Tokyo: My Girlfriend

On the train back to Kabasaki, Aoki Akemi rested her head on Kitagawa Shinichi's shoulder, linked her arm with his, and held his hand.

She truly regretted what she had just said. She should have just agreed, but seeing Shinichi's hesitant expression, she gave him one last chance to change his mind.

This small opportunity could very well lead to Akemi Aoki regretting it for the rest of her life, but once the words are spoken, there's no going back.

She could only cherish every minute and second before the results came out.

"Shin-ichi...Let's kiss properly tomorrow night after we're officially together. Let's kiss for a long time, a deep kiss, and a kiss with lots of different styles."

She closed her eyes, not wanting to hear Shinichi Kitagawa's reply, and interrupted his possible response: "It's still several hours until we arrive at the station. Shinichi-kun's shoulder feels so comfortable. I'm going to get a good night's sleep."

She remained silent for a long time before softly urging, "You must come find me..."

------------

Kabasaki Town, Sunday, at the home of the Kitagawa siblings.

Rena Kitagawa, Kana Sato, and Hirano Aoki were still foolishly discussing things in the living room.

It's hard to believe that a whole day has passed since yesterday, and the three guys have come up with hundreds of solutions, but none of them seem suitable.

Of course, this is not surprising. Rena's straightforwardness, Kana's overthinking, and Hirano's otaku nature—it would be strange if the three of them could come up with a solution together.

However, Kitagawa Rena was getting restless. She had only bothered with this matter yesterday because she was bored, but her brother was coming back from Tokyo today, and she didn't have time to deal with this mess.

I still have to cook for my brother tonight.

"Confess!" Rena Kitagawa told him to decide the outcome in one fell swoop: "I don't think we need to discuss any methods. Since Hirano likes her, why not just confess? If it works out, everyone will be happy. If it doesn't, you can continue to stay at home playing games on weekends. You won't lose anything."

Kana Sato had sweat on her forehead.

Hirano Aoki lowered his head and bit his lip.

Kana Sato said awkwardly, "Confessing... but what are the chances that gyaru named Toka Nagai will accept Hirano's confession? Is it one percent? Toka Nagai acts in the typical gyaru style, and she probably just has the attitude of sleeping with Hirano casually."

Rena Kitagawa was speechless, wondering what kind of girls were Aoki Akemi's companions.

Are any of these hot girls even normal people?

Brother, you mustn't go astray if you spend all your time with Mingmei.

Kana Sato suggested, "How about we wait until Akemi comes back and have her subtly ask her if she likes Hirano? If she does, then it would be better to confess, wouldn't it?"

Reina Kitagawa knew what was going on: "What's the difference? Kana doesn't actually believe Hirano can confess successfully, does she?"

Kana Sato chuckled, glancing at Hirano who remained silent, speechless. "I've never heard of a 'gyaru' (a Japanese term for a gyaru, a girl who is overly effeminate) dating an otaku, except in some absurd light novels..."

She whispered, "Besides, Hirano is usually carefree, which is fine, but the way he shrinks away when something happens makes him even less appealing to 'gya' girls."

With tears welling in his eyes, Aoki Hirano said, "I didn't shrink back! I was just nervous!"

Rena Kitagawa and Kana Sato exclaimed in unison, "Me? Only girls would say that about themselves..."

Aoki Hirano lowered his head: "Ugh..."

Both women suddenly showed disgust.

Rena Kitagawa raised her hand: "Alright, since we can't come up with a solution, let's do as I say. Just confess! Raise your hand if you agree!"

Sato Kana thought that this was the only way; a short pain was better than a long one, so she raised her hand.

Seeing the two of them like this, Aoki Hirano bit her lower lip in grievance, then collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, "What's the difference between this and committing suicide? How could Nagai Toka possibly agree to my confession!"

Kitagawa Rena ignored him and got up: "Let's go, let's leave now. The sooner we get rejected, the sooner we'll come back. Anyway, Hirano still has hundreds of wives waiting for you at home."

Rena and Kana dragged Aoki Hirano to find Nagai Toka.

The locations where the hot girls operate are easy to find, especially in small places like Kabasaki Town.

Just ask anyone on the street, and they'll tell you:

"Nagai Toka? I saw her smoking in the restroom with a few girls this morning."

"Nagai Toka? She was watching people play games at an internet cafe an hour ago."

"Nagai Toka? She was just squatting by the roadside eating lunch a moment ago, she shouldn't have gone far."

Every time they gleaned some information, Kitagawa Rena and Sato Kana showed a hint of surprise on their faces, while Aoki Hirano didn't seem to mind at all; clearly, he wasn't surprised by these things.

After all, my older sister used to be a leader among the hot girls, and she had told him more or less what most of the hot girls did on a daily basis.

Finally, the three of them managed to get the exact location of Nagai Tohka from a child.

It's in a park.

When the three of them arrived, they could see a dozen or so men and women sitting sprawled on an abandoned cement pipe in the park, chatting and laughing while smoking.

Upon seeing the three, someone exclaimed curiously, "Hey! Isn't that Akemi's younger brother? What's he doing here? And Kitagawa Shinichi's sister too?!"

After the three walked over, Rena Kitagawa asked bluntly, "Who is Touka Nagai?"

Sitting atop the concrete pipe was a dark-skinned girl wearing a miniskirt, a cropped top, and dyed brown curly hair. She crossed her legs and looked at the three of them, her voice slightly hoarse but very cheerful:

"Yes, it is. What's up? Is it Mingmei who needs to see me? Or is it the three of you who need to talk?"

Aoki Hirano saw the other person's indifferent attitude towards him, even though she had taught him so much in bed that night.

Rena Kitagawa looked at the other person: "Come here for a moment, Hirano wants to talk to you."

"Kohirano is looking for me? What can't we say here, Kohirano? I'm too lazy to go down."

Rena Kitagawa looked at Hirano Aoki and whispered, "Confess."

Aoki Hirano gasped, sweating nervously, "In front of so many people?! Here?"

Rena Kitagawa said nonchalantly, "The result will be the same anyway, right?"

Aoki Hirano looked up at Nagai Touka, hesitating, "But I..."

Nagai Toka tilted her head in confusion: "Hurry up and tell me, Kohirano. I'm going to karaoke with my boyfriend later. If it's urgent, just say it."

Upon hearing a key phrase, Aoki Hirano looked up in surprise: "Boyfriend..." He asked in astonishment, "Nagai Toka, you have a boyfriend?"

Nagai Toka pointed her thumb at the blond guy sitting next to her: "Isn't it obvious? It's this guy."

A blond-haired boy waved and grinned at Aoki Hirano, "Hey Akemi, what's your sister been doing at home lately? She hasn't come out to play with us."

Kitagawa Rena, Sato Kana: "..."

.......

When Shinichi Kitagawa and Akemi Aoki returned in the afternoon, they learned about the incident. As soon as they entered the Kitagawa family's house, they saw Hirano Aoki lying on the floor, crying bitterly.

Kitagawa Shinichi desperately wanted to know what had happened.

When Kitagawa Rena saw her brother return, she quickly and enthusiastically made him tea: "Shinichi, have some tea! So, this guy's confession failed, and not for any other reason than that she already had a boyfriend."

Kana Sato sighed as she held her teacup, "Luckily, Hirano didn't say it out loud, which avoided an awkward situation."

Aoki Akemi sat next to her good-for-nothing younger brother, puzzled, "Ono, you like Touka? How come I didn't know that before?"

Hirano Aoki cried incessantly, "It's a long story! Anyway, I've already failed, sis!" He grabbed his sister's arm, "Why does God treat me like this? This is the first time I've ever been so serious about a girl! But I've lost so miserably."

Akemi Aoki was embarrassed: "Are you serious or just acting? But this is the first time I've seen you confess to a girl. If you really like her... I'll ask her again for you." She took out her phone and went to the side to dial Toka Nagai's number.

"Why are you still asking now?" Aoki Hirano asked curiously.

"Give it a try."

Akemi Aoki called, and the other party answered immediately, their tone cheerful: "Akemi?! What's up?"

Aoki Akemi looked at her younger brother, whose crying had suddenly subsided, and said, "Toka, it seems like my brother has a crush on you. I remember you once said you thought Ono was quite cute? Why don't you go on a date with him? You're not satisfied with your current boyfriend anyway, and he's not really sincere towards you."

The other person on the phone said, "Huh? Your brother likes me? Really? Why didn't he just tell me when he contacted me earlier? I don't really like my current boyfriend, so I might as well break up with him! Put the phone on speakerphone, I'll talk to your brother."

Akemi Aoki walked back and turned on the speakerphone.

The voice of Nagai Toka came through the phone: "Kohirano, I didn't expect you to like me?! Haha, let's go on a date tonight then, see you at the school gate in an hour, bye-bye."

Everyone was surprised by this unexpected turn of events, astonished at how quickly things had changed.

Only Akemi Aoki hung up the phone and said in a serious tone:

"Let me tell you beforehand, Ono. You've known Toka for a while now, so be nice to her. Don't let her glamorous image fool you; she's a bit silly, and that's why she keeps running into jerks. If you really like her, just treat her well, and she'll treat you well in return."

Aoki Hirano, his eyes blurry with tears, asked, "Huh? What does this mean...?"

"What do you mean? She's already agreed to go on a date with you. Knowing Toka's personality, that means she considers you her boyfriend."

After saying that, Aoki Akemi thought to herself, "I wish my relationship with Shinichi could go this smoothly."

In Akemi's eyes, this was a smooth process, but in other people's eyes, it felt like... such a fast-paced romance.

Is this the dating philosophy of the "hot girl" group?

What surprised everyone even more was that when Aoki Hirano excitedly described their date the next morning, it seemed that Nagai Toka was a pretty nice person, and the two of them officially became boyfriend and girlfriend, as fast as a tornado.

Akemi Aoki clapped her hands and grinned, "I never thought Ono would actually find a partner. It's really something."

Everyone chimed in with complaints: "What's so difficult about it...?"

After saying this, Aoki Akemi and Kitagawa Shin subconsciously exchanged glances, then remembered their agreement for tonight.