Page 160
Page 160
Shirakawa Natsumi smiled, looked away, and said casually, "They seem to be having a good conversation."
Miyuki was dressed in men's clothing today, looking exceptionally handsome. Ryoko Arishima looked awkward, and if one didn't know what the two were talking about, the atmosphere seemed ambiguous at first glance.
"Yes...yes." Yu Mukai looked over and then looked away, his hands unsure of what to do.
“That guy is incredibly fast,” Shirakawa Natsu looked up and laughed. “He’s a wild beast, you know.”
He wasn't lying; even a dog girl can be considered a beast.
He had already said this once during the photography exhibition, and now that he brought it up again, it reached Yutaka Mukai's ears.
The impression was reinforced once again.
Yu Mukai's unease gradually became undisguised.
“Only by being faster than him.” Shirakawa Natsu continued, “Miss Arishima Ryoko probably hopes the same way.”
Yu Mukai's expression hardened, his unease turning into determination. He nodded sharply, regaining his confidence: "Yes, that's right."
After saying that, he stood up abruptly and bowed to Shirakawa Natsumi, saying, "Thank you, Shirakawa-kun."
Like the male protagonist in anime who is encouraged by his friends, he ran towards the door.
Shirakawa Natsu watched his retreating figure and narrowed her eyes: "It seems he didn't go to Arishima Ryoko's house last night."
If Yu Mukai had seen him pleasuring Ryoko Arisuma on the sofa last night, he wouldn't have been able to express his gratitude.
After being rejected by Kang Eun-hye yesterday, Yu Mukai spent the whole night thinking about it at home and decided to try to find Ryoko Arishima again.
Ryoko Arishima had made an appointment with Miyuki in the morning, which is why she came along.
Outside the window, Miyuki looked down into Ryoko Arishima's eyes and chuckled, "The look of someone in love. You'd better turn back soon, sweet girl."
“I…” Ryoko Arishima opened her mouth, then hesitated before speaking.
Yu Mukai rushed out from the side, grabbed Ryoko Arishima's hand, and said to Miyuki, "Sorry."
After he finished speaking, he exchanged a glance with Ryoko Arishima, then took her hand and ran to the side.
Ryoko Arishima was stunned. She never expected that Yu Mukai, who had always kept his distance from her, would suddenly take the initiative to pull her along.
While she was still in a daze, he had already pulled her aside.
The two stood facing each other.
Passersby who witnessed this scene turned to look at them.
"I..." Xiangjing Yu took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and didn't finish his sentence, seemingly still unsure.
"Is...is there something you need?" Ryoko Arishima asked, her cheeks slightly flushed, as she lowered her head.
“Tomorrow, we’re going on a date,” Yu Mukai said earnestly. “It won’t just be ordinary friends or classmates anymore, but a real date, a genuine date.”
Ryoko Arishima looked up in surprise, staring at Yu Mukai in disbelief.
Yu Mukai looked at her with the same unwavering gaze.
Ryoko Arishima's face initially lit up with surprise, but it quickly dimmed, and she lowered her head slightly.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow!" Yu Mukai said earnestly, "Is that alright?"
Ryoko Arishima's expression was extremely complicated. After pausing for a few seconds, she nodded: "Okay."
"I underestimated this guy; he actually confessed." Shirakawa Natsumi pouted. Mukai Yu had always been stringing Arishima Ryoko along.
Now that Miyuki has appeared, there is no future for her and Kang Eunhye.
A sense of crisis finally made him resolute.
He had already planted the seed in Ryoko Arishima yesterday, and originally planned to develop it for a few more days.
Yutaka Mukai's decisive actions today led to some unexpected developments in the plan.
Ryoko Arishima's feelings for Yu Mukai have become a habit over the years.
Of course, I wouldn't refuse if I was suddenly asked to go on a date.
"I miscalculated." Shirakawa Natsu tapped her fingers on the table. They were going on a date tomorrow, given Arishima Ryoko's personality.
If the atmosphere is right, she might actually agree to date him.
Although she has a bit of an exhibitionist streak, she's not the kind of shameless woman like Kang Eun-hye.
The difficulty of completing the task will increase dramatically at that time.
Looking out the window at the two people standing together.
"This must be resolved tonight."
The four of them sat in the coffee shop for a while longer, but the atmosphere was extremely awkward. Ryoko Arishima didn't dare to look at Natsu Shirakawa and quickly said goodbye and went home.
After she left, Yuya Mukai also got up and left.
Shirakawa Natsu got into Mino-Kami's jeep.
"I'm sorry." Miyuki said with a smile as she drove, but there was no real remorse in her voice: "I can't lie."
"Hmph." Shirakawa Natsu snorted. He didn't blame Miyuki, nor could he ask her to deceive Arishima Ryoko for the sake of his mission.
Besides, it's impossible for him to develop a romantic relationship with Ryoko Arishima.
Just like Jingu Nao told him, one person's heart is too small to hold two people.
He's already impersonated many people: Jingu Nao, Hashimoto Arina, and the perverted fox.
However, my dog is disobedient and needs to be disciplined.
That's just how reality is; all sorts of unexpected things can happen.
"What's next?" Miyuki asked.
"Let's go back to the apartment first." Shirakawa Natsu closed her eyes. "Leave the rest to me. You don't need to contact Arishima Ryoko anymore."
Miyuki's mission was to provoke Yu Mukai, and now it's working very well, even too well. Everything in excess is bad.
We can't let her appear in front of Arishima Ryoko again, otherwise it will only increase Mukai Yu's sense of crisis.
She has done her job very well.
“Okay.” Miyuki nodded, stepped on the gas, and the jeep roared.
They darted dozens of meters away in an instant on the street.
It was around 9 p.m. when the time came.
Shirakawa Natsu arrived alone at Arishima Ryoko's apartment, the summer evening breeze blowing on her face bringing a slight coolness.
He was carrying a canvas bag, which the saleswoman had given him as a gift when he bought the camera that afternoon.
"Cameras are so expensive these days." Shirakawa Natsumi pouted and reached out to press the doorbell.
Chapter 203: On the Mission
"Ding-dong." The doorbell rang from inside the house.
Footsteps came from inside the room, and the sound stopped behind the door.
Shirakawa Natsu guessed that Arishima Ryoko was looking outside through the peephole, and if he were to lie down on the peephole now, he would definitely give her a fright.
The door remained closed, and a strange silence seemed to fall over the area inside.
Shirakawa Natsu didn't urge him, not because he had absolute confidence.
Instead, he knew that if Ryoko Shima was determined to date Yu Mukai, she wouldn't hold a grudge against his actions yesterday. His rash behavior would most likely attract the police and land him in jail.
An eerie silence fell over both inside and outside the door.
As Shirakawa Natsu's heart began to race, there was a click as the door lock opened.
The door was pushed open from the inside out.
Ryoko Arishima hid her entire body behind the door, not daring to peek out, as if afraid of being seen.
From Shirakawa Natsu's perspective, it's as if the door opened automatically.
A smile played on his lips. Without a word, he slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.
Turning around, I saw Ryoko Arishima leaning against the wall, hiding there.
She was dressed in simple home clothes, her head down, her hands clasped together, not daring to look up at Shirakawa Natsu.
Shirakawa Natsu didn't say anything, just looked at her.
Ryoko Arishima lowered her head even further after being stared at for a while, her voice barely a whisper: "Shirakawa-kun, is...is something the matter?"
"What do you think?" Shirakawa Natsu picked up the canvas bag containing the camera and waved it in front of her. "I just wanted to come and learn photography from you, since it's your specialty."
“No…no, that won’t do.” Ryoko Arishima shook her head. “I have a date with Yu Mukai tomorrow, so…so.”
"Oh." Shirakawa Natsu took a step closer to her, and Arishima Ryoko quickly stepped back, but her body was pressed against the wall, with nowhere to retreat. Looking at Shirakawa Natsu approaching, she could only turn her head away and not look at him.
"If it's not going to work, why open the door? What are you expecting?" Shirakawa Natsu's gaze fell on her fair neck, and he reached out a finger to hook her collar.
Ryoko Arishima hurriedly reached out and grabbed his fingers, stopping him from tearing open his collar.
“Ryoko, you don’t want Mukai Yu to see those photos, do you?” Shirakawa Natsu suddenly said.
Ryoko Arishima shuddered upon hearing this, looked up at him in disbelief, but her expression quickly turned to confusion.
When Shirakawa Natsu left yesterday, she placed the camera on her bedside table. As a photography major, she was certain that the photos had not been copied.
That's why she took the initiative to find Miyuki today, wanting to understand Shirakawa Natsu.
"Just kidding." Shirakawa Natsu retracted her finger and laughed, "The atmosphere was just too tense. Did I behave badly just now?"
Ryoko Arishima then came to her senses, her whole body relaxed, and Shirakawa Natsu's smile was a copy of Kimura Momo's.
With his handsome features, he easily inspires trust.
"Mm." Ryoko Arishima nodded quickly. After the commotion just now, the atmosphere had improved considerably, and she was clearly less tense than before.
The two sat down on the sofa.
Ryoko Arishima sat down only slightly, still with her head down, then suddenly looked up at Natsu Shirakawa: "Shirakawa-kun, can you forget about last night?"
"Forgot?" Shirakawa Natsu smiled, stood up, and walked to the display case.
"No!" Ryoko Arishima quickly interjected to stop her.
But it was too late. Shirakawa Natsu picked up the camera, opened the photos, and found that every single photo taken last night was saved inside.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” Shirakawa Natsu pointed the album screen at Arishima Ryoko: “You think so too, right? Otherwise, why would you say you’d forget about it, but keep the photos and leave them here untouched, as if you’re hoping someone will pick them up again?”
“No…” Ryoko Arishima shook her head frantically: “I just… I just haven’t had time to delete it yet.”
"I guess you're not satisfied yet," Shirakawa Natsu said with a smile, looking at Arishima Ryoko's porcelain doll-like face.
"I..." Ryoko Arishima lowered her head, her face flushed, under his gaze. She couldn't answer the question at all; she couldn't very well say that she was already satisfied.
“Yesterday wasn’t all,” Shirakawa Natsu laughed again. “It wasn’t just like yesterday; there was something even wilder, more passionate, and truly amazing…”
Ryoko Arishima shuddered and cautiously raised her head.
"How about it?" Shirakawa Natsu picked up the camera she had bought today and sat down next to her. "Want to try it? This time, I'll use my camera and save the photos. Of course, I'll blur your face. You want more people to see it, right?"
"Ah..." Ryoko Arishima shifted back a little on the sofa: "Ah, no."
“Yeah, that’s true.” Shirakawa Natsu smiled, opened her canvas bag, and took out her camera: “Let’s take a picture as a souvenir. Just one picture, and I’ll leave after that.”
A struggle flashed across Ryoko Arishima's face before she finally nodded after a long pause: "Just... just one."
"Okay." Shirakawa Natsu smiled, picked up the camera, and quickly pressed the shutter. With a "click," the photo was taken.
Ryoko Arishima looked bewildered, clearly not expecting him to finish filming so quickly.
Shirakawa Natsu ignored her surprised expression, put away her camera again, and smiled, "I'm done taking pictures."
After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the entrance.
Ryoko Arishima stood on the sofa, a look of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"Aren't you going to see me off, Ryoko-san?" Shirakawa Natsu saw her expression, which was exactly what he had expected.
She had already mentally prepared herself, and perhaps considered stopping Shirakawa Natsu from making any excessive filming requests.
But the result was just a casual snapshot, like a girl excitedly putting on a beautiful makeup look.
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