Chapter 20

"Frankly, I thought you two were just guys who made money by flattering women, but I didn't expect you to have such aspirations! Not bad, you're not beyond redemption yet." Daikichi Saburo, the middle-aged man standing nearby, couldn't help but comment after listening to their conversation.

"Uncle, are you actually praising us? But why does it sound so harsh to me!" Goto Yasu hesitated and said.

"Of course, I'm praising you. But since you have such aspirations, why don't you just find a decent job! Can you do this kind of work for a lifetime?" Daikichi Saburo continued.

"The economy is so bad now, where can you find a good job easily!" Sato Itsuki said with a worried frown.

"But seriously, Uesugi, you would be very suitable for working with us." Goto Yasu looked up and down at Aoba and said.

"Indeed, Uesugi, you would be very suitable." Sato Itsuki also looked at Aoba and agreed.

"Working with you? I'm not a handsome guy." Aoba smiled and said.

"We have plenty of handsome guys, but there's no one like you! Especially your demeanor, whether it's the calm and composed look when you drink or the沧桑 (沧桑 means 'weathered' or 'worldly') look in your eyes, these are what those wealthy and mature women love the most. And you always give off a mysterious vibe. Believe me, if you come to work with us, you'll definitely be a hit." Goto Yasu patted his chest and said to Aoba.

"Alright, I'll consider your suggestion when I can't even afford to eat." Aoba smiled and said. For Aoba, who had already reached a state of indifference to external things and his own emotions, even if the end of the world came, he could face it with a smile, let alone a few sarcastic remarks from others.

"You see, it's this always calm and composed attitude that will make you charm a lot of women if you come to work with us." Goto Yasu continued to pat his chest.

"That's right, young girls won't understand your charm, but believe me, with my years of experience as a male escort, for women over twenty-two or twenty-three, who have some social experience, are wealthy, and still beautiful, you are like a drug!" Sato Itsuki looked at Aoba with envy.

"Exactly! Because they are wealthy and beautiful, they are never short of handsome men around them. When they were young, they might have been infatuated with a man's good looks, but as they grow older, just being handsome is not enough to attract them anymore." Goto Yasu also looked at Aoba with envy.

In the past, the two of them were very popular because of their handsome appearances, but now they envied Aoba, who wasn't particularly handsome. This was the cycle of life, wasn't it?

"By the way, Uesugi, what do you do for a living?" Goto Yasu suddenly remembered and asked.

"Me? I'm a student!" Aoba said honestly.

"A student? A college student? That's great, I wish I could go to college too!" Goto Yasu assumed Aoba was a college student, and Aoba didn't bother to explain, just smiled.

Just as they were chatting, the shop door opened again, and a woman dressed in designer clothes walked in.

Aoba took a casual look and realized it was the white-collar woman he had met the first time he came to this shop.

Since Aoba first met her, he hadn't seen her again, and he didn't expect her to come today.

Moreover, her attire was very different from the first time they met. She was no longer dressed in a white-collar outfit but in expensive fashion.

"Boss, I want a chicken rice bowl!" The woman said to the boss and then sat down at the counter.

"Did you become that president's mistress?" Daikichi Saburo looked at the woman and asked casually.

"Yes, that's right," the woman answered somewhat awkwardly.

Daikichi Saburo pursed his lips and shook his head without saying anything.

"Long time no see." Aoba raised his glass to greet her.

"Long time no see." The white-collar woman recognized Aoba and greeted him somewhat awkwardly.

"Looking at you, you seem to be doing well?" Aoba looked her up and down and said.

"Yes, he treats me well," the white-collar woman said with a slight blush.

Aoba remembered that the last time she said the president could be her grandfather, but now she looked like a young woman in love. He smiled and said, "You don't need to care about others' opinions. This is your life, and as long as you feel good, that's all that matters."

The white-collar woman was surprised by Aoba's words, and the surprised look on her face quickly disappeared, but she still said gratefully, "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, I'm not endorsing your actions! I just want to tell you that you should never feel ashamed or regretful about the path you choose. Instead of feeling ashamed and regretful, it's better to walk it with your head held high." As he spoke, Aoba raised his glass, drank the remaining wine in one gulp, shook the empty wine bottle, and then said to the boss, "Boss, another plum wine."

"Sure thing, plum wine." The boss, who was making the chicken rice bowl, replied.

Soon, the white-collar woman finished her chicken rice bowl and left, and the discussion about her began in the shop.

"See that? That's women for you! They say men are animals driven by their lower halves, but they end up becoming someone's mistress for money." Daikichi Saburo shook his head and sighed, looking like the world was going downhill.

"But there are still good women in this world." Aoba smiled and said.

"Maybe, who knows!" Daikichi Saburo shook his head.

"Hey, what's the story? Tell us too!" Goto Yasu asked.

So Daikichi Saburo began to tell the story of their first meeting with the white-collar woman.

Goto Yasu and Sato Itsuki looked at each other as they listened to Daikichi Saburo's story.

"I find her similar to our customers!" Goto Yasu said.

"Yes, many of our customers are like her. She is just in the initial stage of enjoying her dream luxurious life, so she is very excited. Once her excitement wears off and she starts to feel empty and tired, her empty heart will likely lead her to become one of the women who come to our shop." Sato Itsuki agreed.

"In other words, it won't be long before your shop gets another customer?" Aoba smiled and said.

"Not necessarily our shop, it depends on her man's financial situation! Our shop isn't a high-end place, so the women who come here usually have only a little money. If her man provides her with a lot of money, she will naturally go to a higher-end place." Goto Yasu shrugged and said.

"As we just said, when she reaches the stage where her rich material life and empty inner world are in conflict, someone like you, Aoba, will become the one to charm her. Especially your weathered eyes will definitely make her fall for you. But she probably isn't ready yet. In her current state, money is clearly more important to her. She will only be ready when she gets used to money and gradually stops valuing it." Sato Itsuki analyzed.

"I have no interest in making her fall for me." Aoba shook his head and smiled.

"What a waste!" Goto Yasu and Sato Itsuki looked at Aoba and sighed together.