Inside the quiet room of the Takagi estate.
"Please, help yourself, Su Yan."
"If I remember correctly, Soichiro went to great lengths to get this tea from the University of Tokyo. He's been saving it. I believe it's called Dahongpao?"
"As a student of the University of Tokyo, you should be somewhat familiar with it, right?"
After sending Saya away, Takagi Yuriko sat before the tea table in a traditional seiza posture.
She skillfully brewed a cup of tea and pushed it toward Su Yan.
Su Yan clicked his tongue inwardly at her words.
'If it's the Dahongpao I've heard of, then this tea is truly worth a fortune.'
However, he didn't quite believe her. Given the Takagi family's status, how could some foreigner get his hands on something that isn't even enough to satisfy domestic demand in China?
'Is he dreaming?'
But since she treasured it so much, even if it were a fake, it had to be a high-quality tea.
It was just that Su Yan wasn't particularly interested in tea. Compared to bitter leaves, he much preferred milk tea or Cola.
Su Yan picked up the tea and downed it in one gulp, completely failing to appreciate its quality.
He smacked his lips after finishing. It smelled fragrant, but it still tasted bitter.
He looked at Takagi Yuriko and said, "I've finished. Can we talk business now?"
Seeing this, Yuriko could tell from his actions that he had no interest in the tea.
Instead of refilling his cup, she cut straight to the point. "In that case, I'll be blunt."
"You should be able to guess what is on Saya's mind, right?"
"I wonder, what do you really think of her?"
"Takagi is certainly beautiful," Su Yan replied without hesitation or beating around the bush. "But that is all."
As one of the main heroines of the anime, he might have a slightly different perspective on her due to his knowledge of that world.
But that was it. She wasn't indispensable to him.
Like Miyamoto Rei—didn't she have more screen time and a bigger role than Saya in the original story?
But if it weren't for the two weeks they spent together and her decision to follow him without hesitation when the zombie crisis broke out this afternoon...
Then Su Yan's attitude toward Rei would have been the same.
Namely, she would just be an NPC.
"Just that? What a heartless answer."
Yuriko pondered his words. Since his response was immediate and lacked any hesitation, she could easily tell he wasn't lying.
She eventually shook her head and sighed helplessly. "It seems my daughter's feelings are unrequited."
"Is there anything else, Mrs. Takagi? If not, please give me the items I asked for. I need to get back."
Su Yan had no intention of continuing this idle chatter.
He had no designs on the Takagi family, nor was he interested in them.
He'd rather spend his time sleeping soundly while holding Busujima Saeko or Marikawa Shizuka.
Wouldn't that be much more interesting than this dry conversation?
"Then, what do you think of me?"
Yuriko tucked a strand of her pale purple hair behind her ear and blinked, striking an elegant and sophisticated pose.
"What do you mean?"
Su Yan blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Yuriko dropped a bombshell. "If you don't care for a little girl like Saya, then surely a mature woman like me would be to your liking?"
"Huh?"
Su Yan was completely stunned.
He nearly spat out the tea he had just swallowed.
'What the hell is going on?'
Seeing his reaction, Yuriko let out a soft chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand like she had just pulled off a successful prank.
"Ahem."
Su Yan coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, then said seriously, "Mrs. Takagi, you've misunderstood. I'm not into married women."
"What a childish way of thinking."
Yuriko shook her head. "But that makes it even better. I'm even more impressed by you now."
Su Yan was speechless.
But then again, there really wasn't much to say.
While many people might enjoy playing the role of a homewrecker, Su Yan instinctively resisted it.
This was partly due to his personal principles and partly due to his contract ability.
In his eyes, if a married woman could betray her husband, she could just as easily betray someone else later on.
This was something he couldn't tolerate, regardless of the circumstances.
The premise of an equivalent exchange was sincerity for sincerity.
"Because, you see..."
Yuriko's lips curved into a playful smile. "I'm actually still a virgin."
"What?!"
Su Yan's pupils dilated in shock.
A virgin wife?
'What kind of messed-up setting is this?'
'If this were written in a novel, the readers would definitely tear the author apart, right?'
'Wait... maybe not.'
After all, some readers could accept a heroine who had a passionate relationship with a lecherous ex-boyfriend for years—even one who bullied the protagonist for the sake of that ex—as long as the author claimed she was a virgin.
Thinking of it that way, the concept of a virgin wife didn't seem so far-fetched.
Su Yan opened his mouth. "Um, Mrs. Takagi..."
Before he could finish, Yuriko cut him off. "Are you thinking about Saya? Do you really think a woman in her late twenties could have a daughter in high school?"
As if to prove her point, she reached out and easily slipped the ring off her left ring finger.
Yet, there was no mark left behind from wearing a ring for many years.
"Not even thirty?"
Su Yan looked at the elegant and sophisticated woman in front of him with surprise.
Now that he looked closer, he did notice something was off.
They say youth is a woman's greatest asset. No matter how much a middle-aged woman in her late forties or fifties spends on skincare and makeup, she can't completely hide the marks of time.
And Yuriko's skin was indeed in excellent condition. There were no visible signs of aging, putting her on par with Marikawa Shizuka.
If she hadn't said anything, he would have just chalked it up to anime logic.
After all, there were no ugly women in the 2D world.
'But what is her goal?'
'No, no. What are you thinking, Su Yan?'
'Whether Yuriko is a virgin or not has nothing to do with you.'
If he had rejected Saya because of the Takagi family's baggage, what difference did it make if it was Yuriko instead?
Su Yan gave Yuriko a complicated look.
Truly, the information she shared was so shocking that it had momentarily thrown him off his game.
'What a despicable adult, playing with people's hearts like this.'
He immediately resolved that no matter what she said next, he would just treat it as hot air.
'As long as I stay impervious, she can't get to me.'
Seeing that Su Yan had quickly regained his composure and returned to his original purpose.
The look of satisfaction in Yuriko's eyes deepened.
'I wasn't wrong. I want this sparkling, star-like gem for myself even more now.'
Just the thought of it made her feel an urge to press her legs together.
Yuriko spoke up, "Su Yan, would you like to hear my story?"
Su Yan sat up straight, mentally discarding all the resolutions he had just made.
A sick mother, a gambling father, a brother in school, and a broken home.
What man in the world could refuse a woman telling her life story?
It was just like how nobody could refuse an intense game of Gwent with an NPC while on a quest to save the world.
Su Yan: 'Now I have no choice but to listen.'
Yuriko smiled and began to tell Su Yan her story...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]