167: The Shovel

Miku pressed her skirt down with one hand and covered her chest with the other, watching him warily: 

"What do you want?"

"What do you think?"

Takashi smiled maliciously, taking one step after another toward Miku.

With each step Takashi took, Miku stepped back, and even Van Dyke would call this a masterful move.

But soon, Miku's back was pressed against the cold wall, with nowhere to retreat.

Takashi cornered Miku, slightly lowering his head.

"No, you can't."

Looking at Takashi's face, which seemed to grow larger and larger, Miku covered her mouth with both hands and tightly shut her eyes in fear.

The forceful, coercive actions she had imagined didn't happen. Instead, what she heard was Takashi's clear voice.

"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain?"

Miku's mind couldn't catch up for a moment.

What was he talking about?

"Takeda Hishi? Isn't that the family crest used by Takeda Shingen?" Takashi muttered to himself.

Miku suddenly opened her eyes wide.

She realized that, at some point, her phone had appeared in Takashi's hand.

"Give it back."

Miku reached out to grab it.

Takashi raised his hand and shot her a glance that seemed to say, "Try and grab it, see if I don't slap you," and Miku immediately obeyed.

No need to boast, but someone like Takashi could easily take on ten of her.

"What's the password?" Takashi asked.

Miku turned her head, showing an attitude of "I don't want to answer."

"Won't give it to me? Fine, I'll go bother your other sisters."

Takashi turned as if to leave.

"No, you can't go."

Upon hearing that, Miku ran to block him, spreading her arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Takashi raised an eyebrow. "Give me the password?"

"I'll unlock it for you, okay?"

Miku still didn't want to give Takashi the password, making a last-ditch effort.

After thinking for a moment, Takashi agreed and handed her the phone.

Miku took the phone, turned around, and, with her back to Takashi, input the password to unlock the phone.

'This fool, doesn't she think about the height difference?' Takashi thought to himself.

Relying on his height advantage, Takashi easily saw her password.

[5539]

'Her birthday plus a name number?' Takashi thought.

When he turned back, he saw that tears had started to well up at the corners of Miku's eyes, her lips pressed tightly together, seemingly trying to suppress her grievances, looking at Takashi.

It seemed like she was trying to move him with her tears.

If Takashi were a boy of sixteen or seventeen, maybe he would have softened.

But unfortunately, he wasn't.

He had passed the age where a woman's tears would make him weak.

Now, his heart was as cold as a butcher's knife that had been used to kill fish for ten years.

"Hmm?"

Takashi kicked lightly, causing Miku to shudder. 

Immediately, she lowered her head, bent over, and handed him her phone, as if offering tribute to a victorious nation.

Takashi took the phone slowly, pressing random buttons at a height Miku couldn't see, then returned the phone to her.

Miku took the phone, looked down, and found a new contact had been added.

"This is my contact info."

Takashi turned and started adjusting his clothes in front of a mirror.

"From now on, if I send you a message, you must reply. If I call, you must answer."

Why? — Before Miku could ask, Takashi seemed to anticipate it and answered first: "If you don't answer, I'll just go harass your other sisters."

"Choose whether you want me to harass you or your sisters. It's your choice."

After speaking, Takashi left.

If possible, Takashi didn't want to choose this path.

But Miku herself was reclusive and socially anxious.

Perhaps due to growing up in such an environment or her personality, she had always hidden in her own little world, not wanting to interact with the outside world.

Girls like this were often preyed upon by bad men.

To break into her world, Takashi had two options.

One, apply to be a tutor at the Nakano house, show his warm side over a long period of tutoring, repeatedly encouraging her and winning her favor.

Two, use her sisters as leverage and directly coerce her into dating him.

The first option was the safest, but he couldn't go that route.

The reason was simple: before hiring a tutor, Nakano Maruo would definitely investigate the tutor's background.

Nagisa could easily expose his dirty secrets, and Nakano Maruo could find out everything about him with ease.

Also, the first option would take an uncertain amount of time.

At best, it would take a month; at worst, it could take years.

Had he just crossed over into this world, Takashi might have chosen the first option.

But now, it wasn't possible. Takashi had too many goals, and he didn't have that much time to waste on her. 

Moreover, reading books and teaching them were two different things.

Some university professors couldn't even teach their own children well.

Since the first option didn't work, Takashi was left with the second option.

The second option was fast, but required careful execution.

"Being targeted... What should I do?"

Miku looked down at Takashi's contact info on her phone. 

Several times, she considered blocking and deleting it, but she was afraid that Takashi might really harass her sisters.

After hesitating for a long time, Miku still didn't save Takashi's number.

"I've sacrificed too much for this family. Without me, it would fall apart."

Miku muttered, leaving the restroom with a heavy heart.

"Kitahara-kun, look, look."

From a distance, Miku saw her four sisters laughing and talking with Takashi, looking quite happy.

Miku's mood darkened further.

…

"Ah, finally, it's been such a satisfying shopping trip."

Walking out of the boutique, Fujiwara Chika had shopping bags hanging from both arms.

A step behind her, Fujiwara Moeha also had her arms full.

Fujiwara Moeha glanced down at her wristwatch. "Sis, it's getting late. We should head home."

"Eh, let's eat first! I know a really good ramen place nearby."

"You still have money?"

"Just lend me some first, I'll pay you back when I get the money from Grandpa."

"You said that last time."

The two started their usual banter.

Entering the ramen shop, Fujiwara Chika shouted, "Three bowls of soy sauce pork bone ramen!"

Fujiwara Moeha looked at her sister in confusion. "We don't need three bowls, do we?"

"Oh, I forgot about you."

Fujiwara Chika looked at Fujiwara Moeha, then, a little embarrassed, scratched her head. "Sorry, can we have four bowls of soy sauce pork bone ramen?"

Fujiwara Moeha had long gotten used to her second sister and didn't even bother to complain.

After sitting by the window, Fujiwara Moeha began to play with her phone.

Suddenly, Fujiwara Chika shook her sister's shoulder hard. "Moeha, Moeha, look, look."

"Look at what?"

Fujiwara Moe looked up and saw a pale, handsome, tall young man standing next to Shirogane Kei, who should have already left.

The two seemed to be on a date?

'Is it him?'

The last time they sang karaoke, Fujiwara Chika was there, so she almost immediately recognized Takashi.

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