Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 5 Love but not getting it

After hanging up the phone, Hojo Rin wiped the oil stains off her red lips, put on her headphones, and listened carefully to the recording of the call she had just heard.

Listening to the boy's voice in her headphones, a satisfied smile appeared on her fair face. She tapped the screen twice with her finger to add a date note.

A moment later, she seemed to feel that she hadn't had enough, so she opened another audio file from her private folder.

"Rin, I love you... No matter what, I will always be by your side and support you..."

Upon hearing these words, Hojo Suzune seemed to be electrocuted, and suddenly clenched her fists.

Her legs were pressed tightly together beneath the skirt, and even her toes, covered by white silk stockings, were curled up.

'Hu~'

A blush appeared on her originally fair face, and her small chest heaved.

Her entire demeanor became as charming as a rose.

'Click.'

Seemingly unable to bear the heat in her chest any longer, the girl suddenly stood up, gripped her phone tightly, and walked into the bedroom.

Draw the curtains, and the bedroom instantly becomes dark.

Hojo Suzune opened the wardrobe and skillfully took out a beige men's coat from the innermost compartment.

'Clap. '

Hojo Suzune kicked off her slippers from her white socks and eagerly climbed into bed.

She took out a photo of Shiratori Seiya from under her pillow, held the coat in her slender, sweat-drenched hands, and covered the pillow with it.

Listening to the boy's voice in her headphones, the girl buried her beautiful face, flushed a deep red, into them and took a deep breath.

"Rin, I love you... No matter what, I will always be by your side and support you..."

The boy's tone in the audio was not natural, as if it was awkwardly spliced ​​together, but Hojo Suzune didn't care at all.

……

About ten minutes later, the girl, having absorbed all the energy from the pillow, felt as if the gaps in her heart had been filled.

Hojo Suzune released her right hand from the pillow, her rosy lips opening and closing.

Her hair was soaked with sweat, and she was panting heavily.

After a while, the chasm that had filled his heart reappeared, even seeming to have grown larger than before.

The stark contrast between cold reality and fantasy plunged her into despair, her entire being enveloped in the gloom of loneliness.

Hojo Suzune turned her head away expressionlessly, her fingers holding the photo, looking at the smiling face of the boy in it, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.

Some people are like magnets and iron, destined to attract each other, and once they meet, it is hard to separate them.

She had fallen hopelessly in love with Shiratori Seiya long before she even developed feelings for him.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was his first experience of romantic love.

She met him even earlier than her sister.

After graduating from junior high school, her parents argued all day long over trivial matters that she couldn't understand. Their promise to take her on a trip was repeatedly postponed and never came to fruition. Her older sister was also busy with club competitions and training and didn't have time for her trip either.

My friends are all posting photos of their outings on social media.

"Hojo-chan, didn't you say you were going to Hokkaido? I haven't seen you share anything. Did the plans get canceled?"

"No, because of some unexpected events, we'll go two days later."

"Then you should hurry, otherwise the event will be over in two days and it probably won't be very interesting."

Oh, but if you go before next week, you should be able to catch this year's kendo tournament, which is quite interesting..."

"You might meet some interesting people. Let me tell you, Risa met Kawasaki in Hokkaido. You've never been in a relationship before, have you?"

"Is dating something too early for me?"

"Haha, just give it a try. It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Didn't the math teacher say that experience takes time to accumulate?"

"..."

Hojo Suzune had forgotten what her mindset was back then. Perhaps it was a ridiculous sense of pride that prevented anyone from knowing about the terrible situation at home, which led her to muster up the courage to secretly run away to Hokkaido.

The original hopes and expectations were shattered by the anxiety of being alone.

I mechanically took countless photos of the long, monotonous coastline and the balloons marking the end of the event.

She also tried to go to the martial arts gym her friend had mentioned, but it was too crowded and hot, so she just took a quick photo and considered it as if she had actually been there.

As evening fell, Hojo Suzune sat on the shore, her eyes anxiously waiting for the sun to quickly sink below the horizon.

I took the last picture of the sunset and then hurried home.

She thought this to herself, but unfortunately the summer days were exceptionally long, and no matter how long she waited, she never saw the golden ball sink into the sea.

It wasn't until the sky completely darkened, dusk settled, and she was surrounded by darkness, with streetlights shining overhead, that she finally realized that the day had turned from sunny to cloudy, and she wouldn't be able to capture the sunset at all.

Before she could even begin to feel discouraged, a gruff voice rang in her ears:

"Hey, you...you're alone, right?"

Hojo Suzune was so startled that she shuddered.

She turned her head stiffly, and a large, fierce face came close, its greedy eyes filled with lust, and its strong smell of alcohol made her want to vomit.

Hojo Suzune's slender body tensed instantly, a wave of fear washing over her. She didn't hear what the other person said before turning and running away.

"Hey!"

The other person grabbed her bag from her shoulder, and Hojo Suzune quickly pulled her arm away, like a gecko shedding its tail to survive.

The people behind him were shouting filthy and vulgar insults.

Hojo Suzune closed her eyes, her innocent heart enveloped in fear, and her legs ran aimlessly away.

I don’t know how long it took.

It might be ten seconds, or it might be a minute.

But Hojo Suzune felt that half a day had passed.

'Beep beep beep!'

A piercing sound exploded in her ears, and Hojo Suzune froze on the spot. She turned her head, and the blinding headlights almost pierced through her thin body.

My mind goes blank.

A few words popped out sporadically: "Am I going to die?"

'squeak!!!'

The screech of brakes filled the air.

When Hojo Suzune came to her senses again, she was being held tightly in a hug, and the boy's handsome face came into view.

"Are you OK?"

A gentle voice rang in my ears, and even the sweltering summer breeze seemed to cool me down.

"If you want to die, go jump into the sea! Don't come here and hurt people, you bastard!" The driver opened the window and cursed a couple of times before starting the truck and driving away in a hurry.

After a while, Hojo Suzune slowly shook her little head.

"It should be... fine..."

"Can I still leave?"

Hearing her say that, the boy let go of her hand and let her try to walk on her own. However, as soon as he let go, her legs went weak and she knelt down on the ground.

"Looks like there's no other way. We can't get a taxi here. Shall I carry you for a bit?"

As Shiratori Seiya spoke, he squatted down in front of her, offering her his broad shoulders.

As if by some strange twist of fate, she climbed onto the stranger's back.

The other person looked thin and tall, but lying on him unexpectedly made me feel safe.

His hands were wide and strong, and he carried her steadily without swaying at all.

What's your name? Where do you live?

"In, in Kyoto..."

"Kyoto?"

The boy asked in surprise, then chuckled softly after processing the question in his mind:

"What a coincidence, I'm also in Kyoto."

What a coincidence! Should I call it fate?

As the two passed by streetlights, Hojo Suzune's dark, bright eyes sparkled, and she subconsciously chose to believe what he said.

"However, I only came here recently because I was accompanying someone to a competition..."

"Contest?"

"We're a favorite to win the Kendo Tournament, the IH Tournament qualifiers."

Hojo Suzune couldn't understand what the other person meant by the IH tournament, but it sounded very impressive.

Fearing that the other person would laugh at her for not knowing, she simply remained silent.

As if guessing her thoughts, the boy explained:

"IH is the All-Japan High School Sports Championship, and Kendo is one of the events. Little sister, you should still be in junior high school, right? You'll find out when you get to high school."

I'm about to start high school.

For some reason, hearing him talk about the differences between high school and junior high school made Hojo Suzune feel a little irritated, and she couldn't help but frown.

But saying things like "correct" or "emphasize" during the first meeting might leave a bad impression, right?

After thinking for a moment, she praised:

"You are so awesome."

The boy shook his head and explained with a smile:
"It's not that I'm amazing, it's that my girlfriend is amazing. She was able to participate in IH in her first year of high school, and she has a high chance of winning the grand prize in this year's high school kendo competition."

"..."

Hearing the word "girlfriend" stung Hojo Suzune's heart once again.

At that time, she had never experienced what it meant to like someone, and this sudden sadness was inexplicable even to herself.

"Amazing."

She continued to flatter him against her will, but the young man in front of her seemed completely oblivious, and said helplessly, as if he had thought of something:

"It's impressive, but unfortunately it doesn't make much money..."

Seemingly realizing he shouldn't have said what he was about to say, he changed his tone and comforted her:

"Don't be envious. You can participate in competitions in high school too. You should be in a club, right?"

"There is a...wind band."

"Hmm, you must be really good at it too. I think you must have a special talent for playing musical instruments. Keep at it, and you'll become famous sooner or later."

The boy spoke with even greater certainty than she did, as if he had already foreseen the future.

However, upon hearing him say that, Hojo Suzune felt inexplicably better and gently rested her chin on his shoulder like a kitten.

"Ah."

The conversation fell silent, but she still wanted to know more about the other person, and hesitated for a long time.

We walked until we could see the shops on the street, and the approaching sound of cars seemed to be announcing our parting.

She became increasingly anxious.

I want to see him again!
I must see him again!

Hojo Suzune's breathing quickened, and the hand on the boy's shoulder tightened unconsciously. She couldn't help but ask:
"What...what is your name?"

"The white bird is pure and clear."

"What about you?"

"Hita, Hojo Suzune..."

"..."

Their first encounter was like a dream, and ever since then, Hojo Suzune has always thought about him.

After graduating from junior high school, she did not hesitate at all and chose the same school as Shiratori Seiya.

Later, when she learned that he had broken up with his girlfriend, she was so happy that she couldn't sleep all night and kept sending messages to comfort Shiratori Seiya, but her mind was already thinking about how to win him over.

When I start dating him, I'll have to participate in all sorts of competitions, and I absolutely can't let him lose out to his ex-girlfriend.

However, the development of things was completely beyond her expectations.

It was a bright and sunny morning.

My older sister brought Shiratori Seiya on their first visit, and her eyes were filled with happiness as she introduced them:
"Rinne, this is Shiratori Seiya, he'll be my boyfriend from now on."

"..."

Fragments of past memories flashed through her mind, recalling the heartbreaking scenes of their high school romance. Lying on the bed, the girl curled up her small body.

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks, wetting the sheets.

"Kiyo...you are mine."

"Wait for me, just wait a little longer..."

No one can take you away from me, not even my sister!

The girl's murmurs dissipated into the air with the dust, and a resolute look emerged in her tear-filled eyes.

A fateful encounter will inevitably lead to a fateful outcome; I and Kiyoya will definitely end up together.

……
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(End of this chapter)