Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 19

"What do you mean?"

Takahashi Mio was still trying to digest the strange mood inside her when Haruno Reika spoke. She lifted puzzled eyes.

"Don't you get it?"

A sidelong glance caught Mio looking, so Reika drew deeply on her cigarette, then pursed red lips and let a thin ribbon of smoke unravel in the neon light.

"Didn't I already tell you?"

"If Hojo Shione really was his... ex-girlfriend, then you can stop worrying. The odds that he's setting some kind of trap are pretty low."

Watching the traffic slide past under the garish signs, Reika recalled what Mio had told her earlier and gave a soft laugh.

"Maybe he honestly wants to turn you into a star."

"......"

Mio sat on the curb with her arms folded over her knees and stared into the middle distance.

"I know all that..."

"But why?"

For an instant, Shiratori Seiya's voice echoed in her ears:

"You're different from everyone else."

"You just don't realize it yet."

"The moment you step onto a real stage, the whole world will cheer for you, drawn to the light you give off."

"If you trust me, everything will work out..."

Am I really different?

In her mind she saw a girl onstage, bathed in spotlights, smiling calmly under thousands of gazes—radiant.

Hojo Shione...

A sudden wave of inadequacy washed over Mio.

Could I ever shine like that?

The thought startled her; her expression froze.

Then a self-mocking smile tugged at her lips.

Ridiculous...

Mio, you idiot.

——

Thursday, two days after the boyfriend-stalking scandal broke.

Corner of an empty classroom, H University.

Takahashi Mio propped her chin on one hand and let her gaze drift across Shiratori Seiya, dissecting him feature by feature.

Brows, eyes, nose, mouth—she checked them off one by one.

After a moment she frowned.

Sure, he looked fine when he was concentrating, but he wasn't heart-stoppingly handsome.

Why had Hojo Shione dated him?

Could the sugar-baby rumor actually be true?

A day and a half of mental chewing had finally let her swallow the idea that the two had once been a couple.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seiya finished marking up the class schedule and glanced up to find Mio scowling and nibbling her lip.

"Ah—"

Caught mid-grumble, she flinched, then pasted on a gentle smile. "Nothing."

Their eyes met; hers skittered away and landed on the sheet he was holding. She took it and noticed red circles around several of her courses.

"What do these mean?"

"They mean you're going to score an A or better on every one of these finals."

"Huh?"

Mio's lips parted in disbelief; her stare screamed, You can't be serious.

Seiya, apparently fluent in silent sarcasm, tilted his head.

"Problem?"

Problem? Try catastrophe.

She tugged at the corner of her mouth and scanned the list again. Eight or nine courses at least:

Introduction to Cultural Studies, Cultural Psychology, Aesthetics...

Her head spun.

"That's... a lot."

"Is it? Looks pretty standard."

"......"

She bit back a sigh. "It's hard."

Psychology, aesthetics—just reading the titles made her drowsy. Humanities were her kryptonite.

"Then how about this: if you pull it off, I'll throw in an extra million yen."

"?!"

Her eyes lit up like slot machines. She swallowed. "Seriously?"

"I don't lie."

He gave her a look that said trust me.

"Deal."

She tucked the sheet into her bag. Hard? Sure. But hard plus a million yen equals doable.

Still...

She closed the bag slowly, then risked another question.

"You're not scamming me, right?"

Seiya didn't bother answering; he just rolled his eyes, slung his own bag over his shoulder, and headed for the door—he still had two song-licensing contracts to sign that afternoon.

"Hey, wait!"

Mio snatched his sleeve before he could escape.

"What now?"

"Um... there's something else I wanted to ask..."

He turned back. She let go, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, sat up straight, and produced her gentlest smile.

"So... may I, as your current girlfriend, pry a little?"

Current girlfriend.

A week into the relationship and it was the first time she'd used the label.

A real girlfriend wouldn't sound so formal, though.

Afraid he'd refuse, she looked up at him with pleading eyes—the exact expression she'd practiced in the mirror.

Seiya simply sat down beside her.

"You've got plenty of questions—spit them out."

"Uh..."

His bluntness made her wonder how anyone put up with him.

Still wearing the practiced smile, she asked softly,

"The girl who came to see you the day before yesterday—was that really Hojo Shione?"

"Yeah."

"What did she want?"

"No idea."

He answered so matter-of-factly that Mio bit her lip, unconvinced.

"When did you two start dating?"

"High school."

He shot her a sideways glance.

"This feels less like girlfriend gossip and more like a TV interview."

"Heh... just curious, that's all..."

Takahashi Mio gave a dry laugh, swallowed, and said, "One last question."

"Why did you go out with her? Was it... the same kind of deal as me?"

She phrased it delicately, but Shiratori Seiya knew exactly what she meant—an unspoken Was she your sugar-baby, too? He let the silence stretch before answering.

"She never borrows from sketchy apps to buy things she can't afford."

Mio's smile froze. Any other day she would have cursed him in her head, but right now a wave of self-loathing hit her.

So the other girl really is better than me...

Before she could think of a reply, Seiya spoke again.

"What you actually want to ask is why she ever looked at someone like me, right?"

Mio waved her hands, forcing a bright laugh. "Haha, that's not what I—"

He didn't give her room to explain. Black, bottomless eyes met hers.

"People obsess over being 'worthy' or 'unworthy,' but that only proves they're not strong enough yet."

He pointed at the blue sundress she was wearing.

"Take that dress. You know you're beautiful, so you put it on without caring what anyone says. Anyone who criticizes it just looks ignorant to you. But if you're not sure of yourself, you start thinking, I can't pull this off. I'm not good enough—even before anyone opens their mouth."

"I've never felt unworthy just because I dated Hojo Shione."

Mio's smile vanished. Her feelings tangled into a knot.

She clenched her fists. "Then why... why are you with me? When you told me I could be a star, were you comparing me to her?"

Her voice cracked, all the frustration of the last two days spilling out.

Seiya didn't look surprised. "Comparing? Why would I compare?"

Under his gaze, Mio's throat went dry. She couldn't speak.

He studied her for a moment, then seemed to understand.

"It's like I said—you have no idea what you're capable of. You assume you're hopeless, so the only explanation you can come up with is 'He must be using me to measure up to Shione.' Idiot."

Being called an idiot straight to her face made Mio flush; she bit her lip, eyes shimmering with indignation.

"The truth is, you don't know your own potential... but I've told you before. If you won't believe me, repeating it is pointless."

"If you're convinced you can't do it, then stop thinking entirely."

"...Eh?"

Mio blinked. "What does 'stop thinking' even mean?"

"When a goal feels impossible, people give up before they start. So don't set 'becoming a star' as your first milestone."

He lifted a finger and tapped the center of her forehead.

"Don't ask whether you can do it. Just do exactly what I tell you, with everything you've got. One day you'll look up and realize the dream is only an arm's length away."

"So trust me—like I trust you, without hesitation."

Meeting the steady light in his eyes, Mio felt something warm and nameless swell inside her chest.

Someone like me... can be trusted?

——

After driving Mio home, Seiya sat alone in the car, mapping out his next steps.

Their conversation had shown him the real problem. He'd thought Takahashi Mio was simply a vain, scatter-brained girl who loved attention and had no plans for the future. It hadn't occurred to him that she might be hiding a deep inferiority complex.

While they were talking, her self-doubt had practically leaked out of her eyes.

By all rights, a girl that pretty should have been the center of attention since childhood—she should have had nothing to prove. The fact that she still felt inadequate...

Seiya frowned, trying to read her mind. After a moment he sighed.

It really is because of Hojo Shione.

That single trigger had detonated the whole mess. Before her reputation matches Shione's, she'll keep shrinking.

Still, the problem wasn't unsolvable. Handle it right and it could even become fuel.

First, though, she needs to feel her own talent. Time to move the acting classes up the schedule.

Buzz-buzz.

His phone vibrated. The caller ID read: Hojo Suzune.

A bad feeling crept in, but he answered anyway.

"Hey, what's up, Suzune?"

"Hi, brother-in-law~"

The girl drew out the words in a syrupy singsong that made Seiya roll his neck to shake off the goosebumps.

"What is it?"

"I've got super exciting news!"

"..."

Hearing that, Seiya's stomach dropped; he almost hung up on the spot.

Suzune giggled at his silence and continued without waiting for a reply.

"Sis said I can come visit for my birthday!"

"...What?"

Seiya sat bolt upright, frown deepening. "She agreed?"

"Yep! She says it's dangerous for me to go alone, so when she heads back to campus she'll drop me off..."

"Don't worry, brother-in-law. Sis knows you don't want to see her—she's only coming to deliver me."

"..."