Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 27

Shiromiya Mirai

At 4:15 PM, Kurosawa took the subway to a luxurious apartment building in the city center.

After swiping a card at the entrance on the ground floor, he entered the apartment, swiped the card again, and took the elevator to the 32nd floor.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw a woman waiting at the door.

She was a beautiful woman in a maid outfit, with short, neatly cut hair, a tall figure, and a straight posture. Her lovely face, paired with calm and indifferent eyes, gave her a serious and competent demeanor, making her seem unapproachable.

Kurosawa knew who she was – Akai Sayaka, the maid of Shiromiya Mirai.

“Miss Akai, I’m Kurosawa Hikaru, here for tutoring.”

Kurosawa presented a card and his bag, indicating his intentions.

Akai took the card, glanced at it, which had his name and photo, then opened the bag to check for any dangerous items like knives. After confirming everything was in order, she looked back at Kurosawa.

Her gaze was scrutinizing, scanning him from top to bottom.

“What’s the matter?”

Noticing that her inspection today was longer than usual, Kurosawa was puzzled.

In theory, he had been a tutor for over a year, and they were somewhat familiar with each other.

“Please come in.”

After a serious examination, Akai nodded slightly, returned his belongings, and made way for him to enter.

Retrieving his belongings, Kurosawa didn’t think much and took confident strides forward.

Akai, who followed behind him, observed his steady and powerful steps, his back straight without any sway. She pondered over his composed and disciplined posture.

Such footsteps and an upright figure were not something an ordinary person could achieve; it required strict training.

In reality, it’s challenging for most people to maintain an absolutely straight posture while walking, as walking with an upright head and chest can be quite tiring. Achieving steps without any shoulder movement was even more improbable.

Why does it look different from Tuesday…

With this question in mind, Akai harbored suspicions and decided to observe more closely today.

Shiromiya’s residence was a spacious duplex.

As this luxurious apartment was built by the Maple Group, it had a dedicated elevator and two specially designed floors.

While it might not be a villa estate, in the central Tokyo area where every inch of land was valuable, it was still a luxury residence beyond imagination.

The interior decoration was opulent, adorned with valuable paintings, antiques, and carefully arranged items, exuding an air of extravagance.

After being a tutor for over a year, Kurosawa was quite accustomed and entered the study.

“Please wait a moment. The young lady will be here shortly. Also, would you like something to drink?”

Akai, standing at the doorway, asked.

“A glass of cold water.”

Kurosawa, carrying his bag, grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the desk.

The study was quite spacious, even larger than the living room, with numerous bookshelves holding a plethora of books.

The faint scent of paper and books lingered in the air, resembling the atmosphere of a library. For those who loved studying and reading, it had a fantastic aroma.

Having settled into his seat, Kurosawa opened his bag and took out some items.

“Knock, knock.”

Before long, there was a knock on the door. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Kurosawa stood up and looked towards the entrance.

The one knocking was Akai, standing by the door.

Following her, a black-haired girl in a white dress entered.

“Miss Shiromiya.”

Upon seeing her, Kurosawa also greeted her with a respectful nod.

In response to the greeting, Shiromiya merely nodded slightly and then approached.

Her skin was fair and delicate, presenting a cold white tone. Her straight black hair flowed finely, and she had slender limbs. Standing with an upright posture, she had an oval shaped face, a delicate and petite nose, slender crescent-shaped eyebrows, and a beautiful appearance.

What drew the most attention were her eyes, like red gemstones—beautiful yet cold and calm. They added a touch of nobility and maturity to her overall demeanor.

This girl didn’t exude the typical youthful energy of a high school student. Instead, she possessed a maturity that seemed beyond her age, standing aloof and keeping others at a distance.

Has she practiced archery? 

Seeing her, Kurosawa, unlike previous encounters, made a new observation.

Due to the proficiency-level archery permanent reward, even though he hadn’t touched a bow and arrow yet, he had gained a lot of knowledge and understanding in his mind.

In addition, his body automatically adapted, forming muscle memory.

In short, although he hadn’t touched a bow and arrow, he had become an archery expert with improved eyesight.

Because of this, he could instantly see that Shiromiya’s footsteps were one of the postures of archery.

“What class do we have today?”

Shiromiya walked to the desk, sat down, and asked.

“Academic class.” Kurosawa pulled over a chair and sat down.

At the same time, Akai, standing by the bookshelf, took out the last document in order and placed it on the desk.

Shiromiya skillfully took it, opened the document, which contained the homework assigned by Kurosawa two days ago, and a notebook.

“This is today’s lesson plan and direction; take a look first.”

Kurosawa also pushed the book containing two bookmarks in front of her.

After the exchange, there was no unnecessary communication; each started to focus on their respective tasks.

Kurosawa checked the homework, and Shiromiya read to understand what class they had today.

During this time, Akai also left, bringing a tray with tea for both, placing it down, and then went to the back, standing there waiting and observing.

As a bodyguard and maid, her duty was to assist Shiromiya in dealing with any danger or trouble.

In addition, another important task was to prevent anyone from being alone with Shiromiya.

“Perfect, there’s not a single mistake. Miss Shiromiya is truly brilliant.”

The quietness in the study lasted for half an hour, and Kurosawa had finished checking.

“I’ve finished reviewing. Let’s begin.” 

Shiromiya spoke.

Have you become completely numb to studying?

Observing her lack of reaction to the praise, Kurosawa couldn’t help but wonder.

In fact, he wasn’t unfamiliar with this student; they had known each other for over a year. However, until today, he had been too focused on work, paying no attention to anything else.

More precisely, he had long known how busy and burdensome Shiromiya’s studies were, but he chose to turn a blind eye. 

He didn’t care about Shiromiya’s feelings or situation; he only cared about whether his work was going smoothly and meeting the standards.

But at this moment, perhaps due to having the system and a change in mindset, he began to notice more.

Although he noticed this, Kurosawa didn’t say much; instead, he started his tutoring work.

After all, Akai, the maid, was still standing behind, supervising.

Whether his performance was satisfactory or not depended on the maid’s reports and evaluations, so he couldn’t afford to be negligent.

Both sides cooperated well in the tutoring, and it proceeded smoothly.

Immersed in studying, time quickly passed, and before he knew it, it was already six o’clock.

Even without checking the clock, one could tell the time because Akai would leave promptly to prepare dinner.

This was one of the few times she would leave, a brief half-hour period.