NOVEL NEXT Chapter 170: Cliché
“You’re the first to treat me this way, Miss Saionji.”
Fujiwara Sai was what one would typically call an alpha male.
Handsome, academically excellent, and athletically gifted.
A perfect superhuman with a trifecta of attributes.
Naturally, since his childhood, women have always been drawn to him.
However, most of these women approached him for his looks and the incredible background of the Fujiwara family, so very few approached him out of a genuine desire to be close.
That’s why Saionji’s approach felt refreshingly different.
Saionji and Fujiwara.
Despite the long-standing animosity between their families now moving towards reconciliation, the girl before him was pushing him away due to her personal feelings.
An unthinkable act according to the norms of prestigious families.“Miss Saionji, are you the type who doesn’t think about the consequences at all?”
“What do you mean?”
“Honestly, I have no intention of proposing marriage or engagement at our first meeting, but there’s no denying that this meeting carries significant importance for both our families. And you, Miss Saionji, seem intent on sabotaging it.”
After his calm and detailed explanation, Kumiko softened her expression and apologized.
“…I apologize for my rude behavior.”
“It’s fine. I’m not petty enough to be offended by just this.”
Saying this with a gentle smile, Fujiwara Sai picked up the cutlery he had set down on the table and added,
“Since it’s our first meeting, we need time to get to know each other. So, let’s enjoy our meal for today. It would be a waste if the food prepared for this occasion got cold, wouldn’t it?”
“…Understood.”
As Kumiko resumed eating at his suggestion, Fujiwara Sai glanced at her beautiful face while pretending to eat.
‘She’s an interesting girl.’
He had not expected much, coming here at the insistence of the elders, but was pleasantly surprised.
Despite being raised in a wealthy environment, it was rare to find someone with such uprightness.
She was neither vain like his elder brother nor timid like his younger sibling.
Her forthright manner reminded him of a female general from the Warring States period, like Tachibana Ginchiyo.
‘I might become a bit sincere about this.’
With that thought, Fujiwara Sai took a bite of his finely cut steak.
Hattori Hanzo, the guardian of Fujiwara Sai and the 13th head of the Iga ninja clan dating back before the Warring States period, greeted an old acquaintance.
“Long time no see, Izumo. You’ve aged quite a bit since we last met.”
In response, Koga Izumo retorted with a smile,
“Careless talk, Hanzo. Should I sew that useless mouth of yours shut?”
“What nonsense.”
Despite touching on the taboo of a woman’s age, Hanzo smirked and moved on to the main topic.
“There’s a rumor that the successor of Fuma Kotaro has appeared.”
“You’re late with the news. I’ve met him personally.”
“That guy with the nickname ‘Diamond Yaksha’, is he strong?”
To his question, Izumo shrugged and replied.
“I haven’t seen him fight, but he defeated the Destroyer God Ivan. Even past his prime, Ivan was once near the top of the world’s strongest. Honestly, just this fact alone proves his strength, don’t you think?”
“Even so, Ivan lost in his last fight with Kotaro. If he could do it, so can I, his rival.”
Hearing this, Izumo sighed and shook her head.
“Hanzo, that’s why you’re always in second place. Anyone listening would think you could really win.”
“If there had been a chance to fight, I would have. But I refuse to participate in a farce like the GOF.”
Confidently saying that, Hattori Hanzo returned to the original topic and asked.
“So, how is the Diamond Yaksha inheriting the techniques of the disappeared Fuma Kotaro? It’s been 10 years since he vanished.”
“It seems there were secret scrolls left in the village. Even if it’s an assassination technique passed down through generations, it must be preserved to prevent unfortunate accidents.”
“Then the current inheritor, Diamond Yaksha, is practically only half-trained.”
This time, even Izumo agreed with him.
“That’s right. There are limits to knowledge gained from books.”
“Diamond Yaksha, such a grandiose name. To give a title like ‘Benevolent King’ to a kid who’s barely of age.”
Rubbing his chin in thought, Hanzo soon muttered in a serious tone.
“It’s time to reorganize the hierarchy.”
“Planning a war between villages?”
“If it’s to prove our clan’s strength, it’s not impossible.”
“Sigh, this is the problem with men. Risking their lives on pointless things.”
Thus, in a place unknown to Kim Yu-seong, a new plot was taking root.
Saturday morning.
Usually, I’d be in the midst of exercising, but now I lay on the floor, devoid of any motivation.
Overworking my body only briefly distracts me from my worries.
If I let my guard down even a bit, yesterday’s events would flood my mind, driving me crazy.
‘What do I really want to do?’
It wasn’t about my future aspirations.
It was simply about my concerns regarding the President.
I was the one who blew the opportunity given to me.
More precisely, I had postponed responding to a confession until next spring, but honestly, I know it was cowardly.
I used the President’s kindness as collateral, just in case of unforeseen incidents.
In the second year, as I became classmates with the protagonist Ryuji, many girls who developed a liking for me emerged, as I became actively involved in the original story.
“f this world had followed its original course, these heroines would have shown their affection not to me, but to Ryuji.
Rika, Karen, Sasha.
In that sense, the first person who liked me genuinely, unrelated to the original work, was the President.
After all, I met her in the first year, even before the original story began.
Knowing this, it seemed I unconsciously paid her the most attention.
To summarize my current relationship with the President, it was more than friends but less than lovers.
We had mutual affection, but it hadn’t developed into a romantic relationship.
In other words, I had no right to interfere with the President going on arranged dates, as we were not in any official relationship.
‘Should I have acted crazy and crashed the matchmaking meeting?’
I understood in my head that regretting it now was pointless, as it was already in the past.
But at times like this, I couldn’t help but loathe my cautious nature this much.
If only I had followed and caused a scene, at least my heart would feel at ease.
“Sigh…”
As I sighed deeply and stared blankly at the ceiling, my phone rang.
~♪
Picking up the phone from the floor, I saw it was a call from the Vice President.
I quickly sat up from where I was lying down.
“Vice President? What’s the matter?”
[Kim Yu-seong, are you free for lunch today? I have something I want to discuss in person.]
“Ah, yes, of course. Where shall we meet?”
[Come to the PC cafe in Shinjuku by 2 pm. It’s well soundproofed, perfect for private conversations.]
“Understood.”
I noted down the address of the PC cafe the Vice President mentioned in my notebook.
Before hanging up, I asked, just in case.
“How is the President?”
There was a moment of silence from the other end of the speaker.
Then the Vice President replied.
[She is not so weak that she needs your worry.]
The words of the Vice President, who usually acts foolish but becomes extremely competent regarding matters related to the President, gave me a strange sense of trust.
[Then I’ll hang up now. Don’t be late for our appointment.]
“Yes.”
After ending the call with the Vice President, who only said what he wanted, I, who had been lying on the floor without motivation, quickly checked the time.
12:30 PM.
It was quite tight to arrive by the appointment time of 2 p.m.
Unlike Korean PC bangs, Japanese PC cafes were quite private spaces.
Not only could you use high-performance computers in a cramped space barely big enough to lie down, but it was also a cheap place to stay and eat.
Visiting such a PC cafe for the first time, I hesitated momentarily at the vastness of the menu.
But that was only for a moment. As one of the many doors in the hallway opened, a familiar face popped out.
“Kim Yu-seong!”
“Vice President!”
The Vice President, who seemed to frequent this place and came out in a casual tracksuit and slippers, spoke briefly to the owner at the counter, asking for understanding since he’d only have a short talk, then pulled me into his room.
Inside was surely a room no bigger than 3 pyeong.
In an environment similar to a one-room in a goshiwon, the Vice President handed me a cushion for my seat and started speaking, arms crossed.
“The reason I called you here today is because there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it that you need to tell me?”
The Vice President, not immediately speaking and pausing for a while, then said with a serious expression.
“The lady is getting engaged next month.”