Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

“But, but…” Riko thought that if she really stopped Hideaki from going out to find women, she would not only be yelled at by him, but might also be disliked by him. Her hands and feet turned cold, and she stiffened her neck and widened her eyes, saying, “But… he, he is a scumbag!”

This was something Hideaki himself admitted to. He even dragged Riko into the bedroom and, while doing *that*, made her call him a scumbag... If he dares to do something so perverted, what else wouldn't he dare to do? No matter how you try to stop him, he won't stop.

He once told Chieko that dumping a woman is like dumping clothes...

"Let's not discuss this kind of thing now," Chieko noticed that the two were talking more and more fluently, as if the effects of the alcohol were wearing off. Worried that things might get complicated, she quickly interjected, "Riko-chan is just too timid. I'll persuade her. Is that alright?"

Riko whispered, "Even if Chieko-neechan says that, I still..."

This isn't a question of whether it's acceptable or not; it's a matter of principle. I cannot betray my husband.

"Riko-chan, stop talking," Chieko interrupted her, almost bursting into tears, and continued, "The taxi is already at the door, go get in!"

Riko's final comment, calling him a "scumbag," also served as a wake-up call for Tachibana.

Indeed, for a scumbag, his girlfriend status seems to be insignificant in his eyes.

It's really hard to accept... Oh well, I'll think about it some more!

What if he turns over a new leaf?

If they never turn back, I really need to think carefully about whether I can accept it.

Riko-chan is amazing; she can actually accept it. Perhaps it's because she's not a bad boyfriend or girlfriend!

I really want to switch places with her and see how she feels. Maybe then I can try to understand her...

Chieko grabbed Riko's and Tachibana's hands on either side and walked out of the restaurant.

Because of the intense emotional turmoil in the private room, both of them were almost sober.

Since Tachibana had already decided to leave Tokyo, Riko couldn't bear to refuse her invitation, so she went with Tachibana to visit her home, and Chieko had no choice but to comply.

Just as Chieko opened the taxi door, Tachibana suddenly stopped her, saying: "The clothes I gave Riko today were bought for her by Hideaki, so they don't count as a gift from me. I want to buy Riko another one."

And so, Tachibana led the two into Wako Department Store and headed straight for the watch counter.

Then Tachibana sadly discovered that she didn't have enough money; her entire net worth was only 30 yen, not even enough to cover the price tags on the luxury goods display cases.

Tachibana truly considered Riko a close confidante and openly admitted her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Riko-chan, I'm too poor. Let's go somewhere else! I'll come back here when I've made a lot of money..."

"It's okay, I'll be happy with whatever gift you give me."

She didn't care about the gift or its price at all; what she cared about most was Tachibana's attitude, and that was perfect.

As Riko spoke, she rested her hands on the glass display case, gazing at the watch.

She remembered that Xiuming had said he would give her a gift that evening, and since she was out today, she might as well buy him a gift too.

I remember the watch on Xiuming's wrist was the same one that the "Xiuming" used to wear.

I felt a pang of guilt. I wanted to buy a better one, but which one was better?

Since Tachibana is right beside me, I might as well ask her.

After all, she was still very reluctant to leave; she was only going out to hide for a while to save face.

However, considering Hideaki's "scumbag" nature, if Tachibana doesn't come back, she'll probably be completely forgotten.

That would be so pitiful for Tachibana.

Besides, Hideaki's personality is something he'll never change in his lifetime, and Tachibana seems determined not to give up.

Although I still felt a sense of crisis, I couldn't bear to see Tachibana so heartbroken...

"Tachibana-chan, how about buying a gift for my husband... oh no, for... your boyfriend?"

I'll take a gamble, on the promise my husband made: he won't abandon me.

After all, he told me behind my back that he liked me.

So happy...

"Forget it! We're still in the 'cold war' phase..."

Tachibana's eyes were full of interest, but after glancing at her wallet, she shook her head, looking quite disappointed.

"Which watch do you think suits him best? I feel like they all would be perfect for him... It's really hard to decide..." Riko said, looking conflicted as she leaned on the cabinet to look at the watches.

Tachibana paused, looking at Riko's face with suspicion.

Chapter 133 She was like a proud goddess of pure love.

Riko's eyes sparkled like stars, radiating an undisguised happiness and longing.

"Then let's choose this one!"

Tachibana suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and pointed to a black watch that was closest to Riko's hand.

The latest Cartier model has a price tag of 1300 million yen.

Tachibana felt that this was something she could never afford in her entire life, but Riko bought it casually, with a look of relief and joy on her face.

She seems to be a better match for Xiuming, after all, she can accept Xiuming's philandering... and she's also very rich, she can buy whatever she wants...

Riko swiped her card to pay, handed over the watch box that the waiter had wrapped, and said, "Tachibana-chan, you can give it to him!"

Tachibana tried her best to appear indifferent, pushed the box back, and said, "You should give it to him!"

"Then, then I'll give it to him in your name, okay?" Riko's eyes were full of sincerity.

“Please don’t,” Tachibana forced a smile, a very strained one, which probably looked terrible… She said in a joking tone, “I don’t want him to think I’m apologizing to him.”

“But…” Riko didn’t notice Tachibana’s stiff smile. She opened her mouth, her face conflicted, “Then you…”

"Let's leave it at that for now!" Chieko quickly interrupted Riko, adding, "Didn't Tachibana-chan want to buy Riko-chan a present? Shall we go look somewhere else?"

Tachibana gave a hasty reply, quickly turned around, and left the store.

Riko stood there stunned, and asked, "Weren't you fine just now? What happened to Tachibana-chan?"

"Sober now..." Chieko shrugged and said, "Perhaps it's because President Riko likes Mr. Hideaki so much that she feels she can't compete and is withdrawing!"

Riko's innocent demeanor while shopping just now was very much like that of a young girl who had just fallen in love. Anyone who saw her would think that she was choosing a gift for her beloved boyfriend.

Even the sales clerks used phrases like "Your boyfriend is so lucky," "Your boyfriend will definitely like it," "You must love your boyfriend very much," and "The more expensive the watch, the more sincere it shows" to flatter Riko.

Riko couldn't hide her shyness and joy; she was completely immersed in it.

Standing next to her, Tachibana seemed to be affected as well, staring blankly at Riko. The light in her eyes seemed to have disappeared, and they were filled with bitterness.

Chieko had already sensed the situation, but chose to remain silent, thinking that it was fine as long as Riko didn't back down, no one cared.

Besides, Tachibana doesn't even allow Hideaki to have other women, that's terrifying...

"She...she shouldn't be like this, right?" Riko suddenly panicked. She had been so determined not to let go just moments before... She asked instinctively, "Did I...did I do something wrong?"

"No, this is what Riko-chan should do..." Before she could finish speaking, Riko had already run out of the store, and Chieko quickly chased after her.

As soon as the two ran out of Wako Department Store, Tachibana was standing in the small square at the entrance, eating a snow-white cotton candy in her left hand, holding two more in her right hand, and a light blue helium balloon tied to her wrist.

"Riko-chan, you guys took so long to come out!" Tachibana said with a smile, handing cotton candy to Riko and Chieko respectively. Then she untied the light blue helium balloon tied to her wrist and handed it to Riko, saying, "Consider this a gift from me. Please don't mind it. I'm so poor...hehehe..."

Tachibana chuckled dryly twice.

"I don't mind at all, not at all..." Riko quickly took the helium balloon and cotton candy, and said carefully, "Thank you, Tachibana-chan, I, I really like it..."

"I'm glad you like it..." Tachibana said, turning her head to look at a corner of the square where there was an empty wooden bench. "Let's go sit there for a while!"

As she spoke, she had already walked over.

The three sat side by side on chairs, silently eating cotton candy.

Chieko secretly observed the expressions on the two people's faces.

Riko sat in the middle, becoming cautious again.

Tachibana's expression was calm; she didn't even move her eyes, keeping her head down and staring at the increasingly smaller cotton candy as she ate it.

Chieko thought to herself: She must be planning to give up, right?

Now that she's given up, Riko-chan doesn't need to worry about revealing her identity as Mrs. Yamanaka anymore, and she doesn't need to worry about whether Tachibana will be embarrassed or awkward after finding out the truth... I wonder if they can still be friends? It seems like they're still good friends...

All three marshmallows were reduced to a single bamboo skewer. It was completely dark by 8 PM, and it had taken almost two hours to eat just one marshmallow...

The rows of streetlights were already lit.

"It's getting late." Tachibana suddenly stood up and stretched. "Riko-chan, I'm sorry, it's so late, I can't invite you to my house. Maybe next time!"

"Huh? Okay, okay..." Riko didn't know how to respond, and just subconsciously agreed.

Bye-bye~

Tachibana waved and walked towards the financial district.

That road is usually frequented by many commuters, but it was unusually quiet at this time of day.

Under the streetlights, Tachibana, stepping on her shadow, swayed as she walked towards the cluster of low-rise buildings in the distance.

"Tachibana-chan!" Riko's nose stung with tears, and she cried out, "Are we still friends?"

Tachibana suddenly stopped, without turning around, tilted her head back, raised her right hand, and said nothing.

He walked away with his hands raised, like a proud, pure-love warrior.

"Riko-chan, let's go home too!" Chieko waved for a taxi.

"I...I want to go see her..." Riko said, staring blankly in the direction Tachibana had gone. "Is she angry with me?"

Tachibana had already turned the corner and was no longer in sight.

“No, no, she’s still your good friend,” Chieko said, feeling a little down as well. If Tachibana really left Tokyo, there wouldn’t be a next time, but there was nothing she could do about it… After thinking for a moment, she continued, “Didn’t Mr. Hideaki say he was going to give you a present tonight? Don’t keep him waiting too long; he has a very bad temper…”

"That's not how it is, my husband has a very good temper..." Riko's shoulders trembled. "Um, let's go home quickly!"

.

Around noon today.

Hideaki has locked onto the Singapore Stock Exchange and the Nikkei 225 futures index.

By 3 p.m., using 17 billion yen, he had made a staggering 600 million yen, of which 20 million yen belonged to Mr. Esaki Sekiryu.

That is, Yoko Ezaki's father.