Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 16

“What you’re saying doesn’t seem wrong.” Uesugi Kenichi didn’t immediately reject Kobayashi Yoshihara’s words, but instead considered their feasibility. If he really had a girlfriend and everyone knew about it, there would indeed be fewer troubles. At the very least, he would have some reservations, and there would be far fewer incidents of him being intercepted halfway through his life.

After all, he's just charming; he didn't drug people to the point of making everyone devoted to him. The deed is done, so even if they're unwilling, they'll let it go.

But even if you really want to find someone, who should you choose? You can't just pick anyone, and if you don't like someone, you might just be with them and that would be a waste of their time and unfair to them.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Got You?

No, no, even if I'm going to look for someone, it has to be someone I genuinely like. After considering it for a moment, he regretfully gave up the suggestion. However, he still felt that Kobayashi had finally given a good suggestion. Shaking his head, he temporarily abandoned these unrealistic ideas and looked at Sato Hideki, saying, "Thank you for your explanation. As expected, you understand otaku culture very well, Sato."

"It's nothing. You can find this kind of information with a simple online search. It's nothing compared to Tomoya. He's the real hardcore anime fanatic. I only got into this circle because of his influence." Sato Hideki smiled sheepishly.

"I see. But it's nice to have something you enjoy." Uesugi Kenichi nodded. "Alright, let's get ready to eat. It's almost 12 o'clock."

"Barbecue, barbecue, let's head to the barbecue restaurant!"

Upon arriving at the barbecue restaurant and seeing the long queue outside, Kenichi Uesugi couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up for his cleverness. Without a reservation, given the number of people, he might have had to wait in line for two hours.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, he felt quite relaxed. The food at this restaurant was very good, but it wasn't cheap either. The five of them spent a total of 3 yen. However, Uesugi Kenichi, who had made a fortune today, didn't care much about it.

He's not a stingy person. He was indeed a bit stingy when he first achieved financial freedom in his previous life, but that was because he was afraid of being poor before. However, he gradually changed this habit after earning more money.

"Ah, this was so satisfying! You really have to eat barbecue big, satisfying bites to truly enjoy it, don't you think, Ishida?" Kobayashi Yoshihara patted his belly contentedly.

"Yes." Tetsuya Ishida nodded silently; he thought so too.

However, Watanabe Fuuta was a little embarrassed: "Uesugi-kun, this meal must have cost a lot of money, how about I pay half?"

Uesugi Kenji looked at him with a hint of helplessness: "If you consider me a friend, then there's no need to say such things anymore. I should be thanking you today. If you want to treat me, let's do it next time."

"Okay, I understand." Watanabe Futa nodded.

"Alright, let's continue browsing inside the convention. I just saw some famous illustrators selling doujinshi." Sato Hideki was full of energy and ready to go on a shopping spree.

"Well, I might have to go to the Tailless Cat Bookstore later. I promised someone something. You guys go ahead and I'll come find you after I've taken care of things here."

"I see. Okay, then we'll head over there first," said Hideki Sato.

Watanabe Fuuta glanced at Uesugi Kenichi and then asked, "How about I go with you? I'm not really interested in anime conventions anyway."

Uesugi Kenichi waved his hand and said, "No need, it's nothing serious. I'll be there in a bit. It's not far from here."

Watanabe Futa didn't insist any further. He just felt that it wouldn't be right to leave Uesugi alone since they had all left together. "Alright, we'll head over there first."

After they left, Uesugi Kenichi took out his phone to check the location and then headed towards the Tailless Cat Bookstore.

Well, the journey isn't very far; it should take about 20 minutes. After putting his phone away, he silently calculated the time and felt that it shouldn't be a problem.

Kasumi Shiko's autograph session doesn't start until 2 PM, and it's currently 1:10 PM, so there's plenty of time.

However, it was clear that Uesugi Kenichi underestimated the crowds in Shibuya at that time of day, and coupled with his unfamiliarity with the area, he didn't arrive at the Tailless Cat Bookstore until after 8 PM.

"Phew, there are just too many people." Uesugi Kenichi opened a bottle of soda and gulped it down.

This should be it, right? 3

He looked around. The sign for the Tailless Cat Bookstore hung in front of him, and a long queue had formed in the open space to the right of the bookstore. A black-haired girl was sitting at a table, but there were too many people for him to see her clearly. Next to her were several eye-catching signs—"Book Signing Event for Kasumi Shiko's Masterpiece, 'Love Metronome'."

Kenichi Uesugi adjusted his newly bought baseball cap, trying to avoid drawing too much attention. He had to admit, if it weren't for constantly dealing with random people trying to strike up a conversation, he would have arrived here 20 minutes ago.

He observed for a moment and realized that Xia Shizi was indeed quite popular. There were at least a hundred people in line, with more joining from time to time. The people in line showed no signs of impatience, frequently discussing the plot with their friends, their faces full of anticipation.

Uesugi Kenichi moved a little closer and finally saw the girl's face clearly. For a fleeting moment, his heart skipped a beat, as if something had been touched, but he quickly suppressed it. 4

A girl with long, cascading black hair sat behind the table.

The girl wore a faint smile; her features were delicate, with willow-leaf eyebrows and wine-red eyes, giving her an overall quiet and refined air.

Uesugi Kenichi inwardly admired the girl's beauty. Even with his two lifetimes, he had rarely seen anyone surpass this young woman in appearance.

But is this girl really the same juicing prodigy who's always driving fast and full of raunchy humor?

He really found it hard to reconcile the image of the girl in front of him with the image of the online friend he remembered. His gaze shifted downwards, and when he saw the girl's bouncy legs encased in black pantyhose, he believed it. They were indeed the same as the pictures she had sent before. Legs like those would be hard to fake...

After confirming that there was no mistake, he felt a mix of emotions, unsure of what to do. He was both surprised and had some indescribable feelings.

The surprise was that the online friend I got along with was such a beautiful girl with a perfect appearance. However, once we actually met, I'm afraid it would be difficult to communicate as freely as before.

Kenichi Uesugi composed himself and decided that, regardless, he should focus on completing the agreed-upon tasks first.

Instead of immediately greeting the girl, he ran to the bookstore, bought a book on love metronome, and quietly stood at the back of the line.

As the crowd surged forward, he moved further and further to the front, eventually standing in front of the girl.

"Hello, thank you for your support." Kasumigaoka Utaha gave her habitual smile as she accepted the book from the person in front of her, skillfully signed her name on it, and then handed the book back.

After receiving the book from Kasumigaoka Utaha, Uesugi Kenichi handed her a box.

"Hmm? Is this a gift?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, looking at the box on the table. Then she chuckled and said, "I'm already very grateful that you came to support me, but there's no need for a gift. Thank you very much."

"Wasn't this agreed upon? Well then, goodbye." Uesugi Kenichi smiled lightly at Kasumigaoka Utaha, then stepped out of the line. After all, there were so many people waiting in line behind him, and it wouldn't be good to inconvenience them.

"Huh?! A promise?!" Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly looked up at Uesugi Kenichi upon hearing this. If it was a promise, then the person in front of her was the online friend who dared to stand her up?!

Gotcha!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Slandering Innocence

"Wait a minute!" Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately stood up and grabbed Uesugi Kenichi's hand as he turned and left decisively.

Kenichi Uesugi turned his head in confusion to look at Kasumigaoka Utaha, his eyes sharpening slightly: "Is there anything else?"

In his opinion, Kasumigaoka Utaha was indeed very beautiful, but what did that have to do with him? He had indeed troubled her a few times these past few days, but the wood carving he had painstakingly made was more than enough to compensate for that help. After all, online friends are just online friends, and it was better to maintain the online relationship than to have too much interaction offline. This way, communication would be more comfortable.

Therefore, he did not intend to have too much entanglement with Kasumigaoka Utaha. Generally speaking, the more beautiful a girl is, the more trouble is hidden behind her beautiful appearance, and he did not like to cause trouble.

The moment Uesugi Kenichi turned around, Kasumigaoka Utaha noticed his appearance. She forgot what she wanted to say and just stared at him quietly, two blushes slowly rising on her face. Her rosy cheeks were as beautiful as if she had drunk the finest wine.

"Ok?"

"Ah, I'm sorry." Kasumigaoka Utaha woke up with a start. She lowered her head and secretly glanced at Uesugi Kenichi, feeling her heart still pounding.

She inwardly berated herself for being so captivated by a man's face and staring at him blankly; it seemed utterly unbelievable to her.

But this is just too cool...

It has to be said that the charm value brought by the system's boost is terrifying; even a high-class beauty like Kasumigaoka Utaha can hardly resist such charm in an instant.

If we disregard these charm qualities, Uesugi Kenichi would still be considered extremely handsome in terms of appearance alone, but certainly not to this extent.

After all, a person's charm comes from many factors besides appearance, such as fame, temperament, money, personality, and background.

Beyond appearance, the most direct impression one gets is from their temperament.

The concept of "temperament" is somewhat elusive; it cannot be directly manifested, yet its existence cannot be denied.

Just like the wildly popular Liu Yifei, most people's first reaction to her temperament is "ethereal," but when they actually say it, it becomes "so beautiful." It's the same principle.

"Shi-chan, what's wrong?" Machida Sonoko felt her blood pressure rising when she saw her author suddenly run away halfway through the book signing event.

"It's nothing, I'll be right back." Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath, composed herself, and said to Machida Sonoko.

She then looked at Uesugi Kenichi: "Could you please wait a moment? I'll be done here soon."

"Sorry, I have something to do later." Uesugi Kenichi refused without hesitation. What a joke, who knows how long this autograph session will last.

Just as he was about to leave, Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately grabbed him again and said, "Can't you really wait a little while? I have something to tell you later."

"I really have something to do." Uesugi Kenichi said helplessly. If it weren't for their online friendship, he would have left long ago.

"Alright then." Kasumigaoka Utaha released Uesugi Kenichi's hand, and her gaze towards him suddenly turned dangerous.

"You've toyed with my feelings, and now you just want to walk away like this? My life is so miserable. Please, don't go! I'll give you anything you want." Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Uesugi Kenichi with teary eyes and a sobbing voice, looking like she had been cruelly abandoned.

At this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha, possessed by her dramatic flair, transformed into a shadow puppet; she was no longer fighting alone!

Uesugi Kenichi: "???"

"Why are you slandering someone's innocence for no reason?" Uesugi Kenichi immediately reached out and covered Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth. He could see nothing but smugness in her eyes.

However, it was clearly too late. He noticed that the way people around him were looking at him had changed, and the atmosphere was starting to become somewhat restless, especially among the boys, who were practically ready to draw their knives and fight him to the death.

Finally, Kasumigaoka Utaha left with a smug smile, returned to her seat, and continued her autograph session, as if she weren't the one who had just been crying her heart out.

Uesugi Kenichi glanced helplessly at Machida Sonoko, who had been standing on the sidelines watching the show since the beginning. The meaning in his eyes was clear: You're not going to do anything about your author's behavior?

Machida Sonoko also glanced at Uesugi Kenichi, her intention to watch the spectacle quite clear.

Kenichi Uesugi found a stool and sat down. Now, his online and offline personalities were perfectly matched, both equally awful.

He checked the progress of the book signing event and felt it might take a while, so he took out his carving knife from his backpack and continued carving.

To be honest, he found the art of carving quite interesting. A piece of unremarkable wood seemed to transform into something else entirely under the carving knife. Figures emerged one by one according to his own ideas. At that moment, he seemed to understand the thoughts of those who were creators. It felt wonderful to see charming things come to life in his hands and be loved by everyone.

Machida Enji looked at Uesugi Ken sitting to the side with curiosity in her eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen Shi-chan treat a boy like this. Not to mention boys, even girls rarely saw her treat a boy like this.

And this guy is indeed handsome. Even she was stunned when she first saw him, feeling as if she had returned to her youth. Fortunately, she quickly came to her senses. No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, she still had to accept the fact that she was already thirty years old.

She pulled up a stool and sat down next to Uesugi Kenichi.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Carving LV10

"Is this a wood carving?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Tsk, that sharp-tongued manner is just like Shi-chan, not cute at all.

“My name is Machida Sonoko, and I’m an editor at the Shinazugawa Library. May I get to know you?” Machida Sonoko asked, extending her hand. This child was different from the high school students she had met before, and she subconsciously treated him as a peer.

"Hello, my name is Uesugi Kenichi. I am currently a first-year high school student at Yamato Private Academy. Please take care of me." In response to Machida Sonoko's goodwill, Uesugi Kenichi put down his carving knife and shook hands with Machida Sonoko lightly.

"Uesugi-kun, may I call you that?"

"can."

"How did you and Shi-chan meet? How long have you known each other?"

"We're just ordinary online friends, we've known each other for less than two weeks, and today is the first time we've met in person."

"Eh, is that so?" Machida Sonoko was a little surprised. Judging from Shi-chan's attitude, it didn't seem like something she would do on their first meeting, especially since they were online friends. This was really beyond her expectations.

However, her doubts eased a little after she glanced at Uesugi Kenichi. This guy is so handsome, could it be that Shi-chan has a crush on him? But that's impossible. Shi-chan isn't that shallow. Could there be something else I know?

Machida Sonoko kept filling in the blanks in her mind, sometimes thinking it should be true, sometimes thinking it didn't make sense. After thinking for a long time without coming to an answer, she got too lazy to think about it anymore. Whatever it was, as long as Shi-chan liked it.

Although she didn't say it explicitly, she treated Kasumigaoka Utaha almost like her own daughter, rather than just having a relationship with her as an editor and author.

However, if Shi-chan really liked him, given her personality, she'd probably be dreaming. As for Uesugi Kenichi, calling him a "super popular guy" would be an insult. If being popular really had an explosion, Uesugi Kenichi would explode like a nuclear bomb, the kind that would cause everyone to perish.