Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

49. A master of feigning ignorance

The dark clouds that had been gathering all day yesterday finally brought rain today.

Of course, it could also have started raining last night.

Genji Aoyama woke up to the sound of pattering rain, ten minutes earlier than his alarm clock.

He chose to stay in bed longer, pondering this question as he opened his phone—

"Should I still go for a run in the rain?"

Although he rarely gets sick, he really doesn't like the feeling of being soaked in the rain, his clothes becoming heavy, and his whole body feeling sticky and wet.

"Let's do some simple exercises at home."

Open the short video app.

Overnight, his number of followers had increased to 11, and his video views had reached 50.

In addition, more people contacted him via private messages. Due to the settings, only one private message could be sent to him at a time, but even so, Genji Aoyama received thousands of private messages.

Judging from the profile pictures, most of them are from girls, and some of them contain vulgar content, which is something that Genji Aoyama can't stand.

His fingers swiped rapidly across the screen, occasionally catching glimpses of the agency's name. He asked if the actor was interested in debuting, and left the agency's name, address, and contact information.

Aoyama Genji ignored it directly.

He switched to LINE again, and found that Minatsuki Haruka had sent him a message ten minutes earlier.

[Haruka Minatsuki: Ah, sorry, I forgot to check my LINE messages yesterday. I've already prepared the bento.]

[Minatsuki Haruka: Image]

[Minatsuki Haruka: I made some things without permission; I wonder if Genji-kun will like them.]

The picture shows a bento box that has already been packed.

Inside were fried shrimp, eel drizzled with sauce, golden-yellow tamagoyaki, neatly arranged seasonal vegetables, and even a small box of various cut fruits.

Genji Aoyama smiled silently.

[Aoyama: Thank you for your trouble, Haruka-san]

His thoughts were a jumbled mess, but he finally decided to go for a run.

I changed into my workout clothes, opened the door, and it was just like yesterday.

A larger food bag, containing not only breakfast but also lunch boxes, was hanging on the doorknob outside his room.

An extra note was also attached.

Considering that Chinese food loses much of its flavor and texture when it gets cold, I decided to make Japanese food for lunch, hoping it will suit Aoyama-kun's taste.

When I woke up, it was drizzling outside. I wonder if Aoyama-kun will still go for a run. Anyway, please eat breakfast on time.

[Also, I saw the video online. Aoyama-kun's confident demeanor is truly dazzling, making one want to follow in his footsteps. I'm really looking forward to Aoyama-kun's future works. Keep up the good work!]

"Yukiko, you really are a god!"

Genji Aoyama reached this conclusion again.

In every sense of the word.

A light drizzle fell along the banks of the Sumida River.

Genji Aoyama rested his hand on the wet railing and gazed at the water.

The once calm river was rippled by tiny but dense raindrops, and a hazy mist rose from the surface.

At this time, the running track, which is usually occasionally crowded with people, is deserted.

Genji Aoyama withdrew his gaze and continued running unhurriedly along the planned route in the rain.

First his face, then his hair, and finally his workout clothes became wet and sticky, but none of this affected his pace.

After his usual five-kilometer run, he returned to his apartment.

Then came the daily commute to school.

From the tram station entrance to the platform using a commuter pass, and then to the train car, all the way to the school, everyone who saw him would whisper among themselves.

"I want to open-source music!"

"So—please welcome me on the path of music!"

As the boys entered the classroom, one of them spoke passionately, which immediately drew laughter from the girls.

The noise completely disappeared after he entered the classroom.

Genji Aoyama returned to his seat, took out Math I from his bag, and began to preview the material. He could feel people glancing at him from time to time.

During class, even the teacher on the podium would occasionally glance at him a few more times.

noon.

Haruka Minatsuki arrived later than expected, appearing at the classroom door of Class C only after Genji Aoyama returned from the Home Economics and Crafts class.

"I've kept you waiting, Genji-kun."

Haruka Minatsuki walked up to Genji Aoyama, smiled, and showed him the box she was carrying before placing it on his desk. "I heated it up in the microwave in my office for a bit."

An exquisite food box, which looks exactly like a classic large jewelry box from the outside.

"Thank you for your trouble, Ms. Haruka."

Genji Aoyama smiled and moved the table towards the back wall.

"How about we eat in the activity room of the special building?"

She looked around, her gaze finally settling on Genji Aoyama's face.

Just as expected, the students who stayed in the classroom for lunch would occasionally glance in their direction.

"Isn't there enough time?"

Genji Aoyama said something casually, then took out the bento box that Yuko Asahi had prepared from his bag.

"..."

Haruka Minatsuki's breath hitched for a second, her gaze fixed on the bento box held in Genji Aoyama's hand.

The box looks simple; it's just the most common type found in convenience stores.

"Sit down, Haruka-san," Genji Aoyama looked up at Haruka Minatsuki. "The girl in the seat in front of me won't be back until before class starts."

Haruka Minatsuki pressed her thumb against the knuckle of her index finger, trying to maintain a smile on her face, and sat down opposite Genji Aoyama.

The two opened their lunchboxes.

Unlike Haruka Minatsuki's luxurious bento, Yuko Asahi's lunch was relatively simple: meatballs, fried chicken nuggets, some boiled vegetables, and rice as the main dish.

"Did Asahi make you a bento?" Haruka Minatsuki pushed one of the bentos she had prepared to Genji Aoyama, her gaze fixed on the bento that Genji Aoyama had taken out.

"Yes." Genji Aoyama smiled.

"It looks pretty good."

Haruka Minatsuki smiled and praised him, then turned her gaze to Genji Aoyama's face, "May I try some?"

Although she was still asking questions, her chopsticks had already reached into Aoyama Genji's bento box and picked up one of the meatballs.

"It tastes great."

Haruka Minatsuki suddenly remembered a sentence she had once said: "The best food is the kind you get from someone else."

The same reason.

She felt she didn't need to care who Aoyama Genji belonged to now.

In short, she will take it.

Haruka Minazuki likes to take the initiative.

"I also think it tastes great."

Genji Aoyama smiled and picked up a fried shrimp and put it in his bowl. He then looked at Haruka Minatsuki, whose mood had suddenly brightened, and said, "Speaking of which, Haruka-san has really helped me a lot."

"Um?"

"I feel like I'm growing a lot lately, and with the added exercise, my appetite has increased significantly."

The crispy batter, still crunchy after being heated, crunched in his mouth. Genji Aoyama chewed it thoroughly, swallowed, and then commented, "Miss Haruka's cooking is quite good!"

"Is Aoyama-kun training?"

Haruka Minatsuki waited until he finished eating before speaking, her voice suggesting she was quite interested in the matter.

I go for a run every morning.

"Does Genji-kun get up around six o'clock every day?"

Haruka Minatsuki still remembers the time that Genji Aoyama messaged her that morning: "It still feels a bit too much."

"Sometimes when I feel depressed, going for a run outside makes me feel much better," Genji Aoyama said with a smile.

"so……"

Haruka Minatsuki looked thoughtful, then tentatively asked, "Genji-kun doesn't like it?"

"That's not true."

Genji Aoyama put down his chopsticks and paused slightly. "I think Ms. Haruka's cooking is delicious."

"If you like it, that's good."

Haruka Minatsuki laughed.

She knew that Genji Aoyama understood what she meant, but choosing to pretend not to understand was also a form of attitude.

"I feel like I need to understand him even better."

Haruka Minatsuki was thinking that she always felt she didn't know enough about Genji Aoyama.

For example, the cat who called that day, and when Aoyama Genji joined a new club.

◇

Department of Psychological Problems Research...

Yuko Asahi still remembers the poster that was pasted on the long table.

"Now that the problem has been identified, it would be best to seek psychological counseling."

During the meal, she kept thinking about Genji Aoyama.