Chapter 192. Suzu: Lost Miserably, Sis
Sniffling a little, Suzu lifted her chin and declared, "You have to wait until I grow up. You're not allowed to make a move on my sister, got it?!"
"Hm?"
Xander Masato smiled, tapped her on the forehead, and asked, "I remember you were trying to set me up with your sister before, weren't you? Why won't you allow it now?"
"That's all your fault!!"
She puffed out her cheeks and glared at Xander Masato—but because she was too cute, it had zero intimidation.
Glancing around and noticing people sneaking looks their way, Suzu ducked her head and instinctively lowered her voice until only the two of them could hear.
"Who knew you were such a playboy? I can't just watch my sister jump into a pit of fire!"
To make sure he heard, Suzu even leaned closer; a faint cherry-blossom scent brushed past his nose, and he couldn't help feeling relaxed.
"I didn't—when did I ever make a move on your sister?"
"You racked your brains to transfer my sister from North America to here, and you even tried to recruit me on the sly. Who would believe you're not interested in her!"
She frowned at him, clearly dissatisfied with his lack of honesty.
"Besides, my sister is beautiful, gentle, and great at housework. After marriage she'd definitely dote on her husband. Any man would be tempted, right!"
"When you put it like that, it does sound plausible."
Casting a glance at a somewhat ill-at-ease Sakura, Xander Masato's smile curled into a grin Suzu found full of malice. "Oh my, I'm suddenly a bit interested in Sakura now. How about inviting her on a date this weekend~"
"!!!"
Suzu's eyes flew open. She spread her arms to block the space between him and Sakura. "N-No way. I won't hand my sister over to you. If you've got business, take it up with me!!"
"Suzu!!!"
Provoked by Xander Masato, Suzu failed to keep her voice down, which instantly turned the already-awkward Sakura bright red. She looked ready to drag Suzu back right now and teach her what big-sister authority meant.
Xander Masato signaled Sakura to stay calm. Then that odd smile softened; he reached out and ruffled Suzu's hair.
"I was teasing you just now. I'm not actually making a move on your sis."
"R-Really?" Suzu asked, skeptical.
"Of course. Since you still don't believe me, let me ask you a few questions."
He bent down and leaned in close to Suzu's face. Confronted with a face that fit her aesthetic perfectly and the approaching masculine breath, Suzu flushed and took a small step back.
"W-What are you doing!"
"Nothing. I just want to ask: do you think your sister is prettier, or is Kaguya prettier?"
"Um..."
Suzu knew Kaguya—she worked in the same office as this big bad wolf. A sister so pretty it was outrageous. Honestly, calling her the most beautiful person Suzu had ever seen wouldn't be an exaggeration, and on top of that her personality was as gentle as her sister's.
"I don't know."
She averted her eyes and answered in a small voice. She definitely couldn't say Kaguya was prettier—her own sister was always number one in her heart!
But if she said her sister was prettier, she couldn't quite bring herself to say it either. Sakura was already beautiful enough, but alas—someone was basically playing with cheats!
"Then, in terms of being well-behaved and cute, can Sakura compare to Seele?"
"...I don't know."
"Then how about figure—can your sister compare with Elysi—"
"W-Wait, why are you always comparing my sister against those strong points? And how did Elysia-sis get dragged in—what does she have to do with this? That's not fair!"
Suzu, a little unconvinced, cut him off.
"Because I have all of those~"
"Eh?"
Xander Masato flicked Suzu's little head that had instantly overloaded, stood up, waved to Sakura with a smile, then walked toward the new team's area.
Seeing him leave, Sakura finally came over and pulled the somewhat life-questioning Suzu back to her workstation. Seeing that blank look, she couldn't care about her own shyness anymore and hurriedly pinched Suzu's cheeks.
"Suzu? Suzu? What's wrong, Suzu?"
"I lost..."
"Huh?"
"I lost so miserably, sis—boo hoo hoo..."
"HuH????"
Holding her sister who was spilling out her grievances, Sakura was full of question marks.
She felt that ever since Suzu entered high school, she was getting harder and harder to understand. Quietly, she sighed in her heart.
On the other side, Xander Masato arrived at the lively area of the new team.
Seeing him come over, the newcomers—immersed in a sea of joy—were no longer as reserved as usual, all greeting him happily.
"Hello, boss!"
"Boss, you look so handsome today!"
"Boss, our game sold over five million copies—over five million!!"
"Alright, alright, I know. Look at how excited you all are."
Smiling, he lowered his hands to tamp their excitement a bit.
"Ah~ How can we compare to you, boss? Even ten million sales probably wouldn't catch your eye~"
Kitahara by the corridor sidled over and spoke in a pinched voice.
"Screw off. Quit with the snark."
"Ow~"
Xander Masato gave Kitahara a kick on the butt. Kitahara immediately pretended to be in pain and fell into Grandpa Kirito's arms, raising his head to gaze up with dewy eyes.
"Kazuto, my butt hurts. Can you rub it for me?"
Grandpa Kirito: "...?"
"..."
Kitahara: "Gag!!"
Grandpa Kirito: "GAG!!!"
Acting so hard they made themselves sick—now that's something.
"Stop fooling around and wrap up the work here, then head back to the Yu-Gi-Oh! side. They're short on people over there."
"I object! Who squeezes labor like this!"
Kitahara sprawled on the floor and let out a roar.
"Objection overruled."
Giving the guy another kick, Xander Masato turned his gaze to Ken Sugisaki, who'd been watching from the side.
"Good performance this time. So, are you planning to stay on as team lead for this new team, or go back to Hakugyokurou?"
Hearing his voice, the happy newcomers immediately showed reluctance. "Team lead..."
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ken Sugisaki scratched his head helplessly. He glanced at these "hatchlings," felt the expectation in their eyes, then sighed lightly with a smile. "Forget it, I'll stay. Just have Kitahara and Kazuto go back."
"Yay!!!"
"Team lead, I love you!!!"
One member was so excited he moved in for a kiss, scaring Ken Sugisaki into slapping him away.
"Hey, what about me? I'm the one leaving. Why are you all so happy?!"
Clambering up from the floor and looking at everyone, Kitahara wore a face of utter betrayal.
"Mr. Kitahara, have a safe journey. Our team will remember your contributions."
"Mr. Kitahara, your name will go down in history."
"You bastards, I'm not dead yet!!"
"Hahahaha~"
Watching everyone clown around, Xander Masato continued, "Looks like your team's vibe is great."
"They're all good kids."
Ken Sugisaki smiled.
They were probably all fresh grads. Under Ken Sugisaki's mother-hen leadership, their eyes still held that clear, silly brightness. That's good—untouched by the melting pot of society.
Patting Ken Sugisaki's shoulder, Xander Masato smiled and went on, "Keep it up. You're the one I'm most at ease with. In my plan, you three will each lead a small team of your own in the future. You set the example for those two first. If there's a problem, come to me."
"Don't worry."
Ken Sugisaki replied earnestly.
After Xander Masato made it big, there was nothing to complain about with how he treated the brothers: no walls between them, resources when they asked, seniority when they needed it, and he even personally taught them skills. If he didn't work his hardest, Ken Sugisaki felt he'd have no face.
"Alright, enough horsing around. Listen up."
Seeing the boss about to speak, the employees immediately stopped fooling, sat at their stations, and listened carefully.
"For now, the Cities: Skylines project has reached a temporary stopping point. Developing DLC can wait. We'll leave a portion of staff for operations and maintenance; everyone else will merge into the Yu-Gi-Oh! dev team and join R&D."
Noticing the mood sink a bit at the thought of heavier new work, Xander Masato immediately pivoted. "Of course, I'm well aware of your efforts. Many of you worked late into the night day after day—I saw all of it. So..."
He paused, then smiled. "Counting the next three days plus the weekend, you'll have a five-day mini-vacation."
The employees' eyes lit up.
"Also, this month's bonus is doubled!"
"!"
"We'll take five percent of Cities: Skylines' net profit and distribute it as a bonus according to everyone's contributions during development. It'll be added to the year-end bonus and paid out at the end of the year!"
"!!"
"And tonight, have your Team Lead Sugisaki take you all out on the town. Aside from certain, ahem, special establishments, pick any place you like—the company's footing the bill!"
"!!!"
A string of sweet dates left the employees dazed and giddy.
"You're sticking me with chores again."
"What, unhappy? I can pick someone else."
"No way!"
Ken Sugisaki waved his hands rapidly, then chuckled. "It's not every day I get to spend public funds. Watch me fleece you good."
"Do as you please—just don't waste it."
If a whole group went to Kabukichō, a host club, and threw cash at hosts, he'd be at a loss.
Of course, Ken Sugisaki wasn't the type to do that.
"What about me, what about me—what about my vacation?"
Kitahara scooted over, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
"You get five days too. Happy?"
"Nice! I finally have time to take that someone to the Diving Club, heh heh heh..."
Xander Masato instinctively edged away. He had a strong feeling that Kitahara's smile just now was downright sinister.
"The Diving Club—is that the one with lots of passionate upperclassmen Iori told us about before?"
Grandpa Kirito leaned in curiously.
At that, Kitahara's face changed in a flash. He smiled. "Yep. Since we're on break, why don't you come too, Kazuto? Diving is really fun."
"Uh...that actually sounds pretty good."
He'd wanted to hole up in the dorms and play games, but trying out diving sounded fine too.
"Since we're all off, how about we bring Key along too~"
"Hmm? Me? Sure, I happen to have nothing going on these three days."
A cold glint flashed in Kitahara's eyes as he fought to keep the corners of his mouth down, then he finally looked at Xander Masato.
"Masato, wanna come?"
"I'll pass. You all have time off; I don't. I've got to keep a constant eye on the Yu-Gi-Oh! side."
Xander Masato spoke naturally, silently offering a moment of mourning for Ken Sugisaki and Grandpa Kirito.
"That's really a shame."
Kitahara sighed, sounding genuinely regretful for him.
"Right—since Gensokyo is always short on people, we've been hiring continuously. I've left two exam-free internship slots for each of you three. If you have candidates to recommend, just let HR know—I've already given them notice."
The three of them were stunned by this news. Xander Masato patted Grandpa Kirito's shoulder. "Alright, that's all from me. I'm starving. I'll head back for lunch first. You three can keep chatting."
With that, he returned to the office, leaving the three staring at each other.
Exam-free internship slots at Gensokyo.
Though whether they could convert to full-time would depend on the final assessment, in today's market those words were invaluable. Gensokyo's package was just too good.
As the company's reputation rose, the quality of newcomers it recruited also got higher and higher, so the bar naturally rose as well. And the three also had relatives they knew well.
For example, Kirito's little sister; Kitahara's little sister; and Ken Sugisaki's childhood friend. They'd never had the nerve to bring it up before, but if they could fight for better opportunities for family, of course they were willing.
"From this moment, I've decided to lay down my life for Gensokyo!"
After a brief silence, Kitahara suddenly spoke.
"Come on, we all decided that ages ago."
Smiling as he teased him, Ken Sugisaki threw an arm around Grandpa Kirito and Kitahara. "Ugly truth first: if the people we recommend don't pass the assessment, nobody's allowed to get mad."
"Do you need to say that?"
Kitahara shot him a glare, then suddenly let out a sleazy chuckle. "Spill it, brother—who are you giving your slots to?"
"I'll leave one for my little sister. I won't use the other."
Grandpa Kirito thought for a bit.
"I'll give mine to my little sister too, but she's still young—might have to wait a few years."
At that, Ken Sugisaki coughed twice and declared sonorously, "We're brothers. When the time comes, put your sisters in my team for their internships. I'll take good care of them."
Kitahara: "?"
Grandpa Kirito: "?"
Before Grandpa Kirito could object, Kitahara let out a cold laugh and looked at him. "Fine—then have your childhood friend come to our team. We'll take very, very good care of her~"
Ken Sugisaki: "?"
Oh crap, he's got me there!
"Ahem, let's talk about what to eat tonight instead."
Ken Sugisaki quickly changed the subject.
Seeing that, Grandpa Kirito gave Kitahara a thumbs-up. Kitahara immediately scooted over with a smirk and said to Grandpa Kirito, "Kazuto, how about putting our sisters under me when the time comes? I'll definitely take good care of her!"
"Scram!!"
...
Back in the office, Xander Masato was surprised to see that no one had touched the food on the table yet.
"So slow!! This lady is starving!!"
"I told you to start without me."
"Eating together is the vibe! No more talking, hurry up, hurry up~"
Shaking his head with a smile, Xander Masato walked toward the table.
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