hotmtlnovel Page 37
Page 37
He paused for a moment and looked into Mai Sakurajima's eyes.
Her expression remained unchanged, but Yuto Itsuka could feel a slight tremor in her fingertips as she held his hand.
"Senior sister..."
"Mai, actually, I'm just like you, I don't know what it feels like to like someone."
"The book says it makes your heart race, makes you lose your appetite, makes you happy when you see the other person, and makes you feel lost when you don't see them."
"If that's the case, then I think I've probably fallen for you."
"It's not that the characters in the game like the target, it's not that the actors are playing the role of being affectionate, it's that Itsuka Yuto has fallen in love with Sakurajima Mai."
The night wind blew, stirring up fallen leaves, and the whole world seemed to quiet down, leaving only the sound of each other's heartbeats.
Mai Sakurajima listened quietly, then her gaze slowly moved down to the two people's clasped hands.
What does it feel like to like someone?
"I don't know," Yuto Itsuka answered honestly.
All I know is that I really want to kiss you right now.
After saying that, he slowly approached her.
He saw his reflection growing larger and larger in her dark blue pupils.
When the two were only centimeters apart, he stopped and, with his last shred of reason, gave her a chance to back away.
But she didn't move.
Without further hesitation, he lowered his head slightly and pressed his lips to hers.
It has a soft, slightly cool feel and a faint sweetness.
He could feel that Mai Sakurajima's whole body was tense. He didn't go any deeper, but just maintained this position.
Time stretched out at this moment.
One second passed, two seconds passed...
Just when Itsuka Yuto thought she would stand still, he felt her touch him very slightly.
It was like a feather brushing the surface of water, yet it stirred up a monstrous wave in his heart.
He no longer restrained himself, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into a tighter embrace.
She seemed somewhat at a loss, passively experiencing this sudden closeness, but she did not reject it.
Without her noticing, her hand, which he had been holding, was now gently grasping the lapel of his shirt.
Time stretched out until his breathing became increasingly rapid, and only then did Itsuka Yuuto reluctantly release her.
He pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths rising and falling slightly.
He looked at her.
A faint blush rose on Sakurajima Mai's cheeks, her eyes misty with confusion, bewilderment, and an emotion he couldn't quite decipher.
"Mai," Itsuka Yuto's voice was a little hoarse, "can you feel anything now?"
Mai Sakurajima didn't answer. She simply raised her hand, gently touched her slightly swollen lips with her fingertips, and then touched his.
"Your heart is beating very fast," she said softly.
Yuto Itsuka laughed.
A confession is not a battle cry, but a triumphant song of victory; he remembered someone telling him that.
But what he raised was the bugle call to charge!
Their breaths mingled once again.
Half an hour later.
"Mai, will you... be my girlfriend?"
A glistening water droplet had somehow landed on Mai Sakurajima's long eyelashes.
She looked up at Itsuka Yuto, who was standing close by, and after a long silence, she gave a soft "hmm" in an almost inaudible voice.
He held her tightly in his arms, his chin resting on her hair. His body in her arms was a little stiff, but this time, she still didn't push him away.
The two officially started dating.
Yuto Itsuka felt that he could easily write about the interactions between the male and female protagonists in a novel now.
He suspected that, with the romantic energy he possessed at that moment, he could even write romance plots that surpassed those of Kasumigaoka-senpai's works.
However, he also asked himself in his heart whether he just wanted to complete the simulation, or simply wanted to experience dating, or was he really in love with Mai Sakurajima?
The answer is that he couldn't tell either, but at least he experienced that dokidoki feeling.
So, did you fall in love with her because of Mai Sakurajima's meticulous care? Or was it because you coveted her body?
The answer was that he didn't know either, but he felt that there was no detailed reason for liking someone.
Love arises without knowing its origin, and deepens with each passing moment.
Perhaps feelings are just that mysterious thing.
Volume 1: Chapter 47: Judging solely from your composure, I would call you the strongest.
Love is a dialogue between souls. No matter what form it takes, it touches the heart and makes people intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves.
"Mai."
"Ah."
"I'm a little hungry."
"...Go home and cook."
I want to eat Mapo Tofu.
"it is good."
"I want it really spicy."
"Ah."
……
On their first weekend together, Yuto Itsuka experienced a textbook dating process.
The location is Yokohama.
From taking the Enoden train to whiling away the afternoon at a seaside café, and then climbing to the observation deck of the landmark tower in the evening.
He took Mai Sakurajima to every single location mentioned in couples' dating guides.
Shopping, watching movies, taking photos, amusement parks...
They did many things that couples do, and their relationship continued to grow stronger. Mai would even take the initiative to make some intimate gestures.
However, the peaceful routine will eventually be disrupted by an unexpected event.
Wednesday evening.
There was a knock on the door of Yuto Itsuka's apartment.
He assumed it was Mai Sakurajima, who had finished her club activities, so he casually replied, "Coming," and opened the door.
Standing outside the door was not Mai Sakurajima, but a middle-aged woman she didn't recognize.
She looked to be around forty years old, wearing a black suit skirt, her hair was tied up, she had delicate light makeup on her face, her expression was serious, her eyes were sharp, and she had a powerful aura.
"Hello, how can I help you?" he asked politely.
“Itsuka Yuto...is that right? A second-year student at Minebara High School, seventeen years old, parents divorced, living alone.”
Wuhe Youdou squinted, his expression unchanged, as if he wasn't the one whose box was being opened.
"I'm curious, what gives you the confidence to take responsibility for Mai's life?"
"May I ask who you are?" He had already guessed the other party's identity.
"I am Mai Sakurajima's mother, Kazuko Sakurajima, and also the president of the talent agency and Mai's manager."
"So you're Mai's mother?" Yuto Itsuka smiled, turned around and gestured for her to come in. "It's too tiring to talk standing up. Why don't we go inside and talk?"
This move was somewhat unexpected for Kazuko Sakurajima.
In her envisioned script, the boy would either become nervous and stutter because of her aura, or he would argue back with bluster but no substance.
But this was the first time she had ever encountered someone who took the initiative to invite her in for a conversation, as if they were equals.
The two went inside. Kazuko Sakurajima sat down on the sofa, while Yuto Itsuka made himself a cup of black tea.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Sakurajima, is black tea alright? That’s all we have.”
"Thank you."
Kazuko Sakurajima accepted the teacup and thanked him politely. Then she said, "It seems you are more composed than I expected. I've met many male celebrities in the entertainment industry, and in terms of composure alone, none of them can compare to you."
Then why don't you want to call me the strongest?
"Itsuka-kun, may I call you that?"
"Please go ahead, Auntie."
She nodded and went straight to the point: "Since that's the case, I'll be frank. I hope you can leave Mai. For that, I can give you a sum of money so you can easily finish university and even make a down payment on a small apartment in Tokyo."
Seeing that Itsuka Yuto seemed to want to say something, she added, "Itsuka-kun, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. You're still young, and you may not understand the importance of money to men."
"This money is enough for you to work hard for half your life. I only have one request—leave Mai. I can even agree to continue your friendship, but dating is not allowed."
Finally, the classic check segment has arrived, but unfortunately it's in yen, not tokusatsu, Yuto Itsuka thought to himself.
Honestly, the offer wasn't bad, and the other party's attitude wasn't aggressive. In the real world, if he weren't writing light novels, he might actually have agreed.
But he could still detect something wrong from the other person's words.
"Aunt Sakurajima, do you think Mai-senpai's feelings can be measured by this?" He didn't directly refuse, but asked in return.
"Feelings?" She smiled as if she had heard a joke.
"Itsuka-kun, you may have some misunderstanding about Mai. She is a person born for the screen. For her, emotions are just props that need to be used when acting, a burden on her career."
"What you're seeing now is nothing more than a performance she puts on you out of some sense of responsibility or curiosity."
That was true a week ago, but Yuto Itsuka believes the situation is different now.
"Is that so?" He leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the table, and met Sakurajima Kazuko's gaze without flinching. "But I think that the current senior is the real her, not the perfect work you described that was born for the screen."
"Don't you think that Mai Sakurajima, with her own genuine emotions, would become a better actress?"
"I think perhaps it's precisely because of her previous perfect 'performance' that Mai-senpai is now in a semi-retired state?"
Kazuko Sakurajima looked rather grim.
She looked sharply at the arrogant boy in front of her and said in a deep voice, "Are you teaching me how to raise my daughter?"
“That’s not the case.” Itsuka Yuto shook his head, his tone still calm.
"As a fan of Mai-senpai, I'm just offering a small suggestion. We fans don't want Mai-senpai to sacrifice her own feelings for the sake of 'performance'."
Sakurajima Kazuko was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Young people's ideas are always naive, and you will pay the price for your naivety. Mai's life is not a game you can interfere with at will. You'd better think carefully."
After she finished speaking, she didn't look at Itsuka Yuto again and got up to walk towards the door.
Just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, the bedroom door clicked open.
Mai Sakurajima stood at the door in her school uniform.
Upon seeing her mother, she instinctively called out, "Mom."
Kazuko Sakurajima's body stiffened for a moment, but she didn't stop. She simply said coldly, "Come home tomorrow. There's something at the company."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Mai Sakurajima walked into the living room and looked at Yuto Itsuka across the table.
"My mother... what did she say?"
Yuto Itsuka stood up, walked over to her, and naturally took her schoolbag. "Just checking in on you as usual, and by the way, reminding you that you're a big star, so don't mess around with random random men."