Nagasaki Sose: ...So Warm

"Sorry for worrying you. We just ran into a little trouble earlier, that's all. We're on good terms."

Toyokawa Sakiko nodded to thank her coworker. The sun was shining brightly over Tokyo today. It had rained last night, and the sky was now a clear blue. She wanted to take a picture and share it with Riki when she went over to his place. She just didn't know when she'd be able to visit again.

Toyokawa Sakiko smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her phone light up with an incoming call. It was Riki.

"Is that Riki?" Toyokawa Sakiko answered excitedly.

"Sakiko-chan!?"

The voice on the other end was one Toyokawa Sakiko knew all too well. She had once been one of her best friends and bandmates, but after Sakiko had personally disbanded the band, they had hardly seen each other again. It was the gentle girl named Nagasaki Sose. Why... was her voice coming from Riki's phone?

"...Sose?" Toyokawa Sakiko said in a low voice. "Why are you with Riki?"

Getting transported to Riki's house—wasn't that something unique to her?

Why... was there someone else?

And of all people, it had to be Nagasaki Sose.

For some reason, Toyokawa Sakiko felt a pang of bitterness. She knew it was beyond anyone's control, but just thinking about another woman living with Riki, sneaking glances at his face and smiling at the way he focused on his food, made her feel awful.

Riki and I aren't dating. Do I really have any right to ask anything of him?

Toyokawa Sakiko clutched her chest.

"Hello, hello, Sakiko, can you hear me...? Don't snatch it, don't snatch it, that's my phone!"

Riki's voice came through, and Toyokawa Sakiko immediately perked up. She hurriedly replied, "I can hear you."

"There's some nasty thing here trying to steal my phone. Waaah... Anyway, don't worry about me. Remember to wear more clothes, and give me whatever extra clothes you have—ah, no, I mean, I wish you good health and all the best. Uh, anyway, I'll come over when I can."

"Okay."

Toyokawa Sakiko smiled and nodded emphatically, then frowned. "About Sose..."

"Sakiko-chan, there's something I want to tell you. I really feel that Crychic..." Nagasaki Sose hurriedly said.

"Enough! I don't want to talk about this anymore. You should understand by now, too. Crychic is over." Toyokawa Sakiko took a deep breath.

"It's not over..."

Before she could finish, the call cut off.

Toyokawa Sakiko sighed. She thought of Riki, then of Nagasaki Sose, and couldn't help frowning.

"...Why her?"

"Why'd the call cut off?"

"Don't ask me. I was about to ask you the same thing."

Riki pondered.

It was probably gravitational collapse caused by gravity, which distorted the electromagnetic waves between the two worlds. The distortion then started radiating out from the microscopic level across the entire universe. That massive radiation caused the whole universe to expand dramatically—and, as a result, Riki's phone bill went unpaid.

Who knew calls between worlds cost money, too?

Wasn't this cheat ability a little too down-to-earth?

Couldn't it at least top me up with five yuan?

"Hmph." Nagasaki Sose let out an unhappy snort, then paused before saying, "I'll help you clean your room. Since I'm staying at your place, I don't want you thinking I'm rude."

"Then do it with all your might!" Riki said.

Is that really okay? Riki wondered.

Riki's inner thoughts and spoken words had come out at the same time.

After thinking it over, he realized he'd said the opposite of what he meant. He should've switched them around.

But since I'm so handsome, forgive me, Sose. It'll be the last time.

"..."

Nagasaki Sose shot Riki an exasperated glare.

Once she went back and cleared up the misunderstanding with Sakiko, she wouldn't need Riki anymore.

All she needed was her Crychic friends.

That was enough. Really.

Riki had nothing against Nagasaki Sose. After all, she came from a single-parent family, and her mother was very busy. Just as Sun Wukong had been repressed by his birth family for five hundred years, it was only natural that she found people irritating.

Nagasaki Sose turned around and noticed that Riki had changed into casual clothes for going out at some point. She asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

"To school, obviously. I have to check in. What did you think I was?" Riki said.

A dutiful college student!

Three thousand yuan couldn't hire a farmhand, but it could definitely hire a college student!

"College...?" Nagasaki Sose asked curiously. As a high school student, she had plenty of fantasies about college life. And in Japan, where getting into college was so difficult, she couldn't help wondering what Riki's university was like.

"Curious? Then come with me. This is our school forum. You should be able to understand it with a translation app."

Riki handed his phone to Nagasaki Sose. The two of them left and took the subway.

Nagasaki Sose saw all the honors and achievements posted on the university forum. She couldn't understand most of it, but she could read one item: "The ninth student exchange with Tokyo University has progressed smoothly. Tokyo University looks forward to the next exchange."

To Japanese people, Tokyo University was the one and only Celestial Dragons' school. Everyone who got in was a genius among geniuses, the kind of people who could be praised as practically superhuman down to their very genes. Being able to exchange ideas with Tokyo University meant that Riki's university was pretty impressive, too.

So he's really that amazing...? Nagasaki Sose looked at Riki in surprise. He wore an utterly calm expression.

She really had underestimated him before.

Riki kept a straight face.

That's what you call a satisfying moment, folks.

Keeping up this indifferent act is hard work, you know. I can't even laugh.

Once they arrived at the university, Riki handed his recent assignments to the teachers for each subject. When he turned around, he saw Nagasaki Sose standing in front of the bulletin board, looking at all the notices posted by students and teachers. In the past, there had even been legendary things like a campus beauty ranking and a campus heartthrob ranking. The top spot on the beauty ranking had gone to Wu Jing, while the heartthrob ranking had been topped by a chicken playing basketball.

What are you thinking? What normal university would have rankings like that? Those only exist in urban novels about picking up girls.

Nagasaki Sose also spotted a list honoring outstanding students. Most of them were third- and fourth-year students, but one first-year student stood out from the rest. Riki wore a suit and looked polished and distinguished. He didn't have his usual lazy, irritating manner—in fact, he looked extremely serious.

"Are you thirsty? I'll go buy you a bottle of water."

As Riki headed for the vending machine, a student from the building next door suddenly called out to him. "Riki, there's something wrong with this piano. Come use your invincible perfect pitch to figure it out!"

So he's popular, too...? Nagasaki Sose sat nearby, watching Riki chat and laugh with everyone, and couldn't help thinking.

Unlike her, who put on an act at school to blend in with her classmates as a well-bred young lady, Riki had never hidden his personality from the start. And even so, plenty of people liked him.

That's nice.

The thought suddenly popped into Nagasaki Sose's head.

No, no, no! What am I jealous of?

This guy's definitely someone I should hate, right?

Nagasaki Sose was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the bright red flower suddenly appearing in front of her.

"Here, a little flower for you."

Riki crouched in front of her and offered her a red rose he had just picked and stripped of its thorns. The sun shone brightly, making the flower in his hand glow.

Nagasaki Sose froze, then eyed him warily. "Why are you giving me this? What are you after?"

"How dare you judge me with your petty suspicions! But I'm magnanimous enough to forgive you. There's only one reason." Riki patted her head. "Flowers suit girls. I thought this one looked nice, so I'm giving it to you."

Nagasaki Sose hesitated, then accepted the flower. She caught its faint fragrance and couldn't help smiling.

"I'll accept the flower, but if you like me, I'm sorry. I don't like you at all." Nagasaki Sose spoke coolly.

Brother Riki, why have you put on clown makeup? What's your problem?

Don't say another word. Just stop Batman from getting here.

I'm afraid I'll get sent to Arkham and never come back.

Riki sighed, unable to stop thinking of his uncle. Not the one from Bilibili—if only Sakiko were here. Wouldn't that be such a pleasant surprise!

Seeing Riki's crestfallen expression, Nagasaki Sose's lips curled into a smile. She sniffed the flower in her hand and beamed.

"But still, thank you for the flower." Nagasaki Sose glanced at Riki, who was sighing, and smiled at him.

A girl's smile was sweet in the sunlight, free of any ulterior motive. It was just a simple smile.

It feels like it's been so long since I smiled like this. she thought.

Even if Crychic didn't need him, she could still be a little nicer to him before he left, so he wouldn't be bawling his eyes out when the time came.

Chapter 33: Nagasaki Sose: ...So Warm

"I still have to play in front of a few teachers with my classmates later. It's an important regular assessment at this school. I formed a group with a few classmates, but the main focus is still on my piece—the one I just wrote recently, 'Love.'"

Nagasaki Sose listened as Riki spoke while they walked.

She didn't care who Riki fell in love with.

It had nothing to do with her or Sakiko anyway.

Riki knocked and entered a large classroom in the teaching building. There was a piano inside, along with several teachers.

Come on, Brother Riki. Even the teachers are just props, huh?

What piano? What teachers? I'll prop, prop, prop them all up!

"Hello, teacher. My name is Student Riki."

"Hello, Student He... Ah, I mean, Student Riki. Have a seat."

Riki jolted. You just called me Student He, didn't you!?

Teacher, do you browse Bilibili too!?

But how do you not know about the He non-proliferation treaty!?

Don't you know that's an ancient forbidden zone no one should touch?

"Riki, you're an outstanding student at our school, and the teachers here have high expectations for you today. Your classmates arrived early, but, uh... where's your bassist?"

Huh?

You can actually tell that Liuwa—no, the bassist—isn't here.

I acknowledge you as the strongest!

I forgot to ask someone. Let's just pretend that didn't happen.

"She's today's bassist. She's my classmate's younger sister. She said she wants to apply to our university someday and has been studying hard, so I thought I'd let her experience college life today." Riki pulled the bewildered Nagasaki Sose over.

"I never agreed to this!"

"Please, help me out. I won't take your New Year's money—I mean, I won't charge you rent. If my grades aren't good enough, I might become a distorted Black Beast. Then I'll steal your cake every day. You don't want that, do you?"

Nagasaki Sose hesitated. It wasn't because of Riki's ridiculous way of teasing a kid. She really did feel awkward staying at Riki's place for free, and helping him out wasn't much trouble.

"Don't blame me if I mess up," Nagasaki Sose said quietly.

Tsundere Sose is so cute.

Don't worry. Even if you play like a pile of crap, I'll say you're really good.

I've always been a sweet, adorable Sakura girl.

Riki sat down at the piano. One of his bandmates asked, "Yibao, where'd you find such a pretty little sister? Introduce me!"

College students had evolved to the point where they called their friends whatever sounded most embarrassing. Among guys, adding "bao" to someone's name made it the ultimate mortifying nickname, and Riki had the top-tier T0 version.

It made him sick.

"She's Nagasaki Sose, sixteen years old, a Sakura JK. Can you understand Japanese?" Riki asked.

"Um... Ah, Minos?"

"Are you pretending to be King Ji Ji now?"

You haven't even watched Mygo, and you think you can make a move on Sose-bao? You clearly have no idea how powerful the Holy Divider is!