novelYouran / Shoelace
| ← Ch.230 | Ch.232 → |
Translator: Reflet
That gorgeous place was a world Taiyou was utterly unaccustomed to.
Taiyou was taken to a fancy hotel that adhered to convention and formalities.
The nice tailored suit he was wearing fit the place and felt amazing to wear, but unlike in the physical sense, Taiyou, a mere high school student, had not been able to catch up mentally.
He felt out-of-place in respect to both the location and the clothes he was wearing.
During all that, he was being escorted by Youran, stepping into the party room.
Youran was wearing a "short" sleeved kimono, her hair down.
This was different from her usual twintail appearance as Juunishima Youran――this was her appearance as New Moon Director.
There was a commotion at the stand-up buffet to her entrance.
「She has come」
「So that's the rumored New Moon Director......」
「Hey you, that's insolent. Give her some respect」
The first thing he heard was the voices reacting to Youran's appearance.
The guests, of course, and even the well-trained employees stopped what they were doing, focusing completely on her.
「However, who is the person behind New Moon Director?」
「Are they not a servant?」
「Your eyes suck or what? That isn't the kind of clothing fabric that a servant would wear」
「And the way they're lined up......Juunishima-sama has him under her?」
「That's probably just for appearance」
「No, but......」
And then the conversations stretched to Taiyou as well.
Who is the youth with Youran? Those questions rose up here and there.
Furthermore, Youran was conscious of it――and even Taiyou could understand that she was conducting herself as ranked as Taiyou's "wife", so several people felt that.
Those various things mixed, and with all eyes on them in a moment, he ended up feeling even more uncomfortable.
He was so uncomfortable that he found himself looking down.
「Lift your head」
Youran picked up on it, speaking to him in a quiet voice.
「Youran......」
「See, I'll be bragging about you in front of all these people here. My man is an amazing man, and I'm now his woman. I fully intend to circulate that, okay」
Youran said.
That was the reason why she had chosen to wear a kimono and not a furisode.
「So be an amazing man enough to make everyone here jealous of me」
「......Yeah, I know」
While smiling bitterly, Taiyou nodded clearly.
If it was her wish to boast around, then he was not opposed to helping grant that.
If anything, in order to answer to that with all his power――Taiyou thought to act his part more than usual.
Regaining his composure, he went to the center of the party with Youran.
When she entered the area, the first wave gathering around her was comprised of aging gentlemen.
Taiyou could clearly tell that they were all elderly people of good appearance, and knew from the way they conducted themselves that they were of a fairly high status.
(It's thanks to Kohaku-san and Youran )
Taiyou secretly thought.
Thanks to the "guidance" of these two, Taiyou was now able to understand these things.
He had now become able to figure that sort of thing out from the atmosphere exuded by the people in front of him.
While surveying these people, he silently listened to their conversation.
Perhaps wanting him to understand as well, the New Moon Director mode Youran made sure to constantly refer to each of them by their titles.
Nearly all of them had positions like chairman or manager.
Thinking of a group of well-dressed elderly people, there wasn't anything odd about that.
Amongst them was just one young woman.
The woman looked like she might not even be thirty. She was filled with sagacity, beauty, and a strong glint in her eyes.
In terms of beauty she wasn't quite as much so as Youran, but she made up for it by exuding an intelligent aura.
「It has been a while, New Moon-sama」
「Indeed it has, Chairwoman Orikawa. Is the gentleman Ryuunosuke healthy?」
「Father is well, thank you. As of recently he has displayed an interest in Northern Europe and has been involved there since」
「I see」
Youran and the attractive girl in the suit exchanged words.
The two woman in the center of the assembly hall were like two crimson dots, and even more attention was being focused on them.
After they had for some time exchanged lip service, the woman turned toward Taiyou.
「And who might this gentleman be?」
「Allow me to introduce him. His name is Natsuno Taiyou, and he is the one who hath exchanged vows with me for the future」
Momentary silence.
Then there was an explosion of noise expanding like a tsunami pushing through after receding.
In a moment, everyone in the assembly hall had their eyes on Taiyou.
The curious onlookers around them couldn't seem to hide their astonishment, but the woman who was introduced instead spoke "in an astonished manner".
「How rude of me. I am called Orikawa Maho」
「It is nice to meet you. I am Natsuno Taiyou」
「While being born in a distinguished family, Chairwoman Orikawa is a woman of character who, in her generation, brought forth a large corporation without using a cent of her family's money. Doubtless you have heard of FOT before?」
「Oh, yeah, that smartphone――」
He had heard the name of that corporation before. It was a corporation with the second-most shares in smartphones in the world.
With a universal enterprise like that, a person of the title of chairwoman had appeared in front of him, so Taiyou was a little taken aback.
「――unh!」
Youran suddenly pinched his behind.
It was all he could do to keep from letting a voice out.
Eye met with eye, and he felt like her gaze was scolding him.
――See, I'll be going around bragging about you in front of all these people here. Hold a dignified appearance to make everyone jealous of me.
He recalled the words that Youran had said just earlier.
Taiyou sucked in air, puffing out his chest again.
「It is a privilege to meet you. Although I am an Apple user, so I do apologize」
「Oh? I am the same」
Maho smiled broadly.
He glimpsed the slightest mischievous nature within her ripened glamor.
Taiyou saw her as the same type as Atsuko, but better in every way.
「I use that in private」
「Oh? That's the first I hath heard. I hath thought that thou useth the one from thine own company」
「I do use that one at work. It is merely my preference in private after all. Are you not the same way, New Moon-sama?」
「I see. Private and work, hm」
「Indeed. I had "always thought" that you were that sort of person」
「I am awed by thine great insight」
There was something up. This wasn't a conversation to be taken at face value.
That was what Taiyou thought, but he wasn't actually sure what that something was.
「Come to think of it, New Moon-sama, you did use our company's terminal, did you not?」
「Yeah, I am using the custom-made one. Thanks to that, work is progressing well」
「In that case, I shall have another new one reach you. You may use it in private this time」
「Private, huh」
「Indeed, even in private」
「Understood. I gratefully accept」
It shouldn't have been anything important, and yet for some reason, Taiyou felt a tense atmosphere between the two of them.
「Oh?」
Suddenly, Youran's gaze moved downward.
Wondering what was up, he followed her and looked down, noticing that his shoelaces were untied.
「They are untied」
「Yeah, I'll go ahead and――」
「Wait」
When Taiyou was about to squat down and retye them himself, Youran squatted down, stopping him.
She squatted, put her hand on it, and tied it.
In an instant, the party hall was filled with noise.
It was a clamor greater than when they had entered together earlier.
「Did New Moon Director-sama just do an action of servitude!?」
That line that was heard from a faraway area seemed to convey the feelings of everyone in the assembly hall.
| ← Ch. 230 | Ch. 232 → |