The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

Chapter 27 Hiss, not spicy

The details of the matter are far from complicated.

Born into a wealthy family, yet confined in a birdcage in Phnom Penh, both Mori Kiyoyo and Mori Shizue suffer from a life beyond their control.

They had fought with their families many times because of their involvement in organized crime.

Mori Akari, of course, ignored their demands.

However, their father did respond once.

That response has stayed with them until now, and perhaps it will be hard for them to forget it in the future.

It's not really anything special.

Their father said, "How could that be? I won't let you get hurt. Actually, those gangsters won't hurt you either."

This is a cool statement; its meaning can be completely different depending on the perspective from which it is interpreted.

They believed that their father made them accept their fate.

So they began to fight, each in their own way.

The Yamaei-kai not only maintains contact with the main branch of the Mori family, but also interacts with the branch families. They have always maintained peaceful relations without any friction. Mori Kiyoha believes that this may be the source of her father's idea.

So, at that time, when she was still young, an idea came to her mind.

Her thinking was very straightforward: since things were going well, she would create some conflict between the two sides.

How to manufacture it?

A person who doesn't even have freedom can't possibly have any leverage.

She came up with the most foolish idea.

......

Mori Kiyoha said, "When people are at their wits' end, they will do things they know are foolish."

Kirihara Akatsuki fell silent, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Your mother, should I say businesswoman or politician...?"

She understood what Kirihara Akira meant by the second half of her sentence.

"Perhaps I just want to test it out," Mori Kiyoha said with a cold laugh. "To test whether that woman really wants to get involved in politics, whether she's truly ruthless enough. I want to see if she'll be worried when I take the risk."

"When she came back, she told me that she had given me enough freedom."

"I should have expected this outcome."

"Back when I was at the club, I kept thinking, 'Isn't taking risks enough? I should die.'"

Mori Kiyoha suddenly raised her head, looked at Kirihara Akira, and said, "Could my death briefly awaken her maternal love?"

"But later I came to terms with it. My death didn't need to awaken her maternal love, it just needed to make her wary, so that even that naive fool, Shizue Mori, could have a better life."

Kirihara Akatsuki did not answer; her heart, along with the moon, was immersed in the night.

Mori Kiyoha's eyes reddened, and she said angrily, "She never...!"

Her words came to an abrupt halt, as if those words had drained all her strength. Sen Qingye leaned against the soft cushion on the windowsill, almost lying down.

Suddenly, she didn't want to say anything more.

Because Mori Kiyoha suddenly realized that she regarded the boy in front of her as "one of her own," someone who made her feel at ease and with whom she could confide her innermost thoughts.

That's despicable.

She didn't think she was qualified.

What does Kirihara Akira think?

Undeniably, from his perspective, there were better solutions, and the power struggle should have been a gradual and de-escalating process.

Humans cannot be completely rational animals.

Some people stand on the mountaintop, surrounded by an unobstructed vista in all directions, with a vast and boundless sky above them. They can clearly see the road beneath their feet and where it leads.

But there weren't many people on the mountaintop. The world was mostly filled with prisoners, trapped in a dark room with walls on all four sides. The only way to observe was through holes in the walls, and no matter which side you looked from, it was like seeing only a part of the whole picture.

This is her own problem; perhaps everyone is troubled by their family of origin throughout their lives.

He could flirt with women and act as if feelings were growing stronger, but how could he soothe a girl's wounded heart? This stumped him.

This isn't my responsibility, I should just get out of here.

Kirihara Akatsuki dusted off imaginary dust from her pants, stood up, and said, "I'm starving. I'll go ask the kitchen to prepare some late-night snacks. Do you want some?"

Mori Kiyoha remained unmoved.

Kirihara Akira shrugged and turned to leave.

Mori Kiyoha suddenly said, "About everything, I'm sorry, and thank you."

Kirihara Akira stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Mori Kiyoha. For some reason, he walked towards Mori Kiyoha.

He patted Mori Kiyoha's head and said, "I want to say that, no matter what... you've done very well. Thank you for your hard work."

Snapped.

Mori Kiyoha slapped his hand away and gave him a cold glance.

This guy is really not cute.

……

……

Kirihara Akatsuki went to find food and left the room, leaving Mori Kiyoha alone.

She sat there like a statue for a long time.

After a long while, two lines of clear tears appeared on her pretty face.

Her ring finger gently traced a line across the tear stain.

Why am I crying?

She shouldn't feel pain or sadness.

In a hazy state, Sen Qingye thought to himself about the unfinished sentence he had just uttered.

"She has never praised me once, not even once, not even once that I did a good job."

She lost all strength, her head drooping between her knees, emitting a deep, long "mmm" sound, as if trying to expel all the emotions in her mind that she couldn't quite grasp.

But the more she tried to calm herself down, the more the events of this period came to mind, and her thoughts kept shifting.

Finally, a single image stuck in her mind.

That was the scene of Kirihara Akira holding her hand as they walked out of that house together.

Mori Kiyoha lay down, keeping her head down.

She muttered to herself, "I'm so despicable."

……

……

Kirihara Akira wasn't really used to the food here.

The Mori family is actually considered frugal in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities among wealthy families. Apart from formal occasions such as banquets, entertaining distinguished guests, and attending formal social events, where they would wear new clothes, the lady of the house only has a few sets of everyday clothes for all four seasons, and out of fondness for old things, she has worn and maintained them for many years.

Consequently, even the two girls who were still developing changed their clothes less frequently.

Akari Mori's personal preferences directly influenced the habits and style of the family members.

She doesn't like strong flavors, so the food she prepares is so bland that even Kirihara Akira would find it unappetizing.

This prompted Kirihara Akira to sneak into the kitchen, wanting to cook something herself.

This startled the maids. How could the young master be allowed to cook in this house?

However, Kirihara Akira insisted, and they still wanted to refuse, but an unexpected person stepped forward and said a few words on his behalf.

It's Kawasaki.

The old gentleman's only request was: "Make me one too."

The kitchen was fully stocked with ingredients, and the strong-flavored spices and chili peppers showed signs of frequent use.

Later, Kirihara Akira learned that Kawasaki also had a strong palate.

Smelling the pungent odor emanating from the kitchen, the two maids covered their mouths and noses at the doorway. One of them asked, "Is the young master cooking some kind of high explosive in there?"

He was actually just making Mapo Tofu.

Actually, Kirihara Akira really wanted to stir-fry another plate of chili and pork, but after searching the entire kitchen, all she could find were green peppers.

The Mapo Tofu I made was missing a handful of green garlic, and the crucial Sichuan peppercorns had been sitting for a while, so they weren't fragrant enough. The chili peppers were also a bit lacking. However, the result was still passable, albeit not great.

"Sigh." Kirihara Akira sighed and decided to buy some more ingredients later.

A simple plate of Mapo Tofu, shared between an elderly person and a young person.

Looking at the reddish-brown tofu on the plate, Kawasaki's Adam's apple bobbed, and he scooped up a spoonful with great flair.

One spoonful, one spoonful, and then another.

Then Kawasaki's old face turned red, and his lips trembled slightly.

Kirihara Akira glanced at him and asked, "Is it spicy?"

"Hiss, not spicy."

"..."

The two ate the tofu in silence, spoonful by spoonful, with only Kawasaki's hissing sounds filling the kitchen.

When it got too spicy to eat anymore, he put down his spoon and gulped down a big mouthful of water.

"Such a stubborn mouth," Kirihara Akatsuki thought to herself.

After a brief pause, Kawasaki suddenly spoke: "Kurokawa has escaped, and his current whereabouts are unknown."