I live my life in Tokyo

Chapter 9: A Happy Ending for You

Kaede Sakakibara looked down at the black-haired girl lying on the bed in amazement, feeling that the world was so small.

Who would have thought that the otaku he always thought of as someone who stayed at home playing games every day and had no worries about food and drink would suddenly transform into a sickly girl, and actually become his stepsister. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?

"Sakakibara-kun knows Kapok Ki?"

Seeing that there seemed to be some kind of tacit understanding between the two, Konno Emi asked curiously.

"We met online before." The young man explained with a smile, "We have known each other for almost a year."

"Hey, did you meet while playing games?" Konno Aiko wasn't surprised at all and directly told how they met.

Konno Kapok smiled at her sister.

There was a hint of secret joy and pride hidden in the smile.

Seeing that Sakakibara-kun and his daughter had met very smoothly without any negative emotions, Konno Emi breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned on Konno Aiko's wheelchair and said, "Sakakibara-kun, I have to accompany Aiko to see the doctor later to learn about the situation after the operation the day before yesterday. Can you accompany Kapok?"

"Of course."

Sakakibara Kaede moved a chair and sat in front of Konno Kapok's bed and agreed.

Konno mother and daughter left the room quickly. Sakakibara felt it necessary to find out when they would be discharged from the hospital. He was not sure whether they would live together after being discharged. Sakakibara did not want to trouble them. He could take care of himself now.

When he was lost in thought, he noticed the bold gaze of Nan Jinwaiqun 517880761 on the girl on the bed.

"what happened?"

"Hmm, I didn't expect Harukaze to be so young in real life."

"You didn't believe Mitt's lies, did you? Besides, didn't I turn on the voice chat when I played games these days? Have you ever seen an old man with a voice like that?"

In order to prove her innocence, Sakakibara Kaede slowed down her speaking speed, and her voice was indeed clear and gentle, quite like that of an announcer.

Konno Kapok laughed and raised her hand to cover her mouth to stop her cough. The young man quickly moved aside to take the kettle, but the girl shook her head to refuse.

"How long have you been living like this, Yuuki?"

"I've been hospitalized frequently since I was twelve years old." The black-haired girl named Yuuki heard Sakakibara Kaede read out her ID, which was also her real name, and a hint of redness flashed across her pale face. "Sister, too. After a checkup at the hospital, it was found that she was born with a weak body, so she gets sick easily."

"Then, I started to be hospitalized. I went to school until the second year of junior high school, and then I had to be hospitalized, as did my sister. My mother was always by our side. Although we didn't go to school, she would read to us... In my spare time, when I didn't have to receive an IV drip, I would play games."

Konno Kapok stretched out her hand towards Sakakibara Kaede. She had fair skin, but looked a little thin, as if she was malnourished. There was not much flesh on her hands, and they were so thin that the bones were visible.

"Okay, I've finished introducing myself. Can you please introduce yourself, brother?"

She seems to have a unique charm. If you look closely, you can find that the sunshine on her face is exactly the same as her sister Lan Zi, which makes people want to make friends with them.

"Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Mmmmm~"

Sakakibara Kaede smiled and began to tell his story. Compared with the physical and mental pain that Kapok Ji had to endure, his story seemed very monotonous.

Yuuki just listened quietly, occasionally hearing something funny and laughing, which made Sakakibara Kaede smile.

"Hey, is your brother an actor?"

"Yes, but I haven't received any new dramas in the past few months, so there is no chance to shoot."

"I want to see it! Can you tell me the name?"

It was still a bit embarrassing to be asked to tell others about the TV series he had acted in. Sakakibara scratched his cheek and wrote down the TV series he had starred in in a small notebook beside him.

Yuuki racked her brains, thinking of other questions that could help her understand her brother better.

Unlike the unfamiliarity between step-siblings who just met in TV dramas, Konno Kaede felt that she and Sakakibara Kaede had a lot in common, or that they enjoyed chatting together, which was not at all as exaggerated as described on the Internet.

"By the way, Harukaze, are you and Asuna living together?"

Yuuki stuttered a little when she asked this question, but she still asked it boldly, "Asuna may have fooled me that day, but I heard it clearly."

Sakakibara Kaede originally wanted to laugh it off and say something nonsense, but he felt guilty lying in front of his sister, so after thinking it over, he decided to tell the truth.

"We live together..."

"Aha~ So bold!" Yuki covered her cheeks, and after a moment her fingers slightly opened. She continued to stare at Sakakibara Kaede through the gaps between her fingers, looking forward to his next move.

"..."

The young man opened his mouth and looked helplessly at the impish Yuuki.

"But we're not living together, we're renting together." Sakakibara Kaede re-explained the difference between living together and renting together, "In addition to Asuna, Asuna's brother also lives with us. The three of us share a flat."

"Oh, is that so? That's great."

There was a kind of longing in Konno Kamen's eyes. Asuna took good care of her when she was playing games. After hearing the other party's voice, it was easy to put Asuna in the position of an older sister.

"Well... if you want to see Asuna, I can talk to her." Sakakibara Kaede pretended to take out her cell phone, but was quickly stopped by Yuuki's hand.

"...I'd rather not."

"why."

Konno Kapok lay on the bed, facing the window, and said sullenly, "I am a nuisance and a burden now. Asuna will definitely not be happy if she comes to see me."

"Brother, please don't tell Asuna."

Sakakibara Kaede sighed softly, and couldn't help but feel a little more pity for the girl in front of him.

After Konno Emi came back, it was Aiko who accompanied Kapok, and Sakakibara Kaede followed Konno Emi to the outside of the ward.

"Aiko and Kapok will have to stay for about a month. We will continue to monitor their condition." Konno Emi seemed to be relieved. She wiped away the tiredness from her eyes. "Where does Sakakibara-kun live now? If you are willing, you can move into our previous house now."

Sakakibara Feng hurriedly said a few polite words. He didn't want to cause trouble for his stepmother now. He changed the subject and said, "But you can give me the key. No one has lived in this house for a long time. I can clean it up before you go home."

“This… How can this be possible?”

Konno Emi sternly rejected Sakakibara Kaede's request. In her eyes, Sakakibara Kaede was still a child and one of the people who needed her care.

The two were chatting outside the ward, while Lan Zi and Mu Mian Ji started reading. They had a plan for every day, with clear arrangements on how much time to spend reading, resting, and playing games.

After Sakakibara finished lunch with them, the two sisters lay down on the bed and took a nap. Konno Emi went out to do some errands, and Sakakibara took this opportunity to say goodbye.

The young man gained a lot from this contact. He learned about the situation of his stepmother's family and also got the contact information of the three of them. Although it would be impossible for them to live together all the time in the future, they could still keep in touch frequently.

Just thinking of this pair of pitiful sisters made Sakakibara Kaede feel a little burdened.

It is rare for a lazy dog ​​like Sakakibara Kaede, who can lie down and never get up, to come to the office on his own initiative on weekends. However, he did not come to the office unintentionally. He has a task from his master today. Oh, no, it is a task from the top management of the office.

"Good afternoon, Miss Nanakusa."

"Good afternoon, Sakakibara-kun."

The agent and the musician met in the office. Sakakibara Kaede bowed, and Nanakusa Hazuki got straight to the point: "The agency wants to record a solo of yours and upload it to social media. What do you think?"

"Is it just me?"

"correct."

"A cappella or with guitar?"

"Hey... it would be best if there was a guitar accompaniment."

"I understand."

Ms. Nanakusa added, "This is also to promote your band's next album... By the way, Mr. Amai recommended this video to me."

She opened a web page, and Sakakibara Kaede leaned over to take a look, and found a person in a pink sportswear playing the guitar skillfully.

"This is?"

"For a music video like this, of course you have to show your face." Miss Nanakusa said softly, "This time the agency doesn't want to use a professional camera team. The theme they chose is close to the people, so Sakakibara-kun can use his phone to record himself and send it to me so I can edit it."

“What’s the deadline?”

"Um... can you give it to me before next Wednesday?"

Sakakibara Kaede nodded, "I'll finish it for you as soon as possible."

"Thank you so much~"

Oh, Iida Kei would never say such a thing.

To be honest, the best place to record is still the rehearsal room of the agency, but this time they want to go the approachable route, so it is obviously impossible. He also thought about recording in a coffee shop on the street, such as the Starlight Coffee Shop, but thought it would attract a lot of attention and might cause a commotion, so forget it.

The final location was decided to be shot at home.

Sakakibara Kaede returned home with a worry in her heart. It was not easy for her to play and sing at home. Yuuki Asuna next door was studying hard, which obviously affected her. Although the soundproof wall was effective, Sakakibara Kaede did not think it could completely block the sound of the electric guitar.

Chocolate and Vanilla were rolling around on the sofa out of boredom. Sakakibara Kaede sat next to them, rubbed their bellies, and took out his cell phone.

It is said that more friends mean more paths, and now is a good time to ask your friends.

"Can I borrow your room for this afternoon to shoot a music video?"

The message was sent to Sakurajima Mai and Higuchi Madoka respectively. By the time the message was sent to the latter, Sakurajima Mai had already received a reply.

"Sorry! I'm not at home. I'm filming a commercial in Ginza... Ah, I'll give the key directly to Sakakibara-senpai next time."

"..."

"What does this ellipsis mean? Are you planning a night raid?"

"No."

"cut."

After chatting with Sakurajima Mai to this point, Higuchi Madoka replied.

"I'm not at home, but Asakura is. Sakakibara-senpai, just go and knock on the door."

"where are you?"

The other party was silent for a moment, as if he thought it was strange that Sakakibara Kaede asked this question.

"...I'm recording a solo single in the studio. The finished product will be out tomorrow. Do you want to listen to it?"

"want."

Shows read, but no reply.

Sakakibara Kaede used the face-burying trick on Vanilla, and after taking a deep breath, he went into the room to get his guitar, took the elevator to the first floor, and rang the doorbell of the room shared by Higuchi Madoka and Asakura Toru.

What Toru Asakura did on his days off was no different from what he did on ordinary days, that is, sleeping. When Kaede Sakakibara knocked on the door to visit him, Toru Asakura was still rubbing his sleepy eyes and yawned at Kaede Sakakibara in a daze.

"Good afternoon, Asakura-san."

"Good afternoon...Zzzz" After saying hello, Toru Asakura lost his balance and his head hit the young man's shoulder, making even breathing sounds.

Sakakibara Kaede coughed and said, "If I go to sleep now, I won't be able to sleep at night."

Asakura Toru hummed twice. She couldn't help but stretch and stood up from Sakakibara Kaede. "Ah... Sorry, I studied too hard last night."

The young man's eyes suddenly became suspicious. Asakura Toru, would she stay up late to review her homework? Could she be confused in her sleep?

"Really..." Asakura Toru chuckled. She naturally took Sakakibara Kaede's hand and pulled him into the living room. "Higuchi reviewed with me yesterday."

"Oh, there's Higuchi-san, that's not surprising."

"Well..."

Asakura Toru pouted, as if she was sulking. It was the first time the young man saw her like this, and he felt a little surprised.

The girl's attention quickly turned to the electric guitar, "This... do you want to play it?"

"Well, I'm going to record a video on my phone later."

"Not urgent."

Asakura Toru drew the curtains, and the room gradually darkened. She sat on the sofa, patted the seat next to her, and smiled refreshingly, "Want to watch the rented movie?"

Sakakibara Kaede did not refuse. He put the guitar case in front of the door, turned and went into the kitchen, picked out two apples from the fruit basket, and began to peel them.

"This is...?"

"Should I eat something while watching a movie?"

"Ah, that makes sense."

Sakakibara Kaede took a look at the name of the movie and felt that he had heard Uehara Yo brag about it. It was about the protagonist's sour youthful past in daily life with two very good female classmates. It was said that a lot of suggestive techniques were used, including some face-slapping and lifelong regrets that were very enjoyable to watch. It was considered a small company, but the finished product was unexpectedly good.

"What kind of movies do you like, Sakakibara-san?"

"I really like watching movies with happy endings." The young man looked up and said while peeling an apple. He looked at Asakura Toru, who was kneeling with his chin resting on the back of the sofa, and stared into his clear eyes. "I like the kind of ending that makes everyone laugh."