The call came from Director Tanaka of the Human Observation project team.
"What's up, Tanaka-san?" Seiji Fujiwara asked as he picked up.
Tanaka reported straight to the point. "Boss, Kato-san just applied to work overtime tonight…"
Seiji paused slightly.
"I see," he said calmly. "Pretend you never received that application. Have everyone leave on time."
"Understood, boss." Tanaka got the message.
The call ended.
A moment later, Seiji Fujiwara's private LINE chimed.
It was from Megumi Kato.
After finishing the overtime application, she stared at the screen nervously, deleting and rewriting for more than ten minutes before finally sending her awkward, unclear message:
[Fujiwara-sensei, the project team might be really busy tonight, so I'll probably be working overtime with everyone… I might end up staying pretty late…]
After sending it, she felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
Very quickly, two small gray words appeared beneath the message—[Read].
And then… nothing.
No reply.
No questions.
Not even an emoji.
Megumi Kato stared at those two words as a massive, indescribable sense of loss washed over her like a tide.
So he was tired of her now.
That made sense. No matter how new a toy was, there came a day when you got bored of it.
To him, she'd probably lost that initial appeal. That was why he couldn't even be bothered to ask another question.
That was fine…
Megumi Kato forced a bitter smile.
This was fine. At least she wouldn't have to face him awkwardly.
She wouldn't have to strain herself to smile in front of him anymore. She could just quietly fall asleep on her own.
She let out a small sigh of relief, but her eyes grew wet again despite herself.
…
…
Back in the office, Seiji looked at her message and shook his head with a soft laugh.
How could he not know what Megumi was thinking?
"Always overthinking things," he muttered as he walked out of his office.
Overtime?
Not happening.
…
…
Night fell.
But a film studio on the outskirts of the city was still brightly lit and buzzing with activity.
This was the set for Genesis's latest television drama.
The crew moved at a frantic pace—adjusting lights, laying tracks—while the director's impatient voice crackled through walkie-talkies.
The air was thick with the smell of boxed meals and hair spray, buzzing with anxious excitement.
Megumi sat quietly on an inconspicuous prop box, the lively chaos around her feeling completely disconnected from her.
Like a cat that had wandered into the wrong party, she stayed still and unsure of what to do.
Half an hour passed.
Her overtime application had sunk without a trace. Director Tanaka seemed to have stepped out for something; before leaving, she'd only given Megumi a meaningful look and said nothing.
Maybe it was tacit approval.
That was what Megumi Kato told herself.
She unlocked her phone again and opened her LINE chat with Seiji Fujiwara.
Beneath that message, there were still only those two cold gray words: [Read].
Her heart sank even further.
So… that's how it was.
He'd seen it, but he hadn't said anything. That silent indifference hurt more than a clear rejection ever could.
He really must be tired of her.
Or maybe he simply felt that her sadness was an inconvenient, troublesome emotion.
She even started making excuses for him in her head:
Fujiwara-sensei had so many important matters to deal with every day, so many people to face—challenges, flattery, all of it. How could he possibly have the energy to care about a toy's insignificant feelings?
And she'd actually imagined him showing up like before, domineeringly dragging her away…
How ridiculous.
Megumi, you can't keep causing him trouble.
She told herself that, took a deep breath, and forced the sting in her eyes back down.
Just then, the noisy set suddenly fell silent.
The shouting from the walkie-talkies stopped.
The crew carrying equipment froze in place.
Even the actors rehearsing their lines instinctively closed their mouths.
Everyone's gaze, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, turned toward the entrance of the set.
Megumi looked up in confusion, following their line of sight.
A figure was walking through the crowd toward them.
Seiji Fujiwara.
He strode onto the set, his presence forming an invisible barrier that made everyone nearby unconsciously hold their breath and step aside, clearing a path for him.
Megumi Kato's mind went completely blank.
Why was he here?
A low buzz of whispers rippled through the crowd.
"It's… it's the boss!"
"No way, why is the boss here in person?"
"Look—he's heading straight toward Kato-san!"
Countless looks of envy, jealousy, and awe converged on Megumi Kato in an instant.
Her cheeks burned as she stood there stiffly, like a rabbit caught in a sudden spotlight with nowhere to run.
Her first thought was of Director Tanaka.
Director Tanaka… she must have told the boss about me.
The realization left her feeling helpless.
She knew the director meant well, but to her it felt like good intentions gone terribly wrong. Now… how was she supposed to face Seiji Fujiwara?
What kind of expression was she supposed to wear?
Flustered, Megumi stood up, head lowered, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
By then, Seiji had already reached her.
He didn't speak. He just looked at her quietly.
Under his gaze, Megumi Kato grew more and more uneasy, lowering her head even further as she spoke in a tiny voice, "Fujiwara-sensei… why are you here?"
"We're leaving. Work's over."
His reply was short and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
With that, he naturally reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward the exit.
"Ah…"
Megumi let out a small cry as she stumbled along behind him, unable to resist the firm grip around her wrist.
The entire set watched the scene with envious eyes, as if witnessing a moment straight out of a romance drama.
From a distance, Director Tanaka looked on with a faint smile, quietly claiming neither credit nor blame.
…
A sedan was parked quietly outside the studio.
Megumi was practically ushered into the car by Seiji Fujiwara.
She couldn't refuse—and she had no standing to refuse.
When the door closed, cutting off the noise and stares from outside, she finally felt her heart—on the verge of stopping—start to beat again.
But inside the cramped space, the atmosphere felt so oppressive she could barely breathe.
She sat stiffly, back straight, hands on her knees, eyes fixed on her toes.
She didn't know what to say.
Apologize? For applying for overtime on her own and dragging him into this?
Or… thank him? For coming to pick her up personally?
No, that wasn't right.
What she needed to do now was act as if nothing was wrong—hide her sadness, make sure he didn't see her as a burden.
Silence spread through the car.
Just as Megumi felt like it was about to crush her, Seiji spoke.
His voice was as calm as ever, yet it cut through her defenses like a scalpel.
"You're thinking I'm tired of you, aren't you."
Megumi Kato snapped her head up, staring at him in disbelief.
How… how did he know?
Seiji slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at her, his calm gaze resting on her shocked, flustered face.
"You figured that since I left you on read, I couldn't be bothered with you, thought you were a hassle. So you hid away and worked overtime—avoided an awkward meeting and made yourself look 'understanding.' Right?"
Boom.
It felt like a thunderbolt had struck Megumi Kato's mind.
He knew. He knew everything.
All those carefully hidden thoughts of hers were completely transparent in front of him.
The overwhelming shame and panic of being seen through made her tremble.
"Then… you…" She bit her lip and sighed. "Since you already knew, why did you still come?"
In her mind, if he'd seen through everything, he should've just left her alone.
Seiji Fujiwara's appearance only made things more awkward—made her feel even more embarrassed.
"Why?"
A mocking curve appeared at the corner of his lips as he leaned closer. In the dim light, his handsome face felt overwhelmingly imposing.
"Because you asked a really stupid question earlier."
"Huh?"
"Who told you I wouldn't do anything? Who told you I didn't have the ability to?"
His voice wasn't loud, but each word hit her heart like a heavy hammer.
She froze.
What… did he mean?
Before she could react, Seiji Fujiwara pulled a phone from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to her.
On the screen were screenshots of three plane tickets.
The top one was a first-class ticket to Washington, D.C. The passenger name was someone she didn't recognize at all—a distinctly Western name.
"This is…" She stared at the phone, confused.
"My private security company's advance team to the U.S. boarded half an hour ago," Seiji said calmly.
"They'll go to Washington and use a PMC company with deep ties to the Pentagon as an intermediary to directly contact the armed leader controlling the area where your parents' plane went down."
"As long as there's enough gold—and an 'extra insurance policy' that makes sure he doesn't dare play tricks…"
"Within a week at most, they'll send back the black box from Flight NH915 and the remains of all 127 victims on board… including your parents'. Not a single one missing."
Megumi listened in a daze.
She understood every word, yet together they sounded like an unbelievable fantasy.
PMC… Pentagon… armed leader…
Terms she'd only ever heard in movies were now being connected, vividly and shockingly, to her parents' remains.
In an instant, the grief and fear in her heart turned into an overwhelming surge of gratitude.
She couldn't hold it in anymore.
Large tears fell like broken pearls, spilling endlessly down her cheeks.
"What are you crying for?"
A warm hand cupped her face, wiping away her tears with a rough but strangely gentle touch.
"If you're going to be disobedient, you have to be ready to accept punishment," Seiji said in a low voice by her ear.
"Punishment?" Megumi looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, confused.
A flash of predatory desire passed through his gaze.
"That's right. Once this is over, I'll make sure to 'punish' you properly."
His voice carried a dangerous allure.
"I'll do a lot more 'development' and 'training' so that from now on, your head will be filled with nothing but dirty thoughts about me."
The sudden, blatantly explicit words made Megumi Kato flush bright red, so embarrassed she forgot to cry.
She instinctively wanted to argue, but what came out was a weak complaint instead.
"Fujiwara-sensei… saying things like that at a time like this really ruins the mood…"
After that, her voice dropped, tinged with resigned helplessness.
"Besides, I've already been yours for a long time. You can do whatever you want with me. There's no need to… go out of your way anymore…"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Seiji Fujiwara let out a meaningful chuckle as he looked at her docile, completely surrendered expression.
He knew exactly what she was thinking.
Megumi met his knowing smile and felt her heart skip for no reason. She rolled her eyes inwardly, unable to stop herself from thinking:
This body of hers had already been explored by him inside and out.
Every outrageous thing—what hadn't she already experienced?
She'd long since been molded into Seiji Fujiwara's shape.
What more was there to "develop"?
Seeing the subtle movement of her eyes, Seiji knew her thoughts instantly.
He said nothing more, only smiled at her with the gaze of a hunter watching prey about to fall into a trap.
"Just wait, Megumi. You'll find out."
"Mm-hm, I'll be waiting, Fujiwara-sensei." Megumi nodded lightly, smiling as if she didn't care at all.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 190 on patreon.com/NiaXD.