As the savior, I only want to play single-player games.

But only Yuzuru himself knows what he really thinks.

She had observed Kagura Tendo in person before and found nothing wrong with him, but after hearing Suzuka say that there were some things going on, she became suspicious. So this time she planned to go directly to his house for a thorough and real investigation, so as not to have misjudged him.

Some people are all show and no substance; the more glamorous their appearance, the more likely they are to harbor filth and corruption. No one is perfect.

If the disguise is too good, it will be difficult for her to judge whether what she sees is the true nature of Tendo Kagura.

Around 3 p.m., the two boarded the bus home.

Suzuka's school was located across most of Chiba, while Soubu High School was closer, so when the two arrived, Kagura Tendo was already preparing dinner.

He bought a lot of ingredients today.

"Brother, I'm back." Suzuka's voice came from the entrance hall.

Yuzuru Nishimiya greeted him cheerfully, "Nii-chan, sorry to bother you."

She wasn't shy at all; on the contrary, she seemed very cheerful and enthusiastic.

Her features are exquisite, especially her short hair, which can't cover her ears. Her earlobes have a semi-transparent texture, and Nishimiya Yuzuru's smiling face is truly endearing.

Kagura Tendo nodded to them and said, "Welcome back. Please sit down and rest for a while."

His words were calm and uneventful, but his face was pale and his eyes were deep. "The food will be ready soon. Suzuka, take Yuzuru inside first."

"Nii-chan, do you need any help? I can cook too," Yuzuru asked with a grin.

Tendou Kagura silently shook his head. He didn't need any help; it would only disrupt his cooking process, and it would be much faster for him to do it alone.

Yuzuru didn't insist. As he walked through the corridor into the living room, he glanced at the kitchen and found that Kagura Tendo had already prepared most of the ingredients, categorized them, and turned on all three stoves, which were used for cooking, frying, and stewing, respectively. A faint aroma was already wafting out.

The kitchen appeared orderly and not messy at all, not at all like a scene that one person could have created.

That's amazing.

She was somewhat surprised.

Kagura turned and went back to the kitchen, while Yuzuru was taken to the living room by Suzuka.

"What do you think?" Suzuka Ise gestured with her chin, pointing towards the kitchen.

"What... Nii-chan is normal, right?" Yuzuru hadn't even finished speaking when he remembered what was going on, so he blinked and said in a relaxed tone.

The two had agreed beforehand that she was there to help come up with ideas.

“He never used to say ‘welcome back’ to me,” Suzuka said, mimicking Kagura’s monotone words.

Thinking back to the old days, her delicate brows furrowed, forming a bitter face.

“That makes sense, doesn’t it?” Yuzuru replied thoughtfully.

Everyday phrases are just a habit; it doesn't matter whether you use them or not, as long as they don't affect family harmony.

Not every Japanese person has to say "I'm going to eat" before they start eating.

Otherwise, how spectacular would a large cafeteria be?

What she cared about was that Kagura Tendo hadn't said this to Suzuka Ise before, but she said it because of her arrival, which showed that she still cared about etiquette and was considerate and gentle.

Yuzuru thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's because Nii-chan doesn't treat you like an outsider."

Suzuka Ise is naive and easily fooled. If someone is nice to her and teases her a little, she will immediately pour out her heart and reveal most of her secrets. Unfortunately, she is unaware of this and doesn't realize she's being tricked into revealing information.

This also cleared up some of Yuzuru's doubts.

However, she didn't have any bad intentions; she just wanted to understand the relationship between Suzuka Ise and Kagura Tendo to facilitate her next move.

After all, it's hard to say whether the two are siblings.

One is a prince on a white horse, the other is a little frog in a pond; they are completely different.

Suzuka frowned upon hearing this.

She certainly doesn't consider herself an outsider now.

But there are some things that are really hard to talk to Yuzuru about.

Because it was too bizarre, and because she didn't want others to know the secret of Tendou Kagura.

She was almost dead when she held onto Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand tightly, begging her not to make the call, because she was worried about being exposed.

She couldn't help but glance at the kitchen, knowing that Kagura Tendo's ears were incredibly sharp, so she pulled Yuzuru back into her bedroom and closed the door.

"Hey, Suzuka-chan, your bedroom is quite big." Nishimiya Yuzuru looked around the bedroom. It wasn't actually pink, and there weren't any special decorations, but it had everything you needed, and it was very simple and bright.

This must be nearly 20 square meters. In comparison, although they live in an apartment, the space is much more compact.

There's a common saying that people who live in detached houses are all poor, but you have to look at each case individually. This residential area has an excellent geographical advantage and can be considered above average.

The bedrooms in Suzuka are big enough to make those poor working people live very comfortably.

But Suzuka was already used to it. When she lived in the countryside, her house was quite big. Although she was poor, she didn't lack space and couldn't feel the cramped feeling of living in the city at all.

She lay on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling.

“My brother has never really cared about my feelings,” Suzuka murmured, her expression downcast.

Yuzuru lay down on the bed with Suzuka, feeling a sense of comfort coming from her back. She wanted to yawn, but when she heard Suzuka's words, she swallowed the yawn back down.

During her time with Suzuka, she realized that her friend seemed to be quite lacking in affection.

But it's understandable, because she's always been very worried about her older sister...

Huh, what's this?

Nishimiya Yuzuru stared at the pillow, where a sharp, pitch-black object was protruding from beneath it.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Chapter Sixteen: The Four Great Civilizations [Fourth Update]

Japan's terrain is predominantly mountainous, with little plains located along the coast. Mountains and hills account for 71% of the total area, and the country is prone to earthquakes, making its geographical location extremely delicate.

Miko, Yurikawa Hana, and Grandma Saegusa boarded a bus and left the city, heading towards the suburbs.

The three sat in the last seat, with two others sitting on either side of Yuri Kawana. Granny Sane spoke softly about topics related to the gods.

The word "deity" has a very special meaning.

Wherever humans set foot, there are gods.

"Gods have existed since the time when humans first recorded epics."

In ancient times, gods arose and manifested their divine power among humankind; they could truly be called the rulers.

However, these gods rule the world, but it is not a shared rule; they also have disputes with each other.

Among them, the most powerful are the gods who reside in the four ancient civilizations.

It represents the source of all human knowledge.

At that time, flowers bloomed and human civilization flourished, with each civilization creating its own writing system and calendar. It can be described as a golden age.

But the oldest of all are the gods of Sumer, whose influence is extremely profound.

Then three more civilizations emerged one after another, standing alongside it, but they all existed around the same time.

In that primitive era, humans and gods were enemies, and there were successive upheavals, which were eventually quelled by the ancient gods of the four major civilizations.

There are many gods, as numerous as clouds and rain.

But after reaching its peak of prosperity, it eventually declined.

The spirit world has departed, and the gods have gone far away.

Three great civilizations perished one after another, disappearing into the dust of history, leaving that past shrouded in endless mystery. Only the last civilization remains.

But for the last civilization, it can be said to be a tragedy.

Because looking around, there is nothing that can compare to it.

It's quite lonely.

Seeing this, Zi asked softly, "Will the gods of the four great civilizations return?"

"do not know."

How powerful are these gods?

"do not know."

"Are the strongest gods necessarily from these four ancient civilizations?"

"do not know."

Miko wanted to ask more questions, but Granny Sange interrupted her helplessly, feeling that Miko's questions were completely irrelevant.

"Are you just asking me if I know or not?"

Grandma Sanzhi was still dressed in her divination attire, appearing very mysterious. She was short and hunched over, her white hair was braided and hung in front of her ears, and her aged face was covered with wrinkles and age spots. She was definitely someone that would make folklorists ecstatic.

Because people like Granny Sanzhi really know a lot about folk taboos, customs, and mysterious rituals.

He opened his mouth.

Grandma Sanzhi knew nothing when asked, but judging from her expression, it seemed that she had overstepped her bounds in asking the question.

"How did you know all this?" Miko couldn't help but ask, surely she could answer that question.

Information about the spirit world is so mysterious, especially that history spanning thousands of years, involving the oldest gods. It's unknown whether Japan even had a history back then, so there's no reason why a shaman from the Far East would know about it.

Grandma Saegusa sighed softly, "I can use the internet too."

Seeing that Zi was stunned, Yuri Kawana, who was listening intently, was also stunned, wondering if this was information circulating on the Internet.

"Of course not." Grandma Sanzhi denied their guesses before even seeing Ziwen ask.

"Although Japan is not one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, there's no reason why it shouldn't know who they are, right?"

Grandma Saegusa is unexpectedly fashionable.

Seeing that he had no words to reply.

"That's quite an unexpected conclusion," Yurikawa Hana clapped.

Suddenly, it was as if a lightning bolt struck her mind. She turned her head and, through the window of the back seat of the bus, discovered that a black sedan had appeared behind them and was following closely.

She squinted, her gaze passing through the two layers of glass, and saw that the driver was a young man dressed as a magician. He had thick, slightly long hair and wore a black magician's hat even inside the car.