Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

But such a lovely girl, and that despicable scumbag is so promiscuous, making no attempt to hide anything, how could he possibly let go of the opportunity to express his love?

It's all that jerk's fault. We could have been best friends. If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have kicked him twice after punching him yesterday.

Forget it, let's just pray! Maybe that scumbag has forgotten.

The current time is 3:38:11.

It's only ten meters away from where they are standing; you can walk there in less than thirty seconds.

The agreed time is 4 o'clock sharp. Should I sit here for 21 minutes and 48 seconds and observe a little longer?

No, no, it would be very impolite to arrive right on time, since they are already waiting.

I really wanted to make an excuse to cancel... but I had already reserved a premium eel bento box for three people... which cost 30,000 yen!

I've never been this extravagant before; this is enough for me to eat cup noodles for several months.

If I don't go, and they refuse to refund my money like they did with the clothes, I'll lose a fortune...

Tachibana gritted her teeth, got up abruptly, picked up her shopping bag, and walked over.

Silently repeating in my heart, "I'm the official girlfriend... I'm the official girlfriend... I'm not afraid... I'm not afraid..."

At the supermarket entrance, after the taxi stopped, Chieko immediately noticed Tachibana getting out of the car carrying shopping bags and wearing a Chanel business suit.

She didn't recognize the luxury brand Chanel, but at first glance, she looked very sophisticated and elegant.

Chieko was momentarily stunned by her height and figure. She was almost identical to Riko. If they had the same hairstyle and wore the same clothes, it would be almost impossible to tell them apart from behind.

Of course, they look different, especially their eyes.

Riko's bright eyes revealed obedience and gentleness, yet her gaze, though innocent, seemed to be sparkling with electricity, as if she were constantly radiating it.

At this moment, I can't help but sigh inwardly. Although Xiuming is a womanizer and a scoundrel, he has really good taste. Every girl he takes a liking to, whether it's his wife or this "innocent flower," is absolutely stunning.

Thinking of myself in that moment, I couldn't help but feel a secret sense of satisfaction in Xiuming's eyes: Turns out, I'm not so bad after all...

However, Chieko was somewhat disappointed by Riko's behavior after seeing Tachibana.

Riko lowered her head and whispered, "I...I'm so scared...I want to go home and sleep..."

As Tachibana walked over, Chieko noticed that her gait was somewhat stiff, as if she was trying her best to hide her nervousness, but she couldn't hide it at all.

Chieko almost burst out laughing; the pressure in her heart vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of comfort and relaxation.

How can I describe this feeling? It feels like I've become a kindergarten teacher, and I'm helping two children get to know each other.

This is awesome! Big sister is teaching you how to make friends~

We can commend Ms. Tachibana for her courage, since no matter how you look at it, Riko is more afraid than her.

Chieko almost grabbed her ear and yelled, "You're Mrs. Yamanaka, and she's just a girlfriend. What are you afraid of?"

Of course, he wouldn't dare do such a thing. Neither Riko nor Tachibana were people he could afford to mess with. After all, Tachibana was still labeled as "Hideaki's girlfriend."

When they were about five or six steps apart, Tachibana seemed to slow down due to excessive nervousness.

Chieko realized that it was time for her to make a difference.

He immediately pulled Riko along, walked towards Tachibana, took her slightly cold left hand, and asked with a kind smile, "Tachibana-chan, can you guess who I am?"

Since Tachibana seemed quite nervous, we needed to ease the tension.

The best approach is to use a question that requires no thought and can be answered casually, regardless of whether it's right or wrong.

"You, you are...Chieko-neechan, right?" Tachibana's shoulders trembled, her hand gripping the shopping bag tightened suddenly, and she turned to Riko, continuing, "You...you are Riko-chan, right?"

She heard her own trembling voice and felt secretly annoyed: This shouldn't be, this can't be, why does my voice sound like this?

Riko bowed slightly, extended her right hand, and whispered, "Hello, Tachibana-chan. It's nice to meet you."

Chieko took the shopping bag that Tachibana was carrying in her right hand.

Before Tachibana could thank or decline Chieko, she hurriedly bent down, lowered herself even more than Riko, reached out her hands, and took Riko's hands, saying, "Hello Riko-chan, I'm so glad to see you."

Riko's hands were as soft as her voice.

Tachibana felt a sudden sense of relief: she knew from the phone call that Tachibana was a very easy person to talk to; her first words were so gentle and polite.

As Tachibana's tension subsided, she keenly noticed Riko's nervousness and unease.

She secretly guessed that perhaps her status as Hideaki's official girlfriend had put pressure on her! She had a gut feeling that Riko also liked Hideaki.

Suddenly I felt so sorry for Riko. She fell in love with a jerk. Even if I didn't like that jerk, I could give her the girl. But that wouldn't work either, because if I gave her the girl, wouldn't she be hurt even more?

Riko-chan, don't be afraid, I won't bully you... Tachibana thought angrily: It's all that scumbag's fault, I must find another chance to beat him up.

“Let’s not stand at the door, let’s go inside and sit for a while!” Chieko said.

Chieko noticed that Tachibana wasn't so nervous anymore. The way she looked at Riko was like that of an older sister. Chieko couldn't help but admire Riko's personality; she really could easily evoke feelings of pity in kind-hearted people.

This also shows that Tachibana has a good personality, but the thought that she would be unable to bear it if she knew the truth would cause her great harm.

Chieko couldn't help but worry: I wonder what decision Hideaki-kun will make then...

Chapter 131 Eating

Tachibana took Riko's hand and they went into the supermarket, then sat down at the long table opposite the checkout counter.

The topics that girls discuss are nothing more than a few: fashion and beauty, movies and variety shows, food reviews, celebrity gossip, and their own treasured niche and little-known facts. Although there aren't many topics, they could talk about them for three days and three nights without running out of them.

But this obviously won't work with Riko.

No matter how enthusiastic and friendly Tachibana was, Riko always acted cautiously, and her responses seemed to be carefully considered and agreed upon.

This made Tachibana feel a little awkward, as she genuinely wanted to be good friends with Riko.

Once she realized that Riko also liked Hideaki, and that she was Hideaki's girlfriend, she felt a sense of pride.

She does like to show off, but not Riko, because she can't bear to do that to a cute, gentle, and obedient girl like Riko.

Chieko, who was accompanying her, was also pacing anxiously.

More than once, I shouted in my heart to Riko: There is absolutely no need to be afraid of her!

There was even a moment when I wanted to run to room 403, take out the wedding photo of Riko and Hideaki hanging on the wall above the bed, and take out the household registration copy with Hideaki Yamanaka listed as the head of the household from the bedside table drawer, and throw it in front of Tachibana so she would know who the eldest sister was.

Of course, she still has a rational side.

Tachibana didn't bully Riko; instead, she racked her brains trying to find common ground. I wondered what Tachibana would feel if she knew the truth.

"Tachibana-chan, is this a gift you brought for President Riko?"

As Tachibana bit her finger, pondering how to help Riko relax, Chieko's words reminded her.

"Ah, I almost forgot..." Tachibana quickly picked up the shopping bag from the table. "This is... uh... this is... this is what Hideaki-kun bought for me in Ginza yesterday when we were having dinner together... um, he bought it for me... well, um, Riko-chan and I are about the same size, um..."

Tachibana blushed and couldn't continue.

All I could do was wail in my heart: I'm so sorry, Riko-chan, that jerk actually bought this for you. I'm so guilty, I'm so sorry, I don't want to lose Hideaki-kun... You know what? When he was buying clothes for you in front of me, he was so careful with his choices, but when it came to buying for me, he was so perfunctory. I'm so sad, I'm so afraid you'll steal my boyfriend...

"What a beautiful dress."

Chieko knew her role was to ease the awkwardness between the two women and, ideally, to make them as close as sisters.

Seeing Tachibana's stammering manner, she realized there must be some hidden story, but what that story was didn't matter.

Before Tachibana could finish speaking, she took the shopping bag from her hand, took out the dress, and while praising it, spread it out on Riko to compare, "Your figures are exactly the same, what a coincidence... Riko-chan, take a look and see if you like it?"

"Ah, thank you... Thank you, Tachibana-chan. I... I really like it, it's so beautiful... Thank you for the gift..."

Riko took the Chanel light blue dress, still with great care, but her eyes were filled with joy and gratitude.

"Please don't be polite... This was originally for you..." Tachibana felt even more guilty and didn't even dare to look Riko in the eye.

"Ah, President Riko also prepared a gift for Tachibana-chan!"

Chieko walked to the cashier and asked Misako to take out a beautiful gift box containing a diamond necklace that was placed under the cashier.

In the morning, business managers from Nomura Securities, Yamaichi Securities, and Sanyo Securities each presented gifts.

Nomura Securities presented a calendar and a Kaga gold-leaf address book, custom-made by Nishi Orijin in Kyoto. These items combined traditional craftsmanship with practical value, making them meaningful souvenirs without being overly obsequious.

The gift from Yamaichi Securities was a golf club membership card, a limited edition that is expensive and generally unavailable to the average person. It is a very popular gift among the wealthy and a symbol of status.

Sanyo Securities gifted them a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace, a complete set. The necklace also prominently features the initials of Tachibana's name.

Since everyone at Sanyo Securities thought that Tachibana was already Hideaki's fiancée, Tachibana, as a former employee and colleague, naturally had to go out of her way to please him.

Mr. Suzuki, the bald team leader of Tachibana, couldn't think of a gift to give, so he asked his female superior, Department Head Midori Umezu.

Then, Minister Umezu took out a jewelry box from his drawer and asked Suzuki to engrave it, and that's how it was delivered.

Suzuki, upon receiving the jewelry box, nearly dropped his jaw in astonishment…

Of course, Riko wasn't interested in jewelry and hadn't paid much attention to its prices, especially since it was a gift from someone else. She didn't look at it much and didn't know that the necklace had the English abbreviation of Tachibana's name on it.

Even if you saw it, you wouldn't immediately think it was an abbreviation of Tachibana's name.

Because Hideaki had said before leaving that Riko could do whatever she wanted with the gifts.

Riko then asked Chieko if she wanted some.

Chieko wouldn’t dare accept something so valuable; it must cost several million yen!

She remembered that Riko really wanted to be best friends with Tachibana, so she had a flash of inspiration and suggested that she give it to Miss Tachibana, and Riko agreed.

Riko is so nervous that she's forgotten about the gift, so Chieko has to lend a hand.

When Chieko took out the diamond necklace, Tachibana's eyes widened in surprise.

She loves jewelry.

Inside the elegant red gift box is a deep blue sapphire, surrounded by a ring of small, transparent diamonds, valued at 5000 million yen.

There was also a necklace made of rubies, diamonds, and crystals, priced at 3000 million yen. Earrings, priced at 1000 million yen.

"No, no, no, it's too precious," Tachibana's heart pounded wildly, and she instinctively jumped away. "I can't accept it, I can't accept it... I really can't accept it, it's too precious."

Tachibana's voice was almost choked with tears; she wanted it so badly, but she really couldn't have it.

She even seemed a little afraid. Why give me such an expensive gift? Was it to make me give up? I think I couldn't resist the temptation...

Chieko was unaware of the jewelry's actual value. Would Hideaki care about something worth several million yen? Besides, Riko had already disposed of it as she pleased, and Riko wasn't interested at all.

Of course, even if he knew the actual value, Hideaki would definitely not care about earning hundreds of millions of yen a day, especially since it was a gift for his girlfriend.