Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 13 Past Events

Shiratori Seiya officially moved into his aunt Ando Norika's house when he was six years old.

After his parents died in a car accident, Shiratori Seiya was held and cried for a very long time in the hospital.

Before that, he didn't have a deep impression of his aunt.

To be honest, we're not familiar with each other at all.

We probably only meet once a year, the kind of polite visit during Chinese New Year.

Compared to her intense emotional fluctuations, Shiratori Seiya even felt that his sadness was somewhat too mild.

He guessed that Norika Ando's sadness stemmed more from the pain of losing loved ones.

At the time, Shiratori Seiya only thought she was crying for her younger brother.

After all, what if I had a younger sister who, after getting married, tragically died alongside her lover...?

I'll probably only feel sad because of my sister.

As for his brother-in-law, he'd probably feel more blame and have thoughts like, "Why didn't I protect my sister?"

If the brother-in-law were still alive, he would probably hate the other woman for the rest of his life. Fortunately, the other woman was buried with his sister, which will reduce his hatred considerably.

If he were Norika Ando, ​​Seiya Shiratori would think it would be like this.

It wasn't until one year when he returned from mourning his parents that Norika Ando pulled him to look at his parents' high school photo album.

He then learned that his mother had been Ando's relative since junior high school.

From junior high to high school, from high school to university, and then into the workforce...

I listened as Norika Ando tearfully recounted her story about her mother.

Shiratori Seiya realized that Norika Ando's feelings for her mother were no less than those for her younger brother.

Perhaps because she saw herself as an extension of the two of them, Norika Ando truly raised him as her own son.

He was never short of food, clothing, or daily necessities; you could say he was always given what he asked for. Even if he didn't ask for it, if he saw other children having something, Norika Ando would definitely buy it for him.

At that time, she didn't have any children yet, and her uncle, Yosuke Ando, ​​jokingly said that the Ando family had a successor.

It was just a joke, but Norika Ando kept nagging about it for a long time.

She and her uncle had known each other since high school, and there was no traditional male chauvinism in their family. Her personality could be described as overly direct.

Her anger stemmed more from her fear that Shiratori Seiya might overthink things.

But in reality, Shiratori wasn't that fragile inside.

He knew perfectly well how good the two of them had been to him, and he had already decided in his heart that he would take care of them in their old age.

When Shiratori Seiya started middle school, the two finally had their own child.

Norika Ando paid less attention to him, but even so, she would still have heart-to-heart talks with him from time to time.

With a new member in the family, expenses have increased significantly.

Despite government subsidies, it is still far from enough.

Fortunately, her uncle, Yosuke Ando, ​​had a good job and was able to support the family.

Unfortunately, perhaps because the rope always breaks at its thinnest point, Shiratori Seiya suffered an accident when he was in his third year of junior high school.

Just then, the economic crisis hit, and Yosuke Ando broke his leg while going downstairs. He was later laid off, which made things even worse for his family.

My aunt was forced to go out to work, and my uncle kept looking for new jobs after he recovered.

The two of them looked gloomy all day long. Norika Ando was so tired that she didn't come home until midnight every day and would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the bed.

When Shiratori Seiya gets up at night, he often sees her sleeping on the sofa in her work clothes.

The once harmonious family began to quarrel. Uncle Ando Yosuke naturally had a good temper, but even the gentlest temper couldn't withstand the friction over trivial matters. In addition, Aunt's temper was not good to begin with, and the atmosphere at home once dropped to a freezing point.

Although it's not completely shattered, it's full of cracks.

You can't do without money. Even childhood sweethearts who have known each other since they were young, who have gone through junior high, high school, university, entered society, and finally got married and had children, such deep feelings cannot withstand the test of money.

A relationship cannot consist of only love.

Shiratori Seiya understood this principle in his previous life, but his comfortable life had made him forget it for a time.

The idea of ​​slowly searching for a suitable candidate was erased from my mind.

It's time to start making money.

After two years of hard work and dedication, Shiratori Seiya's family's predicament was finally alleviated when he entered high school.

But when he first handed Norika Ando a bank card with three million yen in it and told her that she no longer needed to go out to work or worry about money, her reaction was completely unexpected.

Norika Ando was initially shocked, then trembling, she ran to the kitchen, grabbed a rolling pin, and interrogated him about whether he had done something wrong and where he got so much money.

She even considered calling the police, crying and calling out the names of Shiratori Seiya's parents, blaming herself for not guiding the child onto the right path.

Seiya Shiratori gave the songwriting contract to Norika Ando.

She didn't even glance at it before tossing it aside, her shoulders trembling, her eyes filled with regret.
"Don't try to fool me with this stuff. I've never heard of you being interested in music before. When I took you to karaoke when you were little, you were completely tone-deaf..."

"Keiji, if you had told me you won prize money in a kendo competition, I might have been fooled... You're such a fool, I wonder if you'll ever get into a good university, no wonder you've gone down this path of crime..."

"I've failed to raise you well and haven't given you a stable life. I'm sorry to your parents, but I can't let you continue down this path of depravity!"

"Qingzai, you're not an adult yet. If you turn yourself in and return the money, you'll probably only be in there for a year at most. Don't be afraid, your aunt will always be waiting for you."

Seeing that she was about to call the police and "put righteousness before family," Shiratori Seiya had no choice but to call Hojo Shione over.

That was her first meeting with Hojo Shione.

Shiratori Seiya knew that Ando Norika had fallen for Hojo Shione the moment they met, and was extremely fond of her.

You can't hide the look in someone's eyes when they like them.

Perhaps because her two children were both boys, Norika Ando always wanted a daughter.

Especially Hojo Shione, who is incredibly beautiful.

So after hearing Hojo Shione's explanation, and before she could even produce any concrete evidence, Ando Norika was completely convinced.

He still remembers the scene from that time.

Norika Ando stuffed the rolling pin into her pocket, her previously sorrowful expression instantly brightening as she affectionately pulled Shione Hojo into a chat.

At first, it was fine; they just asked when the two of them met and when Shiratori Seiya started writing songs.

But when she learned that the two were already dating, her eyes lit up as if she had won the lottery.

Norika Ando's excitement was palpable.

It seems that his relationship with Hojo Shione is far more important to him than his ability to write songs and make money.

Are you really dating?

'What do you like about my Kiyomiya?' After chatting for a while and figuring out Hojo Shione's gentle, Yamato Nadeshiko-like personality, they even started asking about her family background and future plans...

Shiratori Seiya was genuinely afraid that if they continued talking, Ando Norika would bring up all sorts of messy, trivial matters from the past.

She quickly made up excuses like "she has things to do at her agency" and "as a singer, she still needs to practice singing" to send Hojo Shione away.

However, from then on, Norika Ando would ask him every now and then how his relationship with Shione was going, and when he would come to visit.

He also hinted several times that if young people really can't suppress the restlessness of adolescence, they should do more preparatory work so as not to cause any deaths.

They even secretly slipped condoms into his backpack.

When Hojo Shione found out about this, she blushed and laughed at him.

A person's upbringing has a huge impact on their cognition.

Norika Ando and Yosuke Ando met in high school and got married after graduating from university.

Seiya Shiratori's parents were the same; they knew each other since childhood, and eventually went through many hardships together before getting married and having children.

Therefore, Norika Ando concluded that those who truly loved each other in high school were the most suitable for marriage.

In other words, she had decided that Hojo Shione was her daughter-in-law...

Shiratori Seiya knew this, so when he unilaterally broke up with Hojo Shione, he didn't dare tell her at all.

In that breakup letter, he had already hinted at it to her: take some time to cool off and don't upset your aunt.

He knew Hojo Shione's personality well—gentle, intellectual, and understanding—so he would naturally understand what he meant.

But now, unexpectedly, Shion has gone to find Norika Ando...

"Speak! Did you break up with Xiyin?!"

Norika Ando's stern voice rang in his ears again. Shiratori Seiya snapped out of his daze, opened his mouth, and for a moment didn't know how to explain.

After a long pause, he emitted a dull melody, like a taiko drum filled with water.

"Ah."

Norika Ando paused for two seconds, then gritted her teeth and continued to ask:

"You broke up with her six months ago?"

"Ah."

"You didn't tell me about something this big? Don't you even consider me your aunt?"

I can't tell you this because I know you can't accept it.

"Speak up! Why did you break up with me? Did you get scammed by some vixen in college? I told you before, there are too many vixens in college. Don't be fooled by their looks, they don't actually like you, they're just trying to seduce you because you're rich!"

"Look at you, you're plain-looking and your words are utterly meaningless. Besides being able to write songs, being rich, knowing kendo, and having some talent, what else can you do?"

"I……"

Shiratori Seiya opened his mouth, unsure whether Ando Norika was praising or scolding him.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'aside from Xiyin,' do you think any other woman would genuinely like you?"

"You need to take a couple of days off and come back right now! Explain to me in person what exactly happened!"

"Stop making excuses. I know there's nothing much going on at university, and even if there were, nothing would be more important than this!"

'despair. ’

Without giving Shiratori Seiya a chance to respond, Ando Norika hung up the phone.

"..."

Shiratori Seiya looked at the phone after it was disconnected, rubbed his temples, and felt a mix of emotions.

"what happened?"

He heard Mio Takahashi's voice and turned his head, his eyes meeting her beautiful gaze.

Is she considered a vixen?
Shiratori Seiya shook his head at her and said:

"Nothing, are you done eating?"

"Ah."

Mio Takahashi nodded; she had actually been watching Seiya Shiratori's phone call while she ate.

Seeing the troubled look on his face when he made the call, I couldn't help but find it funny.

This bastard has been bullying me all this time. I never thought someone could handle him.

However, after laughing, Mio couldn't help but wonder who had called him.

But she hadn't figured out what Shiratori Seiya's personality was like yet, and didn't want to ask too many questions and annoy him.

There are some things I'm meant to know, and I'll find out sooner or later.

Although the 'one million' task he mentioned earlier was very tempting to her, there was plenty of time and no need to rush.

Moreover, he definitely has some ulterior motive.

Once I've got something on him, I'll teach him a lesson.

With this in mind, Mio Takahashi smiled knowingly, like a girlfriend understanding her boyfriend:

"Is there something you need to do?"

"fine……"

"Okay, then... let's talk again next time? If you want to contact me, just call or text me. I'm free, I'll be there whenever you call."

At this moment, Shiratori Seiya's mind was indeed not on Takahashi Mio; he had urgent matters to resolve. Delaying her affairs for a couple of days wouldn't make a difference, so he simply nodded and said:

"Okay, I do have something to do today. I'll tell you the details next time."

"I'll be going now, I won't bother you any longer~"

Mio Takahashi gave him a 'deeply affectionate' look, then turned and left.

Shiratori Seiya watched her leave, smacked his lips, and turned to look at the remaining food on the table, suddenly losing his appetite.

He sighed, looked at his phone screen, and prepared to call Hojo Suzune to ask what was going on.

However, just as his fingertip touched the contacts, a message suddenly popped up.

"Qingya?"

Have you been eating well lately?

……
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　One more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)