Chapter 39: A Game of Words (Revised)

After answering their questions, Ryuichi Sugawara did not return to the previous second-hand instrument shop but continued walking down the street.

Although it felt a bit rude to look without buying, he had finally managed to break away and had no intention of falling into that trap again. By "trap," he naturally referred to being surrounded by staff and customers after playing a song.

As for being tailed by Yuki Takanashi and her friends, while he was concerned and had immediately recognized the implications, he concluded that it wasn't entirely a bad thing. In fact, the incident served as a valuable lesson. Previously, he had been entirely focused on his studies for the University of Tokyo entrance exams, oblivious to his surroundings and lacking any sense of vigilance.

It was understandable that he had been so unguarded before; after all, the world wasn't filled with spectators, and he lived with a clear conscience, so there was little to fear even if noticed. But things were different now. Even if he were thick-skinned enough not to care about being discovered by schoolmates while working as a rental boyfriend, he needed to be more aware of his surroundings for the sake of his clients' privacy to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"I wonder if those treasure chests can drop professional-grade counter-surveillance techniques..." Ryuichi muttered to himself as he walked.

***

Outside the shop, the four girls had not yet left.

"What do we do now?" Aine Ishiguro, having fully grasped the situation through her friend’s explanation, looked up at the instrument shop and then around the unfamiliar street, at a loss for what to do next.

She had originally intended to tail him to the end to see what Ryuichi was really up to, but their sudden exposure made that impossible. Usually, after school, they would head to karaoke, a cafe, or a dessert shop. Being stranded in this unfamiliar place left her feeling aimless.

"The stalking ends here. Let's just head back for today," Kano Sakai suggested after some thought.

"Eh? We're just going back like this?" Yuki Takanashi was surprised by the decision.

"What else would we do? Don't tell me you still want to follow him?" Kano asked, confused by her reaction.

"No, that's not it! I just thought since we're already here, why don't we hang out? This is Ochanomizu Instrument Street, a paradise for music lovers! There are so many interesting things here," Yuki said, quickly clarifying her position.

"That's true," Kyoko Utagawa chimed in, not wanting to leave so soon either.

"Forget it. If we get spotted hanging around this street, it’ll be so embarrassing," Aine Ishiguro disagreed. Though she had been too intimidated to say much earlier, she really didn't want to face Ryuichi again after being caught.

"Aine is right... If you really want to explore this street, why don't we come back another day?" Kano agreed with Aine’s sentiment but offered a compromise for the sake of Yuki and Kyoko.

"Eh... if Sugawara-kun isn't here, what's the point of coming back another day?" Kyoko whined.

"Stop being such a fangirl!" Aine, annoyed, reached out to pinch and pull at Kyoko’s cheeks.

"Fine, another day it is." Seeing that the others didn't want to stay, Yuki conceded to the majority.

"Let's go. I want some milk tea," Kano said, turning around.

"Let's go, you little fangirl," Aine said, dragging Kyoko along.

Before following them, Yuki couldn't help but glance back at the distant street corner where Ryuichi had disappeared. He was already out of sight. If she could, she would have loved to hear him play again. That electric guitar version of "Lemon" had been truly stunning—unforgettable. Her only regret was that she had been in "stalker mode" and had to stay so far away that she couldn't get a closer look.

***

Given his experience at the first shop, Ryuichi had grown fond of the feeling of playing the guitar and decided to purchase a brand-new one. Ochanomizu Instrument Street certainly lived up to its reputation. As he walked, he was surrounded by shops filled with all kinds of instruments. Many display windows featured exquisitely crafted guitars, causing Ryuichi to stare in wonder and draw him into shop after shop.

Since a good guitar could easily cost hundreds of thousands of yen, he didn't want to make a hasty purchase. He spent his time browsing from one store to the next. He had no dates today, so he had plenty of time to spare.

After nearly two hours, Ryuichi finally settled on a guitar that satisfied him, priced at 220,000 yen—a Fender. He also bought a variety of accessories. He had arrived with only a school bag over his shoulder, but he left carrying several bags.

"With all this stuff, I'll have to put off buying a camera until later..." Standing in front of the shop, he looked at his load and decided against trying to finish all his errands in one day.

With that, he headed back toward the station. It was 6:27 PM, the heart of Tokyo's evening rush hour. The closer he got to the station, the denser the crowd became. Ryuichi, weighed down by his bags, merged into the tide of people and headed down the stairs.

Before he could join the queue for the platform, a female voice called out from the side: "Sugawara-kun."

Hearing his name, Ryuichi instinctively looked toward the source. A girl was leaning against the wall near the stairwell. She wore the Takeno High School uniform with a jacket tied around her waist. She had beautiful long blonde hair, large blue eyes, and a delicate, pretty face with lips accented by lipstick, looking incredibly soft and enticing. The blonde "gyaru" stood there as if she were a beautiful piece of scenery.

Recognizing her features, a name popped into his mind: Yuki Takanashi. He looked around instinctively, but her three friends were nowhere to be seen.

"Are you waiting for me?" Ryuichi asked.

"You said not to follow you, but you didn't say I couldn't wait for you, did you?" Seeing her intent laid bare, Yuki pushed herself off the wall, crossed her arms behind her back, and stepped forward, nodding in admission. Because of her lingering regret, she had made an excuse to stay behind instead of returning with her friends.

"Fair point," Ryuichi replied, not denying her logic.

"Heehee~" Seeing that he wasn't angry, Yuki looked at him with sparkling eyes, a sly sense of satisfaction in her expression as her little trick had succeeded.