Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Well, that's possible, after all, nobody knows what Kuroo is really thinking..."

Then she looked at the Purple Palace again, but all the warmth had vanished, replaced by a cold rejection.

"However, you do not meet the requirements, so I have no obligation to take you in."

"Well……"

Are we going to be kicked out...?

Murasaki felt a little disappointed, but Kuroba Akira was not flustered at all. Instead, he leaned over and said something.

"Don't be so heartless, old woman. You've already adopted three people, it wouldn't hurt to adopt one more, would it?"

Grandma Kobayashi rolled her eyes at the glib-tongued Kuroba Akira and complained.

"Do you think I'm some kind of pushover who would adopt any homeless person I see? Even if I'm an elderly person left behind in the countryside, I don't feel lonely!"

"If I hadn't brought you all home, I would have been better off on my own! I wouldn't have had to cook every day, which would have been so much easier!"

"If it weren't for my old man's dying words, I would have kicked you out long ago, you brat."

As she spoke, Granny Lin was about to kick Kuroba Akira's butt.

Previously, Kuroba Akira would pester Grandma Kobayashi every day to practice his spoken English, which annoyed her to no end. Now, she's reached the point where she wants to punch Kuroba Akira on the head whenever she sees his face.

What a savage old woman...

Kuroba Akira speculated that before getting married, Kobayashi's grandmother must have been a delinquent girl from a biker gang. On her way to conquer the whole country, she met her true love, Kobayashi's grandfather, and fell in love with him, which is why she became a wife.

I guess what would happen if Grandpa Kobayashi traveled through time: My future wife is a wicked woman.

"In short, rules are rules, and I will not provide her with a separate room."

"Oh? So, you mean she can stay even if it's not a private room?"

Grandma Xiaolin didn't answer directly, but said impatiently.

"Whether you bring back a girlfriend or a poor homeless girl, it's none of my business. The moment I hand over the room key, I will no longer care about the guests."

Grandma Kobayashi's message was quite clear.

It was impossible for her to take in Murasaki, but if Kuroba Akira wanted to keep her in the room, that was none of her business.

However, to avoid the sounds of the young couple being affectionate disturbing others' sleep, Grandma Lin reminded them once again.

"But you'd better watch out for the noise. This house is quite old, and while the soundproofing is passable, it's not very good either."

"Although I won't be disturbed since I live on the first floor, Mr. Hijikata next door is under a lot of pressure, and his wife... well, anyway, if you make too much noise, it might drive him crazy."

"I'm not responsible for mediating conflicts between guests, but if you go too far, I'll kick you all out, understand?"

After listening to Grandma Kobayashi's advice, Kuroba Akira complained.

"Don't worry, there won't be any sound. I won't really do anything to her."

Kuroba Akira is mentally a man in his thirties; he's no longer a young man who acts impulsively.

He knew very well that keeping the Purple Palace pure was the only way to maintain its highest value, so he wouldn't do something as foolish as killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

"Then I'll suspect you're sick."

"..."

"Anyway, let's eat first."

Grandma Xiaolin returned to the open kitchen in the living room to bring out tonight's dinner.

Meanwhile, Murasomiya was still confused about the outcome. She had just thought she would be kicked out, but now it seemed that she wouldn't be.

She stared blankly at Kuroba Akira, who had sat down at the dining table, and asked herself what to do next.

"Um, wise ruler, does that mean I can stay?"

"Yes, although my mother-in-law said she wouldn't take you in, she allowed me to take you in, which means..."

Kuroba Akira pointed to the Purple Palace, then to his room on the second floor.

"You will sleep in my room tonight."

This means...

Do you want to sleep together?!

Are you going to sleep together so soon after you've just met?

This is how adults interact... the legendary one-night stand?

But I haven't showered for two days... I'll smell...

No, I mean, I'm not mentally prepared yet...

What to do, what to do...

"I'll sleep in the living room."

Okay, you're overthinking it.

I'm an idiot...

And Kuroba Akira...

What a big idiot!!!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Dad Sends Money

Dinner was curry rice.

Curry again... Are you kidding me! I'm going to throw up!

But these are the only two types of cooking that Grandma Kobayashi is good at; the other is hot pot, which also doesn't require much skill.

So for the past six months, Kuroba Akira has basically only eaten curry and hot pot, occasionally curry hot pot, and he's almost developed curry hot pot anorexia.

"So... your surname is Murasaki no Miyako?"

At the dinner table, after listening to Shion Murasaki's self-introduction, Granny Kobayashi asked a question.

"Ha! Yes, yes... Hiss... Ha! I, I'm called Purple, Uterus, cough... Purple Palace, hiss... Purple Sound Desu! Hiss... Grandma... Ha... You can just call me Purple Sound!"

The strange inhalation and exhalation sounds were produced by the spiciness.

Because Grandpa Kobayashi is from Hunan, and Hunan cuisine is known for its spiciness, Grandma Kobayashi's curry is also an extremely spicy curry that far exceeds the spiciness limit of Japanese people.

"Sorry, Shion-chan. It's just that this kid is the only one who usually eats my curry rice, so I'm used to making it this spicy. I'll make non-spicy curry from now on."

"It's okay...it's very, very delicious..."

Actually, it was so spicy that I couldn't taste anything anymore. I felt like my tongue was swollen, and I had to stick it out like a puppy to let it cool down, otherwise it would be too uncomfortable.

Ugh... I made such a fool of myself in front of Kuroba Akira...

She had been contemplating whether or not to disfigure herself, but now she's suddenly concerned about her appearance again. Murasaki no Miyako is unaware that her mindset is shifting.

Although Kuroba Akira can handle spicy food, he didn't have much of an appetite for curry on a hot day, so he just fiddled with his spoon and asked.

"What's wrong, old woman?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the surname Murasakinomiya is very rare. As far as I know, there's only one Murasakinomiya family living in Chiyoda Ward..."

At this point, Grandma Lin paused for a moment, revealing a meaningful look in her eyes.

"But I remember he was supposed to be an older bachelor, and this is the first time I've heard of Murasaki having a daughter this old, and she doesn't seem like an illegitimate child..."

“Um… Murasaki no Miyako is my current surname. I didn’t have the surname Murasaki no Miyako before. Mr. Murasaki no Miyako is my stepfather.”

In Japan, after marriage, the wife takes the husband's surname, while the children's surname is decided by the parents.

In other words, Murasaki no Miyako is the surname that Shion received after her mother remarried.

Is she living with her stepfather now...? It seems this is part of the family conflict.

"So that's how it is. Murasaki no Miyako actually got married, and to a divorced woman with a child at that. Wow, that's interesting... But this makes things complicated, hmm..."

Grandma Xiaolin frowned, closed her eyes, and murmured, as if she was thinking about what to do.

Kuroba Akira could tell that she seemed to care a lot about this surname. Just as he was about to ask about Murasaki no Miyako, she opened her eyes and spoke to Shion.

"Okay, I understand. After you finish eating, give me your family's phone number."

"Hey?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to send you back, but your parents need to know where you are, otherwise things will get more complicated."

Kuroba knew perfectly well that Granny Kobayashi was different from those gossipy old women who liked to watch the drama unfold; she preferred to avoid trouble and preferred to stay out of it.

Grandma Kobayashi always resolves the root of the conflict swiftly before things escalate into a mess.

This time will probably be the same.

So when Murasaki looked at Kuroba Akira and asked what to do, Kuroba Akira passed the ball to Granny Kobayashi.

"Leave it to your mother-in-law; she won't harm you."

"Okay... I'll write it to you now."

Grandma Lin nodded and went to get paper and a pen.

Then, as she watched Murasaki write down a phone number, she brought up the past.

“Actually, I also have a son, but when he got married, he had a big fight with my husband and never came back to visit us. My husband has never called him either.”

"As a result, the father and son didn't even get to see each other one last time. At the old man's funeral, my unfilial son was quite regretful... Honestly, the father and son were just as stubborn..."

"In short, I'm not saying this to persuade you to go home, but just to tell you that no matter how much you dislike your parents, parents will still worry about their children, and children will still care about their parents. This is an instinct connected by blood."

Murasaki no Miyako listened silently, seemingly oblivious to the spiciness on her tongue.

Parents worry about their children...it's an instinct born of blood ties...

She believed that even without blood ties, her current father would worry about her because he was a good man.

But Mom... will she really worry about me?

She was unsure, and dared not be sure.

After the meal, Kuroba Akira was in charge of washing the dishes, Murasaki Nyanomiya was in charge of wiping the table, and Kobayashi's grandmother was in the living room making a phone call on the landline with the hands-free switch on.

"Moshi Moshi (Hello), are you Mr. Murasaki no Miyako?"