My wife believes me; how could I be a cuckold?

Or rather, she didn't want to face the person in the elevator.

Although they haven't come out yet, the other person should live on this floor, so they will come out sooner or later.

Konno Yuuka knew that the scene would be extremely awkward, at least for her.

So she planned to take advantage of this break to say goodbye to Makoto Asano, and then leave as soon as the elevator arrived.

Makoto Asano, who was still in a daze, snapped out of it after hearing Yuuka Konno's voice.

At least for now, we can't let Konno Yuuka see the problem either.

Thinking this, he quickly adjusted his expression, smiled, and nodded to Konno Yuuka, saying, "Okay, Ms. Konno, see you next time."

"Well, see you there or see you."

After Konno Yuuka finished speaking, her elevator arrived.

With her cheeks slightly flushed beneath the mask, she stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, right, Asano-kun!"

However, the moment she stepped into the elevator, as if she had thought of something, she suddenly turned to Asano Makoto and said, "If you want my magazine next time, don't spend money to buy it—just tell me and I can bring you a copy for free!"

After saying that, before Asano Makoto, whose eyes widened instantly, could say anything, she immediately pressed the button to close the elevator doors.

Looking at the closed elevator doors and Konno Yuuka's eyes, which couldn't hide her smile even with a mask on, Asano Makoto completely lost his composure.

He bought those magazines specifically after learning Konno Yuuka's stage name.

Although he said he went to buy them specifically, he didn't really have any particular reason for buying these magazines; he just wanted to buy them. Even he himself didn't know why he did it.

Incidentally, he also watched the web series starring Konno Yuuka, and even listened to those two songs several times.

Similarly, he did these things without any particular reason.

If I had to give an example, it would be like suddenly discovering that someone you know is actually a content creator on YouTube, and then you curiously go to watch the videos they've posted.

Yes, it was really just out of curiosity, nothing more.

However, precisely because there was no particular reason, after reading these magazines, the bored Asano Makoto tossed them aside and never thought of them again.

To his surprise, Konno Yuuka discovered this.

Asano Makoto, who was already overwhelmed by the mission and Eriko Miyajima's situation, was now even more devastated.

He was actually quite worried that Konno Yuuka would misunderstand him because of this incident and think he had ulterior motives.

Although he did have it, even if it were discovered, it shouldn't be because of something like this.

However, after thinking it over carefully, Makoto Asano felt relieved again.

Konno Yuuka discovered this before he made the phone call. He saw Konno Yuuka sitting down as he walked out of the study, which was probably the reason.

Although she had already discovered it by then, Konno Yuuka didn't say much, nor did she ask him how he knew her stage name or why he bought those magazines.

Furthermore, after finishing the phone call, Konno Yuuka did indeed rush into Asano Makoto's arms as usual, and her proactive approach to Asano Makoto was definitely not faked.

This suggests that she probably didn't care much about her identity being discovered, or that Makoto Asano specifically "investigated" her.

Thinking of this, Makoto Asano couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Moreover, as his anxiety subsided, he also felt extremely fortunate.

When he couldn't think of a way to get close to Konno Yuuka, he even considered threatening her with the fact that he was an "idol and actress who had a boyfriend".

But clearly, this threat had no effect on her, as evidenced by her reaction.

Aside from idols and actors, which are relatively special professions, there are basically no other professions that would lose popularity due to dating, so there is no threat to their popularity.

Her main job is modeling, so she doesn't have any concerns about that.

The identities of idol and actress are simply attempts that her agency asked her to make, and it wouldn't matter if she lost them.

Not to mention she doesn't have many fans and is a struggling idol; even if she were in a relationship, few people would care.

That's why Asano Makoto felt fortunate—fortunate that he hadn't impulsively threatened her with such a thing, and also fortunate that he could now contact her freely.

Since there are no problems with Konno Yuuka and the progress in the strategy has been very significant, we don't need to worry about this for the time being.

We can talk about everything when we meet next time.

The current problem is how to handle Eriko Miyajima's situation.

Thinking this, Makoto Asano looked up at the elevator that was still stuck on the 9th floor, with people inside, but the doors remained closed.

Chapter 149 Pure Friendship

Since he had already decided to undertake the second phase of specialized training, Makoto Asano initially planned to be intimate with Yuna Kanno in front of Eriko Miyajima, thus making her jealous and triggering the first phase of the mission.

However, Makoto Asano chose Yuna Kanno instead of someone else because Eriko Miyajima and Yuuka Konno knew each other.

In her mind, Yuna Kanno was the daughter of Makoto Asano, making her practically his "niece".

So even if he acts a little closer, Makoto Asano will have plenty of excuses to cover it up and then appease her when she's jealous.

But now, his plans have been completely disrupted.

Konno Yuuka doesn't seem like his "junior" at all; it would be more accurate to call her his older sister.

But this reason won't work.

After becoming familiar with Eriko Miyajima, Makoto Asano often chatted with her, and she would occasionally take the initiative to chat with him.

As very close "friends," the two would talk about almost everything, including their respective pasts.

Therefore, Eriko Miyajima knew that Makoto Asano had no relatives, not even cousins.

However, even if she didn't know, using similar excuses too often would reduce their effectiveness.

Makoto Asano's biggest worry right now is that this incident will cause Eriko Miyajima's emotions to fluctuate drastically, and she might do something... irrational.

That's not entirely true, because according to his initial plan, Eriko Miyajima would become more proactive or even push him away out of jealousy.

Such behavior is equally irrational, but he couldn't ask for it.

So what he was really worried about was that Eriko Miyajima would completely give up on him because of this, or hurt herself out of regret.

Makoto Asano's previous plan to complete the mission with Yuna Kanno was to keep Eriko Miyajima's emotions under control throughout the entire process.

He won't have to worry about what will happen to Eriko Miyajima then, and the matter can also be resolved in a good way.

The problem is that her intimacy with Konno Yuuka, a stranger to Miyajima Eriko, makes her emotions uncontrollable.

No matter what she does then, Makoto Asano won't be surprised.

We need to find a way to explain this, otherwise it will be bad if problems arise, and this is also required for the mission.

But before that, perhaps we could wait and see her reaction?

If the situation isn't that bad, wouldn't it be better to deliberately not explain?

No... it's better to be safe. Taking it slow is fine, there's no need to be so impatient.

but……

Just as Makoto Asano was struggling with what to do, the elevator that Eriko Miyajima was in reopened.

No one knows what Eriko Miyajima went through in those last minute or so.

However, her eyes were a little red when she came out.

Although I really didn't want to come out at this time, and especially didn't want to see Makoto Asano and that tall, beautiful woman with a great figure, I didn't want to see them being intimate.

However, considering that occupying the elevator like this might affect others, Eriko Miyajima finally came out after struggling for a long time.

Fortunately, the scene I least wanted to see didn't happen, and the woman was gone.

Only Asano-kun remains...

As Eriko Miyajima thought this, she tried her best to appear calm as she walked forward.

However, because her apartment was further inside than Makoto Asano's, she inevitably had to pass by Makoto Asano.

Throughout this process, she wanted countless times to turn around and face Asano Makoto to ask who that woman was.

But she didn't have the courage, nor the right, to do so.

Because I am just Asano-kun's friend...

Thinking about this, for some reason, Eriko Miyajima's heart suddenly ached.

In that instant, without her own knowledge, she felt dissatisfied with the identity of "friend" for the first time.

She didn't want to be just friends with Makoto Asano; she wanted a deeper, more intimate relationship.

On the other side, Makoto Asano, who was still struggling with what to do, made his choice the moment he saw Eriko Miyajima's slightly red eyes.

"Wait! Eriko, let me explain, it's not what you think!"

He called out to Eriko Miyajima, who had just walked past him and was already at the door next door, about to take out her key to open it.

This wasn't something he said unconsciously; rather, it was a carefully crafted statement he had made long ago, or more precisely, after deciding to complete this mission.

This way of speaking sounds more like a "boyfriend" who has done something wrong than a close friend.

Makoto Asano said those words because he wanted to test Eriko Miyajima's current attitude towards him.

Is it anger or indifference?

If it's the former, then there's still hope.

This shows that Eriko Miyajima cares about him a lot.

She cares so much that after hearing him explain himself as his "boyfriend," she subconsciously treats herself as his "girlfriend," and then feels anger beyond the limit of "jealousy" because of his intimate contact with other women.

In other words, Eriko Miyajima never even considered giving up on her feelings for him.

When the time comes, all he needs to do is find a way to clarify Konno Yuuka's identity, explain that he and she don't have any special relationship, and then clear himself of any wrongdoing, and the problem will be easily solved.

But if it's the latter... if Miyajima Eriko responds with indifferent indifference to his attempt to explain and persuade her to stay.

That means that during the time they were in the elevator, the other person had already prepared for, or even given up on, those inappropriate thoughts they might have had about him.

If that happens, then things will get complicated.