It must be acknowledged, Tomaru was very fluent in pleasing women through his words. His ability to string together sweet sentences and attention that seemed sincere had hypnotized many women. This was proven by the dozens of women he had impregnated who were willing to give birth to his children despite knowing he was a bastard who would never be faithful.
Within thirty minutes in the greenhouse, Tomaru succeeded in changing Akane's initial impression of him. The girl who initially acted coldly and kept her distance now had begun to respond warmly, even occasionally smiling.
Of course, Akane wasn't an easy woman. Her mind was still clear. It was impossible for her to immediately like a 40-year-old man like Tomaru, no matter how sweet-tongued the other party was. At most, in her heart, she only considered Tomaru as a fairly kind-hearted uncle.
After gardening, Akane got up to go to the kitchen to cook lunch. Unsurprisingly, Tomaru once again offered help.
"Let me help, Akane-chan. Cooking for three people must be tiring." Tomaru pretended to care.
"Ah, no need to bother, Sawagoe-san. You already helped with gardening earlier."
"It's okay. I also don't want you to be exhausted."
His motive was clear, Tomaru wanted to carve his image in Akane's mind as a supportive man, unlike the cold Azlan. He would take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with the girl.
Not realizing the hidden intent behind Tomaru's smile, Akane finally gave in. Cooking portions for three people was indeed somewhat troublesome, especially since she was still tired from gardening earlier.
"Alright then. Thank you, Sawagoe-san."
On the roof, Azlan glanced briefly at the familiar interaction of the two people in the kitchen through the window. The two people whose quite large age difference made them look like uncle and niece.
There was no particular fluctuation in his heart. Instead, he considered this a good thing. Azlan, who was fully aware that his personality was unusual, felt Akane needed to interact more with 'normal' people.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the kitchen.
Tomaru's claim that he wanted to help turned out to be nonsense. His hedonistic lifestyle made him lack basic domestic skills, including cooking.
"Sawagoe-san, please peel this carrot." Akane requested.
Awkwardly, Tomaru held the carrot and peeling tool. The result was messy, the peeled skin thick and uneven.
Seeing this, Akane finally realized. "Sawagoe-san... don't tell me you can't cook?"
Tomaru laughed sourly. "You caught me. Sorry, apparently my help is actually troublesome."
"It's okay. If so, just wash this rice. That's already very helpful." Akane said patiently, assigning him the simplest task.
After a while, Akane felt the need to urinate.
"Sawagoe-san, I'm going to the bathroom for a moment. Please watch the stove." She said while removing her apron.
"Sure, leave it to me. I can handle it! Go ahead, don't rush. I'll make sure your cooking is safe."
As soon as the kitchen door closed and Akane's footsteps moved away, the friendly smile on Tomaru's face immediately disappeared, replaced by eyes full of intent.
He had explored the house before and found a small hidden hole in the bedroom wall that connected directly to the bathroom.
He walked slowly, holding his breath. After making sure no one was there, he brought his eye close to that small gap.
"..."
Inside the bathroom, Akane was completely unaware of the pair of eyes peeping. Innocently, she pulled down her training pants and panties, then sat on the toilet. The soft sound of urine streaming could be heard.
"..."
On Tomaru's side, his eyes stared sharply like an eagle, fixed on Akane's smooth and narrow vulva.
That area was completely hairless, smooth as a baby!
(This isn't from shaving! This really has no hair naturally!)
(Hmm... If I'm not mistaken, in China, this rare phenomenon is called 'White Tiger', and is considered a superstition that brings bad luck to men who are with her.)
(That's all nonsense! Bad luck? That only means their male partners were impotent! They didn't know how to conquer this 'tiger'. But me... I'm different!)
Tomaru took a deep breath, his eyes shining with lust. For him, this was a discovery that made him even more tempted. He was sure, he was the man who could 'tame' the White Tiger without being affected by any 'curse'.
"..."
Seeing Akane had finished urinating and wiping her groin, Tomaru knew the show had ended. With his lust heart peaking, he hurried back to the kitchen, pretending to check the soup pot that was still boiling.
With her face still slightly reddened from her business earlier, Akane returned to the kitchen. The savory aroma of broth immediately greeted her. Tomaru was busy stirring something on the stove, pretending to be very focused.
"Sorry for making you wait, Sawagoe-san." Akane said while taking back her apron.
"No problem, Akane-chan. I'm used to waiting for good things. Yesterday you said you're an actress, right? I used to have extensive connections in the entertainment field." Tomaru replied, giving a smile he believed was very charming.
"Oh really?" Akane turned with a bit of curiosity.
"Of course! I'm a very successful businessman. I have a very exclusive service company. Its name is Snow Radish." Tomaru boasted, exhaling with full pride.
"With a name like that, is it a restaurant?" Akane guessed.
"More toward... adult entertainment industry. We provide conversation partners and companions for executives. All legal and registered of course."
"What makes me proud is, most of our staff are family. Mothers and daughters often work together in one team."
Tomaru described Snow Radish—a brothel consisting of women he had impregnated like his own daughters and their mothers who prostituted themselves at his command—as a successful legal company in the service sector.
Akane, who didn't know the horrifying truth behind those words, was amazed. "Wow, that's amazing! Building a harmonious family business."
(Yes, amazing indeed. And you, Akane-chan, will soon become the main star in my new branch.) Tomaru thought, his eyes narrowing full of calculation.
"Exactly!" Tomaru puffed out his chest. "I've always believed that family bonds are the strongest. Even my own daughter, Inou Kagura, leads daily operations. She's already given birth... I mean, led the team for years."
His hatred was veiled in words that sounded proud.
"We're like one big family. All the women at Snow Radish are part of my family."
Akane smiled. "Sawagoe-san is truly an inspirational businessman."
On the roof, Azlan who happened to come down to get tools, heard part of this conversation. Something in the way Tomaru spoke made him uncomfortable. The way the man mentioned "big family" and "women" sounded... possessive and unnatural.
"Azlan-kun! Lunch is almost ready." Akane greeted when she saw him.
Tomaru immediately changed his attitude. "Our great young man! How's the solar panel progress?"
"Halfway done." Azlan answered briefly.
"Amazing! With your skills, we can live comfortably here." Tomaru praised, but there was something in his smile that wasn't sincere.
"Mm."
Azlan nodded briefly before returning to the roof. In his heart, he decided to pay more attention to this middle-aged man. There was something about Tomaru that wasn't right, and he wouldn't let Akane be in danger.