After a long period of careful consideration, the expression on Akio Morita's face shifted several times before finally settling into a soft sigh.
"Well... we fully understand the determination of Pokeni and President Qing, but the specific situation requires further internal discussion at Sony. We are unable to give you an answer for the time being, and we hope you can understand."
Upon leaving Sony Corporation, although Chikawa and Ishino let out a sigh of relief, Aoki Haruhi could sense an intangible frustration.
"Hmm... is it still impossible to make a decision?"
"Or is there some other reason?" Aoki Haruhi muttered to himself.
Judging by the reactions of the individuals just now, Sony had many concerns.
This negotiation had not gone as smoothly as Aoki Haruhi had imagined.
It was highly likely because Pokeni itself did not have much of a reputation.
Just as the group was about to leave, Kutaragi Ken chased after them.
"President Aoki."
He walked up to Aoki Haruhi, panting, squeezed out a smile, and extended his right hand.
Aoki Haruhi shook it, feeling a bit puzzled.
Had he figured it out?
Or was it...
"Thank you for the valuable suggestions you made, President Aoki," Kutaragi Ken praised sincerely. "To be honest, I truly admire your vision and courage, being able to consider Sony under such circumstances and making such an inspiring declaration of intent."
"It's truly remarkable."
"No, no, you're too kind." Aoki swallowed silently.
He was eagerly waiting to hear these words from him—
"Therefore, Sony has decided to partner with Pokeni."
"Moreover, your company's proposal is extremely constructive, and I personally feel deeply inspired by it."
Kutaragi finished speaking and bowed to Aoki.
Eh?
What does this mean?
"My apologies. Sony has just suffered such a huge blow; I imagine the higher-ups won't be able to make a decision anytime soon."
Kutaragi straightened up, raised his eyes, and looked at the ceiling, effectively searching the upper management's decision-makers above.
"It's like just as we were about to open the door to the gaming world, we got hit over the head."
"I hope President Aoki can understand Sony's current situation."
Huh?
Aoki blinked.
Is this...
A rejection?
"Ah, damn it, isn't it infuriating? I thought it was good news, but it turned out Mr. Kutaragi was just offering comforting words."
In the evening, at the G-france restaurant, Aoki Haruhi let out a sigh, took a sip of his drink, and set the glass down heavily.
With a thud.
Tsuda Nao looked at the handsome man in the white shirt sitting opposite her with some amusement.
"Hey, Aoki-san, look over there."
Tsuda extended a finger and tapped on the window glass.
Aoki Haruhi followed the direction of her finger and looked outside.
He saw a boy standing at the bus stop by the entrance, chatting with a girl.
The two were incredibly young, looking like high school students.
The boy was all smiles, blushing slightly from time to time.
A couple of seconds later, not knowing what the boy had said, he reached out his hand and ruffled the girl's hair.
The girl looked at him with mock resentment, but there was still a hint of a smile on her face.
"What is it?" Aoki Haruhi asked. "The daily life of a young couple?"
"Probably not," Tsuda Nao poked the glass with her finger, "Look, the boy is actually quite restrained, and the girl hasn't made any overly intimate gestures either."
"If you have to say, they're probably still in the ambiguous phase."
Tsk tsk.
"You're quite the expert, aren't you?" Aoki Haruhi raised his eyebrows, looking a bit dissatisfied.
"After all, everyone has been through this," Tsuda Nao's eyes sparkled, "Do you think he will confess?"
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi observed carefully for a moment, "Today? Probably not. They'll part ways once the bus comes in a bit, and confessing in front of so many people takes a lot of courage, right?"
"Then do you think if the boy confesses, the girl will agree?" Tsuda Nao continued to ask.
"Probably, you just said they're in an ambiguous phase, so they should at least have some feelings for each other," Aoki Haruhi said.
To be honest, he was quite envious of this kind of romance.
In his previous life, he was single-mindedly focused on his studies and missed out on his high school days.
This time, he had transmigrated directly to age 26, so all those experiences he personally never had just became memories.
Only when he was with Tsuda could he feel that heartbeat sensation he had never experienced before.
Tsuda Nao lifted her chin slightly, "Japanese people are actually quite ambiguous.
It's common to be afraid to make a bold move when facing someone you like, but that often leads to missing out on a good connection.
And then?
Conversely, if they don't like the other person, they find it hard to say anything impolite.
They just feel awkward about rejecting others.
Sometimes, when a girl says no, she actually means yes.
And when she says yes, she means no.
You have to carefully analyze and interpret the other person's psychology."
Ah...
It made his head spin just listening to it.
So women really are the most difficult creatures in the world to figure out.
Aoki Haruhi pondered Tsuda's words.
"You mean, even though Sony is already interested in us, they're just waiting for us to make the next move, is that it?"
"Heh," Tsuda scoffed, "I was talking about romance, romance, do you understand?"
As she spoke, she stood up and pulled Aoki Haruhi outside.
"Let's go see how it turns out."
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi hurriedly put down his cutlery and tucked a 10,000 yen note into the menu.
The bus arrived at the stop. The girl jogged forward a couple of steps, turned around, and waved at the boy.
"Ken, see you tomorrow."
"Right, see you tomorrow."
The boy, called Ken, responded with a forlorn expression.
Watching her get on the bus, the boy prepared to leave.
But the next second, looking in the direction the bus was heading, he nodded as if he had made up his mind, dropped his schoolbag, and began to run frantically.
After this summer, there might not be another chance.
"Yao-chan!"
Wow, Aoki Haruhi thought, it had been a long time since he'd seen a "Japanese drama run."
And it was happening right in front of him—chasing a bus.
Ken ran after the bus, slapping against the door.
Yao leaned her head out, her face full of surprise.
"Yao!"
"Ken-kun!"
"I like you!"
"Huh?!" The girl's pupils widened.
The people in the carriage looked at them with surprise.
"Please be my girlfriend!" Ken chased after the bus.
The driver didn't have the heart to drive too fast.
Two seconds passed.
Yao smiled happily, "I'm sorry! I don't like you!"
Ah, this...
The happy ending he had imagined didn't happen.
The boy looked as if he'd been struck by lightning; he froze in place, his hands pressed against his knees.
He couldn't tell if the moisture on his face was tears or sweat.
This was completely unexpected for Aoki Haruhi.
"Totally wrong!"
Tsuda Nao turned back, looked at Aoki Haruhi, and shook with laughter.
Aoki Haruhi frowned deeply.
Damn it...
"So," Tsuda Nao asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "do you understand now?"
"Understand what?"
"Sometimes, when someone doesn't reject you to your face, it's just out of politeness."
Ah...
This wicked woman, why does she always have to rub salt in other people's wounds?
"But," Tsuda added, "if you haven't been able to move the other person, it just means you don't carry enough weight in her heart."
"Huh?"
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