Vol 7 Chapter 2 (2/2)
“Then that justsome in person next time to show you! Just you wait, I’ll fill up this office with the scent of my love Don’t step on it”
“Yeah, justit off”
“Sure, sure You think the departot some in stock?”
Nick smiled as Larry and Natalia bantered like an old married couple
“I’d love to take a look at this love of yours next time as well, Nat”
Larry, Nick, and Natalia had just started on the second pot of tea when the door opened again
“You’re early Well, at least the office is nice and toasty”
Jenny Jones stepped inside
She had a petite build with short red hair and large brown eyes, and had a large leather bag slung over her shoulder
Jenny was the heiress to Jones Motors, Roxche’s foremost automaker, and was the one responsible for the luxurious furnishi+ngs of the office
“Hey chief! Happy new year,” said Natalia
“Good afternoon, Jenny Happy new year,” said Nick
“Happy new year, Jenfie,” said Larry He was the only one who sometimes called her by her childhood nickname of ‘Jenfie’
“Hi guys Looks like Seron and Meg and sitting on the sofa
Larry looked up in the ot Seron’s an RA starting this year,” he said to the others, “he’ll be busy helping the first-years, so soht not show at all”
“All right,” Jenny replied Larry poured her tea and toasted yet again
Jenny seerumbled
“I’ parties It’s so nice to be back at school”
“So happen?” Asked Natalia
“Yeah A bunch of good things”
“Like what?”
“First, we’ve officially announced our new factory location—and guess what? It’s going to be in Sou Be-Il! So far we’ve only been exporting high-endaffordable cars for locals”
Larry was the first to react “That…is incredible! Jones Motors cars made in the West, that sounds so cool!”
“So,” Jenny continued, “Jones Motors shares went through the roof in the new year”
“How lovely,” Nick said with a chuckle, “if I’d known ahead of tiht as many shares as I could afford”
“Isn’t that insider trading?” Natalia pointed out Nick replied that he was si
“And we had another cause for celebration I guess this is even better news,” Jenny said with an embarrassed smile, “irl”
“WOW! Congrats!” Natalia exclai
“Urk” Jenny groaned, strangled in Natalia’s embrace
“Congratulations, Jenny That is indeed wonderful news!” Nick chi also privy to Jenny’s past His and Natalia’s congratulations were directed not at Jenny’s cousin and sister, but at her, for announcing the news in front of the others
Larry, however, si the happy news of a relative’s birth “That’s great! Good for them!”
“You’re crushi+ngherself frouys So our family’s been busy both publicly and privately for the past feeeks Soto visit, and we’ve been attending parties one after another We were so busy we had to cancel our annual fa because of all the snow,” Jenny said, and changed the subject, “that’s enough about my family Let’s talk about the club”
She took out a stack of envelopes fro and tossed them haphazardly on the table
There were over 10 envelopes of varying sizes and colors All had been opened with a letter opener
“What’s this, chief?” Natalia asked
“I found these inas none of the reproduced out of nowhere, we can safely assu these there”
“Are they love letters?”
“They’re addressed to the newspaper club Have a read”
The others each picked up an envelope and took out the letters inside
“Let’s see here,” said Larry, “‘hello newspaper club, I’irl in ate her and see if she likes me too! She probably does Feel free to write an article about us if we end up getting together!’”
Then it was Natalia’s turn “‘The stray cat that used to live in hborhood’s disappeared Please find the cat’”
Then, Nick “This is quite the interesting et rich without going to university What would be the right career for me? What if I beca’”
“What are all these?” Larry wondered, pursing his lips
“Requests for the newspaper club”
“And they’re all like this?”
“Uh-huh After the last couple of issues, it looks like people have started thinking of us as detectives or private investigators”
Natalia flung the letter she was holding “What are we, their personal servants? …Soh”
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll take on a couple of these,” Jenny said, “more tea please, Larry”
“Right”
Larry got up and began pouring Jenny some tea, when—
“Sorry I’m late”
Seron Maxwell entered the office
Instead of a school bag, Seron was carrying a large paper bag He greeted the others one by one and was greeted in turn Then he hung up his coat and sat on the sofa
The club toasted yet again with tea
“I was busy helping out the first-years at the dorht I’d be the last one here,” Seron said blankly, discreetly noting that the person he wanted to see most was absent
“Strauski’s co to club today,” Natalia said Seron nodded
He set the topic of Megmica aside for the moment and asked the others about their break Then he explained what he did over the holidays
That he spent ti by his sister That his sister would start attending secondary school in Weld
Then he briefly detailed how his train to the Capital District had been delayed by snow, and how he narrowly made it back to the dorms on time
Finally, he confessed that taking care of first-years as an RA was harder than he had expected, and that quite a few first-years were still learning the ropes
“I ht not be at the office as often as last year,” he said, “I’ used to living on campus, but I can’t say when that’ll be We have s after class for a while so I definitely won’t be able to come to the newspaper club then”
“You’re always so good at explaining things, Seron,” Natalia said, “see, Larry? This is what it means to—”
“To be s or two, Lia”
“Tch! You win this round, Hepburn”
Seron took out a large case fro and placed it at the center of the coffee table It was packaged in colorful wrapping paper
“These cookies have been really popular lately in Weld I thought they’d complement the tea here”
“FOOD!” Natalia screah to eat the case of cookies whole, wrapping paper and all
“Whoa there, Lia” Larry reached out and carefully unwrapped the case
Under the wrapping paper was a large tin with a picture of a beautiful mansion Packed inside were over a hundred assorted cookies Cookies with sugar on top or jam in the center, chocolate cookies, and even ones shaped like ovals or different animals
“They look wonderful” “Thanks for the snack” “Not bad, buddy They’ll definitely go ith the tea” Nick, Jenny, and Larry coravely
“This is great and all, but what’s the rest of you gonna eat?”
“Sorry, Nat This one tin is for all of us I can get you some more next time if you like it,” Seron replied, also cohed
“Just buy her an extra tin next tih to be a suitcase”
“So her glasses
“And fill the tin with sand and gravel She’d eat it anyway”
“I take that back!” Natalia fumed, “Larry, you’re a failure when it comes to women Siddown over there”
“I’ve been sitting for a while now”
Jenny ignored the banter and picked up a cookie “Thanks, Seron”
Nick also reached for a cookie “It seeed over the break”
The cookies had been reduced to a fifth of their original nuain
“Good afternoon, everyone”
The last member entered
“Hey there, Megain, eh?” “Happy new year!” “Happy new year” “Happy new year, Megmica C’mon in”
Natalia, Larry, Nick, and Jenny greeted her in turn Megmica responded to them all with smiles, but—
“It’s been a while Happy new year”
To Seron alone, she gave a rigid look
“Oh, yes”
“Hm?” “Huh?”
Larry and Jenny responded to Meg’s unusual attitude, but Natalia interrupted
“Take a seat! We got cookies!”
A s up her coat, and even her jacket because the office was so war aside and took her usual seat on the sofa
“Maybe it was justmore tea
Natalia wasted no ti replied just as quickly as the questions came
She explained that the aeroplane did not crash on the way to her hoines never failed, and that her hoh she had missed it dearly—was so different from Roxche that she experienced culture shock
After the first round of questions and answers, Jenny spoke up
“Anyway, I’lad to see you all here today”
“Giving us a new year’s speech, chief?” Asked Natalia
“Yep So listen up”
Jenny put her teacup on the table and stood with her head held high
“This year—”
“Before this! I have a question I wish to ask!”
The voice behind the sudden interruption belonged to Meg
“Huh?” Jenny intoned, sounding unusually taken aback
The others were all stunned into silence by Meg’s sharp voice—though Natalia continued to reach for another cookie
“Oh, I spoke in a loud voice I have surprised everyone I a said Jenny shook her head
“Don’t worry about it Keep going”
“I am sorry But…I wish to solve this matter quickly So I will ask now”
“Yeah, no sense in putting off soent”
“Yes In Sou Be-Il a saying is ‘if you pick up an egg, break it now’”
“Yeah, you can’t exactlythe temperature in here a chick would hatch pretty quickly So what’s on yourinto the sofa All eyes fell on Meg
Seron’s blank gaze was directed at Meg, as usual Grateful for the fact that he could speak with her and see her in person every day at school, he reminded hiued her
“Does anyone think that Seron is in love with me?”
Everyone froze
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