“What a beautiful sight…” Amaya Yuu couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
After much thought, he couldn’t resist spending his final 100 merit points on Wakaba Mutsumi.
『Character: Wakaba Mutsumi』
『Charm: 10』
『Intelligence: 7』
『Stamina: 5』
『Strength: 3』
『Status: Struggling to survive.』
Similarly, no missions were triggered.
It was still a strange status, but by now, Amaya Yuu was used to seeing such oddities.
“A charm value of 10 indeed; every movement and stillness is a feast for the eyes.”
After returning the favor, he didn’t dive straight into the main topic but instead turned the conversation toward Wakaba Mutsumi: “Does Wakaba-san know how to play the guitar?”
Amaya Yuu decided to start with some obvious small talk to open up the conversation.
Before Wakaba Mutsumi could speak, Togawa Sakiko, standing beside her, answered on her behalf with a hint of pride in her tone: “Of course, Mutsumi’s guitar skills are unmatched in this age group.”
“I see…
I’ve recently started learning the guitar myself, so I really admire people who can play well,” Amaya Yuu said with a smile.
When one doesn’t know what to say, appropriate flattery is never a wrong choice.
“Speaking of which, Togawa-san, you wouldn’t believe how hard I practiced over the weekend.” He naturally turned to Sakiko, his tone carrying a bit of exaggerated complaining.
“Practicing from morning till night, my fingers almost developed calluses before I barely got the hang of it.”
As he spoke, he moved his fingers as if putting on a show.
“…That piece of music must be very important to you, right?” Suddenly, he changed the subject.
But before she could respond, he continued the previous topic as if he hadn’t said that at all, his tone becoming lighthearted again: “But as I played, even I was moved!
You know, back in my hometown, it’s hard to find a decent piano in the entire county…”
“Honestly, you are really annoying…” Sakiko interrupted Amaya Yuu’s rambling, her voice tinged with suppressed anger.
“Always acting like a savior, looking down on others from above.”
“Sakiko…” Wakaba Mutsumi looked at her with concern.
“I went to see your father alone over the weekend,” Amaya Yuu said suddenly, a sentence that made the air freeze instantly.
“So, right now, I’m probably the person who understands your situation best.”
“Who gave you permission to do that?!” Sakiko stood up abruptly, her voice trembling with rage.
“What do these things have to do with you anyway?”
While Wakaba Mutsumi beside her remained expressionless, her instantly dilated pupils showed that hearing Amaya Yuu’s words had disturbed her inner peace.
“There is no true empathy in this world; I believe that.” Amaya Yuu didn’t answer Sakiko’s question but spoke to himself.
“But that doesn’t mean people can’t have compassion.
You once…
must have been the ‘white moonlight’ in many people’s hearts.”
“I originally intended to stay out of it,” he looked into her eyes, “but such an innocent and romantic girl shouldn’t have turned into this.”
“If I have to say it, just think of me as a passing Kamen Rider whose ambition since childhood has been to fight against injustice.”
As he spoke, he patted the non-existent belt at his waist.
“What on earth goes through your head every day?” The anger Sakiko was about to vent stalled, and she rubbed her temples with a headache.
A troublesome guy like this—just like Soyo—was what she was most helpless against.
As soon as a weakness was shown, they would stick to her like glue, making it hard to escape.
“Why don’t we find a place to sit down and have a good talk?” Amaya Yuu suggested at the right moment.
“Continuing this standoff is just wasting time.”
Wakaba Mutsumi very cooperatively shouldered her guitar bag and silently stood in front of Sakiko.
“Sakiko, it’s time to go.”
Still as sparing with words as ever.
Seeing the situation had become two against one and the advantage was no longer hers, Sakiko finally sighed in resignation, took Wakaba Mutsumi’s hand, and walked toward the park exit.
“Follow me.”
The three walked into Hazawa Coffee, ordering one Dimbula milk tea and two mango juices.
It was easy to feel sleepy in the evening, and combined with the emotional fluctuations and the running just now, Sakiko couldn’t help but cover her mouth and give a small yawn as soon as she sat down.
“Do you work late on weekends too?” Amaya Yuu took the ice water from the waiter and asked after taking a large gulp.
Sakiko barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes: “Otherwise, where would living expenses come from?”
“How about changing jobs?” Amaya Yuu put down his water glass.
“Find one where you don’t have to stay up until midnight.”
“It’s easy for you to say,” Sakiko said sarcastically.
“Young Master Amaya has never worked a part-time job, right?”
“That’s true.” Amaya Yuu didn’t mind.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “But do you want to go for an interview later?
I know a shop that’s hiring.”
“Is this what you meant by ‘finding a place to talk’?”
“Togawa-san,” Amaya Yuu suddenly lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of teasing, “you wouldn’t want the teacher to know about your overtime work, right?”
After saying that, as if remembering something funny, he started laughing first.
Sakiko looked at Amaya Yuu, who had suddenly burst out laughing across from her, feeling baffled, but her intuition told her it certainly wasn’t a decent thought.
“What are you daydreaming about now?”
“Nothing, nothing, just thought of something happy,” Amaya Yuu waved his hand.
Just then, the waiter brought over their drinks.
“Why are you so hard to communicate with…” Sakiko sighed, picking up a straw to poke at the ice cubes in her cup.
“That’s because you’re just as hard to communicate with,” Amaya Yuu responded as if it were natural.
“I communicate very smoothly with Wakaba-san, right, Wakaba-san?”
Strictly speaking, Amaya Yuu and Wakaba Mutsumi hadn’t had a single complete conversation, yet the two had strangely collaborated to ‘manhandle’ Sakiko here.
“?”
Hearing this, Sakiko looked at Wakaba Mutsumi beside her.
Suddenly called upon, Wakaba Mutsumi blinked, quietly took a sip of mango juice, and gave Sakiko an innocent look, still not speaking.
“You wouldn’t be…?” Sakiko felt a bit embarrassed to say the words ‘falling for Mutsumi,’ so she didn’t finish the sentence.
“Would be what?” Amaya Yuu asked curiously.
“If you don’t get to the point, I’m leaving right now!” Sakiko interrupted his questioning directly, not wanting the topic to continue.
“The point has already been made.” Amaya Yuu took off the lid of his cup and drank the mango juice in large gulps.
Such a hearty way of drinking drew a stare from Wakaba Mutsumi.
“It’s about changing jobs.”
“I’m such an idiot for actually sitting down to listen to you…” Sakiko felt a surge of frustration blocked in her chest, filled with regret.
“Just kidding, but it’s actually the same thing.” Amaya Yuu dropped his casual attitude, and his tone became serious.
“Has your father ever mentioned to you that he wants you to return to the Togawa family?”
“What if he has?” Sakiko feigned indifference.
“There’s no one left in the Togawa family that I care about.”
“It’s precisely because you think that way that your father chose to give up on himself.” Amaya Yuu put down the finished mango juice and looked her straight in the eye.
“He wants you to be completely disappointed in him so that you’ll return to the Togawa family.
How could a man who once served as a group’s managing director turn into a useless drunk overnight?”
He paused, his voice lowering a bit: “Give him a little hope.
Let him see the hope of living well without relying on the Togawa family.
Therefore, finding a more decent job is really important.”
“Think it over properly.” Amaya Yuu stood up, picked up the bill from the table, and gave it a slight wave toward Sakiko.
“This drink will be a small gift from the ‘savior’ to you.”
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the counter to pay.
As he pushed the door to leave, the bell at the shop entrance rang crisply behind him.