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

73. Transformation

Upon returning to the private room from the restroom, Genji Aoyama deliberately avoided looking in Yuko Asahi's direction.

During the rest of the karaoke session, he didn't say another word to her.

When leaving, we went to the station, took the tram together, and got off to go back to the apartment.

For a full forty minutes, the two remained silent, like strangers.

During this time, he occasionally saw Yuko Asahi relax, and her shoulders were not as tense as before.

After returning home, Genji Aoyama poured himself a cup of barley tea and then pushed his chair onto the balcony where the sun was setting.

The clouds were tinged crimson by the sunlight, a warm breeze blew by, and he felt incredibly comfortable taking a sip of iced barley tea.

hum-

He had barely sat down when his phone, which was on the table, started to vibrate.

[Yuuko: Aoyama-kun, could you give me Izumo-senpai's LINE? If so, I want to apologize to her. No matter what, calling her a 'cheating cat' is a bit too much.]

Should we give it to them?

The question was answered as soon as it popped into Genji Aoyama's mind.

[Qingshan: Whether you apologize or not is up to you. If you really feel bad, you can go and apologize to her in person.]

[Aoyama: Also, if you're ready, please come and chat with me directly.]

After replying, Genji Aoyama simply put his phone in his pocket, enjoying the beautiful sunset while wondering if he should do a post-mortem analysis as usual.

After some consideration, he abandoned the idea—if he were to dwell on whether something he had done was right or wrong, he would probably just repeat the same mistakes.

So.

There don't seem to be many things left to do right now.

The monthly tests will start tomorrow when I get to school. They will be held on Monday and Wednesday, with one day off in between.

Then came the band's performance—and judging from the current progress, it's actually going quite well.

No homework was assigned at school this weekend, so Genji Aoyama plans to use the evening to review.

Before that, he opened the band's LINE group.

[Aoyama: Training will continue after the exams tomorrow. We'll also come to school for rehearsals on the 29th, our day off, to prepare for the official performance on the 30th.]

[Aoyama: Thank you everyone for your hard work!]

[Aoyama: After the performance on the 30th, I'll treat everyone to barbecue at Jojoen!]

[yui: Yay!]

[Omotesando's most handsome guy's number one fan: Yay!]

[hina:...Okay! ]

[Kanna: Manager, can I go too?]

[Aoyama: Of course.]

[kanna: Yeah! ]

[Aoyama: Shibuya, please change your nickname, thank you. I don't like this nickname @OmotesandoHandsomeGuyNumberOneFan]

[Rena: I'm hated by the handsome guy from Omotesando, *crying* emoji]

Rena retracted a message.

[Rena: I'm hated by Aoyama-kun, *crying* emoji]

[Aoyama: That's not true, it's just that I personally don't like that nickname]

He continued chatting in the band's group for a while, then scrolled up through the chat history.

After that, Saki Izumo still did not join the chat.

Genji Aoyama opened the system interface, looked at the records in the correction log, and was briefly caught in a dilemma.

[Izumo Saki, correction progress -20%]

【4月27日14：38，出云纱希因宿主产生了强烈的兴奋情绪；4月27日17：52，出云纱希因宿主陷入了极度的低落情绪，一度产生了自我怀疑。因出云纱希羡慕宿主能很好地管理情绪，宿主获得精通级·情绪管理技能】

[Note: Because the host's emotional changes have long included self-blame, it is hereby declared that before meeting the host, Izumo Saki's symptoms already showed a tendency to worsen. Please do not blame yourself too much.]

Close the system interface.

"The twisted one is someone else entirely! No, not human at all."

Genji Aoyama suddenly laughed. After thinking for a moment, he decided to call Sasaki Kumo.

Chirp—Chirp—Chirp—

The call was finally connected after the tenth beep.

"Hey, Aoyama-kun..."

The voice on the other end of the phone was quite somber, as if the person had just been crying, and sounded somewhat hoarse.

"I'm sorry," said Genji Aoyama.

"There's absolutely no need for that, Aoyama-kun. You don't need to blame yourself. It was my own inability to control my behavior that caused you trouble..."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What's wrong with you! I told you Aoyama-kun you don't need to apologize."

"I'm sorry, Saki." Genji Aoyama took a deep breath and continued to repeat the sentence.

"..."

A restrained, trembling breathing came from the other end of the phone.

Then came a silence, as if a mute button had been pressed.

Genji Aoyama gazed into the distance beyond the balcony.

The once dazzling sun is now obscured by the buildings, and its afterglow can only be glimpsed through the gaps.

Then, soft sobs broke the silence, which quickly turned into quiet whimpers, until the emotions completely erupted into a wail, ending with a difficult sob.

The call lasted for twenty minutes, even until it got slightly hot to the touch, but the two still didn't hang up.

Sensing that Izumo Saki had vented her emotions enough, Aoyama Genji finally spoke up, saying with a smile, "Saki is made of water. She looks like a cute and energetic girl, but she cries quite easily."

"It's all, it's all Aoyama-kun's fault!" Her voice returned to its sweet and innocent tone, with a slight sob in it.

"ah--"

Genji Aoyama looked out the window again and sighed softly, "That's why I decided to apologize to Saki properly."

"Hmph, an apology isn't enough, Aoyama-kun has to make it up to me!"

"Um... I just said in the group chat that I'd treat the band to barbecue after the performance, and I'll allow Saki to eat a little more."

"..." The pretty girl seemed speechless, then burst out laughing. "What kind of compensation is this?!"

Just kidding.

Genji Aoyama smiled. "So, is Saki feeling better now?"

"Um."

The image of Saki Izumo nodding vigorously even flashed through my mind.

Then she continued, "Before Aoyama-kun called, many terrible thoughts flashed through my mind, but now, those thoughts have completely disappeared."

"..."

Genji Aoyama opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Feed?"

"Yesterday... when you went for your checkup, what did the psychologist say?" After a brief internal struggle, he finally asked.

"..."

Saki Izumo, who is usually very straightforward, couldn't bring herself to say it immediately this time.

Genji Aoyama did not urge him.

After about three breaths, a slightly muffled voice came from the other end of the phone: "The doctor said my emotions have been unstable lately, suddenly rising and then falling, which is not a good sign. My symptoms may worsen."

"I understand," Genji Aoyama took a deep breath. "Please make sure Saki receives regular professional treatment, doesn't stay up late, and takes her medication on time."

"Um."

Saki Izumo's voice is quite sweet.

"I will keep an eye on you," said Genji Aoyama.

"Um."

"See you tomorrow."

See you tomorrow~~

Saki Izumo's voice returned to its usual light and cheerful tone.

After hanging up the phone.

Genji Aoyama stopped thinking about whether it was right or wrong.

Just like the opportunity that led to the phone call, everything was done in accordance with his heart. This was another transformation in his heart—no longer demanding of himself the gentlemanly words of Nagasawa in "Norwegian Wood".

What he should do is what he wants to do, not what he should do.

After thinking it through, Genji Aoyama immediately felt much lighter, and even his boring notebook of wrong answers became interesting.

hum-

The phone vibrated on the desktop.

Genji Aoyama stretched his body, which had been sitting for a long time, and looked up to see that it was already dark outside, with neon signs hanging on buildings in the distance.

[Saki: Why is Aoyama-kun apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong.]

?

The girl's unrestrained thoughts left Aoyama Genji completely unable to keep up. He still remembered that when he was on the phone earlier, Izumo Saki had said it was all his fault.

Genji Aoyama quickly tapped the keyboard, wanting to reply to the message.

But Saki Izumo's next message had already arrived—

[Saki: Aoyama-kun, there's something I've always wanted to say: A person's emotional tolerance threshold is limited. Even you, you must feel tired and even in pain, right?]

[Saki: Asahi's avoidant attachment style, Minazuki's controlling and possessive nature, and my energetic, clingy, and slightly awkward personality]

[Saki: Actually, I've noticed that Aoyama-kun has been forcing himself to be around us.]

[Aoyama: Clever!]

What Izumo Saki said was exactly the pain that had been troubling him these past few days, but now that he had come to terms with it, everything seemed clear again.

He will no longer force himself, but will interact with them in a way that he prefers.

After chatting with Izumo Saki for a while, Aoyama Genji returned to his studies.

Psychology is amazing!

Occasionally, he would drift off and come to the same conclusion again.

"Saki is right. Shouldn't we go for a run along the Sumida River to release all our pent-up emotions?"

As he pondered this question, Genji Aoyama walked to the small balcony. The weather was clear tonight, and the outline of Tokyo was exceptionally clear in the shimmering night light.

"Knock knock..."

There was a knock on the door.

Oh right, I also need to deal with Yuko Asahi's problem—oh, wrong, Genji Aoyama has started to change his mindset and should no longer treat problems as problems.

Perhaps it could be described as a unique kind of charm?