"How long have you two been dating?"
Mori Shinra thought for a moment and replied, "Almost a month."
So, not even a month yet.
Mai's mother made a judgment in her heart.
She looked at the young man's face, feeling it was somewhat familiar.
She then continued:
"Mai must have caused you a lot of trouble, hasn't she?"
"Not at all. I'm the one who has been taken care of more."
"May I call you Shinra?"
"Please, feel free."
"In that case, Shinra-kun, I wanted to ask, have we met before?"
The more Mai's mother looked at Mori Shinra, the more familiar he seemed, as if she had seen him somewhere before, so she couldn't help but ask.
"We have met. I'm surprised you still remember. Shichirigahama Beach."
Mori Shinra wanted to know what impression that day's events had left on Mai's mother.
Hearing Mori Shinra's words, Mai's mother assumed a thoughtful expression, and then the relevant memory surfaced in her mind.
"So it was you."
Mai's mother's expression showed understanding.
"I remember Mai was there that day too, right? She was the one who asked me to come out."
Mori Shinra and Mai exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
"Yes."
"I apologize. At that time, I mistook you for someone who wanted to use Mai to get famous and said some unpleasant things."
A trace of apology appeared on Mai's mother's face.
Perhaps she was just overwhelmed with work.
She didn't know what had come over her at the time to actually mistake Mori Shinra for a deadbeat trying to ride her daughter's coattails.
She had been very rude, and had driven off immediately after speaking.
"Perhaps I didn't explain clearly at the time, which caused some misunderstanding," Mori Shinra said, waving his hand, and did not dwell further on the topic.
"My reason for presuming to ask for this meeting today is actually related to that."
"Mai has already told me. So, Shinra-kun, is it you personally who wants to invest in my company, or an elder in your family..."
"It is me, personally," Mori Shinra replied.
A look of surprise flashed in Mai's mother's eyes.
To be honest, although she knew Hayashi Capital was investing in her company because of Mori Shinra, she had assumed he was merely acting as a liaison.
She never expected the acquisition to be led by him personally.
Although the result was similar, the implications were worlds apart.
For someone Mori Shinra's age to be able to mobilize resources at this level proved that his status in his family was much higher than she had imagined.
"I see... Is this for Mai?"
"That's right."
Seeing Mori Shinra admit it without any reservation, Mai's mother's eye twitched slightly.
Her gaze shifted to her beautiful daughter, and considering some of the sordid affairs in her own industry, some unpleasant thoughts couldn't help but surface in her mind.
She felt an inexplicable sense of irritation and heaviness.
She took a deep breath, chose her words carefully, and said to Mai, "Do you have anything you want to say?"
"...I will be making a comeback."
"Because of Shinra-kun?"
"No, for myself. But Shinra did indeed help me reach this decision."
"In that case, let's go to the company later and sign the contract."
"I'll sign after you've finished your discussion with Shinra. I will decide whether to sign based on the outcome."
Mai thought for a moment, then added, "If you don't mind me saying so, given your company's current development, the valuation you offered previously was a bit high."
Mai's mother had heard the saying "a daughter married out is like water spilled," but she never thought it would one day apply to her.
Her daughter wasn't even married yet, just dating, and she was already turning her elbow outwards.
And not just a little bit—she was even using her own contract as a bargaining chip to demand concessions for the other party.
Considering Mori Shinra was still present, Mai's mother had to suppress her soaring blood pressure.
She frowned and said, "The offer given previously was already the most reasonable and favorable one, based on the current market."
This much was true.
The price Mai's mother had quoted Hayashi Investments was indeed quite fair; she had no intention of using the opportunity to extort them.
The logic was simple.
For Mai's mother, making the pie bigger was more important than dividing the pie right now.
After all, compared to the money from selling shares, Mai's mother was more focused on the resources she would gain after receiving the investment from Hayashi International.
With these resources, the company would enter a period of high-speed growth.
Once the company grew larger, the remaining shares in her hands might be worth more than the whole company was before.
Seeing that the atmosphere between the mother and daughter was turning sour, Mori Shinra interrupted:
"How about... we talk about something else? Let's leave the professional matters to the professionals. This meeting was just to get to know each other personally..."
Seeing Mori Shinra smoothing things over, the tense atmosphere between the mother and daughter eased slightly.
But based on the information his Emotion Perception was sending him... the situation was not optimistic.
"Shinra-kun, you are still a high school student, correct?"
"I am in my second year."
"Also a student at Minegahara High?"
"No, I currently attend Sobu High."
"Not far. But how did you two meet?"
"The library."
"Who initiated the conversation?"
When this question was asked, Mai finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"Are you interrogating a criminal?"
Mai's mother frowned, her voice tinged with displeasure.
"It is just the normal concern of a mother for her daughter's boyfriend."
"Are you going to ask how many people are in his family next?"
Mori Shinra thought it was best not to ask that.
He was afraid Mai's mother would have to apologize and express her regrets again later.
"Mai, in your eyes, am I such a rude mother?"
"A normal mother wouldn't make her daughter, who just started middle school, do a swimsuit photoshoot!"
Hearing this, Mai's mother immediately fell silent.
Her face turned extremely pale, revealing an expression born from a complex mix of guilt, regret, and pain.
Just as Mai was bracing herself for another big fight with her mother, something unexpected happened.
Mai's mother took a deep breath and then spoke with sincerity:
"Regarding that matter, I apologize to you. It was indeed my fault for being inconsiderate."
"What's the use of apologizing now?" Mai scoffed.
Her tone then softened, and she mumbled, "What took you so long..."
"Is there some hidden circumstance to this?" Mori Shinra interjected at the right moment.
Like a contract trap, or missing a specific clause, or it not being intentional...
Mai glanced at Mori Shinra and closed her mouth.
She also turned to look at her mother, her eyes filled with resentment and dissatisfaction, but also a glimmer of hope.
It was clear that Mai-san also hoped her mother's actions were as Mori Shinra had suggested.
However, to the surprise of them both, Mai's mother simply shook her head gently and said:
"No. Regarding that matter, the responsibility truly lies with me."