Chapter 16: Making Up a Story

Chapter 16: Making Up a Story

“Bloggers?”

Yatsuno Gen raised his head and looked at the two of them.

The man was holding a handheld selfie stick with a phone mounted on it, looking as if he were filming anytime and anywhere.

After the young woman glanced at Kiyono Mitsuki, who had lowered her head, her gaze shifted to this beautiful and handsome boy.

She had to admit that although she had filmed many short videos and gone to quite a few places, this was the first time she had ever seen a boy so eye-catching and so full of youthful charm.

A smile appeared on her face.

“It’s like this. I saw that your friend is in a wheelchair, and she is also very beautiful. The scene of her having dinner with you is truly lovely. We usually make vlogs and short videos about society and charity, so may we interview you? Perhaps it could also bring hope to people in similar circumstances.”

Her words were very polite.

The smile on the woman’s face also did not seem unpleasant.

But Yatsuno Gen had already made his decision after merely glancing at Kiyono Mitsuki’s slightly trembling shoulders across from him.

He smiled at the woman.

“I’m sorry. My friend doesn’t like being photographed, and it is rare for us to come out for a meal together, so I cannot agree.”

“Eh? Is that so...”

The woman seemed somewhat regretful.

The man behind her looked over with some dissatisfaction.

“We are also trying to bring hope to more people who are in difficult situations. Your friend should be able to sympathize with that kind of situation. Can’t you cooperate a little?”

Hearing the man’s words, Yatsuno Gen looked at him with his smile unchanged.

“Not everyone needs attention in order to feel comforted. Shouldn’t real help mean respecting each person’s wishes?”

“You...”

The man was about to say something else.

But the woman immediately grabbed his hand.

“Enough, Daisuke! Stop talking for now.”

Then she turned back and smiled at Yatsuno Gen.

“Sorry for disturbing you. By the way, our platform account is called: Daisuke and Yuna. If you change your mind, you can contact us anytime. I hope you enjoy your meal.”

Yatsuno Gen nodded slightly.

The woman pulled Daisuke behind her and returned to their seats.

During that time, they could still hear the man muttering somewhat unhappily, “What the hell? You should have told them how many followers we have across our platforms. Plenty of able-bodied people want to be interviewed by us...”

“All right, stop saying that. Eat.”

After the two returned to their own seats.

Yatsuno Gen looked at the girl before him, who was still lowering her head.

“Are you all right?”

Kiyono Mitsuki slowly raised her head, her complexion slightly dim.

“I’m fine... Actually, accepting an interview would have been okay. At most, it would just take a little time.”

She said softly.

But Yatsuno Gen looked at her in amusement.

“You are always reluctant in front of me, yet you are willing to force yourself in front of strangers. What? Is it because I treat you well, so I am easier to bully?”

“...That is not what I meant!”

Kiyono Mitsuki was somewhat dissatisfied.

Yatsuno Gen leaned back leisurely in his chair and said indifferently, “Then don’t force yourself. If you really needed that kind of help, with a face like yours, you could casually start a livestream and gain countless followers.”

Kiyono Mitsuki did not answer.

Her hands beneath the table intertwined slightly.

Her silence was not because she was sulking, but because at this moment, she clearly felt that the other party’s concern for her was not merely superficial. He understood her personality and thoughts very well.

She did not even know when he had begun to understand her so deeply.

Until the dishes began to arrive.

The soup in the pot also began to boil.

“Are you eating the spicy side or the non-spicy side?”

This hot pot restaurant served both sukiyaki and Yanxia hot pot, so the reason Yatsuno Gen had initially chosen to work here was also because it felt familiar.

“How spicy is it?”

Kiyono Mitsuki seemed to have adjusted her mood, and she looked at the steam rising from the pot with a slight frown.

“You’ll know once you try.”

Yatsuno Gen put a piece of beef in with his chopsticks, then took it out at the proper time and placed it in her bowl.

Originally, Kiyono Mitsuki had wanted to pick something up herself, but after seeing the boy’s very natural movement, she abruptly put her chopsticks back down.

When that piece of beef was placed into her bowl, the tips of her brows lifted slightly.

“It doesn’t seem that spicy...”

She snorted softly, then elegantly picked up the beef and ate it.

Yatsuno Gen smiled as he watched her movements.

When he saw the girl’s face redden as she chewed, and her eyes widen slightly.

He unscrewed the bottle of mineral water beside him and handed it over.

“Hiss, ha! So spicy, so spicy, so spicy!!”

Kiyono Mitsuki, whose tears were almost being forced out by the spice, could not help drinking water while fanning the air in front of her with her hand, as if that could drive away the spiciness.

Through her tear-blurred eyes, she saw Yatsuno Gen smiling at her.

He looked as if his prank had succeeded.

“You’re still laughing! Wuu...”

Her tongue felt swollen from the spice.

Yatsuno Gen leisurely blanched a few pieces of lettuce for her in the clear soup side.

Then he smiled and said, “Isn’t this much more exciting than eating at home?”

Kiyono Mitsuki rolled her eyes at the boy and wiped her red, tender lips. For some reason.

After the spiciness faded from her mouth, she actually felt an impulse to try again.

She tasted the lettuce he had picked for her, then began to miss the feeling of that beef stirring around in her mouth just now.

It was practically like fighting with her taste buds.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Yatsuno Gen asked softly, “Want to try again?”

Kiyono Mitsuki’s expression struggled a little, but looking at that churning red oil, and adding in Yatsuno Gen’s tempting gaze, she struggled and nodded.

And so this girl, who had hardly ever stepped beyond her own door and had rarely tried outside food this past year, began under Yatsuno Gen’s temptation by merely tasting a little, only to become more and more addicted. That spiciness seemed to become a kind of emotional teasing.

The spicier it was, the more she had to eat in order to suppress the spice.

Only when her stomach was nearly full did she finally stop.

“You ate quite a lot.”

Yatsuno Gen looked at the mess of cups and plates on the table.

Only then did Kiyono Mitsuki realize that her chopsticks seemed not to have stopped this whole time.

It did not fit her supposedly pure and desireless persona at all.

“I... I was hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, then eat. It’s not like anyone is abusing you.”

Looking at Yatsuno Gen leaning leisurely against his chair, Kiyono Mitsuki puffed up her fragrant cheeks in dissatisfaction.

He made it sound as if she were his pet, to be treated kindly when he wanted, or abused when he wanted... She had clearly been forced to come out.

“It was just a little spicy... I don’t think it was especially delicious.”

“Is that so?”

Yatsuno Gen thought for a moment and said, “I heard that spiciness is a kind of pain sensation, not a true sense of taste. So if you like this sort of flavour, you’re probably an M.”

Kiyono Mitsuki:???

Soon she saw the boy’s triumphant expression, as if his prank had succeeded, and she turned her head away in irritation.

You are the M! But what was going on with the fact that she really did seem to like spicy food a little?

After a moment of silence, she turned her head back.

“Right. You worked here before?”

Kiyono Mitsuki remembered this matter.

Yatsuno Gen nodded.

“Yes. It can be considered the first job I found after leaving the orphanage. Although Sister Kokomi’s words are a little sharp toward me, she really was a good manager.”

Kiyono Mitsuki thought for a moment.

“So your tuition, rent, and living expenses are all money you earned yourself?”

“What else? Are you about to start feeling like you’re dragging me down again?”

Seeing Yatsuno Gen’s familiar teasing smile.

Kiyono Mitsuki could not describe what she was feeling. Some shame, and some embarrassed anger.

He always liked to use this kind of method to dissolve the guilt in her heart, but that did not mean she could truly pretend not to see it without a care, right?

“...You’re always like this.”

In the end, her emotions turned into an inexplicable grievance.

Yatsuno Gen shrugged.

“My grades at school are very good. Scholarships and things are enough to make up for household expenses. This meal also won’t cost much, and I can still earn a bit usually. Don’t worry. I have no intention of paying off your debts for you, and I won’t let you drag me to death.”

“Who asked you to pay off my debts!”

Her voice had only risen a little before lowering again.

Her situation was different from other people’s. When other people’s parents passed away, they left behind an inheritance. As for her, not only had she lost both legs as well, but because her father had been eager to start a business and borrowed from loan sharks, the rolling interest had now left her burdened with a massive debt.

Perhaps such debt was not protected by the laws of Neon, but the people from those yakuza organizations did not care about that. They only believed that a father’s debts were paid by his children.

If not for her disabled legs making it truly too indecent, those bastards might have forcibly taken her away and directly used her body to repay the debt.

This was the real reason Kiyono Mitsuki least wanted to drag Yatsuno Gen down.

Whether it was his grades, appearance, or even such a good personality, a boy who was good in every way ought to have a beautiful future.

How could he be dragged into the mire because of her?

“I will try to find some work online that can make money... You don’t need to take such care of me.”

Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible.

However, at this moment, Yatsuno Gen had no interest in investigating what exactly she was saying, because in the corner of his vision, that man and woman had already hurriedly left their seats.

He stood up.

“Wait here for a little while. I have something to handle. I should be back in about ten minutes.”

“Ah?”

Before Kiyono Mitsuki could react to what urgent matter had suddenly come up, Yatsuno Gen had already lightly left her and walked toward the outside of the restaurant with lazy ease.

Outside the restaurant.

“Did you get it?”

Nakamura Yuna asked excitedly in a low voice.

Takahashi Daisuke, who was holding a phone, nodded.

“It’s very clear. Trust my skills.”

“Good. Get in the car first.”

The two quickly came to their parking spot, then sat separately in the driver’s seat and passenger seat.

Holding the phone, Takahashi Daisuke asked somewhat strangely, “You didn’t let me film them earlier. Won’t secretly filming them now cause trouble?”

Nakamura Yuna glanced at Takahashi Daisuke and said disdainfully, “Do you think the videos that say they obtained the parties’ permission in advance really got it in advance? There are plenty of abnormal filming methods too. We can’t miss such good material. We’ll edit it into a video first, post it on the platform, harvest a wave of traffic, and monetize the money first.”

“I observed them. Although those two are both very good-looking, their clothes are cheaper than cheap street stall goods. Their families definitely have no money. If they come knocking later, we can just give them a sum of money and solve the problem. Do you really think they can afford some so-called personal privacy lawsuit?”

Takahashi Daisuke thought about it and frowned.

“But we don’t even know their names. It won’t be easy to make up a story, right?”

Nakamura Yuna sneered.

“How could it be hard to make up a story? Very simple. Once we get back, we’ll edit the video into this: while eating out, we happened to encounter a beautiful young couple with disabled bodies but strong wills. We really wanted to help them, but we did not want to disturb them during their meal, so we could only record that beautiful moment. We don’t know anything like their names, but we express that we have a heart that wants to help them. Wouldn’t that harvest all the sympathy from those netizens?”

Her smile became brighter and brighter, as if she had already seen what the edited video would look like, and the traffic and popularity it could gain.

“Once the traffic is enough, the netizens below will naturally tell stories for us. Things like, I know this person, they were my classmate. This person is my friend, and so on. And in the video, we will edit them to look incredibly beautiful. Maybe when they see it, they will even want to thank us.”

Takahashi Daisuke also suddenly understood.

“Yuna-chan, you’re really smart.”

“Otherwise, how could our account have today’s popularity? All right, step on the gas already. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The instant Takahashi Daisuke was about to shift gears and start the car.

Suddenly.

“Planning it out so well. As expected of big internet celebrities.”

This unfamiliar voice, appearing completely without warning, made both of their expressions stiffen at once.

Their gazes first shifted to the rearview mirror.

When they saw a familiar handsome boy had actually appeared in the back seat, almost at the same time, they turned their heads back in disbelief.

Their bodies went completely rigid.

Because neither of them knew when this boy had gotten in.

There had not been even the slightest sound!

“Y-you, how did you get in here?!”

In the back seat, Yatsuno Gen leaned forward slightly with that familiar smile.

He rested both arms on the edges of the front seat backs.

Then he leaned closer with a smile.

“No need to trouble yourselves with making up a story. How about I make one up?”

He smiled with a pure and innocent expression.

But Nakamura Yuna and Takahashi Daisuke clearly saw that in his lowered hand.

He was holding a brick.