Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Did Dad betray Mom and have an affair with another woman?

She was initially unwilling to believe it, and even wondered if she was having a nightmare.

But seeing her mother break down in tears while talking about these things, she had no choice but to believe it.

The more heartbroken she was for her mother, the stronger her anger towards her father became.

She couldn't remember exactly how angry she had become.

She only remembered that she wanted to wait for her father to come home at the door so that she could confront him immediately and demand an explanation for her mother, but in the end, her mother forcibly dragged her back to her room.

That day, her mother talked to her for a very long time, dispelling her thoughts of confronting her father.

That day, in an attempt to numb herself, she focused all her attention on her homework and the Tokyo University Akamoto workbook, and eventually fell asleep on her desk.

After that day, while she was fully focused on preparing for the university entrance exams, she began to notice that her father seemed like a different person.

My dad is no longer coming home very late. He used to be like that. Even if he was very busy with work, he would try his best to come home and have dinner with them.

Every night when she went out of her room to get water in the kitchen, she would see her mother sitting alone on the sofa, staring blankly at her phone, as if waiting for her father to come home.

After that day, my mother's eyes were always red, and the gentle smile that usually graced her beautiful face disappeared.

Although her mother would still smile gently at her when she noticed her, that smile did not make her happy; instead, it broke her heart.

The air in the house began to feel incredibly heavy, as if the cement had solidified, making her feel suffocated and desperate.

Faced with a hopeless predicament, she did not give up and tried many methods.

For example, persuading the mother to divorce the father.

For example, she confronted her father with evidence of his infidelity, along with her mother.

For example, they went to the company together to confront the philanderer.

For example, you could complain to your maternal grandfather and ask an elder to uphold justice.

Unfortunately, her mother worried that making a scene would lead to marital discord and even divorce, so she rejected her suggestion, always telling her to rest assured, focus on her studies, and that she would handle it herself.

[Mom doesn't want a divorce; she just hopes Dad can come back to the family and go back to how he used to be.]

After racking her brains, she suddenly remembered something: every year on the first day of the Ghost Festival, her father would always pray that his precious daughter would never be deceived by a boy, ever since she was in first grade.

After that, she and her father had a unique conversation every year during the Hōshū festival. After her father made a wish, she would say that the wish would not come true if he said it out loud.

The thing my dad least wants to see is me dating boys, especially delinquent boys.

Realizing this situation, she thought of her former deskmate in first grade, who later became the number one delinquent at Takeno High School, Osamu Shiratori, known as the Tiger of Takeno.

On Monday, when she went to school, she discovered that Shiratori-san, who had been a perfect student for the past two and a half years, was suddenly absent.

I asked Shiratori-san's best friend, but she couldn't find out the reason either, and could only wait until tomorrow.

On Tuesday, she found that Shiratori-san still hadn't come to school, which puzzled her, but she could only wait patiently.

On Tuesday night, she was awakened from her sleep by crying.

When she followed the sound out of the room, she saw her mother slumped in the entryway, crying like a child.

The mother cried uncontrollably, unable to stop, and her speech became incoherent, making her even more distraught than before.

Listening to the chaotic and fragmented words, she pieced together the truth... At 1 a.m., her parents were asleep, but her father received a phone call and suddenly said that he had to work overtime. He left home despite her mother's objections, and that he was going to Hokkaido on a business trip with his secretary the next day.

The next morning, after eating breakfast made by her mother, she went back to her room, took all her savings from her desk drawer, picked up her schoolbag, and resolutely walked out of the house to go to school.

Time is of the essence; she must find Shiratori Osamu today no matter what, and have him pretend to be her boyfriend and accompany her home!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"If you ask me why I chose my mother, it's because I love her, I don't want to see her sad anymore, I want to make her happy, just like before."

When her thoughts returned to her body, Minami Yamabuki gave her answer again, her words becoming incredibly firm.

After clearing her mind, she remembered why she had gone to the internet cafe to find Shiratori Osamu to pretend to be her boyfriend.

Because her father cheated on her during their marriage and fell in love with someone else, causing her mother so much heartache and sadness, she had actually considered having her parents divorce long ago.

But her mother didn't want a divorce, so she had no choice but to compromise in order to make her mother happy.

"very good."

Looking into Ueyama Fukiminami's unwavering and resolute eyes, Shiratori Osamu, lacking the ability to read minds, couldn't know what kind of emotional journey she had gone through to arrive at this state, but he was very satisfied with the result.

"Xiujun, I've tried to persuade Mom to divorce Dad more than once, but she just won't agree. She just tells me not to worry... If I choose this option, how confident are you that you can change Mom's mind?"

Seeing that he was satisfied, Yamabuki Minami took a deep breath and spoke as if she had made up her mind.

"Ten percent."

When faced with this question, Shiratori Osamu responded without hesitation.

Chapter 68 Changing Demands

How confident are you that you can make your mother happy?

"Fifty percent."

Shiratori didn't dare to speak too definitively about this matter. It might feel good to exaggerate to show off, but if the boast backfires, it would be embarrassing.

What is the reason for the missing 50% certainty?

Seeing that he wasn't entirely confident, Yamabuki Minami frowned and pondered before asking.

"Considering that it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature, if your mother-in-law remarries after the divorce, your father might be very honest at first, but he might cheat on you again someday."

"So that's how it is. In other words, the reason why Mom couldn't find happiness was because she got divorced and then remarried?"

"Huh? Hmm."

Shiratori Osamu was taken aback by her words and paused for a moment before nodding excitedly.

"Xiujun, won't this option hurt Mom?"

Given his past experiences, Minami Yamabuki knew that he always kept his word, but she still had reservations before making a decision.

“A short pain is worse than a long one. My actions will hurt your mother-in-law, but the harm I cause her will never be as great as the harm your father caused her. Also, I can assure you that your mother-in-law may be in a lot of pain in the short term, but she will become happier than she is now.”

Shiratori Osamu had no choice but to nod in agreement.

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.

“I understand… Xiu Jun, I’m going to change my demands. I’ll persuade Mom to divorce Dad and prevent them from remarrying.”

Minami Yamabuki pondered the meaning of his words, and thinking of her mother's almost crying expression when she left the dining room, she nodded heavily.

"Before we change our demands, there is one thing I must make clear. Once these demands are changed, there is no going back. You need to be mentally prepared to stand on my side from beginning to end and follow my arrangements and instructions."

Given the difficulty of this option, Shiratori Osamu must agree on the terms with her.

"I promise I'll do whatever you say."

Minami Yamabuki nodded in agreement to the request.

In fact, even if Xiu Jun hadn't explained this beforehand, she would have done it anyway.

Because after she went against her father, she realized deeply and directly the fact that she was very useless.

Now that things have come to this, she can only place all her hopes on Xiu Jun.

Are you sure you won't regret it?

Seeing how easily she agreed, Shiratori Xiu was a little uneasy and confirmed it again.

He had been in several relationships in his past life and learned a lesson: never easily believe a girl's promises.

"I'm sure I won't regret it, as long as Mom can be happy." Yamabuki Minami stopped squatting beside him, stood up, and solemnly declared with one hand on her chest as if making a vow. Then she bent down and added, "By the way, the 60 yen I gave you on Friday was paid by Mom. Please, you must find a way to make her happy."

"So it was my mother-in-law who paid for it? Does that mean my mother-in-law is my business partner, and I should pretend to be her boyfriend?"

Because her words seemed a bit off, Shiratori glanced at her and abruptly changed the subject.

"Huh—? Although that money belonged to Mom, she gave it to me, so it's mine now. I'm your business partner; you can only pretend to be my boyfriend."

Minami Yamabuki was taken aback by his words and was momentarily flustered.

"Don't be nervous, I was just joking. If you asked me to pretend to be your mother-in-law's boyfriend, I wouldn't agree, after all, that would be life-threatening."

Seeing that she was startled and panicked, Shiratori Xiu gestured for her to calm down.

"This joke is not funny at all."

Realizing he was just joking, Yamabuki Minami breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized she had overreacted. Her face flushed, she lowered her head and whispered, feeling wronged.

Xiu Jun is too naughty. We were just talking about serious business, but he suddenly started making this kind of joke with her.

"Sorry, sorry, but the serious topic is over, and I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Seeing that she wasn't angry, but rather looked very aggrieved, Shiratori Osamu quickly tried to smooth things over.

"So that's how it is."

Realizing that he wasn't just teasing her for no reason, but rather trying to lighten the mood, Minami Yamabuki's grievances immediately dissipated.

From this perspective, Xiu Jun isn't such a bad person; it's just that they weren't familiar enough with each other, so she couldn't understand his good intentions.

"..."

Seeing that she suddenly understood him, Shiratori Osamu couldn't help but scratch his head.

He discovered that the class monitor was just like his mother-in-law—easily swayed by her words and easily appeased.

If it were any other girl, she would glare at him a few times, then protest or joke around with him in a fit of embarrassment, and then laugh together, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Xiujun, what should we do next?"

Feeling embarrassed, Yamabuki Minami returned to her beanbag chair, composed herself, and curiously looked at the man opposite her.

When Xiu Jun presented three options, and even said he didn't plan to renew the lease when the term ended, she was truly desperate.

After all, even someone as smart as Xiu Jun couldn't change the outcome of her father's infidelity. If even he gave up, then she and her mother would truly be helpless.

However, she changed her demands, and Xiu Jun returned to his omnipotent self, bringing about a significant turning point in the situation, which made her very happy.

"I have a lot to say now, and I'm a little thirsty. Could you get me some water?"

Faced with this question, Shiratori Osamu licked his lips, found them a little dry, and then made his request.

"Of course, wait for me a moment."

Minami Yamabuki nodded without hesitation and stood up.

"By the way, if you see your mother-in-law in the kitchen or dining room, make sure she gets your attention, but absolutely do not comfort her."

Seeing how quickly she acted, Shiratori Osamu added a comment after thinking for a moment.

"Huh? Why?"

Upon hearing this request, Minami Yamabuki immediately stopped in her tracks.

"Just do as I say. As for the reason, I'll tell you when you get back... I need two glasses of ice water, and remember to get yourself one too."

Because this method is complicated to explain, Shiratori Osamu simply gave the instructions again.

"it is good."

Although Minami Yamabuki didn't quite understand, she still chose to believe him, nodded, opened the door, and went out.

Not long after, she returned with a tray and closed the door with her foot.

However, she looked a little sad and frustrated.

"Xiujun, I ran into Mom... She was clearing the dishes in the dining room, and her eyes and nose were red. She must have cried again when she went back to her room."

Arriving at the sofa area, Minami Yamabuki placed the tray on the table, glanced at Osamu Shiratori with a complicated expression, and whispered.

She wondered if Xiu Jun had calculated that her mother would cry enough at this time and leave the room to clean up the dishes in the dining room, so he deliberately asked her to fetch water.

Getting her mother's attention by walking away without doing anything made her feel guilty.

"What a coincidence!"

Shiratori Osamu had no idea what she was thinking; he simply picked up a glass of water and gulped it down.

"Sit down. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Let me explain the current situation to you first."

After downing a cup and a half in one go, Shiratori finished repairing the water and noticed that she was still standing next to him watching him, so he pointed to the opposite side.