My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

On the second day, Kitahara Hideji attended school as usual, expecting that the school might want to discuss the previous day’s fight with him. Surprisingly, the school seemed unaware or perhaps the police officer responsible for the case didn’t notify the school. The entire day went by without any issues, and he didn’t even see the carrot-top kid who should have come looking for trouble. It was quite strange.

After a full day of studying, Kitahara Hideji headed to Junmi-ya as planned, intending to express his gratitude to Fukuzawa Naotaka for his assistance. He wasn’t concerned about Yoko; he had reiterated his instructions to her in the morning, telling her not to worry if something happened today. She should immediately use the underage alarm to call the police and then call him. He would handle the rest, and she shouldn’t be afraid of causing any trouble.

He had also given Yoko a spare key to his apartment in case she couldn’t return home for any reason. That way, she would always have a place to go.

During lunch, Kitahara Hideji had consulted Shima Rei for advice on where to buy an appropriate gift for an older person with health issues. Shima Rei recommended a shop, so on his way to Junmi-ya, he made a detour and bought the gift. To his surprise, the shop was quite renowned, and there was a significant queue. It cost him some extra time, but the gift was excellent and came in a beautifully crafted wooden bento box, giving it an elegant appearance.

The gift was a type of confectionery known as “Yokan.” Its origin was somewhat uncertain, but from what Kitahara Hideji could gather from the store’s illustrations, it seemed to have originated from a mutton-based soup dish in northern China. Monks introduced it to Japan, where it was modified to be made from bean paste, chestnut paste, and wheat flour. Over time, it became one of the most famous confections in Japanese tea ceremonies, often served with tea.

Kitahara Hideji was satisfied with the gift. Offering Yokan to Fukuzawa Naotaka with some tea should be a safe choice. Besides, it was quite affordable, and he suspected that the fancy wooden box might have cost more than the confection itself. Given his current financial situation, he could only show his appreciation modestly.

With the gift in hand, he arrived at the front of Junmi-ya. Noticing that the curtains weren’t hung, he understood that the establishment hadn’t officially opened yet. He stood there, gathering his thoughts and preparing to face the wrath of the carrot-top kid.

This time, if Fuyumi got angry, he wouldn’t be as confident in defending himself. Slightly apprehensive, he pushed open the door and greeted them softly, “Excuse me.”

Inside Junmi-ya, Haruna was still busy behind the counter, and Fuyumi was holding a skewer while hanging today’s fresh vegetable signboard. In one corner of the dining area, Yukari was kneeling, holding a broom. They all turned to look at him as he entered.
Kitahara Hideji was momentarily taken aback by Fuyumi’s lack of reaction when he entered Junmi-ya. She glanced at him expressionlessly, her small lips pursed, and continued hanging the signs one by one as if he were invisible.

Yukari, who was initially kneeling quietly in one corner of the room, perked up when she saw Kitahara Hideji and excitedly exclaimed, “I heard you got into a fight! Why didn’t you call me to help?”

However, Fuyumi immediately roared, “Kneel properly! Do you have the nerve to speak?”

Yukari promptly responded, “Yes, big sister!” and knelt down again, but she secretly made eye contact with Kitahara Hideji, signaling him to come over for a private conversation.

Kitahara Hideji, uncertain about what trouble Yukari had gotten herself into this time, decided to avoid her for now and approached Haruna instead. He whispered to her, “What’s going on?”

Haruna, wiping her hands with her apron, lowered her head and replied softly, “My second sister came back without attending the club training. Onee-san got very angry and made her kneel with a timer. From now on, she has to either stay at school for training or come back to kneel until training time is over.”

Kitahara Hideji was at a loss for words. Yukari had gotten herself into this situation, and there was nothing he could do to help her. Helping her would only make things worse. He pretended not to notice Yukari’s anxious expression, as she seemed eager to learn more about Kitahara Hideji’s fight with someone.

He continued his conversation with Haruna, “Did the incident affect business here yesterday? Were you in charge, Haruna?”

He didn’t want to bring up Yukari’s situation further. As for Fuyumi’s reaction, it was puzzling. Normally, with her fiery temper, she should have immediately attacked him upon seeing him. That would have been more in line with her usual behavior.

“I don’t have that level of responsibility. Yesterday, as soon as my father left, we closed the shop early. Onee-san waited for you to have dinner, but when you didn’t show up, she got upset. Later, when we started serving customers, your phone call interrupted my father, and that made her even angrier. Luckily, there weren’t many customers at that time. She apologized to them one by one and served them well. When my father came back, they had a big argument… um, she questioned my father about what you were doing. In the end, my father had no choice but to tell her about your situation, and that’s how she is now.”

Kitahara Hideji listened in confusion and asked, “So, is she angry or not?”

Could it be that she was holding back her anger to unleash it later?
“I can’t say for sure, but Onee-san’s personality has changed a lot since our mother passed away. I guess she might be somewhere between being angry and not being angry,” Haruna replied calmly. “My father told her that you got into the fight to protect your sister from some delinquents, and Onee-san values family bonds a lot. She probably thinks you did the right thing, but she’s also upset about the money we lost yesterday. Our earnings were in the negative yesterday, not making any profit, and we even comped meals for two tables of regular customers.”

Haruna didn’t go into all the details, but after Fuyumi closed the shop, she had a fit of rage inside and threatened to “deal” with Kitahara Hideji tomorrow. Even after learning the truth, she still harbored her anger. Luckily, the losses were not substantial. If it were a loss of several million yen, regardless of whether Kitahara Hideji was right or wrong, Fuyumi would have probably found another reason to fight with him.

Seeing how many sisters Haruna had, she naturally assumed Kitahara Hideji had a similarly large family. She asked, “How many sisters do you have?”

Kitahara Hideji wasn’t sure how Fukuzawa Naotaka explained it to them last night, but saying Yoko was his sister wasn’t entirely inaccurate. He briefly explained Yoko’s situation to Haruna and concluded, “I lost my temper because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’m really sorry for causing you trouble.”

As long as it didn’t involve her respected older sister, Haruna was a reasonable girl. She nodded gently and said, “It’s okay. I think you did the right thing. Since you consider her as your sister, there’s nothing to blame you for defending her. Besides, my father helping you is better than getting involved with his rough friends.”

Haruna was careful with her words and seemed to regret the last part of her statement. She glanced at the box of sweets that Kitahara Hideji was holding and changed her question, “Did you come so early today to see my father?”

“Yes, is he available right now?”

“No, he’s not busy. He’s in his study. You can go in directly.”

Kitahara Hideji thanked her and proceeded to Fukuzawa Naotaka’s study. He knocked on the door and heard Fukuzawa Naotaka’s voice saying, “Come in, Kitahara-kun.”

This time, Kitahara Hideji didn’t make a fuss and entered the room quietly. As he expected, Fukuzawa Naotaka was still reclining there, sipping his drink.

“Please have a seat, Kitahara-kun,” Fukuzawa Naotaka said without getting up, but he shifted to sit cross-legged. He coughed lightly and smiled, “Thank you for coming over so early. It was my capriciousness. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”
He poured a drink for Kitahara Hideji as he spoke, and Kitahara Hideji didn’t object, realizing that objecting probably wouldn’t make a difference. He then took out the box of sheep-shaped confections and pushed it forward on the table, politely saying, “Fukuzawa-san, I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday.”

Fukuzawa Naotaka, being a local, could easily identify what it was, and he didn’t hesitate to start opening it—unlike the typical Japanese person who might observe more formalities. He smiled and said, “Is this the Nogawa-ryu confectionery? It’s been a while since I had some. Thank you, Kitahara-kun.”

He knew that this item wasn’t expensive, but he appreciated Kitahara Hideji’s gesture. Many young people tended to have a sense of entitlement, regardless of what others did for them. It might be a habit formed from staying with their parents. Sometimes they wouldn’t even say a simple “thank you” and would instead express annoyance, saying things like, “I didn’t ask you to meddle in my business.” Such attitudes could be quite frustrating.

However, Kitahara Hideji seemed different to him. He felt that this young man was down-to-earth, sensible, and considerate. He wouldn’t be surprised if someone told him Kitahara Hideji was twenty-six years old instead of sixteen. Especially when compared to his four-and-a-half somewhat spoiled daughters (counting Haruna as half), this impression was even stronger.

Fukuzawa Naotaka genuinely admired Kitahara Hideji and had a feeling that he might have a bright future ahead of him.

“It’s good that you like it,” Kitahara Hideji replied politely. However, watching Fukuzawa Naotaka take a bite of the confection and sip his drink, he felt a bit uneasy. Wasn’t this confection meant to be enjoyed with tea? Why was he having it with alcohol?

But he knew that constantly advising someone, even with good intentions, could lead to conflicts. So, he chose to ignore it and asked, “Fukuzawa-san, you asked me to come early today. Is there something you wanted to discuss?”

Fukuzawa Naotaka’s smile became slightly more reserved, but he remained gentle as he said, “Just some casual conversation. I’m curious about why Kitahara-kun chose to study Ancient Swordsmanship.”