NOVPUB"That's how it turned out."
"Sigh... I'm really glad to see you again, but honestly, the timing is a bit disappointing. I wanted to meet you when I could stand proud by myself. We even promised to meet again when that time comes."
"Ah, so that's why you were acting awkward?"
"Hahaha... Did it show? I'm sorry to Subin, but honestly, I wasn't ready yet. I couldn't keep my word and just ended up needing help... I'm still far off."
After finishing the public sex, I pulled Siu aside to talk about his relationship with Subin. Their relationship was more complicated than I thought, and the conversation got so lengthy that I eventually tuned out the details halfway through.
But I remembered the essentials.
Subin is a third-generation chaebol, and she and Siu are currently broken up.
It seems they broke up because of his inferiority complex, which I truly can't understand. She invited him to join her company, offered to buy him a house and car, and he rejected all of it. What was he doing?
If it were me, I would have taken advantage of that and even tried to secure my position further by getting her pregnant, ensuring I wouldn't lose out. But for our noble protagonist Siu, that seemed to hurt his pride.
What? Return as a man who isn't embarrassed in front of her?
It's baffling. How can one not feel inferior in front of a chaebol heiress? Too much self-esteem can also be a problem.
Or did he experience something like a drama? "I can't give my daughter to a nobody like you, so take this and leave!" If that was the case, I could somewhat understand. Of course, I wouldn't have left even then.
Anyway, their breakup is convenient for me. If they had been together, it might have been difficult to execute a netori.
Since he's putting distance between them on his own, I say thank you.
"Then use this opportunity to show her the impressive man you want to be."
"...What? No, I meant being confident in myself, not just looking impressive."
"Ah, whatever. It's all the same. You don't want to appear pitiful in front of a girl you like. So, show her this time."
"...How?"
But Subin might approach Siu first anyway. It seems she still has lingering feelings. So, I need to forcefully keep them apart.
Out of sight, out of mind.
"I was planning to handle the monster wave with Elise, just the two of us. But you should join us. Show her by taking on this task that you can stand strong."
"The three of us?! Is that even possible...?"
"Of course. My job's overpowered. You've seen my buffs."
"That's true, but..."
Why is this guy hesitating so much? When you lay it out for him, he backs off. Sigh... There’s a surefire way to motivate men.
"Scared?"
If ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) he still backs out, he might as well be castrated.
****
In the conference room filled with group leaders, I too attended as a leader.
Seeing me enter with Siu, Subin showed her disdain, but what can she do? I just smiled lightly and took the head seat. Rumors that I had single-handedly killed the tutorial’s crocodile had spread, and no one dared to challenge me for the seat.
I was hoping for a little rebellion... too bad. Cowards, all boring.
As our group leaders all took their seats, the meeting began immediately. Elise was resting back at the accommodations. I’d gotten a bit too enthusiastic earlier, and she was still out of it.
"...So, our group will..."
"...Decide the order..."
"Yawn~"
I should have brought her along. This kind of place isn't for me. Just listening to people talk is too boring.
Before I started my real netori activities, I tried to gauge Subin's personality by observing the meeting... but I couldn’t stand it any longer. Unable to bear it, I interrupted Subin with a loud yawn.
She furrowed her brows at me and finally exploded.
"Hey, if you're just going to yawn and not contribute, get out. You're only causing a disturbance."
"Want me to say something? Fine, I will. Listening to you all is so frustrating, it's annoying." 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Hmph! Then suggest a proper alternative!"
"Alright, an alternative? It’s simple. Listen carefully, I’ll say it only once. The monster wave. Elise, Siu, and I will handle it. Everyone else can sleep, mess around, or explore the labyrinth, whatever."
"What?!"
-Murmuring- -Buzzing-
My declaration turned the meeting room into chaos immediately. Everyone looked incredulous. Of course, they would.
Choosing to serve the greater good rather than seize opportunities for personal growth?
I could make such a decision because I knew what I could gain from this ordeal, but they had no idea, so they couldn’t understand.
So, to avoid their annoying suspicions and to extract a few more advantages, I needed a good excuse to deceive them.
"Of course, there's a price."
"Pfft! I knew it. You're planning to make some sleazy demand, right? Disgusting."
"That’s what you call overthinking. I’m not thinking about screwing anyone over here."
"Are you insane? Look at the way you talk. Truly revolting."
"Whatever. Just listen. What I want is an artifact you have. Hand over that necklace, and I’ll ensure we cover the remaining period."
"...This one?"
If the meeting had continued as usual, each group would have taken turns dealing with the monster wave daily. But if the three of us handle it, Subin and her group would gain an extra five days for growth.
One artifact for that? Sounds like a good deal to me. She, as the group leader, wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.
Ah, and it’s a good deal for me too. From my 'Observation,' I found out that necklace is a protective artifact that blocks a fatal attack once every 24 hours.
I plan to gift it to Sophia. She already has a staff with a shield feature, but still... it's better to be safe. With this necklace, I’ll feel more at ease.
"Yeah, that necklace. What do you say, deal?"
"...I can’t believe this. Did you clear this with Siu?"
"Ha, if you don’t trust me, ask him yourself. He was the one who suggested this first. I just added that we should at least get an artifact out of it, but it was Siu who initially wanted to help."
"...Siu, is that true?"
"Yeah, I've gotten a lot stronger now... It's time for our comrades to get stronger, isn’t it? We need to help each other survive. I've been helped until now, so now it's my turn to give back."
"You... you haven't changed even after coming to such a place..."
There, Subin fell for it because Siu spoke up.
Just in case, I had aligned our stories beforehand, and it turned out to be the right move.
Fooled by it, Subin hesitated for a moment before handing over the necklace and agreeing with my plan.
Don’t feel too bad. I’ll gift you a new necklace soon.
After that, the meeting quickly concluded, and I left the conference room, giving Siu a sign. He then approached Subin, hesitating before speaking.
"Subin... could we meet tonight?"
****
One of the easiest things in the world is deceiving Siu.
He believed me without question when I asked him to secretly arrange a meeting so I could apologize to Subin.
As a result, I easily subdued Subin when she came alone to the city walls and made her my slave.
"You... why are you here? ...Where's Siu?!"
"Screaming! Stop! ...What are you doing! Get lost!"
"Damn it! You disgusting creep! Get lost!"
"...You think I'm going to submit to you?! I'll tell everyone, to Siu, to everyone... You think I can't? Hah! You can’t own me with this cheap trick... What? A slave?"
There was a bit of a commotion, but it wasn’t a big deal. Once made a slave, it’s game over.
Now, Subin can't speak of what happened today or what will happen in the future to anyone.
"Alright. Let's start by getting undressed. Don't talk, don’t turn your head, just strip down from the top, one piece at a time."
