Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 14

"Have you been eating properly lately?"

The instant the text flashed on-screen, Shiratori Seiya didn't even need to think—he knew it was Hojo Shione.

Too many years together. Two-plus years of her voice, her cadence, the scent she wore—sun-drenched memories etched into him. One glance at those characters and he could already hear her gentle tone.

He drew a slow breath, pushed the longing aside and typed back two words:

"Doing okay."

The message ticked to read. The next line appeared immediately.

"But I'm not very happy these days."

Seiya's eyelid twitched. His stomach folded.

His thumb hovered, unsure what to answer.

Shione didn't press him. Another bubble popped up:

"I'm at the school gate right now."

...

He knew what that meant. He turned, leaned against the wall and tipped his head back, exhaling through his teeth.

Absolutely do not meet her.

If they met, anything could happen.

"You're not afraid someone will film you? Go home early."

"It's not great, but I can't get home. I'm at your university—too far."

"There are tons of people pointing phones at me. If you don't come rescue me, I might be stuck here forever."

"If you don't come, I can't leave."

If you don't come, I won't go.

'Go home now.'

That was what he wanted to send, but his fingers typed:

"I'm on my way."

Seiya realized he'd been wrong.

His heart, faced with Shione, wasn't nearly as strong as he'd believed.

He'd forced his body to separate from hers, yet a few messages and it raced back to the past, desperate to see her.

Reason, it seemed, couldn't command the heart.

From the cafeteria to the gate was a ten-minute walk under a vicious sun. Any other day he'd have cursed the heat, the way his shirt glued to his back.

Today he didn't know what he'd say to her, how he'd explain, what came next.

Lost in thought, he found himself already at the gate.

He looked around—no familiar silhouette.

Then a shadow blocked the glare.

The perfume hit him first; his shoulders stiffened.

Before he could turn, the girl with the parasol stepped in front of him.

Shione tilted the umbrella toward him, standing in the bright summer light. A white mask covered the lower half of her face; stray strands of hair danced in the breeze.

Her eyes looked swollen, faint red at the corners. When she blinked, the tears made them shine like glass wet with morning dew.

She smiled, tilting her head.

"Hey, Seiya, you're still so easy to fool."

"Even so—could you hold the umbrella for a second?"

He took it without a word.

The moment their fingers brushed, the heat in her chest spilled over.

She rose on tiptoe, slipped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face against him, breathing him in.

Seiya's throat went dry; his arms half lifted to return the embrace then froze, afraid she'd push him away.

Instead a soft plea drifted up:

"Don't go... please."

People passing the gate glanced over, smirked, moved on—probably mocking how clingy they looked.

Time stretched, then snapped. When Seiya came back to himself, Shione had already stepped away.

"Sorry. It's been so long since I recharged from you. Forgive my selfishness."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, eyes roaming his face with open affection.

Regaining composure, Seiya shifted the umbrella to shade her and asked,

"It's fine. Why are you here, all of a sudden?"

"That's... complicated."

Shione's gaze clouded. She sighed.

"If I didn't know your number it'd be okay, but once I did, the urge to see you was unstoppable."

Seiya looked away, guilty.

"I did listen to you," Shione said suddenly, pulling his eyes back.

"Aunt Ando just called you, right? She told me she chewed you out."

"But I didn't go tattling—honest. Even though dumping me by letter was pretty cruel..."

Understanding clicked.

Even after starting university, Ando Norika phoned Shione regularly, asking if she and Seiya were going out, when they'd come home together.

After a few rounds Shione couldn't dodge anymore; the stories didn't match and her voice cracked whenever Seiya's name came up. Under pressure she'd told the truth.

Predictable. Seiya had expected it, had even prepared what to say.

He just didn't know how to start.

"Let's move aside—it's awkward with everyone staring."

Noticing the onlookers, Shione took his hand and led him toward the shade.

Walking, she asked lightly,

"Long time no see—how've you been?"

"Okay."

"Really? Because I haven't."

She repeated the line from the text. When they reached the shadows she closed the umbrella with a decisive snap.

"Seiya, you were heartless—just a letter and gone."

"It took me days to realize, oh, I've been dumped."

She tried to sound casual, eyes fixed on him.

"Can I at least know why?"

Seiya looked at the girl in front of him, lips parting.

Finally he forced out the line he'd rehearsed:

"Shione, I have a girlfriend now."

Silence. Hot air slid between them.

He expected tears; instead she tilted her head as if confirming something she'd half guessed.

"Really?"

Unable to read her face, he nodded.

"Really."

"Well..."

"Was that while we were dating? Or after we broke up?"

"No..."

"Oh, then I'm not doing too badly."

She nodded thoughtfully, then laughed softly. "Then I just made a mistake."

She stretched out her finger and pointed at Shiratori Seiya. "You made one too."

"I shouldn't have hugged you just now."

"Honestly, now that you have a girlfriend, you should keep your distance from other girls. If someone who knows you saw us, they'd probably think you were cheating."

"..."

She took a deep breath, stepped back half a pace, and pulled down her mask.

In an instant, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves fell on her delicate face, and her entire presence glowed like a rose under clear skies.

Suddenly, she smiled gently at Shiratori Seiya. "Alright, I really just came to see you today. Don't read too much into it. It's been so long that there's not even a trace of my scent left on you. Call it selfish of me, but I hope your girlfriend won't mind."

"Okay, I'm actually quite busy. You know I have a concert next month, right? I snuck out today."

"Let's leave it at that. I'm off. Don't bother seeing me out—there's a car up ahead."

She kept talking, not giving Shiratori Seiya a chance to interject.

Putting her mask back on and opening her umbrella, Hojo Shione turned to leave, seemingly without the slightest reluctance.

Yet the moment she turned away, crystal tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.

Hojo Shione gripped her umbrella handle so tightly her knuckles whitened, desperately suppressing the pain in her heart.

Her emotions were nearly overwhelming her, the agony burning inside like fire.

After two steps, she suddenly gave a soft laugh, her tear-stained eyes flashing with a cold glint.

"Where did this vixen come from?"