All the people who like me are other people’s girlfriends! ?

"Shut up……"

"Oh, right, I also need to send these photos to Xiangzi, to see her at home, angry but unable to speak out, secretly shedding tears. That scene will be quite delightful."

"—I told you to shut up—!"

Toyokawa Kiyoshi roared, and with a sudden burst of strength, he grabbed Kiyono's collar and slammed him against the wall behind him. Kiyono's head hit the wall with a dull thud, but he was still laughing.

"To make Xiangzi completely obedient to me, I would take photos and videos, and learn about her past, her friends, and all her weaknesses... Isn't that terrifying?"

Kiyono spoke each word sternly.

"—I'm asking you, is it scary!"

Toyokawa Kiyoko suddenly sobered up considerably. His hands and lips were trembling. Although he was the one who had taken the action, he also looked more disheveled. He was indeed frightened by the future Kiyono had described.

Kiyono noticed his change and said slowly:

"The so-called father only exists to prevent his daughter from encountering a bastard like me."

"As a father, you should have protected Xiangzi from being maliciously approached by other men; as a man, you should have taken care of Xiangzi, sheltered her from the wind and rain, and made sure she didn't have to worry about tuition and living expenses, only about how to play the piano piece tomorrow. But you did nothing."

Toyokawa Kiyoko felt that his soul and spirit were being gradually eroded by Kiyono's words.

"You are neither worthy of being called a father nor a man; you are just a pathetic wretch who only knows how to drink."

At that moment, Toyokawa Kiyoko noticed Kiyono's gaze, which was pure disdain. But it had nothing to do with money, physique, or morality; it was simply that as a man, he looked down on another good-for-nothing.

Toyokawa Kiyoko loosened his collar, took two steps back, and sat down on the ground with a thud. He laughed twice, but the laughter was filled with despair.

Kiyono was absolutely right, and that's why he was so distraught.

Seeing Xiangzi stubbornly following him in life, and witnessing Xiangzi stubbornly suffering, only he himself knew what he was really thinking and what he decided to do.

A deathly silence enveloped the space.

Suddenly, Toyokawa Kiyoshi saw a pair of clean hands appear in front of him.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked at Kiyono in astonishment.

Kiyono stood there, calmly watching him.

"...It seems you're not entirely beyond redemption."

Kiyono said calmly:

"If you still want to be a father, what you should do now is: stand up, give me a good punch, then go and bring Xiangzi back to your side, treat her even better, and fulfill your responsibilities."

This time, Toyokawa Kiyoko remained silent for an even longer period.

After an unknown amount of time, he reached out his thin hand and grasped the hand of the boy in front of him, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood.

Toyokawa Kiyoshi stood up straight, stretched out his fist, and punched him in the cheek.

But his light, airy hand was easily grasped.

Kiyono finally smiled, and this time it was a genuine smile.

“That’s more like it. The bathhouse is still open. Go wash off the smell of alcohol. After you two have calmed down for a while, go and have a good talk with Xiangzi. I’m too lazy to help someone like you, but you’re her father.”

He released Toyokawa Kiyoko's hand, turned around, and left the living room.

At the very end, he stopped at the door, but didn't turn around, and just said lazily.

"By the way, Xiangzi likes the strawberry daifuku from that wagashi shop in Sanchōme, but she hasn't had it in a long time because she's trying to save money."

"If you can act like a man again, like a father, stand tall and strong, then give me another punch, and we'll drink together."

The door closed gently.

Toyokawa Kiyoko stood there for a long time.

..........

When Kiyono returned to the streets, dusk had fallen, and the evening breeze after the rain was incredibly pleasant.

Under the streetlights not far away, Toyokawa Shoko was standing on tiptoe, looking around. As soon as she saw Kiyono, she immediately ran over to greet him, her hair fluttering gently in the wind, like a bird eager to return to its nest.

She blinked and asked curiously:

"Kiyono-kun... what did you and Dad talk about?"

At first, she didn't think much of it, simply assuming that Kiyono was politely greeting his father. But as time went on, she couldn't help but start to overthink—what if her father said something unpleasant? Would Kiyono be given a hard time? Could they have had some kind of argument?

"nothing."

Kiyono smiled and, under the girl's shy yet joyful gaze, placed her hand in his palm.

"I just threw a few bottles at him."

"That's outrageous!?"

Toyokawa Shoko followed him into the night.

.............

Shoko Toyokawa followed Kiyono and officially stepped into the apartment's entrance hall. At that moment, the blue-haired young lady felt her heart almost jump out of her chest, and her cheeks turned red... because they were about to officially start living together!

The thought of this made the girl feel her heart and body burning, and her little head was filled with all sorts of random thoughts.

What should we do?

What to say?

Sweet thoughts swirled within me, almost binding me into a knot.

"Xiangzi?"

Kiyono's voice startled the girl from her reverie. She looked up sharply, meeting his smiling eyes, and her face flushed instantly from the tips of her ears to her collarbone. A scene from a bridal tutorial video about "welcome greetings" flashed through her mind, and her body reacted before she could even think.

"Please take care of me from now on, Kiyono-kun!"

It was a perfect 90-degree bow, a textbook example of a royal wedding, with the blue ends of her hair gently brushing against the boy's face.

"Could you please advise me?"

Kiyono blinked and bowed in return, their noses almost touching.

(?///ω///?)

When Xiangzi finally understood what this meant, her eyes began to dart around with extreme shyness. She suddenly leaned back, but the back of her head bumped against the door that wasn't fully closed.

"I'm going to take a shower first, Desuwa!"

But after taking a shower, shouldn't we do something?

033. Living with a Succubus [Two-in-One]

A pair of snow-white, slender feet emerged from the bathroom. Because they had just taken a shower, their ankles revealed an alluring pinkish hue, and their pink toenails were still glistening with water droplets.

Toyokawa Shoko was wrapped in Kiyono's white bathrobe, which was a bit too big for her. At this moment, her wet blue hair clung to the side of her neck, with water droplets still dripping from the ends, making her look like a watery fairy who had mistakenly entered a new territory.

She peeked out and glanced into the living room—she had been too shy to bring her slippers and was too embarrassed to call out to the boy.

The next second, the girl suddenly stopped and looked at the ground not far ahead, where a pair of bunny slippers were quietly waiting for their owner.

She blushed as she put on her slippers and changed into her pajamas. Just as she finished doing all this, Qingye walked out of the bedroom as if he had planned it all along.

"Kiyono-kun, you've been soaked in the rain all day, go take a bath." The girl coughed lightly and said with a strong and calm demeanor.

Fortunately, Kiyono seemed to notice the girl's state and didn't say anything like, "I have to taste the bathwater that Shoko used." He just smiled, nodded, and followed her to take a bath.

Hearing the sound of water coming from the bathroom, Toyokawa Shoko pressed her chest, let out a long breath, and finally calmed down.

"...Anyway, let's tidy up the house first?"

The girl's gaze swept across the living room, and she muttered to herself. Although the living room wasn't exactly messy, she felt like she wanted to do something.

So she got busy, first wiping the table clean and mopping the floor, then taking out sheet music, the doll her mother had left her, and the green plants she had picked up a few days ago from her suitcase. She stood in front of the cabinet and arranged the things one by one, tilting her head from time to time to adjust their positions, as if she were decorating a new home.

Just then, Toyokawa Shoko heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around—

"--ah!?"

Kiyono, who was shirtless and had a towel around his neck, was leisurely drinking cola.

"Kiyono-kun, what are you trying to do!?"

Toyokawa Shoko's tone was panicked and shy, like a pure young lady seeing a naked boy for the first time—no, not just like.

"what?"

Kiyono wiped her head with a towel, not understanding what she meant for a moment.

"Clothes! Please put on your clothes, Desuwa!"

Kiyono finally realized something, gave a strange "oh," casually pulled a T-shirt out of the closet, put it on, and couldn't help but think to himself—Teacher Daisho reacted like this after seeing just the upper body, what will happen if he sees...

Xiangzi breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little ashamed. She had indeed made a big fuss. Now that she was living with Qingye-kun, she would have to get used to this kind of thing gradually... She didn't want the boy to indulge her willfulness.

She silently reminded herself, turned around, and continued to focus on her work.

Kiyono picked up a foreign language literature book, sat on the sofa, and casually began to read it. Although he was already living with Xiangzi, unlike the girl's nervousness, he remained calm and composed, after all, he had already experienced it once with a certain girl before.

Speaking of which... now that he and Xiangzi are living together, what should they do in the future?

Kiyono's gaze gradually shifted from the book to the girl. Things had progressed to this point, and he could no longer lie to himself that the two were just ordinary people. The girl's eyes, even in a sea of ​​people, only had eyes for him.

What were his feelings for Xiangzi? Was it the greedy nature of a man seeing a pure young lady and wanting to dye her to his own color? Did he like her beautiful appearance and figure? Or did he admire her stubbornness, pride, and elegance in the face of adversity?

Perhaps both are true, but the only thing he is certain of is that he does not regret taking on Xiangzi's life, and he cannot accept her falling into the arms of another man.

He liked Xiangzi who chased after the four-leaf clover, Xiangzi who showed him kindness without reservation, Xiangzi who thought of him, brave Xiangzi, down-on-his-luck Xiangzi, strong Xiangzi... He liked them all.

If Kiyono had any doubts about Shoko's feelings before, he has now made up his mind.

I've really become the person I used to hate the most...

Kiyono silently despised himself for a while, his thoughts wandering. If he remembered correctly, this simulation would end in about a week. Looking back on the past two months, he didn't have any particular goals. He just did what he wanted to do and thought about what kind of attitude towards life he should choose.

This kind of life has changed his perspective on many things, until he returns to reality in the future...

Kiyono's thoughts were suddenly interrupted, and his gaze was involuntarily drawn to what was in front of him.

Xiangzi, with his back to him, was standing on tiptoe, trying to place a doll on the empty space on the top shelf of the bookcase.

The loungewear she was wearing was probably from before; it was a bit tight. From his angle, he could clearly see her slender, almost fragile waist, shaped like an hourglass. As she tiptoed and swayed, the curves of her buttocks were beautiful and full, revealing the shape of a peach, making the young girl even more alluring.

Without a doubt, Teacher Da Xiang's physical strength is absolutely top-tier, and besides, this should be considered a youthful face... well, you know...

Kiyono's breath hitched slightly, his heart feeling as if it had been brushed by a feather—if it were Yukino in the past, he probably would have just hugged her.

He lowered his eyes, pretending to be engrossed in reading.

"Xiangzi, that position is too high, let me take it."

"It's okay, I can do it!"

The blue-haired girl said confidently, then stood on tiptoe and finally placed the doll in a satisfactory position. Then, she turned around, a small sense of accomplishment on her pretty face. But what she didn't realize was that the neckline of her clothes had opened a little more due to the movement, revealing a bit of her fair skin.

Xiangzi didn't do anything intentionally, but it was precisely this intentional or unintentional flirting that made him even more captivating.

"Now I'm really living with a succubus..."

Kiyono temporarily suppressed his romantic feelings and went to the girl's side to help her with the work.

...

The two chatted as they decorated the room, and before they knew it, it was late at night. Toyokawa Shoko yawned slightly, feeling a little reluctant to leave this wonderful time behind.

Finally, Kiyono made her a cup of hot milk and then turned to go to his own room—Toyokawa Shoko insisted on sleeping in the living room, even though she was the one who paid the rent initially.

After Qingye returned to his room, the wonderful atmosphere from before seemed like a dream, and the room was completely silent.

—She felt lonely even after only being away from Kiyono for a short while.

With a snap, Toyokawa Shoko turned off the living room lights, leaving only a small table lamp on. The soft light illuminated a small area of ​​the space, and she crawled into bed.

The girl stared blankly at the ceiling, recalling everything that had happened that day… the long-awaited date, her father being taken to the police station, the embarrassing situation of being caught by Riki, and Kiyono finding her again and embracing her…

So much happened in that short day that she still feels like she's in a dream.

From this day forward, their lives will be intertwined, and only death can separate them...

She felt both sweet and somewhat worried.

—It's said online that cohabitation is the beginning of a broken relationship between men and women because they will gradually learn about each other's shortcomings. Those flaws that they don't want to expose will eventually be revealed in closer contact, and sooner or later conflicts will arise.