Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 175 Prelude
Seeing Rinne collapse onto the piano, Shiratori Seiya abruptly stood up and rushed into the training room.

Actually, he sensed something was wrong as soon as Lingyin started playing the piano.

Although he had never dated Suzune, nor had he been as devoted to her as he had to Saori and Shion, a thought inevitably arose in his mind at that moment:

Perhaps there will be opportunities to nurture her in the future? S-level talent is one in a million, something you can only come across once in a lifetime. Are you really willing to give up this money tree? Even if you don't consider your own financial future, she is Xiyin's younger sister, and you will become family in the future. What's wrong with helping her realize her dream and achieving a win-win situation? She should be grateful to you.

Driven by various selfish or self-deceptive thoughts, Shiratori Seiya developed the idea of ​​paying attention to Rin's growth.

At least in case I end up helping her realize her dream, I don't want her to go down the wrong path.

However, he simply couldn't devote all his energy to Rin.

At that time, Shion was at a crucial stage in the rise of his career, and he was not prepared to treat Rinne the same way he had when he had won over Shion.

Fortunately, perhaps because he saved Suzune in junior high school, she had a lot of affection for him and seemed to have some interest in playing the piano.

Just a few words of praise from me would make Rin laugh happily and start training even harder.

Every Friday, as club activities were drawing to a close, Hojo Suzune would pester him to go to the conservatory room to listen to her play...

Back then, in the music room with only two people, the girl sat at the piano by the window. The evening breeze blew through the white curtains, bringing in the glow of the sunset. Her waist-length hair was blown around, and the dazzling light flowed through the strands, making it impossible for Shiratori Seiya to see her profile. However, the notes that leaped from her fingertips etched every scene of listening into his memory.

Music carries memories. Shiratori Seiya's pitch wasn't that good, and his understanding of piano playing wasn't that thorough. It's like being in a completely different field; he couldn't pinpoint exactly where the difference lay. But when he heard Suzune play that piece again, he always felt something was off...

Hojo Suzune seemed to be walking on a dilapidated sling spanning two cliffs, and with her playing, Shiratori Seiya's unease grew stronger.

Finally, with a 'bang', the rope snapped.

"Rin-ne! Rin-ne!"

Shiratori Seiya ran to the girl's side, reached out and shook her thin shoulders, grasped her slender wrist, and felt her still-beating pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I need emergency medical assistance now..."

Standing to the side, Kazumi Morimura reached into her pocket for her phone while speaking. She had actually been startled, but she wasn't an inexperienced schoolgirl, and she quickly calmed down.

"Too slow, I'll take her to the hospital now..."

Shiratori Seiya waved his hand, then bent down, reached out and picked her up to take her to the hospital.

However, just as he bent down, Hojo Suzune suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, her pale lips slightly parted near his ear.

"I'm fine, Kiyosa."

"Lingyin, you... let's go take a look first..."

"I am fine."

Hojo Suzune opened her eyes, struggled out of his arms, bit her lip, and gave him a stubborn look, saying:

“I’m different from my sister.”

Shiratori Seiya was taken aback and let go.

…………

"Shiratori-kun, is Hojo-san's health... really alright?"

After taking Suzune to the lounge and settling her in, Morimura Kazumi stood outside the door looking at Shiratori Seiya with a worried expression in her eyes.

Hojo Suzune's sudden fainting had really startled her, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

Although she could earn a good amount of money from this job, she couldn't stand it if it happened all the time. And if the child's life were in danger, not to mention whether she could bear the responsibility, even if it was found out later that she had nothing to do with it, once the negative news of "teaching someone to death" came out, she probably wouldn't be able to work peacefully until retirement.

Shiratori Seiya saw the worry in Morimura Kazumi's eyes and shook his head, saying:
"It's nothing, she just has a little low blood sugar. Lingyin is usually very healthy, but I'll take her to the hospital for a check-up in the next couple of days, so you don't need to worry."

"That's it..."

Hearing Shiratori Seiya's assurance, Morimura Kazumi breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and said:

"Then you should stay and rest well with Ms. Hojo. As for the tests and training, just call me when the time comes."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"..."

Watching Morimura Kazumi's figure disappear around the corner, Shiratori Seiya went to get two more cups of hot coffee with sugar and went into the lounge.

As soon as he entered, he saw Hojo Suzune with her hands clasped together between her knees, looking out the window. She only came to her senses when she heard the door open and turned her gaze to him.

'despair. ’

He placed a cup of coffee in front of her, then sat down beside her and said softly:

"Have a cup of coffee, it might make you feel better."

He brought Lingyin over after having breakfast in the morning, so it's unlikely he had low blood sugar, but he thought that drinking something hot would at least make him feel better.

"Ah."

Hojo Suzune nodded obediently, holding her coffee with both hands. She took a sip from the straw, then turned her head, stared into Shiratori Seiya's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said with difficulty:

"Kiyo, I really... really..." She wanted to say that she wasn't like her sister, deliberately fainting to show you.

She would never be so shameless as to use such disgusting methods to win Kiyoya's sympathy. Even the thought of making Kiyoya feel distressed would make her sad.

Meeting Lingyin's gaze, Shiratori Seiya saw through her thoughts at a glance and nodded:

"I know."

In fact, he never doubted it.

Even with Xiyin, he had no doubts at the time. Even if it was intentional, it was definitely because something went wrong in one of his actions or at some point.

When a problem arises, solve it. The important thing is to get to the root of the problem, not to blame others.

Shiratori Seiya felt that blaming others was useless except for venting emotions.

To be honest, he was more concerned about what had happened to Hojo Suzune; her behavior had been very strange since she came to Tokyo.

He had originally planned to ask about it in detail after resolving the company's issues, but the problems were erupting faster than he had anticipated.

After thinking it over, he decided to test Hojo Suzune's heart.

However, before he could speak, Hojo Suzune, seeing the trust in his eyes, blushed with happiness and smiled gently:
"Kiyo, how wonderful..."

For a fleeting moment, Hojo Suzune seemed to feel the same treatment her older sister had received from Shiratori Seiya.

However, just as a flicker of smugness crossed his mind, a voice suddenly rang in his ears: 'Are you worthy?'

Her face stiffened again.

Shiratori Seiya noticed the sudden change in her expression, frowned, and asked:
"Lingyin? What's wrong?"

Hojo Suzune quickly realized what was happening, swallowed hard, and forced a smile:
"Ah, it's okay."

As she spoke, she took another sip of coffee, cleared her throat, and looked at Shiratori Seiya, asking:

"Keizai, what have you been busy with lately? I heard from my sister that you seem to be busy starting a company?"

When asked this, Shiratori Seiya nodded and explained:
"Yes, I've been busy with that lately."

"Why did you suddenly decide to start a company? What's it about?"

Hojo Suzune bit her lip, a look of confusion flashing across her eyes.

"Actually, it's an entertainment company..."

Entertainment company...

After repeating the word twice in her mind, Hojo Suzune's eyes darkened, then she chuckled softly and said:
"An entertainment company? Is it the kind that specializes in training actors, like Mio Takahashi?"

However, to her surprise, Shiratori Seiya shook his head and said:

"No, although we were indeed planning to sign her, the company's main business is not actually related to actors for the time being..."

"Not a big deal?"

Hojo Suzune, biting her straw, stared at him with blinking eyes.

Seeing her interest, and wanting to ease the tension for the time being, Shiratori Seiya explained:
"Well, it's actually about live streaming. You should know about live streaming, right, Suzune?"

Seeing her nod her chin, Shiratori Seiya continued to explain:

"But it's not quite the same as regular live streaming; it's a virtual idol live stream."

"Virtual idol live streaming? What's that?"

When she first heard this word, Hojo Suzune's face was full of confusion.

"It's about... linking anime characters with real people. The live stream shows a custom-made anime character created by our company, but actually, a real person is behind the camera controlling this character to talk to them..."

Shiratori Seiya explained the format of live streaming and the market demand for it to Rin.

After listening, Hojo Suzune lowered her eyes, a thoughtful look in them, and then asked softly:

"Does Qingzai Company have any suitable artists in mind right now?"

"Not yet, but once the company registration certificate is issued in a couple of days, we plan to recruit people from the performing arts department."

"Oh."

Hojo Suzune's small eyes darted around, then she asked tentatively in a low voice:

"So, Kiyoya, do you think Rin could be a... virtual YouTuber?"

"?"

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya was taken aback at first, then a question mark appeared above his head, and he frowned and said directly:
Why are you doing that?

……
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(End of this chapter)