"Do you know him?"
"I don't know him, but I have a friend surnamed Shijo."
Takashi didn't think much of it.
There are plenty of people named Shijo in the world.
It could be someone with the same name as Shijo Maki, or maybe just some distant relative from their family.
"Go on, keep talking."
"Next time we play, try to elbow Shijo Mikado right on his forehead, and if he gets carried off on a stretcher, our team wins for sure."
"Actually, I'm not just good with elbows. I also know how to trip, slide tackle, dive, and fake injuries."
Tanaka Kouta was impressed.
"You don't know how to play soccer, but you've maxed out on foul skills."
"Did you mess up your skill tree or something?"
"Come on, soccer is about using a few dirty tricks; it's normal, nothing wrong with it."
The two of them laughed, not taking what happened earlier too seriously.
…
At the same time, Shijo Mikado, who was in class, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He felt like someone was thinking about him.
…
The time quickly passed, and it was after school in the afternoon.
As soon as Shijo Mikado got home, he didn't even put down his schoolbag before being dragged to his room by Maki.
Once inside the room, Maki pointed to the tatami mat in front of her.
"Mikado, sit properly."
"Did I do something wrong again, sis?"
Shijo Mikado sat properly in front of Maki, still completely confused.
He didn't understand what had upset his older sister.
"No, it's just that I need you to do something for me."
Maki said it so casually that Shijo Mikado was almost amused.
"Sis, is this how you ask for favors?"
Just as he was about to get up, Maki shot him a glare, and he immediately sat back down.
No choice, he was under the pressure of blood ties from his older sister.
If your parents hit you, it's just a light tap.
But when your sister does it, she really goes all out and beats you up to the ground.
Which younger brother hasn't been beaten up by his older sister?
Even though he was the heir to the Shijo family, in Maki's eyes, he was still just her annoying little brother.
"Just do it, no more talking."
Even though she was asking him for something, Maki still had that commanding attitude.
"How much pocket money do you have left?"
Shijo Mikado slyly answered, "Only 50,000 this month."
Upon hearing this, Maki grabbed his ear and twisted it.
"Ouch, sis, that hurts!"
Shijo Mikado immediately cried out.
"Playing word games with me, huh?"
Maki chuckled coldly.
"I'm asking how much pocket money you have left this month."
"Tell me, how much do you have?"
"Just under a million."
"Then lend me 500,000."
Lend?
That sounded more like a robbery.
Shijo Mikado muttered to himself, but obediently transferred the money to Maki.
When she saw the notification that the money had been received, Maki finally let go of his ear.
"That's more like it."
"Sis, where's your pocket money?"
Shijo Mikado rubbed his sore ear, feeling bitter.
He only gets 200,000 a month, but his sister has a full million.
And yet, she's still coming after his money.
The Shijo family is very wealthy, and they don't raise their sons in a spoiled manner.
Enduring hardship is fine, but for Maki, being the first-born daughter, she naturally got more love from their parents.
"Of course I have some left. Why would I need your meager pocket money?"
Maki was happily planning to buy a gift for Takashi. His birthday was coming up, and she intended to get him something nice.
"Spent it already? How did you spend it?"
Shijo Mikado exclaimed.
"Shut up."
Maki elbowed Shijo Mikado in the side, and he immediately bent down in pain.
"Why are you making such a big fuss just because I lent you some money?"
Maki complained.
She turned around, suddenly remembering something. "By the way, what do boys like?"
"Sis, you're not falling in love, are you?"
The pieces clicked in Shijo Mikado's mind as he suddenly realized what his sister was up to.
He knew his sister liked someone.
He even knew the guy, Tanuma Tsubasa. He was an ordinary but reliable guy, perfect for marriage.
But he heard that Tanuma Tsubasa already had a girlfriend, and it was his sister's best friend.
"Shut up, just answer the question. Why are you saying so much?"
Maki's face suddenly turned red as she spoke.
Shijo Mikado didn't care.
In fact, he was secretly happy thinking that he might soon have a brother-in-law.
Finally, someone who could manage his sister.
If he got bullied, he'd just tell his brother-in-law about it.
"Black Myth: Wukong."
"What's that?"
"It's a game, super popular game lately. Lots of people are playing it."
Maki took out her phone and searched for it. She immediately dismissed it, saying, "This is way too cheap."
"Cheap…"
Shijo Mikado felt like he had been stabbed in the heart.
His sister had never given him such a "cheap" gift before.
He was really envious.
"How about I just buy him a computer? I'm not sure if 500,000 will be enough. Mikado, can you lend me all your money? I'll pay you back next month."
"Sis, are you buying a computer or giving away a dowry?"
What computer?
500,000 isn't even enough.
…
At 6 PM, after Takashi finished his kendo club training and walked out of school with Narii, Narii asked curiously, "Takashi, is it just me, or does your voice sound a bit hoarse today?"
"How can you still say that?"
Takashi looked at her with a face full of 'who did that.'
Yesterday, it wasn't so bad.
But after a night's sleep, he woke up feeling like his throat was sore, as if it had been roughly squeezed last night.
"Who told you to be so dishonest?"
"I'm dishonest? The only virtue I have is: honesty."
"Then, honest Kitahara, could you show me your phone?"
"Please respect personal privacy?"
He swore it was okay, but showing her his phone was not.
Ever since he saw a side of Narii that no one knew about yesterday, Takashi didn't dare show her his phone.
"Your phone doesn't have all girls on it, does it?"
Narii gave him a meaningful look.
"Narii, you don't trust me?"
"Right."
As they were talking, they soon arrived at the school gate.
At the school gate, a black Bentley was parked, waiting to pick up Narii.
She got into the car and rolled down the window, looking at Takashi: "Takashi, what are you going to do after you head back?"
"Of course, I'm going home. What else could I do? I'm exhausted after training all day."
"Oh, really? I hope I won't see you anywhere else."
"Don't worry, you definitely won't."
They said their goodbyes at the school gate.
Once Narii left, Takashi immediately took out his phone and called Maki: "Maki, where are we meeting today?"
In Tokyo, Roppongi Toranomon.
Takashi got off the subway and saw Maki immediately.
She was wearing a vintage light blue women's shirt and a black high-waisted skirt, looking very beautiful.
"You're so beautiful today, I almost didn't recognize you."
Takashi complimented her as soon as they met, making Maki feel pleased inside.
"It's nothing, I just dressed casually."
In reality, Maki had specially dressed up to meet Takashi.
"If you look this good when dressing casually, what would happen if you actually put effort into it? No, you have to stay by my side for good."
Takashi was full of flattering words.
Maki became shy, lightly punching Takashi with her fist. It wasn't very strong.
Not far away, hiding in the bushes, Shijo Mikado was stunned.
Was this really his sister, the one who could punch him so hard he'd have a black eye for half a month, the one who could kick him under the table with one kick?
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