With everything ready, I took a deep breath and held my breath as I opened the door to the new world, or rather, the Uesugi family bathroom door.

And then, as the images that came into my sight transformed into information and were processed by my brain for me to understand, I truly didn't know how to describe my current feelings.

For example, it was like saving up for almost half a year, ordering a laptop online, eagerly waiting for days until the package finally arrived. Seeing the box, perfectly intact and beautifully packaged, I excitedly opened it, expecting to find the laptop inside, only to discover that it was just a paper model...

Please don't be in a hurry, I understand that even with such a detailed example, it's difficult to truly empathize.

So let me describe what I saw.

First, let's start with the scene.

From the traditional perspective of a bathroom scene, this was a very nice bathroom, clean and tidy, of a moderate size that made it easy for bodies to accidentally collide or overlap, and most importantly, there was no steam!

Yes, you read that right, this was a bathroom without any steam!

A bathroom with a clear view, without any fog, how incredibly rare and desirable!

Now let's talk about the people.

Souren Manranyama, Uesugi Yui, and Fandu were all in the bathroom.

Souren Manranyama and Uesugi Yui were naturally sitting at the edge of the bathtub, while Fandu sat on a small chair outside the tub.

Everyone was facing me, with smiles on their faces.

Everything seemed right, but it was all just superficial. I had underestimated the situation in this bathroom, becoming too excited and making the mistake of jumping to conclusions.

Yes, the premise of this bathroom situation was wrong.

What do I mean by premise?

If we were to express it using syllogism, the topic of the bathroom should be like this:

Major premise: There are benefits to entering a bathroom where girls are showering.

Minor premise: The Uesugi family bathroom is a bathroom where girls are showering.

Conclusion: There are benefits to entering the Uesugi family bathroom.

Do you understand now, everyone?

Although I had been cautious enough and tried to consider everything, there were still some oversights.

Since Fandu invited me here until now, there was no information to prove that at this very moment, there were girls showering in the Uesugi family bathroom. The girls were dressed in pajamas, waiting for me with neat attire!

With things having progressed to this point, the only thing left for me to be grateful for was my attire.

If I had come in here completely naked, I couldn't even imagine the consequences. The girls wouldn't be smiling at me, they would be smiling while stabbing me with knives.

"What's the matter? Couldn't you have found a different place to talk?"

Having understood the situation, I forced myself to calm down and blend into their atmosphere.

On the other hand, Uesugi Yui, after understanding the concept of my attire, seemed a bit flustered.

"Um... Zongzhong, why are you dressed like this? Didn't Fandu tell you that we were waiting for you?"

"Um, yeah."

I didn't know why Fandu didn't give me any details, but upon careful thought, I didn't have the right to complain.

In other words, it was me who had an inappropriate imagination. If it were a normal, ordinary person, hearing that three people of the opposite sex were waiting for them in a bathroom, they wouldn't have wild thoughts. They would think that there was something they couldn't discuss openly and thus had resorted to this plan.

I believe that all of you reading this are honest, ordinary people, and I'm the only one who has been affected by certain "thoughts".

"Don't tell me, Zongzhong, do you think that we..."

Perhaps it was my attire that sparked Uesugi Yui's creative thinking, leading her to think of some incredible situation. She blushed and couldn't continue speaking.

Oh, the innocence of youth.

"I just thought that after our discussion, it would be convenient to take a bath. There's nothing wrong with a boy dressing like this. Don't make a big deal out of it."

If it were just Uesugi Yui and me, perhaps the situation would have taken a slightly different direction. But considering that there were others present, I couldn't act recklessly. Accepting Uesugi Yui's explanation and going along with it was the best choice.

"Indeed, it's perfect, both offensive and defensive!"

Although I thought so, my heart shed tears of regret (bitter smile).

"If there's something, hurry up and tell me, Souren Manranyama."

I stood in the corner of the bathroom, shifting the focus of the conversation to Souren Manranyama.

"Ahem... Actually, it's about the reason why I came to temporarily live here."

As Souren Manranyama spoke, her serious expression and tone dissipated the ambiguous and youthful atmosphere that had filled the bathroom before.

"Before coming here, I contacted Uesugi Yui, but I didn't explain clearly. I just used the excuse 'something came up'."

Souren Manranyama glanced at Uesugi Yui and continued speaking.

"Actually, I was expelled from the Manranyama family."

She casually stated this grim fact, but judging from her expression, Uesugi Yui seemed more worried than her, even though they were sitting together.

To me, it was a confirmation of my speculated expectation, so I wasn't surprised.

"That afternoon, when I returned to the Manranyama family, I immediately reported Bai Yaxin using the recording. But things didn't develop as I expected."

"First of all, although the recording was very similar, it was ultimately identified as an incorrect voiceprint, and the recording was considered forged. At that moment, Bai Yaxin's quick reaction made me feel that he was already prepared in advance."

"Then it became a situation entirely led by Bai Yaxin, and even the warehouse incident was portrayed as a legitimate matter related to the Manranyama Financial Group. I didn't have any evidence to confront him."

At first, Souren Manranyama seemed calm when she started speaking, but now, her helplessness gradually emerged and manifested in her tone and expression.

Now, she truly had no way to oppose Bai Yaxin.

Manpower, ability to act, strategy, experience—Souren Manranyama didn't have any of these that could match Bai Yaxin. It was like a child with a wooden sword trying to fight against a knight in full armor.

Furthermore, she had a bad relationship with her father and voluntarily gave up the shelter provided by the tyrant of the Manranyama Financial Group.

"Bai Yaxin even provided us with the surveillance footage from the warehouse, of course, intentionally edited to make it look like we were causing trouble."

"After that, we had a few arguments, and the strained relationship between me and Manranyama Haiming finally broke apart."

When talking about severing ties with her father, Souren Manranyama didn't show any sadness or regret. On the contrary, she let out a sigh of relief, as if she had escaped from years of suffering.

Perhaps, things were not as you imagined, Souren Manranyama.

I'm not a supporter of the proverb "a tiger doesn't eat its cubs," but I don't believe that Manranyama Haiming had no feelings for his daughter.

I had doubts, questions, but I didn't investigate, so I didn't have the right to make any comments here, I just listened quietly.

"Because these things happened suddenly, and I had to consider long-term financial issues, I came here to stay temporarily. I hope I haven't caused too much trouble for you..."

I didn't speak because Uesugi Yui was more suitable than me to accept Souren Manranyama's apology.

"How could it be troublesome! I'm glad to be able to help you guys!"

Uesugi Yui excitedly grabbed Souren Manranyama's hands, her straight and fiery gaze showed unwavering trust in her.

"Thank you... Today, I went out with Ban to look at rental places nearby, and we've found a place to settle. We can move in next week."

"Is that so... There's really no need to rush, and if there's anything you need help with, just ask!"

I knew Uesugi Yui was just speaking her mind, but still, for Souren Manranyama to ask for help, it was definitely not a trivial matter.

Obviously, Uesugi Yui didn't consider much.

Only I, the ridiculously conventional person, would.

Speaking of rent, I remembered a small detail when Souren Manranyama visited that morning.

"Souren Manranyama, that envelope you gave to Yukino-neechan when you came..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Souren Manranyama understood what I meant and cunningly smiled, answering.

"Although it's a considerable amount, I believe it's a good and necessary investment."

I see, dismissing it with the word "investment", huh?

Since it's her decision, and there's no harm in it, let's just consider it an investment.

As someone being invested in by such a shrewd person like Souren Manranyama, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"That's all I have to say. Please take care in the following days."

Souren Manranyama stood up, shoulder-to-shoulder with Van, and bowed to me and Uesugi Yui.

"Well, just relax and settle in!"

Uesugi Yui also stood up, placing her hands on Souren Manranyama's shoulders, smiling happily.

Souren Manranyama also responded to Uesugi Yui, showing a rare, hearty smile.

The bond between girls is truly magical.

The bathroom incident ended there, by the way. After the girls left, I actually took a bath before going out.