"Are you thinking too badly of me?"
Hearing this, Hōjō Suzune was stunned for a moment, then anger flared in her heart. Her small face darkened, and she cast a cold glance at her sister, saying, "Heh heh, thinking too badly of you? Did you take too much medicine and your memory has regressed to the level of a single-celled organism? Have you forgotten what you did so quickly?"
"Your actions probably aren't very convincing, are they?"
"..."
Hearing her sister speak to her like that, Hōjō Shione didn't deny it. She just calmly glanced at her sister and said, neither lightly nor heavily, "Think whatever you want, but I hope Suzune you understand that no matter what, I am your older sister, and I would never harm you."
She paused, and after the car started, she added, "I know you like Seiya and want to be with him. If I were really as bad as you think, you wouldn't be able to come to Tokyo to see him now, would you?"
"..."
Hearing this, Hōjō Suzune fell silent.
Although she was very displeased with her sister's previous moral blackmail of Seiya, she had to admit that her sister was right. Even though Hōjō Shione had just praised her upon meeting, saying she could persuade their mother without her help, in reality, Hōjō Suzune's method of persuasion wasn't actually that clever.
Her approach was to cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang herself. While crying profusely, she used phrases like "I want to develop my piano skills in the future" to negotiate with her parents.
But even with just that, she wouldn't have been able to come to Tokyo smoothly. Even though she was already eighteen, due to her appearing very young and having no experience living alone, her mother still called her sister to ask if she had time to look after her in Tokyo.
It was conceivable that if Hōjō Shione truly didn't want her to come to Tokyo to see Shiratori Seiya, she only needed to say something like "I don't have time, I've been quite busy lately" or "I know there are some training institutions in Kyoto that aren't necessarily worse than those in Tokyo, so there's no need to come all this way." Her plan would have been completely shelved.
Of course, she could have, like in junior high, run over here alone regardless of everything, but the outcome might not have been good. Even if she met Shiratori Seiya, he would persuade her to return to Kyoto and listen to her mother and sister. If she were to cling to him and insist on staying in Tokyo, it would not only make things difficult for Seiya but also make him somewhat dislike her. The thought of Seiya disliking her would make Hōjō Suzune cry just by imagining it.
So, she would definitely return to Kyoto dejectedly, and by the time they met again, it would probably be half a year later. Who knew if he would still have room for her in his heart then? Because of this, Hōjō Suzune had to admit that her sister had helped her in this matter.
However, one thing was one thing, and she also knew in her heart that her sister's help was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface, at least it absolutely couldn't be out of sisterly affection.
She and her sister weren't as close as sisters in TV shows.
If she were in her sister's shoes, she definitely wouldn't allow her to get close to Seiya just out of sisterly affection. If you truly love someone, how could you bear to share him with others? Not even her sister.
Hōjō Suzune could roughly guess what her sister was thinking. Perhaps after the last incident, she was desperate, knowing she couldn't win Seiya's heart, so she wanted to use her. Thinking this, Hōjō Suzune's lips curled into a cold smile, but she didn't voice it. She didn't mind this feeling of mutual exploitation. At least it was better than not being able to see Seiya.
Contact creates opportunity. Sister, you're not the only one who can scheme.
With these thoughts, Hōjō Suzune glanced at her sister, who was driving, then lowered her gaze and suddenly asked, "Has Seiya forgiven you for what happened last time?"
Hearing this, Hōjō Shione frowned slightly. After a moment's pause, a bitter smile appeared on her face and she said, "Who knows? Perhaps he has forgiven me? But I think he probably still has a knot in his heart. Blaming me for bringing it upon myself..."
Hearing her sister's seemingly heartfelt words, the first word that flashed through Hōjō Suzune's mind was "serves her right," followed by the second word, "as expected." It was exactly as she had thought.
If she hadn't known she couldn't compare to that Takahashi, why would she have thought of her? She had so many opportunities, so many good cards, yet she played them terribly.
How selfish and useless, Sister.
Suppressing the urge to mock her, Hōjō Suzune thought for a moment, resting her chin on one hand, and turned her head to look at Shione, asking, "So, do you regret it now?"
"..."
Hōjō Shione licked her lips, her frown deepened, and then a relieved smile suddenly appeared on her face as she said, "What is there to regret? At least I tried everything I could. It's better than doing nothing at all."
Truly unrepentant.
Hōjō Suzune pouted. After all, she still had to rely on her to go to Tokyo, so she couldn't say anything too harsh, but she still couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you ever think there might be a better way? Maybe Seiya would have changed his mind?"
Hearing her sister say such a thing, Hōjō Shione was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. The sound of her mocking laughter made Hōjō Suzune's eyelids twitch. Her hands unconsciously clenched, and she glared fiercely at her sister, her voice involuntarily rising as she demanded, "What are you laughing at?!"
"Hahaha..."
Hōjō Shione's shoulders shook with laughter. She slowly pressed the brake, not rushing to respond to her sister. After laughing for a while, she seemed to finally compose herself, clearing her throat twice before saying meaningfully, "Suzune, if you were me, you might not be more rational than I was."
"Don't joke around."
"I'm not joking with you."
Hōjō Shione shook her head. Her younger sister was a bit too naive. She probably thought that if she just spoke nicely and touched Seiya's heart, he would break up with Takahashi Mio, and then they would live happily ever after like a couple in a TV show. But the truth was not like that at all.
She still hadn't figured out the real reason why Shiratori Seiya broke up with her. Was it because of a lack of money? Impossible. If it were truly because of a lack of money, why would he date an actress who wasn't yet famous?
She couldn't even be called an actress; she was a trainee starting from scratch. Not to mention how much time, money, and effort it would take to cultivate her, even from a money-making perspective, she wouldn't catch up to her in a year or two.
Was it because she put too much emotional pressure on him? If that were truly the case, how should Hasegawa Saori be explained? She put no less emotional pressure on Shiratori Seiya than she did, yet he promised to marry her.
Was it because he had a nurturing fetish? Did he want to date women with different outstanding talents in various fields and then watch them achieve success?
At first, Hōjō Shione only felt this idea was too absurd to be possible. But looking at it through elimination, this possibility seemed to be the greatest at the moment. Whether it was herself, Hasegawa, or Takahashi, they all seemed to possess extraordinary talent and potential in their respective fields.
Although she didn't know how he saw it, she had even considered the possibility of psychic abilities, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he did it, and the facts showed that these women indeed had talent.
This was also one of the reasons why she was willing to bring Suzune along. If Seiya truly had a nurturing fetish, then Suzune could also be a part of it. He would probably abandon Takahashi Mio in the future and turn to date Suzune instead. The thought of Takahashi Mio flaunting herself in front of her, practically wanting to merge with Seiya, made Hōjō Shione grind her teeth in hatred.
You like to show off your affection, do you? It's about time you also tasted the feeling of being abandoned.
However, despite her vengeful thoughts, Hōjō Shione deep down still hoped that the truth wasn't like this. If that were truly the case… wouldn't she have no chance at all? Thinking this, Hōjō Shione's eyes darkened.
Then let's just fall in love in the next life…
...
Hōjō Suzune didn't know what her sister was thinking.
Hearing her say that if they swapped places, she might not have done better, a surge of anger immediately rose within her. When the car reached an intersection, she couldn't help but say during the red light, "I said, you're not the only one who has endured. Why do you assume you've suffered more than I have?"
Hearing this, Hōjō Shione glanced at her and said softly, "So, little sister, you don't know anything. Shiratori Seiya said he would marry Hasegawa Saori."
"Even if he said he would marry, do you…?" Hōjō Suzune subconsciously wanted to retort. However, just as she spoke half a sentence, she suddenly reacted. Her almond-shaped eyes widened abruptly, and her slender shoulders pulled the seatbelt taut as she sat up straight, as if she had encountered something extremely terrifying. She stared intently at Hōjō Shione and demanded, "What did you say?!"
"Heh heh."
Seeing her reaction, Hōjō Shione smiled, giving her a meaningful look and saying, "See? I just said that, and you're reacting so strongly."
Hōjō Suzune bit her lip tightly, her eyes gradually reddening. Her small chest heaved rapidly as she asked anxiously, "You said, who is Seiya going to marry?"
"Hasegawa Saori."
Hōjō Shione repeated. The green light ahead turned on. Knowing that her sister was probably confused at the moment, she slowly explained, "You should know, right? Seiya had a girlfriend in junior high. She came into his life earlier than I did. Her name is Hasegawa Saori, and she practices kendo… About half a month ago, Seiya promised to marry her…"
Listening to the sequence of events, Hōjō Suzune now had a tense, small face, staring out the window without a word. She did know that Seiya had a girlfriend in junior high; she knew it from their first meeting. However, when they met again, he was already with her sister, and he treated her like a stranger. So she never imagined Seiya would agree to marry this stranger.
This was too ridiculous, wasn't it? Too absurd?
For a moment, she even thought her sister was lying to her. She turned her head, her eyes red, and looked at Shione, suppressing the urge to cry as she said, "Impossible."
"What's impossible?"
"Seiya isn't that kind of person. Isn't he dating Takahashi?"
"Not that kind of person?"
Hōjō Shione retorted, then couldn't help but laugh again. This was the third time her sister's words had made her laugh today.
You're truly too naive, Suzune.
"What kind of person? I never thought he would break up with me before, but that's what happened. I never thought he would date other women, but that's what happened. I never thought he would be engaged to Hasegawa, but that's what happened."
"Anyway, I've already told you. Whether you want to believe it or not is your business."
"..."
Hōjō Suzune remained silent for a moment, unconsciously puffing out her cheeks, her eyes red and looking indignant, somewhat like a small toad with red ink smeared on its eyes. The image would have been comical under different circumstances, but now it was pitiful.
"I don't believe it."
"If you don't believe it, then go ask Seiya yourself. You'll find out eventually. I have no reason to lie to you."
"Then let's go see Seiya now."
Hearing this, Hōjō Shione frowned, casting a displeased glance at her sister and saying, "You just said I was irrational. What, I only said that and you can't sit still?"
"If I were to tell you that Seiya and Hasegawa Saori live in the same apartment complex, and she comes to Seiya's house for dinner every day, wouldn't you be even more restless?"
"Suzune, calm down. Look, even though Seiya is currently dating those two, isn't he also maintaining an ambiguous relationship with me, your sister? You'll have your chance too…"
Hōjō Shione chuckled, a hidden current swirling in her eyes. The words were meant to soothe, but they carried an undercurrent of manipulation that Suzune could sense even through her distress.
"..."
Hōjō Suzune fell completely silent. The air in the car grew thick with tension, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
The journey was quiet until Hōjō Shione drove the car in front of a hotel. Only then did she frown and ask, "Aren't you living across from Seiya's house? Why are we here?"
Hōjō Shione glanced at her and softly explained, "This hotel is closest to the training institution I arranged for you, and it's also very close to my office. I still have company matters to attend to these next two days, and I don't have time to run back and forth, so this makes it more convenient."
"But…" Suzune was about to say something else, but Hōjō Shione directly interrupted her, saying, "I know you want to see Seiya, but you'll have plenty of time later. Is it really so urgent in these two days? Besides, Seiya also has things to do these two days, so even if you moved in now, he wouldn't have time to see you."
"?"
Hearing this, a look of confusion flashed across Hōjō Suzune's brow, and she couldn't help but ask, "No time? What is Seiya doing?"
"He's busy filming."
Hōjō Shione explained with a half-smile, "Takahashi Mio. He's busy preparing to film for his girlfriend."
"She's an actress?"
"More or less. This drama should be her debut work…"
Hōjō Shione said, unbuckling her seatbelt and preparing to get out of the car. As if remembering something, she sat back down and looked at Hōjō Suzune, saying, "However, if you want to see Seiya, it's not impossible. Tomorrow—tomorrow should be a good time for you to see him."