Although they'd indulged themselves all night, the clothes they'd worn were still washed together after their showers. Thanks to the dryer in the presidential suite, they avoided the awkward situation of Shermie and Helena having to wear dirty, alcohol-scented clothes.
When Aiden also finished washing up, Shermie and Helena had done some light grooming. As women, they both carried small bags with a few cosmetic items. Even though the selection wasn't large, both of them were naturally stunning, beautiful enough to be breathtaking even without makeup.
The three of them then took the elevator downstairs and arrived outside the third-floor restaurant.
Outside the restaurant, Shinichiro, who had been missing all night, was already waiting there. When he saw Aiden accompanied by two women, he froze.
Although, thanks to Shermie answering the phone, he already knew that Aiden had brought a woman back last night, he hadn't expected there to be two, and one of them was the daughter of the Douglas Corporation.
So, while secretly admiring Aiden's physical stamina, Shinichiro was also filled with fear. The head of the Kagura family, Kagura Maki, had assigned him to look after Aiden not only to serve him but also to prevent him from fooling around outside. But now… it looked like he had failed miserably.
'If the young lady finds out about this, forget going to the South Pole to prove myself, I'll probably be sent back to the family's old estate to farm instead,' Shinichiro thought despairingly.
But by then, Aiden and the two women had already reached him, so he forced a smile and bowed slightly. "Sir, breakfast is ready."
He completely ignored Shermie and Helena, pretending that as long as he didn't speak to them, they didn't exist.
"Thanks for your trouble." Aiden nodded and stepped into the restaurant.
———
Inside the restaurant, King was sitting by the window, looking outside with a gloomy expression.
Although all the blame for last night's bar brawl had been pushed onto the thugs from South Town, as the bar's manager, she still had to pay compensation.
The amount was enough to shut down her bar completely, and worse, she was now neck-deep in debt. Forget making a comeback; she couldn't even afford her younger brother's hospital bills.
So, after leaving the police station early that morning, she went straight to the hotel where Aiden was staying. At this point, she could only pin all her hopes on him.
'But before I head to Japan to meet up with Yuri, I need to borrow some money from him first. My debts can wait, but my brother's hospital fees have to be paid. It's just… how am I supposed to bring that up?'
King sighed inwardly. It was their first proper meeting, and asking someone for money right away felt shameless. She didn't even have a proper reason, sure, she could use her brother's illness as an excuse, but Aiden wasn't related to her at all… What was she supposed to do, offer herself to him in return?
But then again…
King glanced down at her outfit, it was still the same men's-style suit she'd worn yesterday. She looked more like a waiter than a woman. Even if she did offer herself, who would even want her?
Still, maybe if she put on an evening dress, did her makeup, and grew her hair out… she might stand a chance.
At least she had confidence in her figure. Her chest might not compare to that new singer they'd hired yesterday, but she had a slim waist and long legs, there was a reason her kicks were so strong, after all.
Thinking that far made King blush. She realized she was overthinking things.
Just then, Aiden's voice came.
"Miss King, sorry to keep you waiting."
"N-no, it's fine. I just got here myself."
Hearing his voice, King quickly stood up and turned toward him, but the memory of her earlier thoughts made her blush again.
Noticing her odd reaction, Aiden gave her a brief look, then gestured for her to sit down before telling the waiter to start serving.
"Did the bar situation get settled?" Aiden asked as he sat across from her.
King nodded but stayed silent, a troubled expression appearing on her face again.
"Looks like you lost quite a bit." Aiden shook his head. The bar had been completely destroyed, anyone would have a hard time recovering from that.
King sighed. "That's why I came over this morning, to ask when we'll be leaving for Japan."
"No rush. I haven't booked the tickets yet." Aiden shrugged.
Hearing their conversation, both Shermie and Helena looked over.
Shermie didn't mind, she'd always been alone anyway, but Helena grew tense.
"Aiden, you're going to Japan?"
"Yeah. That's actually why I came here, to find her." He pointed at King. "Then we'll head to Japan together."
"What about me?" Helena's voice trembled slightly, her expression full of sadness. They'd just made their relationship official last night, and now he was telling her he was leaving. It hurt.
"Uh…" Aiden didn't know how to answer. Helena wasn't like Shermie, she had family in France, parents who were still around.
After thinking for a bit, he said, "I'll come visit you when I get the chance. Or you can visit me in Japan during your holidays. Actually, never mind, let's go with me visiting you."
He'd already been through one love-triangle battlefield back in Japan; taking Helena there would be asking for trouble. And bringing Shermie back instead? Even worse. She was one of Orochi's Four Heavenly Kings, if she met the Kagura sisters, it wouldn't just be drama, it'd be an all-out war.
Aiden grimaced. On second thought, maybe bringing Helena back would be the easier option.
Helena, still feeling hurt, muttered, "Can't you just stay here?"
Aiden sighed and gently ran his hand through her golden hair. "I can't stay right now. But I'll definitely come see you when I can. And besides, you're still a student. Your parents wouldn't approve of us being together yet."
Truthfully, among all the women he'd met so far, Helena's situation had the most obstacles.
The Shiranui family only had Mai left. The Kagura family was currently run by Kagura Maki. Shermie was completely independent. Yuri… well, she was still a kid, at least in personality, so that didn't count.
Hearing him say that, Helena fell silent. He was right, her parents would never agree. As the Douglas family's sole heir, she couldn't make her own decisions until she officially became head of the family.
Unless her parents retired early… which, realistically, wasn't happening anytime soon. They'd probably live for decades, unless something unexpected happened.
"…Fine. But you have to come find me, okay? Or I'll go to Japan myself during break." Helena said softly, showing surprising understanding for a rich girl.
"Deal." Aiden smiled in relief and patted her head again.
Then he turned back to King.
"Sorry, let's continue. Where were we?"
"You said 'no rush,'" Shermie chimed in, currently struggling with a piece of sturgeon the waiter had just served.
"Oh, right." Aiden nodded, then said to King, "I'll have Shinichiro book the tickets tonight for tomorrow. That should be fine, right, Miss King?"
"Actually, I'm kind of in a hurry… because I'm really short on money," King sighed. She took a breath, ready to carefully bring up her request.
But Aiden didn't give her the chance.
"Even if you're in a hurry, there's still time before the tournament starts." He shook his head slightly.
"Besides, even if we could leave this afternoon, there's something I need to help you with first."
"Me?" King blinked, her heart suddenly pounding, she had a feeling she knew what he was about to say.
Sure enough, his next words made her eyes light up.
"I heard that guy with the stick yesterday say something about you having a sick younger brother, right?"
King quickly nodded. "Yeah, his name's Jan."
"Jan, huh? King and Jan, you two have pretty unique names." Aiden chuckled. "I won't ask what kind of illness he has. I just want to know, how much money would it take to cure him?"
"To… cure him?" King froze. She had expected Aiden might lend her some money to cover hospital bills, but he was asking how much to cure her brother entirely.
"I'm not sure. His condition's really hard to treat. Maybe…" King trailed off, unable to come up with a number.
"Never mind," Aiden said. "You don't need to estimate. Just tell me which hospital he's in. I'll send someone there directly and have them handle everything with the hospital. However much it costs doesn't matter, just keep going until he's cured. How's that sound?"
'How's that sound? Of course it sounds great!'
"But… that would cost a lot of money, right?"
King asked softly, "What if I can't pay you back?"
She didn't voice the question lingering in her mind, 'Why are you helping me at all?'
'Could it be… he's interested in me?'
She glanced at him uncertainly.
"Then you'll just owe me. No rush to pay it back," Aiden said with a grin. "If worst comes to worst, you can just sell yourself to me."
King blinked. 'So he really is interested in me?'
'But then again… that might be the only way to repay him.'
———
Time quickly passed to the next day.
Outside the airport, Aiden stood at the entrance, lighting a cigarette and quietly smoking.
Next to him, Shinichiro also lit one, but unlike Aiden's calm demeanor, his own face showed a trace of barely hidden joy. That morning, the young lady herself had called to compliment his recent work, even hinting that he might soon be promoted to the European branch.
He knew that was definitely thanks to Aiden's good word. Otherwise, with the Kagura family's promotion standards, he'd have had to slave away another ten years before getting such a chance.
So now, he actually felt reluctant to see Aiden go. If he could serve him for another year or two, he might even make it back to the headquarters in Japan.
But right now, there was something else weighing on his mind, something far more interesting.