I became the emperor in the comic book series.

"I always have the habit of considering the worst possible outcome, so that no matter how bad things get, it's still within my expectations and won't get any worse."

"Have you ever considered that one day I'll be able to support myself and then I won't be able to be with you anymore?"

"You haven't considered what would happen if someone who can easily afford to spend a month's salary as an adult to hire a girl like you who currently offers no value other than herself didn't intend to accept your offer."

Looking calmly at the streets on his way home, Higashino Akira said slowly, "I actually have a very strong possessive streak."

"Because Kawasaki is a nice and cute girl who needs money, I approached you. If you hadn't agreed at the time, I wouldn't have bothered you. But since you agreed, the right to terminate our relationship is solely in my hands. You only have the right to terminate this relationship with me."

"I don't consider myself a man who falls in love with every woman he meets. I have my own standards and bottom line for choosing a partner. I won't force anyone, that would be too tasteless. At the same time, I don't like to easily give up on a girl who already belongs to me."

After a long silence, Kawasaki Saki uttered the same remark she made when they first met: "You... you're always thinking only about yourself."

Toyokawa Shoko: "???"

Damn it, I was enjoying my melon so much when I suddenly felt like I was being attacked by ginseng and my stockings fell off!

"After all, that's just who I am."

Akira Higashino readily accepted Saki Kawasaki's assessment and nodded in approval.

"I might not fall in love with you."

"I do not care."

“I mean…” Kawasaki Saki lowered her head and took a deep breath, clutching the candy he had casually given her earlier in her palm, “Anyway, I have no other choice, so I’ll try my best to like you.”

So it really was a dream.

How could this guy suddenly become like a normal person, with a drastic personality change, actively trying to please people, and casually doing some amazing things?

How annoying, it almost made her fall for it.

Thankfully, I've woken up from that dream.

Upon hearing this, Higashino Akira paused for a moment, remained silent, and then hugged her even tighter.

"Thank you."

Chapter Twenty: Teasing Kids is Really Fun

We walked slowly, leaning on each other, gradually growing further apart, until dawn broke.

Akira Higashino and Saki Kawasaki parted ways at the tram stop.

He intended to take her directly to his home, but when the girl heard that Higashino Akira had a younger sister at home, she absolutely refused to go and visit her so abruptly.

Therefore, Akira Higashino had no choice but to return alone.

It's been almost a month since I last stayed at Jianzi's place. I left her some living expenses before, but haven't really taken care of her since, and I don't know how she's doing.

When I got close to home, I could see the house was brightly lit from a distance. When I got to the door, I could faintly hear the television and the laughter of girls coming from inside.

Akira Higashino knocked on the door, stood at the door for a while, and only after the noise inside subsided a little did he take out his key, open the door, and go inside.

Two girls were sitting together on the sofa, looking very serious, their eyes fixed on the entrance.

Upon seeing that it was Akira Higashino who had entered, the two of them breathed a long sigh of relief.

Happy Halloween, Higashino-san!

"Yes, I hope you are happy too."

"Hehe, whether I'm happy or not doesn't depend on Higashino-nii's opinion!" Yurikawa Hana suddenly stood up, waving energetically at Higashino Akira, then suddenly gave him a sly grin and made a face at him, "Scream, you're up to no good if you don't give me candy!"

The girl wasn't dressed in anything too outlandish; she was simply wearing a classic white robe that resembled a bed sheet. Her overly well-developed figure, for someone her age, caused the bed sheet to bulge out high. To be honest, it wasn't too scary, but rather a bit erotic.

Moreover, he's frighteningly outgoing and always has a very energetic demeanor.

Miko Yotsuya, who hadn't spent much time with Akira Higashino, seemed a bit distant. She stood there staring at him without daring to move, her legs even trembling slightly, giving the impression that she was somewhat afraid of him.

Oh well, anyway, from the beginning, Higashino Akira never intended to get too close to her.

At least she saves herself a lot of trouble and rarely causes any problems, which is pretty good.

His gaze returned to Yurikawa Hana, who was smiling at him with her hands clasped together in a bowl shape. Higashino Akira shook his head with a normal expression.

"Xiaohua, Halloween was over last night, so you won't be able to get any candy now."

"Ugh... It's all because Higashino-nii didn't come back early yesterday. If Higashino-nii had been with us yesterday, he would definitely have given us candy. Miko and I have been looking forward to it for so long, so even though Higashino-nii came back late, we can't go back on our word!"

Yurikawa Hana unintentionally spoke up for her good friend with cheerful words, and even occasionally made cute little expressions to complain about her older brother, Higashino Akira.

After all, Zi is still a girl. Even if they aren't real siblings, since we've decided to take care of her, it would be too neglectful to just leave her alone for so long without coming back to visit.

As a friend, she knew that aside from her initial worries, Jianzi got along quite well with her new brother. However, apart from the first few days, they had very few opportunities to meet and contact each other.

I suggest that Ziduo take the initiative to act cute and contact Higashino-san; she'll be too shy.

Then I can only try to spend more time with her whenever I have the chance, and also try to subtly remind Higashino-san.

Honestly, I'm so nice to Miko. What if she likes me too much?

The optimistic young girl was filled with worry.

"Okay, here's a trick: I'll teach you a little trick to get candy after Halloween. That way you can go ask other people for candy, how about that?"

Akira Higashino could sense Yurikawa Hana's little scheme, but he didn't pay it any mind. After pondering for a moment, he offered his suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Yurikawa Hana immediately nodded in agreement, "Okay, okay!"

"Okay, then give me some candy first, to use as a teaching aid."

Upon hearing this, Yuri Kawana immediately handed over a piece of candy.

Higashino Akira weighed it in his hand, shook his head, and said, "Not enough, have another one."

Yurikawa Hana handed another candy to Higashino Akira, her eyes sparkling as she watched his next move.

Beside her, Miko Yotsuya seemed to have anticipated something, her expression somewhat subtle.

"Now, you're starting to yell 'Trick or treat!'"

"Oh, oh!" Yurikawa Hana nodded seriously to show that she understood, and shouted out in agreement, "Trick or treat!"

"Here you go." Higashino Akira immediately placed a candy in her hand.

"Eh—!!?"

Seeing the extra candy in her palm, Yurikawa Hana's eyes widened, and her brain seemed to freeze.

On the other side, Akira Higashino had already raised his hand and waved to Miko Yotsuya, signaling her to come forward, and then gestured to her the other candy he had left in his hand.

Yotsuya Miko blushed instantly, hesitated for a while, and then shyly whispered, "Trick or treat..."

Another candy was handed out, and Yotsuya Miko quickly caught it, holding it in her palm with a wandering gaze.

"Wait a minute!" Yurikawa Hana exclaimed in surprise, "Higashino-nii is so cunning! These are clearly our candies, how could he take our candies and give them to us!"

"That's how cunning you are, Corporal Yurikawa."

As soon as he finished speaking, Higashino Akira smiled as he looked at Yurikawa Hana, who was clinging to Miko's arm and muttering to her about the crimes of a certain older brother, occasionally turning her little face to glare at him resentfully with a pout.

It's so much fun to tease kids.

No wonder so many people like it.

As he was thinking, Higashino Akira's phone suddenly rang. After glancing at the caller ID, he moved a little further away to answer the call.

"Your Majesty, something has happened to Master Kongming."

“Explain in detail.”

"Last night, Mr. Kongming went out for a stroll with his classmates. Because of his famous appearance, he was surrounded by a large crowd who wanted to take photos with him. He was forced to separate from his classmates and was later taken by passersby to a livehouse to watch a performance. When he finally came out, he was so drunk that he was incoherent and lay down in the alley outside the store."

"You didn't bring him back?"

"Just as our men, who had been sent to provide covert protection, were about to make their move, a female singer who had previously performed in the shop came out. Hearing Mr. Kongming praising her singing, she softened and took him home. The guard hadn't yet obtained her official identity and was afraid that a sudden appearance would arouse suspicion and lead to an investigation. Seeing that Mr. Kongming, though drunk, still possessed some judgment and didn't actively refuse, she could only acquiesce to the situation and continue to observe and protect him covertly."

"I understand. Check that woman's identity later and send me the results."

After the call ended, Higashino Akira didn't have to wait long before Luan Lu sent over the information he had prepared in advance. Although it wasn't very detailed, it at least let people know what the other person looked like, what their name was, and what they did.

However, as he scrolled through the images, looking at the blond-haired boy standing on the stage on his phone screen, Akira Higashino fell silent for a moment.

Hideko Tsukimi?

He has blond hair, his name contains the characters for "moon" and "hero," and he even had a connection with Zhuge Liang.

Not really.

Chapter Twenty-One Planning

When Akira Higashino returned to the living room, the two girls, who had stayed up all night, were also yawning and preparing to rest.

After saying goodnight to Higashino Akira, they went into the bedroom together.

Since it was a holiday and she had already told her family beforehand, Yuri Kawana wasn't in a hurry to go home.

Akira Higashino also took the opportunity to catch up on his sleep.

In the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. After tidying up, Higashino Akira opened the door and left with the person outside, heading towards Shimokitazawa.

I found Kongming in a live house called STARRY.

A month later, Kongming was now able to communicate fluently in Japanese, and had begun to study economics and local law. He also had considerable knowledge of internet applications.

Instead of getting down to business, Higashino Akira glanced at the blond-haired boy rehearsing on stage and gave him a disapproving look.

[Name: Tsukimi Eiko]

[Qi Lu He hope]

It's almost certainly a female character from some anime.

She might even be from the same anime as Kongming, since the name sounds too similar to the name of Zhuge Kongming's wife in some folk tales.

Possessing a golden aura, it catches the eye and makes one's gaze linger. It fades away quietly, its courage unwavering. It chants at dusk, its sound like a falcon.

Instead of the characters that Higashino Akira initially envisioned, which were drawn from purely ancient historical figures.

Indeed, one should know his extraordinary ability by looking at Kongming's incredible learning progress. It's not so easy for a typical historical figure to learn a language in a month and also study other majors.

"You like her?"

Looking at Kongming, whose eyes occasionally revealed a hint of nostalgia, Higashino Akira asked.

“My lord has misunderstood me. I only admire Yingzi’s singing and talent, and I am grateful to her for saving me from freezing to death yesterday.”

"Therefore, I am prepared to personally act as her agent."

Looking at Higashino Akira's inquiring gaze, Kongming earnestly explained, "Since descending into this world to fulfill my lord's grand ambition of establishing a great enterprise, I have been constantly worried day and night for the past month, repeatedly deliberating, fearing that I might fail my lord's trust and be unable to accomplish this great undertaking."

"However, the situation in this world is completely different from that of the past. Past experiences cannot be completely copied. We can only re-plan according to local conditions. Fortunately, the underlying logic is universal."

"After much deliberation, Liang concluded that the most urgent matter for our lord is to raise military funds!"

“But the local tycoons and powerful families are deeply entrenched and their spheres of influence are highly solidified. Minor disturbances are naturally harmless, but any larger disturbances could easily encroach on their existing share. It is really difficult to break through their blockade of outsiders’ upward mobility using ordinary methods.”

Higashino Akira nodded slightly. It was time to make money. Otherwise, at the current pace, relying entirely on system rewards, it would take an average of a year to save up enough to buy a small plot of land, severely slowing down the development progress.

He could have waited like this when he had no men, but now he has the equivalent of hundreds of loyal followers. How can he just wait patiently like this?

"After much deliberation, Hou Liang came up with a method that might be feasible and could help the lord accumulate funds as soon as possible to expand the territory and get the great cause on the right track."

"What's the plan?" Higashino Akira also became serious.

Kongming then took out a law-related book from his wide sleeves and placed it on the table.

“Things that are forbidden by law often bring huge profits. Although we cannot lose the support of the people when undertaking important tasks, and many things cannot be started, those laws and regulations here that are detrimental to the people and set up for certain interest groups are the direction we should take action against!”

Immediately afterwards, Kongming took out his phone and pulled up a news article about Japanese rice prices rising again and supply decreasing.

He took out another book, this time an economics-related book, and pointed to the blonde female singer on stage.

"Popular support is the foundation of a great undertaking. It concerns the harmony of people and the expectation of standing openly and honestly in the future. We must not leave any obvious stains. After obtaining the initial capital, we should try to use rules to make the money transparent and fair. Only in this way can we spend it with peace of mind."

Thinking of the many people who had scattered all over the country during this period, Higashino Akira suddenly realized.

So those who become fishermen, police officers, or gangsters use their positions in this way: they don't just infiltrate randomly, but plan ahead when choosing their identities and hiding places.

Their current identities and backgrounds are all for the purpose of better executing their money-making plans. Kongming is also personally responsible for turning the money that he originally dared not display into clean and legal money. He does not intend to use the traditional method of money laundering through a large number of small shops, but plans to start with the artist management business.

Teacher Xiao Liang is indeed skilled at making money, and quite skilled at it, but his methods are a bit unorthodox.

Afterwards, Akira Higashino and Kongming talked for a long time about the details of the plan, until it got dark and the store officially opened for business. Only then did they gradually stop and watch attentively.

Akira Higashino also watched Eiko Tsukimi's performance that month. He thought her skill level was just okay, but her stage presence was still much worse than that of other performers who appeared as a band.