Chapter 232: "Married" Life with Asuna

"I’m a suspect? And you want me to cooperate with your investigation?"

Ashikaga Miwa glanced at the young police officer and spoke lightly.

"Judging by the way you’re dressed, you’re not ordinary officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, are you? Do you know who I am?"

"Of course we know. Ashikaga Miwa, thirty six years old, founder and head of Ashikaga Takesha Enterprises..."

"That was a rhetorical question, not one that required an answer."

Ashikaga Miwa cut him off directly, then continued in the same calm tone.

"Tell me, I just won a match against Oko last night, and he paid the agreed bet of two billion yen. What motive would I have?"

The young officer stiffened. After a few seconds, he finally said, still sounding unconvinced,

"But according to our investigation, you are a member of the Shuchiin Academy board, and you frequently clash with Oko, who serves as Chairman. You have even argued with him openly during board meetings..."

"How childish."

Ashikaga Miwa interrupted him again, a trace of impatience appearing in her expression. Then she turned her gaze toward the middle aged investigator beside him, her tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"Has the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department started sending out hot blooded rookies like this now? If you have nothing else, leave quickly. This is Private Shuchiin Academy, not a place you can disturb whenever you please."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Only after she had gone some distance did the middle aged special investigator place a hand on the young officer’s shoulder and say with a serious expression,

"Let’s go back."

"Why? She’s clearly a suspect. We should bring her back to the station for a full questioning and investigation..."

"Question her? Bring her back to the station? Are you joking?"

The middle aged officer frowned deeply at the younger man’s impulsive attitude. Then he let out a long sigh and said earnestly,

"Do you know that Ms. Ashikaga donates to our Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department every single year? She is one of the most influential business magnates in Tokyo. According to witness statements from the scene, all anyone saw was Oko Shinomiya’s car crashing into the median. Then there seemed to be a figure in the dust, and after that, the entire car, along with Oko Shinomiya and his two bodyguards, vanished without a trace. We found no evidence at all at the scene."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"This case is no longer an ordinary criminal matter. We cannot even determine whether Oko is dead or merely missing. But there is one thing you must understand. Ms. Ashikaga, along with many of the students from prestigious families inside this academy, are people we cannot afford to offend. Even the son of the Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department studies here. You need to understand the bigger picture, got it?"

Hearing that, the young officer clenched his teeth, his face full of unwillingness.

"Damn it... how are we supposed to investigate cases like this if we keep hesitating?"

"Sigh. You’re still too young."

The middle aged officer patted him on the shoulder again and said in a deep voice,

"A case of this level has already gone beyond our authority. We’re only here to ask questions so we can give the Shinomiya Family an explanation from above. As for finding the truth, that should be left to the specialists who are actually qualified to handle it."

...

After school that day, in the first year hallway of Private Shuchiin Academy,

"I’m leaving first."

Hearing Iwanaga Kotoko say that, Yuuki Asuna could not help asking in confusion,

"Hm? Where are you going?"

"To handle some requests from yokai. Oh, and Megumi’s coming with me. She said she wants to adapt to a new fighting style. We’ll probably be back tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh?"

Hearing that, Asagiri immediately perked up.

"So today it’s just me and Asuna? Then we really should go all out and fight without regrets."

Yuuki Asuna’s pretty face flushed at once. She lightly pushed his shoulder and said reproachfully,

"What are you saying in front of Kotoko..."

Iwanaga Kotoko let out two smug little laughs and said bluntly,

"Why are you pretending to be shy? Even if you don’t say it, do you think I don’t know you’re planning to go at it hard? I only have one request. Remember to make it up to me later, alright? You can’t favor one and neglect the others."

Asagiri nodded without hesitation and said righteously,

"Don’t worry. I treat all three of you equally..."

Before he could say the next word, Yuuki Asuna hurriedly covered his mouth.

"Don’t say such lewd things! And why is it suddenly three again? Megumi isn’t even here."

"What you’re saying is too shallow, Asuna."

Asagiri gently pulled her hand away and corrected her with a serious look.

"Just because Megumi isn’t here right now doesn’t mean she doesn’t count. If I treated you like you didn’t exist whenever you weren’t around, how would you feel? Managing a harem where everyone is treated equally sounds simple, but it’s much harder in practice than you think."

Seeing how passionately he was talking about it, Yuuki Asuna sighed helplessly.

"What exactly are you getting so fired up about? I really don’t understand you..."

...

A little later, inside a shopping mall in Shibuya.

"Hmm... let me see. This shampoo is better, but it’s a little too expensive. One bottle is actually twenty thousand yen. This one is only a bit over four thousand, which feels more cost effective..."

Watching Yuuki Asuna stand before the shelf, carefully comparing shampoo bottles and their prices while muttering to herself in that cute, earnest way of hers, Asagiri could not help teasing her.

"You have five hundred million yen in spending money now. Do you really still need to fuss over this kind of thing?"

"How could I not?"

Yuuki Asuna turned around and looked at him, then raised a fair index finger and spoke with utmost seriousness.

"Even if I have money now, I can’t just spend it recklessly. What if you need a lot of money for something in the future? Besides, a bottle of shampoo costing twenty thousand yen really is too much."

Hearing that, Asagiri reached out and pinched her soft cheek.

"It’s not like we won’t make more money later. Besides, these are daily necessities. You don’t need to worry about the price. Buy what you like and treat it as a reward for how hard you’ve been working lately, okay?"

"Hmm..."

Yuuki Asuna hesitated a little. She glanced at the expensive shampoo on the shelf, pursed her lips, and finally asked softly,

"Then... this one?"

"This one."

"Okay."

She nodded obediently, unable to hide the little smile of happiness that appeared on her face. Then she took the bottle from the shelf and trotted over to the register to pay.

Watching his girlfriend’s sweet and lovely back, Asagiri shook his head helplessly and muttered,

"Honestly, she clearly wanted that one from the beginning. She’s not even short on money, so why bother pretending to weigh the value..."

After nearly an hour of shopping, Yuuki Asuna finally finished upgrading her daily necessities such as shampoo, conditioner, and skin care products.

Then the two of them sat down in an ice cream shop inside the mall to rest.

Yuuki Asuna looked at the payment notifications on her phone, did some quick calculations, then glanced at the two large bags sitting next to her and let out a sigh.

"I bought so much, but in the end I only spent three hundred thousand... so five hundred million really is that much money..."

Seated across from her, Asagiri was eating cola flavored ice cream. Hearing that, he looked at his cute girlfriend’s troubled expression and could not help laughing.

"This is the first time I’ve seen someone feel stressed because they have too much money to spend."

"It’s mainly because there’s just too much. It gives me psychological pressure."

Yuuki Asuna muttered that softly, then scooped up a spoonful of her pink strawberry ice cream and held it out toward Asagiri. Supporting her cheek with her other hand, she smiled gently.

"Try mine. It’s definitely better than your weird cola flavor."

"Impossible. Is there anything in this world tastier than cola flavor?"

Asagiri said that with absolute confidence, but after opening his mouth to accept the spoonful she fed him, he immediately changed his stance.

"Hmm. It really is much better than my cola flavored ice cream."

Seeing his instant betrayal, Yuuki Asuna could not help laughing.

"Why did you switch sides so fast? Weren’t you the one who said nothing in the world was tastier than cola flavor?"

"That’s only natural."

Asagiri nodded solemnly, then looked straight into Yuuki Asuna’s eyes and said with a smile,

"Strictly speaking, strawberry ice cream by itself is indeed not as good as cola flavored ice cream. But the strawberry ice cream you personally fed me is more delicious than any flavor in the world."

Faced with that completely unexpected direct attack, Yuuki Asuna’s face immediately turned slightly red. She withdrew the spoon, scooped up another bite of strawberry ice cream, and brought it to his lips again as she said shyly,

"Honestly, you’re just trying to make me happy. Fine then, I’ll just keep feeding you."

"With a spoon?"

Asagiri looked at his blushing girlfriend and smiled.

"Actually, compared to being fed by hand, I prefer being fed mouth to mouth."

"This is a public place, what are you even saying..."

Yuuki Asuna complained, but her face grew even redder. Then she lowered her voice and added softly,

"Then... before we go home later, let’s buy a serving to take back with us..."

...

After returning home, Yuuki Asuna first put the packed ice cream into the refrigerator, then went into the bedroom. By the time she came back out, she had changed into comfortable loungewear.

She walked over to Asagiri, who was sitting on the sofa, and lay directly across his lap, stretching out her long fair legs. After giving a long, lazy stretch, she raised a hand and gently stroked his cheek with her slender finger, smiling as she said,

"You accompanied me shopping for so long today and behaved very well. Shouldn’t I give you a little reward?"

"I’ve already thought of one."

Before Yuuki Asuna could finish speaking, Asagiri responded immediately.

"I had a very nice outfit custom made for you. It’s in the closet of the guest room next to the master bedroom."

.....

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