Naga sat in the car for a while and then saw Yui running over with her handbag in hand.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Strange, I've kept you waiting. We can set off now." Yui apologized as she sat in the passenger seat, then said somewhat guiltily, "This is the first time I've applied to leave early for something like this. I'm a little worried about what to do if it's not approved."
"Would I have such heartless idiots working for me?" Naga replied casually, starting the car.
Because Ami had taken good care of her in the past, Yui's enthusiasm during her hospitalization almost gave him the illusion that the two were actually sisters. Today, Ami was discharged from the hospital, and Yui, who is always a hard-working person, naturally left work early for the first time to pick her up.
None of the women in the secretary's office are fools. Some might be slow to notice the special care Naga showed for Yui, but none of them would be so naive as to believe that Naga was treating Yui like a younger brother's girlfriend.
The company has so many poor office ladies paying exorbitant rents, yet the company president doesn't seem to rent out his own room to just any one of them and provide transportation to and from get off work.
Therefore, even if Ai doesn't write any reason and just says she's skipping work, no one will have any objections. Besides, it's just leaving early with the president.
Naga certainly understood all this, but he didn't mind that the employees knew about Yui's importance. This detached status, established in secret, could largely prevent Yui from being completely drawn into the complicated and boring office struggles.
The effect was obvious. Girls who wanted to seduce Naga but didn't have the opportunity to contact her directly, as long as they were well-informed, knew that having Ai deliver the gift would leave a deeper impression.
When Naga promoted an office lady who had helped Yui a lot at work to a senior assistant at the new integration agency, the answer to who the princess was in the company became obvious.
So when Naga casually asked about her recent work situation, Yui smiled happily and said, "Everyone has been very helpful to me lately, and Osawa-senpai also said that I'm doing better and better at my work."
"That's good." Whenever Naga sees Yui's smiling face, she can't help but feel a surge of tenderness in her heart.
Over this period of time, Ai's complexion has improved a lot. Nourished by love, she radiates a more alluring glow than when they first met. Sometimes, even when Miku is around, Naga's gaze can't help but drift over again and again, greedily capturing every expression and movement of hers.
"But I feel like Fujibayashi-nee has changed a bit towards me..." Yuai hesitated for a moment, then whispered, her delicate eyebrows forming fine lines on her forehead, expressing her slightly uneasy doubts. "I feel like she doesn't like me as much as before. Hey, Mr. Strange, could you help me find out if I did something wrong and accidentally upset Fujibayashi-nee? If you find out, I'll definitely apologize to her sincerely."
"Uh... she's probably just in a bad mood because she's in the hospital. It's definitely not because she has a problem with you. You're overthinking it." Naihe frowned, vaguely guessing the reason, but not quite sure.
If that's really the reason, it's impossible to tell Yui directly; it's better to keep it vague from the beginning.
Yui's phone rang. It was Hoshina calling. Seeing her apologetic explanation for canceling their meeting that night, Naga felt a slight pang in her heart.
If only he had found and saved her in the first place...
This idea had barely begun when it was shattered by the image of Miku's slightly mournful face appearing before her. Naga shook her head and focused her attention on the road in front of her.
Even though this is a strange world that grants him the power of a dream eater, he knows there are no "what ifs" in life.
He married Miku, and nine months later, they were expecting their first child.
Ai is his younger brother's girlfriend.
This is reality.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I bother you by calling? Stranger, you don't look too well." Yui hung up the phone, looked at Naga's profile with concern, and apologized softly.
"No." Naga shook his head, looking at the hospital that was approaching him from the other end of the road and growing larger in his line of sight, and said with a smile, "I just suddenly remembered that we all forgot to prepare a discharge gift for Ami."
"Ah! You... why didn't you say so sooner!" Yui let out a small scream, turned her head and looked out the car window, "Over there, over there, there's a jewelry store, let's go pick something out."
In truth, Ami had been feeling quite down lately, seemingly still reeling from the devastating news of Yoshimi's suicide, and wouldn't have cared about preparing a small gift for her. He was just making a casual joke to distract himself from the jealousy that was almost showing.
However, since Ai had spoken up, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
"Ugh... everything here is so expensive." As soon as she entered the store, Yui's eyebrows furrowed in distress. Perhaps due to the unpleasant memories of loan sharks, she now had an obsession with money that was almost as strong as Koga Yu's back then. It's not hard to understand why she would look like she wanted to faint when faced with a price tag that was equivalent to a third of her salary.
However, she did have good taste. Naga had to admit that the hair accessory she had her eye on was practically tailor-made for a beautiful mixed-race girl like Ashi, who had a slightly oriental look. He looked at it for a while, then took out his wallet and went over.
"Remember to give me one-third of this price after you get paid this month. I'll pay the rest today, consider it a gift from both of us."
"Just one-third is enough?" Yu Ai's eyes lit up immediately. "But that... doesn't seem fair."
"You deserve a lot of credit for picking it out." Naga shrugged nonchalantly. For him, spending below a certain limit was just a change in the number on his card. "If you hadn't helped me pick it out, I would have had to surrender to go into a store like this."
"Is this a gift for visiting relatives or friends? Sir, would you like it wrapped up?"
Naga shook her head. "No need."
The sales clerk handed over a pre-packaged jewelry box and said, seizing the opportunity, "Sir, why don't you buy one for your girlfriend too? We have many styles that would suit her. You don't need to split the bill when buying something for your own girlfriend, right?"
"Oh, no, no." Yu'ai's cheeks flushed red, and she raised her small hand and shook it, saying shyly, "I'm not his girlfriend. Uh... I'm not that lucky. He's been married for several months now, and his wife is a lovely, gentle, considerate, and incredibly beautiful woman."
Naga chuckled and patted her head, both amused and somewhat resentful at her hurried explanation. He waved his hand and pointed to the counter, "Go pick one out. Hoshina works very hard, so consider this a gift from your older brother."
"Really...really? That's not a good idea..." Women are naturally powerless against beautiful accessories, and even Yua, who has always lived a simple life, couldn't have never longed for them. Now that she's still in the stage of trying to save money to maintain an independent life, her suppressed desires are more likely to rebound. After hearing Naga's words, although she expressed hesitation, her expectant gaze couldn't help but fall on those dazzling accessories that she usually wouldn't even dare to look at.
After some initial hesitation, Ai went outside the store and called Hoshino. After receiving his approval, she happily ran back and, after careful selection, accepted a platinum bracelet inlaid with purple artificial crystals.
This high-end jewelry store has roughly a dozen price tiers, and this bracelet is one of the cheaper ones in the lowest tier. Naihe felt it was a bit inappropriate; to him, no amount of expensive jewelry would be excessive on his fair and slender wrist.
"Price isn't the key point, whether you like it or not is the most important thing, Mr. Strange. Don't you like my taste?" Yui stretched out her wrist and waved it in front of him twice as if showing off. "Thank you. Besides Hoshina, you're the first person to give me a gift. I'm really, really, really happy. So… hey, don't keep that long face."
Naihe couldn't help but laugh, and reached out to pat her head. "Okay, whatever you like."
"Oh, right." Perhaps Naga's gift-giving earlier today had emboldened Yui a bit. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Um... Stranger, how long can I stay in the house I'm renting?"
"Stay until... uh... until you want to move out." I originally wanted to say "stay until you marry Hoshina," but before I could say it, a wave of sadness washed over me, and this is what came out of my mouth.
"Hmm... in that case, could I add a bookshelf?" Ai asked cautiously, then quickly added, "Of course, I'll pay for the bookshelf myself, and I'll be careful not to damage the other furniture."
Yes, even when I saw the jewelry I liked just now, the joy of love did not surpass that when I saw the books I liked. As life settles down again, those desires that were once less important than survival will resurface in people's hearts. At least, this is a good sign.
Naga nodded. "Contact me after you've bought it, and I'll arrange for someone to help you set it up."
He originally wanted to leave it to Ami or Miku to arrange, but then he thought that Miku was pregnant and it would be best for her to rest and recuperate. Ami might not be able to help her properly now, so it would be better for him to take the time to handle it himself.
They chatted idly along the way, and by the time they arrived at Ami's hospital room, it was already a little later than the scheduled time. Miku had packed Ami's things and sat by the bedside to wait.
As soon as they entered, Ashi raised his wrist and shook it as if checking his watch, then said with a smile, "My dear brother-in-law, you're late."
"I just picked out a gift to celebrate your discharge from the hospital." Naga smiled and walked over, handing the box to Ami. "Yuai carefully chose this for you, and we paid for it together. Do you like it?"
Asami glanced at Yui, her emotions concealed by a skillful smile. She opened the box and said, "Oh, this is indeed a very suitable gift for me. Thank you."
"Are you completely healed?" Naga walked to Miku's side, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Miku smiled and leaned against his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't need to have a scar removal surgery while you're at it?"
Ashi sighed, lowered her head, and lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal a somewhat gruesome scar. The old scab had probably just been removed, and the skin beneath was a reddish-pink. "I'll keep it. It'll remind me that some things are wrong. Even if it makes me happy, I should try my best not to do wrong things."
Miku said, "I really didn't expect that this accident would change you so much."
"You've really worked hard these past few days, sister. I'll definitely make it up to you when we get home." Asami looked up at Miku, her gaze still full of expectation and longing, not much different from before.
Miku trembled dramatically, hid behind Naga, and said in a deliberately threatening tone, "I'm a pregnant woman who's easily angered. Be careful, or I might stab you on the other side of your belly."
"Sister, I won't resist no matter how many knives you stab me with." Ashi smiled as she got out of bed and put on her shoes. To her, the new clothes she was wearing were unusually simple, but they were still much better than a hospital gown. "Then, let's go home."
Ai obediently took the second heaviest piece of luggage, while the heaviest, of course, was in the hands of the only man.
Naga, who was walking at the back, looked at the three women walking side by side in front of her. The sense of incongruity that had always existed in Asami seemed to have completely disappeared.
The image of Yoshimi's despairing face flashed before his eyes. He silently apologized once more in his heart, and with a surge of guilt, he left the hospital, which reeked of disinfectant.
Apart from the lovely nurse, nothing here could please him.
The snow-white walls, the cramped ward, and the busy doctors would all conjure up another image in his mind.
The medical equipment, riddled with tubes, consumed the entire savings of an ordinary family, converting them into life-sustaining nutrients to feed a person who lay forever asleep in a hospital bed. That sleeping face would sometimes resemble Nami, sometimes Yuna, and sometimes become a blurry stranger about to be devoured by him.
Perhaps... it's time to consider letting the food live in another world. Naga suppressed a hunger in his heart that was different from his appetite, straightened his back, and walked towards the three people waiting for him by the car.