Chapter 109: Forty Million Yen in Debt
"Are you sure you won't sign it?"
Mei Mei studied the flustered boy with obvious amusement.
"The terms inside are extremely generous, you know."
"Wouldn't you like to think it over a little more?"
"I..."
Ren considered the matter carefully before replying with utmost seriousness:
"I need to consult Utahime-sensei first."
"No."
To his surprise, Mei Mei immediately shook her head.
"This is the first lesson I'm teaching you."
She leaned back against the sofa, her tone unhurried.
"Opportunities are precious things."
"And they're fleeting."
"This contract, with its exceptionally favorable terms, is being offered only tonight, at this moment, between the two of us."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled.
"If you insist on asking Utahime, then this contract becomes void immediately."
The smile on her lips remained gentle and elegant.
Yet Ren somehow felt as though he had just heard the click of a trap snapping shut.
"Why?"
"Because information has value."
Mei Mei crossed her legs gracefully.
"The moment a third party becomes involved, the nature of the negotiation changes."
"Besides..." Her eyes curved playfully. "If Utahime sees it, she'll definitely tell you not to sign."
"Isn't that exactly why you want to ask her?"
Ren instantly fell silent.
Because she was right.
That was precisely why he wanted to ask Utahime.
When it came to anything involving contracts, money, or Mei Mei herself, Utahime-sensei seemed to possess an almost prophetic instinct for danger.
Seeing his reaction, Mei Mei chuckled.
"Look at you."
"You don't trust me at all."
"Should I?"
Ren asked reflexively.
The moment the words left his mouth, Mei Mei placed a hand over her chest with an expression of exaggerated hurt.
"Ren-kun, that's truly heartbreaking."
"I've helped you become a Grade 1 sorcerer candidate."
"I personally accompanied you on a life-threatening mission."
"I even treated you to dinner."
"And after all that, this is how little faith you have in me?"
"..."
Ren's mouth twitched.
For some reason, every item on that list sounded suspicious when it came from her.
"Then let me ask you something."
Mei Mei suddenly sat forward.
"Do you know how much money you owe the company right now?"
"Huh?"
Ren blinked.
"Owe?"
"What do you mean owe?"
Mei Mei calmly pulled out a calculator.
"Let's review the numbers."
"First, the mission itself suffered severe losses due to excessive collateral damage."
Click.
"Second, a large amount of follow-up public relations work was required to pacify the client."
Click.
"Third, additional personnel had to be mobilized."
Click.
"Fourth, emergency contingency funds were used."
Click.
"Fifth—"
"Wait!"
Ren hurriedly interrupted her.
"What does any of that have to do with me?"
"Everything."
Mei Mei smiled sweetly.
"After all, you're the one who destroyed the manor."
"..."
Ren suddenly had a terrible feeling.
The silver-haired woman turned the calculator around.
Displayed on the screen was a string of numbers.
¥40,000,000
"After accounting adjustments," Mei Mei announced cheerfully, "you currently owe Black Bird International Security forty million yen."
"WHAT?!"
Ren nearly jumped to his feet.
"Forty million?!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"I don't even have four hundred thousand!"
"Mm."
Mei Mei nodded sympathetically.
"I understand."
"Which is why I've prepared a solution."
She gently tapped the white contract resting on the table.
Her smile became increasingly radiant.
"Sign this."
"The company will generously forgive your debt."
"Not only that, we'll provide additional benefits and support."
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Ren stared at the contract.
Then at the forty-million-yen debt.
Then back at the contract.
For the first time in his life, he understood how prey must feel when staring into the eyes of a giant snake.
At that moment, he was absolutely certain of one thing.
The mission.
The promotion.
The dinner.
The massage.
The luxury suite.
Everything.
From the very beginning—
This woman had been planning to eat him alive.
So there really was a catch...
Ren frowned.
If this contract truly benefited both sides, if it was genuinely a win-win deal, then why insist on keeping it from Utahime-sensei?
"Then forget it."
He rejected the offer without hesitation.
"Just transfer the money I've already earned. I'm going back to sleep."
"Paying you your share isn't a problem. You've earned it, after all."
Mei Mei pulled out her phone and tapped away at the screen.
"But are you really not going to reconsider?"
"Under our current agreement, you'll receive less than twenty percent of the total commission."
"What?!"
Ren stared at her in disbelief.
"How does that make any sense? According to the contract, shouldn't I be getting sixty-five percent?"
"That's just how the rules work."
Mei Mei turned her phone around and gestured for him to come closer.
"Here, let me break it down for you."
"Since this was a joint mission, the payment must be shared between both participants."
"According to company policy, I'm a Grade 1 sorcerer, while Ren-kun is still a Grade 2 sorcerer."
"Therefore, the reward distribution ratio is three to one."
"What?"
"There can't be any helping it. Those are the company regulations."
She shrugged.
"And they're perfectly reasonable. The gap between a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 sorcerer is enormous. In most missions involving a Grade 1, they shoulder the vast majority of the combat burden."
"So naturally, they receive the majority of the compensation as well."
"Though admittedly, this particular mission does seem to have involved Ren-kun doing more of the work."
The corner of her lips curled upward beneath her silver braid.
"Still, I'm terribly sorry. Company policy is company policy."
"Oh, and we're not finished yet."
Before Ren could interrupt, she resumed tapping at her phone.
"According to the contract, you only keep sixty-five percent of your share. The remaining portion goes to the company to support day-to-day operations."
"So in the end, your earnings come to—"
Just as Ren was preparing to argue that his actual contribution deserved a larger cut, Mei Mei abruptly stopped.
"Oh dear."
She flashed him a radiant smile.
"I made a mistake."
"I forgot to account for the compensation loss caused by Ren-kun's extensive property damage."
Ren suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"The original mission payout was one hundred million yen."
"After the client compensation adjustment, it was reduced to fifty million."
"According to company policy, responsibility for that loss falls primarily on Ren-kun."
"In other words, the missing fifty million yen must be deducted from your earnings."
"Fifty million multiplied by twenty-five percent multiplied by sixty-five percent, minus fifty million..."
Her fingers danced across the phone screen.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap.
"Ah, there it is."
She let out a relieved sigh and looked up at him.
"In summary, regarding this mission's compensation—"
"Ren-kun owes the company forty-one million eight hundred seventy-five thousand yen."
She spread her hands politely.
"...What?"
Ren's mouth hung open.
He unconsciously took a step backward.
Staring into the deep eye peeking out from beside Mei Mei's silver braid, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and run.
Utahime-sensei had been right.
This woman was a demon.
One mission.
A single mission.
And somehow he was already over forty million yen in debt.
If he kept dealing with her, she'd swindle him until there wasn't a scrap left.
"See?"
Mei Mei smiled gently at the trembling boy.
"That's why I prepared a very special contract just for you."
"Because I understand your difficulties."
She slowly lifted the contract once more.
"Ren-kun..."
"You wouldn't want your very first mission to leave you forty million yen in debt, would you?"
"Th-The contract...?"
Ren's gaze wavered.
Like a drowning man spotting a lifeline, his eyes drifted toward the document in her hand.
He swallowed nervously.
"As long as you sign this contract, your status will be upgraded to Special Strategic Partner of the company."
"Out of consideration for such an important partner, we'll re-evaluate the circumstances of this mission."
"I personally guarantee that the destruction caused during the operation will be classified as necessary action rather than excessive conduct."
"In other words, Ren-kun will bear no responsibility for the reduced payout."
"What?"
"Furthermore, from this mission onward, all future mission rewards will be distributed equally between us."
"That means you'll receive fifty percent of the total commission."
"And," Mei Mei continued, "the company will no longer take a cut from any of your future mission earnings."
"You'll retain one hundred percent of everything you earn."
"WHAT?!"
Ren's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
What kind of absurd reversal was this?
One moment she had saddled him with over forty million yen in debt.
The next, she was offering to erase it entirely.
No commission fees?
Full ownership of all future earnings?
What exactly would the company gain from such an arrangement?
At that point, it sounded less like a business contract and more like charity.
"Oh, right."
Mei Mei rose from the sofa and walked over to the wine cabinet.
She poured herself a glass of red wine.
The crimson liquid brushed against her scarlet lips.
Taking a small sip, she spoke in an unusually sweet voice.
"One more thing."
"When we first recruited Ren-kun, we promised you five percent company shares, didn't we?"
"If you're willing to join Black Bird International Security as a freelance sorcerer after graduation—"
"We'll increase that to twenty percent."
"Th-This..."
Ren was completely stunned.
Even someone as financially clueless as he was could tell how outrageously generous those terms were.
His expression sharpened.
"What exactly is this about?"
He fixed Mei Mei with a wary stare.
"What do you really want from me?"
"About that..."
Mei Mei took another sip of wine, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the rim of the glass.
Then she smiled.
"Didn't I already tell you?"
She brushed aside the silver braid covering her face.
For the first time, both of her deep, captivating eyes were fully visible.
And within them burned an undisguised hunger.
"It's simply you."
"From the very beginning, the only thing I've ever wanted..."
Her smile deepened.
"...is you."