Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 139

Getting Impatient

“Pat, pat.”

Holding a towel, Kurosawa dried his hair, absorbing the water, and walked out of the bathroom wearing slippers.

Picking up his phone, he glanced at it and found no messages.

Perhaps Ichinose didn’t send her usual text because she was chatting with her parents.

Glancing at the time, it was only 7:30, still early.

“I might as well tidy up the room.”

Since there were no messages to send, Kurosawa stood in place, hands on his hips, surveying the room and noticing a bit of a mess.

He picked up the photography equipment and makeup kit, opened the cabinet, and neatly arranged them inside.

In addition, various miscellaneous items were also placed in an orderly manner.

Then, he grabbed a broom and began cleaning.

In no time, he had everything sorted out. Glancing at his phone again, it was 7:40.

“Let’s do some homework.”

Still no messages, Kurosawa glanced around, walked to the desk, charged his phone, and placed it aside. He then opened his laptop.

Since he got to know Ichinose, they had been chatting every night for over two weeks.

However, Ichinose never clung to him excessively every day; she was considerate, aware that he had many things to do, such as homework and studying. 

Usually, she would come up with an excuse to leave after about an hour.

In fact, on weekdays, apart from studying, he had plenty of time for homework and preparations for their dates. 

It was on weekends that he was busier, either with a date or preparing for one. 

When he got home on those days, it was usually very late, and he was too exhausted to do anything but fall asleep.

Tonight, arriving home at 7 p.m. on a Saturday felt like a sudden silence amidst constant noise, making him a bit uncomfortable.

After some time, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Yuki-cha : “Hikaru-kun, I’ve finished bathing and I’m feeling sleepy. You should go to bed early too. Good night~”

“Good night.” Seeing her message finally arrive, Kurosawa thought for a moment, then smiled as he replied.

Glancing at the time, it was already 10:20 p.m.

Clearly, she got caught up by her parents, chatted for a long time, and only managed to escape back to her room when she felt too drowsy.

“Ha…” Perhaps upon seeing the word “sleepy,” both Kuorsawa’s body and mind were reminded, and he let out a yawn.

Although his body had been enhanced by perfect-level archery, parkour, leg techniques, and other body-related skills, he was ultimately human. He could get tired, hungry, and thirsty.

“It’s time to sleep; I have to get up early for the agency tomorrow.”

Glancing at the unfinished homework on the computer screen, as long as he submitted it before summer vacation, it would be fine.

He clicked a few times with the mouse, saved his work, and then shut down the computer.

Perhaps tomorrow wasn’t a date, but it was still a very important day—a crucial moment for their career, the official beginning.

Standing up, he grabbed his phone and headed to the bathroom while sending a message.

First, he messaged Ninomiya.

“I’m going to sleep. You should sleep early too. Good night.”

“Sleep well. Good night.”

Next, he opened the messages and sent a good night to Shiromiya. However, he didn’t receive a reply, probably because she hadn’t finished her classes yet.

After using the restroom, brushing his teeth, and washing his face, he walked back to bed, covered himself with a thin blanket, and enjoyed the coolness brought by the air conditioner.

Lying there with his eyes closed, Kurosawa didn’t immediately fall asleep. He wasn’t quite sleepy enough to doze off instantly.

“Feels great!”

After a minute, Kurosawa suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling with an excited and passionate gaze.

Tonight, on his way home in Shinjuku, encountering those delinquents and scaring them away with a single kick, now reflecting on it, gave him an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

Different from archery, the feeling of crushing people with leg techniques was incredibly intense.

After all, in archery, he earned everyone’s respect, but perhaps due to the meditative nature of archery practice, their reactions weren’t particularly enthusiastic.

This feeling, compared to the satisfaction he felt previously playing “Für Elise” on the piano in the Western restaurant for Ninomiya, was even more intense.

Because he keenly felt that he had become very powerful—more than just becoming outstanding.

In the past, if he had encountered those three delinquents, he probably could only resolve the situation by running away and calling the police, not daring to confront them. 

But now, with just a kick, he could scare them away without actually hitting them.

This was an absolute advantage in strength, a straightforward demonstration of power and weakness.

If it had happened in a narrow alley instead of on the main street, he might have needed only three kicks to knock those three delinquents to the ground.

Moreover, due to his parkour skills, if he wanted to pursue them, those delinquents wouldn’t stand a chance.

Especially the final moment, when he kicked away the troublemakers, the worshipful gaze and reaction from Ichinose left a deep impression on him. 

Even now, thinking back, it made his blood boil and his whole body tingle.

Through this incident, Kurosawa gained new insights into entry-level skills.

Entry-level might be the lowest level for skills, but in reality, it was quite formidable.

Using a more straightforward way to distinguish, entry-level should be equivalent to top-level nationally, mastery-level equals world-class top-level, and perfection-level equals the strongest in history.

Immersed in the excitement of becoming stronger, it took him quite a while to gradually calm down and enter the realm of dreams.

……

At 7 a.m. the next morning, Kurosawa woke up.

Because it was still early, and the afterglow of last night’s excitement lingered, he took advantage of being at home to exercise his body and practice his punches and kicks.

The apartment he rented had one bedroom, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a spacious balcony. 

All kinds of electrical appliances were complete, and it was luxuriously decorated. However, the living room was not used very often.

Instead of living in a student dormitory, he chose to rent a place outside. Being able to live in such a nice apartment was thanks to his part-time job as a tutor.

In fact, he had been working as a tutor for over a year, and his savings were just over six million yen. It was because he didn’t have to worry too much about spending money, living in such a nice place, and sending money and buying gifts for his hometown.

While saving money was important, since he had earned it, he couldn’t bring himself to live a frugal life.

After suffering so much in his previous life, wouldn’t it be nice for him to enjoy life in this one?

After the morning exercise, he took a shower, changed his clothes, and sat on the sofa, waiting.

During this time, he also sent a message to Ichinose, saying that he was going out to participate in a club activity.

However, Ichinose did not reply instantly, she was probably sleeping in on a Sunday.

At 8 a.m., he received a message from Itsuragi.

Stepping out of the elevator, as soon as Kurosawa walked out of the apartment, he saw the familiar car.

“Good morning.”

Itsuragi had already lowered the car window, resting one hand on the door. Seeing him coming out of the apartment, she warmly waved.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

Seeing her radiant smile, Kurosawa walked over and said with a smile.

“We’re finally starting the shoot. I’m a bit excited.”

Itsuragi’s mood was naturally good. After waiting for a week, the day had finally arrived.

Since resigning last Sunday, she has been busy with her entrepreneurial venture these days. Although there were rehearsals before, they were just rehearsals.

“Same here.”

Kurosawa smiled at her words and then opened the rear car door.

Perhaps it was a matter of choice, but Ninomiya, wearing sunglasses, was right in front of him and they collided directly.

“Good morning.”

Facing each other, Kurosawa, behind his sunglasses, knew they were making eye contact and said with a smile.

“Good morning.”

Ninomiya responded, then shifted a bit to make space for him.

As he got in the car and took his seat, the warmth still lingered a bit. After all, someone had just sat there.

Once the door was closed, Itsuragi started the car and, by the way, rolled up the windows.

“Why are you wearing sunglasses again? Didn’t Miss Runa pick you up from your doorstep? It’s not like it’s at the school gate.”

Kurosawa sat in the back seat, looking at the blue-haired beauty next to him.

The distance between the two was about several tens of centimeters, and there was a faint citrus fragrance in the car. It smelled good but not overpowering, after all, it was a girl’s car.

“The sun is a bit scorching today.”

Ninomiya crossed her arms, perhaps because they had just met, and she hadn’t relaxed yet.

He wanted to secretly hold hands with her in the back seat like last time, but he probably had to wait until the evening.

“For her safety, she doesn’t want anyone to notice that she meets you on weekends. She’ll probably take it off when we get to the agency,” Itsuragi, who was driving, chimed in.

“Runa.” Ninomiya was a bit displeased. 

What was the situation with this friend of hers, always undermining her?

“Even if I don’t say it, he can probably figure it out.” Itsuragi shrugged.

“I always feel that in the agency in the future, Miss Ninomiya’s identity will be even more mysterious than mine.” Kurosawa smiled. He could indeed guess.

“You better be as mysterious as her, wearing sunglasses every time you go out in the future… Anyway, I will keep the true identities of both of you strictly confidential, not a word will be mentioned.”

Itsuragi had no objection to this; she even preferred them to be more mysterious. The identity of Zero Hour was likely to become popular, and the more mysterious, the better.

As for Ninomiya, her identity was sensitive, and it was normal not to want people to know.

As for the future growth and expansion of the agency, it only required her to stand in the spotlight. After all, she could still hire employees in the future.

When she hired her first employee, she probably would feel like a real boss. Just thinking about it made her happy.

“Have you guys had breakfast?”

After chatting for a while, Kurosawa felt a bit hungry.

Since having dinner at 6 PM last night, he hadn’t eaten anything until now, at most he just drank water.

“Not yet, planning to buy something on the way. Have you eaten?”

Itsuragi, who was driving, responded.

“No, I wasn’t sure what time you’d arrive, so I didn’t make anything.”

“You can make breakfast?” Itsuragi was a bit surprised.

“Who doesn’t know how to make breakfast?” Kurosawa was somewhat speechless. 

What kind of question was that?

“Hahaha.”

In response, Itsuragi paused for a moment and then burst into laughter.

“…”

Ninomiya, wearing sunglasses and a mask, remained silent.

Even though she remained silent, her response inadvertently revealed something.

“Miss Ninomiya, you can’t even make breakfast?” Kurosawa would not overlook her, and he instantly realized the situation, considering Itsuragi’s reaction.

“How is that possible? What person can’t make breakfast?” Ninomiya responded with surprise.

“She can toast bread because she has an automatic toaster. She just puts the slices in, and waits until they pop out, then spreads some blueberry jam or something… Oh, by the way, she can also cook instant noodles,” Itsuragi added with a smile, enjoying the situation.

“Runa!” 

Once again, being undermined, Ninomiya couldn’t take it anymore. 

Even if she was wearing sunglasses and a mask, Kurosawa could feel it—she was getting impatient.