Tokyo Heart Thief's Daily Life

"I don't have the courage to face Deng. It was me who left the group capriciously and abandoned them... If Deng had been even more angry and accused me, or had tried to get me to stay without considering the reality, I might have been able to face her more forcefully."

"But that child is too well-behaved. She just looks at me pitifully like an abandoned pet... I really can't face her."

That’s true, Luo Zhen understands it very well.

Few people could maintain a tough attitude towards a girl as cute as Takamatsu Deng. That's simply not human.

Luo Zhen: "So you didn't expect to run into her in high school? You didn't choose to go straight to Tsukinomori Girls' Academy, but transferred to Shujin instead, was that also to avoid her?"

"...Actually, it's not about hiding from the lights. There are two other members of Crychic who also attend Tsuki no Mori. One of them is a bit tricky, so..."

Xiangzi obviously didn't want to say more about this, and his voice became even more vague.

She tried to escape from this atmosphere and took the initiative to ask Luo Zhen:

"So, Senior, how did you get to know Deng?"

"She told you she wanted to be human, but that was clearly a secret between me and Deng. ...But you didn't even know she was in a band. That's incredible. I've also been to Deng's house, and I didn't see any sign of her having a brother."

Luo Zhen: "Well, that's true. Deng and I just met by chance. Even if you ask her now, she probably won't remember me."

"This is also a dark history for me." Luo Zhen felt a little shy for some reason.

He poured himself another cup of coffee and cleared his throat with the unpalatable pot water.

"What I'm about to tell you is also a secret. Xiangzi, I hope you won't tell anyone, especially Deng himself. This is a secret that belongs only to us, and I will keep it a secret for you, okay?"

Xiangzi: "A secret that belongs only to us... It sounds like complicity, which suits me perfectly."

The noble Miss Bai Yueguang revealed a slightly self-deprecating smile.

Luo Zhen quite likes her scarred pride, it's quite beautiful.

Since she agreed, Luo Zhen explained for her:

"It was a few months ago. It must have been one day after your band disbanded. I met Takamatsu Deng on the overpass."

"It was late at night, not the time for a high school student to be hanging around. She kept looking at the flashing lights of cars under the overpass, reaching out as if to chase the stars... and then she fell."

“Ugh…?!”

Xiangzi covered his mouth and cried out, tears falling immediately.

But of course, Luo Zhen shook his head:

"She's fine. I saved her. She didn't get hurt."

"But she had been through a lot at the time and was emotionally unstable. So I chatted with her for a while, listened to her talk about a lot of painful things, and finally sent her home."

"Honestly, the girl's way of speaking was so poetic that I barely understood much of it. But I do know that she used to have a few close friends, and she wanted to be with them forever. But before they knew it, they all drifted apart, and the girl who had said to her, 'I wanted to become human,' abandoned her."

"She always felt it was her fault, that I must have angered her. She felt she couldn't be human... This feeling of inferiority and self-loathing caused some mental problems for her. But she should have recovered now, she just doesn't remember meeting me that day."

Luo Zhen spoke very briefly, and of course he also concealed everything related to the other world.

In fact, that day, Takamatsu Deng lost the will to live and fell into another world when he fell from the overpass.

The girl was obviously not good at speaking, but the storm created by her emotional outburst was quite shocking, and it took Luo Zhen some effort to rescue her.

In that situation, Luo Zhen only heard many of her broken mumblings and did not have a complete conversation with her.

So at the last moment, facing Takamatsu Deng who was longing for a friend, he promised her "I will be your friend for life", which calmed her down.

But after escaping from the other world, she must have forgotten it by now.

This is also somewhat sad for Luo Zhen...but it is definitely better for her.

It’s better for a sensitive girl like her not to remember things about the other world. It’s too dangerous.

"...I have absolutely no idea..."

After listening to what Luo Zhen said, Xiangzi burst into tears.

Her brows were furrowed deeply, full of self-blame:

"I didn't know that something like this would happen to Deng... I knew she was a sensitive child, but I still abandoned her..."

"This is all my fault. I was like an irresponsible parent. I brought her into this world, but then I left her and left..."

Luo Zhen: "You're overthinking it. Xiangzi, you've just become a high school student. How can you be burdened with the life of others?"

Luo Zhen's unusually calm words enlightened Xiangzi, who was feeling guilty.

Xiangzi's self-blame is as if she really thinks that she is Gao Songdeng's parent and should take the responsibility of raising him.

But that's what it is, arrogance.

Luo Zhen didn't know the details of their band's experience, nor did he know why she left the band without permission.

But no matter how irresponsible she is and how much she deserves criticism, that is not a reason for her to be responsible for other people's lives.

86. I am already dead because I am weak [Part 4]

Luo Zhen looked at Xiangzi's tear-stained face and reached out to wipe away her tears.

Perhaps to make herself look more adult, she put on makeup and eye shadow when she came to work.

Luo Zhen wiped the corners of her tear-stained eyes, as if putting a mask on her:

"You're just a child. I don't know what happened to you that forced you to abandon your friends against your will. But what you need to do is not to be responsible for Takamatsu Deng, but to take responsibility for this matter and make it clear."

"...Should I go tell the lamp?"

Xiangzi looked at Luo Zhen tenderly, asking for his opinion.

She was really vulnerable now, and even longed for the advice of Luo Zhen, someone she didn't know very well.

Luo Zhen did not decide for her directly:

"I believe my own eyes. The Toyokawa Shoko I know is a capable, sensible, and tenacious girl. I believe you have your reasons for doing things, and I'm always ready to listen when you're willing to tell me."

"So I hope you can have a clear conscience. Whether you need to find Deng and explain the whole story is up to you. Just stop crying like that."

Luo Zhen held up Toyokawa Shoko's face.

He actually wanted to know why this girl, who was obviously from a wealthy family, came to work here and avoided her friends as if she wanted to cut off ties with everyone she knew in the past.

But there can be thousands of reasons, but there is only one thing Luo Zhen should and wants to do:

"If you need it, I can also help you. I can help you find a chance to arrange for the lights to come out so you can have a good chat or something like that."

"Do you know the Fangze sisters? I don't know if they are in the same class as you, but they are already well-known in the school. It will definitely be no problem for me to help them speak up."

"...Senior, isn't it also..."

Shoko Toyokawa, whose face was held by Luo Zhen, felt the warmth of his palm and cried even harder.

She seemed to have never felt the body temperature of another person before. She was so moved by this temperature that she burst into tears. Her crying was not graceful at all.

The girl cried incoherently, "Senior is just a high school student, isn't he?"

"But why are you so mature...you don't blame me, don't scold me, and even think so much about me...Compared to you, I'm just a willful child..."

"Even if we're both high school students, our life experiences are very different."

Luo Zhen smirked inexplicably, "After all, I'm a two-timing playboy, living with a 20-year-old rock singer at the same time. Our life experiences aren't on the same level, and in my opinion, you're just a bratty brat. So if you need help, don't hesitate to ask me for help anytime."

“Uuuu…Please pinch my face (please don’t pinch my face)~(??﹏??)”

Toyokawa Shoko, who was just deeply sad, was now being pinched on her soft cheeks by Luo Zhen, and was acting like a spoiled child and getting angry.

This scene was clearly seen by the colleagues working outside the tea room. They were extremely envious of these two high school students who were singing the praises of youth... It's so cool!

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When it was time to get off work, the outsourced customer service team who had clocked in on time scattered like birds and beasts, and all left within five minutes.

Toyokawa Shoko and Luo Zhen also mixed in and walked to the door together.

"...Senior, do you have classes tomorrow?"

Xiangzi held his handbag a little nervously, stealing glances at him from time to time.

She cried a lot at noon. Although she has put on makeup now, her eyes are still red, making her look even more cute like a doll.

Luo Zhen glanced at his phone:

"I have an appointment with a friend tomorrow, so I've canceled all my scheduled work. The next time I can work here is next week."

"But we can still talk at school anyway. If you don't mind, Xiangzi, I can introduce you to my friends..."

Xiangzi: "Is she your girlfriend?"

The great Miss Toyokawa completely ignored Luo Zhen's words and took a step forward.

This girl is even smaller than the Yoshizawa sisters of the Luo Zhen family, only 155 cm tall.

Luo Zhen is almost 30 centimeters taller than her, and there is a huge difference in their physique.

This feeling made Xiangzi feel that he could pick himself up with one hand at any time.

Just like playing with his cherished dress-up doll, he can also hold himself and toss him around, controlling everything about himself...

This immoral imagination made Xiangzi's heart ache and his face turned even redder.

"Are you going on a date with your girlfriend? Senior said at noon that he was [two-timing]. Are you referring to the famous Yoshizawa sisters?"

"You really are having an illicit relationship with them... That's so obscene! I think you should straighten out your attitude towards life and focus on your studies and career first. With your talent and character, your future achievements are boundless. I don't think it's good for you to be so obsessed with women at such a young age!"

Luo Zhen: "Oh? From what you said, Xiangzi, do you want to invest in my future? Or do you want to build the future with me?"

Luo Zhen narrowed his eyes in amusement and deliberately bent down to get closer to Xiangzi to tease her.

These words really made the virtuous young lady blush, and she muttered "pervert" under her breath.

Ah... It feels so good to have a girl like this scold me. Luo Zhen suddenly felt a little awakened.

But joking aside, Xiangzi immediately smiled:

"I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me. Because of your words, Toyokawa Shoko has been reborn."

"The weak me of the past is dead. I will take on my responsibilities and put an end to the Crychic issue. I will go and have a good talk with Deng and put everything in the past behind us."

Luo Zhen: "...Yeah. If you really want to make up your mind and don't regret it, then I support you."

Although the word "end" always sounds painful, it is a good thing if Xiangzi has really thought it through.

The girl's defense was broken for only a short while at noon, and then she quickly built up her psychological defense again, which made Luo Zhen sigh at her strength.

Her smile also became sweeter:

"Although Crychic is over, I have an accomplice in you, Senior. In just two stints, you've already seen me humiliated so many times. I really want you to take responsibility for this."

"Senior, you have such excellent communication skills, especially speaking many languages. It's a waste of your talent to just be a customer service representative at a telecom company. I need to think of how to better utilize your talents..."

As he spoke, Xiangzi began to think quietly:

"For example, as a translator or tutor? It might be difficult for a sophomore to teach freshmen. I need to find a way to convince Mu's parents... No, I need to be more open-minded. Luo Zhen-senpai is so handsome and tall, even if he says he's a college student, it's pretty convincing..."

Luo Zhen: "Uh... Miss Xiangzi? What are you planning?"

"Ah, nothing, it's just my business."

The handsome Ms. Daxiang flicked her long hair, and her confident look made her look like a petite queen.

Her amber eyes sparkled with gold:

"I'll definitely repay this favor, so please be prepared. ...Oh, and senior also mentioned that you're living with a 20-year-old rock singer? Is she a professional or amateur? Could you please introduce her to me?"

Luo Zhen: "Oh, that's no problem. Her name is Kawahara Momoka, just search for Momoka."

As he spoke, Luo Zhen flipped to the social software and showed her Taoxiang's account.

Luo Zhen glanced at Momoka's private account, which Yamada Ryo had told him about yesterday.

But this time, his eyes suddenly widened.

[That’s enough, I want to go home].

There were only these six vague words, without any extra captions or expressions.

But it was these few words that made Luo Zhen feel an unprecedented chill:

"Sorry Xiangzi, call me if you need anything. I'm leaving now!"