The premise of breaking up in Tokyo

"Mikoto has a boyfriend?" Katsuhiko turned to look at Mikoto, who was lying on the table and peeking in their direction, and raised his voice to ask, "When did this happen?"

Katsuhiko was habitually suspicious, and he knew that in Mikoto's case it was a "bad habit," since he could tell from his interactions with Mikoto that she was honest.

But since I've already fallen into this "bad habit," I won't feel at ease unless I get to the bottom of it.

At the dining table, Mikoto buried her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling. She probably felt jealous and was secretly laughing to herself.

Hmm, we can add the act of "jealousy" to our daily conversations from now on. For example, Little Lily, who is prone to feeling insecure, would really benefit from this; it should really tickle her sore spot.

"She told me the day before yesterday afternoon," Xiaobaihe said, still keeping her head down. "If her boyfriend saw you pinching her chin like that, he'd definitely misunderstand..."

"I'll be more careful from now on..." Katsuhiko replied casually, then asked, "Have you eaten?"

When Sayuri woke up in the morning, she saw the note left by Katsuhiko and rushed over. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

The store has been cleaned up now.

Mikoto only sat for a short while. After easing the awkwardness, she said she was fine and then urged Katsuhiko to take Sayuri out to eat. She needed to close the shop and go home to take care of Chinatsu...

Mikoto hopped on her bicycle and sped off.

Little Lily stared, somewhat dazed.

Katsuhiko took her little hand and walked towards the breakfast stall across the street, saying, "Let's go to the flea market after we eat."

Katsuhiko bought Sayuri a Japanese omelet, but Sayuri didn't seem to have much of an appetite and could only eat half of it before she couldn't eat anymore, so Katsuhiko ate the other half.

It's only a 10-minute walk from Okubo 2-chome to the flea market in Shinjuku Central Park, so there's no need to take the subway.

Katsuhiko continued to hold Sayuri's hand and slowly walked along the pedestrian street in that direction.

On the second day of the Golden Week holiday, not many people were at work. It was only 7:30 a.m., and there weren't many pedestrians on the pedestrian street.

In the garden on the right, rows of cherry trees have already finished blooming, and clusters of emerald green leaves adorn their branches.

Sayuri linked arms with Katsuhiko's with one hand, while idly fiddling with the green leaves that brushed past her head with the other.

"husband……"

Little Lily suddenly let out a faint, hesitant sound.

It's coming, it's coming, it's coming... A strong sense of foreboding instantly rose in Katsuhiko's heart. He slowly turned his head to look at Sayuri.

Little Lily kept her head down and asked softly, "Do you...do you like me...?"

"I love you! I love you! I love you to the core!" Sheng Yan exclaimed, his scalp tingling. "I won't marry anyone but you! I won't marry anyone but you!"

Sayuri seemed startled; her shoulders trembled, she clung tightly to Katsuhiko's arm, and quickly glanced around, her face flushing pink. She whispered, "Don't be so loud, it's so embarrassing."

"No! Love should be said out loud." Katsuhiko's head was buzzing; he felt like he was in a state of stress. "I won't marry anyone but you!"

"Hmm..." Sayuri tilted her head slightly, leaning against Katsuhiko's arm, a slight smile on her lips, and murmured softly as if to herself, "I...I also...I won't marry anyone but you..."

Katsuhiko cautiously glanced at Sayuri's face; she seemed lost in her own thoughts, she'd probably calm down soon...

The two strolled into the park, and seeing the bustling crowd, Katsuhiko's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled back into his stomach.

Next, browse the stalls and select various secondhand goods.

Xiaobaihe showed great interest and was very perceptive about the prices of secondhand goods, even going so far as to haggle.

She often goes to flea markets with her mother, and most of her daily necessities and clothes are also found at second-hand markets.

Katsuhiko was quite pleased and pleasantly surprised by this; she was so good at managing money and had a knack for business.

The current target for purchasing items is various game cards, collectible records, photo books, and autographs. However, since Sheng Yan already went through the entire stock yesterday, he didn't buy much more.

Mikoto Convenience Store has various small tools for displaying counters and appraising goods on its shelves, such as shelves and safes, which you can also use directly.

As noon approached, the two got tired of walking and rested on a park bench.

Xiaobaihe lowered her head, clutching the half-bag of game cards she had just bought. While fiddling with the cards, she glanced at Shengyan's face and whispered, "Honey, do you like...?"

Here we go again… Katsuhiko’s hair stood on end, and he quickly said, “Mikoto’s convenience store has already vacated half of its area. Next, we’ll start setting up the play area. As for how to set it up, it’s up to you. I’m going to give you that store and let you take over. All the profits are yours, and you won’t have to pay rent to Mikoto. Do you like it?”

"Huh?" Sayuri turned her head and opened her mouth. "You're giving this to me?"

"Yes, yes, it's a gift for you, so you can be the boss." Sheng Yan nodded eagerly, then continued, "Mikoto wants to partner with you. After the holiday, you and she can go together to get a business license, add your name to it, and you two can combine your businesses to run the store together, each owning half the assets. Do you like that?"

"Huh?" Sayuri blinked, seemingly thinking. After a while, she asked uncertainly, "Then, didn't we take advantage of Manager Mikoto a lot? She... she's at a huge disadvantage. She... she agreed?"

"How could she possibly suffer a loss? Her convenience store is on the verge of closing down. We're using our gaming business to drive traffic to it; we're helping her."

"But can't she cook for herself?" Sayuri still looked thoughtful. "And she doesn't charge us rent..."

Katsuhiko felt that if he let her think about it any longer, she would start to doubt his relationship with Mikoto again, so he immediately raised his voice and said, "Why are you considering her? We're the closest people. If I don't tell her how, how can she do it? Besides, she's in debt right now, so she doesn't have the means to do it even if she wanted to."

"So, would you say we took advantage of someone in a vulnerable situation?"

Sayuri, as if doing something naughty for the first time, cautiously glanced around before saying, "After all, even half of the shop space would cost several million yen in rent..."

Mikoto's convenience store is indeed in a great location, close to a commercial district, surrounded by office buildings, a university, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Central Park... Thinking about it this way, Mikoto's debts are almost insignificant. After all, she has no mortgage on her house, and the store is still her own property. She is a single rich woman with no money on hand. Of course, real estate prices have dropped significantly, so selling it would be a loss.

"Anyway, the lease is already signed. I give her 1 yen a month for rent, and she's all smiles." Katsuhiko said dismissively, interrupting Sayuri before she could say anything more, "We're so poor we can barely afford food. If we want to make big money, how can we not rip off a few people?"

Sayuri lowered her head and whispered, "It's just... I feel really indebted to Manager Mikoto..."

"If you keep thinking about her, why don't you go and live with her!"

"No," Sayuri grabbed Katsuhiko's arm, tears welling in her eyes, "I'll definitely listen to you..."

"That's alright," Sheng Yan said, tilting his head with a stern face. "When the shops merge, you two will each own half. You'll both be the owners, so there's no question of you owing anything. If you feel indebted, take care of Chinatsu for her and don't let the child interfere with her work."

"All right……"

"Let's go," Katsuhiko said, picking up a half-bag of game cards. "Let's go eat."

Sayuri quickly caught up with him, then hugged Katsuhiko's arm and whispered, "I remember today is Mikoto's birthday, and I want to buy her a birthday present."

When Sayuri first entered university, she worked part-time at a convenience store and had already given Mikoto three birthday gifts.

Today is May 1st, the third day of the Golden Week holiday.

"It's her birthday?" Katsuhiko raised an eyebrow and asked, "What birthday present are you going to give her?"

I want to give her a kimono...

For the first three times, Sayuri made handmade crafts or postcards herself, since she was a poor student, and Mikoto was very happy.

However, things are different now. I'm in my graduation internship period. Although I don't have a formal job yet, I'm no longer a student girl. Besides, I have a boyfriend now. Yesterday, Mikoto gave me a kimono worth tens of thousands of yen. This time, I need to choose a gift carefully.

Katsuhiko recalled that Mikoto's wardrobe was full of old clothes, so giving her a new outfit would indeed be quite appropriate.

The two had a simple lunch at a sushi restaurant in the shopping street. After leaving, they paid for a custom birthday cake at a shop next door. While the staff was making the cake, they went to the kimono shop next door. After buying the clothes, they waited quietly at the cake shop for an hour.

Sayuri was a little embarrassed because her savings were running out. Katsuhiko directly subsidized two-thirds of her expenses and also bought Mikoto a lucky cat-shaped piggy bank and Chinatsu a calligraphy workbook at a craft shop next door. She should be very happy.

"I used to celebrate Misaka's birthday by going directly to her house. Now that she has a boyfriend, should we call her and ask?"

Around 2:30 p.m., the two arrived at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Sayuri suddenly remembered this matter and looked up to ask Katsuhiko.

"Let's go get one!"

Katsuhiko casually pointed to a public phone booth by the roadside, took the bag of clothes from Sayuri's hand, placed the birthday cake on a bench by the roadside, and said, "Go make the call, I'll wait for you here."

A little while later, Xiaobaihe came back after finishing her phone call.

When she first walked over, her face was full of anticipation and excitement, but when she came back, she looked completely lost.

"What's wrong?" Katsuhiko asked.

"It seems like Manager Mikoto has broken up with her boyfriend," Sayuri said, her eyes wide with worry. "I asked her if her boyfriend would celebrate her birthday, and she said he was too busy taking care of so many people and didn't have time to celebrate it for her..."

Not having time for my once-a-year birthday is probably just an excuse.

"Really?" Katsuhiko glanced at her dismissively and asked, "What are you worried about?"

"I shouldn't have asked. I hadn't even finished speaking when she hung up, saying she had to hurry up and cook... She must be heartbroken right now."

"I'll go comfort her now, I'm off."

Mikoto's house and Kenta's house were separated by only one alley. Katsuhiko deliberately walked through the alley in front of Kenta's house. The gate with festive couplets was locked, there was no sound in the courtyard, the windows on the second floor of the house were closed, and there were no clothes hanging on the balcony. It seemed that no one was there at all.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Mikoto's house and Sayuri rang the doorbell.

"Welcome, welcome, come in!"

Mikoto opened the door with a smile, but when her eyes met Sayuri's gaze, she seemed a little uneasy...

She wore a light purple cotton kimono with a white apron tied around her chest, her waist was slender, and her bust swayed.

They should be busy in the kitchen.

Chika was leaning on the kitchen windowsill, holding a golden-brown fried chicken leg in her hand, waving at this side, her little face smeared with oil.

"Manager Mikoto..."

Sayuri bowed to Mikoto first, then followed Mikoto into the room, cautiously glancing at her face and sensing that Mikoto was forcing a smile.

After changing her shoes and walking into the living room, Xiaobaihe saw a table full of dishes and two bottles of vodka on the dining table next door. She became even more certain of her guess: they were probably planning to binge eat and drink to relieve their anxiety.

Because food was being prepared in the kitchen, Mikoto hurriedly went into the kitchen after a brief greeting.

Sayuri leaned close to Katsuhiko, looked at the kitchen, and whispered, "Shall I go help out in the kitchen? Manager Mikoto seems really sad."

Sheng Yan had just sat down on the sofa when he reached for an orange in the fruit bowl on the coffee table. He paused, then turned to ask, "She's practically beaming with joy. How can you tell she's sad?"

"I always felt that she was pretending to be strong..."

"Really?" Katsuhiko peeled the orange, broke off a slice, and held it to Sayuri's lips. "Then you should go in and comfort her!"

"Um."

Little Lily bit into an orange segment, quickly swallowed it, and quietly walked towards the kitchen.

Chika dashed out of the kitchen and headed straight for the cake...

Mikoto was facing away from the kitchen door, stirring miso soup with a spoon while humming a nursery rhyme...

"Manager Mikoto, is there anything else I can help you with?" Sayuri asked softly.

When I used to come to Mikoto's house, Sayuri would always help with the cooking, so I could eat there without having to eat at the cafeteria.

"Oh, could you chop up this radish for me?" Mikoto's shoulders suddenly trembled, but she said it as if she were trying to sound relaxed.

"Okay," Sayuri washed her hands at the sink, then picked up the kitchen knife and the clean carrots from the cutting board. She glanced at Mikoto again and whispered, "Um, did you...did you break up with your boyfriend?"

"No!" Mikoto blinked and continued, "He's busy with work and doesn't have time to celebrate my birthday with me."

"Oh..." Little Lily lowered her head and started cutting the carrot.

Mikoto secretly turned her head and stole another glance at Sayuri's face.

When she came in, she seemed hesitant and at a loss, so I thought Shengyan had confessed. Turns out she thought I had broken up with my boyfriend... Well, that's a relief.

It was really scary to be caught off guard by her this morning...

"Don't overthink it. My relationship with my boyfriend is great, similar to my relationship with you and Mr. Takenaka. We're in the honeymoon phase, I guess!"

"Oh, that's good..."

Sayuri put the chopped carrots into the steamer, then glanced at Mikoto again.

Mikoto winked at her very "calmly," picked up a piece of fried chicken, and held it to Sayuri's lips.

Sayuri took a bite of the fried chicken, then glanced at Mikoto's face again, realizing she had indeed been overthinking things.

While eating fried chicken, she asked, "When is your boyfriend free? The four of us can have a meal together."

"Hmm—" Mikoto tilted her head, glancing at the ceiling as if deep in thought, then said, "It probably won't be long, but he's very busy... We'll see!"

Mikoto knew that, given Katsuhiko's personality, he couldn't keep it a secret for long.

She hoped to keep it a secret for as long as possible, and once Sayuri found out, she would immediately "pretend to break off relations" with Katsuhiko. After that, every time she was discovered, she would "pretend to break off relations" again...

As for "boyfriend," just use that as an excuse. After all, she has a boyfriend; how could she possibly be having an affair with him? It's just a misunderstanding...