Chapter 17 Haruka, how about I give you a hand... You look like you're having a hard time...

The night was silent, with stars dotting the black canvas above,

Although the villa was located in bustling Shinjuku, this area was, after all, a residential district, and the real nightlife was still two streets away.

The atmosphere, tranquil and serene, was better suited for living,

Soft lighting lit the surroundings, and inside the villa,

After dinner, Haruka Yuzan lay on the sofa playing with his cellphone, while Reiko Onodera seemed restless,

Gathering the dishes and cutlery they had used, she then started to kneel and scrub the floor by herself.

Her rounded backside pushed against the deep blue, oversized nightgown, making it bulge, Mrs. Onodera on her knees scrubbing the floor with a clean cloth in her hand, her graceful figure so tempting it made one want to reach out and give it a pat.

The hardworking Mrs. Onodera, and... the languid Haruka Yuzan...

"Mr. Haruka, could you please lift your feet?"

As a gentle voice rang in his ears, Haruka Yuzan snapped back to the moment, realizing that madam had cleaned her way to his side.

She squatted next to him, her delicate face tinged with a bit of redness, as if truly hot, Haruka Yuzan could even see the sweat on her attractive collarbone, and further down...

"Oh, sorry," Haruka Yuzan hurriedly lifted his feet, and she continued to scrub her way past him, half-squatting.

The tender-looking thighs seemed like they would feel good to the touch, but there were small red marks around her knees, indicating that scrubbing the floor was not an easy task.

After thinking it over, Haruka Yuzan also went to the storeroom, donned rubber gloves, took a wiping cloth, and knelt on the floor to start cleaning as well.

"Eh? Mr. Haruka, you don't have to do this,"

Seeing Haruka Yuzan taking up the task, Mrs. Onodera suddenly became anxious. How could she let the kind landlord do the cleaning himself?

After all, she was staying for free, and if she didn't do more housework, the guilt and self-reproach would trouble her all day long.

"It's okay, it's faster with two people doing it. When I lived here by myself, I always did the cleaning,"

Haruka Yuzan smiled, his grin had the carefree breeziness of a wealthy young master.

"You cleaned by yourself?"

Reiko Onodera was surprised, shouldn't this kind of task be done by hired help?

"Yeah, otherwise who would do it?"

Haruka Yuzan said, and with the same purposeful movements began to scrub the floor.

Seeing this, the image of a young man grew impressively in Reiko Onodera's estimation.

There was nothing of the idle rich young master about him; it was all in madam's imagination.

With an extra pair of hands, the efficiency markedly improved, and the living room was soon cleaned by both of them.

"Eh!"

Reiko Onodera stood up and stretched her back, displaying astonishing flexibility in her slender waist

...

A woman in her prime is like a flower; she needs care, nourishment, and to be cherished.

Only then can she blossom into her most beautiful self.

Haruka Yuzan sat on the sofa reading a book, which contained a line in "Youth Miscellany," accompanied by an illustration of a scantily clad woman, who looked quite like a certain teacher.

He looked up at madam,

Well, that makes sense.

Damn it, why would a magazine for the youth contain such phrases, he thought to himself that the editor must be a crafty person with malicious intentions.

The madam next to him suddenly stood up, and Haruka Yuzan flipped the page of the magazine quite naturally, turning past the nude illustration.

"Mr. Haruka, I have something I want to discuss with you."

A voice reached his ears, and Reiko Onodera began to speak.

As Haruka Yuzan looked up, the first thing that came into view was her perfect figure wrapped in a nightgown, and then, a little embarrassedly, the beautiful face of the madam.

"What is it, Sister Reiko?"

"Yes, it's like this, I've found a job, but since the salary is paid monthly, for the next month, I still won't be able to pay the rent..."

Mrs. Onodera started speaking somewhat embarrassedly, realizing she had broken her promise to pay the rent after finding a job.

"Please rest assured, as soon as I receive my paycheck, I will pay everything I owe."

"So that's what it is, no hurry," Haruka Yuzan said magnanimously. He had never really cared about the 1,000 yen anyway.

The wish list and rewards given out by the System were his true aim.

Seeing the little landlord so easy to talk to, Reiko Onodera seemed to think of something, her cheeks becoming even rosier,

"If that's the case, then... then please come over, Mr. Haruka..."

Hm?

All Mrs. Onodera did was stretch out a finger and pull at the strap on her shoulder, letting the blue fabric slide down her skin, milky as cream.

The madam shyly turned her head away.

"Come... come over..."

She appeared to have made up her mind as she cooed softly.

Seeing the lady in such a state,

Haruka Yuzan stood up immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

He always despised prudery the most; no man would reject such a scene.

This time, Haruka was not as gentle as he was yesterday.

Mrs. Onodera bit her lip, her blush deepening even further.

It's fine. The little landlord is so good to her, what's this in comparison?

Unable to come up with even 1,000 yen yet living in such a nice house, Reiko Onodera felt more than just contentment; she was filled with gratitude.

Not to mention in a huge city like Tokyo, even in their rural inn back home, it would cost 2,000 yen a night.

Without Mr. Haruka, she really didn't know what she would do... her circumstances might have been dire...

Thinking of how she didn't have a penny to her name, alone in this great city, not only without a big villa to stay in but without a place to settle down at all, nor would she have been able to eat a hot bowl of ramen, nor, as she was doing now, leisurely playing with her phone...

The more she thought about it, the more gratitude she felt for Haruka Yuzan...

She suddenly caught a glimpse of the young man, hesitated, her gaze filled with complexity,

"Haruka, maybe I can help you out..."

????

The black sky grew dimmer, as if the twinkling stars had lost their light,

Gentle night breezes stirred, carrying fluffs of dark clouds across the sky.

The bright moonlight was obscured, and the air was tinged with the scent of impending rain.

The second floor of the villa was pitch-dark,

and Haruka Yuzan didn't turn on the lights when he came downstairs,

The bedroom door was nudged open from the inside, and it seemed as if two points of light were flashing in the pitch-black air,

those points of light casually drifting forward,

"Meow..."

A plump orange-striped cat emerged from the shadows, its wise eyes looking around in bewilderment.

Why was it so dark?

The cat slowly walked towards the light source. Reaching the staircase, it saw the light on in the living room below, and let out a soft meow,

Its stubby legs tentatively took a step forward, hanging in midair,

Looking at the twenty or so steps before it, the cat thought for a moment and then decided to draw its little paw back.

If it's dark, it's dark—perfect for sleeping.

Shaking its tail and wiggling its chubby body, it returned to the bedroom.

...

......

Fifteen minutes earlier,

"Help, help me?"

Haruka Yuzan was somewhat incredulous at first—rich and now so generous???

"Mhm..."

The already rosy cheeks seemed to heat up even more after nodding.

The charming madam was before you,

Her soft, white skin exposed, with black strands of hair cascading down her cheeks, mature and sexy, beautiful and captivating.

A woman's best age, the age that deserves to be cherished like a flower.

Haruka Yuzan felt like he had gained some insight from a sentence he had just read in a magazine.

"Hmm?"

The madam, still in a state of shyness, suddenly felt herself leaning forward, plunging straight into the landlord's embrace.

Reiko Onodera bit her lip, clutching at the young man.

"Sss..."

Haruka Yuzan inhaled sharply.

As they embraced, Reiko Onodera spoke, not daring to look the young man in the eye but whispered in his ear,

"We can't do this... I could instead... every day..."

As Onodera spoke, she exerted a little force with her hand, and Haruka Yuzan calmed down a bit.

He was still clear on the distinction between a treat now and then and meals every day.

And besides, this plot was so familiar.

You are at an age brimming with youthful vigor.

Then one day, a beautiful married woman comes to stay at your place.

The madam is mature and sexy, hardworking, and caring towards you.

The first day, nothing unusual, just the madam doing household chores in somewhat loose and cool clothing.

The second day, the beautiful madam takes note of your plight and, out of kindness, decides to help you, but the bottom line in her heart will only allow... and she promises to help you every day... you agreed...

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, you receive help, and afterwards, it becomes a mutual habit and understanding.

Until the sixth day... you start to feel dissatisfied, and the bottom line in the madam's heart seems to relax just a little...

Sss, Haruka Yuzan thought of the future scenarios and decided it was best to let things flow gently and develop slowly.

Experiencing this process firsthand would surely be even more wonderful...

It seemed like he had cast himself as the hero in a manga or drama!!!

...

Onodera's lips slightly puffed up, and the madam actually made a cute and coy expression.

.......

The night wind grew stronger, and one could almost hear a faint howling,

The branches of the locust trees by the roadside swayed in the air, a storm brewing, with a hint of moisture detectable in the air.

Haruka Yuzan stood in front of the window, watching the rain strike the window, feeling the chill from outside through the glass...

Now he only felt exhilarated, with an inexplicable lightness and joy pervading him.

Even better than when he had just leveled up before.

A holy radiance appeared on the young man, dazzling Beans, who was behind the roast meat, making it hard for her to keep her eyes open.

What's going on,

Why does the poop-scooping officer feel a bit off?

He seems to have gotten a bit more upmarket, a bit more rational???

After a moment of reflection on life, Haruka Yuzan sat down on the floor, opened the screen in front of him,

and connected the game controller.

"Monster Hunter"

The game page was loading, and just as he logged on, someone sent a team invitation,

[Player: Determined to Create a Second Yuyiniao!]: How can you be so slow to log on? The Black Dragon is about to refresh, hurry up, quick, quick, quick!! (Charge)]

[Player: Japan Server's Top Lance Man]: Had some stuff to deal with, haven't I arrived just in time?]

[Player: Determined to Create a Second Yuyiniao!]: What stuff? You weren't just cozying up alone under your blanket, were you...]

[Player: Japan Server's Top Lance Man]: What are you thinking? Let's get to the mission!]

[Player: Determined to Create a Second Yuyiniao!]: By the way, I remember you're in Tokyo? I plan to move there soon; got any places to recommend?]

Seeing this message, Haruka Yuzan paused. He remembered that he was, after all, a landlord,

but the other side was just an online friend, unaware of his background. After some thought, he typed back,

[Player: Japan Server's Top Lance Man]: I'm not too sure myself, haven't been in Tokyo long, still not very familiar with the place.]

[Player: Determined to Create a Second Yuyiniao!]: Alright, figured I couldn't count on you, sigh, after all, you're still a high school kid.]

[Player: Japan Server's Top Lance Man]: Hey, hey, hey, how old are you exactly? Don't have such expectations!]

[Player: Determined to Create a Second Yuyiniao]: I'm of age! You little brat!]

Reading this message, Haruka Yuzan couldn't help but smirk,

Although they had spoken through voice chat before and the other's voice was that of a pleasant-sounding girl, he had never seen her face and didn't know what this Yuyiniao really looked like. Online friends... really scary... you never know who is sitting in front of the computer chatting with you?