Stealing Spree

Chapter 2432: Dinner with Tensions

Honestly, I find it a shame that Otoha looked like her mother a lot more than I expected. Yet, they couldn’t be any more different in terms of personality.

With Uncle Hiroyuki’s arrival, she acted like she wasn’t glaring at me or anything. The idiotic dude also sat back down, his face pale from fright.

”You’re here, dear.” Otoha’s mother said towards her husband, her voice dripping with forced sweetness as her gaze returned to me with a fake smile plastered on her face. Clearly, she was the type who believed money and status could solve everything. ”Why don’t you sit down and let us get to know each other better?”

I didn’t argue with that and guided Otoha back to her seat before taking my own place next to her.

Her ex-fiancé kept looking at her as if he was waiting for his chance to talk to her again since they were sitting parallel to each other.

Too bad though, if he hadn’t managed to talk to her when I was still not around, he wouldn’t get any chance anymore as Otoha’s attention was solely focused on me.

Even as her father moved to the head seat, Otoha’s mother couldn’t hide her disdain for my presence. I knew I had to tread carefully, so I turned on my charm to the max, playing along with her act that nothing happened earlier, ”Thank you for inviting me to this delightful dinner, Auntie. It’s an honor to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Otoha.”

Almost instantly, that made her eyebrows jump as it sounded more sarcastic than genuine, but she took the bait anyway. ”Is that so? I hope she hasn’t painted me in a bad light.”

”Never, Auntie,” I said with a smile, ”Otoha always speaks highly of her mother.”

Otoha squeezed my hand under the table, most likely to remind me not to be too harsh on her. She’s still her mother, after all.

Well, just like how I dealt with her father, I would definitely not just lower my head on her. She wanted a son-in-law that could benefit her? Well then, I’ll let her know I’m more valuable than the stuttering dude who... I already forgot what kind of credentials he had.

Let’s see. I might be wrong but he’s from a family related to her, right? And they owned that hospital where the eccentric old man was confined before.

Yeah. It would never be easy for me to remember details about males. I mean, I even tend to forget their names, especially when they’re like this dude. The only ones I could remember were those I acknowledged, like the eccentric old man, Hisa-jii and the fathers of my girls.𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ah. I’ll also add the siblings of my girls.

As for the other boys, I’ll only remember them if I regularly interact with them. Maybe in the future, I’ll also forget about Ogawa or Fukuda.

But with Kazuha-nee in the picture, it’s probably impossible.

Anyway, back to the present.

Otoha’s mother was obviously in disbelief at my answer. Has Otoha really talked highly about her? After everything she did, her daughter was clearly just filled with resentment.

She would even go out of her way to avoid her at all costs. But because they live in the same house, it is inevitable for Otoha to deal with her constant nagging.

”Is that so? Otoha’s mother’s eyes narrowed slightly but she maintained her plastic smile.

I knew she was just biding her time to find fault with me, but I had no intention of giving her one. Not here, not now.

Tonight, I’ll be Otoha’s perfect boyfriend. I’ll be ready with a silver tongue to match whatever tricks she pulls.

Eventually, the dinner was set and Otoha’s father, Hiroyuki, took the head of the table, his stern gaze sweeping over everyone. He didn’t say much, but the air in the room grew heavier as he did so, his silent presence contrasting his wife’s earlier theatrics.

As the head of the family, no one moved until he broke the silence with a nod to the servants, signaling the start of the dinner. The silverware chimed as everyone picked up their utensils, and the aroma of the dishes filled the air.

For the first few minutes, only the sounds of cutlery against fine plates and the occasional praises for the food filled the room.

But it didn’t take long before Otoha’s mother started again.

”So, Onoda-kun, what are your plans for the future? What kind of job are you aiming for?” She asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Otoha wasn’t pleased with her mother’s probing, her grip on my hand tightening. But I was ready for this. I leaned back in my chair, smiling comfortably. ”Well, Auntie, I’m currently focusing on my studies and helping out in various ways. I do have a few entrepreneurial ideas, but nothing set in stone yet.”

”Entrepreneurial, you say? How intriguing,” Otoha’s mother said, her tone dripping with skepticism. ”What do you know about entrepreneurship? Do you have the background to support such ambitions?”

”None that I can think of. However, I didn’t say exploring it was my only option.”

Given that Otoha’s brother had already visited the prefecture where the Onoda Clan was rooted, they’re probably already aware that I came from that place but at the same time, they also knew that my father ran away and built himself up without their influence.

That’s why in her mother’s eyes, my qualification couldn’t be tied to that clan.

”I’ve seen a lot of youngsters with big dreams but no substance to back them up,” She said with a smug smile, trying to belittle me.

”By the way, this young man here is the heir to the Sasaki Group,” she said, gesturing towards the stuttering ex-fiancé. ”He’s going to be a CEO, you know.”

Sasaki Group? CEO? I guess that’s pretty decent. But considering how much she wanted to link them with the Kaneko, they’re probably not much. Most likely another upstart like the Ichihara.

”Heh. Good for him, I guess? Must be nice to do nothing and inherit a position that he won’t need to work hard for.” I said with a shrug, my voice carrying a hint of humor.

Otoha’s mother’s smile turned into a grimace, ”It’s not like that, Onoda-kun. He’s been preparing for this role for years. He’s very hardworking and responsible.”

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”For years? I doubt it.” I said, shaking my head before acting like I spoke out of line, ”I apologize for that remark, Auntie. It’s just that I can’t see those qualities in him right now.”

At that, the guy next to her mother’s eyes widened as if he were about to protest. He was indignant, I could see it from the way his neck reddened.

I waited for him to speak for himself but he’s still pale from getting intimidated by me.

Otoha’s mother failed to catch that though so he nudged him to stand up for himself and retort back.

Otoha’s father and brother were silently watching this scene unfold, and I could almost see the amusement in their eyes. It’s clear that they didn’t hold the same opinions as her mother.