Chapter 54: Jumping Into a River? Absolutely Not!

Sayuri Sato was standing outside Kitahara’s front door, gazing at the building before her.

It was a dilapidated single-family house, quite aged, with its courtyard walls completely blanketed in Boston ivy. Nearby lay farmland and a factory, from which dark, murky water occasionally oozed out, seeping directly into the soil of the fields.

A flicker of heartache crossed the depths of Sayuri Sato’s eyes. How had he managed to live in such a dreadful environment up until now?

And what was the deal with those factories discharging wastewater like that? Did the agricultural cooperative not care at all? Japanese agricultural products were so expensive—they really needed to take some responsibility!

Her thoughts flashed by, replaced instantly by a faint chill. The spring breeze swept across the fields, carrying with it a drizzle and a touch of coldness. Sayuri Sato rubbed her arms, her voice carrying a charming, spoiled tone, "Hurry up and come out, Hiroki! Your teacher is freezing to death out here. Stop messing around."

"…You're at my front door?" Kitahara was momentarily stunned.

"Yes. Didn't you say this morning that you hurt your foot? I figured it would be really difficult for you to manage all by yourself, so I came over to check on you…"

At this, a trace of bashful shyness flashed through the depths of Sayuri Sato's eyes. "However, don't read anything else into this. You're my student, and whenever a student has a physical problem, teachers always drop by to take a look…"

"It's not like I'm worried about you."

"Mhm…"

Cold sweat broke out all over Kitahara.

Why on earth had this female teacher shown up at his doorstep?

He had called in sick this morning claiming he had a sore leg, and if she found out he was lying, he'd be in serious trouble… He needed to quickly cook up an excuse.

He rapidly stepped out of the office, muted his phone, and dashed to the car like the wind, opening the door to say, "Drive me back. Right now. Quickly."

"Huh?"

"No 'huh's! Here's the address, get me back there immediately!" Kitahara quickly blurted out his home location. Although Miyoko Nakamaki was puzzled, she didn't refuse.

To her, this was an absolute stroke of good luck.

She hadn't had to do a thing, yet she had managed to borrow money and even secure a luxury sedan.

Though it wasn't hers, she still got to drive it!

She slammed her foot down hard on the accelerator, a flash of joy dancing in her eyes. Even though she didn't understand why Kitahara had changed his mind, she could easily imagine that tomorrow at work, a bunch of little bitches would be green with envy and jealousy.

Office politics naturally existed within the Financial Bureau as well. Miyoko Nakamaki was tender-looking and a fresh college graduate, making her an easy target for unwanted attention… Aside from male colleagues and superiors, the ones who hated her the most were her fellow female colleagues.

It was one thing when they usually made passive-aggressive remarks behind her back, but they would also occasionally flaunt whatever new watch or designer bag their husbands had bought her right to her face.

Hah, absolutely hilarious.

Tomorrow, she'd slam those Mercedes-Benz keys right in their faces! Let's see if those little bitches dare to say a single word then!

A gleam of vindictive pleasure flashed through Miyoko Nakamaki's eyes.

Meanwhile, Kitahara, sitting beside her, was breaking out in cold sweat… It was about a twenty-minute drive from here, and even with speeding, it would take a good fifteen minutes. How on earth was he supposed to explain this to Sayuri Sato?

Outside the window, the rain poured relentlessly, accompanied by the faint, ominous rumbling of thunder brewing among the dark clouds.

His phone rang persistently, chiming away.

After ten minutes of dead silence, *BOOM*.

A thunderclap shook the heavens.

***

By the time Kitahara arrived home, it was exactly seven-thirty. The sky was pitch black, and the raindrops danced wildly under the illumination of the streetlights.

Right at his doorstep, he spotted Sayuri Sato, curled up and waiting quietly.

Kitahara hurried over.

Perhaps hearing his footsteps, the female teacher lifted her head. Streaks of rain stained her cheeks, strands of hair stuck to her forehead, and her delicate face was slightly pale from the cold… Sayuri Sato pressed her lips together. As she looked at Kitahara's completely fine left leg, a wave of bitter agony flashed through her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I had a bit of an emergency…"

"Liar."

Sayuri Sato stood up, her chest heaving heavily, her voice so icy it felt as though it could freeze time.

"What injury to your leg?"

"What taking time off…"

"It was all a lie to deceive me."

Sayuri Sato could even catch a hint of sweet musk lingering in the air. Her sense of smell was sharp, and she instantly recognized it as perfume, a wave of uncontrollable anger flashing in her pupils.

No wonder he wouldn't answer her calls.

No wonder he hadn't come to class all morning. So it was because he was entertaining another woman.

Yet he had clearly promised her that he would never do such a thing again. Were all those promises fake?

Was that gentleness a lie as well?

Her chest hurt so much.

Sayuri Sato stared blankly at Kitahara, her heart hammering like a drum. She swallowed hard, wearing a desolate, bitter smile… Perhaps this was simply her destiny: missing out on good people and only ever encountering scum.

"Has there ever been a single word of truth—just one single word—that you've ever said to me?" Sayuri Sato couldn't help but ask, her fingernails digging desperately into her palms until red marks appeared on her fair skin.

Blood began to drip down.

Kitahara steadied his breathing, forcing his brain to calm down rapidly.

He checked her favorability rating.

[Character: Sayuri Sato]

[Status: Planning to beat up her white moonlight, settle her affairs with her family, and then throw herself into the river…]

[Favorability: 3]

Suicide?

Kitahara felt half his heart turn cold.

Wait, I only lightly toyed with your feelings and deceived you a little bit, why go to such extremes?

Although Kitahara did indeed have plans to manipulate her emotionally, he had never intended for her to die.

If you jump in the river, are you going to leave me feeling guilty for the rest of my life?

Yet Sayuri Sato's emotional breakdown was entirely understandable.

Having been emotionally manipulated for too long within her oppressive family, and then being coaxed and deceived by men out in the real world, the emotions erupting from her right now were terrifyingly intense. Normally, Sayuri Sato allowed him to tease and bully her; though she protested feebly with her words, she was genuinely happy inside…

However, this submissive, girlish demeanor came with conditions.

She needed her lover to remain utterly faithful to her.

Because of the traumas of her youth, she had gradually sealed off her inner world. When someone suddenly appeared and shattered that barrier, she would fall hopelessly, irreversibly in love with him… Strictly speaking, Kitahara wasn't just a substitute for her white moonlight.

He *was* her white moonlight.

He was one of the few emotional pillars left in the depths of Sayuri Sato's heart.

And now, her white moonlight had betrayed her—wounding her far too deeply.

Kitahara forced himself to remain calm, pushing his tea-mastery emotional manipulation skills to their absolute operating limit as he rapidly brainstormed a countermeasure.

Perhaps there was a way…

Remaining silent, he first took the umbrella from her palm and held it up between them. A flash of disgust crossed Sayuri Sato's eyes as she lowered her gaze, avoiding Kitahara's line of sight.

"There is something I need to tell you."

"If you're just here to comfort me, then forget it." A surge of fury boiled within Sayuri Sato; she didn't want to hear any of his messy excuses right now.

She just wanted to die.

Beat the scumbag up, and then go die.

"I went to the bank this morning, met with the female manager there, and chatted with her for a while," Kitahara said earnestly.

"Is that so?"

The corners of Sayuri Sato's mouth curled into a bitter smile. "Are you trying to tell me that she's richer than me, so you've decided to stick with her instead?"

"No."

Kitahara attempted to take Sayuri Sato's hand, but she swatted it away with disgust.

*Slap!*

The movement was so fast it left afterimages.

His palm instantly turned red and swelled up!

Kitahara frowned, letting out an imperceptible wince of pain. This was Sayuri Sato's true strength—she was a national judo runner-up.

Back in the office, her inability to push him away had all been an act.

At that time, Sayuri Sato had never had any intention of pushing him away at all; from beginning to end, she had simply been acting spoiled with him.

"Don't touch me, you're revolting." Coldness flickered in the female teacher's eyes.

Kitahara rubbed his hand without minding it too much. Lifting his face, he said warmly, "I talked with the female manager at the bank for a long time, and finally, I made a decision. Do you want to hear it?"

"Speak."

"I'm going to buy a house."

Kitahara looked earnestly into Sayuri Sato's eyes. "I'm going to buy a house for our future."

Sayuri Sato fell silent for a moment. Her brain seemed to briefly malfunction, and confusion flashed across her eyes. "Are you lying to me again?"

"I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, here are my savings."

Kitahara displayed his phone screen. Sayuri Sato took it and glanced at it, a trace of shock flickering in her eyes.

Ten million yen?

While buying a house still wasn't entirely realistic, how on earth had he managed to save up this much money?

Kitahara spoke with deep sincerity, "You probably think I'm joking, thinking I'm still lying to you… But it's not like that, Sayuri. Tell me your bank card number."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

Sayuri Sato looked at Kitahara, her lips trembling slightly as she said in agony, "Don't tell me these things, I don't want to hear it."

"If I hand everything I have over to you, will that prove my love?"

Kitahara stepped forward, brimming with an overwhelming assertiveness that completely overrode his previous gentleness.

Unable to help herself, Sayuri Sato retreated a step, dodging his gaze. "It's all just talk…"

"Your bank card number."

Sayuri Sato fell silent for a brief moment before reciting the numbers aloud, watching as Kitahara operated the phone.

*Ding—*

Her phone vibrated, and shock instantly flooded Sayuri Sato's eyes.

Over ten million.

Was glittering right there in her own account!

"Now, is it still 'just talk'?"

The icy female teacher parted her lips, her eyes completely overtaken by astonishment.