Chapter 28: My Place Is Pretty Spacious
"Mm, I'll do my best!"
"It's just that now I'll have to move out, and it hasn't even been that long since I moved into this place."
Yoko looked back at the apartment behind her, a bitter, helpless smile on her face.
Celebrity income in Japan wasn't actually all that high, and the agency skimmed off the majority of it besides.
Even for a top-tier idol like her at the height of her fame, buying this luxury apartment had drained her entire savings.
But now it had become a haunted house, a house where someone had died.
And the one who'd died was her own ex-boyfriend, driven to suicide by love turned to hatred.
Who would dare live in it now?
"If you don't mind, you could stay at my place for now."
"My place is pretty spacious, and it's just upstairs. You could move up there and sleep tonight, no problem."
Makoto said, warm-hearted as ever.
Helping out homeless beauties had always been one of his hobbies.
And this one happened to be a hot idol, no less!
"Y-your place?"
"That... doesn't seem right!"
"If your girlfriend found out, wouldn't she be upset?"
Yoko said, blushing, her tone all coy and calculating.
"Upset?"
"Would a woman like you actually worry about a small thing like that?"
Makoto said, taking a step closer.
And with every step he took, Yoko took one back.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"I don't quite follow!"
She turned her face to the side and brushed back a lock of hair, revealing a faintly reddened ear.
Every expression, every movement, was calculated to tug at a man's heartstrings.
"Thump!"
Makoto pulled a kabedon, cornering her against the wall.
At six feet tall, he towered over her, looking down at the idol before him.
"H-Higashino-san?"
Yoko's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes fell shut on their own.
The picture of reluctant invitation—utterly irresistible.
Too bad the man she'd run into happened to be Makoto.
"You..."
Makoto leaned in close to her ear and, in a low, cold voice, said one thing—"You're the real killer!"
In a flash—
In an instant.
The shy, adorable Yoko from a moment ago went white as a sheet, her lips trembling faintly.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
She swallowed hard, hoping the man in front of her was only joking.
"Back at Kounan High School, with your looks, you must have had plenty of people chasing after you."
"And yet you chose Fujie Akiyoshi—an ordinary guy with no looks to speak of, no build, no ability, no family background."
"Why is that?"
Makoto asked, a cold smile on his lips.
"T-that's obviously because..."
"He was a good person!"
Yoko scrambled to recall every acting tip her director had ever taught her, working hard to make her words and behavior look natural.
"A good person?"
"Then what's this?"
Makoto held up his phone.
On the screen was the diary Inspector Megure had sent over, found during the search of Fujie's home.
One line in it was Fujie's own complaint.
Back when he and Yoko were together, aside from holding hands, there had been no physical contact between them at all—not even a hug.
Every time he'd tried to take things further, Yoko would put him off with one excuse or another.
And back then, head over heels in love, especially with someone as adorable and campus-beauty-grade as her, he'd naturally gone along with whatever she wanted, without a second thought.
But now, every time he saw Yoko on television, every time he remembered their time together, Fujie was consumed with regret.
That was exactly why he'd been so desperate to get back together with her.
He'd actually dated a hot idol, and yet nothing had ever happened between them—no one could accept a thing like that!
"Boyfriend and girlfriend? Dating?"
"Is that really what it was?"
Makoto asked with a smile.
"T-that's because..."
"We were still young back then. I wanted to save anything further for later on."
"I just never expected Yamagishi-san would go and do something like that!"
Yoko bit her lip, looking utterly pitiful as she shoved all the blame onto her manager.
"Yamagishi-san?"
"Just like Fujie Akiyoshi, he was played like a puppet in your hands too, wasn't he?"
Makoto smiled, a touch of helplessness in it.
"What are you talking about?"
Yoko kept playing dumb.
"What am I talking about?"
"Hmph. Whether it's your ex Fujie Akiyoshi or your manager Yamagishi Eiichi—"
"These two men by your side share one thing in common, and that is..."
"Neither of them deserves you at all!"
"You know it, everyone else knows it, and they know it too."
"And it's exactly because they don't deserve you that they make the perfect tools for you, don't they?"
Makoto tipped up her delicate chin, studying that face that looked so sweet.
The kind of face that made even a stranger's heart ache with tenderness, driving countless men wild.
Even a middle-aged married man like Kogoro turned into a complete fool in front of the television, hollering, "Yoko, Yoko, I love you!"
"I..."
"Smack!"
A hard slap landed across that delicate, lovely face.
Yoko froze in shock.
Not far off, another woman hiding in the corner clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Fujie Akiyoshi was your tool back in school, keeping all your suitors at bay for you."
"And Yamagishi Eiichi has been your tool since your debut, handling all the dirty work you couldn't do yourself."
"Like forcing Fujie Akiyoshi to break up with you!"
Makoto gently stroked her cheek.
The bright red handprint stood out starkly against the idol's face.
…
…
Higashino Makoto — Protagonist. Transmigrated.
Okino Yoko — Idol. Series: Detective Conan.
…
…
Translated by CheapBiscuit.
...
...
Don't forget to check out my other translation works.
Give them a try!
...
If you want to read advanced chapters or just want to support me, you can join my…
🍪 P∆TRΞON.c0m/CheapBiscuit
🔥 Instant access to 100+ total advanced chapters! Upgradeable~
💎 Early access to "Preview" novels!
...
Your support lets me jump 10 floors higher.
It gives me the motivation necessary to clench my buttcheeks and translate every day.
Thank you ❤ for reading and support.
Enjoy!