Tokyo: My Girlfriend

The old house in Kabasaki Town became much more lively after my parents came back.

The family of four ate together, chatted together, and dealt with the troubles that came their way together.

Shinichi Kitagawa would climb onto the roof with his father to repair the damaged walls, while Rena and his mother would drop tools down from below, watching them with concern.

There are many such scenes, all filled with joy and harmony.

Today is Tuesday, and it's been five days since my parents came back.

After school in the afternoon, Shinichi Kitagawa and Rena Kitagawa went home together and had dinner with their parents.

Because their parents were only staying at home for a week and would be flying back to Finland on the weekend, Shinichi Kitagawa and Rena Kitagawa avoided almost all other activities during that week, spending as much time as possible at home with their parents.

During the meal, Mom served soup to the two of them.

Shinichi Kitagawa asked, "Aren't you going to stay a little longer?"

Dad picked up a piece of pork and put it in his mouth: "Your mother and I only took a week off. We're relieved to see that you and Rena are living well here."

The mother asked with concern, "Has Shin-ichi's heart condition flared up again this past month?"

Kitagawa Shinichi thought of what happened last time, but that was the last time, and there was no need to tell them. He shook his head and said, "No, everything has been fine."

Dad smiled: "It seems that the decision to bring you back this time might really have been the right one." As he said this, he looked out the door with some emotion: "Your mother and I have been to many places these past few days. Every place has memories of the past, but most of the people from before have moved away. It really is just memories left."

Reina Kitagawa spoke coldly: "Why did you and your aunt leave Kabasaki Town for Finland? I remember you two moved away during high school, right? I've never heard you say anything about the specific reasons."

When my parents and even Kitagawa Shin heard this, they all gave an awkward smile, the reason for which was somewhat difficult to describe.

It's best not to mention it.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Mom put down her chopsticks, got up, and went to open the door: "Coming! Is that Miss Sato?"

She walked to the entrance and opened the door.

They discovered that the person standing at the door was not an adult, but a pretty girl wearing a black dress, off-the-shoulder long sleeves, and with a few strands of colorful hair.

My mother was immediately struck by the girl's appearance.

He blurted out, "What a beautiful girl...like a little fox..."

The newcomer was naturally Aoki Akemi. She glanced nervously at Kitagawa Shinichi's mother, swallowed hard, and gave a half-bow with a smile.

"Hello, Auntie! I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Aoki Akemi, and I'm Shinichi's classmate! I came here specifically to deliver something to Shinichi-kun! Oh, and I also brought a gift for you and Uncle!" She held up the gifts in her hand.

Shinichi Kitagawa, who was eating, heard Akemi Aoki's voice and got up to go over.

When his father asked who this was, Shinichi Kitagawa casually replied, "A classmate." Rena Kitagawa even went so far as to explain in more detail: "Shinichi has been mentoring this girl in singing recently, helping her sign with a music company, and now he's her partner."

The father looked at Reina with surprise and a meaningful gaze: "Girlfriend?"

Upon hearing this word, Kitagawa Rena closed her eyes and coldly replied, "No, Uncle. I can tell that Xin Yi doesn't mean that to her."

"I see..."

When Shinichi Kitagawa arrived at the door, Akemi Aoki waved to him.

Today, Mingmei has shed the "hot girl" label and become a fashion model.

She handed a USB drive to Shinichi Kitagawa with both hands: "Shinichi-kun! This is a song I wrote based on your suggestions. Listen to it and see what you think."

Shinichi Kitagawa knew that because his parents had come home this week, he had hardly spent any time with Akemi after school.

There's much less time compared to last week.

"Just send it to me online, why bother making a special trip?"

When Aoki Akemi smiled, her fox-like eyes narrowed, giving her a particularly charming look: "I mainly heard that Uncle and Auntie were coming, so I thought I'd come and say hello. Although it's a bit like I came uninvited, I don't know if it caused you any trouble."

Listening to the conversation between the two, the mother, who had also experienced many things in her youth, realized that this girl... clearly had feelings for Shin-il.

It's strange that Rena didn't seem to resist this girl's advances towards Shinichi.

The mother said politely, "Oh, you're Xin Yi's classmate. Would you like to come in and sit down?"

Most people might refuse, but Aoki Akemi excitedly exclaimed, "Is it okay, Auntie! Is it okay, Shinichi-kun!"

Shinichi Kitagawa smiled, feeling a little embarrassed: "Of course you can. Come in and sit down. I'll finish eating soon. Go to your room and wait for me. We can listen to your songs together and discuss them."

"Great! I'm so happy!"

Akemi Aoki deftly took off her high heels and skillfully put on the women's slippers from the Kitagawa family's shoe cabinet.

The mother noticed all these details, which clearly indicated that this girl had visited their home before.

Akemi Aoki bowed to her father as she approached the dining table, saying, "Hello, Uncle, I'm Akemi Aoki. I'm a classmate of Shinichi-kun. I'm here to bother you today!"

After bowing, he looked at Rena Kitagawa and said, "Rena-chan! Sorry to bother you again!"

Kitagawa Reina hummed.

The enthusiastic Aoki Akemi went to Kitagawa Shinichi's room and smiled at him, saying, "I'll wait for Shinichi-kun and Rena-chan in my room."

Shinichi Kitagawa responded, "Okay."

Rena Kitagawa replied with a "yes".

The family sat down at the table again, but the atmosphere had clearly changed.

It seems that both parents are observing how Shinichi Kitagawa and Rena Kitagawa treat this girl.

However, they couldn't detect any fluctuations at all, just like small ripples after a big wave, which no longer caused any ripples for the two of them.

Dad guessed what was going on and tentatively asked, "Did anything happen at home while we were gone for a month?"

Shinichi Kitagawa and Rena Kitagawa answered simultaneously, "Nothing happened."

Mom and Dad: "........"

This clearly means something must have happened.

Fortunately, after the meal, the couple observed that the three of them did get along quite well in the room.

A girl named Aoki Akemi is practicing singing intently, while Rena sits on Kitagawa Shinichi's bed, flipping through books to study. Kitagawa Shinichi gives Akemi guidance, just like good friends.

A few days later, on Saturday, Shinichi Kitagawa and Rena Kitagawa saw off their parents at the train station.

Mom and Dad waved from the car: "We'll come see you again at the end of the year! Take good care of each other while we're gone!"

After waving goodbye, Shinichi Kitagawa got on his bicycle and let Rena ride with him home.

Rena hugged her brother's waist from behind as the two siblings leisurely rode along the streets of Kabasaki Town. She asked softly, "When will Akemi be able to sign with a music company?"

"I plan to contact some friends in the editorial department this weekend and ask them to introduce me to the head of a music company. I hope Mingmei can sign with a better company. Small companies are too chaotic and not suitable for Mingmei. That way, she can get on the right track."

Rena Kitagawa looked at Shinichi Kitagawa from behind, and his expression remained unchanged: "I see. So you'll still be her mentor?"

"Well, if Akemi becomes famous in the future, won't I have a job lined up after graduation?"

"Why doesn't Shin-il become a singer himself? I think Shin-il sings very well."

Shinichi Kitagawa smiled and said, "I don't really like being in the public eye, so being a manager or something like that is most suitable for me."

Her face slowly pressed against Shinichi Kitagawa's back, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the scent and warmth of his body.

Kitagawa Shinichi noticed and turned around, asking with concern, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing... I just find it quite comfortable to sit on the back of a bicycle."

"Then I'll take you around more often on my bike when I have time?"

Kitagawa Rena smiled, blushing, and said, "Mm."

Shinichi Kitagawa noticed her expression and, seeing the good atmosphere, he hesitated before asking, "By the way, Rena, if Akemi is successfully selected by the company, I might have to go to Tokyo with her for a few days..."

Upon hearing the word "Tokyo," the usually serene Kitagawa Rena suddenly frowned, straightened up, and thought of a certain woman.

"Tokyo?"

The wariness she felt towards those two words was obvious on her face.

Shinichi Kitagawa's smile faded slightly. A month had passed and Rena's attitude towards Hina had not changed at all. In fact, it seemed as if she had developed a stress response, becoming fully armed whenever similar words were mentioned.

Does this mean that this lifestyle is useless to Rena? Will she always maintain such extreme resistance to Hina no matter how much time passes?

"Well, if the contract goes smoothly, I'll definitely need to stay for a few days to handle some work and such."

Reina Kitagawa pondered, "I see... Can I come along?" Her fingers clenched. She wasn't afraid of her brother being with Akemi because her brother didn't like her, but Haruhi Hina... she absolutely couldn't let her brother see her again.

"I meant after the contract was signed, it's still far from finalized, I'm just mentioning it."

"Oh...I see..."

The weather in Kabasaki Town was sunny this weekend, though the sun seemed a little hotter than usual, but thankfully there was a breeze.

Shinichi Kitagawa lay on the grass, his hands behind his head, gazing at the azure sky.

A gentle breeze made his long, silvery-white hair sway and dance.

As the next gust of wind blew by, accompanied by a familiar scent, Aoki Akemi appeared beside him at some point, standing above his head, bending over with her clothes hanging down over her chest.

The sunlight pierced through the thin top, allowing the person lying on the grass to clearly see the style of their underwear—purple with lace trim.

Aoki Akemi stared at him with her fox-like eyes: "What are you thinking about? Shinichi-kun, you're not thinking about me, are you?"

Kitagawa Shinichi instinctively glanced at the bulge, then awkwardly looked away.

"I can see everything like this."

Aoki Akemi knew what he meant, and blushed as she said, "Shinichi-kun, H..." But the next second she smiled meaningfully, "Although I did it on purpose for you, isn't my lingerie nice today? It's purple, Shinichi-kun, do you like purple?"