Chapter 102 102 A plan behind the scenes [pt1]
Chapter 102 102 A plan behind the scenes [pt1]
The mayor was agitated as soon as he had seen Yoko Tsurugi. There was something about her that did not sit well with him.
His instincts told him that Yoko Tsurugi was an 'Alpha' female and she was someone he did not want to mess with. His instincts also wanted to please Yoko Tsurugi so that she would not become his enemy.
But the mayor was someone who had always been in control of himself and his surroundings. He was not used to bowing his head to anyone.
Not only was he rich, but he also had connections in the government and other influential places. He had never been lacking authority before.
So as soon as he met Yoko, sparks had flown one-sidedly between them.
This lady did as she pleased and that displeased the mayor quite a lot. He wanted Lady Yoko out of his settlement and he had all the right to refuse her entry.
Except, there was this government order he was forced to follow. So, the mayor could only grit his teeth and wait for Lady Yoko to make a mistake.
And she finally did make a mistake. She brought a wild beast into the clearing and scared the people.
Surely this was enough to have Stella, the government official appointed to safeguard him, throw Yoko out?
But that did not happen. If anything, this seemed to be softening Stella's temper toward Yoko. And the mayor decided that it was not right. He needed to do something before Stella was no longer on his side.
"Officer Stella, I do not trust Yoko Tsurugi. Keep an eye on her and capture her if you need to. You just need to ensure she does not cause any problems to me and my reputation. Do you understand?"
The mayor spoke these words to mainly remind Stella that she had a duty toward him and she better not slack in her efforts. He was so proud of himself that he did not notice the look of disgust that flashed across Stella's face.
"I understand mayor. However, I would like to remind you that I am not duty-bound to save your honor. My only purpose here is to ensure nothing happens to this town for as long as the government is willing to invest in it."
Stella reminded the mayor of this and he was angry at first. But then he took a few deep breaths and decided to let Stella's words fall over his head. It did not matter what Stella thought her duties were.
In the end, the mayor had a plan to force her to cooperate with him.
Once Yoko Tsurugi's beast harmed a civilian, both she and her beast would be driven out of the town. And the mayor would become the top dog of this place once more.
"Lady Yoko, can I talk to you for a minute in my office? You brought that beast into our settlement without any prior notice. And that is something that needs to be rectified soon."
The mayor asked Yoko to follow him back to his office.
Currently, Lady Yoko was the only barrier between these people and the Gwazi. If she was not here to calm the Gwazi down, then the people would agitate him for sure and it would snap.
This way, the mayor would be able to frame Yoko and also ensure that he was safe.
"Hmm, you want me to follow you? Sure, I will. But just give me a second."
The mayor was happy at first when Yoko Tsurugi did not raise a fuzz when he asked her to follow after him.
Instead, she raised her hand and weaved a spell in the air. It shined brightly before that light landed on the Gwazi. Then, a transparent shield covered the Gwazi and he went back to sleep.
"What is that?"
The mayor suddenly had a bad feeling about this shield. It looked solid and difficult to break down as well. If this was a cage to keep everyone else out, then the mayor's plan was in danger.
"This is just a precaution to ensure no one disturbs the Gwazi. It's a sensitive beast and it can get spooked easily. But if you remain out of this barrier, then you will not be harmed."
Yoko Tsurugi explained this to not only the mayor but also to the people listening. Her words were a warning to everyone present here.
The mayor was frustrated as he watched Yoko Tsurugi cover her grounds. With this, his plans had been washed over. Now he could no longer expect the people to pull their weight in his plan.
The mayor would soon have to think if doing something new to ensure Yoko Tsurugi was thrown out of this town soon.
Stella watched the mayor leave the clearing with her eyes narrowed. She did not have a good feeling about the mayor this time. But she was an employee who could do nothing about the mayor until he did not breach his contract.
'Do I want to get involved in this fight? Me?'
Stella was surprised at her thoughts. It had been a long time since she had felt something inside her heart. She had locked her emotions tightly until now so she did not have to face them.
But they were all surging to want out of her now. And Stella was a little scared of them all.
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'It's all Yoko Tsurugi's fault. Why did she have to feel so familiar to me? She is confusing my senses.'
Stella looked up and her eyes met a pair of calm but determined ones.
As soon as Sakura looked at Stella, her mouth was pulled down in a frown and an agitated look took over Sakura's face.
By now, Stella was well-aware that Sakura did not like her even a little bit. But Stella was not willing to look into the reason behind this annoyed expression.
She had a feeling she would not like the answer she would come up with.
"Everyone, go back to your places now. The longer you stay here, the more you will agitate the beast."
Stella's words were strong but emotionless. It caused the people around her to panic and they began to leave one by one.
A few brave ones remained until the end, but even they had to leave once Stella gave them an empty but impatient look.
In the end, only Sakura and Stella remained in that clearing.
"Are you not going to head in as well, Lady Tsurugi? This place is quite dangerous."
Stella warned Sakura with a heavy feeling in her heart. She did not want to interact with Sakura if she could help herself.
"Worry about yourself first. I have been with Yoko long enough to know how to handle these beasts and what to do in their presence. I will be able to take care of myself just fine."
Somehow, Sakura's words made Stella's heart ache with pain and jealousy.
The thought of Sakura being close to Yoko made Stella boil familiarly. She had felt like this before, but it had been for Amena and a long time ago.
"I see. You both are cousins, right? You have a tight bond despite your differences. But aren't you both a little 'too close' to each other? Your relationship is not normal."
Stella watched anger flash across Sakura's face. Her words were getting to Sakura. This was good for Stella.
She did not know why she felt this annoyed with Sakura. But the more Stella saw her disappointed face, the better she felt.
"My relationship with Yoko is perfectly alright and within the bounds of socially acceptable. There is no need for an outsider like you to comment on it."
Sakura had gotten triggered by Stella's words. That had not been Stella's intention. But she also felt good after Sakura was gone yelling at her.
Somehow, it felt deserved and also uncalled for.
"There is no need for you to be this agitated at me, Lady Tsurugi. I did not mean to question you and your life choices. I will not talk about this anymore if it upsets you this much."
Stella's apology made everything worse.
Sakura had been calm until now but her face flushed red and her eyes shook as a result.
"Y-Y-You! Stop it and leave me alone. Just being with you is upsetting me now."
Sakura complained and Stella wanted to point out how unfair it was of Sakura to do so. Stella had done nothing but ask her a question.
But as soon as Stella realized what she was doing, she stopped and put a lid on her emotions. She had worked too hard to keep them in check.
She could not afford to let them run rampant like this anymore.
"I understand. In that case, have a nice day, Lady Sakura. And I will meet you again soon when it is time to escort you out."
Sakura fumed as she watched Stella go away. To be questioned on her relationship with Yoko? How dare Stella do that to her.
Sakura will not forget this humiliation.