Tokyo: They say it's just dating, but they're serious about it.

That younger brother spoke softly and timidly, and there was nothing good about him...

Especially after Sayuri picked up the letter that Katsuhiko had tossed on the floor.

She studied it carefully and realized it was a wedding speech. Each sentence was marked with parentheses indicating "what facial expression to use" and "what body language to use," and it even indicated the timing of the subtle confession to Qin Ye without her noticing…

Sayuri felt a chill run down her spine and deeply despised him; compared to her brother, he was far inferior...

"It's probably because the younger brother is going to a wedding, and the older brother is filling in for him..."

She felt that the reason she cleaned the room was to thank him for providing her with a place to sleep, and definitely not because he unilaterally declared himself her boyfriend... It was also to prove to him that she was very hardworking, and why should he break up with her just because she didn't clean it properly? How could she not clean it properly?

"I haven't even agreed to be his girlfriend yet, and he's already made this decision..."

"He insisted on making me stay at his place, and even tried to shove the key into my hand..."

"How many times have I refused? I stand still, but he always pushes me..."

Xiaobaihe seemed to have entered a state of hysteria, with an uncontrollable smile on her lips. While wiping the floor, she muttered with a grin, "He even suddenly kissed my cheek... A cheek kiss wasn't enough, he actually wanted to kiss my lips too? If I wasn't afraid he would hit me, I would have jumped up and slapped him."

Sayuri mumbled something, touched her flushed face, and unconsciously ran her little fingers across her lips. Suddenly, she shuddered and flopped onto the tatami mat, rolling around in a panic...

"I still don't know his name, how annoying..."

Little Lily jumped up again and resumed her frantic floor-cleaning spree.

She believed it was premeditated, and that Katsuhiko was testing her... not for any other reason than to prove a point.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At 4:50 a.m., after finishing his midnight snack, Sheng Yan went back into the warehouse to take inventory and prepare for his shift handover...

At 5:10 a.m., before dawn, a small white box delivering milk and bread to the convenience store was parked at the door.

At the entrance of Shengyan Station, holding a cargo list, I watched the driver, who was in his forties, unload boxes of goods one by one and count them before putting them into the warehouse.

A few minutes later, the sound of bicycle bells rang out from across the street, and a woman in her thirties rode over on a women's bicycle.

On the back of the bicycle, there was a drowsy little girl, carrying a small schoolbag and wrapped up tightly, who looked to be about four or five years old.

Mikoto Nakamura and her daughter, Chinatsu.

Sheng Yan didn't find much information about her in his memory, only that it was a self-operated convenience store and she was the owner and store manager.

During holidays, she would always bring her daughter to the shop, and she had never seen her husband.

After getting off her bicycle, Mikoto didn't look at the road. She pushed the bicycle while staring at Katsuhiko.

Her eyes were wide open, filled with doubt and astonishment.

Clearly, they were not used to Katsuhiko's drastically changed image.

On the ground in front of her was a plastic milk carton filled with bags of milk.

"Watch where you're going!" Katsuhiko quickly reminded him.

"what?"

Mikoto didn't seem to have taken the words to heart, and continued pushing her bicycle forward with a blank expression.

Katsuhiko was several milk boxes away from her, so he couldn't rush over immediately.

Just a second too slow, the front wheel of the bicycle Mikoto was pushing hit the milk box, and she almost lost her grip on the handlebars. By the time she grabbed the handlebars again, the bicycle had already lost its balance and was falling to the side.

Mikoto panicked. She didn't even have time to lift her leg to step over the curved beam. She just rubbed the ground hard with the soles of her shoes and clung tightly to the handlebars.

There was a child in the back seat, weighing over ten pounds, who was still drowsy. Most of her body was leaning down at the angle of the tilt... Mikoto's panicked face turned red, and she was about to burst into tears.

Katsuhiko walked around in a few steps, picked the child up from the back seat, then lifted his leg, using the instep of his foot to support the back seat of the bicycle, and lifted him up directly.

"Thank you, thank you..." Mikoto said, still looking shaken, while propping up her bicycle kickstand.

"I told you so, watch where you're going, you're so brainless."

Sheng Yan retorted irritably, then, carrying the child in one arm, walked directly to the side of the cargo box, where he still had to continue counting.

Chapter 5 features Mikoto, not the Uchiha clan.

Mikoto had just braced herself on the bicycle when her face froze, and she turned her head in surprise.

She suddenly realized that this person was not right. Yesterday, Katsuhiko Takenaka was a thin, handsome young man with long hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses... Who is he?

Although she was wearing the store's uniform, with her shirt open... it just didn't look proper at all...

Immediately afterward, Mikoto realized that he was holding her child, and her heart tightened instinctively. She subconsciously wanted to rush over, but as soon as she took a step, she saw that Katsuhiko was holding the child in his left hand and holding the purchase order in his right hand, looking down and counting.

She was momentarily dazed, but the doubts in her heart did not subside.

Suppressing his nervousness, he walked over to Sheng Yan's side and asked in a low voice, "Sir, may I ask who you are?"

"Huh?" Katsuhiko turned his head, blinked, and asked, "Who do you think I am?"

Holding the child in his arms made her feel uneasy... Mikoto's heart clenched, and she said cautiously, "Are you Katsuhiko's older brother? You two look very alike."

“That’s right,” Katsuhiko nodded, then looked down and ticked off the purchase order. His face was heavy as he continued, “Katsuhiko is gone. My name is Uchiha Fugaku, and I am his twin brother from a different father.”

The Uchiha surname wouldn't be created until 1999...

Mikoto was stunned. She had never heard of such a surname before, and they were twins from different fathers and mothers... However, their faces were indeed very similar. Perhaps Katsuhiko had something to do and asked his brother to take his place.

The two of them have very different personalities... The older brother even makes jokes, though they're not funny at all and are quite inexplicable.

"How should I address you? Should I call you Mr. Fugaku?"

Mikoto had no idea how to respond to the strange answer from this odd older brother who didn't want to reveal his name, so she could only follow his lead and ask him questions.

"Just kidding. From now on, just call me Katsuhiko Takenaka, since I'm replacing him."

Mikoto nodded, not finding anything wrong with it.

What she cared about more was the child he was holding, who was already awake and thankfully not crying or making a fuss... so she let Shengyan give the child to her.

When Mikoto took the child, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she also felt that she had made a mountain out of a molehill. This Katsuhiko's brother only looked different because his clothes didn't fit.

The way he held the child just now looked very professional and careful. He also seemed quite serious when checking the goods.

He was much stronger than Katsuhiko; he carried over a dozen boxes of milk and bread in just three trips, and he was also very efficient at loading the goods—fast and steady, as if he had inexhaustible strength…

Sizzle—!

Katsuhiko squatted down too quickly, and his trousers ripped.

Mikoto stood behind Katsuhiko, holding the baby and coaxing her to sleep while watching Katsuhiko work.

The tearing sound was very loud. Mikoto looked over and was immediately stunned.

Katsuhiko slapped his buttocks with both hands and turned around with wide eyes.

Mikoto jolted awake and couldn't help but chuckle, her voice trembling with a nasal tone. Then, realizing how impolite and inappropriate her behavior was, she quickly suppressed her laughter and looked up at the ceiling.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, it wasn't Chinatsu who saw it... Katsuhiko stood up, looked at Mikoto who was painfully suppressing a laugh, and asked, "Do you have any work uniforms left in the store? Give me a set that fits."

"Uh...yes, I, I'll go get it for you..."

Mikoto thought Katsuhiko would seem embarrassed or awkward, but he acted as if nothing was wrong, which made her feel very awkward.

Should I find him a pair of underwear while I'm at it? Forget it, pretending not to know is too embarrassing…

Sheng Yan changed his clothes in the warehouse; the whole set fit perfectly and looked very neat.

Mikoto paused for a moment, her demeanor completely different from before, now dignified and awe-inspiring... For some reason, the image of Katsuhiko turning around with his pants ripped and him clutching his buttocks suddenly popped into her mind.

She instinctively turned her head away, no longer looking at him.

Shift handover at 6:00.

Katsuhiko said goodbye and left work. He had only taken a few steps when Mikoto suddenly stood at the door, pushed open the glass door, and asked, "Mr. Takenaka, will you be coming again tomorrow night?"

There was a hint of expectation in her eyes.

Katsuhiko pretended to ponder for a moment and said, "Give me another 100 yen raise, and I'll completely replace my younger brother. What do you think?"

“Uh…” Mikoto blinked and said, “Mr. Takenaka’s work ability deserves a raise.”

Katsuhiko turned and left.

"I like a boss as open and honest as you. You have the potential to become a big capitalist. See you tomorrow."

Behind her, Mikoto's chuckle was drowned out by the crisp sound of bells on the glass door.

-

Katsuhiko bought two rice bowls from a roadside stall, returned to his apartment upstairs, knocked on the door but no one answered, and then found a note tucked under the door, left by Sayuri.

She said she had another part-time job and needed to get there early, so she handed the keys to the apartment manager.

His tone was rather stiff, and he spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, with a sense of distance.

Shengyan went downstairs to retrieve the key and then opened the door.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the room was completely transformed, just like a room in a five-star hotel.

Starting from the entrance hall, the shoes were neatly arranged, and everything that had been piled up on the floor before had been sorted and placed.

Comic books, game cartridges, photo books...

Except for the underwear piled up next to the laundry detergent bag, all the other dirty clothes were washed and hung on the balcony, where bedding is still drying.

Even the kitchen and bathroom were scrubbed spotless... and the loose change and coins in the drawers were all neatly stacked...

"Holy shit... Holy shit..."

Katsuhiko walked around the room barefoot, and finally sat on the floor next to the cabinet. He reached his finger to the corner of the cabinet leg and wiped it; there was still some water on it, but he had wiped it clean.

Even the most obscure corners were spotless, as if she had licked them clean... This workload must have meant she didn't sleep all night, right?

"That's great, thank you for your hard work..."

Katsuhiko muttered something to herself, placed two lunchboxes on the floor, ate her breakfast, and then turned her head to scan the entire room. Her serious demeanor was so intimidating...

Despite having worked the night shift, Katsuhiko wasn't sleepy at all after dinner. Since it wasn't time to go to sleep yet, he took a shower in the public bathroom.

Back in the room, the date April 29th was marked in red on the small desk calendar, along with the words "Qinye's Wedding," which were very eye-catching.

The speech manuscript was placed next to the calendar, weighed down by a Crayon Shin-chan figurine.

I don't know what Sayuri was thinking, acting all flirtatious...