abcnovels
Chapter 351: [Departure, A Promise To Meet Again]
Chapter 351: [Departure, A Promise To Meet Again]
?Iroha, done with the call??
?Yeah, sorry for the wait.?
I ended the call with my mom and turned to answer Angu Ogu. She handed over the neatly packed luggage she’d prepared.
?Thanks.?
?But… why are you leaving so early? I thought your flight wasn’t for a while??
?Ah, sorry. There’s a place I need to stop by on the way.?
?Huh? Where? I want to see you off, so I’ll come with you.?
?U-uh, that might be a bit of a problem…!?
After all, I was going to pick up a finished ring. If I waited until after I came back, it’d be too late—today was the only chance.
?Besides, didn’t we agree there wouldn’t be a send-off? They said access would be restricted, right???Muuu~! Mama’s so mean!?
Angu Ogu pouted and clung to me tightly, almost as if she were throwing a tantrum.
?Hyaa!? W-wait, don’t tell me… you’re planning to suck again!??
?No, I’m not!? Not this early in the morning!?
?So you would do it if it wasn’t morning!??
?N-no! That’s not what I meant!??
After what happened last time, I’d kicked her out of my room. She seemed to have reflected on it since then.
So, something like that shouldn’t happen again.
Probably. Hopefully.
At least not unless I say it’s okay or invite it myself…
?…Sigh.?
Honestly, if she pounced on me again, I wouldn’t exactly mind…
Wait, no! What am I even thinking!?
It didn’t feel that good! And I’m not hoping for it or anything!
Nope, definitely not!
?I need to recharge for when you’ll be gone for a while, Iroha.?
?Uh, “a while”? I’m basically coming back the same day, you know.?
?See? We’ll be apart for almost a whole day!?
?Y-yeah… By the way, you didn’t leave any marks, right? No hickeys or anything??
?I-I think it’s fine. Probably.?
?“Probably” isn’t good enough! If Ogu-Mama sees it…!??
?I-I know! That’s why I held back yesterday!?
?Yeah, but still…?
Even if she held back, I was still worried.
Maybe that’s why she seemed even more clingy than usual today.
?Sigh… Do what you want, then.?
?Okay! I’ll take you up on that! Huggg~~~~!?
I quietly returned her embrace, squeezing her back.
She whispered softly.
?…Don’t cheat on me with Mama, okay??
?I won’t!?
?But being alone with Mama… knowing you…?
?We’re not alone at all!? What kind of unfaithful person do you think I am!??
?Hmm? Should I start counting? One, two, three, four…?
?N-no thanks!?
Even as I was getting ready to leave, Angu Ogu kept muttering complaints like, “It’s not fair if it’s just Mama,” and “That’s an abuse of power!”
Before I knew it, it was time to go.
?Well, I’m off.?
I tried to pull away from Angu Ogu and turn around, but she grabbed me from behind and yanked me back.
?Uh, Ogu? If you don’t let go, I can’t leave.?
?Huh? Oh… I didn’t even realize…?
She tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled at her own actions, but her hand remained clenched around the hem of my shirt.
?Um, we’re running out of time…?
?Y-yeah… but, I dunno… I can’t explain it.?
???
?N-no, never mind.?
Her hand finally slid away from my shirt.
If I didn’t hurry, I’d miss the chance to pick up the ring.
?Okay, this time for real—I'm off.?
?Iroha! Be careful! Make sure you come back, okay!??
?Haha, silly Ogu. Of course, I’ll come back—this is my home, after all.?
I left the room, her gaze lingering on me longer than usual… but I quickly shook off the uneasy feeling.
After all, I had my mind full of things like the ring and my duties as a goodwill ambassador.
But in hindsight, I would regret not trusting her intuition—or my own.
***
After picking up the ring from the jewelry shop, I sat in the car as it sped along.
The ring… yeah. I was thrilled with how it turned out.
?Iroha, you’ve got quite the grin on your face, huh??
?S-shut up! Keep your eyes on the road!?
?Yeah, yeah.?
The female agent from the Secret Service chuckled, ignoring my protest as she glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
Still, I was glad everything had gone smoothly with the ring.
?Hehe, the person receiving that ring will be so happy.?
?You think so??
?Of course. You chose it so carefully, after all.?
Will she really like it?
I hope she does… That would make me happy.
?Just confirming—you want me to head straight to the airport, right??
?Yes, please. We don’t have time to go back home, right??
?Probably not. Even though it’s a private jet, we can’t be too lax—it’s still work. Besides, keeping that person waiting would be bad.?
?Yikes! Let’s hurry!?
The thought of wasting even a second of the president’s time was terrifying—on so many levels.
I had no choice but to stash the ring in my bag and take it with me. At least this way, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally leaving it at home for Angu Ogu to find.
Weirdly, maybe this was for the best.
A few hours later, the agent spoke up.
?Iroha, we’re almost there.?
Through the windshield, the airport finally came into view—our destination at last.