The two of them passed each other in the hallway.
Actually, for a moment, Fujiwara Shunsui wanted to stop Mrs. Miyashun and ask her something.
After all, he had indeed vaguely heard the sound of things being thrown in the next room last night.
But Mrs. Miyashun's reaction upon seeing him today was a bit too abnormal.
Fujiwara Shunsui didn't feel comfortable asking too many questions.
After all, one should maintain distance from married women.
However, another question arose in his mind:
"Didn't I just waive her rent? Why does she look at me like I'm a plague god now?"
The two of them just brushed past each other.
But when Fujiwara Shunsui passed by Mrs. Miyashun's doorway, he realized that their door wasn't closed.
A man about 175cm tall was leaning against the doorframe.
With square, gold-rimmed glasses and the standard office worker attire, Harumizu recognized him at a glance.
He was Mrs. Miyashun's husband—Takahashi Kazuma.
Although the two had never directly spoken, they were neighbors.
They often saw each other, so they had met before.
Unlike usual, he would always greet Harumizu symbolically before.
But this time, as Fujiwara Shunsui passed by their door, he distinctly felt that the atmosphere was off.
It was still daytime, and Takahashi Kazuma was leaning by the door, presumably seeing Mrs. Miyashun off.
He was holding a bottle of shochu in his right hand, and in this brief "encounter," he had already taken two sips.
The smell of alcohol already permeated the entire hallway.
Unlike Mrs. Miyashun, Takahashi Kazuma's gaze was fixed on Fujiwara Shunsui.
Fujiwara Shunsui didn't know what was wrong with this man.
Normal people wouldn't stare at others so intently.
Let alone stare at a big guy like Harumizu.
Harumizu was also not polite.
He stood directly at Mrs. Miyashun's doorway and asked, lowering his head, "Mr. Takahashi, is there something wrong?"
"Are you provoking me?"
Immense pressure washed over him.
With just one sentence, Takahashi Kazuma seemed to sober up halfway.
He first bowed, then looked up and replied, "Fujiwara-kun, I'm feeling a bit irritable today and drank a few too many. I didn't mean to provoke you."
"I hope you don't mind."
But the colder his eyes were, the more sincere his apology was now.
It must be said that the Japanese people's speed in "kneeling to apologize" is truly world-class.
Hearing the other party's sincere attitude, Harumizu didn't say much.
Instead, he patted Takahashi Kazuma's shoulder:
"Your wife has a very difficult time. The rent matter is suspended for now. I hope you two can overcome this difficulty together."
After speaking, Fujiwara Shunsui walked towards his apartment.
Although it was just two light pats, Harumizu's words struck Takahashi Kazuma's heart deeply.
It was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Upon arriving home, Fujiwara Shunsui suddenly received a system prompt.
Perhaps he hadn't noticed it earlier, maybe he was too focused on pressuring Takahashi Kazuma.
[system prompt]
[Miya Harukiko, who was full of grievances, met the Host in the hallway. The anxious Miya Harukiko chose to avoid the Host and hide her thoughts, but deep down, she hoped for the Host's concern.]
[She eventually saw the Host walk past her indifferently, and instantly felt a sense of loss.]
[Favorability -1]
[Miya Harukiko Favorability: 29/100]
This system prompt left Fujiwara Shunsui momentarily speechless.
"No way, System! Can't you see this?"
"I originally wanted to say hello to her! She ran away with her head down as if she saw a plague god!"
"Can this also be blamed on me for ignoring her and not caring about her?"
"And, her husband was standing at the door. If I had spoken to her then, and her husband saw it, what would he think?"
Fujiwara Shunsui complained freely at home.
He wanted a response from the System, and even wanted to personally ask Mrs. Miyashun what she thought.
"Didn't I tell you, if you have a problem, find the landlord!"
"The landlord has you in his heart, and you hang the landlord out to dry online?"
"Aren't you just letting this System laugh at me!"
"You hide from me when I walk past you; then you complain that I don't actively care about you!"
"Where in the world is such logic!"
Pacing back and forth at home, Fujiwara Shunsui looked like a clown at this moment.
What Fujiwara Shunsui didn't understand was that married women's hearts needed more care.
They needed indirect concern, and even repeated probing from you.
Only then could you open the door to their hearts... Next door,
Mrs. Miyashun was tidying up in the kitchen.
Today, she had uncharacteristically changed into a loose-fitting pajama set, paired with gray yoga pants.
But even so, it was difficult to conceal Mrs. Miyashun's impressive physique.
Takahashi Kazuma was sprawled on the sofa.
Several empty liquor bottles were on the table, already drained.
He hiccuped and asked indistinctly, "Was it the landlord who fixed your bathroom that night?"
The sound of running water in the kitchen was loud, and Takahashi Kazuma's state was not good at the moment.
One might have thought he was talking nonsense.
"Bastard! I'm asking you a question!"
Takahashi Kazuma picked up a liquor bottle and threw it in Miya Harukiko's direction.
With a "clatter," fragments of the bottle scattered across the floor.
But Miya Harukiko chose not to respond to Takahashi Kazuma.
Immediately after, a second, third, and fourth bottle shattered consecutively in the house.
"Bastard!"
"Bastard!"
"Bastard!"
"Why aren't you answering me!"
Accompanying the sound of breaking bottles were Takahashi Kazuma's constantly escalating shouts!
Miya Harukiko still didn't respond to Takahashi Kazuma.
Instead, after tidying up the kitchen utensils in the dining area, she walked to the side and picked up tools to start cleaning up the scattered glass shards.
At this moment, Harumizu was lying on his bed.
Because he heard the sounds from last night, he could only recreate the scene, choosing the same position as last night.
The more he listened, the more something felt off. The more he listened, the more something felt off.
Why was there only the sound of things being smashed next door, but no sounds of arguments?
And there was another problem:
He only heard a few scattered words from Takahashi Kazuma.
But Mrs. Miyashun didn't seem to respond, nor did she scream!
At this moment, Fujiwara Shunsui fell into a brief internal struggle:
"This doesn't seem like domestic violence; it's more like Takahashi's impotent rage."
...Accompanied by the breaking bottles and Takahashi Kazuma's roars, Mrs. Miyashun seemed to have long grown accustomed to it.
"Why aren't you willing to agree to our section chief for my sake!"
"Why!"
"Recently, our performance hasn't met the target either. Why is nothing going the way I envisioned!"
"A landlord with an Association/Club background, you brought him home late at night. Do you even care about me at all!"
After saying that, Takahashi Kazuma began to sob softly.
"I truly love you."
"Kiko, I want to give you the best life."
"I want you to live like the section chief's wife and them."
"Drinking coffee and getting beauty treatments every day."
"I want you to be happy!"
"Please don't leave me, okay?"
"Please..."
Takahashi Kazuma's soft sobs were accompanied by his repentance.
He almost crawled to Miya Harukiko's side, tightly hugging her legs, afraid that she would leave him.
Miya Harukiko looked down at the man, who was tear-streaked and reeked of alcohol.
She didn't know what had destroyed this man's pride.
Why had their relationship come to this point?
After a long silence, Miya Harukiko looked at Takahashi Kazuma by her leg, as if she had made a certain decision in her heart.
She lowered her head and softly said, "How about calling your section chief over for dinner sometime?"
"I don't want to go out."
Takahashi Kazuma, who had been whimpering and sobbing, seemed to have heard something profound, looking at Miya Harukiko with a surprised expression.
He looked up, wanting to confirm what his ears had heard, but all he saw was Miya Harukiko's beautiful face, which was like a stagnant pool, devoid of any expression.
Instead, a flicker of ecstasy crossed Takahashi Kazuma's face.
He quickly stood up and took the cleaning tools from Miya Harukiko's hand.
"Don't worry, Kiko, as long as I get promoted to manager this time, our lives will definitely get better and better."
"I promise I'll never drink again!"
"After I become manager, I will definitely save money to buy a house of our own."
"Don't worry about the rent. I won't let you be embarrassed in front of the landlord!"
After Takahashi Kazuma simply cleaned up the debris, he excitedly bid farewell to Miya Harukiko and left the house.
Only Miya Harukiko remained, sitting quietly on the sofa.
She was lost in thought... Fujiwara Shunsui originally wanted to stage a hero saving the beauty scene, but the next door seemed to have returned to its usual calm.
[Task Prompt]
[Mrs. Miyashun seems to have made a certain decision. Host, please increase her favorability as soon as possible, open Mrs. Miyashun's heart, and save Mrs. Miyashun.]
[Otherwise, there is a risk of task failure]
Now Fujiwara Shunsui only hoped that Mrs. Miyashun would behave for a couple of days.
After all, he needed to prioritize the matters of the Nagasawa Family.
Moreover, the reward for Mrs. Miyashun's task was too low.
He had done so many things, and hadn't crossed any lines, and even increased their intimacy, but there were no rewards.
There would only be a few free attribute points after the task was successfully completed.
Compared to Nissho Taro, it was simply too far off... The next morning at ten o'clock,
Fujiwara Shunsui specifically chose an earlier time to wake up.
Today, he needed to exercise beforehand to adjust his state.
Two hours later, looking at his sweating reflection in the mirror, Fujiwara Shunsui was very satisfied.
After a hearty meal, Fujiwara Shunsui chose to continue resting.
At 3:30 PM, Fujiwara Shunsui received a text message from Kojou Yuna.
Kojou Yuna: ["It's still not too late to let the Association/Club intervene now."]
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Those who offend Risho, though far away, shall be punished! (*╹▽╹*)"]
Kojou Yuna: ["You're really sick!"]
Relying on his memories from his previous life, Fujiwara Shunsui typed out a cute emoji when replying to Kojou Yuna's text message.
As for how cute it was, after sending the text message, Fujiwara Shunsui nodded with satisfaction... 8 PM,
Higashikawa Club.
Location: A villa area in the suburbs of Shinjuku.
Calling it a club, it was actually a bathhouse that combined eating, drinking, and entertainment.
And the people who came here to consume were either rich or noble.
Because Higashikawa Club operated on a membership system, it only welcomed members and their invited friends.
So, at this moment, Fujiwara Shunsui stood foolishly outside the club's entrance.
"Sir, I'm sorry, we do not admit non-members!"
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["I can't get in."]
Kojou Yuna: ["Are there too many people? Don't get into a direct conflict. I'll notify the Association/Club right away."]
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["I don't have a membership card, they won't let me in. QAQ"]
Kojou Yuna: ["..."]
Three minutes later, three men appeared at the entrance of Higashikawa Club. Two of them were wearing suits and clearly bodyguards.
Harumizu had an impression of the man in the middle.
He had probably seen him once at an Association/Club gathering before, but he couldn't recall his name.
"Mr. Fujiwara, please come with us."
Facing the people of the Nagasawa Family, Fujiwara Shunsui naturally maintained a serious demeanor.
A chilling aura emanated from him.
Who would have thought that such a man would still be using emojis when texting his ex-girlfriend in private?
After following the three through the lobby, Fujiwara Shunsui followed them into the elevator.
Third floor.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Fujiwara Shunsui was still shocked by the scene before him.
The hallway on both sides was densely packed with people, all glaring fiercely at him.
But Fujiwara Shunsui had, after all, climbed his way up from the bottom, so such a scene only shocked him temporarily.
The leader led Harumizu into an office.
There were about seven or eight people sitting in the room, and Fujiwara Shunsui didn't know any of them.
However, Harumizu accurately judged that the seats opposite them were probably reserved for him.
Harumizu plopped down, and with a slightly relaxed, teasing tone, he asked, "You Nagasawa Family have prepared so many people. Are you planning to go to war with our Association/Club?"
"Bastard!"
"Hey! What are you kidding about!"
The person in the main seat hadn't even spoken yet, but the two standing behind him were the first to lash out!
The other people in the room all leaned forward, as if they could pounce at any moment.
The man in the middle first waved his hand, then stood up and extended his right hand to Fujiwara Shunsui:
"Fujiwara-kun, I am Nagasawa Kawa."
Fujiwara Shunsui also politely stood up and extended his right hand, "Hello, Nagasawa-kun."
The two sat down.
The room fell silent, and no one spoke first.
Instead, Fujiwara Shunsui's phone notification broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Ding~"
Kojou Yuna: ["Didn't get cut, did you?"]
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["You underestimate me. It's just a bit quiet."]
After sending the text message, Fujiwara Shunsui was the first to break the atmosphere between them.
"What exactly do you want to discuss now, Mr. Nagasawa?"
Nagasawa Kawa, forty-five years old, was an absolute power figure in the current Nagasawa Family.
He was also the legitimate son of the current Nagasawa clan head.
If nothing unexpected happened, the next clan head would be Nagasawa Kawa.
And Nagasawa Kyuichi was his only son.
"Mr. Fujiwara, we are well aware of your position in the Sankou-gumi, but this is Shinjuku."
"No matter what Nagasawa Kyuichi did, it shouldn't have resulted in him being beaten to that state."
Hearing the other party bring up the Association/Club, Fujiwara Shunsui quickly waved his hand to stop his speech.
"First, I do not represent the Sankou-gumi in this meeting; I represent myself."
"Second, whether you know it or not, Nissho Taro is also a member of our Sankou-gumi."
"Finally, your bastard young master was showing off on my territory, and I intervened simply to maintain the normal order of the entertainment industry under the Sankou-gumi."
"Although the Nagasawa Family has always had considerable influence in Shinjuku, some rules of the Sankou-gumi must still be followed in our territory."
Fujiwara Shunsui responded to Nagasawa Kawa's statement unhurriedly, without showing any particular attitude.
Instead, Nagasawa Kawa's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, with only one thought in his mind:
"Who told me that Fujiwara Shunsui was a warrior?!"