Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 7 It’s all under control
'Buzzing.'

The phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.

Perhaps because people were talking about him behind his back, Mio Takahashi stared at the name on the screen, feeling a little nervous.

'Ahem. '

She cleared her throat to calm herself down and pressed the answer button.

"Hello? Shiratori-kun?"

"Yes, it's me. Where are you now?"

When suddenly asked for specific information, Mio Takahashi felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

There's a sense of constraint, like being suddenly checked up on.

Her eyes flickered, and instead of answering directly, she asked:
"Ah, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Is it strange for your boyfriend to care where you are at night?"

"I'm in a coffee shop, chatting with... a friend..."

After a pause, Mio Takahashi added, almost as if possessed, "The newly opened NEWBET."

"Okay, go home early tonight and get some rest. I'll be waiting for you at the school gate at 9:30 tomorrow morning."

"..."

At the school gate?
Mio Takahashi paused, instinctively wanting to refuse.

However, Haruno Reika seemed to have seen through what she was thinking, and stomped on her foot hard with her high heel.

'hiss! '

Mio Takahashi's eyes widened instantly, and she couldn't help but gasp, frowning as she looked at Reika Haruno.

The latter glared at her fiercely, her red lips opening and closing, the shape of her mouth easily readable.

"Say yes."

After waiting for a while without hearing a reply from her on the phone, Shiratori Seiya spoke directly:

"I know you don't have class tomorrow. Is there anything else you need?"

Upon hearing Shiratori Seiya's words, Takahashi Mio realized what was happening and a sudden inspiration struck her:

"Ah, no... it's just that my friends heard I'm dating someone and they're all curious about you, so they're thinking of introducing you to them sometime..."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya fell silent.

He never expected that someone as vain as Mio Takahashi would reveal that she was in a relationship.

This was somewhat unexpected, but it's not necessarily a bad thing; at least it will save us a lot of trouble in the future.

He didn't care about meeting these people or anything like that.

Since the beginning of high school, he has seen too many big scenes and knows countless talented and capable leaders.

He has long since shed his youthful naiveté and possesses a heart strong enough to withstand anything.

Therefore, he readily agreed.
"Then pick a time and place, preferably this weekend, so it won't conflict with classes..."

He paused, then repeated the topic of her phone call earlier that day:
Don't forget your date tomorrow.

"Okay, I understand, um..."

As she spoke, Mio Takahashi lowered her eyes, slowly brought her legs together, and stared at the table, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

"what happened?"

"Um, would you like to go see them? They're all acquaintances, but it'll probably be quite noisy. If you don't like it, then forget it..."

Mio Takahashi's words surprised Seiya Shiratori.

Playing hard to get? Acting?
Why is she so assertive today when she was so assertive yesterday?

Unable to understand her situation, Shiratori Seiya was too lazy to guess; that would be too much of a hassle.

Having learned his lesson from last time, he had no intention of investing his emotions in Takahashi Mio; simply focusing his energy would suffice.

"I'm not that mysterious. It's good to meet him, so that I won't have any rivals causing trouble later."

"Oh."

Upon hearing Shiratori Seiya's direct declaration of sovereignty, Takahashi Mio's eyes revealed a complex expression.

She hasn't fully accepted the fact that she's in a relationship yet.

The two had only met once, and there weren't many sweet nothings exchanged like a typical couple in love; the conversation ended abruptly there.

Shiratori Seiya asked if there were any other questions, and hung up after receiving a negative answer.

Mio Takahashi was still in a daze as she listened to the busy signal in her ear.

Sitting opposite her, Haruno Reika smiled, stubbed out her cigarette, and looked at her meaningfully, saying:

"As expected of Mio, she's a master at playing hard to get, even though she's never been in a relationship before."

Mio Takahashi slowly shook her head, put her phone back in her handbag, and sighed:

"No, I really feel like it's not fair to him."

I've never been in a relationship myself, but my friends have had a string of partners.

In the past, whenever someone started dating a new boyfriend, we'd all gather together, and even if it wasn't too much of a hassle for them, we'd still ask them all sorts of questions. Even if we didn't ask a lot of questions, we'd at least tease or joke around with them.

Mio Takahashi still couldn't figure out what kind of personality he had.

Based on my first encounter with him yesterday, he's probably not an easy person to talk to; at the very least, his attitude was quite forceful...

If things end up looking too ugly, it will be difficult for anyone to handle the situation.

When Takahashi Mio said it wasn't fair, Haruno Reika frowned and looked at her as if she were an idiot:
"You really should go to the hospital to get it checked out."

Hearing her say that, Mio Takahashi's pretty face showed a look of embarrassment and annoyance, and she explained what she was thinking to the other person.

After listening to her, Haruno Reika silently took a sip of coffee and then said:
“You’re right, but just let them know before you go so they won’t feel uncomfortable. There’s no need to overthink it.”

"Ah."

Mio Takahashi nodded; she had also decided to do the same.

"But have you thought about how you're going to handle tomorrow's date?"

"How should I handle this... just be normal? He probably won't do anything, right? It'll probably just be a normal dinner date or something..."

Mio Takahashi muttered to herself, fidgeting with her hands. Her first date ever, with a boyfriend she'd only met once, felt absurd to her.

"Here's a piece of advice for you."

"what?"

Don't lie to him.

Haruno Reika wiped her lips with a tissue, glanced at the time on her watch, and while packing her things, stood up and looked down at Mio, saying:
"You can fool a fool however you want, but with a man you can't see through, all you need to do is be sincere."

"By the way, this meal is on you today."

With that, Haruno Reika walked out of the cafe.

"Eh? What are you doing?"

"What else can I do? I can only work, but no man is willing to support me."

"..."

Mio Takahashi opened her mouth, silently watching Reika Haruno leave, until the other disappeared from sight, before lowering her head to quietly sip her coffee.

After a while, she pondered the sourness in the other person's words and suddenly laughed, a bright smile spreading across her face.

A sense of self-satisfaction welled up inside me.

It seems like this feeling isn't so bad?

……

Friday, 7:00 AM.

Mio Takahashi got up very early; these past two days have been the earliest she's gotten up this year.

She went to bed before 10 p.m. last night to prepare for today's date.

The results are obvious; her dark circles have become very light, and with just a little powder on her face, they are completely invisible.

After taking a shower and putting on makeup, she went through almost all the clothes in her closet. Finally, she took out a piece of clothing from the bed covered with clothes, held it up to herself a couple of times, and was barely satisfied.

Standing in front of the mirror, I kept making various expressions and movements, repeatedly observing my own expressions.

She was thinking about what she should say when she met Shiratori Seiya later.

Although she was still somewhat conflicted, Mio Takahashi had already figured out the general strategy and approach.

Since he's being so assertive, I should just be gentle.

It's a bit of a pity that my performance wasn't very good when I first met him...

Mio Takahashi regretted it more than once when she thought about how she had cursed Shiratori Seiya on the rooftop the day before yesterday.

If only I could leave him with the impression of being a lady...

However, I suppose my actions at the time were somewhat understandable?

He probably won't care too much, right?
Hopefully he won't mind too much.

There's no going back in life, so Mio Takahashi could only console herself with that reason.

After more than a day of buffer time, she had made up her mind that as long as Shiratori Seiya was not a pervert and did not have any ulterior motives, she would not let go.

She especially remembered Haruno Reika's envious gaze and jealous words last night, which made her feel even more accomplished.

As for feelings, they can be cultivated slowly; just think of it as getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later.

We absolutely cannot let go.

Of course, she still remembered what was said in the book.

To truly capture a man's heart, you must remain absolutely clear-headed and calm.
You can't give away no benefits at all, but you also can't give everything away at once, especially your own health.

This must be what Shiratori Seiya wants most.

Set your own principles for dating.

Mio Takahashi stood in front of the mirror with a perfect smile, seemingly confident of winning this unexpected romance.

……
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(End of this chapter)