Kaguya's eyes dimmed. She stood silently in front of Oko and Hayasaka, her head slightly lowered, her black hair falling over her smooth shoulders, and she said nothing.
Seeing this, Hayasaka felt a bit uneasy. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but after glancing at Oko beside her, she swallowed her words and stood still.
Kaguya was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I understand. Big Brother, Hayasaka, if there's nothing else, can you leave?"
Oko couldn't be bothered to care about Kaguya's mood. He said impatiently, "The Shinomiya family has a lot to deal with right now, and I even had to come here personally to tell you this. It's really troublesome."
"Alright, no need to rush me. That's it. I still have things to do, so I'll leave first. Hayasaka, come with me. Since you're no longer Kaguya's maid, don't stay here."
Oko left without looking back.
He felt irritated whenever he saw Kaguya now, and making Hayasaka leave was also his way of punishing her.
Hayasaka gave Kaguya one last look. She sighed softly and didn't dare say anything, afraid Oko would notice. Then she turned and followed him out.
After the two left the room, Kaguya's shoulders trembled uncontrollably. Two streams of tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't hold it in any longer, collapsed to her knees, and began to sob.
…
On the other side, in a hotel in Tokyo, Toru was woken up by the ringing of his phone.
He glanced at Jodie sleeping beside him, her smooth white back exposed as she faced away from him, then let out a light chuckle. He picked up the phone from the bedside table and walked toward the bathroom.
Jodie also opened her eyes at that moment. Her whole body ached, and her legs felt weak.
Last night, she and Toru had been intense, perhaps because she wanted to vent the grief caused by Shuichi's death. She had been completely unrestrained.
However, even though she had been with Toru, she had no feelings for him. When sleeping, she was unwilling to lie in his arms, which was why she slept facing away from him at the edge of the bed.
Inside the bathroom, Toru saw that the call was from Oko.
He found it a bit strange and answered.
"Oko-san, is there something you need?"
Toru smiled, his tone warm, as if he were genuinely happy to receive Oko's call.
Oko said over the phone, "Toru-kun, I'm very sorry about the matter of your broken engagement with Kaguya."
Toru raised an eyebrow.
Broken engagement? How did he not know about this?
But since Oko said so, it was probably true. Most likely, the Chairman had done this without informing him.
Toru wasn't angry about it.
This engagement had been forced on him by the Fujiwara family from the beginning.
Now that it was broken off, so be it. It was just a bit of a pity about Kaguya.
Still, Toru didn't have much attachment to her. They rarely communicated privately, and their relationship had always been distant.
Compared to Haruno, who was his classmate and whom he saw often at school, Yukino even sent him Line messages to chat.
Haibara lived with him, so naturally they had frequent contact.
Between him and Kaguya, there was almost no interaction.
According to Hayasaka, Kaguya only used an old-fashioned phone that couldn't even install modern chat apps.
And Toru wasn't interested in texting, which was why their relationship remained distant.
In fact, his relationship with Hayasaka was even closer than with Kaguya.
Oko continued, "Toru-kun, I have a request that may be difficult."
"Go ahead. Even though my engagement with Kaguya has been broken off, you've always treated me well. I still see you as an older brother."
Nice words cost nothing. Toru casually flattered him.
Oko took it seriously. In his eyes, Toru was still a shy and inexperienced university student who hadn't been exposed to much of society.
So everything Toru said must have been sincere.
Oko said emotionally, "Toru-kun, you know Kaguya's personal maid, Hayasaka, right?"
"Ms. Hayasaka? I have quite a deep impression of her. It's rare to find such a capable and beautiful maid these days."
Toru's words made Oko pleased. He quickly said, "It's like this. Hayasaka's contract with our Shinomiya family has ended."
"I originally wanted to renew it, but Hayasaka said she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to continue."
"I understand that the Shinomiya family has too many rules, which made her feel exhausted, so I agreed to let her resign."
After a pause, Oko continued, "Hayasaka is a very unfortunate girl. Her parents are not in Japan, and because their family owes a large debt, her parents' income must first go toward repayment, leaving only basic living expenses."
"Hayasaka has been frugal and hardworking since childhood, taking part-time jobs while studying. She always earned her own money and rarely asked her family for any."
"Now that she has resigned and lost her income, I'm a bit worried about her. That's why I'd like to introduce her to you, Toru-kun, and let her work for you."
"The work on your side must be much easier compared to the Shinomiya family. I wonder if Toru-kun would be willing to help her."
Toru's heart stirred. He hadn't expected Hayasaka to resign.
Had she finally reached her limit with the Shinomiya family's exploitation?
As for the debt her parents owed, wasn't that caused by you, Oko?
Toru complained inwardly, but said with a surprised tone, "The maid I hired before recently found a new job, and I was just worrying about finding a replacement."
"If Hayasaka is willing to work for me, I would of course welcome it."
Oko laughed heartily. "Haha, that's great! Then I'll have Hayasaka go to your place. Will you interview her there?"
Toru said, "How about two days from now? I won't be home for the next two days, I have some important matters to handle."
"Alright, Hayasaka has just resigned anyway, so let her rest for a couple of days first."
After exchanging a few more words, Toru hung up.
Hayasaka leaving the Shinomiya family and coming to work for him was a pleasant surprise.
As for whether Oko had any schemes behind this, Toru didn't care.
With Oko's level of intelligence, whatever he tried would probably end badly anyway, and Hayasaka wouldn't listen to him.
Sakiko was currently busy forming a band.
Once she could earn enough for basic living expenses from it, she would definitely quit her job as his nanny.
That was simply her personality, and her passion was music. It was impossible for her to remain his nanny for life.
When that time came, Hayasaka could take over.
She could take care of Kaguya, someone like a pampered young lady, with meticulous attention. Her ability as a maid was undoubtedly top-tier.
Especially since at the aquarium, Hayasaka had learned some of his secrets, and she could also get along well with Haibara, so there was no need to worry about her not accepting certain things.
Not bad. He had to make Hayasaka his exclusive maid, the kind who could never leave him.
While thinking this, Toru called the Old Master to ask about the engagement.
The Old Master then explained the recent situation the Shinomiya family was facing. The Fujiwara family didn't want to get involved, so they chose to cancel the engagement.
The Old Master also apologized to Toru, saying that the Fujiwara family would no longer interfere with his marriage, and he could marry whoever he wanted.
Even if he didn't get married, as long as he had children and left heirs for the Fujiwara family, he could live however he pleased.
The Old Master spoke so humbly and even granted him complete freedom in marriage.
What else could Toru say? He couldn't blame the Old Master or the Fujiwara family anymore.
After that, Toru washed up in the bathroom, got dressed, and walked out.
Seeing him putting on his shoes by the door, clearly about to leave, Jodie finally stopped pretending to sleep.
She sat up, her upper body bare, and asked, "You're just leaving like this?"
Toru finished putting on his shoes and glanced at her. "What else? We're just friends with benefits. Are you saying you want to be in a relationship with me, Jodie?"
"If you want that, then you'll have to work hard to pursue me. Maybe I'll consider it."
Jodie felt a surge of irritation. "Then hurry up and leave."
Toru obediently left.
After he left, Jodie lay back down on the bed.
Thinking about it, their relationship was just a mutual arrangement to satisfy needs. What was there to be upset about?
As a woman, she sometimes got too emotional. She shouldn't expect too much.
Toru went down to the parking lot and got into his Porsche.
Next, he still had to complete the task assigned by Mary.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)