Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 146

One Mountain Cannot Tolerate Two Tigers

At 10:20 PM, Kurosawa returned home and sat down on the sofa.

He took out his phone, opened Line, and found several messages from Ichinose.

Around 8 AM, Ichinose probably woke up and replied to his morning greeting.

“Good morning, Hikaru-kun~”

At 11:30 AM, likely during lunchtime, she sent the second and third messages.

“Everything is going well with the shoot; there are just a few more onlookers than usual.”

“Today’s atmosphere is a bit awkward, though. Everyone isn’t as cheerful as usual, and it feels a bit uncomfortable.”

At 5:30 PM, she sent another message.

“I’m back home. Mari-san apologized to me on the way back, making me feel a bit awkward.”

At 7:20 PM, Ichinose messaged again.

“Ai just messaged me. She said I have a lot of followers on my Twitter and that I’ve become a celebrity… Do these followers help a lot for a professional model?”

At 8:18 PM, another message came in.

“I’m going to take a shower now.”

At 8:45 PM, she sent another message.

“I’m done with the shower~”

After reading each message carefully, Kurosawa thought for a moment and decided to directly initiate a video call with her.

In fact, he had seen the messages around noon, as he was concerned about Ichinose’s well-being. 

However, due to being with Ninomiya all day, he didn’t dare to reply. If he sent one message, Ichinose might send several. He just checked the messages to confirm her safety.

After about ten seconds, the video call was connected.

“Hikaru-kun, good evening.”

The phone was placed on the table, and Ichinose squatted on the carpet, waving at him with a bright smile. 

Her hair was slightly messy, probably because she didn’t bother styling it after showering. She hastily tidied it up upon receiving the video call.

“Good evening, Yuki-chan.”

Kurosawa didn’t have much to tidy up and just smiled.

It had to be said that seeing her energetic, innocent, and adorable appearance gave off a pleasant feeling. There was a healing quality that could dispel fatigue.

“It’s already past 10. Why did you come back so late, Hikaru-kun?”

After exchanging greetings, Ichinose couldn’t help but ask.

Even if he participated in club activities, Kurosawa woke up early around 7 AM, and it had been fifteen hours since then.

“I stayed behind for individual archery practice with the coach.”

Kurosawa realized that such a long period seemed unreasonable, but he quickly thought of an explanation.

“Individual practice? Why?”

“Individual coaching.”

“Hmm? Is the coach a man or a woman?”

Hearing this, Ichinose suddenly felt something was off and immediately asked.

“He’s a man, in his fifties.”

“Does he have a daughter, around 20 years old, perhaps? I mean, someone he’d like to introduce to you.”

Realizing it wasn’t a female coach, Ichinose asked again.

“I don’t know. The coach is a good person; don’t jump to conclusions. It’s a bit impolite.”

Kurosawa  sensed her misunderstanding and shook his head to correct her.

“But why would he give you individual coaching, and why so late?”

Ichinose didn’t want to make baseless guesses, but she couldn’t figure it out.

“I don’t know either. He said it’s secret training.”

Kurosawa pondered for a moment but decided not to mention the archery competition to her.

After all, on that day, Shiromiya’s grandfather would come to watch, and there was a chance that Master Sato might come with him.

If he was seen with other girls by her grandfather, it could cause trouble.

“Okay, so, are you going to participate in club activities later?”

Ichinose nodded thoughtfully and then asked.

In fact, she had been waiting all day for Kurosawa to finish the club activities and come to see her shoot.

Although the shoot went smoothly, people’s attitudes toward her were not as natural as before, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.

However, it seemed that Kurosawa had been busy with club activities all day, as he didn’t find the time to reply to her messages. 

Perhaps he thought the issue wasn’t significant enough to rush over after she mentioned feeling uneasy.

“He said he needs me next weekend too and asked me to reserve the time in advance.”

Kurosawa, seeing her inquire about this, explained the situation.

Next Saturday, he was planning to go on an outdoor sketching date with Ninomiya. 

As for Sunday, he intended to visit the Windchaser Dojo since he hadn’t been there all week.

“Eh… So, we won’t be able to meet next week?”

Ichinose, who was originally thinking about the upcoming date, widened her eyes and then showed a look of disappointment and regret.

“On Sunday morning, I should have some time. Let’s go shopping and have a meal together.”

Seeing her expression, Kurosawa thought for a moment and suggested.

“I don’t want to go shopping.”

Upon hearing this decision, Ichinose shook her head.

She could sense that if they went shopping, Kurosawa would definitely spend money on her again, like buying clothes or other things.

“What do you want to do then?”

“You have plans in the afternoon, and we only have the morning. I really don’t know what to do…”

Ichinose lowered her head, feeling a bit troubled. With just half a day, there weren’t many options.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea.”

As she pondered, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked up.

“What is it?” Kurosawa didn’t know what she had in mind.

“It’s a secret~ I’ll tell you when we meet.”

Ichinose giggled mischievously, her smile carrying a playful and mysterious vibe, as if she had come up with a clever idea.

“Okay.”

Although Hikari Kurozaki was curious, he nodded calmly.

Regardless of what it was, he would definitely accompany her. After all, the next Sunday morning belonged to Sayuki Ichinose.

“By the way, Hikaru-kun, have you asked your friend which talent agency is better?”

After setting the date for their date,Ichinose thought for a moment and suddenly asked.

“He recommended Star Group to me. He said this agency recruits various top models and celebrities, and it has several popular magazines under its name.”

Speaking of this matter, Kurosawa nodded and replied.

“Is it Star Group indeed?”

Hearing the name of the agency, Ichinose nodded with a hint of understanding.

“Indeed? Do you know about Star Group?”

Seeing her reaction, Kurosawa was a bit surprised.

Did Shiina tell her? Shiina liked to mess around, and she knew quite a bit about things.

“Actually, Miss Itsuragi called me last night. She strongly advised me not to go to Hundred Flowers as there are severe undisclosed rules. After that, I asked her for suggestions, and she mentioned Star Group.”

Seeing his surprised expression, Ichinose smiled and explained.

“There’s more to it… Hundred Flowers? She is an industry insider, and she knows a lot. My friend didn’t tell me about Hundred Flowers.”

Kurosawa, surprised by the revelation about Itsuragi, hesitated for a moment before responding.

“Hikaru-kun, I feel that Miss Itsuragi is really nice and especially friendly. How about we sign a contract with her?”

As they reached an agreement on the direction to take, Ichinose hesitated for a moment before making the proposal.

“…”

Kurosawa fell silent at her suggestion.

To be honest, his idea was to have only one lion on the mountain, and there was no need to put Ichinose into the temporary agency that Itsuragi would go to. 

Moreover, the two of them had different social circles, and some distance between them could be beneficial.

Because, in situations like this, it was easier to achieve an outcome similar to Shiromiya, where she turned a blind eye to certain things.

If they didn’t meet, even if he managed to convince her not to mind, she would definitely feel jealous. After all, meeting a romantic rival would naturally evoke strong emotions.

“Hikaru-kun, are you worried that she’ll meet you and want to sign you as an artist?”

Seeing him contemplating, Ichinose cautiously asked.

“Yes.”

Kurosawa nodded as he acknowledged her perception.

“Alright.”

Realizing his reluctance, Ichinose nodded understandingly.

Rejecting someone’s proposal, even if it’s a small matter, could subtly change the atmosphere and dynamics of their interaction.

“Anyway, there’s no need to rush into this. Let’s take our time to figure things out when we meet next time.”

Knowing this principle well, Kurosawa reassured her and shifted the topic.

“Mm-mm!”

Talking about the meeting next Sunday, Ichinose’s playful smile appeared once again.

Seeing her satisfied expression, Kurosawa shook his head, smiling, and didn’t press for further details.

The fun of secrets lies in unveiling them when the time comes. 

The two started chatting, discussing topics like the usefulness of Twitter followers. After a good while, Kurosawa suddenly received a Line message.

The sender was Ninomiya, and the message was concise with just one sentence.

“Good night.”

Perhaps she didn’t say much, but it felt like she said a lot because it was the first time she took the initiative to wish him good night, a promising sign.

“I just finished showering. Good night.”

Reading this message, Kurosawa sensed the situation behind those words. The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted as he typed a reply to her.

He could feel that Ninomiya probably hesitated and deliberated for a long time before sending this message.

“Hikaru-kun, what happened? Why are you smiling so happily?”

As they were still on video, Ichinose noticed his sudden smile and saw him typing on his phone, prompting her to become alert.

The joyful expression was evident, like a knowing smile, very special, reminiscent of her reaction when she received messages from Kurosawa at school.

“My teacher messaged me, saying my thesis was well-written.”

After Kurosawa replied, he naturally mentioned it.

“Is it the thesis you wrote last time?”

Realizing that the person who sent the message was a teacher, Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt happy for him.

Although she didn’t know what a thesis exactly was, it seemed similar to assignments and exams, right? In any case, if you did well, it was a good thing.

“Yes.”

Kurosawa nodded.

After that, the two chatted for a while, and Shiromiya sent him a good night message.

“It’s 11 o’clock, it’s a bit late. Go to bed early; we still have to go to school tomorrow.”

Kurosawa glanced at the message and the time, realizing it was already 11 in the evening.

“Okay~ good night.”

Ichinose wasn’t too tired to chat, but she knew it was time to sleep, so she obediently nodded.

“Good night.” Kurosawa nodded.

“Mua!” Suddenly, Ichinose pouted at the camera and blew a kiss.

“Mua!”

Seeing her do this, Kurosawa was momentarily stunned, then cooperated by blowing a kiss through his phone.

“Hehe~”

Seeing that Kurosawa was willing to cooperate, Ichinose happily laughed and then ended the video call with satisfaction.

“Ah~ Time for a shower and then off to bed.”

With the video call over, Kurosawa stood up and stretched lazily.

Today was quite exhausting because he woke up early in the morning and endured until 11 o’clock at night.

Although there wasn’t much physical work at the agency, there was a lot of mental activity, mainly due to Itsuragi’s incessant chatter, non-stop talking—resulting in him having limited interaction with Ninomiya today.

Fortunately, on the way back home, there was a bit of interaction, and their relationship progressed a little.