You are Toyokawa Shoko, then who am I?

and so--

Only then will you see these real memories.

The girl clenched her fists tightly.

Then he quickly followed.

"...Um, now I know your first name, but you still don't know my last name, right?"

The girl said with courage.

"I don't know."

Toyokawa Sho was very cooperative.

"Then, I'm telling you, you must remember it, okay?"

The girl slowly raised her head.

He hid his embarrassment in a playful manner.

An autumn breeze blew her soft long hair.

It was as if the wind had crossed over the bitter winter and brought the vibrant spring of the coming year into the morning light.

"My name is Chihaya Aine, you can just call me Aine, Senior!"

74

Chapter 74 "No, I'm rushing to catch someone committing adultery."

Taxis in Tokyo are always expensive, with the starting price being around 700 yen, and a 10-kilometer trip would cost almost 4,000 yen.

The driver didn't think there was anything wrong with this. These were the rules set by our ancestors.

The so-called ancestral rules cannot be violated.

He was just defending the old order, not because he had entered a mid-life crisis and needed to make a lot of money to save his crumbling life.

A few days ago, when he went to an izakaya with his friends, he was still complaining to his friends that his wife's dressing style had suddenly changed in the past few days. She no longer liked to wear old and inconspicuous colors, but liked to wear skirts more and more when going out. There were more and more cosmetics on the table, and even her mobile phone was inexplicably locked.

The friend's expression suddenly became extremely subtle. It was obvious that he had understood what this meant. In the end, he just patted him on the shoulder and told him not to think too much, saying that he would pay for the drinks these days.

But how can one control the repressed thoughts?

In order to let his wife and daughter live a happy life in Tokyo, he worked overtime day and night. He had no time to rest even on his days off and had to accompany clients to drink and play golf with a smile on his face.

Occasionally, when I finish work, I don’t dare go home too early, so I can only run to the izakaya in a panic and drink with friends like I am doing now.

What on earth am I working so hard for?

My friend felt a little stomachache after hearing what he said. After drinking a cup of special oolong tea, he shook his head and lamented that his hair was getting thinner and thinner.

A few days ago, he went to the hospital for a checkup and found out that he had three highs. Recently, his children have been pestering him for a betrothal gift and a wedding house, and his own mortgage and car loan have not been paid off yet...

Ugh.

Life is hell all the time.

The driver smoked a cigarette with melancholy eyes. The spark ignited the tobacco, and white smoke swirled up. He puffed and exhaled several times, but the reality weighing on him was still heavy.

It seems that no matter what choice we make, we will eventually get lost in the maze called life.

Soon.

A young man and woman got into the car.

The driver quickly glanced at the guests through the rearview mirror.

A young and beautiful girl wearing a cute school uniform, whose every move seems to interpret beauty and charm, and a scumbag who is obviously immersed in the bright lights and wine all day long, using sweet words and a very deceptive face to confuse innocent girls.

The driver has always hated this kind of handsome guy who is only good-looking. He remembered his wife's silly smile at the screen from time to time recently, shook his head and sighed in his heart.

"Master, please hurry to this place."

"The scumbag gave me the address."

Quite polite.

But don't think I'll be nice to you.

The driver glanced up gloomily.

Bunkyo Ward? It's not far from here.

There weren't many vehicles in the morning, and it only took about ten minutes to get there.

"Could you please hurry up? We have something urgent to do."

"No problem, take a seat, we'll be there soon."

The driver smiled and lowered the brim of his hat. He knew that the two people were in a hurry, otherwise they would not have given up the convenient train and taken a taxi instead.

Look at this little girl carrying her schoolbag and looking absent-minded. She must have gotten up too late and missed the exam.

Haha, that’s easy to guess.

But what does the guest’s business have to do with me?

I just want to make money.

Just pick a road section where you can take a detour and there are plenty of traffic lights, and tow the line lightly for half an hour.

The driver had made up his mind, so he started the car and pressed the accelerator. The car drove quickly on the avenue, but it did not get much closer to the destination.

As an experienced driver, the ability to cheat and slack off has reached perfection.

He was not afraid at all that the two young men behind him would notice the problem. Even if they were caught, he could still shamelessly fight back.

Now he is a dark middle-aged man who has fallen into the abyss. Self-esteem and integrity are nothing to him. Only real money can be trusted forever.

Through the rearview mirror.

He saw the cute girl's anxious expression, but he remained indifferent and continued to take a detour.

More than forty years of life have only taught him one thing, that is, don't take others too seriously. Why bother with so many things?

Most people will only see this once in their lifetime, so just drain the pond to catch all the fish and that's it. There's no need to talk about conscience and morality.

Just when the driver was feeling proud of himself, he heard an urging voice coming from behind.

"Master, can you drive faster?"

"Oh, why rush? We're already driving fast enough."

The driver waved his hand, looking very experienced. "You're taking this girl to take the exam, right? It's okay. I've chosen the shortest route and will drop her off shortly."

"No, I was rushing to catch someone committing adultery."

For a while.

Air condensation.

The forbidden flower bloomed from the contradiction, roaring throughout the workshop.

The driver's throat rolled, his cloudy pupils shook like an earthquake, and a faint light was rekindled in his self-destructive heart. A feeling of finding someone with the same scars as himself in the darkness quickly sprouted and grew in his heart.

Could it be you too?

No, that's not right...!

Even nine out of ten are wrong!

This scumbag boy has a handsome appearance and regular features. It is obvious that he is a master in the field of love. He is not inferior to those celebrities. How could any woman cheat on him?

"Brother, you are so handsome and someone still cheated on you?"

The driver lowered his voice and said, "Don't try to amuse me."

"If only it were entertainment."

The scumbag's voice trembled slightly, and the bitterness stuck in his throat did not seem fake.

The driver took a deep breath. This overwhelming feeling of melancholy was too real.

He had heard similar voices countless times at the dinner table. They were the cries of ordinary children of flesh and blood, screaming in agony under the wheel of society. He himself was even one of them...

this moment.

The old man remembered the empty look in his eyes in the izakaya a few days ago, and then looked at the scumbag who had turned his head away in the rearview mirror. For a moment, he felt that they were so similar.

But he still found it a little hard to trust her. If he really caught someone cheating, then what was this cute girl next to him doing?

The older brother was puzzled and tried to find the answer on his own. It was this momentary oversight that made him miss the two young men in the rearview mirror looking at each other and communicating information with their eyes.

The girl's expression changed from confusion to trying to suppress a smile, and then from biting her lower lip hard to not laugh out loud to a very determined expression. She grabbed the sleeve of the man next to her with her slender fingers and spoke in a slightly choked voice.

"Stop talking, Senior. My boyfriend is there too..."

So you're involved too!?

The driver's pupils were dizzy. If he wasn't still driving, he would have turned back in horror.

"I'm so stupid, really. I should have noticed it last time. You never refused my requests, but you didn't go home with me after school that day..."

The girl smiled bitterly.

The man paused for a moment, thinking about how to continue the girl's scene.

But in the driver's view, this just-right silence was a sign of shock at the unexpected development of events and an escape from accepting reality.

as predicted.

The man covered his face weakly, and a painful sound came out of his mouth. At this moment, he seemed like David Mills in Seven Deadly Sins who learned that his murdered wife was actually pregnant. The red and swollen circles under his eyes were like a piece of glass that would shatter at the touch.

"Who are you talking about? Him? How could this be possible... How could it be him? He and I grew up together, and I know him better than his father. How could he possibly..."

"Senior, I didn't lie to you... I didn't dare to believe it at first, but that's how it happened."

The girl glanced furtively in the driver's direction.

Seeing that the other party seemed to be listening attentively, he almost couldn't suppress the uncontrollable laughter, so he quickly put his hands on his cheeks and pinched his throat to pretend to whimper.

"Senior, tell me, what should I do..."

Unlike the girls' slightly rough acting skills, the men's performances were perfect, and they could perform flawlessly even if the scenes were put together on the spur of the moment.

His chest was shaking, and his brows seemed to be squeezed together. The young man's struggle and pain were vividly interpreted in this short moment. Finally, he took a deep breath and promised the girl.

"...Leave this matter to me. The child born today will either end up in the hospital or in the intensive care unit. There won't be a third outcome."

Dengdengdeng.

The driver was completely shocked by the countless grudges and entanglements, as well as the wonderful drama of betrayal and revenge, trust and breakup.

you mean.

Is this girl's boyfriend your buddy?

And you cheated on your girlfriend?

So now you two are teaming up to fight the dragon?

The driver leaned back tactically with a solemn expression. He was once again shocked by the complicated emotional relationships of young people today. His mind had unconsciously shifted from driving to gossip.

He now only regretted that he didn't have an extra pair of ears so that he could savor this extremely bloodthirsty love drama from beginning to end.

But while laughing at the joke, I couldn't help but think of myself who was also betrayed. The wife with whom I had once promised to spend my life has now cheated on me, and I don't even have the courage to face the betrayal of my beloved.

He looked in the rearview mirror.

His gaze turned to the two young men in the back seat again.

Perhaps because they had the same scar, at this moment, he felt that these two people were his other choices.

Didn't he want to directly question his lover's betrayal with evidence?

If he had not chosen to endure and compromise, would his mood not be as dull and complicated as it is now?

But he also had to consider his young children, and the psychological trauma they would suffer if they knew their mother was immoral. He also had to consider the distribution of property after the divorce, and whether the couple's life would be enough to support themselves in Tokyo if they really broke up.

Can I pay off the mortgage by myself? Will the neighbors gossip about me when they find out? How can I give my parents a reassuring explanation? Will I be able to find a suitable partner in the future? These are all issues that must be considered.

There are too many things to worry about in the adult world. It seems that even grievances and pain cannot be expressed. They can only be suppressed in their hearts and destroy themselves.

Perhaps it is because we have to shoulder too much that we are bound by work and work hard all day long for a little bit of money.