Yuto wasn't aware of the massive stir the preliminary PV, altered by his own hands, had caused.
Or rather... even if he knew, he wouldn't think it was a big deal.
After all, he would be a direct participant in those events; mere content from a bystander's perspective couldn't shock him.
Looking at the usual mountain of documents before him, Yuto took a deep breath, an unconscious smile appearing on his face.
If this situation had occurred before he experienced those events last night, Yuto would have surely thought he was mad, developing feelings for overtime work.
But compared to the lingering will of phobos... these stacks of pristine Fontaine official documents felt much more familiar to him.
"It's a good thing Remus had Cassiodorus keep an eye on phobos's movements before he left, otherwise... I really would have been in grave danger."
Yuto shook his head, feeling somewhat fortunate; he was quite afraid of death now.
After all, he had worked hard for so many years... just to live a more ordinary life after the Fontaine main story concluded.
Although living with Furina couldn't exactly be considered an "ordinary life," he still had to have those thoughts.
However, whether there would be trouble still depended on the upcoming main quest, or rather, what he would encounter in Bai Song Town.
Thinking of this, Yuto quickly shook his head, as if trying to expel those somewhat terrifying thoughts from his mind.
—It was as if only then could he work in peace.
...
For Yuto, office hours always passed quickly; a glance down, a glance up, and it was already noon.
Looking at the quartz clock on the wall, Yuto nodded slightly.
"Today's pace is quite fast; I can peacefully have afternoon tea with Furina."
As if recalling the slight smile on Furina's lips when she ate cake, Yuto's eyes instantly softened, and his own lips curved upward with them.
Although he personally didn't like sweets, this didn't prevent him from appreciating the smile on Furina's face when she enjoyed a cake he had made.
More accurately... any smile that appeared on Furina's face was worth Yuto's pause and admiration.
However, just as Yuto rose, preparing to go to the kitchen to consider what kind of tea to prepare for Furina today...
A blue figure instantly appeared outside his office door, running to his front in just a blink of an eye.
"Yuto, th-that woman demanded a diplomatic meeting with me! She even sent the filled-out application form and the corresponding visiting card!"
Furina said, handing Yuto a white form and a black and red rectangular card.
Her beautiful heterochromatic eyes stared intently at Yuto, seemingly wanting to get some solutions from him.
Looking at the visibly nervous Furina, Yuto's face showed no surprise, as if he had long anticipated this scene.
Whether in the script or his own imagination... Arlecchino would definitely visit Furina once before the new main quest began.
After all... Tartaglia was her colleague, and given the current situation...
Arlecchino had a responsibility to retrieve Tartaglia from Meropide and hand him over to Snezhnaya for handling.
Once Tartaglia was handed over to Snezhnaya, it would effectively mean his acquittal.
Although the logic of most things in this world follows the basic principle of "once, twice, but not thrice," in diplomacy...
There absolutely cannot be a "once."
Some things absolutely cannot have an opening; once a precedent is set, that opening will be torn into a huge hole over time, and it will be difficult to mend then.
Thinking of this, Yuto's gaze fell on the two documents before him; after reading them carefully twice, he nodded slightly in admiration:
"As expected of The Fatui's Fourth Seat Executive from Fontaine... her intelligence and cunning are simply exceptional, tsk tsk tsk, truly admirable..."
Hearing this, a look of confusion appeared on Furina's face.
—If there were any visible chat bubbles here... Yuto could probably see a black question mark over Furina's head.
"Yuto... do you have another plan?"
Furina asked tentatively.
"Of course, from the day I went to Steambird Newspaper to issue the statement... I've been preparing this trap, and now... is the time to reel it in."
A smile appeared on Yuto's lips, but this smile made Furina feel a chill down her spine.
Nearly five hundred years of companionship not only allowed Yuto to understand the meaning behind every one of Furina's movements and micro-expressions,
but also allowed Furina to understand what every one of Yuto's small actions and expressions truly meant.
The last time Yuto showed such a smile... the guys from Sumeru Akademiya suffered.
However, Yuto only showed such an expression to his enemies, or rather, to people or nations opposing Fontaine; internally, he was still very gentle.
This could be considered a good thing.
"Furina, my personal suggestion is... to accept this meeting request."
"The Knave's intentions are actually easy to guess; she wants two things: firstly, for us to make concessions regarding The Vanguard's matter."
"Secondly, she wants us to withdraw the information posted in Steambird Newspaper that is unfavorable to Northland Bank's operations within Fontaine, so they can conduct their business normally."
Hearing these two points, Furina blinked slightly, then tilted her head and asked:
"So... you already have a countermeasure?"
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't suggest you meet that person you dislike."
Yuto smiled and nodded, then picked up the quill he had just placed on the table and lightly signed his name, indicating his agreement to the meeting time.
"Furina, the location for afternoon tea this afternoon might have to change from your room to the reception room."
After saying this, Yuto symbolically shook the approved report form and visiting card, then walked out of his office quite relaxed, leaving behind a slightly stunned little blue cake.
For Yuto... this was a good time to show off his skills.
"It's time to let Snezhnaya and the players experience... what the art of language and diplomacy truly is."
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