Tokyo landlord: why is the panties of the lady next door in my house?!

The night was deep and silent,

Chirps of summer insects drifted through the window, a gentle breeze swept in, bringing a refreshing sensation to the bedroom.

Tonight's breeze wasn't so oppressive; a soft light glowed in the second-floor bedroom,

looking at Chiba Shimizu before her, Reiko Onodera revealed a mild smile, sat beside her, and whispered tenderly,

"Shimizu, no matter what has happened, you can tell me."

The girl must have brought her to the room on the second floor for a private inquiry—it had to be some matter that was difficult to talk about, right?

Her heart couldn't help but tighten in anticipation,

"Whatever you're facing, I'll be by your side."

Upon hearing Madam's gentle voice, Chiba Shimizu felt a sense of guilt for the first time, although these were well-intentioned lies.

It was infuriating,

She should have let Haruka Yuzan handle this; that guy was the best at deceiving others.

Seeing the hesitation in the girl's eyes, Madam felt even more distressed, just as she was about to say something.

But Chiba Shimizu softly uttered, "Sister Reiko."

"Yes, I'm here." Reiko Onodera nodded.

"It's just... when making tempura, are there any tips I should know?"

"Well... what???"

Reiko Onodera was taken aback, looking skeptically at the girl before her. Those clear eyes seemed to hold a hint of a ripple, calm, desolate, and very serious.

Though the question did not fit the current mood,

yet indeed, the only thing on Chiba Shimizu's mind was this concern, and it was her only query.

"So... Shimizu, the question you wanted to ask me is about making tempura... right?"

"Yes."

"There's nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"Well... then that's good... I thought..."

After confirming it over and over, she realized the girl indeed had just this one question,

While it felt strange, Madam was relieved even more.

"You scared me to death just now; I thought something had happened."

She felt a wave of relief,

relieved that nothing had happened, as Chiba Shimizu's earlier actions had caused her to grow anxious.

Compared to the girl facing a tough problem or even being hurt by it, it was decidedly more desirable for all of her encounters to be trivial matters like this.

.....

In the living room on the ground floor,

After a short conversation with Mariko Akiyama, they hung up the phone.

The lady promised to give a response in a couple of days.

It was understandable, really,

According to her, even though Mariko Akiyama was already in her forties, it seemed she had never left that small village in her life.

This was somewhat surprising to Haruka Yuzan; the lady's life experiences didn't quite match her dignified and graceful demeanor.

Could it be that she, too, had a story?

Looking at Mariko Akiyama's LINE account info on his phone screen, he found it quite intriguing.

The lady was quite fashionable, her profile picture was actually a photo of Verme in a maid's outfit.

He really wanted to ask Mariko Akiyama for the original image of that profile picture.

"Is this the gift you're planning to give to Sister Reiko?"

At that moment, Misaki Saki approached with a mischievous smile, her small body leaning on the boy,

"You're really considerate, Haruka, are you planning to use this as a chance to make a breakthrough?"

As she spoke, the girl mischievously extended her two little hands...

"Damn, can you not be so lecherous? From now on, when I go out, let's keep our distance, and don't say you know me."

The girl's skin was fair and smooth, like a piece of jade tofu without any seasoning.

She lay on the boy, wriggling about—impossible to shake off.

"A righteous person like me has been corrupted by you."

Haruka Yuzan asserted with an air of integrity.

"You have the nerve to say that! You always make me brush my teeth..."

Misaki Saki's cheeks blushed, and her eyes looking at the boy were filled with a deep resentment.

"Is that so?" Haruka Yuzan was somewhat embarrassed, but, the fact seemed indeed to be as the girl described...

No sooner had he spoken than he provoked Misaki Saki's anger,

"...I despise you!"

Suddenly, the girl's fair face puffed up, her eyes were hollow as she sulked like a grievance-bearing doll.

Haruka Yuzan also reacted, "Wait a second, weren't all those your own demands?"

Indeed, to pursue the most authentic experiences, to better fuel her inspiration,

All those actions and methods were instructed by Misaki Saki herself, who even demanded Haruka control the timing.

For a guy, controlling the timing was incredibly challenging—only he knew how tough it was!!!

Despite this, Haruka Yuzan had never voiced a single complaint.

"Don't you dare twist the truth!"

But Misaki Saki wasn't having any of it, lying on the other side of the couch with an expression that said she had seen through everything. Her delicate, fair little legs kicked up, her hand flung to the side, her cute face full of disdain, and in a haunting voice, she declared,

"Heh, men."

Haruka Yuzan was exasperated by her antics, reached out to pull her over, and rubbed her fair little face with a firm hand,

"You little rascal."

"Ah, ah, ah! Wrong, wrong!"

Misaki Saki cried out in pain, surrendering loudly.

Seemingly still not satisfied, Haruka Yuzan hoisted the girl onto his shoulder, and regardless of how she flailed in mid-air, he marched straight up to the second floor.

"Help! Someone is bullying a 218-month-old baby!!"

"Shut up!"

Haruka Yuzan spanked the girl's little bottom twice with his hand.

"Smack, smack" the crisp sound echoed through the villa.

Misaki Saki's big eyes instantly welled up with tears and she looked pitifully as she protected her little bottom.

Her little mouth quivered, and she didn't dare say anything more.

Facing this walking emoji, I was truly speechless.

The bedroom door on this side had just been closed, yet the bedroom next to the study was opened,

and Reiko Onodera and Chiba Shimizu walked out from it.

Standing by the railing, they noticed that there was no one left in the living room on the first floor.

"Strange." Madam couldn't help but express her confusion, "We had just heard the sounds of the two of them frolicking, hadn't we?"

Chiba Shimizu didn't speak. The girl stood at the doorway, seriously contemplating what the madam had shared with her in the bedroom just moments ago.

"I must control the oil temperature well, right?"

.....

"Haruka, can I talk to you about something?"

At night,

Misaki Saki lay in the boy's arms, speaking in a somewhat coquettish manner.

After being disciplined, the girl noticeably simmered down.

"What's up?" Haruka Yuzan yawned, saying leisurely.

"Can we go to the kitchen together next time?"

Haruka Yuzan glanced at the innocent and cute little face that seemed to be filled with hopeful eyes.

"Fine by me, but, I reckon, it'd be more thrilling to have you cosplay instead."

"Cosplay?" The girl tilted her little head, "Are you saying you want to see me cosplay Asahina?"

Hm?

Did I ever mention that?

His scrutinizing gaze swept over Misaki Saki for a moment, and eventually, he shook his head, concluding,

"Even if you don't have the potential and skill, you should at least be aware of your own limits, right? How could you ask such a question?"

Ignoring the girl's "angry little fists," Haruka Yuzan's gaze shifted to the corner of the room.

A huge black easel rested against it, plain and unspectacular, looking as though it were for plein air painting.

An easel as big as the upper half of a doujinshi artist herself appearing in her bedroom, is that strange?

It's all for the sake of art, so it should be normal...

As if!

How could Misaki Saki possibly have such a noble habit.

"What are you planning to paint?"

Haruka Yuzan placed his right hand on the girl's thigh, asking with curiosity.

"Hmm?"

Misaki Saki looked up, ceasing her dispute with Haruka, "Paint what? Didn't I show you the other day? The initial draft of the three Spice Girls with the weak male lead and the apartment manager..."

"Not that, I mean, what are you going to do with your easel?"

A bad hunch suddenly rose in Haruka Yuzan's heart. This kid wouldn't have painted her own... right??!!

At that moment, Misaki Saki stood up straight from the bed, looking all excited,

and bounced off the bed with her little short legs.

So forthright?

Ah, have I misunderstood her?

Following the boy's gaze, Misaki Saki ran toward the corner and picked up the black easel,

turned around, and revealed a painting as big as the girl's upper body,

It was a portrait done in oil paint.

The vibrant colors made the portrait look extremely realistic, bright eyes, hair elegantly pinned high with a wisp falling beside the ear, and the beautiful woman in the painting seemed to be looking at a certain spot, her gaze filled with tenderness that felt like a gentle breeze in spring.

However, this piece appeared unfinished, as the canvas still had large blank spaces yet to be worked on.

Is this Reiko Onodera?

"Heh heh!"

The little girl stood her ground, hands on hips, looking quite proud as she said, "This is the birthday present I prepared for Sister Reiko, how about it! Impressive, right?"

Creating a portrait painting for the madam indeed seemed like a very thoughtful gift, and it was clear she had put a lot of effort into it.

"Impressive."

Haruka Yuzan genuinely offered his praise, stepped down from the bed, took the easel from the girl's hands, and admired it for a while.

This made Misaki Saki even more triumphant, standing with her hands on her hips and an air of smugness,

"I've been working on it for quite a long time! I'll give it to Sister Reiko on her birthday!! She'll definitely praise me!"

The girl now was like a little child who had done a good deed, longing for a parent's praise.

"You really put your heart into it, Sister Reiko will surely love it."

Haruka Yuzan marveled, then noticed another piece of canvas lying face down in the corner. Out of curiosity, he asked,

"What's that? A discarded draft?"

"Ah?" Caught off guard by the boy's question, Misaki Saki was quick to react,

"Right, right, that's a discarded draft!!"