At this moment, Mr. Yuto did not know that he had been made into a proxy for a certain executive. He was currently... being interviewed by Charlotte.
But even if he knew... he wouldn't say much.
After all, if someone dislikes you, they will interpret your actions from all sorts of angles you can't imagine—
until they belittle you to nothing, until they demonize you into a chaotic demon king before they stop.
So Mr. Yuto didn't care what these people said or did; even if there was a rhythm, there would be great scholars to debate for him.
"Hmm... Mr. Yuto, this is the last question."
"Will the 'Responsibility Alignment' system you previously proposed also be applied to Jingshui Court?"
Hearing this, Mr. Yuto blinked slightly, then said naturally:
"Of course. More precisely... all subordinate agencies of Palais Mermonia have already implemented this system to ensure the accuracy of their work."
"'Responsibility Alignment' essentially ensures that everything an employee does can be traced, and that accountability can be pinpointed to the target person immediately when an issue arises in the work."
Charlotte nodded understandingly, then asked:
"Oh~ I see. So, this system is to guarantee work quality, and to allow for timely tracing of problems and errors in work, right?"
"Exactly. And this is also used to regulate the personal conduct of staff belonging to Palais Mermonia."
"If any inappropriate remarks are made or actions causing social unrest are taken during their tenure, we will handle them seriously."
"As of now... the lightest penalty is direct dismissal, with the relevant incident recorded in their personal file."
"As for the personal conduct of staff before joining, that is their individual problem. What I advocate is 'Responsibility Alignment,' attributing responsibility to the individual rather than escalating it to an entire collective."
"From a debate perspective... escalating to the collective means infinitely expanding the object of dialectic. If one person is guilty, it will be traced back to the entire human collective being guilty."
"If anyone has issues with the words and actions of Palais Mermonia staff after they join, you are welcome to submit a complaint to my suggestion box."
"I guarantee, on the honor of the Assistant Administrator, that the contents of every complaint letter will be made public in the 'Palais Mermonia Work Report' at the end of the month."
With that, a polite smile appeared on Mr. Yuto's face, indicating that he had fully answered the question.
After a flurry of writing, Charlotte habitually tucked the pencil behind her ear, then spoke:
"Mr. Yuto, your interview is complete. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to interview you."
Looking at the somewhat happy Charlotte, Mr. Yuto smiled slightly, not directly responding to Charlotte's thanks, but instead asked straightforwardly:
"Miss Charlotte, now that the interview is done, what was the private question you mentioned earlier? Is there anything you need my help with?"
Hearing this, Charlotte first froze, then scratched her head somewhat awkwardly, laughing embarrassedly.
"Haha... well... actually, it's not a big problem. I just... when I went out for a late-night snack yesterday... I saw you and Lady Furina..."
"I just wanted to know... were you taking a drunk Lady Furina home, or..."
Charlotte slightly raised her eyes, her emerald green eyes looking at the composed Mr. Yuto with a mix of apprehension and curiosity, and asked softly:
"You and Lady Furina are actually—"
Before Charlotte could finish, Mr. Yuto calmly took a sip of black tea, then chuckled and nodded.
"It's exactly as you thought. Lady Furina and I are indeed in that kind of relationship."
Hearing Mr. Yuto's words, Charlotte gently let out a breath, then muttered softly:
"Is that so? I knew it wasn't— Huh???"
Charlotte's shocked voice echoed continuously in the relatively spacious office, reflecting the girl's astonishment at this moment.
And her reaction was well within Mr. Yuto's expectations.
After all... who would have thought that the Assistant Administrator of Fontaine would become lovers with the Water God who lost her divine power?
This was somewhat fantastical.
Looking at the shocked Charlotte, Mr. Yuto took a sip of black tea, then placed his left index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, and said:
"But... this needs to be kept a secret, okay?"
In Mr. Yuto's opinion, completely concealing his relationship with Furina... was simply impossible.
After all, his interaction with Furina last night had been clearly seen by Navia and the others, except for a certain otter who had an incomplete understanding of human emotions...
Others should have felt something to some extent.
As time passed, as long as he and Furina frequently appeared within their field of vision, it was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed.
So... he didn't plan to pretend anymore.
However, the necessary sense of mystery still had to be maintained. So... he was currently in a very subtle state.
If you don't ask, Mr. Yuto will play dumb; if you ask, he'll lay his cards on the table, nothing more to say.
As for why he dared to do this... the main reason was that the camera wasn't on him right now.
Even his little cake's upcoming Story Quest hadn't popped up a notification yet, so why should he be nervous?
However, just as Mr. Yuto finished this thought, a light screen appeared before him without warning.
[Story Quest "Furina: Chapter of the Songstress" will begin in five minutes. Please prepare.]
Looking at the light screen before him, Mr. Yuto's mouth twitched involuntarily.
"This is truly... speak of the devil..."
Mr. Yuto sighed slightly, then turned his gaze to Charlotte, who was still in a state of shock, and said with a half-smile:
"Miss Charlotte, may I ask... did you hear what I just said?"
Perhaps because she was directly named, Charlotte shivered involuntarily, then nodded quickly like a pecking chick.
"I heard you, Mr. Yuto. I will absolutely not say anything, and I will not publish any remarks related to your relationship."
"If I do... I'll never be able to write a headline article again!"
Charlotte slightly raised her hand, a very serious expression on her face, as if she were about to bravely sacrifice herself the next second.
Looking at the overly serious Charlotte, Mr. Yuto sighed slightly, giving up on trying to persuade this determined girl.
"Alright, any other private questions? If so... I can satisfy your curiosity all at once."
Mr. Yuto smiled gently, as if the recent events were nothing to him.
Seeing this, Charlotte shook her head like a rattle-drum, scrambling to get up and leave.
However, just as she was about to leave the office, she stopped, then turned around very formally and bowed deeply to Mr. Yuto, who was sitting in the chair.
"Thank you for your trust in me, and thank you for your tolerance, Mr. Yuto."
With that, Charlotte completely disappeared from Mr. Yuto's sight.
Mr. Yuto looked at the half-open door, a somewhat relaxed smile appearing on his face.
"Yes, because your professionalism and your empathy... are worthy of my trust."
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