Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Hey, Suzumiya Momiji!" The male manager looked at her in confusion and tried to reach out to stop her.

A moment later, he could only change his expression in a flash, forcing a smile as he said to the customer, "I'm so sorry, we'll get you another girl right away!"

After finishing his day's work, Makoto Kyushu left the hostess bar.

He returned to his cramped rented room and threw his schoolbag against the wall.

Kyushu Makoto has a good habit of saving money and doesn't squander it on unnecessary things. With his current savings, he can easily buy a better rental apartment.

However, this rental room, converted from a rooftop storage room, was passable, at least much better than the university dormitory he lived in in his previous life.

He wanted to save as much unnecessary expense as possible as start-up capital for becoming a martial artist and opening a martial arts school after graduation.

Kyushu Makoto changed out of his school uniform and prepared to go downstairs to the public bathhouse to wash up and go to bed.

Just then, his phone rang, and the caller ID showed "Suzumiya Momiji".

When Kyushu Makoto answered the phone, a middle-aged man's voice came from the other end:

[Hello, is your name Chuncheon?]

"Who are you...?" Kyushu Makoto frowned.

[I'm the manager of Shec Bar in Kamurocho. A girl got drunk and passed out at our bar. I saw that your number is saved in her phone's notes, so I was wondering if you could take her home?]

Makoto Kyushu walked to the bar and, as expected, found Momiji-nee sitting at the bar, completely drunk and unconscious.

A bald middle-aged man was wiping cups with a helpless expression; he must be the manager of the store.

"Hey, you're Chunchuan?" The bald shop manager looked at Kyushu Makoto with some wariness. "I thought it was her boyfriend. You look like a high school student, don't you?"

"We're just ordinary friends." Kyushu Makoto put his arm around Momiji's shoulder and sighed.

“I’ll remind her to drink less next time. I’m not so free that I can take a drunkard home every day.”

After staring at the two of them for a while, the bald man reminded them with concern:

"Kid, don't get involved with these bar hostesses, and don't open your heart to them, understand?"

Although they aren't as ruthless as prostitutes, they might still target you one day and try to empty your wallet.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to be scammed by her~" Kyushu Makoto chuckled and replied, "But thank you for reminding me."

If you think about it carefully, Suzumiya Momiji really didn't earn a single penny from him; on the contrary, she treated him to several meals.

"Don't blame me if you get into trouble," the bald man said, shaking his head as he watched the two leave. He then turned the sign on the door to "off."

After dropping Suzumiya Momiji off at the apartment door once again, Kyushu Makoto intended to leave her there and go.

However, her condition was even worse than last time; she couldn't even open her eyelids, let alone use her key to open the door.

Left with no other option, Makoto Kyushu rummaged through her handbag and finally found the apartment key.

"Click—" The key was turned and the door to the rented room opened.

Kyushu Makoto helped the unconscious girl into the entrance hall, then turned on the light and found the bedroom.

Compared to Etori Shionori, Suzumiya Momiji's room could only be described as a doghouse. Beverage bottles, cans, and crumpled paper were scattered everywhere, the sink was piled high with pots, pans, and leftover instant noodles, and there was a slight musty smell.

Kyushu Makoto pinched his nose and tossed her onto the bed in the bedroom, poured her a glass of water, and then wrote a note and placed it underneath:

Chuncheon brought you home; tidy up your place when you have time.

Kyushu Makoto is a bit of a clean freak and is very particular about the tidiness of his room, but he would never help a slovenly person clean their room.

Even if a messy person has their room tidied up once, they'll quickly make a mess of it again. So such help is pointless; it's better to just let the house remain messy.

Perhaps because she was very drunk, Suzumiya Momiji was restless on the bed. She rolled off the bed and hit her head on the floor with a thud.

"Ah, it hurts!"

She cried out in pain, clutched her head, and got up.

The pain probably brought her back to her senses a little. She opened her eyes groggily and saw someone standing at the door of the room.

"Ahhh! Who are you? How did you get in?!"

Because the room was dark, she could only vaguely see a figure, and she was immediately terrified, scrambling to the wall.

"I am Chunchuan." Kyushu Makoto had no choice but to turn on the light and explain in a teasing tone:

"You got drunk at the bar, and the bar owner asked me to take you home."

"Hmm," the pale yellow light made Suzumiya Momiji shield her eyes with her arm.

"It was Chun Chuan who took me home. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"What's wrong with you today? Why did you suddenly go out drinking all by yourself?" Kyushu Makoto crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Although I have no right to pry into your privacy, you should at least tell me what happened, considering I took you home drunk twice for free?"

"What does 'Koharukawa' refer to?" Suzumiya Momiji looked bewildered.

"It's about the 300,000 you borrowed from me before," Kyushu Makoto reminded him. "Do you owe money? Is it loan sharking or something else?"

Upon hearing this, Suzumiya Momiji reached out and touched her forehead, while also smoothing her hair back.

"Xiao Chunchuan...this has nothing to do with you," she said awkwardly, changing the subject.

"Thank you for today. I'll treat you to dinner next time."

"This isn't about treating him to a meal." Kyushu Makoto frowned, pressing the question with some urgency:

"We should be friends, right? If you're willing to talk to me, I'll help you figure out a solution."

Hearing this, Suzumiya Momiji fell silent.

After a moment, she smiled somewhat sarcastically and shook her head, saying:

"Little Chunchuan, don't think so highly of yourself, trying to manage everything..."

"I owe five million in debt, and I have to pay 500,000 every month, including principal and interest... Can you help me come up with that much money?"

99. Childhood Shadows

"Five million?" Kyushu Makoto was shocked and quickly asked:

"Why do you owe so much debt?!"

Although Makoto Kyushu really wanted to help his friend, he first needed to figure out why the other party owed money.

If the other party owes money due to unavoidable reasons—such as a family member being seriously ill or being scammed—Jiuzhou Cheng will help within its capacity, even if it cannot afford to pay.

But if the other party is addicted to incurable "hobbies" like gambling, prostitution, or drugs, then she deserves it, and the greatest good that Kyushu Cheng can do is to call the police on her immediately.

"I already told you, it has nothing to do with you anymore," Suzumiya Kame shook her head and began anxiously pulling at her hair.

"I shouldn't have told you in the first place; this kind of thing is beyond Koharukawa's capabilities."

"Don't say it's outside my purview." Kyushu Makoto stared intently at her. "Tell me the reason for your debt first. What if I have the ability to help you?"

Upon hearing this, Suzumiya Momiji sighed softly and said in a low voice:

"Hey, why do you men always like to talk to yourselves?"

"As soon as a woman acts in a way that you like, you'll swarm around her like bees, doing things you think are good for her without any regard for her feelings."

"Chuncheon, you too. You probably look down on a hostess like me deep down, right? It's just because my face suits your taste, I dress up nicely, and I can play the role of a caring older sister, and I'm of a lower social status than you, that you feel it's prestigious to be friends with me, right?"

As she spoke, Suzumiya Momiji's tone gradually turned cold and resentful, like a nagging, irritable woman. Her tone and words were very agitated, completely unlike the optimistic and cheerful older sister she usually was.

Or rather, her usual "big sister" image is more like her professional persona, a facade she creates to be popular at work and in social situations.

"..." Kyushu Makoto frowned, knowing that normal communication was no longer possible.

"Fine, say what you want." Kyushu Makoto shook his head, turned, and left the room.

"I have class tomorrow, so I'm going back now. You should drink less alcohol in the future; it's bad for your health."

"Stop nagging. I told you not to pretend to care about me." Ryouko Momiji muttered to his back.

Soon, the sound of the door closing came from the entrance hall, indicating that Makoto Kyushu had probably left.

Ryouko lowered her eyes, staring dejectedly at the dirty floor.

"You nosy brat. Focus on getting into your prestigious university, and stop worrying about a hostess like me."

She sighed, picked up the note written by Kyushu Makoto, tore it to shreds, and her breathing became heavy.

A month before she met Makoto Kyushu, Suzumiya Kame had already lost all hope.

她从小就住在一个可悲的家庭里：父亲是个爱赌马的酒鬼，动辄就对母女两人进行拳脚打骂；母亲又是那种性子柔弱的传统女性，就算被揍得满脸红肿淤青也只会抱着女儿哭，第二天被人问起还要撒谎说是自己不小心摔倒了，帮着丈夫说好话。

This environment forged a rebellious spirit in her. She started hanging out with delinquent students in high school and eventually dropped out, which was to be expected.

So she severed ties with her family and went to Tokyo alone. She worked as a waitress and a coffee shop maid, and was eventually spotted by a hostess club in Kamurocho and became a hostess.

Until more than three months ago, she received a phone call:

Your gambling-addicted father owes our money lender a lot of money; the debt, including principal and interest, has now reached five million!

"What's it to me! Go find him!" Suzumiya Momiji naturally retorted without hesitation.

"Why don't you just sink him into Tokyo Bay? Isn't that what the yakuza like to do?"

But what the other party responded to next sent chills down her spine: