Chapter 196: The Thrill of the Gamble
Yukima Azuma and Jabami Yumeko strolled side by side along the sun-dappled streets of Chiyoda.
The purpose of their meeting had originally been business—a formal negotiation between Laplace Corporation and Hyakubami Daily.
Yet, by pure coincidence, they’d bumped into each other before reaching the arranged café. And since then, not a single word had been spoken about business.
Instead, their conversation had meandered through school life, favorite sweets, shared memories of childhood field trips, and the eccentricities of Tokyo’s seasonal festivals.
For Jabami Yumeko, Yukima Azuma was simply a stranger she’d met on the street—an ordinary young man who’d stepped in to help a crying little girl at a crosswalk.
She had no idea who he truly was.
There was no calculation behind her kindness. No façade. No scheming.
Her sweetness was real.
And yet—
If a girl were only sweet and kind, she would’ve long been torn apart by the Hyakubami Ichizoku, devoured without a trace.
But Jabami Yumeko was no ordinary girl.
