Tokyo: My Girlfriend

Chapter 108 Your favorite isn't Akemi at all

Kana Sato explained what had happened to the other person.

So much time has passed that many things can now be said openly and honestly.

She said that during the last gathering, Shinichi and everyone else secretly drank the shrine's original brew, and then Akemi helped him home.

The small wooden stick fell into Kitagawa Shin's house around that time.

Kana Sato turned to look at Rena, who was too busy to listen. Kana murmured, "But thinking about it now, it's quite strange. Rena said in front of the bathroom that Akemi didn't seem to have gone to Shinichi's house that night, but Shinichi did take out the stick that morning."

Sato Kana called Reina: "Right Reina?"

Rena, who was some distance away, didn't hear him: "What did you say?"

Just as Sato Kana was about to speak again, she was stopped by Kasuga Hina. No one noticed that her peach blossom eyes trembled for a moment after hearing those words.

Forced a smile, she tried to steer the conversation away from the topic: "Kana, could you get me a drink? I'd like some orange juice, please."

Kana Sato responded with a silly grin: "Okay, Hina-sensei, please wait a moment."

As Kana turned to get herself a drink, Haruhi Hina pursed her red lips and unconsciously clenched her hands together.

She took out her phone and found Tamura Kyoko's chat interface.

I typed a few words and sent them.

After lunch, Haruhi Hina left the restaurant and went to the tram. She took out her phone and dialed Tamura Kyoko's number. Her best friend answered quickly: "Haruhi? What's up? You're so eager to see me? I'm telling you, I've been having a blast abroad these past two months. I asked you to come over for the whole summer vacation, but you never came. What have you been busy with? Are you busy dating Shinichi all day?"

"You two must be really lovey-dovey lately, right?"

Haruhi Hina grinned awkwardly at the barrage of questions. Since Kyoko had been abroad to relax, she hadn't told them that she and Shinichi hadn't actually gotten back together, and had managed to brush it off.

I plan to wait until Xingzi comes back before discussing it further.

Kyoko Tamura: "Look at you, you've fallen silent again when we talk about Shinichi. You're keeping things from me. Let me tell you a secret: I'm on the train now. Guess where I'm going? That's right, I'll probably be in Kabasaki-cho tonight."

"Karasaki-cho? You came to see me?"

"Ah, it's been two months! I've missed our kind-hearted Hina the most! Why aren't you welcoming me?"

Haruhi Hina laughed and said, "How could I not welcome Kyoko? I welcome her with open arms and feet."

"That's more like it. Anyway, I plan to close the agency for the next six months, so I'll stay with you for six months first. You're probably not living with Shin yet, right? After all, Rena is standing in the way of you two. I'll try my best to help you reconcile with Rena this time, and I'll be your loyal support!"

Haruhi Hina thought that Kyoko was really out of touch; far more had happened in the past two months than she had imagined.

However, she already knew that Kyoko had returned to Japan, so Haruhi Hina had actually expected that she would come to find her this time.

She missed Xingzi terribly after not seeing her for so long, but she simply couldn't find the time to go see her.

However, she wasn't calling today to talk about those things: "Hey Kyoko, listen to me first. I have something to ask you. I remember you mentioned something to me online a while ago, when we were chatting online, that you went to see Shinichi during the day at the Kabasaki-cho rally?"

Kyoko Tamura pondered, "A rally? Right, weren't you and Shinichi breaking up back then? I was thinking of helping you two reconcile as soon as possible, so I went and talked to Shinichi. It should have been helpful, right? Didn't you say later that Shinichi was treating you better or something?"

Haruhi Hina nodded: "Wait a minute, I mean, what did you say to Shinichi back then? Could you elaborate?"

"I just told Xin Yi that you didn't mean to say those breakup things, and told him not to take it to heart. Then I told Xin Yi that you would also be going to the market that night. I figured Xin Yi would definitely come to see you that night. Why are you asking me this now? Besides, you've never told me about that night. Didn't you two meet that night?"

Haruhi Hina's pupils trembled, as she vaguely realized something.

She recalled the scene from that night.

She did not encounter Shinichi at the market that night, and the next day, Akemi disappeared after imitating her own makeup.

Then, thinking back to the little wooden stick and Xin Yi's secret drinking, I realized...

Haruhi Hina had an incredible idea in her mind.

If Shin-il still liked him back then.

That night... why didn't Shinichi come to see me? Could it be that under the influence of alcohol... he mistook Akemi for himself...?

Thinking of this, Haruhi Hina quickly found her chat history with Kitagawa Shinichi again.

The scroll continued upwards until the second day of the rally.

The next morning, Xin Yi sent her a message asking where she had been the night before and inviting her to meet him at the back of the mountain.

At the time, Haruhi Hina was actually curious as to why Shinichi would ask her where she had gone last night.

At the time, I was still heartbroken from the breakup and didn't think about it too much. Now that I think about it, was I the one who was by his side the whole time that night, from Shin-yi's perspective?

Inside the Aoki family's bedroom.

Intimate voices could be faintly heard.

Akemi Aoki tucked her long hair behind her ear and slowly crawled out of bed, her fox-like eyes gazing seductively at Shinichi Kitagawa.

Shinichi Kitagawa lay back on the bed, opened his closed eyes, and looked at Akemi Aoki, whose face was flushed with shyness and whose lips were pursed.

Akemi Aoki smiled, swallowed, and climbed to the bedside table to drink some water.

She nestled back into Shinichi Kitagawa's arms, licked her lips, and said, "I'm sorry, Shinichi-kun, I've had a bit of a stomachache lately, so I'll have to use other methods to serve you, Master."

Shinichi Kitagawa knew that the other person hadn't been feeling well lately, so he didn't actually intend to do that kind of thing.

He wanted to take Mingmei to the hospital for a checkup, but Mingmei was reluctant.

"Are you really alright?"

"Yes, it's nothing. I went to see a doctor, and he said it was mild food poisoning and I just need to rest for a while."

"What exactly did you eat?"

"They probably drank an expired beverage from the refrigerator."

Shinichi Kitagawa grasped her hand, adorned with pink manicured nails, and examined her slender, fair wrist. "In that case, there's no need for you to do that kind of thing to me. Just rest. You're already practicing singing, and then you have to do all this for me every day. If you're not feeling well, you might as well..."

Aoki Akemi shook her head: "No, I'm not feeling well, but I just want to make myself feel happier and satisfy my cravings. Besides, Shinichi-kun likes it when I treat you like this, so it's a win-win situation."

She wondered, "Has Xin Yijun been spending too much time with me lately?"

Kitagawa Shinichi let out a long sigh and laughed: "You're not happy about spending more time with me? Besides, have you thought about living together or not? What did your aunt and uncle say? It's been a month already."

Akemi Aoki hesitated: "Let's wait a bit longer... there's still no result yet."

During this period, Aoki Akemi went to the hospital once, but the doctor said it might be in the early stage, so it couldn't be seen on the scans.

We need to wait another two weeks before going.

Aoki Akemi knew, but Kitagawa Shinichi didn't. He frowned slightly, not understanding what Akemi had been struggling with for the past month: "Akemi, are you still angry with me? Angry that I kept it from you?"

Aoki Akemi looked up in surprise and quickly covered his face to explain, "Nothing like that happened! Why are you still talking about that? I really wasn't angry with Shinichi. I just..."

She immediately hugged Kitagawa Shinichi's neck: "Anyway, don't think like that. If you keep doing this, I'll really regret the argument we had that time. Don't hold those words in your heart. I really don't blame you, really..."

Shinichi Kitagawa hesitated for a moment, but then asked, "Then why do you always object to living together? Is it really because your parents haven't responded?"

Akemi's fox-like eyes sparkled; she knew there was no way to hide it anymore.

Moreover, Shinichi has asked himself this question many times.

She set a time: "How about the day after tomorrow? I'll tell Shinichi the result the night after tomorrow, okay? Because there are some things we can only find out in a couple of days."

Shinichi Kitagawa slowly nodded: "Okay."

He stayed with Akemi from noon until evening, and in the evening, Kitagawa Shinichi and Aoki Akemi kissed goodbye at the door.

He walked alone onto the dark path.

The night sky over Kabasaki Town was ablaze with starlight, stretching endlessly, but Shinichi Kitagawa didn't feel particularly at ease.

Since that argument, Shinichi Kitagawa could clearly sense that Akemi Aoki was always finding vague excuses to avoid living together or to stop him from always spending time with her.

This was completely different from the content of that argument. The argument back then was clearly about Mingmei wanting him to spend more time with her, but...

She actually made time for it, and then changed her story.

This left Shinichi Kitagawa feeling quite physically and mentally exhausted.

Moreover, even if you actively ask Akemi, you won't get an answer.

All he could do was to care for her and cherish his girlfriend as much as possible.

Of course, if we had to say what the two of them still haven't resolved since they started dating, or what Mingmei is still bothered by, then...

Shinichi Kitagawa probably guessed that it was because Hina still held a place in his heart.

Because of Hina's presence in her heart, Akemi knew that she didn't love her 100%, which is why she always refused to live together.

He still vividly remembered Akemi's jealousy of Hina on the day they argued.

Even though Shinichi Kitagawa tried his best, Hina's place in his heart could never be erased.

Even if he forced himself not to think about Hina, and had no contact with her anymore, it wouldn't help.

Soon after, Shinichi Kitagawa returned home alone and saw Rena Kitagawa sitting on the sofa, wearing a white dress and barefoot, watching TV.

The girl saw Shinichi Kitagawa and greeted him, "Shinichi, you're back?"

Kitagawa Shinichi smiled and agreed, trying his best to appear relaxed in front of the other party.

Rena is the person who knows him best. After so many years of getting along, how could she not know Shinichi Kitagawa's condition?

He put down the remote and asked, "Shin-ichi, what's wrong with you lately?"

Kitagawa Shinichi looked puzzled, changed into slippers, and asked, "What? What's wrong? I'm fine."

"Great? I feel like you've been pushing yourself to do something lately, you seem to be under a lot of pressure."

Kitagawa Shin paused for a moment, then went to the kitchen refrigerator to grab an apple, even though there was fruit on the table.

He opened the refrigerator door, and his vision of Akemi's humble appearance from that night flashed before his eyes: "It's not that I'm forcing myself to do anything, it's just that I feel I've been too lenient with myself in the past, and I haven't been considerate of the feelings of the people around me, and I haven't fulfilled the responsibilities that a boyfriend should have, so recently I want to be stricter with myself and not let her down."

Rena Kitagawa stared at Shinichi Kitagawa, who was muttering to himself, and her tone turned cold: "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you saying you're not good enough to Akemi? I think it's enough. How much better would it have to be? Does it have to be like you're constantly around her?"

Shinichi Kitagawa looked at the apple in his hand, wanting to say something to Rena, but stopped himself. He hadn't even managed to say anything to her, let alone make her like him. He hadn't even managed to do something as simple as just liking Akemi in his heart.

Kitagawa Shinichi gave an irrelevant answer, mentioning something he hadn't brought up before, something he'd intended to discuss at a more opportune time, but now...

For some inexplicable reason, I just wanted to say it directly: "I have something to tell Rena. I plan to propose to Akemi on the night of our high school graduation, and Akemi already knows about it."

"Propose after graduation?" Kitagawa Rena's eyes widened. Even though she supported it, a pang of jealousy still welled up inside her. She abruptly stood up. "So soon? Are you planning to get married right after graduation?"

Shinichi Kitagawa took a bite of his apple, his eyes lowered. "Yeah, that's what I'm planning. It's okay to tell you. Akemi really wants to have a home with me, and I want to treat her as well as I can." After the argument, Shinichi Kitagawa finally understood what Akemi had been so anxious about. "That's why I said earlier that I can't let her down, I can't hurt her feelings for me anymore. It's just that I can never love Akemi one hundred percent. Come to think of it, I've always been a pretty incompetent boyfriend."

Rena Kitagawa frowned and asked, word by word, "Shinichi, I've asked you this question many times, but do you truly love Akemi Aoki, or are you forcing yourself to like her?"

Kitagawa Shinichi suddenly stopped chewing his apple, his eyes trembling, but he still managed to compose himself and smiled, saying, "What are you saying, Reina? How can someone force themselves to like another person?"

Rena Kitagawa spoke frankly: "I don't even know what I'm talking about, but you know it yourself. I've been curious about why you two got together from the beginning. Although I still don't know the answer to that question, another answer is becoming clearer and clearer. Shinichi, just admit it, you don't really like Aoki Akemi that much. If you want to break up, I fully support you..."

Kitagawa Shinichi suddenly tightened his grip on the apple, his voice inexplicably rising as he frowned, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Rena Kitagawa was taken aback by Shinichi's sudden tone, but she wasn't one to back down. Clenching her fists, she listened to the comedy program on TV and said coldly, her voice drowning out the television, "Shinichi, are you in such a hurry because I hit the nail on the head? My support for you two is only if Shinichi likes Akemi. If you don't like her, what am I supporting? Supporting you being with someone you don't like?!"

If I wasn't sure before, seeing Shinichi like this now makes me absolutely certain: you'll never be happy with Aoki Akemi! Being with Hina-sensei or with me is better than being with Akemi; at least we won't force you to like us!

"Shut up!"

Her voice grew louder and louder, filled with anger: "Why should I shut up?! I either like it or I don't! I hate Shinichi's attitude! To me, you're practically using your life to repay some favor to Aoki Akemi!"

Your favorite character is Haruhi Hina! And second only to me! The most stubborn person in the world is Shinichi! Nobody else! You should re-evaluate this relationship instead of stubbornly persisting down this path!!

After saying that, Rena's eyes reddened with anger. She cursed, "Idiot Shinichi!" and ran back to her room, slamming the door shut.

Shinichi Kitagawa stood alone in the kitchen with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down; even the apple in his hand had lost its flavor.

Set it aside.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and heard the sound of a comedy program still playing on the television.

I walked over and sat down on the sofa, looking a little weak, to watch TV.

I don't want to comfort Rena, and I don't want to do anything.

He was just thinking about how long it had been since he and Rena had argued. Sure enough, there's always another time for arguments, no matter how peaceful life is.

As for what Rena said about repaying a debt of gratitude, perhaps that's really true.

Shinichi Kitagawa did not deny Rena's words, and now he recalls the scene that night when he mistook Akemi for Hina.

Including the heartbroken expression on Akemi's face when she confessed to him that night.

Why did I agree to date Akemi back then?

It was indeed because I wanted to make it up to the other person and not let them suffer so much anymore; my initial intention was not because I liked them.

But are these things still important now?

Does it still matter who you used to like the most?

My favorite person now has long since become Ming...

Shinichi Kitagawa frowned, leaned back on the sofa, covered his forehead, and blamed himself for his lack of ambition.

Even though I was thinking of Akemi's name, the image that came to mind was still Hina...

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