"What a strange person..."
However, after hearing Kamijo Mutsumi's words, the look in Mutsumi Wakaba's eyes grew complicated.
After all, from her perspective, Kamijo Mutsumi must have paid a significant price for her.
While in the eyes of a true financial dynasty, "Old Man Wakaba" might be nothing more than a working entertainer, in the public eye, he was a famous comedian who could interact on equal footing with people from prominent families like the Toyokawas.
Although this didn't mean their status was equal, one could imagine the resources required to help a man like that advance his career even further.
This was one of the reasons she had resigned herself to her fate.
In her mind, Kamijo Mutsumi should have been eager to devour her whole to get his money's worth.
But his actual actions...
She couldn't understand them at all.
However, because of this, the girl's attitude towards him softened considerably.
Regardless of whether his words were sincere, she had felt something from the young man that she had never felt from her own father...
Respect for her as a person and for her choices.
"Moved, are you? Then help me win over Soyo~"
Mutsumi Wakaba felt that she had perhaps been moved too soon.
"No..."
This was just how the doll was; even her refusals lacked the forcefulness of Anon's.
"You... you really are after Soyo-chan..."
The girl's eyes once again filled with vigilance.
"You're wrong about that!"
"?"
"Actually, I'm after Sakiko too."
"..."
Mutsumi Wakaba fell completely silent.
She finally saw it clearly. This scumbag was just toying with her for his own amusement.
"Upset with me?" Kamijo Mutsumi asked tentatively, looking at the girl who had turned her head away.
"..."
It seemed the girl was determined to fight back with silence, but Kamijo Mutsumi didn't mind.
"The old man said you'll be staying at my place for a while so we can get to know each other. No problem with that, right?"
"...No problem."
Hearing this, Mutsumi Wakaba subconsciously bit her lip until it turned pale.
Although she could understand it, the feeling of being sold out by her own father was by no means pleasant.
"Should I have the driver take you back?"
"No need."
"Alright then. Look here..."
Mutsumi Wakaba instinctively looked towards Kamijo Mutsumi, only to be momentarily dazed by the flash of his phone's camera.
"Time to show off to Sakiko! 'Your childhood friend's first night was with me~' And I've got the pictures to prove it."
"Stop it!"
At this, like Raana Kaname having her tail stepped on, Mutsumi Wakaba lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hands.
Then she realized the phone's screen was still on the camera page.
"..."
Thoroughly enraged, she decided not to speak to Kamijo Mutsumi for the rest of the day. He, in turn, was in agony, because the sight of her puffed-out, angry cheeks was a priceless, limited-edition expression, but his phone had been confiscated.
Before long, the two arrived at Kamijo Mutsumi's residence in Tokyo.
"This is..."
Her resolve shattered in an instant.
"Sakiko's..."
Before her stood a luxurious private villa, surrounded by a garden full of roses.
Of course, if it were just that, it wouldn't have been enough to surprise her so much.
After all, Mutsumi Wakaba was also from a wealthy family; her own home was of a similar scale.
The crucial point was that this villa was the house Sakiko used to live in.
"I spent quite a lot of money buying this villa from the Toyokawa family..."
Kamijo Mutsumi paid no mind to her reaction and led her into the residence that should have belonged to "Great God Saki."
Because he wasn't used to having outsiders in his living space, the maids only came at scheduled times to clean and did not live with him.
As Mutsumi Wakaba looked at the familiar yet somewhat foreign furnishings, her feelings were incredibly complex.
The villa was the same as before, but she and Sakiko were no longer the same people. The scenery was the same, but the people had changed.
Sakiko had gone from "Great God Saki" to "Customer Service Saki," and she herself was about to become the wife of a stranger.
Just as she was sinking into a silent depression, she suddenly realized the key point.
Why would Kamijo Mutsumi buy Sakiko's old mansion for no reason?
Oh no. What if he wasn't joking earlier? What if he really is planning to make a move on Sakiko?
With this thought, she subconsciously turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his.
"What do you want to eat for dinner?"
Seeing him holding his phone, ready to order takeout, Mutsumi Wakaba tilted her head, a giant question mark seeming to appear above it.
With your family's wealth, living in a mansion like this, you eat takeout for dinner?
As if sensing her confusion, Kamijo Mutsumi explained.
"I'm not used to having outsiders in the house," he said, naturally including a chef. "And I can't cook... but takeout is actually pretty good. Want to try some?"
In reality, not only could he cook, but his culinary skills were excellent. It was just that his current physical condition didn't allow for it.
If she had observed more closely, she would have noticed that the hand holding the phone was trembling slightly.
"Don't eat takeout," Mutsumi Wakaba said, snatching his phone away again for reasons she couldn't quite articulate.
"...It's unhealthy!"
This time, she had truly become Mother Mutsumi.
"Then what are we eating?" Kamijo Mutsumi asked, looking at her serious face.
"...I'll make dinner."
Fine. I'll handle it, she seemed to say.
The old man thought she was coming here to enjoy a life of luxury, but on her very first day, she ended up being the cook.
She didn't mind, though.
Soon, a simple but exquisitely prepared dinner was served on the table.
Although she was usually a pampered young lady who'd never had to do housework, the prestigious Tsukinomori Girls' Academy did teach some practical skills. At the very least, their home economics classes were top-tier.
So, her cooking wasn't bad, but that was all. It certainly couldn't compare to a professional chef.
At least, in her own opinion, her cooking was far inferior to her family's chef.
As for Kamijo Mutsumi's review...
"Very fresh, very delicious!"
He eats takeout, you think he'd be afraid of this?
In truth, her cooking was only inferior to a professional chef's; compared to the average person, it was quite good. Once again, the education at Tsukinomori deserved praise.
"...You're always saying weird things."
Even though it was a compliment, she felt a strange undertone to his words.
Despite saying this, a subtle, almost unnoticeable smile touched the corners of her lips.
Outside of home economics class, this was the first time she had cooked for someone else.
However...
"Can you... stop your hand from shaking while you eat?"
In fact, she had wanted to say something when he was eating the parfait earlier.