Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump...

[Information 1: Misako will fall into a coma sometime within the next 12 hours]

[Second piece of information: Sometime within the next 12 hours, Misako will walk home, running several traffic lights.]

[Intelligence 3: Sometime during the next 12 hours, Misako will lose one of her shoes.]

The intelligence is so clear that there's no need for further analysis.

The motion-activated lights on the first floor were already on. Misako, standing at the elevator entrance, stood as straight as a wooden pole that had just been erected on the ground. Then, that wooden pole was not stable and fell straight backward.

Xiuming lunged forward, his belly scraping against the tiles as he slid across.

Boom!

Misako's head slammed into Hideaki's hand; her head, weighing about three pounds, was smashed into his hand.

Misako rolled her eyes, her lips slightly parted, and she breathed softly.

"Hey?"

Xiuming patted her cheek, but she didn't react.

Xiuming grabbed a handful of hair, speechless. According to the intelligence, her condition wasn't serious. After being unconscious for a while, she should wake up on her own and then embark on a reckless journey of running red lights on foot... and lose a shoe in the process...

CPR and artificial respiration can be skipped... Let's go upstairs first!

"Oh dear! Honey, what's wrong with Misako-chan?"

Riko was still humming a lullaby as she cleaned up the leftovers when Hideaki opened the door and carried the unconscious Misako in. She trembled and hurriedly went to meet him, her face turning pale in just a few steps.

"He's fine, he just fainted from anger."

Hideaki carried Misako into the master bedroom, placed her on the mattress, and unbuttoned a few buttons on her collar to make it easier for her to breathe. Then, leaning against the mattress, he sat on the floor and said, "Just like last time, she'll wake up in a bit."

Her resilience is more fragile than anyone else's. Tachibana, whom I expected, didn't go to extremes, but Misako was unexpected. At 36, she was the most fragile... She still wanted to be the "big sister," and she would get angry at the slightest provocation. What kind of big sister is she?

If it were Ms. Takagi, it would never have turned out like this.

She's nowhere near as good as Riko.

Looks like I'll have to keep a close eye on her tonight, lest she wander off into the street looking lost and get hit by a car, or lose her shoes.

As Hideaki's thoughts changed, the other two pieces of information also changed:

[Second piece of information: Sometime between tomorrow noon and the next day, Misako will kick you in the head.]

[Intelligence 12: From now until noon tomorrow, Misako suspects that you are abusing Riko.]

Is she sick?

Riko is so cute, we can't even afford to spoil her, how could we possibly mistreat her?

...By the way, what skills would she be eager to acquire? How can I ask her for a positive review?

Persistence and coaxing!

"Oh!" Riko knelt down next to Hideaki, her eyes showing confusion before she nodded, then worry. "She also has depression; she must have suffered a great blow. Is there anything I can do to help her?"

“It wasn’t a big blow,” Xiuming rubbed his chin with his index finger. “It was just a very simple test, but unfortunately, she’s too sensitive to handle it. I need to change my strategy…”

Indeed, her depression provided her with a protective shield.

Xiuming suddenly realized that he was in a similar situation to Ayako, and he was afraid that he would get involved in something that would result in someone's death because of him.

Especially for a womanizer and scumbag like him, it's a fatal weakness. Fortunately, Riko is understanding and doesn't mind that he has other women.

"Oh!" Riko opened her mouth, her eyelashes trembling as she glanced at Hideaki a few times, then hesitated to speak.

Xiuming deciphered a few words from her face: "It really was her husband," "Could he be brainwashing her too?" "She already has depression, don't hurt her anymore," "You scumbag."

“Turn your face right,” Xiuming glared at him immediately. “Say what you want to say out loud. Don’t make me guess. If I guess wrong, you’re in trouble.”

"I...I..." Riko instinctively shrank her head and whispered, "I was thinking, should I wait until she wakes up... um... should my husband try to be... um... gentler with her? After all, she's depressed... it's just... when my husband is gentle with me, I... I feel so happy..."

"Oh, I thought you were secretly cursing me in your heart." Xiuming looked into her eyes. "When you curse me, say it out loud. I like to hear it."

"No...no, no way." Riko shook her head frantically. "I, I'll do whatever my husband says."

"Whatever you want!" Xiuming put his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean against his, and then asked, "Have I ever been gentle with you?"

Xiuming has no recollection of it; all he knows is yelling and brainwashing.

“Yes! It’s just… uh…” Riko nodded quickly, then suddenly froze. Her wide eyes glanced upwards, as if she were recalling something, then she became embarrassed and lowered her head to say softly, “It’s just… it’s just… anyway, it’s just that.”

"You're not just imagining things, are you?" Xiuming asked suspiciously.

"It shouldn't be, right?" Riko looked like she was trying hard to remember. "I had a strong feeling about it, but I can't recall what it was... Anyway, it was something..."

“If you can’t remember, then don’t think about it anymore,” Hideaki said, glancing back at Misako, who was still unconscious. “If I’m gentle with her, I’m worried she might have unnecessary fantasies. If she bullies you, then I can’t keep her.”

Riko's eyes lit up, and she said, "That's exactly how it feels. My husband cares about me and is so gentle."

Is this considered gentle? Hideaki was stunned, then gently rubbed Riko's smooth cheek and said, "Riko-chan, don't worry, your husband will always treat you this gently from now on~"

Isn't this just a philandering scumbag disguised as a "good family husband"... Xiuming thought to himself.

The two lay back to back on the mattress. Misako, who had woken up but was pretending to be unconscious, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her eye: President Riko is beyond saving. I'm really afraid that I'll become a little fool like her in the future. I'd better not steal her husband... This scumbag is too terrible.

"Mmm...mmm..." Riko nodded like a chick pecking at rice. She looked really happy, with a face full of bliss and contentment. Riko is great; she knows how to find gentleness on her own.

Hideaki pointed at Misako and said, "This gentleness is something I can only give to you, not to her."

At this point, Hideaki suddenly realized that his attitude towards Riko was indeed quite gentle. After all, no man in the world could be as caring and loving towards his wife as he was, even though he had other women outside.

"We could use some other gentler methods..."

Riko clearly understood the importance of this gentleness, and nodded with a look of "very much in agreement with her husband," before continuing, "Girls all have some fantasies when they're facing someone they like, right...? It's okay, Misako-chan is a good girl, she definitely won't bully me, I trust her."

"Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it," Hideaki sighed, shaking his head with feigned seriousness. "I'm getting more and more attached to Riko-chan. I'm terrified of finding a girlfriend outside, afraid that she'll bully Riko-chan if I bring her home. If Riko-chan gets bullied, my heart will break... Oh! You jerk!"

Before Hideaki could finish speaking, Misako kicked him on the back of the head.

"Scumbag!"

Misako sat up, clenching her fists, glaring at Hideaki, who was lying on the floor and turned back with the same anger.

She simply couldn't eavesdrop any longer.

Riko's blissful and adoring expression made her feel that she should do something.

Xiuming's scumbag behavior not only broke her heart but also filled her with indignation at the inability to change anything. She realized that even so, she still couldn't bring herself to leave.

Besides the fact that I work here, Riko is just too good to me. She actually cares about a bad woman who wants to steal her husband... and she trusts me... How could I be so despicable?

It's all that jerk's fault. If he hadn't always made me call him "husband," I wouldn't have fallen for him so quickly. There's no going back now. I even dreamt about calling him that countless times...

"Oh! Honey, are you alright?" Riko knelt down next to Hideaki, turned around and puffed out her cheeks, saying, "Misako-neechan, how could you... how could you... do this is wrong."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I... I'll go to the kitchen to tidy up..."

Misako climbed off the mattress and looked for her slippers.

She didn't know how to explain the reason to Riko, after all, Riko's little brain had already taken on the shape of Hideaki, and any condemnation of Hideaki would be opposed by Riko.

I wanted to leave and sleep in the supermarket downstairs. After all, I couldn't afford to break down so quickly after all the effort I'd put in. I'll just consider it being dramatic. I'm really worried about ending up like Eri...

But I overheard them talking about asking Xiuming to be gentler with me. How gentle will he be? I'm kind of looking forward to it. I hope I can kick him a few times while he's being gentle. I'm so angry, angry at myself for being so weak, so spineless, and so blind... He's a scumbag who loves to brainwash and manipulate people... He even said he wouldn't interfere with people's freedom, but that was all bullshit.

He's obsessed with women, what a shameless guy! He even openly tells his wife he'll have many women outside... I'm so spineless...

"No, no, you should rest here!" Riko quickly got up, grabbed Misako's hand, pulled her back onto the mattress, and continued, "I can do it myself, you've already... uh, you need to rest more... Honey, honey, I'm going out now."

Riko ran out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Xiuming stood up with a dark face and said, "Give me a reasonable explanation for why you kicked me in the head. When you fainted just now, I was worried that you would hurt your head, so I put my hand on it. Look at my hand, it's all swollen from being hit by your head."

As he spoke, Hideaki stretched out his hands in front of Misako. The four knuckles on the back of his hands were indeed red and swollen.

"I...I just fainted? I don't remember..."

Misako lay frozen on the mattress; she had indeed lost consciousness for a moment when she collapsed.

But after Xiuming caught her head in his hands, she regained some consciousness. She vaguely felt him holding her carefully in his arms, and heard his anxious and worried "scolding" in her ears. It sounded like he was scolding her for being "stupid," "idiot," "stupid," or "stubborn." Anyway, it sounded so wonderful. He still cared about her and thought she was okay... and then she fell asleep.

"Never mind if you don't remember," Hideaki grinned, revealing what he thought was a gentle smile, and sat down next to Misako. He continued, "This injury on your hand definitely didn't happen for no reason. You have to give me a good review because I protected your head. You promised me last time, big sister~"

“You…don’t keep changing your mind…” Misako shuddered and instinctively moved towards the corner. “Childish guy…”

A closed bedroom, a large double mattress, Riko and Hideaki's wedding photos hanging on the wall, and a smaller wedding photo of them together on the bedside table... How exciting...

Riko is giving her a chance... What is she thinking? Why would she think that? Isn't she even a little jealous? It seems like she can never compare to her.

I could never do this, no matter what. Am I destined to never get married? How tragic…

Chapter 143 To avoid being tricked by a honey trap, the only option is to first take all the beauties.

Outside the bedroom door, you could hear Riko's footsteps as she tidied up the dishes and slippers on the wooden floor.

In the bedroom, Hideaki sat down next to Misako again.

Misako immediately curled up, desperately squeezing into the corner, and whispered in a trembling voice, "You, you mustn't come any closer... or I... I'll scream."

Riko just suggested that Hideaki be a little gentler... Although as the "older sister," I don't need to be gentle, but it's okay to be a little curious, right?

Misako hugged her calves with both hands, her knees pressed against her chin, her face flushed red, and her eyes wide open, staring straight at Hideaki's face.

"Are you putting on this victim act to blackmail me?"

Xiuming grabbed a goose feather pillow and threw it at Misako's head. He then lay on the mattress, looking annoyed, and said, "Give me a good review right now. I'm protecting your head. You have to say 'My husband is great, I'm giving you a good review,' you promised last time. Otherwise, I'll roll around on the ground."

"How dare I call him 'husband'..." Misako thought to herself. The wedding photo of Hideaki and Riko on the wall stung her eyes. She turned her head and said, "If you're not afraid of being embarrassed, then roll around on the ground!"

Is this his gentleness? How awful! So childish! He's like a little kid!

Xiuming really started rolling around on the mattress, shouting, "Big sister, give me a good review..."

Misako was both angry and amused, wishing she could grab his hands and feet and spank his buttocks.

"Since you care so much about Riko's feelings, wouldn't it be better to treat her wholeheartedly? Wouldn't that make her happier? And you wouldn't have to worry about anyone bullying her."

Just now, Hideaki told Riko that he was "testing" her because he was worried that Hideaki would bully her. He was just being petty and judging others by his own standards.

It must be said that his blatant bias is truly disheartening.

But then I think about my current situation, and it's really hard to ask for anything more. But I'm still not willing to give up... After all, I've suffered too much and endured too much pain in order to live the life I dream of.