Private Beach? Private Bitch!
When I pressed the bell beside the main gate, two men who appeared to be guards came out. Naturally, both of them were shocked to see Konoe Akina. It was only to be expected—they were looking at the girl who should have become the next head of the Konoe family, the same girl who had gone missing during a trip a year earlier.
“A-ah, young miss!”
“Please call my mother. Not my uncle—my mother.”
“Y-yes, right away!”
Watching the pair scramble off in a hurry, Konoe Akina turned to me and gave a small, satisfied smile.
“Luckily they’re people I know. They’ve been with the family since my father’s time, so they’ll listen to me.”
If the guards hadn’t recognized her face, things would have turned into a long, ugly argument. After all, not many people would open the door for an unknown woman claiming to be the daughter of the house. In that sense, it really was fortunate, just as she had said.
“But how do you plan to find evidence that Sainoshin was behind it?”
Circumstantially it was obvious, yet even after dealing with him we would still need solid proof. Only then could she legitimately reclaim the position of family head.
“I’ve asked a few people for help, but I’m not sure it will be enough.”
“Then shall I recommend two people who might be useful?”
“I would appreciate that.”
I suggested two individuals capable of investigating both Konoe Akina’s kidnapping and the sudden death of her father, Konoe Kiyoto. The first was Wano Haruto, the detective I had met on Chōōten Island. The second was Sawayanagi Shinya from Seryu Military Company.
Haruto’s sharp deductive skills and combat ability paired with Shinya’s net-diver talents and relentless investigative drive should be more than enough to uncover the truth. Shinya could dig up the raw data from Black Tech’s secret labs and similar places, and Haruto could connect the dots.
After giving Konoe Akina their contact information, we waited only a short while before hurried footsteps echoed toward us. A beautiful woman in a kimono who strongly resembled Akina came running with the guards.
“A…. A-Akina!!!”
“Mother!”
The mother and daughter clung to each other, tears flowing freely. Konoe Minako, Akina’s mother, wept with deep, almost wailing sobs. The sight was enough to make my own nose sting. I discreetly wiped beneath it with a finger and waited for their reunion to run its course.
“What happened? Where have you been all this time?”
Once she had calmed a little, Konoe Minako asked what her missing daughter had gone through. Konoe Akina explained everything—from her kidnapping during last year’s summer break to the moment I rescued her.
Only then did Konoe Minako truly look at me.
“Ah… so you are the one who saved our Akina. Thank you, my benefactor. I had truly begun to think I would have to give up… hic…”
She kept bowing and thanking me through her tears. I simply told her I had only done what was right. From a parent’s perspective, I must have seemed more precious than any other savior; after all, I had brought their lost daughter home.
“Ahem! What is all this commotion?”
While I was still receiving Konoe Minako’s gratitude, a middle-aged man wearing a heavy men’s kimono strode out from inside the mansion, booming voice echoing. He brought a whole entourage with him, clearly the type who enjoyed flaunting his status.
Even in summer, the outer robe was embroidered on both sides of the chest with the Konoe family crest—the peony pattern. The outfit practically screamed, I am the representative of the Konoe family. His eyes bore a slight resemblance to Akina’s. This had to be Konoe Sainoshin, the current interim head.
“Ah, no! Is that really you, Akina?”
Konoe Sainoshin let his face twist for half a second before instantly switching to a delighted expression. The lightning-fast change confirmed what we had suspected—he was definitely involved in her kidnapping.
“Yes, Uncle. Have you been well?”
Konoe Akina greeted him with a calm smile, perfectly masking her true feelings. She looked exactly like someone returning from a casual holiday.
Still slightly dazed, Konoe Sainoshin glanced at me and the bodyguards before asking her, “Who are these people?”
“Ah, this gentleman is the one who rescued me. These three are my bodyguards.”
When Konoe Akina introduced us, I stepped forward, offered a small bow, and spoke politely.
“A pleasure to meet you, Interim Head Konoe. My name is Taira Ryuta.”
“Taira?!”
As expected, he flinched at the surname. No matter how prestigious the Konoe family was, even they could not ignore the name Taira.
“Akina. Could you… explain what is going on?”
“I was kidnapped and held captive. Ryuta-sama simply saved me.”
“I see…! Thank you so much. You have no idea how worried I was after Akina disappeared.”
After listening to her explanation, Konoe Sainoshin took my hand in both of his and thanked me. The expression he had worn earlier, however, had not looked worried in the slightest.
I kept my own smile pleasant. “It was nothing. I consider it making a new friend. When I told my grandfather I had made a friend, he was absolutely delighted.”
“I-if I may ask, what is your grandfather’s name?”
“Ah, I thought you already knew. My apologies. My grandfather’s name is Taira Danjo.”
“!”
The moment he heard the name of one of Japan’s two great pillars—Taira Danjo, who stood beside Minamoto Ushin—Konoe Sainoshin froze. Since he had never heard it, he probably assumed I belonged to some distant branch family.
“Now that I have delivered Miss Akina safely home, I should take my leave. Miss Akina, shall we meet again next week?”
“Yes, Ryuta-sama. Without fail!”
With this much public attention, Konoe Sainoshin would not dare touch her recklessly. Both Konoe Akina and Konoe Minako approached me to say goodbye. Konoe Minako in particular kept bowing repeatedly, promising she would repay me somehow.
I understood her gratitude, but the actual repayment would come from Akina herself.
“Safe travels…”
“I will contact you, Ryuta-sama!”
“Thank you again, my benefactor!”
I left the three of them waving me off, having stationed the bodyguards to remain with Konoe Akina. I had done everything I could; the rest was up to her.
I walked to the parking lot and got into the car.
After returning to the Talent Development Center, I washed up first, then headed to the president’s office to see Yukiko.
Before reaching her, I passed through the secretary’s office and greeted Yukiko’s secretary, Ikehara Koyuki. I handed her the Tokyo Banana I had bought in a hurry at Haneda Airport.
“Tokyo Banana?”
“Sorry. Something urgent came up and I had to return home quickly, so I couldn’t prepare anything special.”
“No, no—I love Tokyo Bananas. You’re here to see the director, right?”
“Yes.”
Ikehara Koyuki accepted the gift with obvious delight and opened the door to the president’s office for me.
Yukiko looked extremely busy, fingers flying across the keyboard while staring at the monitor.
“Mother.”
The door was still closing, so I used “Mother” instead of my usual “Yukiko-san” to avoid being overheard by the secretary.
“Ah, you’re back?”
Yukiko lifted her head to look at me, but her hands never stopped typing. She really was swamped. After all, she had pushed back everything else just to make time for our trip.
Even while typing, her eyes carefully scanned my face and body.
“You don’t seem to be hurt anywhere. I was so worried.”
“I told you—I was in Pyongyang at the time.”
When news broke about the building collapse in Seoul, Yukiko had been the first to call. She had sounded frantic, asking if I was injured, so I had lied and said I was in Pyongyang. It wasn’t a complete lie; I really had been on the train heading there, so it was only about ninety percent false.
“Are you busy?”
“Yeah, I’ll probably be tied up until tomorrow. The trip the day after tomorrow created a mountain of extra work…”
Exactly as I had expected.
Yukiko stopped typing for a moment, took a sip of her iced coffee, then resumed.
“If you’re that busy, would you like me to help with the trip preparations?”
“I told you I would handle this trip. You just need to show up and rest comfortably…”
Rest? The next part was obviously going to be about sex. Her face flushed bright red—probably because it had been a while.
“Rest?”
“Aish, never mind… Just come here and recharge me ♥”
She closed her eyes and cutely puckered her lips. I was drawn to her like a magnet and kissed her. How could anyone be this adorable? With a face and behavior no one would ever associate with a widow, I sometimes worried who might try to steal her away. Of course, the one who got to keep her was me.
We shared a light bird kiss, then playfully touched tongues for just a moment. She looked far too busy for anything more, and I had no idea when Ikehara Koyuki might walk in, so I stopped before it could turn into full-blown sex.
A thin, sticky silver strand of saliva stretched between our lips before snapping. Yukiko let out a soft “Ah…!” with obvious regret in her eyes.
“I want to keep going too, but Yukiko-san is busy, I still need to stop by the Edogawa main house, and the car needs washing. Let’s save the rest for the trip.”
“Y-yeah. Ryuta, you’ll save it up too, right?”
She had grown bold enough to say things like that now.
“I don’t need to save anything—I’ve got plenty to spare.”
“Hohoho! Understood. Take care.”
“Don’t overwork yourself.”
I left the president’s office. The rapid tapping of the keyboard followed me until the door clicked shut, then vanished. The soundproofing was surprisingly effective.
As I passed back through the secretary’s office on my way out, I saw Ikehara Koyuki happily munching on the Tokyo Banana. She really did like them. I was glad.