novellhall Chapter 43
Chapter 43
"I'll count to three, and then we'll run to the station."
As he spoke, Miyazawa took her hand and calculated the distance from the ramen shop to the station.
It's about a five-minute walk, or three minutes if you go fast.
If there's no umbrella, just use his clothes to cover yourself for now.
Naomi's clothes look quite expensive; it would be bad if they got ruined by soaking.
"Hmm~"
Naomi Asahina obediently responded and held his hand tightly.
With three counts, the two rushed into the rain.
The rain poured down.
Aside from the sound of rain, the only other sounds were the thud of boots stepping on puddles, with ripples spreading beneath my feet.
Asahina felt the warmth emanating from his hand, her gaze fixed on Miyazawa Itsuki's profile.
The rain soaked his hair, strands sticking to his forehead, and his shirt was damp too. It was strangely sexy.
Naomi blushed and guiltily looked away.
I really wanted to keep watching, but my heart wouldn't allow it.
...Really, that's a bit too cunning.
Naomi had never liked rainy days before, but today was different.
Some scenery can only be seen on rainy days.
Some things can only be experienced on a rainy day.
The two ran all the way to the station entrance, finally finding a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
Miyazawa Itsuki then checked Naomi's body and found that she wasn't wet at all.
"Hui-jun, what do we do next?" the girl said, sounding silly.
Asahina seems to have become stupid, or rather, she has simply given up thinking and is only focused on looking at him.
"Of course, we'll take Naomi home."
"Does that mean Hui-jun will drive me to my door this time?"
"Well, if Naomi doesn't mind."
Normally, we would just drop you off at the station, but today is a special case.
Miyazawa Itsuki's first date ended so late, and the weather was terrible.
He couldn't afford to take responsibility if anything happened to the guests during the trip.
"Of course I don't mind!"
Naomi Asahina smiled happily.
That's great, this way I can spend more time with Hui-jun.
……
Take the train to Suginami Ward, get off at the station.
Then take a bus all the way to the street where Naomi lives.
Miyazawa Itsuki looked at the high-rise apartment building in front of him.
This is Naomi's house.
Judging from the housing prices here, Naomi's family background is above average in Tokyo.
"Hui-jun, aren't you really going up for a seat?"
Asahina hugged his coat, her eyes filled with hope.
Miyazawa Itsuki gently shook his head: "It's not necessary. Now is not the time to bother you, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me given my status."
Asahina's gaze dimmed.
"oh."
Naomi hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed over her coat.
"Hui-jun, thank you for your coat."
Miyazawa looked at the clothes.
"Naomi, you should take it for now."
"There's still a short distance to go, so I can't accompany Naomi. I'll just use this jacket to keep out the rain."
"Huh?" Asahina looked a little surprised. "What about Teru-kun?"
"It doesn't matter whether I have this jacket or not," Miyazawa Itsuki said with a smile, wiping away the raindrops. "Since it's already like this, the good thing is that I don't have to worry about getting even wetter."
"..."
Naomi Asahina looked down at the soaked coat in her hand.
"Hui-kun, please wait here for me for a moment."
Asahina Omi said earnestly, "I'll go upstairs to get an umbrella for Teru-kun, and I'll be right back."
"No...it's really unnecessary now..."
"Yes, you must bring it." Asahina's tone carried an air of unquestionable authority.
"If I let my boyfriend go back like this, wouldn't I be the worst girlfriend in the world?"
Why do you only care about my feelings? It was the same last time, and it's the same this time.
This is not good at all; it's not a healthy relationship.
I don't want Huijun to think of me as just someone he serves.
No way, it's just a relationship that will end tonight.
I am Huijun's girlfriend, and I still am. And I will always be.
Miyazawa stared at her blankly for a moment, then gave a helpless smile.
"Well... okay, then I'll leave it to you, Naomi. I'll wait for you here."
"Um!"
Naomi Asahina smiled again.
Watching the girl's retreating figure in the rain, Miyazawa Itsuki fell silent.
It seems like Asahi is getting a little too into character.
In some ways, they are even more dedicated than I am.
At work, Miyazawa Itsuki does indeed take on the role of boyfriend to some extent.
But there are limits. He always keeps in mind that renting a boyfriend is just renting a boyfriend, and it's completely different from a real relationship.
Naomi, on the other hand, seemed to be immersed in a real-life role-playing game with her partner.
Her tone of voice, the sense of distance, and her demeanor all gave off a girlfriend vibe. Sometimes, it even made him feel a little dazed.
It felt as if I really was dating Naomi.
"Truly outstanding acting skills."
Miyazawa Itsuki admired him.
Whether it's the "social mode Naomi" she presents to the outside world or the "girlfriend mode Naomi" she reveals to herself, both are incredibly lifelike.
As for the real Naomi, she only appears briefly and occasionally.
That's the kind of person you only show when you're facing something you truly love.
For example, magical girls.
such as……
……
A few minutes later, two figures, one large and one small, appeared at the edge of the field of vision.
Asahina was holding a lemon-colored umbrella, with a petite girl beside her.
"Hui-kun!"
Naomi Asahina looked at him and waved vigorously. She quickened her pace to approach him.
"Hey, sister, slow down! Wait for me!"
The two girls jogged up to Miyazawa Itsuki.
"Hui-jun, here you go!"
"Thanks."
Miyazawa Itsuki took the umbrella and thanked him. Then his gaze turned to the new face beside him.
Although the girl beside Naomi had slightly immature features, her facial features inherited from Naomi's family genes, and she was also quite beautiful.
She is a lovely child.
"Hey hey, nice to meet you, brother. I'm Asahi Yuzu."
Yuzu gave a sweet and cute smile.
"She is the second daughter of the Asahi family. My good-for-nothing older sister has been taken care of by you."
"I received a lot of help from Naomi," Miyazawa Itsuki said with a smile. "So Yuzu is Naomi's younger sister. I mentioned her before; she's a lovely little sister."
"Really? Big sister said I'm cute?" Asahi Yuzu's eyes widened.
"That was before," Asahina Oomi firmly denied. "Yuzu isn't cute at all now, don't overthink it."
"No, Yuzu is cute now too. If you say I'm cute, then I'm cute, right, brother?"
"Don't act so familiar, calling someone else's boyfriend so intimately," Asahina Mi said, displeased.
"...If you hadn't insisted on coming, I wouldn't have brought you down to see Hui-jun. Didn't you promise to listen to your older sister?"
"I've always listened to my older sister," Yuzu began to feign innocence.
"Now that your sister is asking you to go back, you've already seen Hui-jun, right? Your wish should be fulfilled."
"No way. My sister is a possessive person."
Yuzu made a face at Asahina Omi, then tugged at Miyazawa Itsuki's sleeve and said affectionately.
"Brother Hui."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Yuzu, be Hui-ge's sister. I've wanted a brother like Hui-ge for a long time."
"Yuzu is Naomi's younger sister, so she's my younger sister."
Miyazawa Itsuki said.
"Hehe, is that so?" Asahi Yuzu smiled sweetly and hugged his arm.
"Yuzu finally has a brother."
Miyazawa looked at the girl's sly smile.
"Hui-ge, what do you think siblings do? Pat each other's heads, give each other a goodnight kiss, or maybe scrub each other's backs in the bath?"
"This..." Miyazawa Itsuki was somewhat taken aback.
"Yuzu, don't make things difficult for Teru-kun anymore." Asahina Omi blushed and pulled her sister away. "Tera-kun has to catch the night train home now, he can't play around with you like this."
"Hey, why don't we just let Hui-ge stay at our house? My sister probably thinks so too." Asahi Yuzu was very reluctant to let him go.
"Aren't Hui-ge and his sister a couple? What's wrong with them staying overnight because of the bad weather? Even for middle school students, this kind of thing is very common."
Naomi Asahina avoided eye contact.
What kind of normal couple are they?
Let alone inviting Miyazawa Itsuki to stay overnight, even more ordinary actions between couples are considered insurmountable taboos for them.
But Asahina couldn't say these words aloud; she could only bluff:
"Yuzu, if you don't listen to your older sister, I won't bring you to see Hui-kun next time."
"...Okay, okay, I understand." Asahi Yuzu blinked, reluctantly letting go of her hand and taking a step back.
She put her hands behind her back and bowed respectfully to Miyazawa Itsuki.
"Sorry, Brother Hui, I was so excited to see you today that I got a little carried away."
"It's okay, I'm also happy to see Yuzu."
"Hehehe."
Yuzu Asahi straightened up, looked at Itsuki Miyazawa, and then at her older sister. She seemed to have thought of something.
Then he tiptoed and whispered in Naomi's ear.
Naomi Asahina's ears visibly burned.
"Grapefruit……!"
"Then, sister, I'll go up first." Before her sister could react, Asahi Yuzu ran briskly to the glass door of the apartment and waved back at them.
"Brother Hui, you must come up and play next time you come. There are so many things I want to do with you..." She smiled sweetly, "And, make your sister happy."
The glass door closed, and Yuzi's figure skipped and hopped away from view.
Miyazawa Itsuki withdrew his gaze.
"Um..." Asahina Omi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yuzu is just like that, please don't take it to heart, Teru-kun."
"No, I think it's quite cute."
"Huh? Cute? A pomelo?"
Naomi Asahina tilted her head.
As her sister who lived with her day and night, she couldn't understand how these words were put together.
Sometimes she acts so well-behaved that you want to spoil her, and other times you feel like sacrificing your sister for the greater good.
"Because it reminds me of Naomi."
"...Like me?" Naomi blushed.
"Yeah, she's like a different style of Naomi."
"Because Naomi is cute no matter what, children who resemble Naomi are naturally cute too."
Miyazawa Itsuki said it so succinctly.
Naomi Asahina was feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Oh, I see. I thought Hui-jun preferred the little devil loli style. I was so scared.
If it's a typical style, and Teruki likes it, Naomi is willing to imitate it.
But there are some things that even she can't reverse.
Factors such as height, and others.
"Anyway, it's getting late, Naomi should go home too. Please give my regards to your uncle and aunt."
Miyazawa Itsuki said.
Naomi Asahina nodded, her face full of longing.
"Well then, Hui-kun, be careful on the road."
"I will."
Miyazawa Itsuki opened his umbrella, waved goodbye to Naomi one last time, and walked into the rain.
"I'll bring my coat next time we meet." Naomi's voice rang out from behind, clear and crisp, as she cut through the rain.
"And thank you for today, Teru-kun." Asahina's smile was sincere and beautiful. "I had a very enjoyable date. I'll definitely give Teru-kun a good review."
"...Thank you very much, Naomi."
Miyazawa Itsuki paused for a moment, then smiled.
……
As he boarded the train for the return journey, Miyazawa Itsuki patted his pockets.
When I changed into my outer clothes, I hurriedly transferred the items from my uniform to my outer garment. I also moved the important items to my lower pockets.
After repeated checks, wallet and phone were found, nothing was missed. Even the work phone, which had already been scrapped.
As long as you haven't forgotten anything.
He sighed.
Today was truly an eventful day. So many unexpected events disrupted Miyazawa Itsuki's rhythm.
Fortunately, there was no serious injury; apart from a minor injury, everything landed relatively smoothly.
At least the 100% positive review rate has been maintained.
He was about to open the settlement panel for today.
Name: Miyazawa Itsuki
[Points Balance: 2280 + 270 x 10 (Critical Hit Triggered)]
[Skills: Shorthand LV2, Calligraphy LV2, Knife Skills LV2, Baking LV2, Driving LV2, Street Fighting LV1, Photography LV1, Basketball LV1, Appliance Repair LV1...]
[Special Ability: A hatchet is useless against me, Casanova's Eye]
[Special Item: Passerby A's Glasses]
The new skill "Acting Skill" LV1 has been added to the redemption list.
……
[Skill Name: Acting (LV1)]
Price: 1000 (Lowest Discount Price)
[Note: When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood.]
……
The laundry room at the Asahi residence.
Naomi hugged her coat, her eyes vacant.
She had been lost in thought for a long time.
It would take Naomi a very, very long time to figure out what was happening in front of her.
A few minutes earlier, she was preparing to put the clothes into the washing machine.
To check if there were any items that Hikaru had left behind inside her coat, Naomi carefully searched the pockets.
His pockets were naturally empty, which Miyazawa Itsuki handled very well.
The only surprise was...
As she hugged the coat, she felt a hard, foreign object.
That was clearly not an object like a button.
After searching carefully, Naomi noticed something.
There was a small slit in the inner seam of the right pocket of the jacket.
There was a long, foreign object in the seam.
Naomi took it out, and under the light, the gold-plated emblem gleamed.
[Tokyo Metropolitan Sakura-ryo High School]