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Left alone in the reception room, I found myself lost in thought. I had spoken of guiding her in the right direction, but how exactly do you comfort a troubled child walking down a twisted path?

The only thing that came to mind was to show them the proper affection and hope to influence the 4th Manager in a positive way.

"E-E-E-Executive Manager, th-this is r-really... n-not appropriate...!"

I never expected that even showing her affection would be such a hurdle.

The 4th Manager trembled like a machine with a faulty motor as soon as she was in my embrace. She stuttered so badly that it was as if she was broken somewhere.

Despite that, she couldn’t bring herself to push me away or run. Instead, she just shivered in my arms. It would have been a relief if that was the end of it.

"..."

"...Penelia?"

But then she fainted. For a moment, I thought she had adjusted to the situation. But instead of escaping physically, she escaped mentally.

Honestly, it wasn’t surprising. After being mentally cornered to the point of vibrating with anxiety, there’d be no real escape other than passing out. The only thing waiting at the end of that road would be a total shutdown.

But to escape by fainting... the 4th Manager was unexpectedly fragile.

"I-I’ll, uh, h-head out first! I-I should at least say goodbye to Yuris...!"

"Sure, go ahead."

She quickly regained her senses and fled when I gently released her. Using Yuris as an excuse meant that I couldn’t even try to stop her.

What do I do now?

This was a rather complicated situation. A close friend, someone I'd practically raised, was clearly losing it. Ignoring that would be inhumane.

And haven’t I been consumed by madness before? At the time, my delusions seemed like the absolute truth. But once I snapped out of it, the aftermath was unbearable.

How devastating would it be if the 4th Manager came to her senses and realized she confessed to not wanting to marry me?

She’ll probably lose it all over again.

I was starting to imagine a regrettable future that would likely not end well.

That was why I became even more determined. For the 4th Manager’s happy future, I must teach her the right kind of love.

***These days, I found myself glancing at the door whenever I heard the slightest breeze. After all, the recent visitors had been anything but ordinary.

Just a while ago, I made a wedding ring for the 2nd Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office. Before that, the Executive Manager himself had bought four rings.

It’s about time.

I had a feeling that the Executive Manager would return soon, so I was paying extra attention.

When he purchased four rings, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. But after thinking it over, I figured that he might have bought them to have a wider selection to choose from.

Even if they weren’t wedding rings, they were still gifts for a loved one. It was only natural to take his time and choose carefully.

That was probably why he took the ones I recommended and spent so long deliberating. It made sense. If that wasn’t the case, then his strange bulk purchase would be inexplicable.

At least I offered a return policy.

In hindsight, it was the perfect response. Despite the confusion, I made sure to relay all the important information.

By now, the Executive Manager had probably picked the one he wanted from the four. I was also already prepared to refund the value of the remaining three so that the refund would go smoothly whenever he came.

This is how you create loyal customers.

That was the essence of running a business. A small gesture of consideration and a seamless process of purchasing and returns—these were enough to win a customer’s heart.

In fact, any shop in the capital sold flawless goods. So, to stand out, a merchant would need to excel in everything beyond the product itself.

Ding—

And then, the bell on the door rang with a clear, bright sound.

He’s here.

I quickly looked up as a young man in a black uniform—the Executive Manager—walked in. I knew it. My instincts were still sharp.

"Welcome, Executive Manager."

The Executive Manager nodded in acknowledgment and approached the counter without hesitation. After all, this was about a refund and not a purchase, so there was no need to look at other items—

"Could you recommend me one more ring?"

"...Sorry?"

I couldn’t help but question him. It was a mistake especially since this customer was the Executive Manager, someone with the authority to bring down even the largest merchant guilds under the guise of an investigation.

Still, I couldn’t help it. Anyone else would have reacted the same way.

Recommend...?

I had to doubt my own ears. Recommend? Not a refund, but a recommendation?

I stared blankly at the Executive Manager for a moment, who simply met my gaze calmly.

No, he wasn’t calm. The fact that he didn’t point out my lapse in etiquette indicated that even he wasn’t in a normal state of mind.

"One on the same level as your previous recommendations would do. Everyone seemed to like them."

"Oh, I see."

His comment about everyone liking the rings snapped me back to reality. Or rather, it gave a bigger shock that overshadowed the initial one.

But still, my head was spinning. I had assumed that he would just pick one of the four rings.

So all those rings had owners?

And now he needed another one?

This is crazy.

I had always thought that the 2nd Manager was the one who had all the women swooning, but I was wrong.

He was just an apprentice who was learning from the real master. The true player was right in front of me.

I shouldn't live like that.

Having multiple lovers wasn’t strange, but buying rings for all of them as if the rings were on a clearance sale... Wasn’t that just too much?

Of course, while my thoughts ran wild, my hands and eyes were already scanning through the rings. Imagine the profit it would bring my family if the Executive Manager ended up buying a wedding ring from our shop and his children, out of respect for their parents, also chose to buy from us.

A customer’s character and their deep pockets were separate matters. Yes, they were separate, but still...

...Wait, what?

My gaze finally settled on the Executive Manager’s left hand. The five rings on his hand were something I could allow to slide.

But why is there only half of each ring?

It was a fundamental question, born from staring into the unknown. Still, I forced myself to look away.

Curiosity can be deadly sometimes.

***The confused look in the owner's eyes broke my heart a little, but I pushed it aside.

I had already crossed the Rubicon and rolled the dice. It was pointless to worry about what others think now. All that mattered was doing what I wanted to do.

And so, I acquired the sixth ring.

...Maybe I bought it too early.

However, doubts crept in as I held the case in my hand. I hadn’t even begun to heal the 4th Manager yet. Was this decision too rushed?

Until now, I’d only bought the rings after receiving a confession. I always had the upper hand, buying the rings to provide a beautiful answer.

But this time, I didn’t even have that advantage. I wasn’t even at the starting line. At the very least, I needed to rid the 4th Manager of her madness before I could present this ring.

It’ll only cause more trouble if I give it now.

The 4th Manager, with her twisted affection, would probably faint at the thought of being too unworthy for the ring or store it away in some treasure vault like a servant given a gift by their lord.

No, there was no ‘probably’ about it. It was 100% going to happen.

"This is a difficult problem."

"Isn't it?"

Unfortunately, even Marghetta admitted that it was a tough problem. Not that I expected it to be easy—I wouldn’t have consulted her in the first place if it were.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to help you more."

"No. It's me who should apologize for bringing this up."

I quickly shook my head after seeing Marghetta look so downcast. Honestly, I only talked about this because I had promised not to hide anything from her, not because I was looking for a solution.

Confiding in your lover about problems with another woman? That’d be crazy. Thankfully, Marghetta understood that I was sharing information rather than seeking advice, so she took it in stride.

"Still, I was so sure I’d be the one getting confessed to. This is the first time I’ve been caught off guard like this.”

"Carl, people might misunderstand if you say things like that in public."

Marghetta responded with a smile when I grumbled out of frustration.

...I have to say, though, that sounded pretty narcissistic even to me. Saying I was ‘sure I'd be confessed to’ sounded like I was an arrogant fool.

"Actually, using your approach might not be a bad idea."

"My approach?"

I quickly tried to recall what she meant.

That humiliating time when I was consumed by madness and talked about a joint wedding... The only thing that got me through that period was Erich’s brutal honesty.

Yes, straightforwardness was the best—

"But you'd have to approach it a bit differently. It might just scare Miss Penelia more if you, the person involved, approach her."

Ah.

She was right. I nodded along.

That was true. Even straightforward advice needed to be delivered face-to-face. But right now, having me just pass by might be enough to make the 4th Manager collapse. She might even think I was angry and just apologize instead.

"Why not get some people close to her to help out? If multiple people around her start talking about true love and Carl, then she might start to see things differently."

"Hmm..."

"People are likely to reconsider when they realize their thoughts don’t match with everyone else's."

I felt a little sorry, but I had seen too many crazy people who simply bulldozed their way forward when they realized that their thoughts differed from everyone else's, convinced that the world—not them—was wrong. And sometimes, they even had the god-given ability to make it possible.

"Thanks for the advice, Mar."

"Fufu, it’s nothing."

Marghetta was kind enough to listen to her lover’s problems, even if they involved another woman. Telling her, ‘I don’t think that will work,’ would make me a heartless jerk.

Besides, I might as well try what she suggested since I didn’t have any better ideas.

I just hope the 4th Manager wasn’t one of those pioneers who believed they were destined to fight against the world.

***Thus, I reached out to the person closest to the 4th Manager.

No matter how I thought about it, there was no one better for this. This person would always be by her side even if she was constantly on the move due to deployments.

— Vice Captain of the Masked Unit, Giuseppe Digo, reporting to the Executive Manager.

He was the former Team Manager of the 4th Division and the now Vice Captain of the Masked Unit. It would be stranger if he wasn’t around the 4th Manager.

"Oh, hey. Long time no see. How’ve you been?"

— Thanks to your concern, I’ve been doing well.

"Glad to hear that."

His unwavering politeness made me feel a bit guilty. He must have just returned from an assignment and here I was, his former superior, calling him out of the blue.

So, I decided to get straight to the point. I was already inconveniencing him by reaching out, and dragging the conversation out would only make it worse.

"Vice Captain."