Tokyo: My Girlfriend

Chapter 93 The Two Women Who Are No Longer Enemies

In the lush, vibrant meadows of Kabasaki Town, butterflies flutter and locusts leap.

Shinichi Kitagawa and Hina Kasuga walked side by side, chatting idly, but it wasn't the intimate conversation they usually had; it was more like the interaction between friends or between teacher and student.

Upon seeing a straight, man-made stream, Shinichi Kitagawa stopped in his tracks.

They sat silently on the deserted grassy slope, with a path rarely traveled behind them.

Sunlight shone on Haruhi Hina's face, the light and shadow highlighting her already beautiful facial features.

She gracefully crossed her legs to one side, her eyes fixed on the front.

Shinichi Kitagawa was about a fist's distance from her shoulder, which was considered quite close.

Shinichi Kitagawa: "I had thought about it before we met, but I didn't expect Akemi to be so clingy after we officially started dating. Before I knew it, we'd been together for almost a month. Although we haven't experienced anything special, I'm happy every day."

Haruhi Hina turned to look at Kitagawa Shinichi: "Although I, as the teacher, could only see the two of you in the classroom occasionally this past month, Shinichi was almost always smiling, and Akemi, needless to say, would smile from ear to ear whenever she talked to you."

Kitagawa Shinichi glanced at the other person, then quickly looked away without maintaining eye contact for long: "Where's Hina-sensei? Has anything interesting happened around you lately?"

Haruhi Haruna also looked away, her pupils sparkling as she stared at the water's surface and said cheerfully, "There are some—for example, last night when I was taking a shower, I stupidly used shampoo instead of body wash, and I didn't even realize it until after I finished. Turns out, there wasn't much difference. You know, body wash is much more expensive than shampoo. I was ripped off again."

Shinichi Kitagawa smiled and asked, "Still the same brand as before?"

"No," she shook her head, her voice soft. "I changed to something else, both the shampoo and shower gel. I wanted a different scent to change my mood." She asked curiously, "Didn't Xin Yi notice?"

Shinichi Kitagawa actually smelled it.

The scent on Haruna was slightly different from before, but... that special flavor was still the same.

Sure enough, the pleasant scent on the other person was not from shampoo or shower gel.

"I can barely smell a tiny bit."

Haruhi Hina sighed, "After all, the teacher and Shinichi haven't spent much time together lately. By the way, how's Rena doing? I noticed she doesn't seem very supportive of you two? It's quite obvious, kind of similar to when I was with you before..."

Shinichi Kitagawa hummed in agreement: "I'm not very supportive. You know why she rejected me and Akemi, but I told Rena that I'm determined to be with Akemi, whether she supports me or not. Once we decide to date, we have to take it seriously. That girl couldn't do anything about it after hearing that."

He glanced at the other person out of the corner of his eye: "Of course, he's still throwing tantrums at me all the time, but he's only tough at home and only talks a few words."

.

Haruhi Hina wondered if she was overthinking things.

But I always felt that those words reflected things from the past. If only I hadn't broken up with Shin-yi back then... if only I hadn't done that stupid thing.

Now, believing in Mingmei's persistence is perhaps a form of persistence towards oneself.

The feeling of reaping what you sow.

A breeze blew by, and Haruhi Hina gently tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear, asking softly, "Can I help you?"

Shinichi Kitagawa was surprised: "Help us?"

"Hmm, I'll try to get Rena to support you and Akemi more, okay? The teacher knows a bit about Shinichi's situation. Right now you're helping Akemi practice singing, and you spend almost all your time with your girlfriend after school or at noon, right? I can imagine Rena being alone at home all the time. She must be having some unhappy thoughts. She depends on you so much."

She asked, "Summer vacation is coming up soon, are you and Akemi going to Tokyo for a while?"

Shinichi Kitagawa said honestly, "Yes, the entertainment company has arranged some filming, and I will definitely be going to Tokyo with Akemi, and we might even stay for a long time."

"In that case... if Shinichi-kun doesn't mind, may I talk to Rena while Shinichi-kun is away? Or rather, may I keep Rena company during this time?"

Kitagawa Shinichi stared at Kasuga Haruna.

Haruna Kasuga gently explained, "Don't overthink it. Putting aside what happened between us, I've been thinking about how to resolve the situation caused by my father. My relationship with Rena was always awkward before, but now it might be easier to communicate because we're not together anymore. My relationship with her is simply due to our backgrounds. I also want to become true friends with Rena, or even family."

She emphasized, "I really want to see Rena happy. This thought has been with me since before I even met you, so can I get involved?"

Shinichi Kitagawa understood what she was thinking. Indeed, Hina was very thoughtful in this regard, and the matter of Reina's father had already been resolved.

Now is indeed the best time for the two of them to reconcile.

Kitagawa Shinichi nodded: "Okay, what do you need me to do? Or should Hina-sensei do it herself..."

Haruhi Hina looked at the person she liked and said, "Shinichi doesn't need to do anything. Just leave it to me." She paused for a moment and continued, "Besides, if you get involved, Akemi will be jealous, right? I don't want to ruin Shinichi's relationship. I also really hope that Shinichi can choose someone he likes."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

When they parted, Shinichi Kitagawa and Hina Kasuga walked in opposite directions.

It wasn't until Haruhi Hina passed an intersection and disappeared from sight that Shinichi Kitagawa turned around to look at the now deserted intersection.

His gaze was deep, and he murmured to himself.

"Just how important is Hina to me? Even after all this time, I still can't help but feel happy when I talk to her..."

He made a self-deprecating remark and continued on his way to Akemi's house, already late.

What Shinichi Kitagawa didn't know was that after Haruna Kasuga turned the corner, she didn't continue walking but instead leaned against the wall.

She secretly covered her mouth, tears slowly welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks to her chin and fell to the ground.

He murmured the two words "Xin Yi" to himself.

Even Shinichi Kitagawa couldn't get over that relationship so quickly, so how could Haruna Kasuga, who was already deeply in love, be so frank? A month apart didn't help her find any relief; instead, it intensified her longing for him.

This time, however, was different from the last; she knew that she and Shinichi Kitagawa had no chance anymore.

Two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye, and summer vacation has officially begun.

Shinichi Kitagawa also began frequently traveling to Tokyo with Akemi Aoki for rehearsals and performances.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth. Kitagawa Rena sat alone in the yard, a bottle of iced drink in her hand, gazing at the road leading to the gate: "Shinichi won't be back until the day after tomorrow..."

Her voice trailed off as she saw a figure she had never imagined.

At the entrance to the courtyard, Haruhi Hina, wearing a white dress, smiled and waved at her: "Rena-san, would it be convenient for you to chat with the teacher for a while?"

Kitagawa Rena never expected that this woman would take the initiative to contact her. Haruhi Hina. She wanted to refuse, but it felt like everything had settled down. Facing Haruhi Hina, who no longer posed a threat, she could no longer muster any hostility.

Now, Shinichi Kitagawa and Akemi Aoki's relationship is getting better and better. In addition, Akemi Aoki's attitude towards love makes it seem like they won't break up again, unlike this foolish woman.

"Come in, I'm really bored right now anyway."