Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 10

"You actually have a girlfriend?"

Shiratori Seiya was driving when Takahashi Mio lobbed that non-sequitur at him.

"Hmm?"

While they waited at the red light, he glanced over. Mio was tracing little circles on the car roof with her fingertip, as though marking territory. She snapped a photo with her phone and held the screen under his nose.

"This seat must be reserved for her, right?"

Seiya looked: a heart-shaped sticker on the dash read, "Seiya's first car—may we always be together."

"..."

Beep—green light. The car behind honked. Seiya eased off the brake and stared straight ahead, saying nothing.

Seeing his silence, Mio tucked the phone away.

After a moment she asked, curious, "So, are you two broken up now?"

"We are."

"Oh."

Mio nodded, secretly relieved she wouldn't have to play the other woman. She didn't doubt him; Seiya's personality drove most people away anyway.

Still—he had money. What could make a girl leave him?

Sprawled in the passenger seat, Mio's mind raced. Competitive instinct flared: what had his ex looked like? Prettier than me? Probably not.

At the third red light she caved.

"What does your ex look like? Can I see?" She stressed the word ex.

Not staking a claim—just plain jealousy.

"In the glove box—her picture's in there."

"Okay."

Mio kept her face neutral while inwardly cursing. Still carrying her photo—typical jerk.

She popped the compartment open and froze. No photo. Just a stack of promo posters.

The girl on them looked impossibly pretty—and familiar. Mio raised an eyebrow, fighting a laugh.

"You're telling me Hojo Shione was your girlfriend?"

"Yep."

Seiya kept his eyes on the road, face calm.

Mio opened her mouth, then closed it. No shame whatsoever.

She took a breath, swallowing the word delusional that had jumped to mind. No point asking why they'd broken up; the man's skin was thicker than the atmosphere.

Super-popular idol, debuted in her second year of high school. One year later she'd swept the Kansai Young Singer Award. Voice like heaven, face to rival Mio's own, backed by a top-tier songwriting team—every release a classic.

Mio had teared up watching Shione perform "Yakimochi" and "Sakura Kimi Watashi" on TV. And this guy claimed he'd dated her?

While Mio stared at the dashboard in stunned silence, Seiya asked, "You're a fan of Shione?"

She blinked, gave a brittle smile. "I've followed her since debut. Own every song."

Thanks to the fat check Seiya had handed her, she kept the snark inside: Yeah, right—Song God Shione dating you?

She expected at least a flicker of embarrassment. Instead Seiya said something bizarre.

"You've seen her concerts on TV. How did she look on stage?"

"Huh? How did she look?"

"Exactly—how did she look?"

"Um..." Mio hesitated. "Stunning. Radiant. Never a hint of stage fright—total pro."

Seiya hid a smile. Never? Shione's first performance hadn't been on TV. At the school festival she'd sweated so much the mic short-circuited. He'd swapped in a spare, then held her while she cried backstage. Even prodigies got scared.

He glanced at Mio, seeing a trace of the old Shione, and spoke gently.

"You could do it too, you know. If you wanted, you could stand on that same stage and blind the whole world."

Mio's expression blanked. Her heart skipped.

Wait—what?

Why drop such a cheesy line out of nowhere? She felt embarrassed for him.

Moron.

...

7:00 p.m.

Mio leaned in the elevator corner, arms full of shopping bags, eyes glazed. When the doors opened on the seventh floor she shuffled out like a zombie, keyed in the code, and kicked the bags inside.

Mio kicked off her shoes, couldn't be bothered to hunt for slippers, and padded barefoot across the living-room straight to her bedroom.

Thump.

She flopped onto the soft mattress, and every sore muscle in her body sighed with relief.

She was already half-asleep.

A date—how could it be this exhausting?

Forget sweet and romantic; this was downright brutal.

It felt less like a date and more like a full day hauling bricks on a construction site.

Arms, back, waist, thighs, knees, ankles... even her toes throbbed.

Meanwhile Shiratori Seiya looked as fresh as ever. Was the guy made of iron?

Buzz-buzz-buzz.

Her bag, abandoned on the floor, began to vibrate.

Takahashi Mio stared dully at the carpet.

Her brain knew she should answer; her body flat-out refused.

When the phone buzzed a second time, she finally moved.

Like Sadako in reverse, she crawled off the bed, stretched one arm until her fingers brushed the strap, and hooked the bag close.

She pulled out the phone. Haruno Reika's name blinked on the screen.

She tapped accept.

"Hello?"

"...Hello? Mio?"

No reply. Reika tried again, louder.

"Mio?"

"Mmm... yeah, I hear you..."

Silence.

Reika hesitated at the lifeless voice.

"What's wrong? Your period's not due the same time as mine, is it?"

"No... I'm just wiped."

Talking while lying face-down was awkward—and painful on the ribs.

She twisted herself into a knot that vaguely resembled comfort.

Reika gasped.

"Wait—don't tell me you actually gave it to him?"

"Ugh, get your mind out of the gutter..."

Mio screwed her eyes shut and mumbled,

"I walked for, like, six hours straight today."

"Did you two run a marathon or something?"

"Close enough," Mio muttered.

"We hit the mall, grabbed lunch, then he dragged me to a hair-salon, a movie, and finally a fashion show with a bunch of models..."

"Okay, that's a lot, but it's not insane."

"Reika."

"Yeah?"

"Remember last semester's fitness test? You couldn't outrun me. Same in high school. I was on the gymnastics team—so if I'm dead on my feet, how would you feel?"

Reika had no comeback.

Mio stared at the ceiling, replaying every bizarre moment.

"There's something off about him. Really off."

"Off how?"

"Everything. He asked if I wanted to be famous, if I wanted to be an actress, to have everyone looking at me..."

"He also said Hojo Shione is his girlfriend..."

"And—aside from that last bit—I have to admit, I'm kind of tempted..."