Misumi sat beside Toru. She didn't act like a polished idol at all, letting her jeans brush against the dirt on the ground.
She took the rice ball Toru handed her. It was still warm. She carefully tore it open, then opened her small cherry lips and swallowed half of it in one bite.
She didn't look like a refined young lady, but she wasn't too rough either. Misumi simply pursed her lips, chewed quickly, and swallowed the rice ball.
Seeing Toru staring intently at her, the girl's face inexplicably flushed. She said shyly, "Do I look too ungraceful when I eat?"
Toru shook his head and chuckled. "How could it be ungraceful? A beautiful girl like Misumi looks charming no matter what she does."
"However, compared to Misumi's looks, I admire her ability more, and her resilience."
"I heard from Sakiko that you came to Tokyo alone to make your own way, and you've achieved this much success. That's truly remarkable."
Like many people who leave their hometowns to work in big cities, Misumi was actually one of those Tokyo drifters.
And she had it even tougher than those workers, because Misumi was simply too young. She was only a high school student this year.
She managed to gain a foothold in Tokyo all by herself, without her parents accompanying her, and even found a school to attend while renting a place of her own.
Forget a high school girl, even someone in their twenties would have a hard time accomplishing that in such a short period.
Toru knew very well that for girls who struggled like Misumi, praising her appearance might not touch her heart, but mentioning the hardships she had been through would definitely resonate with her.
In reality, Toru had learned about Misumi through his own investigation, not from Sakiko.
However, he naturally couldn't tell the girl that, so he used Sakiko as a cover. With Misumi's personality, he believed she would not go out of her way to ask Sakiko about it.
Toru's words did indeed make a trace of nostalgia appear in the girl's eyes.
Looking at the half-eaten rice ball in her hand, she said softly, "When I first came to Tokyo, I only had less than 30,000 yen left after renting a place."
"At that time, I would go to different agencies during the day to introduce myself and submit applications. Then at night, after ten o'clock, I would rush over to buy half-price rice balls."
"These rice balls stayed with me for a long time."
"After I started working, I was so busy that I barely had time to eat. Even now, most of my meals are still just bento boxes or rice balls to get by. I actually think rice balls taste pretty good."
Toru smiled and said, "They are pretty good, especially since there are so many flavors. I prefer the large beef-flavored ones. They're quite chewy."
Misumi pursed her lips and smiled. "I prefer the tuna ones. The fish makes me think of the taste of home."
"But Toru-kun likes to eat these too? Is it because you're too busy with work?"
In Misumi's view, given Toru's family background, he shouldn't be interested in such ordinary commoner food.
Just like Sakiko. In Misumi's past memories, she hadn't particularly liked eating these either.
Of course, that was Sakiko when she was still the young lady of the Togawa family. After more than a year of impoverished life, the young lady had also come to love rice balls.
Toru's family background was already known to everyone in Japan. As a great hero who had saved many people in Japan, his family had long since been investigated.
As Japan's most famous political family, the Fujiwara family had not avoided this matter either.
After all, a positive reputation was naturally beneficial in politics.
Toru slowly ate the food in his mouth. He looked at the river ahead and chuckled. "I know what Misumi wants to say. You think I'm too busy with work to eat properly, so I fill my stomach with these, right?"
"The media reports are actually inaccurate. Although I am from the Fujiwara family, I was once considered an illegitimate child. I lived in America until I came of age and had never been to Japan before then."
"In fact, before I was six, I spent my time in an orphanage."
Misumi widened her beautiful amethyst-like eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "I'm sorry, Fujiwara-kun, I didn't know that."
Misumi was surprised and felt even deeper admiration for Toru.
The things Toru had accomplished, stopping criminals and rescuing thousands of teachers and students surrounded by terrorists.
Those achievements alone were enough to make any young girl's heart flutter and fill her with curiosity and admiration for him.
Misumi was the same. When she saw the news reports at the time, she could hardly believe it.
It was not until various reports came out one after another, along with video evidence, that she truly believed there really was a man who could do such things.
For any woman, a man like that would bring an immense sense of security.
And now, after learning about Toru's true childhood experiences, Misumi was even more impressed.
To go from being an illegitimate child in an orphanage all the way to where he was now, even becoming the mayor of Tokyo's Koto Ward at such a young age.
Talent, effort, luck, and perseverance. Not a single one could be missing.
Misumi had been a little proud of her own past experiences, but after hearing about Toru's past, that small pride immediately vanished, leaving only admiration.
Fujiwara-kun is truly amazing. Although my family was poor, my parents loved each other, and they loved me very much. They also supported my hobbies.
But Fujiwara-kun had nothing and came from an orphanage to reach this point. It is truly admirable.
It was at this moment that Misumi understood that Toru's current achievements were not due to the Fujiwara family at all.
On the contrary, it was precisely because Toru was too outstanding that the Fujiwara family had gone all out to bring him back into the family.
Seeing the contemplation and admiration in the girl's eyes, Toru said calmly, "The past is the past. We must always focus on the present and look toward the future."
"As long as the future is better than the present, then all the hardships endured and all the difficulties experienced will be worth it."
"Just like Misumi. Your life is back on track now, and your future will definitely be even better."
Although he said this, Toru felt that perhaps Misumi would experience the most painful thing in her life in the near future.
And that pain would most likely come from Sakiko, from the band she was about to join.
That girl's heavy pressure was like a massive black hole, with terrifying gravity capable of swallowing and destroying everything.
Even Misumi, a girl with a strong and resolute nature since childhood, might break down.
There was no helping it. Who told you to make Sakiko the unreachable ideal in your heart? Sakiko-sensei would teach you how the world worked!
Misumi had no idea what Toru was thinking. She took out her phone, checked the time, and hesitated.
"I'm sorry, Toru-kun, the time for the planetarium tickets I bought is almost here. I need to hurry over now. I'll take my leave first."
Toru thought for a moment. He looked at the girl beside him and asked with a smile, "Do you mind if I go with you?"
(To be continued.)