My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

As a traditional Chinese person, Kitahara Hideji couldn’t possibly criticize someone for eating too much when he was the host. Hospitality and making guests feel at home were the essence of etiquette in such a country. Despite being in Japan and trying to adopt their customs, Kitahara Hideji’s nature remained the same. Thus, he could only say to the ramen shop owner, “Another bowl… the biggest one you have.”

The owner wasn’t afraid of a big appetite and, with surprise and delight, replied, “Sure thing! And here’s a side dish for you both. Be careful not to burn yourselves, young lady.”

Fukuzawa Yukari patted her chest, exuding a hearty charm, “I’m not afraid of burns. Uncle’s ramen is really delicious… Can I have an extra egg?”

“No problem!” As long as Fukuzawa Yukari didn’t display her intellectually disabled nature, her pure and innocent appearance was quite deceptive. The owner readily agreed to her request.

Soon, the oversized bowls of ramen and the side dish were served. Just as Kitahara Hideji was about to pick up a piece of cooked radish and blow on it, he saw Fukuzawa Yukari using her chopsticks to roll up the noodles and stuff them into her mouth. He couldn’t help but advise her, “Fukuzawa-san, no one is competing with you. Take your time and eat slowly.”

He was genuinely worried about her getting burnt.

Fukuzawa Yukari completely ignored his advice, already having the noodles in her mouth. She mumbled with her mouth full, “I eat like this at home, it’s okay… um, you can call me Yukari. Calling me Fukuzawa-san feels like calling my sister”

“Is that okay?” Kitahara Hideji hesitated. In Japanese high schools, addressing each other by name had a special meaning. It implied a relationship beyond the ordinary, and if a boy and girl used such a form of address, it usually meant they were dating.

“It’s fine. Since you treated me to ramen and are a good person, I agree with you calling me that. Besides, back in middle school, my classmates used to call my sister Fukuzawa-san and ‘Yukari.’ for me” She started sipping the broth, but with an egg in her mouth, her speech remained muffled.

Kitahara Hideji chewed on the tender radish and guessed that the two sisters must have been in the same class before. Their classmates probably called Fukuzawa Yukari sister’s Fukuzawa-san for easy distinction. He couldn’t help but think, You consider someone a good person just for giving you food. How naive can you be? You won’t easily fall for someone’s tricks, will you?

However, he then remembered Fukuzawa Yukari’s extraordinary strength and immediately dismissed his doubts. If a bad person tried to deceive this monster, they might end up with several broken ribs within minutes. It’s hard to say who would be the real victim.

Watching Fukuzawa Yukari finish the ramen broth, Kitahara Hideji patted his wallet and quickly ordered another bowl for her – why not, they had already eaten two bowls, one more wouldn’t make a difference.

Taking advantage of the moment Fukuzawa Yukari had an empty mouth, Kitahara Hideji asked, “Fuk… Yukari, there’s something I’ve been curious about. Why does your sister target me for no reason? I don’t remember ever offending her.”

Fukuzawa Yukari chewed on the side dish with gusto and replied, “It’s because of me!”

“You?” Kitahara Hideji was even more confused, as he hadn’t even heard of Fukuzawa Yukari before today.

“Yes!” Fukuzawa Yukari said cheerfully, taking the ramen bowl again. “My sister initially didn’t want to attend Fukuda Private Academy, but the people from the academy’s affairs department kept coming to our school to talk to her. They wanted to offer her a full scholarship to study there. So, my sister made a condition… This side dish is a bit salty… Is it made with shrimp oil? It tastes really good! Anyway, she told them she’d only go if they also gave me a full scholarship. Otherwise, she wouldn’t go. And then, I don’t really know what she said, but the people from the affairs department agreed that if my sister ranked in the top three, they’d give both of us full scholarships. Otherwise, they’d only cover my tuition, and I’d still have to pay for other fees.”

Fukuzawa Yukari’s explanation was a bit garbled, but Kitahara Hideji managed to grasp the main idea. It seemed that Fukuzawa Fuyumi, the little radish head, had a well-thought-out plan to get her and her sister free education, but her plan fell apart when she only managed to rank third in the exams.

“So, your family… is not well-off?” Kitahara Hideji asked. It seemed that Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s unreasonable behavior was due to some financial difficulties at home. Perhaps she was from a poor family?

Fukuzawa Yukari continued slurping her noodles, “My sister is in charge of managing the finances, and I’m not very sure about it. I guess things aren’t that good. Anyway, we always have trouble making ends meet, and the meals are never enough! If you ask me, my sister is making a big fuss over nothing. It would be better for me to start working and earning money. But she insists on sending me to high school and even forces me to go to college later. It’s really upsetting and sad… Uncle, another bowl, please!”

After a moment of silence, Kitahara Hideji thought Fukuzawa Fuyumi was right, so he couldn’t help but offer his opinion, “Reading books is still better. Although it doesn’t determine your life’s upper limit, it does determine your life’s lower limit. Your sister, being third in the grade, probably considers your future. How are your grades? If they are still good, you should consider working hard for the future…”

“…Kitahara Hideji didn’t know what to say. What was there to be proud of? Why did you look like you had just broken some world record?”

Fukuzawa Yukari wiped her mouth and took another bowl of ramen, cheerfully saying, “Oh well, it’s my sister’s request. I’ll just hang around the school for three years. After high school, I’ll work and earn money to support everyone’s education. My sister and Haruna are very smart, and Natsuo and Natsuha seem to be doing alright in their studies. So, I’ll work hard to earn money to send them to college, and in the future, they’ll both become scientists renowned worldwide, breaking through the universe!”

She finished speaking and resumed slurping her noodles with a positive attitude.

Kitahara Hideji had suggested that if she had the chance, she should continue her studies. Moreover, based on Fukuzawa Yukari’s skills, she could excel in Kendo. According to what Taisho Hori of the Kendo club had mentioned, Fukuzawa Fuyumi had the level to stand out in the prefectural competition and qualify for the national tournament. Fukuzawa Yukari’s physical abilities were even better than hers by a lot, so she could achieve good results in the national tournament and use that to get a university recommendation.

At the very least, it was worth a try. Japan also had specialized sports universities, and someone with her talent would undoubtedly be welcomed.

But as for “Reading the Opponent’s Mind,” he refrained from saying it out loud. Although Fukuzawa Fuyumi was an unreasonable little radish head, she seemed to be quite sensible and probably had considered these ideas. No, maybe it was her plan from the beginning. Her sister had poor grades, but she couldn’t just let her sister become a bottom-tier member of society. So, she forced her into high school, aiming to improve her grades through club activities and get recommended into a university. From Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s actions, she might even have the ambition to get her sister into a well-known university. With a good educational background, she would at least secure a stable job, even if she lived a carefree life.

Such a heartfelt and thoughtful effort!

Kitahara Hideji fell silent. In his previous life, he was an only child, and about 95% of his classmates were also only children. He rarely had the opportunity to witness such sibling affection. Fukuzawa Fuyumi was striving hard to get into a prestigious school. Considering her abilities, even if she ignored this “Airhead,” she could easily get into a more reputable high school instead of choosing Fukuda Private Academy, a newly established school.

“…Kitahara Hideji couldn’t help but have some slight regrets. He had driven away that little radish head earlier, and it seemed like he shouldn’t have stepped on her or attacked her head. The sibling bond was quite heartwarming. Looking at her now, though she was annoying, there was also a good side to her, and she couldn’t be considered a complete scoundrel.

“Boss, another bowl!” Fukuzawa Yukari didn’t care what he was thinking and had become addicted to the ramen. Holding an empty bowl, she started asking for more. When she saw Kitahara Hideji looking at her, she patted her belly pitifully and asked, “Can I still get full?”

Kitahara Hideji couldn’t resist but check his wallet again. It wouldn’t make much of a difference to have one more bowl, so he reluctantly said, “Go ahead, eat!”

Fukuzawa Yukari blinked, pleasantly surprised, and said, “Really? You’re such a good person! It’s completely different from what my sister said!”

Kitahara Hideji was someone who valued his pride. Since he had decided to treat her, he felt embarrassed to say anything like “please don’t eat anymore.” That would be too shameful. He never expected Fukuzawa Yukari to be such a big eater. He had just wanted to see how many bowls she could eat, thinking of it as spending money to broaden his horizons. He casually asked, “Little radish… What did your sister say about me?”

Fukuzawa Yukari continued to eat, speaking incoherently, “She said many things, like you’re arrogant, look down on people, a little white-faced, cowardly, a jinx, you caused our family to lose money, and you give her stomachaches every day… She gets stomachaches after settling the accounts at night, and then she curses you. In her mind, she probably has already dismembered your corpse and exterminated your nine generations, hahaha.”

However, after laughing, she looked down at the ramen bowl, realizing that she was eating someone else’s food, and quickly added, “You also shouldn’t mess with my sister. She’s always petty and domineering, holds grudges like crazy, and always finds fault with others. Get used to it.”

Kitahara Hideji was speechless. I can’t get used to this! I’m the one with mental problems if I go looking for trouble again! And it’s “eye for an eye,” not “if you give me an evil eye, I’ll give you one.” Well, it sounds about right, considering the situation…

As he complained in his mind, he finished the side dish of konjac. Looking at Fukuzawa Yukari still eating happily, he couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. He jokingly said, “Yukari, we can consider ourselves acquaintances now, and I even treated you to ramen. If, in the future, I have conflicts with your sister again, will you stand on her side? You’ve probably experienced her temper as well, right? She must shout at you too.”

That little radish head seemed to have a hot temper, and she probably shouted at her sister as well.

Fukuzawa Yukari, with her cute little tongue licking the oil droplets on her lips, looked at him strangely and said, “You’re really silly. How could that be possible? If you and my sister fight, I will definitely stand on her side! She may be petty, unreasonable, and grudge-holding, but she is still part of our Fukuzawa Family. Besides, she’s petty for our own good… You’re so silly!”

Kitahara Hideji was dumbfounded for a moment. He looked up to the sky, thinking, “Darn, I just fed the dog with this ramen!”