Chapter 57

Actually, the current time point is neither late night nor morning.

But noon twelve o'clock——

At noon twelve o'clock, Shizuka Mafuyu's house is still pitch black and messy.

Empty beer bottles and cans can be seen everywhere, black and white OL outfits and ties hang one piece here one piece there on the sofa and coffee table edges.

On the living room floor covered with tatami, Nanjo Rituna, awakened by the heart-gripping mobile phone alarm clock, rubbed her eyes with her hand, flipped the phone face down in one motion, and moved away the fleshy big white legs on top of her head.

She sat up, and saw Shizuka Mafuyu, clothes disheveled, sleeping in a "big" character shape, occupying nearly half the small living room.

"This Shizuka guy... usually looks quite quiet, but her sleeping posture is this wild and uninhibited?"

Yawning, Nanjo Rituna pulled the purple spaghetti strap that had fallen to her arm back to her shoulder, and then heard muffled sleep-talking from not far away.

"Nanjo Minor Officer... not drinking anymore, I really can't drink anymore."

Following that——

"Open another can! You just collapsed like that, Nanjo Sister your alcohol tolerance isn't much either!"

Nanjo Rituna let out a pfft laugh.

She still remembers the comical sight of Shizuka Mafuyu twisting and turning in circles saying those words last night.

Dreams are good in this way, able to easily reverse past failures, even if one has no talent, effort, or background, one can still be a victorious general.

Nanjo Rituna brought the phone screen to her eyes, stared at the date and numbers on it for a while: "The appointment is today......"

"Nure, you go wake Shizuka up, then bring her to the bathroom to shower, I'll come after I finish this one."

As her words fell, Nure-oni, who had guarded the doorway all night, slowly floated over, but made Nanjo Rituna's nose tip twitch, and she asked with rising intonation,

"Nure, you sneaked a drink?"

Nure-oni immediately turned her head away, cheeks burning under her long black hair, she waved her hands: "No... no no."

Seeing this, Nanjo Rituna curled her lip: "Damn, the upper beam not straight the lower beam crooked, I still remember long ago you smelled alcohol and would float far far away."

She pulled open the curtains and window, stabbed by the sunlight from the external world into squinting.

Lighting a wake-up cigarette, Nanjo Rituna enjoyed a light hum, and asked again: "Didn't smoke, right?"

Nure-oni immediately shook her head like a rattle drum: "No no no, this is too choking, not good smelling at all!"

"Then that counts as admitting sneaking a drink?" Nanjo Rituna smiled, "You used this same excuse before when sneaking snacks and seeing me drink."

Nure-oni wouldn't listen, just kept shaking Shizuka Mafuyu awake.

"Mm? Ugh......!"

Shizuka Mafuyu just opened her eyes, and Nure-oni's big face plate suspended in mid-air gave her a good scare.

In an instant heaven didn't spin earth didn't turn, the hangover aftereffects suddenly got that much better.

"It's Nure-oni Miss." Even though Shizuka Mafuyu wasn't dizzy anymore, she still felt her stomach turning rivers and seas, but she still suggested, "Nure-oni Miss, if you could tie your hair up properly, you'd definitely become a big beauty......"

Words not finished, Shizuka Mafuyu hurriedly climbed up and ran toward the bathroom.

Not two seconds, weak vomiting sounds came from inside.

This movement heard by Nanjo Rituna made her a bit nostalgic, she remembers the first time she got drunk like this was probably nearly fifteen years ago.

Back then she just entered society and didn't know how to decline, others urged alcohol she drank, atmosphere cold she also drank, happy afterward she still drank......

If not for her heaven-gifted talent, she would have drunk a stomach perforation long ago.

Not long after, Shizuka Mafuyu's weak voice sounded behind her again: "Nanjo Minor Officer, is there still work today?"

"Mm, there is." Nanjo Rituna exhaled smoke, "But wash first, a body of alcohol smell can't meet people."

"Oh! Okay, Nanjo Minor Officer!"

Shizuka Mafuyu immediately replied loudly, standing straight.

Immediately following, her voice went small again, stammering: "That...... Minor Officer Kakka, after I got drunk last night I didn't do anything embarrassing, right? I myself seem to not remember, is this situation called a blackout?"

Embarrassing?

Nanjo Rituna instead felt completely not the case.

She closed her eyes, last night's memories clearly floated up to her heart——

"Alright! Chose the true heart words about 'future', Mami you can't go back on it!"

"——Didn't I, I say it all! I want to let Younger Sister establish herself in Tokyo ah Nanjo you this can't-understand-human-speech stupid goods!"

"Younger Sister's life counts as what kind of future ah! Are you her Older Sister or her Old Mother?! The hell give me ground say real words!"

Shizuka Mafuyu fell silent, she gulu gulu drank beer, quietly gazing at a monotonous night sky where not a single star could be seen.

Long time, the just twenty-year-old girl hugged her knees tight, covered her face:

"——Nanjo Sister, I don't want to die worthlessly like garbage with those believers and Hasegawa Senior, then be put in small boxes and buried in cheap cemeteries."

"I want...... to properly live on."

She trembled,

"Even if living peaceful days where one glance sees the end, I also want to properly live with Younger Sister."

In the long sobbing sounds, Nanjo Rituna quietly finished the raw beer in hand, then curved her lip corners, delighted beyond measure,

"Then please definitely let me help you, Mami."

Nanjo Rituna said to the girl word by word: "Because we are the same kind of people."

"——Alright! First come shower."

Crushing out the cigarette butt, Nanjo Rituna pulled Shizuka Mafuyu into the bathroom, then twisted open the faucet in one go, as if she was this house's owner.

She snapped her fingers.

"Nure, old rules, but this time arrange Shizuka too."

Nure-oni familiarly used her hair ends to undo the two people's underwear clasps, making Shizuka Mafuyu let out a yah sound.

Nure-oni's movements halted, and he looked at the girl with some puzzlement; the latter's face instantly flushed bright red, and she lowered her head, forcing out a "sorry."

Minami Rituna leaned against the edge of the bathtub, pondering what was to come.

Shizuka Mafuyu sat on a small horse stool, quite embarrassed; from childhood to now, she had never bathed together with anyone besides her family.

This time, Nure-oni controlled the water flow with particular diligence to help the two scrub, as if hoping someone would shift their attention to this.

"Nanjo Minor Officer, may I ask what the work is later?" Shizuka Mafuyu broke the silence, because after the Friendship Club was disbanded, Kondo Tomoya had given them a full week off.

"Relax, it's just going to see the superior." Minami Rituna stretched, displaying curves that made the girl envious, "To bring up the matter of the Friendship Club and Aibetsuriku to them."

Hah?

Shizuka Mafuyu was somewhat puzzled; she remembered clearly that yesterday, Nanjo Minor Officer had clearly said to Uesugi-kun that she didn't care about this matter anymore, right?

She continued asking: "Is it Kondo Major Officer?"

Minami Rituna shook her head: "It's the 【Five Person Council】."

Shizuka Mafuyu froze; only then did she realize Minami Rituna's words belied her true thoughts.

The Five Person Council, full name "Tokyo Special Affairs Bureau Five Person Highest Council," is composed of the Onmyo Assistant, Onmyo Doctor, Astronomy Doctor, Calendar Doctor, and Water Clock Doctor.

Although in the historical Onmyoryo the latter four's official ranks differed slightly, in the reformed Special Affairs Division the importance of the four is exactly the same.

——This is the highest authority organ of the entire Tokyo Special Affairs Bureau, and also the most powerful violence organ.

Minami Rituna doing this is equivalent to skipping three or four levels to report upward; with the slightest carelessness, she could lose her position.

Thus Shizuka Mafuyu hesitated: "Nanjo Minor Officer, do you have confidence?"

Who knew Minami Rituna would instead look at her with a strange gaze, spread her hands,

"Of course not!"

If you have no confidence, don't say it with such righteous confidence, okay!

This time, Shizuka Mafuyu couldn't help but start worrying about her own job.

Although returning to ordinary life at this critical moment is quite nice, if she really got fired, wouldn't all her previous efforts have been in vain? Thinking about it makes her feel so aggrieved.

"——Shizuka, you also have reasons for not wanting Arakawa Ward to be destroyed, for countless ordinary people to die miserably, right?"

Shizuka Mafuyu came back to her senses, nodded: "Of course."

Ever since her parents passed away, she had worked hard living in Arakawa Ward together with her Younger Sister; even if life wasn't that good sometimes, there was no place or memory here worth cherishing.

But at least, this is the place where they grew up.

That is enough.

At some unknown time, Hiyobou was already suspended above the two's heads, helping them dry their hair and the water droplets on their bodies.

Minami Rituna took over the clothing Haku had brought, putting it on unhurriedly.

Buttoned the buttons, tightened the tie.

Soon, the unreliable woman vanished, replaced by that ever composed and calm Nanjo Minor Officer.

Then Shizuka Mafuyu saw her superior lower her head, reach out, and ask softly:

"Want to come along, Shizuka?"

Shizuka Mafuyu understood, this was the last chance to back down.

If she nodded yes, the internship job she had obtained through immense hardship might be lost today; if she refused, she could continue striving for her Younger Sister's future.

This should have been an extremely difficult choice, just like in the past when she had chosen to work part-time while studying with incomparable difficulty for the sake of her Younger Sister being able to attend high school.

But this time, Shizuka Mafuyu for some reason abandoned weighing the options, and instead without a second thought gripped the palm that had fallen before her, imploring: "Please definitely take me along, Nanjou-sama."

Thus, Minami Rituna smiled happily,

"Sure."

The superior bent down, solemnly and carefully tying the tie for her personally.

Then, lightly patted her shoulder,

"Then, let's go."

——Sorry, Manatsu.

Shizuka Mafuyu gently closed her eyes.

She said softly in her heart: "Please let this older sister be willful once in a while."

Monday update moved up to 00:01, everyone remember to come read then

Also brothers, keep your monthly tickets for now, stuff them all into me on Monday, Monday I want to rush a ranking, knead orz

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(End of Chapter)