What do you mean by 'also'? "
The two suddenly noticed that they had only pressed one floor! Their eyes met, and they stared at each other: "This guy is my neighbour?"
"You live at 1601!"
"You live at 1602?"
"You didn't find out my address and deliberately move here, did you?"
The black-haired girl's heart was pounding. In her eyes, Hayama Kazuto had already become a ferocious beast. Even so, her venomous tongue remained unchanged.
"Although I really want to protect your pitiful self-esteem, I'm sorry, I am a pragmatic person. I moved here a month ago! Perhaps you can call me senior."
"I've lived here for a year!"
The girl's expression turned fierce, but her roar was like a kitten's, delicate and sweet. The strong contrast made Hayama Kazuto want to laugh.
"We attend the same school and have lived on the same floor for over a month, yet this is the first time I've seen you in the elevator. I'm telling you, could you be a shut-in?"
The girl glared fiercely at Hayama Kazuto: "Kazuki-kun, so you really got off at your stop that day. I thought you got off early because you were caught in your perverted act! To prevent you from following me, I deliberately rode an extra stop and took a taxi back!"
"Following a fat woman in black stockings? The goalposts on a football club field are more attractive than you!"
Well, Hayama Kazuto said something against his will. The girl in front of him was definitely not fat, but her chest was somewhat large and took up a lot of space. The latter half of his statement, however, was sincere.
"Oh dear, my hearing isn't very good. Could Kazuki-kun please come closer and tell me?"
Seeing the girl's meaningful smile and hearing her long, drawn-out voice, Hayama Kazuto suddenly shivered. He knew that if he said one more word, the girl in front of him would blacken without hesitation.
Just as Hayama Kazuto was in a dilemma, there was a "ding" sound, and the elevator stopped.
"Sorry, I never say anything twice. Goodbye!"
Hayama Kazuto took three steps at once. The key slid precisely and smoothly into the lock, opening the door. He flashed inside the house.
Hayama Kazuto closed the door casually, but the heavy security door was powerfully held open by a slender hand.
"Kazuki-kun, I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Kasumigaoka. Locked Room Murder. Utaha! Please remember this name and write it in your will!"
After closing the door, Hayama Kazuto still felt some lingering fear and leaned heavily on the sofa. He didn't expect that as soon as he sat down, a message from Kato Megumi would come through.
"Hayama, are you home yet?"
"This... did she install surveillance in my apartment?"
"Just got home; no need to worry."
After taking a bath, Hayama Kazuto opened his computer. He originally intended to do some mathematical modelling, but the events that had just occurred made it impossible for him to calm down. As if by a ghost's prompting, Hayama Kazuto opened the shogi interface.
"I remember Sora Ginko told me to look at the shogi records."
"Hmm? Can shogi be played like this? A pawn exchange tactic that retreats to advance – it doesn't seem so boring after all?"
A few minutes later, more than ten Shogi record interfaces were open on Hayama Kazuto's screen.
...
Chiba City, Yukinoshita.
"Madam, the eldest daughter spent a sum of Japanese yen yesterday." The financial director bowed and reported Yukinoshita Haruno's financial information to Yukinoshita Madam.
"Are there any special incoming funds?" Yukinoshita Madam, dressed in a traditional kimono, asked while sipping fragrant tea.
"The foreign affairs department received two million euros." The financial director's forehead was sweating. He didn't expect that Yukinoshita Madam would guess the company's financial movements before he even spoke.
"In the future, there won't be too few of these special incoming and outgoing funds. You don't need to report them specifically to me." Yukinoshita Madam looked at the financial director, feeling a little disappointed. Is this the only level of the new financial director who returned from studying at Harvard?
"Madam, do these special transactions need to be balanced?" The financial director felt his legs trembling. Yukinoshita Madam's aura was too terrifying. She seemed calm, but a simple glance could give people a tidal wave of pressure.
"Are you talking about cooking the books?" Yukinoshita Madam smiled. "Yukinoshita does not need such things!"
"I am very sorry, Madam." The financial director actually knelt down directly.
"You don't need to worry about these accounts. Just do your job." Yukinoshita Madam took another sip of fragrant tea. If she was only disappointed with this financial director before, she now had no hope for him at all.
"But, but... Madam, if the accounts are not balanced... the company will incur a net loss of ten million Japanese yen. This might not be good for the company."
The financial director took out an expenditure report. Yukinoshita Haruno had spent a total of two hundred and sixty million Japanese yen! Two million euros, at most, was only two hundred and fifty million Japanese yen!
"Hayama Family!" Yukinoshita Madam put down her teacup. "Still producing scoundrels as always!"
Chapter 15: Challenge Match
"Beep beep", "Beep beep"...
Hayama Kazuto's phone vibrated hundreds of times. Hayama Kazuto opened his phone screen, and it was Yukinoshita Haruno spamming stickers again.
"Stop bothering me!"
"What a cold-blooded scoundrel. You don't reply to my messages, and you don't answer my calls! You took my money and then heartlessly abandoned me!"
Yukinoshita Haruno's messages were always ambiguous.
"You're profiting from the spread, and you're still saying I cheated you out of money?"
Hayama Kazuto was almost driven mad. Yukinoshita Madam had called his father's phone directly, mocking him. His father, however, couldn't retort and could only vent his anger on Hayama Kazuto.
"It's just ten million, isn't it? I've already covered the deficit! Who knew that new financial director was so clueless?"
If Hayama Kazuto were on a video call with Yukinoshita Haruno, he might see her mischievous little tongue.
"Don't say anything, or I'll give you Professor Yang's electrotherapy when I return to Chiba City during Golden Week!"
"Eh, are you going back to Chiba City? But I'm coming to Tokyo during Golden Week!"
"Coming to Tokyo? To eat coriander noodles in Tokyo?"
"Please don't be such a scumbag, I beg you!"
"Then I'll treat you to durian coriander noodles. You'll definitely love them."
"Yukino will also be coming; are you willing to let her eat this kind of toilet food?"
Hayama Kazuto was a bit stunned. He had thought Yukinoshita Haruno was just talking big, but it seemed she was serious.
"What are you two coming for?"
"Eh? Hayama Kazuto still doesn't know? Chiba City Sobu High School's Football Club has challenged your Private Toyonosaki Academy! As the captain, Hayama Kazuto doesn't even know about this. Could it be that you've been isolated by the team?"
"Are you Sobu people so full that you're bursting? No, how do you know I play football at Toyonosaki? Did you send someone to investigate me?"
"On Niico, Hayama Kazuto's every match is livestreamed! Superstar, Toyonosaki King, Fastest Wind Man, Hayama Ronaldo Kazuto, and Hayama Kazuto have so many titles!"
Hayama Kazuto's face darkened, and his expression was a bit subtle.
"Who the hell is live streaming the matches on Niico!"
"As for the Sobu side, I'm not very clear about it either. Hayama told me! After all, I'm not studying at Sobu anymore; I'm a university student!"
"Hayama? Your little tag-along?"
"That's a bit rude! Hayama Kazuto has gone bad! That materialistic city of Tokyo!"
"If you're coming, then come. Durian coriander noodles await you, and maybe I'll add some Coptis fruit."
Yukinoshita Haruno's face also darkened.
...
Hayama Kazuto indeed didn't know about the challenge match between Sobu and Toyonosaki. These past few days, he had been taking care of a patient and hadn't attended training in the afternoon, so he naturally wasn't aware of this match.
However, Hayama Kazuto didn't believe Yukinoshita Haruno when she said the challenge match had nothing to do with her. Given Yukinoshita Haruno's personality, by deliberately mentioning this match, she had at least played a role in instigating it.
"Yukinoshita Haruno, what exactly are you planning with this match?"
...
"Good morning, Kato."
"Hayama-kun, good morning!"
"Kato looks a bit different today. Are you feeling better?"
"Eh? Hayama, that's a bit rude. But I won't have to trouble Hayama this afternoon anymore."
"No trouble, no trouble. It's just that when I took you home yesterday, your sister's eyes were a bit scary."
"Hayama, is something on your mind?" Kato Megumi turned her head. Hayama Kazuto's answers today always had a casual tone.
"Hmm... not really; it's something related to the Football Club."
"Oh." Kato Megumi turned her head back. "Sorry, Hayama, I've troubled you for so many days and made you miss training."
"It has nothing to do with this, Kato, so don't worry."
After school in the afternoon, Hayama Kazuto left first and went directly to the Football Club.
"A challenge match? It seems there was something like that, right?"
"Hmm, I guess we should ask the captain. Captain, can you stop playing Switch?"
"Anyway, with Hayama here, we can't possibly lose, right?"
"Just kidding, although Sobu is strong, we have Hayama Ronaldo Kazuto!"
"There is indeed such a thing! But I always feel that the Sobu people aren't very bright; they actually set the match day during Golden Week!"
"Huh? I was planning to stay home for a week, but I still have to come to school to play football?"
...
Ten minutes later, Hayama Kazuto left the Football Club with a headache.
After chatting with them for ten minutes, Hayama Kazuto only got one useful piece of information: the challenge match day was May 1st.
Turning a corner, Hayama Kazuto suddenly caught sight of a figure.
"Hmm? Kato, why haven't you gone home yet?"
"Hayama-kun has taken me home so many times, and I haven't figured out how to repay you, so I thought, Why don't I take Hayama-kun home too?"
Hayama Kazuto smiled: "But I still have training!"
"It's okay, I'll wait for you."
Kato's voice had no fluctuations, but it was unusually firm.
...
Art Club.
Two petite girls stood side by side. One had enthusiastic, flowing red hair, and the other had charming, noble blonde twin tails.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura, let's go sketching!" The girl with the flowing red hair pulled Eriri Spencer Sawamura's hand.
"Eh, in such hot weather, let's just draw inside the club room. Morioka, if you want to go, go by yourself." Eriri Spencer Sawamura stretched her body, with no intention of getting up.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura is so weak!" Morioka Yoko said disdainfully. "Afraid of heat in summer, afraid of cold in winter – no wonder your sports grades are always failing."
"Less, less nonsense!"
"My informant in the Football Club sent me a message. Hayama-kun resumed training today! I heard he's a super handsome guy! Eriri Spencer Sawamura, don't you want to go see what he looks like?" Morioka Yoko's tone was full of temptation.
"I, I said I'm not going! Forget about Hayama-kun; even if Toriyama Akira came, I wouldn't go!" Eriri Spencer Sawamura lowered her head to draw. Her drawing movements perfectly concealed her panic.
"That's a shame." Morioka Yoko gave up on the idea of dragging Eriri Spencer Sawamura out, picked up her drawing board, and walked out of the club room alone.
"Hayama Kazuto, is it him?"
Eriri Spencer Sawamura's eyes were a bit hazy, and the lines on her drawing were somewhat distorted.
"It shouldn't be! If it were him, he would probably come looking for me."
Eriri Spencer Sawamura shook her head, trying hard to stop herself from overthinking, but the more she tried to suppress it, the more chaotic her thoughts became.
"Could it be that he forgot me?"
"No, no, he definitely wouldn't forget! This Hayama Kazuto must just have the same name! It must be!"
Eriri Spencer Sawamura looked up, and her drawing was already unrecognisable.
At six in the evening, Hayama Kazuto and Kato Megumi arrived at the apartment building.