23. The Woman Who Drank Her Husband to Death

Soothing music drifted through the retro-styled bar, while the dim, warm lighting added to the atmosphere.

Ikebukuro Rock Oasis.

As a fairly well-known neighborhood bar in Toshima Ward, it was popular among salarymen for its Yamazaki Hakushu, which could be enjoyed for just 1,480 yen a glass.

It was just past noon. Consequently, the bar was nearly empty.

Haruno Tsukasa picked up his phone to compare the figure in the photo his mother had sent with the woman sitting at the far right of the bar. He quickly locked his gaze onto her. Even with so few people around, he approached her to confirm, wanting to avoid the awkwardness of misidentifying someone.

Standing two or three meters away, he could clearly see her profile. He began to observe her as she rested her head on her left hand, occasionally swiping at her phone with her right or lifting her glass to take a sip.

Her white shirt contained a heavy, well-endowed bust, with the top two buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of smooth, snow-white skin. Below, she wore a black office skirt that clung to her perfectly rounded curves as she sat on a barstool, looking like a ripe, succulent pear. Her fleshy, shapely legs were tightly wrapped in sheer, lustrous hosiery.

Judging solely by her figure, she didn't look like a woman who had just turned forty. Instead, she exuded a mature charm that made one want to reach out and taste it. In this regard, even Saika Suzumiya, whom he considered to have a near-perfect physique, fell slightly short.

After admiring her for a moment, Haruno Tsukasa suppressed his thoughts and shifted his gaze upward to compare her profile with the photo on his phone. Once confirmed, he asked tentatively, "Auntie Shimizu?"

Hearing her name, Shimizu Yuko turned her head. Her slightly hazy eyes blinked a few times, and she said uncertainly, "Are you... Tsukasa?"

"It's me," Haruno Tsukasa nodded with a smile.

Shimizu Yuko looked much like her photo, with shoulder-length hair and loose strands tucked behind her ears. Her skin was fair and very well-maintained, and her lips were a soft red, as if faded by the alcohol. Her cheeks were flushed, and her gaze remained dreamy, revealing the unique, seductive charm of a mature woman.

"Oh my! You've grown so tall? You’ve become a real adult! You were so tiny when I used to hold you!" Shimizu Yuko didn't seem to stand on ceremony at all. She laughed, pinched his arm, and gestured to illustrate her point with an exaggerated expression, showing no distance at all.

Haruno Tsukasa offered a wry smile, sat down according to her gesture, and said, "Children always grow up."

"That's true." Shimizu Yuko swirled her glass and tilted her head. "But I told you already, you didn't have to come all the way here to find me."

"I just happen to live nearby."

"Still, there was no need."

"Even if I can't be of much help, I have to listen to my mother and come check on you," Haruno Tsukasa replied truthfully.

"What? Does Tsubaki-chan want to see how pathetic I’ve become?"

"I don't think that's what Mom meant."

"Of course I know she didn't mean that. You child, why have you become so reserved as you've grown up? I think when I used to hold you, I even tugged on your... well, anyway, you weren't afraid of strangers back then. Hahahaha..."

"I don't remember any of that."

"How could you remember when you were that small!"

Shimizu Yuko signaled the bartender, who was wiping glasses nearby. "Another one, for him."

"Auntie Shimizu, I don't really drink," Haruno Tsukasa declined politely.

In truth, this body could handle alcohol. On the night he handed in his resignation last week, he had even gone out for drinks with Ryota Takizawa and Genji Hiraga. But setting aside the physical effects, he made it a rule to avoid alcohol because it could cloud his judgment.

"You're already here, just have one."

"This..."

"Be a good boy. You came to see Auntie make a fool of herself, and I'm not even mad at you. Won't you just keep me company for a few drinks?"

Hearing her change the number of drinks unconsciously, Haruno Tsukasa smiled and said, "Didn't you just say 'one' earlier?"

"Isn't 'one' just a figure of speech?"

"So, just one?"

"Let's not get hung up on such trivial things."

Even though it was daytime, the bar’s excellent blackout measures made it feel as if time didn't exist, easily causing one to lose track of the hours. As the glasses clinked, the melting ice danced in the tumblers, creating a crisp sound.

Yamazaki Hakushu was known as one of the "Three Musketeers of Japanese Whisky." It felt clear and light on the palate, with a faint hint of green apple and smoke, followed by notes of grapefruit and lemon. Even served neat, it had a wonderful flavor. And this type of drink had one characteristic: it was easy to drink, and it crept up on you before you knew it.

Haruno Tsukasa didn't drink quickly, but Shimizu Yuko finished hers in no time. Her face looked slightly flushed in the dim light. Although fine lines were visible at the corners of her eyes upon closer inspection, time hadn't stripped away her beauty.

She was a bit talkative, chattering nonstop since he sat down, yet she never mentioned the business issues his mother had hinted at on the phone. Instead, she kept telling office jokes and gossiping about him. Unable to pry any information out of her, Haruno Tsukasa activated his List of Malice to check her inner thoughts.

[Target of Malice: Shimizu Yuko]

[List of Malice:]

[1. I really want to drink ten glasses, but I don't have enough money; otherwise, I could drink my fill (White)]

[2. I truly want someone to rely on (Purple)]

[3. There's no money in the company account. If only I could find a few hundred million yen like in the movies, then I wouldn't have to look at that guy's disgusting face anymore (Purple)]

Two purples and one white? That was high quality. And she really was a drunkard. This Auntie Shimizu had been drinking when they talked on the phone last night, and she was still drinking now, even in the middle of the day. The first and second items were quantifiable, but the third was a bit vague. Was wanting someone to rely on considered malice? And a purple one at that? It seemed there might be another reason for it.

"Huh? It's gone? Not a drop left?"

The sound of Shimizu Yuko tilting her glass in surprise pulled Haruno Tsukasa back to reality. She turned the glass upside down in mid-air, a look of distress on her lovely face. Her hazy eyes held a touch of helplessness, mixed with a hint of longing. It was clear she truly loved to drink.

However, she didn't give up easily.

"Takeshita-san, treat me to one," Shimizu Yuko said, pushing her glass forward and smiling at the bartender with the red bandana nearby.

"Counting these two and last night's, I've already treated you to seven," the bartender replied without looking up.

"No way, this is just putting it on my tab. I'll pay you back later, so treating me to one more doesn't count as a loss for you."

"No tabs allowed."

"You allowed it before, didn't you?"

"Starting now, I don't."

Shimizu Yuko rested her head on her arm and chattered incessantly at the bartender, shifting the focus of her nagging away from Haruno Tsukasa. She ramped up her efforts, but the man seemed to have had enough of her routine. Finally, unable to stand her nagging any longer, the bartender used his "bill collection technique," which finally made Shimizu Yuko purse her lips and fall silent.

Seeing this, Haruno Tsukasa pondered for a moment. The pale red light screen beside his vision gradually faded. As Shimizu Yuko sank into the awkwardness of being denied more alcohol, he suddenly said, "Give us ten more."

"Hmm..."

Shimizu Yuko turned her head in surprise. She leaned forward, bringing her upper body closer to Haruno Tsukasa. Her previously hazy eyes brightened significantly as she stared at him, observing his expression as if trying to determine something. After a long while, she asked in confusion, "Tsukasa, are you drunk?"

"I'm not drunk. I just remembered something unpleasant and felt like drinking. Can you keep me company, Auntie Shimizu?" Haruno Tsukasa looked at her and smiled.

"I suppose I can..."

A strange look crossed Shimizu Yuko's face, though her tone remained slightly hesitant.

"My treat," Haruno Tsukasa said decisively.

Shimizu Yuko paused, feeling he might have misunderstood her. With a peculiar smile, she said, "That's not what I meant. I mean, are you planning to... drink me under the table?"

"Is that not allowed?" Haruno Tsukasa countered.

"You child, are you looking down on me?"

"Although alcohol is bad for the body, the truth is something that only comes out when one has had enough to drink."

"Oh my, you child, you're still thinking about my situation." Hearing this, Shimizu Yuko realized what he was after. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly. "That's fine. I'd like to see what kind of truth you can spit out, too."

"You're that confident, Auntie Shimizu?"

"I'm not your average woman."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm the woman who drank her own husband to death."