Chapter 92
Following Mai's explanation, Mineo finally understood the root cause of the conflict between her and her mother. He felt that her mother had indeed crossed the line. There was nothing wrong with planning a career path for her daughter, but she hadn't spared a single thought as to whether those plans would actually make Mai happy.
If it had been anyone else trying to force Mai into doing a "sexy" photoshoot, Mineo would have personally seen to it that they got a swift punch to the head. But since the culprit was his potential future mother-in-law, he felt a bit hamstrung.
Seeing Mineo fall silent, Mai's face turned pale, her expression clouding with sadness.
"Do you think my life is just like a puppet on strings?"
"If you want to laugh at me, Mineo-kun, go ahead. Laugh all you want..."
"Laugh at you? Why would I do that? If I were in your shoes, I would have done the exact same thing. Being able to walk away so decisively when your career was at its absolute peak just proves that you still have your principles, Senpai. As your best friend, I support everything you've done. But I do have one question for you... in your heart of hearts, do you actually like being a star?"
"Like it?"
At his words, a self-deprecating smile played on Mai's lips.
"I thought you knew me so well, Mineo-kun. Why are you asking something like that?"
Her expression essentially said it all. Mineo looked at her and spoke calmly.
"Judging by the look in your eyes, and based on what I've known of you all these years... you still can't quite let go of that 'stage' in your heart, can you?"
"However, pursuing what you love doesn't always bring happiness."
"That truth is reflected very clearly in you, Mai-senpai."
"You simply want to stand on that stage and show your talent to the audience that supports you."
"But you don't want your private life to be under constant, excessive surveillance by the rest of the world."
"Yes, exactly! You really do know me well, don't you?"
Mai took another small sip of the juice Mineo had given her.
"Then... what is Mineo-kun going to do next?"
She let out a soft sigh.
"Rather than being in an industry I love but having no freedom and suffering for it, disappearing like this actually isn't so bad..."
"Even if I'm forgotten by everyone, I think I—"
"Mai-senpai, please don't say things like that ever again."
"Didn't I make myself clear earlier?"
"I won't let you just disappear. Even if the rest of the world stops caring about you, don't you still have me?"
Mineo held up his phone and gave her a confident smile.
"Everything is recorded in here—all our memories from the moment we met three years ago until now."
"If life has made you unhappy, then I will be the one to bring that missing happiness back to you!"
"Liking someone is never just about words. Senpai, just wait and see. I'm going to fight to win a new life for you!"
Mineo stood up and firmly took hold of Mai's wrist. After leading her out of the Izakaya, Mai stared at his profile from the side, her heart racing.
"Where... where are you taking me?"
"To find your manager. You know, my future mother-in-law."
"Find... find my mother?!"
Upon hearing that, Mai instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Mineo's grip was far stronger than she had imagined.
"Let go of me, Mineo! I don't want to see that person..."
"Senpai, at home, I'll listen to you. But out here, you have to listen to me! The Mai-senpai I know is someone with a spine, someone who has principles in everything she does. Is one little meeting really enough to make you this anxious?"
With a swift movement, Mineo pinned Mai against a wall. Their noses were so close they were almost touching. Feeling the heat radiating from his body, Mai's entire frame went stiff and tense. She wanted to break free, but he held her firmly in place.
"I didn't come all this way just to do nothing."
"Didn't I tell you? Your business is my business."
"Relax. When it comes to protecting someone, I never just use words... now tell me, where is your mother right now?"
"I... I won't tell you!"
"If you don't tell me, then I'll kiss you every ten seconds! Until you finally confess!"
"Mineo, you... you jerk! Let me go right now!"
Mai's mind was a chaotic mess because of his sudden threat. She looked up, gritted her teeth, and instinctively bit down on his shoulder. But no matter how hard she bit, Mineo didn't budge an inch.
"Done biting? Ten seconds are up! So, will you choose to tell me where your mother is, or are you going to let me kiss you!?"
In Mineo's philosophy of life, when dealing with women—especially those with a strong, unique personality—one couldn't afford to be weak. In major matters, one had to show a firm stance to earn their respect. Since Mai didn't want to talk, he would simply have to force it out of her.
It had to be said, Mineo's intuition was spot on. Mai had always thought he was a bit of a rogue, and now that he was using this kind of threat against her, she truly didn't know what to do with herself.
"Let me go..."
Mai bit her lip hard. She glared at Mineo with a sharp intensity, and in that moment, he could feel that she had finally made her decision.
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