Rock Girl Descends Beside Me!

"Right, let's get the money out," Toyokawa Sakiko said, taking the money from Riki's room. It was money she had left with him earlier. She muttered, "Will this be enough?"

"It's okay to bring a little less, I brought money too."

"No, I'm taking you out today, so you're not spending any money," Toyokawa Sakiko stated firmly.

Riki insisted, and Toyokawa Sakiko was also firm. In the end, they both compromised.

This feels just like when my parents give me my allowance every month.

Except my Sakiko wants to spend money on me.

A beautiful girl with a physique perfect for Chinese babies.

They took the subway to Chiyoda Ward and then walked slowly to Chidorigafuchi Park. Riki was amazed when he saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom along the riverbanks, reminding him of that famous poem by Li Bai—

These cherry blossoms are amazing.

Are you impersonating Old Li?

Didn't you make this up yourself?

"Riki, look, there are stalls over there," Toyokawa Sakiko pointed in a direction. Besides food stalls, there were also game stalls. One stall where you had to complete a poem was particularly lively. If you could complete the poem, you'd get a voucher for the food stalls.

"If we answer correctly, we can save a lot of money," Toyokawa Sakiko whispered in Riki's ear.

You're right, but I'd like to make a slight modification. What if I can't answer?

I'd rather do nothing than do something wrong.

But Riki turned and saw the expectant look in Toyokawa Sakiko's eyes, so he could only go along with it.

Run another lap with me, Sword Immortal Li!

Li Bai: Who are you?

"I'll give it a try," Riki said, walking closer. He saw that the poems on the stall were all classical Chinese poems, which explained why there were so many people.

In Japan, being knowledgeable in Chinese characters was a source of pride. If you could answer correctly, wouldn't you be able to enjoy the admiring glances of the surrounding people? The stall owner had precisely grasped this psychology, attracting many people. The owner looked up and saw a young man walking up to the stall with a beautiful girl.

The stall owner's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia.

Back then, I used to watch the girl I liked walk hand-in-hand with someone else like this.

This guy... is an enemy!

The stall owner's gaze hardened, and he secretly placed the most difficult poem in front of Riki.

Riki looked at it for a few moments and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a poem by Li Yu. He still had some cultural knowledge and could answer it.

"The cherry blossoms have fallen, spring is weary; returning beneath the swing," Riki recited.

Hmm, this kid has some skill.

The stall owner's gaze deepened. He had intended to give Riki some face and let him retreat obediently. Since you don't understand my good intentions, then taste this move of mine!

"Where does the sad zither follow the urgent pipes? Cherry blossom alley, weeping willow bank." This is from Li Shangyin.

What!?

The stall owner's pupils trembled. He could even answer this one. Let me test you again.

"When I saw you off under the cherry blossom tree, an inch of spring sorrow followed the broken branch."

Riki saw Toyokawa Sakiko happily holding the voucher and was about to answer a few more when he saw the stall owner slap his shoulder forcefully and say in a deep voice, "Young man, let's stop here. I'm not someone to be trifled with either."

What are you going to do?

"This is a movie voucher worth two yen. Give me some face."

If he didn't get rid of this master soon, he was going to lose a lot of money.

Riki sighed after walking away, "This stall owner is such a good person."

Yutenji Wakame was live-streaming at Chidorigafuchi Park. As a popular blogger, she had a large number of fans. Today, she had come to the park to take advantage of the cherry blossoms. However, after filming for a short while, she heard the sounds coming from behind her.

What, are you stunned by Wakame-chan's beauty?

Yutenji Wakame turned around and saw that the people near the stall were applauding two young people.

Yutenji Wakame's eyes sharpened.

They're getting more attention than me. Who are these two?

"This, and this are also delicious. I've eaten them with Akari and the others before..."

Riki and Toyokawa Sakiko walked among the food stalls. She said to Riki with a hint of excitement.

She had always been frugal, and now that she had a voucher, she didn't want it to go to waste, which put her in a great mood.

Riki was pulled along by Toyokawa Sakiko, and they first bought a bottle of cola.

You never know how terrifying self-disciplined people can be.

Monday, cola.

Tuesday, cola.

Wednesday, Pepsi.

Riki: ?

Are you drinking dishwater?

Is Pepsi something humans drink?

"This is really spicy, can I borrow your water?" Toyokawa Sakiko said, eating Okonomiyaki with her cheeks flushed red from the spice. She smiled shyly at Riki.

"You can, but I've already drunk from it. Let's buy another bottle," Riki said.

But before he could finish speaking, Toyokawa Sakiko had already picked up the water and taken a sip from the opening, looking at him in confusion. "What did you just say?"

Riki looked at the water droplets remaining on her cherry-blossom-like lips and cleared his throat. "Nothing."

I only didn't say anything to avoid embarrassing Sakiko.

Speaking of which, are beautiful girls' lips really as soft as jelly?

Toyokawa Sakiko turned her head away, her cheeks as red as apples. Petals from the cherry blossom front fell into her scarf, and her ears were pinker than the cherry blossoms.

Chapter 22: Sakiko's Diary

The spring cherry blossoms carried a faint fragrance, scattering onto the river's surface with the breeze. They drifted forward with the shimmering water waves.

"What a beautiful view," Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't help but exclaim. "Did you see any nice scenery when you were in Riki's place?"

When I reached the top rank on the domestic server.

The guy I took down at 18 was myself at 23, after getting off work.

"We're a coastal city, so the sea is especially beautiful," Riki said after thinking for a moment.

"Then let's go see it together sometime," Toyokawa Sakiko smiled.

Are you messing with me?

She's from '06, I can't beat her.

"Oh, right, there's something I wanted to discuss with you," Toyokawa Sakiko hesitated before saying to Riki, "I still want to form Mujika."

After learning some of the story from Riki, she still chose this path. It was the only thing she could do right now. Her pride and her abilities left her no other choice.

Riki had outstanding abilities, and if she relied on him, she could also escape her predicament. But if she were that kind of person, she wouldn't have fallen into this situation in the first place. She could have escaped her difficulties by going to Mutsuki or Hatsuka.

Her pride burned within her like a raging fire, but it was precisely because of this pride that she could remain clear-headed.

In the blazing flames, painful yet lucid.

"Of course, if you didn't do this, you wouldn't be the Sakiko I know," Riki said.

Toyokawa Sakiko's eyes softened, and after a long pause, she said, "Thank you."

"Oh, right, can I also help out a little..."

My codename, I, Valorant.

Toyokawa Sakiko chuckled, "Even if you didn't say it, I wouldn't let you escape. You have to help whether you want to or not."

"Cough, of course," Riki said, feeling a bit shy from being trusted so much.

"Why are you blushing?" Toyokawa Sakiko teased. It was rare to see Riki like this.

"Nonsense, I'm not blushing!"

"You totally are."

The midday sun shone on their faces, both of them flushed. They exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

The uncle at the nearby stall saw them and thought, "Youth is wonderful."

"We got movie tickets at the stall, and it would be a waste not to use them. What kind of movies do you like?" Riki asked.

Don't girls all like romance movies?

Stereotyping, huh?

Women cannot be defined.

What is that, Cthulhu?

"Hmm, Riki, what kind of movies do you like?" Toyokawa Sakiko frowned, looking at the movie posters on the wall, and asked Riki.

She's asking about my preferences, she has me in her heart.

Brother Lu, stop being a clown.

Get lost, we're kindred spirits!

"Like most guys, I like movies with a lot of explicit content, passion, and intense physical collisions... like Transformers."

"Is Riki's foreign language proficiency good?" Toyokawa Sakiko asked curiously.

"Of course it's good," Riki replied confidently, then frowned slightly. "It's just that every time there's an English listening test, there are always two people chatting in English, which interferes with my answers. I told the teacher, but it didn't help."

"Then you just need to find the information within their conversation."

"What!?"

"Pfft!" Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't help but laugh. Every time she was with Riki, she found herself amused.

I played the clown again, but it's worth it if it makes my Sakiko-bao happy.

Riki and Toyokawa Sakiko ended up choosing a recently popular Japanese movie. The male lead looked a lot like Takuya Kimura and was about seventy percent as handsome as Riki; the female lead looked like Yui Aragaki and was as beautiful as Sakiko, perhaps isomers from two different worlds.

Riki went to the counter to buy a bucket of popcorn and a cola.

"Is Pepsi okay?" the girl at the counter asked.

"Are game coins okay?" Riki asked.

No way anyone actually drinks Pepsi, right?

"?" the girl at the counter asked.

"You shouldn't cause trouble for others," Toyokawa Sakiko said helplessly, politely to the girl at the counter. "Please get him what he wants."

Aren't your demands the same?

The girl at the counter watched Riki and Toyokawa Sakiko's retreating backs, then looked back at the romantic movie posters on the wall. Although they didn't look exactly like the stars, their attractiveness was indeed comparable to celebrities.

So envious.