Chapter 4: The Pure Blue and White Bowl

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Kitahara sat on the sofa sipping tea, brewed by Akagi Komori. Since there were no guests at home, there were only two pairs of slippers—one for mother and one for daughter. Kitahara tried them on, but none fit his size, so he chose to go barefoot.

Akagi stepped out of the secondary bedroom wearing a pair of bear slippers. She took off her hair tie, and her ponytail, like a cascading waterfall, fell down to her waist. Her gentle cheeks reflected the living room light, her features both radiant and soft.

There was a kind of mature wife aura about her.

Though Kitahara was no philanderer, he did appreciate this kind of warm and gentle woman.

Considering the prospect of a vindictive ex-wife in the future, he might as well marry Akagi...

Hey, narrator, did she even agree to that?

Where did this voiceover come from? Shoo.

“There are no games prepared at home, only a few manga volumes...” Akagi whispered. “I don’t know what you like, so I just brought some I enjoy. Would you like to look at them?”

“Shoujo manga?”

So the foundation of a great manga artist starts early. No problem—education begins from infancy.

Kitahara keenly noticed a tripod near the floor-to-ceiling window. Akagi probably practiced drawing there regularly.

“Alright, I’ll take a look.”

With nothing else to do and no clue how to start his task, Kitahara decided to pass the time.

It was actually quite late now.

But it didn’t matter when he left—there was no one at home left to scold him.

He casually picked up a book.

“Overbearing CEO Falls for My Menopause.”

Hmm?

Rubbing his eyes, he looked closely and realized it was actually “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.” Kitahara was startled, thinking Akagi was some heavy user of Weibo.

After flipping through a few pages, Akagi started yawning.

The good girl would have been asleep by now.

If not for an unexpected incident that let this big bad wolf Kitahara inside, Akagi would already be roaming in dreams.

To stay awake, she took out a dictionary meant for college entrance exams and silently memorized vocabulary—her school grades weren’t as good as Kitahara assumed, hovering around 80th place, still far from the top students.

But compared to Kitahara, who ranked beyond 300th, she was far better.

At least she could get into Keio University...

Her goal was Tokyo’s top medical school, so she needed to improve her weaker humanities subjects.

“You can read a bit before bed; it helps with retention,” Akagi said.

“That won’t work—I get sleepy as soon as I touch a book.”

“Really?”

Akagi’s eyes brightened. She took his manga away and replaced it with the dictionary. “Then let’s study.”

Kindness softens everything. Though Akagi felt Kitahara staying so late was inappropriate, she didn’t voice it directly, choosing this gentle hint instead.

Kitahara felt a bit guilty.

But his heart was as stubborn as an ox.

He decided to stay until he earned his reward.

*Ring-ring-ring—*

The phone rang. Kitahara glanced at it—classmate Sakura was calling.

He recalled who she was.

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Reina Sakura had a very polarizing reputation. Girls called her flashy, while boys thought she was pure and cute... Kitahara offered no judgment. Though she dressed a little revealingly and liked to post sexy photos on Instagram, she hadn’t had a boyfriend so far.

She was somewhere between conservative and not.

From the perspective of a casual romance, she could be a decent choice, but Kitahara was particular—not fond of one-night stands.

Back to the matter.

Best to keep distance. While she was better than the ex-wife, she probably wasn’t much better.

“I’ll take this call,” he said to Akagi.

Then he went to the balcony.

“Hello?”

“Kitahara, guess what I’m doing right now?”

Water sounds.

The sound of water running over skin, then stepping into a bathtub.

Sakura’s voice was both seductive and lively.

“If it’s nothing, hang up.”

“...”

She was a little speechless. Did this simpleton not get her hint?

Reina decided to be blunt: “Aren’t you curious? We can video chat too.”

“Really? Hurry up then.”

“Hehe, beg me.”

Earlier, he had been cold and indifferent, but now in moments like this, his brain was clearly overridden by his lower instincts.

Kitahara was speechless and hung up casually.

She certainly had the assets, but the “goddesses” on Twitter were no pushovers.

What confidence does a sixteen-year-old high school girl have to compete with them?

*Ring-ring-ring—*

The phone rang again persistently, like an angry high school girl.

Kitahara switched off his phone and blacklisted her number.

Who calls this late at night? Shouldn’t she be sleeping?

On the other side, Reina stared blankly at her phone, then, realizing what happened, grew furious.

“Just blocked me like that?”

“Is this guy even healthy?”

Reina had only been casually teasing a male student to spend money on her. If he really got involved, he might become more reserved, and she could gradually push him away.

But this clueless guy hung up so decisively.

Laughable—so fake. I’m not interested in you at all.

“Damn you, Kitahara! Just wait for tomorrow!” Reina roared.

...

...

It was quite cold tonight.

Kitahara felt his clothes and wondered how to make Akagi blush. Saying a few sweet words or a suggestive tease would suffice, but recalling her pure and gentle gaze, he felt he couldn’t do that.

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She was someone to be taken seriously.

“Friend...”

If someone regarded Kitahara as a friend, he was willing to treat her the same way—a simple, unremarkable value.

But in modern times, some seem to have lost that.

“What to do now...”

The situation had reached a stalemate.

A gust of wind rustled the trees.

A soft piece of fabric was lifted by the wind, floating gently in the air before naturally falling into Kitahara’s hands.

Blue and white.

The texture was soft, feeling as gentle as its owner’s personality.

Akagi Akane pushed open the door: “It’s pretty cold outside, want to come in and make your call...”

Seeing what lay before her, she froze, her lips trembling.

Kitahara turned his head as the blue-and-white bowl slipped and fell. He nervously said, “If I say this was an accident...”

“Ahhhhhh!!”

Akagi’s face flushed crimson with a visible rush.

She snatched the blue-and-white bowl from his hand, pulled him into the living room, and then hurriedly escaped to her bedroom.

No...

If I were truly perverse, wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity?

Kitahara was speechless but decided to explain a little. He went to her bedroom door: “The wind was a bit strong tonight—it blew it down...”

Akagi knew.

Because she trusted Kitahara wasn’t that kind of person, and...

There were security cameras at home.

She was watching them now.

The computer screen flickered as Akagi reviewed the earlier scene: the blue-and-white bowl blown by the wind, falling neatly into Kitahara’s hand. She gasped and collapsed into her chair as if dead.

A person experiences three deaths in life: the breath ceasing, the funeral, and being forgotten.

But just now, Akagi Akane experienced a fourth death.

Social death.

“Waaah... I’m dead for sure.”

The girl rolled on the floor.

...

...

[ Ding— ]

[ Brilliant design, captivating setup! With your careful scheming, Akagi has blushed successfully! Claim your reward, the prize of the victor! ]

[ You have obtained the Memory Petit Pain ]