On the other side of town, at the Nishimiya house.
"Sis, why have you been grinning like that?" Nishimiya Yuzuru asked, setting down her chopsticks.
She was curious to know what happy thing her older sister had encountered. After all, her sister had to transfer schools multiple times due to bullying, and her hearing aids had even been broken. With little to no compensation, it had been a devastating blow to their already struggling family.
Nishimiya Yaeko looked at her elder daughter's uncharacteristic behavior, and a worried expression crept onto her tired, haggard face.
Because of Shoko's hearing impairment, her husband's family had rejected them, leading to an early divorce. This had made Yaeko strict and emotionally cold. Raising two daughters alone, both the financial and social pressure were immense. Though she loved her daughter dearly, sometimes she couldn't help but scold her, and would secretly cry in private when she saw her daughter's sadness.
Her elder daughter was bullied at school because of her hearing and had to keep transferring. Her younger daughter was also deeply affected and had stopped going to school altogether. She was exhausted, but helpless, and slowly, she had become the person she once hated the most.
Single mother. Those four words were a heavy burden that ran through their already unfortunate family.
Nishimiya Shoko heard her sister's question. With her eyebrows dancing and her face alight, she gestured with her hands while mumbling with her unclear speech, "I... made... a new friend... today."
Hearing the words "new friend," Yuzuru shot up from her seat, her expression turning fierce.
"What?! A friend?! Sis, explain yourself!"
The word "friend" pierced Yuzuru's heart. She would never forget that day when her gentle sister cried and told her she wanted to leave this world.
Someone had once approached her sister under the pretense of being a friend, but it was just a way to get closer and bully her more easily. Her first hearing aid was broken on that very day. After being bullied for so long and having an expensive hearing aid broken, her sister felt like a burden. It was the first time she had felt such despair and wanted to leave this world.
From then on, Yuzuru had become a tomboy, mimicking boys' habits and wanting to protect her sister. She would always take photos of dead animals to show her sister the horror of death, trying to make her abandon the idea of leaving the world.
Now, her sister was saying she'd made a friend. How could Yuzuru not be nervous? What if history was repeating itself?
Nishimiya Shoko saw her family's worried and tense expressions. She took out her notebook and slowly explained the situation with Hiratsuka Ryosuke.
「Hiratsuka-kun is a very good person.」
She ended her explanation with that final assessment.
Through Shoko's description, Yuzuru realized that Hiratsuka Ryosuke was different from the others. But she still wasn't completely at ease. She said indignantly, "Sis, you're too quick to trust people. I'm going to watch this Hiratsuka Ryosuke!"
Nishimiya Yaeko was surprised that someone would stand up for her daughter, but she knew they couldn't rely on one person forever. After all, she had once relied on a man herself, only to be abandoned. A person must always rely on themselves.
"Shoko! You must learn to fit in with the group if you want to live like a normal person, do you understand?" Yaeko said sternly.
Shoko's smile gradually faded at her mother's words. She nodded listlessly, picked up her bowl, and ate in silence.
"I'm full," Yuzuru said, putting down her chopsticks. She went to her room and locked the door behind her.
Leaning against the door, she looked at the moonlight outside her window and thought to herself. Hiratsuka Ryosuke, huh? No matter who you are, I will never allow anyone to hurt my sister again.
Meanwhile, in front of the Hiratsuka family home.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke took out his keys, ready to open the door.
"Ryosuke, are you sure you don't want to come to my house for dinner?" Nibutani Shinka asked, her face full of hope.
Ryosuke's hand was already on the doorknob. Before he could reply, the door opened from inside. Standing there was a tall and beautiful woman with a white coat over a black waistcoat.
The woman answered Nibutani Shinka's question for him.
"Sorry, Shinka-chan, but Ryosuke and I are going out for dinner tonight~"
"Aww, that's so sneaky, Shizuka-san!" Nibutani Shinka said, looking a little annoyed. She hadn't eaten with Ryosuke in a long time, but this beautiful woman, who was Ryosuke's older sister, always interrupted her invitations. It was just so unfair!
I've decided! Next time, I'll ask him before we get to our houses! She thought. Yes, that's what Shinka-sama would do!
"Shinka-chan, Ryosuke-kun, you're back?"
The neighbor next door seemed to have heard the noise and opened her door to see what was happening. A lovely middle-aged woman appeared before them.
"Mom!" Shinka exclaimed.
"Nibutani-san," Ryosuke greeted the woman with a polite bow. After all, she was a neighbor and he had mooched off her cooking many times when his sister wasn't home and he didn't feel like cooking for himself.
"Mrs. Nibutani," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, addressing her politely. While she was casual with her brother, she was very formal on occasions like this.
Mrs. Nibutani chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, no need to be so formal, Shizuka-chan. I made tempura and beef stew today. Why don't you and Ryosuke-kun join us?"
"Thank you so much, but I need to take Ryosuke to his master's place to practice swordsmanship today, so we can't stay for long," Hiratsuka Shizuka politely declined.
While the two adults exchanged pleasantries, Nibutani Shinka put a hand on her hip and pouted.
"Hmph, you idiot Ryosuke. My mom's beef stew is super delicious. It's your loss for not eating it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"You have to pay me back with a pudding tomorrow! You have to... make it yourself."
"Huh? Why do I have to make you pudding if I'm the one who's missing out?"
"You walked to school alone today and you rejected me this afternoon! You must compensate me!"
"Alright, fine. I'll make you a pudding myself tomorrow."
Nibutani Shinka propped her cheek on her index finger, feeling like she had gotten the short end of the stick since Ryosuke agreed so quickly. After a brief pause, she held up two fingers and said, "Hmm, I need two puddings."
Ryosuke realized he had agreed too quickly. This time, he pretended to think for a moment before nodding.
"Okay, Shinka-sama."
He knew from experience that this would satisfy her.
Just as he expected, upon hearing his promise, Nibutani Shinka tried to keep a straight face at first, but finally broke into a wide smile and nodded, her cute ponytail bouncing in the air.
"Then... see you tomorrow, Ryosuke~"
Nibutani Shinka waved to Ryosuke, and as if she'd just remembered something, she turned to Hiratsuka Shizuka. "Oh, and you too, Shizuka-san!" she said with a vibrant wave before heading inside.
Mrs. Nibutani watched her daughter's interaction with the neighbor and felt her heart swell with sweetness. She had watched Ryosuke grow up, and he was a good boy. He already had such a distinct look; he was sure to be a very handsome man when he grew up, and perhaps even her future son-in-law.
She looked Ryosuke over with a potential mother-in-law's eyes, and the more she looked, the more satisfied she became.
"How lovely, childhood friends. Ryosuke-kun, you should come over to visit again sometime. Shinka is really looking forward to having you over~"
"Oh, I didn't realize you were so popular, Ryosuke. Childhood friends... how nice," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, looking at her brother and playing along with Mrs. Nibutani's words. Her tone was 50% teasing, 40% joking, and 10% undetectable resentment.
"Oh, Shizuka-chan, you're so beautiful, I'm sure you have a lot of people pursuing you, too?"
Everyone loves to give and receive compliments. Seeing Shizuka playing along so well, Mrs. Nibutani decided to praise her in return. But to her surprise, Shizuka's elegant and confident face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"Ahaha, yeah... I do."
Ryosuke turned his head away to avoid Shizuka's gaze. The muscles in his normally impassive face were now tense, as he was terrified of laughing out loud and getting hit with his sister's "Iron Fist."
As far as he knew, Hiratsuka Shizuka had never been in a relationship. At first, her standards were just very high. It was normal for the daughter of the Hiratsuka family to have high standards. Even so, many excellent men pursued her, but that all changed when they learned about her past.
She was the national high school fighting champion and the nightmare of all high school delinquents in Chiba Prefecture, known as the "Destructive Iron Fist" that shattered all in its path. She even brought this nightmare with her when she transferred to Tokyo, where she defeated the local delinquents. To save face, those delinquents exaggerated her abilities, turning her into a "demon from Hanamigawa-ku in Chiba Prefecture" and claiming they lost simply because no human could defeat a demon.
Later, she hid her past and went to college in Tokyo, but her reputation only grew stronger with the delinquents' wild stories. She eventually chose to become a teacher at Sobu High to get away from that world and say goodbye to her past self.
Perhaps her influence on the Tokyo metropolitan area's delinquent scene was too great, and too many people knew her name. Even after she had left that life behind, her legend still circulated throughout the Kanto region, and even certain gangs in the Kansai region had heard of her. Some said that if the "Destructive Iron Fist" had continued her activities, she would have become a myth throughout all of Japan.
So, even though she had lowered her standards, no man dared to pursue her. Even if they genuinely thought she was beautiful, no one was brave enough to approach her. They were afraid that if she got upset, she might beat them to a pulp with a single punch. It was much safer to find a woman like a Yamato Nadeshiko to marry—at least they wouldn't have to worry about being suddenly punched to death.
"Well, we'll be leaving now."
After their brief exchange, Shizuka pulled Ryosuke away, leaving the doorstep as if they were fleeing a disaster.