The wind.
Stopped.
In the corner of the cafe, the lighting was dim and elegant.
Two young men sat below.
At a glance, the striking young man directly opposite was Takasaki Yusuke, Takasaki Tamako's son.
Takasaki Yusuke's mouth was slightly agape, and he stared at the man opposite him with a stunned expression, as if he had been taken aback by something exaggerated.
"What is Yusuke looking at?"
"Is the person sitting opposite him his good friend?"
"Why is Nana here again?"
"Could it be..."
"Nana didn't fall for someone else; she came to find Yusuke. Did I misunderstand?"
Seeing Kato Nana walking towards her son, Takasaki Yusuke, the fully armed Takasaki Tamako stopped and found a spot where she could clearly see the general situation.
Then she pushed up her sunglasses, raised a hand, and beckoned to the 'madam' waitress in the cafe.
"Bring me a cappuccino."
After speaking, Takasaki Tamako pulled down her British wool coat, covering most of her face, and carefully observed the every move of the three people.
The madam waitress in the store blinked, a bit confused about why this woman, who ordered a cappuccino, was in the store.
Peeping?
Stalking?
Catching a cheating spouse?
Probably none of the above.
Who would dress like a secret agent to do these things? It must just be ordinary cosplay.
Due to his position, Takasaki Yusuke also noticed the conspicuously dressed Takasaki Tamako immediately, but he had the same thought as the madam waitress.
He just regarded her as an ordinary performer and didn't pay much attention.
He merely glanced casually before retracting his gaze, his eyes returning to Hoshino Jun, whose handsomeness made him feel a bit inferior.
This time, he was truly inferior.
Although he wasn't as handsome as Hoshino Jun before, he still had a bit of a superiority complex when it came to family background.
But now, Hoshino Jun's assets, approaching thirty million yen, truly startled Takasaki Yusuke.
Let alone Takasaki Yusuke, even his parents, who were considered well-off in Tokyo, couldn't come up with that much money without taking out a loan.
"All of this, is it really Saionji Ryuichi's payment to Hoshino-kun?"
"Yes, if you don't believe me, I can call him right now."
"How could he have so much money to give you? He's still our age."
"You still underestimate his family too much."
"But... when I worked for Yamada Tsukasa, he only promised me five million yen, and in the end, the job wasn't completed, so I only got five hundred thousand yen."
"Then Yamada Tsukasa must be too stingy."
Hoshino Jun's light remark hit Takasaki Yusuke right in the heart.
He had already believed it, otherwise, there was no way to explain where Hoshino Jun's money came from.
It couldn't have just fallen from the sky, could it?
But why would these two brothers, who seemed so close, secretly do things to harm each other?
Takasaki Yusuke was very curious, but he didn't press for answers.
Looking at Hoshino Jun's half-smile, Takasaki Yusuke understood that this was probably the kind of zaibatsu game that ordinary people like them couldn't comprehend.
Moreover, it seemed Hoshino Jun was not as simple as he had imagined.
Takasaki Yusuke felt he had misjudged him; perhaps Hoshino Jun truly hadn't held a grudge against him.
But he was definitely not a good person.
Otherwise, why would Yamada Tsukasa insist on not letting Hoshino Jun go?
He decided to test him first.
"So."
"Hoshino-kun, you asked me out this time."
"What do you want me to do for you, and how much will you pay me?"
Back then, Takasaki Yusuke was willing to help Yamada Tsukasa deal with Hoshino Jun for money.
Now, Takasaki Yusuke was still willing to do things for Hoshino Jun for money.
Hoshino Jun saw Takasaki Yusuke's love for money and his desire to climb the social ladder, which was why he sought him out.
Hoshino Jun smiled, his eyes sharp: "Answer me first, has Yamada Tsukasa contacted Takasaki-kun recently?"
After some thought, Takasaki Yusuke said with a hint of melancholy, "I'm not sure if this counts."
Hmm?
He's not even sure if he's been contacted?
Hoshino Jun pressed, "Please elaborate."
Takasaki Yusuke replied, "Yamada Tsukasa did contact me, but it was to borrow money, and only a few tens of thousands of yen, so I thought it might not be Yamada Tsukasa himself, and I ignored it."
Hoshino Jun's lips curled up; this was the news he was waiting for: "Exactly, that's him."
"???"
Huh?
Hearing Hoshino Jun's words, Takasaki Yusuke felt a bit dizzy. Hoshino Jun actually said that the rich President Yamada would really borrow money from him.
How ridiculous.
"Don't disbelieve it."
Hoshino Jun crossed his legs, his expression joyful:
"In the previous struggle, Yamada Tsukasa lost to Saionji Ryuichi and was arrested and taken to the Police station."
"His family also cut off all his funds, so even though Yamada Tsukasa only needs tens of thousands of yen in compensation to be released from the Police station, he is still in the Police station reflecting on his mistakes."
After this discussion, Takasaki Yusuke felt like he was going crazy.
It turned out that what he had experienced was an internal conflict among the children of wealthy families.
And he had been completely oblivious to it all along.
This was truly...
Sigh.
If Hoshino Jun hadn't told him these things today, he would still be completely unaware.
A quiet cafe.
Soothing light music.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up enough.
Hoshino Jun picked up the coffee on the table, swirled it, and took a sip. It was very bitter.
Having tasted the bitterness of coffee, it was time to prepare to let all those who dared to bully Hoshino Jun also taste the bitterness of life.
"Takasaki-kun, I'll be direct with you. There are five million yen, and an opportunity to be introduced to the Saionji Family."
"You just need to help me with a few things, and when they're done, the full amount will be yours."
Takasaki Yusuke was an ambitious person.
Would he accept?
The answer was.
He definitely would.
"I need to receive five hundred thousand yen first."
"No."
"It's a one million yen deposit."
"Regardless of whether I succeed in the tasks Hoshino-kun asks of me, it's absolutely non-refundable."
You little rascal.
What an appetite.
Aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?
He opened his mouth and demanded one million yen, which Hoshino Jun had 'worked so hard' to earn. What a greedy fellow, trying to swallow an elephant with a snake's appetite.
But, you know, you can't catch a wolf without shedding a child.
Hoshino Jun wasn't someone who was reluctant to spend money.
He wasn't afraid of Takasaki Yusuke wanting it; he was afraid of him not wanting it.
"Alright, I agree."
Hoshino Jun didn't hesitate, immediately agreed, and paid Takasaki Yusuke a one million yen advance using Paypay on the spot.
Without even stating the task, Hoshino Jun generously gave him one million. So, how much more would he gain by following Hoshino Jun's superior, Saionji Ryuichi, in the future?
Hear the applause!
Takasaki Yusuke looked at this opponent who had once made him feel jealous.
He still felt that sourness.
He had followed Yamada Tsukasa, toiled tirelessly, and was eventually fired, only to receive five hundred thousand yen.
And Hoshino Jun?
He no longer considered one million yen as money.
Having a heart attack.
With the huge sum of money in hand, Takasaki Yusuke's hands trembled uncontrollably. He was already fantasizing about whether he, too, could one day rise to prominence with the help of Saionji Ryuichi.
His demands weren't high; he didn't ask for anything too outrageous, just to be on equal footing with Hoshino Jun.
"Hoshino-kun."
"No!"
"Yes, Jun-kun."
"Please introduce me to Big Brother Saionji."
Takasaki Yusuke stood up and sincerely bowed to Hoshino Jun in gratitude.
At this moment.
He adopted the posture of a subordinate towards Hoshino Jun.
But Hoshino Jun knew this was only temporary. For a refined egoist like Takasaki Yusuke.
If one day Takasaki Yusuke could reach a higher position than him, then it would be Hoshino Jun bowing to him.
However, it was quite regrettable.
Takasaki Yusuke was destined not to become Hoshino Jun's superior.
All of this was merely a lie woven by Hoshino Jun.
"Takasaki-kun, a toast to our future!"
Although he hadn't heard of anyone toasting with coffee, Takasaki Yusuke didn't hesitate to raise his coffee cup for the sake of rising to prominence.
"Jun-kun, if I may, please call me Yusuke."
"Cheers!"
With that, Takasaki Yusuke drank all the coffee in one gulp.
"Da ~ da ~ da ~"
Light footsteps sounded in their ears, and the second Takasaki Yusuke finished his coffee, a familiar figure suddenly entered their sight.
Slender branches bearing abundant fruit.
Delicious and cooling.
Although her figure was petite and cute, she was curvaceous and well-proportioned, plump in all the right places, with no excess flesh where it shouldn't be.
Especially the two peaks at the tie of her sky-blue sailor uniform stood proudly, enough to outshine most of the 'madams' in this 'Madam Cafe'.
"Oh, Hoshino-kun, what are you doing here?"
The playful white-stockinged girl, Kato Nana, skipped over to Hoshino Jun in her black leather shoes, her tone of voice as if she had suddenly run into Hoshino Jun.
"I'm here, discussing something with Takasaki-kun."
Hoshino Jun narrowed his eyes, his tone friendly.
But Kato Nana, who had 'profoundly' understood Hoshino Jun many times, how could she not hear the emotions in Hoshino Jun's words?
He was angry because she had been explicitly warned, yet she still showed up unexpectedly.
In short.
It meant.
Hoshino-kun might be about to fulfill his previous promise and punish her severely.
However, for Kato Nana, this wasn't too surprising.
After all, Kato Nana had long been prepared to stand against the evil Great Demon King Hoshino for the sake of all the girls in the Tokyo area.
"Hoshino-kun."
"Nana, what a coincidence!"
Just as Kato Nana was about to say something to appease some of Hoshino Jun's anger, Takasaki Yusuke's excited voice echoed in the quiet corner.
As soon as Takasaki Yusuke saw Kato Nana, he became reserved as if he had suffered a stroke, and his normal sitting posture turned into a shy one.
When he spoke, his voice was gentle and soft.
It was a gentleness Hoshino Jun had never heard before.
"Jun-kun and I have become good friends, and we are currently discussing academic problems together. I found several questions very difficult, so I asked Jun-kun to come and discuss them with me."
"As for this Madam Cafe, it's not where I wanted to come; it was all Jun-kun. He prefers this kind of place."
Takasaki Yusuke immediately explained to Kato Nana why he was in this place, fearing that Kato Nana might think he had fallen for someone else.
Then he immediately stood up, gentlemanly pulled out a chair for Kato Nana, and enthusiastically invited her:
"Nana, it's been so long, let's sit together."
There's a saying: a leopard can't change its spots.
A simp can't change his nature of simping for women.
As soon as he saw a woman, he reverted to his 'Boiling Sheep' persona.
Unfortunately, 'Beautiful Sheep' was not in the mood to entertain 'Boiling Sheep-san'. Kato Nana's eyes at this moment only saw Hoshino Jun.
Even though Takasaki Yusuke had thoughtfully pulled out the chair, Kato Nana still dared not sit down without Hoshino Jun's permission.
"Nana."
Seeing Kato Nana unmoved, Takasaki Yusuke's tone carried a hint of pleading.
And what he didn't know was.
The decision-making power at this moment was in Hoshino Jun's hands.
"Thump ~ thump ~ thump ~"
Long fingers tapped on the wooden tabletop. Hoshino Jun tilted his head, leaning on his hand lazily.
"Kato-san, please sit with us. As Takasaki-kun said, it's been a long time since we last met."
"Okay!"
Having received permission, Kato Nana confidently bent her white-stockinged legs beneath her pleated skirt and slowly sat down on the other side of the round table.
However, her gaze never once lingered on Takasaki Yusuke, not even for a moment.
Not at all.
She was thinking, Hoshino-kun just said it had been a long time since they last met.
Yet he had bullied her so unreasonably just yesterday morning.
Hoshino, that big bad guy, was truly forgetful.
"Oh ~!"
Takasaki Yusuke sighed inwardly. In his opinion, his own actions had truly disappointed Nana too much.
"Nana, I remember you like hot milk. Wait a moment, I'll immediately have the waiter bring you some."
"No need, I don't like it, thank you."
Kato Nana refused very directly.
Now, she only drank Hoshino brand milk.
She wouldn't drink any other kind.
"Nana."
Takasaki Yusuke was stunned for a moment. Hoshino Jun was still watching directly opposite, yet Kato Nana gave him no face, clearly showing no desire to acknowledge him at all.
Having made a fool of himself, Takasaki Yusuke smiled awkwardly, then sat down naturally.
However, the next second.
Before Takasaki Yusuke had even settled into his seat, Hoshino Jun suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Yusuke-kun, it's time for you to do your homework now, you know."
"Otherwise, if you accidentally go overtime, it won't be good."
As his voice fell, Hoshino Jun's other hand brazenly rested on Kato Nana's white-stockinged thigh and gave it a squeeze.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this scene.
Takasaki Tamako, hiding in another corner, immediately turned dark.
Kato Nana was her designated daughter-in-law.
Now, she was having her leg touched by an unreasonable fellow.
And, judging by her son Takasaki Yusuke's behavior just now, the owner of that hand should be some senior whom her son respected.
How could such a vulgar, trashy plot from an adult manga appear in her son and daughter-in-law's lives?
Takasaki Tamako had to stop all of this.