Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 21

"Miss Fukada, just drop me at the next intersection, please."

Inside the sedan, Hojo Shione tapped lightly on the window.

"Understood."

Fukada answered, glanced at the girl in the rear-view mirror, and couldn't help asking one last time, "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Hojo?"

Hojo Shione lifted her head and gave a small smile. "It's fine. I haven't been back to Kyoto in ages; I'd like to walk by myself for a bit."

"All right. Call me anytime you need a ride."

"Thank you for everything, Miss Fukada."

...

The car rolled to a stop. Shione drew a long breath, letting the frustration she'd stowed in the back seat drift away. She put on a mask, slid her hands into her coat pockets, and strolled down the familiar streets at an unhurried pace. Every step carried the echo of Shiratori Seiya—memories she couldn't quite shake.

Friends warned her never to revisit old haunts after a break-up, yet each time Shione walked this route she felt healed rather than hurt.

She passed the corner crêperie and paused outside a milk-tea shop.

Crowds clustered at the counter. Shione's lips curved into a nostalgic smile, and longing shimmered in her eyes. Back in high school, every week after voice practice, Seiya would buy her a cup as a reward.

"I really shouldn't; I'll gain weight," she'd protest.

Seiya would press the cup into her hand anyway and fix her with that serious look. "Shione, you have no idea how charming you are."

"What if I do get fat? Will you stop liking me?"

"Not a chance. One cup of milk tea won't change you—and even if it did, I wouldn't stop loving you."

"Will you stay with me forever, then?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

...

The past rolled in like a tide. His voice seemed to whisper at her ear. Shione's nose stung; tears blurred the evening sky, turning the crimson sunset into shards of colored glass floating on water.

Stories begin with such tenderness, yet their endings rarely live up to the promise.

That can't be allowed.

Shione bit her lip, inhaled sharply, wiped her tears, and clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. The resolve returned to her eyes.

She thought back to the conversation she'd just had with Hasegawa Saori, and everything made a cruel kind of sense. There had never been any big fight between Saori and Seiya. The day Saori won the Inter-High kendo championship, Seiya simply ended things—with flimsy excuses that wouldn't hold up to scrutiny.

Saori had apparently refused to cling or plead; otherwise Shione would have heard about it when Seiya started courting her. What unsettled Shione more was how Saori's attitude toward Seiya mirrored her own.

"I never agreed to break up—so how can you call it over?"

"As long as I refuse to let go, we're not finished."

"So what if you and Seiya are dating? You're broken up now, aren't you?"

"I'm going to stay by his side for the rest of my life."

When Saori spoke those words, her usually expressionless face had softened into a dreamy smile.

Only then did Shione realize she'd had a rival all along. Compared to Saori, she herself might be the latecomer.

Frustrating as it was, the exchange had clarified a few things. Saori hadn't been a kendo prodigy from the start—she'd only begun to shine after dating Seiya. Shione's own story ran parallel: once she and Seiya became a couple, he'd gently steered her toward a singing career. She had always loved music and dreamed of becoming a singer, but there was no denying that most of her current success stemmed from his guidance.

The songs he'd produced for her early competitions—prepared long in advance—had launched her rise.

Now that Seiya had broken up with her and taken a new girlfriend... had everything been part of some larger plan?

Shione's eyes clouded with doubt. For a moment she wondered if Seiya had ever truly loved her.

The thought flickered and died just as quickly.

Impossible. Their shared memories couldn't be faked—no machine could mimic that tenderness. If Seiya were truly heartless, he wouldn't have run off like a coward leaving only a letter. When she'd gone to Tokyo to see him, the guilt in his eyes had been unmistakable.

Honestly—still hung up on his ex even after breaking up. He clearly still loves me.

Realizing this, Shione's lips curved in quiet triumph.

Yet the relief was short-lived. Why had he done it? What was Seiya trying to achieve?

...

How on earth am I going to persuade Sis?

In her room, Hojo Suzune sat hunched over her desk, scowling. Her slim pale legs swung back and forth beneath the chair. She chewed the end of her pen and clutched her head, desperate to squeeze out some brilliant idea.

Nothing came.

Her older sister wasn't stupid. Though Sis might lose to her on exams, she had sharp emotional radar. If Suzune's real goal was to visit Shiratori Seiya in Tokyo, Sis would sniff it out in seconds.

Giving up, she tossed the pen aside, folded her arms across her chest, and clicked her tongue. If only Sis were still dating Seiya. Then Suzune wouldn't have to scheme at all—she could see him anytime.

Honestly, Sis is useless. If it were me, I'd never let Seiya go.

What's the point of having such a big chest if you can't even keep a man? Total waste.

Suzune ground her teeth, tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling, and spun her chair in slow circles.

Fine—time to play the sincerity card. Success rate might be low, but they were sisters after all. She'd cry if she had to.

The simplest plan was probably the best.

Suzune took a deep breath and steeled herself. She rehearsed the speech in her head, ran through the scene a dozen times, and, once she'd managed to move even herself, marched out with the determination of a soldier walking into battle.

She padded through the house in slippers—bedroom, living room, even the bathroom—yet found no sign of her sister.

Out on a date? Still not home?

I'm definitely telling on you to brother-in-law.

Suzune frowned at the clatter from the kitchen and hurried over.

"Mom, is Sis still out? Is she staying over somewhere tonight?"

Mrs. Hojo, apron tied around her waist, glanced sideways. "Should be back soon. Why the sudden concern? What's up?"

She pointed to a pot of fish soup. "Suzune, carry this to the table—careful, don't spill it."

"Okay."

Suzune lifted the pot gingerly. Something in her mother's tone nagged at her. "I always care! We're sisters."

Mrs. Hojo paused, rolling her eyes. "You care, huh? When your sister was crying her eyes out after the breakup, you were grinning wider than anyone."

Heat rushed to Suzune's cheeks. "I—I wanted to cheer her up! Happiness is contagious, you know. Don't make me sound so awful, Mom!"

"I'm the one who's devastated here! My sister got dumped, and I'm more upset than anyone, okay?"

Mrs. Hojo gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh my, that must be why you've brought it up seven or eight times in front of your sister today?"

"Forget it. You never understand anything."

If this kept up, she'd be stripped bare emotionally. Suzune couldn't explain the burning shame she felt. She grabbed the fish soup, ready to bolt.

But Mrs. Hojo seized her arm, her expression suddenly serious. "Listen. Your sister's been struggling alone in Tokyo. She's finally home—don't you dare make her unhappy."

Suzune rolled her eyes. "She seems pretty cheerful these past two days."

And wasn't she just? Ever since seeing Seiya, she'd been glowing. Keeping all the good stuff to herself, as usual. Going off to Tokyo without even thinking to take her little sister along—some family that was.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't provoke her now that she's finally feeling better."

Mrs. Hojo's heart ached for her daughter's breakup, but seeing Shione looking healthier these past days had lifted her own spirits too.

"Who's provoking anyone? I'm sad about the breakup too! You think I'd begrudge her happiness?"

Suzune spun around with the soup.

"You impossible child..."

Mrs. Hojo clicked her tongue. There was no reasoning with teenagers these days.

Just as Suzune turned—*clack!*

Mrs. Hojo looked down to see the hot soup had splattered. "Honestly, child! I told you to be careful. Clean that up when you come back!"

"Did you hear me?"

But this time, Suzune didn't respond. She stood frozen.

Shione stood before her, the very picture of Yamato Nadeshiko grace, smiling gently. "Suzune, so my breakup made you this upset?"