Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

"Huh? Could it be that she stole..." Shiraishi Hitomi's eyes, behind her flat-lensed glasses, lit up.

"Shh!" Xiuming suddenly turned around and covered her mouth. "You know it yourself, don't talk nonsense. I'm going to teach her a lesson."

Regarding the positive reviews, we're just one step away from getting them. Let's get the reward first, and then we can spread the word however we want... Judging from Funakawa Yoshiko's behavior, she doesn't seem to care much.

"Hmm~"

Shiraishi Hitomi's face and forehead flushed red. She nodded her head and made a soft nasal sound. Her wide eyes glistened with tears as she tilted her head slightly to look at Hideaki.

"Good girl~"

Thinking about getting good reviews, Xiuming ignored her shy look, adjusted the glasses on her upturned nose, gently pinched her cheek, and headed straight for the bathroom.

As soon as Xiuming turned behind the shelf, Shiraishi Hitomi's legs went weak. She braced her elbows on the checkout counter, pressed her chest, and gasped for breath.

His hands were so strong, he even covered my nose, almost suffocating me... But that's good, there's no awkwardness, no reservations, that's the sense of security of being treated like one of our own.

"Hitomi-chan?"

Riko quietly stood next to the cashier, her eyes wide, and tilted her head to look at her. "You're breathing so hard, and your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell?"

"No...it's just...just now..." Shiraishi Hitomi subconsciously covered her burning face with her hand, suppressing her embarrassment, and whispered, "Mr. Hideaki covered my face, and I couldn't catch my breath..."

Okay, this is strictly following the advice of Manager Chieko. There can be no secrets between sisters. No matter how shameful it is, we can't hide it from President Riko. There is no one in the world as good as President Riko.

After all, it is all because of President Riko's tolerance that we have this happiness today.

President Riko's kindness... is never enough...

"Uh..." Riko froze, thinking of the things Hideaki often did to her, and couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed. She was annoyed at herself for being so talkative; she should have let her calm down on her own... She immediately looked away, glancing around, and asked, "Where's my husband? Where did my husband go? I need to talk to him about something..."

"Where did they go..." Shiraishi Hitomi subconsciously pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

Riko's current state clearly indicates that she has misunderstood something, but since Riko has already agreed, there's no need to explain further...

Seriously, why does the phrase "I can't repay President Riko's kindness" keep echoing in my head, making me a little dizzy...?

"Okay, well, I'll head over now..."

Riko suddenly realized that Shiraishi Hitomi's shy demeanor made her feel like she was worth teasing a little. So cute... But she decided against it. It would be embarrassing if she got retaliated against.

You should go check on Miko-chan as soon as possible. She would be so heartbroken if her husband scolded her.

After all, it was because I was wearing the ring on my finger that it was stolen; I should have worn it around my neck.

I'll help her a little, but I'm not going to play with her anymore...

As Riko walked around the shelves and passed through the warehouse area, two loading and unloading workers immediately bowed deeply, speaking in a serious and formal manner, "President Riko, we can never repay your kindness."

"Oh dear~" Riko blushed and waved her hand, saying, "You can say it when my husband tells you to. Please don't say things like that in front of me, it's too embarrassing. Go and get busy!"

Afterwards, Riko walked through the more than 20-meter-long warehouse corridor, turned a corner, and quietly walked to the door of the dormitory area's restroom.

The white bathroom door was ajar; no one was there, and the trash can contained used sanitary napkins…

A few meters away from the dormitory area, behind a half-open door, came faint voices.

Riko paused instinctively. What if she accidentally stumbled upon something she shouldn't have seen? Wouldn't that make everyone feel awkward?

Probably not, considering my husband looked very angry when he left.

Besides, there were sanitary napkins in the trash can, how could that be?

Riko composed herself and quietly walked to the door.

The room was lit with a soft yellow light.

Three bunk beds were placed side by side against one wall, and four beds were occupied.

Ai Iijima, Chieko, Misako, Hitomi Shiraishi.

The passageway was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. At the top of the wall at the end of the passageway was a tall window with iron bars, the curtains drawn, and below it was a dressing table.

The bunk next to the dressing table is where Hitomi Shiraishi's bed is located.

Funakawa Yoshiko was lying on the bed with her head resting on Shiraishi Hitomi's blanket, holding Shiraishi Hitomi's white porcelain water glass in her left hand, and holding a ring in front of her right hand. Her eyes were slightly narrowed as she chatted with Hideaki.

Xiuming sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her lower abdomen with his hands.

Xiuming said with a stern face, "When you stole Riko's ring just now, I didn't call you out on the spot. If you had just given a good review, this matter would have been over."

Funakawa Yoshiko said, "How can you slander someone without reason? This was custom-made. I didn't even see it when I shook hands with Riko-chan... Oh yeah, that's where it hurts the most... Rub it slowly... Maybe you'll consider it after you've rubbed it well..."

Riko, standing outside the door, slowly took a small step back.

She touches the ring every few minutes.

The way Funakawa Yoshiko lies with her squinting eyes is too much; she's just like Ayako. I really shouldn't associate with her.

Xiuming didn't scold her, which is quite a pity... I was worried about her just now, I really shouldn't have worried about her...

"Ah! My ring! Give it back... Ouch!" Funakawa Yoshiko suddenly screamed, knocking over her water glass and spilling water all over the bed. She then clutched her lower abdomen, her face pale, and whispered, "Give me back my ring..."

Xiuming had already snatched her ring and was standing by the bed.

Like an emotionless, cold robot, ignoring Funakawa Yoshiko clutching her stomach and crying out in pain, he said, "Hurry up and give me a good review, I still need to go to the hospital to save Yagami Katsu. Do you want him to die?"

"I don't care about him!" Funakawa Yoshiko's brightly colored kimono was soaked through. She clutched her lower abdomen with her right hand and pounded the bed with her clenched fist, shouting, "Give me the ring first! It's mine. I stole it with my own skills, so it's mine..."

“You can steal from anyone, just not Riko’s,” Hideaki said, losing patience. Funakawa Yoshiko kept dodging the question, massaging her feet, legs, and even her tummy… she was really pushing her luck. If she kept arguing, she would run out of time and miss out on the skill reward. It was like she was rushing to deliver takeout. “Give me a good review, and I’ll consider ordering a similar one for you.”

"I want this one, I want this one!" Funakawa Miko shouted as she pounded the bed, splashing water everywhere. Tears welled up in her anxious eyes. The cramps of her period had drained all color from her pale face, and her lips were even turning blue.

"If you like it, you can have it..." Seeing her in such pain, Riko felt a pang in her heart and her mind went blank. She pushed open the door and said, trying to suppress her shame, "But you, you have to give my husband a good review."

Although I don't know why my husband is so insistent on getting good reviews, I think it's something I should care about as long as he likes it.

Oh my, I'm so happy... My husband is helping me... but my ring...

"Huh?" Funakawa Yoshiko's face stiffened, her wide eyes trembled, and she glanced at Hideaki, asking, "Really?"

She really didn't expect Riko to be so generous. Seeing Riko's conflicted and distressed expression made her feel a little guilty. She felt so sorry for Riko, but such a beautiful ring carried Hideaki's love.

There's only one in the world, and it can only be mine...

When I was pointing out the ring to him just now, he was so obedient, so gentle, so considerate, and he even had a smile on his face the whole time. He even poured me some water.

This ring seems to have magic...

Xiuming nodded and handed the ring forward.

Funakawa Yoshiko opened her eyes wide, slowly raised her hand, pinched the ring, and whispered, "Give you a good review?"

[Three Good Deeds Achieved]

[Congratulations on obtaining "Bruce Lee Level Jeet Kune Do": Ah-da~~!]

It was like a revelation; my muscles felt noticeably firmer, and I really wanted to shout.

"You're too naive."

Hideaki snatched the ring back, then put his arm around Riko, took her right hand, and put it on her ring finger.

What's so great about a stolen ring? She only thinks it will upset Riko. But Riko has such a good temper; if she just makes her another one and coaxes her a little, she'll be happy again.

This kind of behavior is a bad habit that she needs to change, otherwise she won't even be able to be friends with anyone.

Funakawa Yoshiko's eyes widened in disbelief. Her hand trembled as she pointed at Hideaki's face, saying, "How could you...you, you just took advantage of...take advantage of me...I, I hate you..."

After she finished speaking, she buried her face in the wet blanket and started crying.

She hated herself for being so weak, unable to bear giving up Xiuming's gentleness...

Riko's initially delighted expression turned somewhat conflicted. She raised her hand, touched the ring, and glanced at Hideaki's face.

It seems Riko couldn't bear it anymore; her compassion has overflowed, and she'll probably have to give the ring away.

It's okay, there's no mystery to it. Anyway, Riko's status will never change, so let's just order an even more expensive and better one for Riko now.

Hideaki shrugged at Riko, went straight out the door, and said, "I'm going to the hospital. Riko-chan, could you look after her for a bit?"

I just invested a lot of sunk costs in her again... Her skin is really good, so tender and smooth, like milk.

Taking advantage of my period made me suffer a lot.

Although she was sincere, Riko comes first, so we can't give her too much credit, or she'll easily get out of control.

When a man is about to become ruthless, his heart must harden, harder than steel, and colder than the northwest wind.

Chapter 174 He deceived my daughter's feelings, I deceived him for money

As Hideaki left the dormitory and walked through the warehouse area, he had just turned into the shelf area when he saw Shiraishi Ichiro, dressed in a taxi driver's uniform, being grabbed by the arm by his daughter, Shiraishi Hitomi, at the supermarket entrance checkout counter.

Ichiro Shiraishi was still holding a pack of cigarettes in his hand.

With a look of anxiety on her face, Shiraishi Hitomi said in a low voice, "Dad, you haven't paid yet... How am I supposed to explain this if you don't pay?"

"He stole my daughter, so what if I took a pack of cigarettes from him?" Shiraishi Ichiro's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He gritted his teeth, slapped his own face, and growled, "You've made me lose all face. Do you know what my colleagues are saying about me? They can't hold their heads up high."

"Didn't Mr. Hideaki give you a golf card? You even said it made you feel very important..."

"Don't bring up this old stuff..."

Shiraishi Ichiro's gloomy face was instantly filled with regret, and he slapped himself even harder.

Although getting that golf card was prestigious and showed off my status, my peers were extremely envious.

The golf club is really fun. The staff are all pretty girls in white short skirts. If a breeze comes, the skirts flutter gently, and you can see half of their butts... Their service is also really good.

But that membership card was just an admission ticket; it didn't have any money on it. All purchases had to be made by swiping the card. The tips the pretty young woman demanded were equivalent to two months' salary for me. How many taxi rides would I have to make? How many passengers would I have to pick up? How many smiles would I have to give?

He spent half a year's salary to experience a sport favored by the wealthy.

Looking back after I got home, I realized I only hit a few shots that didn't go in, drank two glasses of apple juice, and got all sweaty. And that was it.

I was so stupid... Ichiro Shiraishi was filled with remorse.

There are fewer and fewer people taking taxis lately. The Gulf War has been over for three months, but why haven't oil prices dropped? We're almost running out of money... I miss the good old days when many office workers would grab a handful of cash and rush to take a taxi.

The highest bidder gets a seat.

They'll even generously say, "I'm in a hurry, I'll get to my destination in five minutes, and this 100,000 yen is all yours... I'll cover all traffic fines..."

The good days are gone forever. Some went bankrupt, some closed down, some lost their jobs... Now they're all penniless.

For the next few months, Mr. Shiraishi had to live on meager rations and couldn't even afford cigarettes... He relied on his daughter for support...