Tokyo: I took in a homeless girl

"and then?"

Miyazawa Maki glanced at her and said with a hint of disdain, "Anyway, Haruno is special to each of us. I sometimes do things like showing kindness and putting myself in others' shoes."

Besides, Shiori Mine's involvement is a crucial part of her plan to guard against Riho Morikawa.

The girl from Zhang Zeshan's family, number 390.

The next morning, Shiori Mine was the first to wake up.

She stared blankly at the somewhat unfamiliar ceiling, and after a moment she turned her head and saw Sawayama Haruno fast asleep, and Ezaki Naoha lying on the other side of Haruno.

Memories of last night flooded back like a tide, and a blush gradually crept onto the petite girl's face.

When she recalled the absurd behavior of the three of them last night, Mine Shiori, whose face was burning up to a frightening degree, finally couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to get out of bed to get a drink of water.

However, this slight movement woke up both Haruno Sawayama and Suguha Ezaki.

Neither of them were people who slept late and woke up late; they would usually be up by this time. It was just that they were too tired last night, so they didn't wake up as quickly as Shiori.

Awakened by the noise accidentally made by Shiori Mine, Suguha Ezaki frowned, hummed softly, and slowly opened her eyes, meeting the gaze of Haruno Sawayama, who had just woken up.

"Straight leaf."

Sawayama Haruno rubbed her temples, called out to the other person, and then turned to look at Mine Shiori, who was secretly getting dressed on the other side.

Seeing that her sneaking away had been discovered, Shiori Mine's face turned even redder, especially since she hadn't even finished dressing. Although it wasn't the first time she had appeared in front of Haruno Sawayama like this, she still felt a little embarrassed thinking about the "crazy" events of the previous night.

"Haruno, stop...stop looking," she whispered.

"Excuse me."

Sawayama Haruno instantly snapped out of his daze. He turned his head, coughed lightly, and said, "Shiori, are you up so early? Shouldn't you rest a little longer?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get up and wash up." Mine Shiori quickly dressed herself, then said in a somewhat hesitant tone, "Did I accidentally wake you up?"

"No, I usually get up around this time too."

Suguha Ezaki sat up in bed.

Her clothes were also thrown on the ground, but compared to Shiori Minami's coyness, she seemed more "generous".

Without any attempt to hide her true feelings, Ezaki Suguha smiled slightly and said, "Since you're already awake, I'll go wash up with you, Master. The toothbrush and cup I prepared yesterday will do. I'll get you a new washcloth later."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Shiori Mine gave Suguha Ezaki a somewhat grateful look.

Seeing that the two of them could still get along normally after what happened last night, Sawayama Haruno, who was originally a little worried, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't rush out, but continued to lie in bed playing on his phone.

It's only 8 a.m., and there's nothing else to do today. Sawayama Haruno guesses that the six of them should continue to rest at home for another day and take the Shinkansen back to Osaka the next day.

After all, there are less than two days until New Year's Eve, so I have to go home. In Japan, the New Year is just January 1st, when the whole family gathers together for a meal.

Meanwhile, Ayako Sawayama had been waiting for this day for a long time. During this period, she would repeatedly send text messages to Haruno Sawayama whenever she had free time, urging him to come home as soon as possible. If Haruno Sawayama hadn't used taking wedding photos as an excuse, Ayako Sawayama would probably have kept urging him.

"Is it the train on the afternoon of the 30th?"

Sawayama Haruno switched to the backstage area to check everyone's ticket booking information. After all, the closer it gets to the New Year, the more people there will be. Asian countries generally value the New Year holiday, and island nations like Japan have special annual leave, with many people returning to their hometowns.

Looking at her family's itinerary, Zeshan Chunye thought for a moment and then stopped worrying about it. Instead, she opened the work group chat with the wedding company, which contained many photos that had already been sent out.

Of course, not all of them, because so many photos were taken yesterday and there are still many that haven't been processed yet. The staff only sent out all the initial versions of the photos.

Looking at the numerous photos on his phone, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corners of Sawayama Haruno's lips.

Just as he was about to save them one by one, his phone suddenly rang.

The phone screen switched from the work group chat to the call connection page, and the name displayed at the top was none other than Riho Morikawa.

"Hey?"

Without hesitation, Haruno Sawayama answered the phone.

Originally, she thought the other party was going to tell her about her upcoming travel plans, but the moment the call connected, Riho Morikawa's barely suppressed excitement completely overwhelmed Haruno Sawayama's original thoughts.

"The shortlisted books for the competition have been announced." Riho Morikawa paused, then said with a smug look, "The number is even fewer than we initially estimated, so there's no way we could exclude your book."

"In other words, 'Norwegian Wood' will definitely be featured at the nomination ceremony on the 15th. Congratulations in advance, great writer."

Riho Morikawa's tone was a mix of excitement and emotion. As a mature female editor who had witnessed Haruno Sawayama set various impossible records since he entered the industry, she had to admit that the other party's talent far exceeded her imagination.

Not only in terms of talent, the other party also seems to have an extraordinary ability to be lucky, from the Kyoto competition to this nomination ceremony.

The challenge facing Haruno Sawayama is not something that can be overcome simply by having enough strength; luck also plays a significant role. After all, the more books submitted, the higher the probability of producing a great work. In any case, Haruno Sawayama's original chances of being nominated would be relatively reduced.

However, when Morikawa Riho received the list of shortlisted books, she was somewhat surprised to find that this was probably the year with the fewest shortlisted books in the past three or four years. Therefore, she felt that Sawayama Haruno was truly a lucky person.

Even if you say that, I don't really feel it much.

Sensing the inexplicable excitement on the other end of the phone from Riho Morikawa, Haruno Sawayama stroked his chin and casually asked, "So you're saying you'll be back for the nomination ceremony on the 15th, right? It'll be in Tokyo, right?"

“It’s in Tokyo, that’s for sure. But can’t you give a different reaction?” Riho Morikawa retorted irritably. “Why am I, the editor, more excited than you, the author? This is an Akutagawa Prize nomination! Something so many literary creators dream of!”

"If I tell the truth, it might give you the impression that I'm being pretentious."

Sawayama Haruno couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "But when I was writing 'Norwegian Wood,' I had already foreseen this scene today."

He hadn't just anticipated winning the award; he had already envisioned how famous he would become worldwide. Besides, this was only his first book, and there was still so much to come.

"You bastard."

After hearing what Haruno Sawayama said, Riho Morikawa was speechless.

She did want to refute the other party, but after thinking about it, she realized that with the other party's current achievements and status, saying such a thing could only be considered modest. After all, the other party's talent was undeniable, and talent was above all else.

"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. The main reason I called this time was to tell you about the number of books. We guess we got lucky."

"Are you lucky?"

As if remembering something, Sawayama Haruno's gaze became even more profound.

If I remember correctly, the final reward from the system was to increase one's luck.

Since completing that last mission, the system has never appeared again. However, even if he wanted to call it, he couldn't. He thought that it had probably stopped and he didn't know if it would appear again.

It has to be said that the rewards the system gave him were quite good. Although the improvement in luck sounded a bit too vague, the other rewards were really useful. Zeshan Chunye's current achievements were inseparable from the rewards given by the system.

Most importantly, without the system encouraging him to keep investigating the truth about Golden Week, he wouldn't have the "happy life" he has now.

From this perspective, rather than saying that the system wanted to change the girl who appeared in the subtitles, it would be more accurate to say that the person who most wanted to change was himself.

"I really have received an incredible amount of kindness." Sawayama Haruno breathed a sigh of relief.

"What good intentions?"

On the other end of the phone, Riho Morikawa saw that Haruno Sawayama didn't seem to care about what she said at all, which made her furious.

She kept emphasizing that Haruno Sawayama must return to Tokyo before the 15th, even if the wedding photos weren't finished, because the nomination was a very serious matter, and the judges and prominent figures in the industry would be there.

If Haruno Sawayama were to be absent without a valid reason, it would certainly cause dissatisfaction among some people.

After all, island nations have a very strict hierarchical system. They may not be able to stop Sawayama Haruno from becoming a literary giant, but they can slow down his pace on the road to becoming one.

As Sawayama Haruno's editor, Morikawa Riho naturally didn't want to see this, which is why she repeatedly reminded Sawayama Haruno of this point.

Sawayama Haruno was at his wit's end. In the end, he reluctantly raised his hand and swore that he would definitely be back by the 15th before Morikawa Riho finally let him go.

"That's settled then. There's nothing more to say."

Riho Morikawa's tone suddenly became somewhat listless. She said lazily, "You're going back to Osaka tomorrow, right? That's great. You can go home for New Year's Eve dinner and stuff. By the way, do you eat sukiyaki and stuff like that in Osaka?"

"Of course I'll eat it, but I don't eat it every year," Haruno Sawayama asked curiously. "Aren't you going home?"

"I'm not going back. If I go back, they'll start pressuring me to get married."

Riho Morikawa sighed and said helplessly, "I get a headache just looking at my family. And if the topic of marriage comes up, we'll probably start arguing again after just a few words."

"Besides, I just got promoted and I still have a lot of work to do, so I might as well stay in Tokyo this year to avoid running around and torturing myself."

Her family kept pressuring her to get married, which gave her a huge headache. What's worse, her mother had given her an ultimatum.

If she hasn't met her blind date or her current boyfriend by the end of this year's Golden Week holiday, she'll be kicked out of the house.

Her mother even declared righteously that the Morikawa family didn't need a useless, older single woman like her.

These words were a huge blow to Riho Morikawa, but she didn't know how to go on a blind date!

Riho Morikawa, who was being pressured by her family to get married, was even somewhat resigned to her fate. She wondered if she could find a friend or go to a website that rents boyfriends or girlfriends to find someone to impersonate her.

If we bring it home like this, maybe we can fool our family?

If I can just get through those two or three days, I should be fine. At worst, I can just use the excuse that I'm busy with work in Tokyo and have to go back early to make a quick getaway.

When her family asks about her relationship with her boyfriend again, she'll figure something out then.

This is such a headache!

"I didn't realize that being an editor was such a difficult job."

After listening to Riho Morikawa's complaints, Haruno Sawayama joked, "Don't worry, Ms. Morikawa, I'll make sure you get your share of the annual leave too."

"Get lost."

Riho Morikawa rolled her eyes, then hung up the phone without hesitation.

Hearing the beeping sound from the other end, Sawayama Haruno felt a pang of emotion.

He sat up straight in bed, slowly stretched, and then heard a series of noises coming from upstairs and downstairs.

It seems even Maki Miyazawa is up?

Having lived together for so long, it was impossible for Sawayama Haruno not to recognize his wife's voice. He simply closed his eyes and made a few sounds, and he was able to identify what was making them.

It seems everyone woke up very early today.

Sawayama Haruno was a little puzzled. It was quite unusual for the whole family to get up so early, since everyone's usual schedules were different. Although Miyazawa Maki also went to bed quite early, she liked to stay in bed and would get up very late.

Ayano Yui, on the other hand, is a night owl; she's probably the only one still awake when the rest of the family is asleep.

Mana Miyazawa and Suguha Ezaki are probably the two who wake up relatively early, but Suguha Ezaki sometimes slept in a little longer, especially after she had snuggled up with Haruno Sawayama.

As for Shiori Mine, since she has only been living here for a short time, Haruno Sawayama has not yet been able to analyze her daily routine.

You'll find out later.

Sawayama Haruno got up and dressed herself, muttering to herself.

Getting up early is good, at least the whole family can sit down and have breakfast together.

Thinking of this, a smile gradually appeared on Sawayama Haruno's face.

Chapter 391 Returning Home Again, Familiar Figures

After resting for another day in Tokyo, the Sawayama family took the morning Shinkansen train back to Osaka the following morning.

Although I had been here more than a month ago, that time I went to a rural area like Sennan City, so I didn't get to experience the authentic Osaka scenery properly.

If you were to ask about the most famous attractions in Osaka, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan, and Shinsaibashi would undoubtedly be among them.

Although this kind of venue may not be suitable for taking wedding photos due to the large number of people, renting a small venue nearby can still produce many photos that you can cherish for a long time.

The person in charge who accompanied Haruno Sawayama and her entourage to Osaka clearly had the same idea. After landing, they took their company members to discuss the rental with the venues near the attractions.

After entrusting all these matters to the other party, Sawayama Haruno seemed to have nothing to do.

The person became unexpectedly relaxed, of course, this was on the premise that their parents had not yet appeared.

Sawayama Haruno led the five girls out of the station and found a drink shop to sit down and rest. But as soon as he finished ordering, he saw a text message from Sawayama Ayako, and he immediately felt a little depressed.

"what? What?"

Maki Miyazawa was sitting closest to him, so she naturally heard the text message notification sound from his phone and curiously leaned over to take a look.

"Mom and Dad are coming up the tram to find you, but it might take a while. You can find a place to eat first."

Maki Miyazawa read the information aloud, word by word, and Mana Miyazawa, who was standing next to her, turned around in surprise.

"Are you uncles and aunties in such a hurry to come? It must take quite a while for the tram to get here, right?"

Although Sawayama Haruno's hometown has developed considerably in recent years, it is still a remote area. It takes quite a bit of effort to get there by train from Sennan City. The most troublesome thing is that there are not as many train services there as in Tokyo, and you can have to wait for more than ten minutes just to catch a train.

“Since they’ve all said that, there’s nothing I can do.” Sawayama Haruno scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled. “Besides, judging from Mother’s expression, she’s probably already set off before saying that.”