A journey through the underworld, starting from the Tsubakihara family.

Page 127

At the entrance, Shinomiya Natsume stood on tiptoe and gave him a hard kiss on the cheek, full of reluctance.

See you at school tomorrow, Makoto~

"Well, see you tomorrow."

Chapter 171 Yukino is deep winter, my heart aches.

After bidding a reluctant farewell to Natsume, Makoto Jingu started the car, pondering his next destination.

Since we're already here, why not go to the Yoyomu Apartment nearby to see Shirakawa Miwa?

Perfect timing, we can also enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea together.

However, just as his car arrived at the apartment door, the warning log beeped after a long absence.

[WARNING! Target Yukino Fuyuki is about to trigger an evil event. Location: Room 503, Yoyogi Apartment. Please respond promptly!]

Jingu Makoto paused in his movements.

Before he could react, the next message popped up.

[Didi, the crisis has been averted!]

Makoto Jingu: "..."

This warning log is a joke!

However, curiosity still drove him to park his car and go upstairs to see for himself.

……

Room 503, Yeye Wood Apartment.

Despite the sweltering heat of June, a lingering coolness permeated the room.

Yukino was wearing a turtleneck sweater that was out of season, and even had a light blue thin coat over it, which concealed the two majestic snow-capped mountains.

The long skirt on her lower body barely reached her knees, covering her voluptuous figure, while her slender calves were tightly bound by black pantyhose.

It could be said that he was completely armed from head to toe.

But at this moment, the white-haired beauty was looking helplessly at the entrance.

There, a man remains in a forward-leaning posture, his entire body covered in a thin layer of ice, transformed into a lifelike human-shaped ice sculpture.

Fa, what happened?

Yukino Fuyuki blinked her sky-blue eyes blankly, trying hard to recall what she had just heard.

The apartment's original manager was a kind and amiable old lady.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Takahashi passed away a few days ago due to illness, and the apartment building has been taken over by her grandson.

Yesterday, the new Mr. Takahashi came to her door, claiming that she was behind on rent.

Because she hadn't found a suitable job and was indeed short of money, Yukino Fuyumi kindly asked for an extension.

Unexpectedly, the other party was surprisingly easy to talk to and readily agreed.

Then, around noon today, Mr. Takahashi came again, saying that the government had some new rent subsidy program and that she needed to fill out a document.

The naive snow woman, upon hearing of such a good thing, suspected nothing and let him into the house.

But when the other person came in, they mysteriously said they had something good to show her, and then... and then she couldn't remember anything.

The recollection ends here.

Filled with doubt, Yukino Fuyuki cautiously stepped forward, extended her finger, and lightly touched the ice sculpture.

Click.

The thin ice shattered, and Mr. Takahashi's body slumped onto the floor, lifeless.

As he fell to the ground, a ring slipped off his stiff finger and rolled to Yukino Fuyuki's feet.

"This is?"

She crouched down and curiously picked up the ring.

On the ring's face, a blood-red gemstone is set, with a vertical pupil in the center, exuding an indescribable evil aura.

The moment her gaze met that red eyeball, a strong wave of dizziness washed over her again, and her consciousness began to waver once more.

Fortunately, no one activated the ring this time, and with her being somewhat prepared, the Snow Woman quickly broke free from that strange power and regained her senses.

Only now did she belatedly understand the whole story.

This newcomer, Mr. Takahashi, somehow obtained this hypnotic ring and harbored malicious intentions towards himself.

He succeeded; he was indeed hypnotized.

But he failed. Faced with a life-threatening situation, the cold energy emanating from his body froze the scheming man into an icicle.

"But... what should I do? Wouldn't this count as murder?"

Unconsciously, Yukino Fuyutsu put the eerie ring into her pocket. Looking at the cold, stiff corpse on the ground, her pretty face turned deathly pale with fright.

Before she came to Tokyo, a close senior colleague had told her that she must abide by the law, or she would be arrested and sent to a prison specifically for demi-humans.

Oh no, I'm not really going to have to go inside and operate the sewing machine, am I...?

Just as Yukino Fuyuki was hugging her knees, looking dejected and hopeless about her bleak future, a gentle voice sounded above her head.

"Miss Yukino, are you alright?"

That voice... it's Jingu-kun!

Yukino Fuyuki suddenly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked towards the doorway.

Jingu Makoto was standing there, a hint of concern on his face.

She was deeply impressed by this handsome, kind-hearted young man who was completely unafraid of the cold emanating from him.

Furthermore, because she could often hear the sounds of Makoto Jingu and Miwa Shirakawa having deep conversations next door, Yukino Fuyuki even learned to use him as a side dish to unleash water magic without any instruction.

Looking into the snow woman's blue eyes, which were filled with moisture, Jingu Makoto knelt down, his voice carrying a soothing power.

"Miss Yukino, don't be afraid. Can you tell me what happened here?"

In fact, based on the scene and the warning log, he had already guessed what was going on.

The only thing that puzzled him was why she looked like she was about to cry, since she had successfully turned the tables.

"King Jingu, it's like this..."

Yukino Fuyu sniffled, choking back tears as she recounted what had happened, unconsciously shifting closer to Jingu Makoto's embrace.

Waaah, Jingu-kun's embrace is so warm; she needs this warmth to soothe her frightened heart.

"...That's how it is, Jingu-kun. Am I going to be arrested?"

After saying that, the Snow Woman raised her pretty face, which was streaked with tears, and looked at him in fear.

Two rosy blushes graced her beautiful face, and tears welled in her watery eyes, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

"Don't worry, this is self-defense, you'll be fine."

Jingu Makoto gently comforted her.

This was entirely Takahashi's own fault for being so audacious.

"If Ms. Yukino trusts me, then leave this matter to me."

Jingu Makoto gently patted her back, feeling the delicate body in his arms tremble slightly, and then released his hand under her reluctant gaze.

He stood up and casually snapped his fingers at the corpse on the ground.

Snapped.

Takahashi's body vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.

I was thinking about buying an apartment yesterday, and today the opportunity just came knocking on my door.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Jingu-kun."

Yukino, who lives alone year-round, knows nothing about these things.

But she was willing to believe in Makoto Jingu.

"Well, I'll be going now. Miss Yukino must have been frightened, you should get some rest."

Jingu Makoto gave a word of advice and then prepared to turn and leave.

But as soon as he turned around, a pair of soft, cool little hands suddenly reached out from behind and tightly held his palms.

He turned around and saw Yukino Fuyuki holding his hand, her cheeks flushed, looking at him shyly.

"What's wrong, Miss Yukino? Is there anything else?"

"I……"

Yukino Fuyuki was speechless for a moment; she actually wanted Jingu Makoto to stay with her a little longer.

But wouldn't being so direct leave him with a frivolous impression?

A sudden inspiration struck the Snow Woman, and she said in a flash of genius:

"Jingu-kun, you helped me move before, and now you've helped me with this huge problem... To express my gratitude, I'd like to invite you in for afternoon tea."

As she spoke, as if to emphasize her sincerity, she unconsciously tightened her grip on Shingu Makoto's soft hand, pressing his hand into the warmth of her sweater.

It was cool and refreshing, yet incredibly soft. The wonderful sensation made Makoto Jingu feel as if he were appreciating a piece of fine jade.

Wow... this feel is unfair.

However, having afternoon tea at Yukino's place and then having dinner at Shirakawa Miwa's place seems like a pretty good option.

Jingu Makoto looked at Yukino Fuyuki's hopeful eyes and was about to nod.

Just then, the door to room 502 next door clicked open.

Shirakawa Miwa came out carrying a bag of trash, seemingly preparing to go downstairs to throw it away.

Today she was wearing a fitted beige T-shirt paired with blue jeans, exuding a mature and gentle charm.

When she saw the two people standing at the door next door, especially when she saw Makoto Jingu, she was stunned and thought she was hallucinating from missing him too much.

She rubbed her eyes hard, and after confirming that the person in front of her was not a hallucination, the trash bag in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

The next second, she rushed over and hugged Shingu Makoto tightly.

"Jingu-kun! You're finally back!"

Shirakawa Miwa buried her face deep in his chest, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and spoke in a tone full of joy and longing.

As for Yukino Shinfu, she was so frightened that she let go of Shirakawa Miwa's hand as soon as she came out.

She stared blankly at the scene of their tight embrace, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.

Her already fair face instantly lost all color, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Even though... even though I knew all along that Jingu-kun already had a girlfriend.

But... why does seeing it with my own eyes still make my heart ache so much...?

It hurts, it hurts too much!

Chapter 172 The Snow Woman Who Couldn't Bear It Anymore

"You came all this way just to see me? Cheng-kun, I love you the most!"

When Shirakawa Miwa heard that Jingu Makoto had come to ask her for afternoon tea, she was overjoyed and stood on tiptoe to give him a big kiss on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Yukino Fuyuki, who was already pale, felt as if she had been shot in the heart again.

It turns out I was just passing by...

After finishing the incense, Shirakawa Miwa affectionately took Jingu Makoto's arm and was about to pull him away when she noticed Yukino Fuyuki leaning against the door frame, looking dazed.

"Miss Yukino, what are you doing here? You look terrible, are you alright?"

To Yukino Fuyuki, Shirakawa Miwa's concern sounded like a victor's boast.

"I-I'm fine."