"Are we coming at a bad time?"
The old man asked with a smile on his face.
The old man, Mr. Saya Takaki, and his grandson, Mr. Kaiza Takaki, stepped into the father-daughter argument.
"..."
They watched the young girl leave the room.
"Please sit."
Charon, the head of the Stygians, changed the subject.
"I'm here to talk about what we discussed at the party if you remember."
The old man opened the question straight.
"Yes, I remember."
"I have found the solution for you since I don't want to keep doing unfair business with you."
"Unfair business? I think you misunderstood us, Mr. Saya."
"I give you the name and power from the start. The kind of business you have, we don't actually care. I know what you have been doing all these years."
"..."
"You got all the power, got all the money. Your business is under-ground and higher-ground as you wish. There's nothing I can provide you more than that."
"Are you afraid, Mr. Saya?"
"Afraid of what? You tell me."
"Our business will be off when I give you what I owe you even though I have all the money, but not enough for me to pay what you built for me. I am very grateful for that and...Why did the giver want to break the deal when it's not fully paid?"
"Because you are a greedy man, Charon."
The old man answered.
"..."
"The trafficking under the Dirtline, spreading outside my territory, and innocent poor people are all at risk."
"You said you don't care about my business."
"You tried to hide this business from me. If you don't end our agreement here, I will end your business."
The old man.
"Is that a threat!!"
"Not yet."
The grandson spoke up.
"I won't do anything about your dirty secret if you agree to break our agreement."
The old man continued.
"You want to cut ties with me?"
"I don't want to be involved with your business, Stygian."
"Don't make me laugh, Mr. Saya. You aren't that clean compared to me."
"I know, I know, hehe, I know myself very well. But I will not let Takaki's name be
denounced.. and not be respected by any men. I will not pass that to my next in line."
"So... if our agreement is done, what would it be?"
He thought deeply.
"You do you."
"And if not?"
"You think I can't end your name? Your business might be huge, but.. only times will come."
"And just that, if I sign and say yes, you will leave me alone, and we are not involved in anything? Is that too easy? Because you don't want your name to get involved in my business? How childish."
"..."
And the smile on the old man's face went off.
"Who is the real child here? The one who wants our name to support so you can live? What a real man of you."
The grandson said.
"Since you bark unpleasant to my ears, I will give you another deal...Your child..."
The old man grabbed his cane harder.
"..!"
"I would like to marry your daughter."
The grandson revealed his threat.
"What!? Who? Serena?"
"Hehe. You don't even think of her as a choice here?"
The old man smirked.
"Zephyra?! …Are you going mad? Not a chance!"
"Why is that? I assume that you don't love her that much. Based on what you have treated her."
The old man said his mind.
"..."
"Give her to me, and the debt will be paid off."
The grandson.
"About the business, I let you keep my support but...only inside the Sovereign Land"
The old man.
"..."
"But only they get married."
"!!"
"If the second deal is not good for you, you can just sign the paper, and all the business of yours will not be under my name anymore."
The old man continued.
"What do you mean only for them to get married?"
Charon asked.
"The new deal will be started when they get married… so there will be an engagement, and there will be marriage..."
"The day you give her to me is the day of the debt payoff, and the day we marry is when the new deal starts."
The grandson supported.
"And how long will the deal be?"
"As long as the marriage"
The grandson answered.
"I don't understand why you want her."
"Well, I was amazed during the sword match, that's all… Isn't that why you want her to join another club? Because you don't want her to be involved with my Sayamura?"
The old man.
"..."
"Are you afraid that she will suit us more than Stygians?"
He continued.
"And you just agree to this?"
Charon turned to ask the grandson.
"I am the one who offers the deal."
Kaiza answered.
"What?"
"What can I say? I fall in love with her."
Kaiza continued.
"What!?"
"So give her to me; otherwise, I will.."
"Easy, easy...so Stygian, what do you say?"
The old man calmed his grandson down.
"If she disagrees?"
Charon asked.
"I don't think it's your big problem, right? You forced her all the time, cut her wings, and didn't let her see her own mother. I don't think she will hate you more."
The old man.
"....Fine."
He clenched his fists.
He agreed to the second deal because of the support he needed from the Takaki, even if he didn't know exactly the real reason why Kaiza, the grandson of Saya Takaki, wanted Zephyra to be his wife. Charon didn't believe Kaiza's ridiculous words, or he chose not to believe that himself.
-extra ended-