Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

At four o'clock that afternoon, in the old apartment of the Kato family.

As promised before, a girl named Kato Megumi came to someone's place to prepare dinner for him.

The girl's dress today is simple and fashionable.

A prismatic snow-white thin sweater, a black short skirt, and a pair of dark brown pantyhose that make the legs straight and graceful.

He was wearing a military green coat with a cashmere fur-edged collar, and a pair of black boots on his feet.

The whole person looks clean, simple and generous, and at the same time has a girl's unique sense of slenderness, which shows the owner's excellent clothing.

Kato Yusuke was fascinated for a moment, and his eyes unconsciously followed the ponytail that was like a hare, until the other party reminded him.

"...Well, if you keep staring at me silently like this, as a girl, you will still have some thoughts."

Standing in front of the stove, Hui turned his face slightly and touched the short ponytail on the back of his head with some trouble.

"Is it weird how I look like this?"

"I don't know, does Kei think there's anything strange?" Kato Yusuke asked back.

"Hey~~Putting the problem back to me? Not only is that cunning, but what's the point of asking you like this?"

"Hmm - something to say."

He mused: "I just want to say that this suits you very well, not only your hair, but also your clothes. It makes you feel clean and beautiful, and it has a soft feeling."

"..."

Hearing this, the girl looked back at him.

"Generally speaking... this kind of thing should be said when we meet, right?"

"Ah, that's right." Kato Yusuke did not deny this.

"I'm sorry, I went a little too far. I'll pay attention next time, no problem."

"...That's not a problem, right? But thank you for the compliment."

After a pause, Hui tilted her head slightly and asked, "Also, what does the soft feeling mean?"

"Well, that's my personal opinion, don't worry about it. It's just that this sweater looks cute on you."

"……I see."

The girl nodded slightly in understanding, then turned to cook the red wine beef stew in the pot, and then said something casually.

"So you like this type of thing."

"..."

Kato Yusuke didn't answer, and sat leisurely at the desk, watching the other party busy in the kitchen.

The snow-white sweater made her figure slim. Through the fluffy fabric that was inadvertently pulled by the movements, the slim curve of her waist could be vaguely seen.

In addition, because she wore pantyhose, she showed a different style from her usual style.

Beautiful thighs, slender calves, and graceful ankles are all pleasing to the eye.

It should be said that this was the first time he saw the other party wearing pantyhose.

Although I knew in my heart that it was to keep warm, I still had an indescribable feeling.

Maybe it's the novelty at work.

Kato Yusuke felt that the girl's attraction today seemed to have suddenly increased several times.

The strong visual conflict caused by the feeling that the upper body is an angel and the lower body is a little devil——

Just like the little flaw exposed by Megumi, who is pure and sweet from head to toe, it really makes people's hearts flutter...

While his thoughts were diverging, he was suddenly slapped on the face with a "pia~" sound.

"Meow meow meow~?"

Looking down, he met a pair of green holes.

As if she thought he was ignoring her, the black cat squatting on his lap kept using the pad of its right front paw, calling his face "pia~pia~".

Kato Yusuke gave it a warning poke on the forehead, and the black cat jumped away with a "Meow——!"

Immediately afterwards, the black cat, feeling wronged, ran to the kitchen again.

"...meow~"

It screamed pitifully and rubbed its little head hard against the girl's stocking-wrapped calf, as if it was complaining about the injustice it had suffered.

Rustle~

The thin fabric made a faint sound, like a cotton swab gently scratching the ear.

"Hey~ Xiao Hei, are you hungry too? Please wait a moment."

He lowered his head and glanced at Megumi at his feet, opened a pack of bamboo wheels, put it on a paper plate and placed it on the ground, "Okay~ Please use it."

After dealing with the cat side, I went back to work on the human side.

"..."

Kato Yusuke from behind watched their interaction, and met Black Cat's eyes in the next second.

Facing the food placed in front of his mouth, the other party did not go up to eat it immediately. Instead, he sat there and stared at him for some unknown reason.

The green child's hole shimmers with humanistic colors, and I don't know what he is thinking about.

"What are you looking at?"

"Meow meow meow?"

The two sides had a nonsensical exchange with their eyes.

Kato Yusuke vaguely felt as if he had been scolded, but it was somewhat specious and he couldn't be sure.

One person and one cat just looked at each other.

Like I thought of something...

The black cat suddenly raised his right front paw and pressed the girl's calf with his soft flesh pad. Then he looked back at him and called out "Meow~".

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but frown slightly. He really didn't understand what it meant, so he decided not to pay attention to it.

Turn your attention back to the kitchen again.

Gudu, Gudu, Gudu~

"?~~~"

Along with the sound of sizzling food, you can faintly hear the sweet melody of a girl humming softly.

Should we say that the longer the two of them get along, the more natural their behavior becomes?

Seeing the other party's posture at this time, Kato Yusuke also felt relaxed in his heart, so much so that he even became less worried about certain things.

He likes the feeling of being with girls.

You don’t need to think too much and you can completely relax.

Of course, all this assumes that no specific topic is involved...

But today, he had something he had to confess to the other party.

——That’s about him and Kano-chan.

This matter made him hesitate and think about it for a long time.

It's not that I wanted to hide it intentionally, besides, this matter couldn't be hidden.

He just hasn't been able to determine under what circumstances he should inform the other party, so he has delayed it until now.

However, it has now reached a point where he can no longer delay.

As for just delaying it until Megumi and Kano-chan meet directly, and then think of a way to make a joke out of Jihu...

——That kind of naive idea is tantamount to death.

After all, he was facing a girl with an exquisite heart.

There is no need to doubt a few books.

If he really did it with that kind of lucky idea.

As smart as the other party was, he would have immediately noticed the key and anomaly from the moment he saw Kano-chan on the spot.

Unless he wanted to lose Megumi forever, that kind of approach wouldn't work.

It was precisely because he could not predict the girl's reaction that he worried about gains and losses to this day.

With this concern in mind, the two had dinner together half an hour later.

After washing the dishes with Megumi, Kato Yusuke felt that the time was right and made two cups of coffee.

On the pretext that he had something to talk about, he invited the other party to sit down at the low table.

"So, Yusuke, what did you want to talk about?" the girl asked.

"Well...it's about the studio."

"Oh~~~Then you can say it."

"good."

Kato Yusuke made a swallowing motion, took a sip of coffee to slightly wet his lips, reviewed the conversation he had simulated countless times in his mind, and then opened his lips cautiously.

"...Did you go to Kano-chan's farewell party yesterday?"

"?"

Hearing this, Hui couldn't help but tilt his head slightly in confusion.

Although I didn’t understand why he asked this question, he still replied:

"Yeah~ I'm participating. After all, it will be difficult to see Hasumi-sensei in the future. It makes me feel a bit sad."

"...Do you like Kano-chan very much?"

"Eh~~ She is not only beautiful, but also a very nice person. There should be no one in our school who hates her, right? So what's wrong?"

"So, would you be happy if you had the chance to see her more often in the future?"

"What……?"

"..."

Kato Yusuke pursed his lips and stared at the table without focus.

"What would you think if I said that Kano-chan is also one of us and the external representative of the studio...?"

"...?"

Hearing this, Hui, who was holding a mug and sipping coffee, stopped moving and looked over.

"...Well, I think it would be better if you explain it clearly before I express my thoughts?"

There seemed to be a little more in the voice than before.

"..."

Kato Yusuke nodded silently and coughed: "...Kano-chan, she is mine."

There was a sudden silence in the room.

A few moments.

"...Um~" the girl asked in a tone that made it difficult to hear her emotions: "What do you mean by this?"

"Well... that's literally what it means."

After finishing speaking, a word suddenly rang out.

"Is it like the relationship you have with Miss Kousaka?"

"...!"

Kato Yusuke was shocked and speechless for a moment, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

After a few seconds, he touched his nose and hummed lowly: "...That's right."

"..."

Hui was stunned for a moment when he heard this, but he immediately recovered, and with a calm voice, he drank coffee quietly.

An indescribable atmosphere filled the air, and the air became slightly heavier.

Holding back the heavy feeling rising from his chest, Kato Yusuke considered his words and said: "...Anyway, I think I should tell you about this."

"...Hey, do you want to tell me?"

The girl gave him a meaningful look, "Is that why you didn't attend Hasumi-sensei's farewell party~?"

"That's just one of the reasons. In fact, I've been thinking about the time to confess to you..."

"I see, um, what kind of reaction should I have here? Ah, I really should feel honored, right?"

Hui put down the mug as he spoke and turned his face towards him, with an indescribable coldness in his expression.

Looking at that unsmiling face, Kato Yusuke repeatedly forced himself not to look away.

"...I'm sorry, did I make you angry?"

"Eh? Are you angry with Yusuke? Why? I'm not your girlfriend." The girl replied quickly, her posture unknowingly changed to sitting upright.

‘…Aren’t you just angry right now? ’

Kato Yusuke thought so in his heart, but when he said it, he said something else, "...Even if you are not your girlfriend, you can still be angry, right?"

"Is that so? In other words, it doesn't matter if I'm angry?"

"If that makes you feel better..."

"...If that's the case, eh, Yusuke, could you please sit over there?"

"Well, you mean I'm already sitting down right now..."

"——I'm not talking about there, please sit over here."

Hui said, tapping the floor in front of her twice with "Dongdong~".

If you look closely, you can see that her body is shaking slightly, as if she is holding back anger.

"...?"

Kato Yusuke observed the environment, then moved to the opposite side and sat up unconsciously, "Uh... is that so?"

The girl didn't answer, she just cleared her throat and asked:

"Say it beforehand. Since it was you, Yusuke, who proposed the negotiation first, it means you have thought about the possible consequences, right?"

"That's right, that's right..."

"Obviously I didn't think about being angry with you ten minutes ago. You asked me to do this, right?"

"Uh, is that what you think...?"

"So, no matter how I react, you should be able to accept it, right?"

Hui frowned tightly, and the emotion in her voice gradually became louder.

"...The last one is wrong."

"What's wrong?"

Faced with the anger in the other party's eyes, Kato Yusuke took a deep breath and replied solemnly:

"I'm prepared, but that doesn't include your leaving. Only for this, I can't prepare."

"..."

As if she was shocked by his reaction, the girl was stunned for a moment, but she reacted immediately.

"Even...even if you say that...let's ignore Yusuke for now. Before that, I want to know more, does Kasumigaoka-senpai know about this?"

"Um."

"What does 'um' mean?"

"Senior Shiyu knows."

"Eh?"

"They have already met."

"…………"

After hearing this, Hui's face was sullen, his expression kept changing, and he was speechless for a long time.

"Oh~~ It's so amazing... You have such an attitude that you don't show any regret at all." She lowered her head and said, her hands on her thighs clenched slightly unconsciously.

Kato Yusuke hesitated for a moment, then gently stretched out his right hand and resolutely took her left hand.

The girl immediately struggled to get rid of his hand, but he held her tightly and wouldn't let go.

Just when he was about to get angry, he suddenly heard this sentence.

"...You won't abandon me again, right? Just like last time."

"...?"

As if the stop button was pressed, Hui's struggle suddenly stopped.

Slowly raised his head.

What caught his eyes was the young man's somewhat bitter face.

For some reason, Hui suddenly felt a little soft-hearted after seeing this scene, and instantly remembered the scene when she said goodbye to him at the student union that day.

The strength in his hands couldn't help but loosen.

"...I'm not angry!" The girl threw her head away in anger, deliberately not looking at him.

"...Then will you forgive me?" Kato Yusuke asked softly.

"I told you I'm not angry...!"

As if to prove this point, Hui turned his head slightly and squinted over, the expression on his face still tense.

"Huh... Besides, if even Kasumigaoka-senpai doesn't mind, what am I qualified to mind?"

"...So, will you leave without saying goodbye this time?" Kato Yusuke continued to ask, still not letting go of her hand.

The girl who heard this turned back to her face, stared at him angrily, and then covered the back of his hand with her unbound right hand.

"...I don't remember ever doing that kind of thing and saying goodbye without saying goodbye. That would be rude. I clearly said goodbye properly last time!"

After finishing speaking, he used the thumb and index finger of his right hand to pick up a small piece of flesh on the back of someone's hand and twisted it painfully.

"……it hurts."

"Ah~ah~ I'm really pissed off. Why are your things so troublesome? Why are there so many troublesome...people around you?"

At this point, it seems that he has completely turned into a loser?

"..."

Kato Yusuke looked at her slightly bulging face and vaguely felt that the most troublesome person was actually right in front of him, but naturally he did not dare to say that in front of the other party.

After all, the girl was willing to say the above words and react like this, which almost meant that she no longer planned to hold on to him, so he naturally would not ask for trouble.

In fact, even though the other party was still twisting the flesh on the back of his hand, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, this disaster was barely over.

No matter what, as long as Hui won't stay away from him as resolutely as last time, other problems won't matter.

He can also slowly deepen their bond with each other in the days that follow, and continue to find more reasons for her to stay...

He knew that such behavior was a bit despicable, but it worked for Hui.

After settling a worry, Kato Yusuke returned to his original relaxed state.

My mind is unconsciously attracted by the softness in my hands.

Logically speaking, he should have given up and let go of the other party.

But now, he suddenly didn't want to let go of the girl's hand...

And while he was harboring evil intentions——

Buzz——, buzz——.

The phone suddenly vibrated on the table and instantly attracted their attention.

The two of them turned their heads and looked together subconsciously.

"New incense"

The contacts on the screen came into their eyes.

"..."

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but frown slightly when he saw this. He remained silent and did not answer it immediately. He just let the phone vibrate on the table.

"...Um, aren't you going to answer the phone?" Hui looked at him strangely, and stopped pinching people with her hands.

"...No need, I know it well."

"Hey~~~ But the phone keeps ringing. Maybe Shinjou-san has something important to ask you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone went silent.

As a result, a missed call reminder appears on the screen.

Kato Yusuke's lips moved, as if to fill the blank space of silence and said: "...No more sound."

"What? Wasn't it because you didn't answer for too long that you were automatically hung up?"

"..."

He didn't say anything, he just showed an innocent and formulaic smile.

He knew very well why Shinjoka called at this point.

There is basically no need to doubt that it must be related to Xiao Xi.

Because tonight was the last night of the stay, the girl probably wanted to say goodbye to him, but he had no intention of going there.

...In other words, he couldn't say goodbye to the other party in person.

Unlike Hui, Xiao Xi is a special existence in another sense to him.

——Because that is the shadow closest to Sayu.

He would rather keep the memories in the present than have those memories of parting.

Even if it is just a dream——

But as long as it can be comforted, that's enough...

These thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment. Kato Yusuke withdrew his gaze and was about to say something to change the subject, but in the end...

Buzz——, buzz——.

Buzz——, buzz——.

For some reason, the phone vibrated again.

"Ah, it's Shinjou-san." Megumi said, reaching out and taking the phone over.

"Hey~ I think it's better for you to answer the phone, Yusuke. After all, she seems really urgent."

"……Got it, thank you."

"Yeah~ You're welcome."

Kato Yusuke moved his fingers to press the answer button, put the phone to his ear, and said calmly: "...it's me."

The next second.

A slightly urgent and solemn voice sounded, which was inconsistent with Shinjoka's usual style.

"President, Xiao Xi is missing. I can't find her anywhere—"

The moment the words entered his ears, an indescribable feeling in his heart suddenly rose from his chest.

Kato Yusuke's expression suddenly turned ugly, but he still suppressed his temper and asked in a deep voice: "Tell me clearly, where are you now."

"I'm here at the station now. Xiao Xi said she was going to buy something two hours ago, but she never came back. I ran to the supermarket to look for her, but the clerk inside said she hadn't been here at all today."

There was a brief silence.

"You go home and wait, I'll come over now."

"I'm sorry, I will..."

All--

Before Shinjoka could finish speaking, he hung up the phone.

Looking at his gloomy face, Kei beside him couldn't help but ask: "...What happened? Yusuke."

Kato Yusuke twitched the corners of his mouth and gave a very forced smile.

"...Well, sorry, I have something to do and need to go out."

"That's it..." The girl nodded slightly and then stood up from the ground.

"Okay, I'll get my coat and let's go together."

"...Let's go together?" Kato Yusuke couldn't help but feel a little confused.

In this regard, Hui Ze expressed his affirmation as a matter of course.

"Hmm~ Because we are companions, right? We have to help each other in times like this, right?"

As he spoke, he put on his military green coat and thoughtfully handed over his coat of the same color.

"Okay, anyway, let's leave quickly. After all, this matter should be urgent, right? In addition, please tell me the specific situation on the way."

The girl said, extending a hand towards him with concern on her face.

After a moment of hesitation, Kato Yusuke also reached out to hold the hand in front of him and said a good word in return.

Although he felt that Hui should not be troubled by this matter, since the other party insisted on going together, he had no reason to refuse.

Kato Yusuke stood up and took the coat and put it on.

Without wasting any time, the two of them got dressed and quickly set out.

After a long time, the boy took out the tracker again...

…

(Back to draft progress 4/5)

(Thanks to the leader of [Dao Dao Dao Dao] for the upgrade. Additional updates will be added later.)