Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 16

She got into the car and pulled off her mask.

In the rear-view mirror Hojo Shione watched Shiratori Seiya standing where she had left him. A strange little smile curved her lips—utterly unlike the gentle warmth she'd shown moments earlier. Once he disappeared from sight she leaned down, fished a bag of ice from the box beneath the seat, wrapped it in a towel, and pressed it to her eyes.

Half-reclined against the leather, Shione replayed the memory of Seiya too choked to speak. The sweetness of it spread through her chest like warm sake.

She had lied to him—just not about "being surrounded by people."

The part about Aunt Norika discovering their break-up? That had been no accident. If Shione had wanted to brush the older woman off, a quick "I'm swamped at work" would have done the trick. Instead, during a phone call, she let her voice crack, let a few tears slip, let her breathing catch. Aunt Norika had taken the bait.

From there it was easy: steer the conversation toward Seiya, "accidentally" drop a clue, then tell the whole story of their split. Aunt Norika had handed her every detail she needed about Seiya's life.

Maybe she had been too gentle with him when they were together. In his parting letter he had actually had the gall to write, Let's take some time to cool off. Don't upset Aunt Norika. Selfish, laughable rubbish.

At first Shione had obeyed—no calls, no visits, no upsetting Aunt Norika. But as the weeks slid by, the ache for him only sharpened. Time heals all wounds? Ridiculous. Her wound festered.

Every night she dreamed of him, and each morning the break-up letter on her nightstand waited like a slap. Yearning was a sweet poison; it crashed against the cliffs of her heart like seawater, salt seeping into every cut until she cried herself dry.

She was addicted to the memories of them together, and every day apart felt like withdrawal. Whatever agony she had endured, Seiya would taste it too.

That was why she hadn't sobbed or raged at him today. A few harsh words and walking away—too light a punishment, wasn't it?

Seiya wasn't made of stone. The coward had slipped away with a letter instead of facing her. And he wasn't cold enough to fake every tender, intimate moment they had shared—if he were, he should have aimed for an Oscar instead of wasting time on her. So tonight he would twist in bed, gutted by regret. She wouldn't wish him more pain than that; she still loved him too much to break him completely.

Shione's gaze softened as memories flooded back. As for his new girlfriend—hateful, infuriating—she had no interest in learning the girl's name. Seiya would be hers again in the end. Aunt Norika, Uncle Yosuke, all his old friends—they were on her side. What chance did he have?

Still, the current "girlfriend" needed a quick check—Shione would make sure the girl wasn't carrying some nasty disease. The thought alone made her stomach turn.

Months of agony had finally loosened their grip; Shione felt the relief down to her bones. Seiya was both poison and antidote. Yet more than tormenting him, she needed to know why he had left without warning. She pressed the ice harder against her eyes, feeling the towel grow wet.

"I have a girlfriend now." His words echoed. A hazy figure surfaced in her mind—the girl who had scored eight straight wins at Inter-High, hailed as the kendo prodigy: Hasegawa Saori.

That idiot...

A spark flared. Shione sat bolt upright, yanked the towel away, and stared wide-eyed at the windshield, as if the answer had just materialized before her.

---

"Shiratori-kun, are you free this Saturday afternoon? They all want to meet you..."

The phone on the table lit up. Shiratori Seiya glanced at the message and ignored it. He had two things weighing on his mind: the roadmap for turning Mio Takahashi into a star, and the coming weekend when he would have to face Aunt Norika and explain why he and Shione were through.

The roadmap was already in motion—agency, coaches, custom curriculum, audition boot camps—thirteen million yen spent. Another ten million sat in his account, plus whatever the system awards, Mio's skill bonuses, and future script earnings would bring. In terms of money it was pure profit. Within two or three years Mio would blow up, and by graduation Seiya could buy a nice condo in Tokyo and live off the interest.

All he needed was Mio's consent. Easy. Drop the right hints, dangle the right rewards, and she'd follow the script.

The bigger headache was Aunt Norika. What excuse would fly? That he'd fallen for someone else? That they simply weren't compatible? She would never accept either.

After a minute Seiya gave up. He'd play dead pig in scalding water—sit there and take her scolding. She wouldn't actually skin him alive.

Still...

Slumped on the couch, Seiya couldn't forget Shione's furious eyes that afternoon.

"You're too cruel!"

Was he? Maybe. But love alone couldn't pay bills; financial freedom came first. Besides, he had already confessed he was seeing Mio Takahashi.

No medicine cured regret, and Seiya had no intention of turning back.

Ding.

A message from Shione appeared:

"Seiya, I'm sure you don't want to go home either. I've explained everything to Aunt Norika—you don't have to worry."

"......"

He stared at the screen, thumb hovering, when the phone rang—caller ID: Hojo Suzune.

Why was a high-school senior calling at half past ten?

He hung up.

It rang again.

Something urgent?

He took the call. Suzune's voice immediately scolded:

"I thought you'd ignore me..."

"Brother-in-law, did my sister visit you today?"

"...How did you know? Did she tell you?"

"Please—seeing her smug face was enough. Eyes all red from crying but grinning like crazy—who else could make her that happy?"

Suzune muttered, then added, "She went back to Kyoto this evening and packed a mountain of gifts. I thought they were for me, but she carried most of them out again. No prizes for guessing she stopped by Aunt Norika's..."

"Mm."

She'd detoured all the way to Kyoto just to run interference for him?

"Oh, and brother-in-law..."

"What is it?"

"I saw my sister slip out after dinner tonight."

Suzune's voice dropped, conspiratorial.

"She dressed up and put on makeup—definitely going on a date with someone."

"A date?"

The word made Shiratori Seiya's brows knit together.

His first reaction was irritation. Then reason kicked in, and the conclusion came swift: impossible. If Hojo Shione hadn't shown up to see him today, he'd have understood—maybe. But this?

"No way. Your sister's not like that."

"Brother-in-law~ believe me~"

Hearing the flat disbelief in his voice, Hojo Suzune slipped straight into wheedling mode.

"It's true! When she left, I heard her say his name."

"Whose name?"

"Xiao Zhi, I think?"

"Xiao Zhi?"

Seiya repeated the name twice, eyes narrowing.

"You mean Saori?"

"Same difference, sound-wise..."

Suzune gave a dismissive flick of her wrist. When no reply came, she let her voice go honey-thick.

"Brother-in-law~ I've been working so hard keeping tabs on sis for you. Don't I deserve a reward?"

"I wanna visit Tokyo too..."

I want to see you too...