Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 337: Monster Combination (2)

Dragon Raja 3

Mai breathed a sigh of relief. “So, what psychological traits define a ‘monster’?”

“Those who don’t fit any psychological traits are categorized as monsters,” Ryōji Suzuki replied with a wry smile. “Most people have conformist traits. For example, when young girls see their friends buying high-end clothes, they want to do the same, and eventually, they evolve into materialistic animals. But some people exist independently from the crowd. Their psychological traits are complex and difficult to decipher, with no clear internal logic. These people we call ‘monsters.’ Based on my observations over the past few days, both the bride and groom have monster personalities. I must say, the casting director has given us quite a challenge!”

“Even if they’re monsters, they’re still cute little monsters, aren’t they?” Deputy Director Kenshi Takeomi tried to smooth things over. “The monster combination is troublesome because their psychological traits don’t align, and there’s no opportunity to ignite love, right?”

“Kenshi’s right. Monsters are lonely, but each one is lonely in a different way. They live in completely different worlds.”

“Then I need a method to break the barriers between their worlds!” Mai said firmly.

She knew that making such a pair fall in love within just a week was essentially a mission impossible, but she wasn’t someone who accepted failure. Moreover, there was a massive team behind her. The boss was paying close attention to this “marriage,” calling or texting every night to inquire about progress. But reality had dealt them a heavy blow. Time was steadily passing, and there had been no progress in the plan. Mai, a ninja who could remain unmoved even with venomous snakes crawling across her face, was starting to lose her composure. She couldn’t stand it any longer. No matter how cursed this task might be, she had to complete it. If forcing the couple to attend the wedding at knifepoint counted as mission accomplished, she would have drawn the knife and slammed it on the table by now.

“Well then… let’s use stronger temptations! In modern society, many couples only get married after having a child, don’t they?” the wardrobe stylist proposed, sticking to the mindset of “What makes a good man? One who foots the bill and isn’t afraid to push things forward.”

“That’s true. Speaking of which, I have a friend who got married because of a pregnancy and is now a rich housewife!” said Erii’s fitting model, Miss Mikan Yui, her tone full of envy.

“How about we get them to visit a lingerie store? Trying on sexy lingerie… no man can resist that!”

“A hot spring trip is better. Have the staff lay out their futons in the same room, with a porcelain vase and a single red camellia between the beds. The moment they cross the line, the vase and flower will shatter!”

The experts were all excited about the topic. Over the past three days, they had repeatedly suggested to Mai that they didn’t need the couple to develop mutual affection. The simplest way was to create a situation where the two would “end up together.”

Mai’s face was dark with frustration. She had to admit that this so-called expert team was just a bunch of sleazy idiots. Just as she was about to slam the table and yell, her phone rang, and she received a new multimedia message.

“If there’s mutual affection, maybe meeting the family will settle things,” said the message, which, as always, came without a caller ID.

Looking at the family portrait slowly appearing on the screen, Mai’s eyes widened in surprise. She had never expected that, amidst the complex chaos of Tokyo, a group of supporting actors would travel such a great distance to join the fray.

“You’re such a wasteful man! Why are we staying at such an expensive hotel? Couldn’t we just find a youth hostel?” Aunt complained as she huffed and puffed, hefting a large suitcase onto the luggage rack.

“There were no rooms in the four-star hotels. You think a youth hostel would have space?” Uncle dashed straight into the bathroom upon entering the room, his feet spread wide as he relieved himself, muttering, “Westin is Westin. You get what you pay for. This marble bathtub alone is worth the room price!”

Lu Mingze flopped onto the sofa, grabbing the complimentary bottle of water and drinking from it, all while switching TV channels with the remote.

“Mingze, did you check if that water is free? I’m telling you, don’t touch anything in this room. It’s all way more expensive than outside!” Aunt panicked as if Lu Mingze had pulled the pin on a hand grenade. In her mind, a hotel room was like a minefield, with the fridge and minibar being the hidden bombs, just waiting for careless guests to trigger them, adding surprise charges to the bill.

“Oh, come on! It’s just a bottle of water. What’s the big deal? It’s rare for us to take an overseas trip, so let’s live it up a little!” Uncle sprawled across the bed, wriggling in comfort. “Westin is Westin. This bed is something else!”

At the Westin Hotel in Ebisu, Uncle and Aunt checked in amid the storm, paying a cash rate of 32,000 yen per night at the front desk. Aunt was so pained by the price that she wanted to walk out, but Uncle held her back and booked a twin room anyway.

According to their original plan, they were supposed to end their trip and fly out of Tokyo today, but the storm caused the airport to close, and their flight was indefinitely delayed. It was currently cherry blossom season, and Tokyo was packed with tourists. Every hotel was fully booked, leaving only a few vacant rooms at high-end hotels like the Westin, where the room rates were exorbitant. The walk-in price was several times higher than booking online, and Aunt was a thousand times unwilling, but dragging around their large and small suitcases while wandering the city in hopes of finding a place wasn’t an option. It was a rare opportunity to visit Japan, and Aunt had been talking about it with her coworkers and relatives for months in advance. Everyone had asked her to bring things back for them—Shiseido cosmetics, local crafts, Meiji chocolates, Canon compact cameras… whatever she could buy, for others and for herself, she bought as much as possible. Even if there was only enough space in the suitcase for a hand, Aunt would stuff in a pack of stockings.

Buying these things in China would cost much more, so Aunt planned to save on travel expenses by bringing back goods, but now, they had all become burdens.

“If I had known, we should have gone to Thailand. Doesn’t your company have an office there? We could have even arranged for a car to pick us up,” Aunt lamented, still heartbroken over the hotel bill.

“How can you compare Thailand to Japan? Besides, Thailand isn’t cheap either,” Uncle replied seriously, lowering his voice and pointing to the room next door. “And didn’t we come with Jia Jia’s family? Of course, we need to show them our status.”

Aunt glanced at Lu Mingze and finally went quiet. When it came to spending money for their son, mothers could summon extraordinary courage.

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