Chapter 23: Women Who Act Spoiled Have the Best Lives

Chapter 23: Women Who Act Spoiled Have the Best Lives

“What is your name?”

“Rin. What about you?”

“Yatsuno Gen.”

In his memories, the orphanage was always a tiny patch of sky.

Whether it was sunny or covered with dark clouds.

It was only that small patch, through which he could vaguely see the tall buildings of the outside world.

What many of the children liked doing most every day was trying their best to behave well, so that when the so-called social philanthropists came to the orphanage, they would notice them and take them away.

But Yatsuno Gen never needed to do anything.

He did not even need to give them a smile, and there would still be people who wanted to take him away.

It was not that the orphanage refused to let him go. It was Yatsuno Gen himself who did not want to be adopted, quietly waiting for the day he could prove he was capable of living independently.

Aside from reading and studying on his own, there was not much Yatsuno Gen could do. At most, he would stay in the orphanage courtyard, looking at that tiny patch of sky, quietly waiting for time to pass.

His life was dull and idle, yet he was not like the other children, afraid of loneliness, afraid of the night, afraid that no one would take him away.

Until that paper airplane flew over the courtyard wall.

It was at that time that Rin, who was already very much like a little princess, appeared in Yatsuno Gen’s world.

Her appearance could indeed be called stunning, but in truth, to Yatsuno Gen, it was not that shocking.

If there was anything truly special, it was that Rin at the time was beautiful, obedient, and adorable.

Ever since he had helped her retrieve that paper airplane from the treetop, she had tirelessly brought him the snacks she liked eating and the books she liked reading.

She would also tell him about the worries and joys of her small life.

Yatsuno Gen did not remember most of those stories. Most of the time, he played the role of a listener.

Mainly because he also needed to learn how to interact with a child his own age while wearing the face of a child himself.

Until one day, at the orphanage gate, she told him with red eyes,

“I won’t be able to come here anymore. I’m moving back home... Mom said it’s my real home.”

“But I’ll get into Shoujitsu Private High School. If possible, let’s meet there.”

“You’ll come find me, right?”

Her eyes, filled with hope, were red and swollen. Inside them seemed to be despair and sadness that should not belong to someone her age.

The face from back then and the girl before him now seemed impossible to align no matter what.

Yatsuno Gen held the clothes she had shoved at him and paid no attention to the tear in his collar.

He merely leaned against the wall and looked at her with his head slightly lowered.

“Is this fun to you, Rin?”

When the boy’s indifferent voice spoke the word Rin, the girl’s eyes shifted away. It was as though she instantly lost the courage to meet his gaze, provoke him, or vent her emotions.

In the next moment, she forcefully looked back, as if wanting to nail Yatsuno Gen to the wall with her gaze.

“Don’t call me Rin. We’re not that close. If you insist on going back like that, then do whatever you want. Just throw the shirt in the trash.”

After saying that, she turned around and quickly vanished into the darkness of the corridor.

Yatsuno Gen looked at the clothes in his hand, turned around, and returned to the restroom to change into them. As for the shirt with the torn collar, he threw it directly into the trash.

When Yatsuno Gen walked out, there was already no trace of Asagiri Rin’s presence. It was as though she had never appeared at all.

Miura Akihiko looked over curiously.

“You went to the restroom and even changed clothes?”

Yatsuno Gen shook his head.

“They said it was because their staff’s mistake stained my clothes, so they directly gave me one to change into.”

Miura Akihiko’s eyes widened slightly.

“My god. They replaced it with Balenciaga? Is this place that rich?”

“Who knows. Are you not done drinking yet? I’m going home.”

“Oh, right. Let’s go then. I’ll pay the bill.”

One minute later.

“You mean it’s free?”

Miura Akihiko stood at the front desk in astonishment, blinking with a kind of clear stupidity.

The cashier at the front desk bowed politely.

“Yes. The owner gave instructions. Because a staff mistake caused you a poor experience, your bill has been waived. We hope that next time, we can serve you properly, and we also hope you can forgive our shortcomings this time.”

Miura Akihiko and the expressionless Yatsuno Gen walked out of the restaurant bar.

Yatsuno Gen looked back at the sign.

Apart from the words Paper Airplane, the logo at the front looked somewhat old, like a shabby paper airplane.

Just like when people remembered the past, it was always a dim yellow and gray color.

“They even waived the bill... Was that because of my face or yours?”

Even Miura Akihiko found it unreal.

The service attitude was too good.

How had he never heard of something like this before?

Replacing a shirt this expensive and waiving the bill too... how was that any different from giving things away for free?

“What face could I possibly have?”

“True. I almost thought you went off to work as a host during your trip to the restroom.”

“Get lost.”

“Hahahaha.”

The two left together and reached the roadside.

Miura Akihiko looked at Yatsuno Gen.

“How are you getting back? I’ll reimburse your fare.”

“No need for such a small amount. I’m off.”

“All right.”

Watching Yatsuno Gen cross the road leisurely with both hands in his pockets, Miura Akihiko murmured with emotion,

“He’s seriously so damn cool.”

Inside the restaurant bar, the soothing music continued.

Up the spiral staircase, in a position overlooking the entire Paper Airplane restaurant bar, was a private room with one-way glass.

The spot where someone had watched almost the entire night had already been cleaned up, waiting for new customers to arrive.

Asagiri Rin leaned lazily against the table, holding the unfinished gin fizz in her hand.

“Miss, you’ve already drunk quite a lot. If you go home, Madam may say...”

The young woman who usually played the role of her female driver and stayed almost constantly by the girl’s side spoke softly.

Asagiri Rin lifted her eyes slightly. There was no longer any need to look at that spot.

Because new customers had already arrived.

They were a young man and woman, smiling, carrying that bright happiness that only belonged to people passionately in love.

It was dazzling to look at, even laughable.

“I’m already an adult. Whether I drink or do anything else, I have the right to choose. If this is something you must report, then just tell the truth.”

“Well...”

The woman’s eyes showed some difficulty.

Because drinking itself was not really anything.

What was truly fatal and most worthy of attention were the certain signs this princess, who shone as brilliantly as a pearl, could no longer suppress.

If possible, she actually wished she did not know.

She did not want to get involved in the sort of matter most likely to go wrong.

What could be more dangerous than the emotions of an eighteen-year-old?

Especially within such a wealthy household.

Immature feelings often ruined one person out of the two.

Of course, that person would absolutely not be Asagiri Rin.

“But when it comes to him, tell the truth. Don’t embellish anything. Understood?”

The girl’s gaze stared straight at the woman.

It actually made her feel a dangerous pressure, and she could not help sweating slightly in her palms.

She sensed the threat within it.

So she nodded.

“I understand, Miss.”

Asagiri Rin finally finished the last sip, set down the glass, and stood.

Her figure was so perfect and elegant that even the motion of standing seemed like the opening movement of a dance.

“Let’s go. We’re going home.”

After leaving the restaurant bar and sitting in the back seat of the sedan,

Asagiri Rin leaned against the car window, her head slightly dizzy. She was not as calm and clear-headed as she appeared.

The scene of their narrow encounter in the corridor outside the restroom kept echoing through her mind.

“Is this fun to you? Rin.”

“Is this fun to you? Rin.”

“Rin.”

The sound of him calling her Rin seemed able to stir up many memories, memories she had thought she could forget quite easily.

Yet as it turned out, as long as they were mentioned, as long as she saw him...

It was like being lassoed by ropes and locked in shackles.

They trapped her tightly.

Making it impossible not to care.

She sighed.

She casually took the largest-denomination bill from her bag, then folded it into a small, crude paper airplane.

She opened the car window and threw it out.

After closing the window, she faintly heard the startled cries of passersby outside.

She leaned against the back seat, curled her whole body in slightly, lowered her brows and eyes, and hid in the darkness.

Gurgle.

Gurgle.

Gurgle.

“Is there something wrong with the porridge?”

In the Saturday morning light, the boy and girl ate breakfast at the same dining table.

Yatsuno Gen finally could no longer ignore it and looked at Kiyono Mitsuki, who was taking tiny sips of porridge while slightly raising her head to stare fixedly at him.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Kiyono Mitsuki said coldly.

“Then if you’re drinking porridge, just drink porridge. Why are you looking at me? I know I’m beautiful enough to be eaten with the eyes, and that looking at me can whet one’s appetite, but there’s no need to be so direct.”

“Pah... Who’s looking at you and getting an appetite?”

“Then what are you looking at?”

“There’s a hickey on your neck.”

Kiyono Mitsuki gave a cold snort.

But Yatsuno Gen merely smiled indifferently, too lazy even to raise a hand and touch it.

“Is that so? When did you secretly kiss me?”

“...Lunatic.”

In truth, there was no hickey at all.

Kiyono Mitsuki had only wanted to see whether he would be easily probed by her, revealing a guilty expression.

Unfortunately, such little schemes of hers never seemed to succeed.

“Then that makes us a perfect match.”

“You...”

Kiyono Mitsuki gave up on trying to carry out any schemes.

She could never gain the upper hand against him, and she only made her own emotions rise and fall.

She might as well smash the jar and stop caring!

“After you left my place last night, you didn’t go home. You went out.”

She stared at Yatsuno Gen.

The boy, however, nodded as though it were perfectly natural.

“Yeah. I went out for a stroll.”

“You came back very late.”

Kiyono Mitsuki added.

Yatsuno Gen looked at her in amusement.

“That’s right. Without realizing it, I wandered a little far. Since there’s no school today anyway, I came back a bit late.”

“Oh.”

Why won’t he just say what he went to do?!

A stroll?

Who would believe that?!

An eighteen-year-old boy in the prime of youth, handsome too, going out for a walk and shopping like an old man?

Damn it.

What exactly is he hiding?

Just then, Yatsuno Gen suddenly raised his head.

“Want to know what I did last night?”

“...Who wants to know? Boring.”

Kiyono Mitsuki lowered her head and drank her porridge resentfully.

Waiting.

Waiting quietly.

Waiting patiently.

Waiting my foot!

She abruptly raised her head and stared hard at Yatsuno Gen.

The boy blinked innocently.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why aren’t you saying it?”

“Saying what?”

“What you went to do last night.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to know?”

“...Say it or don’t. Do whatever you want!”

Kiyono Mitsuki wanted very much to storm away from the table, but she instinctively tried and could not stand up at all.

Instead, after pushing herself up slightly, she quickly lacked the strength.

Thud.

She sat right back down in the wheelchair.

“Hahahahaha.”

Across from her, Yatsuno Gen laughed loudly.

Kiyono Mitsuki’s cheeks flushed completely red at once. She covered her face and buried her head.

“Uu...”

The double pressure of embarrassment and humiliation made her let out a mournful sound.

Yatsuno Gen set down his chopsticks.

Smiling, he crouched beside her.

“I just went out to eat with a friend. Nothing else happened, and I didn’t add any other girl’s contact information. If you don’t believe me, you can check my phone.”

The instant he came close and said those words softly,

Kiyono Mitsuki suddenly raised her head.

She grabbed Yatsuno Gen’s hand, opened her mouth, and bit.

It did not hurt at all.

He only felt warm saliva.

It was like being ambushed by a little milk kitten.

Yatsuno Gen was not surprised at all. He merely used his other hand to pat her head.

“You can bite harder. However much strength you use, that’s how much strength I’ll use when I massage your legs later.”

“...No.”

She raised her head pitifully.

The sunlight outside the window fell across the boy’s cheeks, along with his warm smile.

“Will you keep making sarcastic remarks to me in the future?”

“...I’ll try not to.”

Yatsuno Gen helplessly stood with a hand on his knee, let out a long sigh, then looked at her.

“If you want to know where I am and what I’m doing... just message me and ask. Otherwise, what was the point of adding you yesterday?”

“But I...”

Do I have the right?

She wanted very much to ask, yet she could not ask.

At that moment, Yatsuno Gen rubbed her head, then walked toward the dining table to clean up the bowls and chopsticks.

As he cleaned up, his head was lowered.

The sunlight fell across his seemingly slender yet actually reliable shoulders, and his tall, lean figure became a straight shadow on the wall.

He stood within the light where dust motes drifted.

As if murmuring to himself,

“Women who act spoiled have the best lives.”