I turned slowly...
Very slowly, as I let go of Lydia and glanced at Bianca out of the corner of my eye...
Only then did I turn around...
There was nothing there, but I felt an overwhelming sensation as I stared at the man's bare feet...
Yes. His feet.
Just the thought of lifting my head was suffocating...
My breathing became irregular at some point...
... I felt a disturbing chill at the back of my neck.
What was that? The man wasn't doing absolutely anything... I could tell that from the looks he gave me. They were strange looks, but normal...
I wasn't exactly nervous... That was just my body's natural reaction...
I swallowed hard, forcing my breathing to return to normal...
I don't know how much time passed, but I finally managed to lift my head...
... Ugly.
I couldn't help but think that when I saw the man's face. It was just too scruffy...
I'll admit, top-notch facial features, but incredibly ugly. The combination was very strange...
And his hair looked like a bird's nest...
Of course, aside from that... there was his physique...
... What kind of disaster is this? How can someone be so shredded and tall?
But, putting that aside, I said:
"... Okay, boss, I know it's hard to believe, but would you believe me if I said it's a... misunderstanding?"
He looked at me for a few seconds before raising an eyebrow...
"Misunderstanding? I see... So you're basically saying that what I saw and heard is wrong?"
... I felt a disturbing chill from his voice.
It was incredibly normal. Strong, high-pitched, but normal...
That made me even more unsettled for some reason, but at least there seemed to be room for conversation...
"No. No. I didn't say you're wrong... Far from it. You are, but there's one detail missing, that's all... And I'll say more, without that detail, this awkward situation wouldn't have even happened... By the way, I know this isn't the time, but nice physique... You're a damn hottie, huh, boss?"
... That... Incredibly, it made the man smile, but, as if sensing something, he looked past me. Naturally, I followed his gaze—it was the younger woman at the front desk, his wife...
She was looking at him with an expression that said—Seriously?
That made the guy cough for a moment before he turned his attention back to me.
"All right. As an adult, I'll give you a chance, kid. Explain yourself."
... I felt such a huge sense of relief that I probably would've shit my pants if I'd had anything in my stomach. Phew.
"... Well, I'm an adult too, but that's beside the point..."
I muttered under my breath before clearing my throat.
"So... Fuck, how do I explain this?"
I scratched my bald head before continuing.
"The small detail is that I'm mentally fucked up, you know? My mental integrity went to hell, taking my common sense and whatever filter I had along with it. I'm just doing what my intrusive thoughts tell me, and I ended up hitting on that little redhead over there, but the thing is, she and her daughter seemed glued to each other, so she must have just misunderstood... Of course, I'm not saying her daughter is ugly, but it just came out automatically in my defense, you know? A random defensive thought... That's all. In fact, she has beautiful eyes just like her father..."
I tried to speak as eloquently, friendly, and convincingly as possible. My breathing was labored as I finished speaking while pointing at the redhead without even looking at her...
At no point did I take my eyes off the man, waiting for his reaction...
His silence was simply crushing, while sweat dripped more and more down my face...
This went on until he raised his hand...
... Yeah. It was a good life while it lasted...
No...
Actually, it was a pretty shitty life.
I'd already accepted it. Ah, fuck it, what can you do, right? I closed my eyes and opened my arms—or rather, my arm—waiting, but...
Did he just put his hand on my shoulder?
"So that's it. I get it..."
I blinked. My mind immediately went into a wild, unrestrained celebration...
"And you've got guts, kid. Hitting on someone with a face like that... It's tough. I know it is. I like that; it reminds me of the old days."
... I know the feeling, boss, but what's the point?
My mind went cold instantly...
But, putting that aside, I sighed as he walked right past me, heading toward his daughter and wife...
My legs were shaking...
I wanted to scream right then. To throw all that weight up in the air, but unfortunately, it wasn't over yet...
"Ah, you'd better take my daughter out on a date and apologize properly for confusing her, got it? Your problem was never with me, but with her. Of course, I also want you to sincerely apologize to my wife... As for my mother-in-law... Do whatever you want. I couldn't care less about that old hag."
... What?
Did I really just hear what I heard? What kind of messed-up turn of events is this?
"Sure, boss... I was going to do that anyway. You just didn't give me time... That's all."
"Good. That's how it has to be."
Regardless of how things turned out, I had no choice but to accept it...
It was wonderful to resolve things through conversation, but...
I felt like a slut walking past everyone. Theo and Bianca didn't even bother to hide their smirks...
Lydia was being held back by Bianca. She really looked like she wanted blood...
The redhead just looked away, huffing. Clearly outraged. The rest just looked at me with all sorts of expressions...
Those bastards...
Seriously, didn't anyone open their mouth to help me? I have to give Lydia more credit after this...
Anyway, at least I'm going to do something I've always wanted to do...
When I reached the two women at the front desk, I knelt down, then bowed my head before their blank expressions...
"I know I was a brat; I said some stupid things, but please... Forgive me. I know it's asking a lot, and I probably don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway... Look, I even cut off my arm beforehand. See how sincere I am!"
I raised my head, looking at them both seriously, while showing the stump where my arm should have been.
"That should be enough to appease..."
I paused, glancing at the man, before continuing.
"Look, with all due respect this time... Moving on. That should be enough to appease the two beautiful ladies."
... I waited for their response, watching them both.
Little by little, their expressions began to soften... From blank to serious, and from serious until they couldn't hold back their laughter.
"All right. You're forgiven, kid."
"Well… Unlike some people, you're good with words, so it's fine by me too, not to mention I wasn't even offended in the first place."
"Unlike some people? Nobody told you to be a slut."
"And I don't know what my daughter saw in you. By the way, why aren't you defending your mother?"
"… Please, both of you, stop. Can't you see there are people around? A little dignity—that's all I ask of both of you."
"… All right."
"..."
… What am I seeing? No. What are we all seeing?
Well, it's not my problem... I shrugged as I began to sneakily back away...
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Of course, one look from the man and I stopped dead in my tracks.
"... Oh, really? What could that be?"
"My daughter."
"Oh, don't worry, boss, I didn't forget that, but since your lovely wife mentioned dignity, I ended up looking at myself and thinking how undignified it would be to ask your most dignified daughter out on a date looking like this, you know? I'd like to be more presentable... And again, I spoke of your wife with the utmost respect."
He looked at me for a few moments before nodding.
"I see. You have a point... One week. I'll give you a week to get yourself presentable."
"... Thank you very much, sir."
... Damn. I should never have walked into this place to begin with...
I'm going to listen to you for once, dear brain...
You have an opinion, don't you? I looked at the person in question who had caused all this mess. She hadn't said a word the whole time, just looking at me with a smile while hugging her father...
Damn. Another bombshell in my life...