Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 96 Discovery
Looking at the message on her phone screen, Mio Takahashi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if someone was squeezing her heart and lungs.

It's called a dinner invitation, but what's the difference between a man and a woman having dinner and a date?
In front of his girlfriend.

So you don't carry people on your backs anymore, huh?
But what really upset her was that Shiratori Seiya would definitely agree to the other party's request.

'How come the whole thing ended so quickly? Are netizens and fans just too kind?'

Jealousy surged through my blood and filled my heart.

She bit her lip, and for a moment, she even had the urge to expose the truth of the matter.

But the thought was forcibly suppressed as soon as it arose.

So stupid.

Mio Takahashi instinctively wanted to take a deep breath, but she forced herself to hold back when she thought of Seiya Shiratori beside her.

You can't show that you care too much.

This is something she recently read in a psychology book.

In a relationship, regardless of gender, the more one party shows they care, the more likely they are to lose the initiative. The other party may be happy at first, but over time and with repeated occurrences, they may become bored or even annoyed.

Especially considering that bastard Shiratori Seiya has so many women around him.

She could only show a little jealousy.

Failing to recognize one's own situation is tantamount to abstaining from the game.

As the thought flashed through her mind, Mio Takahashi unconsciously tightened her fingers under her thighs, feeling a stinging pain in her fingertips, which barely distracted her.

Strangely, after two or three seconds, Shiratori Seiya not only did not reply to the message, but he didn't even pick up his phone.

Just as the phone screen was about to automatically turn off, Mio Takahashi realized what was happening, narrowed her long, narrow eyes, looked at Seiya Shiratori, and smiled:
Aren't you going to reply to her messages?

Shiratori Seiya remained silent.

He hadn't figured out how to face Hojo Shione yet.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't heartbroken about what happened last time, but whenever I delve into the reasons why the other person did it, I feel a tremendous pressure weighing on me.

Whether it's her career or her love life.

The lightness of being cannot be borne.

Especially since there's currently no way to write a song for her...

After thinking for a moment, he picked up his phone and replied:

"I've been quite busy lately, I'll do it when I have more time."

The message was quickly marked as read, but almost a minute later she replied with "Okay," and then there was no further communication.

Mio Takahashi assumed he would definitely agree, and adhering to the principle of "out of sight, out of mind," she didn't even have the thought of peeking. At this moment, she rested her chin on one hand, looking at the birds flying outside the window, clearly looking worried about her future.

After class, knowing that Shiratori Seiya had class next period, she hesitated as she packed all the books on the table into her bag, then looked at him and said:
"Um, shall I go to class with you?"

Shiratori Seiya was still troubled by Mio and Shione's situation. At times like these, he especially liked to be alone, so he glanced at her and asked:
"Looks like I haven't assigned you enough subjects?"

"..."

Mio Takahashi paused for a second, then chuckled twice and hurriedly left. When she reached the corner of the corridor, out of Shiratori Seiya's sight, she took a deep breath and kicked the wall twice with all her might.

asshole!

You're just in a hurry to finish class and go have dinner with someone, afraid I'll bother you, right?
With her forehead pressed against the smooth wall, feeling the coolness between her brows, and ignoring the stares from those around her, Mio Takahashi's anxious heart gradually calmed down.

…………

After seeing Mio off, Shiratori Seiya walked leisurely toward the classroom, but just as he reached the door, his cell phone started buzzing in his pocket again.

He subconsciously assumed it was Hojo Shione calling, but when he picked up his phone and saw the words "Fujikawa Shunpei," he was somewhat surprised.

When he answered the phone, the other person asked if he was free that evening, saying the film crew was basically assembled and they could have dinner together.

Fujikawa Shunpei didn't finish his sentence, adding that the date hadn't been set yet and could be changed to tomorrow or the day after.

The other party's attitude was basically giving me a lot of face, and since I had nothing else to do today, I agreed directly.

After refusing the offer to pick him up, Shiratori Seiya, having finished his three-line class, glanced at the time and, seeing that it was still early, decided to go home first to take a shower and change his clothes.

However, as soon as I got downstairs, I saw two moving company trucks parked on the side of the road.

Shiratori Seiya glanced at it twice, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind.

Is it a neighbor on my floor?

New residents moved in right after we moved out, making it seem like they were just making room for us.

He had a strange feeling that something was wrong, but after thinking about it for a while, he couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he gave up and went home. After washing up, he waited until it was almost time and then headed towards the location where Fujikawa Shunpei had sent the message.

This was Shiratori Seiya's first time at Hatsusakura Izakaya. Before, when he was with Shione, they would usually hold celebration parties with their record company at upscale restaurants around Roppongi Hills.

However, he had heard of this izakaya before. It specializes in local Shanghai-style creative cuisine and is a popular place for film crews and artists to hold celebration banquets, as well as for many people with illicit income.

The reason we're willing to have a meal here is because this izakaya refuses to allow video bloggers to visit, making it quite discreet.

As soon as I entered the store, a waiter came to greet me.

"Sir, how many people are in your party?"

While looking around at the room's decor, Shiratori Seiya announced the room number that Fujikawa Shunpei had booked.

Although it's called an izakaya, the space inside is quite large, and there are private rooms starting from the first floor. The interior decoration doesn't reflect any traditional Japanese culture.

The decor, featuring crystal lamps, glass doors, and round tables, is very business-like.

However, the style changed drastically when we went up to the second floor with the waiter.

Chrysanthemums, swords, and sake are intertwined and hung in the center of the corridor, while a whole classical painting in the style of ukiyo-e covers the walls of the corridor, which is more than ten meters long.

As Shiratori Seiya walked, he carefully examined the place, subconsciously calculating the value of the izakaya in his mind...

"Sir, please."

Pushing open the sliding door, I found four people, including Fujikawa Shunpei.

Fujikawa Shunpei was the first to react. Without getting up, he raised his wine glass and waved it at Shiratori Seiya, smiling:
"Teacher X, you're here so early."

Shiratori Seiya took off his coat and returned a smile, saying:
"We're still too late." The remaining three stared blankly at his youthful face. Fujikawa Shunpei hadn't said that Shiratori Seiya was [Friend A], only that he was young, but none of them had expected him to be so young.

"Come on, let me introduce you..."
-
In the self-study room at H University, Nanase Nagata stared at the questions on the exam paper, pursing her lips. She couldn't help but look up at Mio Takahashi, who was sitting opposite her in a daze. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed:
That's all for today...

Upon hearing this, Mio, who had been staring blankly at the table, snapped out of her reverie and looked up at the other person with a puzzled expression:
"What's wrong? It's still early, isn't it?"

"No……"

Nanase Nagata shook her head and looked at her seriously, saying:

"Mio, is something on your mind?"

"Eh?"

Mio Takahashi paused, touched her hair, and asked with a natural smile:
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

"Isn't it obvious?"

With a helpless expression, Nagata Nanase handed the test paper to the other person and pointed to several questions in turn.

Following her hand, Takahashi Mio blinked, then realized what she was doing and awkwardly touched her face...

The answers were written out of order.

She wrote the answer to the previous question above the answer to the next question. There was a circle drawn under the first question for no reason. As for the last question, she didn't even look at it and thought she had finished writing all the answers.

Everyone has their own worries, and Nagata Nanase had no intention of prying into her privacy. She simply said:

"Everyone has their off days, but it's best not to push yourself during those times. It's just as good to rest and then continue..."

After a pause, she still offered words of comfort: "You've already tried your best."

Mio Takahashi lowered her gaze and nodded silently.

"Thank you."

"..."

Before parting ways with her at the library, Mio Takahashi originally wanted to say something to Nanase Nagata, but then she noticed the indifferent expression on Nanase's face and realized that she wasn't close enough to talk about her personal matters with her.

After all, even Haruno Reika didn't mention this.

She knew that even if she spoke up, the other party wouldn't offer any advice. She knew her father's personality best, and unless she was prepared to sever ties with him, she shouldn't even think about continuing the job.

Even severing ties with his daughter might not be enough; he might still come to Tokyo and cause a scene...

After returning home by train, Mio Takahashi lost all appetite for dinner. She stomped off her shoes with a 'thud,' tossed her handbag aside, and curled up on the sofa, clutching her knees.

As night fell, a strange sense of loneliness gradually overwhelmed her in the dimly lit room.

The suffocating feeling in her chest made it almost impossible for Mio Takahashi to breathe.

As if to dispel the gloom, she pressed the remote control to turn on the TV, flipping through several channels, but the variety shows were the noisiest, filling the entire room with canned laughter.

Since meeting Shiratori Seiya, she hasn't watched any comedy variety shows like this.

Although I am currently in a desperate situation, I think that since there is no other way, I might as well go and die happily.

To be honest, I've always been this kind of person—someone who just gives up, unwilling to plan for the future, or think about the future...

Mio Takahashi muttered a couple of things, then forced herself to watch with a forced sense of unease.

As the minute hand of the wall clock circled around, she quickly got into the mood, a smile spreading across her face, and finally burst into laughter.

It was as if she had forgotten her stubborn and twisted father, forgotten Shiratori Seiya, forgotten Hojo Shione, and forgotten her dream of becoming an actress...

However, when she saw the female guest in a wedding dress fall into the water down the slide on TV, Mio Takahashi's smile froze.

A flash of inspiration struck me.

She paused for a few seconds, then got up, put on her slippers, and excitedly rushed out the door.

As she ran, a smile returned to her face, and she seemed to have a brilliant idea in mind that she couldn't wait to share with Shiratori Seiya.

However, when she reached the other person's building, Mio Takahashi suddenly stopped.

Looking at her shadow under the streetlight, she suddenly remembered that Shiratori Seiya was supposed to have a meeting with NATO today...

The smile on his face vanished once again.

Mio Takahashi bit her lip, turned around and walked back, but after taking only two steps, she stomped her foot angrily.

What if that bastard doesn't go?
Clinging to the last vestige of hope, Mio Takahashi took a deep breath and arrived at Seiya Shiratori's doorstep.

However, no one answered the door after ringing the doorbell several times.

A wave of bitterness washed over me again. The joy I had felt earlier vanished, and I felt completely drained, as if all my strength had been drained away. A gloomy atmosphere descended upon my heart once more.

She was so upset that she even forgot to take the elevator and walked downstairs holding onto the handrail.

However, just as Mio Takahashi disappeared around the corner of the stairs, the door opposite Seiya Shiratori's house suddenly opened.

A slender figure walked to the top of the stairs, silently watching her leave...

Back home, Mio Takahashi held her phone, staring at the name of Seiya Shiratori in her contacts, hesitating whether to call him.

I glanced at the time display in the upper right corner:
22:13
She thought about it carefully again, then pressed her thumb down.

'Buzz.'

Just as Mio Takahashi pressed the button, the screen suddenly switched to the incoming call display.

My cousin

Why are you calling yourself so late?

She frowned, a hint of doubt in her mind, but still pressed the answer button.

The call connected, and a heavy breathing sound came through the receiver, followed by a familiar, languid, hoarse voice:

"Hello? Mio?"

"Cousin? Why are you so late..."

"Mio... your... your last boyfriend... was he a director, right?"

……
-
(End of this chapter)