Jiang Jian Yue had always been defenseless against men.
In her eyes, since she was a man, why be on guard against the same gender?
On the other hand, she subconsciously kept her distance from women.
Maybe it was respect, or maybe to avoid trouble; she couldn’t tell the difference herself.
After all, whenever the word “respect” came out of someone’s mouth, it always brought various complications.
If the person next to her was a JK, Jiang Jian Yue would never have fallen asleep out of drowsiness from lack of sleep, and the moment her eyelids began to droop, she’d have stood up to wake herself up.
But since it was a brother beside her, Jiang Jian Yue would unceremoniously use his body as a pillow.
It wasn’t easy being out and about; if a buddy leaned over unintentionally, she wouldn’t wake him up either.
It was only when she opened her eyes and noticed her drool had wet Yuki Asahi’s shoulder that Jiang Jian Yue belatedly realized: she seemed to be a JK now.
Wiping her mouth, a flush spread across Jiang Jian Yue’s cold face.
“Sorry.”
She mumbled softly.
Ah, she’d subconsciously used the cute tone of “gomenne.”
Damn it.
Message length exceeded, failed to send.
“It’s fine.”
Yuki Asahi straightened his back, stretching his sore muscles.
The sky had completely darkened.
As Jiang Jian Yue had arranged, the security guards weren’t patrolling.
The entire campus was probably deserted.
The waterproof tarp before them was still bulging.
It seemed the person who handled the corpse hadn’t appeared.
If they kept waiting, it would be overnight.
But it was possible the person would deal with the body after they left, or perhaps some force would cause the body to disappear naturally after midnight.
And constantly having someone monitor the corpse carried the risk of being discovered.
As for moving the body—Jiang Jian Yue didn’t want to be involved with it and preferred to find the real culprit by other means.
“If the person who handles the body really exists, they must be connected to these two attacks.”
Yuki Asahi was still troubled.
“If the source isn’t found tomorrow, will someone else get hurt?”
The first day could be considered a coincidence, but if it happened again the next day, it was likely to happen a third time.
Yuki Asahi didn’t want to just sit by.
Jiang Jian Yue thought for a moment and sent new instructions to Morita Aoya: have the school closed tomorrow.
Tokiwagi High School was a private institution.
One reason Jiang Jian Yue had come here was that, just barely, it could be considered Jiang Family territory.
That barely-connected relationship probably referred to the Principal being a former House Retainer of her father—the term House Retainer might be a bit abstract in modern Japan, but the meaning was more or less the same.
Tomorrow was Saturday, but Tokiwagi High School held classes on Saturday mornings too.
Jiang Jian Yue pondered, then added a command: all staff are to be given leave, the entire campus must be cleared, and no one is to step foot inside until the following Monday.
“Yes.”
Morita Aoya’s reply was always concise.
Jiang Jian Yue recommended that he should just type “1” in the future.
After handling everything, Jiang Jian Yue looked up and showed the orders on her phone screen to Yuki Asahi.
“So this is what it means to be rich?”
Yuki Asahi thought this once again.
“The target is you.”
Two monsters—one mutated right under their noses, one a sneak attack—both seemed to target Yuki Asahi.
There was clearly a reason he could be the protagonist of an anime.
Yuki Asahi nodded with a complicated expression.
To him, even the lives of both people should be counted on his shoulders.
“I have a plan.”
Jiang Jian Yue’s plan was simple and crude.
Find a cruise ship, send Yuki Asahi to sea, then arrange for gunmen to provide impenetrable protection.
To prevent the gunmen from mutating into monsters, she deduced from observing the worms’ takeover of bodies that all gunmen should wear riot armor suits.
This plan hadn’t been shared with Yuki Asahi yet.
She stood up, slapped her numb butt, and said,
“Come home with me.”
“Eh?”
***
When Yuki Asahi stepped into the apartment entrance, he was about to ask which room Jiang Jian Yue lived in, but three maids approached and took his shoulder bag.
His bag was damaged, so he had to grip the torn part to keep things from falling out.
The maids held the items separately in their hands and followed behind.
Yuki Asahi scratched his cheek anxiously and didn’t dare ask about anything else.
Morita Aoya, ever thoughtful, explained,
“This entire apartment building belongs to the young lady. If you need anything, you can instruct the servants at any time, Jiang-kun.”
“You’ll be staying in the fourth-floor guest room tonight—”
Morita Aoya’s words were cut off by Jiang Jian Yue.
“Fifth floor.”
The always confident and composed butler finally cracked, his expression panicked.
“Miss, but—”
“Go prepare.”
Jiang Jian Yue had no intention of discussing.
She entered the elevator first.
“…Yes…”
Morita Aoya’s steps halted before the elevator doors.
Yuki Asahi saw Morita Aoya bow, and at the same time, he averted his gaze—his anxiety grew.
He desperately wanted to leave but couldn’t bring himself to speak.
The entire fifth floor, over a hundred square meters, was considered Jiang Jian Yue’s bedroom, though it was divided into several sections.
Dinner was already prepared.
Today’s menu was Chuan Cuisine: Twice-Cooked Pork, Mapo Tofu, Bamboo Shoot and Mushroom Soup—all at a comfortable temperature.
As a maid pushed a luxuriously decorated cart with a rice cooker to serve him, Yuki Asahi thanked her, feeling a bit dizzy.
The square dining table was simpler compared to the room’s decor; after all, Jiang Jian Yue usually ate alone, so having a grand long table like in movies would have been strange.
“I prefer cold, firm rice. If you want it hot, just say so, okay? ^_^”
Jiang Jian Yue lifted her phone and tapped the table to show Yuki Asahi.
“Thank you… Thank you, Senpai.”
Yuki Asahi grabbed his chopsticks and nodded hastily.
Seeing that Jiang Jian Yue didn’t have a habit of saying “I’m starting,” but simply began eating, he quietly mumbled, then picked up a slice of meat and placed it in his bowl.
He swallowed rice and meat together in a hurry.
It was hard to enjoy good food as a guest.
Every bite was spent glancing at others out of the corner of his eye, even if no one was watching.
Jiang Jian Yue saw him daydreaming, mechanically stuffing food into his mouth, and wondered.
Did he dislike Chuan Cuisine?
Maybe next time she’d try Chaoshan-style marinated dishes—Japanese stomachs might prefer that.
After the meal, Jiang Jian Yue went to the terrace to digest, staring at the night view of Fengdao District.
“Senpai, why are you helping me?”
Behind her, Yuki Asahi finally mustered the courage to ask the question in his heart.
Because you’re the protagonist, so I’ll do you a favor?
That sounded too utilitarian.
Because you looked pitiful, so I reached out a hand?
That would hurt his pride; after all, no man wanted to be pitied by a girl.
Because the cost of helping others is negligible compared to your own strength?
What’s that saying again?
If only I could have ten thousand spacious houses to shelter all the poor scholars of the world, so they could all be happy.
With ten thousand homes, even the cat of a poor family could have a house—leftover rooms could be rented out, and sometimes you could run ride-sharing or deliveries.
Jiang Jian Yue pondered for a long time, then turned around.
At times like this, all you had to do was smile.
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