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Toyokawa Sachiko stood in front of her former home, gazing at the splendid Western-style mansion through the iron gate, her expression hesitant and uncertain.
Just as she was pondering whether or not to ring the doorbell, the iron gate suddenly opened.
"Miss Toyokawa, what are you doing here?"
A voice from behind startled Toyokawa Sachiko. She flinched like a rabbit, taking a step back, clutching her bag to her chest, and asked vigilantly, "How do you know my name?"
Fujiwara Toru, who had just put on his coat and walked out, smiled: "A Western-style mansion like this, one that could serve as a museum, is rarely put up for sale."
"Before I bought this mansion, I investigated the seller to prevent myself from being scammed."
"During the investigation, I also learned why this mansion was put up for sale. I just didn't recognize you at the time, Miss Toyokawa."
Toyokawa Sachiko sighed with relief upon hearing this.
Fujiwara Toru's explanation was very reasonable. Such a large financial transaction naturally required a thorough inspection of various detailed documents and an investigation into the seller's background. No one would treat tens of billions of yen as "worthless."
She clasped her hands over her stomach and said, shyly, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you, Mr. Fujiwara."
"Do you know me?" Fujiwara Toru counter-questioned.
Toyokawa Sachiko pursed her lips and smiled: "Now, there are very few people in all of Tsukuba who don't know Mr. Fujiwara, right? I also didn't recognize you immediately when I saw Mr. Fujiwara last time. Photos and real life are still a bit different."
At this moment, Toyokawa Sachiko seemed to transform back into that confident and composed young lady of the Toyokawa Group. Her words even carried a hint of assertiveness, responding with the same logic that Fujiwara Toru had just used.
But very quickly, her face turned bitter again. She transformed from the young lady of the Toyokawa family to a working-class Xiaoxiang.
Is this not considered 'no one in the world knows you'?
Fujiwara Toru pondered in his heart.
"Miss Toyokawa, are you here for something?"
Fujiwara Toru opened his mouth and asked.
Only then did Toyokawa Sachiko remember what she was there for, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Fujiwara, actually, I have a request..."
She stumbled over her words for a moment, then said:
"...I came once two days ago, but Mr. Fujiwara seemed not to be home then."
"I went back to my hometown in Kyoto at that time," Fujiwara Toru replied casually.
Toyokawa Sachiko lowered her head: "Um, I, I wanted to ask, Mr. Fujiwara, after you bought this Western-style mansion, did you see a somewhat old and broken red doll in the piano room?"
"I was in too much of a hurry when I moved out, and forgot to take that doll. It's a toy that has been with me since I was a child, so I want to get it back."
"Of course, that doll is very old and broken. If Mr. Fujiwara has already thrown it away, then forget it."
As she spoke, Toyokawa Sachiko's voice became a bit hurried.
"You mean that toy? It's still in the piano room. Since it's something important to Miss Toyokawa, I should return it to you. Please come in."
Fujiwara Toru opened the main gate.
"Uh, I still... I'm not going in."
Toyokawa Sachiko looked hesitant.
"Miss Toyokawa, you're here to ask for a favor now. I think it should be you who personally goes in to get it, right? What kind of logic is it to make the owner run back and forth?"
Fujiwara Toru said with a mocking smile, without much blame, but more teasing.
Toyokawa Sachiko, however, took it seriously. She said, ashamed, "I'm sorry, I was rude. I was indeed not acting like someone asking for a favor."
"Then please enter."
Fujiwara Toru said, walking towards the main entrance of the mansion.
Toyokawa Sachiko followed closely behind. Perhaps it was because she had returned to her former home, or perhaps it was Fujiwara Toru's 'hero' status that gave her a sense of security. She had no other thoughts.
"Excuse me!"
After entering the main door, Toyokawa Sachiko took off her uniform shoes, stepping lightly on the soft carpet in the house with her clean white silk stockings.
Fujiwara Toru also changed into slippers and walked towards the piano room on the second floor. Toyokawa Sachiko followed him, easily navigating the familiar path.
For this mansion, she was actually more familiar with it than Fujiwara Toru. This was her home for over a decade.
As they passed the living room, Haibara Ai, wearing shorts and revealing two slender, fair legs, was sitting in front of the coffee table, tapping on a laptop.
Upon seeing Toyokawa Sachiko's arrival, she intelligently put down her laptop. Her eyes narrowed.
"This is my younger sister, Haibara Ai."
"Xiao Ai, this is Miss Toyokawa, the owner of this mansion before. She's here to pick up something."
Fujiwara Toru introduced the two to each other.
"Excuse me for the intrusion, Miss Haibara."
Although Haibara Ai appeared to be just an elementary school student, Toyokawa Sachiko still politely greeted her.
Haibara Ai nodded and ignored her.
"Xiao Ai has this personality, you don't need to mind."
Fujiwara Toru said a few words for Haibara Ai.
After the two went upstairs to the second floor, Haibara Ai finally mumbled softly: "She really attracts bees and butterflies wherever she goes, and they're all pretty girls."
The piano room on the second floor, because Fujiwara Toru rarely came to this room, was already covered in dust.
Toyokawa Sachiko didn't care about the dust on the piano. Her hand instinctively glided over the piano keys, her expression complicated.
Seeing the red doll placed on the piano, her face lit up with joy. She quickly walked over and hugged it, ignoring the dust clinging to the doll.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Fujiwara, I won't disturb you anymore."
Having completed the task, Toyokawa Sachiko prepared to take her leave.
"Boom——"
Just then, thunder suddenly rumbled outside, followed by falling rain.
Fujiwara Toru looked outside, helpless: "Tokyo in spring, the weather really changes in an instant."
Toyokawa Sachiko's expression changed, and she whispered: "Oh no, the public bus might be late, and it's probably too late to go back and get an umbrella now."
Thinking that she might be late, Toyokawa Sachiko's face showed panic.
Docked pay, fired—various thoughts floated in her mind.
"Miss Toyokawa, are you in a hurry? I happen to be going out. If you're in a hurry, I'll give you a ride."
Fujiwara Toru said kindly.
"No, it's still not necessary. I've already troubled Mr. Fujiwara enough. I can't continue to trouble you."
"It's fine, I don't mind anyway. I'm going out too, so giving you a ride is nothing."
Toyokawa Sachiko still wanted to refuse, but compared to troubling others, the fear of losing her job and losing money completely overwhelmed her.
She said with a flushed face and embarrassment, "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Fujiwara."
"Haha, Miss Toyokawa, you are always overly polite. I can sense that you intentionally keep your distance from others, but sometimes it's really not necessary."
"Hmm, saying this from a stranger like me might be a bit presumptuous. I actually understand your current predicament, Miss Toyokawa."
"Facing difficulties, you must find a way to overcome them. If you dare not interact with anyone because of it, it will only make your problems worse."
"These are just some of my thoughts. If they make you unhappy, don't mind them."
Toyokawa Sachiko could feel Fujiwara Toru's kindness, and she said bitterly: "No, I don't understand that Mr. Fujiwara is actually being kind to me, and I know what you're saying is right."
She struggled for a moment. Perhaps she felt that Fujiwara Toru was just a stranger she had just met, not an acquaintance, so she didn't need to maintain that sense of self-respect.
Or perhaps, she was trying hard to break free from that useless self-respect. Toyokawa Sachiko mustered her courage and said: "I actually have to go to work. If I'm late, I'll be fined."
As they spoke, the two left the second floor and returned to the mansion's first floor.
"Working part-time?"
"Mmm, I don't want to make things difficult for you about this job. I'm just a high school student right now. Many jobs are hard to find, especially since I don't want to work in a convenience store... I'm afraid of running into acquaintances at the store."
...
After saying the first thought in her heart, Toyokawa Sachiko's subsequent words flowed much more smoothly.
These words, which she had not dared to speak in the past and had no one to tell, she now blurted out in one go, making her feel a surge of relief.
Indeed, one cannot always suppress things. After speaking it out, she felt much lighter.
Fujiwara Toru brought an umbrella from his home and handed it to Toyokawa Sachiko, saying: "Borrow this umbrella. We should leave now. Driving in the rain will be a bit congested, and I can't let you be late."
Toyokawa Sachiko was extremely grateful: "Thank you, Mr. Fujiwara."
She found that this Fujiwara Toru, though not much older than herself, was truly very kind. His words were like a gentle breeze and fine rain, making one feel very comfortable listening to them, and he was even happy to help others, and very steady.
Thinking about how he faced those heinous thugs earlier, he bravely met the challenge and saved so many innocent people. Such a gentleman truly made her feel reverence.
Truly a hero of Tsukuba!
"Xiao Ai, I'm giving Miss Toyokawa a ride. Our home is out of vegetables, so I'll buy some on the way. Do you need me to bring you anything?"
Seeing Fujiwara Toru about to leave, Haibara Ai's expression turned cold. She twisted her neck and said, "No need!"
However, just before Fujiwara Toru stepped out the door, she added: "Bring me some peanut butter or blueberry jam sandwiches."
"Got it."
"And the latest issue of the weekly Classy should be out. If the convenience store has it, buy me a copy."
"No problem."
Watching Fujiwara Toru agree to everything, Haibara Ai subconsciously lowered her head and whispered: "Be safe on the road. I'll wait for you to come home."
Fujiwara Toru drove Toyokawa Sachiko to the garage. The two got into the Panamera and drove into the rain.
Rain washed over the front windshield. Fujiwara Toru gazed intently at the road, then asked Toyokawa Sachiko, who was sitting in the passenger seat:
"Miss Toyokawa, what kind of job do you have now?"
Toyokawa Sachiko hesitated slightly, but still whispered: "I work in customer service, which is solving some after-sales problems for people."
Fujiwara Toru then said: "I have a job here. I wonder if Miss Toyokawa would be willing to do it?"