Fujiwara Shunsui did not directly say these words, because he knew that when a person is extremely paranoid, she will ignore some key information and fall into a vortex.
This is why people always say: the one involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly.
"That's not it."
Fujiwara Shunsui sighed inwardly, softened his tone, and looked at the somewhat agitated Nakamura Aoi, beginning to comfort her.
It was the first time he felt pity for Nakamura Aoi.
The other party did not directly respond to Harumizu. Fujiwara Shunsui waited until Nakamura Aoi's emotions seemed a little calmer before continuing:
"I can consider helping you, but I can't immediately agree to murder."
Seeing Nakamura Aoi in this state, Fujiwara Shunsui could only resort to a delaying tactic.
His ancestors from the previous life told him that things work out best when handled slowly; as long as Nakamura Aoi's hostility towards her stepmother slowly dissipates, the idea of murder should be abandoned.
Although Fujiwara Shunsui thought this, he verbally agreed to Nakamura Aoi's request.
"Really? Landlord! You are too kind!"
Nakamura Aoi's emotions fluctuated too much, and her mood changed too quickly. After hearing Fujiwara Shunsui say this, she actually ran directly towards him.
It was as if the woman who had just collapsed emotionally and screamed was not herself.
Fujiwara Shunsui took two steps back again, thinking:
"Big sister, you're an adult too, can you not get so close? I admit you have some charm."
"A lone man and a lone woman, alone in a room."
"Are you really not afraid of what I might do?"
However, Harumizu did not say these words aloud, as some things would be impolite to say.
Looking at Fujiwara Shunsui, who was almost retreating to the door, Nakamura Aoi asked with some confusion: "Landlord, is there something I did wrong? Why are you avoiding me?"
"Stop, stop, don't talk to me in that tone."
Fujiwara Shunsui was really struggling to cope with Nakamura Aoi now. Looking at her smiling face with her little canine teeth, he even doubted what he had just experienced.
"I only temporarily agreed to help you, but I didn't say I'd help you kill someone. Please don't misunderstand! We are just Landlord and tenant; it's not the kind of employer-employee relationship you're imagining, okay?"
He had to convey his true thoughts to Nakamura Aoi; he was really afraid that the girl in front of him would mistakenly think he was already her "killer."
"Huh? Landlord! I don't understand what you mean!"
Nakamura Aoi finally fast-forwarded to the step where she understood men best. Her big eyes under her gold-rimmed glasses flickered continuously, as she approached Fujiwara Shunsui step by step.
Fujiwara Shunsui subconsciously swallowed, enduring the awkwardness and repeatedly chanting in his mind:
"This is a mental illness, this is a mental illness, this is a mental illness!"
Watching Nakamura Aoi approaching him step by step, Fujiwara Shunsui extended his right hand and reiterated:
"Stop, stop! Just stand there and don't move!"
"Can we keep our distance, okay?"
Harumizu was truly scared. He thought of Miya Harukiko and Kojou Yuna, and suddenly felt that having them by his side was the happiest thing in the world.
Immediately after, he also recalled his first visit to the Higashikawa Club,
He wasn't even this nervous back then!
"You should have my phone number, right?"
"Yes!"
"Don't think about killing for now. Find something you like to do, and call me anytime if anything happens!"
"Alright."
A hint of disappointment flashed across Nakamura Aoi's face. She had been observing the Landlord for so long, and even though he had eventually come to her, it seemed he hadn't agreed to her "request."
After speaking, Fujiwara Shunsui turned, opened the door, and closed the door, all in one smooth motion.
With a "bang—",
Harumizu disappeared from the entrance of 703, as if he had never been there… Downstairs,
In Fujiwara Shunsui's own home.
He was even leaning on his sofa in despair, even beginning to recall every meeting he had with Nakamura Aoi.
"I didn't notice this young girl was mentally unstable when we met this morning."
"No, what exactly did her stepmother do wrong that you think about killing her every day?!"
"You've been stalking me for so long, do you want me to help you kill someone?"
The more Fujiwara Shunsui thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and the more he collapsed. A thousand words eventually converged into one sentence:
No, why is she like this?!
Just as Fujiwara Shunsui was feeling extremely annoyed, the familiar notification sound of his phone rang.
At this moment, Fujiwara Shunsui felt that he was about to be saved.
"Let me see, is it my little darling Yuna-chan missing me!"
Fujiwara Shunsui composed himself and opened his phone, only to find a message from an unknown number.
Unknown Number: ["Brother Shunsui, did I do something wrong? Why are you avoiding me!"]
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["??? Who are you?"]
Unknown Number: ["It's me, Nakamura Aoi!"]
Upon seeing those three words, Fujiwara Shunsui almost fainted on his sofa.
"No, I just came down from upstairs, and didn't I say to contact me if something happened? What do you mean by sending me a message in less than three minutes?!"
Fujiwara Shunsui tossed his phone aside; he was a little afraid to look.
He also truly didn't understand how he, a leading figure who had dominated the underworld Syndicate for many years, could be driven to distraction by a young girl.
Nakamura Aoi's paranoia was already akin to a modern-day demon.
Even a demon would probably laugh out loud at her thought process.
"Ding—"
"Ding—"
"Ding—"
Listening to the phone notifications constantly ringing, Fujiwara Shunsui was momentarily unsure whether to reply or not.
Finally, he sighed, frowned, picked up his phone, and looked at the messages from Nakamura Aoi.
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, is something I did wrong?!"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, should I transfer twenty million to you first?"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, why aren't you answering me?!"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, don't you think my stepmother destroyed my family?"]
...[Bank Alert: Your account has received an incoming transfer of twenty million!]
Fujiwara Shunsui could accept the previous messages, but when he saw the bank transfer, he instantly became unsettled and fell into deep self-doubt.
"What is Nakamura Aoi thinking? I didn't agree to her!"
"What does she mean by transferring money to me? She can't really think I was just being polite, can she?!"
"What do I do now?"
Although Fujiwara Shunsui had a million reasons to refuse, he now knew that Nakamura Aoi's fate had, to some extent, intersected and intertwined with his own.
This made Fujiwara Shunsui feel particularly helpless; he even wanted to rush back upstairs and transfer the twenty million back to her.
But thinking of their conversation upstairs and her behavior just now, he temporarily gave up on that idea.
Finally, he mustered the courage to reply to Nakamura Aoi's message.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["I think you should calm down first. Send me your account number; I cannot accept these twenty million!"]
The other party replied instantly!
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, can you really not help me get rid of my stepmother?"]
P.S.: Rich big brother, can you really not send some tickets?