Their restricted abilities are refreshed every week.

The main entrance to the basement is inside the main house and is usually locked. You cannot enter the main house from the basement through this door.

The door to the garage is the back door.

There are two floors in the basement with several rooms, including a playback room, bar, wine cellar, and equipment room.

There is a nanny's room, which even has an independent kitchen. Toyokawa Kiyoshi was placed in the nanny's room by Shirakawa Haru.

Yuki Suho took Kiyoshi Toyokawa to familiarize himself with the basement and garage.

The doorbell rang outside. Shirakawa Haru went out to greet the guest, who was wearing a leather jacket and jeans. It was Kawai Kazuyu, whom he had invited to his house for dinner yesterday.

He made two cups of white tea and placed them on the table, one for the detective and one for Toyokawa Kiyoshi.

Half an hour later, Shirakawa Haru prepared dinner. He invited Yuki and the detective, who had brought Toyokawa Kiyoshi, to the table for dinner.

After dinner, Suho Yuki, who rarely takes the initiative to wash the dishes, ran to the second floor to watch anime. Shirakawa Haru was chatting with two men on the first floor.

After a while, Kawai and You left. Before leaving, they said that it was delicious to eat the food cooked by Shirakawa-kun.

Now only Shirakawa Haru and Toyokawa Kiyoshi were left in the living room.

Shirakawa Haru was reading a book, and Fengchuan Qinggao was sitting beside Shirakawa Haru, his face full of hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but didn't dare to. He maintained this look for more than ten minutes, and finally made up his mind and took the initiative to speak.

"Shirakawa-kun, can I ask you some questions?" Toyokawa Kiyoshi asked.

"What's wrong? Is it about work? Yuki has already taken you to the basement to have a look, right? Is there anything else you want to ask?" Shirakawa Haru flipped through the book, and when he came across a sentence he liked, he would fold the page.

"No. What I want to ask is, why did you, Shirakawa-kun, come to see me specially? Is it because of Xiangzi?" Toyokawa Qinggao tried to test Shirakawa Haru carefully, but apart from his delicate emotions and talent in piano, he knew almost nothing else, including interpersonal communication.

Baichuan Qing saw through his plan at a glance.

"Yes." He raised his eyes, looked at Toyokawa Seikao's face, and then looked away.

"Did Xiangzi ask Shirakawa-kun to come to me?"

"No, I took the initiative to look for you. Xiangzi doesn't know you're still alive." Shirakawa Haru's breathing became a little rapid when he heard Fengchuan Qinggao's words. "The reason I looked for you is very simple. It's just because Xiangzi needs you."

"Xiangzi... need me?" Shirakawa Haru's words surprised Toyokawa Qingjiao.

In Toyokawa Kiyoshi's opinion, Shoko and Shirakawa Haru have a very good relationship. Judging from the property where Shirakawa Haru lives, he has very strong financial resources. He knows Kawai and You and the boss of the debt collectors, which shows that he is also very powerful in social circles. It can be said that Shoko has Shirakawa Haru as a backing for her friend, coupled with her ability and talent, there are very few things she can't do.

In this case, why did Shirakawa-kun say that Xiangzi needed me?

"I first met Xiangzi at the interview for Hinomori Academy. She looked pitiful then, irritable and sensitive, but not fragile at all. Xiangzi at that time was like a wolf cub thrown out by its mother, distrustful and aggressive towards everyone, but she wanted to live. I saw this instinct and desire for survival in her eyes." Shirakawa Haru didn't directly answer Toyokawa Kiyoshi. "You know that look? I liked her look, so I gave her a chance to join the student council when we first met."

Toyokawa Seikao didn't say anything, he just listened quietly. After he left, Xiangzi couldn't even afford the tuition for Yuezhisen Academy.

"The facts prove that my judgment was good. Xiangzi has indeed completed the tasks I assigned her with great success. Not only that, despite the pressure, she was able to obtain a school scholarship and handle almost half of the student union's work." Shirakawa Haru suddenly glanced at Fengchuan Qinggao. "While achieving all these achievements, she also worked part-time."

Fengchuan Qingjiao was originally proud of his daughter, but when he heard the following words, the enthusiasm and pride in his chest immediately cooled down as if a basin of ice water was poured on him.

"This is all my fault..." he murmured, "It's all my fault. She must have suffered a lot these days."

"Although Xiangzi listens to me very much, I've discovered during our interactions that her pride is a bit off. Rather than pride, it's more accurate to say she has a certain inferiority complex. Come to think of it, she's lost her money and is now in debt. People who knew her, even though they didn't know her before, would come and mock her every day. In this situation, these two extreme emotions can easily interchange."

"I've helped her a lot, but when I was helping her, I realized there were some things I couldn't do. That was the kind of help only her closest people could give her, the kind of support she could completely trust and rely on." Shirakawa Haru closed the book and said seriously, "What does she need? She needs you, her father."

Real relatives are always different from outsiders like you.

Shirakawa Haru thought that Xiangzi had been trying to say goodbye to her past, whether it was to forget crychic or to stop Su Shi from looking for her, she wanted to say goodbye.

Forget, say goodbye, and be reborn.

So that I can become a new person again.

This is her declaration to the world that she is no longer the same person she used to be. The weak self of the past is dead, and now no challenge or distress can defeat her.

It is really pitiful to see Shoko Toyokawa like this.

But the question is, can you really forget and say goodbye to those things in your past so easily?

Perhaps it's because they don't know what dreams are, that those who wander chase after illusions, and so do those who forget. The things you try so hard to say goodbye to will become your shadow, following you closely.

It's not until you turn around that you realize those things have been behind you all along.

…………

"Can I ask what the current relationship between Shirakawa-kun and Shoko is?" Toyokawa Kiyoshi suddenly interrupted Shirakawa Haru. His question was extremely tricky for Shirakawa Haru.

How should he answer? Shirakawa Haru opened his eyes wide and looked out the window. This question was really hard for him to answer. They had kissed, so were they lovers? No, because they hadn't confessed their feelings yet.

Xiangzi said she would try her best to make me like her, but no one can predict what will happen in the future.

Maybe this is what they call more than friends but less than lovers?

Shirakawa Haru thought that if Xiangzi confessed to him, he would probably not be able to refuse.

But it sounds a bit strange to say this.

After thinking for a long time, just when Toyokawa Seigao was getting restless and thinking he had said something wrong, Shirakawa Haru spoke up, "Shoko and I were just friends who had kissed." He added, "First we were interviewer and interviewee, then we became friends, then we kissed, and nothing further."

Go one step further? We've already kissed, so why would we want to go one step further?

Aren’t you guys in a relationship yet? Why are you kissing?

Shirakawa Haru's answer made Toyokawa Seikao a little confused.

He felt that he had fallen behind the times.

We can kiss even though we are not lovers.

Chapter 3 Rice Ball and Melancholic Little Penguin

In the morning, when Shoko Toyokawa just arrived at the student union office, she saw Haru Shirakawa sitting at the desk writing and drawing, with two bento boxes that she had seen before placed beside her. She put down the folder in her hand and pointed at the two boxes: "What is this?" She felt a little happy and a little inferior.

Even though she already knew that the two bento boxes were brought to her by Shirakawa Haru, she still wanted to ask. She felt happy because Shirakawa Haru had never brought her a homemade breakfast bento box in the past, and she felt inferior because he was now more involved in her life than before.

Qing treats me very well, but I have nothing to repay him. The girl has been consciously or unconsciously avoiding thinking about this topic, but in fact, this idea is hidden in every corner of her life.

For Shirakawa Haru, his current ambiguous relationship with Toyokawa Shoko is just moderate concern, but in the eyes of normal people, his behavior can be regarded as doting.

Toyokawa Shoko thought so too.

Due to the unequal relationship, a faint taste of bitter almonds appeared in Toyokawa Shoko's mouth.

"This is the breakfast I brought you from home. Xiangzi, don't you sometimes skip breakfast?" Shirakawa Haru turned on his computer to check the electronic files that Chihaya Aine worked on yesterday. "Yesterday I hired a housekeeper, and he's in charge of making breakfast now. He also prepared your lunch today."

Shirakawa Haru opened the lunch box and showed Toyokawa Shoko the food inside.

Breakfast is a very simple rice ball, triangular in shape, with roast beef or pickled plums sandwiched in the middle of rice mixed with a little sushi vinegar and soy sauce.

The rice is sprinkled with seaweed crumbs, which is very uneven.

After struggling to make a living, Shoko Toyokawa could tell at a glance that the person making these rice balls had never made rice balls before. A lot of the fillings were exposed, and the seaweed crumbs were not spread out in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

"Why did Haru-kun hire such a housekeeper? She can't even make rice balls properly. If I were at Haru-kun's house, I would definitely be able to make the most perfect rice balls." Toyokawa Shoko's expression was full of confidence, and she said this subconsciously.

If possible, she really wanted to visit Shirakawa Haru's home.

She felt like she was just like a woman in love. Shirakawa Haru had been to her house, so she wanted to go there too. But Suho Yuki was probably also at that house.

Shoko Toyokawa hates Yuki Suo, and just as Yuki Suo inexplicably hates her, she also doesn't like Yuki Suo.

The sun rose in a corner of the sky, its faint rosy glow melting into the still blue sky. A morning breeze rustled the fluttering screens, a warm breeze carrying the rosy glow. The small office was filled with warmth and ambiguity. The tapping sounds on the keyboard were like delicate fingers touching piano strings.

The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

"Okay, come to my house if you have the chance." Shirakawa Haru said, "I haven't eaten the rice balls made by Xiangzi yet, I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah." Toyokawa Shoko nodded slightly.

"These rice balls may not look good, but the housekeeper I hired has hardly cooked before. He really put a lot of effort into making them like this." Shirakawa Haru handed the lunch box to Toyokawa Shoko. "Shoko, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? Why don't you try one of these rice balls now? You might like the taste of them."

Shirakawa Haru wasn't lying. When Toyokawa Seikao was still at the Toyokawa household, he rarely cooked. Normally, the household had servants preparing three meals a day. He would only cook for his wedding anniversary or someone in the family's birthday.

Ever since he was kicked out of the Toyokawa family, he had fewer opportunities to cook.

It can be said that he has never cooked a meal by himself again. Every day he either orders cheap takeout or goes to the bar to drink. His life has become extremely decadent.

It was Shirakawa Haru who asked Toyokawa Kiyoshi to prepare bento boxes for breakfast and lunch for Shoko.

He felt that as Xiangzi's father, Fengchuan Qinggao had the responsibility to make up for the grievances and pain that Xiangzi suffered after he left.

Let her feel her father's love again.

"Yes, I haven't had breakfast yet." Toyokawa Shoko took a rice ball from the lunch box. She tore off the plastic film, opened her cherry pink lips, and took a small bite of the top of the rice ball. Then, as if she realized something, Shoko, who had originally planned to swallow the rice ball directly into her stomach, chewed it carefully.

"How does it taste, Xiangzi?" Shirakawa Haru drank a bottle of chocolate-flavored jelly drink, watching Xiangzi Toyokawa's changing expression without blinking.

"It tastes just average, but I just... I think this rice ball is delicious," Toyokawa Shoko replied slurringly. She opened her lips wide and bit into the rice ball without caring about her image. Without chewing, she quickly swallowed it down and took a second rice ball. "It tastes very familiar."

Of course you think the taste is familiar, silly girl, because this is the rice ball your father made for you. Your father's movements are very clumsy, and the rice balls are ugly. Without using a mold, he almost used up the whole pot of rice to make a few rice balls with a good shape.

Shirakawa Haru thought that since Toyokawa Shoko would show this expression in front of him, it meant that his efforts to find Toyokawa Seiko to report this matter were not meaningless.

Toyokawa Shoko, her father's love for her and Shirakawa Haru's feelings for her, have completely different meanings. Many things she cannot tell Shirakawa Haru, she can tell her father frankly; and those things she hides from her father, she can reveal everything to Shirakawa Haru.

In Shirakawa Haru's sight, in the morning light, the breeze brushed across her cheeks, and Toyokawa Shoko's eyelashes, which looked like the thin wings of a dragonfly or a glass work of art, trembled slightly. A mist of dreamy water gradually brewed in her amber almond eyes, and a faint crimson color was like a narrow eyeshadow dotted at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Qing. I don't know why I feel like crying right now." Shoko Toyokawa thought the housekeeper was really amazing.

It is obvious that the cooking skills are very low, but the food still tastes like home.

This was the most delicious thing she had eaten since her wandering, except for the meals made for her by Shirakawa Haru.

"What's wrong with you, Xiangzi?" Toyokawa Xiangzi couldn't stop crying. She covered her eyes with her hands and wiped away the tears. Shirakawa Haru walked over, hugged her gently, and asked in her ear, "Are you crying suddenly? You have classes soon, so don't let others see you crying like a little baby. If you like it, I'll ask the housekeeper to make rice balls for you tomorrow."

Shirakawa Haru certainly knew why Toyokawa Shoko was crying. Although Toyokawa Shoko was always cold and majestic, with an expression on his face that kept people away from him,

This is the blood relationship between family members. Even if Toyokawa Shoko didn't know anything, she could still sense that these rice balls were special to her.

"I'm sorry, Haru. I lost my composure." Little crybaby Toyokawa Shoko, soothed by Shirakawa Haru's gentle words, wiped away her melancholy and tears. She tucked her tear-soaked hair from her face. Her long hair, a melancholy hue like the sky at a blue hour, cascaded down in the next instant. She bit the hair tie and braided her hair in front of Shirakawa Haru.

"You just had breakfast. Do you want to rinse your mouth first? Otherwise, the hairband will be stained with the smell of soy sauce and sushi vinegar." Shirakawa Haru reminded Toyokawa Shoko.

"The atmosphere is so good, Haru, how can you say such things now!" Toyokawa Shoko, full of charm, cast a shy glance at Shirakawa Haru. A charming girl. Intoxicated lips, an admiring smile.

"Morning self-study starts in just over ten minutes, Xiangzi, I'm leaving first." Shirakawa Haru said as he walked out of the office. "I bought some desserts and put them in the cupboard. See if there's anything you want to eat and just help yourself. Close the door before you leave, and leave the window open."

After tying her hair, Shoko Toyokawa ate the last rice ball and rubbed her bloated belly. It must be said that children in adolescence eat a lot.

She opened the cupboard and found, besides various snacks, a jar filled with round balls much smaller than soybeans. On the jar was a note: "For Toyokawa Shoko's goldfish."

Shoko Toyokawa blinked her eyes, and her curved eyebrows showed a smile.

…………

"Hey, why has Soyorin been so close to the chairman these days?" Chihaya Aine sat in the rehearsal room, her cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish as she watched Nagasaki Motoyo talking to Shirakawa Haru. "They weren't like this a few days ago."

"I'm jealous of you for getting along so well with Soyorin, even as the chairman, you know?" Chihaya Aine looked at Shirakawa Haru who was adjusting the music score.

What's going on? I feel like I'm the only one left out. The chairman is the boy I like, and Nagasaki Suyo is the girl I admire. It's a happy thing for me that they get along well, but in reality, I...

Somewhat at a loss.

Because Chihaya Aine had no idea what happened to Nagasaki Motoyo and Shirakawa Haru.

"Aine herself said it happened a few days ago. That's how good friends get along. A few days ago it was this and that, and a few days later it was this and that." Nagasaki Motoyo stared at Shirakawa Haru's lips, thinking of the feeling of her lips pressing against them that night. Soft, delicate, as if soaked in honey and milk.

"So Soyorin, what happened between you and the chairman? Can you tell me about it?" Chihaya Aine turned off the video of Meow Meng introducing hairstyles and evaluating cosmetics, walked to Nagasaki Suyo, held her hand and asked.

"You can't just talk about this kind of thing." Nagasaki Motoyo stretched out a finger and gracefully shook it in front of Chihaya Aine's eyes, clearly expressing her refusal. "How about you ask Shirakawa-kun? If Aine and Shirakawa-kun are close enough, he will definitely tell you."

Nagasaki Suyo looked into Chihaya Aine's gray eyes with a smile, her tone calm and peaceful, as if what happened between her and Shirakawa Haru was just a trivial matter.

Aine, you only like Shirakawa-kun on the surface. If I didn't have to find a way to keep Xiangzi away from Shirakawa-kun and reorganize crychic with me, do you think you would still have the chance to express your feelings to Shirakawa-kun?

What should she do? She might as well piss off this pink golden retriever. Nagasaki Motoyo thought that because Shirakawa-kun had promised her not to reveal anything, Chihaya Aine was destined to get no answers.

She must be very discouraged, right?

As Chihaya Aine, who clearly likes and tries to become Shirakawa-kun's girlfriend.

What's the point of being the first to kiss Shirakawa-kun on the cheek? I got Shirakawa-kun's first kiss! Thinking of this, Nagasaki Suyo's smile became even brighter. She supported her cheek with one hand and used the other to push away Chihaya Aine's hand that was holding hers.

"Hmm...soyorin!" Chihaya Aine pouted, "If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. I'll ask the chairman, he will definitely tell me."

"Chairman, tell me why your relationship with Soyorin has suddenly become so good? You will definitely tell me what Soyorin doesn't tell me, right?" Chihaya Aine sat next to Shirakawa Haru and acted coquettishly towards him.

"No." Shirakawa Haru rejected Chihaya Aine without thinking.

"Eh? Chairman~ I want to know!" Chihaya Aine held Shirakawa Haru's free hand and rubbed it with her chin.

"Because I told you to keep it a secret." Shirakawa Haru glanced at Nagasaki Suyo, and then got a look that only he and Nagasaki Suyo could understand.

"It's so annoying," Chihaya Aine clenched her fists and slightly bent her waist, "This is a feeling that only I don't know!"