Chapter 109: You Can't Handle This Kind of Woman
"About Ichiro..." Hatamoto Natsue hesitated, then sighed, unwilling to continue.
Natsukawa didn't want to reopen old wounds, so the topic was smoothly glossed over.
The three chatted in the office for a while.
Hatamoto Natsue expressed her heartfelt gratitude to both men.
A life-saving favor demanded either immediate repayment or servitude in the next life.
Natsukawa was quite appealing, but Natsue felt she lacked the necessary charm. Besides, Mr. Natsukawa already seemed to have Yor, so she wouldn't interfere.
As for Uncle Mouri...
Uncle, I'm sorry, but we're just not compatible.
Fortunately, wealthy corporations had their own unique ways of expressing gratitude.
After their conversation concluded, the secretary finally called the internal line, indicating the gifts were ready and asking them to come downstairs.
Upon descending the stairs, Natsukawa was met with even more intense stares than before.
"He spent half an hour in Miss Natsue's office. This guy's a threat!"
"But there was a detective with him, right? He definitely wouldn't try anything."
"Hard to say. Miss Natsue's office has a private lounge. That man is so handsome—I'd fall for him in a heartbeat."
"Maybe Mouri Kogoro is just covering for the two of them."
The whispers around him made Natsukawa's forehead crease with annoyance.
It seemed the young widow's status had attracted many suitors vying for Hatamoto Natsue's attention.
He didn't know if it was genuine affection or just greed for money.
But it didn't matter—it was none of his business anyway.
Nothing attracted more attention than gossip, and besides, now that he had his own goal, he needed to stay focused.
As for money, Natsukawa truly didn't care much about it.
Although he wasn't as wealthy as the Hatamoto Group, he had more than enough to live comfortably, right?
The three of them headed to the company warehouse together.
The secretary had been waiting for some time. Led by her, they proceeded to the innermost garage.
The roller shutter door rose, revealing a luxurious automobile.
"What's this?"
Mouri Kogoro's eyes widened like saucers. He raised his trembling arm and pointed at the car. "Who's this for?"
The sound of him swallowing saliva made the female secretary chuckle softly.
There was only one vehicle, and Kogoro couldn't help but worry.
What if it was meant for Natsukawa?
He'd been captivated by the sleek black car at first sight.
The Mercedes-Benz emblem gleamed, but it was a model he'd never seen before.
Thin, stylish wheels with a metallic sheen.
The glossy black paint, the flowing body lines like sculpted muscle.
The twin headlights were sharp and bright, and the convertible roof made Kogoro eager to take it for a spin immediately.
"This is a thank-you gift for Uncle Mouri!" Hatamoto Natsue said with a gentle smile. "This is a custom-made model from Mercedes-Benz—only 999 exist worldwide. Originally, Grandfather kept it for himself, but now that he's gone, I don't want to keep this car as a painful reminder."
As she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes.
The secretary beside her responded professionally, immediately offering Natsue a handkerchief.
"If that's the case, then I won't stand on ceremony!" Mouri Kogoro beamed—he'd really hit the jackpot this time.
Natsukawa thought: Should I remind the old man that it'd be best to register the car under Attorney Kisaki's name? Otherwise, who knows how long it'll survive?
Even a simple drive could risk an explosion with his luck.
"Uncle Mouri, you..."
Mouri Kogoro's expression turned serious. "Natsukawa, you're not trying to steal it from me, are you? You already have a GT-R—that car's pretty nice too."
"Although it's nowhere near as good as this one."
The last sentence was muttered furtively by Mouri Kogoro.
A car was a man's second wife, and he was already fiercely protective of his.
"No, my GT-R is fine. I don't plan to change cars anytime soon. I was just going to say..."
Natsukawa shrugged, swallowing back the advice he'd been about to give.
Better not say it—Uncle Mouri probably wouldn't listen anyway.
Besides, Uncle Mouri didn't always encounter explosions on road trips. There were also flat tires, breakdowns, accidents, oil leaks, and engine failures.
Aside from explosions, everything else should be manageable and repairable.
Mouri Kogoro stayed in the car for more than ten minutes, leaving his handprints all over the vehicle before finally emerging, completely satisfied.
"Such an expensive car—I'm actually a bit nervous about driving it on the road~" Mouri Kogoro scratched his head and chuckled. "Even a simple flat tire would probably cost hundreds of thousands of yen to repair."
Coming back to reality, Mouri Kogoro's smile became somewhat awkward. This thing was far too valuable.
When he first got his hands on it, he'd only been thinking about ownership, but now that the excitement had settled, he was hesitant about whether he could afford the maintenance.
He estimated the annual insurance premium alone would be hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of yen.
"Don't worry, Mr. Mouri. We'll cover all the car's repairs, insurance, annual inspections, and maintenance costs. You won't have to pay a single yen—this is our thanks for saving Miss Natsue's life."
The secretary smiled and added, "From now on, this car belongs to you personally, but you'll need to pay for fuel yourself."
"Ahahaha—of course!"
Mouri Kogoro's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with pure joy. This was absolutely wonderful!
"Now then, next is Mr. Natsukawa's gift," said Hatamoto Natsue.
Natsukawa was also somewhat excited.
The Hatamoto Group was indeed incredibly wealthy—this custom Mercedes must be worth over 100 million yen.
But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, the Hatamoto Group was a renowned corporation throughout Tokyo and all of Japan, owning luxury cruise ships. This amount of money shouldn't be a problem for them.
Speaking of expensive, that luxury cruise ship must have cost at least tens of billions of yen. It would break anyone's heart to see it sink.
Anyway, it was now time to reveal his gift.
"Nami, where is Mr. Natsukawa's gift?" Hatamoto Natsue asked.
Natsukawa was taken aback. Did Natsue herself not know where his gift was?
The secretary looked somewhat embarrassed. "Miss, the gift is still on display at the Greenland Treasure Exhibition. We signed an exhibition agreement with Greenland Museum—the exhibition period is three days, and tomorrow is only the third day, so we'll need to wait a bit before it can be delivered."
The secretary, whose name was Nami, bowed apologetically. Her drooping shirt collar revealed an ample view of her cleavage.
Good grief.
I forgive you.
Natsukawa's eyes unconsciously lingered for a few seconds before he looked away, silently reciting Yor's name like a mantra.
He tried to convince himself that he couldn't be greedy. Being fickle and two-timing wasn't Twilight's nature!
Strange.
Natsukawa touched his nose, somewhat puzzled.
He had extremely strong willpower when it came to resisting beautiful women, and the feeling Yor gave him was already quite special, but this woman before him also possessed an unusual attraction.
Fortunately, it was only slight. At least when he turned his head, his eyes didn't immediately dart back.
She was just a particularly alluring woman, it seemed.
Indeed, every smile and gesture was enough to make one's mouth water.
(¬‿¬)
In ancient times, she'd probably be considered a femme fatale who could topple kingdoms.
But when facing Yor, he couldn't even turn his head away, let alone look elsewhere.
Comparing the two, he still preferred Miss Yor—that was absolutely certain!
Natsukawa coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, then asked, "The Treasure Exhibition? An exhibition agreement? So the gift is one of the exhibits?"
Hatamoto Natsue nodded. "Yes, we'll know the details when we get to Greenland."
"So, could you please drive us there, Mr. Mouri?"
"Of course!" Mouri Kogoro patted his chest vigorously, full of energy. "Don't worry, my driving skills are top-notch. I'll definitely get you there safely and quickly."
"I won't keep you any longer—I still have many matters to handle within the corporation."
Secretary Nami nodded politely and turned to leave.
Only after she'd departed did Natsukawa ask, "Miss Natsue, is Miss Nami your secretary?"
Natsue nodded with a light laugh. "Yes, Miss Amamiya Nami is a new secretary I hired after returning to the company. She's incredibly efficient and capable. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't even have time to meet with you both."
"She just started?"
Natsue looked at Natsukawa oddly and teased, "Mr. Natsukawa, you wouldn't have taken a liking to Miss Nami, would you? Indeed, Miss Nami is a very charming woman. But won't Miss Yor be upset? As far as I know, you're pursuing Miss Yor, right? If you're not faithful, I'll secretly tell Miss Yor!"
"Natsukawa, you don't actually have a crush on her, do you? But you should give up. You're unemployed, and women like her—decisive and career-driven—are too much for you to handle. A gentle girl like Miss Yor is much more suitable for you."
Gentle?
If Yor hadn't fought Ireland that day, he might still think she was a gentle girl.
Natsukawa rolled his eyes. "Uncle Mouri, you're so experienced with this. I heard Attorney Kisaki is quite the career-driven woman herself."
Mouri Kogoro immediately put on a sullen expression, looking like he wanted nothing to do with Natsukawa.
Clearly, he had no desire to discuss Kisaki Eri any further.
End of Chapter 109
[+500 Power Stones = +2 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
join p2-treon - Soulforger for 30+ advanced chapters