Chapter 177

Ishikawa Hayato naturally wouldn't bring Hitori to the fireworks festival to reserve a spot before 3 PM.

Rather than watching fireworks amidst a noisy crowd, both of them preferred to go to a more distant place and watch the sparks rise from afar.

However, if Ishikawa Hayato hadn't been there, Hitori probably wouldn't have even glanced at the fireworks; just one look from her would have caused an explosion—a physical explosion.

What are those two doing now?

They were in a room in a tall building, very close together...

Looking at houses.

Facing unfamiliar real estate agents and an unfamiliar environment, Hitori was a little nervous. She leaned slightly against Ishikawa Hayato's arm as she looked around the house.

The house in front of her, which was completely unfurnished, had been thoroughly cleaned by cleaning staff hired by the previous owner and the real estate agent.

In the dazzling sunlight, the white window sills, walls, and floor all shimmered.

The brilliant sunlight diffused and reflected in the snow-white room, making it extremely dazzling.

But the main reason why Hitori grew increasingly nervous, especially with Ishikawa Hayato by his side, was...

This apartment is huge.

She had originally thought she would just choose to rent a larger student apartment, but she didn't expect that Ishikawa Hayato would bring her to an apartment building that was large enough for a family of three, and even somewhat luxurious.

Although Ishikawa Hayato had told her before taking her to the real estate agency that he wanted to choose a larger house, this still exceeded her expectations.

That way she won't be able to afford the rent!

She's not someone who cares about material things, but if Ishikawa Hayato likes it here...

She looked around, assessing the rental prices she had roughly learned about before, and after a long while, she thought to herself with tears in her eyes.

Looks like I'll have to sell my liver!

Ahead, the real estate agent was earnestly introducing the house to the two of them.

"This house not only has a good layout, but the soundproofing has also been specially treated. The original residents were musicians, and there's even a specially decorated rehearsal room that Mr. Ishikawa was very satisfied with..."

The real estate agent knew that Ishikawa Hayato was very satisfied with the house, and all he had to do was persuade his girlfriend to agree to the deal.

Therefore, he spoke incessantly to Hitori, his words barely audible.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't pay much attention to the intermediary's words; he kept an eye on Hitori's situation.

From the moment she entered the house, she stared wide-eyed at everything around her. Then, as if startled by the size of the house, she leaned against him while listening to the real estate agent's explanation.

But the more she listened, the stranger her expression became. Ishikawa Hayato knew she was thinking about something interesting, no, something completely nonsensical.

To prevent her from losing focus on looking at houses, he told the real estate agent during a break.

"Excuse me for being so rude, but please allow me to speak with my girlfriend first."

The real estate agent left the room with a smile, offering no objections.

After all, he would naturally be very polite to a client who rents a nice house, is clearly wealthy, and rents a house with special decorations that are not easy to rent out.

After he left, only the two of them remained in the empty room.

In the dimly lit room, he looked at Hitori, who seemed somewhat uneasy, and took her hand, asking her a question.

"Hitori, don't you like this house?"

Hitori breathed a slight sigh of relief after the chattering intermediary left, but upon hearing what Ishikawa Hayato said, she quickly denied it.

"No, no, no, I really like it here."

She clearly remembered what the agent had just said: Mr. Ishikawa was very satisfied with this place.

She quickly started looking for the house's advantages again.

"Does Falcon like it here too? Then let's rent this place. The sunlight is so nice, and the walls are so white..."

Seeing Hitori start to get excited and chaotic again, Ishikawa Hayato stroked his chin, a fake smile on his face, and subtly tried to scare her.

"I think I just heard Hitori thinking something strange... Could you just tell me?"

Hitori she was trying to find something she liked about the house, she heard Ishikawa Hayato's strange voice and flinched, turning around in fear.

She first glanced at her hand clasped with Ishikawa Hayato's, then looked at Ishikawa Hayato fearfully.

"Um... that... what I just said..."

"Um?"

"I'm sorry! I don't have that much money on me."

Hitori.

Seeing that she was only thinking about such a trivial matter, Ishikawa Hayato chuckled softly.

"Choosing a larger house is my personal requirement; Hitori only need to pay for my own room."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't think it was a problem that Hitori didn't have to pay, since they were already dating and he didn't need the money.

But it wouldn't be good if Hitori felt like she was being kept, or if her parents felt that way. Hitori had those thoughts, he would just accept a token amount.

Hitori disagreed.

"No... we can't let Hayabusa pay more."

Looking at Hitori's somewhat stubborn expression, Ishikawa Hayato thought to himself, "Now that Hitori has grown a lot, his hidden personality is finally showing."

She's quite stubborn by nature.

However, to turn things around with him, at least... it seems impossible in several lifetimes.

He bent down and leaned against the Hitori.

"Doesn't Hitori want me to support her?"

She paused for Hitori moment, trying to suppress her laughter, biting her lower lip to keep herself from getting too excited, but soon she changed her mind.

"But I also... want to make one."

"There are still many places where I need to spend money. I have more money now, so I'll pay for the larger amount first."

After saying that, Ishikawa Hayato patted her head again. "Let's confirm the house requirements again, following the same method as at noon."

"My requirements are: a spacious three-bedroom apartment with good sound insulation, plenty of sunlight, a quiet neighborhood, and ideally, a place to practice at home. Convenient access to school would also be a plus."

Hitori thinking about it, Ichiri felt that Ishikawa Hayato's demands had already overshadowed hers.

For a moment, she really couldn't think of anything.

She added, as if to fill in the gaps, "We need a smaller room..."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't understand why she wanted a small room, so he asked.

"Closet?"

Hitori just wanted a dark and somewhat cramped room to live in, but a closet would be nice too, as she could hide there occasionally.

Although worried about her image with Ishikawa Hayato, Hitori thought that she probably didn't have any image to speak of with Ishikawa Hayato.

Ishikawa Hayato thought for a moment, then took out his phone and gave a slightly mischievous smile.

"Looks like this is the only option then."

Hitori stood there, puzzled, waiting for him.

After Ishikawa Hayato pulled up the image, he showed it to Hitori.

Hitori was dumbfounded when he saw the photo on Ishikawa Hayato's phone.

A detached house?!

A detached house in Shimokitazawa?!

How much money will it cost for her to make this choice!

"No, no, that's not necessary!"

Hitori began to shake her head, trembling, her long hair whipping around in waves behind her.

"Just kidding, one of the rooms in this house is decorated in a Japanese style. Let's go take a look later."

After teasing Hitori, Ishikawa Hayato returned to the main topic.

"Hitori such low requirements, it seems we'll only need to pay a tenth of the rent at most."

"Huh?!"

Hitori was about to object, but seeing Ishikawa Hayato put away his phone, she knew her objection would be futile, so she had no choice but to let it be.

With everything settled, the two were just about to go out to check the house further when...

Ishikawa Hayato suddenly realized that Hitori had clearly been hiding something, and it was definitely not just about not having enough money to rent a house; it wasn't something that would frighten her into revealing it.

Her initial intention was to split the cost equally, but how did she manage to do so, and where did she get the money?

As he thought about it, Ishikawa Hayato's eyes squinted.

He stopped, and the woman who was walking behind Hitori passed him, but she immediately stopped and looked back.

"Falcon...?"

"Hitori?"

"Hmm..." Hitori looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It seems you didn't tell the whole truth just now..."

"Ishikawa Hayato said, feigning a gloomy tone."

Hitori hearing his tone, Ichiri's expression immediately changed.

"Then... no... I..."

Ishikawa Hayato grabbed her hand, which she was trying to hide.

Hitori glanced at her hand in alarm. She instinctively felt that Ishikawa Hayato had read her mind again, so she had no choice but to tell the truth.

She didn't dare to look up, but cautiously glanced upwards, recalling the thing that might have angered Ishikawa Hayato just now.

"Sell your liver...?"

Ishikawa Hayato was startled.

Hitori she felt a terrifying aura pressing down on her, and she was pushed against the wall. Ishikawa Hayato placed his hands on either side of her, leaving her with no way to escape.

Normally, Hitori would be quite happy to be treated like this by Ishikawa Hayato, but at this moment, she was so afraid that she didn't dare to look him in the eye.

"Hitori."

Hearing his emotionless voice, Hitori felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced at Ishikawa Hayato's hand resting on the side of her head and answered loudly and honestly.

"Yes, yes... yes!"

"Although we're just boyfriend and girlfriend now, I'm dating with marriage in mind. Marriage might be a bit inconvenient, but at least we're together with the idea of spending our lives together."

"Don't do anything stupid and then abandon me prematurely."

Hitori didn't dare to look up at Ishikawa Hayato.

His tone was heavy, so heavy it sounded like he was about to cry. She, who was about to do something foolish, didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Sorry."

She couldn't think of any other word besides this.

But the next moment, she heard Ishikawa Hayato's tone change, becoming a magnetic and seductive voice.

"I've got it. From today onwards, I will be in charge of supervising and taking responsibility for Hitori's health."

Hitori sudden feeling stirred within her; she swallowed hard and unconsciously squeezed her legs together.

She looked up at Ishikawa Hayato.

He watched as Ishikawa Hayato smiled, his eyes half-closed, a mischievous glint in them.

Without hesitation, she only hesitated for Hitori, a touch of shyness, before speaking.