45
Money Above All Else
By the time we arrived at the hotel, Sebastian had regained his composure.
These days, when he rode in the limousine, he didn’t accompany Nakaban or Kouri, but rode alone with me, which I thought was fortunate. Sebastian didn’t seem like someone who wanted to easily show his vulnerable side.
As a result, there was one more security vehicle following Sebastian’s car. Kouri rode in the front to control the security situation, and Nakaban seemed to ride in the back to handle the overall situation and clean up.
As always, Sebastian didn’t get out when the car stopped. Only after all three vehicles had stopped and the people from the front and back vehicles had all gotten out did Kouri personally open the door for him to finally exit. After he got out, I followed, and this massive procession was finally ready to enter.
When I first saw him, I thought he was showing off his wealth, but now I know that Sebastian uses his security flexibly. And his security seemed to prioritize Kouri’s decisions over Sebastian’s wishes more than I had expected.
As we entered the hotel, suddenly someone came running up to us.
“Mr. Riegel, it’s been a long time. I’m the general manager,”
“Mr. Romchen, it’s been a while.”
When Sebastian acknowledged him, the general manager’s face lit up. The man, who looked to be in his 60s, was about my height and had a slim build. He had a very gentlemanly, intellectual face, and when he smiled widely, he looked both polite and kind.
But could this man have nothing to do with Canaris?
Canaris had already designated this hotel twice. They’re the kind of bastards who treat others’ lives like insects but consider their own lives more precious than anything in the world. There must be a clear reason why they’re using this hotel.
While Romchen and Sebastian were talking, Kouri quietly sidled up to me.
“As much as possible, staying with Mr. Riegel until the very end,”
I nodded at his whisper.
“Yes, that’s me.”
All discussions had been concluded about who would stay behind as a shield and who would accompany Sebastian if a problematic situation arose. In truth, if we were only talking about efficiency, it would have been better for me to stay behind as a shield and hold off even one more person while Kouri and his carefully selected person quickly moved with Sebastian. However, Kouri thought that in that case, there was a high possibility that Sebastian wouldn’t move. According to him, Sebastian wasn’t the type of person who could leave behind someone he liked. There are people who can’t do that even if they know they should. I quietly agreed to accompany Sebastian because I understood what Kouri meant.
“I hope such a thing doesn’t happen, but I’m counting on you.”
I could tell from Kouri’s attitude that he was also suspicious of this hotel.
In front of the elevator, Romchen said, “I’ll see you again next time,” and smiled politely. Sebastian shook hands lightly with Romchen and got on the elevator, and after I and the security personnel got on, Nakaban, who had boarded first, closed the door. Even through the closing gap of the elevator door, Romchen’s expression remained that of a kind hotelier.
The elevator went straight up to our desired floor without stopping. I thought we would probably meet in a suite room again this time. They would have security personnel, and we would have security personnel, and surely they wouldn’t try to cram all these people into a regular room.
As expected, it was a suite room. And what surprised me was that this suite room looked just as luxurious as the one Sebastian had used before. Is that possible? Can a mere Canaris member have wealth similar to that of the eldest son of the Riegel Group?
When I had requested information about Josef Kuno, the informant had also passed on information about August Kuno to me. He said it was a service, but when I actually read it, Josef Kuno was living such a parasitic life that he couldn’t be explained at all without his father. To explain Josef Kuno, you couldn’t leave out the story of August Kuno. Of course, since it was attached to Josef’s information, perfect information about August wasn’t provided.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Riegel.”
I had seen his photo, but looking at the man offering a handshake in front of me now, I realized that photos really can’t capture a person fully.
In the photo, August Kuno looked like an ordinary middle-aged man. What determined that impression was probably his slightly lacking hair volume. He was clearly in the process of his forehead widening. In that photo of him wearing a polo shirt and ordinary cotton pants, he looked so ordinary that it was hard to believe he was affiliated with Canaris. But the man I met in person was different.
His hair was still less than normal, showing his shiny scalp, and his clothes were shabby. However, his eyes were piercing. While Josef Kuno’s eyes only turned when he was hit, his father’s eyes seemed to have a shiny light installed from the start.
So the eyes were hereditary.
I, who have the instinct to want to hit someone just by looking at such eyes, kept feeling my fists twitch. While I was just itching to beat him up, I thought that in the world, people would probably call that kind of aura charisma.
Of course, there weren’t many people here who would acknowledge that charisma. Seeing how Kouri wrinkled his nose as soon as he saw those eyes, he seemed to be suffering from the same itch as me. To begin with, it’s not a charisma that would work on Sebastian at all.
Money is the strongest mental defense shield in the world.
“Mr. Kuno, it’s been a while. I regret that we can’t meet with good news every time.”
Sebastian didn’t particularly show off. As I had felt when he dealt with the hotel general manager earlier, he was more down-to-earth than I had expected. Not just to me, but to everyone. He didn’t unnecessarily make a fuss or act difficult when conversing. You know those guys who just nod their heads because they have a lot of money or are in high positions? Sebastian wasn’t like that.
Yet everyone felt a wall from him. Even I could easily feel the wall he put up when dealing with others. He just wasn’t particularly rude. He had good manners. You could even say he was kind. But he wasn’t gentle. There was no intention in his attitude to please others. Even now, he started by pointing out that he “regrets not meeting with good news” before even sitting down.
Whether Kuno was uncomfortable or not, Sebastian sat down naturally. However, he never got angry, cursed, raised his voice, or became serious. At times like this, I think Sebastian is truly the son of a wealthy family.
“I sent Josef abroad for volunteer work. I raised him too indulgently, so the kid can’t get his act together. I apologize once again.”
August Kuno bowed his head deeply in apology. Even as he bowed his head, his eyes were shiny, his crown gleaming. Ah, I want to see blood from somewhere, whether by tearing out his eyes or stabbing his crown. As I licked my lips, Kouri poked my back. It was a warning that I was being too obvious.
As August Kuno sat down, suddenly a guy who hadn’t shown any presence until now came forward and spouted nonsense like, “Before you start talking, would you please hand over your weapons first?” What nonsense is this, asking for weapons before talking.
Before Sebastian could say anything, I opened my mouth first.
“That’s ridiculous. Your inner pocket is quite bulky too.”
“I’m sorry, but this is our rule.”
“Today seems like the day to change that rule. There comes a day for everything, right?”
I might be an idiot who can’t even open my mouth when it comes to difficult conversations, but this kind of talk? It’s my specialty. Bring it on, you bastard.
As I spoke, I glanced at August Kuno to check. If this all goes south, I’ll go for that bastard’s eyes first…!
“Guests should follow the host’s rules.”
I was about to retort to that immediately, but Sebastian was faster.
“I probably own more shares of this hotel, don’t I? Then I’m the owner. Why don’t you collect your own weapons?”
Wow, in a fight between force and force, money suddenly pops up? But indeed, money is the scariest. I thought we’d have to wrestle with words a bit more, but the opponent shut his mouth. He seemed a bit flustered by the mention of shareholding ratio.
Then August Kuno, who had been watching the situation intently until now, suddenly slapped the back of the head of the guy who had been talking about rules.
“You stupid bastard! Apologize right now! Do you think you’re in any position to be rude to Mr. Riegel by talking about owners?”
The guy who had been staring blankly suddenly lashing out?
It looked so fake. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, but he was all smiles.
“Mr. Riegel, please forgive us. We have many rough guests, so our boys get overzealous out of loyalty. They’re the kind who would even risk their lives for me.”
Ha, so he wanted to make this threat. A threat saying these guys would risk their lives for him, so we should watch our behavior.
Sebastian’s expression hardened slightly. Ah, I know that expression. It’s contempt. Sebastian despises such things.
Somehow, I felt good. Sebastian doesn’t like it when someone risks their life for him. What an ideal superior is this? Ah, instead of dating Sebastian, I should be signing an employment contract. Ah, the only good thing about being a civil servant was the guaranteed tenure, but if they’re going to blow my head off instead of firing me, maybe I should turn my eyes to the private sector…
Without realizing it, my gaze went towards Kouri. That position looks tempting.
“My, how pitiful that one must risk their life to be a bodyguard.”
Sebastian said in a tone full of sympathy. Looking back at Sebastian, he had crossed his long legs and was staring at the other party with a noble face. It was a composed face. If you put one of those small cups and a pretty teapot in front of him, it wouldn’t be much different from Sebastian drinking green tea in the morning.
Damn, I’ve fallen for him again. Is Kouri’s position a lifetime appointment? Is there no way to challenge for it?
“It’s excessive loyalty, that’s all.”
August Kuno lost the battle of wills. As Sebastian offered him a seat, he sat down with a hesitant smile. For a guest to sit down at the host’s invitation after talking about being the owner, how very host-like.
“Anything excessive is a bit troublesome. Mr. Kuno, you’re indeed a man of character to embrace it all. I prefer to work with professionals, but such pure relationships aren’t bad either.”
Although there wasn’t a single swear word, August Kuno’s face was losing color with each word as if he was being hit. Sebastian smiled with a face that said ‘Shall we take it easy?’ and then changed the subject, saying, “Shall we get to the main point now?”
