Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 73

Just Like That?

Finally, when this message arrived, Ninomiya looked around, noticing that most of her colleagues had left. 

She then raised her right hand, swept her hair behind her ear, and woke up the screen, tapping to open the message.

“Miss Ninomiya.”

“Call me ‘sensei,’ what’s going on?”

Seeing that he still didn’t address her as ‘sensei,’ Ninomiya typed with both hands.

“I feel like you’re not in a good mood today. Did something happen?”

“Nothing at all.”

Seeing this response, Ninomiya’s heart tightened a bit. Then she replied.

Did she display it so noticeably? There’s no way he could’ve noticed.

Her mood was indeed not good because she spent yesterday at home, feeling bored and occasionally recalling the amusement park trip, which was the Saturday date.

As a result, after waiting for the entire day, she still didn’t receive any messages or contacts from Kurosawa.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t comfortable taking the initiative to reach out, fearing it might make her appear too eager.

“Come on, tell me.”

“Really, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just a busy day at work.”

Ninomiya refused to answer, offering a vague excuse.

She couldn’t possibly say, “I felt upset because you didn’t message me all day yesterday, and waiting for you made me frustrated.” That would be too embarrassing.

“I see.”

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“Well, yes.”

“What is it?”

Ninomiya’s heart started to beat a bit faster.

Could it be that he is inviting me out on a date again? Where could it be this time?

“In fact, I’d like to ask you for Miss Runa’s Line. I have something I want to talk to her about.”

Ninomiya, who had just felt a bit of excitement, realized that he came for this purpose, and her beautiful eyes froze.

“What do you want to talk to her about?”

In the next moment, she took a deep breath, ran her fingers through her long hair, and asked.

Although she appeared cold and composed on the surface, her heart was in turmoil.

Why would Kurosawa want to contact Itsuragi? The two of them, whether in terms of profession or life, shouldn’t have any necessary intersections.

Could it be that Itsuragi’s performance on Saturday left a favorable impression on Kurosawa?

This was very likely, considering her beauty, good figure, serious and handsome demeanor at work, and her lively and vibrant personality, which was quite different from Ninomiya’s reserved and strict character.

“Isn’t she looking for the Karaoke Song Deity? People were discussing it at school today, and I think there’s some useful information for her.”

“Alright.”

Hearing his reason, Ninomiya’s wandering thoughts calmed down slightly, and she responded.

Following that, she used the phone and shared Itsuragi’s Line account.

“Thank you.”

“No need.”

“Although you have a lot of work, you should also take care of yourself and not overwork.”

“I’m used to it.”

With this exchange, the phone no longer vibrated.

Ninomiya held the phone and didn’t put it down.

Two minutes later, she confirmed one thing: there would be no more messages from Kurosawa.

“Just like that? He asks for Runa’s account, and then goes silent?”

Gripping the phone tightly, Ninomiya, who had just managed to recover her mood slightly, became agitated again.

What on earth is this guy thinking? Men’s hearts are truly hard to fathom.

……

On the other side, Kurosawa, after finishing the Line exchange, casually added the account.

The friend request wasn’t accepted immediately.

However, he wasn’t bothered by it. Instead, he got up to prepare dinner.

Since starting university and moving away from his hometown to Tokyo, he had been living alone.

Takeout in Japan was expensive, and eating out was also quite pricey. Although his part-time job was lucrative, for the sake of frugality and convenience, he had learned some cooking skills—basically, at a home-cooked level.

Perhaps he wasn’t particularly skilled in cooking, but he had learned to make dishes like fried rice and various side dishes.

“I wonder if there will be a date that’ll let me showcase my entry-level cooking skills. It would be a feast.”

Wearing an apron, holding a frying pan to cook pork cutlet, Kurosawa suddenly felt excited about a potential reward.

If you have culinary skills, not to mention impressing a girl, you can definitely enjoy better meals yourself.

The self-taught cooking skills of Kurosawa, at best, suited his own taste and were somewhat delicious, but they couldn’t compare to restaurants and professional chefs.

Since he was eating alone, Kurosawa kept his cooking simple, just frying two pork cutlets, and considered it done.

Sitting down at the table with the dish in front of him, he started eating.

Finally, halfway through his meal, the phone showed some activity.

Itsuragi Runa had accepted his friend request.

“Younger Brother Kurosawa, what’s up? Is there something you want from your sister?” Itsuragi’s personality was indeed very warm.

She knew who the applicant was because Kurosawa had clearly identified himself in the verification information.

Her Line name was very formal, just “Itsuragi,” which was her surname. The profile picture was also her own photo, looking cool and handsome with her silver-gray short hair, and she was exceptionally beautiful.

“How did your search for the Karaoke Song Deity go?”

“Don’t mention it, a total failure… (sad crying face)”

“Is the progress not going smoothly?” Kurosawa found her way of texting quite humorous, and her use of emojis gave a sense of approachability.

“That Karaoke Song Deity seems really reluctant to be a singer. I’m not sure why. I want to figure it out… So I wanted to meet with him, and started tracking a hot high school girl who seemed to be related to him. But that girl was sharp. I followed her today, and she found me in less than a minute. It was so embarrassing.”

“What do you plan to do next?”

“It’s tough. She seems to be dating the Karaoke Song Deity. They were even having dinner together on Sunday. But she’s very perceptive and is challenging to track.”

“That sounds tough.” Kurosawa was a bit surprised. Based on what she said, did Ichinose have anti-tracking abilities?

“Do you want to help? You look so handsome; high school girls should like your type. How about helping me inquire about the name of the Karaoke Song Deity from her friends?”

“I’m busy, and it’s not good for a university student to approach high school girls, it would affect my image.”

“After I helped you like that before, I even ended up crying from the haunted house! (crying and hugging legs emoji)”

“Well, actually, Miss Runa is an agent, right? When she encounters someone talented and with potential, she wants to sign them as entertainers.”

Kurosawa chuckled, understanding her teasing. He smiled and typed his response.

“Yeah, so what?”

“What do you think about me? Actually, besides playing the piano, I can sing too.”

“Don’t do that. If I sign you, Chizuru will definitely skin me alive.”

“How do you know she would do that?”

“I just feel that way, based on my understanding of her.”

“What if she agrees?”

“Then I’d be thrilled to sign you and turn you into a star.”

“How do you think my potential compares to the Karaoke Song Deity?”

“Just your piano skills are already formidable. But to be a star, you need to sing and dance… Your physical fitness is good, so dancing shouldn’t be a problem. It all depends on your singing. How good are you at singing?”

“Entry-level.”

“Again, entry-level… Is it as good as your piano playing?” Itsuragi, after spending time with Kurosawa on Saturday, had a deep understanding of his character.

This guy was clearly talented but overly modest.

“More or less.”

“Let’s go for it. Talk to Chizuru later.”

On the other end, after some consideration, Itsuragi made up her mind.

If Kurosawa became a star, she believed this guy could definitely make it big. 

His looks alone could rival top idol-like male celebrities, not to mention his overwhelming charm.