Chapter 141: The Playboy (Bonus Chapter)
"What are you overthinking for? I'm just telling the truth."
Chiya countered, "It's not like it looks bad, so why would I need to comfort you? On the contrary, it's exceptionally beautiful."
If only the clerk spoke Russian, he would have asked her to pitch in her own evaluation. However, even if Shingetsu couldn't understand the clerk's words, the look in the woman's eyes—as if she were gazing upon an exquisite, rare treasure—was clear enough. Having worked there for years, she had never seen a female customer so breathtakingly beautiful!
"Really?" Shingetsu asked, still half-doubting. She found it hard to believe that an outfit she felt so out of place in could receive such high praise from Chiya.
"What would I even gain from lying to you...?" Chiya was a bit speechless. He truly wondered if this girl had zero self-awareness regarding her own beauty. Generally speaking, a naturally stunning woman will look good in almost anything; after all, facial features are the most important factor.
Only then did Shingetsu reluctantly accept the fact that she looked good in a dress.
Chiya pointed to the other four sets nearby. "Go ahead and try those on too. If they all look good, we'll buy them all and take them with us."
"Mhm." Bolstered by Chiya's praise, Shingetsu gradually became willing to embrace these dresses. She tried on every single one, and without a doubt, they were all beautiful—representing a style completely different from her previous cross-dressing persona.
"...Are these really okay?" Shingetsu still lacked confidence.
"Trust me, they're absolutely stunning," Chiya said with a tone of promise.
"I understand. Then let's buy them all," Shingetsu nodded. Regardless of what anyone else thought, as long as Chiya genuinely felt she looked good, that was more than enough for her.
After paying, the two headed straight back to the hotel. Shingetsu stayed in the pure black pleated skirt for the walk back, and the rate of people turning their heads to look at her was even higher than before.
Over the next few days, Chiya and the others spent most of their time at the hotel. This included their meals, as five-star hotels typically have excellent on-site dining.
With the transfer window officially opening tomorrow, Chiya and his group were having dinner as usual in the restaurant on the twentieth-something floor. Upon entering the luxurious dining hall, Chiya glanced around. "There are quite a lot of people today; the seats are almost full. It's likely because of the International Transfer tomorrow—lots of people want to be part of the excitement."
While there were usually many big bosses and wealthy heirs dining here, today was exceptionally crowded. On previous occasions, Chiya and Shingetsu had found inconspicuous corners to sit in, but this time they had no choice but to take one of the few remaining open tables.
Because their seat was closer to the center, they instantly became much more prominent.
As expected, it wasn't long before a youth dressed in extravagant luxury approached them, holding a glass of red wine. With the air of a poised gentleman, he said, "Beautiful lady, would you do me the honor of having a drink with me?"
His gaze was fixed on Shingetsu; he was clearly trying to pick her up.
A quick glance around the luxurious restaurant confirmed that Shingetsu was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman present. It was inevitable that some arrogant playboy, unaware of who he was dealing with, would come over to try his luck.
However, Shingetsu didn't understand a word he was saying, and she could intuitively sense that his intentions were anything but friendly. She had no interest in interacting with anyone other than Otonashi Chiya, so she merely cast a cold, fleeting glance at him before looking away. She didn't even bother to give him the courtesy of a full look.
Finding himself completely ignored, the pampered youth felt his face flush with embarrassment—his pride had been stung.
"..."
Chiya took a slow, calm sip of his tea, acting as if the young man didn't even exist. He figured this was just some idle, good-for-nothing rich kid. A truly influential "second-generation wealthy heir" wouldn't lower himself to such low-level antics. If this guy pushed his luck too far, Chiya wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.
At that moment, Furia spoke up, "Don't waste your breath. She doesn't understand your language, and she certainly isn't interested in drinking with you."
"Another beautiful lady! But shouldn't one ask the lady herself to see if she's interested? Could you please translate that for her?" The young man clung to his pride like a leach, refusing to take the hint.
"I'll give you a fair warning: you're going to regret this in a moment~" Furia didn't refuse; she was more than happy to watch the fireworks.
"There's nothing to regret. I'm merely pursuing beauty in a civilized manner," the youth said righteously.
Furia's lips curled into a smirk. The fool didn't even realize what she was trying to tell him. She turned to Shingetsu and translated the man's pick-up line into Russian: "...In short, he's trying to hit on you."
"Hitting on me?"
Shingetsu's eyes turned frigid. She stood up instantly and, without a word, delivered a precise "hand-blade" strike that sliced the wine glass in the youth's hand clean in two.
The strike was terrifyingly sharp; the surface where the glass was cut was perfectly smooth. It all happened so suddenly—the speed of the hand-blade was so fast that the human eye couldn't track it. By the time the glass was split, the young man hadn't even processed what had happened.
Crash!
Only when the top half of the glass hit the floor did the young man realize his drink had suddenly split apart.
Shingetsu had already withdrawn her hand, choosing not to escalate further. If Chiya hadn't been sitting right there—and if she hadn't wanted to avoid causing him trouble—the thing sliced in two wouldn't have been the glass; it would have been the man's throat.
The sound of the shattering glass drew eyes from all over the restaurant. People were murmuring, wondering what had happened, including the young man's family, who were dining nearby. His father looked over, his brows furrowing instantly.
Shingetsu remained silent, but Furia spoke on her behalf: "That was just to show you our attitude. If you don't know when to quit, it won't just be the glass that ends up broken next time."
"This..." The youth was completely stunned. Even now, he had no idea what had happened; he couldn't fathom how the glass had just cracked open like that.
Meanwhile, Furia was secretly surprised that Shingetsu had chosen not to injure the idiot. It seemed Shingetsu truly cared deeply about Lord Otonashi's reputation!