Chapter 70: A Brand New Beginning

Uesugi Muneyuki had never grown tired of this shop; he would come here to eat every so often, and naturally, he had recommended it to Ikeda Erena as well.

A husband and wife of fifty years who had spent fifty years making tempura—these two could truly be called Tempura Masters.

Nowadays, when people in the Celestial Empire mention "XX Master," it often carries a derogatory connotation, which is understandable, but one must understand why there are so many "XX Masters" in Japan.

It was only after Uesugi Muneyuki grew up in Japan that he began to understand the reason.

Japan is, in fact, a country with a very deep-rooted feudal culture.

This thick feudal system is reflected not only in the institutional bureaucracy and regional systems but also in every industry; this is complicated to explain and I won't go into a long-winded discussion here, but in short, after a long period of development, every industry in Japan has been divided into very, very fine segments through repeated "feudal state-building," and then every terminal point has formed a family passed down through generations.

Once a family is fixed on doing one thing, it becomes difficult for them to get involved in other industries; those who make mung bean cakes won't make chestnut cakes, and those who grill sausages won't make grilled gluten. Everyone just keeps striving for perfection in their fixed industry and fixed creation, putting in immense effort to study whether a sausage tastes better after spinning 48 times on a sausage grill or 49 times.

This is the origin of the "XX Master"; there is no need to over-deify it, but there is also no need to over-belittle it. They are just small individual proprietors and small-scale craftsmen who have worked in a certain industry for generations, striving for perfection generation after generation (scams and money-grabbing are another matter).

Of course, this culture of "XX Masters" was gradually hit by industrialization after the Meiji Restoration and eventually fell behind and exited the mainstream, but later, when the economy improved and people began to have higher spiritual needs, the title of "XX Master" started to become popular again.

This is the same as how people pursued exquisite industrial products when society only had handmade goods in the early days, and then, once industrial assembly lines became popularized, society conversely began to pursue handmade boutique goods; just as everyone pursues meat and seafood when malnourished, but starts pursuing pure, natural, non-polluting, green vegetarian products when life becomes affluent—sometimes, many people just want to spend more money to make themselves appear different.

"How is it, guest? Is today's menu alright?"

After finishing a series of tempura, Ikeda Erena kept saying it was delicious, but when Uesugi Muneyuki asked her exactly what was delicious about it, Erena, with her limited vocabulary, couldn't explain it clearly and could only angrily use her chopsticks to snatch the shrimp head from Uesugi Muneyuki's bowl, biting it to pieces viciously.

"Mm, very fresh, very delicious." Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the tall beauty helplessly and took the initiative to respond: "The squid was fried to perfection."

"Aha, sir, you understand tempura. This kind of squid, if you fry it for even 3 seconds too long, it starts to get tough!" The old gentleman was very satisfied after hearing this and showed off his own understanding of tempura, and then the old lady presented the bill with both hands.

This meal cost 25,000 yen.

Uesugi Muneyuki paid the bill, and the tempura lunch in the rain was considered over.

In every sense, it was a truly wonderful meal!

After coming out of the shop, Ikeda Erena stepped in her newly bought High-heeled Shoes, a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth, her face flushed, and little stars shining in her light brown eyes. Suppressing her shyness, she took the initiative to say to Uesugi Muneyuki: "Thank you, Uesugi-kun, I am very satisfied with this meal; this is not just polite talk."

Such a scene had never even existed in her fantasies; the curtain of rain, the delicious food, and his company—Erena felt that the time he had bullied her like that before had already been paid back.

And this man still owed her three days off: "However, your calculation seems to have an error! It's raining."

"Yeah, it's raining." Uesugi Muneyuki looked up; the previously sunny sky was now occupied by dark, gray clouds.

The rain in Tokyo is irritating, especially for office workers; rain often means trouble, longer commute times, wet clothes, and a depressed mood during busy work.

But the rain in Tokyo is also romantic. Whenever this steel forest is bathed in rain, it always brings a trace of vitality to the cold society and the machine-like operation of the city, especially when two people have nothing to do, slowing down to listen to the rain, eat some good food, and chat about life—the way it moistens things silently is what this rain brought to them.

"There's a place I want to go," Ikeda Erena said slowly: "Are you willing to go with me?"

She wanted to share all her secrets with him.

"Of course." Uesugi Muneyuki naturally had no objections.

The two took a taxi to Toshima, in front of a huge building.

And when Uesugi Muneyuki looked up at the sign on the building, the man froze.

What the hell? RNG?!

He looked closely, and Uesugi Muneyuki breathed a sigh of relief.

He had misread it; it was actually RiNG, that scared him.

"Where is this?"

"Follow me." Ikeda Erena's High-heeled Shoes went *clack-clack-clack*; it was clear that she rarely wore high heels, which made her walk unsteadily, but the tall beauty was very firm as she tugged on Uesugi Muneyuki's hand: "Let's see which bands are performing today."

"Bands? Performing?" Uesugi Muneyuki wondered if Erena actually liked band music.

The two came to the notice board and took a look.

The first band performing today was "MYOG!!!" and there was a band introduction below.

Position 1: RANA, the absolute core of the new band, the ceiling of technical skill, the youngest guitarist in the team.

Position 2: Topanon, a helper pulled in temporarily, said to have just returned from abroad, the rhythm engine of the team, level of skill needs improvement.

Position 3: tomorin, the lyricist of the former band who later performed on stage herself, the "rope-twisting sister," the backbone of the team; although nobody knows what strange things she is saying when reciting, she is just able to unite the band.

Position 4: RikkAx, the former teammate who never left, the biggest rhythm point of the team, the school's number one drummer.

Position 5: BigmomSOyorin, former teammate, betrayed by members, heartbroken, the former band disbanded, later unwilling to give up, a shocking kneel, rebuilt the team, ruthless iron hand, climbed back to the peak.

"This introduction..." Uesugi Muneyuki wondered what Erena usually liked: "Is forming a band such a heavy thing?"

"Just follow me." Erena bought two tickets, took Uesugi Muneyuki inside, and arrived at a corner.

This live venue was relatively small, and the corner was quite hidden; Uesugi Muneyuki didn't make a scene and just followed silently by her side.

The two stood still in the corner, and Ikeda Erena took the initiative to say: "I only discovered this place by accident. Don't look at how small the environment is; the fans are fanatical, noisy, and you'll see in a moment."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at her earnest expression as she introduced it, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but soften.

He probably understood why Erena would come here.

Sure enough, as the performance began, dozens of people entered one after another, the guitar sounded, the surrounding speakers drowned out all other senses, the band began to play, and the lead singer began to sing at the top of her lungs.

The sound was so loud that Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't hear what the lead singer was singing at all, but a long-lost sense of exhilaration began to rise.

Roaring together, jumping together, shouting together—amidst the emotional resonance and sensory catharsis, Ikeda Erena finally put down her usual arrogant and indifferent mask and released her true nature.

Yes, she had overseas blood flowing in her veins, and her original personality had a sunny and spicy side; he could feel Erena's emotional resonance—in this kind of society, she had been suppressed for too long.

Her personality was indeed not very likable, and it wasn't easy for her to get along with others, but was it her fault that she was constantly subjected to sexual harassment and professional threats?

If Ikeda Erena had chosen to be a professional Judo athlete, she would certainly have been an outstanding national representative.

Uesugi Muneyuki still didn't understand why Ikeda Erena would choose to give up the martial arts she had practiced to such a high level and instead choose to go to the capital to become a policewoman.

He believed he would know soon enough.

He didn't like this noisy environment, so he didn't shout or scream, but quietly watched her release her emotions, occasionally making eye contact with her and clapping appropriately to show his approval.

Being able to get positive feedback from Uesugi Muneyuki made Ikeda Erena very happy.

However, she soon understood the price she would have to pay for it.

Right in the middle of the noisy and chaotic band live, Uesugi Muneyuki naturally reached out and gently pressed his hand onto Ikeda Erena's knee.

Ikeda Erena's body trembled, and she turned her head to take a look.

But soon, as if by tacit consent, she turned her attention back to the stage.

Uesugi Muneyuki's large hand pressed onto Ikeda Erena's knee, which was wrapped in black silk stockings, slowly sliding down her lower leg, feeling the extreme tenderness, fullness and resilience, and faint body heat transmitted from his fingertips.

Ikeda Erena's legs were not as petite as Watanabe Minami's, nor were they as exquisite and perfect as Mai-senpai's, like works of art.

But the well-developed leg muscles felt somewhat reassuring to touch.

Just sliding lightly along the surface of the silk stockings felt like touching a piece of black jade, warm and firm.

Erena almost never wore nail polish; during training, her toenails were always trimmed neatly, with nothing special about them.

Yet she had painted them today, and they were painted a bit unevenly.

Uesugi Muneyuki felt a bit of regret that these silk stockings were the reinforced-toe style; otherwise, the visual effect would have been even better.

However, that style was actually not very suitable for wearing out of the house for activities; he had tried it on others.

Uesugi Muneyuki toyed with the black jade in his hand.

It was impossible for Ikeda Erena not to feel this action, even with the singing and roaring sounds all around.

Her earlobes turned red bit by bit, her gaze gradually became unfocused, and her expression turned hazy.

Her breathing also became a bit chaotic, and she began to forget where she was in the song.

Even so, she showed no signs of resistance; she neither opened her mouth to stop him nor kicked Uesugi Muneyuki's hand away; she even adjusted her sitting posture to make it more convenient for Uesugi Muneyuki.

She was very moved today.

It was such a greedy, such an excessive request, and Uesugi Muneyuki had already brought her into his new home intending to confess, yet she was still so greedy; she wanted both, she was too avaricious, she could not leave him but also wanted to reject him.

The Tempura feast in the rain—she was very happy.

Therefore, she also wanted to make him happy.

This man's preferences were very simple, weren't they?

When all was said and done, this was all she could give him.

Uesugi Muneyuki did not take any further action and withdrew his hand, and Ikeda Erena's somewhat tense delicate body also relaxed bit by bit.

After the two songs ended, Ikeda Erena slipped her pair of black-silk jade feet back into her High-heeled Shoes, turned her head to look at Uesugi Muneyuki beside her, her eyes sparkling like the bright Stardust in the night sky.

We're even again.

By the time they came out of RiNG, it was already afternoon, and there was a strange silence between Ikeda Erena and Uesugi Muneyuki.

"There's still some time, it's time for training, Uesugi-kun," Ikeda Erena said suddenly, her face a little red, her expression a bit huffy: "The martial arts I usually teach you, you haven't fallen behind, have you?"

"I... am trying," Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the mother-tyrannosaurus's gaze, feeling immense pressure.

"Hmm, the Karate techniques, I've taught you just about enough; starting today, I think I can teach you some Judo techniques," Ikeda Erena chuckled with ill intent.

"Ah? I mean, let's learn Karate first, as for Judo..." Uesugi Muneyuki sensed Ikeda Erena's ill intent.

"I am the master, I am the one who decides which one you learn," Ikeda Erena lifted her chin slightly, her hands gripping the straps of her bag, her beautiful and profound face full of smiles: "It's happily decided then, today I'll teach you the basics of Judo!"

"Then why didn't you teach it along with Karate before?" Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself that there was no escaping this hurdle.

"Is it very boring?" the tall beauty suddenly asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head and said gently: "What's boring?"

Ikeda Erena pouted: "Accompanying me to watch the band perform, is it very boring?"

"I can tell you don't seem interested in these things."

Uesugi Muneyuki smiled, nodding first, then shaking his head: "I promised you, it's up to you to arrange."

"Besides, how could I feel bored when I'm with Master Erena?"

Hearing the implication in Uesugi Muneyuki's words, Ikeda Erena's face became even more flushed.

Having him guide her at work and having him accompany her in life—the superposition of two different identities was double the happiness!

This was what she wanted! She didn't want to return to being a housewife, she didn't want to be transferred to administrative work; she just wanted to watch him perform Autopsies and deductions at work, and have them travel around Tokyo together on days off!

However, just as Ikeda Erena was letting her imagination run wild, Uesugi Muneyuki's phone suddenly rang.

The man signaled for her to wait a moment, and he took out his phone; the name on it made Ikeda Erena's gaze lock into a tight knot.

Watanabe, Minami?! The Face of the Metropolitan Police Department?

"Hello, yes, this is Uesugi Muneyuki, Miss Watanabe, I believe I should be on my vacation time."

"Hmm... okay, I understand, yes, that's fine, I also think it's necessary to know."

"Right, I've been moving into a new home these past few days, the university side is fine... Dean Ukai has already fired me... just kidding, the Pathology Department has indeed removed me from the roster."

"I would also very much like to see the Scientific Investigation Research Laboratory and the Forensics Division of the Criminal Investigation Department... alright, then I will trouble Miss Watanabe to introduce me."

Putting down the phone, Uesugi Muneyuki smiled: "The day after tomorrow, Police Inspector Watanabe of the Metropolitan Police Department has invited me to visit the Metropolitan Police Department; my, it seems I'll be changing environments, it counts as a brand new start."

"Going to the Metropolitan Police Department? Why?" Ikeda Erena suddenly realized that something might have happened to Uesugi Muneyuki.

Her heart pounded, and her delicate body tensed up unconsciously.

She started to get nervous again.

But she had no way to help it.

You think today is just another ordinary day, but years later you realize that this was actually the best day of your life.

A day like this will never happen again.

There will be another update later tonight, please forgive me.

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(End of this chapter)