Volume 4—Chapter 83: Obsessive Girl
Inside a high-rise apartment at the heart of Tsukuru City, a young girl sat comfortably in an ornate chair, the soft glow of the evening skyline spilling in through wide glass windows. She lifted a fancy glass filled with apple juice and took a slow sip, savouring the sweetness as she stared down at the tablet in her hands. On the screen, a Vcuber livestream played, cheerful and lively, drawing a silly yet genuine smile across her face. She giggled quietly, utterly absorbed, her eyes sparkling as though nothing else in the world mattered.
Her moment of enjoyment came to an abrupt halt.
“Young miss, Aria just left her house with her younger brother.”
The voice of her butler cut clean through her fun. The girl froze mid-sip, the glass stopping just short of her lips. She lowered it slowly, her smile fading as silence filled the room.
The girl paused for a moment, then finally spoke.
“What did you say?” said the girl… Carol.
“I said…”
“That’s impossible!! Aria is still streaming here.” Carol’s voice sounded in disbelief as she pointed at the tablet, where the Vcuber continued her lively broadcast without pause.
“Our agent saw her leave her house just fifteen seconds ago, and…” the butler explained carefully.
“Then who’s streaming here?!!” asked Carol, calmly.
“If you want me to find out, just give me…”
“So this is not Aria?” said Carol, cutting him off.
“Not necessarily… perhaps…” the butler began, only to be interrupted again.
“Show me her latest location. I want to meet her right now,” said Carol.
“Alright, Miss… I’ll send it to your…”
“Thank you, Sebastian!!” Carol exclaimed, already rushing past him. She bolted out of the room, tablet in hand, leaving the butler standing alone in the quiet apartment.
The man sighed, adjusting his posture with weary resignation.
“My name is Zeke, young miss,” he muttered softly to himself, his words swallowed by the empty room.
Inside a spacious dressing room lined with wardrobes and tall mirrors, Carol stood with her hands on her hips. A maid hovered nearby, holding up one outfit after another while Carol scrutinised each with a critical glare.
“Uh, too frilly… this one is too plain… I want something that makes me look good and handsome.” Carol muttered, tapping her finger against her chin.
“That’s impossible,” the maid said flatly.
Carol snapped her head toward her. “What do you mean, impossible?!”
The maid sighed, then quickly fetched a small hand mirror and held it out. “Look at your face… look at how cute it is. How can this cute face ever become handsome?”
Carol’s eyes widened. She slapped the maid’s hand, sending the mirror clattering onto the carpet. “WHAT IF MY FACE IS CUTE!! You have a beautiful face too, and yet you still manage to look handsome when you dress up as a butler!”
“That’s because…” the maid started, but Carol cut her off.
“I don’t want to hear it. I need to hurry.”
Minutes passed with Carol pacing, tossing aside hangers, and mumbling to herself. At last, she grabbed a frilly dress and stared at it with distaste. Reluctantly, she put it on.
“Tch… I didn’t choose this because I like it… But I don’t have time to waste,” she muttered, spinning in front of the tall mirror and watching the frills twirl around her.
She straightened up, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt. “Is the car and driver ready?”
“The driver has been waiting for thirty minutes,” the maid replied with weary patience.
“Right… okay. Thank you, Mary.”
Carol swept out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the polished hall. Silence filled the space, and the maid finally let out a long sigh.
The door creaked open again. A tall figure stepped in, adjusting his tie. It was Zeke, the butler. His eyes lingered on the maid’s uniform before a small smirk tugged at his lips.
“Oh… fancy seeing you in that maid outfit, William.”
The maid, William, clicked his tongue. “If it weren’t for the paycheck, I’d spank that little brat so badly…”
Carol then slipped into the car that was parked at the front gate lobby of the apartment. The door shut with a heavy thud, and the soft hum of the engine filled the silence as the driver began to move. She leaned against the seat, her fingers tapping restlessly on her lap, her mind caught up in the eagerness to meet Aria. The anticipation swelled inside her, but in the middle of her excitement and daydreams, a sudden thought surfaced, halting her smile.
“What exactly do I want from meeting her?” she questioned herself quietly, her eyes lowering to the floor.
Did she simply want to meet her that badly, as if the urge alone could explain everything?
“Am I that obsessive?” she whispered again, the words heavy in the enclosed space.
Her gaze shifted toward her phone. Unlocking it with a quick motion, she stared at the glowing screen. The live location of the agent following Aria blinked steadily, reminding her that every step Aria took was being watched.
“No…” Carol shook her head slowly, clutching the phone tighter. “I just want to rekindle what was lost. I don’t want her to find out who I am… But her finding out is practically impossible.”
Her words hung in the air, half-confession and half-denial, as the weight of her doubts pressed harder on her chest.
While all that self-doubt unfolded in silence, the driver’s eyes flicked briefly to the rearview mirror. He caught sight of his young miss’s conflicted face and sighed inwardly. Without saying a word, he shook his head, then fixed his attention back on the road.
And so, after a short drive, they finally arrived at the destination, the crowded Tsukuru Central Mall. The streets surrounding the area were jammed with cars and buses, neon signs flickering in every direction, and the sound of chatter spilling in through the car windows.
“Young miss, where would you like me to drop you?” the driver asked, keeping his tone polite as he navigated the sluggish traffic.
“Anywhere is fine,” Carol replied curtly, her gaze fixed outside the window.
“So I can drop you off here?” the driver said in a half-joking tone, pointing out that they were still in the middle of heavy traffic.
Carol turned her head, her face straight but her words playful. “Good idea… thank you, Daniel.” Without hesitating for even a second, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the chaos.
The sound of car horns blared immediately, angry drivers slamming on their brakes, the squeal of tires echoing as she dashed out.
From the passenger seat, a sigh followed. “Can’t believe she’s a genius prodigy who created a multi-million dollar company from scratch…”
It turned out there was another passenger in the car, a woman sitting calmly, arms crossed. She was the driver’s spouse, watching the scene unfold with weary amusement.
“I know, right…” the driver muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
“You sure have it tough, Daniel,"
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