Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

Or perhaps, this time he can find the true nature of the 'plan' that Columbia once mentioned to him in her?

As he pondered these matters and decided to go to his study to check for any clues he might have forgotten, the moment he pushed open the door...

The girl sitting on the table, who looked like an elf, seemed to have sensed his arrival. She stopped humming a long, melodious tune.

She gently swayed her two fair feet as they landed on the ground, and a fairy-like smile graced her face as she greeted the late-night visitor.

Should I say, "Welcome back"?

"I heard you met with Arecino in private. How did it go? Hmm, but judging from your expression, I probably already know the answer without you even having to tell me."

"Alejandro doesn't seem to agree with your plan, but that makes sense. If she were willing to back down, you two wouldn't have fallen out in the first place, would you?"

Colombia seemed to have been waiting for him all along, and had an air of precognition.

This left Pantalone, who had just finished meeting and talking with Arecino, somewhat taken aback.

However, once you realize that the other party is that "girl," everything suddenly seems so natural.

Especially after recently learning from Arecino that Columbia was one of the parties involved and an insider, it's not unreasonable for Columbia to know about what happened between him and Arecino in her capacity.

So after her initial surprise, Pantalone quickly calmed down and returned the same greeting to the elfin girl in front of her.

"Your information network is really good. I don't remember telling anyone about this."

“I have special channels to learn about other things, so it’s not difficult for me to know such things. Besides, as your ‘understanding person,’ isn’t it normal for me to know such things?”

Columbia walked briskly to Pantalone, then leaned close to his face and smiled gently.

He stared directly at the girl whose body was almost completely pressed against his, and who was only inches away from him.

Pantalone saw no ambiguity or romance in Colombia's sudden approach; instead, he felt a surge of emotion that nearly caused his heart to stop.

If his heart hadn't been strong enough, he would have almost thought that Columbia was about to attack him when she suddenly moved closer.

Of course, after the initial shock...

He quickly calmed down and stopped himself from making an instinctive reaction.

Because he knew that Columbia had no reason to attack him, everything he had just done was merely a subconscious conditioned reflex and stress response due to his nervousness towards Columbia.

Pantalone, who was already adept at controlling her micro-expressions, could always maintain a calm and collected demeanor on the surface, even if she was panicking inside.

Colombia was taken aback by Pantalone's nonchalant demeanor. After observing her for a while, she found Pantalone's calm performance rather uninteresting, which made her, who had originally intended to tease him, feel a little bored.

"Besides this expression, can you give any other reaction?"

"So what kind of response do you expect from me?"

Pantalone gazed at Colombia's ashen face and said softly.

Upon hearing this, Columbia put a finger to her lips and chuckled softly in response.

"At the very least, put on an expression of surprise and joy, like a man returning home to find his lover waiting for him so late at night, right?"

“I don’t recall our relationship ever being that close.”

Pantalone answered after recalling his memories of being with Columbia.

Colombia, somewhat disappointed by Pantalone's reaction, said...

"You really are a man without any romance."

Pantalone simply remained noncommittal in the face of Columbia's assessment of him.

He could certainly see what Columbia's actions meant, but he was more concerned with what Columbia knew, so Pantalone didn't choose to dwell on the topic any longer.

Since Arecino calls Columbia his chosen 'understanding person,' then Columbia might know something.

Judging from Colombia's reaction, perhaps we can start with 'that plan'.

However, we need to carefully consider how to ask the questions.

To avoid seeming out of place, he thought for a moment and then asked Columbia.

"More than that, I'd like to know your specific thoughts on 'that plan'? To be honest, I've always wanted to know what 'that plan' looks like from an outsider's perspective."

Pantalone carefully considered his words, trying his best to avoid making his speech sound incongruous.

On the surface, it seemed as if he was humbly seeking advice from his colleagues and seniors, wanting to get some insights.

However, in reality, there isn't much difference.

However, Pantalone's motives were not pure. Under the guise of wanting an evaluation, he wanted to dig out bits and pieces of his "plan" from Columbia.

He has put forward many plans and has them in his hands so far, but according to his analysis and deduction, these plans are still not the real purpose of 'that plan'.

Those plans may be related to 'that plan,' but they may only be the tip of the iceberg of 'that plan.'

It's hard to say about others, but as for Colombia, whom Arecino calls her chosen 'understanding person,' she should know some inside information.

From Pantalone's perspective, that should be the case.

However, Colombia's answer took him by surprise. Pantalone had hoped to get some clues or an evaluation of "that plan" and thus learn the true nature of "that plan," but instead he heard this answer.

"Do you have any comments or opinions about 'that plan'? If you're asking about 'that plan', I can only say... I don't know."

Colombia shrugged and gave her excellent answer.