Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

But this question is indeed a bit meaningless. Regardless of gender, everyone likes prettier ones, right?

"I value inner qualities more, so I don't care much about appearance..."

However, saying one thing and thinking another is a necessary skill for everyone, and we can't always put all our personal preferences on the table.

Ginjō smiled gently, and his words sounded like he liked the opposite sex, but they also seemed to be no different from the answers of ordinary people, making people wonder if he was blurring the focus of the question.

The girl who asked the question seemed to notice that what Ginjō said were mostly common opinions, so she looked at him with a somewhat regretful look.

Ginjo Sosuke's usually gentle smile now seemed to be mixed with a hint of bitterness.

"Ginjō-san's way of thinking is so mature!"

"Yeah, I also think what Ginjo-san said makes sense."

"Ginjo-san is not only considerate, but also very good at teaching."

Ginjo didn't expect that the answer he gave just to fool people would make them flatter him. Even though he was the one being licked, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

If a girl really starts licking, the level of enthusiasm is really embarrassing.

If we continue like this, I'm afraid this topic will never end.

"Everyone, if I explain it this way, does everyone understand?"

Ginjo turned his gaze from the girls back to the textbook in his hand, hoping to bring them back to reality from their unrealistic delusions.

At this time, the students who were supposed to attend the reading club suddenly came to their senses and started moving their hands again while doing the questions.

The reading club finally ended not long after, and Ginjo Sousuke rolled his neck and shoulders and relaxed a little.

I thought it could be resolved in an hour or two, but it took until almost dark.

"Mr. Yincheng's explanation was so detailed. I feel like I understood a lot of things today."

"It's a pity that time passed so quickly. It would be nice if I could be tutored by Ginjo-san again."

"By the way, I heard that Ginjo-san lives alone out there?"

Ginjo frowned as he listened to their discussion, not knowing whether to call them bold or innocent. Are so many girls going to squeeze into one boy's room?

Ginjo doesn't know how things will unfold, but this idea seems a little bit cruel...

"Well, it's okay to tutor my students, but it's not very convenient at my house..."

Yincheng decided to give up their idea as soon as possible, otherwise the situation would be disastrous if it continued to develop.

After hearing this, the girls seemed a little disappointed, but they still sincerely thanked Yincheng for his efforts today, and then went home one after another.

Ginjo packed his things and walked alone back to his apartment.

The sky had turned dark, and the street lights on both sides of the street lit up in due time.

Soon they arrived at the door of the apartment, but Ginjo saw Chiaki Hoshino standing there with an anxious look on her face, seeming to be looking around for something...

Chapter 180: Fork in the Road in the Dark

"Chiaki, what are you doing here?"

Ginjo Sousuke quickly stepped forward and asked.

"Sousuke, my sister hasn't come back yet. I was a little worried, so I came out to check."

There was obvious uneasiness in Chiaki Hoshino's eyes, and she rubbed her hands back and forth nervously.

"Chie hasn't come back yet? It seems like she's even later than yesterday."

Ginjo pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"Well, my sister said that I have to work overtime today, but no matter what, I should be back by now."

Chiaki Hoshino's voice began to tremble with worry.

"Have you tried to contact her?"

Ginjo asked her.

"I just called my sister, but her phone was turned off. What should I do now, Sosuke?"

Chiaki Hoshino frowned and began to look around again, hoping to see the familiar figure of her sister.

"Don't worry, maybe her phone is just out of battery. Where does Chie work? Have you asked the store?"

Ginjo gently held her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"My sister works part-time at a toy store in Ikebukuro. I called her, but the manager said she had already left work."

Chiaki Hoshino became more and more excited as she spoke, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"If you're in Ikebukuro, you should take the train back. I'll look for it in the direction of the station."

It was getting late, and although Chie Hoshino had practiced karate, she was still a girl after all, and waiting here all the time was not a solution, so Ginjo decided to go over and take a look first.

"I'll go with you, too, Sousuke."

Hoshino Chiaki grabbed Ginjō's sleeve.

"Chiaki, is there still no news about Chie?"

"Sousuke-kun, you're here too."

While the two of them were talking, Matsumoto Tomoko also walked out of the house.

"Sister Tomoko..."

Chiaki Hoshino was almost speechless.

"Well, I'll go find Chie along the way, and Chiaki will follow Sister Tomoko back to the apartment and wait."

"It will be more convenient for me to act alone. If Chie comes back, please notify me immediately."

Ginjo Sousuke said to the two of them.

"Just listen to Sousuke-kun. Don't worry, Chie will be fine."

Tomoko Matsumoto pulled Chiaki Hoshino into her arms and comforted her.

"Well, I'll leave it to you, Sister Tomoko."

After Ginjo settled Hoshino Chiaki down, he handed the schoolbag to his wife, then turned and ran towards the station.

"You must be careful, Sousuke-kun."

Matsumoto Tomoko's voice of instruction came from behind.

......

Chie Hoshino finished her day's work and finally caught the return train.

"Today is clearly not the weekend, and I don't know where so many customers come from."

She muttered a few words in her heart with some complaints, then took out her cell phone to check the time.

"It's so late now, I really want to go back and have a good meal."

Chie Hoshino's mind began to reflect on all the delicious dishes cooked by Tomoko Matsumoto, and she couldn't help swallowing.

"I'd better call Qianqiu first, so that the child won't worry."

She was just about to dial the number when the screen suddenly flashed and went dark.

Chie Hoshino was stunned for a moment, then frantically tried to press the power button, but the phone did not respond.

She looked at the phone screen in a daze. Now there was only her own reflection on it, and her face looked lost and helpless.

"Damn it! What bad luck! The power went out at this exact moment. I didn't expect the workday to be so long. Normally there would be no problem."

Chie Hoshino cursed a few words in her heart, and finally had no choice but to put the phone back into her pocket.

Squeezed among a group of expressionless office workers, she endured the boredom and passed one stop after another. Finally, the tram finally arrived at its destination.

As the crowd got off the tram and crossed the main road, Chie Hoshino headed towards the fork in the road leading to the apartment.

The atmosphere on the dim night road with only street lamps arranged at equal distances was a bit eerie. There was no light in the dark alley on the side. Even if someone was hiding there, there would be no way to find him.

Chie Hoshino has always prided herself on being a brave girl, but today she felt something was wrong, as if her heart was always hanging in the balance and she didn't feel at ease at all.

Is it the psychological implication of bad luck?

Or is it the rumor about the unfamiliar face that Sister Tomoko mentioned yesterday?

Anyway, she couldn't help but touch her finger to the self-defense alarm in her bag.

This was something Qianqiu gave her when she started working part-time a long time ago. Although she had always felt that it was unnecessary, she still put it in her bag because of Qianqiu's repeated insistence.

Now she felt a little more at ease as she touched the alarm which was like a talisman.

The only sound on the quiet street was the tapping sound of Chie Hoshino's heels on the road.

The sound of car engines and human voices mixed together on the main road, making it almost annoying, but once you turn into the fork in the road, it seems like you have come to a completely different world.

"There is no such thing as a strange person. You are clearly scaring yourself. It seems that what Tomoko-sama heard must be some unfounded rumors."

It seems that the uneasy feelings I had just had were just overreactions.

After walking a short distance, Chie Hoshino patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

But this brief moment of slackness might be the most unnecessary mistake. Chie Hoshino did not notice that a hand had stretched out from the dark alley at the side.

"what!"

For a moment, she didn't know what was happening and just shouted subconsciously.

When she came to her senses, she had been dragged into a dark alley and her mouth was covered by a pair of hands.

The cement bricks against her back rubbed against her skin, causing her to feel excruciating pain.

Chie Hoshino opened her eyes, which were almost filled with tears, and in front of her appeared a middle-aged man with a beard whom she had never seen before.

The man who covered her mouth gave a sinister smile. Under the moonlight, his twisted lips were clearly visible.

In contrast, there was no life in his dark eyes, as if he was an ownerless body.

"Don't be afraid, little girl. I just want to borrow some money from you."

His voice and expression made Chie Hoshino tremble.