136. Megumi Kato Is in Control at All Times (Part II)

So, what exactly defines a professional? A veteran game producer? The owner of a famous game company? Or perhaps the lead director of a major intellectual property?

Suppressing these questions, Jiang Yu looked at Kyoko Kato’s earnest expression and nodded with equal gravity to signal his understanding.

Kyoko nodded in satisfaction, settled Jiang Yu’s wages for the day, and then gestured that he was free to leave. Clearly, in her view, there was still hope to guide this misguided, talented youth back to the right path. She seemed to be in high spirits, even humming a song that had been popular back when she was still a fan of celebrity idols.

Just as Jiang Yu pushed the door open to depart, a jubilant Kyoko seemed to remember something and called him back.

“Oh, right! It’s already so late, and the neighborhood security has been a bit iffy lately. I still have to finish up some accounts tonight, so could you please see Megumi home for me, Jiang-kun?”

As she spoke, Kyoko gave him a wink, the meaning quite clear: I’ve done all I can for you; the rest depends on your own intuition!

Jiang Yu’s mouth twitched slightly. Not knowing what to say in such a situation, he excused himself and left.

*Since when have you ever closed this late? And were you not worried about Kato’s safety back then? If you’re going to play matchmaker, at least find a better excuse! Wait—! Why on earth would I even need you to play matchmaker?!*

That was the brief internal monologue that occupied Jiang Yu during the short walk from the office.

All in all, feeling both amused and frustrated, Jiang Yu managed to exit Kyoko’s office. After closing the door, he searched for Megumi Kato for a moment—though he was suspicious of Kyoko’s intentions, he hadn’t refused to her face, and thus he had to honor the promise. He soon found her in the spot where Utaha Kasumigaoka was sitting, the two of them seemingly chatting quite happily(?).

"What are you two talking about?" Jiang Yu walked over, interjecting himself into the conversation between the two girls.

"Oh, Jiang Yu-kun, are you done talking with my aunt? I was just discussing some of Kasumigaoka-senpai's work with her."

The girl with the bob-cut, still wearing her maid outfit, spoke in a flat tone with a flat expression. Utaha Kasumigaoka turned her head away; though she looked clearly displeased, she did not offer a rebuttal.

Jiang Yu cast a puzzled glance at the strangely behaving Utaha before nodding knowingly. "Right, Kato. Kato-san... well, I’ll keep calling you 'Auntie' for now. She asked me to see you home. Could you please go change your clothes? I assume your shift is over, right?"

Megumi blinked, her beautiful eyes fluttering as a look of surprise crossed her face. However, her expression quickly returned to its usual calm. She nodded to show she understood and rose to head to the changing room.

From the moment Jiang Yu finished speaking, Utaha had been staring at Megumi with a dangerous look. Once Megumi was gone, she shifted that same gaze toward Jiang Yu.

Clueless, Jiang Yu scratched his head awkwardly. He sat down in the seat Megumi had just vacated, waved his right hand in front of Utaha’s face, and asked, "What’s wrong, Kasumigaoka-senpai? Are you feeling unwell? If you could, please stop looking at me like that... it’s creepy."

Hearing Jiang Yu echo the same sentiment Megumi had just expressed, Utaha felt her irritation flare. She lowered her head, staring at the table, her dark hair obscuring most of her face. Her right leg began to jitter under the table, and a strange, ominous aura began to emanate from her.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu reflexively pressed his back against the chair. He looked at the coffee in front of him—the cup Megumi hadn't finished—and, after a moment of hesitation, ventured, "Um... are you really okay, Kasumigaoka-senpai?"

Utaha raised her head and smiled. "Of course, I’m perfectly fine. In fact, inspiration has struck! Ah, let’s write it like this: The protagonist, after living a sweet life of blissful intimacy with the heroine—even giving each other their first time—betrays her for another woman. The heroine suffers in silence. But one day, when the protagonist is invited to the heroine’s home, what he finds waiting for him is..."

"Wait—*chotto matte*! Please stop, Kasumigaoka-senpai! Regardless of anything else, the work you're writing is supposed to be for a general audience, right? Is it really okay to have a plot like that? Besides, don't just turn the heroine dark on a whim! Isn't she supposed to be the character the author pours the most emotion into?!"

Terrified, Jiang Yu blurted out a long string of words to interrupt Utaha’s sudden "inspiration."

After Jiang Yu finished, Utaha glanced at him, showing no intention of stopping her "inspiration." Instead, she continued, "Right! Let's arrange it like this! The kettle in the kitchen starts whistling. The protagonist asks the heroine about it, gets no answer, and goes to turn off the gas. But in the end, what waits for him is the gleaming kitchen knife in the heroine’s hand..."

"..." Jiang Yu listened in horror as a scene he found hauntingly familiar spilled from the runaway Utaha. He scanned the room and saw several customers drawn by the commotion. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to stop her before her train of thought spiraled completely out of control.

Just then, a voice that sounded like music to Jiang Yu’s ears chimed in.

"I’m done changing... Oh? What’s wrong with Kasumigaoka-senpai? Is she really feeling unwell?"

A flat, monotone voice effortlessly cut through Utaha’s string of nonsense. And it worked!

Perhaps realizing something was amiss, Utaha finally stopped her muttering. The frantic, nonstop stream of words seemed to have taxed her lungs, and she began to breathe heavily.

After a long while, under the confused gaze of Megumi and the horrified stare of Jiang Yu, she returned to her usual cold, aloof self. She lifted her chin slightly and said coldly, "...I’m heading home."

With that, Utaha began to pack her things. Jiang Yu, seizing the moment, offered, "I’ll walk you to the train station, Senpai."

Utaha glanced at him coldly but didn't refuse, continuing to pack her belongings in silence.

Relieved, Jiang Yu turned to Megumi and said with a touch of apology, "Sorry, Kato. Do you mind if we take a detour to the train station first? Or would you rather stay here, and I’ll come back to get you after I drop her off?"