Chapter 109 109 The third plan [pt3]
The mayor was nervous but he did not let his emotions show on his face. Behind him, the inspectors from the government were taking notes about this city.
The mayor wished he could see those notes to know what these people thought about this city. But the inspectors were vigilant and hid their notes every time the mayor tried to peek at them.
Neither the inspectors nor the mayor was willing to give an inch to the other side. So, the atmosphere was a little tense.
"You have a lot of facilities for a city that is in the middle of nowhere. You have maintained this place well."
One of the inspectors noticed this and the mayor puffed his chest up in pride. He had worked hard on this place.
"Of course. I aimed to provide this place with as much comfort as I can. My people shall not lack for anything."
The mayor was jolly on the outside but he finally calmed down on the inside. He was certain that the inspectors liked his city now. He could finally let his worries lie to rest.
"We have seen most of the city. Now, we would like to see the real reason we are here - the beast. We received a report that your city was temporarily housing a Gwazi and we would like to see if it is safe enough to keep in a settlement. Lady Tsurugi, this is your doing, right?"
The officer turned toward Yoko Tsurugi to ask this question. The said female had remained quiet up until now. But she finally paid attention to what was going on with the officers.
"I did bring the Gwazi into the human settlement but don't worry. This child is a soft-hearted one and he will not harm you if you left it alone. Come and follow me. I will show you the Gwazi."
Both inspectors looked surprised at how easily Yoko was handling the situation. They were certain that they would be able to corner Yoko Tsurugi if they mentioned the beast.
But Yoko Tsurugi had not only waved their concern away, but she also offered them a visit to the said beast.
That could only mean that Yoko Tsurugi was certain of her hold on the beast.
This confidence chaffed the mayor's good mood. He hated how superior Yoko Tsurugi looked at that second. She was taking his spotlight.
'But it's only a matter of time Yoko Tsurugi. I will make sure you will not be able to raise your head after this incident.'
The mayor promised this in his head as he walked behind the group. Soon, the group reached the clearing where the Gwazi was being kept.
Sakura Tsurugi was nowhere to be seen but the mayor was not worried. It was about to be time for the beast to be few. And he knew that Sakura would be the one responsible for feeding this Gwazi.
"So, this is the Gwazi you found in the forest? It looks bigger than any other ones I have seen before. Is this one a hybrid?"
One of the inspectors reached out to touch the Gwazi. But before his hand could contact the beast, Yoko stopped him.
"You should ask for the beast's permission before you touch it. Otherwise. You will find yourself missing a few fingers."
Yoko warned and the inspector gulped before bringing his hand back.
The Gwazi gave them all only one look filled with annoyance before it went back to staring into the distance. It was time for breakfast.
"What's the Gwazi looking at the distance for? Is something supposed to be there?"
The second officer asked. He also looked in the direction the Gwazi was looking at but there was no one there.
"It's waiting for my cousin Sakura to feed it. Beasts have a very sharp sense of routine. And as they get older, it only gets worse for them."
The mayor watched the scene in front of him with clenched teeth. He could not help but find Yoko Tsurugi as an eyesore. She was standing at a place where he should be standing at. And she was attending his guests.
In his jealousy-induced rage, the mayor finally stepped toward the beast and tightened his fist. His nails dug into his soft palm, causing blood to flow out.
He was about to take out the small vial of beast-repelling scent Hive had given him when he realized that he had given it all away to Sakura Tsurugi.
"Mayor, what do you think you are doing? Everyone else is leaving the beasts' enclosures."
The mayor snapped out of his rage-induced thoughts when Stella informed him of his position. The mayor forced himself to relax and not fall for Yoko Tsurugi's tricks.
That girl was a sly fox. She was waiting for the mayor to react to her so that she could trap him. But the mayor was not going to fall for her tricks.
Just when he thought everything else was going wrong, Sakura Tsurugi finally made her entry. She had a bowl of food with her and she confidently stalked up toward the beast.
'Finally, the beast will get triggered by Sakura Tsurugi and I will have an excuse to point out.'
The mayor watched with eager eyes as Sakura fed the beast. But nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Experience tales at empire
The beast was calm when he ate his given food. Not a single sign of agitation could be seen on its face or body.
The mayor was shocked and he could not help his body from moving and clutching Sakura's shoulder.
"You! You said that you used the perfume I gave you yesterday. So why are you alright? The beast should have…"
The mayor started to yell but he suddenly felt a lot of eyes focusing on him. The government officials were especially keen for the mayor to finish his words.
But the mayor was not stupid. He knew he needed to stop speaking if he did not want all his secrets to come to light.
"I m-mean, the beast should have found that scent calming and fallen asleep as well."
The mayor quickly finished his words. He did not show how nervous he was on the outside when he was talking.
"What do you mean? Of course, I am wearing that special scent you gave me. Don't tell me that you do not believe me. After all, I did for you and endured. How could you doubt me?"
The mayor was confused by Sakura's words. As far as he knew, Sakura and he had no connection. Her words were rather misleading.
"What the hell are you talking about? When did we ever have a relationship? G-Gentlemen, I think we should hurry up and take our leave now. We have spent too much time in this enclosure. I will show you to your resting quarters."
The mayor suddenly felt the inspector's mood sour. They looked at Sakura with an interested expression and they wanted to know more.
The mayor was certain that he had done nothing wrong to Sakura yet. But he could not afford to have a misunderstanding right now. He quickly decided to bring the inspectors away and into a place he could control.
The inspectors allowed themselves to be brought away. But they still decided to find Sakura and ask her what happened between her and the mayor.
Sakura watched the inspectors and the mayor leave her alone with a satisfied expression on her face. She could tell that the inspectors were interested in what she had to say.
Now, all Sakura needed to do was to hand the evidence over to the officers and the mayor would be done for.
As for what happened to this place and its people? Well, that was not something Sakura needed to think about.
"You did that deliberately. You acted as if there was something between you and the mayor deliberately so that you could attract the official's attention. What are you planning to do, Sakura Tsurugi?"
Stella could not help but ask Sakura this. The more she saw of Sakura, the more this young one fascinated her.
But that did not mean that Stella liked Sakura. There was just a hint of interest and a lot of disgust in Stella's heart when she looked at Sakura.
And yet, someone like Yoko Tsurugi was keeping Sakura close. There must be something worthwhile in her.
"Hump, whether I acted like that deliberately or not does not matter. You just want to know if the mayor approached me with bad intentions or not, right? Well, he did. And I used him in return. That is all."
Sakura did not give Stella any details about what happened between her and the mayor. But she seemed convinced that she was in the right this time.
Stella did not believe one word that came out of Sakura's mouth. But she held her mouth back for now. She needed to catch Sakura red-handed if she wanted to accuse the younger.
And no, it was not because Stella was jealous of Sakura. It was just serving justice.