CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 87: QUEEN CHITOSE (PLEASE FOLLOW)_1

Ayase Apartment, 601.

Morimoto Chiyoda was practicing yoga, following a short video on YouTube.

From Monday to Friday, she practiced once in the morning. On weekends, having more time, she would do yoga twice a day and also train in martial arts for a while.

Despite her tendency to slack off at work, Morimoto Chiyoda was an accurate shooter, skilled in hand-to-hand combat and baton techniques. She might not always need to use her skills, but she couldn’t afford to lack them.

Morimoto Chiyoda finished a round of complex yoga. Sweat beaded on her fair forehead, a few strands of hair sticking to her cheeks.

"WHEW," she exhaled, stood up, wiped her face with a towel, then her chest and underarms.

It felt like a cool breeze on a scorching summer day. The sensation was indescribably refreshing. A hint of delight touched her face.

CLICK. The sound of the doorknob turning put Morimoto Chiyoda on alert. She quickly pulled the towel away and strolled nonchalantly to the bar’s sink.

The door opened.

Aozawa came home, smiling. "Chitose, I’m back. I brought you some skewers and milk tea from Shinjuku." He held a plastic bag high in his right hand.

"So you do have some conscience, kid." Morimoto Chiyoda’s expression was impassive, but inwardly she relaxed.

Thankfully, her keen hearing had allowed her to avoid Aozawa seeing her wipe the sweat from her underarms. She didn’t want to ruin her elegant image.

Aozawa shut the door behind him and walked towards the kitchen bar. "Chitose, listen to yourself. When have I ever been heartless to you? In my heart, you’re always my top priority."

Morimoto Chiyoda rinsed the towel and retorted, "Then I should really thank you for specially bringing back high-calorie food from Shinjuku."

"If you don’t eat it, I will." Aozawa placed the plastic bag on the bar, took out the skewers and milk tea, and opened the foil wrapping. The aroma wafted out.

"SSS, that smells amazing~" He put on a deliberately enraptured expression. "Are you sure you don’t want any?"

"Since you went to the trouble of buying them, I’ll definitely have a few skewers." Morimoto Chiyoda wrung out the towel, draped it over her slender neck, and reached for a meat skewer.

Aozawa quickly poked a cooked sausage towards her lips, smiling slyly. "Ah, open up. I’ll feed you the sausage."

Morimoto Chiyoda rolled her eyes. She knew he wasn’t *that* considerate.

"Come on, eat up. I’ll be gentle."

Sighing inwardly, she parted her bright red lips, her tongue curling around the cumin sprinkled on the sausage’s surface. It was slightly hot.

Aozawa’s eyes lit up as he watched her.

CRUNCH! Morimoto Chiyoda bit down fiercely, severing a large chunk. She chewed vigorously, her cheeks bulging like a chipmunk’s, then swallowed with a GULP. "Are you satisfied now?" she asked.

Aozawa’s excitement died down. "Rough," he muttered.

Morimoto Chiyoda shot him a glare. "I’m already humoring you by playing along. Don’t push your luck."

"If you’re going to be so rough, I won’t feed you next time."

"As if I care so much," Morimoto Chiyoda retorted. She grabbed a lamb skewer. Since I’ve already eaten high-calorie food, I might as well indulge a bit more, she thought. "Let’s have oden tonight," she declared.

"I have no objections."

"I’ll send you a voice message later with the ingredients to buy. You can get them at the supermarket."

"I think a normal meal would be better. Oden isn’t that great." Hearing he’d have to go to the supermarket himself, Aozawa immediately found it troublesome and instinctively wanted to refuse oden for dinner.

Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t speak, just stared at him.

"Fine. Since Princess Chitose has spoken, this prince has no choice but to make a trip to the supermarket."

"Please call me Queen."

Aozawa snapped to attention, his expression utterly serious. "As you command, Your Majesty!"

"Heh." Morimoto Chiyoda chuckled, amused by his antics. A subtle charm softened her features. She inwardly relished the feeling of having Aozawa wrapped around her finger. It brought her a sense of delight.

Morimoto Chiyoda took a bite of her lamb skewer. The lamb was exceptionally tender.

...

Five o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was bright, showing no sign of setting yet. With summer approaching, the days had grown longer.

Phoenix Academy Maggie’s classes ended on time. Her daily schedule was unaffected by the changing seasons; she adhered strictly to her timetable. Kochou had created that timetable—her own way of expressing motherly love.

Phoenix Academy Maggie politely bid farewell to her physics teacher and headed towards the dining room alone. Butler Miwa followed behind her.

A maid opened the dining room door and bowed. "Miss, I wish you a pleasant meal."

Inside the dining room, the crystal chandelier was lit. Soft light spilled onto the dining table, illuminating an array of exquisite dishes.

Phoenix Academy Maggie looked at the empty seat of honor, her expression surprised. "Didn’t Mother say she would be home for dinner this evening?"

Butler Miwa answered from behind her, "Madam has an important dinner to attend."

Phoenix Academy Maggie nodded, entered the dining room, and took her place. The butler closed the door behind him.

The excellent soundproofing meant Phoenix Academy Maggie didn’t need to worry about the maids outside overhearing their conversation. "What important dinner?" she asked.

Phoenix Academy Maggie was very curious. Her mother wouldn’t change her plans unless it was for something extremely important.

"Actually, a horrific crime occurred in Shinjuku’s Shimoochiai. A man named Dio murdered members of the World True Love and Peace Church."

Butler Miwa answered softly, adding, "According to intelligence from the special investigation team, Dio is over 1.9 meters tall, skilled in disguise, Caucasian, and his methods are highly professional. He also killed the people from Ishita Financial Company and Konishi Financial Company."

"Those are just insignificant small-timers, hardly enough to concern Mother. Is there someone powerful backing the Church?"

"That church is under the protection of Congressman Yasuda. The killer made the Pope of the Church publicly confess on stage to bribing a congressman."

"So, Congressman Yasuda wants Mother to help with a cover-up?" Phoenix Academy Maggie immediately guessed what he wanted from her mother. The Phoenix Academy family controlled three media companies, one of which was a top-tier media outlet in the country. If Congressman Yasuda wanted to quell this matter and prevent any media coverage, he would naturally need the Phoenix Academy’s help. And since the Phoenix Academy supported a different political party than Congressman Yasuda’s, settling such a matter wouldn’t be as simple as a mere word or a favor. It would require the other party to offer tangible benefits.

"Yes, Madam is currently negotiating with representatives invited by Congressman Yasuda and people from the Metropolitan Police Department to see how to resolve this case."

"Hmph." Phoenix Academy Maggie scoffed, not wanting to discuss matters that would spoil her appetite. She waved her hand. "You may go and have your meal."

"Yes." Butler Miwa bowed and exited the dining room.

Phoenix Academy Maggie took out her phone. She wanted to vent to Aozawa about the complicated dealings of adults. In the past, without friends, she could only keep such things bottled up. Now that she had a friend, if she didn’t vent, what was the point of having one?