Golden Era (Book 2)

36. Living Nightmare (II)

Atobe was in the tennis cage when his phone rang.

He ignored it. There were only five balls left on the tennis gun; whatever emergency can wait for another minute. Racket in hand, he got ready for the next round of firing. When the machine started to wind down, he heard footsteps coming from the outside.

He turned around to find the last person he wished to see: accompanying his secretary was none other than Ami Noa. Wiping his face with a towel, Atobe prepared for his day to go down the toilet.

Opening the door, the secretary announced, "Atobe-san, Hikari's vice president is here to see you."

Atobe wound the towel around his neck, "Since when are you allowed to admit visitors without my permission?"

The secretary bowed deeply and fumbled over her words. "I'm really sorry, Atobe-san. It's just that, you mentioned all news about the Hikari project must be passed onto you immediately. So you didn't pick up, I thought..."

Atobe held up a hand. "That doesn't mean you can intrude on my personal time like this."

Unable to take his verbal bullying, Noa stepped forward before the secretary launched into another round of self-deprecation. "Listen here, Atobe Keigo. It's not her fault—I insisted on seeing the president for urgent communication. Don't shoot the messenger just because you hate to see me."

Atobe didn't expect such a blunt comeback. After a minute of staredown, he raised a hand to the quivering secretary. "You may go. Know that unannounced visits like this can never happen again."

Nearly crying from this dismissal, the secretary bowed like a pigeon before scurrying away.

Left alone with Noa, Atobe remarked, "Ever the trespasser, aren't you? I see impromptu visits are your forte."

Noa sneered. "And you're just as I expected—a total jerk."

"I think you're the last person deserving of a moral high horse."

"At least I've got compassion for others."

"Hard to believe, based on your track record."

Fingers curled into a fist, Noa resisted the urge to give Atobe a blackeye. She wasn't going to let this insolent ass sidetrack her from the critical mission at hand.

Rearranging her expressions, Noa declared, "I come here on behalf of Hikari student council's decision. We have important updates related to the fundraiser.

"Then by all means, spit it out."

"Congratulations," said Noa flatly. "After an exhaustive review of submissions, the council cast their votes and agreed that Doutsu's proposal best suits our requirements. We're delighted to collaborate with your council for the upcoming fundraiser event. I'm here to officialize our partnership, effective today."

Somehow, Atobe couldn't muster a smile in response to this news. He found it highly ironic that Ami Noa should be sent as the diplomat between two universities. From the robotic way she recited the decision, Atobe would've believed she was reading a eulogy at a funeral.

Directing a pointed look at her, Atobe said, "Tell your council that I appreciate their consideration. While I'm overjoyed with the partnership, please let your president know that I'd like to address some concerns before sealing the deal."

Noa knew these "critical concerns" was code for saying she was a problem. Little did Atobe know, Ayuna had enough foresight to play offense when it came to resolving their "issues": she had asked Noa to be the messenger to smooth things over once and for all.