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

As Shido Kuroba looked at the four words "Ritsuko Miyazaki" that popped up on his phone screen, he felt as if fate had gently tapped him on the back of the head.

A phone call at this time.

He couldn't think of any other explanation besides being set up by capital.

He had just crawled out of the hell of club quizzes by Kiyoshi Miyazaki, and his plans for the weekend's gala and pinball shop had just been personally rejected by the club president. Just when he was about to be able to leave the clubroom alive on crutches, Ritsuko Miyazaki called at that precise moment.

This is not reasonable.

This is highly unreasonable.

It's like a penniless person who has just walked away unscathed from the oden tasting area of ​​a convenience store, only to be stopped by a smiling clerk who asks if he wants to get a membership card.

Kuroba Shido stared at his phone, quickly devising a complete survival plan in his mind.

The first step is to pretend you didn't hear it.

The second step is to pretend you didn't hear it and then very accidentally turn off your phone.

The third step is to wait until you leave the clubroom and return to a relatively safe place where Miyazaki Kiyoshi is not standing next to you, then call back and say, "Aunt Ritsuko, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you just now, my phone seems to be out of battery."

This reason is perfect.

"My phone is out of battery" is one of the most common excuses for being out of touch in modern society. It's mild, harmless, and doesn't make it seem like he's deliberately not answering the phone.

Ritsuko Miyazaki probably won't think much of it.

After all, Kuroba Shido is just an ordinary, poor male college student who has poor battery management skills, which is completely in line with his character.

Shido Kuroba's fingers had already quietly moved towards the side button.

The next second, Miyazaki Kiyoshi's voice came from the side.

"catch."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

What?! It was predicted!

Shido Kuroba's finger stopped in mid-air.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki stood to the side, his expression calm. He didn't ask why he had Ritsuko Miyazaki's contact information, nor did he ask when he had contacted his mother.

She wasn't even a little surprised.

Because this kind of question is no longer something she needs to ask.

Yesterday at the Miyazaki house, when she read Shimotsuki Takari's inner thoughts, she already knew that Miyazaki Ritsuko wanted Kuroba Shido to get involved in her situation, and she also knew that Miyazaki Ritsuko would try to contact him.

So this phone call is just her checking how things are going.

Shido Kuroba was well aware of this.

It was precisely because he understood this that he felt even more terrified.

This woman skipped even the normal lines like "Why do you know my mother?" and went straight to the "answering the phone" stage, which means she had already figured out most of the background.

Shido Kuroba swallowed hard.

"Your Excellency, phone calls are also a matter of fate; if you miss it, you miss it..."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi looked at him.

"catch."

"Okay." Kuroba Shido paused for two seconds, then gave a very polite smile and chose to follow his heart.

He answered the phone.

"Good evening, Aunt Ritsuko."

Ritsuko Miyazaki's voice came quickly from the other end of the phone—gentle, poised, and noticeably relaxed.

"Good evening, Kuroba-kun. I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

Kuroba Shido glanced at Miyazaki Kiyoshi standing in front of him.

disturb?

This is no longer just a disturbance.

This is the second execution notice handed over at the execution ground.

But of course he couldn't say that.

"No, no, Aunt Ritsuko, please tell me."

Ritsuko Miyazaki smiled gently.

"That's good. I was worried you might be busy at this time."

Kuroba Shido thought to himself, "He is indeed busy."

Busy escaping from your daughter's clubroom.

Ritsuko Miyazaki didn't beat around the bush for long and quickly got to the point: "Kuroba-kun, are you free this weekend?"

Kuroba Shido's eyes narrowed instantly.

weekend.

It's the weekend again.

What happened this weekend?

Why is everyone focused on his weekend?

He originally just wanted to play pinball with Yamamoto Senjin and Ito Fusei, browse the gala wood shop, and finally have dinner by sampling free snacks at the supermarket.

This is such a simple, poor, and unjustly shaped activity, one that should not be targeted by fate.

First, Miyazaki Kiyoshi requisitioned his weekends for club activities, and now Miyazaki Ritsuko is calling to ask if he has time.

Kuroba Shido's mouth prepared for survival before his brain could process it.

"On the weekend, I might..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

I felt a slight weight on my feet.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi's shoe tip stepped on his shoe.

The effect was not significant.

But the meaning is very clear.

Kuroba Shido glanced down.

Then he understood instantly.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi wasn't simply preventing him from saying he didn't have time.

She wanted to hear what Ritsuko Miyazaki would say.

There is an information asymmetry between the mother and daughter.

Ritsuko Miyazaki thought she was making the arrangements herself, while Kiyoshi Miyazaki wanted to use his phone to confirm how far Ritsuko Miyazaki was going to push things forward.

Logically, he should have refused, since agreeing would have meant even more trouble later on...

He looked down at his foot that was being stepped on... But then again, logically speaking, someone like him who was transported here should be going to another world to become a hero, not here to be some weak, exploited chef!

Hey!

When you're under someone's roof, with your feet at the minister's feet, you have no choice but to bow your head.

Having thought these things through, Kuroba Shido immediately changed his tune.

"I might have more time on weekends..."

On the other end of the phone, Ritsuko Miyazaki's voice sounded noticeably lighter.

"That's good. I was thinking of scheduling another time if you had other plans."

Upon hearing this, Shido Kuroba's back began to sweat again.

How about we schedule another time?

In other words, even if you're busy on the weekend, you can't escape this task?

Ritsuko Miyazaki continued, "Well, if it's convenient this weekend, I'd like to invite you to my home."

Shido Kuroba did not answer immediately.

He looked up at Kiyoshi Miyazaki.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi stood there, his expression unchanged, and his feet did not move.

He did not nod.

He did not shake his head.

She just watched him quietly.

Shido Kuroba understood immediately once again.

The minister didn't expect him to agree immediately.

Instead, let him ask why.

Only by finding out why Ritsuko Miyazaki asked him to go to the Miyazaki house can he decide whether to continue this matter.

Kuroba Shido sighed inwardly.

He found himself increasingly able to understand Miyazaki Kiyoshi's silence.

This is not a good thing.

Because understanding Miyazaki Kiyoshi's silence often means that he is being used as a tool by Miyazaki Kiyoshi, and the kind of tool that has its own built-in ability to fill in the blanks.

Human speech... has transformed into the shape of the Minister.

Kuroba Shido cleared his throat, his tone very sincere, even using honorifics.

"Aunt Ritsuko, it's no problem for me to come to your house, but I'm a little flattered by your sudden politeness."

Ritsuko Miyazaki smiled gently and said, "Don't be so nervous, I just wanted to invite you to come and sit down."

Kuroba Shido immediately adopted the polite defense of a poor boy.

"If it's to express gratitude for what happened before, then there's really no need. After all, the minister and I were classmates, and it's only right for classmates to help each other. I'm not someone who's greedy for fame or fortune."

He was a little moved after saying that.

He spoke so well.

Do not covet fame or fortune.

Although if he were to actually receive money, he wouldn't be entirely against accepting a small amount out of gratitude.

But at least you can't reveal the true face of a poor boy in your words first.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi looked at him.

Kuroba Shido immediately suppressed the thought in his mind that "it's not that I can't accept money," and forcibly began to think about mixing No. 42 concrete with spaghetti.

On the other end of the phone, Ritsuko Miyazaki paused for a moment.

This silence was longer than the previous ones.

As Shido Kuroba held his phone, he suddenly realized that what Ritsuko Miyazaki was about to say might not be a normal invitation.

A few seconds later, he heard a very soft sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Kuroba-kun."

"Um?"

Where are you right now?

Kuroba Shido's heart skipped a beat.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi's toes were still stepping on his shoes.

This is a dangerous problem.

very dangerous.

He glanced at the minister in front of him; Miyazaki Kiyoya was also looking at him, his eyes as calm as a bottomless pool of water.

Ritsuko Miyazaki's voice came again, this time sounding somewhat furtive and suspicious, giving off a strong sense of stealth.

Is Xiaoqing next to you?

Kuroba Shido remained silent, glanced at the calm and composed department head in front of him, then looked at the phone in his hand... and spoke very honestly.

"Not here."