Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 71

Time Bomb

“Hah~”

At 8 in the morning, Kurosawa boarded the subway, standing with one hand gripping a handrail and yawning.

“Playing at the beach all day is really exhausting.”

Although his body had been strengthened by the permanent rewards from the system, yesterday’s session was quite intense.

While his body felt fatigued, it was more of a mental lethargy.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

“Is Hikaru-kun really waking up this late? I’m already at school.” It was Ichinose’s reply.

Clearly, even if she was a slacker, a hottie, and not into studying, she still made it to school on time.

“University courses aren’t that tight. I’ll check if I have any classes.” Kurosawa picked up his phone and replied.

“Oh, by the way, Miss Itsuragi is here again, but she didn’t talk to me. Instead, she’s hiding nearby staring at me, like she’s tracking me. When I walked over, she was startled, and I didn’t even get a chance to return the money to her.”

Seeing this message, Kurosawa, who had a somewhat lax mood, suddenly tensed up.

Sure enough, Miss Runa hasn’t given up yet?

In fact, he had guessed it yesterday.

Even if he imitated Hinata’s voice and expressed his unwillingness to be a singer… but without a direct refusal, it was clear that Itsuragi wouldn’t give up so easily.

After all, Itsuragi Runa considered herself a talent scout. Encountering a potential talent she liked, she would definitely make an effort to win them over.

“And you noticed her. Is she making it obvious?”

Realizing that this matter hasn’t passed yet, Kurosawa thought for a moment and asked.

“It’s not very obvious. It’s just that I was bullied for a while before, so I’m particularly sensitive to being watched.”

“Did you mention me to her?”

“No, I’ve already talked to Ai, Hitomi, and Kozuki. If someone inquires about you, they absolutely won’t leak any information or mention your name.”

“Then I should find an opportunity to thank them.”

Seeing her thoughtful consideration, Kurosawa felt a little more relieved.

“By the way, can I tell Ao and the others about us going to the beach yesterday?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe~ I’m about to go to class. Let’s chat later. Bye bye.”

“Goodbye.”

The conversation ended here. Kurosawa put his phone in his pocket, furrowing his brow in deep thought.

To be honest, this matter was quite tricky.

It wasn’t not good that Itsuragi was best friends with someone, and that someone happened to be Ninomiya.

Given this premise, if Itsuragi, through Ichinose’s connection, discovered his identity, it could lead to a lot of trouble, perhaps even an irreparable situation.

He could imagine that when Itsuragi found out about the Karaoke Song Deity, it wouldn’t be the joy of hard work and success in finding a gem; instead, it might be disbelief or anger at being deceived.

After all, that day in the car, she kept praising the Karaoke Song Deity, and he, the actual person, just sat there without saying a word.

Even more, he could already anticipate what Itsuragi might say.

“You’re dating a high school girl and also going out with Chizuru, what exactly are you thinking?” Such a questioning could easily be labeled as judgmental behavior of a player.

The challenge was, he couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation, given that he was indeed simultaneously dating two girls.

What’s even more terrifying is if Itsuragi found everything about her assistance, support, and sacrifice during that day at the amusement park ridiculous, it would be even more disastrous.

The date at the amusement park left him quite grateful for Itsuragi’s actions, and he certainly didn’t want to repay kindness with ingratitude.

I need to come up with a solution…

Realizing that she might not easily give up, Kurosawa felt the need to defuse this time bomb.

Upon reaching his destination, Kurosawa quickly entered the University of Tokyo, heading towards the building for the Department of Economics.

Inside the academic building, a junior greeted him, “Good morning, Kurosawa-senpai.”

“Good morning.” Although burdened with thoughts, Kurosawa managed to lift his head, responding with a smile.

After exchanging greetings, he headed towards the classroom.

One of the junior girls who was also heading back to the classroom couldn’t help but feel a bit excited as she watched his retreating figure.

“Doesn’t Kurosawa-senpai seem even more handsome?”

“Really?”

“It’s just a feeling… like he’s more confident now? When he walks, it’s like there’s a gust of wind blowing, and he exudes a strong presence.”

“Actually, now that you mention it, his posture seems straighter, and he’s not slouching.”

Observing the figure from afar, another junior girl walking with her also started to sense a subtle change.

At 8:25 AM, Kurosawa arrived at the classroom.

“Over here.”

Upon entering the classroom, Miyazaki Yuta, who was already seated, waved and greeted him.

“What’s going on? You look really troubled.”

Miyazaki observed Kurosawa as he took a seat nearby, noticing that his brows were furrowed more than usual, and couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Something’s up.”

Noticing the clues, Kurosawa nodded.

“Let me guess. Is it related to a girl? After your ex-girlfriend broke up with you, she suddenly had an epiphany, realized she couldn’t lose you, and wants to get back together. However, due to the conversation with Ninomiya-sensei last week, you’re hesitating between academics and romance!”

Realizing he hit the mark, Miyazaki became spirited and leaned down to say.

Hearing this speculation, Kurosawa just looked at him without saying a word.

“Isn’t that it?” Miyazaki asked when he noticed Kurozaki’s silence.

“No.”

“Then what is it because of?”

“Some personal matters that are difficult to talk about. Spare me, okay?”

This time, Kurosawa’s concerns and troubles were more complex, and he didn’t share them openly with Miyazaki as he used to.

Because having friends in school was precious, he used to discuss any troubles with Miyazaki, and vice versa.

“Actually, this morning, a few junior girls approached me.”

Seeing that he was still troubled, Miyazaki thought for a moment and spoke.

“Several junior girls? What happened?”

“It’s similar to when school started, they all approached me because of you.”

“…” 

Kurosawa was somewhat surprised.

“They aren’t from the same group, but they all invited me to a social event, hoping I could bring you along.”

“Sorry.”

Kurosawa felt a bit guilty, as if he owed him something.

Because Miyazaki was in a situation similar to that of a friend who acted as a bridge around some handsome guy, creating connections.

“It’s okay. I’m not that handsome, my grades aren’t top-notch within the school, just average. It’s normal that girls don’t approach me. But you’re different. You’re handsome, you have good grades, and the key is, everyone already knows about you being dumped last week.”

Miyazaki was nonchalant about it, shrugged, and then patted his shoulder.

He was quite happy to be friends with Kurosawa.

“Then what happened?”

“Some girls think your reputation doesn’t live up to your name, but there’s still a portion of girls who feel like this is their chance.”

“I see… Are there no junior boys asking you, though?”

Although he himself didn’t mind, Kurosawa was somewhat concerned and asked.

“Do you think there’s any guy in Tokyo University foolish enough to invite you to a social event?”

“…”

Kurosawa had no comment on that; he felt like he asked a rather foolish question.

“Would you like to attend the social event? One junior girl mentioned that if you go, there’s a chance that Miki, another junior, might also attend. I feel like she’s interested in you.”

“No, I won’t go. I don’t have that much time.”

At present, just dealing with Ichinose and Ninomiya already felt like a major crisis.

Entangling with other girls would only invite more trouble.