"Yuko, can I come to your house to study today?" Fujita Yumi came closer, clasped her hands together, and looked at Cheng Shuang with a pleading expression.

"If your family agrees!"

"Can I use your phone at your house, Yuko? Aren't you scared being alone? I'll keep you company, okay?"

Cheng Shuang really wanted to straighten Fujita Yumi's little head, since she was the one asking the question, but why was she looking at Akasaka Chisato?

It's not hard to guess what the little girl is thinking. During breaks, she chatters on and on, and whenever she has the chance, she turns the conversation to Akasaka. It must be because Akasaka's looks just happen to hit the mark with the precocious Fujita's aesthetic sense. That's why the little girl can't help but talk about the opposite sex that she's interested in and that her friends are familiar with.

Sometimes Cheng Shuang even had the illusion that Fujita was befriending Yuko because she had a pretty childhood friend.

Of course, this idea is not very reliable; how could a ten-year-old child have such thoughts?

While tidying up her desk, Akasaka noticed Fujita's undisguised, intense gaze. Her fair face soured, and she proudly reprimanded Fujita Yumi, "Hey, please don't cause trouble for others. My mother didn't prepare any food for you!"

Are all kids these days so direct and to the point?

Cheng Shuang glanced at the somewhat disappointed Fujita, afraid that she might burst into tears. But the little girl was surprisingly strong and quickly cheered up, bowing to Akasaka. "Then please tell your aunt that I will visit her after school tomorrow evening!"

After saying that, before Akasaka could react, the little girl skipped out of the classroom, leaving Cheng Shuang and Akasaka staring at each other.

Akasaka pouted, stylishly swung his backpack and walked out, pulling his school cap (berret) over his head as he went. Then, standing at the classroom door, he called out to Cheng Shuang without turning back, "Let's go!"

Cheng Shuang sighed deeply. How could she have the misconception that a fourth-grader was not worthy of her level of knowledge?! Look at the maturity of a ten-year-old; she couldn't even come close to it.

At the school gate, Cheng Shuang followed Akasaka onto a bus. After seven stops, they got off and walked one after the other through a winding alley. On both sides of the alley were independent houses, not large, but very quiet.

Noticing that Akasaka's pace quickened, Cheng Shuang suspected that they were almost home and paid special attention to the nameplates in front of each iron gate.

Akasaka stopped in front of a detached house in the middle of the street. The name 'Akasaka' was hanging on the door. Cheng Shuang deliberately took two extra steps to the side, and sure enough, another house had the name 'Kawakami' on it.

Akasaka pushed open the half-closed iron gate first, crossed the small front yard, walked to the front door, took off his shoes and pushed the door open, calling out, "Mom, we're back!"

Akasaka's mother was a petite woman with a friendly smile and smooth, delicate skin. She didn't look like a woman in her early thirties at all; instead, she was as fair-skinned as a young girl. She warmly welcomed Cheng Shuang into the house.

From the family photo on the side table, it can be seen that Chisato Akasaka's appearance is similar to his mother's. Akasaka's father is a tall, serious-looking man with a mature demeanor, but his appearance is quite ordinary.

The school didn't assign any homework, so the two of them had to study the material for the next day's class on their own. They read quietly in the living room while Akasaka's mother placed two drinks on the table and then turned to prepare dinner.

Once Akasaka felt he had done enough preparation, he finished his drink and started looking around his feet. After searching for a while, he looked up and called out to the kitchen, "Mom, where's Kojiro?"

Akasaka's mother was taken aback. She wiped her hands, came out of the kitchen, and sat down opposite Akasaka with a serious expression. "Chisato, Kojiro ran away this afternoon and hasn't come home yet. I've already called your father's company. He'll look for him in the neighborhood after get off work."

Akasaka's face turned pale, and he stood up abruptly. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm going to find Kojiro!"

Cheng watched in disbelief as Akasaka turned and ran out the door, while Akasaka's mother did not respond, but gently returned to the kitchen.

The little girl frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a chill run through her body. She instinctively stood up, her back stiffening. "Auntie, I'll go look for it with Akasaka!"

Upon hearing this, Akasaka's mother replied, "It's alright, be careful!"

The kitchen was some distance from the living room, and Akasaka's mother's voice sounded unreal and ethereal. Cheng Shuang suddenly felt the temperature getting colder and colder. She glanced down at the goosebumps on her arms and quickly walked out of the room.

As the sun set, the sky turned a beautiful orange hue. Akasaka kept calling Kojiro's name along the path, while Cheng Shuang stood quietly at his doorstep, turning back to look. Suddenly, her eyes flashed, and her gaze fixed on the second floor.

The curtains in the second-floor room were suddenly drawn shut, and Akasaka's mother's figure appeared and disappeared in the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows, moving between the kitchen and the dining room.

So who's on the second floor?

Cheng Shuang caught up with Akasaka, grabbed the boy who was running away in a panic, and asked, "Did you have guests at your house today?"

Akasaka, anxious to find his pet, impatiently pulled his arm away. "No!" He paused, perhaps realizing his tone wasn't very good, and hurriedly explained, "There are no unfamiliar shoes at the door, how could there be a guest! Yuko, come with me to look for it on the back street! Kojiro is usually very well-behaved, it can't run away from this area."

“Okay!” Cheng Shuang didn’t want to stay at the Akasaka family home either. Firstly, it was too awkward, and secondly, the Akasaka family home gave her a dangerous feeling, as if something was watching everyone in the house from the shadows.

Although Kawakami and Akasaka were old neighbors, the two adjacent houses were bought by the two families later. Because they were so close and had plenty of money, the adults always went out together.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!