Tokyo: After years of stagnation, the heiress of the yakuza arrives.

The lights were on in the room.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki leaned against the headboard, with soft pillows behind her. Her long dress reached her knees, her legs were slightly bent, and her ankles looked very white under the light. She was as quiet as a painting separated by the night.

She was holding a book.

The page was stuck in the middle, but hadn't been turned in a long time.

The room was arranged very neatly, with bookshelves, desks, and bedside tables, everything placed in the most suitable position, even the distance between the water glass and the pen seemed to have been measured by some kind of calm rule.

This doesn't look like a room a young girl might casually live in.

It's more like a small world completely controlled by its owner.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them. Her expression remained unchanged, and she showed no further reaction even after rejecting Miyazaki Ritsuko.

There was a moment of silence outside the door.

Then, Ritsuko Miyazaki's voice rang out again.

"Xiao Qing".

Kiyoshi Miyazaki did not answer.

Ritsuko Miyazaki seemed to know that she wouldn't answer immediately, so she softened her tone.

"Xiao Gao hasn't come to our house in a long time. She just said she wanted to see you. Why don't you come out and say hello? It would be more polite."

The room remained quiet.

Ritsuko Miyazaki stood outside the door, holding a glass of warm water in her hand, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

She knew her reason was weak.

But we have to give it a try.

She even deliberately changed direction.

It wasn't that Mom wanted to go in.

It's not that Mom wants to talk to you.

Instead, when guests arrive, you should greet them politely.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki has always valued rules since he was a child.

If we put things within the rules, maybe we can get her to open the door.

Ritsuko Miyazaki took a light breath and continued, "You also liked Kodaka a lot when you were little. When she came to our house, you would sit next to her and listen to her talk."

The words fell.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi's voice finally came from inside the room.

"That's not true."

Miyazaki Ritsuko paused.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi's voice was calm, coming through the door panel; it was devoid of warmth or blame, simply stating a fact.

"I never liked anyone when I was a child, nor was I close to Shimotsuki Takari."

Ritsuko Miyazaki's fingers tightened slightly.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki continued, "When she was three years and seven months old, she came to the Miyazaki family for the first time. She was wearing a light gray coat. You were standing on the right side of the living room at the time, and you were thinking that she looked younger than the last time. No wonder Kaoru was always dominated by her."

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "..."

"That day she handed me a piece of candy, and you told me to accept it because you thought it would be awkward if I refused."

Ritsuko Miyazaki's expression changed little by little.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi turned a page of the book, his voice still flat.

"I took it, but I didn't eat it because the edge of the candy's outer packaging was slightly wrinkled, as if it had been in my bag for too long. Also, when Shimotsuki Takari handed me the candy, her attention wasn't on me, but on you."

Ritsuko Miyazaki stood at the doorway, remaining silent for a moment.

She remembered this.

But I only have a vague impression.

At that time, Miyazaki Kiyoshi was very young, so young that most children wouldn't even have such clear continuous memories, let alone be able to recall the thoughts that flashed through her mind at that time.

Inside the room, Miyazaki Kiyoshi continued, "When I was four years old, Shimotsuki Takari came for the second time. You said I was in a good mood today, so I must like her very much."

Ritsuko Miyazaki felt a tightness in her throat.

"But that day I only didn't refuse the meeting you arranged because there were no carrots in my breakfast."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi said calmly, "You were thinking that Kiyoshi seemed a little better behaved than usual today, so maybe you could take this opportunity to let her spend more time with Kogao."

Ritsuko Miyazaki's hand holding the water glass finally trembled almost imperceptibly.

The surface of the water in the cup trembled slightly.

She suddenly realized.

What Shuangyue Gaoli said was probably more accurate than she had imagined.

Xiaoqing isn't unable to remember.

She remembers everything.

They even remember it too clearly.

She just never brings it up.

Miyazaki Kiyohiro wrote the letter.

"What you just said was made up on the spot."

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "..."

"You want me to open the door."

Miyazaki Kiyomichi, "Because Shimotsuki Takari just talked to you about my condition, you started to worry that I would lock myself in my room, and you also started to try to influence my behavior with reasons such as rules, politeness, and old relationships."

Ritsuko Miyazaki's expression changed completely.

Standing outside the door, she suddenly felt a strange sensation of being completely dissected by her daughter.

It wasn't an argument.

It's not a blame.

Rather, it was all the little thoughts she hid beneath her gentle tone that Miyazaki Kiyoshi peeled back layer by layer and laid bare under the light.

Soft footsteps could be heard in the room.

Ritsuko Miyazaki looked up.

The next second, the door lock clicked softly.

The door opened.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki stood inside the door.

She changed out of her daytime uniform, and the long dress she wore made her less aloof and sharp at school, and more quiet and gentle, with her long hair falling over her shoulders, but her eyes were still clear and almost transparent.

Ritsuko Miyazaki paused for a moment.

She was prepared to be rejected again.

But the door actually opened.

At that moment, Ritsuko Miyazaki felt a strange, inappropriate surge of emotion.

really.

Xiaoqing still cares about her mother.

Even if she says no, even if she exposes all her reasons, she is still willing to open the door in the end.

Ritsuko Miyazaki's eyes welled up slightly.

"Xiao Qing..."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi glanced down.

To be precise, what I was looking at was the water glass in Ritsuko Miyazaki's hand.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi reached out and took the glass of warm water.

The movements were natural, steady, and without the slightest hesitation.

Ritsuko Miyazaki hadn't reacted yet.

boom.

The door closed.

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "???"

It was quiet outside the door.

Ritsuko Miyazaki's hand, which was holding the water, was still suspended in mid-air.

Miyazaki Sei's calm voice came from inside the room.

"The water has been taken."

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "..."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi continued, "We can go now."

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "???"

She stood at the doorway, completely silent.

No.

Wasn't the door opened because of Mom?

Is it because of the water?

She looked down at her empty hands, then at the closed door, and suddenly felt that the little bit of emotion she had just felt was completely unnecessary.

A few seconds later, Ritsuko Miyazaki took a deep breath.

"Xiao Qing".

There was no response from inside the room.

Ritsuko Miyazaki hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not continue knocking.

She turned and went downstairs, her expression complex.

There was shock.

There is a sense of helplessness.

There's also a lingering sense of bewilderment after her daughter precisely took her water cup. Has the relationship between the mother and daughter deteriorated to this extent?

Indeed, this matter should be left to professionals.

Because of Miyazaki Kiyoshi's actions, Miyazaki Ritsuko's determination to ask Kuroba Shido for help has been strengthened. No matter how high the price is, as long as Kuroba Shido is willing to cooperate, she is willing to give it her all, with the Miyazaki family and her maternal family doing their utmost!

……

at the same time.

In the hallway of Amamiya Kaoru's apartment building.

The elevator doors opened with a ding.

Amamiya Kaoru stepped out of the elevator, carrying shopping bags in one hand and holding Shimotsuki Airi's hand in the other. Several supermarket plastic bags were hanging behind her, and she looked like she had just been beaten up by life and the evening rush hour.

Shimotsuki Airi was also carrying a small bag.

The bag contained milk, bread, and several boxes of children's snacks.

Her expression was calm.

But his cheeks were still puffed out.

Clearly, she hasn't fully forgiven Xiao Gao for seemingly forgetting to pick someone up.

Amamiya Kaoru sighed.

"Ellie, come to my house and have something to eat first. Get some rest early tonight."

Shimotsuki Airi nodded.

"Um."

As soon as the two turned the corner of the corridor, they heard a familiar voice coming from ahead.

Say it again.

Amamiya Kaoru paused in her steps.

Shimotsuki Airi also looked up.

At the end of the corridor, Kuroba Shido stood at her door, leaning on his cane. His schoolbag was beside him, and something inside seemed to be rustling.

The smart lock on the door was glowing blue.

[Warning: Historically high-risk individuals detected.]

Kuroba Shido remained expressionless, while the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King gave a sinister sneer, "You'll see if I even acknowledge you!"

The target has multiple records of abnormal stays.

"I am legally waiting for the residents to return home."

The target was carrying multiple unidentified rodents.

"These are family members."

[Family information not registered.]

"That's because your system is flawed."

"And you, you stinky outsider, how dare you talk to your Uncle Hei Yu like that? You can be arrogant for a little while because of this broken lock, but once your Uncle Hei Yu goes in and takes the batteries out, you'll be in big trouble..."

[A verbal attack has been detected targeting this device.]

Kuroba Shido sneered: "I'm attacking you, aren't you angry? Aren't you angry? If you're so tough, hit me! You android, if you're so tough, turn into Ultron and kill me with one punch, otherwise I'll remove your battery later..."

Relentless taunting and mental attacks, I won't let my opponent off the hook, even if they're an artificially disabled person—that's my ninja way!

Amamiya Kaoru: "..."

Airi Shimotsuki: "..."