Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 118

You Deserve to Die

“Kurosawa-senpai, can I have this photo as a gift?”

Miki expressed a desire to have the photo, thinking it might come in handy in the future since it was well taken.

“Well, you’d have to ask the store clerk. I’m fine with it.”

Kurosawa had no objections; after all, the portrait rights were in their hands.

“If the customer makes a purchase in the store, I can print the photo or send it to your phones.”

The attentive store clerk, who had been observing the situation, explained.

This matter wasn’t troublesome, and after observing for a while, the clerk had already noticed that these two customers were affluent and had sufficient budgets.

“In line with her preferences, do you have any camera models to recommend?”

Kurosawa, realizing the clerk had been listening, inquired.

“Yes, please follow me.”

The clerk finally seized the opportunity to make recommendations and promptly took action.

Because the prices of DSLR cameras were quite high, and the variety in the store was vast, even with the assistance of store clerks, it could be overwhelming.

After carefully choosing for over an hour, Miki finally made up her mind, selected a model, and paid a deposit to have it reserved.

“Kurosawa-senpai, thank you so much for your help. I should head home now.”

Receiving a receipt at the counter and also getting an email with the attached photo on her phone, Miki turned around and bowed her head in gratitude to Kurosawa.

It had to be said that having someone accompany you while shopping was reassuring; it was always better than going alone, especially when purchasing something as troublesome as a camera. 

Spending money was fine if you got what you wanted, but it was disheartening if you ended up with something disappointing.

“As fellow alumni, it’s a small matter, and besides, I’ve looked through enough to know what model I want.”

Kurosawa waved his hand, indifferent to the situation.

“I should go home for dinner. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Kurosawa waved back to her.

There were no further actions between the two, such as exchanging contact information or having dinner together. 

They maintained a certain distance, and the encounter ended as it was.

After all, Miki knew that Kurosawa had a girlfriend, so getting too close wouldn’t be appropriate.

As for Kurosawa, he felt that he already had enough headaches dealing with three girls.

While Miki Shiraha was indeed attractive, he had no intention of adding more to his plate. He hadn’t reached the point where he would pursue every pretty girl he came across.

It was important to note that a person’s qualities and charm extended beyond just appearance; they also laid in their inner personality charm.

Watching her leave the store, Kurosawa exchanged greetings with the store clerk and continued his shopping.

Having looked at many cameras, he had already settled on a model and was now getting some additional equipment. Soon enough, Kurosawa left the store carrying bags of equipment.

“It looks like I need to make a quick trip home before coming back to Shinjuku.”

His hands were filled with photography equipment, it wasn’t heavy but was enough to occupy both hands. Kurosawa found it a bit challenging to carry more. 

In preparation for the date, he not only bought the camera but also needed to purchase cosmetics.

After all, he had to help Ichinose complete three makeup looks, and both clothing and cosmetics were essential.

Are the date tasks becoming more challenging?

Thinking about the tasks for the week, Kurosawa couldn’t help but wonder about the increasing demands.

In reality, every one of his dates involved spending money; the only question was how much.

For example, the first date with Ichinose cost around 100,000 yen, the second one at the beach was similar, and now, for the third date, expenses skyrocketed to several hundred thousand yen, not including the cost of cosmetics and clothing.

While these purchases were considered long-term investments that could contribute to Ichinose’s career, it was undeniably a costly endeavor.

As Ninomiya put it, more investments were made for the sake of greater returns.

Certainly, although the amount spent wasn’t negligible, investing in Ichinose seemed worthwhile. 

It wasn’t just about having a wonderful date with her; perhaps it could also lead to Ichinose officially becoming a fashion model.

I’ll look into the piano piece selection later tonight.

Feeling the weight of this commitment, Kurosawa made up his mind.

He didn’t want to let Ninomiya down, nor did he want to disappoint Itsuragi, who had put her career on the line for him.

Afterward, Kurosawa went home for a short while and then took the subway back to Shinjuku.

Compared to the chance encounter when buying the camera, there were no unexpected incidents while shopping for cosmetics and clothes.

Although there were a few minor incidents, such as being approached a couple of times, people quickly backed off when he mentioned that he was buying cosmetics for his girlfriend.

In addition, he also bought a privacy screen protector for his phone, so he wouldn’t have to worry about others peeking.

Having prepared for the weekend date, he returned home, and it was already past 9 PM.

After taking a shower, he sat down at his desk, contemplating the selection of the piano piece.

It was well past 10 PM when Ichinose sent a message.

“Hikaru-kun, I’m home now.”

“Why are you out so late tonight?”

Glancing at his phone, Kurosawa felt a bit surprised.

Upon closer recollection, last Monday, Ichinose also messaged around 10 PM.

“I went to the gym. I go to the gym at least twice a week and work out at home regularly.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Can we voice call?”

“Sure.”

Kurosawa put down his pen and immediately initiated a voice call with her.

“Good evening!”

Soon, the phone connected to the voice call, and Ichinose’s voice was full of energy.

“Good evening.”

“Hikaru-kun, Ai mentioned today that she wants to join us on Saturday. Is that okay?”

After the greetings, Ayano brought up the main topic.

She wants to join us… 

Kurosawa, faced with this question, fell into contemplation.

In reality, his impression of Shiina Ai was not bad… even though she caused him a bit of trouble, such as posting his karaoke video online, which led to Itsuragi taking an interest in him.

Despite this, the outcome was quite positive. Because of that video, he realized his potential and had the confidence to propose starting a business with Itsuragi.

“Her boyfriend won’t be coming; she’ll be alone. She said she wants to help.”

Sensing his contemplation, Ichinose explained.

“Did you agree?”

“Not yet. I haven’t gotten your approval.”

“Tell her next time then. I have a surprise this time, and I want to share it with you alone.”

Kurosawa noticed that she valued his opinion, and after some thought, he declined.

Although he had already experienced going on a date with a girl bringing her friend, this time the situation was somewhat different.

Last time, they went to an amusement park, but this time he would be acting as a photographer.

As he lacked experience, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but he felt that having an extra person might hinder his ability to act freely.

“A surprise? Oh right, I almost forgot about that.”

Although she was rejected, Kurosawa’s reminder reignited her anticipation for the surprise.

“What are you doing, Hikaru-kun?” Following up, she curiously asked.

“Working on assignments and preparing for some things,” Kurosawa didn’t hide anything.

“Okay, I won’t disturb you. I’ll go tell Ai this good news.”

“Sure.”

With that, the call ended.

Kurosawa checked Line but found no other messages.

Ninomiya wasn’t the type to initiate messages, perhaps due to shyness or concerns that her feelings might become too obvious.

As for Itsuragi, she was probably busy preparing various things, and even she messaged they would likely be progress updates.

After confirming that everything was fine, Kurosawa immersed himself in sketching.

For the first video, only success was allowed, no room for failure.

Because he also possessed the talent for basic drawing skills, he decided to focus first on storyboarding, ensuring that the visual effects were maximized.

After some time passed, his phone chimed with a text message.

“Waiting for you tomorrow afternoon. Good night.”

The sender was Shiromiya, and it was 11 PM, clearly her bedtime.

“I’ll be there on time. Good night.”

Kurosawa replied with a smile after a quick glance.

Suddenly, he remembered something and sent a good night message to both Ichinose and Ninomiya.

The responses came quickly, without much conversation, they were just exchanging good night wishes.

With that taken care of, he continued to work diligently.

Besides storyboarding, he still had assignments to complete; after all, academic responsibilities couldn’t be neglected.

Until 2:30 in the morning, Kurosawa  finished everything for the day, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and went to sleep soundly.

Because he was involved with three, or should I say, four girls, his life became much more fulfilling than before, with no hints of boredom at all.

……

On Tuesday morning, Kurosawa arrived at school. 

As soon as he entered the classroom, Miyazaki raised his hand and called him over to sit together.

“Miyazaki Yuta, you really deserve to die.”

The moment he sat down, Kurosawa remembered the awkward incident from yesterday and said through gritted teeth.

“What did I do?”

Seeing him look so angry, Miyazaki was puzzled and asked innocently.

“Do you remember what you said before? If I went to the social gathering, Miki-kouhai might also attend, and that she might have feelings for me?” Kurosawa looked at him resentfully.

“Oh, it seems I did say something like that.”

Miyazaki recalled and confirmed that he did utter those words, not just once.

“From what you were saying, I thought she knew me.”

“Did you meet with Miki-kouhai?”

“I ran into her while shopping… The problem is, I recognized her, but she didn’t recognize me.”

“Oh…”

Hearing this, Miyazaki, being a University of Tokyo student, was a clever person and roughly understood the situation.

“At that moment, I realized she didn’t recognize me, and it was strange. I asked, ‘Don’t you recognize me?’ Do you know what she said? ‘I’m sorry, should I know you?’ I wanted to jump into a hole and hide!”

Kurosawa’s gaze was resentful, staring at him, describing the situation word by word.

Fortunately, because of the incident last Friday when he was taken away by Itsuragi, the wealthy woman, his name became well-known in the economics department, and the whole school knew about it. After hearing his name, Miki finally recognized him.

If not for that, he would have been really embarrassed at that time.

“It’s not my fault. It was the cultural studies junior who told me. According to what they said, I thought Miki-kouhai was interested in you. Sorry.”

Miyazaki hurriedly explained upon learning the story.

It wasn’t his misinformation; the juniors were just too cunning.

“Anyway, considering your situation, being easily deceived by girls, you should be more cautious in your future interactions. Also, don’t invite me to social gatherings anymore, just reject them all.”

Kurosawa knew he didn’t mean any harm, he was probably fooled again. After complaining, he gave him advice.

Miyazaki nodded, then shrugged.

“Got it. By the way, everyone knows you have a girlfriend now, so I guess no one will invite you to social gatherings anymore.”