Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Faced with this question, the elegantly walking Higashino Mizuki smoothed her hair and said softly.

"That's such a cool way to put it."

Seeing that she had tied her hair up earlier, it was clear that she had prepared her answer in advance, and Shiratori Osamu was very supportive, giving her plenty of emotional value.

"of course."

Seeing his reaction, Shinonome Mizuki couldn't help but snort inwardly.

This is how adults conduct themselves in the world; learn from it.

"..."

Seeing that she was quite pleased with herself, with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, Shiratori Osamu couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Just Tuesday, Professor Dongyun was still asking him what he and his mother-in-law had talked about during the half hour they spent in the student guidance room. But just a few days later, his attitude has changed completely.

"Speaking of which, Qianxing is very curious about you. She originally wanted to wait for you with me today, but I persuaded her to go home... If she sees you later, she might keep asking you about it."

The three-story building was quite low, and as Higashino Mizuki walked along, something came to mind.

"Then I'll have to make up a good story."

Are you going to lie to her?

"Because I can't talk about what happened today."

"Then tell her it's a secret that can't be told. Lying is not a good habit."

Discovering that he indeed couldn't say, Shinonome Mizuki wasn't surprised; she simply adopted a teacher's demeanor and lectured him.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Seeing her attitude, Shiratori naturally nodded obediently.

Actually, when he said he was going to make up a story, his real intention was to get on the same side as Shinonome Mizuki, specifically about how to play pranks on his sister-in-law. This was a great way to get closer to her.

Unfortunately, although Mr. Shinonome is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, his personality is still quite serious.

"Speaking of which, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"If possible, I would like you to tutor me."

"But you're a science genius, and you're studying math, so I can't help you with that."

When the topic came up, Shinonome Mizuki felt very guilty.

Actually, she had this self-awareness before, but after being followed by Qianxing today, this feeling became even stronger.

If it were other subjects, especially humanities, she could also tutor Shiratori-kun.

However, Shiratori-kun didn't ask any questions about math; he was purely self-studying.

"How could I not be of help? Your supervision will allow me to concentrate better and study with peace of mind."

Upon discovering her concerns, Shiratori immediately expressed his support.

That won't do. Perhaps that's true, but he still wants to spend more time with Shinonome-sensei.

Perhaps they rarely spoke during their studies, but that's how feelings are built up little by little—the so-called "love grows over time."

"Supervision?"

"Actually, when I'm at home alone and reading, I always want to play on my phone after studying for a while, and it's hard for me to get into a state of complete concentration."

"Is that so?"

"And on weekends I'm home alone, and sometimes my friends come over to hang out with me and ask me to go out and fight."

"That won't do, Shiratori-kun. Tomorrow, it'll be the same time, Aozora Study Room."

At this point in the conversation, Shinonome Mizuki's expression became very serious. She raised her hand to adjust her glasses and said solemnly.

She realized she had really been confused. Perhaps from her actions, she hadn't been able to tutor Shiratori Osamu, but that didn't mean she hadn't done anything. She had been supervising Shiratori Osamu's studies.

She knew that many poor students did so badly not because they were inherently stupid, but because they lacked self-discipline. Having someone to supervise you and not having someone to supervise you are two different things.

Moreover, leaving Shiratori Osamu alone at home during his vacation is one thing, but having friends come to visit and disturb him is another, and someone even tried to drag him into a fight, which is far too dangerous.

"it is good."

Having successfully helped her rebuild her self-awareness and even found a legitimate reason for long-term supervision, Shiratori Osamu nodded in agreement.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Minato Ward, Akasaka, Kukkaka-fu Luxury Apartment, 19th Floor, Grand Flat.

It was 19:34 PM, and I was having dinner.

Actually, it's not usually this late, but Hojo Yuki was so busy playing in the afternoon that she forgot to cook.

"..."

No one spoke at the table, except for the occasional light clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

Although quiet wasn't a bad thing, Hojo Ryoma sensed something was off, and his gaze inadvertently swept over his daughter and granddaughter.

It was quiet, but it wasn't like this when he was spying from upstairs.

When Shiratori Osamu was still around, even though the three of them didn't say a word, they still gave off a pleasant and relaxed feeling.

When it was his turn, although his daughter and granddaughter still had smiles on their faces, they were very small and looked listless.

Without comparison, there is no distinction between superior and inferior; this differential treatment made Hojo Ryoma very depressed.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Shibuya, 26th floor of a high-end apartment building, Tougumo's house.

Instead of opening the door directly, Shinonome Mizuki took out her phone and sent a message to Shiratori Osamu.

The moon: "I'm home."

The reason for this was that Shiratori Osamu's expectation after she got into the taxi was to let him know she was safe.

The message was marked as read in less than ten seconds.

Shiratori Osamu: "Received."

Seeing that he replied to her message so quickly, clearly waiting for her to let her know she was safe, Higashion Mizuki's lips curled up slightly, and then she took out her IC card to open the door and enter the house.

"I am back."

As soon as the door closed, Higashion Mizuki called out.

The next moment, heavy footsteps echoed through the house, and Dongyun Qianxing immediately ran out of the living room, greeting them with a beaming smile:

"Welcome back, sister."

"Why aren't you wearing shoes again? And you're dressed so provocatively."

After exchanging greetings, Shinonome Mizuki looked her over with some regret.

The younger sister was wearing a loose black T-shirt, and her pair of long, slender, snow-white legs were very eye-catching. At first glance, it looked like she wasn't wearing pants.

Actually, she and her sister are quite easy to tell apart. Although their figures and faces are exactly the same, and their hairstyles are also similar, she wears glasses and has a very different temperament.

"Oh dear, what does it matter if you're at home? By the way, weren't you waiting for your husband? Is he already home?"

Faced with her scolding, Dongyun Qianxing responded with a grin and asked casually.

"He's home, and he seems fine." Dongyun Meiyue nodded to let her know he was safe, then immediately realized what she meant and became anxious, "Qianxing, I've told you so many times, he's not your brother-in-law!"

"It's only a matter of time, and my brother-in-law already said he's single."

Seeing her attempt to salvage the situation, Dongyun Qianxing was overjoyed and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"You..."

Seeing that she insisted on this, Shinonome Mizuki had no choice but to sigh.

My little sister is always so naughty. Anyway, Shiratori-kun can't hear her, so I'll just let her be in her place in private.

Seeing her sigh with a helpless expression, Dongyun Qianxing covered her mouth, almost bursting out laughing.

My sister clearly likes her calling him "brother-in-law," but she pretends she can't do anything about it—it's so cute!

Having grown up together, she knew that if her older sister really disliked something, she would usually be more assertive.

"hiss……"

Taking off her high heels, Shinonome Mizuki put on slippers barefoot and suddenly felt a sharp pain, causing her to frown and inhale.

She rarely wears high heels, but today she wore them all day and stood for a long time.

Although the high heels fit perfectly and didn't cause any blisters on my heels, they still hurt a lot.

"Sister, are you alright?"

Dongyun Qianxing, who had been smiling, noticed her expression and reaction and immediately became worried, so she went forward to help her.

Let's order takeout tonight.

Helped by her, she walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Dongyun Meiyue felt a pain in the soles of her feet and her head was also dizzy. After thinking it over carefully, she decided to take a day off for herself today.

Although she can still walk, her legs are so fatigued that she needs to be relieved as soon as possible.

"Sister, although I know you like your brother-in-law very much, isn't waiting from 1 p.m. until now a bit too much..."

Sitting next to her, Dongyun Qianxing was genuinely surprised to find that her sister wanted to order takeout, and then couldn't help but say something.

She felt guilty when she talked about it, realizing she had been too careless.

Knowing that her sister was waiting for her brother-in-law out of worry, if she had noticed that her sister was wearing high heels before going home and offered to switch shoes with her, her sister wouldn't have been so tired.

"Who said I like him? This is just part of my plan."

Upon hearing this, Shinonome Mizuki immediately became displeased and glared at her.

"Plan? What plan?"

"I pretended to be infatuated with Shiratori-kun, and then in order to perform well in front of me and win my favor, he would study hard and his grades would improve dramatically."

"Wow, is that so? Sister, your plan is so wicked. You'll have your brother-in-law completely under your control!"

Realizing that she was using such an excuse to deceive herself, and considering that she was very tired, Shinonome Chisei did not argue with her, but instead pretended to be shocked.

"Of course, it's just that you didn't see it. You have no idea how excited he was when he saw me waiting for him."

Seeing that her younger sister believed her, Shinonome Mizuki snorted and said smugly.

How excited were you?

Upon hearing this, Shinonome Sensei immediately became curious.

As a galgame expert, she knew how captivating it was to create female characters with stunningly beautiful models; it was practically a technique that could trigger special CG effects.

But games are games, and reality is reality. Besides, her sister went home and didn't stay overnight at her brother-in-law's, so she couldn't guess what was going on.

"Uh……"

Shinonome Mizuki, who was still feeling smug, suddenly stopped talking when she thought about what Shiratori Osamu did after seeing her.

"Could your brother-in-law have kissed you?"

Seeing that she had closed her mouth, as if savoring something, Dongyun Qianxing was immediately startled.

"Don't talk nonsense, we are teacher and student!"

"Your brother-in-law suddenly hugged you?"

"!"

When she guessed the outcome correctly, Shinonome Mizuki's body suddenly jolted.

"It was a hug? That's a classic development."

Seeing her reaction, Dongyun Qianxing nodded thoughtfully.

Although the outcome of the hug wasn't great and it was still far from a special CG, it was a major turning point for the aloof and mature female character, marking a significant step forward in their romantic relationship.

Wow, my brother-in-law's attack power is pretty high; he actually dared to hug my sister.

Chapter 125 The Clingy Mother-in-Law

At 22:45 p.m., Shiratori Osamu lay on the bed with his eyes closed, taking deep breaths, as if he was making some kind of mental preparation.