Lukas woke up the next day and went to the gym. After exercising, he wiped the sweat off his face and sat down, picking up his phone. He scrolled through his contact list until he found the na Leopold.
The old man had connections in the president’s office, and Lukas knew this was the mont to use that hundred-million-dollar gift he had given to his granddaughter earlier. It was ti to call in a favor.
"Let’s see what that hundred million dollar gift is worth," Lukas muttered under his breath.
Ring-Ring
The call began to connect. While it was ringing, Lukas was quietly preparing the speech in his mind. He needed to sound respectful but direct—he wasn’t asking for a favor, he was simply collecting what was promised.
As he waited, he glanced at his phone notifications. There were several he had ignored over the past few days. Swiping through them, one caught his eye—it was from the system.
[Mission Completed. Hired a CEO. Reward: $16,000,000]
He blinked. "Oh, that ca through. Nice."
He smiled a little and tapped on the notification, letting the system update fully.
Lukas let out a short breath. That was going to be useful.
The line clicked.
"Yes, hello?" said a familiar voice. It was Ronald, the butler.
"Lukas? It’s been a while. What can I do for you today?"
Lukas took a breath and leaned back in the gym bench, ready to speak.
"Mr. Ronald, I need to talk with Mr. Leopold, please. It’s urgent."
Lukas said, politely, he was going to ask for a favor, so he ought to be humble.
"Let check if he wants to talk with you first."
Ronald said. Then put the phone on hold.
Lukas leaned his head back and waited, looking up at the ceiling, his legs still sore from the workout. After about six minutes, the line picked up again.
"Lukas, my boy, I wanted to talk with you again so ti after you’re free, but you seem to be in Japan. et after you co ho and start your class. So, tell , what is troubling you?"
Leopold said he went straight to business after talking a bit nicely, he was a busy man after all.
"I need a favor from you. There’s this friend of mine who is banned from the US, and I wanted her to go back there and get a permanent citizenship or maybe a green card at least."
Lukas said he was not sure if he was going to get it from Leopold.
"Hmm, that’s a very big ask. I am guessing this friend of yours is a very good friend. I will tell Ronald about it, you give her his number, and he will handle everything. Is there anything else?"
Leopold asked, he was confident in his abilities and asked if Lukas wanted anything more.
"Neh, that would suffice, it’s just I wanted it to be fast."
"Boy, no worries, I will see to it personally."
Leopold said with his confident tone, and after chatting a bit, they hung up.
Then Lukas went upstairs and got a ssage from Leopold’s number—it was a forwarded contact. The na displayed on the screen was Ronald.
Lukas saved the number and leaned back for a mont, then stood up and went to take a long, hot shower. The conversation with Leopold had gone better than expected, and he could feel the burden lifting slightly from his shoulders.
After the shower, still drying his hair with a towel, Lukas picked up his phone and called Yaho. It rang for a few seconds before she picked up.
"Good morning, boss!" Yahoo’s cheerful voice ca from the other end.
"Hey, where are you? You’re usually in the suite by now," Lukas asked casually.
"Ah, I’m sorry! I’m just running a bit late today. I stopped by this small bakery on the way. They had fresh lonpan out of the oven and so custard buns, and I thought, well, why not surprise you? But the line’s a little long, so give ten more minutes!"
Lukas smiled faintly. "Hot bread, huh? You’re forgiven then. Just don’t let it get cold."
"Never! I’ll be there before the steam fades," she said, and then added with a chuckle, "And you better not eat without ."
"No promises," Lukas replied before ending the call.
Exactly ten minutes later, Yaho walked in holding a small paper bag lined with waxed paper. The aroma of warm, freshly baked bread filled the living room. Lukas was already seated at the dining counter, sipping on a cup of hot green tea.
"You made it," Lukas said, looking up.
"Of course. Look what I got!" Yaho laid out the collection on the table—two golden lonpans, a pair of custard-filled buns, a sweet red bean paste roll, and sothing unfamiliar: a black sesa mochi bun.
"Alright," Lukas said, picking up one of the lonpans. The exterior was crisp, with a sugary crust, and the inside was fluffy and soft. He took a bite.
"Mmm... this is good."
"Told you! That bakery’s been around since the Showa era. It’s a little hidden, but they still use the original oven."
Lukas moved on to the custard bun next. He tore it open, and the custard was still warm and creamy.
"Not bad," he nodded approvingly. "Really soft."
Yaho was biting into her own roll, nodding with closed eyes. "Worth the wait."
Lukas then reached for the black sesa mochi bun. It was still slightly warm to the touch. The texture was chewy and a little sticky, with a rich nutty flavor.
"Didn’t expect to like this one so much," he admitted, licking a bit of sesa paste from his finger.
"They say the sesa’s good for health too," Yaho said while pouring them both a second cup of tea.
They continued like that for a while, enjoying the quiet morning and their small breakfast spread. There was no rush, no tension, just the simple peace of a slow morning in Tokyo.
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