♠️♥️High Card Short Story 7 ~Aftermath of The Jack of Hearts Retrieval Mission~ “Post-Mission with The President’s Secretary” (3/3)♦️♣️
The air is tense inside the reception room at Pinochle’s headquarters. Leo confronts Owen, the president’s secretary... What do these two have on their minds?
Original: https://twitter.com/highcard_pj/status/1565640692042731520
Author: https://twitter.com/poipheno
Artist: https://twitter.com/ebimoji3
In the aftermath of The Jack of Hearts retrieval mission, I stopped by the headquarters right away. In other words, it was the company’s skyscraper building.
Our helicopter landed at the helipad on the roof. Since the others had already been dropped off elsewhere, there were just Bernard, who had been operating the vehicle all the way here, and me.
“Well then, Leo-sama. I will excuse myself from here on.”
“Yeah, thank you for your hard work. Take a good rest.”
Bernard bowed deeply. He remained in that position to see me off.
Around me, the night view looked like a jewels scattered on a black cloth. Gazing upon the landscapes of Fourland from this rooftop is something I don’t usually mind doing.
That being said, my sour mood right now signified otherwise.
Pinochle was a leading company which represented the Fourland Kingdom. As such, even though the company’s core business is manufacturing classic cars, it was not the kind of company which had become eroded by the passage of time and accumulated dust. The building was constructed on advanced principles, while maintaining its class and style. It was a feat no other companies could imitate, a true modern classic design.
I walked down the corridor, and entered the reception room using a key card. After waiting on the sofa for a while, I heard a knock on the door. I gave it no answer.
“Welcome back, Leo-sama.”
The man, who was full of pretenses, bowed in an ostentatious manner. His long hair completely covered his nape, but rather than giving the impression of feeling hot, the atmosphere around him was cold. His suit seemed to be light gray-ish, as if the blue had almost faded. As a result, his very presence was thin. He raised his effeminate face.
“I don’t recall asking for you.”
.....Just having him in my sight made me want to throw up.
“Unfortunately, Theodore-san is very busy, so I would be the one listening to you.”
—Owen Alldays. The secretary of my father, the president of Pinochle.
“.....Then there’s no need.”
As I said that, I stood up from my seat.
At the same time Owen took a step forward, stopping me.
“As branch office manager..... no, as the leader of High Card, I believe it is your duty to submit a report?”
I wished I could kick this guy down and leave as soon as possible, but I silently sat down on the sofa again.
“So... did you enjoy your vacation?”
Owen sat with his legs crossed on the sofa as he offered me a small smile, looking down at me. There’s no way he was not hiding a mocking sneer under that expression.
I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward, shooting him a glare.
“Unlike you, an employee who spends his time comfortably in an air-conditioned room, training the members is also within my responsibility.”
Following that, Owen smiled with his brows furrowed.
“The reason I’m working as his secretary, is because Theodore-sama asks me to be. Since then I’ve been giving my body and soul to him in return. Please do not undermine my job.”
“...........”
This shabby bastard could only say things that send me seething.
However, there is no denying that this man’s loyalty to the president was undisputed. Should the president order him to die, he would gladly die, such is the kind of man he was. With that in mind, the president placed great importance on this man. That’s why I could never forgive him.
“....The Jack of Hearts ‘Sky Dancer’ possesses a strength worthy of a face card, it is stronger than I expected. Not only he is good in combat, he is also adept in escaping.”
“Sounds troublesome, doesn’t it. In any case, the president issued an order to retrieve it, so.....”
“I’ve devised a strategy. Next time we will not miss.”
This was not merely a bluff. Even without having to kill, next time we would be able to outmatch him for sure.
“And what kind of strategy would that be?”
“I have no obligation to give you a report. Do not interfere with High Card’s internal business.”
I saw something changing in the way Owen smiled. Although it is generally the same smile, he changes the details so often, that is how I knew that it was fake.
The only thing that this man had on his mind was the president and nobody else. Words such as worship or delusion were not enough to describe it. Aside from the president, he might not consider anyone as a human being. No, there’s no other logical explanation. Otherwise he would not be doing his job.
“Leo-sama....”
Not unlike a woman’s, he threw me an affectionate gaze.
“Having to shoulder such a heavy burden with such a young body, I’m sure that you must be exhausted. How about taking some time off.”
At my temple, I felt my veins pulsed twice. I grabbed my bag and got on my feet.
“Owen. I’ve got a great deal of things I want to spit to your face, but just remember this.”
This time, it was my turn to look down to him.
“Do not babysit me. Do not order me around. Do not ever think that we are equals.”
“......”
“Unlike anyone else out there, I am a Pinochle. I have no need for the attention from someone cheap like you.”
Owen had an undisturbed look in his eyes as he returned my stare. I beelined for the door and put my hand on the doorknob.
“Besides—”
I turned around. I felt as if our gazes collided in the middle.
“It’s not ‘Theodore-sama’. It’s ‘the president’.”
Right after making that remark, I left the reception room.
∎∎
He finally left. As I[*] leaned back on the sofa, I let out a sigh without allowing for a shift in my expression.
“Dealing with dependent children is exhausting, alright.”
♠️♥️♦️♣️
TL notes: I’m in no way a professional translator so if you find any mistakes, please do not hesitate to inform me right away. Short Story 7 is meant to be a side story to Drama CD vol 2 (TLDR High Card went on a mission together to retrieve a card and shenanigans happened). Leo is super cool in this SS, but I’m sensing a lot of son VS daddy’s new girlfriend vibes lol [*] The last two paragraphs are narrated from Owen’s POV. Did you notice that they used a different line breaker too? As usual, let’s enjoy High Card together~
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