Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 15 Yesterday's Love Song
Shiratori Seiya believed that Hojo Shione was not good at disguise.

He stood in the shade of the tree, behind her, in the sun-distorted air, his gaze sweeping over her slender shoulders trembling with tears, her hands tightly gripping the umbrella handle...

At 1.65 meters tall, Hojo Shione is considered tall among girls her age. Years of participating in various competitions have cultivated in her a generous and calm demeanor.

Even when walking in a crowd without showing her face, she stands out like a pearl, attracting attention.

At this moment, however, she was like a leaf on a sycamore tree, withered and thin, swaying and shrinking in the air when the wind blew.

It seems as if it would shatter if you just reached out and touched it.

Shiratori Seiya watched her leave in silence.

One step, two steps...

'Boom boom boom...'

Shiratori Seiya strode off and chased after him.

Pretending to be strong, then saying a bunch of self-righteous words before leaving, it's impossible to ignore them.

Although, as she said, she was so ruthless that even she herself felt it was a bit excessive.

When Shiratori Seiya saw Hojo Shione again after more than half a year, he found his heart to be extremely conflicted.

On one hand, there is the determination to break up, pulled by reason; on the other hand, there is a lingering attachment to the past and a yearning for the other person's tenderness and love.

I'm not a robot, so I can't just delete my feelings for Hojo Shione like I'm deleting data, and treat her with absolute indifference.

If Hojo Shione were to throw a tantrum, crying and cursing herself for being a cold-blooded scumbag, that would be fine.

They are willing to be scolded and will not utter a word in rebuttal. In fact, they will feel much better because they have been punished.

But Hojo Shione didn't do that; she preferred to suffer internally and torment herself.

He reached out and tugged at his collar, deciding to make things clear.

"Let me walk you a little further."

Her vision suddenly darkened as his shadow blocked her view. Hojo Shione stopped in her tracks, a hint of secret joy flashing in her tear-filled eyes.

It seemed that something she wanted to confirm had been verified.

You still have some conscience.

Her heart, which had been burning with pain, suddenly felt much better.

She turned her head away, her delicate hands covering her face, trying not to let him see her tears.

Hojo Shione let out a heavy sigh, wiped away her tears, lowered her head, kicked at the pebbles in front of her, and whispered:

"It's fine if you don't want to deliver it, it's not that far anyway..."

Damn it, you still can't bear to part with me.

She bit her thin, red lips, raised her red-rimmed eyes, and looked at Shiratori Seiya, saying:

"Kiyoshi, is there anything else you want to say to me?"

"Um……"

Shiratori Seiya nodded, his words swirling in his mind before he said:
"I have two hopes."

My first hope is that you can forget me; my second hope is that you can live a good life.

"..."

Hojo Shione looked at him with a resentful expression and remained silent.

"Even without me, you can still succeed. No one can take away your talent. No matter whose songs you sing, you will become popular."

"I hope you can take this breakup in stride. Time heals all wounds. You have more important things to do, don't you? Your dreams, and so many fans who support you."

"..."

A silence fell over the air.

Hojo Shione tilted her head, stared into his eyes, and asked:

"That's all?"

"Ah."

"Ugh……"

Seeing him nod, Hojo Shione sighed wearily and said softly, "So... Kiyoya, you don't understand anything at all."

"Why do you think I initially wanted to become a singer?" "Do you think I really love music? Do you really enjoy practicing singing from morning till night every day? Do you really enjoy drinking several liters of water every day, trying all sorts of ways to protect my voice, and spending a lot of time rehearsing and performing for various competitions?"

“If it weren’t for you, why would I have chosen this path? You have no idea how important you are to me.”

As she spoke, Hojo Shione's nose tingled, and crystal tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Indeed, I've come to love singing now, and I love the feeling of standing on stage and being watched by people."

"But the person who was always there for me, cheering me on, isn't around anymore, and I always feel a void in my heart..."

"They pushed me through the door leading to this road without a second thought, abandoned me, turned around and walked away, and then arrogantly said things like, 'I'll be fine on my own without you!'"

Hojo's voice grew increasingly agitated, her slender body trembling uncontrollably, her tone rising higher and higher, even her hoarse voice becoming sharp:

"Such words!"

"That's going too far!"

The girl's voice was deafening, and Shiratori Seiya seemed to be struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Passersby couldn't help but glance over when they heard the two arguing.

It seems to be human nature to enjoy watching stories about romantic entanglements.

People nearby were already standing there, watching the drama unfold.

Noticing the stares from those around her, Hojo Shione threw down her umbrella, grabbed Shiratori Seiya's wrist, and ran away.

She ran to the corner in one breath, and after looking around to make sure no one was there, Hojo Shione finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because she had just released the emotions she had been suppressing, her mood had calmed down considerably.

Hojo Shione rubbed her eyes and looked at Shiratori Seiya before speaking:

"Okay, I didn't mean anything by it. I respect your choice. After all, we're not married, so a breakup can be resolved unilaterally, right?"

She emphasized the word 'marriage,' and after playfully stepping on Shiratori Seiya's foot, she said:
"I just really think you've gone too far, and I hope you won't be as cruel to the next girl as you were to me."

"..."

Seemingly to ease the tension, she smiled and said:
"Oh right, I almost forgot to ask you. Ms. Aoki asked me to ask you before, are you not planning to continue writing songs?"

The "Ms. Aoki" she mentioned is actually Aoki Yayoi, a music producer at Hojo Shione's music company. She was the one who acquired the songs that Shiratori Seiya had previously given to Shione.

"She also complained to me that you changed your phone number without saying a word and she couldn't contact you no matter what. She said that the money issue could be discussed, but you just disappeared. It's really infuriating."

Shiratori Seiya caught her gaze, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"I probably won't write anymore."

"Oh, so I'll just tell her that?"

"Ah."

"Oh, does that mean all the songs you write are for me to sing? That sounds pretty romantic."

She laughed heartily, seemingly genuinely happy.

After a long pause, she put away her smile and said:
"Well then, that's enough for today. I think I've said everything I wanted to say and everything you wanted to say."

As Hojo Shione spoke, she didn't give Shiratori Seiya a chance to speak again, and pointed to the black minivan not far away.

"The car is right there, you don't need to drive it."

"..."

Shiratori Seiya watched her leave silently.

There's no turning back once the arrow is released. Since the decision has been made, and it's the path I've chosen, I have to grit my teeth and keep going.

He stood there, watching Hojo Shione get into the car and leave.

He didn't come to his senses and prepare to leave until the car disappeared around the corner.

'Buzzing.'

The phone in my pocket vibrated.

He took it out, and the screen unlocked automatically, revealing a text message from Hojo Shione.

You said time can heal all wounds, but it feels like we broke up just yesterday.

……
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　One more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)