Tokyo: Who would still fall in love after being spoiled?

Chapter 59: Everything about helping him pursue Amano was a conspiracy

Until the movie was over, Asakura said goodbye to him in front of the cinema, but she couldn't tell him why she came to see him.

Perhaps she was waiting for him to speak first, or perhaps she felt that he was powerless, or perhaps she herself was still trapped in the vortex of yes and no.

From his perspective, there was no reason for him to interfere with her choice.

This time he watched a movie about terminal illness literature. The story line was simple and the ending was tear-jerking. He would probably remember it for five to ten years - the last time he watched a movie, he had even forgotten the good theme song.

When he woke up the next day, he found a new discussion group on Line, which included him, Amano, Sakurai and Natori.

It's called "listening attentively", which is inexplicable.

[Natori: That way we'll have enough people to apply to the student council for a club!]
There was a burst of cheers in the discussion group—all of them were emoticons sent by Natori and Sakurai.

Finally, Amano also posted a picture exactly the same as Sakurai's.

Only he is still in the dark, as if he has fallen into a trap they have planned for a long time.

[Inoue: Club?]
[Natori: Ahem—I just suddenly remembered the club rules at Kita-Sakura High School, just kidding.]
Absolutely not.

[Inoue: What is "Listen attentively"?]
[Natori: Ah…]
It seems that she is not the mastermind of the trap.

[Amano: Literally. Even if Inoue-san doesn't know the four-character phrase, he should be able to understand it just by looking at the word combinations, right? Would you like to relearn the meanings of the words with the orphanage's Chinese teacher?]
This person might have been deceived into coming here, and then he holds a grudge against the other person for treating him as a mental patient, and wants to drag him into the quagmire with ulterior motives.

[Sakurai: Ahh! You can understand this as the theme of this welfare home event!]
It must be her.

This boy is truly scheming. He appears harmless, but I'm afraid he had already planned everything quietly when he agreed to help him pursue Amano.

[Inoue: So what exactly is a club?]
He was a little angry and issued an ultimatum.

[Inoue: Don't worry, I won't quit.]
Takeda knocked on the door outside, indicating that he had washed up and was ready to go out for a morning run.

"I'm not going today either! No need to wait for me." He responded.

"You haven't run since summer vacation!" Takeda said angrily, "Lazy pig Inoue!"

"I have something to do today," he explained.

"There's something going on every day!" Takeda left unhappily.

The discussion group fell silent for a moment. Natori must have privately chatted with Sakurai to think of a solution.

[Natori: We plan to establish a non-profit organization, starting with the Kita-Sakura High School club. The tentative name for the organization is "Listening Ears."]
After discussion, they decided to let the only third-year senior student speak.

Natori: Club activities generally involve organizing charity performances at welfare homes and nursing homes, performing at public elementary school festivals, and helping kids like Kimura-san and Kato-san who are struggling due to family circumstances...
[Natori: We're all currently in the piano club, so music is the only area we're relatively familiar with and can contribute to.]
[Natori: If we expand into other areas in the future, a name like "Listen" will no longer be quite appropriate.]
[Natori: Actually, there's nothing wrong with the club itself. We just want to make a name for ourselves, spread the word that "there's actually such an organization in the world," and attract more students from other schools and interested people in society...]
Natori-senpai became more and more excited as she spoke, and she made great plans for him in the discussion group.

[Natori: From Kita-Sakurasaku High School to all of Tokyo, from Tokyo to Kanto, then to Japan, and even the whole world!]
[Leaving the discussion group]
He put his phone aside and started getting dressed.

The group emanated the stench of youth, cherry blossoms, ideals... the stench of all things vibrant, a stench that made him subconsciously want to avoid even the slightest bit of it. He dressed, washed up, and traded his points for a buttered bun, eating as he walked out the door.

Sakurai pulled him back to the discussion group and felt wronged.

[Sakurai: We didn’t agree not to leave!]
[Inoue: I also told Amano-san that I was a Cybertronian, a human form of Ultraman, and a psychopath in Ami Dormitory. I've told countless lies, so why would this be the worst?]
As he walked towards the tram stop, it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't even know the approximate address of the orphanage.

[Amano: Are they all lies? I always thought that "mentally ill people" were real.]
Amano was taking advantage of the situation in the discussion group, as if his presence or absence didn't matter to her.

[Sakurai: Even if it's just a figurehead then! I don't want Inoue-kun to do anything about it.]
Sakurai quickly spoke up to remedy the situation and began to make amends.

[Sakurai: It was my fault for lying to you. I will find a way to make it up to you in the future!]
[Natori: Let's at least take a look at today's event... Didn't Inoue-san promise?]
[Sakurai: Well…]
People who have something to hide will come out on their own after the truth is revealed.

[Natori: Sakurai...]
[......]
He scanned his card and walked into the tram station. While waiting for the train, he looked through the records of the messages between Sakurai and Natori in the "Early Listening" discussion group. He took the initiative to speak and interrupted the ongoing organizational program education and Sakurai criticism meeting.

[Inoue: Address.]
[Natori:! ! Sumida Ward...]
He cut out the map and found that the welfare home was not far from the station where he was now.

[Inoue: Twenty minutes.]
[Natori: Thank you!]
[Natori: (Rabbit bows)]
This series of emoticons is very popular recently?

He put away his phone and followed the crowd onto the tram that would pass near the orphanage. He sat down next to a middle-aged man who was reading a newspaper and eating bread, and habitually glanced at him.

He had short hair, thick glasses, and a suit that was a little wrinkled from washing, with bread crumbs clinging carelessly to his collar and scattered on the newspaper.

The newspaper headlines revealed the latest political gossip, and the sidebar next to the headlines read, "Anime cosplayer announces his candidacy for the next Bunkyo Ward council election."

The phone message alert sounded again.

He checked his messages while turning his phone to silent.

[Takeda: Yakisoba bread is so awful! I don’t understand how anyone could like it.]
Fried noodles bread?

[Takeda: The bakery near the boarding house said all the cream bread and red bean bread were sold out today, leaving only the fried noodle bread. What bad luck!]
[Inoue: It's nice to have a change of taste.]
[Takeda: That’s not enough! ]
He looked at the message, waited a moment until a few lines of light flashed before his eyes, and then responded.

[Inoue: Go two blocks north from the boarding house and turn east onto the commercial street. There's a bakery at the intersection of the commercial street and another north-south street.]
[Inoue: I'm selling rose lemon cream croissants, 150 yen each.]
[Inoue: They also have almond or chocolate glaze, 120 yen.]
[Takeda: Delicious?]
[Inoue: It's delicious. And buy three, get one free.]
He spoke with certainty.

After reading his message, Takeda did not respond.

As the train was about to arrive at the station in Sumida Ward, several lines of light flashed before his eyes again.

【mission completed】

[Reward: 500 points]

Well, let’s treat Takeda to a big meal later.

　Thanks to Yumo for the 1000-point reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)