A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"Zhe, does this posture affect you?"

"……Ugh."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya did not answer, but sighed helplessly.

As soon as Hoshino Ai walked into the KTV, she rushed over immediately. Before Chihaya Tetsuya could react, she sat on his thighs and put her arms around his neck, hanging on him like a koala.

"Zhe smells so nice, is it perfume?"

"No... I don't have the habit of wearing perfume."

Chihaya Tetsuya answered truthfully:

"So maybe it's just your illusion..."

"Eh... obviously there is."

As Hoshino Ai spoke, she put her face close to Chihaya Tetsuya's collarbone——

"It's that sweet, rich flavor that makes you want to take a bite..."

"Okay, okay, stop making trouble."

Seeing this, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but remind him in a helpless tone.

"Come on, love, we're going to talk about business next."

"..."

However, Hoshino Ai seemed not to hear it and continued to bury her face in Chihaya Tetsuya's arms, refusing to raise her head no matter what.

Until Chihaya Tetsuya emphasized his tone——

"Love, sit up nice and straight."

"Well...that's right."

After hearing Chihaya Tetsuya's somewhat stern tone, an incomprehensible sweet smile suddenly appeared on Hoshino Ai's face.

"If Zhe wants me to do something, just order me..."

"This isn't an order...just a reminder."

This word, which carried a strong sense of immorality, made Chihaya Tetsuya feel a little uneasy.

"We are equals. I will never act in a condescending manner."

“…They’re not equal.”

However, after hearing Chihaya Tetsuya's response, Hoshino Ai shook her head slightly.

"Although I do want to possess you completely now, but after everything is settled... no matter what you want me to do, I will listen to you obediently. As long as it is what you want, I can give you anything."

Having said that, an extremely touching smile bloomed on her face again.

"Even if it's my life—ugh!"

"Don't say that again, Love."

Chihaya Tetsuya forcibly covered Hoshino Ai's mouth, and at the same time, a rare expression of displeasure finally appeared on his face.

"Otherwise I'll really get angry... Hey!"

A moist touch from the palm of his hand made him quickly let go of his hand, and Hoshino Ai licked her lips lightly after he withdrew his palm.

"That's too much! I was just speaking the truth..."

Hoshino Ai sounded a little aggrieved when she was scolded.

"These are my thoughts from the bottom of my heart. From seven years ago until now, I have always thought this way."

"I know, but my thinking is different from what it was seven years ago."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"As I said, love, your existence is also one of the important reasons for my happiness. Even if it's just for me, I hope you can pay more attention to yourself."

“…It’s just one of them.”

Hoshino Ai repeated the description faintly.

And Chihaya Tetsu repeated again:

"Yes, it's just one of them. And... I hope love can be like me."

"What do you mean?"

"I hope you can also regard my existence... as just a 'part' of all your happiness."

"..."

After hearing this, Hoshino Ai was silent for a moment, and then said:

"If that's the case, it means that there will be someone other than Zhe in my heart from now on, right? I will never do such a thing as betraying you."

"This is not a betrayal, but a growth."

Chihaya Tetsuya denied this statement.

"I'm not asking you to reduce my importance in your heart, but I'm asking you to continue to greedily seek more. I know you like me very much, but I hope you can also like other things besides me at the same time."

"..."

Chihaya Tetsuya's opinion overlapped with what his agent had said before.

Both he and his agent seemed to hope that she could ask for more, something other than Chihaya Tetsuya.

But...is this really allowed?

Being able to be close to Zhe like this is an irreplaceable satisfaction for her.

If there are more desires in her heart above this, what will she become?

This kind of greedy thinking...will it really not make her lose Zhe?

"Love, look carefully."

As if he saw the hesitation in Hoshino Ai's eyes, Chihaya Tetsuya's tone became gentle again.

"Although I am indeed a little embarrassed, from the moment you sat down, I never intended to let you get off, nor did I intend to stop you, right?"

"..."

After hearing this, Hoshino Ai was silent for a while, and then she asked in a low voice:

"Isn't it because you simply can't break free?"

"Ahem! But at least you can still put up some resistance!"

Although his expression and tone were filled with a sense of lack of confidence, Chihaya Tetsuya still insisted:

"In short, as I've emphasized repeatedly before, no matter what, Zhe will never hate love. So... you don't have to worry that your changes will lead to changes in our relationship. Just change, try, and try to ask for more. Only then can we truly be happy together."

"Why do you and your agent keep saying the same thing..."

Hoshino Ai's hand unconsciously loosened Chihaya Tetsuya's neck.

"Becoming greedy and expecting more will only lead to more disappointment... I really don't understand you."

"Perhaps that was true for us in the past. But now, we are no longer those children with nothing. We are strong enough to protect the things we cherish."

Chihaya Tetsuya said as he held her shoulders and gently lowered her off his legs.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand now, you will understand one day."

"..."

Hoshino Ai did not answer, but just lowered her head quietly, and the still slightly moving eyes were enough to prove her inner hesitation and thoughts at the moment.

On the other side, Chihaya Tetsuya, who was finally rescued, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, Takamatsu-san, we can get started... Eh? What are you writing?"

"That's it... Yes, this is exactly what I want to write!"

On the other side, Takamatsu Deng, who had been writing furiously since the beginning, had an extremely serious expression on his face.

"Mr. Chihaya, please continue chatting with Ms. Hoshino!"

Under Chihaya Tetsuya's stunned gaze, Takamatsu Touma said:

"My inspiration is hidden in your conversation!"

41

Chapter 41: The temperature felt beneath the water.

"Last train? Ah...it sure sounds like a place Tetsu would like."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you just like to hide away in a deserted place at night and just daydream, right? Plus, you've always wanted to see the city at night with your own eyes. In that case, the last train is a really great place for you."

“…You remember everything.”

"Of course, I remember everything about you!"

Chihaya Tetsuya and Hoshino Ai sat together, chatting about what had happened in the past seven years as if no one else was around.

Because both of them remembered each other's affairs clearly in their hearts, even after being separated for seven years, there was still no expected strangeness or estrangement between them. Sometimes they would even say things that the other had not yet had time to say.

On the other side, Takamatsu Deng listened quietly to the conversation between the two and kept writing down the words that came from the depths of his heart in his notebook.

……

Ever since I was old enough to understand, I have always been a person with slow reactions.

Unable to respond quickly to external stimuli, unable to judge the consequences of one's own words...

Nor can I understand the implicit meaning of others' words as naturally as others do.

Humans are inherently complex animals.

Under the influence of many factors such as language, etiquette, and sociality, it becomes extremely difficult for me, who is already slow to understand, to know what others are thinking.

Just as it takes longer to feel other people's body temperature underwater, I have been living in a pool that completely isolates and numbs my body temperature and sense of touch.

Xiangzi said that she liked my writing very much and considered it to be my talent...

but it is not the truth.

Because I am so clumsy, I can only try my best to express my emotions effectively and understandably to others.

At the same time, all I could understand were those simple and sincere words without any disguise.

Just like what Mr. Chihaya has always done.

Real, frank, warm and inclusive.

In my cold and lonely "underwater world", Mr. Chihaya's existence is undoubtedly quite special.

Even though we've only met a few times, and even though we've only had a handful of conversations, I can always feel his warmth and touch.

I want to know more about him, I want to know why he is so different, and I want to do something for this person who has given me encouragement and help.

That's why I said that I actually don't reject the existence of Hoshino Ai.

Only in front of Hoshino Ai does Chihaya show other emotions besides gentleness and calmness.

Only in front of Hoshino Ai would this unreachable adult show an embarrassment that made people feel extremely familiar.

What's surprising is that although Hoshino Ai always wears a mask called idol that is difficult to see through on the stage, when she is with Chihaya Tetsuya, everything she expresses becomes simple and easy to understand.

Whether it was the eyes that were always glued to Chihaya-san's face, or the body that always subconsciously leaned towards Chihaya-san, or the small movements that made her want to have close contact with Chihaya-san from time to time, they were all so clear and real.

The fragmented past gradually turned into a clear picture as the two chatted.

Feelings that have never been so clear have made my thoughts fall on the tip of my pen like raindrops.

I think... I am probably writing lyrics for the only two people in this world who can understand me.

……

"……call."

After writing the last line of lyrics, Deng Takamatsu let out a long breath. When she looked up, she found that Tetsuya Chihaya and Ai Hoshino had stopped chatting at some point and turned their eyes to her.