Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 150 A Chance Encounter? Or a Carefully Planned Inevitability?
So, what would you like to eat?

Rieko Shimada was already mentally prepared for Rin Shiraishi to want to go to a fancy restaurant for a big meal.

but……

Shiraishi Rin's answer was beyond her expectations.

"that……

After hesitating for a moment, Shiraishi Rin tentatively asked, "I'd like to eat ramen, is that alright?"

"……Hand-Pulled Noodle?"

Rieko Shimada was a little confused and wondered if she had misheard.

The only thing I want to eat is ramen. Isn't that a bit too cheap?
She knew that Shi Lin could choose anything, and she would invite her no matter what it was, even if it cost hundreds of thousands of yen, she would agree without batting an eye.

Rieko Shimada thought that Rin Shiraishi was embarrassed to eat expensive food, so she said, "You don't need to worry about me. You can eat whatever you want. I'm quite rich."

After saying that, she took out her phone, opened her bank account, and showed her balance.

"Ms. Shimada, you've misunderstood. I really just wanted to eat ramen!"

Shiraishi Rin quickly waved his hand and explained, "I just happened to hear that ramen is delicious, especially the kind with extra numbing and spicy flavors. It has a very special taste."

"...Okay, let's have ramen then."

Seeing that Shiraishi Rin wasn't just being polite, Shimada Rieko remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Although it was unclear where Shiraishi Rin had heard this from, since it was something she wanted to eat, Shimada Rieko naturally had to satisfy her.

Rin Shiraishi heard about it from Maki Shiina along with Rie Niijima.

At that time, Rie Niijima directly asked Maki Shiina if she liked Makoto Akizuki, and the three of them talked about it for a long time.

Rin Shiraishi thus learned that ramen with extra numbing and spicy flavors is a very special dish.

The three of them even made a pact to try it sometime, but unfortunately, she could no longer wait for that so-called "opportunity".

So, she wanted to try the food recommended by Shiina Maki before disappearing tomorrow night.

Thinking of this, Shiraishi Rin mustered her courage again and tentatively asked, "Ms. Shimada, could we go to the shop I recommended? It's in Bunkyo Ward, which is quite far."

"No problem, I'll go with you even if it's in another city, because I'm free tonight."

Rieko Shimada smiled and led Rin Shiraishi in the elevator away from Tokyo Tower, heading towards Bunkyo Ward.

The ramen shop that Shiraishi Rin recommended was naturally the one that Shiina Maki and Akizuki Makoto had eaten at together.

During that conversation, Shiina Maki mentioned the store's name and exact location, which Shiina Maki carefully wrote down.

During the drive from Minato Ward to Bunkyo Ward, Rin Shiraishi and Rieko Shimada did not speak to each other, remaining silent.

Rieko Shimada didn't know what to say to Rin Shiraishi, nor how to face her.

Meanwhile, Shiraishi Rin was looking down at her phone. The Shiraishi family had at least provided her with a phone, since in this society, it would be too strange for a high school student not to have one.

It was with this in mind that the Shiraishi family prepared a cell phone for her.

Right now, she's using her phone to browse online information—mainly looking at their performance in Shinjuku this afternoon.

Not long ago, Rie Niijima excitedly sent her a message, telling her that she could search for keywords such as "Shinjuku Station" and "Akizuki Kageaki" on various social media platforms to see videos, photos, and reviews taken by passersby during their afternoon street performance.

Seeing these comments, Shiraishi Rin was genuinely happy and played the video of their performance over and over again.

A soft singing voice came from the phone's speaker and echoed inside the car.

A happy and satisfied smile appeared on Shiraishi Rin's face as he held his phone in his arms as if it were a precious treasure.

Looking through the rearview mirror, Rie Niijima saw Rin Shiraishi's gentle smiling face sitting in the back seat, but felt an indescribable sense of oppression in her heart.

That smile, so full of happiness, will end tomorrow.

There are no two identical flowers in the world, nor are there two identical people.

Now, sitting in the car, Shiraishi Rin, as a clone, is also unique.

Tomorrow night, she will disappear, which is no different from the death of a vibrant life.

The newly created clones became a new kind of existence.

She will not inherit the previous copy's week of memories; her memories remain from before the original body underwent the mutation.

After that, it was a fleeting week, a period that belonged only to her.

"That's... cruel."

Rieko Shimada sighed inwardly.

The cruelty lies not only in the fate of being born as a copy, but also in the fate of being the original.

She watched Shiraishi Rin grow up and has been serving him for nearly ten years.

Before that accident, Shiraishi Rin always had a happy and cheerful smile on her face, full of vitality, like a flower bud about to bloom.

only……

After that accident, the once beautiful flowers withered suddenly, becoming ugly and repulsive.

She had witnessed all the changes in Shiraishi Rin in recent years and felt sorry for his tragic fate.

To her, Shiraishi Rin was like a younger sister to her, and it was impossible for her not to feel sad for Shiraishi Rin.

The current clone is the Shiraishi Rin who didn't encounter any accidents before.

Looking at the innocent and carefree Shiraishi Rin, who had become such a dark, morbid, and insane person, Shimada Rieko felt an indescribable sadness.

"...We've arrived. Is this it?"

Before she knew it, Shimada Rieko had arrived at the ramen shop that Shiraishi Rin had mentioned, following the navigation.

"Here it is!"

Looking out the car window at the brightly lit ramen shop, Shiraishi Rin nodded vigorously, his heart filled with anticipation.

She opened the car door and got out, then together with Rieko Shimada, they lifted the curtain and went inside.

Even during mealtimes, this ramen shop has very few customers, with only a handful sitting at the counter.

"Eh?"

When Shiraishi Rin entered the store and looked at the bar, he suddenly froze.

She opened her eyes wide in disbelief and instinctively called out, "Aki-Akizuki-kun?"

In a corner behind the bar, there was a handsome young man dressed in casual clothes and shorts.

Beside the boy sat a petite and adorable girl. To outsiders, their intimate demeanor made them appear to be a pair of very close siblings.

"Ok?"

Hearing someone calling his name, the boy sitting at the corner of the bar turned his head and looked towards the source of the sound.

When he saw Shiraishi Rin and Shimada Rieko standing at the store entrance, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Shiraishi?" "It really is Akizuki-kun, what a coincidence."

Because of this unexpected encounter, Shiraishi Rin felt somewhat uneasy and even wanted to escape.

Makoto Akizuki never expected to run into an acquaintance here, especially since that acquaintance was Rin Shiraishi.

It's quite a coincidence that he usually cooks at home, and even when he eats out, he wouldn't bring Dongzi to eat ramen; he would definitely choose a better restaurant.

But that was under normal circumstances; the current situation is not under normal circumstances.

Tonight, Dongzi unusually suggested that she wanted to eat ramen, and specifically the kind that's both numbing and spicy.

He didn't want to come at first, fearing that Dongzi would get an upset stomach, but he couldn't persuade Dongzi otherwise, so he came in the end.

Just to be on the safe side, he ordered a non-spicy tonkotsu ramen, while Dongzi ordered the extra spicy and numbing kind, so that if Dongzi couldn't handle the spice, they could switch.

Although he is not good at eating spicy food, he has to do it for Dongzi. He can't just waste it by eating only a few bites, right?
"I didn't expect to run into you here."

Rieko Shimada was also somewhat surprised, as she knew what Rin Shiraishi had done to Makoto Akizuki.

Previously, when Akizuki Makoto visited the Shinchosha headquarters and was hypnotized by Shiraishi Rin, it was she who stepped in to stop him.

That time, she said she was worried about Shiraishi Rin, but what she really meant was that she was worried that Shiraishi Rin was going too far.

"Would you like to sit together? There are still empty seats here."

Akizuki Makoto took the opportunity to extend an invitation. He hadn't really thought much about it; he just wanted to sit down and have some noodles.

"Eh? Is it okay?"

Shiraishi Rin, who was invited, seemed somewhat apprehensive, afraid of disturbing the time and space that the Akizuki siblings had together.

"Since he's already invited us, it means there's no problem. There's no need to worry about it."

After saying that, Shimada Rieko took the lead and sat down next to Akizuki Makoto.

Since Shiraishi Rin and Shimada Rieko had already sat down, he couldn't linger any longer and quickly followed suit.

Thus, the four people who should never have sat together to eat ramen ended up sitting together by a strange twist of fate.

Next, it was Rin Shiraishi's and Rieko Shimada's turn to order. They both ordered extra spicy ramen.

"I didn't expect you guys to have such heavy tastes..."

Upon hearing their order, Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but remark, "The spiciness here is not to be underestimated. People who claim to be able to handle spicy food usually end up with tears streaming down their faces from the heat."

"is it?"

Shiraishi Rin shrank back sheepishly, suddenly feeling a little scared.

"Don't worry, no matter how spicy it is, I'll eat it. Don't underestimate an adult."

Rieko Shimada, on the other hand, seemed quite composed, as if she didn't believe that the ramen here was as amazing as Makoto Akizuki had described.

She's had eaten spicy ramen before, and knows that the spiciness of Japanese ramen is just achieved by adding chili oil.

As for chili oil, how spicy can it really be?
Her thoughts underwent a subtle change after the shop owner presented Akizuki Makoto's order.

Shiraishi Rin stared wide-eyed at the bowl of ramen, which was as red as blood and had a pungent, irritating, and spicy smell.

She's not the type to handle spicy food very well; the food in island nations is generally quite bland, and she herself has a very sensitive palate.

They are afraid of being burned and also afraid of strong flavors.

"So, is that extra spicy ramen?"

Rin Shiraishi looked at the ramen from that night with awe, and thinking of Maki Shiina who was able to finish the ramen, broth and all, a sense of admiration welled up within her.

After taking a bite of noodles mixed with the broth, Dongzi smiled sweetly and said, "It's delicious!"

"As long as it's delicious."

Akizuki Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Touko could eat it, which put his mind at ease.

Relieved, he also reflected on himself, because he had no idea that Dongzi could eat so much spicy food, which was his dereliction of duty as an older brother.

Even though Dongzi is the person who understands him best, he should also be the person who understands Dongzi best.

After a while, two bowls of extra spicy ramen were served to Rieko Shimada and Rin Shiraishi.

Looking at the bright red broth and the spiciness that made them cough just from the smell, they couldn't help but worry whether they should make an appointment with the hospital in advance.

But having already ordered, they had no way out. They could only tie up their hair, prepare the chilled plum juice they wanted, and get into battle mode.

Although the air conditioning in the store was set to a very low temperature, in the already hot summer, eating such spicy food left them drenched in sweat after just a few bites.

Rieko Shimada didn't dare to be stubborn anymore; after taking a couple of bites, she actually regretted it.

Seeing the two of them, Akizuki Makoto wondered if they should start a conversation, so he asked curiously, "By the way, why did you suddenly decide to eat ramen? Shouldn't a rich young lady like you be eating at home?"

"Ha... hiss..."

Like a puppy, Shiraishi Rin stuck out her pink tongue to cool off, and then mumbled, "I heard it from Shiina. She said this ramen is delicious, so I thought I'd try it."

"Oh, Shiina..."

Makoto Akizuki nodded, regretting that he had invited Maki Shiina along.

Speaking of which, his relationship with Maki Shiina has gradually recovered.

These past few evenings, Shiina Maki has come to him to practice together.

He played the guitar, accompanying Shiina Maki, while Shiina Maki sang loudly.

Every now and then, Shiina Maki would come over for a meal, or invite him and Fuyuko over for dinner.

Shiraishi Rin exclaimed with admiration, "Shiina is really amazing; she was able to drink it down along with the soup."

"You two seem to have a good relationship."

When Akizuki Makoto saw the expression on Shiraishi Rin's face when he mentioned Shiina Maki, he couldn't help but laugh.

At first, she and Shiina Maki didn't get along at all, but after some time, they became good friends when they met again.

It seemed strange to think about it casually, but Akizuki Makoto didn't want to delve into the details; he felt that things were fine as they were.

"Shiina is a very nice and gentle person. I was very rude before."

Rin Shiraishi looked apologetic; she possessed memories of her original self and Maki Shiina being locked in a fierce confrontation.

Although she didn't do it, she is now living in place of the original, so she should take responsibility for the mistakes she made in the past.

"She's not the type to mind, otherwise she wouldn't have become good friends with you."

Akizuki Makoto smiled and said, "But I never expected that you two could become good friends. It's a wonderful coincidence."

"Yes, yes..."

Shiraishi Rin felt a little awkward and could only agree, falling into silence.

Rieko Shimada, who had been silent until now, noticed that Rin Shiraishi was in an awkward situation and interjected at the right time, saying, "Mr. Akizuki and my young lady have a good relationship. He even helped her when we first met."

(End of this chapter)