Tokyo: My Girlfriend

Akemi Aoki covered her lips with the back of her hand. Even in such a heartbreaking moment, upon hearing her younger brother come out, she still wiped her eyes, her eyes narrowed with tears, not wanting anyone else to know what had happened. Otherwise, even Ono would surely do something about it.

"I was planning to keep it from you, but I couldn't help myself after what Shinichi just said. See you at the station tomorrow, Shinichi. Take care on your journey. I'm going back to my room."

She turned around, bit her lip, went to the bedroom, and closed the door.

While eating potato chips, Hirano Aoki saw his older sister crying and stared in disbelief as she disappeared into the bedroom.

After a moment, she looked at Shinichi Kitagawa and said, "What are you doing, partner? I haven't seen my sister cry since she started elementary school. Did you two have a fight?"

Shinichi Kitagawa stared blankly at the closed bedroom door.

On my way home, a week later, I recalled that night's events once again.

During this week, Shinichi Kitagawa had indeed stopped thinking about his dream of being intimate with Hina, assuming it was just a drunken fantasy.

It's similar to other erotic dreams that boys occasionally have during puberty.

Aside from initially speculating that Hina might have actually been there, Shinichi Kitagawa never considered any other possibilities.

"The person I was with that night was Akemi? But I clearly remember calling Hina's name so many times, and Hina did that to me..."

The gentle response from the person beside him that night echoed in Shinichi Kitagawa's ears.

He clenched his fists, his brows furrowed.

In other words, even though I mistook Akemi for Hina, she still did that kind of thing with me to comfort me, even though... I never thought of her at all.

Shinichi Kitagawa couldn't truly understand Akemi's emotional journey at the time, but from her expression and pain, he knew that the breakdown she displayed was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

If it weren't for my own speculation about the so-called "turning point" and the fact that it probably didn't happen on Monday, this matter might have simply passed by forever.

It was supposed to be a very important first time, but I was so careless...

Shinichi Kitagawa was strolling alone on the path home when he passed a pharmacy. Suddenly, he heard the pharmacist's voice greeting him: "Kitagawa-kun? Finished your date with Akemi again?"

Kitagawa Shinichi looked at the middle-aged woman and gave a brief reply.

"Yeah, I was just about to go home."

After a moment's thought, the other person smiled and said, "Although it's a bit redundant for me to say this, don't blame me for being nosy. Young people should be more careful in their actions."

"What?" Shinichi Kitagawa didn't understand what the other person meant.

Seeing that no one was around, the pharmacy owner stopped beating around the bush. After all, she had seen this kind of thing many times before. She covered her mouth and said:

"I mean, as a boy, you should be more prepared and considerate of your girlfriend. Don't always do impulsive things. Short-term birth control pills are very harmful to a girl's body. Mingmei is a good girl, so you have to treat her better. You can't hurt her like this."

Shinichi Kitagawa's pupils dilated: "She bought birth control pills from you?"

"Yeah, I bought it, about a week ago. Why didn't she tell you? Does that mean you two haven't done *that* all this time? That won't do."

Kitagawa Shinichi lowered his eyes and said, "No, I understand. Thank you, Auntie. I'll be more careful in the future."

The other party nodded: "Anyway, it's normal for young people to have this kind of need. If there's a shortage, you can always come to me to buy it. I have a wide variety of products. Try not to use emergency contraception."

When I got home, I opened the door and saw that Rena was already cleaning the kitchen.

She had her hair in pigtails and wore an apron, her tone slightly puzzled: "Xin Yi's back? Why are you so late today? The food's getting cold. Go eat."

Shinichi Kitagawa looked at the hot dishes on the table; he now eats two meals every night.

I'm not hungry at all during the day.

While eating dinner, or rather, a late-night snack, Kitagawa Shinichi glanced at the steps in the courtyard.

Am I really such a jerk?

Even now, I still can't remember Akemi's face at all; all I can see is Hina's.

He was so indifferent to Akemi's feelings.

The next morning, Saturday, Shinichi Kitagawa got dressed and washed up.

Rena Kitagawa got up very early to make breakfast for her brother.

During the meal, Rena sat up straight next to Shinichi Kitagawa and reminded him, "Shinichi, don't forget to call me back like last time after you go to Tokyo! Remember to let me know before and after the performance."

Not hearing a reply from Shinichi Kitagawa, Rena Kitagawa nudged him with her arm: "Shinichi?"

Shinichi Kitagawa snapped out of his daze: "What? I was thinking about something else. What did Rena say?"

Rena Kitagawa stared coldly at Shinichi Kitagawa: "Are you just going to ignore what I said? Were you daydreaming?"

He laughed awkwardly, "No, Rena, please say it again. What did you just say?"

Rena Kitagawa turned her head and snorted coldly, repeating herself at lightning speed.

Shinichi Kitagawa said it was no problem.

Rena was so angry that she glared at him the whole time while eating breakfast.

However, knowing that today was an important performance, I didn't say anything to him.

The brother and sister went to the station together, and from afar, they spotted the beautiful and fashionable young woman.

Akemi Aoki is wearing a short-sleeved top and a skirt today, along with high-heeled sandals and a trendy blue baseball cap.

She hasn't even gone on stage yet, but she already has the presence of a female singer.

She greeted them both cheerfully as usual, as if nothing had happened yesterday: "Good morning, Shinichi-kun and Rena-chan!"

This time, however, Shinichi Kitagawa couldn't be as natural as usual.

Kitagawa Rena has been even more confused about this guy lately. He dressed up in Haruhi Hina's style to achieve some purpose before, but now he has changed back for no reason.

My daily conversations with Shinichi haven't changed much. It's clear that wasting my energy on Aoki Akemi was a waste.

This woman has been making a fuss for ages, but we still don't know what she's been doing.

The brother and sister replied in unison, "Good morning."

Rena Kitagawa originally intended to wait for the train together, and she planned to watch Shinichi Kitagawa board the train before going home.

As a result, Shinichi Kitagawa felt that there was no need to accompany her to this extent: "Rena, go back. Anyway, the train will arrive in a while."

Rena Kitagawa glanced at Akemi Aoki: "Alright, I'm going back now, Shinichi. Remember to call me back those two times. Come home early tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you."

"understood."

After saying goodbye to Rena, only the two of them remained at the station.

Kitagawa Shinichi glanced at Aoki Akemi, who was standing beside him with a natural smile, and was about to speak when the latter stepped in first, clasped her hands together, and sweat dripped from her forehead in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Shinichi. I said those things to you in a moment of passion yesterday. I'm sure it bothered you. Later, when I was alone in my room, I thought about it and realized it was a bit too sudden. I regret what I said."

Kitagawa Shinichi didn't brush it off as usual; instead, he was surprised that someone who had been so heartbroken yesterday could still appear so composed.

That's why I always thought she didn't care, but now it seems that's clearly not the case.

Seeing that the other person didn't speak, Aoki Akemi didn't know what to say, so she laughed twice to ease the awkwardness:

"I know that no matter what I say, Shinichi won't be with me, so those words are meaningless. Besides making our relationship more awkward, they're just emotional outbursts without any thought."

She cupped her face in one hand and continued to be cheerful and optimistic.

"As for the part I accidentally let slip at the end, don't take it to heart. What era are we living in? First time isn't that important anymore. Shinichi, don't feel guilty. We slept together, so let's just leave it at that. Anyway, I believe Shinichi wasn't really feeling anything since he was drunk. I was also quite drunk that day. Let's just treat it as a simple one-night stand, okay?"

As Shinichi Kitagawa looked at her smiling face, a pang of heartache appeared in his eyes. How strong must one's heart be to always use a smile to cover up one's inner thoughts?

He took a deep breath and looked at her solemnly and earnestly:

"From today onwards, I will face up to Akemi's feelings for me. Let's go on a date after the performance goes smoothly. I also want to know if I have ever liked Akemi. Maybe my previous conclusions were too hasty. This time, I want to try and see if I will feel any attraction when I'm with Akemi."

Akemi Aoki listened to those words with a flattered expression, her fox-like eyes sparkling: "Really? Shinichi-kun asked me out on a date?!" She grabbed Shinichi Kitagawa's arm: "Sure! Then... then what if Shinichi-kun is even a little bit interested? Does that mean there's a chance we can date?!"

Shinichi Kitagawa saw Haruhi Hina's smiling face again, but he couldn't ignore Akemi's pain from last night, which he had caused. Besides, Hina hadn't changed much in the past week.

"Well, if I really feel that way, let's try dating. I still feel very happy when I'm with Akemi."

Akemi Aoki's fox-like eyes sparkled, tears welling in her eyes. Overjoyed, she nodded emphatically, making a soft "Mmm" sound.

"If we can really date, I will definitely spend every day happily with Shin-il, and we will never break up."