Chapter 37: Fivefold Reward!

[Ding—]

[Facing the highly controlling career woman, you have exhausted every trick in the book, finally bringing her to a state of bashful shyness... This formidable woman has finally cast a gentle gaze upon you, and you notice her eyes are filled with affection.]

['This is my supplementary gold card; take it and spend as you please.']

[You have obtained the item: Fund Doubling Card — (Five-fold Reward Edition)]

[Fund Doubling Card: Can quintuple all your current assets.]

Five times? That means forty million yen, equivalent to two million RMB!

A massive, massive hit!

Kitahara’s mood improved instantly, and with it, his gaze toward Nakamak Miyashiro softened significantly.

Gold digger? Nonsense! This is clearly my treasure!

Although she loves money, she is truly sensible!

She lets you touch when it’s time to touch, and gives you emotional feedback when it’s time to do so—she’s not even in the same league as that actress, Sakura Reina!

She’s even generous enough to give such a reward!

If anyone dares to call her a "slattern" again, Kitahara will be the first to disagree!

"Let's skip the alcohol," Kitahara said warmly. "Senior, your body probably shouldn't be drinking, right?"

"It’s so late; alcohol is hard on the stomach. Let's not hurt ourselves, okay?"

"Huh?"

The sudden gentleness caught Nakamak Miyashiro off guard. She had fully expected Kitahara to force her to drink. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

She had been in situations like this countless times, and every single time, Nakamak Miyashiro had relied on her high tolerance for alcohol to successfully dodge harassment... but today, for the first time, the boy in front of her seemed to have no such intentions.

"If I don't drink, are you really okay with that?" Nakamak Miyashiro hesitated.

"It's fine," Kitahara replied quite readily.

Nakamak Miyashiro wavered, glanced at the menu, and silently crossed out a few items. "Alright then, let's just eat."

The restaurant was brightly lit. Soothing music played in the background as the waiter smilingly served the dishes.

Nakamak Miyashiro looked at the exquisite meal on her plate, somewhat distracted... the conversation had stalled.

Kitahara had brought her here, and it seemed he really was just here to eat, with no other intentions. She couldn't help but look up at the boy.

He was in a good mood, chewing his food in small bites... This attitude reminded Nakamak Miyashiro of her own childhood, when happiness had been so pure.

Nakamak Miyashiro was born into an ordinary family. Her father was a company employee, her mother was unemployed, and after the bubble burst in the nineties, their entire family was on the brink of collapse. Her father drowned himself in a river, and her mother, bearing immense pressure, worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant to raise her.

The restaurant where her mother washed dishes was this very one.

Through hard work, Nakamak Miyashiro got into Shimizu Women's University. She studied bitterly, struggling in corners where her classmates couldn't see, and eventually became a clerk at the Financial Services Agency—all to live a life like this.

The wine glass she gently swirled in her hand swayed with alluring colors.

"After I graduated, I worked at a company..." Nakamak Miyashiro suddenly spoke up.

"Oh?" Kitahara swallowed the salmon roll he was chewing and said unhurriedly, "Then, what was the reason you decided to pursue a civil service career?"

"The boss of that company was a man in his fifties... he wanted to pay me 500,000 to be his kept woman." Nakamak Miyashiro’s expression was calm as she quietly recounted the past. "He thought a woman like me was only worth that much."

"I studied for so many years, stayed up so many late nights, got into a good school... and when I entered society, I was only worth 500,000 a month? Is that reasonable?"

An ordinary college graduate could earn over 400,000 a month. With her beauty and her academic background... to be kept for such a small amount was an insult.

"But I agreed."

"..."

Seeing Kitahara choke on his food, Nakamak Miyashiro couldn't help but laugh, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Then I handed the recording of that to his wife, got a sum of money from her, and completely ruined that fat pig."

"Does he even deserve to covet me?"

"He should look at what he looks like! That piece of trash! If I had actually let him take advantage of me, I might as well have just found a river and jumped in."

Nakamak Miyashiro sneered. "After that, the story got out, and everyone started calling me a bitch."

"So, I found the woman who started the rumors, hooked her boyfriend right in front of her, and then dumped him."

Kitahara wiped his mouth with a napkin, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. This "gold digger" had quite a few tricks up her sleeve.

"Do you think I'm a woman with no morals?" Nakamak Miyashiro swirled her wine glass, her eyes complex as she stared intently at Kitahara. "Do you regret inviting me to dinner?"

Kitahara thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Since I decided to invite you to dinner, Senior, I don't regret it."

"Besides, you’re very hungry, aren’t you? Earlier in the car, I heard your stomach growling while I was... touching you."

"..."

Nakamak Miyashiro’s face flushed red, and she glared at him in indignant shame. "Don't talk about that."

"You little pervert."

"I can only say it was an accident." Kitahara spread his hands. How was he to know it would be such a coincidence that his hand happened to land on her leg? It was nothing more than an accident.

"Besides, didn't you enjoy it, Senior?"

"Shut up!"

Nakamak Miyashiro felt a surge of bashful anger and raised her glass, making a move to splash it in his face.

Kitahara smiled and did not dodge.

Nakamak Miyashiro stopped, as expected, and looked at Kitahara with narrowed eyes. "You’ve got quite a bit of nerve."

"I just felt that you wouldn't hurt me, Senior."

"Huh?"

Nakamak Miyashiro sounded as if she had heard something amusing, laughing until tears were almost coming out.

"Hahaha, I wouldn't hurt you..."

"You are really very interesting."

Nakamak Miyashiro wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said seriously, "In this world, the thing that will never hurt you is money. Whoever has money in their hands, I will be good to them."

She recalled that scene from her childhood.

The day her father leaped off the bridge, her family plunged into darkness.

The vicious debt collectors at the door...

The relatives who were initially kind but showed their hideous faces after she borrowed money...

The once-friendly neighbors...

Like evil spirits, they tormented her family incessantly. Since then, Nakamak Miyashiro understood one truth: only money could bring one light.

"Well, I have money in my hands. Can you be a little better to me?" Kitahara smiled.

"You?"

Nakamak Miyashiro snorted. "Honestly, I'm not interested in you anymore."

"Why? Can I no longer provide you with value?" Kitahara asked curiously.

"Even though you dress well and look like a child from a wealthy family, there’s one thing that makes you unlike the rich..." Nakamak Miyashiro narrowed her eyes. "Your actions don't have that sickening stench."

An excuse.

It was just that Kitahara had shown a hint of genuine kindness... she simply couldn't be bothered to swindle someone like that. That was all.

Nakamak Miyashiro didn't have much of a conscience, but she wouldn't make things difficult for a normal person.

"What a strange reason."

Kitahara took a bite of his salmon roll. "Can I take that as a sign that you have a favorable impression of me?"

"Do you really want to be liked by a Black Widow?" Nakamak Miyashiro smiled slightly. Kitahara felt his hands tighten involuntarily, a chill running down his back.

He decided to re-evaluate the "gold digger" in front of him.

Her eyes were full of desire; although she was smiling, the corners of her mouth curved in a way that felt dark...

No wonder.

Kitahara had a sudden epiphany. No wonder this woman would go on to be so successful in the future.

She was a gold digger, yes, but she had methods, goals, and plenty of guts.

"Wouldn't it be a good thing to be liked by someone as charming as you, Senior?" he countered.

Looking at the boy who cast a gentle gaze upon her, Nakamak Miyashiro drank her water in silence, though her eyes betrayed a hint of awkwardness.

She wasn't quite used to such gentleness.

If Kitahara had approached her with lust or a sense of possession, Nakamak Miyashiro would have felt right at home, even in control. But being treated with kindness left her feeling like she had no way to handle