Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 148

Danger!

Men’s fashion and style are actually quite simple.

If there are pimples on your face, then buy some skincare products. At least make your face look clean and tidy.

Once you’ve solved the appearance issue, it’s about the hairstyle and clothing.

Men shouldn’t be too flashy unless they are into the trend. Avoid wearing earrings; instead, get a stylish and good-looking watch as a small accessory.

After buying various things, it was already 7:00 in the evening.

They entered a restaurant and ordered some food.

“Is that all you’re going to order? Feel free to order anything; my treat.”

After placing the order, Miyazaki couldn’t help but say.

Whether to treat or not, he really didn’t care about that bit of money. His family background was quite good.

Just like before, when he was scammed tens of thousands of yen in an online relationship, he didn’t even bother reporting it to the police because, in his eyes, 50,000 yen wasn’t a big deal.

“No need, you’ve already spent a lot today. Just remember, at least buy clothes once every quarter, and visit a hair salon every month.”

Kurosawa didn’t have the habit of overcharging, and he felt happy for Miyazaki who was quite enthusiastic. 

Previously, Yuta didn’t understand how to coordinate outfits, and he wasn’t interested in love. 

Now, with the skills of a stylist, he learned how to dress, and if he could help a friend become better with just a little effort, it was natural to lend a hand.

“I’ll remember that.”

“Also, don’t get too obsessed with love and neglect your studies. As long as you’re outstanding enough, there will naturally be girls who like you.”

Kurosawa noticed that his voice had gotten much louder and gave him a glance.

“Alright, Master,” Miyazaki respectfully listened to his advice.

“Haha.” Seeing him being a bit overly earnest, Kurosawa couldn’t help but laugh.

Just then, a magnetic voice came from the seats behind them.

“I’m Zero Hour, and this is a piano piece I composed, titled ‘Croatian Rhapsody.'”

Clearly, someone was watching YouTube on their phone, and the volume was quite high.

Miyazaki heard the voice and curiously looked over, finding two young girls in school uniforms—probably high school students.

In the next moment, the piano melody began.

Seated across from them, Miyazaki, upon hearing the piano music, involuntarily held his breath, drawn into the enchanting sound, quietly listening.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

While listening, the girl holding the phone asked excitedly.

“Mm-mm.”

The other girl instinctively nodded, continuing to watch the video.

Soon, three minutes passed, and the piano music came to an end.

“So good! He looks so handsome and stylish. Is his name Zero Hour? Send me the link.”

After it finished, the girl couldn’t contain her excitement, grabbing her friend’s arm and shaking it continuously.

“Who exactly is this Zero Hour?”

Miyazaki, now coming back to reality, couldn’t help but ask with curiosity.

That piano piece was just too captivating. Despite not being a frequent listener of music, he was completely drawn in.

“I’m not sure, seems like he’s a YouTuber.”

Seeing their reactions, Kurosawa felt a sense of satisfaction inwardly, but outwardly, he pretended not to recognize.

Just then, the high school girls at the table behind heard the conversation. The one who spoke for the idol stood up and turned around.

“Zero Hour is not just a simple YouTuber! He’s a piano master! Many pianists say he has an international level, and he’s different from ordinary YouTubers. He composed this piano piece for the Republic of Croatia, wounded by the ravages of war. He is a musician.”

The high school girl spoke initially with a strong tone, but when Kurosawa turned around to face her, she found him to be very handsome, and her excited voice softened a bit.

“I see, thanks for the introduction.”

Kurosawa nodded slightly, giving a faint smile.

Judging by her enthusiastic reaction, this high school girl was undoubtedly a fan of Zero Hour. She might even know the story behind Croatia through his introduction.

In a way, it seemed that Zero Hour’s image was quite popular among students. The black-and-white contrasting colors, the handsome and mysterious appearance, were quite attractive to young people.

“No need to thank me.”

The high school girl saw his handsome face, smiled slightly, and blushed. Then, she obediently sat back down.

“Composing a piano piece for war? And it sounds so beautiful, indeed impressive. I’ll check it out.”

After Kurosawa turned around, Miyazaki became curious.

Although he wasn’t very familiar with the situation, just listening to the piano piece from earlier, combined with this background, it was genuinely captivating. 

After saying that, Miyazaki took out his phone and opened YouTube, searching for the name “Zero Hour.”

Seeing him take out his phone, Kurosawa did the same.

As usual, Ichinose would send him messages whenever she was awake, reporting her schedule. Her last message was at 19:00, just a while ago.

“Hikaru-kun, I’ve finished eating.”

“I’m having dinner with a friend.” Kurosawa replied.

“Okay~ Then let’s talk when you’re back home. A lot of things happened today, and I have a lot to share with you.”

“Sure, I’ll contact you when I’m done eating. See you then.”

Thinking for a moment, Kurosawa responded.

If he guessed correctly, many things that Ichinose mentioned should be related to her going to school and being recognized by many classmates.

At that time, Ichinose’s photos spread rapidly, mainly because fans recognized her, and also because her classmates did.

When something big happens at the same school, students are quite good at following the gossip. 

After fermenting on Sunday, most of the students probably knew that she had become an internet celebrity.

“Found it… Are you searching too?”

Miyazaki, fiddling with his phone, noticed Kurosawa doing the same and asked.

“Got a message from my girlfriend.”

“Master, want to watch the video together?”

Talking about his girlfriend, Miyazaki smiled and suggested.

“No need, I’ll watch it at home. In public places, you can’t turn up the volume, and I didn’t bring headphones. It’s not suitable for listening to piano pieces.”

Kurosawa shook his head. He had already watched the video many times.

“True, I’ll also watch it at home then.”

Miyazaki thought what he said made sense, nodded, and put his phone away.

Students who can get into the University of Tokyo usually have strong self-discipline. Even if they are curious, they can restrain themselves.

……

At 8 PM, Kurosawa returned home, placed the bags in his room, and immediately sent a message to Ichinose.

In response, Ichinose initiated a video call.

“Hikaru-kun, do you know what happened when I went to school today?”

“What happened?”

Kurosawa had a good guess but pretended not to know when he saw her smiling.

“I just got off the subway, was walking towards the school gate, and many classmates were watching me. Surprisingly, a boy even ran up and asked for my autograph! He even called me ‘Ichinose-senpai.’ Since junior high, it’s the first time someone has called me senpai.”

Then, Ichinose began recounting her experiences today.

“And then, did you give him an autograph?”

“No, I haven’t been studying seriously since the third year of junior high. My handwriting is not good, so I felt embarrassed to sign.”

“Haha.”

“Don’t laugh at me~”

“Alright, alright.”

“After arriving at school, people were looking at me all the way. The gazes were curious, surprised, and conflicted. Although there are still people who don’t like me, everyone has become much friendlier. Before class, many students came up and asked if I had always been a model. They even mentioned seeing me on the cover of a magazine.”

“How did you respond?”

“I was quite bewildered, surrounded by people. I could only nod. It was like this the whole day; everyone was very enthusiastic. This feeling is really comfortable. It turns out being a model on print media is such an amazing thing.”

Ichinose was very excited, experiencing the school life she had before the third year of junior high once again.

Before that defamation incident, she was very popular at school, and everyone liked to be close to her, treating her with warmth and friendliness.

“Seems like things are getting better.”

Kurosawa realized the change in her school life and felt happy for her.

From her words, it was evident that there were still students who didn’t like her, but due to her newfound celebrity status, everyone’s attitude toward her had changed.

This was a positive sign, and going forward, her school life should no longer be as difficult as it used to be.

“Hikaru-kun, thank you~”

Ichinose, looking at his indulgent smile through the phone, felt her heart melt. Grateful and admiring, she held her hands together.

If it weren’t for Kurosawa, she couldn’t have imagined that after becoming a hot girl model, she could still be loved rather than feared and kept at a distance.

“Thank me for what? This is the real you.”

Kurosawa didn’t think it was all his doing. After all, Ichinose was originally outstanding; it was just that people had biases against her and couldn’t see her good side.

“Oh, by the way, Hikaru-kun, there’s something else I want to tell you.”

Ichinose giggled and then spoke.

“What is it?”

“You didn’t want me to join Miss Itsuragi’s agency because you were worried she might ask you to become an artist, right?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“I talked to her on the phone tonight about this. I told her about your concerns, and she assured me that as long as you don’t want to become an artist, she will never bring it up again in the future.”

Speaking of this matter, Ichinose was very happy because she had resolved Kurosawa’s concerns.

“You called her? Did you mention my name?”

Kurosawa didn’t expect her to talk to Itsuragi again and couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.

“I didn’t mention your real name… Didn’t you say your name was Yamamoto Hinata before? She called you Mr. Yamamoto, so I followed suit. It felt a bit weird, hehe.”

Ichinose shook her head, revealing that she was quite meticulous. She wouldn’t make such a basic mistake of accidentally revealing his real name.

“That’s good.”

Realizing that he hadn’t been exposed, Kurosawa couldn’t help but feel relieved at his earlier foresight.

Luckily, he used a fake name; otherwise, if Ichinose, in her excitement, had shouted ‘Hikaru-kun’ at any point, it would have been a disaster.

“Then we talked a lot, and she said she welcomes me to join her agency after my current contract expires.”

“She welcomes you? Did you agree to join her agency?”

Hearing this, Kurosawa’s expression changed involuntarily. 

The calmness he had just regained flew away, and even his heart, which had settled, soared back up, creating an imaginary “Danger!” sign above his head.

“I agreed… Hikaru-kun, I feel she’s a really good person, and I really want to sign with her. Besides, she assured me that she won’t bother you anymore and won’t ask you to become a singer.”

Seeing his reaction, Ichinose noticed that he wasn’t as happy as she expected. The excited smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by an anxious and fearful look. She cautiously explained.

Without asking Kurosawa first, she directly agreed to join the agency. Did it make him angry? She had already solved the problem though.