I suddenly became a yakuza boss.

She had no plans to have direct contact with this person.

After all, dealing with the underworld is too dangerous.

However, she was keenly observed by this person and had no choice but to step in and negotiate.

A young business owner with a perpetually stern face, whose business is a mix of legal and illegal activities, a local official with little ambition, and generally well-regarded by small and medium-sized business owners who lend money to him. However, it's unclear why he's started being called "War Demon" in the industry. Aside from having fought off debt collectors and beaten up a few rebellious scoundrels, his record is spotless, almost like that of a model citizen.

But all the clues about that "accident" lead back to this person.

Police and accident experts have investigated and confirmed there are no signs of blasting or impact damage. The landslide can only be treated as an accident. But why is the "War Demon of the Ashikawa Group" involved? And why does this yakuza figure know Yukino, who doesn't seem to have been attacked by him? This biggest beneficiary shows absolutely no signs of belligerence. All the clues point to this person, yet it feels like a crucial element is missing to explain everything…

But one thing is certain: [if they're not enemies, all the better]. She genuinely lacked evidence to prove Nitta Gen of the Shin-Ashikawa Group was a suspect; rumors and misinformation were commonplace. Therefore, she decided to try and win him over. Cooperation would be ideal, especially since in Japanese politics, cooperation and mutual exploitation between politicians and the underworld had long been a political norm in Japanese history...

But... why does Yukino know this yakuza, and why did that yakuza flee from Yukino...?

It seems that she should pay more attention to Yukino's situation during this period.

~·~·~·~·~·~·

night.

Li Xuan returned to his apartment.

"I am back."

Li Xuan returned home covered in mud and exhausted. He saw Chu lying on the sofa watching TV and greeted her listlessly.

“Welcome back~~~~” Hina turned her head and looked at him.

This situation continued for several days in a row. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Chu, who had nothing to do but watch TV.

Chu saw that Li Xuan was getting more and more tired each day after returning.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'll cook you dinner right away."

Li Xuan walked through the living room, headed towards the kitchen, and said to her.

"What's for dinner tonight?"

Chu asked with concern.

"Tonight I'll have noodles with beef and eggs... and I'll add some ham, would you like?" Li Xuan asked, turning his head as he stood in the kitchen.

Chu's face turned pale, and she said, "I'm tired of eating ramen. Ah Xuan, are you still that poor?"

Li Xuan explained, "This period is quite special. The construction team needs a lot of funds to advance for the work... But this kind of dinner is quite nutritious. I eat this every day. You'll get used to it after a while."

"Sigh..." Chu was too exhausted to refute these old arguments.

Making money seems really hard.

Making money honestly and legitimately seems really difficult.

Chu learned this lesson from Li Xuan.

But she has something more important to tell Li Xuan today.

“Ah Xuan”.

Chu got up and said to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan, who was still cooking noodles, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Um, I want to go to school."

Chu said expressionlessly.

"Oh, going to school..."

Li Xuan was chopping vegetables and casually gave a reply.

But he stopped cutting very quickly.

"...Wait a minute, what did you say?"

Li Xuan, holding the kitchen knife, turned around and asked in astonishment.

Chapter 011 Junior High School Girls Are All Monsters

7:45 a.m.

Bright morning light illuminates a clean residential street in Chiba Prefecture.

Shirt, trousers, goggles—everything was in place.

Li Xuan tried his best to appear generous and dignified, and not to attract attention.

"Alright, Hina, let's head to school."

Li Xuan stood upright, dressed in formal attire, appearing rather ordinary. However, when he stood in the street, he exuded an extraordinary air of arrogance and nonchalance, speaking to the young girl who was leaving.

Despite such a powerful aura, the vehicle Li Xuan used to take Chu to school today was a typical... ladylike car that you could see anywhere on the street.

The atmosphere immediately became more casual and relaxed.

"..." Hina, wearing her middle school uniform, looked at the mode of transportation with disdain.

Seeing Chu's strange expression, Li Xuan asked in confusion, "Hmm? What's wrong? Did you forget any school supplies?"

Chu looked up at Li Xuan, gestured with her hands to indicate the shape of a car, and asked, "Xuan, where's your car? That really big car? Where did it go?"

Li Xuan gripped the bicycle handlebars tightly, paused for a moment, and explained, "Your school is only five miles from here, do you really need to drive there? Besides, there are many one-way streets here, and the time it takes to drive around is enough for the two of us to go back and forth to our school."

In the empty city streets, Li Xuan pushed his bicycle and continued, "Besides, that bike is still under repair. It's my livelihood; I have to spend money to fix it properly..."

Chu noticed that Li Xuan's expression changed subtly whenever money was mentioned.

This serious adult values ​​money more than most people.

Ever since that night he told her that the bedsheets and clothes he provided were worth three times the time she spent working at the convenience store for a month, and explained the difference between adults and monsters in reality, she actually understood to some extent that Li Xuan was serious and focused on making money, as if he earned every penny with all his might...

Li Xuan rode his bicycle, carrying Chu, who was sitting on one side, leisurely traveling along the quiet road to school in the early morning.

Two nights ago, after Li Xuan heard about Chu's request to go to school, he used some means to obtain a resident identity and a fake elementary school experience for Chu, and arranged for her to enter a public junior high school as a transfer student. The process really cost him a lot of money.

However, studying is a good thing. It just so happens that the junior high school recently ended its spring break and is about to start school, so it's a good opportunity to get her in.

"Let's review it briefly." Li Xuan, riding his bicycle, turned back to look at Chu and asked again, "Chu, what's your full name?"

"My name is Nitta Hina, and I am thirteen years old."

Chu had already memorized her new name perfectly and began to speak.

Li Xuan asked, "Which primary school did you graduate from?"

"Rika Prefecture Fuji Elementary School".

Chu answered fluently without even thinking.

Li Xuan asked, "Then why did you come to Chiba Middle School?"

Hina replied, "Because my older brother has to work in Chiba, and he's my only family member, I came here to live with him."

All answers are correct.

Li Xuan felt that although Chu seemed silly, after spending the last few days with her, he felt that this girl was actually quite smart, as she memorized it after only two repetitions.

He was quite pleased and began to pedal the bicycle even harder.

"Make good friends after you go to school."

On the slope in the residential area, Li Xuan smiled and encouraged her.

"Mm." Hina nodded.

In the vast expanse of sky and earth, the chick raised its head and looked up at the sky. Actually, going to school like this isn't such a bad thing after all...

But after a while, she thought of a problem.

"Ah-Xuan," Hina asked, "I've watched some anime where friends at school always compare their family backgrounds. Ah-Xuan, what kind of family do we belong to? Are we like Suneo's family or Sugimoto's family?"

Upon hearing this question, Li Xuan abruptly slammed on the brakes!

The bicycle made a screeching sound, and a wisp of purple smoke rose from the ground. Only then did Li Xuan realize that the information about his family background had not been properly fabricated. He had thought it was a normal thing, but when the topic of wealth came up, he realized that something was wrong.

They've already started school; isn't it too hasty to fabricate a family background now?

Li Xuan thought for a moment, then decided to describe his family situation in detail: "Well..."

He saw Chu's innocent yet slightly chubby face, and immediately, his thoughts changed.

No, he is indeed wealthy, but Hina doesn't seem to have a strong concept of money. Don't TV shows often depict how spoiled brats grow up by flaunting their wealth? So, logically, Hina shouldn't tell her classmates about his wealth. What if it leads to the revelation that she's the "sister" of a yakuza boss? Her school life could be completely ruined...

One small thing can have far-reaching consequences; oh no, we almost capsized...

"Ahem, Hina, listen to me..." Li Xuan turned his head and looked down at Hina, saying seriously, "Our family situation is probably more accurately described as Nobita's family."

Chu was enveloped by Li Xuan's back view, her mouth agape, speechless with astonishment.

Nobita's family background!!

Her heart screamed in despair.

Li Xuan knew that Nobita's family in "Doraemon" was actually a typical middle-class family in Japan, neither rich nor poor. He figured that describing it this way would make it difficult for Hina's classmates to notice her family's situation.

After making the arrangements, Li Xuan stepped on the pedal again, feeling much more at ease. He said to Chu, "Alright, Chu, just answer your classmates' questions like this from now on."

But he didn't know that Hina had already gained a new understanding of her environment. Li Xuan didn't realize that most Japanese children actually thought Nobita's family was poor because of the numerous scenes involving tatami mats and the lack of pocket money for buying things, and Nobita himself exuded a poor, loser vibe. Few elementary and middle school students could understand what the reality of a middle-class life was like.

~·~·~·~·~·~·

April in Chiba is the season when cherry blossoms fall.

Watanabe Junior High School is an ordinary public junior high school in Chiba Prefecture. It is a co-educational school located in a residential area. At this time of year, during the start of the school year, many students wearing the same school uniform walk to school.

[Screech!] A piercing screech of brakes drew the attention of many students at the entrance.

A well-dressed, blond-haired, and quite stylish young man, carrying a short-haired junior high school student, braked and stopped at the school gate at an extremely high speed.

"Alright, we're here." Li Xuan said to Chu in the back seat, his feet firmly planted on the floor.