Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 17 Desire
Saori...

As he murmured her name, a beautiful, heroic figure holding a long sword unconsciously appeared in Shiratori Seiya's mind.

"Kiyo, I have tried my best."

“Saori isn’t stupid.”

"I want to marry you!"

"Are you leaving? You'll come back, right?"

"Qing Zai..."

The girl's pure voice, along with her face, rang out, causing Shiratori Seiya to frown and feel a pang of unease in his usually calm heart.

What does Xiyin want with her?
"Brother-in-law?"

"Brother-in-law? Brother?"

On the phone, Hojo Suzune called him several times but received no response, so she couldn't help but purse her lips.

She pouted her pink lips, took a deep breath, and exclaimed:
"White birds, so clear!"

The girl's coquettish voice exploded in his ear, startling Shiratori Seiya. He snapped back to reality, rubbed his ear, and said with displeasure:
"What's wrong? Why are you shouting so loudly?"

Sensing Shiratori Seiya's displeasure, Hojo Suzune pouted and said aggrievedly:

"I'm sorry..."

"But brother-in-law, what are you doing? You won't answer when I call you..."

"I didn't do anything, I just suddenly remembered some things."

"Oh."

What can't you tell me?

Hojo Suzune narrowed her eyes slightly, made a sarcastic remark, then temporarily suppressed her doubts and said in a coquettish tone:

"Brother-in-law, what do you think?"

"How about what?"

"I want to go to Tokyo too..."

"But aren't you still a senior in high school? If you want to get into a good university in Tokyo, shouldn't you be focusing on doing practice questions and reviewing the material every day?"

"What's the rush? At worst, I can just follow my sister's path and take the special admission route, right? Anyway, I was planning to apply to the Shanghai Oriental Art Center anyway..."

Shiratori Seiya wasn't particularly surprised by her choice, and went along with her words:

"Shouldn't you be spending more time practicing the piano now? Also, do your aunt and uncle know that you're not preparing for the academic exams? Have they agreed to let you go down this path?"

"Whether they agree or not, what does it matter? It's none of my business anyway."

Hojo Suzune lay on the edge of the bed, her legs, encased in white stockings, draped over the wall, her long hair cascading down the edge of the bed. She stared at the ceiling and pursed her lips, saying:

"When my sister went to take the entrance exam for the arts school, they didn't say anything. I guess if I become famous in the future, they will be secretly happy and will tell others that I inherited their talent."

"Actually, I know absolutely nothing about music..."

Shiratori Seiya fell silent as he listened to the girl's complaints.

Hojo Suzune was telling the truth. Compared to their two daughters, who were exceptionally talented in music, the Hojo couple didn't have any special talent in this area; they were the type who would get dizzy just looking at sheet music.

Before meeting Hojo's parents, Shiratori Seiya thought she came from a musical family.

Later it turned out that it wasn't true at all.

The only explanation for their ability to produce two musical geniuses is genetic mutation.

Hojo Shione's mother teaches at a junior high school, and her father works at a company. Shiratori Seiya didn't look into the specifics of the company, but he vaguely remembered that it was in the electronics industry.

Perhaps because the couple was too busy with work, and because Hojo Shione's father was always out socializing, the couple argued every few days...

No wonder Hojo Suzune ran away from home back then.

Shiratori Seiya couldn't help but think back to the first time he met Hojo Suzune in Hokkaido, and a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including nostalgia and nostalgia) welled up in his heart. So much time had passed, and she was almost graduating from high school.

When we first met, it was such a tiny little thing...

Although she's still quite small now, girls generally stop growing taller after high school.

As he recalled the adorable image of Hojo Suzune in a skirt, a smile involuntarily appeared on Shiratori Seiya's face.

Hojo Suzune couldn't see the smile on his face at that moment, but she felt that she hadn't received a response after saying all that, and she couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

She swung her legs, her toes, encased in white socks, curled up, and said coquettishly:
So, are you going to say yes or no, bro?

Coming to his senses, Shiratori Seiya said helplessly:

"Even if you call me so sweetly, I can't make you come over." "But you promised before."

"Although my memory isn't as good as yours, it's only been two days. It's not like you could distort the facts. I didn't agree to that back then."

"But……"

Seeing that there was no other way, Hojo Suzune said in a wronged tone:
"But my birthday is next week, don't you remember?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya was taken aback; he had indeed not bothered to remember Hojo Suzune's birthday.

Hearing the other person fall silent, Hojo Suzune's lips curved downwards, her eyes felt a little sore, and she muttered a complaint:

"I knew you wouldn't remember, even though you remember your sister's birthday so clearly."

Shiratori Seiya closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and explained:
"Well... I have a bad memory, I developed early-onset geriatric symptoms, and I don't really remember your sister's birthday very clearly either."

"haha, really?"

Hojo Suzune countered with a question, then mercilessly exposed his lie:

"Brother-in-law, you've got geriatric syndrome, but Lingyin doesn't. You've been dating my sister for over two years, and she's only celebrated her birthday twice, hasn't she?"

"I know exactly how you celebrated for her back then—fireworks, candles, flowers, gifts, and even a new song you wrote especially for her..."

Hojo Suzune gritted her teeth and recited all the scenes from her memory.

Her grip on the phone tightened unconsciously, her knuckles turning white, and she gritted her teeth as she said:

“How romantic.”

"..."

Having said all that, Hojo Suzune's pretense of ignorance was no use; Shiratori Seiya could only remain silent. Sometimes, playing dead was the best option.

Seeing that he was no longer pretending to be confused, Hojo Suzune didn't bring up her sister's matter to spoil the mood, and pleaded in a pitiful tone:
"Brother~ I'm only eighteen years old, can't you help me fulfill my wish of 'going to Tokyo'?"

For a fleeting moment, Shiratori Seiya almost agreed to her request.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he calmed down and said:

"If you insist on telling me your wish or something, I'll grant it..."

Upon hearing this, a beautiful light flashed in Hojo Suzune's eyes. She put her legs off the wall, sat up straight, and exclaimed excitedly:

"Really?! Then..."

"but."

Shiratori Seiya interrupted Hojo Suzune's excitement and poured cold water on her head.

"Only if your sister, uncle, and aunt agree."

Inside the room, Hojo Suzune's face visibly paled, and the corners of her lips turned down again as she complained:

"Isn't this the same as not agreeing to my request at all...?"

It's easy to talk to my parents; I can just explain it to them and maybe even act cute.

But Hojo Shione's situation is completely different.

First of all, she would never agree to go to Tokyo; she's even stricter with herself than her parents.

Secondly, if she were to go see Shiratori Seiya, given her jealous nature, she probably wouldn't even be able to convince herself otherwise.

If you were to actually ask Hojo Shione, she would probably just sneer and give you a knowing look that says, "You'll have to figure it out yourself."

Suzune felt that Shiratori Seiya had no idea what his older sister had become in the past six months.

I guess they still thought she would be as gentle as before.

Biting her lip, Hojo Suzune didn't want to tell Shiratori Seiya about her sister's changes.

If we really make him feel sorry for his sister, wouldn't that be like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead?

Listening to the girl's complaints, Shiratori Seiya explained:
"This isn't an unreasonable request, is it? After all, you can't just sneak into Tokyo alone without telling your family, can you? What if something happens?"

"Besides, isn't it more meaningful to celebrate your coming-of-age birthday with family?"

Hojo Suzune pouted, her eyes reddening with grievance, and said in a tearful voice:
"You're always bullying me..."

"You were with your sister on her birthday every time..."

……
-
　I checked the information and it's true that coming-of-age ceremonies can't be held here. I forgot, sorry.

　　However, Japan raised the age of majority to 18 in 2022.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)