Tokyo: My Girlfriend

On the train heading to Kabasaki-cho, Rena Kitagawa fell asleep, leaning on Shinichi Kitagawa's shoulder.

Shinichi Kitagawa gazed out the car window, occasionally glancing at Rena, who was sleeping peacefully.

Even though she was already an adult, she seemed so light and agile, unlike when Hina was snuggling close to her. Rena felt an unconscious sense of caution.

The words spoken this morning left Shinichi Kitagawa feeling inexplicably depressed. He had done that yesterday to stimulate Rena's true feelings, but as expected, it didn't lead to any conclusions.

And perhaps because of emotional fluctuations, he went a bit too far.

If Rena's feelings for him were those of a younger sister and older brother, he could still control himself. But if those feelings were truly as Kyoko Tamura described...

His phone beeped. He took it out and saw a message from Hina: "Shinichi, how is Rena... last night? Are you free to reply?"

Kitagawa Shinichi replied with a smile, Haruhi Hina's face constantly appearing in his mind as he typed.

"She's alright for now, she's sleeping. We're already on our way to Kabasaki Town..."

"Hmm, that's alright. Shinichi probably didn't sleep much last night, right?"

...

...

"Mom and Dad, you're coming next week? So soon?"

Two weeks later, it was another new weekend. Shinichi Kitagawa sat in the living room answering his mother's phone call. His mother asked in confusion:

"What do you mean 'so fast'? Mom and Dad haven't seen Shinichi for over a month. Doesn't Shinichi miss Mom and Dad? At least Rena called us a few times."

"She even called you? I didn't know that."

Kitagawa Shinichi thought to himself that so much had happened in the past month. Hearing his mother's complaints on the phone, he awkwardly said:

"Of course I miss you too, but I've been so busy since I transferred schools that I forgot to call you back. Next week, Rena and I will both make some time to pick Mom and Dad up from the station."

"You need to make time? What were you two doing this weekend?"

Shinichi Kitagawa looked at Rena Kitagawa, who was cooking in the kitchen wearing an apron. The girl had a happy expression, and her silver-white hair swayed slightly with her movements. "Rena has made a friend now, Kana, the daughter of Aunt Sato. Sometimes they go out shopping or something on weekends."

Mom exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, I see! Rena has actually made friends! That's a huge step forward!"

"There has indeed been progress."

After chatting with her parents for a few more minutes, Kitagawa Rena, who was cooking, turned to Kitagawa Shinichi and said in a pleasant voice, "Shinichi, what would you like to drink later? I bought a lot of different kinds of juice at the convenience store yesterday."

Shinichi Kitagawa said that it was fine.

Reina thought for a moment and added, "Then let's have the grape flavor. Lunch will be ready soon, Shinichi, please wait a little longer."

Since returning from Tokyo, Kitagawa Rena has been in a pretty good mood for the past two weeks. This good mood is due to many reasons, but the most important reason is what the two of them talked about in the hotel last time, and that she knows Kitagawa Shin has broken up with Kasuga Haruna.

The biggest threat has disappeared.

After hanging up the phone, Shinichi Kitagawa watched Rena Kitagawa's happy figure, put away his phone, stood up, and went over to her with a smile, asking, "By the way, what did Rena make for lunch?"

"These are all dishes that Shin-ichi likes to eat, including chicken and fried pork cutlet."

For more than half a month, Shinichi Kitagawa and Haruna Kasuga did not video chat during this delicate period, only occasionally exchanging a few casual words online.

Shinichi Kitagawa could clearly sense that Hina was deliberately avoiding those ambiguous topics.

It seems they were worried about Rena seeing it, which could escalate the situation further.

So the two of them talked about novels. After resting for more than a week, Hina's editor forced her to continue writing by calling her to urge her to finish the manuscript.

Although she initially said she couldn't write anything, fortunately, under Shinichi Kitagawa's guidance, she finally found her original feeling and was able to continue to move forward in her career.

After finishing lunch together, Rena Kitagawa yawned, her eyes still sleepy, and asked in a languid voice, "Shinichi, want to take a nap together?"

Kitagawa Shin put all the dishes and chopsticks into the sink: "You go to sleep. I'm going to the delivery station. It seems the editorial department sent me some award-winning documents for short stories. I need to go pick them up."

"Oh?" Rena Kitagawa was also happy: "Shinichi's novel has won another award. Although I don't understand the content of the novel very well, I have read all of Shinichi's novels. I feel that he is getting more and more amazing."

Shinichi Kitagawa chuckled and teased, "You clearly don't like reading novels, but you still insist on finishing them? You're such a good little sister."

Rena Kitagawa snorted lightly: "After all, it was written by Shinichi, so of course I have to read it."

Shinichi Kitagawa washed his hands and changed his shoes: "Alright, Rena can stay home and rest then. I'm going out."

"Um...can I...?"

Shinichi Kitagawa glanced back at her and said, "If you're as sleepy as a koala, don't come along. I'll be back soon anyway. Go back to your room and rest."

Rena Kitagawa watched Shinichi Kitagawa's retreating figure, a smile first appearing on her lips, but quickly fading away.

Since that incident, the two seem to have returned to how they were before, even seeming to have a better relationship than before, but I don't know why...

She had a vague feeling that Shinichi Kitagawa was becoming increasingly distant from her.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on where things were going. Perhaps it was because half a month had passed and she still hadn't responded to that statement.

Rena Kitagawa took out her phone to search for her contacts, but after searching, she could only find one friend, Kana Sato.

After a moment's thought, she dialed: "Hey? Kana, it's me. Do you have time now?"

Kana Sato sounded surprised on the phone: "Rena! Why are you calling me? What's up? Of course I have time, I'm a free spirit!"

Rena Kitagawa looked at the spot where Shinichi Kitagawa had just sat, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I want to ask you about... what you call love, right? I want to know what that feeling is all about."

.....

Kabasaki Town has many mountain roads, and Shinichi Kitagawa was riding his bicycle to the takuri (delivery service) on his way.

His relationship with Rena had been visibly harmonious for the past two weeks, and they could joke and bicker as they pleased. However, when Shinichi Kitagawa tried to talk to her about Hina or Mr. Murata, Rena Kitagawa showed obvious resistance and wariness.

Clearly, her so-called "letting go" and indifference to everything is just an illusion. People don't really have that kind of attitude towards things they don't care about. So, in reality, she still harbors a unique sense of antagonism towards Hina's family.

Furthermore, Shinichi Kitagawa also discovered that this girl would occasionally eavesdrop outside the room, as if she was listening to whether he was still video chatting or sending voice messages to Hina.

Although it's not a big deal compared to something like a tracker—who hasn't been curious enough to eavesdrop on others' conversations in their life?—the same thing can happen differently to everyone.

Kitagawa Shinichi went to the courier service to pick up his package and opened it to look at the award notices.

The notice states the exact amount of the bonus and the payment date, which is tomorrow.

Shinichi Kitagawa exclaimed in delight, "The royalties came out pretty quickly this time. That means I can exchange them for the system item that cures my heart disease tomorrow!"

He turned to leave, but as he walked, by sheer coincidence, a piercing pain and a dull ache suddenly shot through his heart.

It's like a heart attack and the final dance of someone who knows their time is near.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He clutched his heart, took out the medicine he always carried, and swallowed it. He then took out his phone to press the speed dial button, but just as he turned on the phone, a familiar figure ran over:

"Kitagawa-kun?! What's wrong with you?!"

Before losing consciousness, Shinichi Kitagawa recognized the person sitting next to him: Akemi Aoki.

She's that hot girl with colorful bracelets on her wrists, who likes to tie her coat around her waist, and has dyed her hair yellow.

However, it seems her hair color has changed again this week, with a few strands of color mixed in.

The other person reacted quickly, catching Kitagawa Shinichi in front of him to prevent him from falling. Seeing the heart medication that had fallen to the ground in Kitagawa's hand, they said anxiously, "I'll take you to the hospital right now!"

When Shinichi Kitagawa woke up, he found himself sitting in the waiting area, not lying in a hospital bed.

Beside him, Aoki Akemi was supporting him, and a guy with a buzz cut was holding a number slip; it was Aoki Hirano.

It seems they have only just arrived at the hospital.

Aoki Hirano was surprised to see Kitagawa Shinichi awake: "You're alive?! I thought you were dead."

Akemi Aoki glared at him and asked Shinichi Kitagawa, "Are you alright? Is your heart still hurting, Kitagawa-kun?"

Shinichi Kitagawa stared speechlessly at the honey badger: "Hirano, you sure know how to talk. By the way, what are you doing here?" He looked at Akemi, signaling her not to continue supporting him: "Thank you, I'm fine now. It was just a sudden heart attack, nothing serious."

Hirano Aoki replied, "My sister called me here, saying you were unconscious and I needed to come help. I had to come and see my good partner right away."

"Sister? So you two are sisters?"

Hirano Aoki was speechless: "Why are they sisters... Shouldn't they be siblings? I'm a boy."

"Hard to say."