As Alexis pondered this, Rei approached and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "We'll be patient. No response doesn't equate to a rejection," he stated convincingly. Alexis countered, "But it doesn't mean a yes either." Rei replied, "For now, get back to work. We'll revisit this later." Alexis nodded and immersed himself in his tasks, so engrossed that he momentarily forgot about the lack of a response. It was almost four in the afternoon when he and Rei were summoned to the CEO's office.
Shuji swiveled in his chair as they walked in. "Get your brother on the line. We're paying a surprise visit to your dear mother," he declared. Alexis raised an eyebrow, "She's back already?" Rei shook his head in exasperation, "Unbelievable. They were supposed to return on Wednesday, and here we are on Monday, four days later!" Shuji shrugged, "I didn't inform them about your visit, so they took their sweet time." Koji, who had been quietly sitting nearby, stood up and shared, "I chatted with our sister yesterday out of habit. She mentioned a new math tutor who works at our company but took a break due to family matters. Apparently, he's quite the talk of the town. She rambled on for hours about his virtues. His name is Sam or something. My ears are still ringing from that conversation." Alexis looked stunned, "Uh, well, that's interesting." Shuji's eyes flashed with annoyance, "I need to have a serious talk with her about choosing her company wisely." Rei smirked and rolled his eyes. Alexis phoned Sota and instructed him to meet near the Hyoza Residency in 15 minutes, mentioning that "she's back from wherever she was." Sota responded with a wicked chuckle, saying, "Yeah, I'll be there."
They reached the Hyoza's residence just as another car pulled up in front of the mansion. Sota emerged from the vehicle and made his way towards Alexis and the rest of the group. "Are you prepared?" inquired Sota. "I've been eagerly anticipating this moment. I couldn't be more prepared," replied Alexis. Shuji and Koji led the way as the gatekeepers greeted them with a "Good morning, young masters." Shuji and Koji acknowledged them with a nod before entering the mansion. Alexis was unable to catch a glimpse of the speaker due to Shuji obstructing his view, but her voice rang loud and clear. "You're back, Shuji," she exclaimed. Shuji replied, "Yes, stepmother." A man's voice chimed in, "You've grown quite a bit, Koji, since last year. Ah, I see you've brought company."