A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

"Oh." Lina quickly covered her mouth, then obediently picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.

"Why are you being so mean to a child!" Takahashi Mito retorted, turning around to argue.

Okay, one against two, never mind.

Natsuki Aoi remained silent.

Meanwhile, Mito Takahashi placed a piece of meat into Rina's small bowl and said softly, "Don't worry, Rina, I will do my best. You will definitely be able to go to school."

"Awoo!"

They both smiled at each other.

Despite the wonderful atmosphere, Natsuki Aoi remained an outsider.

Oh well, you'll get used to it.

After the meal, Mito Takahashi asked Natsuki Aoi to cook another bowl of fried rice, saying that her younger sister hadn't eaten yet. He didn't refuse, since the rice was cooked a bit dry today and it shouldn't taste bad even without using leftover rice.

The three of them left their dishes in the kitchen sink. Aoi Natsuki started washing them by herself, while Takahashi Mito held Rina in her arms in the living room and continued watching Peppa Pig. They smiled knowingly at the funny parts.

I have to say that Mito Takahashi had a pretty good day today.

After frying the egg fried rice, Aoi Natsuki packed it in a plastic container. The black cotton socks that had gotten wet in the afternoon should have dried by now. He walked to the window, opened the window, and although the air outside was still cold, the wind had stopped.

He shuddered and immediately closed the door.

Afterwards, Mito Takahashi said it was time to go home and took a taxi.

Kids from wealthy families are different. Taking a taxi in Tokyo, where land is incredibly expensive, can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of yen. It's just too much to bear.

What's in this bag?

Mito Takahashi pointed to the paper bag he handed her and asked.

"Oh, these are glutinous rice balls I made a couple of days ago. I made too many, so you can take some with you. When you want to eat them, just steam them. It's very convenient."

Glutinous rice balls...

Mito Takahashi paused for a couple of seconds, but instinctively reached out to let him pass, just as the sound of a taxi horn rang out outside.

"Well, I'm leaving then." Takahashi Mito lowered her head, bidding farewell to this annoying guy for the first time, and then her steps quickened until she rushed out of the iron gate.

Everything went quite smoothly today.

Natsuki Aoi closed the front door and stood quietly with Rina.

The two then looked at each other and smiled.

"Plan is in place!"

The two reached out and gave each other a high five.

Everything that happened today was largely planned in advance by Rina and Aoi Natsuki. Using Yoshiko as the entry point and Rina as the bridge between the two, they managed to achieve the expected increase in their favorability.

Nobody likes a boastful person. It always feels a bit cheap to have all your merits come out of your own mouth. But if Lina says it, even a skill like cooking becomes a great plus.

"Alright, let's go to bed early tonight too." Aoi Natsuki stretched, it was time to rest after a busy day.

Just then, Rina was writing something on the whiteboard, and Natsuki Aoi stopped in her tracks.

"Can I sleep with Ji-chan tonight?" Rina asked, her eyes pleading.

Natsuki Aoi thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Not today, Yoshi-chan is a little dirty. Tomorrow we'll give Yoshi-chan a good bath, and then we can sleep together."

He smiled.

Lina jumped up with joy, then affectionately hugged his waist, all her unspoken words condensed into this warm embrace in the quiet moment.

Aoi Natsuki felt a warmth in her heart, reached out and patted Rina's little head, and said softly, "That's wonderful. If Rina can go to school, that would be so wonderful."

……

Mito Takahashi took a taxi home, carrying a paper bag in her hand, a faint smile appearing on her face.

After unlocking the door with her fingerprint, she found herself in a bright living room where her younger sister, Ayano Takahashi, was sitting on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest, eating a popsicle with a pained expression.

"Are you trying to die?! Eating popsicles in the dead of winter!" Mito Takahashi shrieked.

Ayano Takahashi turned her head numbly and said, "You're the one who told me not to order takeout. I'm starving. If I don't eat something soon, you might lose me as your little sister."

"Alright! Stop joking around, come and eat. I specially packed this for you." Takahashi Mito took off her shoes, changed into casual shoes, and then walked into the living room, placing the paper bag on the coffee table.

Ayano Takahashi pounced like a lion that hadn't eaten for three days, taking out a box of fried rice from the paper bag. She could smell the rich aroma even through the packaging, and her mouth watered instantly.

I took the chopsticks out of the paper bag, opened the box, and immediately began to enjoy the food.

It's so delicious it'll blow your mind!

"It's so delicious!" she muttered as she ate.

"Well, my cooking skills are not bad."

The image of Natsuki Aoi flashed through Mito Takahashi's mind, and the next second her brows furrowed instinctively.

Ayano Takahashi, her cheeks bulging from eating, noticed her sister's strange expression. Startled, she knew all too well what that expression meant.

"Sister, you didn't have dinner at a boy's house, did you?"

Chapter 30 The Weight of Respect

Mito Takahashi's eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively turned half a circle to the left: "Don't make wild guesses, it's just an ordinary female classmate's house."

"Really?"

"Don't you believe me?"

Ayano Takahashi pouted and thought about it. Indeed, it was unlikely that her older sister, who disliked boys so much, would stay at a boy's house for dinner. It seemed that she was being too sensitive.

She shrugged, said nothing more, and continued to eat her meal heartily.

Seeing that her sister didn't press the matter further, Takahashi Mito's tense mood calmed down a bit. Her gaze fell on the 72-inch television hanging on the wall to the right, which was currently displaying a drama selection screen. Apart from the living room, the rest of the room was completely dark.

Are Mom and Dad still working overtime today?

Ayano Takahashi nodded and casually said while sitting cross-legged, "I just texted my dad this afternoon to ask. He said it was due to the weather and the flight was delayed. My mom is probably still working overtime at the company. She transferred 20,000 yen to me to order takeout. If it weren't for waiting for you, I would have ordered sushi already."

"After eating sushi for so many years, aren't you tired of it yet? I personally don't want to touch sushi for the next few months."

Ayano Takahashi didn't seem to care much about it; she was just used to it.

"There's nothing we can do. My parents are both very busy with work. If we don't eat takeout, we'll definitely starve."

Upon hearing this, Mito Takahashi's eyes flashed with displeasure. She was now sixteen and could understand the hardships her parents faced in earning money, but she still hoped that her parents could spend more time with her and her sister.

The thought of being with someone brought back vivid images of dinner at that guy's house tonight. The aroma and taste of the steaming rice and shrimp burger, even the white steam rising from the top, made her feel comfortable. That was the true taste of home.

Before her, there was only her younger sister, who was practically useless except for her beauty. She would leave her snacks on the coffee table after finishing them. To put it bluntly, she was careless and unconventional; to put it simply, she was lazy by nature.

Without comparison, there is no harm. Watching her younger sister happily eating fried rice, she became even more furious.

"Ayano!"

Her sudden shout startled Ayano Takahashi, causing her to stop eating.

"W-what's wrong?"

Mito Takahashi's gaze became serious and resolute.

Ayano Takahashi also dropped her nonchalant attitude, because she knew that when her older sister appeared in this form, it meant that she was about to give her a lecture.

Ayano Takahashi seems to hold a high position in the family's potential hierarchy, mainly because she is the younger sister. Usually, when she is naughty, someone will cover for her and she won't go too far. However, when her older sister, Mito Takahashi, gets angry, her status will quickly become as humble as an ant, obediently listening to her sister's next words.

After all, being born six minutes earlier is no joke. What does it mean to be behind in both knowledge and physical ability? God, you're not fair!

Ayano Takahashi swallowed hard, then put down the fried rice she was holding and placed it on the edge of the coffee table.

Mito Takahashi stared intently at her, then slowly said, word by word, "Starting tomorrow... let's try cooking together."

"Uh...huh?"

Ayano Takahashi tilted her head, and a huge question mark appeared above her head.

……

Returning to campus.

Aoi Natsuki had been in contact with Takahashi Mito quite a bit more, but he always felt something was missing, and finally realized that he hadn't seen Hayakawa Keiko much lately.

It's not hard to guess that she started avoiding him because of what happened last time.

The main reason was that Aoi Natsuki didn't want to hurt her, and that things would only get worse if she got more involved, so he resorted to this desperate measure.

Aside from receiving curse letters from girls every morning and the cafeteria auntie's extremely malicious shoveling at lunchtime, there seemed to be nothing else unacceptable about campus life.

My mental resilience has greatly increased!

As soon as they entered the teaching building in the morning, he and Yusuke carried the trash cans against the wall one after the other, walked to their shoe cabinets, opened them, and a bunch of letters poured out and fell into the trash cans.

"Wow, there are even more letters today than usual," Natsuki Aoi remarked.

“Recently, there have been a lot of private photos of you chatting with some girls at school on the forum. Each post has hundreds of replies. I think that’s why.” Yusuke was already used to this scene. He used to be interested in opening a couple of letters, but after seeing so many curses on the letters, he lost interest.

Aoi Natsuki took out her graffiti-covered shoes from the shoe cabinet and was about to put them on when she caught a glimpse of a girl peeking out from the far left corner of the shoe cabinet, but then quickly retreating back inside.

That's Hayakawa, isn't it?

"Yusuke, go put the trash can back where it belongs. I have to go now," Aoi Natsuki called out and quickly went over.

Arriving at the corner of the shoe cabinet, I bumped into Hayakawa Keiko, who was about to peek one more time.

Upon bumping into him, Hayakawa Keiko immediately lowered her head. At 1.5 meters tall, she was already short, and with her body hunched over, she looked even more petite.

After her last visit to the hair salon, Keiko Hayakawa's image has undergone a major change. Previously, few people noticed her beautiful eye color, but now that she has swept her bangs back, her dark green eyes have greatly enhanced her appearance.

"Hey, long time no see," Natsuki Aoi greeted him. "I haven't seen you much lately."

"...Yes, yes..."

Keiko Hayakawa kept her head down.

Aoi Natsuki noticed that after not seeing her for a few days, her affection for her had decreased, which was probably due to the previous incident. However, this was also good news, as they could still remain friends.

He didn't intend to bring up the previous incident, but instead started a new topic: "Are you watching any new anime series lately? I've been watching quite a few myself."

"Hmm... I've been watching all the new anime series lately..." Hayakawa Keiko glanced at him discreetly and whispered, "Aoi-san seems to be in a pretty good mood today..."