Chapter - 15
The evening settled quietly over the mansion.
For once...
There was no arguing.
No roasting.
No negotiations over premium cotton bedsheets.
Nani had declared it...
"A self-care night."
---
Inside the guest room...
Warm steam drifted out from the bathroom.
Nani had just finished showering.
His hair was still damp.
He wore a soft bathrobe while standing in front of the vanity.
Tiny bottles and jars were neatly lined up.
He hummed happily.
"Toner..."
Pat.
"Serum..."
Pat pat.
"Moisturizer..."
Pat pat pat.
He stared at himself in the mirror.
"...Beautiful."
He nodded proudly.
"As expected."
---
Meanwhile...
Downstairs...
Sky stood awkwardly in the hallway.
In his hand...
Was an enormous bouquet.
Not flowers.
Chocolate.
Premium imported chocolate arranged like a bouquet.
Tee looked at it.
Then at Sky.
"...Boss."
"What?"
"You've negotiated with dangerous crime syndicates."
"Yes."
"But you're nervous about knocking on one door."
Sky remained silent.
Tee sighed.
"Just give him the chocolates."
"It's an apology."
Sky nodded once.
"...Right."
---
Outside the guest room...
Sky raised his hand.
Knock.
Knock.
"Nani."
No answer.
He frowned.
"The door's unlocked."
Thinking Nani wasn't inside...
Sky carefully pushed the door open.
"I'm coming in."
He took one step.
Then...
Stopped.
Completely.
Nani had just turned away from the mirror.
Still wearing his bathrobe.
Hair slightly damp.
Face glowing from skincare.
For three whole seconds...
Neither of them moved.
Then-
Sky coughed.
Violently.
"Cough-!"
He spun around so fast he almost lost his balance.
"I..."
"Wrong timing."
Retreat.
Immediate retreat.
Except...
Thunk!
He walked straight into the hallway wall.
A very solid hallway wall.
Silence.
Sky stood there, forehead against it.
"..."
"..."
From inside the room...
Nani blinked.
"...Mr. Sky?"
Sky answered without turning around.
"...I'm fine."
Another pause.
Then...
"Oww."
Nani hurried out into the corridor.
Still wearing the robe.
His slippers made tiny squeaking sounds as he walked.
"Why are you talking to the wall?"
"I'm not."
"You bumped into it."
"...I greeted it."
Nani tilted his head.
"You greeted the wall?"
"...Politely."
---
Nani stepped closer, looking genuinely concerned.
"Did you hit your head?"
Sky, still refusing to look directly at him, answered,
"...A little."
"A little?"
"The wall won."
Nani covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"The strongest mob boss..."
"...lost to architecture."
Sky sighed.
"It was unexpected."
---
Nani reached up instinctively.
"You might get a bump."
Sky took one cautious step backward.
"I'm alright."
"You don't look alright."
"I am."
"You walked into a wall."
"...Correct."
"You coughed first."
"...Also correct."
Nani narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"...You're acting weird."
Sky cleared his throat.
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
---
Nani suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Medicine!"
He turned and started walking down the hallway.
"I'll get the first-aid box!"
Sky's eyes widened.
"Nani."
No response.
"Nani."
"I'm getting medicine."
"You don't have to."
"I do."
"You really don't."
Nani kept walking.
"I'll find an ice pack too."
Sky immediately followed.
"Nani."
"What?"
"...Please go back to your room."
"Why?"
"I don't need medicine anymore."
Nani stopped.
"...That fast?"
"...Yes."
"You recovered in ten seconds?"
"...Miraculously."
Nani folded his arms.
"Suspicious."
Sky looked everywhere except at him.
"The wall apologized."
"The wall apologized?"
"...Internally."
Nani burst into laughter.
"Mr. Sky..."
"You're terrible at lying."
From the end of the corridor, Tee watched the entire exchange.
He slowly looked at the guard beside him.
"Our boss..."
"...lost a fight to a wall..."
"...and is now losing an argument to someone holding moisturizer."
The guard nodded thoughtfully.
"I didn't know life could become this educational."
Just then, Nani noticed the chocolate bouquet still sitting on a nearby table.
He blinked.
"...Wait."
He picked it up.
"Is this yours?"
Sky finally looked over.
"...Yes."
Nani tilted his head.
"For who?"
Sky rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...You."
Nani looked at the chocolates.
Then at Sky.
Then back at the chocolates.
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"...Hmm."
"I'm still sulking."
"I know."
"But..."
He hugged the chocolate bouquet dramatically.
"...This is a very strong argument."
Tee quietly whispered,
"...Progress."
Sky, for the first time all evening...
Didn't disagree.
-----------
The hallway was still suspiciously quiet.
Nani happily hugged the chocolate bouquet.
"...These are expensive."
Sky took one slow breath.
Then another.
He looked at Nani.
Still wearing the bathrobe.
Still completely unaware that half the staff had already noticed.
Sky pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Nani."
"Hm?"
"Please..."
"What?"
"...Go change."
Nani blinked innocently.
"I'm comfortable."
"I can see that."
"So?"
Sky exhaled.
"You'll catch a cold."
Nani looked down at himself.
"I literally just showered."
"I know."
"So?"
Sky looked away for approximately the fiftieth time that evening.
"...Please."
Nani narrowed his eyes.
"You're acting strange again."
"I'm acting normal."
"No."
"You walked into a wall."
"...That happened once."
"And now you're scared of bathrobes."
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
From the end of the hallway, Tee quietly whispered to a guard,
"Our boss defeated three rival organizations this year..."
The guard nodded.
"...But one bathrobe has him retreating."
---
Sky finally gave up trying to explain.
He gently placed a hand on Nani's shoulder and turned him toward the guest room.
"Go."
Nani looked over his shoulder dramatically.
"...Am I being evicted again?"
Sky immediately answered,
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because..."
He searched for a believable excuse.
"...You'll be more comfortable in your pajamas."
Nani thought about it.
"...Fair enough."
He pointed at Sky.
"But you're suspicious."
"I'll accept that."
Nani walked back into the guest room.
Just before closing the door, he popped his head back out.
"Oh."
"What?"
"Thanks for the chocolates."
Sky gave a small nod.
"You're welcome."
"And don't worry."
"Hm?"
"I'll wear my premium cotton pajamas."
"...Good."
The door clicked shut.
Sky let out the breath he'd apparently been holding for the last five minutes.
---
Ten minutes later...
Sky escaped to his office.
He closed the door.
Sat down.
Opened a report.
Read the first line.
Closed it again.
"...Focus."
He picked up another file.
His eyes skimmed the page.
Instead of seeing numbers...
His brain supplied an entirely different image.
Nani.
Fresh from a shower.
Hair still damp.
Cheerfully applying skincare while talking to himself.
Sky immediately shut the file.
"...No."
He stood up.
Walked to the window.
"...Focus."
He poured himself a glass of water.
Took one sip.
"...No."
He tried reviewing tomorrow's meeting schedule.
The words blurred together.
"...No."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I have negotiated with international criminals."
"I have handled armed conflicts."
"I have survived assassination attempts."
A long pause.
"...Why is this harder?"
There was a knock.
Tee stepped inside.
"Boss?"
Sky answered a little too quickly.
"What?"
Tee looked around.
"...Everything alright?"
"...Yes."
"You've been staring out the window for fifteen minutes."
"I like... windows."
Tee blinked.
"...Windows."
"Yes."
Another awkward silence.
Then Tee noticed the untouched paperwork.
"...You haven't done any work."
"I was about to."
"Really?"
"...Yes."
Tee looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled to himself.
"I'll come back later."
As he reached the door, he paused.
"Oh..."
Sky looked up.
"Young Master Nani changed into pajamas."
Sky closed his eyes.
"...Thank you."
Tee nodded.
"I figured you'd want to know."
After Tee left, Sky buried his face in one hand.
"...I have officially lost control of my own staff."
Outside the office, Tee quietly told a passing guard,
"Our boss is having a very difficult evening."
The guard glanced at the closed office door.
"Rival mafia?"
Tee shook his head.
"Worse."
"...A cheerful man with a skincare routine."
The guard looked genuinely concerned.
"...Boss doesn't stand a chance."
-------------
The mansion doors opened.
After another fourteen-hour workday...
Sky finally returned.
His shoulders were slightly tense.
His tie was loosened.
He walked into the foyer with his usual cold expression.
The guards immediately bowed.
"Welcome back, Boss."
Sky gave a small nod.
---
At the top of the staircase...
Nani happened to be coming downstairs with a bowl of strawberries.
He spotted Sky immediately.
"Oh."
"Cold Ice Cream is back."
Sky looked up.
Their eyes met.
Without thinking, Sky reached for his tie.
He loosened it slightly.
Then undid the top button of his dress shirt.
He had barely started-
"HEYYYYYY!!"
Nani's voice echoed through the mansion.
Sky froze.
Nani pointed dramatically.
"STOP!!"
The entire foyer went silent.
Guards.
Maids.
Tee.
Everyone turned.
Nani marched down two more steps.
"I'm hereeeee!!"
Sky blinked.
"...Yes."
"So?"
"So don't start changing in the hallway!"
Sky looked down at himself.
"I loosened one button."
"Exactly!"
"Go to your room!"
"It's my house."
"I know!"
"So use your room!"
One young guard whispered,
"...Young Master just scolded the Boss."
Another nodded.
"...Bold."
---
Sky looked genuinely confused.
"I wasn't changing."
"You were preparing to."
"I was uncomfortable."
"So walk faster."
Tee quietly turned toward the wall.
His shoulders were already shaking.
---
Nani folded his arms.
"What if a maid walks by?"
The maid passing through the hallway raised her hand.
"...I've worked here twelve years."
Nani pointed dramatically.
"See!"
Sky looked at the maid.
She immediately changed her answer.
"...I mean... yes, Young Master."
Sky sighed.
---
Nani continued his lecture.
"Step one."
"Enter house."
"Step two."
"Go upstairs."
"Step three."
"Change clothes."
"Simple."
Sky looked at Tee.
"...Is he giving me house rules?"
Tee answered with a perfectly straight face.
"...Apparently."
---
Sky quietly buttoned his shirt again.
"There."
"Happy?"
Nani nodded proudly.
"Very."
He resumed eating strawberries as though he'd just saved civilization.
---
Later that evening...
Tee found Sky in his office.
"...Boss."
"What?"
"May I ask something?"
"...Go ahead."
"Were you really just loosening your tie?"
"...Yes."
Tee sighed dramatically.
"So today's emergency..."
"...was one shirt button."
"...Correct."
Outside the office, a guard whispered,
"What happened?"
Tee answered with a completely serious expression.
"Our boss lost an argument..."
"...to workplace etiquette."
---
Meanwhile...
Nani was happily telling Dew on the phone.
"I taught him basic manners today."
Dew laughed.
"You lectured the most feared mob boss in the city?"
"I did."
"Did he argue?"
"A little."
"And?"
"I won."
Across the mansion...
Sky looked at the security footage showing Nani proudly walking away after the argument.
For a long moment...
He simply shook his head.
"...Unbelievable."
Yet...
The corner of his mouth lifted into the faintest smile.
Tee happened to notice.
He looked toward the ceiling.
"...At this point..."
"...I'm convinced Boss isn't running the mansion anymore."
A nearby guard nodded solemnly.
"No."
"Young Master Nani's daily speeches are."