Kidnapped by the Busty Heiress
Brilliant Ashte Diamond. The cherished daughter of the Brilliant family, who had conquered countless markets with their endless capital and cutting-edge technology.
She was top-tier at handling mana, and her outstanding looks meant she could engage in public activities without hesitation.
No one doubted she would be the next family head, and the current head acknowledged it, making her ascension all but confirmed.
And so, the next head who would determine the fate of the Brilliant family was now—
"Miss, how about this dish? Fresh mint paired with chocolate..."
"Tastes awful! Next!"
—lined up chefs from around the world and bellowing at them.
"Is this the best you can do? What a waste of money!"
She evaluated the food on the plates with genuine fury. It wasn't unreasonable. None of the chefs she'd summoned specialized in desserts.
In fact, if they competed in their specialty fields, they could overwhelm even Jade.
Of course, their talent as patissiers was abysmal.
Cake, ice cream, muffins, pudding, cookies, tarts...
The array of desserts she'd experienced at Eclipse were nothing short of a new world.
They paired exquisitely with coffee or black tea, creating a harmony that complemented each other's shortcomings.
But the chefs before her couldn't even brew a decent cup of coffee, let alone make tasty desserts.
"Too much sugar! You trying to give me diabetes or what?!"
Just serving overly sweet food wouldn't please her. Dishes with less sugar were easier to eat in large quantities anyway.
A moderate sweetness boosted by the right drink was all she needed, but they hadn't grasped even that basic fact.
"Haa, that's enough. I'm going to bed!"
It was a waste of her stomach. Filling up on this low-grade slop...
Her exclusive maid sighed as her mistress openly showed her disappointment and headed back to her bedroom.
Why was the next head of Brilliant throwing such a tantrum?
It all stemmed from the unprecedented boom at Cafe Eclipse.
I found it first...
Diamond felt an absurd sense of loss, like someone had snatched a gem she'd discovered right in front of her.
No matter the process, Eclipse's fame was largely due to her influence.
In the end, that coffee chef got so busy I couldn't even see his face properly.
The cafe was booked solid for weeks ahead. At this rate, tasting those desserts again would be ages away.
She'd at least summoned world-class chefs to the mansion to soothe her palate with various desserts, but—
"Guweeeek!!"
"The missus is vomiting!"
—she couldn't stomach the grotesque flavors and ended up puking all over the floor.
With results like this, there was only one thing to do: bring in the culprit who had ravaged her tongue.
"Miss, if I may."
Her exclusive maid Ruri, the only one permitted into the mistress's bedroom, followed her—but—
"Bueeeeh!!"
"......"
Ruri, who had served Diamond for years, knew it well.
Once she started wailing like that, the tears wouldn't stop until the blankets were soaked like rags.
Just how delicious were those desserts...?
It was already famous that Brilliant Ashte Diamond was a world-class gourmet and glutton.
Even with her binge-eating portions, she maintained her figure, leading to jokes that all the nutrients went straight to her chest.
Having grown bored of food up to now, she craved a new culinary encounter—and Cafe Eclipse had appeared right on cue.
"I found it first!! And now it's stolen by those other jerks!! Bueeeek!!"
Diamond vented her injustice loud enough to shake the mansion.
Ruri quickly handed her a bundle of papers before the spectacle spread further.
"Miss, I investigated the coffee chef you mentioned."
"Good job! As expected, no one else will satisfy me!"
She stopped crying in a second and snatched the papers.
Negotiations had taken time in various ways, but groundwork was already being laid to formally bring him on as a Brilliant family chef.
"Name: Jade, age approximately 25. Appears to be affiliated with the Gaia Foundation."
"Gaia Foundation...? Never heard of it."
They had no way of knowing it was a fictional corporation created as camouflage for the Silver Unit organization.
"No family to speak of... Address here. One stop from Jewelry Academia."
"Living alone in such a rundown mansion... Must've lost his parents young, right?"
An image of Jade formed in Diamond's mind unbidden.
A young man who'd lost his parents early, honing his patisserie talent desperately and struggling at Jewelry Academia—someone you couldn't help but like.
Though their conversation had been brief, her fondness for him was rising on its own.
"One suspicious point. This personal info was registered a year ago. I dug further, but nothing came up..."
"A year ago? Nothing before that?"
"Yes. Possibly an illegal immigrant laborer from overseas."
Naturally, no one could know Jade's background or career, having suddenly fallen from another world. Unless he told them himself.
But Diamond smiled brightly, as if that meant nothing at all.
"Who cares about that now! Ruri, invite him over quick and bring him to me!"
"Understood."
Ruri nodded, interpreting the polite word "invite" in a very different direction.
After that big-breasted Brilliant-whatever-Diamond (too annoying, so just Diamond from now on) conquered every dessert menu item.
Cafe Eclipse was showing signs of an unusual boom, already drawing worldwide attention.
"Who'd have thought jacking up prices double wouldn't fly as a daylight robbery scheme."
"Nah, that makes it sound like I'm the robber for even suggesting it..."
Amber, exhausted from counting money, flopped on the sofa and grumbled.
"I dunno why it took off either, but probably thanks to Diamond promoting it every which way, right?"
"Yeah, that's the big one."
Her happy mukbang video had blown up the internet.
She's already famous as the next Brilliant head...
Trends are sensitive beasts—once they catch fire, even total outsiders jump in as consumers.
Cafes were already a global hit product. With a spark, becoming a hot topic was inevitable.
And Diamond's mukbang had lit that fuse.
"Could say I, from another world, pioneered a new trend."
"Not that again..."
In the end, interest in coffee, tea, and desserts had skyrocketed—no exaggeration.
Historically, nobles were trend-sensitive, right?
It was common knowledge that medieval nobles bought art they didn't understand or collected bizarre antiques to flaunt wealth.
Applying that directly to modern times was hasty, but flaunting riches was a universal trait.
Spending accumulated capital in the market was ideal. Though dumping it on a guy like me with no connections was another story.
"Ended up on TV too, so now I'm free."
Appearing on major broadcasts everyone knew, setting up branches worldwide to spread dessert knowledge...
Attention was unavoidable now—just had to enjoy it.
Most contracts were handled by Lapis, probably to keep my identity and Silver Unit ties under wraps.
"Feels like you've accepted it? Looks good on you, no more weird complaints like last time."
"Too much money to turn down."
I stuffed an appropriate amount into the safe and prepared to head home.
To the same rundown mansion, unthinkable for someone who'd just netted 10 billion in a flash.
"Heading out. Don't stay too late yourself."
"Pfft, I know."
She said that, but came home late every night—worrying as her senior.
With her pretty face, weirdos might swarm her.
Her mana's strong, so probably fine... but
You never know. Some could nullify close-range mana.
If kidnapped, it'd blow up into a Silver Unit incident.
Heading home from Silver Unit HQ on foot.
Thwack—!
In an instant, my mouth and body were restrained, and I was forced into a black van straight out of a movie.
"Don't move. Even if you try using mana to escape, it's useless. We've already jammed it with interference waves."
"......"
Even so, I never imagined I'd get kidnapped.