The last of the daylight erased the sharp contours of the trees outside the car window. The sky slowly darkened as the vast night unveiled a sliver of a crescent moon.
The Aston Martin sped through the night. The evening breeze poured in through the open window, brushing against Hiratsuka Ryosuke's fresh and handsome profile.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Ryosuke heard a gnashing of teeth. He looked over to the passenger seat to see Hiratsuka Shizuka. Her shining teeth and crimson lips were pulled into a frown, and her willowy eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Her chest was heaving, and Ryosuke felt a bit concerned.
"Shizuka-san, are you still upset about what Mrs. Nibutani said? She didn't mean anything by it. And from a normal perspective, it's a perfectly natural thing to say, given how beautiful you are."
Behind the wheel, Shizuka didn't seem to hear Ryosuke. The car's speed only increased. Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes. The screech of the tires on the asphalt filled the car as Ryosuke was thrown forward.
She pulled over to the side of the road, shut off the engine, and pulled the handbrake. She began hitting the steering wheel with both hands.
"Damn it! What's wrong with being in my twenties and never having been in love?!"
"And that brat Yukino Haruno was the same today! No respect for her elders, constantly prying into her teacher's love life! Are all high school students this infuriating?!"
"Love? I don't care about it one bit!"
Shizuka's voice was filled with anger mixed with a sense of grievance, which in turn held a touch of remorse and a hint of self-pity.
She abruptly looked up, her gaze fixed on her younger brother beside her. Ryosuke's back went cold under her stare. He had no idea what she was about to do.
Shizuka's eyes gradually softened, turning into a piteous and fragile gaze. With an expectant look, she stared directly at Ryosuke. Her beautiful lips parted slightly, and her enchanting voice was tinged with a hint of a sob. "Hey, Ryosuke, if your sister really can't get married, you'll take care of me for the rest of my life, right?!"
It was a question, but her tone was a definite statement.
This is the line of a useless person, isn't it?
She's only in her early twenties, but she's already thinking about a middle school student taking care of her for life?
Ryosuke was completely stunned. Although he knew he would take care of her, didn't she have any self-respect as an older sister, saying something like this to her sixth-grade brother?
He sighed inwardly and said with a serious tone, "Okay, okay, I will. When I make enough money, you won't need to get married. You can just stay with me for the rest of your life and live as a good-for-nothing who eats and waits for death."
"Oh, Ryosuke, you shouldn't say things like that to girls."
Shizuka had only asked in the heat of the moment and hadn't expected Ryosuke to give her a serious answer. She unbuckled her seatbelt and, by habit, reached for her cigarettes and the door handle.
But her brother's next words caught her off guard.
"I wasn't just saying it. If it's you, Shizuka-san, I can take care of you for the rest of your life."
Ryosuke's voice was quiet, but to Shizuka, it was like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
The rest of my life?!
Does this kid even know what he's saying?
Hearing Ryosuke's direct and serious response, tinged with a hint of doting indulgence, made her heart race and her cheeks flush. She turned her head, suddenly unable to look him in the eye.
"Ahem, okay, I get it... We're here. Let's get out."
The family restaurant, a converted traditional Japanese house, was loved by the public for its great food and reasonable prices. The interior was both elegant and simple, with tall oak cabinets on either side decorated with ebony patterns. The cabinets were separated by shelves, and the orange ceiling lights cast a soft, warm glow.
"Welcome! Oh, it's Shizuka-chan and Ryosuke-kun!" a voice rang out with a hint of surprise.
The speaker was a middle-aged man with long orange hair tied into a single ponytail. He was Himura Shinta, Ryosuke's master in both swordsmanship and cooking. Ryosuke had heard his name was given to him by his great-grandfather, a name shared with a famous ancestor from the Meiji era. Due to his family's decline, he had to close their ancestral dojo and open this restaurant.
The family's decline hadn't affected him in the slightest, as he maintained a consistently optimistic attitude toward life. He always wore a kind smile. Though his frame wasn't large, Ryosuke knew the terrifying speed and strength contained within that lean body.
"Mr. Himura."
"Master."
The Hiratsuka siblings greeted him in turn.
"Mr. Himura, shouldn't you be in the kitchen at this time?" Shizuka asked curiously.
Himura Shinta had reached the pinnacle of both swordsmanship and cooking. However, his swordsmanship style was unique; only one successor was chosen per generation. Before he met Ryosuke, he hadn't even planned on finding a student, so his swordsmanship was not well-known. His cooking, however, was quite famous in the neighborhood.
He looked at Shizuka and smiled slightly. "Ah, a new chef came recently, and their skills are excellent. It allows me to enjoy a rare moment of peace." He then added, "You know, that kid reminds me of Ryosuke in a way."
"Reminds you of Ryosuke? Well, now I'm looking forward to meeting them," Shizuka said, her eyes narrowed in thought.
"Master, it's been a while. This is a souvenir from our hometown, Chiba Prefecture," Ryosuke said, handing the gift to Himura Shinta.
"Thank you, Ryosuke, that's very thoughtful. Stay a bit later so I can test the results of your recent training at home," Himura Shinta replied, accepting the gift with a small smile. "I'll let you two get to your meal."
Himura bowed slightly and went to attend to other customers.
A little later, after the siblings finished eating, Shizuka nudged Ryosuke with her elbow as if she had discovered something new. She winked and whispered, "Hey, Ryosuke, look! What a cute girl."
Ryosuke was a bit helpless at his sister's lecherous, almost "old man-like" tone. He followed her gaze.
There was a girl with long hair that reached her waist and a completely expressionless face. Her piercing red eyes, her pale, jade-like neck adorned with a pure black choker, gave her a clean yet alluring charm.
Shizuka's blatant staring caught the girl's attention.
"Um... can I help you?" the girl asked, her face as still as an old well. She was polite, but her tone was cold and distant. If she had been looked at by a greasy old man, she wouldn't have been so calm. But being admired by a beautiful woman and a handsome boy, she felt nothing but a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
A peculiar sense of familiarity welled up in both Ryosuke and Shizuka. They now understood what Himura Shinta had meant when he said the girl was like Ryosuke.
"Miss Takanashi, thank you for your hard work. This is your payment for the month," Himura Shinta said, walking over to the girl and pulling out an envelope.
This made Shizuka, a teacher, a little uneasy. "Hey, Mr. Himura, this kid looks like a high school student, doesn't she?"
While it was normal for high school students to have part-time jobs, they usually only worked simple jobs like convenience store clerks or wait staff. For a high schooler to be a head chef at a family restaurant was very unusual, as there were strict regulations regarding working hours for high school students in Japan, which a head chef could easily exceed.
"I am a person of strict conduct and have never strayed from my path," Himura said. "Miss Takanashi is a part-timer who occasionally comes to help. Please rest assured." Himura knew what Shizuka was worried about and explained patiently.
"Oh, I see. That's good." Shizuka looked at Takanashi Touka openly, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Hiratsuka Shizuka. I'm a teacher at Sobu High. My apologies for staring just now."
A flicker of panic crossed Touka's emotionless face, but it quickly returned to its calm state. Ryosuke noticed this but didn't say anything.
"Hello, Hiratsuka-sensei. I'm Takanashi Touka." She said, and a brief silence fell between them.
Thankfully, Himura Shinta broke the awkward atmosphere a moment later. "See? I told you she was like Ryosuke. She's more like Ryosuke's older sister than you are," he joked.
Ryosuke's eyes darted between the two girls. He secretly agreed with his master's words, but he dared not show it on his face.
Hearing this, Shizuka's casual demeanor vanished. She said with a serious tone, "Mr. Himura, Ryosuke is my younger brother. Even coming from you, I'll get upset if you say something like that."
Realizing he'd said the wrong thing, Himura Shinta bowed deeply to Shizuka, his tone sincere. "My apologies, that was very rude of me."
"Manager, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Takanashi Touka said calmly.
Himura Shinta straightened up and smiled, nodding.
"Then I'll be visiting my master now as well," Shizuka said, rising. She turned to Ryosuke. "Ryosuke, I'll come pick you up later."
"You're leaving so soon? Please give my regards to Akasaka-san," Himura Shinta said with a smile.
"Me too, Shizuka-san. Please give my regards to Mr. Akasaka," Ryosuke added.
Akasaka Tetsuo was a nationally famous martial artist, a good friend of Ryosuke's father, and Shizuka's martial arts teacher. A few years ago, when the siblings first arrived in Tokyo, their father had asked this friend to look after them. However, Shizuka was quite independent and took her brother to live on their own.
By chance, Himura Shinta was visiting Akasaka Tetsuo when he discovered Ryosuke. He hadn't intended to take on a student, but seeing Ryosuke's incredibly high talent in swordsmanship, he was enthralled by the find and decided to pass on his style. And so, one sibling trained martial arts under a master, while the other practiced swordsmanship under a swordsman.
Shizuka nodded gently at the two and walked out of the restaurant.
"Let's go, Ryosuke. It's time to test your skills."
Himura walked to the door, the kindness on his face replaced with a serious expression.
"Yes, Master."
As Ryosuke got up to follow, he was struck from behind, but his body didn't move an inch. He turned around to see a tomboy with short, black hair. She wore a red athletic jacket over a white hoodie. Though her clothes were masculine, Ryosuke's careful observation could tell she was a young girl.
The girl was sitting on the floor, rubbing her head.
"Are... are you okay?" Ryosuke asked, a little uncertain.
Nishimiya Yuzuru collected herself and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Her laid-back and carefree demeanor made her seem even more like a boy.
Himura stood at the door, urging him on. "Ryosuke, let's go."
Ryosuke nodded to the strange girl and followed his master out.
Ryosuke?
Hiratsuka Ryosuke?
That name... it must be a coincidence, right?
The pretty woman had said the boy was her younger brother, and now the manager outside the door had said his name. Yuzuru easily deduced the boy's name.
The person her sister had mentioned tonight had the same name, didn't they?
It can't be that much of a coincidence.
She watched his retreating back with bright eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to follow them. Her long, slender legs moved quickly, kicking up a small gust of wind as she stealthily followed.