Stealing Spree

Chapter 996 Ultimatum

　　That outburst from Yue’s manager was a normal reaction. Anyone in their right mind would do so as well.

　　Most likely, because of Yue’s words, my image in her manager’s mind was that of a monkey grasping at golden fruit. A guy who wanted to climb up the social ladder by hanging on her coat tails.

　　At least, if I was in her shoes, that’s what I was going to think. Furthermore, what she found out through Yue was just the tip of the iceberg.

　　Imagine if she also became aware that Yue is only one of my many girlfriends. She’s probably going to hyperventilate from extreme anger at how much I fooled Yue.

　　Anyway, Yue realized her blunder soon enough. But because of her honest trait as well as how she couldn’t take someone accusing me of something she knew I didn’t do, she quickly retorted back. Moreover, she matched her almost delirious scream, “No! You’re wrong! Ruki is not like that!”

　　“Oh God! Look at you, you’re completely hooked by him! Are you a chick who has just hatched? If you’re not going to tell me where you are, I’m gonna ping your phone and look for you through GPS!”

　　Naturally, she’s not convinced with that emotional retort without even explaining things.

　　Still, Yue didn’t back down and screamed back. The way she explained was so jumbled that her manager only dismissed that as an attempt to invalidate her manager’s concern.

　　Nonetheless, I couldn’t discount that fact. Her manager was just concerned about her. And because Yue showed that she’s not going to back down, the woman on the other side also became relentless at dissuading the girl not to throw her career away for me.

　　And with this, seeing how they started screaming at each other, I decided that it was time for me to step in.

　　The whole reason why I had her call this morning was to inform her manager where she is and also to introduce myself to the woman. This way, her manager would have an idea of what kind of guy I am when I meet her later at night.

　　Besides, Akane and Miwa-nee were already looking at me with their meaningful gazes to stop the girl from getting too agitated. Minoru also started looking as well, his sleepiness had long disappeared from the loud voices.

　　Uh, I should buy the boy a treat later. it’s our fault to do this while we’re eating, after all…

　　Turning my focus back to the girl in my arms, I pushed my lips close to her ear and whispered, “Yue, let me talk to her. You settle down and eat… I drained you of your energy earlier. You gotta take that back.”

　　A whisper was enough. It would be bad if her manager heard it, it would just strengthen her bias against me.

　　Tickled by my breath, Yue who was about to deliver another retort wriggled a bit as her tense shoulders relaxed.

　　When she turned to me, her eyes blinked in confusion. The girl was totally stoked from their screaming competition that she almost forgot the time and place.

　　Embarrassed, the girl visibly shrunk as she reached in for her bowl and started eating like I told her to do. Nonetheless, she remained in my seat so I had to adjust and reach for the phone.

　　I turned off the loudspeaker and pressed it to my ear. The manager already stopped screaming right after Yue.

　　In a way, they’re like two peas in a pod at what they did. It’s like I had a glimpse of how they interacted every time they would get into a disagreement.

　　Anyway, all I know about her was what Yue told me, ‘kind and understanding’.

　　Even though that’s not what she showed on the surface, the way she got mad at me right away was nothing short of impressive. But like I said, it’s a normal reaction so I still had to truly interact with her to get a read on what kind of person she really is.

　　From what I heard from Yue, her manager was the one who scouted her. She contacted her through that platform where she uploaded her video. And from there, she guided her at every step of the process until she became a full-fledged singer.

　　Even before she debuted, the woman was already supporting her in the background. She’s also the one who made it possible for Yue’s first concert to be held in this city; her birthplace.

　　Her manager was originally a talent scout for the music label but through Yue’s request, she became her manager. That’s how much Yue trusted the woman and perhaps, accepting the role also proved her dedication to hatch the little chick into a singing sensation for all ages.

　　Gathering my thoughts, I started to form words in my mind, it’s the first impression. Even if through voice only, I had to present myself properly.

　　“Uh. Miss Manager, allow me to take it from here. Both of you have become too agitated that… messages couldn’t get across anymore. That’s why… Let me start with this. I apologize for causing this trouble.”

　　I made sure that my voice was as calm as possible and… carrying a hint of respect.

　　When Yue, who was busy stuffing her face with food, heard that, she looked up and gave me a thumbs up. Her eyes shone brightly once more, if I could translate the minute reactions she’s showing, she’s extremely proud of her man.

　　Anyway, after patting the girl’s head and urging her to continue, I got the manager’s response. “Do you think an apology is enough for what you did?”

　　“Of course not. However, I’m aware that Miss Manager is just concerned over Yue. That alone is enough for me to trust that you only want what’s best for her.”

　　“… The hell are you talking about? Haven’t you heard me?”

　　“I’m not deaf, Miss Manager. Anyway, let me first introduce myself. You can be mad at me right after that.”

　　“Boy, you have a few screws loose.”

　　“I believe it’s not just a few. Uhm… I can’t say ‘Nice meeting you’, right? So, I’ll just give my name. I’m Onoda Ruki, pleased to make your acquaintance.” I used a lively tone there and sure enough, she got taken aback again.

　　No… Ever since I started talking to her, she’s close to being speechless because of how I calmly meet her sharp tone.

　　A few seconds later, I heard the woman groan before defeatedly introducing herself to me. “Urk… Alright, Onoda Ruki. I’m Nagamine Kaoru.”

　　Alright. One hurdle passed.

　　“Nagamine-san, is it? Let’s move on. I’m sure you already pinged her location and were about to drive here oncee this call ends but… can I ask you not to do so?”

　　Although that should be illegal normally, she had permission to do that. As her manager.

　　But as I expected, even if Miss Manager got caught off-guard from that, she instantly gathered her wits and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Yeah… No!”

　　I had to pull the phone away from my ears until she lowered her voice again but it probably wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

　　So, I braced myself to endure her ear-piercing screams and once again opened my mouth. “I thought so… Then if you won’t accept my suggestion, I will be bringing her with me when I go out today, evading you for the rest of the day. Is that what you want, Miss Manager? And just in case you’re recording this call, I didn’t kidnap her. I will personally bring Yue back to the condominium later at night. You have my word.”

　　As soon as I finished dropping that ultimatum, the screaming woman from the other side was instantly silenced.

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