18. There is still a master.

A voice as nuanced and low as a night breeze sounded abruptly, causing Haruno Tsukasa to halt his steps as he was about to enter his apartment.

A moment later, he turned and looked in the direction of the sound.

The orange-red sunset was releasing its final, gentle crimson glow before sinking, spreading across the clean and tidy street as if draping it in a layer of faint, luminous gauze.

A graceful figure stood by the roadside, and as Haruno Tsukasa looked over, her face came into view.

In the sunset's afterglow, the woman’s naturally dark, lustrous long hair shimmered with a faint golden hue. The tips of her hair brushed against a waist so slender it seemed unreal, while her long black dress, made of soft fabric, swayed in the wind and clung to her skin, perfectly outlining the curves of her body.

The skin exposed beneath her cuffs and hem was impossibly fair—almost sickly so—giving her an air of fragility that made it seem as though she might be blown over by a gust of wind.

Yet, her breasts were exceptionally full.

Against her snow-white, delicate collarbones and skin so thin the veins were barely visible, a black lace and bow held her full chest in place. The deep curve between them was enough to make one harbor the urge to pull at the ribbon.

Her makeup was elegant, her long, narrow eyes curved like crescent moons, and her thin, pale red lips seemed to hold a hint of a smile.

Both her temperament and appearance were perfect.

She had no flaws, other than the impression of frailty.

Haruno Tsukasa’s gaze met hers in the air for a moment. Thoughts raced through his mind, and his expression revealed surprise: "If I’m not mistaken, you are Ms. Kurosaki?"

"That is me," Kurosaki Shizuki said with a smile.

Receiving a response, she walked over slowly, took the opportunity to fold her parasol, and blinked.

"Do you not intend to invite me up for a seat?"

The tone, reminiscent of old friends reuniting, instantly bridged the distance between them. There was no trace of awkwardness on her exquisite face, as if they had known each other for a long time and this were merely a routine visit.

Haruno Tsukasa looked at her deeply.

Setting everything else aside, he was certain that before he had encountered Sayaka Suzumiya earlier that day, he had never laid eyes on this woman.

Yet, after he had finished his business, this woman—who was clearly a friend of Sayaka Suzumiya—was unexpectedly standing at his doorstep, acting with the familiarity of an old acquaintance. Haruno Tsukasa did not believe for a second that she had come with honorable intentions.

And as for how she knew where he lived?

That answer also seemed quite obvious.

Haruno Tsukasa did not say much. Instead, he followed her lead, his expression remaining neutral and his smile gentle as he said, "Please, come with me. We can talk once we are inside."

Compared to the Takashimaya Department Store, Haruno Tsukasa’s apartment in the Toshima Ward was undeniably dilapidated and cramped, with a rickety three-blade fan struggling to circulate cool air. But none of that mattered now.

What mattered was that the setting offered strong privacy, and the two of them, each harboring their own hidden agendas, sat down, prepared to engage in a battle of acting.

Aside from the mother of this body, almost no one had ever entered this apartment. While he had nothing to offer a guest, he still had a cup of hot tea. Two minutes later, Haruno Tsukasa set two cups of tea on the solid wood coffee table and looked at her.

"I’d like to know, Ms. Kurosaki, how you found out my home address. Was it Section Chief Suzumiya who told you?"

"I knew you would ask that." Kurosaki Shizuki sat on the tatami mat, covering her fair, slender legs with her long dress. She glanced at the tea, which was wreathed in white steam, before pulling her gaze back. "I didn't know."

"But from the Takashimaya Department Store in Shinjuku all the way here to Ikebukuro, I followed your car the entire way."

*A car stalker?* Haruno Tsukasa mused for a moment.

"Haruno-kun, using such a term upon our first meeting seems rather impolite, don't you think?" Kurosaki Shizuki paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that he would use such a word, but the ripples in her beautiful eyes quickly vanished.

"We are no longer meeting for the first time."

Haruno Tsukasa looked at her and said, "Besides, no matter how many excuses you make, stalking is a fact."

"You are quite firm. You don't sound like a young man at all."

"I am someone who values privacy, and my personality isn't very smooth. To put it bluntly, I enjoy challenging those above me, which makes me ill-suited for the workplace. Ms. Kurosaki can verify this with Section Chief Suzumiya."

"I could already tell that today."

"Since that’s the case, allow me to be blunt: what is your purpose in stalking me, Ms. Kurosaki?" Haruno Tsukasa picked up his cup and took a sip of tea, choosing once again to go straight for the truth.

This woman was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

The way she had stepped in to smooth things over at the department store that afternoon proved her high emotional intelligence. Now, she had followed him home.

Furthermore, she showed no concern for the potential risks of being alone in a stranger’s apartment. Calling her a "troublemaker" would be an understatement; she clearly had other designs.

Kurosaki Shizuki seemed to sense Haruno Tsukasa’s wariness but did not show it in the slightest. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said:

"As one of Sayaka’s few friends, I’ve never heard of her having any private interactions with a man. Suddenly, she takes an interest in someone—isn't it normal for me to want to investigate and screen him?"

"And how does Ms. Kurosaki intend to investigate?"

"Guess."

"I won't guess."

"Go on, guess."

Kurosaki Shizuki’s tone was like a playful tease, yet it wasn't affected; it was hard to feel any malice toward her. Her eyes were as clear as a spring, making it feel as though she were merely joking.

[Target of Malice: Kurosaki Shizuki]
[List of Malice:]
[1. If the man Sayaka likes could fall for me and confess to me crazily right in front of her, just thinking about such a scene is incredibly interesting (Purple)]
[2. This dump of an apartment should just collapse (Purple)]
[3. I wonder what the family background of this little man is. If he has good prospects, perhaps I can maintain a long-term connection through my identity as Sayaka's friend (Blue)]

A pale red light screen appeared within his vision, and Haruno Tsukasa took in every bit of information on the list of malice.

All schemes and tricks were laid bare.

What surprised Haruno Tsukasa was that this woman, who appeared so sickly and beautiful, had such a vicious heart, and her acting was impossibly superb.

The first point, in particular, left him speechless.

Is this what they call "cuckolding the friend"?

Is there someone even more advanced than that?

He had thought Sayaka Suzumiya—who had lived for over thirty years, was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and sought to be dominated—was invincible. He hadn't expected someone in her circle to be even more daring!

Moreover, regarding his living environment, although she said nothing on the surface, she was internally disgusted to the extreme.

At this moment, Haruno Tsukasa fully grasped the "evil woman aggregation effect." At the very least, this female doctor named Kurosaki Shizuki was a genuine evil woman. And judging by the third point, she was just as money-hungry as Hoshino Ruka.

It was just that her skill level was clearly much higher.

Her acting was also impossibly good.

But it must be said that even with the "List of Malice," a method that could almost see through the human heart, Haruno Tsukasa could not find a weakness in Kurosaki Shizuki's three points of malice—at least not one that would allow him to strike decisively, as he could by forcing or striking Sayaka Suzumiya.

Having digested this information, Haruno Tsukasa met her slightly smiling eyes. "Alright, I’ll guess."

Haruno Tsukasa set his cup down, tapped his fingers rhythmically on the coffee table, and after a moment of contemplation, spoke in a normal tone: "Ms. Kurosaki, you probably wanted to follow me to see what my financial situation is like, correct?"

"You really guessed it." Hearing this, Kurosaki Shizuki squinted her eyes. Her gaze flickered, and she feigned surprise with a joking tone.

"It seems you are very clever," she added.

"You flatter me."

"Why don't you continue?"

"Continue what? My financial situation?"

"As Ms. Kurosaki can see, my humble abode is simple and cramped. That alone should be proof enough, no need for further explanation."

"How could there be no need for explanation?"

Kurosaki Shizuki rested her chin on her palm, tilted her head slightly, and lifted her chin to gesture toward the car keys on the shoe cabinet nearby. She smiled brightly, "A person driving a Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC living in an old apartment in Ikebukuro with a total area of less than eight tatami mats—no matter how you look at it, it’s deeply dissonant."

"That car is a rental."

"Do you have the rental agreement?"

"Do I need to show that to Ms. Kurosaki?"

Haruno Tsukasa rested his arms on the coffee table, secretly gauging her thoughts, and rubbed his chin. "It is only because you are a friend of Section Chief Suzumiya that I have offered this much explanation. If Ms. Kurosaki insists that a lack of proof means it’s a lie, I won't mind. After all, there are always fewer people pretending to be poor than those pretending to be rich."

"But they do exist, don't they?"

Kurosaki Shizuki blinked her crescent-moon eyes.

Seemingly wanting to break the deadlock, or perhaps wanting to show weakness, she withdrew the smile from her face, pursed her thin red lips, and then spoke: "Haruno-kun, you have a lot of hostility toward me. I have already explained why I followed you. If you feel my actions were inappropriate, I can apologize."

"I accept it," Haruno Tsukasa said with a smile.

"Then can we be honest with each other now?" Kurosaki Shizuki gently stroked her cheek, staring at his face.

"Ms. Kurosaki is overthinking it. Haven't I been honest all along? I’ve said what needed to be said. If some parts made you uncomfortable, it’s just because we aren't familiar. I’m just quite reserved with strangers, especially uninvited ones."

"You're using metaphors to talk about me."

Kurosaki Shizuki’s face broke into a smile again. "But it’s fine. Seeing you like this actually puts me more at ease."

"Why do you say that?"

"Although we haven't met before, looking at you and Sayaka, it seems like it’s been a while. Anyone who gets to know her deeply knows that she is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She’s nearly thirty and not good at socializing. To be honest, I’m actually afraid she might be deceived by someone."

"Section Chief Suzumiya has a wealth of experience; she has the ability to judge people and should be able to make independent decisions regarding her feelings."

Haruno Tsukasa’s tone was steady and unhurried.

"She doesn't have that much experience."

Seemingly annoyed that he was still giving stock answers, Kurosaki Shizuki gave him a resentful look to express her dissatisfaction.

After saying this, she pulled up the hem of her long dress.

She wasn't stripping, but rather lifting the hem that had been tucked under her calves and shifting closer toward Haruno Tsukasa. A few seconds later, she was sitting at a distance where their arms were less than five centimeters apart.

The scent of an unknown body wash or shampoo drifted like a fragrance in a deep valley, the aromatic molecules dancing with her movements and drilling into Haruno Tsukasa’s nose.

At this distance, Haruno Tsukasa only had to glance to the side to clearly see Kurosaki Shizuki’s eyelashes.

This was clearly no longer a safe distance.

However, Kurosaki Shizuki acted as if she were unaware. She took out her phone, unlocked the screen with a pattern in front of Haruno Tsukasa, clicked on her photo gallery, and flipped through it casually. She skipped over some private photos that were both atmospheric and slightly revealing, and opened an album titled "Memory Backup: Suzumiya Edition."

Before Haruno Tsukasa could speak, Kurosaki Shizuki, sitting beside him, used her fingers—tipped with sparkling nail art—to swipe the screen. She looked down and said softly:

"Look, these are photos of her in college. She hasn't changed much since then, but don't you feel she looks a bit ditzy in this one?"

"This one is also quite ditzy, though certainly cute, too."

"And there’s this photo, taken when we went to Lake Ashi in Hakone for a spring outing, about five or six years ago. You’d find it hard to imagine the expression on the face of someone who hadn't been to the countryside in nearly thirty years when she saw a sheep pooping on the road, right?"

"Also, she loves to swim, but because of her traditional mindset, she always stays by herself whenever we go to a water park."

"There are some embarrassing photos too, but it’s not convenient to show those. Although it’s not a big deal, Sayaka holds a grudge. If she found out I showed these to you, I’m afraid she’d be angry with me for days..."

Kurosaki Shizuki spoke to herself, continuously introducing photos she found interesting to Haruno Tsukasa.

She seemed completely immersed in it.

Sometimes, she would even crack herself up while speaking. As she laughed, her slightly heaving shoulders would brush against Haruno Tsukasa’s right shoulder, though she didn't seem to care about it at all.

Her left hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, fully exposing her fair profile to Haruno Tsukasa’s view.

Haruno Tsukasa wasn't really looking at the photos.

Because of their height difference, even while sitting, Haruno Tsukasa was half a head taller than her. With their shoulders occasionally touching, whenever his gaze shifted slightly, he could see the full, snowy-white expanse beneath the loose, bow-tied ribbon on Kurosaki Shizuki’s chest, as well as the bottomless valley in between.

The ribbon looked loose and sloppy, as if it could be undone with a single tug, which was incredibly tempting.

It made one want to help her untie it.

Furthermore, the design of the top of her dress featured a mesh panel in the middle, which perfectly showcased her figure to its fullest extent.

It was exactly this kind of special design.

It gave one the urge to gently undo it, and then, involuntarily, the desire to help her resolve her troubles.

Even though he knew it was intentional, Haruno Tsukasa still couldn't help but want to keep his gaze on the beautiful scenery, especially when the strong, fresh scent of her perfume made the feeling even more intense.

However, just as Haruno Tsukasa was paying his respects and about to look away, Kurosaki Shizuki, who had been scrolling through her phone, suddenly stopped.

"Haruno-kun."

"Hm?"

"It seems the test has failed."

"..."