"But now I have to make some alternations to our proposition."

'Huh?'

This wasn't the part of the plan that I cooked for this meeting in my head. Especially now that things appeared to be going rather well…

Without a doubt, this short sentence alone was enough not to sour the mood, but to completely kill it.

But it did so while giving me quite a bit of insight into the position of the other party.

'So they came here with some sort of proposition prepared in advance?' I thought, trying not to let the sudden mood switch get to me. 'But we've only now discussed the details, the rate of my growth or even the new device. And we hardly even got to talk about proper terms…'

As hopeful as I wished to be, if those words didn't sound foreboding, then I didn't know what else could!

This state of dread-founded anxiety got to Claire as well as she rapidly alternated her eyes between my face and her father's, as if she was taken aback if not outright shocked by the development.

Maybe she was even panicking a bit? But if so, then why…?

"I'm willing to take this piece of your hands for a sum total of two and a half million Esecs."

When I mentioned my background before, I thought I dropped a huge curveball. But just like the rich elder he was, Chihiro proved that in this kind of contest of who could drop bigger balls during this meeting, he alone had the bigger balls to drop.

And he wasn't even done speaking!

"Adding the other device I saw back at your place, it totals to three mil, which I'm still going to then double."

My breath got stuck in my throat.

This was all simple math, mere addition on basic numbers… but still, for some strange reason, I just couldn't add those simple numbers up.

No, it was as if those simple numbers no longer added up at all!

'Doesn't that make…'

The world spun in my head as I nearly retreated a few steps under the weight of the words Chihiro casually threw… Or rather, the meaning behind those.

'Six million…'

This was an offer too good to refuse… and most likely, too good to be true. Which mean… Claire's dad still wasn't done talking!

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"But…"

Just as expected, there was no way a figure that high would appear merely as the prize for the tools.

Exactly the same way as it happened back at my place when Claire came inside along with the doors, this was merely the bait.

And if anyone were to ask me, I sensed the hook was hidden right next to it.

"This money you won't receive directly. I'm going to set up a business fund for you to create a small enterprise," Chihiro started to explain as he took another sip of his high-octane juice. "It will cover all your living costs, material expenses, and pretty much everything else you will need to get the business going."

Claire's dad came to a full stop and took a long sip before slamming the glass away and breathing out as if to release the fumes of the alcohol out of his system. And then, as he caught my stare… he smiled.

"But," he said, only for his smile to turn into a smirk if not an outright grin, "it's all going to be under Claire's direct management, save for…" he hesitated for a moment as he rubbed his chin while thinking, "let's say, five thousand Esecs of allowance a week. In exchange…"

'And now we are getting to the bad parts of the deal,' I thought, finally getting a sense of how Chihiro was trying to make the flow of the conversation go.

"In exchange, I will get both of the devices you've created. I will also gain the right of first look at whatever you create, along with the right of first offer or outright veto. In the case of the first offer, if you are unsatisfied, we will put the product up for an auction and then split the profits, let's say…" Chihiro took a moment to think again, "Seven-two-one?"

I raised my eyebrow and closed my arms on my chest, ready to be slapped with reality.

"Seven out of ten will go directly to the business fund, two will be your profit while one will be my fee."

That…

That took me by surprise.

When I heard Chihiro mention numbers, the only thing I wasn't sure about was whether I would get two-tenths or one-tenth of the sale. But what he suggested effectively meant getting nine parts out of ten of every sale?

"…"

The more blinded by the lucrative prospect I was, however, the easier time I had focusing on the parts that seemed off. Yet, the very moment I was about to speak up, Chihiro raised his voice again.

"When it comes to stuff I veto, I shall leave them to your own, personal use while reimbursing…" Claire's father once again took some time to think, "Three… No, five times the cost of the material. That clause is under the assumption there will be no foul play and abusing it. So, to make things simple, I will once again, leave it for Claire to supervise."

"Meaning?" I finally managed to put a word in, hoping to at least clarify some of the points Chihiro made.

"If she tells you that whatever idea you want to make tangible next won't be something we can sell, then if I decide to go along and veto it, there will be no reimbursement. Ah, and whatever I veto, will have to stay within the business premises, outside the reach of any customer or whoever you decide to hire."

Chihiro took a breath before casting a short glance at his empty glass… only to turn his eyes back to my face as opposed to taking his time to refill the crystal.

"There are some other, mostly minor details for this deal that will be included in the official writing," Chihiro stated before I could even raise this point of concern, of everything existing only as a voiced-out proposition rather than a concrete, court-proof document.

And right the mixture of my shock, pressure, sense of loss and now missing the beat when he, for the third time, addressed my concern before I could even voice it out… The man smiled.

"So?" the corners of his lips inched ever higher up his cheeks as he gave me a small grin. "What do you say?"