Time quietly passed, and the height of summer had already gone by half.
The sound of cicadas outside the window was the first thing Emily heard when she woke up.
But she didn't feel annoyed; she just lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The cool air conditioning filled the bedroom, making it no problem to cover herself with a blanket even in the midst of summer.
It's been a month since she came back from the Philippines.
During this month, she lived a lazy life, not stepping out of her house.
Whatever she wanted to eat was solved by ordering delivery, and she didn't have any intention to work.
She fired Katerina.
The reason wasn't because she was jealous of Katerina's romance.
The so-called betrayal was just idle complaints from a good friend; in her heart, she still blessed Katerina to find her other half in life.
Okayama Buji was also a reliable, mature man.
The Police Director position guaranteed a large sum of money even after retirement.
Ensuring both of them wouldn't have any worries in their future life.
Because Katerina's life was going well, she chose to fire her so Katerina could focus on her life with Okayama Buji.
It would be best if they could get married soon so she could be a bridesmaid.
The only current obstacle was Okayama Buji's parents, who seemed a bit resistant to their Russian daughter-in-law.
The traditional mindset of the Japanese is to look down on any country other than the United States.
But this issue wasn't too hard to solve; as long as Katerina changed her nationality, there would be no problem.
However, unlike Emily's complete lack of interest in Russia, Katerina was still attached to her Russian nationality.
So the only other solution was to make their relationship a done deal by having a child.
If they already had a grandchild, Okayama Buji's parents probably wouldn't have any objections.
"Ah!"
Emily stretched lazily and sat up.
On the bedside table were cut fruits, which she'd paid extra for the fruit store staff to slice.
She found peeling and cutting them herself too troublesome, yet hiring a servant felt a bit uncomfortable.
Having anyone other than Katerina living in this apartment felt less appealing than living alone.
She used a toothpick to pick up a piece of watermelon and popped it into her mouth.
The sweet flesh of the watermelon brought a smile to Emily's face.
The doorbell rang, and she took out her phone to check the door camera.
A tall woman stood at the door, with her black hair tied into a single ponytail, her ordinary T-shirt looking particularly snug on her.
Her delicate, oval face lifted, and her gaze seemed to pierce through the surveillance camera to see Emily inside.
Morimoto?
Emily was a bit puzzled but still pressed the button to open the door.
With a click, the door opened, and she quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed the fruit on the bedside table, and dashed through the living room to the ground floor, "Why are you here?"
"You've been lazing around for a month."
Morimoto Chiyoda rolled her eyes at her, "Get to work already.
This long period should've been enough for you to adjust to Katerina's romance."
"Haha."
Emily chuckled, embarrassed to admit she'd been cooped up at home for a month.
It wasn't because of Katerina, but rather the dangerous thoughts that crossed her mind when Aozawa held her hand.
She hadn't outright refused, instead getting lost in foolish fantasies.
Although it was later proven to be a misunderstanding.
Emily still felt awkward, guilty as if she'd backstabbed her friend, and didn't dare to meet Morimoto Chiyoda then.
But she had recovered over time, nodding, "Well, I can't refuse you, so let's go."
"Change your clothes."
Morimoto Chiyoda teased, watching Emily go upstairs.
She squinted slightly, realizing this excuse Emily used to avoid work didn't seem related to Katerina at all.
But she didn't say anything.
Emily wasn't the kind of woman she needed to worry about.
...
The busy work began.
After a brief discomfort, Emily quickly adapted to the current lifestyle.
She continued to pursue the cult of the Four Great Evil Gods and solve various cases, though it became increasingly hard to enjoy a sweet cup of tea after work.
She even gave up on tea, opting for milk tea instead.
During summer vacation, she could enlist Aozawa's help as a bodyguard.
Once school started, she had to find a new partner.
Eventually, she settled on Sunaga Takashi.
After graduating high school, he didn't go to college but went straight into the workforce, single-mindedly pursuing Sword Dao.
He even dreamed of practicing his sword skills on strange creatures.
Emily poached him from Morimoto Chiyoda, hiring him as her assistant, and moved out of Shinjuku Big Fat Sheep Bar to buy a two-story building in Shinjuku Okubo, running an "Everything Store" office.
From government commissions to private requests, they did it all.
The satisfaction of solving cases and uncovering truths still filled her with endless enthusiasm.
In 2025, Tokyo greeted its first snowfall.
Snowflakes danced outside the window while the heater warmed the inside.
Emily sat in the boss's chair, spinning idly.
On the sofa in the living room, Ruriko Yokoo recounted her life experiences.
Sunaga Takashi was like a wooden figure, occasionally responding.
Their relationship development annoyed Emily, prompting her to slap the table, "When are you two finally going to start dating?"
"Eh, boss, my relationship with Gao Shi isn't what you think."
Ruriko Yokoo quickly shook her head, blushing.
Sunaga Takashi's stoic face remained unfazed, seriously stating, "Yeah, Ruriko hasn't graduated from university, and it's inconvenient to get married while studying."
"?!"
Ruriko Yokoo's eyes widened; did this mean once she graduated, they could finally be together?
