Chapter 169: 168: The Shovel (2)

Words : 1263 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

"Kitahara-senpai, you really helped a lot." "Let's cooperate more in the future." After receiving the translation fee from the shop owner, Takashi politely bid farewell under the intense gaze of Shirogane Kei. Walking out of the shop, Takashi took the money from the envelope, counted it, and handed half of it to Shirogane Kei. "Senpai, is this real? I'm not dreaming, right?" Shirogane Kei trembled as she took the money. "You're easily satisfied." Actually, Takashi hadn't earned much this time. He only made 50,000 yen in total. After taking his share, Shirogane Kei was left with only 25,000 yen. 25,000 yen wasn't a lot. But for her, it was the first money she had earned from working. To her, it was of great significance. It meant she could earn money to support her family and ease some of the burden at home. Shirogane Kei was so moved that she almost cried, sincerely looking at Takashi. "Senpai, thank you." All of this had come from the help of this senpai in front of her. If it hadn't been for him, she would still be relying on her brother and father to support her. Actually, at her age, it wasn't shameful to rely on her parents; some people didn't even stop relying on them as adults. But poor children grow up quickly. With a broken home, a mother who left, a father who worked odd jobs, and a brother who barely had six hours of rest, every problem pressed down on this middle school girl until she could barely breathe. Looking at the excited girl in front of him, Takashi suddenly saw a version of himself from a certain stage in life. All this talk about investments was nonsense; helping Shirogane Kei was just a result of his sympathy. It was like he had been caught in the rain and wanted to hold an umbrella for her. Takashi looked at her so happily that his mood couldn't help but be influenced. He opened his arms and couldn't help but joke, "Your welcome, but that wasn't very sincere. How about a hug?" Shirogane Kei froze. "Just kidding..." Takashi was about to lower his arms when he saw Shirogane Kei step forward with a decisive expression, as if walking to her execution, grabbing his collar with both hands and gently pressing her forehead against his chest. "..." Takashi's smile froze on his face. Wait, I was just joking. Can't you tell? How could you take it seriously? "Kei, you..." Takashi wanted to say something, but when he lowered his head, a gentle breeze blew, causing the girl's hair to flutter and revealing her blushing, shy face. The words he was about to say suddenly slipped away. Not far away, in a black car blending with the night, Hitomi's eyes were cold and her expression indifferent as she stared at Takashi. ... Because of the brief incident earlier, the atmosphere between Takashi and Shirogane Kei became a little awkward. On the train, neither of them made any attempt to speak. The train rattled as it moved forward. It wasn't until they arrived home that Shirogane Kei spoke her first words since the incident: "I'm home." A meaningless sentence. "Mm." Takashi wasn't sure what to say, so he simply said, "Go upstairs." "Okay." Shirogane Kei glanced up and secretly peeked at Takashi. When their gazes met, she quickly looked away, feeling guilty. Her little shoes tapped the ground continuously. "Just now..." "Forget about what just happened." Before Shirogane Kei could finish her sentence, Takashi quickly interjected. "Oh!!!" This time, her voice clearly showed strong dissatisfaction. Although she wanted to say the same thing, hearing Takashi's swift dismissal, as if he was afraid of being associated with her, made her very upset. She glared at this heartless guy, silently wishing he'd hit a snag, and then, muttering "Goodbye," she hurriedly ran upstairs. Seeing Shirogane Kei head upstairs, Takashi also planned to leave. As he turned around, he was startled to see Shirogane Kei with an older man who looked almost identical to him, standing there and glaring at him. Both of them were holding kitchen knives. Takashi's eyelids twitched, and he quickly explained, "I have nothing going on with Kei. Please, don't worry, we're just friends." Just friends who sometimes hug. Hugging between friends is totally normal, right? "Little white hair, what do you call her?" "Who do you think you are calling her Kei?" Hearing Takashi call Shirogane Kei by her first name, Shirogane's father and older brother stepped forward aggressively. "What are you doing!" Shirogane Kei was about to open the door, and hearing the noise downstairs, she stuck her head out, only to see her father and older brother approaching Takashi with knives. "No one is allowed to touch Takashi." Shirogane Kei quickly ran downstairs, spread her arms wide, and blocked the two of them. "Little Kei..." Shirogane Miyuki and his father looked at their daughter, whom they had raised with so much care, now standing in front of them to protect a man. Their hearts cracked a little. At the same time, their eyes directed toward Takashi were filled with hatred, as if they wished they could swallow him whole. Bastard ! This guy is a bastard! Little Kei is just a middle school student! You're not going to let her go, are you? Are you even human? Shirogane Kei protected Takashi and circled around her father and brother, whispering, "Senpai, leave it to me. You should run." "Okay." Takashi meant it when he said he would leave. He quickly vanished without a trace. "Little Kei, are you on a date with him? Why are you coming back so late?" Shirogane Miyuki couldn't hold back from questioning her. If Shirogane Miyuki had asked nicely, Shirogane Kei might have explained her relationship with Takashi. But he just had to question her. Shirogane Kei was in her rebellious phase and hated being questioned by Shirogane Yushiro. He was treading on her last nerve. Shirogane Kei coldly glared at Shirogane Yushiro: "Yes, I'm on a date with Takashi-senpai. What's wrong with that? Is it a problem?" "Do you know he has a girlfriend?" Shirogane Yushiro had gone to Aoba to ask about it. Takashi has a girlfriend named Kawakami Narii from Aoba. Shirogane Kei, now enraged, responded, "I know. Senpai is so excellent. What's the problem with having a few girlfriends?" "What? A few?" Shirogane Miyuki felt dizzy. He thought he had just one girlfriend. So, his girlfriend was the only one in Aoba? What about the other schools? ... After leaving the Shirogane household, Takashi went to the comic exhibition and rode back to his car. When he returned to his rental house, it was almost 9 o'clock. As he unlocked the door, he wondered whether he should study for a while or just take a shower and go to bed. But when he opened the door, he saw a figure standing in the hallway, almost giving him a heart attack. When he focused, he saw that it was Hitomi, standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall. "You scared me to death. Why didn't you turn on the lights?" ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___

Chapter 169: 168: The Shovel (2)

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