Plin Ch 2.15
by Aoi“Ahem.”
Hugo made a groaning sound and then tried very hard not to smile too strangely. Not to raise his cheekbones too much, or the corners of his mouth too much, or to smile so much with his eyes that his eyelids were completely buried.
It was useless. Everyone in the room, including Plin, witnessed Hugo’s broad smile.
After Plin and Thibeau left, Hugo, feeling refreshed, ‘put away’ his cumbersome horns. Full humanization required a high level of concentration to be maintained for a long time, so most people live in a state of partial beastification, where only the extremities of the body, such as ears, tail, or horns, are beastified.
However, the elite members of the upper class tend to live in a fully humanized state outside to avoid having their inner feelings read through those parts.
Hugo was no different. Leaving his horns out was a nonverbal expression of intimacy, so it was uncomfortable to do so in front of Ethan.
“You seem to be in good shape. Now you can even put your horns away.”
Ethan examined Hugo, who seemed quite alright. When he was informed through his sources of what he had done, he had expected that this time he would experience a fairly severe karmic pain. But when he came to see for himself, his half-brother seemed healthy enough to make him lose his appetite.
“I guess my temper is pretty bad. I get angry when people use words that don’t fit the usage.”
“What.”
“A benefactor? If I’m a benefactor just for doing that, then am I the fox’s father? If you’re going to talk, at least give him the title of official peddler.”
So he deliberately made the official peddler ear muffs visible. Regardless of whether it was true or not, Hugo couldn’t stand the way Ethan acted as if he were a great person himself.
“Sure. Fox’s father, benefactor, you do it all.”
“That’s why you can’t. Pretending you didn’t touch something you touched, pretending you’re not interested.”
Hugo stated it expressionlessly.
It was the beginning of another tiresome fight. When they were younger, it was accompanied by physical fights, but after Ethan lost several times, the fights were now conducted only verbally.
“…If you open your mouth, you’re just being snarky. Father entrusted me with The Scope Hotel, and since I took office, the hotel has been growing at a rate of 10% every year. The continuous growth rate is the highest among The Scope affiliates—”
“Haaam.”
Ethan answered Hugo, who was yawning openly, barely maintaining his composure.
“I guess you want to brag about your precious dragon mother’s bloodline.”
“No, it’s a simple story. People who live with an inferiority complex don’t deserve to be the boss. Does the hotel suit your aptitude? Then keep it. I won’t touch it.”
“Why would I feel inferior to you? Besides that bloodline, what are you so great at? You…”
Ethan looked down at Hugo.
“You’re not even healthy. It wouldn’t be strange if you were to collapse at any moment.”
Hugo, who always retorted immediately as if he were fishing for the end of a sentence, this time smiled. Ethan thought he had landed an effective blow.
“Were you out hunting for birds?”
“…..”
Even if he had changed out of his hunting clothes, it was obvious that his hair had been exposed to the wind while riding.
“Hunting for birds, a noble sport that was popular five hundred years ago, is good. If you were born back then, you wouldn’t even be able to enter the club because you’re an illegitimate child.”
Flaunting is a deficiency. It was a remark that pointed out the way he was scrambling to fill his meager self-esteem by enjoying a noble sport from hundreds of years ago.
“But who did you go with? Old men? I’ve never seen a young person who enjoys bird hunting.”
“…Enough. I came here to worry about you, but if I talk to you, I’ll just lower myself to your level. It’s childish.”
“Changing the subject is admitting defeat.”
Hugo’s mischievousness, which made people angry, was always the same.
“Let’s stop because it’s annoying.”
“If you really don’t want to do it, you can just not answer, you know.”
“…You’re a jerk.”
“The only thing left to say is a personal attack.”
In the end, Hugo secured the last word, ending the war of words.
***
Thibeau wore sunglasses. There were several advantages to wearing sunglasses: firstly, being nocturnal, he wouldn’t feel sleepy during the day, and secondly, he could hide the movement of his eyeballs.
He examined the exterior of Plin Fallfox’s house in detail. It was more accurate to say that it was a structure made up of just four walls and a roof, rather than a house. It looked like it would collapse in a strong typhoon.
It was a fox’s house that he had visited before, but the feeling was different from when he had seen it from a helicopter. According to the investigation, Plin Fallfox had about 12 years left on the mortgage for this house, and he didn’t quite understand why anyone would buy such a shabby house with money.
It seemed that the cold was selective about which neighborhood it struck, as this area seemed even colder. Whoosh whoosh, a sharp wind sound swept by. Thibeau, shivering slightly from the cold, said.
“It’s not that far in terms of distance, but this area seems particularly cold.”
“Yes. They say it’s colder here because there are no tall buildings. I’m used to it, so I’m fine.”
Plin answered bravely, his nose already turning red.
“I see. Well then, I’ll be on my way. Thank you for coming to visit the patient today. Thanks to you, the master quickly regained his energy.”
“Oh, it was nothing. Please have a safe trip.”
Plin saw Thibeau off as he got into the black car.
Thibeau was a person who was hard to read, whether to call him unique or unpredictable. He had a rough impression, and when he told him to come visit the patient, he had threatened him by saying, [Mr. Hugo is a VIP customer, so for the future prosperity of your business, it would be beneficial for you in many ways to come. I hope you make a wise decision.], but when they actually met, he was kind.
Well, people are drawn to those who are like them, and if you’re talking about strange, the executive director was even stranger.
On days he met him, time seemed to slow down. It felt like a long time had passed, but it was still early afternoon. The exhausted Plin put the bag of macaroons in the fridge and looked for a sausage.
He had to diligently make the drinks from now on and prepare for the evening delivery. He felt completely drained of energy, so he thought he would eat a sausage to regain his strength.
Maybe it was because he didn’t usually have a lot on his mind, but these days, his daily life, with so much to think about, felt burdensome.
Why was the executive director doing this to him, what was Ethan thinking, was Andrea doing well, was he doing well…?
Some time ago, he had made an appointment with Mr. Gerson from the real estate agency to explore new business opportunities, but he suddenly felt tired and broke the appointment. It was strange since he had always boasted of his steel-like stamina, never knowing fatigue. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.
“Oh right, the one I ate earlier was the last one.”
Plin, unable to find any sausages after rummaging through the refrigerator, furrowed his brows. He should have bought some in advance.
Plin flopped down on the bed and turned on the CARROT app. Since even unopened items are sold as used, it’s most advantageous to buy manufactured goods used. He searched for the sausage he usually enjoyed, calculated how much cheaper the used price was compared to the lowest internet price, and then chatted with the seller to reserve a transaction.
He decided to receive the sausage tomorrow evening after finishing his delivery. It was a satisfying transaction. Now he should eat some warm cabbage soup. And then, he would have a macaron for dessert, like a rich person. He was about to get up when…
Ding!
It was a text message tone. Who could it be, the sausage seller…?
| You were very intimate for such a short period. You’ll have to carry out the next directive. Attach a small recording device to Hugo’s office. I’ll deliver the device to you tomorrow evening. – E 15:28 |
“Ah…”
Ding!
A photo was attached to the message that followed. It was a picture of Andrea standing in the lobby of the Romun branch of The Scope Hotel.
Andrea… Plin zoomed in on the photo. The backlight made it difficult to see his longed-for eyes. Because of that, he couldn’t tell what kind of expression he had, whether he was happy or scared. Was Andrea living well? Did he know that he was in danger? Or was he living his daily life, excited about the culture of a new continent, not knowing anything?
He didn’t want to do anything bad. To that person, to the person who was kind to him and called him ‘darling’, which he didn’t dislike, he didn’t want to do that. Plin held his head and tried to exhale the breaths that kept getting caught.
***
“Here are the things you asked for.”
“Oh, good.”
Thibeau placed a jewelry box in front of Hugo. It was a palm-sized jewelry box with a velvet exterior.
When Hugo opened the jewelry box, the silk lining and compressed cotton were revealed. It was empty, with nothing placed where a necklace or other accessories should have been. He carefully picked up one of the seven navy-colored lint balls with tweezers from where they lay on an A4 sheet of paper.
The round, well-formed lint balls were what Hugo had discreetly swiped from the fox’s coat pocket while greeting him. He brought it to his nose, inhaled deeply, and let out a sigh, “Haa.”
“Can I leave now?”
Ugh, that crazy bastard. Thibeau cursed inwardly. Indeed, he had seen all sorts of sights while working as a secretary. He just hoped he wouldn’t get caught doing that kind of thing by the fox.
“Wait.”
Hugo closed his eyes and looked as if he were carefully savoring the sensation.
“Yes. But does it really smell like anything?”
“Hmm… honestly, no. But the fox kept rolling it around with those hands. I’m imagining it. The smell of those hands.”
“I understand.”
Hugo meticulously smelled all seven lint balls and then placed them carefully in the jewelry box. He didn’t get the scent of the fox he had hoped for, but it would still provide some mental comfort.
Hugo closed the jewelry box and even locked it, as if someone might steal it.
“Prepare a lawyer.”
“Pardon? What… did you have a disagreement with Sir Ethan while I was away? Which area of expertise should I look for? Defamation?”
“The area of expertise doesn’t matter. It has to be someone with a tight lip, so someone from our family.”
“I understand. May I ask what you will be using them for?”
Hugo revealed it casually.
“I’m going to have a contract relationship with the fox.”
“Pardon?”
“You told me to separate my personal and professional life. I’ve tied down the ‘professional’ with the employment contract, so now I need to tie down the ‘personal’ too. Dating is also the most natural way to supply bodily fluids.”
“Isn’t it too sudden?”
Dating was indeed a natural method, but it was too sudden. It seemed that there had been a change of heart after Ethan’s visit.
“But will Mr. Plin want to date you, Executive Director?”
At Thibeau’s question, Hugo glared at him coldly.
“It’s an objective fact that I’m great. Wealth, charm, virility. Do I really need to point it out?”
It was an obnoxious thing to say, but the even more obnoxious truth was that, surprisingly, Hugo was qualified to say such things. Thibeau narrowed his eyes.
He wants to date the fox right away, but he thinks the fox won’t date him if he just charges in, so he’s bringing in the tool of a contract. It seemed that Hugo himself was unaware of this.
“Yes. But his personality.”
“What’s wrong with an introverted personality?”
“R-Right. Good luck. I’ll take my leave now. Good luck.”
“Yeah.”
Thibeau quickly left the room as if he didn’t want to talk any further. Normally, he would have stayed even if he was told to get lost.
“Haa… fuck. It hurts now.”
He was glad he left quickly. Even though he had shown Thibeau all sorts of things, he didn’t want to show him that he was suffering from an er*ction that wouldn’t subside for hours. This was a matter of human rights.
He had already secretly relieved himself several times in the bathroom, but his bulging c*ck wouldn’t go down.
It seemed that his c*ck was about to rip his pants, so he had changed into pajamas, but it felt like it would rip through them as well. Hugo looked down at himself and thought that it was understandable today.
“That cunning fox bastard.”
He had given him his cheek, and he had actually kissed it. He had to keep a tight grip on his sanity. He had known from their first meeting that the fox was not an ordinary person.
***