Chapter 281 Maid's "Heartbeat"
"Put it on." Lying on the sofa, Miki Kujo said with a smile.
Next to the beech table, Kiyono Rin was fiddling with her SLR camera.
"Strange, so strange, it doesn't make sense." Watanabe Toru kept repeating to himself.
"Watanabe-san, don't let me look down on you." Qing Ye Lin pointed the camera at him and kept focusing. "It's not scary to lose. Just win it back next time."
"Of course I know this, but don't you find it strange? You just read some light novels temporarily, and what you wrote is more like light literature. That Qiqi Library publishes all kinds of violent, vulgar, and erotic books and magazines. How could my work not take first place?"
Qingye Rin put down the camera and sighed with a headache: "Watanabe-san, you should seriously reflect on where you are confident."
"Miji!" Watanabe Toru turned his head and looked at his girlfriend, "You can understand, right? You know the market best, right?"
"Yes, I understand. I understand."
"So..."
"Put it on." Miki Kujo ruthlessly interrupted her boyfriend and pointed her slender fingers at the maid outfit hanging on the hanger.
“…You don’t understand at all.”
"Stop talking nonsense," Qing Ye Lin had already adjusted the camera parameters, and said in a displeased manner even though she was obviously very happy, "Hurry up and put it on."
"One last question! Please tell me the answer so I can give up!" Toru Watanabe raised his index finger.
"Tell me about it." Miki Kujo raised her chin slightly.
"You two," Toru Watanabe looked them over, "did you ever use the despicable methods of capitalists?"
The two remained silent.
"Do you guys deserve my trust?! This is so hurtful!" Watanabe Toru picked up his schoolbag and said, "I'm going back today. Bye!"
"Come back." Kujo Miki ordered.
Watanabe Toru sat down again: "I will not admit this bet, no matter what you say, it's useless."
"Watanabe-san, there was no rule that other means could not be used." Qing Ye Lin did not feel guilty at all. "And after I funded the acquisition of half of the library, I told those people not to favor anyone and to ensure fairness in the essay contest."
"You said they would do it? You definitely know what they would do." Watanabe Toru protested, "And where did you get the money to buy it? I remember you only had pocket money."
"It's just a library, isn't that enough pocket money?" Qing Ye Lin showed a smile that looked down on the library and Watanabe Toru, "Watanabe-san, you can only blame yourself for not doing it, not the people who did it, so hurry up and put it on."
"mean."
"What did you say?"
"I say, I have learned something new from you, Miss Qingye."
"Remember to pay the tuition. I don't have enough pocket money."
Toru Watanabe finally realized that those who insist on not lying are the real bad guys.
Ignoring the issue of tuition fees, his eyes turned to Kujo Miki.
"The bad woman bought half of it, so the remaining half is in our hands?"
"Wrong." Miki Kujo sat up.
"Wrong?" Watanabe Toru was stunned, "Impossible."
"To be precise," she walked to the hanger and took off the maid's outfit, "it's in my hands. We're not married yet, dear."
"...A heartless woman who divides property so clearly."
"Be good." Kujo Miki walked up to Watanabe Toru with the maid outfit and said with a smile, "Put it on, and I'll buy that library for you."
"No need to buy it." Qing Ye Lin said generously, "As long as Watanabe wears it, I will give him my half. Oh, and remember to pay the tuition."
"At this point, what do I need the library for?!" Toru Watanabe could not forgive such cheating behavior.
"Here." Miki Kujo handed him the maid outfit.
Watanabe Toru took it with deep sorrow and regret: "You can wear it, but I will only wear it today because this game is not fair at all."
"Okay." Kujo Miki nodded with a smile, then she turned to look at Kiyono Rin: "Can you please go out, Kiyono-san?"
"reason."
"Reason? My boyfriend needs to change clothes."
"It's not like I haven't seen it before, why should I go out?"
"Have you seen it?" Miki Kujo and Toru Watanabe asked at the same time, one frowning and the other surprised.
"Will dating cause memory loss?" Qingye Rin looked at the two of them with contempt. She still believed that she was the smartest among the three - each of them thought so.
Watanabe Toru remembered.
During the winter camping, Kiyono Rin fainted in the hot spring, and he only had a bath towel wrapped around his waist - this must be the time she saw him naked.
"I was very careful not to look at her body, but she was secretly looking at me. It's not fair."
Miki Kujo looked at Toru Watanabe, and seeing that he had an understanding look on his face, she signaled him with her eyes to speak it out.
"..." Watanabe Toru turned his clever brain, "It seems to have happened last year, when..."
"It seems that you have the worst memory here, Kujo-san." Kiyono Rin said with a smile, "Let me tell you, last summer, we went to the swimming pool together, and Watanabe-san only wore swimming trunks. To change into a maid outfit, you only need to take it off to that extent, right?"
"So it's not a hot spring!" Watanabe Toru's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface.
"Not everyone is like you, Kiyono-san, who is obsessed with other people's boyfriends' bodies." Kujo Miki said sarcastically.
"Not everyone is as superficial as you, Kujo-san. I just want Watanabe-san to love my soul." Kiyono Rin declared in her beautiful voice.
"I don't deny that I miss other people's boyfriends."
"That's right, what can you do?"
"What can I do? I won."
"You won, and you must keep winning; I lost temporarily, but I can keep losing. It's enough to win once. Be careful, Kujo-san."
"I'm very careful, Kiyono-san, so I'll let you keep losing."
"Really? I'm looking forward to your performance."
The days seemed to have returned to the past, as if nothing had changed, except for the empty plastic bottle on the windowsill without the roses.
"Stop arguing." Watanabe Toru said.
"I almost forgot." Miki Kujo, who was looking at Kiyono Rin, turned her head and looked over.
"Why don't you take off your clothes, Watanabe-san?" Kiyono Rin, who was looking at Kujo Miki, also turned her head to look over.
“…”
Watanabe Toru has taken off his clothes in front of Kujo Miki countless times, but this is the first time in front of Kiyono Rin.
He tried not to be embarrassed, and naturally took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt one by one.
Collarbones, broad shoulders, abdominal muscles, and a thin waist, it is not an exaggeration to say that this scene in front of me is alluring.
Miki Kujo placed her hands on Watanabe Toru's chest, slowly slid down, and used both hands to help him unbuckle his belt.
Watanabe Toru grabbed her hand and said, "There are others here. I can do it myself."
"Take it away." Kujo Miki ordered.
As soon as Watanabe Toru let go, she immediately started smiling again.
When his pants fell slightly and he saw Watanabe Toru's thighs, Kiyono Rin's heart suddenly started beating wildly.
"Miji?!" Toru Watanabe was so scared that he almost put his pants back on.
"Disgusting!" After saying this coldly, Qingye Rin finally turned his back.
After taking off her pants, Kujo Miki asked Watanabe Toru to put on the maid outfit by herself. She hugged her elbows and said to Kiyono Rin's back:
"Kiyono-san, you don't know the other side of Toru yet, do you?"
She walked behind Qing Ye Lin and whispered in her charming voice:
"It's completely different from the clean, elegant and refined one you've always seen..."
"Miki! Miki!" Toru Watanabe stopped her lover.
"Alala," Kujo Miki laughed and taunted, "Why are the ears of someone who doesn't care about his body red?"
"Meiji! Come and help me!" Watanabe Toru shouted, "This dress is too complicated, I don't know how to wear it!"
Kujo Miki blew a breath at Kiyono Rin's red earlobe, and when she saw her shoulders hunched uncontrollably, she turned happily towards Watanabe Toru:
"Do you think I'm a servant? And you asked me to help you put on your clothes!"
She helped Toru Watanabe zip up her skirt and adjust her shoulders and hem.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else?" she asked.
"I feel unwell all over." Toru Watanabe replied.
"If you feel uncomfortable, go and pour tea. By the way, remember the behavior of a maid. With Izu's experience, you should know what I am talking about."
“…I don’t remember that kind of experience.”
"Oh?" Kujo Miki lifted Watanabe Toru's chin with her hand, "Then I don't have to remember the agreement of 'what you wear, I wear'."
"Your Highness Miki, what would you like to drink?" Since he was already dressed, Toru Watanabe definitely couldn't afford to suffer any loss.
Tonight, we must stay up all night!
Kiyono Rin finally got rid of her shyness and regained her composure. She turned around and looked at Watanabe Toru.
"Watanabe-san, you're so cute and pretty," she said with her hand on her chin and a smile.
"You will definitely look more beautiful if you wear it, Kiyono-san."
"Maybe, but I won't lose." Kiyono Rin's rare modesty shows how good-looking Watanabe Toru is in maid outfit.
"What do you mean you won't lose? It's just using dirty tricks!"
"Is this the maid etiquette that Kujo-san talked about?" asked Qingno Rin in confusion.
"...His Royal Highness Qingye Qingye."
Qingye Rin smiled slightly, which showed that she was very happy.
"Who told you to listen to her?" Kujo Miki's pretty face was gloomy.
"Didn't I get first place in the essay contest, Kujo-san?" asked Kiyono Rin.
Both of them won first place and shared the 200,000 yen prize equally. This shows that most so-called essay competitions are shady.
Kiyono Rin ignored Kujo Miki and said to Watanabe Toru while holding the SLR camera:
"Watanabe-san, could you please hold the tea tray?"
"I'm playing a maid, not taking maid photos!"
"hurry up."
"Meiji..."
"As for photos, you can take them. Last time, I regretted not using a professional camera."
"Meiji——!"
"Watanabe-san." Kiyono Rin handed the tea tray to Watanabe Toru.
Watanabe Toru took it tremblingly, and Kiyono Rin looked at him with amusement.
After enduring the difficult club time, the school leaving bell rang.
"Watanabe-san, I will send the photos to the group tonight, so keep them well." Kiyono Rin put the camera into her schoolbag and prepared to leave.
I don’t want to watch Watanabe Toru change clothes anymore; I am still a little bit excited and want to go back early to appreciate the photos.
"Tell me clearly, which group?" Watanabe Toru asked quickly.
If this were to be spread among Watanabe Eizai's family groups, it would be almost impossible for him to return to Iwate Prefecture in his lifetime.
""Kujo·Kyono·Watanabe""
This is a group of five people from two generations of the Kujo family, the Kiyono family, and Toru Watanabe.
"Can't the three of us create a 'Human Observation Department' group on our own?" said Toru Watanabe.
"No." Qingye Rin opened the sliding door and disappeared into the club classroom in a cool manner.
"Miji, your mother is definitely going to make fun of me." Toru Watanabe walked towards the sliding door, ready to close it and change clothes.
"With you here, they probably won't make fun of me and that Qingye guy anymore."
"Is this the real reason why you didn't stop her just now?"
Toru Watanabe walked to the door, and at that moment, Keisuke Saito ran over.
"Watanabe, I'm here to get the script. I have to give it to Qian Qianzi today. Let her read it and then start drawing right away... Pfft - cough, what are you doing?"
"Prepare for the cultural festival."
"Cultural Festival? It's only June!"
"Do you think I got first place in the country just this semester? I have been studying hard since the day I was born, so I am now first in the country. Do you understand? Do you know what I am talking about?"
“Only with adequate preparation and sufficient diligence can one do something well?”
"No, what I mean is, if you dare to tell anyone, I will use my status as the best in the country to force the school to expel you."
After giving the failed light novel to Keisuke Saito, Toru Watanabe slammed the sliding door shut.
The next day, Miki Kujo didn't come to school.
No matter how Watanabe Toru called her, she couldn't get up.
As Toru Watanabe walked into the classroom, Keisuke Saito immediately jumped over.
"Watanabe, your writing is so beautiful! I only planned to read a little bit last night and wait until club time today to read it, but I ended up reading the whole thing!"
"Really?" Toru Watanabe wouldn't care about a light novel that didn't win an award.
"I think it can be adapted into an animation!" Kunii Osamu agreed. "When you go to the recording studio as the original author, remember to bring me along. Oh, and remember to choose Hayami Saori as the voice of the heroine. I imagined her voice the whole time, it was so cool."
"Did you watch it too?" asked Toru Watanabe.
"I met him after school yesterday, and he asked me for it, so I made a copy for him." Saito Keisuke said, "Is that okay?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Don't worry, there are some things I will tell you, and some things I will never tell you!"
"What's the matter?" Kunijii Osamu asked curiously.
"Saito recommended a sister-themed game to me." Watanabe Toru said casually.
"You won't share it with me?!" Kunii Osamu put his arm around Saito Keisuke's shoulders, "I secretly gave you the disc I bought late at night."
"Don't say that in the classroom, you idiot!"
Amid the disdainful looks from the girls in the class, Toru Watanabe left the two and walked towards his seat.
Without Kujo Miki, he tried not to talk to Kiyono Rin.
After school, the two read books in the club classroom to kill time.
"Come straight to my house after school tomorrow," Qingno Rin said halfway through.
"Your home?" Toru Watanabe raised his head.
"They are going to celebrate our birthday." Qingye Rin did not take her eyes off the book in her hand.
"Yeah." Toru Watanabe continued reading "Perception" - he bought the island language version in Jimbocho, and he also bought the English version when he had time.
Compared with yesterday's noise and the quiet and harmony of the past, today's club classroom always has a sense of uneasiness.
This was the first time the two were alone since returning from their family trip.
"What's on your mind?" Qingye Rin's voice was calm.
"Why do you say that?" Toru Watanabe raised his head again.
"Tell me about it." She closed the book and crossed her arms elegantly, like a noble lady.
“Is this part of human observation?”
"Well, go ahead."
Watanabe Tetsuya closed the book and scratched the cover with his fingers.
"You know, I'm determined to be with Meiji and the others."
"But you can't forget me?"
"Yeah, I've decided to be with them, but I can't forget you. Sometimes I'm just pretending to be happy in front of them."
Toru Watanabe looked at the cover of "Percussion".
On a fig tree that should have been sawed off, a man and a woman sat on its branches, enjoying the wind and sunshine, as well as the scenery in the distance.
"Even though I have made up my mind, when I am alone, I will question myself: 'Why should I live like this if I cannot pursue what I love? What is the point of doing this?' But in my heart I am unwilling to give up on them. I say it is responsibility, but there is also love and greed."
After a moment of silence, he continued, "I feel that I am hypocritical and look down on myself."
Watanabe Toru took his eyes off the book and looked out the window.
The weather forecast says that this year's rainy season in Tokyo will begin on June 8th.
"Why do you think so?" asked Qingye Rin.
Without waiting for Watanabe Toru to speak, she continued, "Compared to them and me who have no burden, you are the one who has the hardest time."
"Mr. Asuri can't leave you. Mr. Koizumi has worked hard for you for ten years. Kujo Miki... People like her admitted their mistakes for you and let you have lovers outside. You love them, cherish them, and have responsibilities towards them."
"But you love me so much, you love me the most."
"Fate made you choose between me and them, but you remained strong, didn't give up, didn't complain to anyone, remained gentle, and kept your promise."
"You left loneliness and sadness to yourself, and tried your best to give them the remaining warmth. When they looked at you, you hid your reluctance, longing, and sadness, and they were in your eyes. You tried your best to make them feel at ease when they were by your side."
"Compared to sweet words, your feelings and your efforts to make them happy are what really touch them."
"So you don't need to look down on yourself. Compared to what you said about hypocrisy, I think you are just too sober, or too paranoid. There is nothing you need to be blamed for."
"Really?" Watanabe Toru asked.
"At least it's true for me."
"Here you are?"
"Because," Qing Ye Lin's fair face turned slightly red, and his eyes turned to the window, "I like you, so I might be biased towards you."
Watanabe Toru stared at her blankly, then smiled bitterly and said, "Kiyono-san, if you continue to be so cute, I will only become more and more miserable."
"Then just give up on them and be with me." Qingye Rin said, "Aren't you watching "Perception"? There is a line in it: "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in a while you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.""
Some people are superficial, while others are all show and no substance.
But sometimes, you meet someone who is as brilliant as a rainbow.
From then on, everyone else was just a passing cloud.
——Toru Watanabe thought about the meaning of this English sentence.
"If I do this, I'll become a complete scumbag."
"No, I'm sober now and know what I really want. And even if you're a scumbag, I won't despise you. I'm a bad woman." Qingno Rin said with a smile.
"I'm trying not to think about these things now. I'm just thinking about how to make you and Meiji reconcile."
Qingye Rin picked up the book and started reading it again.
"I'm waiting for the day when you understand what you really want, or the day when you realize how much you can't live without me."
