Considering it was late June, with the temperature already rising in Tokyo, his outfit was perfectly normal.
But with his standout looks, he quickly became the center of attention as he walked.
By the time he arrived at JR Harajuku Station, he'd already been approached by women wanting to strike up conversationsalmost ten times, if he counted them all.
"No matter where he is, Akifumi always gets so much attention, doesn't he?" Kato commented with a neutral expression.
It was hard to tell if she was genuinely envious or just teasing him. Probably the latter?
Akifumi smiled, "If a beautiful girl like you were to approach me, I will accept them right away"
"Beautiful girl? Me?" Kato blinked, a little surprised.
"I've never heard that before... but I'm a bit happy about it."
"But you must have said that to a lots of girls before, right?"
"No way! I've never said anything like that before!"
Kato's expression remained deadpan.
Akifumi laughed inwardly, adding to himself, 'Well in this world at least, it's the first time I said that.'
"Should i felt a little bit happier just now now?"
"Well, if you're happy, Kato, you should show it in your face !"
But Kato didn't respond to his teasing.
Akifumi shook his head and then asked, "So, what's the plan for today?"
"Harajuku shopping district."
Just as he'd expected, Kato mentioned the place he thought of first.
But...
"I know that, but I meant, what exactly are we doing there?"
"We're going shopping, of course."
Kato looked at him as if he were a clueless child.
"I mean, Akifumi-kun, you're so good at academics. Why would you not know something so simple?"
"Is this what it means to just good at studying?" she teased.
"..."
Akifumi fell silent for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"You're right, Kato. Shall we go then?"
It was clear Kato was hiding something she didn't want to reveal.
But what could it be? What could someone who only had me as a friend possibly be hiding? His curiosity was piqued.
It was still before 10 AM, but when he looked around, the area outside the shopping district was already crowded.
Once inside, it only got worse.
Today, Kato was wearing a white sleeveless dress with a red cardigan draped.
Her pale, long legs were as smooth as ivory, making her look like a beautiful sight wherever she went.
If she had added a white beret to her outfit, she would have perfectly recreated the classic image from a story!
"Every time I see you, Kato, it feels unreal."
"Hm?" Kato gave him a puzzled look.
"You're such a cute girl, but... why does it feel like you have zero presence?"
Kato fell silent for a moment before replying, "Why would Akifumi-kun think I'm cute?"
"Because you are cute."
"..."
Akifumi shrugged. "I'm not just saying this to be polite. It's just how I feel."
Kato was quiet for a while before she spoke again.
"But, honestly, even the teachers in our class don't really pay attention to me."
Before he could respond, she continued, "I think someone like Shiina-san is the truly cute one."
"She easily attracts everyone's attention, and they genuinely like her."
Akifumi raised an eyebrow. "So you think Shiina-san gets all that attention just because she's cute?"
"Because she's cute and everyone likes her?"
"Hm?" Kato tilted her head, confused.
"I always thought you were pretty smart, Kato, but I guess I was wrong," he said with a smirk.
"You're a total idiot!"
Kato didn't seem offended, though.
Instead, she answered calmly, "I've never claim I'm smart."
"But I don't think I'm an idiot either."
Akifumi chuckled.
"Idiots never admit they're idiots."
"Whether or not people pay attention to you or like you, does that really have anything to do with being cute?"
"Maybe being cute does make it easier to get attention, but in the end, it's really about the person's personality."
"No one likes someone who's annoying, no matter how cute they are. But people will happily be friends with someone who's easy to get along with."
"Just like meI'm not popular, am I?"
"So, with your reasoning, Kato, doesn't that make you the real idiot?"
[046] Kato Gift
"Making others think that their are an idiot, that is really cruel, Akifumi."
If it were anyone else, they'd probably be crushed by that remark.
But Kato's expression remained calm as she said, "Maybe you're right, but... are you serious about the other thing?"
"Huh?"
"About you being unpopular."
"Eh? Could it be that I'm unexpectedly popular among the girls at school?"
Akifumi touched his chin, a little surprised.
He hadn't received love letters since the second half of his first year, nor had any girls come to talk to him.
So, to think that he was secretly popular?
He didn't mind this version of reality!
Kato gave him a rare deadpan look.
"Saying others are idiots... don't you look a bit like one yourself?"
"How could i even know that! I don't have any friends at school you know...."
No friends = no access to information, right?
Akifumi had his doubts.
Given her assassin-like abilities, she could probably learn everything even the exam answers with a little effort, right?!
"I feel like Akifumi is thinking some really rude about me..."
'Tch.'
She's so sharp.
"No, not at all!"
He quickly denied it, trying to steer the conversation back.
"So, what do you mean, Kato?"
"On the way here, didn't you also get approached by a lot of people? Doesn't that count as being popular?"
!!
How does she know about that?!
Is she stalking me from somewhere?!
Akifumi froze, staring at Kato in disbelief.
"It's kind of rude to stare a person like that, you know?"
"I'm sorry."
He quickly apologized, then added, "But those people were just interested in my body, not my popularity!"
"Really now~"
She stretched out her words, even though her expression didn't change, Akifumi could tell she wasn't convinced.
"We are here."
With a simple statement, Kato stopped in front of a clothing store.
"A men's clothing store?"
Akifumi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kato, "Are you going to...?"
"I'm buying a gift for my father." Kato said it plainly.
"His birthday is coming up, and I wanted to get him something nice."
Akifumi sighed with relief.
If she'd wanted him to help her pick out clothes for some other man, that would have been trouble!
Her reason made sense, no need to question it.
She had no friends, so who else would she be buying gifts for but her family?
"Is it a suit set? What kind of style does your dad like?"
Kato thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Not necessarily a suit, and I don't know what kind of style he likes."
"He's always working and wears suits."
No clues to go on?
Akifumi nodded.
"Well, let's go in and take a look."
"Mm."
Kato nodded, agreeing.
"Good afternoon, how can I help you?"
"We'll just look around for now."
"Okay."
Ignoring the cheerful sales assistant, the two casually wandered around the store.
"This one, this one, and this one..."
Kato picked out clothes, trousers, and jackets in various styles.
Before long, she had so many items in her arms that she could barely hold them all.
"Why are you picking out so many clothes?" Akifumi asked, puzzled.
"Trying them on."
"Oh." He nodded instinctively, then widened his eyes.
"Who are you planning to try them on for?"
Kato blinked, confused.
"Didn't I say?"
"No!"
"Oh, well, then can you help me?"
She clasped her hands together, earnestly asking for his help.
"??"
Akifumi stared at the stack of clothes she was holding, now more than ten pieces.
"My dad and you have similar builds, could you help me?"
She used polite speech.
Akifumi sighed in resignation.
"Next time, if you don't explain, I'm never agreeing to this kind of thing again."
"Thank you for your help, Akifumi."
Kato's smile flashed, but Akifumi didn't catch it as he turned to leave the store.
Half an hour later, exhausted, Akifumi followed Kato out of the store.
"The next store is on the third floor."
??
Did she just say that in that cold voice?
We've been at this for half an hour nonstop!
Not even a break for water, not even a chance to catch my breath!
Not even a mule on a farm gets treated this way!!
Akifumi gave her a deadpan look.
"As a thank-you for helping me today, I've already prepared a gift. I'm sure you'll like it."
A gift?
Akifumi couldn't help but scan Kato up and down.
Her dress and jacket didn't have pockets, and the small purse she was carrying only had a phone and some cash inside.
"So... what's this gift you prepared for me?"
He was starting to get curious now.
"Let's go"
"Aren't you going to take a break?"
"No need"
She was more interested in the shopping than the gift itself!
...
"Thank you for helping today, Akifumi."
By this point, Akifumi was too tired to say much.
He just waved his hand weakly.
From a little past 10 AM to 5 PM, the only break they had was for lunch.
It wasn't even the physical exhaustion that was bothering him it was more that he felt emotionally drained.
Luckily, Kato hadn't dragged him into more clothes fitting. Instead, they were now looking at other small items.
"This is your payment for today."
Kato handed him a bag with a small smile.
Akifumi froze, not reaching for it right away.
"Isn't this the gift you were buying for your father?"
"Nope." Kato shook her head.
"My dad's body shape has changed, so he's not like Akifumi."
"So...?"
"I tricked you."
"From the start, it was all to get a gift for you." She winked playfully.
"Today's the main event for Akifumi, so it's only fair that you work a little for it, right?"
Thinking back, there were a lot of holes in her story, and if he dug deeper, he'd probably find the truth.
Akifumi laughed bitterly. "Your acting skills are pretty impressive."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"But why did you suddenly want to buy me a gift?"
"Why...?" Kato tilted her head, "Isn't tomorrow your birthday, Akifumi-kun?"
"Of course I should give a gift to a friend, right?"
Tomorrow's my birthday?
Akifumi blinked, then remembered the date June 24th.
Wasn't tomorrow his birthday?
"You even forgot your own birthday... Akifumi, you're so careless."
Noticing his expression, Kato's tone softened a bit.
"Well, it's because I've been so busy lately."
Akifumi rolled his eyes but smiled.
"Dragging the birthday boy around to pick out his own gift... that's kind of excessive."
But...
"But thanks you, Kato!"
"This is definitely a gift that satisfies me."
It wasn't about what he got, but the thought behind it that meant the most.
Hearing that, Kato smiled faintly.
"I'm glad you like it, Akifumi."
[047] [50 PS] Parents
"Hey kid, happy birthday! Ouch, why are you hitting me?"
"Why are you even asking? Don't you know why? Give me the phone."
"Huh? We haven't talked in so long, I wanted to have a quick chat with that kid."
"Huh!?"
Hearing those familiar voices on the other end of the line, Akifumi couldn't help but smile warmly.
"Hey, Mugiho, it's me. Your dad force me to go out form the living room and do the dishes."
"Did Dad get you mad again?"
"That man's the one to blame!"
Mentioning it, Akifumi Nakui's irritation flared up again.
"We were supposed to be home yesterday, according to the plan."
"But he secretly took on another job."
Akifumi sighed in resignation.
"So, does this mean you won't be able to come home this time either?"
"I'm sorry, Mugiho."
Thinking back, this wasn't the first time it had happened.
Since about the fifth grade, on every birthday, they were never around.
Either they came home a few days late, or something came up right before his birthday and they had to leave early.
It was probably around then that his personality started becoming more withdrawn.
He immersed himself in the world of anime, where he felt more comfortable.
They felt guilty about it, so when it came to money, they were never stingy.
They provided his basic living expenses without question, and anything else he wanted, they'd get it for him.
Despite not having anyone around to look after him, he hadn't gone astrayhe even kept his top grades. It was almost a miracle!
'Any normal 16-year-old kid would probably be angry, right?'
Disappointed time and time again by the most important people in his life...
But still...
"Well, it can't be helped."
"...Mugiho, are you upset?"
"Nope~"
Akifumi replied with a smile.
"For you and dad, this job is a lifelong passion. How could I get in the way of that?"
"Huh, so you're really not upset?"
Akifumi Nakui sounded a bit surprised, then spoke with a touch of warmth, "Mugiho, you've really have grown up."
"If you really think I've grown up, then stop trying to trick me like I'm still a kid."
Akifumi sighed.
"Dad's probably there with you, right?"
"Haha, Nakui, looks like this kid caught on," Akifumi Ye's voice came from the background with a hint of embarrassment.
"You idiot!"
"Bang."
Is this what it's like to have a wife that have a black belt in karate?
How scary!
Akifumi silently mourned for his dad in his heart.
A few seconds later, the phone went quiet again.
Akifumi Nakui spoke awkwardly, "When did you figure it out?"
"It's always the same excuses. If you're going to make up excuses, at least put some effort into it."
"And besides, do you think dad would have the courage to take on a task behind your back?"
"I knew you guys wouldn't fool me like that!"
In his heart, Akifumi Ye silently gave a thumbs-up to Akifumi, but his face showed guilt.
"It's my fault!"
His survival instincts were on full display.
But Akifumi Nakui didn't seem to care, still awkwardly continuing, "So, you've known this whole time?"
"By the way, what do you want for your birthday this year?"
Now that was a really awkward topic change.
Akifumi shook his head, thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and a playful grin appeared on his face.
"For a gift, I'd like a little sister."
"!!"
Akifumi Ye's eyes lit up, almost shouting out "Good job!"
Akifumi Nakui, on the other hand, looked embarrassed and scolded, "W-what are you talking about, you kid!"
