pertwk Page 113
Page 113
Are you implying something to me?
Aki Tomoya turned around and looked at Eriri, who was following behind him. Beside her, Hyodo Michiru was wearing an in-ear earphone on one side and staring at the two of them.
Since Aki Tomoya was also going out, Hyodo Michiru didn't plan to watch the house for him and decided to go to the city to find someone else.
The three of them were headed to the subway station next.
"No, but I just don't understand why you trust Kasumigaoka so much."
"Believe? That word doesn't suit me. That genius doesn't need anyone else to believe me, does she? If she can do it, she can do it."
The fact that he suddenly turned to take the Keio exam, especially when it was Kasumigaoka Utaha, didn't surprise Aki Tomoya at all.
As for whether she could pass the exam, the answer was obvious to him.
"You really think highly of Kasumigaoka."
"That's the situation. But you seem to really want to help her."
Aki Tomoya suddenly looked into Eriri's eyes.
Eriri is currently quite concerned about Kasumigaoka Utaha's situation.
"If you really want to care about her, you just need to gain the upper hand in front of her and have someone who can keep her in check."
"limit?"
Eriri was a little confused by Aki Tomoya's explanation.
"To put it another way, you just need to gain her trust. But even so, after experiencing the same thing twice, she's probably being a bit overprotective of herself now."
In her second year, Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't as dominant as she is now.
Even someone as strong as him has a deeper vulnerability than others.
Heartbroken and focused on her career, these words perfectly describe her current state.
"The same thing happened twice?"
Eriri stared intently at Aki Tomoya.
Eriri knew nothing about either of the two supposedly identical incidents.
Perhaps it's related to the so-called "woman from the past," she suddenly thought.
"Don't let her appearance fool you, she's actually quite vulnerable at times. When she was writing 'Love Metronome,' she poured her longing for love into it. When her illusions were shattered, she must have been devastated."
Aki Tomoya stopped at the park entrance by the roadside, and suddenly stopped to speak slowly to Eriri.
Last April, whenever Aki Tomoya thought of Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, he would get a headache.
Especially Eriri. If it weren't for the fact that he and Eriri had made things clear last August, and if it weren't for the fact that they had known each other for more than ten years, Aki Tomoya really wouldn't want to talk to Eriri. It was just too troublesome to communicate with her.
Being able to maintain a normal relationship and communicate with Eriri is, in Aki Tomoya's eyes, a dreamlike thing.
"In other words, Tomoya did something very cruel!"
Eriri could somewhat imagine what had happened between them.
She could imagine all sorts of emotional entanglements and love-hate relationships.
She also understood why, since they started working together after the fireworks festival last year, she and Kasumigaoka Utaha no longer had the same level of mutual trust as when they first started working together.
Perhaps in that person's heart, she felt that one day, Eriri would become like her, severing ties with Aki Tomoya and licking their emotional wounds together.
Of course, this is only one of the reasons. The main reason why Kasumigaoka Utaha sought to cooperate with Eriri is because of Eriri's abilities.
"Actually, there shouldn't have been any problem. That senior should have hated me so much that she didn't want to think about me again."
At this moment, Aki Tomoya said helplessly, his gaze towards Eriri somewhat subtle.
After saying so many hurtful things back then, how could the other person possibly still think about him?
By giving the other party a reason to place all the blame on him, Kasumigaoka Utaha can completely do what she wants with a clear conscience.
"To be honest, the fact that our relationship has improved is something that none of us expected."
Aki Tomoya said this under Eriri's questioning gaze.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha approached Eriri with sympathy, valued Eriri's abilities, proposed a collaboration, and later became close collaborators, the situation changed somewhat.
The roles need to be reversed now; Kasumigaoka Utaha has no right to sympathize with Eriri now.
Eriri, on the contrary, is the one who deserves it.
The two people closest to Kasumigaoka Utaha right now are Eriri and Machida Sonoko.
Instead, they seemed to be constantly reminding Kasumigaoka Utaha that Aki Tomoya was only that mean to her...
This differential treatment made Kasumigaoka Utaha start to think about the more complex issues, and she stopped simply taking Aki Tomoya's excessive words as an example. She began to care about where the problem really lay.
"...Actually, Tomoya, you're quite concerned about that guy too, aren't you!"
"You think too much."
Aki Tomoya shook his head. If he really cared about Kasumigaoka Utaha, he would have been reading their new works by now.
Find all the foreshadowing in the new work, then pretend to be an enthusiastic fan and discuss it with the author. The way to regain the author's trust is actually that simple.
But he wouldn't do something like that.
"I don't believe you! You know that guy better than anyone else!"
Eriri pouted and looked at Aki Tomoya suspiciously.
Compared to Eriri and Machida Sonoko, Aki Tomoya definitely understands Kasumigaoka Utaha better.
But understanding is one thing, caring or being concerned is another.
"If you put it that way, I really don't want to help you anymore."
Aki Tomoya replied helplessly.
If it weren't for the fact that they were childhood friends, and seeing how troubled she's been lately, Aki Tomoya wouldn't have wanted to say so much.
"Help me? Really!"
Eriri looked at Aki Tomoya with a mixture of surprise and delight.
"Eri, let me tell you, when you go to discuss the work with that upperclassman, including foreshadowing, characters and all sorts of random things, it doesn't matter. Just remember to put what she wants to hear first and the bad parts last. She'll most likely be moved by your enthusiasm."
"Is this really okay?"
"I did the same thing two years ago, but I don't know if it still works now."
Chapter 137 Celebrating the Response to the Celebration (2/4)
Eriri and Michiru left together; they parted ways at the subway station.
Aki Tomoya's two childhood friends get along very well.
With nothing else to do on Sunday, and seeing that Aki Tomoya was going to the Metropolitan Library again, Eriri ended up hanging out with Hyodo Michiru.
Michiru Hyodo was quite happy to have Eriri accompany her, since the recording studio was in the afternoon and the other band members couldn't get together immediately.
"Hmph, you're late!"
After waiting for a long time at the library, Yoshihiko Uego said smugly when he saw Tomoya Aki.
It was as if arriving before Aki Tomoya was something to be proud of.
"Has Kato arrived yet?"
"I think I've arrived, but I don't think I've arrived yet..."
Yoshihiko Uego didn't notice whether Megumi Kato had arrived or not, so he gave a very vague answer.
Whether they arrived or not is not important. Uesugi Yoshihiko's statement makes one wonder if his memory is faulty.
"Go up first."
The two entered the library.
With entrance exams for various private universities in Tokyo starting next week, the number of applicants here has increased recently.
Meanwhile, in the library, Aki Tomoya and his friends successfully found Kato Megumi.
"You're here really early, Kato-kun."
Aki Tomoya greeted him.
Before Aki Tomoya arrived, Kato Megumi had been sitting quietly here looking at the Akashiwa University book.
The three agreed to study together on Sunday, and each felt it was a great suggestion.
Good morning, An Yi.
"Good morning."
The three of them gathered, but Aki Tomoya didn't rush to sit down because not everyone had arrived.
At school, there were three-person study groups, and at the cram school, Aki Tomoya also asked the others if they wanted to join.