Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

Unexpected prophet?

Ito glanced at the flowers in the vase; apart from being more expensive than the ones he had bought before, they had nothing else special about them.

So why did they immediately guess that it was them who prepared it?

"Dumb?" Yuriko seemed quite dissatisfied that Ito hadn't spoken. "He can go to the hospital for treatment right now."

It is even more powerful than before.

"Say what you will, I'm here on a mission today." Ito casually picked up an apple from the cabinet and began peeling it.

"First, to convey Chinatsu and Asada's feelings; second, to get you to agree to the treatment."

"So you did something to satisfy me?" Yuriko retorted. "I won't force myself to do anything that can't be quantified. Besides, I don't think you'll really be satisfied."

Yuriko frowned and looked at Ito with displeasure. "That's why I hate your personality! I really don't want to see you without Chinatsu and the others."

"Then please heal your body so you'll have the strength to kick me out," Ito continued, uttering infuriating words.

Yuriko remained silent, clearly not wanting to engage in this conversation. She then took out a bookmark, closed the book, and removed her glasses.

My eyes were fixed on the stark white ceiling.

"Was it you who helped Asada at that music festival not long ago?" Yuriko suddenly asked.

"......Yes."

"Chika is here too?"

"Yes."

"..." Yuriko remained silent for a while, then looked at Ito and slowly narrowed her eyes. "So you brought your girlfriend along and sang love songs with other girls?"

“…” Ito nodded. “Yes.”

Yuriko took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, rubbing her throbbing temples. "Get out of here!"

Ito remained silent. He cut the peeled apple into several pieces, then inserted a toothpick into each piece and handed it to Yuriko Minamoto.

Yuriko waved her hand in refusal, feeling that her condition was about to worsen.

She stared at Ito, her gaze so sharp it seemed she could dissect him.

"So, who do you like? Chinatsu, or Sakura?"

As Yuriko suddenly asked a question, Ito's hand holding the toothpick froze in mid-air.

The apple slices slowly oxidized in the air, turning a hint of brown at the edges.

“Answer me,” Yuriko Minamoto said firmly. “Once you understand this, I will agree to the treatment. After all, I also want to see the Ito family continue.”

Ito put down the apple.

He couldn't answer that question, or rather, there wasn't a clear answer.

Even during this break, he has never stopped thinking about this problem.

Do you like Chinatsu?

She was my official girlfriend, a girlfriend who was like a little devil, but not bad at all.

But what about Asada?

That reckless fellow had already infiltrated his daily life.

"I don't know," Ito finally gave an honest answer.

Yuriko Minamoto scoffed, her voice filled with mockery and exhaustion.

"You can't even understand your own heart. Your father back then was..." Before she could finish speaking, a violent cough interrupted her.

Yuriko Minamoto arched her back, coughing violently, her thin shoulders trembling.

Ito immediately got up to press the call button, but was stopped by Yuriko with a look.

She took a while to catch her breath before leaning back against the pillows, her face even paler than before. "You saw it."

She was panting, her voice weakening, "I don't have much time to play mind games with you. Either give me a clear answer, or you take all your tangled emotional entanglements and disappear from my sight."

Ito stood still. The only sound in the ward was the rhythmic ticking of the medical equipment.

The smell of disinfectant seemed stronger, overpowering the faint fragrance.

“I need time,” Ito said.

“You don’t have that much time.” Yuriko closed her eyes, her intention to dismiss him clear.

"go out."

Ito looked at the untouched desserts and apples on the table, as well as the carefully selected flowers in the vase.

He ultimately said nothing and turned to leave the ward.

The door closed gently.

The smell of disinfectant wafted through the corridor.

Ito leaned against the cold wall, feeling the tie around his neck getting a little tight.

He loosened his tie and let out a long sigh.

He came to visit the patient, but ended up making the patient even angrier; probably only he could do that.

Yuriko picked up her book again in the hospital room, as if nothing had happened. Sometimes, if you don't pretend a little and push the other person a bit, you'll always be running away.

Leaving the hospital, the afternoon sun was a bit too bright.

Ito took out her phone; there were two new messages on Line.

A message came from Qianxia, ​​asking if he had seen his grandmother and how she was doing.

Another message came from Asada, who sent several photos of supermarket ingredients and asked him what he wanted to eat for dinner.

Ito stared at the screen, his finger hovering in the air.

He first opened Chinatsu's chat window, typed "I saw her, thankfully," and then deleted it.

Change it to "Grandma was in good spirits and talked for a while."

send.

Then I clicked on Asada's profile, looked at the photos of the ingredients, and replied, "Anything is fine. You decide."

The message had barely been sent when Qianxia called.

"Yujin!" Her voice came through the receiver, full of energy. "Did Grandma like the flowers I chose? Did she say anything?"

"The flowers are nice. She... didn't say anything particularly special." Ito walked towards the bus stop. "That's good! By the way, shall we go out for dinner tonight? I know a new restaurant that just opened..."

"Asada has already started cooking."

Ito interrupted her. There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Oh...I see. Then...what about tomorrow?"

"Let's talk about it tomorrow." The bus pulled into the station, and Ito boarded. "I'm on the bus now. The signal is bad, so I'll hang up now."

Without waiting for Chinatsu's response, Ito ended the call.

He found a seat by the window and sat down, watching the street scenes rushing by outside.

Yuriko's question lingered in her mind.

Who do you like?

The question itself is like a trap.

If feelings could be defined simply by "like" or "dislike," things would actually be simpler.

Back at the apartment, the door opened from the inside as soon as the key was inserted into the lock.

Asada was wearing an apron and holding a spatula.

"You're back?" She stepped aside to let Ito in. "How is Grandma?"

"The same as always."

Ito changed her shoes and smelled a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Stewed meat. It'll be ready soon." Asada glanced at his face. "Your tie is crooked." She naturally reached out to help Ito adjust his tie.

His fingers occasionally brushed against the collar of his shirt.

Ito stood still, letting her do as she pleased. This level of physical contact had become commonplace at some point.

"Grandma, do you like Chika's flowers?" Asada asked casually, her hands still moving.

"Mm," Ito replied.

Asada seemed satisfied, released his grip, and turned back to the kitchen.

Ito returned to his room, lay on his bed, and stared at the ceiling.

The sound of spatulas clattering and Asada humming softly came from the apartment.

“Takikawa came over for a free meal again today,” Asada suddenly said. “But I chased him away. I told him I hadn’t prepared anything for him since you’re coming back today.”

Ito looked up at her.

"Why are you looking at me?" Asada put a piece of meat into his bowl. "That guy just takes advantage of your easygoing nature. You can't always spoil him."

This sounds a bit like a complaint, but it's more like a certain degree of... possessiveness?

Ito lowered his head and ate his food in silence.

After the meal, Ito was in charge of washing the dishes.

Asada leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching him.

"You seem to have something on your mind." She used a declarative sentence.

Ito turned off the water and dried her hands with a towel.

"Yuriko Minamoto said that she would accept treatment once I figured out who I liked."

Asada paused for a moment, then crossed his arms.

"So? Do you understand now?"