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#8 Puzzling Demeanor
Last Updated:
2024-09-25 19:36:11Related chapters
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #9 Small Chance
Akiko bowed, slipped off her shoes, and stepped into the house, almost tiptoeing to avoid making any noise. She had to be careful because she was coming home very late. The restaurant where she had applied for a job had only been willing to interview her after nightfall, waiting for the owner to arrive. Of course, Akiko had recklessly waited, as it was the only restaurant left.Luckily, her efforts were not in vain. She was also offered a job at the restaurant. With that, Akiko officially had two jobs: one at the supermarket and another as a waitress at the restaurant. Although both were menial jobs, at least by working at two places simultaneously, Akiko had hope of saving money more quickly. Akiko had calculated her income in enormous detail during her journey home earlier and estimated that within the next three or four months, she would have enough money to rent a modest apartment and start her new life.Though three or four months was long, Akiko had to accept it because she ha
Last Updated : 2024-10-04Do You Love Me, Uncle? #10 My New Life
“AAGHH!” Akiko screamed, covering her face with her hands and shaking her head, not wanting to accept the kiss. But Kenji grabbed both of Akiko's hands and pulled them away from her face."What more could you expect from that family? I already told you to stay here and forget about them! Am I not enough?" Kenji's voice softened, but Akiko was already too scared, and her body trembled even more.With a final act of desperation, Akiko shook off Kenji's hands and managed to free herself. Kenji was drunk, so his grip wasn't strong. Akiko easily pushed Kenji aside. Without looking back, Akiko ran as fast as she could to her room and shut the door.Panting, Akiko crumbled once more. She sat down, hugging herself, trying to calm her trembling body and hold back the sobs that were almost escaping her lips. "Why..." Finally, the sobs came with tears.Akiko felt so alone, and the world seemed so terrifying. It was the same feeling she had when she saw Yuto remain silent and Kaede say cruel th
Last Updated : 2024-10-04Do You Love Me, Uncle? #11 Losing One Job
"Shokuji o tanoshinde." (Enjoy your meal.)Akiko bowed and then stepped back with a smile on her face, adjusting the kimono she was wearing. The outfit was a bit troublesome because Akiko wasn't used to it, but the kimono was a requirement for her job at the restaurant.The restaurant's uniform was chosen because it had a classic theme, serving authentic traditional Japanese cuisine with decor that strongly evoked the atmosphere of ancient Japan.At first, Akiko had doubts about whether she could do the job, as her only experience wearing a kimono was during a few summer festivals she had attended with Rie.But after two days and some tips from the other waitstaff at the restaurant, Akiko quickly adapted and could now perform her tasks smoothly—even running while wearing the kimono without messing up its shape. Akiko also enjoyed the work environment at the restaurant. It was so busy that she quickly forgot about the miserable aspects of her real life."Akiko, please bring this to roo
Last Updated : 2024-10-05Do You Love Me, Uncle? #12 And Another One
"What happened to your hand?" As they passed each other near the kitchen, Kenji noticed Akiko's bandaged index finger."A cut from a broken cup," Akiko said as briefly as possible, then bowed and quickly fled. She was en route to work at the station. Of course, Akiko hurried out, trying to prevent Kenji from asking further questions or getting any ideas about stopping her.She already regretted waking up late that morning, likely due to crying for so long the previous night. Losing one of her jobs had nearly driven Akiko back to the brink of despair.But now, Akiko had regained her resolve for the day. She deliberately took the morning shift at the convenience store so she would have free time later to look for another job. Akiko might try asking at another restaurant or store. She wouldn’t give up on just one job. She didn’t want to extend her stay at Kenji’s place any longer. Akiko had a new goal: to sleep soundly in her own apartment soon.Over the past few weeks of living with Ken
Last Updated : 2024-10-05Do You Love Me, Uncle? #13 A New Light
Kenji sat on a shiny, dark leather chair, his expression blank, staring at the two people bowing before him. However, Kenji's silence only made the two of them appear even more anxious. They knew that a silent Kenji was more dangerous than a talking one.“Which one of you injured her hand?” After a prolonged silence, Kenji finally posed the question. The two people in front of him grew increasingly nervous, exchanging glances. His question only poured fear into their mounting anxiety.“I... I did, Sandaime” (Third Generation Leader).The man with a tattoo on his cheek answered hesitantly, bowing again.“Yamada? What did you do to her?” Kenji leaned his head back, now focusing solely on Yamada.“I kicked a piece of a broken cup, but the girl was holding it. Her hand was cut as a result." Yamada explained, bowing even deeper—more than ninety degrees.Kenji lowered his crossed legs, sighing. The small movement made Yamada recoil, terrified of what Kenji might do. But Kenji did nothing un
Last Updated : 2024-10-05Do You Love Me, Uncle? #14 A Better Job
To tidy herself up, Akiko smoothed her clothes. She had done this several times since she first noticed the appearance of the Shingi Fusaya Real Estate office.Akiko worried about her appearance, realizing that the company was much larger than she had imagined. The information she had found on the internet yesterday was incomplete.The company occupied a five-story building in Tokyo's main business district, where the land and property prices were undoubtedly very high. Shingi's ability to occupy an entire building meant that he was truly powerful. This work environment would be vastly different from working at a convenience store or a restaurant, as she had before. Akiko felt out of place when she first arrived.However, when she showed the interview letter in the lobby earlier, it was confirmed that she was in the right place. The letter was acknowledged, and Akiko was quickly escorted to the HR department on the third floor for her interview. The interview itself was also differen
Last Updated : 2024-10-06Do You Love Me, Uncle? #15 You're Suspicious
“Didn’t you input the data here yesterday? This house isn’t considered expensive.” Akiko pointed to another folder, helping Riko, who looked confused.“Ahh…” Riko sighed deeply, then opened the folder Akiko had indicated, and, of course, finally found the data on the house in front of them.“Impressive. You’re learning quickly,” Riko praised. Akiko smiled shyly but was pleased to hear it.“I thought this house would be considered expensive given its size,” Riko said as he opened the data on his tablet.Akiko had already moved on, starting to measure the width of the gate. She bent down and carefully noted the measurements. Fieldwork was indeed part of her new job. Luckily, for outdoor activities like this, Shinigi provided black pants as part of the uniform.Akiko had initially been puzzled when she imagined having to work outside in that short skirt. When she saw that pants were included in the uniform she received, Akiko liked her new office even more. This was clearly reflected in
Last Updated : 2024-10-06Do You Love Me, Uncle? #16 A Little Memory
"Excuse me, but what do you mean by saying that?" Akiko stood up and stared at Mori.Of course, Akiko understood exactly what Mori meant. This wasn't the first time Mori had said something like that. Akiko still remembers the conversation between Mori and the HR woman yesterday. Her presence was suspicious.But Akiko would not accept insults because she really hadn't done anything unusual. She was here because she had been summoned. She didn't know how or by whom she had been called. And clearly, Akiko felt she had worked very hard to catch up and learn. Hard work was no straightforward task."You heard what I said, didn’t you? You don't belong here...""Sorry, but why do you think I'm not a suitable fit? Have I made any mistakes in the past few weeks? Is there a poor performance on my record?"Akiko was bold because she knew her work was nearly flawless. Akiko might have made mistakes in her first week of training, but they were minor. After that, Akiko guaranteed everything was pe
Last Updated : 2024-10-06
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Do You Love Me, Uncle? #229 This One Better
"But that’s a lie. I just pretended to be pregnant," Akiko replied, shaking her head. She sensed that the doctor in front of her was making fun of her because the outrageous lie was too much for her.“What?” Rin was, of course, confused by Akiko’s reaction. She understood Akiko might find it hard to believe, but the confession was strange. She had no idea Akiko had ever pretended to be pregnant.“Yeah, she didn’t ask for mochi or anything,” Kenji chimed in, expressing disbelief.“What?”Akiko and Rin asked at the same time because Kenji’s response was even stranger.“She wasn’t nauseous or anything; she looked normal,” Kenji said, still trying to steer the conversation away from Mochi.“Pregnancy without nausea is quite possible. It’s likely Tanaka-san is experiencing such a pregnancy. You don’t remember when your last cycle was; that’s prob
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #228 It's True?
"Are you sure you're not experiencing dizziness or nausea?" Kyoko inquired, observing that Akiko was dismissing the symptoms."Not at all." Akiko shook her head and moved on to the next question.Akiko was sitting on a hospital bed, filling out a questionnaire to narrow down what was happening with her body. Akiko had already undergone several tests, including CT scans and more, with Dr. Hayashi earlier in the day. But the results were negative.Dr. Hayashi had confirmed there was no recurring tumor—for the second time. So, he concluded something else was causing the nosebleeds, though he didn’t yet know what.Hayashi asked Akiko to answer a series of questions to better understand her condition. It was a somewhat strange method, but necessary since Hayashi was still in Tokyo and couldn’t come immediately as Kenji had requested. He had a few surgeries to perform and could only fly to Osaka the next day.So, Akiko had been answerin
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #227 Blood Again
"Is this the last one?" Akiko asked as she stepped out of the car and looked at the building in front of her.The large building was shaped like a church, with towers and a European-style design in a reddish hue. But Akiko didn’t see the name of a church on the sign attached to the gate. The sign read "Akarui Hizashi," which roughly means "bright sunlight.""Yes, let's go inside." Yui opened the iron gate and entered as if the place were very familiar to her.Akiko understood the building's purpose after seeing its huge yard. Children were running around, playing with the fallen leaves scattered everywhere. Akiko noticed a broom lying near their feet; they were too busy playing to finish their chores."This... is an orphanage," Akiko finally understood."Yes, this is the orphanage where Ryu and I grew up," Yui said."Oh, Ryu was here too?" Kyoko stepped forward to observe the surroundings."Yes. This is one of the orphanages man
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #226 Giving The Name
"What is that?" Ryu asked, intrigued as Kenji suddenly stopped moving."A letter." Kenji snapped out of his daydream, startled by seeing the name Ishida. It was his name; there was no doubt about it, but seeing Masaki write that name felt like something unpleasant was looming.Upon opening the unsealed envelope, Kenji discovered several documents of varying sizes and thickness. He chose one particular piece of paper that stood out—it was sealed in a plastic clip and folded. Kenji opened it.The document inside was a marriage certificate, with the names Kenji Tanaka and Akiko—Ishida. The certificate also included their photo, stamped with a hanko seal."What does this mean?!" Ryu exclaimed, staring at the name Ishida following Akiko’s name, confused."What kind of crazy joke is this?" Kenji was furious. He had no idea what the letter meant, especially with Akiko being referred to as Ishida.Kenji grabbed another sheet, sligh
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #225 Another Letter
Kenji drummed his fingers on the table, staring at Murakami, who was bowing deeply before him, clearly displeased."Is that all you have to say to me? Don't make me regret sparing your life! I want information, not nonsense about how you don’t know anything!" Kenji hissed as he stood, and Murakami immediately recoiled in fear."I truly don’t have any information about the other ichizoku involved in that business. Everything was handled by Nidaime himself. I only found out by accident that there were other clans involved. Nidaime unintentionally let it slip."Murakami explained, glancing at Kenji's feet, which were now positioned close to his face. He bowed again, his body trembling as he imagined those feet flying toward his head.But Kenji was in a far better mood than before. He simply looked down at the back of Murakami’s head."My father couldn't have handled this on his own! He must have—""Maybe he did. Nidaime
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #224 The Strange Will
Akiko, together with Kyoko, followed Yui down the unfamiliar corridor of the house. Even for Kyoko, who had been there longer than Akiko, the place felt foreign. Eventually, Yui led them to the second floor.The large wooden staircase, a deep brown, appeared sturdy, though it likely had been there for many years."I’m taking you upstairs so that you can have a better view of this place and what you now possess," Yui said, directing her words specifically at Akiko."Yes," Akiko nodded. As Akiko was now Kenji's wife, she understood that Yui was referring to ownership."We’ve arrived." Yui spread her arms, leaning against the wooden railing of the second-floor balcony.Of course, Akiko gasped in awe. From the balcony, they could see the entire area surrounding the large house.In addition to a garden, Akiko could make out the roofs of smaller houses scattered around the estate—houses she had seen when she walked in the day bef
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #223 Uncertain
“I... don’t know. I don’t really keep track of... mmm... my menstrual cycle carefully, so I’m not sure.”Akiko shook her head uncertainly. She never felt the need to keep track of such things since she didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant. Akiko couldn’t remember the last time she had her period.“Have you been feeling nauseous or dizzy?” Kenji recalled how Akiko had previously suffered from severe nausea and dizziness.“No, nothing. I’m fine.” Akiko shook her head confidently. She hadn’t experienced any nausea. Nothing had changed.“Are you sure?” Kenji inquired again, hoping for a different response. But Akiko could only shake her head.“What… I mean… I didn’t know you wanted me to be pregnant so badly.” Akiko stammered, surprised. She sat up straight in front of Kenji, who was resting his head on her lap.In all
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #222 You're That Sad?
"Oh, right. I forgot. Thank you."Akiko, unable to say anything else, smiled nervously at Shibata, who returned to his place.There was no way Akiko could explain that it was all a lie in front of so many people, who might think she was being rude.“I also FORGOT. I shouldn’t have poured that sake for you.” While looking at Akiko with wide eyes, Kenji emphasized the word "forgot." He normalized the situation, despite his obvious confusion.“Ha... yes.” Akiko’s nervous smile became more obvious, but what else could she say?“I may have surprised all of you, but I think it’s time I introduce Akiko to you. This is Akiko Tanaka, my wife.”At the very least, Kenji's words elicited a reaction—shock and astonishment. So far, there had only been confusion after Shibata mentioned the pregnancy.“From now on, she’ll be living here,” Kenji added to ensure there w
Do You Love Me, Uncle? #221 You What?
"There's going to be a formal dinner tonight. Do you mind joining?" Kenji asked, gently tapping Akiko's cheek as she gazed out at the view from the car window. They were on their way home after the ceremony at the temple."Dinner with who? Do I have to go?" Akiko inquired, feeling hesitant.She had been slightly disappointed yesterday when Kenji didn’t properly introduce her to the people they met, but after hearing Kyoko explain the environment Kenji lived in, Akiko felt it was fine not to be introduced. Still, it seemed like something that couldn't be avoided."Sorry, but you have to. People will start asking questions if you keep staying with me without knowing who you are." Kenji tightened his grip on her hand, trying to reassure her."Don't worry, I’ll only introduce you. You don’t have to answer any questions if you don’t want to. There's no need to feel awkward around anyone; you'll be there with me. If you don’t answe
