𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 | 𝑫𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒆 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

₊· ͟͟͞͞ ➳Screwed By The System

After finishing the pizza, you and Daisuke decided to keep Max occupied by giving him a tour of
Pony Express Inc.
Curly had mentioned that staying busy would keep Max out of trouble, so you figured showing him around might do the trick.

Though, with this new AI system in place, everything in the workplace seemed different and, frankly, a little confusing.

"And this,"
Daisuke announced with a dramatic flourish, spreading his arms wide,
"is the locker room! Pretty exciting, right?"
Max glanced around the dimly lit space, his face blank with disinterest.

"Wow. Fascinating,"
he muttered, the sarcasm practically dripping from his words.
"A locker room. Never seen one of those before."

Daisuke narrowed his eyes at him but kept his grin plastered on.
"Tough crowd. Anyway, moving on!"

Despite Max's snarky attitude, the tour continued.
Next stop was the hallway leading to the offices. Daisuke motioned toward a closed door.

"And this is Swansea's office,"
he said in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.
"But yeah... I'd advise
we don't bother him. Ever."

"Fine,"
Max muttered, but his grin didn't fade as he glanced over his shoulder at the door.

"And I know you're familiar with this room,"
You said as the three of you stopped in front of a sleek office door with Curly's nameplate on it.
Well, it said "Grant," but he preferred you all to call him Curly.

"This is your father's office. But, as advised, we are to keep you out of this room."
Hearing this, Max's interest was immediately piqued.
You caught the mischievous glint in his eyes as he tilted his head.

"Why not?"
Max asked, trying to sound casual, though his curiosity was evident.
"Is my father afraid you'll find out his ultimate secret?"

"Secret?"
Daisuke perked up, looking down at Max with a raised brow.
The kid's smirk only grew wider.

"Daisuke, don't feed into it, alright?" you sighed, already sensing trouble brewing.

"No, it's fine, really,"
Max said, leaning against the wall.
"I totally understand. He doesn't want you to know the truth about the AI ​​system, or... "
he trailed off, leaving the rest to your imaginations.

Daisuke's eyes lit up as he looked at you.

"What if he does have secrets, [Name]? I mean, think about it.
Curly is weird about this office.
He only lets us in when he's here. Don't you wanna see what he's hiding?"

"Dai, I don't know..."
you muttered hesitantly, glacing between your boyfriend and the grinning kid.

Max, meanwhile, had nonchalantly popped a piece of gum into his mouth and was now blowing a bubble, watching your whispered conversation like it was a particularly entertaining show.

"Come on,"
Daisuke pressed, lowering his voice. "This could be the start of something big! What if he's got blueprints? Secret AI codes?"

You rolled your eyes but couldn't ignore the flicker of curiosity in the back of your mind. Still, something about the way Max was chewing his gum, all smug and unbothered, told you he was enjoying this far too much.