I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 184 The Great Rat-Man Offensive!

It's not easy to confirm someone's identity just by their surname.

However, it is not difficult to make contact with them immediately.

After all, Akihiko Miura mentioned that he has such a beautiful older sister who went abroad to study for a while and only recently returned.

It perfectly matches the other party's recent movements.

But what convinced Tsukino Gen even more was the other person's inexplicable attitude towards him.

It's hard to explain it with just being naturally naive.

Furthermore, knowing full well that he had a close relationship with Asagiri Rin, he didn't take any steps to avoid suspicion; instead, he approached her without any sense of propriety. This is difficult for anyone to understand normally.

Even when connected to Akihiko Miura, Gen Tsukino still doesn't quite understand many of the woman's actions.

Miura Ayaka, her expression hardening, smiled and said, "Actually, I just confirmed it myself."

"is it?"

Gen Tsukino didn't believe it at all.

"Because I don't believe there are such coincidences in the world. When Mingyan told me about you, I felt that I should at least meet you. But unfortunately, I had something to do last time and missed you when you came to my house for dinner. I never expected that we would have such a connection in other places, including this time."

The words remain ambiguous.

However, Gen Tsukino had no intention of taking this further. He wasn't interested in how far this so-called fate should develop.

"It is quite a coincidence. I didn't expect you to be Jian Yue's classmate."

"We don't look like we're the same age?"

Gen Tsukino had already turned and walked into the residential area, while Ayaka Miura followed the boy's steps.

"It doesn't seem like it at all, and it's hard to imagine that you two ever lived in the same circle."

They really don't seem to be from the same world.

It's hard to believe now.

Ayaka Miura laughed, "It's not what you think. We were very close back then. It's just that I was studying abroad when she had the accident, and even though I knew about it, I couldn't come back in time. But I still tried to offer some help, but she refused. She also unilaterally cut off contact with me. I understand that it was her pride, but I didn't have a better way at the time."

"That's it."

Gen Tsukino seemed indifferent, as if he wasn't interested in these things.

Ayaka Miura was not discouraged by the other party's attitude; instead, she continued talking to herself.

"It seems that Mizuki is living a pretty good life now."

"why."

"Because you're the one taking care of her."

Gen Tsukino frowned slightly. "Did I say I had a good relationship with her? Or do I seem to be acting like a great philanthropist?"

Ayaka Miura shook her head. "It's not because of that. It's just that I think you probably wouldn't miss out on a girl as beautiful and lovable as Mizuki."

So he's treating his buddy like a collector of pretty girls.

Gen Tsukino smiled. "That's quite a sharp assessment."

“I didn’t mean to belittle Tsukino-kun,” she said softly. “I think it’s normal for capable men to have a few female confidantes, especially someone as special as Tsukino-kun.”

Tsukino Gen looked at her amusedly, "A capable man. I'm a high school student just like your brother, how did you get into the topic of capable men?"

"After all, Miss Rin wouldn't like a good-for-nothing who's all looks and no substance."

"What if she's even more superficial than you think?"

"But I'm not that superficial."

???

Gen Tsukino paused for a moment, then stopped and turned to look at the other person.

Ayaka Miura, who didn't think there was anything wrong with her words, looked at Gen Tsukino with wide eyes, seemingly curious about what Gen Tsukino had heard before stopping in her tracks.

Until Tsukino Gen took another step, leaving behind a single sentence.

"They really know how to seize every opportunity."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Means nothing."

"dong dong dong"

As the two passed the storage room next to the stairs, they heard strange noises coming from inside.

Ayaka Miura asked in confusion, "What was that sound?"

Gen Tsukino replied nonchalantly, "It's probably a mouse."

"Is that a rat making that loud noise?"

Ayaka Miura clearly thought it was impossible, and Gen Tsukino was too lazy to explain, "Don't worry, it's probably just a fat rat, someone will come and take care of it."

"Oh"

Went upstairs.

Arriving at Kiyono Mizuki's door again, Tsukino Gen didn't hide anything and directly took out his key to open the door.

Ayaka Miura watched the boy's actions with a half-smile, "He even has the key."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were just murmuring to herself.

However, when Tsukino Gen opened the door and appeared in the sight of the girls inside, the commotion inside was clearly unusual.

"Wow! You even have a house key, and you still say you're just a neighbor?!"

"Wow, it seems we have completely different definitions of neighbors."

"Wow, did they buy groceries? Are they going to cook for us themselves?"

Inside, Kiyono Mizuki's cheeks were flushed red, and she was completely unable to explain anything. It seemed that social interaction in reality was more difficult and challenging than she had imagined.

Or is it all because of this boy?
However, she had no intention of blaming Tsukino Gen at all. On the contrary, the exaggerated reactions of her friends and classmates gave her an indescribable sense of smugness.

It's like the unluckiest child finally getting ahead of everyone else in some way.

Gen Tsukino brought Ayaka Miura in, ignoring the exaggerated reactions, and calmly said...

"I ran into this lady who couldn't park her car at the entrance of the residential area. Is she your classmate?"

Kiyono Mizuki then noticed the young girl who walked in with Tsukino Gen.

"Ayaka!"

"Jianyue, it's been a long time."

Ayaka Miura stepped forward, reached out her hands, and hugged the girl who was unable to get up.

Kiyono Mizuki was somewhat surprised, "When did you return to China? Weren't you studying abroad?"

"It's all over now. You won't answer my questions about these things. Now you've told everyone but not me. Are you trying to cut off all contact with me?"

Ayaka Miura seemed to say this with some resentment.

"How could that be? It's just that you were abroad at the time, and knowing these things would only cause you distress, so I..."

Kiyono Mizuki offered a somewhat embarrassed explanation.

But Ayaka Miura simply sat down next to her and took her hand.

He looked at her with a gentle smile, and at her legs covered by the blanket.

"If I had known things were this serious, I would have come back much sooner. I'm sorry I'm late."

"What's there to apologize for? It's not your fault. Honestly, you come back and say things that make me want to cry."

The atmosphere can indeed easily sway people; even the strongest and most determined person can become weak when faced with certain situations.

Moreover, this kind of long-lost care.

Even things you had previously refused, you felt a mix of gratitude and guilt, and some of it was irresistible.

Miura Ayaka smiled as she looked at the girl whose eyes had reddened. "You're about to cry? I even prepared a short essay of several thousand words before coming here. The old Mitsuki wasn't this fragile."

"What short essay? Are you crazy? You couldn't even fill a few lines of an essay when you were in school."

"You remember all of that? Sure enough, the things sisters remember most easily are embarrassing moments."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The atmosphere in the room became lively again.

Gen Tsukino still didn't participate, but instead played on his phone by himself, sending out a few messages.

After chatting for a while, Tsukino Gen stood up and said to Kiyono Mizuki, "I'm going out to throw out the trash."

"Hmm? Is there a lot of trash?"

"Some."

The boy picked up the rather light-looking trash bag and walked out the door.

Almost the instant the door closed, the somewhat restrained atmosphere suddenly became lively again.

"What's going on? Why does your 'neighbor' have such a husbandly air about him?"

"Yeah, he's totally the image of a stay-at-home dad! Waaah, when will I ever have a husband like that?"

"Hey, Nadeshiko. Have you forgotten you're married?"

"Huh? Nadeshiko, you got married?"

Kiyono Mizuki was somewhat surprised. Just now, it felt like they were in their student days, chatting intimately about gossip and asking some seemingly girlish questions. Now, they were talking about marriage.

It was as if time and space had suddenly been traversed. "Yeah, don't even mention it. If I had known marriage would be like this, I wouldn't have gotten married. But I think in this respect, Jian Yue is probably the luckiest one."

"Huh? Uh-no, we haven't gotten to that point yet."

Kiyono Mizuki offered a somewhat flustered explanation.

To be honest, I have thought about marriage before, and it's normal to think about it earlier in this country.

However, she knew clearly that this was destined to be just her fantasy, or rather, that being able to spend time with Tsukino Gen like this was already a source of contentment and happiness.

If there are more extravagant hopes
Heaven will punish greedy children.

"So, where are we now?"

Ayaka Miura squinted mischievously and asked, then sighed lightly, "Some things will slip away if you don't try hard to hold on to them."

Immediately, someone nearby echoed his sentiment.

"Yes, he's so handsome, so young, and he can do housework and take such good care of you. I can hardly believe there's a man like him in the world."

Amidst the urging, Kiyono Mizuki seemed at a loss, her face flushed with shyness.

But I was quite clear-headed.

"It's fine to say these things to me, but don't say them when he gets back."

"Why?" someone asked curiously.

Kiyono Mizuki thought for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to say what she was going to say.

However, Ayaka Miura spoke first.

"Because our Mizuki is still so kind, she doesn't want to pressure people, right?"

Kiyono Mizuki looked at Miura Ayaka and lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's not about pressuring him or anything. He's still young and won't think about these things now. Besides, he's here to see me today, so don't keep mentioning other people. It'll really scare him away."

"So you're protecting your husband now, huh?"

"No way!"

Gen Tsukino threw the trash into the trash can.

Not long after I stood at the entrance of the residential area, a black van drove up.

"Mr. Tsukino!"

The person who hurriedly opened the door and stepped out was Shinichiro Kawakami, who was dressed in a suit and looked very serious.

Gen Tsukino looked at the other person and said, "You came pretty quickly. Thank you for your hard work."

Kawakami gave an awkward laugh. "I was nearby when I received your message, so I came right away. By the way, shall we start now?"

"Hmm, did you bring the things?"

"I've brought you all down with me!"

Suddenly, several more people got out of the van, carrying ropes and large burlap sacks.

Gen Tsukino nodded. "Good. The rat is in the storage room next to the stairs. Be quiet and don't let anyone see it. Don't scare the residents either. Go."

"Yes!"

Kawakami led his men into the residential area. When they came out again, the sacks were bulging and there were signs of movement and struggle. At the same time, faint whimpering sounds could be heard.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me, Mr. Tsukino?"

Kawakami asked cautiously.

Gen Tsukino shook his head. "These are probably rats sent by Daigo Nakajima. You don't need to worry about me. Just be careful yourselves. The closer that moment gets, the more reckless he'll become."

"I understand, then we'll be going."

"Okay, make sure it's clean."

"understand!"

The van drove away quickly, as if it had never been there at all.

As Tsukino Gen turned around to go back, a bright rose gold color caught his eye.

Tsukino Gen looked at the other person without any expression, walked over and said, "Why did you come down? Are you getting ready to go back?"

Ayaka Miura shook her head. "Someone suggested having some beer with dinner, so I came down to help buy some. Where's the supermarket? Can you take me there?"

Gen Tsukino looked into Yingying's eyes and remained silent for a moment.

"I'll take you."

"Thank you, Tsukino-kun."

she said with a smile.

The two walked along a path lined with trees, so it wasn't too hot.

During this time, Tsukino Gen didn't take the initiative to explain what had just happened, while Miura Ayaka was like a little girl going on a spring outing for the first time, curiously looking around.

The two did not exchange any words on the way, as if they were just strangers who happened to be walking together.

It's like two cars stopped in adjacent lanes at an intersection, waiting for the red light to turn green.

I grabbed a case of beer from the supermarket.

"I'll pay."

Ayaka Miura took out her phone, and Gen Tsukino blinked. "I didn't say I was going to pay."

"Hmm? Is that so? I thought Tsukino-kun was a very gentlemanly person."

She smiled.

Gen shrugged and said, "Actually, I was just thinking of suggesting that you carry the beer, it's a bit heavy."

"That's a bit too much, it goes beyond the realm of jokes."

"hehe."

On the way back, Tsukino Gen naturally carried the beer, without deliberately showing any signs of strain, walking at a leisurely pace.

Occasionally, sunlight filtering through the leaves would fall on their hair and shoulders.

The sounds of cicadas and the wind rustling through the leaves seemed to be a unique background solo along the way.

Finally, Ayaka Miura spoke.

"I didn't hear any rats in the storage room when I came downstairs."

Gen Tsukino raised his eyelids. "Oh, someone must have already cleaned it up."

Ayaka Miura nodded with a smile, "She looks quite professional."

"maybe."

"That was too daring. Wouldn't it have been better to handle it at night?"

She laughed and said it was as if it were a very ordinary thing.

Tsukino Gen glanced at her again.

"Because there might be new rats at night."

"Oh, I see. I didn't think that through."

"It's okay, it's not something you should be thinking about anyway."

"why?"

"Because there won't be any rats around you."

"Oh, that seems true. But it's also possible that the rats around people like us are more cunning, and this method isn't suitable for us."

She smiled and boldly met Tsukino Gen's eyes.

It seems to be to confirm some information.

Gen Tsukino shrugged indifferently, and the bottles in the box made a crisp, slight clinking sound.

"That's not true. The more cunning a mouse is, the better it is to use simple and crude methods. Being too clever for its own good only pleases it."

"So you can learn to catch mice in an orphanage?"

A more violent wind blew in, and the rustling of the leaves became more intense.

At the entrance of the residential area, Tsukino Gen stopped, not to look at her, but to glance at the blinding sun.

Then he thought something was funny, and shook his head with a laugh.

“Ms. Miura, sometimes it’s best to leave it at that. Anyway, it’s not something you should be concerned about. There’s no need to delve into these topics. You really can’t come up with anything interesting. It will only make the atmosphere awkward.”

Ayaka Miura glanced at Gen Tsukino, then gave a slight, earnest bow.

"Really sorry."

"."

Then she straightened up, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said...

"I didn't realize that trying to understand someone could make me so blind. I'll be more careful in the future."

I don't think you're paying any attention at all.

What's with all this talk about rats?

I think you're a mouse!
……

(End of this chapter)