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

Da da da……

Kuroba Shido limped home, and besides the clattering sound, there was also a very light footstep beside him.

Onodera's lingering voice still echoes!

When the traffic light at the intersection turned on, Shido Kuroba finally realized that something was wrong.

According to the normal route, Onodera Zanne should have parted ways with him here.

She doesn't live here; in fact, she lives in the exact opposite direction from where Kuroba Shido is heading. One is towards a clean and respectable upscale residential area, while the other is towards the rat-infested area where Kuroba Shido used to frequent. The difference between them is not just a few streets, but also a huge chasm between the quality of life of a poor boy and a rich girl.

But Onodera's lingering voice didn't stop.

Kuroba Shido took a step forward, and she also took a step forward.

Kuroba Shido took two more tentative steps, deliberately slowing down, so that the sound of his cane hitting the ground was very soft.

Onodera Zanne continued walking beside him, her steps steady and her expression natural. She even considerately matched his limping pace, so gentle that she seemed completely unaware that she was heading in the opposite direction from her home.

Shido Kuroba's scalp began to tingle.

So here's the question... why did it turn out like this?

Let's move the timeline forward a little.

Just after the two of them came out of the school's back gate, Onodera Zanne casually asked about the weekend's plans, and Kuroba Shido immediately went on high alert.

He said he wasn't sure if he had any plans for the weekend, but he should have one day free at the moment.

In Kuroba Shido's view, this statement was already very cautious.

They didn't rule out any possibility.

It wasn't specified which day I would be available.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi was not mentioned, nor was the Miyazaki family mentioned.

This represents the highest level of vagueness a poor teenager might give when faced with a dangerous invitation.

As a result, the status indicator above Onodera's head was refreshed on the spot.

[Current Status: Quiet, suspicious. A time gap has been detected in the target's words, indicating that the target has undisclosed plans for another day of the weekend. Speculation is underway regarding the relevant individuals. Miyazaki Kiyoshi and Amamiya Kaoru's priorities have been raised. A reassessment is being made to determine if the target is concealing a new contact location.]

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

Look at them, look at how gloomy they've become, do they even resemble human beings?

He spoke so vaguely, how could Onodera Zannen and his ilk possibly deduce from "there should be time one day" to "where did the other day go?"

What is the most powerful brain? This is the most powerful brain.

Do you know why AI now needs to spin around twice to think when it's running?

You think you're asking a question, but you're actually connecting with your senior's brain. The AI ​​needs to process the data for a while before it can give you the results, while your senior is directly transmitting the data face-to-face!

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

No, we need to come up with a solution...

Shido Kuroba coughed and forced a very natural expression.

"On weekends, I might have to attend one of the club activities hosted by the Minister."

When Onodera Zanne heard the words "Minister-sama," his smile remained unchanged.

But Shido Kuroba noticed that her gaze paused slightly.

It's very light.

It's so light that ordinary people wouldn't even notice it.

However, Shido Kuroba's survival radar, honed by the repeated beatings he'd recently endured from dangerous women, immediately picked it up.

Onodera Zanne asked, "Miyazaki-kun's club activities?"

Kuroba Shido nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, mental health activities for club members."

After he said that, even he himself thought it was outrageous.

Mental health activities.

The name sounds healthy.

But in Miyazaki Kiyoshi's hands, it would most likely turn into a large-scale personality dismantling scene of a poor boy, involving answering questions, questionnaires, torture, debriefing, and labeling "avoidance," "abnormality," "change of concept," and "excessive obsession with food."

Onodera Zanne asked softly, "What kind of event is it?"

Shido Kuroba blinked.

"It's just some ordinary club activities, like writing things, chatting, and promoting the mental health development of club members."

Onodera Zannen smiled, blinked, and spoke as if deep in thought.

"Where? It shouldn't be school, right? I don't think clubs are open on weekends..."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

Senior, you don't need to think about whether there's any possibility... No normal person would participate in any stupid club activities on the weekend.

Kuroba Shido put on a mask of pain. He felt that his senior was deliberately trying to provoke him into attacking the club president, but he had no proof...

That despicable minister, that despicable capitalist, all they know is how to bully ordinary people like him!

It's despicable as it may be, but we still have to get on with it. We've already stood the minister up once; if we do it again, he might get blacklisted for not walking upside down to the teaching building on Monday, and then miss this precious opportunity to become a parasite within the system...

Eh...

Having no other choice, Shido Kuroba could only start spouting nonsense.

"The location hasn't been decided yet; the minister said he'll let me know later."

That's not entirely a lie.

After all, Miyazaki Kiyoshi did say that she would inform everyone of the weekend club activity address after she returned.

However, Shido Kuroba already knew very clearly from that phone call that this address was most likely the Miyazaki family's residence.

Onodera Zannen did not press the matter further.

She simply nodded quietly.

"I see."

Shido Kuroba breathed a sigh of relief.

Then they walked all the way to this fork in the road.

The red light turned green.

Kuroba Shido headed towards the rat area, and Onodera Zannen also headed towards the rat area.

The breath caught in Shido Kuroba's throat again.

He took a few more steps, then finally couldn't help but stop, pretending that he had just noticed, and turned back to look at the girl beside him.

"Hmm? Senior?"

Onodera Zanne stopped in her tracks, looked up at him, tilted her head slightly, and seemed inexplicably dazed.

"Um?"

Kuroba Shido pointed to the other side, his smile innocent.

"Senior, isn't your home over there?"

Onodera Zannen blinked.

Her reaction was very natural, as if the question was entirely expected.

"I know."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

You knew that, yet you still followed me this way?

Onodera Zannen smiled slightly, his tone gentle.

"I'd like to buy something here."

Kuroba Shido looked at her.

A breeze blew past the roadside, gently lifting Onodera Reine's long hair. She stood in the sunset, her smile gentle and flawless, as if there really was some reason in the world that would make the young lady of the Onodera family, the student council president, and the head of the archery club, make a special detour to the rat district to buy things after school in the evening.

Kuroba Shido sneered inwardly.

See if I believe you or not.

But he couldn't say that outwardly.

He could only feign sudden realization.

"Oh, you're here to buy something. You should have told me sooner, senior. I thought you'd gone the wrong way."

Onodera Zannen nodded gently.

"Did I make Shido worry?"

Kuroba said, "No, no, I was just concerned about my senior's route planning."

After saying that, he himself felt it was hypocritical.

Onodera Zannen seemed to accept this statement very seriously.

"Shido-kun is so kind."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

That statement is too dangerous.

He could already hear his survival system screaming in his head.

The two continued walking forward.

The further you go into the rat-infested area, the older the streets become. The shop signs are badly faded, electrical wires are strung haphazardly between buildings, and the convenience store lights are not as clean and bright as those near the school.

Kuroba Shido forced himself to keep the conversation going as he walked.

"What does the senior want to buy?"

Onodera Zannen thought for a moment.

Wristbands.

Shido Kuroba blinked.

"Wristbands?"

"Yeah, these are wristbands I use for archery practice. The old ones are getting a bit worn out. I heard there's a used sporting goods store around here, they might have some suitable ones."

This reason actually sounds quite plausible.

For a moment, Shido Kuroba couldn't find a flaw in his defense.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

wrong.

If someone like Onodera Zannen wants to buy wristbands, shouldn't he just order them by ordering or buy them from a specialty store?

Are you going to this rat-infested area to look for an old sporting goods store?

This is like Kiyoshi Miyazaki saying he suddenly wanted to go to a pachinko parlor to study socio-economics; it sounds logical, but the underlying motivation is very wrong.

Kuroba Shido nodded and continued to play dumb.

"There are indeed some old shops here. The items may not be new, but the prices are cheap, and you can occasionally find good deals."

Onodera Zannen turned his head to the side.

"Shido-kun seems to know this place very well."

Kuroba Shido's heart skipped a beat.

This statement seems like just a common sentiment.

But in Onodera's words, even a casual remark can be a probe.

He smiled.

"I used to pass by here often."

"Just passing by?"

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

Oops.

If we continue talking, we'll eventually get to the point where he used to live here.

Although Onodera Zanne has most likely already found out some things, he can't admit it too smoothly.

This is called strategic reservation.

Just as he was about to change the subject, Onodera Zanne suddenly said very naturally, "Speaking of which, where does Shido-kun live now?"

Kuroba Shido almost stopped on the spot.

coming.

She finally arrived.

From wristbands to old sporting goods stores, from getting familiar with the roads to finding a place to stay, the transition was so smooth it felt like a pre-written script.

Kuroba Shido began to calculate frantically in his mind.

The truth is, he slept at Kaoru Amamiya's house last night, and he also forgot about the Daikoku family at Kaoru Amamiya's house.

His original residence in the rat district could no longer be considered a stable place to live. There was nothing he could do; that's just how realistic human nature is. Having enjoyed good living conditions, Kuroba Shido could no longer go back to that dilapidated rat apartment.

Is that a place for people to live, where people go to walk horses?

Only the living conditions in Lao Niu Ma's house are worthy of his status. Also, Lao Niu Ma, do you feel comfortable living in such a big house?

The worst aspects of human nature are on full display in Kuroba Shido... Lesson One: Forgetting One's Roots!

So here's the question: how do I convince my senior?

They were able to smoothly handle the situation with Lao Niu Ma without making a sound...

Kuroba Shido was still thinking, his mind in turmoil, when Onodera Zane spoke up beside him.

"I've already come this far. If it's not too much of a bother, could I go and visit Shido's house?"

The setting sun pressed completely against the edge of the buildings.

There weren't many people on the old street. In the distance, students came out of a convenience store after buying drinks. A bicycle bell rang briefly and then disappeared into the distance.

Onodera Zannen stood in front of him, tilting her head slightly to look at him.

She blinked.

gentle.

Quiet.

Not moving at all.

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

Why is this map of the Yan Kingdom so short?

So, you've been following me all this way, waiting for me here, right?