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

Inside a judicial building in Tokyo, night had already fallen outside the window.

This place is completely different from the school. The corridors are wide, the lights are cold and white, and there are no superfluous decorations on the walls. The door signs, numbers, surveillance cameras, and filing cabinets all carry a sense of impersonal order. Even the air seems to be mixed with the smell of paper, ink, disinfectant, and coffee after long hours of overtime.

Ritsuko Miyazaki sat in her office, several signed documents spread out on her desk, her computer screen still lit, the coffee in the cup next to her long since gone cold, the city lights outside the window far away, her slightly tired face reflected in the glass.

The phone was still pressed against my ear.

She just asked that question.

"You like Xiaoqing, right?"

There was no immediate response on the other end of the phone.

Ritsuko Miyazaki was not surprised.

Young people, when asked so bluntly by their elders, will naturally feel shy, remain silent, or pretend not to understand, even if Xiaoqing and Heiyu are not like young people in the usual sense.

Especially Kuroba Shido.

Miyazaki Ritsuko recalled the words spoken on the phone just now, her fingers lightly pressing on the table, her gaze becoming somewhat complicated.

Xiaoqing in their family isn't sick.

It's just a different way of expressing it.

Being quiet, thinking more, and observing more closely shouldn't make you seem crazy.

These words are unprofessional.

It was even a bit clumsy.

Ironically, it was precisely this clumsiness that gently touched a certain part of Ritsuko Miyazaki's heart.

Over the years, she has heard too many technical terms and received too much gentle, rational, and reliable advice.

Everyone was absolutely right.

Every sentence seemed to have been carefully considered.

But when those words were spoken to Xiaoqing, there was always a cold sense of distance, as if everyone was standing outside the glass, analyzing her from inside.

Kuroba is different.

His position was strange.

He was unlike a doctor, a teacher, a parent, or those who cautiously tried to get close to Xiaoqing.

He seemed to be simultaneously afraid, complaining, and trying to survive, yet at the most crucial moment, he managed to pull Xiaoqing out of the word "problem" and put her back in the position of "human being".

Ritsuko Miyazaki remained silent for a long time.

Then, a possibility suddenly occurred to her.

Kuroba-kun might be the same type of person as Kiyoshi.

Otherwise, it's hard to explain why they can talk to each other.

When ordinary people face Xiaoqing, they often feel pressured, unnatural, and uncomfortable with the feeling of being seen through. In the end, they either avoid her or try to fill the void with excessive enthusiasm.

Kuroba found it strange.

He's afraid.

But he wouldn't let this fear turn into a rejection of Xiaoqing.

He will run away.

But every time he was caught and brought back, he could still sit across from Xiaoqing and talk to her about all sorts of nonsense.

He could even jump around and spout nonsense under Xiao Qing's watchful eye.

These are all information that Miyazaki Ritsuko obtained after spending time investigating them, and they have been repeatedly verified, so they cannot be wrong... As for the method of verification and investigation, it is naturally the power of money, no, it should be something even more powerful than the power of money.

It's so hard to guess what it is...

Thinking of this, Ritsuko Miyazaki's expression slowly became subtle.

In other words, Kuroba's problem might not be much less serious than that of their daughter, Kiyoshi.

One is as still as an ice surface.

One is as noisy as a smokescreen.

On the surface they may seem completely opposite, but their underlying paths may not be what normal children should follow.

Ritsuko Miyazaki fell silent.

She suddenly felt that she wasn't trying to find a way for her daughter to get out of this situation, but rather trying to put two children who weren't quite normal together and see if they could pull each other back into human society.

That sounds dangerous.

That's also very irresponsible.

But she didn't want to give up.

So many years have passed.

Xiaoqing stood out of her reach, without making a fuss, asking for help, breaking down, or reaching out to anyone.

Shimotsuki Takagi said that Kuroba Shido was special.

She sensed it herself.

If this is truly the only chance for a turnaround, it would be truly unacceptable to back down because of too many concerns.

Ritsuko Miyazaki closed her eyes, just about to continue speaking, when Shido Kuroba's voice finally came from the other end of the phone.

"Aunt Ritsuko, I can go about the weekend's activities."

Ritsuko Miyazaki was taken aback.

She almost instinctively sat up straighter, and her voice finally revealed obvious surprise.

"Really, Kuroba-kun?"

"Really, but let me make this clear first, I'm just going there as a classmate to check on things. I'm not some kind of therapy tool, nor am I Shimotsuki-sensei's temporary assistant, and I'm not responsible for signing any strange mental health observation reports."

Miyazaki Ritsuko listened to his very Kuroba Shido-esque pre-drawing of lines and chuckled softly.

"Okay, I won't let you do anything weird, I promise."

"Also, are meals provided?"

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "..."

The complex emotions that had just begun to rise within her were suddenly pulled back to reality by those words.

really.

Kuroba is still Kuroba.

Ritsuko Miyazaki's smile widened even more: "Of course meals are provided. If you have any dietary restrictions, you can let me know in advance."

"There are no dietary restrictions; the main thing is that poor teenagers maintain a broad respect for food."

"That's good. I'll have someone prepare a more lavish meal."

There was a moment of silence on Shido Kuroba's end, then his voice immediately became serious.

"Aunt Ritsuko, you are truly a rare and kind person in Tokyo."

Ritsuko Miyazaki: "..."

She suddenly understood why Xiaoqing could always get a reaction from this child.

It's very difficult for a normal person to predict what he'll say next.

Ritsuko Miyazaki briefly explained the weekend time and place, and said that a car would pick him up, or if it was inconvenient for him, his family driver could contact him in advance.

Kuroba Shido initially tried to maintain his composure.

His tone became noticeably more polite upon hearing the words "pick-up and drop-off by car".

"Aunt Ritsuko, you can arrange it. I don't have high requirements for the mode of transportation, as long as I don't have to limp there."

Ritsuko Miyazaki smiled.

"It's a deal then, Kuroba-kun, see you this weekend."

"See you this weekend, Aunt Ritsuko."

The phone hangs up.

The perspective returns to the clubroom at Kamikawa University.

Kuroba Shido slowly put down his phone, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, as for why...

Kiyoshi Miyazaki stood in front of him, looking at him calmly.

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

It's so hard to guess why they suddenly changed their minds halfway through. Maybe their kind personality took over control of their brain?

Hey!

The phone call just now appeared to be a conversation between him and Ritsuko Miyazaki, but in reality, he wasn't the one truly in control of the entire clubroom.

Let's move the timeline forward a little.

Just after Miyazaki Ritsuko said, "Please help me for Kiyoshi's sake, okay?" Kuroba Shido was originally prepared to continue using the same rhetoric of classmate relationship, respect for individuality, and opposition to treating people as patients to persuade Miyazaki Ritsuko to change her mind.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi Miyazaki picked up his phone, typed a line of text on the screen, and then turned the screen towards him.

"promise."

Kuroba Shido's eyelid twitched at that moment.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi didn't ask him to agree directly, nor did she offer any unnecessary explanations like "I want to see what she's going to do." She simply typed a second line quickly.

"Weekend club activities will be held at my house."

Kuroba Shido understood instantly.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki was not persuaded by Ritsuko Miyazaki's arrangements.

She simply incorporated Ritsuko Miyazaki's invitation into her club activities.

In other words, once this becomes a "change of location for club activities," she will no longer be the one receiving treatment, but rather the one who plans the club activities.

The initiative shifted from Miyazaki Ritsuko and Shimotsuki Takari back into Miyazaki Kiyoshi's own hands.

Kuroba Shido was immediately filled with awe at the Minister's ability to reconstruct rules.

He immediately lost the ability to resist.

That's how that polite, back-and-forth phone call with the promise of meals and transportation, and the arrangement to meet on the weekend came about.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi put away his phone, his tone calm.

"Can."

The black-feathered warrior asked, "What could it mean?"

Miyazaki Kiyoshi looked at him.

"The result is acceptable."

Kuroba Shido took a deep breath.

"Can I go now?"

Miyazaki Kiyoshi nodded.

Shido Kuroba immediately picked up his cane.

Just as he was about to retreat, Miyazaki Kiyoshi's voice came from behind him again.

"I hate people who don't keep their promises. I hope someone won't stand me up tomorrow."

Kuroba Shido froze in his tracks.

"Minister, isn't this weekend the day after tomorrow?"

Miyazaki Kiyoshi looked at him.

Shido Kuroba immediately changed his tune.

"What I mean is, from now on, not even tomorrow."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "..."

She didn't pursue the poor boy's attempt to survive using the concept of time; she simply tidied up her folder and headed for the door.

She paused when she reached the door.

"Wait five minutes before you come out."

Kuroba Shido was taken aback.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki said, "If you're not afraid of some guy who only knows how to rage incompetently, then do as you please."

Kuroba Shido paused, as if he had thought of something, and glanced out into the corridor.

indeed.

He was already taken away from the corridor by Miyazaki Kiyoshi at noon today, and he stayed in the clubroom until now. If the two of them leave the clubroom together again, the group of reserve members of the intellectual rehabilitation club on the campus forum will probably be able to write a 10,000-word analysis post tonight titled "President Miyazaki Successfully Wins Back Custody of the Mysterious gigolo".

Kuroba Shido nodded.

"Your Excellency is wise."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi ignored his flattery and left the clubroom first.

The door was gently closed.

Finally, only Shido Kuroba remained in the classroom.

He let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair.

survived.

I don't know how many times this has happened today.

Kuroba Shido took out his phone, ready to watch a couple of funny short videos to soothe his soul, which had been repeatedly tortured by the Miyazaki mother and daughter.

The screen lights up.

Before he even opened the short video app, he saw an unread message in the notification bar.

The person who sent the message was Onodera Zanne.

Kuroba Shido paused for a moment, then clicked on it.

"Shido-kun, are you free this weekend?"

I'd like to invite you to go to the zoo.

The Black Feather Warrior said, "???"

666, there's a third level!