Chapter 34: Sachiko

Because she was in a hurry, Hayami Rina barely ate a few bites of breakfast. After little Aya-chan finished eating, she hurriedly left the house with her.

Before leaving, she specifically reminded Kitahara, who was still eating, to go ahead and take care of his own business after finishing — not to worry about the dishes, just leave them there and she would clean up when she got back.

Watching Hayami Rina’s departing figure, Kitahara shook his head with a bitter smile.

Truly, comparing people to people was infuriating!

He recalled a girlfriend he had once dated and lived with in his previous life.

At that time, he was still a wage slave, with the soul of a worker, while his girlfriend was unemployed and entirely dependent on him.

Back then, he worked hard day in and day out, leaving early and returning late, just to earn a bit more money so his girlfriend could live a little better.

So she could use the latest phone, buy clothes she liked, and eat meals she enjoyed.

The cohabitation was happy at first. Although he was giving unilaterally, at least the bed wasn’t so lonely, and there was entertainment every day. That girl was also his first love.

But gradually, he discovered that every time he came home under the stars and moon, the pot was cold, but the bed was warm.

He was in despair!

Reality dealt him a blow to the face, waking him up. From then on, he became a regular at foot massage parlors.

The Kitahara of now was thinking — if only his girlfriend back then had been like Hayami Rina, even half as good, he definitely would have married her and had kids. Maybe even two or three by now.

With a wife like that, he could have endured anything.

What a pity — the beautiful love of youth...

After lamenting the past for a while, for a brief moment, Kitahara thought that his current life already seemed perfect!

No shortage of money, Rina-nee was very gentle, the daughter he’d gained for free — little Aya-chan — was adorable, and he could raise her slowly.

It seemed there was nothing left to pursue!

He felt that just maintaining the current state and living quietly with Hayami Rina and her daughter would be quite good!

The moment this thought arose, Kitahara immediately slapped himself!

Bah! How could he be so unambitious?

Just one widow and you can’t move your legs anymore?

Are voice actress girls not appealing?

Is Editor-nee not big enough?

The star goddesses are still waiting for you!

Kitahara-kun, please put away your kindness, abandon your conscience, show your edge, and become a ruthless Teddy!

... ℴ

When Hayami Rina arrived at the convenience store, her coworker Sachiko immediately noticed the necklace around her neck.

It was simply too dazzling, too eye-catching.

At the same time, she also noticed Hayami Rina’s radiant complexion:

"Rina-nee, did you move in with Kitahara-kun?" She asked.

"Mm." Hayami Rina smiled and nodded.

"Wow, Rina-nee really did capture Kitahara-kun! Come on, tell me — how is Kitahara-kun’s performance? I noticed his body seems a bit thin. Rina-nee, you should take it easy — don’t break him!

Oh right, is this necklace from Kitahara-kun? It looks so high-end — it’s a luxury brand, right? It must be expensive, right?"

Sachiko chattered enviously.

Hayami Rina shook her head with a bitter smile:

"I don’t know how much Kitahara-kun spent on the necklace either — probably a few hundred thousand yen! Sachiko-chan, Kitahara-kun isn’t thin at all. He may look a bit slim, but his body is very strong, and quite... impressive!"

"Huh? Impressive? How impressive?"

"I’m not telling you! I need to use the phone to contact the store manager. Sachiko, I’m going to quit. I won’t be able to work with you anymore — it’s a shame. Thinking back on the time we spent together, I really feel nostalgic.

Thank you, Sachiko. You were the one who accompanied me through the hardest journey of my life. I’ll always remember you. You’ll always be my friend."

Hayami Rina told Sachiko about her resignation.

Everything she had just said came from the heart.

Having worked here for nearly a year, this chubby, cheerful little girl before her had indeed brought a lot of joy to her dull,乏味, and even arduous life.

It had made things less unbearable.

Now that they were about to part, she really did feel reluctant!

A trace of inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.

"Rina-nee, are you going to become a full-time housewife? Taking care of Kitahara-kun?" Sachiko showed no sadness — she was just curiously asking.

"Mm. Kitahara-kun thinks working is too hard for me and won’t let me do it anymore. From now on I’ll stay home and take care of him and little Aya-chan."

"Wow, I’m so jealous of you, Rina-nee. I want that kind of life too. Rina-nee, Kitahara-kun is so considerate — you’ve directly reached the peak of life!"

"Mm, Kitahara-kun really is very good to me. Sachiko, I hope you can be happy too in the future." Hayami Rina comforted her.

"Me? I’ve already stopped hoping! Actually, Rina-nee, even if you didn’t quit, we wouldn’t be working together for much longer anyway. I’ve decided to go work at a brothel. I’m planning to resign in the next few days too!"

Sachiko, looking somewhat desolate, revealed this matter that concerned her own fate.

The words seemed light and casual, but both people present knew the heavy meaning they carried.

It meant that the cheerful, lively Sachiko might never be able to return to a normal life path again. She would drift further and further from the life of an ordinary person.

"Sachiko-chan, why don’t you reconsider? Once you take this step, you can never turn back! What about those guys who used to pursue you? You could reach out to them proactively!"

After a moment of silence, Hayami Rina sincerely advised.

She truly didn’t want to see Sachiko go work in that kind of place. Mm, although she had once had such thoughts herself.

That kind of place did earn money fast, but once you truly became a prostitute, you lost the right to pursue love. No outstanding man like Kitahara-kun would ever accept you.

If you were lucky, after a few years of earning money, you might be able to find an honest, simple man.

If you were unlucky, you would be lonely for the rest of your life.

Deeply aware of these consequences, Hayami Rina advised Sachiko to hold on a little longer and think of other options.

Sachiko shook her head with a somewhat embarrassed expression:

"I did reach out, Rina-nee. I don’t know why, but none of them want to date anymore. I have no other choice!"

Sachiko was genuinely puzzled too. Before, she had several backup boyfriends — one who delivered meals on time, one who gave her spending money, and one responsible for buying clothes.

Life back then was so carefree.

But at some point, her backup boyfriends abandoned her one by one. The last one, little Ogawa-kun, had gone back to his hometown a few days ago.

Apart from the little money she earned from her part-time job, she had no additional income, and no one to pay her bills anymore.

But with just her own income, she simply couldn’t afford rent, commuting, food, clothing, and other living expenses.

Life in Tokyo was too expensive. She wanted to stay here, but she didn’t want to lower her quality of life. There was only this one path left!

"Rina-nee, don’t try to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. Wish me luck in earning big money and living a good life!"

Sachiko forced a smile.

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

A few days ago, when she went to apply at the brothel, the mama-san there told her that if she could bring in quality clients, she would receive a generous bonus.

Kitahara-kun seemed like he would be a quality client!