." The old butler said after handing the file to Shinra.
"What news?"
"There is a problem with the Toyokawa Group's project."
Shinra froze upon hearing this. He hadn't even started to inquire about this matter. How was the answer already placed in front of him?
This efficient? Was he prescient?
Probably not. Shinra wasn't stupid. Haruno had just asked him for help, and the Old Master Mori gave him the answer right after.
Coupled with the fact that the Old Master Mori had specifically used the shares as bait to get him to attend this banquet, it meant this entire thing was part of his plan.
In other words, his meeting Haruno here was no coincidence; it was intentional.
But what Shinra didn't understand was, what was the Old Master Mori's purpose in doing this?
Arranging for Haruno to attend the banquet, and also investigating information on the Toyokawa Group.
Was this to show him the Mori Conglomerate's powerful intelligence network?
It felt a bit redundant...
Since he couldn't figure it out, Shinra didn't dwell on it. He quickly shared the information he had obtained with Haruno.
As expected, when Haruno heard that there was a problem with the Toyokawa Group's project, her expression immediately turned grim. She didn't even ask if Shinra's source was reliable before taking out her phone and sending a message to her mother, right in front of him.
As the saying goes, trust those you employ, and employ those you trust.
Shinra, backed by the Mori Conglomerate, clearly had access to a much wider range of information than they did. Since Shinra said there was a problem with the Toyokawa Group's project, there must be a basis for it.
Admittedly, the deal offered by the Toyokawa Group was very tempting. But if something went wrong, it would be a devastating blow to the Yukinoshita family. Therefore, they could not be too cautious.
Now, with the information from Shinra, it was basically certain that this deal was arsenic coated in honey. Therefore, no matter how favorable the terms offered, Haruno had no intention of letting the deal proceed.
Of course, Haruno's word wasn't final. The only one who could make the decision was her mother. However, based on Haruno's understanding of her mother, once she learned of this, the deal with the Toyokawa Group would inevitably be stopped.
Sure enough, not long after the message was sent, Haruno received a reply.
[Mother: I understand. The Yukinoshita family will abandon this order. Also, please express my gratitude to your classmate. In a while, you can invite them to our home. I will thank them separately.]
Haruno knew that her mother's 'thank them separately' actually meant giving money. As for why she said to invite them over 'in a while' instead of immediately, it was because she needed time to verify the accuracy of the information.
If the intelligence was correct, the 'thanks' would be more generous. If the intelligence was wrong, the 'thanks' would be smaller.
After all, the other party only provided the information. They were the ones who made the final decision. If they were wrong, they could only say it was a pity; they couldn't blame others.
Additionally, Haruno did not tell her mother about Shinra. She only mentioned that the information was provided by a classmate. Anyway, she didn't say whose classmate. Just because it's Yukino's classmate, does that not make them a classmate?
"What did your mother say?" Shinra was a bit curious. Faced with this situation, would his as-yet-unmet mother-in-law be able to make the most rational decision?
"She has already decided to abandon this cooperation." Haruno replied. She had clearly expected this, because on matters involving the rise or fall of the family, her mother had never been muddled.
"A wise decision."
In fact, for the Yukinoshita family at present, not accepting this order was merely missing an opportunity for rapid development. As long as their base in Chiba remained stable, the company would only continue to prosper.
But if they accepted the order and a problem arose, let alone development, they might not even be able to protect their base.
With higher-level information, the possibility of the order having problems was raised to the maximum. Therefore, for her mother, the decision was already pre-ordained.
Besides, Shinra felt that her mother probably had her own concerns about this order from the beginning. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dragged it out for so long, or even sent Haruno to Tokyo to gather intelligence.
"Also, Mother asked me to invite you to our home as a guest in a while. Are you coming?" Haruno did not forget to convey her mother's invitation.
"Does your mother know me?" Shinra did not agree directly, but asked instead.
"What do you mean?" Haruno feigned ignorance, asking back mischievously.
"About my identity."
Shinra's words were a pun, cleverly avoiding Haruno's counter-question.
Seeing that she couldn't trick him, Haruno wasn't discouraged. She waved her hand and said, "Of course not. If she knew your identity, she probably wouldn't even wait. She'd probably be dying to tie you up and drag you to the mansion right away."
"That's an exaggeration, isn't it?" Shinra chuckled.
To this, Haruno just smiled and did not answer.
An exaggeration? Perhaps.
Haruno knew very well that for her mother, the continuation of the family was the top priority. A high-quality connection like Shinra had to be maintained at all costs.
It was no exaggeration to say that if her mother knew about the relationship between Shinra and Yukino, she would probably intervene without hesitation to push their relationship forward.
It's just that, if that happened...
Haruno's eyes flickered, but ultimately, she did not let her thoughts stray any further.