Chapter 107: Matchmaking
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Matchmaking
Seo Yeon-woo met with Angelica of the Graham family.
They seem to have feelings for each other beyond just being classmates; I think they’re in the middle of a "thing."
Every time Angelica Graham looks at Seo Yeon-woo, her dazed expression is like that of a girl in love. It made even my heart flutter.
Randall finished reading that far, blinked, and flipped the report back and forth.
Just in case, he checked the title and the sender again, but it was definitely the report sent by Sophia.
"I told her to send a report, so why did she send a diary entry?"
As Randall muttered this—having checked the report the moment she sent it—a subordinate nearby flinched.
The youngest member of the 4th Division, who had been in charge of Sophia’s training, caught the mood and slowly stood up, inching toward the door.
"If I asked a question, you should answer before you leave, shouldn't you?"
"Ahahaha... Well... the bathroom, I was going to the bathroom..."
"I don't care if you're going to the bathroom or looking for a gravesite. What I’m curious about is when 'report' became a synonym for 'diary.' Call the National Research Institute and ask if they’re the same word. And while you're at it, call a mortician and find out how much a custom coffin goes for."
"..."
The subordinate, who had been trying to escape, shut his mouth and watched Randall’s face. Randall tilted his head dismissively, signaling him to get out.
Randall stared at the door the subordinate had scurried through for a moment, sighed, and looked back at the report.
Filtering out the useless fluff and extracting only the necessary information, he focused on one passage.
Seo Yeon-woo got into an argument with the Graham family's guards.
It wasn't so much an argument as it was Seo Yeon-woo getting angry.
People were uncomfortable because both we and the guards were there.
I mean, even if it's for investigation and protection, people who don't know the situation are bound to be wary.
Because it was causing trouble for others, Angelica Graham started walking on eggshells and got depressed.
She’s the daughter of a Great House, but she has such a kind heart.
'Wasn't this supposed to be an observation of Seo Yeon-woo...?'
And it wasn't that she was kind; she was weak and lacked confidence.
Someone might see it as kindness, but in Randall’s eyes, Angelica’s will was simply weak for caring about the public's gaze over such a trivial matter.
He brushed aside the sentences that were only making his eyes tired and summarized the incident.
Seo Yeon-woo, seeing Angelica’s discomfort, headed to a park with fewer people.
Then, he called the restaurant he had originally booked and reserved an extra table for the guards and agents.
Randall didn't know the shop well, but according to the data other subordinates had gathered, it was a trendy place lately.
It was a difficult place to get a reservation for, but seeing as he managed to book another table on the spot, he seemed to have a connection with the restaurant.
In fact, the "diary" even mentioned him calling the owner by name quite familiarly.
After that, Seo Yeon-woo fought with the guards who refused to sit down.
'The person you're supposed to be protecting is suffering! Why the hell did you even come then? Did you come to guard her or to bully her?'
The diary noted how "cool" Seo Yeon-woo looked, but Randall let out a short, dry laugh.
Was it childish bravado, or just a bluff to look good in front of the girl he was flirting with? Either way, it wasn't a good response.
It was the kind of behavior a male lead in a third-rate romance movie would do—the kind a naive teenage girl would fall for.
A scene from a childish, petty movie where the character acts without reason or restraint, not thinking about the consequences just to look cool in the moment.
However, the Seo Yeon-woo Randall knew was not that kind of person.
'If he were a clumsy brat who couldn't even control his emotions, his true identity would have been exposed long ago.'
He didn't belong in a romance; he belonged in a crime thriller.
When they first met in the interrogation room, Randall’s instinct told him: this guy is dangerous.
If he were just strong and stupid, Randall wouldn't care much.
That’s what the 12 Zodiacs were for—to catch guys like that.
But a cunning fox hiding in a swamp is hard to catch with strength alone.
Those types cleverly exploit social systems to slip away time and again.
It didn't matter if he was evil or not. What mattered was whether he had the capability.
A man who could become a threat to humanity at any moment if he changed his mind.
Hadn't Randall come this far specifically to deal with such people or isolate them from society?
As he read through the diary again meticulously, Randall’s expression became strange.
'Is he actually getting angry? Why?'
Thinking that the more he looked at this man, the less he understood him, Randall let out a deep sigh.
The diary... no, the report, which now looked more like a romance novel, included flowery psychological descriptions of Seo Yeon-woo and Angelica.
Since Sophia didn't have the ability to read minds, this was obviously her own delusion and a paragraph not worth reading.
Apparently, while Daihara Akito was talking about the Magic Research Club he made at Yggdrasil, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange; Angelica became anxious, and Seo Yeon-woo put up a wall.
However, unlike Sophia, Randall—who lacked such "youthful" emotions—couldn't feel a thing no matter how many times he read the recorded dialogue.
'Is it because I'm reading it as text? Is it something you can only know by feeling the nuance and tone on-site? Well... I didn't expect much anyway.'
What could he really uncover in just a week?
If he were going to do it properly, he would have just detained him and shaken him down; putting an agent by his side was nothing more than an excuse.
What he truly wanted was something else.
With an agent nearby, others wouldn't be able to approach him easily.
'I can't let them meet carelessly.'
* * *
Wow, that was the worst date ever.
The moment the bodyguards and the agent came along, it stopped being a date. And because I got into a huge fight with the guards, I only made things uncomfortable for Angelica.
She didn't usually have bodyguards; why did they follow her this time and act so annoying?
I need to reflect; I got too caught up in my emotions.
I had resolved to distance myself from Angelica, and I vowed that today, at least, I would do right by her.
But those damn bodyguards didn't care that Angelica was burdened by people's stares or that she was reverting to her old self; they just caused a nuisance to everyone around them.
What? "Securing a safe perimeter"? They acted like total tools, telling people sitting at nearby tables to move away for no reason.
Even though I got them a table right next to us by asking the owner, they refused to sit and stood behind Angelica like a human wall.
If Angelica had a rough appearance like Turk, she could have easily passed for a gang boss.
Angelica, whom Akito had been working so hard to make stronger, was turning back into the timid girl who constantly worried about what others thought.
I'm not going to be involved with her anymore, but in that moment, I couldn't stand it and snapped.
And then?
The date was ruined.
Well, since we won't be seeing each other anymore anyway, maybe this kind of ending is for the best.
After ruining the date like that, I came home and was eating alone, feeling pretty pathetic.
Melina, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, was still glaring at me with those fierce eyes.
"Um—Miss Melina? Would you like to eat with me? You haven't eaten anything today."
She had sat down when I reserved the table at the restaurant, but because of the fight with the guards, she hadn't been able to eat a single bite before we left.
Melina, who had been glaring at me in silence, clicked her tongue and spoke.
"I don't need it. Remember that you are under investigation."
Even though she calls it an investigation, she doesn't do anything except stick to my side.
Is this even an investigation? Isn't an investigation supposed to be about looking for documents or evidence?
Psychological profiling? Is it something like that? I don't really know, and she won't answer even if I ask, so there's no way to tell.
Still, I should be glad she didn't kick me the moment we arrived.
When I saw her in the interrogation room, I thought, What is wrong with this woman? but she’s been surprisingly quiet this time—maybe she got hit with a bunch of formal complaints or something.
She’s actually quite sexy when she keeps her mouth shut.
I like how her wavy brown hair slightly covers one of her sharp eyes.
Her eyes, which clearly showed she was beautiful but had a nasty personality, were glaring at me passionately, and her large breasts were emphasized over her crossed arms. Her body was incredible.
Her anger management might be non-existent, but her looks are top-tier.
While I was eating, Sophia, who had stepped away for a moment to report, returned.
"Ah, Miss Sophia. You're hungry, right? Want to eat?"
"Huh? I'd love to! I'm so hungr—uh... no... I'm fine..."
Sophia, who had been trotting toward the table with a bright face, caught Melina’s fierce gaze, read the room, and slunk over to stand beside her.
She seemed hungry, licking her lips as she looked at the food on the table, and she couldn't stay still, as if her legs ached from standing so long.
Watching her nervously eye Melina made her look like a small animal. It was kind of cute.
"Senior Melissa... aren't you hungry...?"
"..."
"Ah, right. We're on a mission. Aha, ahahaha..."
Faced with a silent, staring gaze, Sophia got intimidated on her own and gave an awkward laugh before snapping into a stiff "attention" posture.
Just how hard did she work this kid to make her like that?
And so her name was Melissa, not Melina.
Seeing as she didn't even bother to correct me when I called her the wrong name, she must really hate talking to me.
Using Melissa’s fierce glare and Sophia’s envious stare as side dishes, the food tasted delicious.
Both are beauties, but their styles are completely different. Since neither of them took their eyes off me for a second, I felt like I might awaken some strange fetish.
Staring without even a twitch... they're like dolls that don't even breathe.
...Wait.
It wasn't just my imagination; time had actually stopped.
I was the only one moving.
I know this.
"Since I have no intention of attacking, may we speak for a moment?"
A middle-aged man who looked like he stepped out of a fashion magazine appeared out of nowhere. He had a neat, stylish goatee that showed years of careful grooming, and while he had wrinkles, they only added to his charm.
What the hell is he doing here?
A big shot in the demon world—well, I don't know the other world that well, so I'm not sure if he's a "big shot," but he's a character who appears frequently in the main story and is depicted as having great authority among demons.
Logard Bachman.
This guy... this demon appeared so often that I even remembered his last name.
When I didn't do anything and just stared, Logard looked me over with interest and spoke.
"You are remarkably calm, considering this is no ordinary magic. No wonder Veronica was impressed."
"It's not magic; it's an Authority."
"...I cannot help but be surprised by your knowledge."
He goes around lying that it's magic, but this time-stop-like ability is a power received from some grand existence.
They talk about space this and isolation that, and it seems invincible, but he can't harm others with it; it can only be used for secret conversations like this.
It's not for combat, but it's a useful ability depending on how you use it.
However, while it's initially described as something no one can interfere with, the power balance crumbles in the late game, and it becomes a pathetic Authority that gets bypassed every chance people get.
"I almost committed a rudeness by forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Logard Bachman. I am merely an insignificant old man from the Zboni world."
"Seo Yeon-woo. You probably know from Veronica. I was in the middle of a meal... sit down. I can't offer you any tea, though."
"It cannot be helped, as I am borrowing the power of a divine being."
Logard couldn't sit at the dining table and instead leaned his hip against a nearby desk.
Because of the Authority, nothing could be moved carelessly.
The spoon I had been using to scoop soup was now frozen in mid-air the moment I let go.
The chairs tucked under the table were also fixed and couldn't be pulled out, which is why Logard sat nearby.
Why did this guy come to see me?
Did he already meet Akito and Lilia?
"You do not need to be so wary. First, I wish to express my gratitude for helping Veronica."
Logard bowed with an elegant gesture, showing his respect.
I couldn't tell because the animations were stiff in the game, but he’s incredibly cool.
It’s similar to medieval etiquette, so it’s a bit chuunibyou, but he moves so naturally that I almost want to practice it myself later.
"I know that repaying a favor is a matter of honor for the Zboni, but seeing as you came instead of Veronica, I assume there's something more than just a thank you."
"Oh, you understand our culture? Where on earth did you learn of it? It must have been quite difficult to understand the culture of others; I wish to praise your efforts."
I didn't put in any effort. I just found out while playing the game to jerk off.
Logard looked at me with an incredibly impressed expression, to the point where it was embarrassing that I knew it from a game.
Whether he misunderstood me or not wasn't important right now.
"Enough with the praise. I don't like beating around the bush. Can you tell me why you're here?"
He’s not a sexy demon sister with "handles"; I have no desire to have a long conversation with a middle-aged man.
I need to finish my dinner, too.
Logard paused for a moment and met my eyes.
His gaze was fixed on me, but I felt like he was trying to grasp something.
Is it about the Whitening Phenomenon? Or an attempt to recruit me?
Whatever it was, it felt like something serious was about to come out of those heavy lips.
He was probably sizing me up to see if I was someone he could discuss important matters with.
After staring at me for a long time, Logard shrugged and smiled.
"Would you be interested in marrying Veronica?"
Huh?
What kind of bullshit is this now?