Cats are just tsundere creatures like that," his doctor friend said. "They'll get used to you once they get to know you.
Kobe Suzuo believed it, by leveraging the advantage of frequently appearing at her doctor friend's private clinic due to various reasons such as frequent illnesses, car accidents, assassination attempts, she successfully earned the tabby cat's proactive nuzzling before arriving in the other world.
Chasing someone was truly difficult, but if he used the method of pleasing a cat to chase someone, Kobe Suzuo felt it would be much easier.
Kobe Suzuo was full of ambition; he felt that spending a year or half a year to gain someone's proactive affection was quite a worthwhile investment.
But Merlin, that artificial idiot, thought it was inappropriate. "First of all, Young Master, you must treat your future partner as a human being."
Kobe Suzuo was still in a meeting at that time, slacking off while replying:
[Of course, I view Satoru-kun from an equal perspective. This is about taking things step by step; I can't exactly go and scare him, can I?]
Merlin did not understand humans; he felt his server room was overheating:
“Where did your courage to ask someone if they had a boyfriend go? Weren't you always so clingy before? Didn't you not lose your memory? Why did your attitude suddenly change after the car accident?”
Aren't you going to take the wild CEO route?
Kobe Suzuo..
He glanced at the favorability page again.
Kobe Suzuo hid all the favorability ratings except for Satoru Gojo's and his own; now, only two chibi figures—one with white hair and one with black hair—stood on the page, with two hearts placed side by side, both equally empty.
During the few days of the meeting, Satoru Gojo's favorability even increased a little—not much, but it was visibly slower than the one next to it.
Kobe Suzuo felt a bit awkward; he had always been very confident, a confidence that manifested in every aspect, because his abilities were strong enough, he had a clear conscience.
When it came to emotions, Kobe Suzuo truly couldn't understand them.
[Alright, I admit I was a bit reckless back then.]
[How about we go the True Love route next? You know, the kind where they fall in love in three years and get married in eight?]
He quickly typed out those two lines of text, then turned around and rejected a nonsense proposal submitted by an Elder.
[Merlin] waited for Kobe Suzuo to finish reprimanding the person before asking, "Do you consider this elder abuse?"
Kobe Suzuo raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard; his laptop had a privacy film, so he wasn't worried about anyone seeing the chat interface.
[Huh? Merlin, it's because they are unwilling to retire themselves. I've only assigned them the workload that their positions deserve, to prevent them from living off their status without contributing. Do you understand?]
Don't get off topic, Merlin. What do you think about me sending Satoru a commemorative banner? Or should I send flowers? What color would he like? Blue or white?
[Or would error-free red roses be better?]
Merlin didn't think much of it; in its simulations, although the favorability ratings of both male guests were barely passing, their peak values had both exceeded 90.
Favorability is an estimate; it might be slightly higher or slightly lower in reality, but both have already surpassed the standard of "deeply in love."
Generally speaking, the fact that it rose and then fell means they once loved each other.
Don't worry about why the favorability rose so high, don't worry about how it dropped later; don't worry about anything at all—just tell me, do you love him or not?
Merlin believed that as long as he could find the point that made them's hearts flutter, he could simply repeat and amplify it.
“I thought humans would like hugging, kissing, or more intimate contact.”
Kobe Suzuo's ears burned, as he lightly tapped his headset with his index finger, Merlin fell silent.
He gave a very faint laugh, causing the Chiba Clan Head, who was reporting before him in a trembling state, to shudder.
Punishments in the Jujutsu World were generally divided into three types: the death penalty, death with reprieve, expulsion from the Jujutsu World. The Chiba Clan Head had nearly faced a choice among the three, so despite his resentment, he had been quite well-behaved at work lately.
After all, with a salary and vacations, being alive was better than being dead.
The Chiba Clan Head waved his hand to signal the end of the report, glanced subconsciously toward the direction of the Kammo Clan, trembled imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and left.
Kobe Suzuo rested her chin on her hand, glanced at him, began to contemplate the design of the banner.
Satoru Gojo might not like banners, but he would probably find the idea of being given one quite amusing, wouldn't he?
Kobe Suzuo looked at those bright eyes, which were like Paraiba tourmalines reflecting the sky, gave a signature, gentle smile. "Of course, I'm here to fulfill my promise, Satoru-kun."
Satoru Gojo remained in his leaning position, his expression blank, the beautiful colors within his Six Eyes seemingly flowing.
Kobe Suzuo blinked her eyes, letting him investigate; once she viewed Satoru Gojo as a cat, all his strange behavior became explainable.
Cats really do just stare at people without moving.
"Why are you basking in the sun on such a hot day?" a low, casual male voice suddenly rang out from extremely close by.
Satoru Gojo's pupils suddenly contracted, he sprang away from his spot in an instant, leaving the wheelchair and Kobe Suzuo in it behind him as he sped away.
Fushiguro Toji grinned, looking past Satoru Gojo at Kobe Suzuo behind him. "Boss, it's time to go. I charge by the hour, you know."
Author's Note:
Great cat-pasting!
Chapter 23: That Bodyguard
Get dressed properly.
Kobe Suzuo pushed the wheelchair out from behind Satoru Gojo, catching sight of Fushiguro Toji's open collar and frowning deeply. "The uniform is custom-made; there is no possibility of it not fitting."
Fushiguro Toji raised a hand to scratch his head as if he couldn't stand it, his movement pulling at his tactical harness so that the lines of his chest muscles became even more prominent. "Young Master, you people demand too much."
He wasn't wearing a tie, his jacket was draped casually over his shoulders, with three buttons undone to reveal the collarbones beneath his shirt collar.
Kobe Suzuo's disdain was palpable: "I hired a bodyguard, not a host, you don't look like a decent person right now; you're going to damage the Kobe Family's image."
Fushiguro Toji had never met anyone so ridiculously serious; not only was wearing casual clothes forbidden, but there were even regulations that uniforms had to be worn strictly. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was some school with incredibly strict discipline.
Besides, Fushiguro Toji could make millions in minutes just by hitting the streets in a hoodie and sweatpants; wearing something like this was already considered quite formal—he was the kind of host who could actually hold his own on a proper stage.
"A fine of three thousand for not wearing the staff uniform during working hours," Kobe Suzuo added coldly.
Fushiguro Toji swallowed his complaints.
After spending several days in underground gambling dens, he had set the highest losing streak in history. It was far too addictive; now, his pockets were even cleaner than his face, every single cent was incredibly precious.
Fushiguro Toji was quite casual in his dressing, or rather, he had no concept of dressing up at all; as long as his clothes were wearable, cheap, simple, allowed for easy movement, that was enough.
As for colors, he didn't care at all; black, white, gray were best.
This was shaped by Fushiguro Toji's life experiences and profession; this type of outfit was convenient for combat and sufficiently low-profile.
With a physique and a face like that, Fushiguro Toji could walk a runway wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet and still exude charm and fashion in a simple tight T-shirt.
But Kobe Suzuo would never allow a bodyguard wearing flip-flops to stand behind him—he felt it was embarrassing.
While his casual attire and powerful aura certainly gave him the air of a master, having a scruffy, loungewear-clad pretty boy following him around was bound to spark all sorts of rumors, no matter how one looked at it.
Is the Kobe Family so broke they can't afford to provide uniforms for their bodyguards?" "Is he really a bodyguard dressed like that, or is he just some pretty boy the Young Master hired for his peculiar tastes?" "The Young Master actually allowed this person to appear before him dressed like this; there must be an illicit affair!
It was common for circles of the wealthy and idle to be the subject of gossip; back when Merlin had just been established, Kobe Suzuo was attempting to go on "blind dates" to test the functions of an idiot AI, his reputation was quite.. difficult to describe.
Kobe Suzuo originally didn't care; what kind of CEO doesn't have rumors as strange as urban legends? It was none of his business what people said outside.
But.. it's embarrassing, it's especially embarrassing to appear like this in front of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
Kobe Suzuo himself couldn't even figure out why he felt such strong feelings of repulsion.
At the exchange meeting at the suburban shrine, Fushiguro Toji wore his uniform in a half-baked manner, using the excuse that it didn't fit properly; he had already compromised once, holding his nose.
After dragging Fushiguro Toji out of the gambling den this time, Kobe Suzuo had the tailor specially rush a uniform for him, but the guy still wouldn't wear it properly.
Fushiguro Toji sighed as he fastened his buttons, feeling a sense of trouble deep down:
“Boss, stop looking at me with those eyes. I'm just a casual person. I can't be like that brat next to you, so conservative that he wears a vest under his shirt even in the sweltering summer heat, can I?”
Jujutsu High uniforms, whether winter or summer attire, have very little skin exposure. Students can make slight adjustments to the basic models according to their own preferences; for instance, Suguru Geto's pants and Makoto Hibara's top are changes that can be noticed with just a quick glance.
The uniforms, which were primarily black, looked far too hot for summer, since there had been few missions lately, everyone present was wearing casual clothes.
Satoru Gojo looked around, only after looking down at the gray undershirt peeking out from his collar did he realize that the "conservative brat" Fushiguro Toji had mentioned was himself.
There are truly few people who can approach him and Suguru Geto without them noticing, but the Six Eyes could not see the flow of Cursed Energy within Fushiguro Toji; however, he could sense the strength of this strange man.
At the very least, he was stronger than those bodyguards who had been around Kobe Suzuo before.
He suspected that this person must be the legendary Heavenly Restriction; he secretly activated Limitless to remain vigilant, wondering if he had seen this somewhat familiar face somewhere before, but his concentration was instantly broken by Fushiguro Toji.
Huh? What are you talking about, you deadbeat uncle?
Fushiguro Toji pulled a tie from his coat pocket and began putting it around his neck impatiently. He didn't respond to Satoru Gojo's words, instead lowering his head to haggle with Kobe Suzuo, "Boss, can we skip this? I won't be able to breathe."
He actually knew how to tie a tie; he was just using poor acting to pretend he was unfamiliar with the thing. His clumsy movements made it look as if he were going to use that strip of cloth to hang himself.
Kobe Suzuo had to warn him once again:
“Salary.”
Fushiguro Toji let out another long sigh, looking completely surrendered as if to say, "You're the boss, you're right," as his fingers deftly tied a loose knot in his tie, tucking the ends beneath his tactical harness.
He had a Cursed Spirit as an arsenal; this kind of thing used for securing and concealing weapons was purely redundant to him. He wore it simply to look presentable for the boss, so that his pay wouldn't be docked—or perhaps even increased.
Kobe Suzuo couldn't even be bothered to look.
He was lucky enough that Fushiguro Toji didn't demand a haircut and a grooming session; at least twenty percent of this man's decadent aura was caused by that hair, which had grown long enough to cover his eyes.
It might be a bit of a stereotype, but a bodyguard should have a buzz cut and wear sunglasses.
He introduced to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, "This is Fushiguro Toji, the bodyguard I recently hired, who is responsible for my safety during this mission."
Satoru Gojo's eye twitched. First, he thought to himself that Kobe Suzuo truly lived up to his reputation, always surrounded by eccentrics, then he asked in disbelief, looking down.
“Can people like this even join your company? Didn't Cai Ming say last time that your recruitment requirements were extremely high?”
Don't they have to take exams and undergo interviews, then undergo onboarding training after the resume passes, then face another three-month observation period if their performance during the three-month internship is poor?
No matter how you look at him, this middle-aged man doesn't seem like the type who could withstand such a rigorous process.
Supervisor Kobe, if it's a mission, there's no problem with me and Satoru being there, right?
Suguru Geto chimed in; his intuition told him that Fushiguro Toji was a bit strange, he certainly didn't seem like a decent person.
Kobe Suzuo felt a bit awkward, maintaining a semblance of dignity with a forced smile: "He is very strong; he's a special talent who entered through the special recommendation route."
Not only is he a special talent, but he is also a massive windfall picked up by chance.
Kobe Suzuo had previously underestimated the strength of Fushiguro Toji.