My roommate turns out to be the heiress of a triad!

Chapter 137, Section 133: The compensation was to send Sugawara Ryoichi to the Kujo family.

Back home, as soon as Sugawara Ryoichi put down the plastic bag and backpack, his phone started beeping with a series of LINE message notifications.

Two ringing sounds.

With his hands free, Ryoichi Sugawara took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and opened LINE.

The screen lights up, and a new message appears in the notification bar.

He clicked on it and saw that the latest message was from Chinatsu Goto, whom he had just added as a friend.

Her profile picture is a cartoon image of a smiling sun wearing black sunglasses.

The sun's face was orange, its sunglasses were cool black, and its mouth was wide open, revealing a smug smile.

The surrounding area is also painted with rings of golden sunlight radiating outwards, making it look just like the person, full of vitality.

Ryoichi Sugawara smiled slightly and clicked into the chat box.

Two messages.

Article 1: [Thank you for helping me make the decision to get rid of them.]

Second: [Thank you.]

A few seconds later, another message came: "Next time you come to Grandpa's for ramen, I'll ask him to give you a discount."

It was followed by a smiley face emoji.

Looking at those lines of text, Sugawara Ryoichi suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Chinatsu Goto seems carefree and doesn't take anything to heart, but in reality, she knows everything.

She simply doesn't dare to face it, doesn't dare to admit it, and doesn't dare to change it.

Today she finally took that step.

After replying to Chinatsu Goto's message, Ryoichi Sugawara exited the chat interface on his phone.

He held his phone in his hand, leaned against the kitchen stove, and stared at the dim yellow chandelier on the ceiling for a while.

That would be good if it could help her.

Ryoichi Sugawara thought to himself.

For Chinatsu Goto, who made the decision, the coming period may be very difficult.

Strictly speaking, along with these fake friendships, she also severed her habits of dealing with people that she had developed since childhood.

These habits have been with her for over a decade; they can't be changed overnight.

She is now a sophomore in high school.

At this awkward stage, rebuilding relationships with others at school is definitely much more difficult than when you first entered the school.

In the first year of high school, everyone was a newcomer and making friends, so it was normal for people to become close to each other.

But by the time they reach the second year of high school, their social circles are basically set.

Who hangs out with whom, who gets along well with whom, has long been a fixed pairing.

It's very difficult for an outsider to get involved.

Even so, it's still much better than her continuing to give alone, maintaining a fake relationship, becoming physically and mentally exhausted, and ultimately ending up with nothing.

Sugawara Ryoichi sighed silently as he thought about this.

We should probably pay more attention to Chinatsu Goto in the future.

Ryoichi Sugawara made his decision in his mind.

Just as he snapped out of his thoughts about Chinatsu Goto and turned his gaze back to his phone screen, Ryoichi Sugawara suddenly...

Then he discovered something that he wasn't sure if it was serious or not.

On the phone screen, below Chinatsu Goto's message was Mayu Kujo's message, but there was no prominent notification icon for new messages.

In other words, he had already read the message sent by Kujo Mayu.

When did you watch it?

Ryoichi Sugawara's mind raced for a moment.

Just now, when I was exchanging contact information with Chinatsu Goto downstairs, I could only use my left hand to take out my phone because I was holding something in my hand.

I lost my grip and started tapping randomly on the screen.

That was probably when I accidentally clicked into the chat box with Mayu Kujo.

If Kujo Mayu had been holding her phone and waiting for Sugawara Ryoichi to reply, she would have discovered that her message to Sugawara Ryoichi had been marked as read ten minutes earlier.

In other words, the "read but not replied" status has lasted for about ten minutes.

Hiss! Ryoichi Sugawara gasped, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

For some reason, this gave him a strange sense of crisis.

It's as if in a past life I slept until dawn, and when I woke up and checked my phone, I found that a task at work had exceeded the deadline.

That feeling of panic, like "It's all over, it's all over, it's all over," surged from the soles of my feet all the way to the top of my head.

He was just about to open Kujo Mayu's chat interface to check her messages when his phone suddenly rang.

LINE's voice call function.

"Seriously? Just because I read your message and didn't reply within ten minutes, you're going to call me and berate me?"

So this is the kind of person she is?

Ryoichi Sugawara couldn't help but complain.

Can't you even wait a little bit of time?

Besides, I don't have any reason to reply to her message immediately.

A strange stubbornness rose within him.

He deliberately waited a few seconds before answering the phone.

"Hello, this is Sugawara."

He subconsciously made such a corporate slave-like opening remark, leaving the person on the other end of the phone confused.

Is this a high school student?

As Kujo Mao listened to the voice playing on speakerphone from her daughter's phone, she thought to herself.

Ryoichi Sugawara acts like an adult, but speaks like a corporate slave who has been through the tortures of working long hours.

Mayu Kujo felt that Ryoichi Sugawara was talking in a strange way, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"I am Maiyu Kujo."

After the two finished their unnecessary introductions, Kujo Mayu glanced at her mother, Kujo Mao, and asked her one last time if they really wanted to do things the way they had planned.

After receiving her mother's nod of approval, Kujo Mayu took a deep breath and timidly asked Sugawara Ryoichi.

Are you home right now?

Kujo Mayu's voice sounded strained, as if she was holding back something.

"Just got home. Is something the matter?"

Ryoichi Sugawara didn't understand the purpose of Mayu Kujo's words, but he didn't think much of it and simply answered truthfully about his current state.

His gaze fell on the two plastic bags of sukiyaki ingredients on the stove, which were still unopened. He thought he should put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.

"Oh, oh. It's like this." Kujo Mayu's voice trailed off, as if she had a pause.

All I could hear was a faint breathing sound from the other end of the phone, followed by silence.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Sugawara Ryoichi asked.

."

no answer.

There was a rustling sound coming from the other end of the phone, as if someone was talking beside you, but the sound was very soft and you couldn't hear it clearly.

"Hey, give it to me."

Ryoichi Sugawara heard a more mature female voice on the other end of the phone.

But because the distance seemed far and the voice was very soft, he couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

"What?"

He asked another question.

Not knowing how to broach the subject, Kujo Mayu simply handed her phone to her mother, Kujo Mao, blushing and hiding away to the side.

After taking the phone, Kujo Mao calmly began to speak.

"Ryoichi Sugawara, I am Mao Kujo."

Suddenly, a clear and cold voice came from the other end of the phone, startling Sugawara Ryoichi so much that he almost dropped the phone.

"Mrs. Mao, what brings you here?"

His voice rose a half-tone, tinged with a hint of panic.

He instinctively straightened up, as if he had been called on by a teacher to answer a question.

"Were you startled?"

Kujo Mao's voice carried a faint smile, as if she was enjoying his reaction.

"Yes, yes."

Ryoichi Sugawara directly admitted his feelings.

He was genuinely startled.

He never imagined that Kujo Mao would take the initiative to contact him.

After all, their only connection was her daughter, Mayu Kujo.

Moreover, ever since that night when Mayu Kujo went back with her, as long as Mao Kujo didn't think about causing trouble for Ryoichi Sugawara, the two of them would normally not have any further contact.

So why is Kujo Mao taking the initiative to contact me now?

Unable to guess, Sugawara Ryoichi could only continue talking to the other party.

"It's okay."

Kujo Mao's voice came from the other end of the phone, her tone calm, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

"You are my daughter's classmate."

If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the only classmate who knows about our family background.

Can I think of it this way?

Her tone was flat and emotionless, leaving Sugawara Ryoichi unable to guess the meaning behind her words.

This is the inconvenience of telephone communication; you can't guess the other party's true intentions from their facial expressions and micro-expressions.

If they are face to face, he can also judge the other person's attitude from their eyes, the corners of their mouth, their fingers, or other subtle movements.

But over the phone, he could only hear the voice.

However, Sugawara Ryoichi couldn't hear anything in Kujo Mao's voice.

On the surface, her statement seemed to be asking herself whether she had publicized her family's yakuza background.

Is he the only one who knows?

Have you told anyone? Have you talked about it at school?

But why ask now?

It's been almost a full week since that night.

Isn't it a bit too late?

Ryoichi Sugawara held his phone, his mind racing.

Unable to ascertain Kujo Mao's true intentions, Sugawara Ryoichi, with a heart full of unease, was just about to truthfully reveal the actual situation.

But then I thought about it again.

Why am I so afraid of Kujo Mao?

Is it just because the other party has a yakuza background?

But this is a 21st-century society governed by the rule of law, so why should I be afraid of her?

The respectful reply that Sugawara Ryoichi had originally planned was disrupted.

Instead, a string of words, neither humble nor arrogant, that also require careful consideration, were presented.

"I am extremely discreet. I will never utter a word that I shouldn't say."

"Um."

Kujo Mao responded with a sound of agreement, but it was impossible to tell whether she was satisfied or not.

What happened?

After thinking for so long before answering, all she replied with was a simple "Hmm"?

What exactly did she mean by asking that question?

Are you relieved now that you've received a positive answer?

Ryoichi Sugawara stood in the kitchen, holding his phone.

The food in the plastic bag was waiting for him to put it in the refrigerator, but he couldn't care less about that now.

His entire attention was focused on his ears, on every subtle sound coming from the other end of the phone.

"Sugawara-kun".

Kujo Mao spoke again.

"Yes."

"I heard from Mayu that you're the top student in your grade at school, right?"

Ryoichi Sugawara's heart skipped a beat.

Why bring this up all of a sudden?

Does this have anything to do with whether or not I have revealed that her family has yakuza connections?

"Just lucky."

Ryoichi Sugawara replied with his usual response whenever a classmate brought up the matter.

Clearly, Kujo Mao wouldn't buy into it like his classmates.

"But as far as I know, you were consistently ranked first in your grade back in your hometown of Okayama."

"If you're a genius, just admit it. Being overly humble can make people dislike you."

?

Sugawara Ryoichi was taken aback.

He thought he had misheard.

Why did Kujo Mao know about her time in Okayama?

Why praise yourself as a genius?

Because of the lack of information, Sugawara Ryoichi couldn't figure out the real purpose behind Kujo Mao's call using her daughter Kujo Mayu's phone to talk about these things.

I thought about it for a moment.

Given his own achievements in Okayama, and considering his close relationship with Kuroda, a board member of Kitasakano High School, obtaining relevant information was not difficult for Mao Kujo.

so.

Is it just to praise oneself?

"what?"

He uttered a single syllable, with a sense of confusion as if to say, "I don't understand."

At this point, Kujo Mao suddenly realized that there was a big problem with her tone and manner of speaking.

This is the tone she usually uses when speaking to her employees and partners.

The opening remarks will carry a subtle sense of aggression and a condescending attitude, in order to suppress the other party.

Strictly speaking...

I'm currently in a situation where I need something from you, so I shouldn't be talking to Sugawara Ryoichi in this way.

Thinking this, Kujo Mao immediately adopted a gentler tone.

That's right.

She continued.

"I heard from Mayu that your class teacher, Hirotaka Hasegawa, asked you to tutor Mayu."

"And Mayu's father also told me that he asked you about Mayu's academic performance, right?"

The sudden change in tone left Sugawara Ryoichi somewhat bewildered.

But what Kujo Mao said is all true.

"Yes."

Ryoichi Sugawara gave a straightforward answer.

"This afternoon I took up your time tutoring our Moyou students."

To be honest, I feel a little guilty and I'm thinking about how to make it up to you.

Upon hearing this, Sugawara Ryoichi, who had been on tenterhooks, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I see."

When you said those things at the beginning, I thought you had suddenly relaxed and almost said something you shouldn't have.

Fortunately, the car was stopped at the last moment.

However, Kujo Mao is neither stupid nor dull.

She naturally knew what Sugawara Ryoichi was about to say.

"You thought I was here to cause you trouble, didn't you?"

Although she guessed what he was going to say, Sugawara Ryoichi was not nervous at all.

Because you could tell from the voice on the other end of the phone that Kujo Mao said this with a smile.

"Haha, to be honest, that's really what I think."

Having reached this point, Sugawara Ryoichi no longer needed to hide anything.

In short, sincerity is the greatest weapon.

Then, Ryoichi Sugawara continued.

Let's talk about the "compensation" you mentioned.

How would you like to compensate me?

When it comes to compensation, Sugawara Ryoichi's first thought is economic compensation.

He used to be a regular working man.

For working people, compensation is definitely economic compensation.

But how could the "compensation" that Kujo Mao spoke of be as simple as Sugawara Ryoichi thought?

After a few soft laughs, the person on the other end of the phone spoke.

"Of course, no problem."

Since I've taken up your time tutoring Moyou, I should naturally compensate you accordingly.

Judging by the time, Yuriko Ogiso should already be downstairs at your building.

"Come to my house in her car later. We can talk about the rest after we meet."

?