Tokyo: I took in a homeless girl

"Oh"

Mine Shiori gave a muffled reply, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Sawayama Haruno's glass of wine. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What did Haruno order?"

"Mine was just simple cherry sparkling water with a little bit of his homemade liquor added."

Seeing Shiori's curious expression, Haruno Sawayama kindly pushed his glass towards her.

"Want to try it? I haven't had it yet, but this one should be less strong than yours," he said with a smile.

Mixing drinks can easily lead to intoxication, but that depends on the situation. The two of them were mainly drinking cocktails made with a small amount of spirits, and since their drink had a lower alcohol content, there was no need to worry about whether Shiori Mine would get drunk after drinking two different kinds of alcohol.

The reason why Maki Miyazawa got drunk was because the two drinks she mixed herself were both quite strong and both contained desserts.

Miyazawa Maki downed two drinks in a row without warning, and since it was her first time drinking, it was perfectly normal for her to get drunk, which is different from the current situation.

"May I"

Upon hearing what Haruno Sawayama said, Shiori Mine immediately became somewhat interested.

If you drink Haruno's sake and then the other person drinks it, isn't that an indirect kiss?

The word "indirect kiss" seemed to hold an immense temptation for Shiori Mine. Gazing at the drink placed in front of her, her hand reached out as if out of control, cautiously moving it towards her.

Great, time to drink!

Shiori Mine silently cheered herself up, then lowered her head and took a small sip. However, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Haruno Sawayama staring at her with her hand propping up her face. The girl, overcome with embarrassment, blushed instantly and choked on her sparkling wine several times.

"cough cough"

"Are you okay?"

Zeshan Chunye immediately offered them tissues.

He was a little puzzled. Even though it contained carbonated drinks, it shouldn't have been enough to make him choke. Mine Shiori was being far too careless.

"No, it's nothing." Mine Shiori calmed her breathing slightly and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I was spacing out just now. I'll drink this one."

"No need for that, since you didn't throw up in there anyway."

Sawayama Haruno reached out and took the drink, glanced at it casually, and then took a sip in front of Mine Shiori, making her face turn red instantly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Mine Shiori had already drunk too much.

"Are you really alright?"

Shiori Mine swallowed hard, a strange flutter in her heart.

She hadn't expected Sawayama Haruno to drink the wine so readily, and the indirect kiss had been achieved in such a way—it was all too dreamlike. Had her progress really gone so smoothly?

"It's not a big deal, it's fine."

Sawayama Haruno licked his lips and laughed, "I wonder what kind of sparkling drink it was. It tastes a bit like fresh, tart fruit juice."

"It's probably a blend of local Canadian beverages."

Seeing that Haruno Sawayama really didn't care about this, Shiori Mine slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the mixed feelings of joy and slight disappointment kept swirling within her, driving her to pick up her glass of wine again and drink, trying to hide the inexplicable embarrassment on her face.

At that moment, Haruno Sawayama seized the opportunity, raised her glass, and handed it to Shiori Mine.

Seeing the somewhat bewildered petite girl, he reminded her, "Cheers!"

"cheers."

Shiori carefully raised her glass to the other person, and then their eyes remained locked on each other until they brought the drink to their lips. The sweet drink slid down their throats and seeped into the depths of their pounding hearts.

"This is wonderful," Shiori Mine thought.

She never expected this to happen before setting off. Although it was Sawayama Haruno who brought it up, she was still very glad that she had made up her mind to take the initiative early on.

Otherwise, based on my past self, I probably would have hesitated when it came to going to a quiet bar, and ultimately missed the opportunity.

So it's great that I was able to take the first step, but I'm still a little greedy and hope to go even further with Sawayama Haruno.

Chapter 367 The feelings between the two gradually begin to sprout.

After just one glass of wine, Shiori Mine was already feeling slightly tipsy.

The perfect temperature kept her in a state of slight lightness without making her dizzy. Under the ambient lighting of the bar street, the girl's radiant and captivating beauty was fully revealed.

Even Sawayama Haruno, sitting opposite him, couldn't help but pause for a moment while drinking.

He was a little puzzled. Was it because of the alcohol? He felt that the other person's eyes had suddenly become very aggressive.

In fact, Shiori Mine did show initiative for the first time in her life.

Looking at Haruno Sawayama sitting opposite her, Shiori Minami cleared her throat before casually asking, "There are still a few days until the annual meeting. What are your plans for Haruno?"

"My plans are probably just to wander around Toronto. I haven't thought about the specifics yet. I'm here mainly for the company's annual meeting. As for the things my family asked me to buy, I can leave them to Ms. Morikawa and the others," Haruno Sawayama said without hesitation.

His main goal was actually to win over Shiori Mine, but now that she also seemed interested in winning him over, he wasn't in a hurry. He could just wait and see Shiori's adorable reaction.

Sure enough, after hearing what Haruno Sawayama said, Shiori Mine became quite eager to try.

She lightly touched the straw with her fingers and whispered, "Would you like to go see the waterfall together later?"

Niagara?

Sawayama Haruno immediately realized what was going on.

This is one of the most talked-about and breathtaking scenic spots in Canada, known as the world's largest waterfall, Niagara Falls, which is located between the United States and Canada.

It takes less than two hours to get there from Toronto, and many tourists visiting Toronto will stop by Niagara Falls.

It's not hard to see that Shiori Mine seemed to have done her homework beforehand. Besides Niagara Falls, she also proactively mentioned some other places suitable for sightseeing, which piqued Haruno Sawayama's interest.

He rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he looked at Mine Shiori, who was unusually talkative today. After rambling on about her pre-prepared plans, she finally realized the strange attitude of Sawayama Haruno towards her.

Shiori Mine blushed again, though it was hard to tell under the ambient lighting. But Haruno Sawayama, who knew her all too well, knew better than anyone that she was clearly shy.

"sure."

Without much thought, Haruno Sawayama readily agreed to what the other party said.

"Anyway, I don't have any other plans before the annual meeting, and I'd really like to see Niagara Falls. In that case, let's go together tomorrow or the day after."

"Um"

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Shiori Mine unconsciously smiled.

She held her wine glass, sipping it slowly as if to hide her slightly excited emotions. Her adorable appearance was quite amusing.

Speaking of which, Shiori Mine is probably the only one among the girls around Haruno Sawayama who has a normal romantic relationship with him.

Miyazawa Maki was taken in by their family when they were not even familiar with each other's true selves.

Suguha Ezaki, on the other hand, got together with someone because of a misunderstanding during Golden Week, when she drugged herself during a match in Kyoto.

Although Miyazawa Mana had a normal romantic relationship with him, due to her own fetishes and her relationship with her younger sister, it can't really be said to be completely normal.

As for Ayano Yui, needless to say, she was the one who gave Sawayama Haruno the most headaches and the most helplessness, but fortunately the two of them ended up together.

Thinking about it carefully, Shiori Mine probably had the most normal idea among them, provided that she could forget what happened in Kyoto.

Seeing the popsicle on the other person that day had a significant impact on Sawayama Haruno.

Moreover, it was he who took out the popsicle and took Shiori Mine to the hospital in the end, so the impression he left behind will probably last until the next life.

Thinking of this, Zeshan Chunye calmly took a sip of wine.

However, before he could even organize his thoughts, Shiori Mine, who was sitting opposite him, spoke up again.

Will Haruno come to school next semester?

"Ok?"

Caught off guard by her question, Haruno Sawayama looked up blankly. Shiori Mine then explained, "Didn't you discuss with the leadership beforehand about minimizing your appearances at school?"

The exposure of Zeshan Chunye's previous identity had a great impact on his private life, even affecting several girls around him, not to mention his personal life.

Many people at the University of Tokyo already know that Kiriyama Fuyumi is a freshman, or more precisely, a soon-to-be sophomore. Many are curious about this famous writer whom they have never met, and they all want to take advantage of being at the same university to meet him.

Just thinking about it makes you realize how troublesome this situation is. Because of concerns that this relationship might affect some students in the school, and most importantly, because of concerns that it might affect Sawayama Haruno himself, the school leaders decided, after discussing with him, to provide him with as much convenience as possible in the future.

Therefore, Shiori Mine was worried that Sawayama Haruno might not go back to school after obtaining permission from the school leaders. After all, the leaders couldn't possibly refuse to issue Sawayama Haruno a graduation certificate. Rather, they wanted Sawayama Haruno to stay at school for as many years as possible.

When Haruno Sawayama receives his award, everyone will surely notice that he is still a student, which will further enhance the school's reputation and status.

Don't think that the University of Tokyo is not lacking in this honor. You should know that the works written by Haruno Sawayama are undoubtedly the cornerstone of literature. The university leaders still cherish them. Besides, who would really complain about having too few honors?

"Are you at school?"

After some internal thought, Haruno Sawayama roughly understood what Shiori Mine meant. After a moment of contemplation, he casually said, "I'll probably still attend the required courses, but I won't go to some of the smaller classes or elective courses."

"Shiori, don't worry about me. School is still very important to me. If I really stop going because of this, wouldn't all my hard work in high school have been for nothing?" he joked.

Although it doesn't matter whether Sawayama Haruno is a student at the University of Tokyo or not, she did work hard for it in high school. Wouldn't it be a waste to give up like this?

Moreover, his school experience was quite interesting. If they hadn't both been in the same school, he wouldn't have been able to "officially get to know" Mine Shiori, let alone the fact that Miyazawa Mana is now studying at the University of Tokyo.

Regardless of her purpose, Haruno Sawayama will continue to complete her studies at school. As for whether she will be bothered by some classmates, so be it. While enjoying the benefits of fame, she will inevitably suffer the backlash of negative consequences, which is all normal.

The only difference is how he will deal with it. He will still maintain his usual low-key style, but after the new semester starts, he may have to wear a mask and a baseball cap.

"He's just like a big star," Sawayama Haruno muttered helplessly.

"Haruno is a big star now, right?"

Shiori Mine smiled and said, "Many people are discussing Haruno and her novels. In a sense, she is a literary superstar. Many people want to know what you have experienced in the past and what kind of new works you will write next."

"These people..."

Sawayama Haruno stroked his chin and suddenly thought of something else.

"Oh right, I almost forgot. The new work I mentioned before is partially completed. I'll have to ask you for help when I go back to China."

"But is it okay if I take annual leave? How about we wait until after spring break, and I finish the whole book before sending it to you?" Sawayama Haruno suggested.

The annual leave in island nations is very short, but the spring break comes right after, and the spring break is relatively longer, even though working people have less vacation time than students.

However, Haruno Sawayama did not want Shiori Mine's precious vacation time to disappear because of her.

However, his consideration was clearly unnecessary, because after hearing what he said, Mine Shiori immediately shook her head.

"It's okay, I also want to see Haruno's new work soon."

She paused, then added, "Didn't you promise me before that you'd let me be the first to see your novels from now on?"

"That's true."

Upon hearing this, Haruno Sawayama couldn't help but smile.

"I'll have to ask you for help after that. To be honest, I'm not as confident about this book as I was with the last one. I was quite confident before I started writing, but after experiencing writer's block a few times, I've become a bit hesitant."

Sawayama Haruno was telling the truth. When he wrote his first book, the stories in the book had some similarities to his own real-life experiences, which made it extremely easy for him to get into the writing process.

However, the second book did involve some fantasy elements, and since it was the first time Zeshan Chunye had written this type of novel, he naturally didn't have the same invincible state as before.

Despite having the advantage of memories and a system, it is still a considerable undertaking for Haruno Sawayama to rewrite a novel that has been translated twice as well as the original as possible.

"Is it because there are too many things to do in real life?"

Shiori Mine gently stroked the cool wine glass with her fingers and whispered, "It seems like Haruno hasn't had much rest since the novel was officially released. He's been busy with all sorts of things."

"Ms. Morikawa also told me some things before, about your return to Osaka."

At this point, a hint of envy inevitably flashed in Shiori Mine's eyes.

Clearly, she knew who else Haruno had taken back to Osaka with him. All the girls except herself had gone, and she might have even met Haruno's parents. This was something she couldn't help but care about.

A hint of jealousy began to rise in the girl's heart, but it was understandable. Since high school, Mine Shiori had almost been on a losing streak, and she even had more right to complain than Ayano Yui.

At least Ayano Yui genuinely grew up with Sawayama Haruno and received a lot from him when she was young, while Mine Shiori has always played the role of a passerby.

If it weren't for Sawayama Haruno returning her lost necklace that day, she might not have had the courage to go find him.

In a way, the loss of the necklace might also have been partly due to fate.

Thinking of this, Shiori Mine subconsciously tightened her grip on the necklace around her neck, and her thoughts gradually drifted to the words her mother had once told her.

—I must win Haruno's heart, or I won't be happy even if I die.

It's a bit twisted, but Shiori Mine has gradually let go of this worry.

She also understood that her mother had only said it jokingly. It was her inability to accept the double blow of her mother's death and Haruno having a girlfriend that ultimately created the invisible pressure that had been hidden in her heart.

The fact that I would do things that would punish myself is related to this pressure.