Chapter 357: Chapter 357

The world is vast, and at any given moment, major international events are brewing.

Yet the world can also be small.

For Arakawa Reina, her world consisted of studying, working part-time, and then going home.

This was her daily routine, with different details adding layers to the basic framework.

Like chatting with Aozawa, or talking with friends.

She didn't find this life boring.

The daily occurrences ensured their conversation topics always varied.

For instance, the topic of conversation this afternoon revolved around the Owner of the Blue House. He had suddenly started to aggressively propagate the existence of Divine Power. Furthermore, he officially appointed the founder of a Monotheistic religion as the State Preceptor of Korea.

The new State Preceptor showed the Blue House great deference, vigorously touting it as a place where true leaders emerge.

Approved by the supreme deity, the person leading Korea to prosperity had to be the current Owner of the Blue House.

This gossip was so sensational that even Arakawa Reina couldn't resist discussing the details with Aozawa.

No matter how much Korea lagged, it was still on the threshold of developed nations. Yet, it had stooped to creating the position of a State Preceptor.

A regression to Africa.

Arakawa Reina hadn't said this; it was Korean netizens furiously blasting their Great Commander online.

The world knew that Korea, much like Japan, had countless religions emerging. However, no president had ever treated the position of State Preceptor as a legitimate government post.

The current one truly lived up to the image of a great figure, always daring to take bold steps.

Netizens vehemently opposed it. Other religious groups in Korea also voiced their opposition. The political opposition was fuming, accusing him of having utter filth in his brain.

Of course, the followers of the Monotheistic religion strongly supported this decision.

Korea descended into chaos, and Arakawa Reina was merely an observer of the unfolding drama.

The matters in Korea had nothing to do with her.

Arakawa Reina's part-time job ended. When she returned home, she reached out to turn the doorknob.

The door didn't open.

She paused and rang the doorbell several times. Hearing no sound from inside, a sense of unease washed over her.

Arakawa Reina went around to the side and saw that the lights in her home were off, so she called her father's phone.

After a while, the phone connected.

"Hello." Follow current novels on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵

"Dad, why is the house locked? Where have you all gone?"

After a brief silence, a click sounded from the other end, and her father's annoyed voice came through, "We forgot we still have a daughter.

Sorry, Reina, your mother and I are at a hot spring in Hokkaido, gathering material.

She can't talk right now, but she told me to apologize to you. We are truly sorry!"

Arakawa Reina was speechless.

Her father, sounding somewhat embarrassed over the phone, said, "How about this: just like before, find a place to stay for the night. We'll be back tomorrow."

Arakawa Reina replied listlessly. This wasn't the first time she had encountered such a blunder; these kinds of unexpected incidents happened occasionally.

Her parents were so caught up in the joy of their outing that they forgot they still had a daughter who was studying.

Am I really their biological child? Arakawa Reina complained inwardly. In the past, her only option had been to sleep in the yard, using her backpack as a pillow.

Things were different now; as a high school student with a part-time job, she earned a salary.

She had two choices. One was to ask her manager for an advance on her salary and find a hotel.

The other was to borrow money from Aozawa and repay him from her piggy bank when her parents returned.

After some thought, she decided against troubling her manager and opted to borrow from Aozawa instead.

Arakawa Reina initiated a voice call to Aozawa.

The call connected. "Class President, do you need something?"

"Mr. Aozawa, could you lend me some money? My parents locked the door and went on a trip to Hokkaido, so I can't get home."

"Sure, send me your address. I'll come over right away."

Arakawa Reina nodded.

Then, Arakawa Reina stared blankly at the two-story mansion before her, her expression somewhat dazed.

That was thanks to what Aozawa had said.

"Why stay in a hotel and waste money? My house is pretty big, so you might as well stay at my place for the night."

Arakawa Reina felt it would be impolite to refuse. Besides, considering Aozawa's enthusiasm, wouldn't rejecting him be like misjudging a gentleman's kindness with a petty mind?

She agreed in a daze. It wasn't until she was standing at the doorstep of Aozawa's home that the gravity of the situation suddenly struck her.

A lone man and woman in such a spacious mansion.

This plotline is dangerous.

She feared that even if she screamed her lungs out, no one would respond.

No, how could I think of Aozawa that way? He's kindly helping me; he isn't that kind of person.

Arakawa Reina shook her head, dispelling the thoughts from her mind.

Aozawa opened the door and smiled. "This is my new home. It's much bigger than the last one. There's even a basement with a bar and a party area, and the soundproofing is excellent."

Arakawa Reina's face paled slightly. "I-Is that so?" she stammered nervously.

A basement... with good soundproofing. If he locked me in the basement, wouldn't I go undiscovered for years?

Aozawa looked at Arakawa Reina's expression, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Class President, you're not worried I'm going to do something, are you?"

"Haha, of course not!"

Arakawa Reina quickly shook her head and pushed up her black-framed glasses. "I firmly believe in Mr. Aozawa's character!"

Aozawa led Arakawa Reina to the front door. "Leave your shoes here. Have you had dinner yet?"

Arakawa Reina shook her head, the worries in her heart preventing her from marveling at the villa.

She was just desperately trying to dismiss the scenarios playing out in her mind.

Would bending over to take off my shoes be very dangerous?

Arakawa Reina really wanted to crack open her head and remove the plots from all those related comics.

That trope of eyes rolling back white in the entryway... that wouldn't happen in real life, would it?

Despite these thoughts, she waited for Aozawa to finish removing his shoes before stepping forward. Only then did she begin to bend down and take off her own shoes, careful to face the door to ensure her back was safe.

She placed her shoes where they could be reached without excessive bending or stretching.

"Mr. Aozawa, I'm sorry to intrude," Arakawa Reina said, then followed him into the living room.

He brought out bread, orange juice, and a container of instant noodles to offer his guest.

Since Morimoto Chiyoda had left, Aozawa's standard of meals had plummeted. Only at lunchtime could he enjoy the delicious bento made by Hojo Shouko.

"Sorry, my dinner is a bit simple since I'm eating alone at home."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it."

Aozawa wasn't sure how to respond to Arakawa Reina's remark. He glanced away and said, "Class President, perhaps I shouldn't say this, but... are your parents not treating you very well?"

"Mr. Aozawa, they just occasionally forget they have a daughter."

"What kind of bizarre parents are those?"

"The world is very big."

Arakawa Reina sighed, then made an excuse for her parents, "Sometimes they're not bad."

"When they remember they have a daughter."

Arakawa Reina thought back to her childhood.

Although giving a little girl toys meant for adult women was highly unusual, considering her parents' passion for such things, it could indirectly suggest they did hold some affection for their daughter.

Aozawa scratched his head, feeling it was inappropriate to comment further on Arakawa Reina's family matters. Instead, he asked, "Do you want to take a bath?"

Arakawa Reina choked on her bread and coughed a few times. Shaking her head, she said, "No, please don't trouble yourself."

Aozawa, well aware of the significance of baths for Japanese people, smiled. "It's fine. You can use Chitose's towel to dry off."

"Uh..." Arakawa Reina looked into his clear eyes, which seemed untainted by any ulterior motive, and found herself unable to refuse.

Was it too much to attribute her own sordid thoughts to Aozawa's kind intentions?

"Alright then," Arakawa Reina could only nod in agreement.

Aozawa smiled. "Okay, I'll run the bathwater for you. I need to go out for a night run later and will be back before nine."

Aozawa had, in fact, just been for a run. However, he couldn't explain this to Arakawa Reina, so he used the excuse of a night run to leave the house again.

He had tested his Global Travel Ability and knew the maximum size limit for objects he could move: nothing taller than twenty meters or wider than ten meters.

Having figured out his Ability, Aozawa was engrossed in enjoying himself.

He experienced the majesty of Mount Everest, chased the Arctic auroras, played with tropical fish at the Great Barrier Reef, and ascended to the sky city of Machu Picchu, among other adventures.

Now he was eager to go skiing in the Alps.

Arakawa Reina was startled by this.

Aozawa leaving for a night run... that equals an alibi. Then, I finish my bath, come out in a towel... Danger! The outcome? A masked stranger appears. I'm ambushed in the hallway, recorded. Then a mysterious phone call comes, beginning to manipulate my entire future. The woods... pregnant in a public restroom...

Arakawa Reina's mind raced with these scenarios, and a sudden wave of regret at coming to this mansion washed over her.

"Why so surprised? Do I look like the lazy type?"

"No, not at all. I think night running is a very good habit."

Arakawa Reina quickly shook her head and swallowed the mouthful of bread. It was soft and sweet. She comforted herself with the thought that Mr. Aozawa wasn't a bad person; he probably wouldn't do something like that.

Arakawa Reina, stop your ridiculous imaginings right now!

She took a few deep breaths.

Aozawa went to the bathroom to run the hot water for Arakawa Reina. He then told her that his and Chitose's bedrooms were off-limits, but she could sleep in any other room.

Arakawa Reina nodded like a pecking chicken.

Once Aozawa left the house, Arakawa Reina made no attempt to hide her eating speed. She quickly finished the instant noodles, then devoured both pieces of bread, tossing the empty containers into the trash can.

She took out an anti-wolf electric shock baton from her backpack and put on a face mask to prevent anyone from suddenly covering her mouth and nose from behind.

She also put on headgear to protect the back of her head from an attack, to avoid being knocked unconscious.

Having taken these precautions, Arakawa Reina headed to the bathroom and carefully eased herself into the bathtub.

Looking at the magnificent view in the water, she cupped her hands before her chest and muttered, "It's because they're this big that they're so troublesome."

After soaking for a while, she got out, dried herself with a towel, and put her school uniform back on.

Holding a bottle of body wash in one hand and the anti-wolf electric shock baton in the other, she turned the bathroom doorknob.

She peeked left and right, confirming the long corridor was empty.

Arakawa Reina sighed in relief. She turned back to put down the body wash, then headed to a guest room and locked the door.

Her body finally relaxed, but she was immediately overwhelmed by a crushing sense of guilt.

I'm the worst! How could I doubt Mr. Aozawa's character like that?!