Restricted Lovers [Complete] - 10

Episode 4, Chapter 2, Oscar:

Sigh, all I can say is that I'm the most innocent one. I usually keep a low profile and don't want to cause trouble, so why does trouble always seem to keep coming?

After a good night's sleep, the seriousness of last night's incident escalated

even further. The reason was that energetic, seemingly insomniac exorcist, tossing and turning in the middle of the night, sneaking into the beautiful landlady's room through the window, intending to exorcise demons and rid the people of evil.

I never expected him to be as skilled as Ash, and I almost let him succeed while I was sound asleep.

Luckily, I hadn't had a chance to vomit up the coffee I drank during my meeting with Scarlet Moon during the day. As soon as he grabbed me, the cold liquid inside me jolted awake.

I screamed for help, and the beautiful landlady, who was having a sweet dream, was immediately startled awake by her month-long heightened sense of alertness. Opening her eyes and seeing the malevolent figure in the room, she screamed without thinking.

The scream woke everyone in the dormitory. A deafening alarm blared in the silence, and special forces arrived within three minutes. But the cunning night raider had already escaped before even attempting to strike.

I believe the pretty landlady, after witnessing that easily recognizable figure, had no reason not to know who it was.

But whether to protect me or the delinquents, she refused to reveal the suspect's appearance or possible motive while the guards took her statement according to dormitory rules.

Ten minutes later, the special forces, having completed the basic procedures, withdrew from the dormitory.

However, this matter, seemingly settled, was not. The landlady remained silent, and the girls kept quiet, but they all knew perfectly well what was going on; as soon as the special forces left, they immediately demanded the landlady choose between them, and she naturally told the truth.

"Those two bastards!" Furious, Fei Yue grabbed a weapon, ready to confront them.

It seemed that even if the delinquents weren't named, they were still considered birds of a feather!

With Feng Hua there, needless to say, Fei Yue couldn't go. The group of sleepless girls stayed in the room with the pretty landlady until dawn, before finally returning to their rooms, somewhat exhausted, to change clothes and prepare breakfast.

The textbooks the delinquent boy had forgotten to take yesterday were now packed up, ready for the courier to pick them up.

The girls absolutely refused to let the two boys, who were on the "no visitors" list, set foot here again.

As for me, in the ten minutes that the pretty landlady politely declined the girls' suggestion to rest at home, changed into her uniform, and went downstairs for breakfast, I nervously gave a last-minute report to the potentially hysterical leader.

I lied.

A blatant lie, but a terrible one.

Because I was afraid that if she knew Fu Xiu's identity and purpose, she would be happy to pack me up and send me there!

I told her that the delinquent boy was gay, had a fetish, fell in love with me at first sight, and wanted to break up with his lover, Fu Xiu. Fu Xiu, of course, didn't believe me, and after repeated attempts to dissuade him failed, the delinquent boy had no choice but to bring him here.

The two talked things out in the room.

The delinquent boy presented compelling evidence, but Fu Xiu remained stubbornly convinced that I was responsible for her partner's infidelity. Consumed by jealousy, she wanted to kill me, so she fought with the boy, only to be caught in the act by the beautiful landlord, thwarting her plan.

Undeterred, she risked a night raid to win back her lover, attempting to eliminate me, her greatest threat.

Hearing this, the beautiful landlord was nearly driven mad.

This lame lie managed to cover it up, but the girls' dormitory, repeatedly broken into, became extremely tense, leading to a thorough inspection and the repair of all possible security loopholes. Therefore, despite significantly more frequent patrols and stricter checks at entrances and exits, I still had to go out and lay low.

Fortunately, the security checks didn't include bombs, and the guards didn't search under cars, allowing me to slip into the school undetected.

However, the safest hiding place seemed to be the Central Garden.

I squatted behind the vending machine, used the change I scooped out to buy a bag of potato chips, and ate them very slowly to kill time. But the thought of having to stay there for six hours made me incredibly bored.

Although I usually had nothing to do in my pretty landlady's room, it was still a girl's room, which felt novel; and when no one was in the dormitory, I could move around freely.

As for here, it really was just a small space!

There was no other way; the situation was bad, so I had to endure it.

At least the potato chips didn't taste bad.

The fifteenth bell rang.

I slowly opened my eyes and stretched. I had really had a good nap!

In another ten minutes or so, the transformation restriction would be lifted, and the security check should be over by now!

I got up and tidied myself up, and as soon as the time came, I was dressed smartly, ready to head home.

I had just turned the first corner when I felt a bump on my chest.

"Ah, sorry." A confused and apologetic voice said.

"..." I looked up and saw it was me. This time, she smiled and stepped back.

"What a coincidence, running into you again."

It was a coincidence, but there was a strange, ominous feeling...

"Why...are we here?"

Sitting side-by-side with a beautiful woman is pleasant, and enjoying the envious glances from other men is even more so, but I really can't understand why I'm sitting here in such a daze.

...A few minutes ago, our unexpected encounter revealed she was indeed lost! I led her to the school gate as she wished, but for some reason, I ended up on the bus too.

Luckily, we were both wearing uniforms, so we benefited from the college's public service, saving us bus fare and preventing me from embarrassing myself. However, it seems quite unusual for students from Sefera to take regular buses; from the moment we boarded until now, I've felt quite a few people secretly watching us.

The handrail swayed overhead as we sat on the bus heading to the city. Yotsuba smiled and said, "It's rare to be able to go shopping without family or friends. I've always wanted to try this."

"Oh, really..." So, I'm neither family nor friend?

"Then, traveling with strangers, aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?" I deliberately tried to scare her.

"No, I don't think you're a bad person." She looked at me with complete trust.

"I'm definitely not." And I wouldn't dare.

The moment I uttered the word "advantage," the cracking sound of her knuckles filled the bus. The driver even deliberately slammed on the brakes as we passed the police station.

A beautiful appearance is indeed the best camouflage!

Looking at her perpetually puzzled, watery eyes, I thought to myself.

"...I'm so sorry, because I wanted to buy some gifts, it wasn't convenient to invite my roommates along, but dragging you along like this might be a hassle for you..." she said softly, seemingly unconcerned about why I was avoiding Hiiyue.

"No, I didn't think that at all!" More than the trouble, I was worried that she would get lost.

If she ran away on her own, there would be endless missing person posters!

In order to avoid making her feel apologetic and grateful to me, I tried my best to chat with her about all sorts of things during the car ride.

My experiences were fascinating to her, and her life seemed incredible to me. This exchange of conversation also showed me the gap in perspectives between the nobility and the common people.

There's no inherent good or bad in this.

Different genders, different environments, different educations—their experiences and knowledge have no overlap. Comparisons based solely on societal norms are inherently unfair.

We live in the same world, yet our social circles are so different. Driven by curiosity, I asked her many questions about the nobility, hoping to delve deeper into that mysterious world.

She slowly recounted things that were commonplace but strange to ordinary people. I listened as if it were anecdotes, completely unaware of the long journey.

After a few stops, the bus stopped in a place with towering skyscrapers, a place so prosperous it could be called the "city center."

We both got off.

The air was thick with commercialism, and the crowds were like an overpopulation of bacteria.

"Let's go to 'Oscar'," she said.

“Oscar?”

“I heard it’s very famous, don’t you know it?”

“Well… basically, I’m not familiar with the city, so I can only take you back the way we came, that’s all I can do!” I confessed to her helplessly.

“…” She was still smiling, but the air around us instantly enveloped us in an icy chill.

“It’s okay, think about whether there are any landmarks or obvious main roads nearby, we’ll ask around and look, we’ll definitely find it!” Afraid of being frozen here any longer, I immediately suggested an alternative plan, and she indeed started thinking seriously.

“I remember, ‘Oscar’ is located on Guangli Road, from here to Guangli Road, you have to go through Xue’en Road and Shuihua Road first…”

“Wait, Xue’en Road is in this direction.” Seeing that she was about to turn right, I immediately pointed to the road sign I had spotted pointing to the left.

“Ah, it’s a left turn, I remembered the wrong direction.” She smiled apologetically.

…Will this work or not?

I walked alongside her with high skepticism, covering the entire length of Xue'en Road, but we didn't see Shuihua Road. We had to ask a passerby for directions, only to learn that Shuihua Road was three traffic lights away.

Three traffic lights away… how could she possibly connect these two roads in her head? A person

with no sense of direction certainly has a different way of thinking.

We walked Shuihua Road four times, unsurprisingly without seeing a sign for Guangli Road.

It seems her memory is severely impaired, but that doesn't matter. The road is always on her lips. This time, however, I didn't look for Guangli Road; instead, I directly asked for the location of "Oscar."

Surprisingly, after asking several passersby, no one knew where "Oscar" was. Perhaps it was some unknown little shop, but judging from the way Siyue asked me, it sounded like a famous, well-known department store.

Had she misremembered the name?

“No, we can’t get any information.” I said helplessly, “But we do know the location of Shuili Road.”

I led her through several alleys, across a pedestrian bridge, and found “Zhongxin Street.”

“Before the name change, it was indeed called Shuili Road.” If the old woman selling red bean cakes was right.

“If it’s such a distant memory… I’m sorry, I think… ‘Oscar’ might have closed down a long time ago.” I said.

“Closed down…?” Looking at the green sign with white lettering, she bit her lower lip, her eyes glistening with sadness.

“What’s wrong… you, you mustn’t cry!” I panicked, the barely visible tears making it difficult to wipe them away.

“No, no, let’s go to a few more places, maybe the things you want to buy are sold in other shops too!”

“Hmm, how come I didn’t think of that…” She wiped away the tears with her bent index finger, casually pointing to the bustling street across the way, and said, “Shall we go take a look over there?”

I readily agreed.

"Ah, I still don't know. What do you want to buy?" You need a goal to know which kind of shop to look for!

"Sorry, I can't find 'Oscar,' I'm at a loss..." She sadly looked back at the now-unrecognizable street. Perhaps "Oscar" was a special gift shop?

"Or... maybe we could buy some hair accessories."

"Hair accessories? There are plenty of shops like that. We should find one if we look around."

I crossed the zebra crossing with her, and just after we crossed the street, a huge discount sign for a jewelry store came into view.

"Wow!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be so close. We're so lucky."

The jewelry store was sandwiched between a record store and a supermarket.

Unfortunately, the record store was having an autograph session in an hour, the supermarket was offering huge discounts to attract crowds, and the jewelry store, with similar intentions, was also offering similar deals. The crowd was so large it could drown a herd of migrating elephants.

"Shall we...go somewhere else?" Just imagining the chaotic pushing and shoving in my mind made my body tremble uncontrollably, as if I were destined to be squeezed dry. If we

really had to do that, at least let me buy some insurance first, right?

"Such a lively scene..." The sheer number of people pushing and shoving made Yotsuba hesitate.

Even if it's a discounted item, you only have value if you survive to buy it or if you manage to squeeze through without getting crushed.

But seeing the crowds of fans, girls, and housewives frantically entangled for their own interests, Yotsuba looked at me, shook her head, her curly hair swaying in the wind, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"Don't be disappointed, there's more than one store." Her gaze made my breath catch in my throat. My heart skipped a beat, and I forced my head to turn to the side to hide my intentions, tentatively trying to take her hand.

But...we're not even friends yet, is it too abrupt to do this? I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching.

Damn it! When did I stop sweating? Now she's burning hot, like she's about to steam. Is she trying to stop my inappropriate thoughts?

Fearing possible rejection, I admit I was being too cowardly. Then, as if to salvage my courage, a man bumped into my shoulder, and my right hand, inertia, slid forward in a small arc, just brushing against her smooth, slender fingers.

Did I really touch her?! Was I dreaming?

"Run!" While my heart was overwhelmed with pleasure, the foreign man's magnetic voice warned in a low voice,

"...If you don't want to die."

Those words floated in my mind. Every part of my body that had been burning hot was rapidly cooling down.

Was this intimidation? Or robbery? Attacking in broad daylight?

My mind was filled with Yotsuba's safety. Before he could possibly pull out a gun, I abruptly turned to tackle him, but he moved like the wind, brushing past me and disappearing from sight without looking back.

A prank?

"Weirdo..." Unable to figure out his intentions, I muttered to myself as he almost vanished into the crowd.

Turning around, I was shocked to see a sea of people looming over me, almost thinking I was being punished for my bad speech!

"Ah! That person just now was..."

"It was him! It was definitely him, everyone hurry and chase after him!"

The terrifying fans seemed brainwashed and controlled by aliens, their eyes gleaming with an eerie light, completely devoid of reason. They clutched records and posters, lewd smiles plastered on their lips—I couldn't imagine a woman smiling like that; it was far beyond my comprehension. Besides lewd smiles, I couldn't think of a more fitting description.

The crazed fans formed an unstoppable tidal wave, and worse, Yotsuba and I were standing right in the middle of that route. Our fate was sealed.

I had no choice but to grab her hand and run for our lives. We'd only run about two hundred meters when the weight I was dragging became increasingly sluggish.

"I'm sorry… I can't run anymore!" she gasped, struggling to move.

"Come on, just a little longer!"

"But I…"

I didn't let her finish. I bent my knees, wrapped my left arm around her back, and hooked my right arm around her knee, lifting her up in my arms and running with her.

"Like this…" she struggled slightly, whether from shyness or anger, the more I panted, the more her face flushed.

"Please, please put me down!"

"Stop rocking, we'll capsize! Seriously, you're not heavy at all, I'm just flustered, not panting!" I said, struggling to stay awake.

She couldn't afford any harm to her, or I'd not only be skinned alive by a bunch of women, but my soul would be smashed to pieces by the gatekeeper. After all,

I'm a dead man, and I'd been solemnly warned against interfering with history; if anything happened to her, I'd be held responsible!

I carried her and sprinted forward, and many idle passersby, seeing this, joined the fray. Even the gray-haired, middle-aged jogger who had initially passed us in a t-shirt and athletic shorts joined the ranks without explanation. What was

originally a simple escape had, under the blind obedience of the crowd, transformed into a national health movement. I bet at least 80% of the people had no idea what the purpose of this marathon was!

My elementary school teacher once said, "Returning lost property is an honest act," and I think the same principle applies to returning

lost property. Since the disaster has been stirred up, it's only natural to return it to the culprit! Being too tall isn't always a good thing. Although the man was quite a distance away, his height of about 190 centimeters allowed his golden head, which probably even had blackened brains, to hang high above the crowd, guiding me and saving me a lot of time.

"That peacock up ahead...that's you! You heartless bastard in the green trench coat!" I frantically shoved aside the people blocking my way, pushing my way towards him.

My shout made him stop, and he glanced back, but then walked even faster!

"You heartless bastard, you've ruined someone's life and you still want to run away!" I stubbornly caught up with him.

"You idiot! Why did you attract everyone's attention? I just kindly saved your life." He shrank his neck and cursed in a low voice.

"Saved my life? Humph, why don't you say you've done something terribly wrong!" I glared back. "Once she's returned to her rightful owner, we'll call it even. You don't need to be so grateful."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Ignorant fool, do you even know who you're talking to?"

"I don't care who you are!" I didn't bother arguing with him and stepped aside, making sure all the core members of the long-distance running team could see his conspicuous target.

"The person has been returned, I'll take my leave now!"

"Wait." As if unwilling to be tricked, he took advantage of my momentary lapse in attention and snatched Yotsuba from my hands.

"To thank you for your 'kindness,' please accept my reward."

He sneered, "You'll have to run with me, shorty." His black leather boots stomped on the ground, making a cold, hard sound.

"Shameless kidnapper!" I scolded myself for not holding Yotsuba tighter. Because of my height, I couldn't get my beauty back, so I could only bite him resentfully as we ran through the streets and alleys together.

"If I had a camera right now, I'd expose your entire criminal record to the world!"

"Whatever, but that depends on which side the media takes." The man said arrogantly.

"Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a public figure!" His arrogant attitude was really annoying!

"I don't care if you're tone-deaf or a crazy actor, you just have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, nothing special, why act like such a big shot? If you don't want to be chased like this, don't dress like a peacock in heat and parade around in the street, attracting a bunch of unwanted suitors!"

"You don't recognize me?" The man's eyes widened, "Kid, which remote, TV-less place do you live in?"

"Is recognizing you so natural?" I retorted.

"Gentlemen, please don't fight..." Yotsuba said uneasily.

"You... never mind!" He was too lazy to ask any more questions and directly ordered me, "We're all on the same ship now. It's either we're rescued together or we're all wiped out. Aren't you going to come up with a plan?"

"A plan? What kind of backwater do you live in? Are you watching TV? No! What other plan is there besides 'that'?" I grabbed his braid and gave him a sharp jab.

"Yes, yes... I'm ignorant. Then may I ask, sir, what is this 'that' you're talking about?"

"One word of truth... drill."

"Drill? Drill in which direction?"

"Please, that's not a truth. There's no rule saying where you can drill and where you can't!" Everywhere you look, you can drill. How can that be a problem? I'm really impressed by his brain!

"I'm not familiar with the roads in this country. What if I get lost..."

"Don't worry, I'm not familiar with them either. We're equals." I stopped being sarcastic.

This wasn't because I suddenly developed a conscience; it was because I didn't recognize the roads, and even the roads I knew were now obscured by the limitations of my "key memories," making my native world seem like a parallel universe.

"..."

He was silent for a moment, then said to me disdainfully, "What's with the swagger of a lost guy!

Fine, you'd better just follow me!"

He took a large stride, skillfully weaving through the darkness using S-shaped, M-shaped, U-shaped, and X-shaped paths.

"I didn't realize you were so experienced." He was tall and had long legs, and his strides were large, making it difficult for me to keep up.

"I only asked you for help because I didn't want to get lost, but it turns out you're just as bad! Oh well, at least I can shake off those tagalongs!" I was almost out of breath carrying Four Leaf, but in his hands it was like a feather. He muttered to himself as he quickly turned into a dark alley.

"And then what?"

"I'll settle the score with you!"

"Oh...that'll probably be difficult." I stuck out my foot and tripped him.

He fell straight into the alley, luckily landing on an abandoned mattress, both of them safe.

However, the old object had been lying in the alley for years, and now, shaken, all the dust accumulated over the years flew up at once, choking them so much they couldn't open their eyes and almost suffocated.

"You...cough! You bastard..." He coughed incoherently, and Yotsuba, covered in dust, couldn't utter a single word except for coughing.

In less than a few seconds, a large group of people rushed through the alley entrance. Before the last person's figure appeared on the left wall and disappeared on the right, he held his breath and pressed his face and overly conspicuous blond hair against the shadow of the wall.

"Where...where is he?" Yotsuba slowly sat up.

She also fell onto the cushion. Luckily, the man didn't land on top of her when she fell, so apart from being a little dirty, she wasn't seriously injured.

"Who knows, let's run first." The man propped himself up, and before he could even look at himself, he reached out to brush the dust off Yotsuba's hair. Yotsuba moved back, looking at his large hand somewhat uncomfortably.

"Don't worry, I have absolutely no interest in the little bride, but that doesn't mean you're not pretty. It's just that everyone has their own taste, and I don't want to do anything to betray your boyfriend." He carefully brushed the dirt off the hostage.

"He's not my boyfriend," Yotsuba denied.││Right, we haven't even gone that far yet, so this statement doesn't constitute a denial, it's just a statement of fact.││It made my heart sink into an abyss.

"That'll be soon. Pure friendship between men and women is rare, believe me." He said in the tone of a sexologist.

“But let’s finish this quickly before it starts! Someone who trips up their companions and then escapes to the other end of the alley wouldn’t…” He stopped mid-sentence, unable to finish his sentence.

That was because there was no such thing as the other end of the alley; there was only a high wall blocking the fire lanes between the east and west houses, standing dark and cold.

“If we find there’s no exit and we go back the way we came…” Looking at the brightness outside the alley, Yotsuba’s eyes were filled with worry, his voice as soft as a butterfly’s flutter.

“He tripped us to lure them away? That doesn’t make sense. He was clearly behind us, how did he know it was a dead end?”

The man walked to the wall, pounding on the mottled cement wall beneath, where the liver-colored bricks were exposed. “Maybe he has precognitive abilities? If it weren’t for that kick…”

I was glad he thought that, but actually, I tripped him not out of such noble sentiments, but because my transformation time had come.

The wide mattress lay curving in a short, U-shape in the alley. I lay prone in the tunnel-like crevice, feeling unworthy of this unexpected stroke of luck.

I don't know why girls always carry a handbag when they go out, but for me, it was exactly what I wanted. I dragged the fallen handbag in front of me, unzipped it, and stuffed my slightly folded uniform and myself inside.

Suddenly, the man shouted. Just when I thought I'd been exposed and everything was over, he stared up at an old propaganda poster plastered on the wall, twenty centimeters higher than him, speechless. Over

the years, the poster's corners were worn, and the layout resembled an old-fashioned wanted poster, with a large photograph taking up two-thirds of the top.

In the photograph, a brown-haired empress in a bright red court dress, her intelligent blue eyes staring directly at the viewer, wore a jade necklace from the same series as her earrings around her snow-white neck. Beneath the photo were illegible artistic characters: film title, release date, cast… probably advertising a new project at the time.

“Ah… Regina… my queen! Good heavens, why is this poster here, and it’s even a rare, out-of-print one?”

The man’s voice trembled. “This is definitely fate! I must tear it down… no, I must tear down the whole wall and take it!” In a state of near-madness, overly excited, he carefully wiped the stained collar of the actress in the photo.

But Yotsuba’s soft voice made him stop abruptly.

“Do you love my mother?”

The man turned around as if struck by lightning.

“…What did you say?” Before Yotsuba could speak again, he rushed to her, scrutinizing her delicate features like a prehistoric creature. Suddenly, his handsome face contorted:

“You… you really are my nemesis’s daughter!”

Then, may I ask, how did you fall in love with my nemesis’s wife?

I peeked coldly out of my bag, watching his erratic behavior. He was now clutching his head, stubbornly denying everything.

"No, you are Regina's daughter… but you are also that man's child…" he said, looking at Yotsuba with a mixture of love and hate.

"Why… why are you such a contradictory being?!"

You're the contradictory one!

"Excuse me, who are you…?" Yotsuba wasn't scared away by his madness, but rather surprised.

"I was originally… originally supposed to be your father!" The man suddenly grasped her hands, tears welling in his eyes.

"I've loved your mother deeply since I was little. For her, I spared no effort, finally achieving my current status. But your father… that bastard… actually took advantage of my focus on my career, eighteen years earlier, shamelessly kidnapping your mother…" the man said through gritted teeth.

I almost slipped in my bag.

Eighteen years? That's ridiculous!

If it were three or five years, that would be somewhat sympathetic, but eighteen years… it's not just "early," it should be described as "ancient"!

Furthermore… looking at you from all angles, you're only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Eighteen years ago… how old were you then!

No wonder this relationship was destined to fail!

“It's truly regrettable that my mother disappointed you. I apologize to you on her behalf,

Mr. San. Singood.” “

Hey… Yotsuba, why are you bowing down to someone like that!

” “You recognized me…” Yotsuba's politeness made him feel embarrassed.

“Now that you mention it, I finally remember. Although you've now moved into the music industry, I really loved your role as Prince Kahn in the stage play 'The Palace of the Traitors' when I was a child!”

“Is that so… that's a long time ago.”

The man sighed, “Although my motivation was Regina, I genuinely loved stage plays. It's just that with so much entertainment, the audience gradually decreased, and stage plays declined year by year. Some has-been and unpopular actors had to leave the stage prematurely.

“Even though your mother's popularity is currently at its peak, one day she will be replaced by the next generation.” "I couldn't bear to be one of those who drove Regina away, so I left that world. Anyway, my singing is my true weapon!"

"I understand, but why did you run away from the autograph session?"

Hearing Yotsuba's question, the man's face instantly darkened.

"Speaking of this... I feel like I'm on fire..." He clenched his fists, his anger rising.

"I only found out yesterday that Regina had a daughter, who's seventeen years old and studying at Sefer Academy, and nobody told me! As soon as I got the news, I immediately asked my manager for leave, but he actually took it upon himself to arrange an autograph session for me, completely disregarding me... I came here in a private capacity!"

Seventeen years without noticing... You're incredibly oblivious!

"So, what brings you here?" Yotsuba asked.

"Finally, let's get to the point, listen carefully!" The man straightened his expression, knelt properly before her, and opened a red ring box.

"Actually, I came here this time to marry you."

"Marry me...?" Looking at the sparkling diamond ring lying in the box, Yotsuba was stunned.

Don't even think about it, you old bull trying to eat young grass! I jumped up and down in my bag.

“That’s right, as you know, I can never forget Regina. Since we’re destined not to be together in this life, marrying you is the same; I think Regina must feel the same way, which is why she left me a daughter.”

You scoundrel, such a selfish and self-serving proposal! It’s obvious you’re not sincere towards Yotsuba. There’s no way this will bring her happiness!

Yotsuba simply stared at the ring without saying a word, then gently closed the box.

“I’m flattered by your kind offer, but I cannot accept it,”

she said.

“…Is that so? I knew you’d say that.” Yotsuba’s reaction seemed to be within his expectations. He put away the ring box, sighed, and explained, “Actually, this was my original plan, but I changed my mind on the plane! Because the thought of having to call that man ‘Dad’ after marrying you… that’s just… I just can’t swallow it!”

Yes, being subservient to a rival is just too spineless!

“Besides, even if you agreed, this ring won’t fit…” He smiled bitterly, “I unintentionally bought it in Regina’s size.”

“That’s not it,” Yotsuba smiled, “Because you even engraved your mother’s name on it!”

“…Is that so?!” The man suddenly seemed to realize something, his gloom vanishing.

“…It seems that I still only love Regina!” The man’s expression softened for a moment

in Chapter 3 of the fourth episode, in the underground shopping street

, making me forget that I was in a dark and dirty alley.

Perhaps it was the actor’s innate charm and charisma, but his sudden realization of true love made the viewer’s heart clench, and their emotions rise and fall with his, making them want to silently pray for his happiness.

“Mr. San. Singood…”

“I’m fine.” The man smiled and helped Yotsuba up.

“I didn’t intend to marry you, but I came to find you because I still have an unfulfilled wish.” He suddenly bowed solemnly. “Please, take me to ‘Oscar’.”

“…‘Oscar’? I’ve already been there…but it’s closed.” Yotsuba said dejectedly.

“Closed?” The man looked puzzled. “I know it closed down a long time ago, I just wanted to see the ruins.”

“Oh, you know?” Yotsuba asked. “When did it close down?”

The man held up his fingers and bent them a few times.

“Hmm…about twelve years ago! But that’s not surprising. Losing Regina as a mainstay, it’s already quite good that it can survive for a few more years! Even if the original location has been taken over by a new store, it doesn’t matter. I’m just going there with the feeling of pilgrimage to the small theater where Regina started her career.”

“Is that so…” A trace of sadness suddenly flashed in Yotsuba’s beautiful eyes.

“Do you have other purposes for going there?” As expected of an actor, his ability to read people’s expressions was quite remarkable.

“It’s nothing… I just remembered visiting ‘Oscar’ once when I was little. I remember there were several large, transparent glass cases by the door, selling merchandise related to the actors. Some of them were very nostalgic, and I originally wanted to buy them,” Yotsuba said.

“Is that so? Well then, come visit my villa in France sometime!” the man laughed.

“The day ‘Oscar’ went bankrupt due to mismanagement, I took out a loan and bought everything inside, even the theater building. I even dismantled it, transported it to France, and rebuilt it into the Regina Museum!”

“Really… thank you so much!” Yotsuba bowed deeply to him.

"Don't be like that, I didn't do all this entirely for you..."

the man said awkwardly. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's get to 'Oscar' before it gets dark!"

"Ah, yes." Hearing this, Yotsuba picked up her bag and stepped out of the alley first. After looking around to make sure everything was alright, she turned back to the man and said, "It's alright, Mr. San. Singood."

"Don't be so formal, always calling me Mr. San. Singood." The man put his hands in his trench coat pockets, cautiously glancing around before stepping out and teasingly said, "Just call me 'Dad

.'"

That wretched peacock, trying to take advantage of Yotsuba verbally!

"Yes, Dad." Yotsuba actually obediently changed her address.

Getting her wish, the man unexpectedly clutched his chest, looking shocked.

"…Hey, don't change your address so abruptly! I wasn't prepared at all! Although I feel like I've suddenly become Regina's husband, the thought of that man's daughter calling me 'Dad'…I'm not great enough to handle such complicated feelings!"

Then don't give such a bad idea with ill intentions!

"Although I'm happy, you should still call me Sang, because you're a contradictory being!"

He thought it over and over, finally making the decision.

You're the contradictory one!

"Anyway, completing the current goal is the most important thing. Which way should we go?" the man asked again.

"Well, I don't know either," Yotsuba said honestly, "I seem to have a terrible sense of direction."

"You…" the man couldn't help but chuckle, then bent over and burst into laughter:

"You…you really are exactly the same! Haha…Confused and with no sense of direction, I think we should just call you Princess Kahn!"

Yotsuba didn't object, her face still beaming with a smile.

After a while, the man finally stopped laughing, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said, "This is terrible, neither of us knows the way. Let's ask someone..."

Before the last "let's" was even out of his mouth, Yotsuba had already waved excitedly to a silver-haired girl walking across the street.

"Ah, Ryua!"

The man couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence..."

Hearing Yotsuba's call, Ryua looked over and crossed the street on the zebra crossing as the light turned green.

As if she hadn't seen the man, she said to Yotsuba, "I heard you left early today?"

"I wanted to go out to buy something, but I got lost and don't know how to get back..." Yotsuba said apologetically.

"Lost? Then just take a taxi."

"This... such a simple thing, how come I didn't think of that!" Ryua's incisive words immediately caused a thunderous roar to erupt behind the man.

“Well, Mr. Sang, about ‘Oscar’…”

“It’s alright, I can take a taxi myself!” The man interrupted Yotsuba. “You should go with your friend; that way I’ll feel more at ease.”

“I’m so sorry…” Yotsuba seemed a little apologetic.

“Don’t be so polite. I’m already very happy to see you.” The man hailed a taxi and drove off without much concern.

After watching the man leave, Ryua, in her usual calm tone, said to Yotsuba, “It’s fine if you come back with me, but I need to go to a few places to buy some materials first. It might take a few hours. Is that alright?”

“Yes, it’s fine,” Yotsuba replied.

Having confirmed Yotsuba’s wishes, Ryua said no more and walked directly into a quiet alley.

Yotsuba followed closely behind Ryua. Seeing her push open the door of a house, she hesitated for a moment before following her inside.

The dilapidated house was covered in dust, the beams were eaten by termites, and the roof tiles were broken, allowing the midday sun to shine directly into the house on sunny days and rain to seep in on bad days, resulting in a thick , damp

atmosphere. The walls were covered in mold and mildew, and peeling paint and crumpled old newspapers littered the corners. The wooden furniture that hadn't been moved was almost rotten, and puddles of rainwater mixed with cobwebs and dust accumulated in low-lying areas and cracked floor tiles, where mosquito larvae swam happily.

Yotsuba looked somewhat panicked but tried not to offer any opinions.

Passing through the living room, Ryua turned into the bathroom next to the stairs. Because it hadn't been used for a long time, there was no unpleasant smell.

Next to the sink was a tall storage cabinet, probably used to store cleaning supplies. Opening the cabinet door, it was empty, but on the right-hand side, there was a power switch for controlling the cabinet's lighting.

The switch was flipped upwards, but the light bulb on top of the cabinet remained off. Just as I thought the filament had burned out, Ryua pressed the switch downwards, and the bulb instantly shone brightly.

It was reversed!

But I was wrong again. After turning on the light, Ryua pushed the wooden board against the wall from right to left, revealing a long staircase leading to the basement behind the cabinet.

Yotsuba and I were speechless with astonishment. There was another light bulb in the center of the passage, presumably with a similar switch at the end to control both lights simultaneously.

This made it less surprising that the buttons in the cabinet sometimes appeared reversed.

"If you're scared, stay up there, find a place to sit and have a cup of tea. I'll come find you after I finish shopping; it won't be long," Ryua said, turning around.

"No, I want to go down."

I think Yotsuba's feelings at that moment must have been the same as mine—curiosity outweighed fear.

This was truly amazing! A hidden door design that you only see in novels had actually appeared in real life, making one want to explore what was hidden behind the door.

“Do as you please, but don’t get lost.” Ryua didn’t seem particularly troubled.

The entrance was narrow, but the stairs were wide enough for three adults to walk side-by-side.

Faint voices could be heard from the bottom of the stairs. Yotsuba carefully closed the locker door, pushed back the wooden plank, and then caught up with Ryua to explore downwards together.

Stepping down the last step, we found ourselves in an underground shopping street about 300 meters long, reminiscent of the subway.

Shops lined both sides, selling a wide variety of goods. Some sellers with limited stock simply laid out a square cloth on the ground, displayed their wares, and sat down without hawking their wares, smoking and indifferently letting buyers browse.

I peeked out through the gap in my bag and saw quite a few people.

“Wait here for a bit. Don’t talk to anyone, and don’t go with anyone. I’ll be right out,” Ryua suddenly turned and instructed, then pushed open the door of an antique shop.

"Mmm," Yotsuba replied obediently.

The deliberately retro wooden signboard gleamed with its gilded shop name. Yotsuba stared at the small shop, which resembled a warehouse, seemingly wanting to explore it.

Entering the shop, Ryua didn't linger, placing her list on the counter and giving the shopkeeper a few instructions. The shopkeeper nodded vigorously, and Yotsuba gave a chilling smile, swiped her credit card, and walked out.

"Alright, let's go."

"What did you buy?" Yotsuba asked.

"Nothing much, just some trinkets," Ryua replied, still maintaining her cold and indifferent demeanor.

"I see." Yotsuba seemed oblivious to her aloof attitude, but I was practically frozen to death!

After walking a short distance, Ryua pushed open a second door. Yotsuba had barely approached when she gasped, her face turning pale, and quickly turned away, unable to look closely.

I secretly peeked closer and saw that besides the protected rare and exotic animals, there were snakes, scorpions, lizards, centipedes… and so on. This shop sold nothing but evil things; no wonder she wasn't feeling well.

Unable to leave because of her discomfort, she pretended to look at the goods in other shop windows, trying to distract herself, but this only made things worse.

She hadn't observed carefully before, but now she saw clearly that everyone around her was hostile. Although some people looked friendly and wore chef's uniforms or other work clothes, most of the buyers and sellers were either dressed in floral shirts, suits, and gold necklaces, or in black suits and black leather shoes.

And they were carrying guns.

Now, Yotsuba's face wasn't just pale, it was deathly white!

I followed her gaze and saw that the shop across the street displayed various firearms and professional military equipment. Besides the owner and employees, there were three men: one trying on a bulletproof vest, one flipping through a gun catalog, and another pulling out a gun from his waist and brandishing it.

He said a few words to the shop assistant, who immediately nodded with a smile, indicating he understood, and promptly ushered him into another small room.

Outside the shop window, a man in his early twenties, wearing a green floral shirt, was leisurely puffing on a pipe.

In front of him were twenty or thirty packets of white powder sealed in transparent, unzipped bags. A man in a suit carrying a black leather suitcase approached the stall, casually opened a few packets to taste, and asked, "Is this all?"

"That's all I brought today. How much do you want?" the man in the green floral shirt asked in a thick Taiwanese accent.

"Same pure, fifty dollars," the man in the suit said. "Deliver it to the 'Red Cross' tomorrow."

The man in the green floral shirt raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I keep my word."

The man in the suit nodded, picked up his suitcase, and left.

My God! I rubbed my eyes, unable to believe I had witnessed such a large-scale drug deal. Damn, this is unbelievable! After seeing the customer off, the man in the green floral shirt continued puffing on his pipe as if

nothing had happened . Perhaps it was because Yotsuba was pretty, but he kept glancing over here a couple of times. Later, noticing Yotsuba looking at him too, he grinned, revealing his upper and lower teeth stained red with betel nut juice. That vulgar smile was terrifying in a few words, and Yotsuba trembled slightly, looking around for help. Just then, two policemen strolled over and stood right in front of the man in the green floral shirt's stall. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, Brother Lin, Brother Wang!" Seeing the cops arrive, the man in the green floral shirt immediately stood up with a beaming smile, warmly asking, "Want a cigarette?" "Yeah." The two policemen nodded, letting the man in the green floral shirt light their cigarettes. After exhaling a puff of smoke, one of them slowly asked, "How's business lately?" "Thanks to you, so-so!" "Not bad, you're getting more and more modest." "Nothing much..." the man in the green floral shirt chuckled, scratching his head. "By the way, how much do you think these things can sell for?" Two cloth bags were tossed in front of the man in the green floral shirt. "These are the ketamine and ecstasy seized at the large music festival in the south a couple of days ago, and the smuggled heroin and cocaine that we announced we'd destroyed last week. Calculate the price and transfer it to our police station's secret account." "No problem!" the man in the green floral shirt readily agreed. I was dumbfounded, my mouth dry. My God, this is truly a huge dark secret!

No wonder the news never shows footage of police destroying drugs; there's this hidden layer to it.

But even if the police opened the destruction site to the media, it's probably just a show; the heroin has long been replaced with flour!

"Hey, Lin, Wang!" The transaction had barely ended when a bald, middle-aged man in his fifties came over to greet them: "I saw the news. Congratulations, you've made another fortune!"

"Ah, it's Old Zhang! Perfect timing, we were just about to look for you!" The policeman casually tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"The other day there was that jewelry thief who refused a DUI check and rammed a police car, right? Xiao Wang and I set him up to crash into a telephone pole. Now the front of the car is completely wrecked and it's still sitting at the accident scene. Tomorrow I'll send someone to tow it to the factory. You can see if there's anything that can be dismantled or sold, do the accounting, and then split the money equally between Xiao Wang and me in our personal accounts.

"Also, the repair costs for the police car will be paid from public funds. Replace the equipment inside with better ones, but don't repair the exterior to look brand new, lest some idle idiots come and report us for wasting public funds!"

"No need to wait until tomorrow, it can be delivered tonight, I guarantee you'll be on the road safely by morning."

Old Zhang chuckled and patted them on the shoulders, saying, "But I'm telling you, it's good to keep a low profile lately. These past few days, those pointless talk shows have been discussing why criminals always like to drift when they escape in a speeding car. Although the investigators will help you cover it up, if ordinary people film it, it won't be good for you either, will it?" “

That’s right. Old Zhang, thanks for the reminder!” The policeman thanked him, then said,

“Sorry, we’ll be going now, we have to patrol later.”

“Okay, take care.” The middle-aged man said.

“Brother Lin, Brother Wang, have a good trip!” The man in the green floral shirt bowed from behind.

“Please let me go first.” The middle-aged man said, “If you do business well, you’ll be successful someday.”

“Yes, yes… thank you for your wise words.” "

Another round of flattery followed, and after seeing the cop off, the middle-aged man also left in the opposite direction. The stall in front of the man in the green floral shirt was empty. He nonchalantly lit another cigarette, and soon began to dart around furtively, stealthily glancing at Yotsuba again.

I could feel Yotsuba's fear; her heart was pounding faster and faster, like a runaway pump.

I was afraid that if this continued, her heart would overheat and burst—that would be so inhumane for a beautiful girl!

'What did you see?'" Just as Yotsuba was about to give up, a chilling voice rang in her ears. Yotsuba gasped and turned around to see that Ryua had already completed the transaction and left the shop, still empty-handed.

"I..." Yotsuba instinctively glanced at the man in the green floral shirt, but the cunning pawn quickly looked away as soon as he saw someone with Yotsuba.

"The ecosystem here is a bit complicated, but generally speaking, it's a disciplined place. As long as you don't cause trouble, you won't get into any problems," Ryua said, glancing at the list before walking into the next Chinese medicine shop.

Having learned from her previous experience, Yotsuba kept a certain distance this time, not daring to follow too closely. Although everything seemed normal inside the shop, whether out of fear or to preserve Ryua's privacy, she chose to wait outside.

"Hey, beautiful lady, would you like a glass of juice?" "The man's accent, like a creepy uncle speaking with a Taiwanese Mandarin accent, startled Siye so much that she almost dropped her bag.

The man, in his thirties, with a voice just like his, wore a dirty white t-shirt and faded suit trousers with blue flip-flops tucked under them. He gave a friendly (more like lewd) smile, brandishing a gleaming watermelon knife. He set up his watermelon juice business in the underground arcade, using a rickety folding table, a used juicer, and an old knife.

'Miss, this stall has been around for ten years, built on reputation! Seven hundred cc for only twenty, sweet and delicious, how about a cup?'

Siye, don't agree!

I frowned at the watermelon stall owner's clothes; more than the price, I was worried about hygiene.

Siye looked at the owner, then at the watermelon knife in his hand, and nodded tremblingly, 'Uh, well… one cup.'

'Okay, one cup! '" Upon hearing this, the fruit stall owner immediately picked out a perfectly round, plump watermelon with distinct and well-defined serpentine stripes from his bamboo basket. He tapped the watermelon's belly in front of Siye, making a crisp "thump, thump, thump" sound.

"Miss, look, I've picked the best one for you. It's perfectly ripe, guaranteed sweet and delicious! Let me tell you,

watermelon is a wonderful fruit; girls should eat more of it. It's rich in Vitamin C, good for your skin and complexion, and it won't make you fat!" "

Hmm..." Seemingly shrouded in the shadow of intimidation, Yotsuba responded somewhat dazedly, occasionally glancing back at Ryua, who was still inside the shop. She was engaged in a heated discussion with the Chinese medicine shop owner, who sported a mustache, and they seemed to be arguing back and forth, each holding their own opinion.

Meanwhile, the fruit stall owner had already placed what he called the best watermelon on the table, shifted his shoulders, pretended to roll up his nonexistent sleeves, sharpened the knife on the whetstone beside him, then gripped the hilt with both hands, steadied himself in a horse stance, and exhaled a long breath.

"Ah-Zha!" With a loud shout, the long sword arrived with the force of splitting the heavens and earth.

A silver streak flashed like a shooting star, vanished in the blink of an eye, and suddenly, "Bang!" With a sharp "crack," the blade sank deep into the table, startling Yotsuba.

Two seconds later, the watermelon split in two, the clean cut revealing distinct layers of green, white, and red. The two hemispheres, dripping with juice, wobbled on the vibrating table.

It had been cut in two with a single stroke.

"Miss, don't be alarmed, this table is very stable!" The watermelon stall owner smiled at the terrified Yotsuba, leaving the watermelon knife stuck in the table. He picked up a metal spoon and scooped out pieces of the glistening red flesh, tossing them into a juicer with water and sugar, and started making watermelon juice.

"These watermelons are homegrown, and they're especially good this year…because last year there were a lot of thieves stealing watermelons, so I used heavy fertilizer, making them big and sweet, hehe…"

His hearty laughter sent chills down my spine; his words made the bright red flesh of the watermelon seem to faintly exude a bloody smell…

Yotsuba was also horrified.

"I think you're talking nonsense!"

The watermelon stall owner's self-praise immediately drew the ire of the coconut stall owner, who was about the same age as him. He interrupted the watermelon stall owner's unrestrained self-praise, retorting, "What do you mean by 'guaranteed sweetness'? If it were truly sweet, would it need sugar? Besides, what's the big deal about cutting it in half!" "

Saying this, he disdainfully took a coconut from the fruit basket, picked up his beloved knife, and with a domineering horizontal slice—that unparalleled slice concealed dozens of hidden cuts, almost invisible to the naked eye, slicing into the coconut's hard flesh as easily as cutting tofu. With a 'swoosh!', he effortlessly sliced it through, as if turning his hand.

The coconut remained perfectly intact in his hand, without a trace of the knife. The

coconut stall owner calmly put down his tools, lifted the coconut with his right hand, and the top quarter of the coconut, stem and all, flew off like a hat being removed.

A master, truly a master! I was so amazed I wanted to applaud and cheer.

"That's what you call skill. If you can slice a coconut, you can chop off a person's head!" the coconut stall owner said proudly. "How about this, miss, freshly opened coconut water, guaranteed sweet and unadulterated, forty yuan a piece."

"Damn it, you short-haired bastard, don't steal my customers every day!" the watermelon stall owner roared.

"Who cares about you? That young lady has the freedom to choose. Why should she have to buy your watermelon juice just because she passed by your stall?" the coconut stall owner retorted defiantly.

"You dare to talk back? If you hadn't looked so terrifying and scared her with a knife, saying things like 'I can cut a coconut and chop off a head,' would she have wanted to drink your ridiculously expensive coconut water? You're lying!" The watermelon stall owner grabbed a watermelon knife from the table and chopped it down hard again!

"You ignorant country bumpkin, these days, quality is the key to success. Don't believe me? Ask that young lady!"

Siye stared stiffly at the coconut and the coconut stall owner's menacing face. The knife-wielding technique from before was still fresh in her mind. Perhaps fearing for her life if she didn't buy it, she crossed the street, took out her wallet, and obediently paid forty yuan.

"Do you want to drink it directly with a straw, or should I pour it into a cup for you?" the coconut stall owner asked enthusiastically.

"Uh... I'll pour it into a cup then." She tried to maintain a smile.

"Okay, no problem!" The coconut stall owner picked up a clear plastic cup, placed it over the coconut hole, and with a flip, the coconut water gushed into the cup.

After pouring out the last drop, he tossed the empty coconut shell into a large black garbage bag attached to an empty basket, put the lid back on, inserted a straw, and handed the drink to Yotsuba, grinning, "Thanks for your patronage!"

However, Yotsuba was a person of her word. Even though she bought coconut water from the coconut stall owner, she still paid the watermelon stall owner twenty yuan. Finally, holding two cups of juice, she stood outside the Chinese medicine shop, still somewhat shaken.

After a while, she finally waited until Ryua swiped her credit card and came out of the store. Yotsuba

looked at Ryua, then at the two drinks in her hand, and for a moment, she didn't know how to explain.

"Is this for me? Thank you." Ryua took the watermelon juice from Yotsuba's hand.

"But, um..."

"Oh, what about that talk of chopping people up and using them as fertilizer?" Ryua drank it nonchalantly.

“Just listen to what those people say, don’t take it seriously. Men this age are all talk and no action; their stand-up comedy-style sales pitches are very effective at scaring off first-time customers.”

As she spoke, her clear gaze swept over the two men. The watermelon stall owner and the coconut stall owner had already turned their faces away in unison, staring nonchalantly at the light tubes on the ceiling and whistling off-key.

“Anyway, they’re not ripping people off, don’t overthink it.”

Hearing Ryua say this, Yotsuba finally felt relieved and started drinking her coconut water.

Next, Ryua went to the pharmacy to finish the shopping trip, and by then, we had almost reached the end of the shopping street.

Of course, there was more than one entrance to the underground shopping street. In fact, these illegal shops weren’t all closely packed together. Although there was no fixed pattern, roughly every five or six shops, there would be a narrow passage about one and a half meters wide, and on the cement walls of the shops on both sides, there would be a hollow arrow sprayed in black paint, indicating the location of the exit inside.

And now, we stand at the very end of the passage—perhaps the starting point for some—

on the concrete wall at the end, six arrows are painted in paint, three pointing left and three pointing right, each leading to a different exit.

Ryua glanced at them and turned right. Yotsuba,

naturally, wouldn't go against her, so trusting her guidance, she made a few more turns, climbed a long, old iron ladder, and inexplicably returned to the ground—above ground, in an illegal structure on the top floor of an old apartment building.

This time it was better; she came out from behind a bookshelf, not a toilet. I know the exit she chose is called "In Fortune," but I can't see where the "fortune" is. And this small apartment is still occupied; wouldn't that be considered trespassing?

Fortunately, it turned out this was just my overthinking, because the college student with a face full of acne, sitting on the carpet having dinner, was still staring intently at the TV when we appeared, unwilling to look away, not even bothering to turn his head.

Beside the carpet, on the path leading from the bookshelf to the door, there was a low wooden table with an empty milk powder can, several open exercise books, and a small plastic sign that read,

"Toll fee or exercise book, please choose one."

Next to it, in small red print, was another line:

"Toll fee is optional, exercise book, please choose one question from a single subject."

Meanwhile, the utterly depraved individual, who even expected passersby to do his homework, was slurping up a steaming bowl of instant noodles while busily using his toes to operate the joystick, playing a fighting game from who-knows-how-many years ago, trying to KO his opponent with a twenty-hit combo.

The walls of the room were covered with sexy swimsuit photos of beautiful women, posters of strong and muscular boxers, and several A4 notices written in a strange blue pen:

"Please pass quietly and quickly, do not frighten cockroaches and rats."

"Please do not make noise (except for the sound of inserting coins)."

"Please close the door when leaving. I do not need the pity of thieves."

Ryua and Yotsuba dropped some change into the milk powder can, opened the door and left. There was no elevator in the old apartment building, so they had to walk down each floor.

When they reached the first floor, Ryua opened the iron gate to let Yotsuba go first, and only after she came out did she let go and let the door close naturally.

This was a small alley with few residents. To the right, it led to an old industrial area, and to the left, it was adjacent to a vegetable market. However, it was late, and the vendors had long since packed up. There was not a single person in the market, and not a single light. Only the dim light of the sky could slightly illuminate the scene inside.

Ryua looked at Yotsuba and said, "We're still missing a few things. Let's go to one last place before we go back."

"Okay," Yotsuba agreed.

Having already explored those "underground shopping arcades," I doubt she'd be surprised if we were to go to a street shooting scene to collect spent shell casings, or some other bizarre place!

However, Ryua seemed to enjoy manipulating other people's judgments. While I was fantasizing about many thrilling, even life-threatening, locations, she slowly walked through the market.

"Zaifu Hardware Store."

The bright red and white signboard was eye-catching.

I finally understood what those two words in the arrow meant.

This surprised me quite a bit. I hadn't expected such an old store to survive in the city center despite the pressure from major department stores, and it seemed to be doing quite well, even managing to combine three storefronts and run a successful business. However,

the interior furnishings were a bit old-fashioned, and business seemed a little slow; only two or three women were shopping inside.

"Hi, Ryua, long time no see!" The shop owner greeted me as I entered. "What do you need this time?"

The hardware store owner was quite a surprise; a young man of about twenty-five, with a very genuine smile. He wore an ethnic-style headscarf, a shirt, jeans, and a long red apron that reached past his knees, embroidered with the store's name.

"Zaifu"—perhaps his father's name! I guessed.

"I can get it myself, you go about your business." Ryua casually picked up a green shopping basket from beside the counter, the icy tone in his voice showing a slight softening.

The young owner chuckled awkwardly, then retrieved the same shopping basket from behind the counter. Inside were some measuring cups, test tubes, several packets of colored crystals, and a scalpel.

"I guess I'm being a bit too nosy..." he said sheepishly.

"...You're just like that person, always making decisions for no reason and it's annoying," Ryua said.

I could sense considerable anger emanating from Ryua, but what truly angered her was probably that the shopkeeper had taken the right item.

"Just take it as a manager's intuition!" the young shopkeeper said, taking out a newspaper to wrap the glassware.

Ryua opened her purse and took out her credit card.

"Hmm, no need," the young shopkeeper said, but Ryua ignored him.

"I don't like owing people things," she said, then suddenly changed the subject: "I saw Sang.

Sunggood."

Huh?

I was puzzled. I remembered that Yotsuba hadn't mentioned the peacock's full name to Ryua, hadn't she?

"Oh, he's back!" the young shopkeeper seemed intrigued.

Strange…

I looked at Ryua and the shopkeeper; judging from their tone, they seemed quite familiar with the peacock.

If that's the case, why did they pretend not to know each other when they met?

“He’s a popular singer now,” Liuya said. “I never imagined that a tone-deaf apprentice could achieve such remarkable success.”

“‘Mad God’ was a great singer, but he had very few admirers.” Even so, the young boss nodded with a hint of sympathy. “However, you used to say that Sang was a

genius singer, on par with ‘Mad God’ in skill, but completely different in style. I couldn’t agree then, but now I have to admire his foresight!”

“That’s just a matter of knowing something, not necessarily foresight,” Liuya said, picking up the plastic bag. “He already had talent, yet he went and became the apprentice of that kind of person. I really can’t understand it.”

“Speaking of which, it’s still one of the jokes that circulates!”

The young boss suddenly burst into laughter, then bent down and whispered in a secret-like voice, “That’s because Sang… Singood said that only those who understand hell can create a more perfect heaven; after hearing ‘Mad God’s’ songs, he would never sing like that again, no matter what. What difficulty is there in becoming famous?”

"To put it another way, his 'genius' was also sparked by the 'madman,' but if anyone dared to bring it up now, the 'madman' would still be so angry he'd jump out of his wheelchair!"

He said, laughing again.

"..."

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