Chapter 711 - 711: Making a Underworld Heroine Think

"Hikari-kun!", Azuma Hisato called out, her voice carrying a friendly tone she herself did not notice.

Recently, she hardly had anyone in Tokyo she could talk to.

Aside from her nominal fiance, Azuma Norihiko, the person she had interacted with most lately was this young neighbor.

Hikari had helped her several times before. He was steady and reliable, and before she knew it, Azuma Hisato had developed a faint sense of dependence on him.

Her mood was low at the moment, and upon hearing that he had returned, she instinctively wanted to get closer and find someone to talk to.

Seeing the beautiful married woman greet him with a bright smile, Hikari politely returned the greeting, "Good evening, Aunt Hisato."

Hikari noticed that two obvious patches of red had appeared on Azuma Hisato's fair cheeks.

He also noticed that she had not even put on a coat. She was wearing only a thin strappy dress, leaving much of her shoulders and arms exposed, and her outfit was rather revealing.

She had come out to look for him dressed so casually, and there was also a strong smell of alcohol on her. She had probably been drinking.

Hikari immediately asked, "Aunt Hisato, did you just have a drink?"

Azuma Hisato gave an awkward smile, "Yeah. I was craving a drink, so I just had a little."

Azuma Hisato did not want this boy to realize that she had been drinking heavily, so she instinctively lied.

But Hikari could tell at a glance that she had probably had more than just a little.

He did not pay much attention to it, though. After all, she was already an adult, and it was not his place to interfere.

He politely withdrew his gaze and asked, "Aunt Hisato, did you need something from me?"

"Uh…", Azuma Hisato's expression stiffened slightly.

She did not know why, but after feeling down just moments ago, she had suddenly wanted to talk to Hikari as soon as she heard him come home.

But as for what exactly she wanted to talk about, Azuma Hisato genuinely did not know.

After an awkward moment of eye contact, Azuma Hisato came up with an excuse, "Th-that, I haven't cleaned your room for you today. Do you want me to clean it now?"

"It shouldn't be very dirty yet. Let's leave it for now," Hikari replied.

Azuma Hisato immediately asked again, "Then should I give you a massage? You just got back from school, so your shoulders must be pretty tired, right?"

Seeing the hopeful look in Azuma Hisato's slightly tipsy eyes, Hikari realized that this aunt, who normally took good care of him, seemed to really want someone to talk to right now.

So he readily nodded, "Sure. My shoulders and neck do feel a little sore. Aunt Hisato, come give me a massage."

"Okay!", Azuma Hisato hurriedly agreed, gratitude filling her eyes as she looked at Hikari.

After they agreed, Hikari took out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside.

There was no one in the house.

Luckily, after being taught a lesson last night, the three girls from Nogami Izumi's group had obediently gone home today.

Otherwise, if Azuma Hisato, Natsuha's aunt, had seen the three girls sprawled in his house, he would probably have had to spend a lot of time explaining.

Although the three girls from Nogami Izumi's group had obediently cleaned up before leaving, turning the previously chaotic house into something reasonably presentable, they had probably been too exhausted to finish cleaning everything.

Seeing that the house was still somewhat messy, Azuma Hisato immediately began tidying it up for Hikari. Before long, everything was neat and spotless.

Hikari put his schoolbag and other things in the study, then returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Azuma Hisato also put down the broom and naturally came behind him, using her soft hands to give him a practiced massage.

She was dressed lightly, and as she moved, her skirt shifted slightly from time to time.

A massage from a beautiful woman dressed in such a cool, strappy dress was already quite a sight.

And Azuma Hisato had genuinely learned a very good massage technique.

Hikari comfortably enjoyed the service for a while.

After it, he promptly paid her.

During the massage, Azuma Hisato had kept chatting with Hikari, and her mood had already improved considerably.

Now, seeing Hikari quickly transfer her payment, Azuma Hisato's expression brightened slightly.

But when she thought about the enormous debts her family owed, she could not help letting out a deep sigh.

"Sigh…"

Hearing Azuma Hisato suddenly sigh, Hikari immediately asked, "Aunt Hisato, what's wrong? Are you too tired?"

"My body is a little tired, but my heart is even more exhausted…", Azuma Hisato was already weighed down with worries, and hearing his question made her emotions begin to spill out.

Unable to suppress her distress any longer, Azuma Hisato confided in Hikari, "We're short of money again at home. The pressure from Norihiko's problems at work has been too much for him, and it's putting a lot of pressure on me too."

"Every day I feel miserable. Money, money, money. That's all we talk about every day."

"I even wondered whether I should borrow some more money from you, Hikari-kun. Sob…"

By the end, the beautiful married woman could no longer suppress the turmoil inside her and began quietly sobbing.

Seeing Azuma Hisato crying in distress, Hikari asked with concern, "Aunt Hisato, what happened? Why do you need to borrow money again? What do you need it for? Did something happen to your family again?"

Hearing the concern in Hikari's voice, Azuma Hisato froze.

When her eyes met his concerned gaze, an intense sense of shame suddenly rose within her.

She quickly looked away, waving and shaking her head repeatedly as she forced out a laugh, "Haha! It's nothing, nothing! Auntie was just joking. I only said that because I drank too much and was talking nonsense!"

Anyone could tell that Azuma Hisato's hurried explanation was not sincere.

Hikari naturally continued asking, "Aunt Hisato, just tell me if something happened. We're not just neighbors, after all. You're also Natsuha-chan's aunt. It's okay."

His voice was calm, but there was something reassuring about it.

After Hikari repeatedly pressed her for an answer, the smile Azuma Hisato had put on finally collapsed, and she honestly told him the truth.

After all, she had been bottling up too much distress. If she did not find someone to confide in, she did not think she could keep holding on.

"Because of a mistake Norihiko made at work before, he caused their company a huge loss and now has to repay a hundred million yen in debt."

"That's why I borrowed money from you before, Hikari-kun."

"But even after borrowing so much money from you, it's still nowhere near enough compared with that hundred-million-yen debt."

"Then their president, Kamezo Gouzo, kept demanding that I work as his secretary for a few months, saying that the debt would be canceled if I did."

"But I don't want to go, because the kind of secretary Kamezo Gouzo wants isn't an ordinary secretary."

"He wants me to do things that cross personal boundaries and serve him privately!"

"So I've refused the whole time. I firmly rejected his demand."

"But Norihiko keeps pressuring me to agree. I already told him that President Kamezo has improper intentions toward me, but he just refuses to believe me. He even thinks Kamezo Gouzo isn't that kind of person."

"Even today, he was still openly and indirectly pressuring me to become Kamezo Gouzo's secretary."

"Auntie really… doesn't know what to do anymore…"

As she poured out her troubles, Azuma Hisato tightly held Hikari's hand.

She was tipsy and sad, and tears kept falling from her eyes.

Her pent-up distress came rushing out like a flood. At that moment, the warmth from holding Hikari's hand was the only thing giving her some rare comfort.

After seriously listening to everything Azuma Hisato had said, Hikari first pulled his hand away and patted her shoulder, offering her some reassurance.

"Kamezo Gouzo really is disgusting. To use such a despicable method and make such an awful demand of you, Aunt Hisato."

"Right! Kamezo Gouzo really is absolutely disgusting!", Hearing Hikari say exactly what she had been thinking, Azuma Hisato immediately felt understood.

She instinctively moved a little closer to Hikari, almost pressing her shoulder against his arm, and even had the urge to hold onto him tightly for comfort.

Noticing that Azuma Hisato's movements had become less restrained after drinking, Hikari spoke seriously, "Aunt Hisato, don't worry yet. There are some things I want to tell you."

"Mm, go ahead! I'm listening!", Azuma Hisato hurriedly nodded. Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but her eyes remained fixed on Hikari's face.

After talking things out and receiving Hikari's reassurance, the distress in her heart had gradually been released, and her emotions had settled considerably.

Looking at Azuma Hisato's reddened eyes and damp eyelashes, Hikari slowly said, "First of all, Aunt Hisato, I'm not going to lend you any more money."

"Huh?"

Those words struck Azuma Hisato like a bolt from the blue, leaving her completely stunned.

The next second, intense guilt and embarrassment rushed over her. Her face instantly went pale, her lips trembled, and she hurriedly tried to explain.

"I-I understand! I'm sorry, Hikari-kun! I'm really sorry! I already borrowed so much money from you before and haven't paid you back. I'm embarrassed enough as it is. If I came to ask you for more money today, that would really be shameless. Even I would look down on myself!"

"But please believe me, just now I only said something about borrowing money because I lost control of my emotions and was talking nonsense. I really wasn't deliberately trying to make you feel sorry for me so I could borrow more money from you! I'm really not that shameless, honestly! Hikari-kun, please believe me, sob…"

Azuma Hisato was completely flustered and incoherent, nearly collapsing onto the floor as her emotions approached their breaking point.

First she had been pressured by Kamezo Gouzo, and then she had to deal with pressure and distrust from her husband. Azuma Hisato was already depressed.

If even Hikari, the one person willing to listen to her troubles, understand her feelings, and know what she was really going through, began to doubt her, Azuma Hisato truly would not be able to hold herself together.

Seeing the beautiful married woman lose control of her emotions and begin desperately explaining herself in confusion, Hikari hurriedly held her by the shoulders and first forced her to calm down.

Then he explained, "Aunt Hisato, don't get worked up. That's not what I meant. Just listen to me."

Held firmly by Hikari and unable to struggle free, Azuma Hisato gradually quieted down.

She looked at Hikari with reddened eyes, afraid that she might hear something terrible from him.

If even he stopped trusting her, Azuma Hisato really, but Hikari's next words made her breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"Aunt Hisato, I'm not suspecting that you're trying to make me feel sorry for you so you can get more money out of me or borrow more from me. Don't worry. I believe you."

"The reason I said I won't lend you any more money is simply because I know it won't solve anything."

"I just want to tell you that even if I were willing to lend you a hundred million yen right now so you could pay Kamezo Gouzo and clear the debt, that wouldn't actually be the end of the matter."

Hikari slowly explained this to Azuma Hisato.

"Huh? Why?"

Listening to Hikari's calm explanation, Azuma Hisato finally stabilized emotionally.

Now that she believed Hikari had not misunderstood her, she began thinking about what he had said.

Seeing that Azuma Hisato had regained her curiosity, Hikari reached out and patted her on the head, continuing to soothe her as though calming a child.

After seeing that Azuma Hisato was somewhat embarrassed but had indeed become calmer, Hikari continued analyzing the situation for her.

"First of all, Aunt Hisato, there's definitely something wrong with that company president, Kamezo Gouzo."

"Think about it. Norihiko-san had been handling matters for years without any problems. So how could he suddenly make a mistake when purchasing these materials? And it happened on a project involving such a huge amount of money. That just doesn't make sense."

Hearing Hikari's words, Azuma Hisato's previously muddled mind seemed to clear a little, and she gradually began thinking things through.

"You're right, Hikari-kun… Norihiko isn't that careless. I remember that when he took over this project, he was very serious about it. He never let his guard down. He really didn't seem like someone who would make such a basic mistake…"

Seeing that Azuma Hisato had begun to think, Hikari continued, "And according to what you told me, Aunt Hisato, that president, Kamezo Gouzo, had already harassed you before this happened. He had even made it obvious that he was interested in you, right?"

"Yes. Before, Norihiko took me to a company dinner. The moment Kamezo Gouzo saw me, he looked at me in a disgusting way. He even tried several times to touch me without permission. He only behaved himself after I noticed and sternly warned him!", Mentioning how disgusting Kamezo Gouzo was made Azuma Hisato furious again.

Hikari continued, "Putting all this information together, along with the fact that Kamezo Gouzo seems to know a lot about your family's financial situation, far more than he should…"

"So, is it possible that…"

"The whole incident in which your fiance, Norihiko-san, caused losses to the company was actually a trap Kamezo Gouzo set from the very beginning?"

"The purpose of the whole thing, from beginning to end, was to make your family take on a huge debt that would be difficult to repay."

[🎉 Shoutout to Pablo and Ferocious_Beast for joining p@treon. Consider joining to keep the stories going. Thank you very much.🤗]