Kouhei locked eyes with Chihiro, his gaze unshaken, calm like a placid lake concealing the storm beneath.
"For starters," he said, voice deliberate, "I'll offer my help in rebuilding your mansion. I want to begin this relationship by repairing what's been broken."
Chihiro's lips curled, and then she let out a dry, cutting laugh—more amused than impressed.
"That's not really an offer, is it?" she said, amusement giving way to sharpness. "Considering you were the one who destroyed it… that sounds more like a responsibility than a gift."
She had a point.
It was the Yuuna Faction who had inflicted the damage in the first place. Logically, repairing it wasn't something to be offered—it was something owed.
Kouhei's words, intended as a gesture of goodwill, now rang hollow in the room.
Chihiro leaned forward slightly, her voice cool, eyes dimming like fading embers.
"If that's your grand opening, then it's nothing at all. It doesn't even qualify as a real proposal."
