Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

29. Dealing with control freaks is such a hassle.

With the flat orange soda almost empty, Genji Aoyama, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, decided to finish the strawberry crème brûlée cake.

The cake was exquisitely designed and had a layered flavor, combining the gentleness of crème brûlée with the sweetness of caramel, but it was more cloying than he had imagined.

Haruka Minatsuki seemed to have reverted to her 'mother' form, appearing quite pleased that he was able to eat things he didn't like.

My feelings are different from what I felt at the beginning.

Now, this gaze has become something that Genji Aoyama is paying attention to.

"Should I just give in to her?"

Aoyama, the cowardly type, thought to himself.

"If the problem isn't solved, it will persist."

Aoyama, the rational type, immediately rejected it.

The time for reflection is always short; it's time for him to make the decision.

"Miss Haruka, would you like to go for a walk?"

Genji Aoyama put down his empty cup and looked at Haruka Minazuki.

The air in the coffee shop was somewhat stuffy, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hmm—" Haruka Minatsuki hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Where does Genji-kun want to take me?"

"Let's take a walk around the neighborhood first. I remember there's a park nearby with pretty nice scenery."

"it is good."

Haruka Minatsuki paid the bill at the bar, along with Genji Aoyama's portion.

The sun was already setting in the west, and the light was softer than when school had just let out. The clouds on the horizon were also adorned with the glow of sunset.

Strolling among the bustling crowd, Genji Aoyama felt much more relaxed than when he was in the coffee shop.

Before the meeting, he deliberately left the top button of his shirt undone and adjusted his tie to be slightly loose, but not so loose as to look sloppy.

Haruka Minatsuki seemed somewhat concerned, but she didn't reach out to adjust it as she had when they first met.

The suggestion I made earlier also had a bit of a testing element to it.

Not interfering with his decision meant that Haruka Minatsuki could at least restrain her desire for control.

Anyway, give it a try.

The park is not far from the coffee shop, but only "not far".

It was right by the roadside, looked very small, and had only the most basic facilities, far from the "nice scenery" that Genji Aoyama described.

Children chased and played among them, while young women sat on benches chatting with them.

There were some trees planted inside—this time, Genji Aoyama recognized them.

"When I first arrived in Tokyo, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom," he explained with a smile.

"Genji-kun likes cherry blossoms?" Minatsuki Haruka smiled, seemingly unconcerned.

"In an island nation, it would be strange not to like cherry blossoms."

Aoyama Genji thought it was just average; by the way, his average score would be around 4-5.

"Speaking of which, the cherry blossoms in Genji's hometown should probably be in full bloom by now."

Aomori Prefecture in the Tohoku region is the hometown of Genji Aoyama.

"Yes, it will be a few days later."

Because of its high latitude and long, harsh winters, the cherry blossoms in Aomori Prefecture bloom much later than in Tokyo.

"Does Genji want to go back to Aomori?" A thoughtful expression flashed across her face. "Hmm—now that I'm in high school in Tokyo, it's time to go back home and share the good news with my uncle and aunt."

In the original owner's memory, especially after enrolling in school, "he" had a strong desire to go home to pay respects to his ancestors—a customary practice in island culture, a way for the living to comfort the dead.

"That's true, we should take some time to go back."

Genji Aoyama nodded. He didn't mind; he would just consider it fulfilling the original owner's last wish.

"Then... next week?" Haruka Minatsuki looked at him.

Aomori Prefecture is far away; it takes more than three hours by Shinkansen, and his hometown is in the countryside, so he has to transfer to a bus to get there.

"Choosing the weekend would be too rushed... Would Golden Week be better?" Genji Aoyama muttered to himself.

Golden Week in island nations refers to a long holiday formed by multiple festivals coinciding with the end of April and the beginning of May.

If all goes well, he won't be too busy then, so going out for a walk to relax would be nice.

Genji Aoyama looked back and smiled, "From what Haruka-san is saying, you want to come along?"

"Um."

Haruka Minatsuki nodded and continued, "If possible, I would also like to pay my respects to my uncle and aunt. At least I should make a proper promise that I will watch Genji grow up so that they can rest in peace in the afterlife."

"Then there's no reason to refuse."

"That sounds like a reluctant request, and even I would be unhappy to hear it," Haruka Minatsuki said with a hint of dissatisfaction, yet she still sounded as charming and cute as any ordinary girl her age.

"I originally planned to get married at thirty and then bring my bride back to my hometown so that my deceased family members could see her one last time." Aoyama Genji looked troubled, as if talking to himself, "If I bring the girl there earlier, will people misunderstand?" Aoyama Genji was probably thinking like that.

Haruka Minatsuki covered her mouth and laughed. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on her face, giving her an elegant yet shy look.

"Then let's do it during Golden Week," she said, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "I'll prepare well."

The park was small; a leisurely stroll would take only a few minutes to complete a loop. At Aoyama Genji's suggestion, they found an empty bench and sat down.

Haruka Minatsuki sat upright with her hands folded on her lower abdomen, displaying the complete demeanor of an elegant young lady.

The sun already has the feel of sunset—maybe if we wait a little longer we can see Yuko Asahi.

Genji Aoyama thought to himself that he would send her a LINE message after the event to ask her.

It's about time to get back to the main topic.

"What are your thoughts on the future collaboration, Ms. Haruka?" He looked at Haruka Minatsuki's honey-colored profile.

"I'm a little troubled."

Haruka Minatsuki seemed to be caught up in the same hesitation she felt at the coffee shop.

Aoyama Genji didn't speak, but just quietly watched her reveal a woman's distressed expression, even though he knew that she was a possessive and even more controlling bad woman at heart.

"At first I thought Genji was just saying it casually, but I didn't expect him to be so serious. Sorry."

Haruka Minatsuki apologized without any remorse.

The expression gave the impression of a mother who had accidentally knocked over her child's toy, and was gently apologizing while picking it up for the child.

It's unclear whether the apology was for agreeing and then refusing, or for simply saying it offhand.

"It's nothing, I'm not that concerned," Genji Aoyama waved his hand, his voice becoming serious. "Miss Haruka, there are just some things I need to confirm with you again."

He glanced at Minatsuki Haruka's information again beforehand.

[Intelligence: The heir of the Minatsuki family, who has not yet fully taken control of the family's businesses, is the host's benefactor, and has a strong possessive and controlling desire towards the host.]

"Please speak, Genji-kun."

"Initially, Ms. Hitomi sponsored me, but now it's Ms. Haruka. Can I understand that Ms. Haruka is Ms. Hitomi's successor?"

Haruka Minatsuki glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Genji Aoyama knew this, of course. After a slight pause, he continued.

"If Miss Haruka becomes the family heir at this age, it probably won't be easy for her."

According to intelligence, Haruka Minatsuki has not been able to fully control the Minatsuki family's businesses.

Previously, Aoyama Genji had researched the Minazuki family online, mainly related to real estate.

I was able to find some people, but I couldn't find Minatsuki Haruka's name.

Therefore, it is possible that the estate was inherited by a generation that skipped a generation.

In island nations, this situation is considered quite troublesome.

"So what I'm thinking is to ask Ms. Minatsuki to cooperate with me in her own name, so that she won't be hindered by her family."

I am confident that, under normal operating conditions, our company will definitely be profitable.

The work I just showed is just one example. I can guarantee the quality and quantity of all my future works, and I'm even open to performance-based agreements.

I know that Ms. Haruka has always been kind to me, and I have received much care from you. If possible, I also hope to be able to help Ms. Haruka.

"..."

Haruka Minatsuki avoided Aoyama Genji's gaze, her head slightly lowered.

Looking over, all one could see was Haruka Minatsuki's profile, bathed in the honey-colored light of the setting sun—

She possesses an elegance tinged with girlish gentleness, and her ever-present smiling face is almost expressionless, with only her long eyelashes trembling as if in struggle.

After a long silence, Haruka Minatsuki finally spoke slowly: "Genji-kun, may I think about it some more?"

And the look in her eyes when she looked at Aoyama Genji was no longer as calm as before.

"Of course." Genji Aoyama gave a polite smile, seemingly waiting for an answer, but not in a hurry.

He felt that his words were not harsh, and were even restrained.

In short—dealing with controlling people is a real hassle.

……

After saying goodbye to each other at the park entrance, Genji Aoyama watched Haruka Minatsuki get into a taxi and leave.

Then he took out his phone.

It was around 5:30, and there was still half an hour before the club activity ended at 6:00, so Aoyama Genji decided to wait a little longer in the park.

[Aoyama: Remember to come find me after school. I'll be at the park near the station.]

[Qingshan: Waiting for you]

[Qingshan: Positioning]

After sending the message to Yuko Asahi, he began to check the rest of the unread messages.

Actually, it was only posted by Saki Izumo.

But there are a lot of them.

[Saki: The band is playing today, want to come watch?]

[Saki: Come on, come on, please~~ This is my debut~~]

[saki: Location]

[saki: Video]

[Saki: Ignoring me? I'm really getting angry!]

[Saki: Angry rabbit emoji]

Genji Aoyama smiled silently and opened the video.

Izumo Saki wasn't among the four people. After listening for a while, she felt it was a bit disastrous and stopped listening.

He quickly replied with a message.

[Qingshan: Where's your debut, senior? I don't think I saw you in the video.]

[saki: Image]

[Saki: The rest of the band felt they could perform without a bass, so they put me in charge of recording.]

[saki: Crying bunny emoji]

The picture shows a bass with a broken string; it looks like the string was pulled off and broken.

How so?

No wonder it has 7 stamina points.

Genji Aoyama thought for a moment and replied with "Awesome".

After chatting with Izumo Saki for a while, Asahi Yuko finally replied.

[Yuko: I'm home now, come over for dinner in a bit.]

So early? They've even prepared the meal already?

Genji Aoyama glanced at the time; it was just past 5:35. He had a vague feeling that something was not right.