Chapter 134: The Housekeeper, Ashūshū

The next morning, Uesugi Muneyuki woke up to the sound of movement in the kitchen, which made him feel slightly unaccustomed.

Master Eirina was capable of taking care of herself, but one shouldn't count on her to look after others; if that tall beauty were here, her most likely course of action would be to cling to Uesugi Muneyuki while there was still time in the morning for a round, and then get up to eat breakfast in style.

As for breakfast, Eirina generally had milk and a peanut butter sandwich, or milk, boiled corn, and an egg—quite perfunctory; she only knew how to make fitness meals, which could fill one's stomach but were hard to swallow.

Getting up and washing, just as Uesugi Muneyuki was emerging from his room still feeling a bit groggy, a sweet "good morning" drifted over from the kitchen, followed by the aroma of food.

Bathed in the warm sun of the winter morning, Saito Asuka stood beside the open-plan kitchen; the standard, slightly oversized housekeeper's uniform, along with the pure white apron layered over it, fanned out around the little kitchen maid, forming a melodic, gorgeous, and long-trailing wave behind her.

The lace at the hem of the apron spread out around the girl, its delicate edges entangled with several cute ribbons, forming two dancing brooks at her waist that rose and fell with Saito Asuka's light and steady steps, finally converging into a cute and playful black-and-white bow behind the girl's dress.

Her slender, delicate calves, wrapped in thick, pure white velvet tights, were exposed—tender and appetizing, like jade or snow—and her small, white-stockinged feet were tucked into rabbit-fur slippers, having lost their usual friskiness and gained a touch of elegance.

The soft sunlight spread across the girl's thin shoulders, the faint warmth making the brilliant smile on the Chosen Girl's face all the more alluring; she was cooking earnestly, and upon hearing Uesugi Muneyuki come out, her cute little head tilted slightly, letting words that made one's heart skip a beat slip into his ears: "Good morning! Uesugi-san!"

"Good morning, Asuka." Uesugi Muneyuki returned a brilliant smile to Saito Asuka.

"Please wait a moment, breakfast will be ready right away!" The cute girl, as pure and flawless as a daisy, bloomed with a radiant smile under the sunlight.

The breakfast Saito Asuka had prepared for Uesugi Muneyuki was—a small bowl of rice, grilled salmon, rolled omelet, and miso soup.

Along with pickled radish as a cold dish and brewed Barley Tea.

"I'm sorry, Uesugi-san, there was only this in the fridge..." The girl served the steaming breakfast, looking down with a mix of anticipation and shyness as she said: "I hope, I hope it is to your taste."

However, the girl's ability had far exceeded Uesugi Muneyuki's estimation; he hadn't known how long it had been since he last ate a traditional Japanese breakfast since moving out to live on his own. After a few bites, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and joy spread from his taste buds, and Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but exclaim: "Excellent, very, very excellent, Housekeeper Ashūshū! It seems hiring you was a fantastic decision; I like it very much!"

"I'm glad you like it, Uesugi-san." The girl's pair of fair, small hands, which had originally been nervously twisting and turning in front of her apron, finally let go of the heavy burden in her heart after receiving Uesugi Muneyuki's praise, and she let out a long breath: "I was worried you wouldn't like the Hokkaido taste."

"Sit down and eat together." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

Only then did the girl sit down; the breakfast she had made for herself was exactly the same as Uesugi Muneyuki's, except that her piece of grilled salmon was very small.

Seeing this, Uesugi Muneyuki divided his salmon in half for her, stopped her refusal with a look, and then said with a half-smile: "Looking at you like this, you didn't sleep well last night, did you? Thinking about me?"

"Umm..." Saito Asuka lowered her head in great embarrassment; although she had tried her best to cover it up, the dark circles under her eyes still couldn't escape Uesugi Muneyuki's observation. The girl awkwardly watched Uesugi Muneyuki's reaction, not knowing what he meant by saying this, only feeling that she shouldn't speak, yet she couldn't not speak either.

"I've said it before, I never have relations with minors under 18." Uesugi Muneyuki was always straightforward, preferring to lay his cards on the table: "And as for you..."

Saito Asuka felt Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze seem to shift downward by thirty centimeters, and then the man instinctively let out a laugh.

This laugh instantly shattered all of Saito Asuka's psychological defenses; the girl collapsed dejectedly, sliding down along the chair, unable to get back up.

Defeated! Defeated again! A total failure!

Uesugi-san! How mean! Really, so mean!

I clearly! I am clearly super popular at school! The chocolate I receive in one year is enough for me to eat for three!

I'm still just developing, still just developing!

"So you don't need to worry at all; at least until you finish your coming-of-age ceremony at 20, this is your home, so just live here with peace of mind." Uesugi Muneyuki continued: "I have no interest in you, and I'm not short on bed partners. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes..." The girl didn't know whether she should feel fortunate or sad.

Last night, she had actually been prepared, prepared to be just like her sister.

If Uesugi Muneyuki had really opened the door and come in, she wouldn't have resisted; she was serious about that. She had nowhere else to go; it was nothing more than trading her body for a place to rest, and she knew she was very popular.

Then she might as well sell it for a good price; at least selling it to Uesugi-san was better than to some childish kid or middle-aged uncle outside. Her sister said it was good, and her sister's choice was the younger sister's choice.

As it turned out, Uesugi Muneyuki didn't come.

At this point, this man had finally and completely solidified his status in Saito Asuka's heart.

Her sister had left her someone worth entrusting, someone worth relying on.

After finishing breakfast, the girl took the initiative to clear the dishes. Uesugi Muneyuki had a dishwasher at home that could wash them directly, and seeing the girl preparing to start cleaning, Uesugi Muneyuki signaled for her to sit down first.

"Asuka, I've already arranged your new school; it's the nearby Tsukuba University High School, and it only takes 10 minutes to walk there from here." Uesugi Muneyuki said seriously: "New Year is coming up soon, so it's arranged for you to report there after the winter break. Don't let your studies slip during this time; there's an academic assessment for enrollment, and you'll have to repeat a grade if you can't pass."

"Mm, I will work hard!" The girl groaned inwardly, but facing Uesugi Muneyuki's earnest gaze, she could only reluctantly agree.

In reality, the best high school in Bunkyo Ward was Ochanomizu Women's High School, which had all departments from elementary school through high school, but the high school division only accepted female students, which was perfect for Saito Asuka.

There was just one problem: the deviation score requirement for Ochanomizu Women's High School was—78!

Saito Asuka's deviation score at school was 53, which was mid-tier; there was almost no possibility of her passing the academic test.

In reality, this couldn't be blamed entirely on Asuka; she was simply too busy. After school, she still had to participate in club activities and then go to work, leaving little time for studying.

The academic burden of high school in Japan was actually not heavy; it was the lightest among the three East Asian countries, and the admission rate for Japanese universities was also far higher than the other two countries.

Yes, although it was mentioned earlier that Japanese university tuition is very expensive, Japan, which also has an examination-oriented education system, does not have a heavy high school academic burden. A high school student generally has five or six classes a day, and if they don't plan to join a club, they can go home at three or three-thirty in the afternoon. This level is generally enough to get into some ordinary universities, such as Akita University.

So, what if one really wants to improve? What if the goal is University of Tokyo?

If a high school student's goal is to get into Tokyo University, they will do the following things during their third year of high school:

One, quit club activities and use that time to attend expensive private tutoring schools (really very expensive!).

Two, purchase various designated reference books and concentrate all their main energy on their studies.

Three, prepare specifically for Tokyo University's independent entrance examination.

But even with an "all-out" attitude, the Japanese could not imagine the "hellish concentration camp" education model of the Balanced Water High School in Saxony, a major educational province south of the Elbe River in Germany, where students wake up at 5:30 AM, take thirteen classes a day, run drills behind high walls and iron fences, eat in a "pure prison" style, and are only allowed three minutes in the restroom.

Getting into Tokyo University is difficult, but it is far less difficult than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University in Germany. The difficulty for a Japanese person to get into Tokyo University is only equivalent to the difficulty for a man from the German capital, Berlin, to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and the Tsinghua/Peking admission rate for Berliners is over 80 times higher than that of Saxony south of the Elbe.

The only problem that can stop a Japanese person from getting into Tokyo University is that to get into Tokyo University, one must attend the best private tutoring schools, and the cost of good private tutoring schools is very expensive; spending a million yen a year on a good private tutoring school specifically for Tokyo University is not considered much.

However, many extracurricular master tutoring classes in Germany also cost a lot of money; in this regard, everyone is the same.

Uesugi Muneyuki didn't have much confidence in whether the girl could get into a good university, but he would try his best to give her a fair chance.

"Speaking of which, it's always a bit strange to call you by your name like this. Asuka, do you have any nicknames?" Uesugi Muneyuki finished the serious business and asked casually: "At home, how does Nanami usually call you? Asuka?"

"I do..." The girl blushed at the thought of this, but she had originally intended to let Uesugi Muneyuki know: "A... Ashū..."

She wanted to tell him, and she only wanted to tell him alone.

"Ashū?" Uesugi Muneyuki smiled after hearing it: "Interesting."

"There's also Ashūshū or Ashūling." The girl expressed her small wish very shyly: "Uesugi-san, can you call me that?"

"Sure, Housekeeper Ashūshū?"

"Ah!!!" The girl jumped up in excitement, her small face filled with immense satisfaction.

The sound of "Ashūshū" made the girl certain: this place is home!

It is my home!

……………………

Just as Uesugi Muneyuki was enjoying his leisure time chatting with the Housekeeper Ashūshū, he was focused on reviewing and writing his graduation thesis.

Sakuradamon, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters.

The newly promoted Superintendent Megure reported the matter of Uesugi Muneyuki looking for a school for Saito Asuka to the Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji.

"Good! Very good!" Watanabe Eiji was very satisfied and patted Superintendent Megure on the shoulder: "Megure, you did the right thing in this matter!"

"We are not afraid of Uesugi Muneyuki making requests of us; we are only afraid that he has no needs from us." Watanabe Eiji paced slowly: "That he is willing to take the initiative to seek help from this department and hopes for our assistance shows that he trusts this department. A person without desires is very difficult to control, and only a person with weaknesses and desires can truly form a community of interests with us."

"Then what should be done about that orphan named Saito Asuka? Should we initiate adoption procedures?" Superintendent Megure became concerned about another matter.

"Uesugi? A 22-year-old adopting a 15-year-old? That doesn't sound very good." Watanabe Eiji had already formed a certain idea at this moment, and he was also unwilling to let an uncontrollable factor appear by Uesugi Muneyuki's side: "Let's do this. Since this was caused by a criminal case after all, let's take it slow and drag out the time before a formal adoption procedure can be initiated."

"And what about the District Public Prosecutors Office?"

"The District Public Prosecutors Office has no time to pay attention to us; they are currently overwhelmed by the suicide of Saijo Yasue." Watanabe Eiji smiled, his expression quite smug, because since the handover had already taken place, the Metropolitan Police Department bore no responsibility; on the contrary, it was the Tokyo Chief Prosecutor who requested that the Metropolitan Police Department not over-publicize the matter.

"Speaking of which, Megure, are you used to being a Management Officer yet?" The Superintendent General shifted his attention elsewhere.

"Well, Director General, to be honest, I'm not quite used to it." Superintendent Megure smiled bitterly: "I should say that without that kid's help, the entire Criminal Investigation Department isn't used to it either. Our criminal case clearance rate had previously exceeded 80%, but now it has dropped back to 45%. There are complaints within the First Division, asking why, since we are clearly paying Brother Uesugi a salary, he hasn't come to work at the headquarters recently?"

"Didn't I say that because he needs to avoid the appearance of impropriety, we must let Uesugi focus on his studies for these few months?" Watanabe Eiji's expression was relaxed as he picked up his coffee: "Even without Uesugi, this department must pull itself together. Do not disturb him during this period; this is my order."

"Yes..." Superintendent Megure said with a bitter face.

"Heh heh, look, look, if the headquarters is like this without Uesugi, what will happen over at Otsuka Station?" Watanabe Eiji blew on his coffee, his expression intrigued.

"Yes!" Superintendent Megure beamed with joy.

(End of this chapter)