Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

On the living room sofa, Hojo Yuki heard her best friend's furious rant and lowered her head like a quail, feeling guilty.

Both times, when she called to inform her father of her divorce, he was overjoyed, as if it were good news, while her best friend scolded and berated her.

However, her best friend was right to criticize her. For so many years, her best friend had been advising her, trying to help her see her ex-husband's true colors.

She wouldn't listen, and the two ended up having a huge fight, which strained their relationship.

"You're really making me angry... Where are you now? Do you have anywhere to go?"

“I live in a large apartment in Shibuya. After my divorce, this apartment is now mine.”

When this was mentioned, Hojo Yuki looked around and then laughed.

She genuinely never imagined that after the divorce, the woman would actually get a share of the family property.

"That dilapidated house is only worth a few cents, and you're still so happy about it, especially since it's in a lousy place like Shibuya."

"This house is not dilapidated at all. Including the renovation and furniture, it costs 27 billion."

Faced with her disdain, Hojo Yuki couldn't help but argue back.

"Shut up! Anyway, you don't need to live in that shabby house anymore. I have an apartment in Minato Ward, Tokyo that's empty and no one lives there. You and Minami can move in there."

Why do you want me to move to the port area?

"So that ungrateful bastard won't come back to bother you and want to remarry you."

"Don't worry, I won't remarry him."

"Even if you don't plan to remarry him, it will cause trouble for you and Xiao Nan if he regrets it and wants to remarry you. It's much easier to just move out. Anyway, you should move out soon. I'll have someone deliver the keys to you. I'll be going back to Japan in half a month, and I'll come find you then."

"Makes sense."

Upon hearing this, Hojo Yuki nodded as if she understood.

Although she firmly believes she will not remarry, her ex-husband might want to, and moving can indeed avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

Not long after, a voice rang out from the entryway:

"I am back."

"It's Konan and Shiratori-kun who are back."

Hearing the noise, Hojo Yuki, who was leaning back on the sofa waiting, straightened up, put on white open-toed slippers, and ran over.

"Welcome back, Minami... Where's Shiratori-kun?"

Upon arriving at the entrance, Hojo Yuki greeted everyone, but then noticed something was amiss.

There was only one person in front of the door, her beloved daughter, and the door to the room was already closed.

"Xiujun has other things to attend to today and said he can't come."

Minami Yamabuki, who was taking off her black leather shoes, had already come to terms with things on her way home, but after hearing what she said, she suddenly became sad again.

Although she could understand that Xiu Jun couldn't come to her house every day and had his own things to do, she was still very disappointed that he couldn't come on such an important day.

"Hey... I was thinking of cooking a big meal tonight to celebrate, I bought a lot of ingredients."

Upon learning of this, Hojo Yuki, who had been all smiles, suddenly turned pale, feeling disappointed and sad.

Although she had thanked Shiratori-kun many times last night, she still felt it wasn't enough after the official divorce today, and wanted to properly repay Shiratori-kun's kindness and help.

"Mom, you look so beautiful today."

Seeing that her mother was very sad, Minami Yamabuki immediately came to her senses and quickly changed the subject.

This wasn't her trying to force a conversation; it was just that her mother looked really beautiful today, very elegant and dignified.

"It's just everyday wear, after all, I have to go out... By the way, I've made up with your Aunt Feng Hua."

As an adult, Hojo Yuki could easily guess her daughter's little secret of wanting to comfort her. With a gentle smile, she changed the subject and told her some good news.

"Aunt Feng Hua?"

Upon hearing the name, Minami Yamabuki was momentarily stunned, and a petite figure immediately came to mind.

She's less than 1.5 meters tall, incredibly cute, but has a super fierce temper—a blonde loli.

"Don't you remember? You're the Aunt Feng Hua who you used to tell me you hated and who made me cry."

Seeing that she seemed to be recalling something, Hojo Yuki thought she had forgotten and reminded her.

“I remember her… I didn’t want to make her cry because she kept calling you an idiot and insulting your father, and you didn’t talk back, so I cried and said some emotional things.”

Reminded of this, Minami Yamabuki immediately felt guilty.

She used to dislike Aunt Feng Hua quite a bit, and every time she came to her house, she would try to persuade her parents to get a divorce... But now it seems that she misunderstood Aunt Feng Hua.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. Your Aunt Feng Hua may be petite, but she has a very generous heart. She was just concerned about you and doesn't hold a grudge against you."

When it came to making her daughter cry, Hojo Yuki felt guilty, but she still prioritized comforting her daughter.

To be honest, she had made Feng Hua cry several times, especially after that argument four years ago, after which her best friend never came to her house to play again.

Fortunately, Saionji Fuka was a young lady from a prominent family. She had seen countless people since childhood and was shrewd and capable, so no one bothered to argue with her.

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.

At 18:40 p.m., Shinonome Mizuki returned home after finishing her supervisory work at school and started making dinner.

"Hmph hmph hmph~"

While cooking, she couldn't help but hum her favorite melody.

"Sister, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did something good happen?"

Shinonome Chisei, who was playing a game with a controller, noticed that she was humming again. Curious, she paused the game, turned around, and leaned against the back of the sofa to watch her.

My sister has been in a great mood lately, getting better every day. Today she was exceptionally good, with an indelible smile on her beautiful yet aloof face.

My sister always couldn't help but smile, I don't know what sweet good things she was thinking.

Having grown up together as twins and known each other for 23 years, she had never seen her sister so happy... Even when her sister got into the University of Tokyo, her expression was wooden, as if it were a matter of course.

Who exactly is her brother-in-law? Just how handsome and charming is he that he's practically turning her sister into a lovestruck young girl?

"No."

Shinonome Mizuki, who was humming a song, snapped out of her reverie, adjusted her glasses, and shook her head after regaining her composure.

"stare--"

Seeing her habitual gesture of adjusting her glasses to compose herself, it was easy to understand. Dongyun Qianxing didn't say anything, but instead stared at her with onomatopoeic sounds.

"Watch your posture, you're wearing a tank top... wait, why are you going commando again today?!"

Shinonome Mizuki noticed that she was leaning over the back of the sofa, constantly sticking her waist out. What started as a simple warning quickly turned into a panic.

Because they look exactly alike, and even have the same figure, when she sees her sister making such unguarded and erotic gestures, she always feels like she's looking in a mirror, which makes her feel incredibly ashamed.

Qianxing is the same way. Because she works from home and doesn't need to go out, she always dresses very revealingly, either in tank tops and hot pants or loose T-shirts, which makes it very easy for her to expose herself.

This is why she would rather spend money to go to a paid study room than dare to bring Shiratori home to tutor him in order to save money.

"Because it's too hot, wearing a bra is uncomfortable~"

Feeling both disgusted and embarrassed by her angry glare, Dongyun Qianxing immediately felt better and giggled.

She's not an exhibitionist; she just likes to joke around and play games with her sister.

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.

In Toshima Ward, an old apartment building has a single room for rent, where the air conditioner is humming loudly.

"Ring ring ring!"

At 22:30 p.m., the alarm I set on my phone went off right on time.

The next moment, a large hand covered the phone, picked it up, and turned off the alarm.

"So it wasn't that easy to bring it to a close after all?"

Noticing the time, Shiratori Osamu put down his pen and muttered to himself.

He had originally hoped that Xiao Nan would return home, meet her mother who was now single again, and that the two of them could spend time alone together and imagine their future free and wonderful life together, which would make them feel happy.

But it was almost bedtime, and the timeline still hadn't converged, which meant his hopes were dashed.

(May they, mother and daughter, find happiness)

Shiratori Osamu thought the request was simple and that he didn't even need to make a conscious effort to fulfill it.

After all, people's requirements for happiness become simpler after experiencing hardship. Just like a person who has been bedridden for a long time, they will feel very happy as long as their condition improves and they can get out of bed and walk.

However, it seems that it won't be so easy for Hojo Yuki and Yamabuki Minami, this mother and daughter, to find happiness.

"How to do?"

Because the timeline had not yet converged, even though Shiratori Osamu was maintaining a state of complete concentration, he still unconsciously frowned.

After so many world line convergences, he actually had some understanding of the system's nature.

Sometimes, the guidance of the options is hidden in the additional rewards. For example, when Minami Yamabuki asked him to be the blond guy for the second time, the reward was study notes, and all he had to do was study hard.

(The key to the Hojo family's luxury apartment in the port area) This bonus means that he can freely enter and leave the Hojo family's house and stay overnight there.

The additional bonus of 100 million yen per month seemed like a great deal at first glance, but now he has a different perspective on it: it's a long-term commitment.

He wanted Hojo Yuki and Yamabuki Minami to be happy, not necessarily to live in the Hojo family home, but at least to visit them frequently.

If he tries to sever ties with his mother-in-law as soon as she gets divorced, the mother and daughter will indeed avoid further misfortune, but that doesn't mean they will find happiness.

The problem is that if he kicks Old Deng out of the house and then moves into the Hojo family to start living together, then his initial proposal for divorce becomes meaningless.

He tried every means to help his mother-in-law get a divorce; he never intended to usurp her place.

Furthermore, if he were to actually move into the Hojo family's house, his plan to gradually get Yamabuki Minami used to his absence by reducing contact and interaction, so that she wouldn't renew the lease when it expired, would also fail.

In just seven days of pretending to be a couple, Xiao Nan's dependence on him had already reached an alarming level—because the act of cuddling to sleep was too intimate, and they had unknowingly crossed a certain boundary.

How dependent is Xiao Nan on him right now?

The fact that he slept in the guest room last night, even though they were supposed to be sleeping in separate rooms, and that Xiao Nan still came over to sneak over and sleep next to him, reveals something about the situation.

"Back then, I was only thinking about making them all happy. How come I didn't realize that this option was a trap?"

Thinking about this, Shiratori Osamu felt a headache coming on.

In short, he now has two options.

(Option A: Persist in claiming the reward, continue your relationship with the Hojo family, and find a way to bring happiness to the mother and daughter.)

The benefit of this option is the convergence of world lines, and Xiaonan's dependence on him will continue to increase until she can't live without him, and he can't abandon her either, so in a sense, she's tied to him.

Moreover, there is a huge potential hidden danger in doing this: if the timeline has not yet been resolved after he moves into the Hojo family, then things will be really serious.

If he has to find a way to make his mother-in-law happy after he gets together with Xiao Nan before the timeline ends, then his behavior is equivalent to Xiao Huangmao kicking Lao Deng out of the house and then moving into someone else's house, sleeping with their daughter, and kissing their ex-wife.

In terms of shamelessness, his behavior is even worse than Old Deng's extramarital affair, which hurt his virtuous, understanding, and devoted wife. He is simply a beast.

Actually, Shiratori Osamu doesn't care much about what others think of him; the problem is that he can't get over the hurdle in his own heart.

The reason he was able to so confidently judge and angrily denounce Yamabuki Satoshi as scum was because he never had any ulterior motives of usurping someone else's place. He was upright and had nothing to fear.

Most importantly, if he were to actually do that, Hojo Ryoma, who had been watching him closely, would be furious and kill this little blondie.

(Option B: Give up the reward, gradually reduce contact with Xiao Nan, and do not renew the lease when it expires next month, thus completely cutting off contact.)

The benefits of this option are considerable. Xiao Nan might be a little sad in the short term, but time heals all wounds. Perhaps one day in the future, the mother and daughter will suddenly find happiness, and the timeline can be brought together.

Moreover, this option poses no danger to his life. He only needs to study hard, pass the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo in half a year, and after graduation, there is a very high probability that he will date Professor Shinonome... She is a tall, aloof, and beautiful woman with fair skin, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, who is only good to you.

Not to mention, there's an extremely low chance he'll get to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives by doing this.

Through this reward, Shiratori Osamu sensed that he might be able to see the bigger picture, and that Professor Shinonome might be thinking, "As long as the three of us live a good life, that's more important than anything else!"

If Shinonome Mizuki agrees, then his two-timing behavior wouldn't be considered cheating, since he hasn't hurt anyone and just wants both of his best friends to be happy.

Although he doesn't yet know how old or what his sister-in-law, Dongyun Qianxing, looks, he figured that since her older sister is so beautiful, her younger sister wouldn't be too bad off.

These are twin sisters! Countless men dream of having two wives... Regardless of what others think, he was smitten.

Even though the probability of having multiple wives is extremely low, there is still a probability.

In mathematics, the difference in probability between 0 and 1 is not a numerical difference, but rather two completely different natures.