manynovel Page 67
Page 67
She spoke those four words slowly.
Each word seemed to have been swirled around on the tip of the tongue a thousand times before being uttered with great difficulty.
She began to quickly weave a lie that sounded plausible, enough to temporarily extinguish her father's thunderous rage.
This lie must be perfect.
It must be able to explain all her previous seemingly "outrageous" behavior.
"Su Chen and his Zero One Technology".
When Saeko mentioned this name, her tone was complex, containing both solemnity and a hint of something unusual that went unnoticed.
"You have witnessed its immense power and advanced technology firsthand."
"Back then, just one of his combatants was enough to give us trouble."
"Not to mention the incredible, overwhelming power he himself displayed."
She raised her eyes, meeting Sonozaki Ryubei's still sharp and scrutinizing gaze.
"Trying to deal with him with force and plunder his technology will only result in mutual destruction."
“Even more serious consequences could be the undermining of our ‘museum,’ the foundation upon which our Sonozaki family has built up over decades in Fuuto.”
“I think you know this better than I do, Father.”
Every word he uttered was like a bullet fired with precise calculation.
It struck with absolute precision, hitting Sonozaki Ryubei's deepest, most hidden fears.
He was indeed wary of Su Chen.
That unknown and uncontrollable power was his greatest worry.
Seeing a fleeting hint of unease in her father's eyes, Saeko Sonozaki felt a sense of reassurance, knowing that her words had had an effect.
She continued in a somber yet resolute tone.
"Therefore, I chose a more difficult, but also more effective, path."
"A path that requires sacrifice and enduring hardship."
Her voice rose slightly, carrying a tragic air of desperation.
“I pretended to cooperate with him.”
“They were even willing to… willing to temporarily submit and become his ‘subordinates’.”
When she said the word "subordinates," her jaw clenched almost imperceptibly, and her face showed a perfect expression of humiliation and resentment.
"This is how you gain his initial trust."
"My true purpose, Father, don't you understand?"
She suddenly raised her voice, her tone filled with suppressed ambition.
"It's so we can infiltrate Zero One Technologies!"
"It's to find out the details of all his techniques!"
"It is to ultimately, completely, and utterly seize his terrifying power, which is capable of changing the world and even overturning the existing order!"
"To serve the Sonosaki family! To contribute to Father's great cause!"
This lie was woven so perfectly that it was flawless and watertight.
Its effectiveness is not due to any inherent sophistication.
Rather, it is because it perfectly matches Sonozaki Ryubei's own personality—greedy, suspicious, and extremely superstitious about his own control.
Rather than believing that his carefully nurtured eldest daughter would betray the family for a stranger he had only recently met.
He was more inclined to believe, and more likely to accept, that his daughter was using a more insidious and unscrupulous method to seek greater benefits for the family.
This aligns with his understanding of what "people from the Sonozaki family" should look like.
Saeko took a deep breath and continued to patch up her actions, leaving no room for her father to question her.
"The reason I took action against his people today is..."
Without changing her expression, she turned her attention to the potential conflict that might have occurred against Su Chen's side.
"It's also entirely part of the plan."
“I need to demonstrate to him my ‘value,’ my ‘ability,’ and even my ‘loyalty.’”
"Only in this way can we gain his deeper trust and have the opportunity to access his most core secrets."
"As for that policeman named Teruji..."
Saeko's lips curled into a cold, disdainful smile.
"He was just an accidental, insignificant victim."
"His life or death is insignificant compared to our plans."
Hearing his two daughters, one innocently defending the other and trying to resolve the conflict.
Another offered a perfect explanation that sounded full of "ambition," "strategy," and "sacrifice."
The overwhelming rage that had been pressing down on the entire room like a physical force finally subsided, slowly, little by little, like the receding tide.
His tense body relaxed slightly.
He sat back down in the large chair that belonged to the head of the household.
His gaze, like that of a hawk, lingered for a long time on Sonozaki Saeko's face, which appeared calm but might actually be hiding a stormy sea.
His gaze was complex and difficult to decipher.
There was scrutiny, there was doubt, and there was also a subtle, almost imperceptible "acceptance" after being persuaded.
"It would be best if you said so."
His voice remained icy, devoid of any warmth, like the biting Siberian wind.
"I will trust you for now."
"But, Saeko."
He emphasized his words, each one like a heavy lead weight striking Saeko's heart.
"You must remember this, absolutely, there must not be a next time."
"If I find that not a single word of what you have said today is false."
"If I find out that you have really been deceiving me..."
He didn't finish his words.
But that menacing, almost predatory gaze, and the renewed, chilling oppressive atmosphere in the air, clearly conveyed the unspoken message to everyone present.
The Sonozaki family knows the price of betrayal.
A terrifying storm that could completely tear this massive family apart from within, causing it to fall apart.
Just as Sonozaki Wakana's naiveté and Sonozaki Saeko's quick wit—these two sisters, seemingly contradictory, actually formed a strange "tacit understanding" at this moment.
It was temporarily, or rather, superficially, quelled.
The atmosphere in the room remained oppressive.
But at least, that string, which was stretched to its limit and could break at any moment, has temporarily loosened.
As the hustle and bustle of dinner subsided, the Sonozaki family mansion was once again enveloped by that familiar, almost stagnant silence.
Wakana Sonozaki breathed a sigh of relief, the feeling of ease after helping her sister out of that predicament flowing through her heart like a warm current.
Humming an off-key melody, she walked briskly towards her room, plotting the dance moves for her new song.
Just then, a very light, hesitant knock sounded on the door.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.
Wakana stopped in her tracks, a hint of surprise flashing through her mind.
Who is it?
With a puzzled look, she reached out and opened the door.
The door opened, and the figure standing outside made Wakana's breath catch in her throat for a moment.
It's my older sister, Sonozaki Saeko.
This realization, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up ripples in Wakana's heart.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Ever since Wu Yan-ge… ever since that incident, my sister has never set foot in her room again, let alone spoken to her.
There seemed to be an invisible, cold wall between them.
"elder sister……"
Wakana spoke hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly.
Thank you for tonight.
Sonozaki Saeko stepped into the room, her gaze falling on her younger sister's slightly flustered face, and uttered this unexpected thank you from Wakana.
Her voice still carried its usual coolness, but unlike her usual aloofness, it now revealed a rare...sincerity.
This sincerity is like a ray of sunshine in winter, faint, yet enough to dispel some of the chill.
"If it weren't for you, my father and I would probably have completely fallen out tonight..."
Saeko added casually, her words revealing little emotion, but Wakana keenly sensed the unspoken lingering fear within her.
The father's authority weighed heavily on the hearts of every member of the Sonozaki family, like a mountain.
"No, nothing..."
Wakana quickly waved her hand, her cheeks slightly flushed, showing a hint of girlish shyness.
"I just... I just feel that Mr. Su Chen... he doesn't seem like a bad person."
"We shouldn't assume that about him."