"I was here first, so I’m the main wife!"
"I mean, don’t think just because you’re older than me that you get to be in charge. This kind of thing isn’t about age; it’s about who comes first!"
No matter what the orange-haired girl in front of her said, Yukino Ritsuko just slightly tilted her head, blinking her clear eyes to show her confusion.
"I’ll say it one last time, I’m the main wife!"
"You think I’m joking? Let me tell you, I am..."
Halfway through her sentence, Kasahara Asuka suddenly got stuck and couldn’t continue.
She was a bit deflated.
The woman opposite her was so calm and composed that she suspected the other might be South Korean or Chinese and didn’t understand Japanese at all.
Fujiwara Reya walked in carrying two cardboard boxes and nodded at Yukino Ritsuko: "Hello, Miss Yukino."
"Hello, Mr. Fujiwara." Yukino Ritsuko smiled gently.
"I’ll leave these two boxes here for now and come back to get them tonight."
Putting the two boxes under the counter, Fujiwara Reya walked between the two women and slapped the back of Kasahara Asuka’s head with a serious expression, teaching her, "Is this how you talk to someone you’re meeting for the first time? Do you have any manners?"
Kasahara Asuka held her small head, glaring at him angrily.
"This is my junior," Fujiwara Reya turned back to Yukino Ritsuko and apologized on behalf of his junior, "Let me apologize to Miss Yukino for her. She’s not bad, just a bit spoiled and self-righteous, please don’t mind her, Miss Yukino."
Yukino Ritsuko blinked her eyes confusedly.
Then, she slightly tilted her head and responded to Fujiwara Reya with a curious gaze that seemed to ask, "What was she talking about just now?"
"Uh," Fujiwara Reya opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just sighed, holding his forehead: "What a silly woman..."
"Hey, I’m going to get mad!" Yukino Ritsuko understood that line immediately and protested: "This is the thirty-seventh time Miss Yukino formally protests to Mr. Fujiwara that she is not a silly woman!"
Fujiwara Reya looked at her serious expression and found it quite amusing.
Not in a derogatory way, but rather because he saw an adorably contrasting charm in her that made him happy.
"I said, don’t ignore me!" Kasahara Asuka placed one hand on her hip and with the other hand pulled on Fujiwara Reya’s sleeve, "Senior, you need to make it clear to her that Asuka is the main wife!"
"Sorry, you’re not." Fujiwara Reya gently patted her hand away, "Given the order of arrival, you rank behind Miss Yukino. I met her half a day earlier than you."
Kasahara Asuka’s little brain spun around, and she immediately found a reason to argue back.
"I’ve noticed you since the first day of school!" she chuckled mischievously, her eyes gleaming with sly intent, "So, Asuka is the first to pay attention to you, Asuka is the main..."
"Even so, you’re not." Fujiwara Reya calmly interrupted her, "Senior Sister Hoshimi met me a year ago. Would you like to discuss who’s ’bigger’ with her?"
Kasahara Asuka sneered disdainfully, puffing out her chest in triumph.
When it comes to that aspect, the senior sister is completely defeated.
"Alright, alright, you need to restrain yourself a bit." Fujiwara Reya chided her helplessly, turned to bid farewell to Yukino Ritsuko, "I have other things to do, goodbye, Miss Yukino."
Yukino Ritsuko waved her hand lightly.
Once the two of them left the shop, she idly lay on the table, contemplating what she could do to help Fujiwara Reya. As she thought, her eyes drifted to the two boxes he had brought.
She went over to take a look, the box wasn’t sealed tightly, allowing her to see some daily necessities through the gap.
He might be looking for a place to stay... Yukino Ritsuko bit her lower lip, resting her chin on her hand in thought. He doesn’t seem to have much money; staying at a hotel might be tough. Maybe it’s better to let him stay here; after all, there are empty rooms upstairs...
Thinking this way, the trace of guilt in her heart eased a bit.
White clouds with sharp edges floated in the sky.
The Honda Cub slowly left Asakusa, heading towards the Tokyo Grand Shrine in Chiyoda, with the sulking Wooden Senior on the back seat, unwilling to let Kasahara Asuka sit in the front.
Tokyo during the holidays was exceptionally crowded.
Cars and pedestrians intertwined, the city’s veins slowly circulating.
While waiting at a traffic light, a blue Nissan Sunny stopped in the adjacent lane, and through its half-open window came the sound of a Mizuki Xuanshi song.
Fujiwara Reya sang along for a few lines.
"So it doesn’t matter if I put on a brave face..."
As soon as the traffic light turned green, Fujiwara Reya sharply twisted the throttle, and the engine of the Honda Cub made a "cough cough cough" noise as it slowly started amidst a puff of black smoke.
Some things cannot be forced.
After all, it had been through a flood and still running is an achievement...
"The Silver Dragon is too slow," Kasahara Asuka said, "Senior, go buy a heavy motorcycle, one with a high rear seat where the passenger has to lean forward against the driver."
"I’m not 18 yet, so I can’t get a heavy motorcycle license."
"Then join Section Nine, the agents there have privileges; you can ride one without a license."
"Did your sister tell you to convince me?"
"Did my sister also ask you to join Section Nine?"
"Then forget it, Senior, you mustn’t listen to her!" Kasahara Asuka raised both hands and playfully poked him in the back with her index fingers, "My sister is quite perverted, if you join Section Nine, she’ll definitely mess with you, please make sure to stay away from her!"