I won't be a loser.

"And this house?"

"I won the prize and bought it. At first, I just thought it looked nice, so I bought it. Now I've rented it out to my editor and her friend."

The photo of the house appeared in front of Qingpu Mai with a flick of the finger, making Qingpu Mai wonder if she had heard something wrong.

The face that was full of maturity that the girl did not have, and the expression that was always calm and gentle, was now also affected by the strong fluctuations. She slowly opened her lips and looked at the boy in front of her with some disbelief and suspicion.

Even if I didn't buy it myself, I knew that the cost of such a house in Tokyo would definitely not be less than 50 million yen.

"......"

She pursed her lips, and was actually very curious about how much the wise man had won, but she felt it was not appropriate to ask, so she bit her lip and did not ask.

"A billion."

Suddenly looking up, looking at the boy in front of him, Qingpu Wu slowly opened his mouth and looked at the boy in front of him.

"Of course, I don't have ten billion yen left now. I spent over 150 million yen on that one building. Considering the remaining tax costs in the future, I plan to keep 500 million yen as a reserve fund. I've also been considering buying another house recently."

Looking at Qing Pu Mai in front of him, he said again what he had thought about before.

"Because it's a large sum, to avoid unnecessary trouble, my parents haven't told me. For now, only you and my editor know about it. As an editor at the publishing house, she was asked to accompany me when I collected the bonus."

"Your editor is the one who visited you during your hospitalization, right?"

"Well, we were worried about any unexpected events, so we asked her, the editor, to accompany us to receive the award. Afterwards, as a thank you, we rented the house to her at a low price. I had already discussed buying a house with my mother, of course, by taking out a loan to buy a house of our own."

Qingpu Wu's mood at the moment was a little complicated. She didn't expect Xianren to hide it from his family, nor did she expect him to tell her so frankly.

"But Setsuna and I are still in high school. We haven't finalized our college and job plans yet, so I'm struggling with whether or not to tell you and confirm the house purchase."

"What happened to the previous store?"

"Ah, about 5 million yen is well within my budget, so I asked for your opinion."

I had previously rejected Xianren's proposal because I felt that I only had a few million yen in savings and it would be too risky to open a store rashly. But now that I know that Xianren has such a huge amount of savings, I feel that I can give it a try.

"Want to give it a try?"

"......"

Faced with the wise man's question, Qingpu Mai thought about it for a while, but still shook her head and refused.

"Without any experience, it's not suitable."

"Then why not work part-time at another convenience store for a while, understand how convenience stores operate, and then open your own?"

Qingpu Mai was moved by Xianren's words and started to think about it. It seemed that this method could be tried.

"You have savings, and I have funds. In two months, you should be able to get familiar with the operation of a convenience store. You can also consider a restaurant."

"...I'm a bit confused. My monthly income doesn't seem stable."

"try it?"

Having adapted to this kind of life for more than ten years, Qingpu Wu was suddenly told that she could try a freer life, which made her feel conflicted. Not everyone can step out of their comfort zone.

"Perhaps you could contact Yuko? She has experience in this area. Perhaps you could have her open another restaurant?"

"Ok?"

After hearing what Qingpu Mai said, the wise man who had never thought about Saionji before now showed an expression of sudden realization, as if it was indeed worth a try.

"What is her restaurant's monthly revenue?"

"It's probably around 300,000 or 400,000 yen. It's not fixed, sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less."

As a friend of Saionji Yuko, Kiyoura Mai has some understanding of Saionji Yuko's sales.

"Net income?"

"Ah, it's net income."

"It seems okay, but the initial costs might be a bit higher. It might be more appropriate to get a bank loan later."

A little capital of your own, plus a loan from the bank, can leave more available funds.

"If you're interested, you can talk to Miss Yuko. When you're sure, come find me. If the income from one house isn't enough, we can do two."

"......I'll talk to her later. If it's really possible, I'll come back to you."

Qingpu Mai did not ask further about the matter of the house, and Xianren did not say anything either. As for the matter of the new house, it was just as Xianren said. Xianren and Setsuna were still in high school. It was not rational to buy a house rashly without deciding on their future jobs.

It would be more appropriate to wait until both children grow up and graduate from college before considering this issue.

After communicating with the wise man, she began to trust the young man in front of her even more.

- - - -

Thanks to Magical Girl Meili-chan, Praise My Lord!, Wang Xing Agent 76, Yui & Descendants, Human Ideal Xixi-chan, Dudu, Wings of Dreams#, and the monthly tickets and blades for Star Beyond! Thank you all for your recommendations!

Another year of budding: 324. The sound outside the room

On Saturday, after walking out of the campus and avoiding the crowd, Xianren, carrying a schoolbag, stopped in a slightly remote corner and waited quietly for another person to arrive.

About ten minutes later, Yoshida Saki also arrived at the place where she had agreed to meet with Xianren. Seeing Xianren who had been waiting there for a long time, she quickly bowed and apologized.

"I'm sorry! I kept you waiting for so long, Miyamizu-kun!"

"I just waited for a while, no need to apologize to me. Should I go to your house first?"

"Everyone should be working today, so no one will be home. So I plan to go home first, grab my daily necessities, and then go to grandma's house."

"Is there only one schoolbag that can hold all your things?"

"Most of the daily necessities we need have already been sent to grandma's house. There aren't many left, so... this should be enough."

Since Yoshida Saki had already answered like this, Xianren, who was just accompanying her, naturally had no extra opinions. He quietly accompanied her towards her home. They walked one in front and the other behind on the road. Although they were going to Yoshida Saki's home, Yoshida Saki walked behind Xianren, following him with her head down.

He glanced back and saw the girl holding the shoulder straps of her schoolbag tightly with both hands, lowering her head and not daring to look at him.

"Aren't you going ahead?"

"I'm... a little scared."

It is true that not every girl can break free from those dark memories. Yoshida Saki, who followed behind him, was a timid girl herself. If she wanted to get out of the shadows alone, it would probably take a long time.

But these things have nothing to do with wise men.

Kento had already been to Yoshida's house once, so even if Yoshida Saki was walking behind him, he still knew the way to her house. Compared to the way to a boy's house, the address of a girl's house is easier for a boy to remember.

After leaving the school gate at Toyonosaki, I walked for nearly half an hour before finally reaching the residential area where the Yoshida family lived. I stopped in front of a house with a sign that said "Yoshida".

There are two pine trees planted at the door, which makes it easy to spot in a residential area.

The girl came to the door, stopped, bit her lip, looked at the familiar house in front of her, and couldn't help but take two steps back. She was filled with unspoken fear about entering this former home.

The wise man who was closer to the front looked at the girl behind him, and then at the house in front of him.

"This is it. It looks like no one is home. Why don't you pack up your things and leave while no one is home? Or you can try to stay home for a while and take care of all the future matters at once?"

Faced with the wise man's advice, the girl bit her lips tightly and wanted to move her legs, but because of fear, she did not move for a long time.

Even when standing in the sun, he felt extremely cold, as if facing a devil's cave. He couldn't even muster the courage to move forward. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his heart was full of struggle.

Looking at the girl who didn't move at all, the wise man standing in front of him slowly walked to her side, stretched out his right hand, and gently patted her back.

"You are not alone now. There is no need to be afraid anymore."

"Miyamizu-kun......"

Biting her lips tightly, the girl's uneasy and frightened look gradually calmed down. She lowered her head to look at the tips of her shoes, took a deep breath, and slowly walked towards the house in front of her.

She still had the key to the house, so she opened the door.

Looking at the familiar entrance, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand. A strong feeling of nausea made her almost vomit the moment she smelled the familiar smell of home.

The wise man, who had been to the Yoshida family once, looked at Yoshida Saki standing at the door and entered the house first. The girl looked at the wise man, covered her mouth and nose with one hand, and slowly entered the house and closed the door.

Just suppressing her nausea and entering this house, Yoshida Saki had already exhausted all her strength. She didn't even change her shoes and walked towards her room.

An Jing followed her, walked up the stairs, and arrived at Yoshida Saki's room.

Looking at the environment where she grew up, Yoshida Saki's eyes were lost and sad. Her clenched hands suddenly loosened powerlessly and she began to sob softly.

I didn't comfort the girl because I felt that she also needed to vent her emotions.

The wise man standing in the room just looked at her quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl stopped crying, wiped the tears from her face with her messy hands, hurried to the closet, and began to pack her things.

In an environment where most of the girl's personal belongings were there, Xianren, who was just accompanying her, did not do anything extra. He stood quietly in the room and watched her quietly pack up her things.

click -

despair--

In the quiet room, I suddenly heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

The sound was not very loud, but it could be heard clearly. It was a bit far away, not like it was nearby, and the sound was coming from outside the window.

"Is someone back?"

Standing in the room, Xianren looked at Yoshida Saki who was packing up.

The girl's body suddenly stiffened, she slowly raised her head and looked at the wise man for help.

Without saying anything else, the wise man standing in the room raised his index finger and gently touched his lips, signaling the girl to be quiet.

"You are bad!"

"You're not such a bad person, are you? Your husband is still working outside, and you brought me to your house. Your daughter has run away from home, and you don't even worry about it?"

"She's not a child anymore. That loser actually attacked his own daughter. What a beast."

"You're a little bastard born from a bastard, so what are you?"

"Of course it's a dog that needs your training~"

"I just like women like you."

"Go to your room?"

"Go to my daughter's room. She's not at home right now, and her clothes are still there."

"You are so rude."

click -

Hearing the conversation outside the door, Xianren, who was feeling a little subtle and strange, looked at the girl and noticed her wooden and desperate expression. Then there was the sound of the door opening. The man and woman standing at the door hugging each other in an intimate posture, their expressions froze on their faces when they saw Xianren and Yoshida Saki standing in the room.

Yoshida Saki's mother stared at her daughter and the strange boy in the house with her eyes wide open, her gaze fixed on her daughter's desperate expression.

The man looked around and saw the girl whose face was similar to his new woman. He then looked at the boy next to her and felt a little embarrassed, but his eyes quickly fell on the woman's face and noticed the confused look on his new woman's face.

'masterpiece.'

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

I thought Yoshida Saki's father had gone too far, but after hearing what he said just now and looking at the attitude of the woman at the door, I'm afraid she is no less extreme than Yoshida Saki's father.

The woman loosened her arms around the man, pushed him away, kept her distance again, and looked at her daughter with a conflicted and nervous expression.

"Xiaosaki, please listen to me..."

The girl in the room had lost the ability to think and sat dejectedly on the floor. Her desperate expression and reaction made the woman open her mouth.

"I'm her classmate. I'm here with her to get her belongings. Can you please let her calm down for a bit?"

He stretched out his hand, indicating his presence, and looked at the man and woman standing at the door. He walked to the door and closed it gently. The man standing at the door looked at the woman beside him with a helpless expression, and then looked at the closed door in front of him.

Deep down, he already knew that there seemed to be nothing going on today, so he looked at the woman at the door.

"Do you need me to kick this door open?"

"......"

The woman stood silently at the door, staring blankly at the door in front of her. She didn't know how much time had passed, then she turned sideways to look at the man beside her.

"Let's go."

"Ok?"

"Go to the hotel."

"You're getting a room?"