Chapter 108 Her room smells like black tea
Shimizu Mi and Sakurai Haruka walked on the avenue in front of the station, heading towards the central city area.

This area can be said to be the main street in the city, filled with various restaurants, supermarkets and amusement facilities along the way.

Whenever it is a holiday, the place will be packed with people.

Students are often seen shopping here in the evenings on weekdays. Cinemas, bookstores, amusement parks and other facilities are all concentrated in this area.

When walking with a girl, the most ideal situation is for both of you to walk side by side.

However, Sakurai Haruka leaned tightly on Shimizu Mi's arm from beginning to end, her eyes were always on him, and she didn't even look at the road ahead.

Her lips were as red as petals and slightly opened, but the obsession and morbidity in her eyes made people dare not approach easily.

There was a hint of a sweet smile on her face, which was flushed with excitement.

Is it because of what I just said?

When facing a yandere, any slight emotion revealed by Qingshui Jian might aggravate her inner morbid emotions.

As the heroine, Sakurai Haruka seems to have a magical attraction that makes people fall into it unconsciously, and if they are not careful, they may sink into an endless abyss.

Shimizu tried to keep her at a distance, or at least make her pay attention to the road ahead, but Sakurai Haruka claimed that her foot was injured and it was inconvenient, so she continued to linger like this.

"See, can you say that again?"

Sakurai Haruka raised her head, and the smiling lips in front of her shone with a charming luster, which made Shimizu Ken swallow his saliva.

I didn’t know what to do for a moment…

A few passers-by walked by, their eyes lingered on the two people for only a moment, and then quickly looked away.

Sakurai Haruka seemed to notice that the distance was too close, her cheeks flushed, and she looked away.

However, not long after, she turned her head cautiously and looked secretly at Shimizu. After being discovered, she smiled at him as if to hide her shyness.

Sakurai Haruka is in such a bad state in every sense!
Qing Shuijian tried his best not to look at her. In this situation, if he looked at her for one more moment or kept his gaze on her for one more second, this sickly girl would definitely have all kinds of thoughts.

Shimizu continued to lead her towards the city center.

There is a main street near the tram station, and most of the restaurants are concentrated on this street. There are also many shops hidden in many small alleys.

Today is the weekend and it is dinner time. Most family restaurants and cafes are definitely full.

And given Sakurai Haruka's personality, if Shimizu Mi invited her to a high-end restaurant, she would definitely not accept.

Therefore, he already had a goal in mind.

As you walk into the street, the orange sign of the target store comes into view.

Continue walking down the stairs below the sign and you will arrive at the famous ramen shop - Ichiraku Ramen.

Although the store was not fashionable, it gave off an atmosphere like an underground secret base, which made Sakurai Haruka's eyes light up.

This was probably her first time in such a place.

Shimizu Mi was originally worried that someone like Sakurai Haruka, who was born into a wealthy family, would be disappointed with such an ordinary store, but now it seems that his worries were unnecessary.

Haruka Sakurai looked into the store through the glass window with a curious expression on her face.

She seemed to be unfamiliar with this environment. She let go of Shimizu's arm and stood still, her eyes wandering around the store.

Sakurai Haruka grew up in a wealthy family and had probably tasted all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. But this place full of the atmosphere of the world was unfamiliar to her.

"Let's go in first."

Sakurai Haruka nodded in agreement, and Shimizu Mi took her into the store.

Except for the owner, the store was empty at this time, so it seemed a bit quiet.

"Uncle, I'm coming!"

Qingshuijian greeted the boss familiarly.

"Hey, boy, is this your girlfriend?"

Shimizu turned to look at Sakurai Haruka, who was holding his hand gently because she was nervous about entering an unfamiliar environment. He nodded with an idea in his mind.

"Oh, it's really rare that you would bring a girl to my place."

The boss joked, warmly inviting Qing Shuijian to sit at the bar and handing him the menu.

Indeed, whether it was Amamiya Iori or the other heroines, Shimizu Mi had never brought them here.

It's not because this is really a secret base, but under normal circumstances, it is not appropriate to bring girls to such an ordinary ramen restaurant.

Considering that it is the same noodles, if you take a girl to a pasta restaurant with elegant decoration and romantic atmosphere on a date, the girl's view of the boy will be completely different.

"So you like this type. It feels good and suitable for you."

The boss's words interrupted Qingshuijian's thoughts.

When talking about the types of girls, they are generally classified based on their personality, such as gentle, lively, quiet, etc.

However, girls like Sakurai Haruka basically transcend these traditional classifications.

The unique clean and handsome aura she exudes is so different from other girls that you can tell her style is completely different from other girls at first sight.

She is never pretentious, and although she likes to act strong sometimes, she still retains the delicacy and tenderness of a girl.

"Uncle, you are so stupid that people laugh at you."

"I don't want to be called stupid by a kid like you!"

Shimizu and the boss were bickering and joking with each other.

Sakurai Haruka, who was listening nearby, seemed very happy. She had never seen such a conversation before, so she found it very interesting.

However, it was her first time at this kind of ramen restaurant, and as expected, she began to struggle with how to choose from the various flavors of ramen on the menu. Her eyes wandered around, not knowing what to do.

"I recommend the tonkotsu flavor, although miso is good too. But since this is your first time here, you should start with some basics."

Hearing Shimizumi's suggestion, Sakurai Haruka breathed a sigh of relief and nodded as if a burden had been lifted from her head.

After placing the order, Shimizu sat at the bar. After Sakurai Haruka sat down, he spoke to the boss:
"Uncle, same as before, add more back fat."

"Back fat?"

Sakurai Haruka cast a curious look at him.

"You can adjust the amount of fat in the soup. Oh, by the way, please make her bowl lighter."

The rich, fatty soup is one of Ichiraku Ramen's main selling points. Even without adjusting the amount of fat, the soup is still thicker than other restaurants.

Therefore, for those who are eating it for the first time, it is best to ask the store to use less oil.

"See, are you familiar with this place?"

"Yeah, I've been here a few times."

When he and Akiko Hoshino first moved to Tokyo, Akiko's job was not very stable and her family was not well off.

At that time, this ramen restaurant became a place he often visited.

While I was recalling these things, the ramen was served.

The thick oil spreads on the noodles like the peak of Mount Fuji, sparkling with a dazzling luster, and the steam rising from the bowl also makes people feel a sense of warmth.

"I'm gonna start now."

Shimizu was the first to put his palms together, picked up chopsticks and spoon, and enjoyed the ramen.

Sure enough, the taste of this store is really addictive.

When Sakurai Haruka saw this, she swallowed her saliva and picked up the chopsticks and spoon, imitating the way Shimizumi eats.

She carefully moved the spoon from the bowl to her mouth, raised her chin slightly, and took a small sip.

The next second, she froze suddenly. After a while, she came to her senses, picked up the noodles with chopsticks, blew on them a few times with her tender lips, and then started eating.

Seeing that she was completely absorbed in the food, it seemed that this restaurant had left a good impression on her.

After calming down, Shimizu continued to enjoy his ramen.

During this period, there was not much conversation between the two.

Sakurai Haruka remained silent, just buried her head quietly in her bowl, and finished the big bowl of ramen in just a few minutes.

In contrast, Shimizu had eaten too many donuts during the day and his stomach was already a little full, so he still had some left.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with the taste of the noodles.

"Eh? Is this really a waste?"

"How can you say waste..."

She was born as the daughter of the Sakurai family, but her ideas are surprisingly sensible.

Qingshuijian wanted to set an example and finish the remaining noodles, but his stomach was too full to hold.

At this moment, he felt a strong gaze and couldn't help but look over.

Sakurai Haruka seemed to be still unsatisfied, and her eyes remained on the remaining ramen on Shimizumi.

……

After leaving the ramen shop, I walked onto the open street.

"The noodles...are delicious..."

Sakurai Haruka's soft and slightly shy voice sounded, and she turned her face away as soon as she finished speaking. Her cute gesture made Shimizu Ken smile.

“…As long as it tastes good.”

Qing Shuijian coughed twice, thought of what had just happened, and looked away.

The two continued walking and passed in front of the central station. The houses in the nearby area were arranged neatly, unlike the buildings in the alleys that were messy.

Perhaps because of this, the wind in the building seems particularly strong.

The gusts of night wind made people shiver, causing Sakurai Haruka to shrink her neck and bury her face in the collar of her sportswear.

Fortunately, Shimizu knew what to do at this time. Shimizu took off his coat like a boyfriend and put it on Sakurai Haruka.

But he didn't know that this action of his would push him into the abyss.

"Thanks……"

Sakurai Haruka's words were suddenly interrupted before she finished speaking.

She seemed to notice something, frowned slightly, and moved her nose as if she was sniffing something.

Then her eyes fell on Shimizumi's coat, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

"Sister's taste..."

Sister? Are you talking about Sakurai Shio?
Just when Qingshui was wondering, he suddenly smelled a faint floral scent.

Sweet and gorgeous, with a sense of elegance.

The scent that was supposed to calm people down, instead smelled dangerous.

This fragrance really doesn't fit Sakurai Haruka's image, and makes Shimizu feel a little strange.

His impression of Sakurai Haruka is that she prefers a fresh and elegant mint scent, which gives people a clean and refreshing feeling, so the scent on the jacket was probably accidentally picked up when Sakurai Shio stuck to his body in the store during the day.

"Why do you smell like your sister?"

Smelling the scent of Sakurai Shio on Shimizu Mi's coat, Sakurai Haruka blatantly showed her rejection reaction.

She didn't seem to like the scent very much, and frowned slightly, like a cat whose privacy was invaded.

It's a pity she could smell it...

"Haruka, touch your breasts."

Qing Shuijian suddenly said this.

Upon hearing this, Sakurai Haruka was stunned and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

“Hey hey hey!!! Are you here?”

Sakurai Haruka's cheeks flushed slightly and she looked around a little embarrassedly.

She must have misunderstood something...

"I meant for you to touch it yourself."

"Even if I do it myself, it's too..."

Sakurai Haruka was so nervous that she was a little incoherent, but after seeing Shimizumi's serious expression, she suddenly realized something, reached into the chest pocket of Shimizumi's coat, and searched carefully.

"This is……"

Sakurai Haruka took out a heavy envelope from her coat pocket.

The envelope has a thick texture and a sense of weight. Even without opening it, you can guess what's inside from its appearance and touch.

"Your sister asked me to give it to you."

Shimizu remembered that Sakurai Shio once told her not to tell Sakurai Haruka that this was given by her, otherwise she would never accept it.

But given her personality, she won't accept it if it's not explained clearly.

Looking at the change in the expression on Sakurai Haruka's face, this shouldn't be the first time. Even without Shimizu Mita's explanation, Sakurai Haruka should have understood the general situation.

"Please give this back to her."

Sakurai Haruka said calmly, she took Shimizumi's hand and handed the envelope back to him.

"You really need this now, don't you?"

Sakurai Haruka is now in debt of 80,000 yen, and given her current situation, she has absolutely no ability to repay it anytime soon.

However, Sakurai Haruka hardly hesitated and still shook her head firmly.

"This is my own business."

Sakurai Haruka's simple words seemed to draw a clear line between herself and her sister Sakurai Shio.

"You really don't want it?"

"do not want!"

Sakurai Haruka's answer was still without hesitation.

"OK then."

Qing Shuijian sighed and put the envelope into his trouser pocket.

"..."

Sakurai Haruka was puzzled by Shimizu Mi's behavior and looked at him in confusion.

"Your sister said that if you don't want it, the money will belong to me."

Qing Shuijian looked up at the sky and thought for a moment, then said in a frivolous tone:
"With so much money, where should I go to have fun... How about trying a bar tomorrow? I heard there are a lot of beautiful women there... Ah!"

Qingshui was halfway through his speech when he was suddenly pinched on the waist and cried out in pain.

Is she so energetic after eating?
Sakurai Haruka knew that Shimizu Ken was just joking and deliberately provoking her to accept it, so she gently rubbed him again afterwards.

"I don't want the money."

she reiterated.

Qing Shuijian roughly expected this result, so he didn't continue to persuade him.

In this case, I can only find an opportunity to return the money to Sakurai Shio later.

"Thank you for accompanying me today."

Sakurai Haruka suddenly stopped, interrupting the two's progress. Shimizu was surprised to find that they were back in front of the building.

It was late at night and the street lights were dim.

It was getting late, and Shimizu was about to say goodbye, but Sakurai Haruka's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Um, do you want to go up and sit again?"

Sakurai Haruka spoke hesitantly, a faint blush quietly appearing on her face.

Shimizu Mi could feel the subtle atmosphere emanating from Sakurai Haruka, but whether it was the accident at the sports meet, the things about Sakurai Haruka's family, or the disturbing stalker, Shimizu Mi still had a lot of things he wanted to ask her.

So the two took the elevator to the second floor again.

"Well, excuse me."

Shimizumi changed into slippers at the entrance and noticed that Sakurai Haruka next to him seemed to be in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?"

"It's time to say I'm back."

I'm back?

Shimizu was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Sakurai Haruka meant.

Doesn't she mean that I should treat this place as my own home?
Shimizu thought that it was not appropriate to say this, but Sakurai Haruka's face showed the determination of "If you don't say this, you won't be allowed in."

She seemed a little unexpectedly wilful in this strange place.

"I know... I'm back."

Shimizu Mi tried to say something, and Sakurai Haruka seemed satisfied with his response. She took Shimizu Mi's hands, guided him to sit on a high-end sofa in the living room, and then turned to the kitchen to prepare drinks.

Qing Shuijian looked around and marveled at these exquisite furniture again. If she sold any one of them, she would not only be able to pay off her debts, but would also allow her to live for at least several months.

After a while, Sakurai Haruka came over with two cups of black tea.

"Sorry for the wait. Can I have some black tea? This is all I have."

"No problem, thank you."

Shimizumi took the black tea brought by Sakurai Haruka and took a sip.

He didn't usually drink black tea, but he found it very delicious. The warm liquid flowed through his body, and he seemed to feel a sense of security.

Because there were only single sofas, even though Sakurai Haruka wanted to be closer to Shimizu, she had to sit opposite him.

"Haruka, can you tell me about your family?"

Shimizumi took the initiative to bring up the topic.

After hearing this, Sakurai Haruka's pupils trembled noticeably.

Shimizu thought she would avoid the topic.

After all, she had always claimed that both her parents had passed away and she had no relatives at home, and she obviously didn't want anyone to touch on that area.

But Sakurai Haruka in front of him nodded.

"...Sure, what do you want to ask?"

"I want to ask you about your parents."

Her sister Sakurai Shio is certainly of concern, but Shimizu Mi currently knows nothing about Sakurai Haruka's parents.

"yes……"

Sakurai Haruka spoke incoherently.

Qing Shuijian tried to understand this sentence, but gradually felt a strange feeling of dizziness, as if the whole world was spinning.

My eyelids became heavier and heavier, and the sounds around me began to become blurred. The voice of Sakurai Haruka in front of me seemed to come from a distant place, vague and elusive.

Shimizu tried hard to stay awake, but the feeling of dizziness became more and more intense, as if dragging him into a bottomless dark vortex.

My consciousness gradually became blurred, and everything in front of me began to become distorted, with colors and shapes losing their original appearance.

(End of this chapter)