Fujiwara Shunsui stared at the message Nakamura Aoi had sent, utterly at a loss for how to reply, so he simply decided not to.
When in doubt, go to bed!
It was a fine tradition Fujiwara Shunsui had carried over from his past life, and right now he had the place to himself—peace and quiet all alone.
Heaven knew how torturous it had been to endure the incessant chirping of two women.
Of course,
sometimes pain laced with pleasure is a life others envy,
but right now Fujiwara Shunsui wanted to savor the joy of solitude.
The moment he stepped into his bedroom and lay down,
his phone began frantically "summoning" him.
"Ding—"
"Ding—"
"Ding—"
Shunsui was already regretting ever accepting this quest; the System had foresight—at the start it hadn't forced him to approach Nakamura Aoi, merely offered a tiny [Hidden Quest].
After it ended, the System had even asked if he wanted to take on this side quest.
Now Shunsui regretted it a bit; he could've waited for Nakamura Aoi to come to him—since he'd taken the initiative, things seemed impossible to wrap up.
Yet when he thought of the quest rewards, of the free attribute points,
he could only grit his teeth and console himself: My choice, my choice!
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, why are you ignoring me?"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, are you going back on your word?"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Brother Shunsui, what are you doing?"]
Seriously, don't you have anything better to do? You're so annoying—how did you even live before you got my number? Do we really have this much to talk about?
Of course, these were only Shunsui's private thoughts; he had no intention of scolding Nakamura Aoi.
For oddballs with questionable wiring and unstable mental states, the bare-minimum strategy is to keep your distance,
and if you do get targeted,
then comply, cooperate, and tolerate as much as possible.
If push comes to shove—run for it!
Right now, running wasn't an option; Nakamura Aoi was his tenant, and every month they still had their [Main Quest] interactions, so all he could do was "tolerate" her as best he could.
Usually, unconditional tolerance is just punishing yourself.
But Shunsui's case was different—he had a [Quest] to complete; tolerating her raised intimacy and let him finish a side quest, maybe even earn special rewards.
So putting up with her wasn't a big problem.
Still, tolerance needs limits.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Miss Nakamura, I have my own life; if there's nothing urgent, please stop harassing me!"]
Upstairs, Nakamura Aoi read Shunsui's message,
puffing up like an angry pufferfish, scowling and cursing at her phone:
"Stupid Landlord, rotten Landlord! A Syndicate member took my money and now claims I'm harassing him!"
"I'm so pretty—those Pathetic Nerds online say they'd give everything for me at night, even call me Mommy!"
"I gave you everything and showered you with affection, yet you dare say I'm harassing you!"
As Nakamura Aoi ranted, her phone suddenly lit up with a new message.
"Your bank account has received a refund of 20 million japanese yen."
While chatting with her, Shunsui had already texted Kojou Yuna for help.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Emergency! My tenant added two extra zeros to the rent—how do I refund it ASAP?!"]
Kojou Yuna: ["Your account is VIP; you've got a dedicated manager—just call him."]
So, before returning to his bedroom, Shunsui had told his Personal Manager to reverse the 20 million yen transfer.
Thanks to his high-tier bank card, such a "small" sum was green-lit instantly.
In the world of capital, money is king.
Everything serves capital.
Seeing the new message alert, Nakamura Aoi became even more agitated!
Feeling insulted all over again, she was about to explode—and maybe march downstairs to confront Shunsui—when his timely comfort arrived.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["You're still young; earning this much isn't easy. We'll talk things through—don't do anything rash. I need to rest, please understand!"]
Reading his message, Nakamura Aoi felt soothed.
Suddenly, her Landlord's image towered in her heart once more.
Online, people constantly asked her for photos, called her Mommy, demanded all sorts of things,
but her Landlord asked nothing of her,
even returning her savings and warning her not to do anything foolish.
Meeting him really was wonderful!
Of course,
right now Fujiwara Shunsui knew exactly what Nakamura Aoi was thinking.
[system prompt]
[Nakamura Aoi feels a long-lost warmth; the Host's concern and refund of the "Fee" deeply moved her. She even feels meeting the Host is a blessing. Favorability Rating +5]
[Nakamura Aoi Favorability Rating: 40/100]
What do you mean, System?
"She even feels meeting me is a blessing"—is meeting me supposed to be some terrible thing?
If she really paid 20 million yen to have someone whacked, the killer would've taken the money and vanished!
And even if she did meet me, don't you know my motto?
Be My Little Princess—eat only chicken, never bitterness!
Fitness Buffs know best when it comes to healthy eating!
Of course, Shunsui only mused about this.
Now that he'd confirmed Nakamura Aoi wouldn't disturb him, he could enjoy a nice nap after his early rise.
Sometimes things just pile up one after another, overwhelming you.
Shunsui felt exactly that… He slept deeply in his room, until faint "mmm-ahh" sounds reached his ears.
The pitch rose and fell,
but to Shunsui it rang crystal clear, dragging his mind back to reality.
Out of the corner of his eye he glanced around the room—
it was already dark.
His awareness sharpened,
and he checked his phone: 8 p.m.
He'd slept like a log,
but Shunsui knew for sure: Nissho Taro was home.
Yet Taro should've gone out with Kojou Yuna and Miya Harukiko,
so the house was far too quiet,
unnaturally quiet.
A bad premonition stirred in Shunsui again—
lately nothing had gone smoothly!
He practically flipped upright in bed,
yanked open the door without even dressing,
and the scene before him made him jump!
P.S. I want to be a Little Prince too—any princesses out there?