Kira Yoshikage Desires a Peaceful Life

Shimazaki Yuna's pale cherry-colored lips parted slightly:

"I... I can do it..."

Even as she said this, the girl's cheeks showed a hint of pain from the ache in her ankle.

Kira Yoshikage gently shook his head, then suddenly reached out:

"Forget it, don't force yourself."

"Huh? Huh~"

Shimazaki Yuna watched Kira Yoshikage's large hand draw closer, nervously closing her eyes, her cheeks flushing crimson.

But she waited a long time without him making a move to pick her up.

The girl opened her eyes in confusion, only to realize Kira Yoshikage hadn't reached out to hold her—he was just hailing a taxi.

"Beep beep~"

A taxi pulled over to the roadside. Kira Yoshikage opened the rear door and asked calmly:

"Aren't you getting in?"

"Ah, sorry..."

Shimazaki Yuna seemed to finally snap back to reality, hurriedly moving toward the taxi.

But the sudden motion only worsened the pain in her already twisted ankle, forcing the girl to crouch down in discomfort.

Kira Yoshikage stood expressionlessly nearby, quietly watching her pained expression, watching her fair little hands massage her black-stocking-clad ankle.

The female driver turned and saw this, immediately grumbling in dissatisfaction:

"Hey, kid, don't you know how to help your own girlfriend?"

Shimazaki Yuna's face flashed with panic as she quickly waved her hands:

"No, it's fine, I can manage..."

"Yare yare, that's enough."

Kira Yoshikage sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and extended his hand to the girl, saying calmly: "Give me your hand."

"Mmm~"

Shimazaki Yuna bit her lip lightly, carefully wiped her palm clean with her white skirt, and handed it to Kira Yoshikage.

"Ah!"

With a gentle pull, Kira Yoshikage lifted her into his arms at the girl's soft cry and placed her in the back seat of the taxi.

He followed closely, sitting in the back and closing the door.

"Where to?"

The female driver turned on the meter.

"Ota Ward, Morioh Street, 117."

The female driver glanced in surprise at the boy in the green store uniform in the back seat.

Ota Ward is Japan's manufacturing hub, home to a large cluster of processing technologies related to machinery and metal industries.

Plus, with Haneda Airport also in Ota Ward, the area's transportation is quite convenient. And Morioh Street in Ota Ward—this entire block consists of apartments invested in by Shuchiin Academy, specifically provided for its students.

In other words, anyone living here is a student of Shuchiin Academy!

Of course, Shuchiin Academy is divided into the Pure Division and the Mixed Division. Apartment living is limited to the Mixed Division, as Pure Division students mostly reside in luxury villas in Minato Ward, Shibuya, and Setagaya Ward.

But even being in the Mixed Division means these students already have a bright future ahead!

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi arrived at the destination. The female driver glanced at the meter and said:

"That'll be 2,865 yen."

Kira Yoshikage pulled out three 1,000-yen bills and handed them to the driver:

"Keep the change."

As he spoke, Kira Yoshikage had already opened the door and stepped out, heading toward the apartment building by the roadside.

"Um, please, wait for me, ah~"

Kira Yoshikage hadn't gone far when he heard the sound of the taxi driving away behind him, along with the girl's nervous, pained cry.

Turning back, he saw that Shimazaki Yuna had also gotten out of the car and was crouching on the ground in pain, clutching her ankle.

Kira Yoshikage stopped and stared at her quietly:

"Why are you still following me?"

"I... I thought..."

The girl's expression was flustered, quickly shifting into visible dejection as she murmured:

"I understand. I'll leave... alone..."

"To find a place to kill yourself in secret?"

"No, that's not it."

Shimazaki Yuna shook her head hurriedly and explained in a low voice:

"I won't kill myself again. I just don't know where to go..."

"Don't you have a home of your own?"

A flicker of gloom passed through Shimazaki Yuna's eyes, and her tone dropped low:

"I don't have a home anymore."

Kira Yoshikage watched her for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"Come with me."

A glimmer of hope seemed to rekindle in the girl's eyes as she nodded hastily and followed Kira Yoshikage's steps.

The apartment building where Kira Yoshikage lived was an old style, five stories high with no elevator.

And Kira Yoshikage lived on the fifth floor.

Though the climb up the stairs wasn't long, it was quite difficult for Shimazaki Yuna.

Click!

On the fifth-floor hallway, Kira Yoshikage pulled out his key and opened the door to Room 502.

Flick~!

He casually pressed the switch by the entrance, and bright light flooded the entire room.

The entryway was a narrow genkan. To the left was an 'open' 'kitchen,' and to the right, a bathroom and washroom.

Further in, on the left side, was a single bed neatly made with bedding, placed against the wall. On the right was a desk with a desktop computer, an air conditioner hanging above it, and a small cabinet for odds and ends beside it.

Between the bed and the desk was a window with blue curtains drawn, hiding the view outside.

"No need to change shoes."

Kira Yoshikage said flatly, walking straight to the desk.

"Excuse me."

Shimazaki Yuna bit her lip lightly as she entered the room, politely closing the door behind her.

But once the door was shut, the girl felt at a loss, unsure where she should sit.

The room only had the bed and a chair in front of the desk—neither seemed like a proper place for her.

Besides, this was her first time entering a boy's room, and she was alone...

At that thought, the girl's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Chapter 6: Don't Want to Work, So Decide to Rob

"You can sit on the bed."

Kira Yoshikage, who was busy searching through a cabinet, noticed the girl's awkwardness, but his calm tone only made her more uneasy.

"Mm~"

Shimazaki Yuna sat down cautiously on the edge of the bed, but no sooner had she sat than she saw Kira Yoshikage approach her, holding out a small bottle of red liquid.

"What's this?"

Shimazaki Yuna froze for a moment, then asked quietly.

"Safflower Oil."

Kira Yoshikage said a term Shimazaki Yuna had never heard before. "It's for bruises and sprains. Apply it yourself."

Shimazaki Yuna nodded vaguely, took the bottle called Safflower Oil, bent down to remove her right leather shoe and black short sock, hesitated, then took off her left shoe and sock as well, revealing a pair of fair, delicate feet.

The girl carefully poured a little Safflower Oil into her hand and gently rubbed it onto her swollen ankle.

Kira Yoshikage paid her no further attention, casually taking off his store uniform, then pulling out his phone to search for something.

The effect of the Safflower Oil was almost immediate. Before long, Shimazaki Yuna felt a warmth spreading through her ankle and palm.

Just then, Kira Yoshikage suddenly turned his phone screen toward her:

"This is you, isn't it."

Shimazaki Yuna looked up at the screen, which displayed a wiki page titled 'Shimazaki Setsuna.' Her expression froze.

It was her wiki, but not one she had created—it was compiled by others detailing her 'plagiarism.' Recorded on it were all her acts of 'plagiarism' and the evidence.

And this wiki was the direct trigger for her suicide.

"It's me."

Shimazaki Yuna pressed her lips tightly together. The girl, too weak to ever argue against the rumors, now desperately wanted to explain:

"Those are all lies. I never did anything like that..."

"It doesn't matter."

Kira Yoshikage cut her off calmly.

"Not important?"

Shimazaki Yuna, who had once been driven to suicide by this matter, stood frozen in place.

Kira Yoshikage didn't even look up as he scrolled through the works displayed on the homepage:

"Whether it's real or fake, at least your drawing skill is real. I don't care if you plagiarized or not."

The wiki page listed a mountain of 'evidence' for plagiarism, but for Kira Yoshikage, the only thing he focused on was Shimazaki Yuna's works—and these pieces accused of 'plagiarism' were often more exquisite than their 'originals.'

"Something like this..."

Shimazaki Yuna's expression was dazed. She had always simply loved drawing.

And just as Kira Yoshikage said, she drew very well.

Her skill and popularity had skyrocketed, to the point where she was about to collaborate with a well-known producer.

But her sudden rise had also drawn the jealousy of other artists, who accused her of plagiarizing character designs and music with baseless claims. They even gathered a pile of 'evidence' and built a wiki page named after her, which in turn brought a wave of online harassment from countless netizens who didn't know the truth.

This had driven her into depression, even making her doubt the very thing she loved most—drawing—and planting the thought of suicide.

And now, Kira Yoshikage was telling her that none of it mattered, that only her drawing skill was real.

The constant abuse and accusations had pushed her to the brink of collapse. Kira Yoshikage was the first and only person to affirm her...

Shimazaki Yuna felt an urge to burst into tears, but she raised a hand to cover her mouth, struggling to keep herself from sobbing aloud.

Kira Yoshikage watched the girl who was inexplicably covering her mouth and asked calmly:

"I saved you, so it's only reasonable to ask for some compensation, isn't it?"

"Wh-what do you want?"

Shimazaki Yuna hadn't yet fully shaken off the impulse to cry out loud, and her voice still carried a hint of a sob.

"First of all, I lost my job."

Kira Yoshikage's expression was flat. "Because a few thugs robbed the bookstore where I worked part-time, and the store manager chose to fire me."