Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 120

Sense of Ceremony

Wednesday, 4:00 PM.

As soon as Kurosawa walked out of the school gate, he saw a familiar car parked by the roadside.

Today, he was on his own as Miyazaki still had classes.

“Kurosawa, over here!”

Itsuragi, just like last time, leaned against the car. The moment she spotted him, she immediately stood up, energetically waving her hand.

The sun was still shining brightly as dusk approached. 

She was dressed in a deep blue knit bandeau, denim hot pants, and a half-open blue lightweight windbreaker. Her rounded and fair left shoulder, along with her long and slender white legs, gave off a sexy and hot vibe.

Despite being eight years older, her appearance remained youthful and beautiful. With exquisite and fashionable makeup, coupled with her enthusiastic greeting, anyone unaware might easily mistake her for his girlfriend.

With some distance between them, Kurosawa quickly walked towards her.

“How long have you been waiting?”

Arriving at the car, he opened the passenger door and asked.

“Not too long, just a little while.”

Itsuragi opened the driver’s door and got in.

“Let’s go, we’re heading to our company.”

As they settled in and started talking, she gestured with her eyes towards the back.

Noticing the gesture, Kurosawa turned around and saw a blue-haired beauty wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a large windbreaker sitting in the back seat.

Although most of her features were hidden, the distinctive blue long hair made it hard to miss her identity.

“Miss Ninomiya arrived early?”

Seeing that she was already there, Kurosawa was pleasantly surprised.

“I had no classes in the afternoon, so I thought I’d come and take a look.”

Ninomiya nodded slightly, speaking calmly.

“Do you need to be this cautious?” Kurosawa couldn’t help but ask.

Although she was still beautiful even with sunglasses and a mask, human curiosity tends to seek exploration when something is concealed.

“She’s worried about being seen with students, especially at the school gate after school.”

Itsuragi explained, understanding the concern.

Even though they hadn’t started dating, being seen together after school could easily lead to misunderstandings.

“I see.”

After giving it some thought, Kurosawa suppressed his curiosity.

Driving through the city, they smoothly reached their destination before the peak traffic hours.

Entering a garage, they controlled the garage door with a remote key.

“A garage too, it’s this luxurious?”

Opening the car door and stepping into the house directly, Kurosawa looked around and found it somewhat intriguing.

The garage was quite spacious. After parking the car, there was a considerable amount of room, roughly equivalent to converting the space into a living room.

“Because you’re going to be a masked artist, it’s necessary for concealment… In fact, even if you don’t reveal your face, a garage is a must, just in case the agency attracts attention right away.”

Itsuragi stepped out of the car, shrugged, and gestured with her hands.

As she spoke, she pressed a button on the remote key, and the electric rolling shutter of the garage slowly came down.

“Let’s go.”

When the rolling shutter was completely down, Ninomiya also got out of the car. 

She was exceptionally tall and wore high heels. Despite the sunglasses and mask, her presence was extraordinary, and she draped herself in a large windbreaker.

“Miss Ninomiya, this posture of yours really resembles a celebrity.”

Observing her actions, Kurosawa couldn’t help but comment.

In terms of meticulous movements, she was much more cautious than him, almost like a celebrity template.

“Learn a bit from her.”

Seeing this exemplary behavior, Itsuragi also remarked lightly.

With that, they started walking.

Obviously, besides Kurosawa, these two had been to this place before.

Through a door was a corridor, at the end of which was a staircase. However, they directly entered the door on the opposite side.

Upon entering the room, Kurosawa also took a look around.

It seemed like a standard office space with cabinets, a water dispenser, desks, a set of sofas, and a long table. Overall, it was quite spacious.

“This is my office and also a reception room. In the future, when guests come, we’ll entertain them here. Unless I call you, try not to come near this area. Just stay upstairs.”

After he finished surveying the room, Itsuragi explained.

“No problem.”

Kurosawa nodded.

The first-floor space was quite large, with two empty rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen, equipped with all the necessary facilities.

“Is there only one office? Don’t you need to hire employees?” Heading to the second floor, Kurosawa expressed some surprise.

“In the future, if needed, we can renovate those two rooms. Currently, they serve as storage rooms. Since the business hasn’t stabilized and the direction isn’t entirely fixed, outsourcing various roles would be more practical,” Itsuragi pointed to the empty rooms on the side.

“Indeed.”

After giving it some thought, Kurosawa nodded.

At present, their business hadn’t taken off, and it wasn’t necessary to hire staff immediately. They could consider it once things stabilized.

“Your future workspace is on the second floor, and the rest area is on the third floor.” As they went upstairs, Itsuragi explained.

“There’s also a third floor?”

Kurosawa was somewhat surprised. Given the scale, the area of the building had to be over a hundred square meters, and it even had three floors.

“Why do you think the rent is so expensive? Thanks to Chizuru’s investment, considering the situation, you don’t have to worry about being discovered. It’s three floors because of her.”

Itsuragi shrugged, not forgetting her good friend.

“There’s still a possibility, for example, if we hire employees in the future.”

Ninomiya was particularly concerned about the exposure of his identity.

“Well, that’s indeed possible, but it’s not a big issue. We can take it slow.”

Recognizing her concerns, Itsuragi naturally reassured her.

Upon reaching the second floor through the stairs, Itsuragi began the introduction.

“This room is the employee lounge, that one is the storage room, this one is the changing room and dressing room, and the restroom. Over here is the recording studio.”

Having finished, she started walking towards the stairs.

“Aren’t we going to check it out?”

Noticing she was heading to the third floor, Kurosawa was somewhat surprised.

Honestly, he was getting a bit eager and ready to see the stage where he could showcase his talents.

“We’ll go to the recording studio last; that’s the most important step. Let’s head to the third floor first.”

“There are four rooms here – yours, mine, Chizuru’s, and one is a common lounge that can be used as our meeting room. There’s also a bathroom and toilet there.”

“Are you planning to live here in the future?”

Listening to her explanations and noting them one by one, Kurosawa felt puzzled.

“How is that possible? It’s just to prepare for busy workdays and overtime. It’s too troublesome to go back home late, so we’ve prepared a few rooms.”

Itsuragi shook her head, finding the idea of living here absurd. After all, she spent a lot on her house; she would definitely go back home.

“Indeed, this was a good place to rent.”

Kurosawa thought about it and found it reasonable.

“On the day I resigned, I started running around looking for a place. My legs were practically giving out, but the environment here is naturally good, and the location is excellent too. It’s twelve minutes to the subway station, eight minutes to the bus stop, and there are various shops nearby.”

Finally bringing up this point, Itsuragi stood confidently with hands on hips.

“In fact, she didn’t run for long because she has a wide network. She stated her requirements, drove to eight places, and chose one.”

As she proudly spoke, Ninomiya, who was standing beside Kurosawa, moved a bit closer and whispered.

Hearing this discreet remark, Kurosawa glanced at her, feeling surprised and amused.

It was unexpected that Ninomiya, being with her best friend, would make such subtle moves to undermine others.

“Now that we’re inside the house, do you still need to wear sunglasses?”

Kurosawa smiled and noticed that she was still wearing glasses and a mask.

Perhaps due to the parallel world setting, there was no outbreak of a pandemic in this world.

Upon hearing this reminder, Ninomiya didn’t say anything; she simply took off her glasses.

Wearing a mask could enhance a person’s attractiveness because having a pair of beautiful eyes would earn extra points.

For naturally beautiful people, wearing a mask adds a touch of mystery, making them even more attractive.

As Ninomiya took off her sunglasses, her already stunning and delicate appearance, combined with the mask, gave off a breathtaking and mysterious vibe. 

Her eyes, in particular, were captivating.

“Truly beautiful.”

Kurosawa couldn’t help but admire as he saw her reveal those beautiful eyes.

“What’s so beautiful about this.”

Ninomiya met his sincere gaze and couldn’t resist blushing. Under the mask, her face became warm, and she sounded a bit embarrassed.

Realizing her shyness, Kurosawa also felt a bit bashful.

Itsuragi actually overheard Ninomiya’s discreet comment earlier, but seeing her interact with Kurosawa, she decided not to expose it. 

In fact, she was quite pleased with this outcome.

“Those rooms don’t have new beds or proper decorations yet. They are not ready to live in temporarily. Let’s go downstairs.”

After a while, as the atmosphere between them got a bit awkward with no further signs of progress, Itsuragi decided to break the silence.

Having explored the house, the three of them returned to the second floor.

“Behind this door is the starting point of our venture. Are you ready?”

Standing before the double doors of the recording studio, Itsuragi turned around and said solemnly.

“I’m ready.”

The passionate emotions were contagious, and hearing her words, Kurosawa felt invigorated.

“Everyone, put your hands up. I’ll count down from three, and we’ll push the door open together.”

Seeing his expression, Itsuragi smiled and placed her hands on the door, signaling.

Although it may have seemed a bit dramatic and childish, a sense of ceremony was still important.

Kurosawa and Ninomiya exchanged a glance and then extended their hands, placing them on the door.

With three palms pressed against the door, the size difference was quite noticeable when laid out on a flat surface.

Perhaps due to her height of around 160 cm, Itsuragi’s hands were petite and adorned with nail polish, giving them a cute appearance.

Ninomiya’s hands were relatively larger, with long, slender fingers. Her nails were natural, and the skin was fair and clean, presenting an elegant and beautiful look.

As Kurosawa observed, Itsuragi began the countdown.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Boom!”

With a collective effort, the double doors were pushed open, marking the beginning of a new journey, a step into a brand new chapter of their lives.