Tokyo: Oreimo

He just sat there, his fingers gripping the edge of his scarf.

Saori didn't urge him, but waited quietly, her gaze always fixed on Ryouna's face.

A long time passed, long enough for the steam in the coffee cup to completely dissipate, long enough for the saxophone solo to end and be replaced by another piano piece whose name she couldn't recall.

Ling Nai finally spoke.

"...That's not true."

"Don't lie to me, Ling Nai, it's pointless."

Phoenix Inu Saori chuckled softly.

“I can hear it, and I can see it.”

Saori picked up her coffee cup, took a sip, and left a faint trace of water on the rim of the cup on her lips.

"Because you and I are the same."

“What do you mean by ‘same’ or ‘different’…” Ling Nai’s voice came from behind the scarf, muffled and resistant, “You, don’t talk like you know me so well.”

"I really don't know you."

Saori put down the cup, placed her hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly.

"But I know what a person becomes when they like someone."

"You'll become stupid, unlike yourself, and you'll know you shouldn't do it, but you still can't control yourself."

Ling Nai's shoulders stiffened.

"He can't eat or sleep because he got a girlfriend."

“I would deliberately ignore him, hoping he would come and coax me.”

"But when he actually tried to coax her, she pushed him away, and then hid in her room and cried alone."

Am I right?

Ling Nai lowered her head, her scarf covering most of her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but her hands were trembling.

"Stop talking..."

Her voice came from behind the scarf, with a distinct nasal tone.

Why won't you let me speak?

Saori tilted her head, her long black hair sliding over her shoulders and falling to her chest.

"I'm telling the truth, aren't I?"

"You look forward to Shi Yuze showing concern for you and getting close to you, but because of your inner sense of morality, you back down when he gets close."

"Enough!!"

Ling Nai suddenly stood up.

The chair leg scraped against the floor with a screeching sound, drawing the attention of other customers in the coffee shop. Several office workers who were chatting stopped and glanced in their direction.

But she didn't care about any of that.

The scarf slipped from her hand and draped over the edge of the table, revealing her face beneath it as she struggled to hold back tears.

"You've already taken him away, haven't you?! Why are you saying this to me now?!"

"Because you are torturing him."

Phoenix Inu Saori remained calmly seated, looking up at the prickly blonde girl in front of her, her eyes showing no sign of panic.

Do you think he can't tell you're upset? Do you think he doesn't want to do anything about it?

“He can’t do anything because he already has me.”

Saori's voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced Ling Nai's ears like nails.

"So all he can do is watch you get thin, watch you get sick, watch you treat him like he's invisible, and then sit alone in his office, feeling anxious and restless about it."

Ling Nai's lips were trembling.

"That...that's his problem...what does it have to do with me...?"

"What does this have to do with you?"

Saori stood up, exuding an aura that completely overwhelmed her opponent, and took a step forward.

"Ling Nai, I'm here today to make things clear with you."

"You like Shi Yuze."

Ling Nai opened her mouth, wanting to say "no," wanting to say "what nonsense are you talking about," wanting to say the words she had repeatedly said to herself over the past month.

But those words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

"....yes."

Tears finally fell, one by one, landing on the table and on the back of her clenched hands.

"I like that guy... I don't know when it started, but I like him... so much so that when you took him away from me, I was insanely jealous..."

She wiped her tears haphazardly with the back of her hand, but they kept flowing back down no matter what she did.

"So you're satisfied now? You won, okay?"

Saori looked at her and remained silent for a while.

Then she smiled, with a hint of helplessness.

"You two siblings are really interesting. I didn't come here today to see you cry."

She reached out and gently wiped away the tears on Ling Nai's cheeks with her fingers.

"What... So what do you want?"

Saori withdrew her hand, crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilted her head to look at her, and smiled.

"If you really like him, then come and take him away."

Ling Nai was stunned.

Tears still clung to her face, her mouth was slightly open, and she looked as if someone had pressed the pause button on her.

".....What did you say?"

"I said, come and rob me."

Saori repeated it, then, as if remembering something, added a sentence.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of giving Shi Yuze to you."

"But I won't stop you."

Saori gave a mocking smile.

"It's your business if you like him."

"Who he chooses is his business."

“I will not step aside just because you are his sister or because you are in pain.”

"That's not my style."

She paused for a moment, her eyes shining with a light so bright it was almost blinding.

"So...come and take it, Ling Nai."

"If you really like him that much."

"Then use all your skills to steal it."

"Don't say discouraging things like 'I don't want to rely on you anymore' or 'Just keep your distance'."

"You can say those things after you've really tried your best and failed."

She reached out, placed her index finger on Ling Nai's forehead, and gently pushed it.

"Don't give up easily before that."

Chapter 192 Reconciliation

Ryosuke had no idea what Saori and Ayano had talked about.

Just two hours later, I heard the sound of the door opening from the entrance hall.

He stood up from the sofa, walked to the hallway, and stood at the top of the stairs. Ling Nai was changing her shoes.

The girl's eyes were red, but her mental state was completely different from before she left home. Noticing Ryosuke's gaze, she showed a displeased expression.

"What? Why are you still at home?"

"?"

Where else could he go?

He should indeed be at the company at this time every week, but today he clearly won't be going out.

The blonde girl took the scarf off her neck and tiptoed over to him.

Ryosuke thought the other person had something to say to him, but instead he was glared at.

"Don't block the way."

He glanced at the girl with considerable surprise.

This was the first time the other person had spoken to him in this tone since Ureshino returned.

It's just like... the same as before.

He stepped aside to make way, and Ling Nai walked upstairs step by step, but stopped at the top of the steps.

"Hey," she called out without turning her head.

"Ok?"

Are you calling me?

Ryosuke leaned against the wall in the corridor, looking up at Ryouno at the top of the stairs.