My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Ono Yoko was awakened by a familiar sound of vomiting. Almost instinctively, she sat up, and Hyakujirou had already opened its eyes, staring at the door with a pair of moist, doggy eyes, appearing hesitant to bark.

Had she accidentally fallen asleep? Ono Yoko looked at the blanket she was holding, feeling a warm sensation in her heart. But she quickly realized she needed to find Kitahara Hideji, who was standing at the door, observing the situation.

Quickly getting up, Ono Yoko heard Kitahara Hideji’s smiling voice, “It seems like your mother is back…”

Kitahara Hideji didn’t know Ono Yoko’s mother and had never seen her before, probably due to their different schedules. In the morning when he went to school, Ono Yoko’s mother was likely still asleep, and she would come home late in the evening, so the two neighbors, who had been living next to each other for over a week, had never met.

However, considering the woman kneeling in the hallway and vomiting in the middle of the night, it was safe to assume that she was Ono Yoko’s mother.

Ono Yoko quickly picked up her backpack, put on her hat, and rushed to the entrance. She bowed deeply to Kitahara Hideji, saying, “Sorry to trouble you, Onii-san!”

“It’s okay,” Kitahara Hideji replied with a smile. Meanwhile, the sounds of vomiting outside intensified. Ono Yoko hurriedly ran out, and Hyakujirou stayed close to her side, showing unwavering loyalty.

In the corridor, Ono Yoko reached out to help her mother up, but unexpectedly, her mother pushed her hand away and slurred, “Don’t… don’t touch me, I can still drink.”

Ono Yoko stumbled, almost sitting on the floor. Her mother knelt against the wall, mumbling incomprehensibly. Ono Yoko felt embarrassed and didn’t dare look at Kitahara Hideji’s expression. She quickly rushed forward again, trying to support her mother, and whispered, “Mom, let’s go home quickly! You’re making a scene and disturbing others.”

“No… can’t go home! Who said I want to go home?” Her mother’s voice grew even louder as she flailed her hands, and intoxicated people naturally had increased strength. Ono Yoko was young and lacked physical strength, so she was easily pushed aside, and her mother couldn’t maintain her balance, falling directly onto the vomit.

Hyakujirou saw Ono Yoko fall and rushed in front of her, baring its teeth and emitting a weak “woof” sound. However, being a small dog, it lacked any intimidating presence.

Unable to bear the sight, Kitahara Hideji sighed and stepped forward to help Ono Yoko’s mother up. She was dressed inappropriately, covered in a mixture of stomach acid, undigested food, alcohol, and cheap perfume. The smell was a nauseating combination of sour, pungent, and sweet, making Kitahara Hideji feel like vomiting.

Suppressing his discomfort, he forced a smile at Ono Yoko and said, “Go find the keys and open the door, Yoko.”

“Yes, Onii-san,” Ono Yoko replied, not daring to look at Kitahara Hideji’s face. She lowered her head and picked up her mother’s small purse, rummaging through it for a moment before rushing towards the apartment door. Hyakujirou hesitated for a moment but followed closely at her feet.

Dragging Ono Yoko’s mother like a dead weight, Kitahara Hideji trailed behind. However, the woman in his arms was far from cooperative, reaching out and touching him randomly. Ono Yoko returned and helped Kitahara Hideji support her mother, finally managing to get her inside the apartment.

Laying Ono Yoko’s mother on the futon, Kitahara Hideji looked around the messy room with a frown. Clothes scattered everywhere, including a lot of underwear and other intimate items. A small square table was littered with empty beer cans and leftover takeout boxes. Although messy, it wasn’t particularly dirty, indicating that someone had been trying to clean up. The mess was probably due to someone continuously creating trash, and the person responsible for cleaning up couldn’t keep up.

Ono Yoko’s mother, lying on the floor, shielded her eyes from the bright light above. After a moment, she looked around in confusion and seemed to notice Kitahara Hideji. She reached out, grabbing him and slurred, “Hey, handsome boy, is this your home?”

Kitahara Hideji gently removed her hand and didn’t bother arguing with a drunk. Calmly, he replied, “Mrs. Ono, this is your home.”

“Call me Yumiko, none of this Mrs. stuff,” she said, slurring her words while fumbling around on her body. Finally, she reached into her chest and pulled out a wrinkled business card from her bra. Not only did she expose her cleavage, revealing a bit of white and dark red, but she also pulled out some crumpled banknotes, among which was a thousand-yen note with Natsume Soseki’s portrait.

She handed the business card to Kitahara Hideji and said incoherently, “Please continue to take care sister ‘s business in the future!”

Kitahara Hideji looked at the business card, which had “Yumiko” written on it along with a phone number. There was no surname, probably just a nickname. On the back, the address of “Nagoya SZ District, Ichiban Street, #502, Yanagi Flower Shop” was printed.

Though Kitahara Hideji hadn’t been in Japan for long, he could guess from the appearance and address that Ono Yoko’s mother was most likely a hostess or a lower-class club girl.

While he was examining the card, Ono Yoko rushed back with a basin and a towel. She felt embarrassed about her mother being in such a sorry state and apologized softly, “I’m sorry for troubling you again, Onii-san. Um, I need to clean up my mom, could you…”

Yumiko was currently in a state as if she had fallen into a pig’s trough filled with swill, so cleaning her up was indeed necessary. However, Kitahara Hideji understood that Ono Yoko wanted to spare him from witnessing everything that made her so upset, to protect her self-esteem from further damage. He sympathized even more.

Acting as if nothing unusual had happened, he smiled and said, “Alright then, I’ll leave. Goodbye, Yoko.”

“Goodbye, Onii-san.” Ono Yoko didn’t lift her head to look at Kitahara Hideji’s face throughout the encounter, but she deeply bowed as he left.

Kitahara Hideji resisted the urge to pat her head for comfort and simply turned and left. While closing the door, he noticed that Ono Yoko was sitting beside her mother, wringing the towel in her hands. Under the pale light, her posture seemed somewhat hunched, as if carrying burdens that no one else could see.

Back in his own apartment, he closed the door and shook his head slightly. Everyone had their own struggles; he had endured a tough childhood, and it seemed that Ono Yoko hadn’t had it much better.

Feeling empathy for a moment, he sighed a few times and noticed the smell on himself. He grimaced and hurriedly began removing his clothes. He didn’t have a germaphobe tendency, but his past experiences had instilled in him the need to maintain cleanliness and tidiness to preserve what little self-esteem he had left.

People could be poor and dress simply, but they couldn’t be dirty or give others a sense of despair!

Having developed this habit over time, it was almost like an obsession for him. He couldn’t tolerate being dirty and messy anymore, similar to someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He changed into fresh clothes, planning to wash the dirty and smelly ones right away, when he heard scratching at the door. He opened it, and there was Hyakujirou, tilting its head and wagging its tail with a face full of flattery.

Kitahara Hideji and Hyakujirou locked eyes for a moment, and he gestured for it to leave: “You can’t stay here. Go out to the street.” His apartment was cramped enough for himself, let alone accommodating a small animal… Besides, this dog probably had fleas, right?

Hyakujirou seemed to understand his words, and its tail drooped slowly. It turned and headed towards the stairs, its small figure radiating a sense of desolation. After walking a few steps, it turned back, looking at Kitahara Hideji with its wet dog eyes, seemingly hoping he would change his mind. However, seeing Kitahara Hideji’s cold expression, it could only lower its head again and whimper, then continued to walk away with its tail between its legs.

What the hell was all this about a dog?! Could a dog be like this? Damn it, it really is a dog’s business! Kitahara Hideji cursed inwardly and called out, “Hey!”

Seeing the dog made him think of Ono Yoko again. It seemed that sending it out to the street violated some sort of human moral code.

Hyakujirou shivered and halted in its tracks, tilting its head towards Kitahara Hideji. Noticing its expression, he reluctantly made way at the door, saying, “Come inside!”

Hyakujirou’s eyes lit up with joy, and with a sudden twist, it rushed inside. However, its momentum was too great, and it slipped and fell. It didn’t seem to care, though, and it kept sliding on all fours, tumbling and crawling until it reached the entrance, where it panted with its tongue out, looking up at Kitahara Hideji with a face full of flattery.

Kitahara Hideji regretted being soft-hearted and scolded it with a kick, saying, “Go take a shower in the bathroom. If you dare to poop or pee inside, I’ll kick you out. Got it?”

Hyakujirou’s face still showed a fawning expression as it wagged its tail, seemingly understanding what he said.