Tokyo: Starting with the Gear-Conscious Male Gods!

Chapter 5 Thank you, Higurashi!

In September, Tokyo was still sweltering in the evenings.

By the time Shirakawa Yuta rushed home, the back of the bag he was wearing was soaked with sweat.

He casually put the bag aside, took a set of clothes from the bedroom, and headed towards the bathroom.

It was rare for him to be the only one in the house.

Chiba Daio is still in his hometown of Oshima (Izu Oshima). He learned from a phone call last night that Hoshina's grandmother seems to be not doing well. He will have to stay at home for a few more days before he can come back. He also asked the grandmother to take care of Hoshina for the next few days.

Chiba Hoshina's mother, Chiba Omi, also rushed back yesterday.

As for Chiba Sena, she hadn't finished school yet.

Although they went to the same high school, their dismissal times were slightly different.

Especially during the initial period after the start of the school year, it's mainly about seeing when each club starts its activities.

For example, the music club that Hoshina belongs to started its activities quite early, on the second day of school.

The kendo club, to which Shirakawa Yuta belongs, didn't start its activities until a week after the start of the school term.

Although he forgot to go...

But it doesn't matter anyway. While taking a shower, Shirakawa Yuta was thinking about leaving the company.

If he wants to draw comics next, it will definitely take a lot of time.

The Kendo Club's activities last for quite a while; they train almost every day, and it usually takes about one and a half to two hours.

That adds up to nearly ten hours a week. If he used that time to draw, he could probably finish about half a story, since he doesn't need to come up with a plot and the storyboards are all in his mind.

The added intelligence from that paintbrush was quite effective; some previously vague memories are now much clearer.

He vividly recalled all the comics he had secretly read during Chinese class in his previous life.

This further solidified his resolve to withdraw.

Although he would need to join another club after leaving the Kendo Club, and Mingde Private School did not have a "Homecoming Club" that would allow him to go home directly, he could join a cultural club such as the Film Club or the Literature Club.

As long as you avoid sports clubs, it's generally easier. For example, the film club only requires attendance 2-3 times a week, and you only watch one movie together each time.

Soon, Yuta Shirakawa finished his shower and walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair.

When he got to the living room, he saw that Chiba Sena was already home.

She was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, her fair and slender thighs shining brightly, and she was holding the paintbrush he had just bought for 100,000 yen.

When she saw him come out, she didn't greet him as usual. Instead, she stared intently at him with her beautiful eyes, raised the paintbrush in her hand, and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Yuta Shirakawa frowned slightly; he clearly remembered that he hadn't taken out his paintbrush just now.

"Why are you going through my things? Chiba Sena, isn't that a bit rude of you?"

"Your stuff? How could this possibly be your stuff!"

As soon as Shirakawa Yuta spoke, Chiba Sena immediately stood up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and stood angrily in front of him.

She ignored the latter part, which impolitely implied, and instead clung to the first half of the sentence, saying:

"This was clearly a keepsake left to Xixu by her father, and he made it himself. How did it become yours?!"

"How come this isn't mine... Wait, Nozomi? Uemura Nozomi? You know Uemura Nozomi?"

Yuta Shirakawa keenly sensed the key point in the other person's words. He had asked for the other person's name when they added each other on Line, so after hearing the name "Nozomi," he roughly guessed the reason, and his furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Upon hearing Yuta Shirakawa call out Nozomi Uemura's name directly, the somewhat dazed Sena Chiba sensed something was amiss and pouted, asking, "She's been my friend since middle school, what's wrong? You know her too?"

Yuta Shirakawa sighed upon hearing this, his anger dissipating considerably. Although he was still somewhat impolite, he could understand it if he put himself in his shoes.

He then nodded and said, "I bought this paintbrush from her..."

He recounted what had happened that afternoon, omitting, of course, the parts that were not appropriate to discuss.

He didn't want their already strained relationship to deteriorate further, especially since they were still living under the same roof.

Upon hearing his words, Chiba Sena felt both concern for her friend and shame for wrongly accusing someone. Her face instantly flushed red, her cheeks warm like a red apple.

She lowered her head, her lips barely moving, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Yuta Shirakawa nodded slightly, not adding fuel to the fire, but after thinking for a moment, suggested, "It's enough that you know about this; don't ask about it."

Seeing that the other party had no intention of continuing to mock her, Chiba Hoshina visibly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was indeed her fault. She had originally prepared herself to be humiliated by calling him "brother" again, but she didn't expect him to let her off so easily.

But after hearing what the other person said, she asked, somewhat confused, "Why? She and I are good friends!"

Yuta Shirakawa shook his head slightly, recalling Nozomi Uemura's stubborn eyes, and asked with certainty, "She's always been very strong-willed, hasn't she?"

"Hmm, that seems to be the case."

Chiba Sena tilted her head, thought about it carefully, and then gave an affirmative answer.

"That's it. This time, she'd rather sell her father's belongings than tell you about this, which definitely means she doesn't want you to know. Asking her directly is no different from reopening someone's wounds."

Chiba Hoshina nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What can I do?"

"Just be nice to her on a regular basis, and when she can't take it anymore and chooses to speak up, just give her support."

"Oh, I see. Thank you, brother!"

When Shirakawa Yuta heard the other person call him "brother," he felt a secret sense of satisfaction, and the slight displeasure that had lingered before vanished at that moment.

But the next second—

"Brother, could you sell me this paintbrush? After all, it's a keepsake left to Nozomi by her father, and I'd like to find a chance to return it to her."

Chiba Hoshina blinked her beautiful big eyes, her eyelashes fluttering, just like a butterfly in flight.

If it were any other young boy, he might not be able to resist such a cute little sister.

But she was facing Shirakawa Yuta, whose paintbrush could create value enough for him to disregard any of his sisters!

Purple-clad girls are no good!

He flatly refused, saying, "No sale, don't even think about it!"

"You bought it for about 50,000, I'll offer 100,000!"

"I wouldn't sell it for 200,000!"

"you!"

Chiba Sena's chest heaved with anger. Looking at Shirakawa Yuta's resolute expression, she couldn't help but complain, "You're still as awful as ever! You're so annoying!"

After saying that, he ran back to his room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Yuta Shirakawa smiled as he watched the other person leave. "You think you can buy my treasure for 100,000 yen? Dream on."

But is being an underground idol in Tokyo really that lucrative? She can actually afford 100,000 yen.