Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

"I don't need any mind reading skills. I can tell from your expression."

Natsuka Imai scoffed at her question.

Seeing through everything in her mind, Lisa Shiraishi instantly felt very embarrassed and lowered her blushing face.

"I don't know what you just said, but you don't need to overcomplicate things, Lisa."

"Whether it's wanting to appreciate the same things as the person you like, eating the same food, or doing the same things as the person you like, it's human nature to want to share this feeling with the other person!"

Natsuka Imai glanced at her and let out a long sigh.

"The thing is... I left Sousuke and ran away..."

With her chest tightened by the ever-expanding self-loathing, Shiraishi Lisa recounted what had just happened.

It was just that Sosuke accidentally touched that place, and I ran away shyly.

And he was clearly just trying to hold himself up so as not to fall, he wasn't intentionally doing anything weird.

It's a rare opportunity for me to go to the beach with him during the summer vacation, but it seems that I have wasted this great opportunity given by God.

"I'm really useless..."

Finally, Lisa Shiraishi couldn't help but mutter some discouraging words.

"Well, you are really bad, so bad, unbelievable, just like a little kid."

Natsuka Imai, who had remained silent throughout her confession, finally spoke.

"Ah? What did you say?"

Shiraishi Lisa couldn't help but scream, then turned around and looked at Imai Natsuka's face.

"Ah what? You didn't think I would comfort you?"

"To be honest, based on the current situation, I do have some expectations, but who could have thought that you would rub salt into my wounds?!"

"Hmph, stop being so conceited. Sorry, I'm really not good at girls hugging each other and complaining about themselves to keep each other warm."

"I can tell you bluntly that you are hopeless, Lisa. You are 100% overreacting this time. You don't deserve any sympathy at all."

"That... wuwu..."

Although Lisa Shiraishi has known this for a long time, it still hurts to hear others say this...

She was devastated by the continuous and sharp criticism.

"Didn't I just say that 'it's human nature to want to share this feeling with someone'? This also applies to the other person."

At this time, Natsuka Imai looked directly into her eyes and said.

"What are you saying?"

"You're not the only one who has that desire. Sosuke is the same. Isn't that what it means to be in love with someone?"

Imai Natsuka's unexpected remarks left Shiraishi Lisa speechless.

If I have such a desire, Sosuke is no exception...

These words kept echoing in her mind.

"So don't run away!"

When Lisa Shiraishi was moved by Natsuka Imai's words, she suddenly leaned over, grabbed Shiraishi's chest through the bath towel, and said excitedly.

Imai Natsuka's expression became extremely serious.

"If you're embarrassed to be touched by him, then stay away from him! If you're embarrassed to look him in the eye, then keep your head down!"

"If you can't even speak, it doesn't matter if you remain silent! But──"

What she said pierced directly into Shiraishi Lisa.

"But you must not run away. As long as you stay by her side, she will be able to sense your feelings sooner or later."

Perhaps it was Lisa Shiraishi's illusion, she always felt that these words were not just meant for her.

"Heh, being so passionate isn't in line with my personality at all."

"Hey, I'll give this to you as well!"

Natsuka Imai put on an unnaturally cold attitude and handed something over.

Lisa Shiraishi took the thing with her other hand and saw that it was a small, cold and hard metal object...

"Is this a lock?"

"It's the padlock we sell in our store. Can you see that place?"

Natsuka Imai said, pointing to a place ahead.

Shiraishi Lisa turned her head and looked in the direction she was pointing. There was a bridge on the other side of the road in front of the rest stop.

At the end of the bridge is an observation deck surrounded by three sides of guardrails, which looks very mysterious...

Chapter 316 Ice and Fire

"You see that guardrail there, Lisa?"

"It is said that as long as you write the names of two people on the padlock and hang the padlock on the fence, the two people will be together..."

"Anyway, it's just a common superstition, but Lisa should like this kind of fairy-tale-like thing, right?"

Natsuka Imai was explaining to her this thing called a "couple lock".

"why?"

"Huh? I don't know why. Tourist spots often have things like this that are superstitious!"

"Not that."

Lisa Shiraishi tightly grasped the cold padlock and looked straight into Natsuka Imai's eyes.

“Why do you do so much for me?”

She really doesn't understand.

Natsuka Imai and I just met today, so we can be said to be strangers to each other.

But she still came to comfort herself. Even if she denied it, even the most dull person could see it.

While working part-time, she accidentally saw herself running away from Sosuke, so she brought something like this to comfort herself.

Why was she willing to do so much for herself?

Just as Lisa Shiraishi was waiting for Natsuka Imai to give her an answer, she deliberately looked away.

"No reason, I just hate people like Lisa who are coy. Or should I say..."

She said as she stroked Astra's back as she lay lazily on the ground.

Normally, Lisa Shiraishi would never be associated with the word coy, but when it comes to Ginjo Sosuke, the situation becomes a little special...

Natsuka Imai, who has a straightforward personality, rarely speaks hesitantly, and her voice becomes smaller and smaller.

However, Lisa Shiraishi did hear what she said.

"We've talked about love before, so we've been friends for a long time, right?"

In an instant.

Lisa Shiraishi's body moved before her brain could think and she suddenly hugged Natsuka Imai.

By the way, her body is really comfortable to hug, and the soft feeling is not as hard as her personality.

"Hey! Why are you here so suddenly? It's so cold! Lisa! The ice cream in your hand touched me!"

"Xia Hua, thank you so much!!"

"Stop it!! It's hot enough to hug each other, and the place where the ice cream touches is cold!!"

Perhaps he couldn't stand the stimulation of the two extremes of ice and fire, or perhaps he felt embarrassed -

Natsuka Imai snatched the ice cream from Lisa Shiraishi's hand and pushed her away.

If it were the old Lisa Shiraishi, she probably wouldn't look directly into the eyes glaring at her.

But now it seems that she was just hiding her shyness, right?

Lisa Shiraishi couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.

Although she kept backing away as if she felt it was embarrassing, she was definitely trying to protect her own image.

"Thank you so much, Xiahua! I feel like I can keep fighting again!"

"That's good..."

"I'm going to go back to find Sousuke! Thank you so much! I'll find a chance to thank you later!"

"Oh...you don't have to repeat it so many times...you are so long-winded, Yelisha..."

Lisa Shiraishi made up her mind and stood up, then ran to hug Natsuka Imai again, then rushed out without looking back, and the bath towel wrapped around her body fluttered in the wind.

Holding tightly in her hand the padlock given to her by Natsuka Imai, Lisa Shiraishi no longer felt confused.

The burning feeling of shame and the self-loathing that weighed heavily on my shoulders just a few minutes ago now disappeared like smoke.

Why did I completely forget such a simple truth and need Natsuka Imai to remind me?

If he felt embarrassed, Sosuke must feel the same way.

Since I am so looking forward to today's trip to the beach, I believe Sosuke has the same feeling about today's trip.

So now Lisa Shiraishi has only one thought in her mind.

"Sousuke!"

She wanted to meet Ginjo Sousuke right away.

I want to be by Sosuke's side and admire the emerald green sea with him.

I want to be by Sosuke's side and eat blue ice cream with him.

I want to be by Sosuke's side and be affectionate with him!

Just thinking about what she would do after seeing Ginjō made her excited, so she naturally quickened her pace.