Chapter 254 - My man has to be hotter than yours

The office is small, containing only two tables, an old laptop, and piles of disorganized folders with clippings from newspapers and magazines. All the binders are closed. The man is short, petite, and dark-haired. He has been sitting on the same chair for hours, staring up at the ceiling with a lost look in his dark eyes. "We are dead, aren't we?"

"Senpai!" Iori fists the table. "Don't be depressed. It's not over yet."

"I already got calls from people who want to throw us into the ocean," Sawano Shusui tells her with a hopeless voice.

"It means that they have something to hide." Iori sighs. Thankfully, nobody from her family got threatened. Her mother is not on speaking terms with her. Chiyo doesn't get affected by these threats. "They wouldn't go this crazy if they didn't have something to hide."

"Why can't you dig out a scandal instead?" Shusui looks at her. "We can turn this into a tabloid."

"Just go back to that place." Iori scowls at him. "Write about celebrities again and harass them."

"They also make profits from it." Shusui massages his forehead. "Can't you look into the Kamiyama family again? Umezaki Rie got out of prison a year ago. I also heard that they have adopted a girl."

Iori purses her lips. A little over a year ago, she got a promotion at work because she was the only one who could take a detailed interview of Umezaki Rie.

"I don't want to write about why Umezaki Rie and Kamiyama Kiyohira adopted a daughter." Iori crosses her arms and stares at him. "I would not have left the job if I still want to write about those things. Senpai, I took her interview because I wanted to know about the assassination, Dark Hackers, and the kidnapping of Kamiyama Yuta."

Umezaki Rie also mentioned something about a consortium. Though the interview was shown on the channel and posted in the newspapers, the part about the consortium was edited out. Nobody believed that such a group could exist in this world. But she knows Umezaki Rie well. That person won't lie about something like this.  

"All right." Shusui gives up. Since this stubborn woman won't change her mind, he should take the dip as well. He pulls the drawer open and takes out an envelope. "Two months before the incident, Ngage Connections signed a deal with T Manufacturers."

"So?" She frowns at him. T Manufacturers specialize in developing electronics. How is it connected to the incident? 

"Just take a look at it." Shusui drops the envelope on the table. 

She picks up the envelope from the table and pours the content onto the table. She looks at the pictures of a man with someone else in the car. She looks at the second picture. "Who is this?"

"Matsubara Konosuke, Secretary of the CEO of Ngage." Shusui plays with the pen between his fingers. "The second person is Tezuka Kohei, current president of T Manufacturers."

"Tezuka Kohei?" She wrinkles her nose. This stalker! This man pestered her for months with text messages and phone calls. He would randomly pop up at her workplace. He would often send his mother to 'suggest' marriage between him and her. Because of him and his mother, she often fought with her mother. Her relationship with her mother became sour. She moved in with her cousin Chiyo. 

"This meeting was only a week before the incident." Shusui taps the table when he notices that she's not paying attention. "Iori?"

"Senpai." Iori lets out a deep breath. "I know this man."

"You do?" Shusui puts his elbows on the table and leans closer. 

"Yes, he and I went on a blind date once." Iori clicks her tongue. If she hadn't seen that person's real face that night, she might have given in to the marriage. She would have been stuck with this weirdo. "I don't have a good memory of it."

"You are amazing." Shusui's eyes gleam with excitement. "You know the Kamiyama family. You also know Tezuka Kohei. Who do you not know?" 

"I don't know who your boyfriend is." Iori makes a face. She gets it. "Senpai, I don't want to meet this person even if I know him. He's too creepy."

"You should get closer and find out about the incident. I am sure that they are connected." Shusui scratches his chin and narrows his eyes. "The thirty workers are dead. Ngage blamed the workers for being careless and mishandling the pieces of equipment. I got some inside news. CEO of Ngage is sick. He trusts his secretary the most. Matsubara Konosuke is quite close to Tezuka Kohei."

"It sounds like usual corruption," Iori mutters.

"I knew that you would get it." Shusui claps his hands. "If you get close to Tezuka Kohei, you might find out what's going on."

"Hmm…" She closes her eyes and leans back. "This is going to be annoying. If only Adachi spoke, I wouldn't need to see that sc.u.mbag again."

"If you find out what's going on, I will take you to meet my boyfriend." Shusui winks at her. 

"Nevermind." Iori stands up, ready to leave. "Introduce me if you want me to meet him. I am just worried about you. You are keeping that guy's identity a secret. I wonder if he's a spy or something."

"You will know when you meet him."

"Well, I am also curious about one more thing." Iori smiles at him mischievously. "Is he hot?"

"Absolutely." Shusui chuckles. "I will ask him to introduce you to his hot straight friends."

Iori feels like her life is too crazy to think about dating, but she also doesn't want to let go of any opportunity to meet good looking men. Life is short, after all. She's sure that her life is going to stay crazy for a long time. "My man has to be hotter than yours."

"Why would I let you have the hotter one?" Shusui glares at her.

"Geez! You already have someone." Iori walks toward the door. "I want the hotter one. Don't forget that. I would definitely need a hotter guy after meeting Tezuka Kohei."

"Alright, I will let you have your way this time." Shusui laughs while he watches her leave. "I guess she deserves someone hot. I should text Misao to set up a date for her."