Ch.122Over there! (2)

“#122

“Calm down, Miss Aisha.”

Seeing Aisha about to lunge at him, Eliya took a sip of his drink to signal her to calm down, then set his glass down and spread his hands.

Of course, ignoring his gesture, Aisha stomped toward Eliya and said:

“I’ve been told to wait by your security for three hours now! When are you going to tell me where Brother Dexter is?”

“Why don’t you sit down first?”

As Eliya sat on the red velvet bed, Aisha made a contemptuous face like the one she had shown earlier.

“Do you know what you might have done on that bed? I’m not sitting on something so filthy.”

“Hmm. Then don’t sit. I’ll just sit by myself.”

Eliya brazenly sat in the middle of the bed and said:

“So… Miss Aisha wants to know Dexter’s location?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Eliya nodded at Aisha’s words, then snapped his fingers.

“Bring me an Earth cigar.”

“What?”

“Ah, I wasn’t talking to you, Miss Aisha, but to the secretary behind you.”

“What behind me… Eek!”

When Aisha turned around, a Reptilian secretary was standing right behind her.

This caused Aisha to jump in the air and say in a trembling voice:

“W-when were you there…?”

“Chairman, your cigar.”

“Hmm.”

The secretary approached Eliya, who had already placed the pre-cut cigar in his mouth, lit it, then bowed respectfully and walked normally out the office door.

Aisha wondered how the Reptilian secretary had been behind her without making any sound.

After pondering it thoroughly and still not understanding the situation, the bewildered Aisha gave up thinking about it and glared at Eliya.

“Phew.”

“Ugh, the smell!”

When the smoke from Eliya’s cigar drifted toward Aisha, she pushed it away with her hand, her face showing irritation.

“There’s a place on Earth called Cuba, and they say their cigars are quite good. I’ve developed a taste for them, and they’re not bad at all.”

“I don’t need explanations about weird things like that. Where is Brother Dexter?!”

“Are you that curious?”

Eliya took another puff of his cigar, then turned his head to exhale the smoke before saying:

“Well, before I answer, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“You, that is, Miss Aisha Gabi, why are you looking for Dexter?”

“Because he disappeared without saying anything!”

To Aisha’s matter-of-fact response, Eliya looked at her with his usual greasy smile and said:

“I fail to see the connection between his disappearance without notice and your search for him.”

As he made an expression like he was soothing a child, Aisha looked at Eliya with an irritated face and said:

“Don’t treat me like a child!!”

The sudden shout made Eliya’s ears ring, and he massaged his ear canals with both hands.

“My goodness. I wonder how Dexter managed to get along with you.”

“Just tell me where Brother Dexter iiiis!”

“Wait a moment, please. My head is ringing.”

Thanks to Aisha’s continued high-pitched shouting, Eliya frowned, shook his head once, took a puff of his cigar, and said:

“My, my. I thought Miss Aisha was at least a teenager approaching adulthood, but I never dreamed she would be such a small child.”

Since Dexter had maintained regular contact with Eliya even while working at Preston’s company, he already knew about Aisha’s existence.

If he hadn’t, Aisha certainly wouldn’t have made it to this office and would have been turned away at the entrance.

“I’m not a little kid! I’m nine years old!”

“Whether you’re nine or ten, anyone under eighteen is a child to me.”

“And that thing smells bad!”

Aisha covered her nose and pointed at the cigar Eliya was smoking.

“And hurry up and tell me where Brother Dexter isss… mmph!”

As Aisha was about to shout again, Eliya covered her mouth with his hand.

“Was a child always this difficult to handle… Ow! What kind of behavior is this? You’re not an animal!”

“Tll m whr Brthr Dxtr s!!”

When Eliya covered Aisha’s mouth, she bit his hand.

“I’m going to lose a finger at this rate! Alright, alright, relax your mouth. If my finger gets cut off, your father will make a huge fuss. Are you okay with that?”

A child biting a bit hard won’t actually sever a finger.

Still, Eliya’s threat involving Aisha’s father seemed to work somewhat, as she relaxed her clenched teeth. Eliya immediately withdrew his hand and checked if his fingers were intact.

“In all my life, I’ve never seen a child like this!”

“My dad always says the same thing! Just give up, Eliya!”

‘How on earth did Dexter manage to handle this child?!’

Eliya would rather debate galactic council politics with a 1,300-year-old alien elder for three days and nights than deal with this child who was completely incompatible with him. He shook his head repeatedly.

Waving his hand to alleviate the pain, Eliya looked at Aisha and said:

“Either way, if I don’t tell you, you’ll just bite me again or beat up my security guards… I have no choice.”

Eliya squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and casually said to Aisha:

“Miss Aisha, do you know where Dexter’s hometown is?”

“I know! It’s Earth! The third planet in a place called the Solar System! He said he came from a country called America there!”

“Who told you that?”

“Dexter did!”

As Eliya finally seemed about to reveal the information, Aisha answered proudly and then showed a bright smile.

Eliya, who had been about to launch into a detailed explanation about the Solar System and Earth, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, that makes things easier. Dexter is living in a city called Las Vegas in that country called America.”

“Americaaa… Las Vegas…”

Aisha made a note on her electronic device, which served the same function as a mobile phone on Earth, and immediately turned around.

“I’m going now!”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“America, Las Vegas!”

“Wait, Miss Aisha. Are you saying you’re going to Earth right now?”

Normally, he would have just said goodbye and sent her on her way, but Aisha was a child.

“Yes. If not now, I can’t go!”

“…Did your father, Mr. Preston, give you permission to go to Earth?”

“I have to go without Dad knowing. Don’t adults know that?”

At Aisha’s confident words, Eliya visibly flustered, bit his cigar, and snapped his fingers.

“Contact Miss Aisha’s father, Mr. Preston, immediately.”

As the Reptilian secretary who had appeared out of nowhere nodded, Aisha, without even having time to be surprised by the suddenly appearing secretary, looked at Eliya and said:

“What, my dad? No! Don’t contact him! He’s on a business trip far away!”

“Miss Aisha, as far as you know, Preston Express is a light-year away, so how did you get to the planet Tenpenny?”

“I asked our company’s delivery lady to bring me to the front.”

Despite Aisha’s flimsy answer, Eliya could easily guess the missing parts of the process.

“…And of course, you lied to this delivery lady, saying your father sent you. Isn’t that right?”

“…How did you know?”

As soon as Eliya heard Aisha’s confession, he touched his forehead in disbelief that his guess was correct.

“Chairman, I have Mr. Preston on voice communication.”

“Ah, connect him.”

“No! Don’t connect him! Dad will scold me!”

Ignoring Aisha’s desperate plea, Eliya focused on the speaker held by the Reptilian butler.

-Yes, this is Gabi. What business does Tenpenny Corporation have?

When a pleasant baritone voice came from the speaker held by the Reptilian secretary, Aisha immediately covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.

“This is Eliya. Dexter’s former boss. You, as Aisha’s father, know who I am, don’t you?”

-What? Of course… I know, but… Are you really Eliya, the CEO of Tenpenny Corporation?

As Preston spoke in a surprised voice, Eliya nodded and said:

“I understand your confusion. Ah, yes. Since you’re on a business trip, I’ll get straight to the point. Miss Aisha is currently in my office at Tenpenny Corporation headquarters.”

-What? Aisha? But how did she get there…?

“She’s right next to me, covering her mouth and trying not to make even a breathing sound. She said she came looking for Dexter. Did you know about this?”

Preston was silent for a moment.

He was confused by the news that his daughter Aisha was with the CEO of a massive corporation.

After audibly sighing, Preston continued:

-My daughter… Yes. She was very close with our former employee, Dexter. He took especially good care of her when I wasn’t around.

Preston cleared his throat and continued:

-Ahem. When Dexter disappeared, my child was quite upset… I knew she would look for Dexter while I was away, but I didn’t think she’d go so far. Aisha, I’ll see you at home in two days. Dad has something important to talk about.

With those words, Aisha, still covering her mouth, made a tearful face.

Seeing Aisha’s expression, Eliya raised one corner of his mouth and spoke:

“So I’d like to make a proposal, if that’s alright?”

-Pardon? A proposal? What kind of proposal?

Eliya glanced at the still tearful Aisha and said:

“If we leave things as they are, she’ll probably run away again, saying she’s going to look for Dexter.”

-Well, if I educate her properly…

“If you had educated her properly, this child wouldn’t be standing in front of me now, would she?”

Eliya was smiling as he spoke, but his content was not at all pleasant.

-…That’s true.

Hearing Preston’s embarrassed voice, Eliya thought of a method he had just come up with and said:

“Rather than having her constantly causing problems because of Dexter, how about entrusting Aisha to Dexter for a while?”

-…To Dexter? Wait, are you saying you know where he is?

Preston asked in a surprised voice upon hearing that Eliya knew the whereabouts of a mere employee from his company.

“Ah, I didn’t mention this. Dexter was once the head of my security team.”

-Could it be that Dexter Hughes is the same Dexter we know?

“Indeed. He wanted to take a break from the security team, so our HR department assigned him to your company, and he seemed to like your company so much that he worked there for several years.”

-My goodness, is that possible!

Preston’s voice was filled with admiration, making Eliya smile smugly but warmly, pleased that Dexter’s reputation had spread even to remote planets.

-To think that ‘that Dexter’ worked at our company!

“Yes, perhaps you should calm down now.”

-Yes, yes! I’m calm, I’m calm!

He wasn’t calm at all, but Eliya decided to ignore Preston’s state and said what he wanted to say:

“I’m thinking of taking responsibility and safely sending Miss Aisha to Dexter before she causes more trouble. What do you think?”

-Ah, Aisha alone?

“Alone? What a terrifying thought. I’m a person with blood flowing through my veins too. Of course, I’ll have a dedicated security guard accompany Miss Aisha, so don’t worry.”

Eliya spoke with a snort as if it were absurd, and Preston, relieved by his tone, cautiously asked:

-I don’t doubt Tenpenny Corporation’s judgment, but is this dedicated security guard trustworthy?

At those words, Eliya looked at the Reptilian secretary and said:

“Go and call Id-ya.”

“Id-ya!”

Following Eliya’s instruction, the Reptilian secretary called out in a hissing voice, and the office door opened.

“Yes, yes… What’s the matter…?”

Id-ya, the octopoid security guard who had been guarding the office door, approached slowly, touching the tentacle that Aisha had stepped on.

Eliya looked at Id-ya and smiled contentedly.

“Congratulations.”

“Pardon? What are you congratulating me for?”

“From now on, you will be Miss Aisha’s dedicated security guard, escorting her to Earth and helping her tour Earth safely.”

“What, what? I’m this guest’s dedicated security guard…?”

“I don’t like this lady! I want to go with another lady!”

“I, I’m also uncomfortable with young guests….”

Seeing Id-ya and Aisha already bickering, Eliya chuckled.

“Ah, Preston, are you listening?”

-Yes… So it’s a female security guard? That seems better.

“But, but I’m not even married yet, and I’ve never guarded such a young child before…!”

Hearing Id-ya’s panicked voice, Eliya glanced at the Reptilian secretary and said:

“Have her trained by my childhood security team.”

With that, a second Reptilian secretary appeared out of nowhere.

The first Reptilian secretary couldn’t move as he was maintaining contact with Preston.

“Id-ya, follow me. Miss Aisha, please come along too.”

“I said I don’t like this lady!”

In response to Aisha’s strong protest, the second Reptilian secretary smiled gently at Aisha and said:

“In life, there are things we must do even if we don’t like them, Miss Aisha. Don’t you want to see Mr. Dexter?”

“Ugh, I really don’t like this… That lady is too sluggish.”

Id-ya, hearing Aisha’s cruel assessment, followed the second Reptilian secretary with a face full of disappointment.

“Anyway, she’s an excellent security guard, so you don’t need to worry too much. If you’re still concerned, I’ll give you the dedicated security guard’s contact information so you can reach out.”

-I never expected things to unfold this way…

Preston actually had no idea what was going on.

He was just nodding along as information kept coming in without a break.

Aisha’s voice sounded healthy, and she was even whining about not liking the security guard, which suggested she was safe.

Still, concerned about his daughter’s safety, Preston wanted to make one final confirmation:

-I’m very sorry, but would it be possible to have a hologram video call instead of just voice? It’s hard to believe.

“Secretary, switch to video.”

Soon, a hologram of a middle-aged Preston with his head half-cut off was projected above the speaker.

Preston was also relieved to see Eliya’s greasy face on his spaceship’s display.

Hologram videos cannot be forged, and the source location cannot be faked.

The source location clearly indicated Tenpenny Corporation’s headquarters, and Eliya stopped the second Reptilian secretary and showed Aisha’s face on the hologram video as well.

“My daughter?”

As soon as Aisha’s face appeared in the hologram, Preston spoke cheerfully with a smiling face:

-Yes, Dad…

“Let’s see each other after you return from Earth. Dad has sooo much to say to you, but it seems difficult here?”

Preston was smiling, but it wasn’t a genuine smile.

-Ah, that’s not what I meant, Dad.

“My daughter. Let’s talk when you get home.”

Eliya was smiling pleasantly as he listened to the intimate conversation between father and daughter.

When their conversation ended, the first Reptilian secretary focused on Eliya and said:

“Well, our security guard Id-ya will take good care of your daughter, so don’t worry.”

-Yes, yes… Please take good care of my daughter. She’s been raised with so much love…

“She does seem to have received a lot of love. Don’t worry and have a good business trip. I’ll report daily.”

-The CEO himself will report?

When Eliya, the head of one of the largest corporations in the galaxy, said he would personally report to him, Preston responded in a surprised voice.

“Isn’t it natural for a father to worry about his child?”

-But no matter how you look at it, for the CEO to…

Seeing Preston repeatedly trying to decline his offer of goodwill, Eliya issued a stern warning:

“If you keep this up, I might request our subsidiaries not to entrust any goods to Preston Express.”

-…Yes. Please do report.

Finally yielding to power, Preston nodded, and Eliya smiled contentedly and said:

“I’ll contact you again when Aisha is about to depart shortly.”

-I’ll be waiting.

Still unable to believe he had just casually conversed with the CEO of a massive corporation, Preston’s hand trembled as he pressed the end call button.

* * *

Dexter, who was working at the prison, answered in a surprised voice when he suddenly received a call from Eliya:

“Hey, what are you talking about? Who’s coming?”

-I said Aisha is coming.

“With whom?”

-My security guard and Aisha, the two of them, are heading to Earth. For details, contact the OSA. Aren’t you dating that female agent, Himena? Ask her.

“What are you saying, you jerk? Why is Aisha, that little kid, coming here?”

-She’ll be there in a week. I’m a bit busy now, so I’ll hang up first.

“Hey, hey!”

Dexter looked at his phone in disbelief after Eliya hung up having said only what he wanted to say.

“Why on earth is Aisha coming here?”

It was an absurd situation, but since Dexter was still on duty, he decided to call Himena first.