He felt like laughing a little at the rare look of confusion on Catherine's face, but he didn't intend to drag things out any longer.
He tapped on the desktop and reminded her,
"How about it, Miss Catherine? If you agree to my condition, we can sign the secrecy contract right now. You can draft the terms, as long as it includes the commitment to assist Victoria I just mentioned and penalties for breach of contract. I'm more than happy to cooperate."
Brought back to her senses by his voice, Catherine refocused her complex gaze onto Greg's face.
Her Keen Mind talent clearly told her that Greg wasn't lying at this moment.
He was serious; he really intended to trade that astronomical package for a promise that benefited Victoria.
This behavior, which defied all business logic, made Catherine feel extremely unsettled, and even... slightly frustrated.
However, regardless of the reasons, judging by the outcome, Greg's amended condition was clearly lower in cost and more controllable in risk for her, while achieving the exact same result in confidentiality.
She had no reason to reject a term that was even more favorable to her, even if the motivation behind it was entirely incomprehensible.
"...Alright."
Catherine fell silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding, her voice carrying a trace of lingering bewilderment:
"Very well. I accept this change."
She needed some time to digest and reanalyze this matter.
However, the instincts of a negotiator led her to secure the deal at hand first.
"In that case, let us draft the contract right now."
From the leather document bag she carried with her, Catherine pulled out a blank parchment contract scroll that shimmered with a faint magical luster, along with a specialized contract ink pen.
Her movements were as elegant and practiced as ever, but they lacked the absolute composure of someone who held everything in the palm of her hand.
Before long, a secrecy contract with clear terms, defined rights and responsibilities, and magical binding force was drawn up.
The core terms dictated that Greg could not disclose any information related to Screech in any form, while Catherine was required to provide financial aid or equivalent assistance not exceeding 100 gold coins whenever Victoria hit a rough patch, with the specific details to be negotiated by both parties.
Any party in breach would suffer the backlash of contract magic and psychological penalties.
Greg scanned through it quickly, confirming that the key terms were accurate—especially ensuring there were no loopholes in the section regarding assistance to Victoria—before readily signing his name at the bottom.
Magical patterns lit up with a soft glow at the signature, establishing the contract.
He then handed the signed scroll back to Catherine.
"Little Gray, consider this... a little compensation from me."
Greg thought to himself.
After all, because of him, Victoria's path as the Hero had a much harder start than in the original story...
Having gone through this series of interactions, Greg actually sympathized with Victoria quite a bit.
He knew her situation was somewhat similar to his own; she bore an exceptionally difficult task, and her path was bound to be full of thorns.
In the original story, however, she at least had story momentum pushing her forward, allowing her to gain key opportunities and resources.
Now, due to his interference, many plotlines had diverged, making her future path of growth likely even more treacherous.
With this contract in place, at least if she encountered trouble in the future, a rich woman like Catherine would step in to give her a hand at crucial moments, making things much better than they were now.
This could be considered a small piece of compensation from Greg within his capabilities for the plot disruptions he had caused.
As for anything beyond that... he couldn't control it. His own situation was plenty troublesome, and everyone had their own path to walk.
Catherine took the contract scroll, carefully examined the signature and magical mark, and stowed it away safely after confirming there were no issues.
With the matter settled, Greg didn't plan to linger.
He stood up, stretched, and casually waved at Catherine, who was still lost in thought:
"Since we're done here, I'll take my leave. Looks like we have to switch classrooms for the next period... Farewell, rich girl... Uh, I mean, Miss Catherine."
He had almost blurted out his internal nickname for her, quickly correcting himself before turning around, pushing open the classroom door, and striding out with light steps.
Catherine was left alone in the empty classroom.
She remained seated in her original spot, not leaving immediately.
Her fingers idly tapped against the desk as her gaze lingered on the classroom doorway where Greg had disappeared, then glanced down at the document bag containing the contract.
That face, which usually bore a flawlessly calculated smile, showed little expression at the moment, but deep within her azure eyes shone a bright, complex light.
"Greg Sass..."
"Just what kind of person... are you?"
Catherine felt an unprecedented sense of curiosity toward this presence she couldn't understand.
Although she knew Greg seemed to be deliberately avoiding her, there was nothing that sparked Catherine's interest that she couldn't get to the bottom of.
She gently closed the document bag, stood up, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt.
Sunlight danced on her blonde hair through the window, reflecting the intense interest ignited in her eyes.
...
"Phew... Finally cleared up another troublesome matter."
Greg let out a light sigh as he stepped out of the classroom after his talk with Catherine.
The fresh air circulating in the corridor made him feel a bit lighter.
Although the encounter with the future Business Empress had been somewhat sudden, the outcome had barely managed to achieve his intended goal.
"At least she shouldn't come back to pester me anymore."
Thinking this, Greg's mood improved considerably.
However, that newly surfaced good mood didn't even last ten seconds after he stepped into the main corridor of the teaching building.
The moment he set foot in the bustling corridor, various hushed yet distinct whispers pierced Greg's ears like countless fine needles from all directions.
Unsurprisingly, the center of the topic was precisely the scene that had transpired on the tree-lined path this morning.
"Did you hear about what happened this morning?"
"I heard! I didn't expect it to be about Greg Sass again, and it was so... juicy this time."
"Right? Who knew he was actually such a... devoted guy? Maybe back when he agreed to break off the engagement with Her Highness Vivian, it wasn't because he didn't care, but because of... insecurity? He felt unworthy of Her Highness and didn't want to hold her back?"
"Come to think of it, that actually makes sense... After all, he had the reputation of a good-for-nothing back then. Sigh, isn't that a restrained yet hopeless love? It's kind of... moving."
"It really changes how you view him!"
Although he had known when he took action that people would probably talk about it, the content of their discussions was completely different from what Greg had imagined.
He had assumed that after this morning's farce, he would be labeled a toad longing for a swan, an overconfident fool clinging to his former fiancée, greeted by ridicule, contempt, and even nastier speculation.
He was used to all of that and could ignore it completely.
The reality, however, was that the glances cast toward him in the corridor were far from the disdain and sarcasm he had expected.
In their place was a complex mix of sympathy, understanding, encouragement, and even a faint trace of admiration.
Those gazes seemed to say: "Oh, poor Greg, so you've been silently enduring such a deep and hopeless feeling all along..."
"It's good that you had the courage to say it out loud, even if it's doomed to have no result..."
"At least you had the courage to face your own heart..."
This unexpected, sympathetic interpretation made Greg's scalp tingle with discomfort far more than direct insult ever could, leaving him feeling utterly tormented.
It felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling across his back. He felt like a clown on stage, forced to perform in a tragic unrequited love drama he never had any intention of signing up for, while the audience below wept tears of emotion.
Rate on N.U.
