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

The battle between mother and daughter finally ended in the hotel room.

This time, it wasn't because both sides stopped at the same time, nor because of some kind of return to rationality, nor because of any sudden emergence of warm family affection between mother and daughter, but because Yoshiko Sawamura was unilaterally beaten into a meme.

On the carpet, Yoshiko Sawamura lay on her back, her hair a mess as if it had just been blown all the way from Europe to Tokyo by a typhoon. Her panda eyes had received an epic upgrade from the previous battle; they were no longer ordinary panda eyes, but the kind that would make the zoo send her an offer letter overnight just by looking at them.

She had one hand on her chest and the other hanging limply at her side, looking as if she had just experienced a war without gunpowder but filled with pillows, blankets, quilts, and the fury of her little pink-haired boy.

Yoshiko Sawamura couldn't understand it.

Why is this happening?

Logically speaking, she had just eaten and drunk her fill, was in good condition, had plenty of energy, and was full of anger; she should have been at her peak in combat power.

However, reality has proven that the pink-haired girl's fighting power, fueled by anger, cannot be calculated using conventional numerical values.

When the mother and daughter fight, it's usually a 50/50 situation; neither of them gains an advantage, and neither of them escapes unscathed.

But this time is different.

Ritsuki Sawamura has truly reached the Red Temperature level.

She wasn't just angry; she was overwhelmed by the shame of being "taken by my phone to ask Shido if he liked me and then Shido found out I was an old woman," and entered a strange state similar to the final form of a "loser."

In this state, her attacks inflict mental damage.

Yoshiko Sawamura was beaten so badly she couldn't lift her head.

It eventually turned out like this.

Yoshiko Sawamura lay on the ground, her lips moving slightly.

"Little pink-haired girl..."

On the bed, Ritsuki Sawamura was holding his phone, completely ignoring her.

Yoshiko Sawamura: "..."

So cold.

Is this how a "loser's daughter" treats her cute and beautiful mother?

Ritsuki Sawamura sat on the bed, a blanket covering her knees. Her long, wet pink hair was half-dry, with the soft ends draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were still red, but she was unusually quiet.

She stared at her phone screen.

On the screen was the chat log that had just made her so ashamed that she felt like her soul was leaving her body.

"Shido, do you like me?"

"You must tell the truth, and you are not allowed to run away from it."

"If you don't answer, I'll take that as a yes."

"Don't you think I'm cute?"

"Are you embarrassed to say it?"

"It's okay, I allow you to be shy."

These were all posted by Yoshiko Sawamura.

Logically speaking, Ritsuki Sawamura should immediately retract her statement, provide an explanation, and delete the chat log from the world. Ideally, she should also format Shido Kuroba's memories along with the chat log.

But she didn't.

Because although these questions were sent by the older woman, they were precisely the questions she had always wanted to ask.

But she didn't dare to ask.

She never dared to ask before.

What should I do if I ask?

What if Shido says he doesn't like it?

What if Shido pretends to be stupid?

What if after asking, even this feeling of "there seems to be a chance," "we can still get closer," and "we can at least still talk" disappears?

Wouldn't that just be like the loser characters in those anime?

She was head over heels in love, but she never dared to take the plunge. In the end, she could only stand at the door and listen, hearing others close the door, hearing others hold hands, hearing others take her life away from her sight.

Ritsuki Sawamura bit her lip.

She doesn't want to become like that.

But she was genuinely afraid.

So in a sense, Yoshiko Sawamura wasn't entirely wrong this time.

This was indeed a brave decision.

It could even be said that this was a brave and straightforward act that a great mother risked her life for, even with panda eyes.

The only problem is...

If it fails.

If Kuroba Shido does not give her the result she wants.

Then Yoshiko Sawamura would instantly transform from a "great mother" into the "culprit," becoming the biggest criminal responsible for her complete downfall.

Then, she'll turn the old lady into a new meme.

Then retract all messages.

Pretend nothing ever happened.

For example, he could send a message like, "Shido, don't get me wrong, it was just some random stuff from an old lady."

For example: "Aren't we best buddies? How could I possibly have such thoughts?"

For example: "Haha, just kidding, you didn't take it seriously, did you?"

Ritsuki Sawamura imagined these words for a moment, and her face gradually turned pale.

That's too far-fetched.

It was so far-fetched that even she herself didn't believe it.

But if she were really rejected, she would probably have no choice but to deceive herself like this.

Ritsuki Sawamura hugged her phone tightly, shrinking herself deeper and deeper into the blankets, leaving only her red eyes staring intently at the screen.

The message status has changed.

Read.

Riki Sawamura's breath hitched.

Yoshiko Sawamura was lying on the floor, ready to quietly pretend to be a corpse, but when she heard the sudden silence on the bed, she couldn't help but quietly open one eye.

She saw that Ritsuki Sawamura had frozen in place.

Yoshiko Sawamura's heart skipped a beat.

"You replied?"

Ritsuki Sawamura did not answer.

She stared at the screen.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

No new messages.

ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Still no new information.

Ritsuki Sawamura's eyes widened little by little.

She broke down.

No.

Why aren't you replying?

Why aren't you replying even though I've read your message?

You saw it all!

How could you not reply when you saw someone say, "Shido, do you like me?"

Ritsuki Sawamura, holding her phone, sat up from under the covers, while the pink-haired girl, due to her hasty movements, became a little flustered.

"Reply to the message..."

She muttered to herself.

The screen is silent.

"Hurry back..."

It remained quiet.

Ritsuki Sawamura grew increasingly anxious and flustered as she waited. The more anxious she became, the more panicked she felt that her failure to retract her actions in time was like performing a pole dance on the edge of a cliff.

Yoshiko Sawamura quietly got up a little from the ground.

"Little pink-haired girl, how about...?"

Riki Sawamura suddenly looked at her.

Yoshiko Sawamura immediately lay back down.

"I am dead."

Ritsuki Sawamura ignored her, staring at her phone with red eyes, muttering to herself, "Why aren't you replying? Hurry up and reply! Shido, are you doing this on purpose? Did you see it and pretend to be dead? How can you read my message and not reply...?"

the other side.

In Kaoru Amamiya's apartment.

Kuroba Shido lay on the small bed in his bedroom and checked the time.

It's almost one o'clock.

Time to sleep.

Today, from morning till night, fate dragged him along by the hair. News department, third floor of the cafeteria, Miyazaki Kiyoshi, Onodera Zannen, Amamiya Kaoru, Shimotsuki Takari, Shimotsuki Airi, smart lock, the Daikoku family, and late-night messages from Sawamura Ritsu and a certain Aunt Yoshiko—one after another, it was as if they were arranging a hellish team-building exercise for his life.

Normal people are long gone.

The fact that Shido Kuroba is still alive is enough to prove that human vitality can miraculously thrive under the dual nourishment of poverty and shamelessness.

Kuroba Shido glanced at the chat box on Sawamura Ritsu's side.

"You wouldn't happen to be Aunt Yoshiko, would you?"

Message read.

There was no reply from the other side.

Shido Kuroba blinked.

What else is there to say?

It must be Aunt Jiazi.

A normal Ritsuki Sawamura wouldn't be so direct, at least not by asking a question like "Shido, do you like me?" that would shatter the air into pieces.

Of course, it's also possible that the little pink-haired girl's brain short-circuited due to the stimulation from the old lady.

But it doesn't matter.

Kuroba Shido no longer wanted to analyze it.

All he wants to do right now is sleep.

Nothing in this world is more important than a poor boy going to sleep under a blanket at one in the morning.

Kuroba Shido turned off the short video, casually turned off his phone screen, tossed it aside, and then covered himself with the small blanket.

He closed his eyes, his voice very peaceful.

Goodnight, Makka Pakka.

"Squeak—" A sound came from the darkness, accompanied by the big black dog.

The bedroom fell silent.

With the backpack placed in the corner, the black family finally stopped rustling and seemed to have entered some kind of rodent family sleeping mode.

Kuroba Shido prepared to go to sleep.

next second.

My phone vibrated.

hum.

Kuroba Shido's eyelids twitched.

He ignored it.

It shook again.

hum.

Kuroba Shido slowly opened his eyes, his expression gradually losing its dreaminess.

No.

Are you even letting a poor person get some sleep?

He reached for his phone, squinted, and turned on the screen.

Ritsuki Sawamura sent a new message.

"You damn lolicon, don't pretend you didn't see me."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."