Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 102 Encounter

'Huff... huff...'

Walking beside Shiratori Seiya by the roadside, Hojo Shione was breathing heavily. Her white mask concealed the flush on her face, but the mask was inflating and deflating, making it clear that she was having difficulty breathing.

It was still early after lunch, and when she learned that Shiratori Seiya was going for a morning run, she insisted on going with him, saying that running was good for improving lung capacity.

There was no reason to refuse, so I took her for a run around the nearby park two and a half times.

Shiratori vaguely felt that she seemed to be trying to spend as much time as possible with him.

She was always this clingy when we were dating, though to a much greater degree than this.

If it were before, she would have started making up all sorts of excuses to carry her back by now.

Thinking about all this, Shiratori Seiya subconsciously looked at the girl beside him.

Hojo Shione was wearing a white long-sleeved sweatshirt and black straight-leg pants today. She had her long hair tied into a ponytail, and her chest was heaving slightly.

Glancing at her ample chest, Shiratori Seiya's face showed a thoughtful expression.

Feeling his gaze upon her, Hojo Shione paused in her breathing, her face flushed even more, and her eyes were tinged with a rosy hue.

A hint of secret delight flickered across her face, and a slight smile played on her lips, hidden behind her mask. She coughed lightly and asked:
"Um, does Kiyoya usually go running with girls?"

"Normally? It wasn't like that before..."

Seeing Shiratori Seiya shake his head, Hojo Shione's eyes lit up, and she said softly:
"Then let's be together from now on..."

But before she could finish speaking, Shiratori Seiya continued:
"However, since Saori moved here, I run with her in the mornings."

"..."

Hojo Shione's eyes glazed over for a moment, and she unconsciously stopped walking, her hands clenching tightly.

"Xiyin?"

"Ah, it's okay."

She casually touched the back of her neck, trying to think of a topic to ease the awkwardness, when she heard Shiratori Seiya say:
"As for Xiyin, I suggest that she run indoors most of the time."

"..."

The smile beneath the mask vanished, her clenched hands trembled slightly, but she turned her head to look at Shiratori Seiya, feigning nonchalance, and said:
"What's wrong? Do you think I'll bother you and Hasegawa later?"

"No."

Knowing she would ask this question even before he said it, Shiratori Seiya shook his head and explained:

"Regarding your identity, even if you wear a mask, you're still easily recognized, especially since you just had a problem with your performance. You should at least try to avoid the limelight."

"and……"

Didn't your agent mention this to you?

Hearing that he still cared about her, Hojo Shione felt much better and lowered her eyes, saying softly:

"I've already mentioned it."

"Oh, I thought she hadn't even mentioned that."

"Eh?"

Sensing displeasure in Shiratori's tone, Hojo Shione asked with a puzzled expression, pursing her lips:
"Did something happen before?"

"No, it just feels unreliable."

"Last time, she didn't even remember the details of such an important contract. If something goes wrong, I don't think she has the ability to handle it."

They should get a new agent.

Although Shiratori Seiya did not say it explicitly, Hojo Shione understood what he was implying.

She habitually touched her right arm, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"While that is true, not everyone is as responsible as you, Kiyoya. If we go by Kiyoya's standards, we probably won't find another one like you."

"..."

Silence fell over the air, the atmosphere between the two drowned out by the sound of passing car engines.

However, this awkward atmosphere only lasted for two seconds before Shiratori Seiya suddenly heard the girl's silvery laughter again:
"Haha, Kiyoya, why are you so nervous?"

“I didn’t say I wanted you to come back and be my manager. In fact, if you did that, it would just bother me.”

"I'm just... a little envious of Ms. Takahashi..."

"Looking back now, I realize there were many times when I didn't cherish things. If I could do it all over again, if I could go back in time, I feel I would have done some things better, and I would have cherished some people more..."

As she spoke, Shion couldn't help but glance at Shiratori Seiya, as if wanting to see his reaction.

This statement is half true and half false.

She does miss the past, the time she spent dating Seiya, but if it were to actually go back, she wouldn't be willing.

If I had to explain why, it's because there are some things I haven't figured out yet.

For example, why did Kiyozai break up with me, and why are all the women he dates after the breakup exceptionally talented in certain fields...?

If I don't figure these things out, even if I go back, the outcome of our breakup won't change.

There was no way to completely win his heart.

Those damned women will still be haunted by Kiyoya...

Upon hearing her words, Shiratori Seiya fell into deep thought.

He had considered what it would be like to go back to the past.

Should we go directly to Mio and get it done in one go?

It's difficult to say, even if we find her in advance, we still can't convince her family because of her age. After all, even now, it seems difficult to persuade them with reason.

Seeing that he remained silent, Hojo Shione was somewhat surprised. Given Shiratori Seiya's personality, whenever she showed signs of confusion or distress, he would comfort himself…

She subconsciously thought that he no longer loved her and that his personality had changed, but when she noticed his lowered gaze, she immediately became alert.

Could it be that my topic is somewhat special?
Her eyes flickered, and she tentatively asked:

"Has Kiyoya ever thought about going back to the past?"

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya snapped out of his reverie, glanced at her, and said:

"Everyone, more or less, has probably thought about it."

"Yes."

Hojo Shione nodded, then sighed:
"The more regrets a person has, the more they want to go back to the past and try their best to make up for it. But, did Kiyoya also make any wrong choices? Does he also feel regret?"

From the look in Shion's eyes, Shiratori Seiya sensed something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Pretty much. I did a lot of stupid things when I was a kid, like getting bad grades or getting scolded for doing something wrong..."

"Is that so? Ke Qingzai doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be affected by trivial matters."

"I won't be affected, but sometimes it can be quite annoying. However, if I could go back, I should probably check the stock market trends over the years right now, and then I wouldn't have to work hard for the rest of my life."

"Huh? So even Kiyoya worries about money?"

"Material foundation: everyone wants to be rich, right?"

At this point, Shiratori Seiya couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want money?"

What I want cannot be bought with money.

Hojo Shione sighed silently to herself, then continued:

"Really? I never expected that. But with your talent, Kiyoya, you'll never have to worry about money in the future."

"Maybe……"

With the topic settled, Hojo Shione followed Shiratori Seiya, unknowingly getting closer and closer to him, almost touching his forehead.

She kept her head down, lost in thought. Just as she was about to return to her apartment, she suddenly snapped out of it and reached out to tug at Shiratori Seiya's sleeve.

"Um, Kiyosai."

Her voice trembled involuntarily again.

Shiratori Seiya turned around and glanced at her.
"what happened?"

"Kiyoshi, are you free the day after tomorrow? If so, I'd like to invite you to dinner..."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya frowned. He felt that Shion's voice seemed to tremble whenever she was insecure.

Is it a side effect of losing voice during a concert?

"did not ask……"

Shiratori Seiya seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly stopped halfway through his answer, asking:

"Is the day after tomorrow Wednesday?"

"Ah."

Hojo Shione nodded and said:
"Does Kiyoya have class that day? If not, then in the evening..."

"no……"

Shiratori Seiya hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth:

"If it's Wednesday, Saori's national competition is in the afternoon."

Seemingly unwilling to let her overthink, he continued:

"I had promised her in advance that her match was that afternoon."

"I already agreed, so there's nothing I can do about it..."

Beneath her mask, Hojo Shione bit her lip hard.

Am I late again?
Seemingly somewhat unwilling, she continued:

"What about Thursday? Do you have time on Thursday evening? We don't need to go out to eat, I've recently learned a few cooking techniques..."

Seeing this, Shiratori Seiya couldn't help but take a serious look at her face.

Her insistence on this is definitely not just about eating; is there something she wants to tell me?

I felt a bit troubled, but after thinking about it, I realized I'd have to face it eventually, so I said:
"Then Thursday it is. I should be back Thursday night."

Upon hearing this, Hojo Shione's narrow eyes narrowed into crescent shapes, and she responded sweetly:
"it is good."

As if some momentous decision had finally been made, she straightened her chest and took a deep breath.

However, the next moment, her movements suddenly froze, and her delicate brows furrowed.

In their line of sight, the girl in the khaki trench coat seemed to have noticed them as well, paused for a moment, and walked towards the two of them.

"Mio?"

Shiratori Seiya was somewhat surprised to see the girl in front of him. It was only a little before eight o'clock, shouldn't you still be sleeping at this hour?
"Ah, it's me."

Mio Takahashi lifted her black leather shoe and kicked at the pebbles beside her feet, then looked at Seiya Shiratori and said:
"I went to your house just now, but you weren't home. I figured you probably went for a morning run, so I'm waiting here."

After a pause, Mio glanced at the girl behind him and said in a half-joking tone:

"I thought you'd get some rest in the morning since Hasegawa's going to the competition, but I didn't expect there would be someone to cover for you."

……
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(End of this chapter)