Tokyo: My Girlfriend

A week later, it was a rare treat to see Rena cooking for me in person again.

Even though Shinichi Kitagawa was already full.

A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was fiddling with a spatula, making a dish of ginger-braised pork that Shinichi Kitagawa loved most.

Serve it on the dining table.

Shinichi Kitagawa picked up his chopsticks and addressed the preoccupied Rena Kitagawa, "Shall I begin?"

He picked up a bite and put it in his mouth, looking quite pleased: "It tastes like Rena's cooking. I'm so glad I got to taste Rena's cooking again."

"Can't we break up?"

One sentence left Kitagawa Shinichi speechless, causing the atmosphere, which had just begun to calm down, to drop even further.

Rena Kitagawa's heartfelt words:

"Her name is Haruhi Hina, right? She seems older than you? What's so great about a woman like that? I don't understand why you insist on having a girlfriend. I can't figure out the point of what you're doing... or why you're happy about it. What is it about that woman that you see in her?"

"You'll know when Rena finds someone she likes in the future."

The other person's words left Kitagawa Rena speechless, and she frowned as she stared at Kitagawa Shinichi.

However, Shinichi Kitagawa had a faint smile on his face:

"It's hard for me to explain this feeling, but liking someone doesn't really need a reason or any special meaning. It might just be that we're attracted to each other, or that we're compatible. After all, even though I could give a lot of reasons, I doubt Rena would believe them..."

Reina Kitagawa stared straight at him: "Is it about H? Is it because you can do H things with her?" If it's just that kind of thing, then I'm perfectly fine with it...

Shinichi Kitagawa picked up another bite of food: "That's why I said I couldn't explain it to you. After all, Rena doesn't know what it feels like to like someone."

Rena Kitagawa suddenly laughed, her eyes welling up with tears:

"Why do you have to act so mature? Shin-ichi is always like this. Even though he's only a few months older than me, he acts like he knows everything, while I know nothing. How much does Shin-ichi really know about me? How do you know what I feel?"

"So what are your feelings? Just say it."

Rena Kitagawa's eyes trembled, and her pale lips seemed to want to say something but couldn't.

Shinichi Kitagawa sighed, "See? You don't even know how you feel, do you? Because you're unsure, you can't say it, or... are you afraid that if you say something, I'll leave you or something? Is Rena that timid?"

Shinichi Kitagawa questioned the other party:

"Rena, we've known each other for over three years. I've said countless times that I will never leave you. No matter what career I pursue in the future, who I'm with, or whether our relationship changes, I will never abandon you. But ask yourself honestly, do you truly trust me?"

Rena Kitagawa's tears fell onto the table; her heart ached terribly.

"We're already dating, what's the point of talking about trust... In this era where even fathers can abandon their own daughters, Shin-il and I are just childhood sweethearts. Maybe it would be better if we were really siblings, then you would never abandon me, right?"

"Is that really true? Just because we're real siblings doesn't mean we'll never separate! It's not like that at all! These so-called relationships are just a medium; ultimately, it's just between people..."

Rena Kitagawa really doesn't understand:

"What is it? What kind of relationship is needed for two people to never have a reason to separate? I just want Shin to stay with me, I just want some security, why is it so difficult!"

"I... will never leave you again." Shinichi Kitagawa stared quietly at the plate of braised pork with ginger, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "How many more times do I have to say it before you understand?"

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh: "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be talking to you like this. I can't be too hasty. Can you cook for me again tomorrow night?"

Shinichi Kitagawa picked up another bite of food and said with a smile, "Although Kana's food is quite delicious, it's not as good as Rena's to my liking. I'm getting tired of eating fast food all week. Can't you grant my request, brother? Please, my dear Rena."

Rena Kitagawa also stared at the plate of pork:

"I understand... but no matter what, I still won't support you being with that Haruna. How could a complete stranger like Shinichi genuinely like him? It's just a temporary deception."

"You'll understand sooner or later, Hina is a very good person."

Rena Kitagawa got up and left: "I'm going back to my room..."

Kitagawa Shinichi spoke up: "By the way, how about we go out for a walk tonight? The moon is really nice tonight, and it must be boring staying in the room all the time, right? I'll take you around Kabasaki Town on my bicycle."

Rena Kitagawa stopped in her tracks, remaining silent.

It's considered an implicit agreement.

After a week of no contact, the girl longed to be closer to Shinichi Kitagawa. Even though they had just had a fight, she felt that he was angry because he didn't want to leave her, not because he wanted to push her away.

Under the quiet yet bright moonlight, Shinichi Kitagawa rode his bicycle, while Rena Kitagawa, holding a black rabbit doll in one hand, hugged Shinichi Kitagawa's waist from behind.

Shinichi Kitagawa, gripping the handle, turned slightly and said, "Hold on tight. The road here isn't smooth. You should have learned your lesson last time, right?"

"Um."

Rena Kitagawa then wrapped her arms around Shinichi Kitagawa, pressing her face against his back, feeling the warmth and scent of his body.

Her long silver hair swayed in her white dress.

The girl's eyes were filled with sorrow, but within that sorrow was also a faint joy at her brother's lifelessness.

She herself couldn't really explain how she was feeling right now.

Perhaps she just hoped that there would be more moments like this, and that they could last longer. Maybe holding Shin-il forever and walking on like this without end was the scene she longed for most.

--------

"Oh, Haruna, don't drink too much, or you'll never get married."

In a two-story building in Tokyo, Haruna Kasuga, dressed in blue loungewear, sat at the dining table. Since Shinichi Kitagawa couldn't see her this week, Haruna Kasuga decided to visit her parents after the celebration party.

"Ah~ beer before dinner is the best drink, and Mom, I'm not worried about that at all." Haruhi Hina winked at her mother with a grin.

The middle-aged woman was somewhat surprised: "What do you mean?"

The father, with a kind face, also came over and asked excitedly, "Could it be that our Haruna has someone she likes?"

Haruhi Hina blushed instantly and shushed, "It's a secret. I'll tell Mom and Dad when the time is right."

The parents were surprised and delighted that their precious daughter actually had a boyfriend.

You see, Haruhi Hina's marriage has always been a worry for them, because their daughter's appearance and character are not bad at all, but she has never been in a relationship for so many years, which always makes them worry about the reasons. Fortunately, it seems that it was all unnecessary now.

Dad said, "By the way, Haruna, next week is Mom and Dad's 15th wedding anniversary. We're planning to travel abroad then."

Yang Cai understood and ate her food, saying, "I understand. I won't bother you then. But time flies. It's been fifteen years since we were a family."

The mother smiled as she served food to her husband, saying, "The happiest thing for me is meeting your father. Life has been wonderful ever since."

Haruhi Hina firmly believed this, because her mother didn't seem to have aged much.

After dinner, Haruhi Hina went to the refrigerator and found two more bottles of beer. Her mother remembered something:

"By the way, Haruna, do you want to throw away those boxes under your bed? I see they're full of useless little things. You haven't bothered with them since you moved out. If you don't want them, Mom will throw them away. I'm planning to do a thorough cleaning of the house soon."

"A box? I'll go see what's inside! If it's useless, I'll just throw it away." Haruhi Hina returned to her bedroom, turned on the light, and pulled out a large box from under her bed.

Inside, there were mostly toys for teenagers, like hair ties, keychains, Pokémon cards, and the like.

It's practically a compilation of the little girl's past.

Haruhi Hina rummaged through the items and felt a flood of memories. She took out a few of the more sentimental items and set them aside as souvenirs, intending to throw away the rest. However, she unexpectedly found a wallet inside.

I picked it up to examine it, wondering, "What is this? This isn't my wallet, is it?"

I remember now, it's from Dad! It was one of the little gifts he gave me when I first met him.

I miss those days so much. Back then, my dad and mom had just met. At first, I had some reservations, but I found out that my dad was actually a really good person.

I opened the wallet and rummaged through every nook and cranny. I felt a hidden compartment on the inside of the wallet, and there seemed to be a small card inside.

Find the hidden zipper, pull it out, and you'll find it looks like a miniature photo.

The photo shows a little girl with silver hair wearing a white dress staring at the camera. She looks to be only three or four years old and is incredibly cute with her blank expression.

Haruhi Hina's pupils trembled: "Could this photo be... of my father's former daughter?"

She quickly got up, closed the door, took out her phone, and immediately called Kyoko Tamura, her voice filled with surprise:

"Hey Xingzi! I think I accidentally found a photo of that mother and daughter's daughter. She's a little girl with silver hair. Yes, yes! See if you can follow this clue to find her."

The next day, inside the consulting firm, Kyoko Tamura, wearing high heels and black stockings, crossed her legs.

"Huh? So cute! Silver-white hair, it's really quite distinctive. So your ex-wife was mixed race? No wonder she moved to Finland after the divorce."

Haruhi asked excitedly, "So, have you found them yet? Can you find out about the mother and daughter as soon as possible?"

Kyoko Tamura gave a perfunctory smile as she looked at her best friend, and after careful consideration, replied:

"Okay, to be honest, my friend actually found the girl in the photo's contact information yesterday. But I have to warn you, it's best not to mess with her, it will only bring trouble."

"Huh? What do you mean? If you found it yesterday, why didn't you tell me?"

"Literally, my intention was not to tell you." Kyoko Tamura placed the photo on the table and explained her reasoning.

"The mother and daughter don't seem to be happy after their uncle abandoned them. The girl's mother died in a car accident three years ago, and she is currently being taken in by a kind neighbor and living alone in Finland."

"What?"