My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

The strong wind arrived right on schedule at seven in the evening, the prime time for business at Junmi-ya. It caused a 70% reduction in customers, and shortly after, a sudden heavy rain warning was issued in the news, prompting the remaining patrons to leave and return home. As a result, by around nine o’clock that night, Junmi-ya was devoid of customers.

Kitahara Hideji rubbed his slightly sore eyes, his expression not too pleasant. Meanwhile, Fukuzawa Fuyumi sat in a corner of the dining area, going over the accounts. She pursed her lips tightly, a round red mark on her cheek. Despite the humor in the situation, her demeanor was somewhat sulky.

Kitahara Hideji’s mood wasn’t soured by the poor business today; that wasn’t his concern. His frustration stemmed from the fact that Fuyumi, that little radish head, was nothing short of a nutcase!

Having worked at Junmi-ya for nearly ten days, Hideji felt that his relationship with Fuyumi had somewhat improved. Today, he had even shown goodwill by treating her to a drink and thought that maybe they could have a peaceful chat. However, she turned it into an absurd drama, accusing him of trying to drug her with a drink!

Was she insane? There was no way to explain her actions. She was undoubtedly insane!

At that moment, he could barely hold back his tears. Of course, he didn’t hold back physically. He pressed Fuyumi’s head down onto a bowl of food, ensuring that her face made an extremely close contact with the rim of the bowl—now it seemed that she was worse off, with that circular mark still visible on her face!

Perhaps Fuyumi was used to being domineering at home, but he wouldn’t tolerate her tantrums here. He didn’t owe her anything, so why should he indulge her whims?

He continued cleaning the kitchen, stealing a glance at Fuyumi. Fuyumi also looked back at him, and their gazes met for a moment. She appeared a bit guilty but quickly turned her head away, her small face still defiant.

After exchanging glares for a while, they both looked away almost simultaneously. Kitahara Hideji neatly arranged the pots, pans, and utensils, placing everything in its proper place. Fukuzawa Naotaka, the owner and head chef of Fukuzawa-ya, had already left to rest since there were no customers. Hideji was left to finish the tasks as the assistant cook. As he worked, he thought to himself, “Working here is quite comfortable, and I can gain experience. The boss treats me well too. But this little radish head is just too insufferable. She’s a real handful.”

Haruna, who was helping out and discreetly observing from the sidelines, couldn’t help but inwardly sigh. She had witnessed everything that had happened before dinner tonight. All things considered, she felt that Onee-san was in the wrong.

When someone kindly offers their help, why would you go poking them in the eye for no reason?

She wiped her hands with her apron and walked out of the kitchen towards Fuyumi. She gently tugged at her arm and softly suggested, “Onee-san, why don’t you apologize to him?”

Fuyumi glanced at Kitahara Hideji, held her breath for a moment, and then muttered, “I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I apologize to him? I won’t go!”

“Onee-san!”

“I won’t go!”

Haruna watched Fuyumi pout in defiance. Taking a deep breath, she patiently reasoned, “Onee-san, taking out your frustration about your scholarship on him is… not fair. And what happened today was even more excessive. Maybe you should apologize.”

She chose her words carefully, knowing that her elder sister was more receptive to gentle persuasion. To be honest, she had never thought that Fuyumi was right from the start, especially after getting to know what kind of person Kitahara Hideji was. However, she was bound by a strong sense of respect for her elder sister, who had essentially been both a sister and a mother to her in many ways. In some sense, she would even go as far as to cover up any crime Fuyumi committed, even if it meant going to prison. It might seem morally questionable, but she’d rather be that kind of person than watch her sister make foolish decisions.

Just like now, she felt that Kitahara Hideji was quite magnanimous for not holding a grudge against Onee-san’s unreasonable behavior at school. But then Onee-san unnecessarily went and poked him in the eye. That needed to be addressed.

“Why didn’t he apologize to me first? Look how he hit me!” Fuyumi wasn’t entirely unreasonable. She knew her sister was right, but she was stubborn and refused to back down. She pointed to the red mark on her face and complained, “Did you see how hard he hit me? He almost suffocated me by pressing my face into the rice bowl!”

Haruna was momentarily speechless. Well, you weren’t exactly polite either. Your face was shoved into a rice bowl, and you retaliated by kicking him, albeit mostly hitting your sister.

She dared not dwell on the scene that had unfolded earlier. It was too comical, and just thinking about it made her chest feel tight. Onee-san and Kitahara Hideji were fighting at the table, nearly knocking it over. They even managed to pin Fuyumi down, causing her to yelp and squirm. It was like a real-life version of the grim reaper fighting a mischievous ghost, right in the middle of their daily routine.

She remained silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh, and then decided to trace the issue back to its root, gently asking, “Onee-san, why did you poke his eye? He didn’t do anything significant at that moment, did he?”

Fuyumi remained silent, her pen scribbling aimlessly in the ledger. Haruna waited for a while before patiently asking again, “What was it really about, Onee-san?”

Haruna was the only one in the family who could have a proper conversation with Fuyumi. After hesitating for a while, Fuyumi begrudgingly said, “I don’t know either. I suddenly realized we were too close, and it made me angry. I didn’t think it through and poked his eye, only realizing afterwards…”

“But of course you’d be close if you were both looking at something together!” Haruna was even more puzzled.

Fuyumi suddenly grew more agitated, and her pen tore through the ledger. She vented her frustration, saying, “I was just really angry, for no reason!”

After pondering for a moment, Haruna cautiously asked, “Onee-san, is it because you’ve never been so close to a boy your age before?”

Fuyumi hesitated for a moment, then immediately retorted with defiance, “That’s impossible! You don’t know how popular I am at school. There are plenty of boys chasing after me, always coming around me. I can’t even shoo them away. I already disliked him, and getting even closer made me dislike him even more. So, I got angry! Yes, that’s the reason!”

As she finished speaking, she even managed to convince herself. She glared angrily at Kitahara Hideji, touched the painful mark on her face, and declared, “This guy hit me again. I’ll remember this, and there will come a day when I settle the score with him!”

Seeing her so resolute, Haruna couldn’t think of any other reason and became deeply puzzled. Wasn’t it because Onee-san was too shy? But why? Was it really a case of incompatible personalities? Were they destined to fight whenever they were together?

…….

Kitahara Hideji finished tidying up the kitchen, taking a step back to survey his work. The pots and pans were gleaming and neatly arranged. His frustrated mood had eased slightly. He glanced over at the dining area and noticed Fuyumi and Haruna huddled together, whispering to each other. He felt a slight tension but quickly chuckled to himself—there was no need to be anxious if they were giving up; even if they were planning something, he had nothing to worry about.

Haruna was a reasonable girl, but her deep respect for Fuyumi sometimes led her astray. Like the saying goes, “When the leader is upright, the subordinates will follow suit.” Sometimes, she could only go along with her sister’s antics. It was a shame for such a good kid.

Thinking this, Kitahara Hideji adjusted his clothes and cleaned his hands. Then, he followed the small door at the side of the kitchen into the hallway, where he bumped into Yukari. Yukari was dressed in a white martial arts uniform, dragging a wooden sword behind her. Her slightly damp, curly hair clung to her forehead, and there were two spots of red on her face, clearly the aftermath of some physical activity. He tried not to look for too long—Yukari was probably not wearing a bra under her uniform, and even though it was concealed, her chest seemed to tremble as if she had two rabbits hidden inside. It was quite distracting.

Yukari was headed upstairs from here. Their living quarters were on the second floor. Upon seeing Kitahara Hideji, she greeted him cheerfully, “Hey, where are you off to?”

Adhering to the principle of not staring impolitely, Kitahara Hideji averted his gaze as much as possible. He also smiled and replied, “I’m preparing to see your father, I mean… your dad.” He paused and added apologetically, “Sorry, I accidentally hit you a few times earlier. Are you alright?”

Yukari was tough and didn’t make a big deal out of it. She patted her chest, causing her bunny-like chest to bounce amusingly, and smiled, “I’m quite sturdy, so I’m fine.” However, her expression turned worried as she continued, “But can you please not fight with my sister? You’re my friend, and she’s my sister. I don’t know whose side to take when you two fight.”

Kitahara Hideji was taken aback. Were we already friends? At best, we’re just acquaintances, right?

After a moment of bewilderment, he helplessly replied, “I don’t want to argue with her either, but your sister… well, she’s quite a character.”

Yukari, in an unusual display of agreement, silently nodded her head. After a moment, she patted his shoulder with force and sighed, “Even though I don’t know why you two fought, I can guess it’s because of me, right? You argued about me joining the club. My sister, being unreasonable as she is, forced me into doing some boring tasks. You wanted to help me, and it ended up in a fight. Most likely, my sister started it. Sigh, I’ll remember this favor. Next time you want to fight someone, other than my sister, just let me know. I’ll have your back, unwavering till the end.”

After saying this, she patted Kitahara Hideji’s shoulder twice more, sighed again, shook her head, and left to go upstairs for a shower. Her face was filled with distress and dilemma.

Kitahara Hideji watched her leave, feeling utterly drained. She didn’t even say goodbye. Why do you have such a rosy self-image? Why? What was that all about? It’s not like I fought because of you!

Speechless, he watched her depart, vigorously massaging his shoulder. He had been pummeled half numb by this monster’s slaps. What a forceful woman! He pondered whether he should give her a dictionary of idioms as a gift—listening to her talk gave him a headache, and he was genuinely afraid.

Does she really understand what “two ribs pierced by a single knife” means? She better not interpret that as her sticking two knives into her “friend” (himself). That would be a real tragedy.

After standing still for a moment, he walked up to Fukuzawa Naotaka’s study door. He politely gave it a light knock, hearing Fukuzawa Naotaka’s gentle voice from within, “Please come in, Kitahara-kun.”

Slightly surprised, Kitahara Hideji pushed open the door and entered. He found Fukuzawa Naotaka reclining on a tatami mat, sipping on a glass of alcohol. On the low table in front of him was a dish of boiled beans in saltwater, presumably a side dish for the alcohol. It was quite frugal.

“Did we have a guest over?” Fukuzawa Naotaka struggled a bit to sit up and casually inquired.

Kitahara Hideji shook his head and replied, “No, it seems like it’s raining outside. There probably won’t be any guests today.”

Upon hearing his response, Fukuzawa Naotaka adjusted his posture, sitting cross-legged, and gestured toward the other side of the table. He smiled warmly and said, “Then, you must have something to discuss with me. Please have a seat, Kitahara-kun.”

“Thank you!” Kitahara Hideji took a seat across the low table, while Fukuzawa Naotaka picked up a wine jug to pour him a drink. He smiled and said, “Have a drink, it’s lychee wine. It’s quite rare these days. Ah, I’ve been wanting to have a chat with you, but never found the time. It’s fortunate we can now, as I suspect there might not be another chance.”

Kitahara Hideji hesitated for a moment, about to decline, but Fukuzawa Naotaka seemed to anticipate his thoughts and spoke preemptively, “This is cloudy wine, whether it counts as alcohol in the legal sense is debatable. It’s not very strong, so think of it as a beverage. Saves me from dragging my old arms and legs to brew tea for you.”

After all, he was about to be the former boss, so Kitahara Hideji didn’t insist further. He lightly held the flat black ceramic cup, watching the pale green liquid fill it slowly, and politely said, “In that case, I’ll have a drink. Thank you, Fukuzawa-san.”

“I should be thanking you for not getting into too many conflicts with my daughter.”

Kitahara Hideji felt slightly embarrassed. Even though Yukari started the fight, he still didn’t hold back and treated her like a circus clown. Even if he was in the right, being met with such politeness from the other party’s father made him feel like he was lacking a bit of manly dignity.

However, he didn’t want to apologize either. It was Yukari who brought it upon herself. He decided to switch to a lighter topic and curiously asked, “By the way, Fukuzawa-san, how did you know it was me just now?”

It’s not likely to hear footsteps through the door…

Fukuzawa Naotaka looked up at him, the lamplight casting a pallid hue on his face, making it appear rather unhealthy. Yet, a glint of a sharp sword flashed in his eyes.

Kitahara Hideji only heard him speak softly, “Because I am a Swordsman, Kitahara-kun.”