The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

Kirihara Akira's life in a wealthy family is getting back on track.

He didn't mention the surveillance cameras and listening devices in the room to Mori Juri because he hadn't really determined who installed them.

On the surface, the second young lady, Mori Kiyoha, is the most suspicious, but looking at the bigger picture, it's impossible that Mori Akari really did it.

After all, he hadn't truly grasped the woman's real intentions yet.

She doesn't seem like the kind of person who would let someone stay at their home out of kindness.

If we narrow our focus, installing cameras could also be a spontaneous act by servants within the household, perhaps even done by a maid. Considering the specialized skills required to install cameras, it's not impossible that security personnel outside could also be involved.

What struck him as most bizarre was that Mori Akari remained silent about his parents' deaths and the existence of the yakuza, as if the Kirihara couple had truly died of natural causes.

There were too many mysteries piled up, and he needed a breakthrough.

I waited and waited until today, three days later.

Today is Wednesday, and as is customary, a book club will be held at home. The host can invite relatives and friends to participate, enjoy refreshments prepared by a professional chef, chat with a few friends about their reading experiences, or immerse themselves in the world of words alone.

The habit of book clubs was not created by Mori Akari in this family, but she is also the inheritor of this habit.

The spacious, stand-alone building where the book club is located, and the extensive collection of books inside that can be considered an exhibition, demonstrate that this tradition has been passed down through generations.

Not everyone in the Mori family enjoys reading, but they all at least stuff some of the bestsellers of their generation into their books, some of which are never even opened.

By this generation, Mori Akari's reading was only superficial, not for the sake of reading itself, but to use reading as an excuse to invite wealthy people of similar status to social events.

As Kirihara Akira passed by the front garden of the building, he saw Mori Akari chatting and drinking tea with two older ladies.

There weren't even any books on their table.

The true inheritor of the Mori family's spirit of reading is actually Mori Shizue.

She hid behind the shelves, sitting on the scaffolding. Her back, which was always straight, finally relaxed in a secluded place, and she put her legs together to support the books.

Mori Shizue was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation when she suddenly heard footsteps beside her and immediately sat up straight.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, her body tensed even more, and she said, "Kirigaya-kun."

Kirihara Akira shrugged and said, "Why does it sound even more distant than last time?"

Mori Shizue looked at him, remaining silent.

The name she used to call Xiaojun was that of the innocent boy from her childhood. But now, the person standing in front of her, Wuyuan Xiao, has grown up over the years and become a dangerous and unfamiliar figure to her.

Of course, she would never say that out loud.

Seeing her silence, Kirihara Akira tried to break the ice by changing the subject. He glanced at the book on the girl's lap, and could just make out the title on the spine: *The Chrysanthemum and the Sword*.

This is a bestselling book that also existed in the previous life, but I don't know if the content is the same.

Kirihara Akatsuki had checked before and found that most of the people and things in this world were the same as before she transmigrated, but there were still quite a few discrepancies.

He didn't care much and casually remarked, "White people's evaluations of your books will always contain some bias, inaccuracies, and prejudices, right?"

"You guys?" Mori Shizue gave him a strange look.

"Us." Kirihara Akatsuki patted her mouth, indicating that she had misspoke.

Mori Shizue shook her head, not dwelling on the slip of the tongue, and said, "The book describes the Japanese people before 1942, when my grandmother was only thirty years old. Looking back at history, we can see the origins of human nature in our country, which is a very interesting topic."

It seems the content of this book isn't too different from what I read in my previous life... Kirihara Akatsuki stepped forward with his hands in his pockets and said, "That's true. After all, the author actually visited our country, so most of the content isn't completely fabricated."

"I'm surprised you've actually read this." Mori Shizue expressed her surprise in a flat, monotone tone: "Many young people these days don't like reading anymore."

"You're young too." Kirihara Akatsuki smiled, casually flipping through the bookshelves. "But I'm just browsing casually, superficially, and it's all very random, so it's not very meaningful."

Mori Shizue didn't speak, which made Kirihara Akira think that he had said something wrong that caused the awkward silence. He looked up at the girl, only to see her sitting on the scaffolding, one wrist resting on a book, her body turned to the side, her round eyes staring at Kirihara Akira, not with malice, but with a curious attention.

"What's wrong?" Kirihara Akira scratched her head.

"If you also enjoy reading, come here often." After a moment's hesitation, Mori Shizue added, "Once a week, half an hour each time. We can talk about the content of the books, any genre."

Why only once a week, for half an hour each time? Is the timing so strict because it's also a prerequisite for maintaining distance, as mentioned before? Kirihara Akatsuki smiled and said, "Okay, I also hope to have someone in this house who can speak up for me, instead of facing a group of servants who give me the cold shoulder every day, and a childhood friend who glares at me."

"Did she do anything to you afterward?" Shizue Mori asked.

"No, I'm just wondering why she's so hostile towards me, to the point that she's determined to drive me away?" Kirihara Akira didn't mention that she was being monitored.

Mori Shizue was silent for a moment, then sighed: "After she entered the third year of junior high school, I had no idea what she was thinking every day... But I beg you, don't think of her as a bad person."

It was clear that Mori Shizue knew something, but she didn't want to explain, so Kirihara Akira didn't press her further and went along with her words, saying, "Miss Kiyoha certainly couldn't be a bad person; bad people are outside this house."

Mori Shizue knew what he meant, lowered her eyelashes and murmured an "Mmm".

"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet." Kirihara Akira turned around, bowed deeply to her, and said, "After that day, no one really came looking for trouble with me."

"You surely know that it was just a favor I was doing," Mori Shizue shook her head and said, "If, if you are still willing to cooperate, the previous promises can remain unchanged."

She seemed rather insecure.

"Of course, whether things went smoothly or not, it was something you did for me. Since it was successful, I should reciprocate," Kirihara Akira said. "What do you need me to do for you?"

Mori Shizue hesitated for a moment, then said, "I need to ask you a question first. What do you think we, with our status, should do... how should we deal with Mishima Joichiro, or the other yakuza?"

Kirihara Akira nodded, understanding her concerns, and gave a decisive answer: "If the 'we' you're referring to are orphans like Kirihara Akira before, with no background and no one to rely on, then all I can do is kill, to fight violence with violence, to kill them until they are afraid."

Any other means, including relying on the law, are endless; you can only pray that you outlive the underworld, outlive them until they forget you.

Mori Shizue shuddered at his expression. She had prepared herself mentally, but Kirihara Akira's answer still terrified her.

Kirihara Akira looked at her for a while, then laughed and said, "But we have a choice now. You are the daughter of the powerful Mori family, and I am a freeloader in the powerful family. I also have a powerful backer. We don't need to be so extreme in our actions."

The upper limit is high, and the lower limit is not low either, so there is still a basic guarantee.

A slight pang of regret rose in Mori Shizue's heart, but it was quickly overshadowed by her determination.

She bent down and handed a folded note to Kirihara Akira: "Open this after you leave, and don't let anyone else see it."

They were quite professional, reminiscent of their previous work meetings... Kirihara Akira thought to herself, took the note, and feeling that they had discussed things thoroughly enough, turned around to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Mori Shizue suddenly became curious: "If, if you had enough power, or rather, if you were the powerful clan itself, what methods would you use against them?"

Kirihara Akira turned around, smiled, and said, "I will make it legal."

Mori Shizue paused for a moment, then let out a cute "Ah".

"Legality is their first step toward destruction, and also their last."

As Kirihara Akatsuki was about to explain, footsteps approached at an inopportune moment.

He could only smile slightly at Mori Shizue, leaving it for another opportunity to explain to her how the Yakuza of the parallel world's Neon gradually declined.