Chapter 356. Forming a Strategic Alliance. (8/10)
“I’d love to, but I can’t. If I die, there’s one girl who won’t get to live a very long life.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, one of them can only live until she’s about forty. So long as I’m alive, the contract I have with her should allow her to keep living. Her situation is pretty complicated, but she’s sort of like a little sister to me now despite us not being related by blood or having any family.”
“Sort of like one?”
“She’d be considered the fifth I guess.”
“It sounds like there is truly no limit to your womanizing.”
“Can we get back to the contract?”
“I suppose we should. I’m going to lose it if I hear any more of your absurd exploits with women. It’s too ridiculous and I’m more inclined to believe you’re making it all up.”
I wonder how she’d react if I told her about Angela. She’d definitely think everything I said up to now was a lie so it was best to keep my mouth shut when it came to her. The same for Irene, Alicia’s mother.
“Haaaah. I wish I was. Life would be so much easier if I was.”
“At least you didn’t hide it I guess. You earned a little bit of my trust. Just a little though. If this contract really works the way you say it does, maybe I’ll really believe you’re a devil after all. Only a real devil could seriously deceive so many women to be in a relationship with him at once.”
“I’ve finished writing out the full contract with all the conditions on my end. You can read it over and fill in the two blanks and the one condition of your choice.”
“Alright… I’ll fill it out. Leave while I figure out what to fill it in with.”
“Sure. Just please don’t make it something impossible like wanting some exorbitant sum of money or expensive material possession from me. I'm not rich and pretty broke so I’m trusting that you won’t be too unreasonable with your demand. If the condition turns out to be impossible for me to fulfill, the contract will be void and ripped up. Just for the record, I included that as an annulment clause.”
“Tsk. And here I thought I was going to make some good money.”
“So you were thinking about making it money?”
“Of course it was an option I was considering. Now I’ll need to rethink it since you put such a stipulation in.”
“Look, the stipulation also protects you as well. If it turns out that I can’t deliver on the cut appearing on my left hand when you say that phrase, the contract is void as well.”
“Oh, good point.”
“Alright, I’ll leave you to think it over.”
“I’ll tell you when to come back in.”
“Yeah.”
I exited the room for the second time and stood with my back to the door as I patiently waited for her to sign the contract.
After thirty long minutes passed by, she finally signed it. It seemed she put a lot of thought into her condition. I knew without her even saying anything thanks to my body’s reaction. The heart abnormalities were followed by a worse than usual sour taste at the back of my mouth. How bad a deal had I struck this time for it to be this sour? Just what the hell was her condition?
“You signed it, right?”
“Huh? Uh… no… I haven't signed it yet.”
“You’re lying, you definitely signed it. And whatever that condition is, it’s something awful, isn’t it?”
“How can you tell I signed it? Did you leave a camera in here somewhere?”
“No, I didn’t. But there’s a really sour taste at the back of my mouth right now. I can taste it when a contract is signed and I receive your soul.”
“That sounds ridiculous.”
“But it’s the truth.”
“...” She suddenly fell silent and I didn’t hear a response.
“Is it fine if I come in now?”
“No.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“...”
A few seconds later I cried out, “Ahhhh!” I felt a terrible pain from the back of my left hand. My face soured when I raised it up and took a look at it.
“What happened!”
“You... chose a star the first time, why the hell did you pick... a heart of all things this time?”
“Huh? A heart? Wait, how did you know I picked a heart?”
“Did you not just say the phrase or word you chose?”
“Uh… no…”
“Liar, you definitely did.”
“Come inside, let me see it. I don’t believe you.”
I opened the door, raised my hand, and turned it to her.
When she saw it, her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped.
“How’d you know? You’re lying, there must be a hidden camera somewhere.”
She jumped out of her seat and ran up to me to inspect the back of my hand.
“Is this even really blood? It’s not fake, is it?” She pulled my hand toward her lips, stuck out her tongue, and licked it.
“What the hell are you doing!”
“It... really tastes like blood. And… the cut is real, more blood’s even coming out. Did you actually just randomly guess both the timing and the shape of the cut?”
“No. It just appeared on its own. If you want to test it for yourself, you can try it and watch it appear in real-time directly before your eyes. Just say the phrase or word you chose.”
“Uh… rather than outright say it… how about we talk a little. I’ll slip the phrase in randomly while we talk. That way there won’t be any mistake.”
“Isn’t just seeing the cut appear in real-time more than enough proof?”
“No…” she averted her eyes to the side awkwardly.
“Haaaaaah. Fine, let’s have a little chat. But what should we chat about now?”
“Uh, let’s sit down first.”
“Sure.”
I sat down, but Lea didn’t immediately take her seat. Rather she dragged it around the desk to my side and sat down on it facing me with both legs perched on the edge knees up to chin level.
“Is there a reason you’re sitting on my side so close?”
“It’s to make sure nothing is going on below the counter where I can’t see.”
“I see.”
“Face me too so I can make sure you’re not pulling any tricks in secret with your right arm I can’t see.”
“Yeah, yeah. You really don’t want to fall for a fast one, huh?” I rotated my chair to face her head-on.
“I’ve seen my fair share of con artists on the street using sleight of hand growing up.”
“Right.”
“Hold your hands out straight.”
“Haaaaah. Whatever makes you happy.”
I extended them out straight in front of me so she could see everything. What caught me off guard though was she grabbed them, placed them on her knees, and held them in place with each hand holding my fingers so they couldn’t move. She stared at the back of my left hand intently.
“Uh… this is a bit… excessive, don’t you think?”
“Are you afraid I’ll see through your little trick if we’re like this and you can’t even move your fingers?”
“No, if you’re fine with this, then never mind.”
“Why wouldn’t I be fine with this?”
“It’s nothing.” I shook my head.
Her skin was unexpectedly soft. I thought it’d be rougher, but a girl was a girl I suppose. Not a single hair could be seen on her fully exposed left leg which my hand was in direct contact with, her skin was smooth and supple. It wasn’t just her legs, her hands were quite tender despite working with motorcycles. She took care of them. You wouldn’t expect it when you looked at her.
“You’ve been working pretty hard to appeal to guys, haven’t you?”
“Huh? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
“You’re taking care of your hands because you don’t want guys to make fun of them for being rough and full of blisters from working on motorcycles, right?”
“I’m not… doing anything embarrassing like that.”
She puffed out her cheek and looked away.
“You secretly want guys to call you cute despite being a girl who grew up on the street, don’t you?”
“Uncle… called me cute a lot growing up.”
“You also secretly like cute things and have a hidden girly side to you despite how you’re supposed to be acting like an intimidating gang leader for Faceless.”
“There’s no such side to me.”
“Liar. You’ve just had to bury that side of you after taking up the mantle as the gang leader. I imagine you were quite different before the previous gang leader died.”
“What would you know?”
“Nothing, which is why I’m trying to slowly peel back the layers to find out more.”
“You’re an unpleasant guy for diggin up a girl’s past. Is this how you deceived your other six girlfriends and made them fall for you? I’m not going to fall for your cheap tricks. I’ve got my guard up.”
“I’m grateful you’ve got your guard up. I wouldn’t want you to fall for me either. I’m just one man. There’s only so much I can do. It would be good if you find a good guy who will cherish you and treat you well. Guys like me are no good, never forget that.”
Chapter 356. Forming a Strategic Alliance. (8/10)
“I’d love to, but I can’t. If I die, there’s one girl who won’t get to live a very long life.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, one of them can only live until she’s about forty. So long as I’m alive, the contract I have with her should allow her to keep living. Her situation is pretty complicated, but she’s sort of like a little sister to me now despite us not being related by blood or having any family.”
“Sort of like one?”
“She’d be considered the fifth I guess.”
“It sounds like there is truly no limit to your womanizing.”
“Can we get back to the contract?”
“I suppose we should. I’m going to lose it if I hear any more of your absurd exploits with women. It’s too ridiculous and I’m more inclined to believe you’re making it all up.”
I wonder how she’d react if I told her about Angela. She’d definitely think everything I said up to now was a lie so it was best to keep my mouth shut when it came to her. The same for Irene, Alicia’s mother.
“Haaaah. I wish I was. Life would be so much easier if I was.”
“At least you didn’t hide it I guess. You earned a little bit of my trust. Just a little though. If this contract really works the way you say it does, maybe I’ll really believe you’re a devil after all. Only a real devil could seriously deceive so many women to be in a relationship with him at once.”
“I’ve finished writing out the full contract with all the conditions on my end. You can read it over and fill in the two blanks and the one condition of your choice.”
“Alright… I’ll fill it out. Leave while I figure out what to fill it in with.”
“Sure. Just please don’t make it something impossible like wanting some exorbitant sum of money or expensive material possession from me. I'm not rich and pretty broke so I’m trusting that you won’t be too unreasonable with your demand. If the condition turns out to be impossible for me to fulfill, the contract will be void and ripped up. Just for the record, I included that as an annulment clause.”
“Tsk. And here I thought I was going to make some good money.”
“So you were thinking about making it money?”
“Of course it was an option I was considering. Now I’ll need to rethink it since you put such a stipulation in.”
“Look, the stipulation also protects you as well. If it turns out that I can’t deliver on the cut appearing on my left hand when you say that phrase, the contract is void as well.”
“Oh, good point.”
“Alright, I’ll leave you to think it over.”
“I’ll tell you when to come back in.”
“Yeah.”
I exited the room for the second time and stood with my back to the door as I patiently waited for her to sign the contract.
After thirty long minutes passed by, she finally signed it. It seemed she put a lot of thought into her condition. I knew without her even saying anything thanks to my body’s reaction. The heart abnormalities were followed by a worse than usual sour taste at the back of my mouth. How bad a deal had I struck this time for it to be this sour? Just what the hell was her condition?
“You signed it, right?”
“Huh? Uh… no… I haven't signed it yet.”
“You’re lying, you definitely signed it. And whatever that condition is, it’s something awful, isn’t it?”
“How can you tell I signed it? Did you leave a camera in here somewhere?”
“No, I didn’t. But there’s a really sour taste at the back of my mouth right now. I can taste it when a contract is signed and I receive your soul.”
“That sounds ridiculous.”
“But it’s the truth.”
“...” She suddenly fell silent and I didn’t hear a response.
“Is it fine if I come in now?”
“No.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“...”
A few seconds later I cried out, “Ahhhh!” I felt a terrible pain from the back of my left hand. My face soured when I raised it up and took a look at it.
“What happened!”
“You... chose a star the first time, why the hell did you pick... a heart of all things this time?”
“Huh? A heart? Wait, how did you know I picked a heart?”
“Did you not just say the phrase or word you chose?”
“Uh… no…”
“Liar, you definitely did.”
“Come inside, let me see it. I don’t believe you.”
I opened the door, raised my hand, and turned it to her.
When she saw it, her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped.
“How’d you know? You’re lying, there must be a hidden camera somewhere.”
She jumped out of her seat and ran up to me to inspect the back of my hand.
“Is this even really blood? It’s not fake, is it?” She pulled my hand toward her lips, stuck out her tongue, and licked it.
“What the hell are you doing!”
“It... really tastes like blood. And… the cut is real, more blood’s even coming out. Did you actually just randomly guess both the timing and the shape of the cut?”
“No. It just appeared on its own. If you want to test it for yourself, you can try it and watch it appear in real-time directly before your eyes. Just say the phrase or word you chose.”
“Uh… rather than outright say it… how about we talk a little. I’ll slip the phrase in randomly while we talk. That way there won’t be any mistake.”
“Isn’t just seeing the cut appear in real-time more than enough proof?”
“No…” she averted her eyes to the side awkwardly.
“Haaaaaah. Fine, let’s have a little chat. But what should we chat about now?”
“Uh, let’s sit down first.”
“Sure.”
I sat down, but Lea didn’t immediately take her seat. Rather she dragged it around the desk to my side and sat down on it facing me with both legs perched on the edge knees up to chin level.
“Is there a reason you’re sitting on my side so close?”
“It’s to make sure nothing is going on below the counter where I can’t see.”
“I see.”
“Face me too so I can make sure you’re not pulling any tricks in secret with your right arm I can’t see.”
“Yeah, yeah. You really don’t want to fall for a fast one, huh?” I rotated my chair to face her head-on.
“I’ve seen my fair share of con artists on the street using sleight of hand growing up.”
“Right.”
“Hold your hands out straight.”
“Haaaaah. Whatever makes you happy.”
I extended them out straight in front of me so she could see everything. What caught me off guard though was she grabbed them, placed them on her knees, and held them in place with each hand holding my fingers so they couldn’t move. She stared at the back of my left hand intently.
“Uh… this is a bit… excessive, don’t you think?”
“Are you afraid I’ll see through your little trick if we’re like this and you can’t even move your fingers?”
“No, if you’re fine with this, then never mind.”
“Why wouldn’t I be fine with this?”
“It’s nothing.” I shook my head.
Her skin was unexpectedly soft. I thought it’d be rougher, but a girl was a girl I suppose. Not a single hair could be seen on her fully exposed left leg which my hand was in direct contact with, her skin was smooth and supple. It wasn’t just her legs, her hands were quite tender despite working with motorcycles. She took care of them. You wouldn’t expect it when you looked at her.
“You’ve been working pretty hard to appeal to guys, haven’t you?”
“Huh? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
“You’re taking care of your hands because you don’t want guys to make fun of them for being rough and full of blisters from working on motorcycles, right?”
“I’m not… doing anything embarrassing like that.”
She puffed out her cheek and looked away.
“You secretly want guys to call you cute despite being a girl who grew up on the street, don’t you?”
“Uncle… called me cute a lot growing up.”
“You also secretly like cute things and have a hidden girly side to you despite how you’re supposed to be acting like an intimidating gang leader for Faceless.”
“There’s no such side to me.”
“Liar. You’ve just had to bury that side of you after taking up the mantle as the gang leader. I imagine you were quite different before the previous gang leader died.”
“What would you know?”
“Nothing, which is why I’m trying to slowly peel back the layers to find out more.”
“You’re an unpleasant guy for diggin up a girl’s past. Is this how you deceived your other six girlfriends and made them fall for you? I’m not going to fall for your cheap tricks. I’ve got my guard up.”
“I’m grateful you’ve got your guard up. I wouldn’t want you to fall for me either. I’m just one man. There’s only so much I can do. It would be good if you find a good guy who will cherish you and treat you well. Guys like me are no good, never forget that.”
