Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

It was already noon on Wednesday when Eiri learned about Shinjoka from Yu Serizawa.

The other party still did not come to school today, and it was said that he would have to rest at home for one more day.

She hurriedly sent a condolence message on her mobile phone and chatted with Shinjoka on LINE for a while before running to the cafeteria for lunch.

Since she arrived late, the restaurant was already overcrowded.

Fortunately, the school has an exclusive table for student council members, so there is no need to worry about not having a seat.

Eiri ordered a piece of tempura udon and enjoyed it by herself.

Because she attracts so much attention in school and is known as Miss Toyosaki, she rarely comes to the student cafeteria. She usually eats lunches prepared by her mother or the maid.

However, she was in such a hurry to go out this morning that she forgot to put her lunch box in her schoolbag, and the competition at the canteen was extremely fierce, so the cafeteria became the best choice.

In addition, she actually held a trace of luck in her heart - maybe she could meet that person here.

——It’s a pity that things went counterproductive.

The person who wanted to wait did not wait, but he waited for an unexpected person.

"...Oh, it's really strange that you would come to the cafeteria."

"Huh?"

Yinglili raised her head following the sound and found that the person sitting opposite was An Yirunya.

The other person held a tray in his hand with "Salmon Set Meal" on it. The dishes include grilled salmon, stir-fried vegetables, clam soup, small plate of pickled vegetables and white rice. It is a simple and delicious combination.

Yinglili was stunned for a second, and then said seriously:

"I'm talking about you, this is a seat reserved for the student union? Ordinary students are prohibited from using it."

"Even if you say that, you can't find any vacancies elsewhere. If someone comes later, I will naturally give up my seat. You don't have to worry."

"Thank you for being able to speak so calmly. How thick-skinned are you? Besides, I sat down here first. Even if you want to sit down, you should ask others for their permission first!"

"Wow, Eiri, you guy, I've lent you so many animations and games, but you can say such heartless words, isn't it too much?"

"--Well!"

Yinglili was speechless for a moment, and then immediately said:

"No! It should be said that I didn't ask you to do that kind of thing. Most of the time, you took the initiative to give me Amway works, right?

Although I did ask to borrow things from you a few times... Anyway, I will bring them to school and return them to you tomorrow! "

After such an interruption, she no longer had to worry about the seat, and acquiesced to An Yilun to sit down as well.

"You, I didn't tell you to return it right away. Why did you interpret it that way? Anyway, I have extra reserves for most of the works I borrowed from you. Returning them a day or two late won't have any impact on me."

An Yilun also picked up the salmon with chopsticks and took a bite, and asked calmly: "By the way...why did you come to the restaurant to eat alone? Where are the other people in the student union?"

"have no idea."

"What--?"

"We didn't make an appointment to have dinner together. Everyone should have brought their own lunch boxes. As for Shinjou-san...she didn't come to school because she was sick."

"Oh! It seems that I haven't seen her for two days. No wonder the group of students who are in charge of discipline have become a lot more lazy. They don't even search for contraband seriously anymore, which makes me a little uncomfortable."

Yinglili asked in confusion: "Aren't you used to it?"

"yes."

An Yilun also nodded in affirmation.

"Because of Shinjo's absence, the comics I brought to school have successfully passed the ethics inspection. This is a good thing for me."

He showed an unhappy expression and continued speaking through gritted teeth.

"After all, what's going on with that guy Shinjo! Is there something wrong with her head? Ever since I quarreled with Kato, she seems to have been eyeing me, and she's always looking for trouble for me."

Eiri took a sip of udon and pointed out the flaw in his words angrily.

"That's not because you secretly brought comics to school! Shinjou-san just did what he should do."

"Well... although it is indeed my fault to bring comics to school, that guy Shinjo is definitely targeting me on purpose! I can clearly feel this.

Even though Yamaguchi and others from Class E also brought comic magazines to school, she pretended not to see it. Why can such a person be a disciplinary committee member? Should we say she is Kato's follower? It's unbearable. "

Faced with An Yilunye's complaint, Yinglili stopped moving her hands for a moment, lowered her eyes sadly, and muttered to herself.

"...Shinjo-san, she is not just Yusuke's follower."

"Huh? Did you say something? Your voice was so soft, I didn't hear it."

"I didn't say anything. This has nothing to do with you, Renya! Also... Shinjou-san is not a bad person. Please don't say such sarcastic words next time."

An Yilun looked at her unconvinced, took another bite of salmon, and asked casually: "... By the way, how are your recent games going?"

"Um--?"

Yinglili immediately became alert, "What do you mean? Do you want me to leak the studio's information to you? Give up, I won't do that kind of thing."

"Hey, I didn't think so! It's just... I have something I want to talk to you about."

"...Talk to me? What is it?"

An Yilun also hesitated, "Hmm...are you free later? Otherwise, I'll buy you a drink, and let's go to the atrium to talk."

Before Yinglili could ask carefully, he added another sentence.

"After all, there are a lot of people here, and you don't want to be seen with me, a nerd, and there are any scandals, right? So if you have any questions, we can wait until later."

Yinglili looked around, but after all she didn't speak.

…

In this way, the two came to the atrium after lunch.

An Yilun also bought two bottles of drinks from the vending machine and handed one over.

"Here, here is the black tea for you. Do you like this brand?"

"Thank you, I'll give you the money."

"No need, I told you to buy you a drink, you can just take it."

"Huh? What are your intentions...?"

"Don't think so badly of people! It's just a bottle of black tea, and the drink hasn't been opened. What can I do?"

Ying Lili frowned and thought for a while, then reached out to take the black tea.

In order to prevent the other party from taking the opportunity to make some excessive requests, she took precautions in advance.

"Then what? What do you want to talk to me about? You have agreed beforehand. If you want me to help you convince everyone to allow you to return to the studio... I can't do that kind of thing, so I won't talk about it."

"Who wants to go back? I have never thought about such a thing! I have made it very clear before, didn't Kano-chan convey it to you?"

Ying Lili asked suspiciously: "If it's not this, then what do you want to see me for?"

"About this..."

An Yilun also leaned against the vending machine, pulled open the soda ring with a "Puff~" sound, and took a few sips.

"I want to ask, Eiri, are you happy with Kato?"

"Huh?" Yinglili was stunned, "What do you mean?"

"That is to say...how are you doing at drawing now? Has Kato forced you to do anything random again? Are you happy? Are you tired..."

"Aha--?"

Countless question marks popped up on Yinglili's head. She was a little confused by this series of questions. She thought for a moment and gave her answer.

"Well... there will be times when I feel tired, but painting is my favorite job. How can it be possible to relax? I had this in mind when I entered the industry."

"As for you asking me if I'm happy...

If I wasn't happy I wouldn't have chosen this job in the first place. And I get along well with everyone. We even went to sleepover together last weekend. I had a great time. "

As if she had opened a chat box, the girl kept talking.

"Although Yusuke can be very strict sometimes, he is really powerful. I have never seen anyone as talented as him.

It may be difficult for you laymen to understand, but his level is actually enough to make all the painters in the industry feel ashamed or even despair? "

"I remember that you seem to be a fan of Akane Kurisaka, right? You know how much that person values ​​Yusuke, and you should be able to understand the value of it, right?"

"Also, even my mother likes him very much. Not only for the younger generations, but also for his creations -"

"--enough!"

"Wow!!"

The suddenly louder voice made Yinglili, who was speaking enthusiastically, tremble. Then she opened her round blue eyes angrily and stared at him.

"Why did you shout so loudly all of a sudden!? You scared me."

An Yilun also said with a cold face: "That's not what I want to tell you."

"……Huh?"

Yinglili couldn't help but feel confused when she saw the other party's sudden anger.

"Hey, Yinglili."

"What are you doing?"

An Yilun also took a deep breath, and then said seriously: "I still...want you."

As soon as the words fell, the scene fell into silence.

After a while.

"--Eh??"

Ying Lili was stunned for a moment, then an inexplicable chill surged through her body, and she suddenly hugged her body and pulled away a long distance.

"Ha, ha!? Idiot! Do you know what you are talking about! Do you think you can say such things to girls casually? Believe it or not, I will report you to the teacher for sexual harassment-!"

She spoke angrily, her voice trembling, and her physical resistance caused goosebumps to rise on her skin.

Even though they are friends, this request is too out of bounds and completely unacceptable——!

Obviously even Yusuke has never said this to her...

"Ugh! Wait, wait, wait, wait—!"

An Yilun also saw her fierce reaction and quickly corrected his slip of the tongue, "I wasn't talking about that kind of topic just now! I just wanted to invite you to join!"

"……join in?"

Ying Lili looked puzzled when she heard this word, and asked doubtfully: "What does it mean?"

"that is--!"

An Yilun also scratched his cheek and said awkwardly:

"...Because I have also formed a club here, so I want to ask if you would consider joining? Although it is definitely not comparable to Kato's club in terms of size, the degree of freedom is very high!?"

"If you are willing to come to my side, let alone anything else...I can at least guarantee that I will never restrict you or squeeze you, and let you create freely."

"To be honest, I plan to make a great Galgame here, but I just lack high-level painters, so if you are willing to come, it will be a big help..."

"——Lun Ye."

Eirili suddenly said: "Where did you get the money to play the game? Are you going to use what Yusuke gave you...?"

"What! I usually work part-time, okay!? But...because I can't help but buy all kinds of goods, I might actually have to use part of that money at first..."

"...Do you want to use that money?" Eiri asked softly: "You didn't actually do anything when you were in the studio, aren't you going to return the money to Yusuke?"

"--Well!"

Facing her somewhat disappointed look, An Yilun seemed to be choked, and immediately turned his eyes aside and stared at the ground under his feet.

"...What do you mean I didn't do anything? The reason why Kato had the idea of ​​making a game was because of my original suggestion? What's more, I didn't ask him to send the money."

"But! It was clearly stated that the money was your reward for performing the procedure. When Yusuke made his promise to you, we were all present and heard it clearly, weren't we? But you..."

"this……"

An Yilun's expression also changed and he smacked his lips.

"Tsk, of course I know that kind of thing, so I clearly refused. It was him who insisted on asking Kano-chan to stay, and I was also very troubled. Besides -!"

He raised his head suddenly and said with confidence:

"I don't have to use his money! I also have my own partners here. It's not that I can't attract investment, it just takes a little effort..."

"……Partner?"

Ying Lili asked again: "Let's not talk about whether there are idiots who will invest in you. Even if there are, a game cannot be made just by having money."

"Hey, that idiot's statement is too much! But you're right, so I'm recruiting some partners for the time being. The person in charge of the script is me, the music is my distant cousin, and the painter... I'm overseas ."

"Eh? You said going out to sea...could it be Hashishima going out to sea——!?"

"Yes. Why did you show that expression? Didn't you two reconcile later? You shouldn't be hostile to her anymore, right?"

"That's not right! Isn't Hashishima on our side? When did she promise to paint you a picture? We have never heard of such a thing -!"

"Oh...so this is what you were talking about."

An Yilun also calmly pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and said calmly:

"I can't tell you too much about the specifics, but Dehai has indeed promised to come to my side. She will probably withdraw from Kato in the next two days."

Yinglili couldn't help but be stunned, and then suddenly reacted.

"Liar! Didn't Hashima Dekai betray us by doing that? How could she do that! And it happened at this time... Yusuke him... Yusuke him..."

As she said this, she couldn't help but feel anxious in her heart.

Obviously, that kind of thing just happened a few days ago, and now a new crisis is about to arise.

What would Yusuke think?

When she thought of this, Yinglili immediately wanted to run to find that person, but An Yilun also blocked the way.

"Eiriri, are you going to find Kato? Obviously I haven't finished speaking yet?"

"Lun Ye...get out of the way! You can do such a thing! I really misjudged the wrong person——!"

An Yilun's expression also froze, he clenched and unclenched his fists, and finally fell to his knees with a plop, and a man sat down on the spot.

Yinglili was shocked, frightened by this sudden move, and panicked.

"Eh? Wait! What are you doing? This is outside -??"

As she spoke, she looked around frantically, fearing that someone might see this and misunderstand her. Fortunately, no one is passing through the atrium at the moment, so there is no need to worry for the time being.

"Hey, Yinglili!"

An Yilun also ignored her reaction and said loudly: "Please, this is my lifetime request, please join my club——!"

"No, why are you speaking so loudly!? Don't you feel ashamed at all for doing this?"

"Of course I have that kind of thing! Even now I am so embarrassed that I want to die! But I can't die until I successfully convince you."

"Well……"

Feeling the determination in the other party's words, Yinglili couldn't help but take a breath.

An Yilun also raised his head suddenly, his eyes focused on her face.

"So, please become my partner, fight side by side with me, and realize my dream with me! Yinglili..."

"Lun... also...?"

"To be honest, I have been reflecting on it recently. I am indeed self-centered, selfish and immature. I have also been acting very poorly towards you."

"……what are you talking about?"

"I have deeply realized my mistake. I promise that I will never treat you so excessively in the future. We will definitely become as good friends as before."

"……before."

"That's right! Do you remember when we were children and went to visit the New Year shrine together? I said at that time that I would make the best Galgame in the world, and you also said that you would become my artist, Yinglili."

"That kind of thing..." Yinglili whispered: "How can I still remember it? I have forgotten it a long time ago."

"——That doesn't matter!"

An Yilun also changed to kneeling on one knee and solemnly stretched out a hand.

"Please, come to me, make peace with me, and realize our dreams with me!"

"--Varied……"

Yinglili opened her eyes slightly and looked at this scene in surprise. His eyes became extremely complicated in an instant, and he couldn't help but purse his lips tightly.

To be honest, she had looked forward countless times to the day when she and An Yilun could eliminate their misunderstandings and truly reconcile.

Although she has always refused to admit it, she actually attaches great importance to the identity of her childhood sweetheart and the other person, and even regards it as an inner support, and even only plays the role of childhood sweetheart in the game.

If in the past, An Yilun would take the initiative to admit his mistake and beg her, she would probably be so excited that she beamed with joy.

But now, there is an indescribable emotion lingering in his chest. Like a curse being lifted, her mood seemed to become transparent.

- Something crucial has changed.

It's like a photo album in the back of your mind has been turned to a new page, and the memories of the past have been replaced by new photos.

Even if I recall, some things have already been changed.

What made her think about her day and night was no longer her childhood sweetheart, but the person who had always been by her side like a brother.

The innocent wish she had spoken at the shrine as a child had been covered by the warmth and sweetness of the sweet wine, and the feelings swirling in her heart had a name.

——"Even if it's just out of good intentions, you must never sway between two people."

My mother's instructions suddenly rang in my ears.

Ying Lili fluttered her eyelashes and thanked her in her heart.

"...I'm sorry, Renye."

She let out a calm breath and took a step back.

Facing the other party's frozen gaze, she spoke clearly:

"I appreciate your invitation, but I can't go to your place.

I have decided to become Yusuke's number one artist and dedicate everything to him.

I will not betray Yusuke.

So I'm sorry, I can't promise you. "

As the words were finished, part of the obsession in his heart seemed to dissipate.

A relieved yet sad smile appeared on Yinglili's face, and she suddenly felt as if she had matured a little and was finally able to face the curse she once had.

Facing her naked and decisive rejection, An Yilun couldn't help but stiffen, and his expression became gloomy.

"...Ah, is that so?"

He stood up from the ground on his knees and asked sarcastically: "So, you really still like that guy Kato, right?"

Eiri nodded slightly, "Well, I like Yusuke. It's not a liking for friends or family, but a unique liking for lovers."

"---Varied!"

An Yilun was suddenly speechless, obviously not expecting to hear such a frank answer from her.

Ying Lili looked at him with a slight smile, polite and distant.

"Anyway, thank you for saying these things to me.

Although I can't help you as a companion, I will still cheer for you as a classmate. I hope you can realize your dreams and make the best game.

Now, I'm going back to Yusuke. "

After finishing speaking, she walked towards the teaching building.

An Yilun also stared at her back in silence until she was about to enter the room, and finally couldn't help shouting.

"——It's up to you! Yinglili, she will come to help me when I go to sea anyway, it doesn't matter even without you!"

Yinglili suddenly stopped, turned around, showed a heart-warming beautiful smile, and responded with a pure and sweet voice.

"Well, you have to work harder, Lun Ye."

"Eh……?"

"Be good and realize your dreams~"

"Ying... Lili...?"

An Yilun's eyes suddenly opened wide, clearly reflecting the girl's shadow, and his lips trembled slightly.

Yinglili smiled and nodded, entering the room carelessly, and her golden hair disappeared on the other side of the door.

An Yilun also stared at this scene in a daze, clenching his teeth for a moment, strong regret suddenly pressed on his heart, and tears burst from his eyes.

He clenched his fists tightly and looked up reluctantly, finally realizing one thing clearly at this moment.

——I have lost something forever.

…