Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 72, Section 70: Thousand Leaf Cookies

(daily)
"The three-day holiday just vanished like that!"

"There's another test today!"

"I must be dreaming, today should be Saturday!"

4 month 11 day.

on Monday.

Higashiyama couldn't accept that his three-day holiday was over and that he was facing the tragic fate of taking a test, so he went mad.

Then, Shinichi Higashiyama slapped him on the back of the head, resetting his brain switch, and he obediently went to wash up and prepare for breakfast.

Indeed, holidays are always too short for anyone.

These past few days, Dongshan Du has been leaving early and returning late every day. Even when he comes back, he has a silly grin on his face and is always holding his phone. Even if he puts it down for a moment, he will pick it up again the moment he hears a message.

Are all couples in the throes of new love like this?

Unfortunately, this budding romance ultimately came to nothing.

Finally, as a memory of youth, it is the white moonlight hanging high in the night sky.

Ding dong.

At seven o'clock sharp, Chiba Shion rang the doorbell.

Good morning, Dongshan-kun.

Chiba was carrying a bag.

"Yesterday I tried making cookies following Otsuka's management method. They were chocolate flavored and I used Hokkaido cake flour and Morinaga cocoa powder that I bought at AEON."

She was so serious, as if she were selling a product, that she practically wanted to recite the birth dates and times of the cookie ingredients.

But what surprised Higashiyama Shin the most was that Chiba actually tried cooking?
She never showed any potential to be a kitchen killer, otherwise Higashiyama Shin wouldn't have asked her to help him in the kitchen.

Chiba rarely makes mistakes when he helps out, and he can usually execute tasks meticulously, although it takes a little longer.

He took a closer look at Chiba's fingers; they were still long and smooth, and there was no bandage on them, so it seemed he hadn't been burned.

Given her personality, it would probably take her half a day to make a batch of cookies like this.

This is excluding the possibility of failure.

However, in Chiba's calculations that distinguish quality by weight and by second, there shouldn't be any major mishaps; at most, it will just be slightly lacking in essence.

Without any hesitation, Higashiyama Shin took a piece and tasted it.

Sure enough, it was very ordinary.

It's not that it's bad, but it's definitely not delicious either.

"Different ovens have different temperatures, so you need to experiment gradually. These cookies were a little overbaked, the chocolate tasted a bit bitter, and I probably added too little sugar."

Shin Higashiyama offered an honest critique, smiling as he looked at her.

"But I happen to not like things that are too sweet, so this suits my taste perfectly."

Chiba's slightly tense and aloof expression seemed to relax, as if she had quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I also think it's a bit bitter. Maybe it would taste better with strawberry jam." Chiba even brought a bottle of strawberry jam.

Higashiyama Shin shook his head and took another piece to eat.

He'd rather eat it plain than dip it in overly sweet strawberry jam.

After brushing his teeth, Dongshan came out and saw his brother eating something delicious by himself. He came over and held out his hand: "Brother, are these cookies? Why do they look so bad this time—"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run through him, as if he were being stared at by a cold, piercing gaze, and involuntarily shivered. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He cautiously looked up and met Chiba's seemingly emotionless gaze, confirming the source of that deathly stare.

"Ahem, don't just look at the appearance. When it comes to food, taste is more important." Shin Higashiyama offered him a way out.

"Ah, yes, that's right. If you look closely, these cookies are quite cute." Higashiyama withdrew his hand and carefully sat down.

It's obvious he won't be eating a single cookie. But for him, that's a good thing.

Brother, you've worked hard.

For a time, the brothers were deeply in love.

After eating three pieces, Higashiyama Shin felt a little choked up, but casually put the bag away: "Take the rest to school to eat."

Chiba nodded and sat down to eat his breakfast.

The three set off as usual, and in the lobby, Otsuka reminded them to be careful—she must have seen the news and learned about what happened at Komagome Academy.

The news controversy, after three days of brewing, has not only failed to subside but has shown signs of escalating.

I wouldn't say all of Japan, but at least in Tokyo, people who follow the news are aware of this.

The increased attention also meant more traffic, leading more media outlets to flock to interview the victims' families, school officials, and police officers.

This incident has severely damaged the college's reputation, but the school cannot suspend classes indefinitely, as this would only make hesitant parents feel that the school is unsafe.

Therefore, during the three-day holiday, the school implemented an epic security upgrade, including security gates, high-tech scanners, and 24/7 patrol robots, providing parents with peace of mind.

In addition to the stationed police officers, a group of tall, well-built foreign security personnel were specially recruited, who were fully armed and only lacked real guns.

It's like African mercenaries were brought in as school security guards, and I wonder how much the school board spent on this.

But the effect was remarkable, which reassured many parents who brought their children to school.

If something goes wrong here, it can only mean that it has been invaded by armed forces. Unless a fortress is built, no matter who comes, it won't work.

“Brother, look, that guy’s arm is as thick as my waist.” Dongshan Du exaggeratedly gestured the arm circumference of one of the security guards.

He wasn't the only one who was curious; some younger students carefully maintained a safe distance, huddled together, and pointed at the international security team.

The older students mostly pretended to be indifferent, and then returned to the classroom before eagerly peering out the window.

Although Higashiyama and Chiba were seated by the window, neither of them was interested in that; instead, they were preparing for today's quiz.

This test was actually scheduled for last Friday, but it was postponed to today.

These quizzes don't have much content and can usually be completed in twenty minutes.

Mr. Ikeda appeared as usual, his injured hand wrapped in a bandage. It seemed that the incident that day had not had much impact on his work.

That's normal, because what happened that night really had nothing to do with him, and the police should be able to find out easily.

I wonder where the police investigation is going now, and what choice the section chief will make after learning that the murderer is a ghost story.
In cases like this, even a deep bow of apology is necessary to appease a group of suspects to at least somewhat cover up the situation; otherwise, reports of police inaction will flood the media.

Shaking his head, Shinichi Higashiyama felt it was more appropriate to spend more time thinking about the game.

As long as the Metropolitan Police Department doesn't suspect him, that's enough.

In this respect, Ueda Yasushi can be of great help.

Unfortunately, after a week, he had only seen the spirits of Tetsuro Muto and Yoshi Ueda. He had searched other places with his eyes wide open, but he could not find any other signs of spirits.

From this perspective, it seems that this world must have gone through something that not only led to the loss of magical arts, but also caused almost all the demons and monsters to disappear.

But was it all thanks to the game system that he was able to cultivate the abilities of a Star Master and absorb spiritual energy for his own use?
Or is it that the traditions of others have been corrupted, while his is the purest and unaffected?
Higashiyama Shin's thoughts began to wander.

(End of this chapter)