I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 309 The Non-existent Attraction

"The end of life is destruction!"

"If we do not believe in the glory of the Lord, all of humanity will be doomed!"

"Join us and let the Lord lead us to a truly bright future, so that all these superficial interests and the privileges of the rich may be destroyed!"

At the subway station entrance, a group of people who appeared to be mentally unstable were preaching their doctrines.

There were also young girls in their prime, dragging suitcases, looking exhausted, like stray cats waiting for someone to take them home.

During his years in Shōri, Tsukino Gen had become accustomed to all sorts of strange and unusual things.

For him, every extra day he lives is a joy, because there's a very high chance he might witness something earth-shattering that he's never seen before the next day.

The world is like a runaway carriage. It may seem to be moving normally on the road, but you don't know which direction it will go next.

Just like one's own life.

In fact, Gen Tsukino was never sure which direction his life should take. People said he was a person with a very firm direction, but he never felt that way at all.

I've always lived the way I want wherever I go. If that kind of life makes me uncomfortable, then fine, I'll change my lifestyle.

For example, leaving an orphanage instead of choosing to rely on anyone else to provide a family.

It's also because I feel that if I were to enter a family, even though we have no kinship, I would still have to pretend to be harmonious and filial, be grateful for their kindness, accept the constraints of the family, and accept their arrangements.

This doesn't make any sense.

If you can support yourself, you don't need to rely on others much, and that's how we've managed all these years.

Having reached this point in my life, I've recently found myself in a state of somewhat contentment.

It's a bit different from the state of being content with what you have.

It's like knowing definitively that you've finally reached a certain stage in your life, where you don't need to put in any more effort, and there's very little to look forward to. So it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

How do we define it?
Perhaps they feel they've had enough of being alone, and having someone to accompany them is indeed a good thing. If the person accompanying you can also frequently bring you surprises, then that's even more precious.

It was supposed to be a normal weekend, but I had no choice but to go out because I had promised to do something.

Going out around dinnertime is a bit of a hassle.

The gloom of autumn evenings can easily induce drowsiness and make it difficult to concentrate. No matter how much Tsukino Gen cultivates or how profound his inner strength is, some normal physiological reactions still exist.

Without concentrating, you might not even realize if someone took an unflattering photo of you on the subway.

Just as we were about to arrive at the station, I received a somewhat unexpected phone call.

[Ayaka Miura called].

Ayaka Miura's contact information was left by her when she last came to see Mizuki Kiyono.

At the time, I didn't have many ways to refuse. Even though I didn't want to get too involved, I had a good relationship with Kiyono Mizuki and we were classmates. I should give him some face.

Why are you making a phone call at this hour? We're almost home.

"Hey?"

However, she still answered the phone.

"Hey, Tsukino."

The woman's gentle voice came from inside. Her gentleness was peculiar, unlike Kazama Sakura's energetic, playful, and sweet voice.

It's not like Mochizuki Miki, who would act a little strange, deliberately seducing herself with affected affectation.

It's not like Saionji Karen, who always speaks to me in a gentle tone as if she has some trouble to bring me, or as if she wants my help.

Miura Ayaka gave him the feeling of being an old friend he had known for many years, a familiar and comforting feeling. But the problem was that he and she were not old friends at all, and he had only known her for a relatively short time.

If this ability to make friends naturally is considered excellent, then it's quite remarkable.

"What's up?"

"You were coming over, weren't you? I was going to come and pick you up."

That's what the other party said.

Looking out the subway window at the scenery gradually slowing down, Tsukino Gen naturally walked to the doorway.

"I'm almost at my subway stop, what are you coming to pick me up for?"

"Huh? I thought you were still at home. Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"Because I don't want to trouble you, and the journey isn't long, it's just a subway ride away, there's no need to go through all that trouble."

"But I've already set off."

"Then why don't you just turn around?"

"Anyway, it's still a distance to home by subway. Just wait for me at the subway station, I'll be right there."

"Really, I don't need it. Hello? Hello, hello?"

The call has been disconnected.

Why do women always use this sudden phone call tactic to get people to comply? What if you don't listen to them?

There are things you can't always say politely. It would be good to offer some advice, but I don't want to bother you. If you really want to, there's nothing I can do. Tsukino Gen doesn't like this method of simply hanging up and forcing the other person to comply.

But he did indeed stand obediently at the subway station entrance and start waiting.

During that time, five girls came to chat with them, and three men also came.

There's no way around it; young and handsome boys not only attract girls, but they're also more likely to run into lewd and perverted older men. Fortunately, Tsukino Gen's gaze is now a little more serious, making him seem less intimidating and more like a naive, innocent boy.

Finally, the familiar car pulled up onto the street outside the subway station. Tsukino Gen walked over and instinctively tried to open the back door, but the driver's side window rolled down.

"Why go?"

Ayaka Miura's bright and beautiful face was revealed.

The young woman was actually the same age as Kiyono Mizuki, but her natural气质 (qi zhi, a kind of refined elegance or poise) made her appear more mature. Her delicate features, combined with a subtle yet appealing makeup look, made her even more striking.

Her long rose-gold hair had faded slightly, but it seemed to have been complemented with other colors, leaning more towards a bluish hue, giving it a hazy, ethereal beauty.

It must be said that people who have studied abroad have a certain aesthetic sense; being aware of one's own beauty is a fine quality.

"Get in the car?"

"Then why did you open the back door?"

she asked rhetorically.

Instead, Tsukino Gen was dumbfounded by the question. Given their relationship, shouldn't he be sitting in the back seat? It would make him seem very gentlemanly.

Could it be that I thought wrong?
"Otherwise, which door should I open? Should I drive the car?"

"Pfft. The passenger seat. I locked the back and put some junk in there, so you can't sit there. Just sit in the passenger seat."

Gen Tsukino glanced at the other person, but didn't insist and opened the passenger door anyway.

As soon as you open it, you can smell her fragrance. It's not strong, but it's real, fresh, and elegant, which fits her persona perfectly.

While fastening his seatbelt, Tsukino Gen glanced at the back seat. Sure enough, there were some packages there, probably from deliveries. He could actually fit in if he really wanted to, but there was no point in dwelling on it now.

However, Tsukino Gen's extremely subtle movements were noticed by the woman beside him.

The woman wearing a white T-shirt as an inner layer and a light blue shirt as an outer layer today has a very capable and efficient demeanor.

As he stepped on the gas while looking ahead, he said, "There are some delivery drivers behind us. I'm not lying to you, and I don't mean to force you to sit in the passenger seat."

The boy, caught in the act, coughed slightly in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean it that way, I just subconsciously felt it was impolite to sit in the passenger seat."

"Why are you being impolite?"

The car started smoothly, and Ayaka Miura seemed quite skilled at it.

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment and replied, "Probably because you're a girl, and we're not that familiar with each other."

“I don’t think there’s any connection. You’re just too concerned about the distance between people. Like many of my colleagues at the company, they always want to sit in the passenger seat.”

"Really? You're quite popular."

"No, that's not it. After all, I rejected them all. Even if I were popular, there would still be some gossip about me behind my back, right?"

"Why did you refuse? You've only been back in the country for a short time. Shouldn't you be trying to build good relationships with your colleagues?"

At this moment, Ayaka Miura turned her head slightly to look at Gen Tsukino.

"Because not just anyone can sit in my passenger seat. I'm more tolerant of women, but not men."

"I'm not a boy?"

"Hahahaha." Ayaka Miura laughed lightly, then said, "Of course you are, and you're the guy my best friend likes. So in that respect, you're special, and you're more tolerant."

"I don't understand what you girls are thinking."

Gen Tsukino looked out the car window and answered calmly.

Ayaka Miura shook her head. "On the contrary, I think you understand girls too well, which is why your answers are often unpleasant to people."

"Isn't that crazy? Deliberately saying things that people don't like."

"Of course it's not that you're sick, it's just that you don't want to get involved with any girl, so you selectively say things that people find annoying to create distance. Like me."

This simple statement, which sounded more like self-deprecation, left Tsukino Gen silent for a moment.

Finally, he turned his head to look at the woman's beautiful profile.

"Before, Sister Ayaka, you pretended to know nothing, as if you had just returned to the country and were unfamiliar with everything. What's wrong with you now? Have you adapted so quickly?"

Ayaka Miura's lips involuntarily curled up slightly.

She didn't answer immediately, but hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Maybe so. So, between that version of me and the version of me now, which do you prefer?"

"Oh, I don't like you. I mean, the kind of liking a man has for a woman, as a friend I do like."

"You're really avoiding suspicion thoroughly. Is it that I'm truly not to your liking, or is it because of Mizuki that you don't want to get involved with other women? But that doesn't make sense, you've been involved with quite a few already. Even the young lady of the Asagiri family couldn't escape it."

It was as if they were listing the boy's crimes.

However, Gen Tsukino's reaction to this was calm, even cold and harsh.

"I'm not afraid of flirting. If I like someone, can't escape them, or don't want to miss out, I won't let go. If you absolutely need a reason..."

"That means you're not attractive to me at all."

……

(End of this chapter)