Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 116

Message From Your Girlfriend

While chatting with Itsuragi, Kurosawa noticed that he hadn’t forgotten to send a message to Ninomiya as well.

She wasn’t like Ichinose, who consistently reported her schedule and didn’t proactively send messages.

“I’m back home.”

“Why did you go to see Mr. Uesugi in the afternoon?” On the other side, Ninomiya, who had already returned home, finally received the message and couldn’t help but ask.

“I joined the archery club and needed to buy archery equipment, so I called to inquire.”

“Archery club? How come you’re joining clubs now?”

“I practiced for a while before. I mentioned it to Miyazaki by chance, and he said there was an archery club at the school. He told me to take a look, and after a brief visit, I was pulled into the club.”

“Won’t it be too much for you? Being an entertainer, studying, part-time work, and participating in a club.”

“The archery club is very relaxed. I don’t have to go there often.”

“Rest early. You woke up early today, and you have classes tomorrow.”

“Okay, good night.”

“Good night.”

“It seems everything is going smoothly.” Seeing her reply, Kurosawa read it carefully and felt relieved.

Managing so many things at the same time can indeed be busy, but if you allocate your time well, it’s manageable.

Fortunately, Ninomiya wasn’t as clingy as Ichinose, or else it would be really overwhelming.

After exchanging goodnight wishes, he chatted with Itsuragi for about ten minutes before calling it a night. 

After all, their relationship was more of a friendship and business partnership.

Even though there were many things to talk about, they were both tired after a busy day.

After settling things with the two of them, he picked up his phone intending to video call Ichinose.

However, before clicking the button, he suddenly realized something.

He hurried into the bathroom, turned on the shower, washed his hair, and then dried himself with a towel to give the appearance of having taken a bath.

Fully prepared, he opened the video call.

From 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., he chatted with Ichinose until she let out a yawn, and they exchanged goodnight wishes.

“Phew…”

After ending the video call, Kurosawa let out a long breath, feeling much more relaxed all over, lying down on the floor.

He got up, took off his clothes, threw them into the washing machine, took a thorough hot shower, and changed into comfortable sleepwear.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he used a towel to dry his hair, followed by a hairdryer to complete the drying process.

Midway through drying his hair, Kurosawa suddenly remembered something. 

He picked up his phone, opened the contacts, found Shiromiya’s name, and sent her a text message.

“Goodnight.” His message was concise, not wanting to write too much to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Goodnight.”

The reply came quickly, equally devoid of unnecessary words.

“Ah~”

Seeing this response, Kurosawa put down his phone, yawned, and continued drying his hair.

He connected the phone to the charger, turned on the air conditioning, finished drying his hair, crawled into bed, arranged the blanket, and closed his eyelids heavily. Sleep overcame him without any need for waiting.

Life was so fulfilling; there were so many things to do every day that there was no chance of insomnia.

……

On Monday, at 8:30 in the morning, Kurosawa arrived at the classroom.

After a greeting, he took his seat, waiting for the class to begin.

“Kurosawa, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

Seeing his state, Miyazaki couldn’t help but comment.

Since Kurosawa apologized for his breakup, he felt like a completely different person.

Confident, indifferent, and a smile started appearing on his face.

It wasn’t an obvious smile but a subtle expression, like that of someone in a good mood. His facial lines were soft.

“I’m not bad,” Kurosawa nodded.

The feeling of satisfaction that came from doing good deeds radiated from within him.

After making the decision yesterday to extend a helping hand to Shiromiya, although concrete results had not been achieved yet, things were moving in a positive direction.

“It’s really good, dating a rich girl.”

Seeing him in high spirits, Miyazaki leaned on the table, unable to help but mutter with envy.

Even after a weekend, he could still recall the image of that stunning rich woman with silver-gray short hair, extraordinary temperament, exquisite beauty, and a fashionable and attractive figure, leaning against the luxury car.

As a friend, he genuinely wished the best for Kurosawa… but things were going too well, and it made Miyazaki envious.

“Indeed.”

Kurosawa knew he was referring to Itsuragi on Friday but didn’t deny it, just smiling.

To be honest, he did have a date with a wealthy woman yesterday.

“Are you not afraid of Ninomiya-sensei?”

Seeing him boldly admitting it, Miyazaki cautioned.

“Why should I be afraid of her?”

Kurosawa was puzzled by the question.

Although before they became friends, Ninomiya, as a teacher, seemed quite intimidating due to her cool and reserved demeanor.

But after a date and a few encounters after school, his perception of her had completely changed.

Ninomiya was a typical case of being cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and she was quite prone to jealousy. 

Despite being older than Kurosawa, she had a charmingly quirky side.

“Last Friday, the fact that a rich woman picked you up in a luxury car right after school has already spread throughout the entire school. You’re not just a celebrity in the economics department but now a school-wide celebrity.”

Realizing that Kurosawa hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation, Miyazaki explained further.

“Is that so?” Kurosawa was a bit surprised.

No wonder this morning the usual underclassmen who would greet him on the way were not saying hello, and the looks from others were more varied.

“Don’t blame me; it’s not from me. Several people saw it when you were picked up.” Miyazaki defended himself against Kurosawa’s surprised gaze.

“I didn’t suspect you. By the way, did you unfriend her?”

Kurosawa, realizing the situation, was not worried and instead asked.

Since Itsuragi, Ninomiya’s friend, picked him up and was well aware of the situation, it was unlikely Ninomiya would come looking for him to question him. 

Furthermore, even in a prestigious institution like Tokyo University, teachers didn’t meddle in students’ romantic affairs. 

Even if he became a celebrity, it wouldn’t bring him any trouble, and it actually brought him some peace – for example, the underclassmen thought he had a girlfriend and stopped approaching him.

“I did.”

Miyazaki nodded.

“That’s good then. Life is still long; you’ll meet another good girl in the future.” Kurosawa patted his shoulder, encouraging him.

“Instead of that, I’d like to consult with you on how to date such a beautiful rich woman.”

Miyazaki hesitated for a long time before finally deciding, and it was precisely because of this.

He realized that Kurosawa was a master in love, and what he said was undoubtedly correct.

“Love is something hard to explain… If we talk about methods, it’s probably about courage.”

Kurosawa wasn’t even dating Itsuragi, so he had no secrets. After some contemplation, he replied.

“Courage?”

“You take a step towards the other person. If they respond, then it can start.”

Based on his experiences in these past days, Kurosawa gained some insights.

Whether it was Ichinose, Ninomiya, or Shiromiya, it was only after he gathered the courage to take a step forward that their relationships improved to their current state.

When Ichinose invited him, he initially wanted to decline. 

After all, he had no intention of playing the role of a boyfriend with a hot JK girl in a karaoke game.

He thought it would be better to focus on studying, graduating, and working hard to make money.

However, when he actually took that step and went to the meeting, he realized how wonderful of a girl Ichinose was.

“I see.”

“If you’ve taken ninety-nine steps and still have no result, you should turn around.”

“How do I know if I’ve taken ninety-nine steps?”

“If you’ve been trying to pursue a girl for a long time, and she still hasn’t agreed, it means she’s not interested in you.”

“I understand.”

Miyazaki noted these words and gained some insights.

Soon, it was time for class.

As the class time approached, Ninomiya, wearing a blouse and a black tight skirt with high heels, entered the classroom.

Stepping onto the platform, she began to survey the classroom.

“Good morning.”

When her gaze reached his direction, Kurosawa greeted her with his lips.

This little gesture caused Ninomiya’s gaze to linger on him for several seconds. 

After deciphering his lip movement and words, she realized what he was saying.

However, when she figured it out, she noticed that the students in the classroom were all looking at her, seemingly aware that she was staring at Kurosawa.

Realizing the situation, Ninomiya felt a bit flustered and guilty. She reached out to adjust her long hair, pretended nothing happened, and continued her inspection.

After looking at all the students, and with some time left before the class, she took out her phone and used it for a while before placing it on the podium.

Shortly after, Kurosawa’s phone subtly vibrated. Taking it out and glancing at it, he found a message from Ninomiya.

“Don’t do such gestures at school!”

Just as he finished reading the message, Kurosawa noticed Miyazaki beside him, looking over with some curiosity. 

However, he didn’t come closer, evidently understanding the boundaries and that some privacy shouldn’t be intruded upon.

“You’re the one to talk. Don’t send me messages during class; it wouldn’t be good if someone saw.”

Seeing her embarrassed message, Kurosawa felt a bit helpless as he replied.

He was just saying hello; who would have thought that Ninomiya would stare at him for so long?

Comparatively, her act of sending messages right in front of the class was more likely to cause problems.

Just to be safe, when I go buy the camera tonight, I’ll also get a privacy screen.

After this incident, Hikaze Kō thought it over and added an item to his shopping list.

“Message from your girlfriend?”

After sending the reply, Miyazaki asked with curiosity.

“Correct.”

Kurosawa was momentarily stunned at the remark, and he casually glanced at Ninomiya on the podium before smiling and nodding.

“That’s really nice.”

Seeing his smile, Miyazaki was truly envious.

During the lunch break, while having a meal in the cafeteria, Ninomiya replied.

“You made the first move with your little gesture.”

“My bad. I won’t greet you like that anymore.”

Kurosawa, in the midst of eating a rice bowl dish, responded to this message.

The reason he liked rice bowl dishes was that Neon’s Japanese cuisine had relatively mild flavors, and the combination of rice and dishes made the meal more enjoyable and quicker.

“There’s no need to apologize; it’s just that we can’t do this at school.”

After a few minutes, seemingly after some internal struggle, Ninomiya sent another message.

Apparently, not greeting her at all wasn’t an option either.

“Fine.”

Seeing this situation, Kurosawa’s mouth curled into a smile, and he agreed.