Rock Girl Descends Beside Me!

"That settles it then," Toyokawa Sakiko said expressionlessly.

At that moment, her female colleague next to her also finished work. Seeing Riki, she smiled and said, "This must be Sakiko's boyfriend, huh? Treat her well."

Boyfriend?

Riki stared blankly at the female colleague. When did he become her boyfriend?

Is she trying to be lewd?

He wasn't that kind of person.

"She just misunderstood. I don't mind, and you shouldn't overthink it either," Toyokawa Sakiko said expressionlessly, pulling Riki away. However, Riki noticed her fair ears had turned bright red.

Teacher Da Xiang's mouth is so tough.

He couldn't say that now. Toyokawa Sakiko knew her nickname, and if he said it, she would definitely glare at him angrily.

"Where are we going now?" Riki asked curiously.

"My place," Toyokawa Sakiko pointed to a two-story apartment building ahead. She led Riki up the creaking stairs to the second floor and opened the door with her key.

"Isn't it bad to have your Father here?" Riki worried.

Toyokawa Sakiko paused. "He's often not home. Even when he is, he's just drinking. Come in," she said calmly.

Riki entered the room with Toyokawa Sakiko. The curtains were half-drawn, and dim light fell on empty beer bottles scattered on the tatami mats. Washed clothes hung on a rope in the room, and the smell of alcohol was unusually strong.

Toyokawa Sakiko tried her best to appear calm. "Please sit down. I'll tidy up the room."

Riki nodded. The room was small. Toyokawa Sakiko's "room" was more like a space separated by a curtain. What was likely a wardrobe was neatly stacked with quilts, and her favorite doll sat beside them.

Even though he knew Toyokawa Sakiko's current situation, seeing it firsthand made him realize just how bad it was.

Riki sat down next to Toyokawa Sakiko's only seating area, her "bedroom." He smelled a pleasant scent here, the same fragrance he noticed on Toyokawa Sakiko.

Beautiful girls really have a natural scent. The incels on the Chinese internet didn't lie to me.

Riki thought. He picked up the doll next to him and sniffed it. Looking up, he saw Toyokawa Sakiko looking at him with a scornful gaze.

"You listen to my explanation," Riki said, putting down the doll without changing his expression.

Toyokawa Sakiko had initially felt ashamed of her living situation. But when she turned around and saw Riki holding her favorite doll and sniffing it with a serious expression, the complex feelings completely overshadowed her shame and anxiety.

For some reason, I don't feel nervous when he's around, Toyokawa Sakiko thought. Seeing Riki's tense face, she couldn't help but smile. Her cheeks glowed in the sunlight.

Whoa, White Sakiko form... Riki thought.

"Oh, right, there's one more very important thing..." Toyokawa Sakiko suddenly said.

Chapter 4: The Gravity of Fate

"Since we might be visiting each other's worlds often from now on, you'll need a place to stay. I rented the room next door for you for a month as rent for staying at your place. That way, we'll be even."

Toyokawa Sakiko was more stubborn than Riki had imagined. Her pride wouldn't allow her to take advantage of others.

Riki looked at the empty room next door.

I'll need to buy some food later.

Riki thought this and went to explore the surroundings. It was his first time in Japan, and everything looked new and fresh. As he walked, he found himself at the entrance of Ring.

Many young girls carrying instruments came and went from this concert hall. The cafe on the first floor was also occupied by quite a few girls.

"Pilgrimage complete!"

As Riki turned to continue walking, he bumped into a girl wearing a Haneoka uniform.

"Sorry..." Riki looked down and was stunned by the gray-haired girl's face. Her dazed, penguin-like appearance – wasn't that Haneoka's mascot, Takamatsu Akari, the heaviest girl in the world?

The ultimate Heavy Woman who, on their first meeting, would ask, "Will you be in a band with me for life?"

A terrifying gravity that could warp a black hole!

But Riki wasn't afraid. He wasn't a girl, so how could he be captured by Takamatsu Akari's gravity?

"Are you okay?" Riki pulled her up. Seeing the astronomy book she was holding, he said, "I like constellations too, especially Altair and Vega. Although we'd have to travel faster than light to meet every year, human stories should be a bit like fairy tales, right?"

"Humans?" Takamatsu Akari blinked, looking at the boy with messy black hair and a cheerful smile in front of her.

For some reason, she seemed to see a shadow of Toyokawa Sakiko in this boy.

They both fell to the ground.

They both talked about humans.

They both had beautiful smiles.

"Can I become more human too then?" Takamatsu Akari asked involuntarily.

"Humans? That's a truly difficult question. Humans are diverse. I don't even know the end of the universe, so it would be arrogant to answer such a question. But one thing I'm sure of is... you're an interesting girl," Riki said, patting her head with a smile.

Exactly the same... Takamatsu Akari looked at Riki's smile.

Just like when I met Sakiko.

Takamatsu Akari couldn't help but reach out her hand...

"Hey, what are you doing to Akari!?" A displeased voice suddenly came from behind. Riki turned around and saw a black-haired, purple-eyed girl with a beauty mark near her eye, wearing a cafe uniform, quickly running over and blocking Takamatsu Akari.

Shiina Riki.

Riki recognized her, and a sentence immediately flashed in his mind—Aine, is there something wrong with your playing?

"Holy crap, the god of pressure."

"We're just discussing life," Riki said with a smile.

"Huh?" Shiina Riki narrowed her eyes. "What do you know about Akari now? I've never seen you before. Are you a resident from around here?"

"I just moved here recently," Riki replied. "I should get going. See you next time."

"Akari, are you okay?" Shiina Riki looked at Takamatsu Akari with concern, but Takamatsu Akari was just staring blankly at Riki's retreating back.

Buzz buzz--

Takamatsu Akari saw the message from Nagasaki Sose on her phone.

Nagasaki Sose: [Akari-chan, I already know why Sakiko-chan left. It's because of some disgusting man. I'll get Crychic back together soon.]

A disgusting man?

Takamatsu Akari froze.

Sakiko-chan is so proud, would she get involved with any man?

Besides, why did that young man feel so special?

Takamatsu Akari became curious.

"Rumble--"

Takamatsu Akari heard the sound of a plane flying over Tokyo, leaving a white trail in the clear blue sky. The reflection of the plane was imprinted in her eyes.

And inside the plane high above, a pink-haired girl was preparing for her enrollment at Haneoka Middle School.

"It's unrealistic to be the Student Council President right from the start. If you want to be noticeable, how about being a class representative first?" Chihaya Anon chuckled.

She had a feeling her high school life would be interesting.

The threads of fate, under the force of gravity, fell upon five... no, six people.

As soon as Riki returned, he heard Toyokawa Sakiko's voice.

"Sakiko and Riki don't have the relationship you think we do, and I'm no longer involved with Crychic. Please stop contacting me." Toyokawa Sakiko hung up Nagasaki Sose's call and turned to see Riki standing at the door.

"Are you going to call me cold-blooded?" Toyokawa Sakiko asked calmly.

"I wouldn't go so far as to be a saint and risk divine retribution," Riki replied. "But can't you be a little more polite?"

"If I were, she'd just call more," Toyokawa Sakiko said. "I'll call Mutsuki first and tell her not to reveal any information about me. She can't be a messenger."

Just as Toyokawa Sakiko was about to make the call, she suddenly felt the scene before her blur. She looked up and found herself back in Riki's home.

"What an unfortunate coincidence," Toyokawa Sakiko sighed.

"I think it's quite a coincidence, it's just about time for dinner," Riki said. As soon as he spoke, he heard Toyokawa Sakiko's stomach rumble.

Toyokawa Sakiko's face flushed.

"Let's go to the supermarket and buy some things to cook," Riki said with a smile. Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't resist the temptation of food and nodded.

"I'll pay you for the food later," Toyokawa Sakiko said calmly.

"I have tomato hot pot base at home. Let's buy some beef and vegetables to make hot pot. It's similar to sukiyaki over there," Riki said, pushing a shopping cart as he walked through the supermarket with Toyokawa Sakiko.

"Beef, isn't that too expensive?" Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't help but frown. She wouldn't eat beef even once a month now, only buying half-price vegetables and cheap chicken. And if it was too expensive, she wouldn't be able to pay him back.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Riki thought for a moment and said, "Oh, right. I have a video recording assignment. If you help me, it can count as payment for the food."

Toyokawa Sakiko was tempted and put on a calm expression. "Then it's settled."

Then, without anyone noticing, she put two boxes of beef rolls into the cart.

It's been so long since I've had real meat.

Riki smiled seeing her like this, bought everything they needed, and went to pay.

The cashier aunt's eyes lit up when she saw Toyokawa Sakiko. "Little Lu, is this your girlfriend? She's so pretty, what kind of rich family is she from? When did you start dating and you didn't even tell Auntie?"

Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't understand her words, so she just smiled politely and looked at Riki with a confused expression.

Riki said with a straight face, "We just started dating a couple of days ago. She's a bit shy and doesn't like to announce it."

"Haha, young girls are like that..."

After leaving the supermarket, Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't help but ask, "What were you talking about with that auntie just now? Why was she smiling so happily?"

"Was she?" Riki feigned ignorance. "Maybe she's just an optimistic person."

Toyokawa Sakiko felt like Riki was lying, but she had no proof.

Back home, Riki busied himself with preparing the hot pot.

"I'll tell you four ways to cook the beef..." Riki said earnestly. Toyokawa Sakiko didn't believe him. She had already gotten a general sense of Riki's personality. Although he could be imposing when he was serious, he usually said a lot of unreliable things, and there was no need to take him seriously.

"It's just me at home. My dad's working in Africa, and my mom's a high-powered executive in Hong Kong. I live alone in this house, and there's even a spare room for you to sleep in tonight," Riki said. "When I was little, I never met my dad. Mom said he went to a faraway place. Being mature, I realized early on that my old man might have already passed away. It wasn't until my sixth year of elementary school that I actually saw my living father. He really did go to work in a faraway place."

Toyokawa Sakiko listened curiously, eating the hot pot. It had been a long time since she'd eaten anything warm besides a cold bento.

"Another time, I was riding a roller coaster at an amusement park. I didn't run into Gin or Vodka, but the roller coaster malfunctioned and left me hanging in mid-air, in mortal danger..."

Toyokawa Sakiko froze and asked nervously, "Did you make it back alive?"

Riki: "?"

As someone who spent a lot of time online, Riki had an endless supply of topics, making Toyokawa Sakiko cover her mouth and giggle.

He has a happy family... Toyokawa Sakiko thought, watching Riki.

She too once had a happy place, not just her family, but also the five members of Crychic. They were all her treasures...

But one was destroyed, and the other she disbanded with her own hands.

She wished she could go back to those times, like Nagasaki Sose said, but it was impossible now.

Plink.

Tears hit the dining table and shattered into pieces. Toyokawa Sakiko felt her nose sting, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, only to multiply the more she wiped them.

She was a person with great pride; she hadn't cried even when moving from a villa to a rental apartment, but now she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Riki was taken aback.

"Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom." Toyokawa Sakiko turned and ran into the bathroom, crouching down with her knees pulled to her chest, weeping silently, her delicate shoulders trembling.

Outside the door, Riki squatted by the entrance, waiting quietly.

Is there anything I can do to help her?

Riki pondered, looking at the moonlight.