Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 55 Just stay

The air conditioning in the bubble tea shop was very strong, bringing a comfortable cool breeze. The warm yellow light shone on the Taiwanese specialties in front of her, creating a wonderful atmosphere. However, Riko Endo had no time to enjoy this rare time outside. She was restless in the corner, wishing she had never come out tonight.

This Tsutsui-san looks at people so strangely. We haven't offended her, so why is she looking at us like we're criminals?

Riko shrank her neck and glanced at Rika, who stood calmly to the side, neither happy nor sad, as if she were in deep meditation. Noticing her gaze, Rika simply shook her head slightly, indicating that she should calm down.

Because it was rush hour, it took Liren a little while to get there. When he opened the door, the wind chimes hanging on the door frame rang crisply, attracting the attention of everyone, including the staff.

Riko was the first to look up, a relieved expression flashing across her face. Rika merely glanced at him and gave a soft snort. Meow-meow—Meow-meow took the straw out of her mouth, tilted her head, and smiled at him, her smile as sweet and obedient as ever. Rito was about to greet her when he suddenly noticed the mangled pearls at the bottom of her nearly empty milk tea, and his smile froze.

"You're here," she said in a soft, sweet voice. When she smiled, two lines appeared on her face, resembling the edges of two sickles in the light.

"Hmm." Rito nodded and gestured to Rika and Riko, signaling them to come with him. Riko was quite obedient, or perhaps she didn't want to stay by the side of a certain woman, and she ran over. Rika, on the other hand, seemed to be throwing a tantrum again. She picked up the untouched cup of milk tea, took a sip, and used the cup to cover half her face, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Ah, itsumori—" Rito deliberately dragged out the sound.

"What are you yelling for?" Rika then picked up her bag, threw it at him, and her little leather boots made a thumping sound on the ground as she walked out the door, brushing past Rito's shoulder.

Confused, Rito shrugged and looked at Riko, whose name was only one character different from his own, hoping to get some information from her. But Riko didn't understand any of this and could only look at him with innocent and pure eyes in response.

"Never mind, let's go. I'll take you back." Rito shook his head and turned to leave.

"I'll go too." Just then, Meimei slid off the booth, accurately tossing her milk tea cup into the trash can in one smooth motion. She looked up at Rito, blinked her bright eyes, and said, "Perfect timing, president, you can take me home."

"Is it on the way?" Rito asked casually.

"You're not going to give me a ride if it's not on your way?" Unexpectedly, Meimei gave him a flirtatious look and asked him in a matter-of-fact manner. Li Ren chuckled, patted her head, and said rather cheerfully, "Let's go."

Watching the two interact so playfully, Riko blinked, a sudden pang of melancholy welling up in her eyes. She considered herself a resilient but not particularly strong girl. Since arriving in this world in a daze, although she had many companions, they were all kindred spirits, peers who couldn't even take care of themselves—not people she could rely on. Based on her observations over this period, she had basically come to believe that Rito didn't harbor any ill intentions towards her, and thus had begun to consider building a better relationship with him. Now, suddenly encountering a sheep of similar social standing, whose relationship with Rito was clearly much better, left her feeling empty and a sense of loss.

In the few seconds that she was lost in thought, the automatic door of the milk tea shop suddenly slid open again, and Ishimori Rika, who had just walked out, came back. Just as Rito was about to ask her what was going on, he saw Mukai Junyo carrying two bulging convenience store bags and following behind. Behind her were the third young lady, Miyu and the others. Mio walked at the back, and when she saw him, her eyes clearly avoided his gaze.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Mio, I was just looking for you." When Rito saw her, his eyes immediately became very amused, and he beckoned her over.

Knowing she hadn't managed the third-generation members well, Meiqing stuck out her tongue, shoved the drink in her hand into Aiji's hand, and awkwardly approached him. Just as she was about to speak, Rika stopped her.

"It's not Meiqing's fault, it's because I brought Riko out. Blame me if you must."

Rika is an open and honest person. She didn't intend to be a coward at this time and stepped forward to take responsibility.

Li Ren glanced at her, then at Mei Mei who was watching the show with amusement, and realized there was no point in lecturing her here. He could only sigh and point at her, saying irritably, "Go back with Mei Qing first, and I'll settle the score with you tomorrow."

Rika raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and took Mio's hand to walk out. The remaining third-generation members smiled, greeted Rito, and followed the two away.

Once the night tour group left, the once crowded milk tea shop instantly became much emptier. Rito ordered the most expensive milk tea as compensation for taking up their space. The smiling clerk turned to prepare it, and Rito turned back to Meimei and said:

"And you, do you want me to take you home?"

Meimei looked up at him. The ceiling light cast a soft shadow on her face, making her already deep eyes appear even darker. She glanced at her watch, shook her head, and said, "I want to go shopping at the mall. Do you want to come?"

Rihime glanced at the time; there was still a while before the mall closed. She didn't refuse, took the milk tea from the clerk, and said, "Let's go."

Arriving at the mall where the third-generation members had just shopped, the loudspeaker was already announcing closing times. Fortunately, management in big cities is quite strict, so there weren't any staff leaving early. Meimei tugged at Riren's sleeve as they walked through rows of clothes racks, heading straight to a brand's counter and pointing to a dress on a mannequin. It was a soft pink knitted short dress with tiny pearl buttons at the neckline, a well-defined waist, and lace trim on the cuffs that just covered the thinnest part of her wrists.

The shop assistant warmly took down the dress for her to try on. As Meimei entered the fitting room, Rito leaned against the door, glanced at the caring text message Nana Min had sent on her phone, and simply replied, "You go to sleep first," before putting his phone back in his pocket. About three minutes later, the fitting room curtain was pulled open a crack.

"President, the zipper is stuck."

Half a face was visible behind the curtain, and a pair of eyes peered at him through the gap, looking perfectly innocent.

Rito put his phone back in his pocket and went inside. The fitting room was small; he could barely turn around. Meimei stood with her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest, holding down the skirt that wasn't fully pulled up, revealing her entire fair back and the shallow indentation between her shoulder blades. The dress really suited her—the pink color, so perfect for a young girl, made her skin look like porcelain; the waistline hugged her figure perfectly; and the skirt's length was just above her knees, revealing her straight calves.

The zipper was stuck at her waist, a small piece of fabric caught in the zipper teeth. Rito lowered her head, pinched the piece of fabric with her fingers, gently pulled it outwards, and then pulled the zipper up. The zipper slid smoothly down to the back of her neck.

"Okay," he said.

Meimei turned around and looked up at him. The fitting room light was a warm yellow, very soft, falling on her face and making her eyes look moist and bright. She took a small step forward, and the distance between them was so close that they could almost feel each other's body heat.

"Is it pretty?" she asked.

Li Ren looked down and nodded: "Of course, my Meimei looks good in anything."

Meimei smiled. That smile was different from usual—not the business smile she gave to fans, nor the helpless smile she gave when she couldn't resist Xiaonan's coquettishness, but more like the smile Qiuqiu would give when she successfully pulled off a prank. She stood on tiptoe, deliberately shaking her shoulders, the fabric falling down her noticeably sloping shoulders until it stopped at the level of her collarbone.

"Does it look good like this?" she asked, her dark pupils flickering with firelight.

"It looks good, but it doesn't suit you right now."

Rihito gazed at her for a long time, then reached out to cover her exposed fair skin and suggestive bra straps again. He pulled back the curtain, took her hand, and led her to the counter, saying to the sales clerk, "This is it." Then he took out his credit card.

As we walked out of the mall, which was about to close, the surrounding neon lights were shining brightly. Meimei carried a shopping bag in her left hand and linked her right arm with his. From behind, they looked like father and daughter, but their faces made them look like brother and sister. However, when their eyes met, the atmosphere around them made most people think they were a couple.

Meimei seemed to think so too. As they walked, she suddenly leaned her head on Rito's shoulder, the wind making her voice sound scattered: "Is that Nono Mio a newcomer at the company?"

Li Ren looked down at her. Patches of streetlight light swept across her face, and in the alternation of light and shadow, her expression remained smiling, but she didn't seem happy; instead, there was an indescribable heaviness about her.

"Who taught you to act so profound at such a young age? Come on, give me a smile."

For some reason, Rito instinctively wanted to avoid the question, so he answered in a seemingly lighthearted tone and reached out his right hand to tug at her cheek.

Faced with his deliberate attempt to change the subject, Meimei paused for a moment, her eyes misting over even more. But she quickly regained her composure, returning to her usual innocent self. She nudged him with her head and playfully teased him, as if the person she was before was just an illusion.

Half an hour later, Rito parked the car downstairs at the Nogizaka apartment building. Meme unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't get out immediately. She turned to the side, picked up the shopping bag containing old clothes from the back seat, hugged it to her chest, and then leaned in to gently kiss his cheek.

Goodnight, Rito.

Then she pushed open the car door, walked into the apartment building, and never looked back.

Rito sat in the car, watching her already somewhat outlined figure disappear into the elevator lobby. He recalled the unintentional physical contact between the two of them in the fitting room earlier, touched his chin, and smiled.

"Is Ayame lying about her age? Or do girls just develop this quickly these days?"

He shook his head with some emotion, started the car, and prepared to go home. The car drove along the main road for seven or eight minutes, and everything was normal.

Just as he was about to turn into a side road, a familiar figure caught his eye by the roadside, causing him to slam on the brakes.

Under the city's neon lights, Inoue Sayuri squatted on the steps outside a convenience store, her chin resting on her knees, a crushed beer can beside her. She wore a black coat that suited her style, her hair was tied up in a messy way, a few stray strands of hair sticking to her face in the night wind, and she wasn't wearing makeup, but her bare face was still quite striking.

Li Ren stopped the car, not caring whether he would get a ticket, pushed open the car door and walked quickly over, squatted down in front of her, and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Hey, you drunk woman, do you even recognize me?"

She looked up. Her dull, lifeless pupils took several seconds to focus, and then several more seconds to recognize him. She forced a tipsy smile, mumbling, "Kubo Rito, are you here to buy alcohol too?"

Beer can make you drunk; next time you go to a banquet, go to the kids' table.

Rito gave a wry smile, pulled her up from the ground, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and casually asked:

"How much did you drink?"

"I don't know, do you count how many grains of rice you eat when you eat?" She counted on her fingers, but suddenly gave up halfway through, leaned forward, and bumped her forehead on Rito's shoulder, which actually hurt quite a bit.

Li Ren glanced down at her, then sniffed her. The smell of alcohol wasn't strong, so he knew she was just bragging. He didn't bother with the drunkard and continued on his way.

"President, let me tell you, during training today, I tried that new move that Ruoyue taught me. It's the one where you spin around and then stop, but I can't seem to stop properly. Ruoyue said it's because my core strength isn't enough. I said I'm thirty—no, I'm nineteen. But my back is really bad. I had a knee injury before, and now my back is acting up too. I wonder if it's because I had an epidural during childbirth; the nurse said it wouldn't leave any lasting effects..."

Sayuri didn't really care whether there was a response or not. As long as someone was listening, she couldn't stop talking. Later, she talked about how the air conditioner in the training room was broken today, and she was so hot that she almost took off her sports bra. She also said that it had been a long time since she had seen Shiroma, who was still as charming as ever. Manatsu hadn't figured out the off-shoulder design yet, and Snake Team and Wakatsuki were still as lesbian as ever. It seemed like nothing had changed except that she had become a middle-aged woman.

"Shut up!" Tormented by her slurred voice and the stench of alcohol emanating from her mouth, Rito couldn't hold back any longer. He pinched her mouth shut, scolding her fiercely yet affectionately, "What kind of middle-aged woman is thirty? If your back is bad, go get it treated. Do you think I, your company president, have no money or what?"

"Just say it, why did you hit me?" Little Lily pouted, feeling a little aggrieved, and continued to lean on his shoulder, but didn't say anything more.

Li Ren helped her into the back seat of the car, laid her on her side with her head resting on the seat, took off his coat and covered her with it, then started the engine and drove back towards the apartment.

After a period of quiet, perhaps feeling the car was too quiet, Xiaobaihe started chattering again. Her voice echoed in the enclosed car, interrupted by the low rumble of the engine and the occasional honking of horns outside the window. She said she didn't actually like drinking, especially after becoming pregnant, and had abstained for a long time. If she hadn't drunk today, she wouldn't have known that her alcohol tolerance was so low when she was younger.

"How novel! Let Misa teach you; she's a heavy drinker, you know," Rito replied casually.

Sayuri laughed heartily, saying that he really had a terrible sense of humor, moving the original first-generation members to the second generation, which made her feel a little uncomfortable for a while.

"By the way, Rito Kubo, how could you hide Nana Min? She almost gave me a fright when she came to see me, you know?"

As she spoke, she suddenly became agitated, slammed her hand on the table from the back row, and loudly rebuked him for his selfish behavior.

Rito looked at her in the rearview mirror. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were filled with sadness, like a peach tree blooming in winter, where the season and her soul were out of sync.

When he arrived at the dormitory building, he could hear even breathing coming from the back seat. Looking at Sayuri's peaceful sleeping face in the rearview mirror, Rito picked up his phone and dialed Nana Sai's number.

The phone rang several times before being answered. Nana's voice was clearly reluctant, but she still put on her coat and went downstairs. A short while later, a figure wrapped in a cardigan appeared outside the car window. She opened the car door, and when she saw Sayuri curled up in the back seat, a flicker of resistance crossed her face, but she still bent down and, with a gentle movement completely at odds with her reluctance, helped Sayuri out, letting her lean on her shoulder.

Sayuri stumbled along, mumbling something incoherently. Nana helped her towards the apartment building, glancing back at Rito and mouthing, "I'll settle this with you tomorrow." Rito leaned against the car door, watching the two enter the elevator.

After the elevator doors closed, the motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on one by one. Nana put her arm around Sayuri's shoulder and half-dragged, half-carried her back to the room. She helped Sayuri lie on her bed, took off her shoes, wiped her face with a damp towel, and poured a glass of warm water for her. After doing all this, she stood by the bed for a moment, looking at the face that was still slightly furrowed in her sleep, sighed, and turned to leave.

Then a hand grabbed the hem of her clothes.

Little Lily didn't open her eyes; her high, straight nose glistened with tears.

"I'm sorry, Nanase. I've made you feel bad these past few days. It's not your fault at all."

Nana was stunned. She remained bent over for several seconds, then gently took the hand that was clutching her clothes, tucked it back into the blanket, and made sure the blanket was tucked in.

"Even if you say that, I won't forgive you so easily." Her eyes flickered, and her breathing became rapid in the silence. "Get a good night's sleep first. If you still remember these words when you wake up tomorrow morning, apologize to me again. If you still have the same attitude then, I'll seriously consider it."