Chapter 114: Declare War! Declare War!
Natsume Mio sat in the front passenger seat, while Mikazuki Haruna drove.
Natsume Mio tilted her head, gazing at the girl who was driving.
Mikazuki Haruna also noticed her gaze and casually asked while steering, “I thought you were going to the convenience store next door to buy something. Why go so far?”
Natsume Mio said calmly, “Since you’re driving over anyway, just drop me off. I’m going to quit my part-time job with the store manager at the convenience store, and I won’t work there anymore after that.”
“Quit?”
Mikazuki Haruna was a bit surprised. She didn’t know Natsume Mio had a part-time job at that convenience store, so she asked, “Do you need money too?”
Natsume Mio gently shook her head and said with a smile, “I didn’t take the part-time job to make money.”
“Then what for?” Mikazuki Haruna asked.
Natsume Mio said in a tone that sounded casual but was actually deliberate, “Mainly because A Jian was also working part-time at that store before.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Mikazuki Haruna’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
So while she was still unaware that Sakamoto Ken lived in that rundown apartment, this Natsume Mio had already infiltrated every aspect of his life.
Working part-time together, huh…
Actually, Mikazuki Haruna had expected Natsume Mio to have known Sakamoto Ken before her, since they had always been classmates.
In that memory in her mind, she had also heard Sakamoto Ken mention that he used to work part-time at a convenience store, but he never said with whom…
Could it be that he concealed it from me?
In that dream, that guy A Jian was a damn scumbag. If he really hid something like this, it seemed… pretty likely?!
Natsume Mio continued, “Looking at you, it seems you’ve never done a part-time job before?”
“Indeed, I haven’t.” Mikazuki Haruna admitted frankly.
“Then you wouldn’t understand A Jian’s feelings.” She added.
“What feelings?” Mikazuki Haruna asked.
She thought, wasn’t it just shouting “welcome” together at the convenience store and organizing shelves? What special feelings could there be?
Mikazuki Haruna continued, “Besides, he won’t be doing part-time jobs anymore anyway. His manga is more popular than mine, and it’ll definitely sell big once the volumes come out.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Natsume Mio quickly chimed in, “So, he won’t be tempted by certain people’s money.”
“Tch.”
Mikazuki Haruna huffed lightly and said dismissively, “I’m not trying to buy him off with money. I just want to help him. Don’t tell me you want to see him short on cash?”
Natsume Mio looked at the streetscape receding outside the window, and that dream memory surfaced in her mind.
At that time, she had watched A Jian get into this girl’s car with her own eyes…
She gripped the car door handle tightly, her gaze scanning every detail inside the car.
The exquisite red interior, the complex center console, and the air carrying a faint scent of high-end fragrance…
She glanced at the back seat again.
Normally, the back seat was three connected seats, but in this vehicle, the middle was completely separated by a center console, turning it into two independent seats.
Mikazuki Haruna asked beside her, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” Natsume Mio withdrew her gaze and said nonchalantly, “I’ve never been in such an expensive car, just taking a look.”
“Then take a good look. How is it? Comfortable to sit in, right?” Mikazuki Haruna’s tone carried a hint of showing off. “Want to try this vehicle’s acceleration?”
“Nah.” Natsume Mio chuckled. “Don’t drive the car into a ditch.”
“You don’t trust my driving skill?”
“I see several scratches on your car that haven’t been repainted.”
“That’s… You haven’t driven before. Who doesn’t get a few minor scrapes?” Mikazuki Haruna said.
The corner of Natsume Mio’s mouth curved up slightly, knowing she had hit the mark.
This girl’s driving skill sucked.
Natsume Mio’s gaze swept over the back seat again, and she commented, “Your car looks luxurious, but the space isn’t big.”
“How isn’t it big?” Mikazuki Haruna asked.
“The back seat probably isn’t convenient, right? You can’t even lie down.” Natsume Mio said.
“Why would you want to sleep in the car?” Mikazuki Haruna said.
“I was just saying it casually.” Natsume Mio said.
“Just adjust the seatback.” Mikazuki Haruna said.
“True…”
Natsume Mio reached out and groped along the side of the seat, quickly finding a row of adjustment buttons.
Accompanied by the “buzz” of the motor, the seatback began to recline slowly.
Though not completely flat, it was already at a comfortable angle for sleeping.
She looked at the car roof, her mind starting to wander…
If A Jian got into this girl’s car, what strange things would they do inside?
Though she wanted to deny the idea, the car interior felt like a particularly stimulating scene. If it were her, she might very well pull A Jian in to do it.
After all, in that very long memory, she and A Jian had some even crazier experiences than in a car…
Of course, those were just things that “might” happen in the future.
Since she already knew, she absolutely couldn’t let A Jian turn into such a scumbag.
And she definitely couldn’t let that ending with three stab wounds and six holes happen.
Anyway, she would absolutely never stab A Jian with a knife.
Amid her thoughts, the vehicle had entered the residential area where Sakamoto Ken used to live.
The vehicle navigated the narrow path, with Mikazuki Haruna driving cautiously, nearly scraping the walls several times while turning.
“This isn’t a problem with my driving skill,” she explained awkwardly. “This vehicle is too big. Next time, I should switch to a smaller one…”
Natsume Mio said mercilessly, “Even if you drove a K-Car, you’d still hit the wall here.”
“Want to drive it yourself?”
“I don’t have a driver’s license yet.”
“You don’t even have a license, and you’re critiquing my driving skill?”
“Not knowing how to make it cold doesn’t mean I can’t judge if the air conditioner is cold enough.”
After bickering a bit, Mikazuki Haruna finally parked the car in a parking spot.
Natsume Mio had already messaged Store Manager Grandma in advance, saying she wanted to quit, and that she would stay to help if needed that afternoon.
But Store Manager Grandma told her that the store had already hired a new employee, and she could handle her resignation anytime.
After all, it was just a part-time job, not a full-time position at the store, so she was officially done quickly.
Mikazuki Haruna wandered casually around the store, looking at these shelves. Though every convenience store was similar, she still felt a bit emotional.
So this was the convenience store where A Jian used to work part-time.
By the time she met him in her memory, he had already left this place for a long time.
She felt that the dream about Sakamoto Ken was her biggest secret. At most, she’d tell A Jian later, and absolutely no third person.
The two came out of the convenience store, and Natsume Mio headed toward the apartment where Sakamoto Ken used to live, with Mikazuki Haruna silently following behind.
They stood downstairs from the rundown apartment building, looking up at the rusty structure.
After a long silence, Natsume Mio finally turned her head, staring sharply at Mikazuki Haruna.
“Do you like A Jian?” Natsume Mio said.
Mikazuki Haruna didn’t dodge; her gaze showed no evasion.
She stared straight at Natsume Mio, the corner of her mouth even curving up in a provocative arc. “So what if I do?”
