Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 255

Left alone in the reception room, I found myself lost in thought. I had spoken of guiding her in the right direction, but how exactly do you comfort a troubled child walking down a twisted path?

The only thing that came to mind was to show them the proper affection and hope to influence the 4th Manager in a positive way.

"E-E-E-Executive Manager, th-this is r-really... n-not appropriate...!"

I never expected that even showing her affection would be such a hurdle.

The 4th Manager trembled like a machine with a faulty motor as soon as she was in my embrace. She stuttered so badly that it was as if she was broken somewhere.

Despite that, she couldn’t bring herself to push me away or run. Instead, she just shivered in my arms. It would have been a relief if that was the end of it.

"..."

"...Penelia?"

But then she fainted. For a moment, I thought she had adjusted to the situation. But instead of escaping physically, she escaped mentally.

Honestly, it wasn’t surprising. After being mentally cornered to the point of vibrating with anxiety, there’d be no real escape other than passing out. The only thing waiting at the end of that road would be a total shutdown.

But to escape by fainting... the 4th Manager was unexpectedly fragile.

"I-I’ll, uh, h-head out first! I-I should at least say goodbye to Yuris...!"

"Sure, go ahead."

She quickly regained her senses and fled when I gently released her. Using Yuris as an excuse meant that I couldn’t even try to stop her.

What do I do now?

This was a rather complicated situation. A close friend, someone I'd practically raised, was clearly losing it. Ignoring that would be inhumane.

And haven’t I been consumed by madness before? At the time, my delusions seemed like the absolute truth. But once I snapped out of it, the aftermath was unbearable.

How devastating would it be if the 4th Manager came to her senses and realized she confessed to not wanting to marry me?

She’ll probably lose it all over again.

I was starting to imagine a regrettable future that would likely not end well.

That was why I became even more determined. For the 4th Manager’s happy future, I must teach her the right kind of love.

***These days, I found myself glancing at the door whenever I heard the slightest breeze. After all, the recent visitors had been anything but ordinary.

Just a while ago, I made a wedding ring for the 2nd Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office. Before that, the Executive Manager himself had bought four rings.

It’s about time.

I had a feeling that the Executive Manager would return soon, so I was paying extra attention.

When he purchased four rings, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. But after thinking it over, I figured that he might have bought them to have a wider selection to choose from.

Even if they weren’t wedding rings, they were still gifts for a loved one. It was only natural to take his time and choose carefully.

That was probably why he took the ones I recommended and spent so long deliberating. It made sense. If that wasn’t the case, then his strange bulk purchase would be inexplicable.

At least I offered a return policy.

In hindsight, it was the perfect response. Despite the confusion, I made sure to relay all the important information.

By now, the Executive Manager had probably picked the one he wanted from the four. I was also already prepared to refund the value of the remaining three so that the refund would go smoothly whenever he came.

This is how you create loyal customers.

That was the essence of running a business. A small gesture of consideration and a seamless process of purchasing and returns—these were enough to win a customer’s heart.

In fact, any shop in the capital sold flawless goods. So, to stand out, a merchant would need to excel in everything beyond the product itself.

Ding—

And then, the bell on the door rang with a clear, bright sound.

He’s here.

I quickly looked up as a young man in a black uniform—the Executive Manager—walked in. I knew it. My instincts were still sharp.

"Welcome, Executive Manager."

The Executive Manager nodded in acknowledgment and approached the counter without hesitation. After all, this was about a refund and not a purchase, so there was no need to look at other items—

"Could you recommend me one more ring?"

"...Sorry?"

I couldn’t help but question him. It was a mistake especially since this customer was the Executive Manager, someone with the authority to bring down even the largest merchant guilds under the guise of an investigation.

Still, I couldn’t help it. Anyone else would have reacted the same way.

"Actually, using your approach might not be a bad idea."

"My approach?"

I quickly tried to recall what she meant.

That humiliating time when I was consumed by madness and talked about a joint wedding... The only thing that got me through that period was Erich’s brutal honesty.

Yes, straightforwardness was the best—

"But you'd have to approach it a bit differently. It might just scare Miss Penelia more if you, the person involved, approach her."

Ah.

She was right. I nodded along.

That was true. Even straightforward advice needed to be delivered face-to-face. But right now, having me just pass by might be enough to make the 4th Manager collapse. She might even think I was angry and just apologize instead.

"Why not get some people close to her to help out? If multiple people around her start talking about true love and Carl, then she might start to see things differently."

"Hmm..."

"People are likely to reconsider when they realize their thoughts don’t match with everyone else's."

I felt a little sorry, but I had seen too many crazy people who simply bulldozed their way forward when they realized that their thoughts differed from everyone else's, convinced that the world—not them—was wrong. And sometimes, they even had the god-given ability to make it possible.

"Thanks for the advice, Mar."

"Fufu, it’s nothing."

Marghetta was kind enough to listen to her lover’s problems, even if they involved another woman. Telling her, ‘I don’t think that will work,’ would make me a heartless jerk.

Besides, I might as well try what she suggested since I didn’t have any better ideas.

I just hope the 4th Manager wasn’t one of those pioneers who believed they were destined to fight against the world.

***Thus, I reached out to the person closest to the 4th Manager.

No matter how I thought about it, there was no one better for this. This person would always be by her side even if she was constantly on the move due to deployments.

— Vice Captain of the Masked Unit, Giuseppe Digo, reporting to the Executive Manager.

He was the former Team Manager of the 4th Division and the now Vice Captain of the Masked Unit. It would be stranger if he wasn’t around the 4th Manager.

"Oh, hey. Long time no see. How’ve you been?"

— Thanks to your concern, I’ve been doing well.

"Glad to hear that."

His unwavering politeness made me feel a bit guilty. He must have just returned from an assignment and here I was, his former superior, calling him out of the blue.

So, I decided to get straight to the point. I was already inconveniencing him by reaching out, and dragging the conversation out would only make it worse.

"Vice Captain."

— Yes, Executive Manager?

"It seems like the 4th Manager is not feeling well."

At that, his eyes widened in surprise.

"It’s—"

Then, I quickly explained the situation, leaving out the part about the trembling and eventual fainting to preserve the 4th Manager’s dignity.

"So, I was hoping you guys could help out a bit."

— Leave it to me! I’ll do my best!

"Good, I knew I could count on you."

His response, burning with a sense of duty, made me nod in satisfaction.

I was pleased. Even though the name had changed, the 4th Division was still the 4th Division. Their camaraderie remained as strong as ever.

— I’ll make sure the Captain confesses to you!

Though his direction was a bit off, it wasn’t harmful, so I didn’t bother correcting him.

But make the 4th Manager confess? How exactly did he plan to do that?

Was he going to write up some sort of petition?