It is just barely acceptable, I suppose.

Failing to properly discipline one's child is the fault of her, the mother.

No matter how one looked at it, today's events belonged strictly on a television screen rather than in her own life. Yet the reality was not only that it had happened, but it was just as absurd as those brainless soap operas she usually scoffed at.

Until today, Chiharu Fujiya had never imagined that she could possess two daughters-in-law in a modern monogamous society, especially since their family was neither wealthy nor influential.

Yet the reality was that she now had them.

And perhaps even more than two.

Furthermore, one of the currently known ones was a close confidante she had known and interacted with for over twenty years.

To a certain extent, Chiharu Fujiya was a failure as a mother for having raised a playboy son. But viewed from another angle, she seemed remarkably successful; after all, given her son's current situation, she no longer needed to worry about the continuation of the family line.

Atsushi had benefited.

She herself could barely be considered a beneficiary.

So who, then, was the person getting hurt?

Chiharu Fujiya raised her head and noticed that Yuko Shimizu, who had just recovered from fainting, was sitting across from her with a vacant, lifeless gaze. Completely devoid of vitality, she seemed detached from the entire world, resembling a walking corpse.

Just looking at her made Chiharu's heart ache.

As a friend of many years, apart from her son, there were very few people in this world she truly cared about. Someone like Yuko Shimizu—with whom she had maintained contact and a decades-long friendship long after graduation—was utterly precious and should have been cherished.

Logically speaking, now that she basically understood the situation and knew that Yuko was the victim, Chiharu should have, at the very least, tried to find a way to soothe Yuko's emotions, let alone beat her son until even she didn't recognize him.

Yet, against her better judgment, another thought kept creeping into her mind, growing stronger the more she tried to suppress it.

Even though having such thoughts was terribly unfair to Yuko.

Damn it!

I absolutely must not ask!

That is a friendship of over twenty years, a bond between best friends! How could I be so weak-willed!

Harboring these thoughts, Chiharu Fujiya, sitting in the Enoshima rest area, first glanced around her surroundings. In an instant, her resolve crumbled completely, and unable to help herself, she turned her head sideways and whispered, "What does that girl look like? Do you have a picture? Hurry up and let Mom see!"

"What girl? See what picture?"

Before Atsushi Haruno could speak, Mika Ando and Yuki Kaneda walked over hand-in-hand from the rear, the latter carrying a small pharmacy bag.

"It's nothing." Upon hearing that loud voice, Chiharu snapped her head toward the newcomers and hurriedly denied it.

Yuki Kaneda didn't pay attention to her at first. Instead, she walked over to the blank-faced Yuko Shimizu, patted her shoulder gently, placed the bag of medicine beside her, and instructed, "Yuko, your medicine is here. If you aren't feeling as dizzy now, you can take it after we finish eating."

With a pale complexion, Yuko Shimizu managed a faint smile, nodded, and then lowered her head to resume eating her noodles.

Seeing this, Yuki Kaneda sighed.

Just a moment earlier, she and Mika had been planning to ride bicycles around Enoshima when they saw Atsushi Haruno carrying a fainted Yuko Shimizu, accompanied by a panicked Chiharu Fujiya. Shocked, they had quickly helped lay Yuko down and pinched her philtrum. It took several minutes for her to regain consciousness. When questioned, the three of them had given an oddly uniform excuse, claiming she had nearly slipped by the lake and fainted from fright.

But if she had fainted from fright...

Her complexion shouldn't have turned sheet white, should it?

However, no matter how they asked, Yuko insisted it was just a scare, compounded by high blood pressure caused by long-term alcohol consumption. After pondering it for a moment, they believed her.

After all, the mouth belonged to her.

They couldn't force her to speak if she didn't want to.

Besides, it was already getting late.

They might as well eat first.

Yuki had a rather carefree attitude and loved indulging in other people's gossip. Having caught the unusual tone in Chiharu's voice with her sharp ears, she had instantly smelled the scent of juicy gossip. After setting down the medicine, she immediately squeezed in right next to Chiharu and asked cheerfully,

"Chiharu, what were you talking about just now? Could it be that your little Atsushi got some girl pregnant too?" — "Yu—ki— Ka—ne—da!"

Mika Ando shouted angrily from the side.

"I'm just stating facts, why are you getting so mad? Besides, instead of being angry at me right now, wouldn't you rather know what Chiharu's daughter-in-law looks like?"

Yuki Kaneda flicked her ear, seemingly accustomed to Mika Ando's outbursts over the years.

Hearing this, Mika froze. Subconsciously tapping into a skill unique to middle-aged women, she sat down next to Yuko Shimizu, stretched out her neck, and widened her eyes. "Atsushi, you got married without even a word?"

"How is that possible? You're overthinking it."

Atsushi Haruno replied helplessly.

"I knew it. How could someone as stingy as your mother fail to invite us to your wedding? If she couldn't recoup the wedding gifts she gave us for our children, she probably couldn't close her eyes even in death." Mika Ando wore an "I-knew-it" expression, her tone carrying an inexplicable sigh.

"Am I really that stingy?" Being slandered like this by her good friend, Chiharu Fujiya found it hard to maintain her composure.

"Of course! When my son got married, who was the one eating and taking food to go? She even called it 'not wasting food,' but those fruits were reserved in the hotel for my guests!"

"I was just afraid they'd go bad..."

"To this day, I still don't know how you managed to carry forty pounds of Kyoho grapes out of the walk-in freezer."

"I used a bag at the time."

"What kind of bag could possibly be that sturdy?"

"A gunny sack, the kind used for potatoes back in our hometown."

"..."

"Stop changing the subject. So far, only your son isn't married yet. What's wrong with us aunties wanting to look at a photo and vet her?" Yuki Kaneda brought the topic back on track, speaking with a huff.

Mika Ando also snapped back to reality, realizing she had almost been led astray by Chiharu. She hummed twice and said, "Could it be that Atsushi's girlfriend looks... uh..."

Her voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence.

Feeling a sharp pain on the top of her foot, Mika nearly shed tears on the spot. But when she turned her head, ready to lash out, she caught Yuki Kaneda's fierce glare. Only then did she realize she had been running her mouth without a filter, making such a joke right in front of the woman's son. She immediately offered a few awkward laughs and fell silent.

However, Chiharu, who had originally been trying to respect Yuko Shimizu's feelings, refused to let it go. She immediately turned her head, glared, and snapped,

"Atsushi, get the picture!"

"...I don't have her photos saved on my phone."

Looking at his mother, who was suddenly worked up, Atsushi Haruno couldn't tell whether she was doing it on purpose or by accident.

"Can't you just make a call and ask for one?"

Chiharu Fujiya said through clenched teeth.

Seeing that the reverse psychology was working, Yuki Kaneda rolled her eyes again and continued to fan the flames: "Exactly, exactly! Make the call quickly, don't be stingy. Let all of us hear what your girlfriend's voice sounds like."

"That's right, let the aunties help you vet her."

"Stupid four-eyes, do you even get a say in vetting her? Chiharu is right here! Besides, does whether you're satisfied or not even matter to Atsushi? Who do you think you are?"

"Why are you yelling at me? Weren't you the one who said we should vet her? Why did you suddenly switch sides?"

"I was just joking."

"So I was the only one who took it seriously?"

"Who else? It's your own fault for being silly."

"You're the silly one! No wonder you still don't have a grandson. I don't think Taro isn't trying; it's because having a wicked mother-in-law like you gives the daughters-in-law bad fertility luck!"

"You!"

Mika Ando and Yuki Kaneda started bickering back and forth again, but the topic remained centered on the daughter-in-law. Chiharu Fujiya, already burning with curiosity upon learning that her son had a proper girlfriend who was a female superior, was dying to see her; without a look, her whole body would itch with discomfort.

"Atsushi, the photo!"

"I'll ask on LINE instead."

Seeing the resolute look in his mother's eyes, Atsushi Haruno knew her female curiosity had been fully triggered.

If he refused to show it, she would definitely be unhappy.

Yet showing it now was hardly an appropriate occasion.

Though he agreed, Atsushi glanced not far away at Yuko Shimizu, who was bowing her head and eating her chashu ramen. Seeing that her spirits were low but she was showing no other abnormal reactions, he felt slightly more at ease.

Of course, he wasn't going to ask Saoka Suzumiya for a picture.

Given the personality of that iceberg wrapped in magma, if he asked for a photo without explaining his purpose, there was no telling what kind of trouble she might stir up. But if he did explain, who knew if she might act on impulse and rush right over? And with Aunt Yuko currently grieving here, that would only make things even more awkward...

Although they had never taken a couple's photo.

Nor any candid lifestyle shots.

Atsushi did, however, have her work photos.

Though he didn't know how the [Malice Checklist] had manipulated his resignation, she hadn't yet left the group chats of the ward office and the Health and Welfare Division, and the previous chat histories were still cached.

Therefore, whether it was photos from past ward office events or official ID photos required by the labor union, Saoka Suzumiya was featured in them.

Besides, she was part of the management.

There were plenty of close-ups.

It was just that her attire and the occasions were rather formal.

Even so, that could not conceal Saoka Suzumiya's beauty. Especially that chilling aura capable of keeping people thousands of miles away; it was even more apparent in photos than in real life. Wearing a professional skirt suit with her hair pinned up, her light makeup made her look all the more capable, carrying an air of regal elegance.

Her nearly flawless figure, coupled with alluringly thin, reddish lips and a smooth, exquisite face without a single wrinkle, made her skin look as smooth as if it could be broken by a blow. She didn't look thirty at all—especially since a woman's thirties in Tokyo were practically equivalent to eighteen. Aside from looking a bit unapproachable, she had almost no flaws.

Therefore, when the three of them, including Chiharu Fujiya, clearly saw the photo on his phone, their eyes widened slightly, and expressions of disbelief crossed their faces.

Mika Ando and Yuki Kaneda exchanged glances.

They saw the shock reflected in each other's eyes.

Mika Ando even instinctively reached out to zoom in on the picture, wanting to check carefully for any beauty filters.

What a pity, though.

Try as she might, she couldn't find a single trace of a filter.

On the contrary, such serious work ID photos captured even the pores on the skin with crystal clarity, leaving no possibility of retouching whatsoever. It was completely faultless.

"Atsushi, is this really your girlfriend?" Mika Ando withdrew her gaze and turned her head in disbelief.

"Yes." Atsushi nodded.

Mika Ando's face flushed red as she forcibly choked back the doubts that naturally arose. After all, in her impression, Atsushi Haruno had always been a quiet, honest boy who wouldn't lie to her.

Yet how could it be...

How could she possibly be this pretty?!

"Chiharu, what do you think?"

Yuki Kaneda, standing beside them, also pulled back her shocked gaze, turned her head, and asked her friend.

Chiharu Fujiya's mouth was slightly agape as she stared blankly at her son's phone. Brought back to her senses only when her name was called, the expression on her face shifted from shock to complexity, then from complexity to struggle, before finally settling into indifference. With a slight sigh, she said indifferently, as if somewhat dissatisfied, "Hardly passable, I suppose."

That was just "hardly passable"?

Did she want to get beaten into pixels?!

Watching Chiharu put on a calm facade while the palm of her hand inside her sleeve trembled slightly, Mika Ando knew full well she was just humble-bragging, but her fists still clenched involuntarily, nearly compelling her to deliver a true best-friend beatdown.

"Don't act like you've struck gold while complaining!"

Yuki Kaneda couldn't help chiming in either.

"No, I'm not. Isn't she just pretty ordinary? I heard from our Atsushi that she just has a slightly nice face, a slightly better family background, and a bit more money. Besides those, what else is there? Seems like she doesn't have any real merits."

Chiharu Fujiya's words remained remarkably flat, yet her slightly aged and turbid eyes kept staring fixedly at Saoka Suzumiya's photo, refusing to look away.

Mika Ando and the other woman were left utterly speechless at the sight.

They had no idea how to retort.

However, Yuki Kaneda suddenly noticed that Yuko Shimizu, sitting two seats away, hadn't leaned in. Feeling a brief flash of curiosity, a clever idea sparked in her mind. She suddenly came up with a way to stop Chiharu from admiring her future daughter-in-law while humble-bragging. Without missing a beat, she reached out, snatched Atsushi's phone right out of Chiharu's hands, and crossed a step to thrust the screen directly in front of Yuko Shimizu's face—practically poking it against her nose. She even threw a triumphant glance back at Chiharu, terrified the latter would snatch it back to gloat:

"Well? Yuko, why aren't you looking? Let me show you this kid Atsushi's girlfriend—she's super pretty!"

Atsushi Haruno froze.

Chiharu Fujiya instantly turned blank.

If Mika Ando's slip of the tongue hadn't provoked her competitive streak earlier, combined with her natural curiosity about the official daughter-in-law, she would never have asked her son to bring out the photo in front of Yuko Shimizu.

Bringing it out was one thing...

But now shoving it right into Yuko's face...

That was metaphorical murder!

By now, Chiharu deeply regretted bickering with Mika Ando. After all, her son's other victim was still present at the scene; how could she have done something so callous right in front of her?

Yet, just as Atsushi and Chiharu moved to reclaim the phone, Yuko Shimizu, who had been bowing her head and eating noodles, suddenly lifted her head. She laid her chopsticks flat across the porcelain bowl, then extended her slender right hand to gently grip Atsushi's phone.

At this point, it would have been inappropriate for anyone to snatch the phone back, so Chiharu could only watch helplessly as Yuko took hold of it.

Yet Yuko didn't inspect it as they had imagined.

Instead, she first placed it gently on the dining table.

Then, using both hands, she smoothed her chestnut bangs behind her ears, revealing a face with slightly reddened eye rims.

Yuko Shimizu took a deep breath to steady her emotions, then picked up Atsushi's phone once more with a faint, forced smile, looking closely at the photograph of Saoka Suzumiya on the screen.

She looked at it with extreme care.

And yet, with a strange fascination.

It was as if the Saoka Suzumiya in the photo wasn't Chiharu Fujiya's daughter-in-law, but her own.

She gazed at the photo, completely lost in thought.

After a long while, Yuko raised her other hand to gently stroke her own cheek. A look of nostalgic reflection passed through her eyes, and she let out a soft sigh of emotion:

"How truly beautiful... and so very young."