Chapter 1: Hiroshi Nohara
The morning wind was a bit noisy, perhaps because last night’s gale and heavy rain hadn’t fully dissipated, making Hiroshi Nohara, who had just woken up, feel a little bothered.
But when Hiroshi Nohara turned his head and looked at the girl still lying in his arms, her fair and delicate little face, slightly furrowed arched eyebrows, the faint blush that hadn’t faded from her cheeks, and her slightly upturned lips that were still red and swollen from excessive indulgence, he revealed a faint smile.
Because Hiroshi Nohara knew very well that this was his girlfriend, his fiancée who was already engaged, his future legal wife, and the mother of their unborn child.
Misae Nohara from Kumamoto Prefecture.
“According to neon traditions, after we get married, you’ll be called Misae Nohara, right?” The corners of Hiroshi Nohara’s mouth curved up even higher.
He couldn’t help but gently press his lips again to those pink and moist little lips.
“Yah~mi~” Misae’s face, still in her dreams, showed a hint of fear. She couldn’t help but purse her pink lips and mumbled in her sleep, “Hiroshi-kun, I’m really so tired right now.”
And while mumbling, her curvaceous and slender figure gently twisted a few times in Hiroshi Nohara’s arms.
“Misae, you little demon who torments me.” Hiroshi Nohara forcibly held back, reaching out to pull his arm from under Misae’s head.
He glanced at the slightly brightening sky outside the window, stretched lazily, and began to get out of bed.
It was now exactly 6 o’clock in the morning.
Thanks to the excellent biological clock Hiroshi Nohara had developed since university, even though he had been tossing and turning until 1 a.m. last night and had gotten up at 5 a.m. for another round, he still woke up at this time.
“Time to wash up first.” Hiroshi Nohara rubbed his waist as he got out of bed.
He glanced at the vibrant young body still covered under the thin blanket, and the fair, slender long legs exposed with some bluish pinch marks, and couldn’t help but sigh.
‘Splash—’
Hiroshi Nohara quickly took a shower, then wrapped himself in a towel and dried off.
“Angular face, strong body with six-pack abs—I kinda look like Takeshi Kaneshiro?” While drying his hair with a towel, Hiroshi Nohara looked at himself in the mirror and was very satisfied.
But thinking of this, Hiroshi Nohara felt a bit emotional.
Because unfortunately, although this world had neon, Tokyo, and all the countries around the world, it seemed similar to his previous life.
But one must know.
This world had no Takeshi Kaneshiro, nor any of the familiar figures from his previous life.
“Maybe that’s for the best, no need to be taboo.” Hiroshi Nohara dried his body, pushed open the bathroom door and walked out, subconsciously turning his head to look outside the apartment’s floor-to-ceiling window.
By now, the sun had risen.
Sunlight sprinkled between the high-rise buildings, as if turning the countless glass curtain walls into a rippling lake surface, reflecting the longing mindsets of countless young people who came to Tokyo, this international metropolis, to chase their dreams.
Including Hiroshi Nohara, the young man from Omagari City in Akita Prefecture.
“Who wouldn’t yearn for the big city?”
Hiroshi Nohara looked at Misae’s delicate and pretty little face, still showing a sweet smile in her sleep, full of collagen, and felt that his hard work was worth it.
At this moment, he was full of fighting spirit.
He went to the kitchen, took eggs and two boxes of vegetables bought the night before from the refrigerator, and put sliced bread into the bread maker.
Hiroshi Nohara began preparing breakfast.
With a beep, the machine started toasting the sliced bread. Hiroshi Nohara skillfully rinsed the vegetables simply, then took out a frying pan, added some olive oil, and began stir-frying.
The eggs nearby were mixed with milk and cheese, made into a smooth egg in a special small frying pan.
Once everything was done.
Just then, the toaster dinged, indicating the sliced bread was ready.
“Wow! What a bountiful breakfast!”
At that moment, the kitchen door was pulled open. A fragrant scent wafted to Hiroshi Nohara’s back, pressing that curvaceous and amazingly elastic figure against his back. A joyful voice full of surprise came to his ear: “Arugula! Mizuna! And cheese smooth egg! All my favorites!”
“Of course, this is the love breakfast made with true heart for my cute, beautiful, and lively Misae-chan~”
Hiroshi Nohara chuckled lightly.
Then he turned around and embraced the petite yet curvaceous slender figure behind him, skillfully pressing his lips to those tender pink lips.
And this time, Hiroshi Nohara’s tongue was extremely aggressive.
“Mmmph!”
With slurping sounds, that tender and cute little face turned bright red, even her earlobes red as if they were about to bleed.
Her body went limp against Hiroshi Nohara, only held up by him to avoid collapsing to the floor.
Once everything was ready.
After being fully satisfied, Hiroshi Nohara finally released Misae’s slim waist.
Looking at her face flushed to the point of suffocation, her whole demeanor like a cute and bewildered little deer, he smiled and said, “Time for breakfast.”
The one who came was Misae Nohara, who had just woken up.
“Nohara-kun, you’re so naughty.” Misae lightly bit her pink lip, her big eyes watery as she looked at him, showing a cute yet stubborn and unyielding look after being teased.
It almost made Hiroshi Nohara swallow and feel the urge to stir again.
The reason he liked Misae Nohara was that he could sense this cute girl’s unyielding spirit from the bottom of her heart, and the special charm brought by that little stubbornness.
It sparked a desire to conquer.
Of course.
Now, Hiroshi Nohara was a conqueror who had already declared his sovereignty.
“Here, take the plates over.” Hiroshi Nohara gently scraped Misae’s tender nose tip with his hand and handed her two plates of low-oil stir-fried vegetables.
Then he picked up the smooth egg and the bread from the toaster and went to the dining area outside.
What was called the dining room was actually just a space that didn’t take up much indoor area, with a small two-person table set up, turning it into their dining room.
“And milk.” Hiroshi Nohara brought a large two-liter glass bottle of milk from outside, just enough for their breakfast.
This was fresh milk delivered early by the milkman.
“Nohara-kun, are you sure you won’t accept Futaba Corporation’s invitation to become an assistant to a senior manager?”
While eating, Misae thought of something and curiously looked up to ask.
Misae was indeed curious.
Because Futaba Corporation was after all a somewhat famous trading company, operating a large commercial complex and a chain brand supermarket with over forty stores in a prosperous area of Tokyo Metropolis.
For Hiroshi Nohara, a fresh graduate who wasn’t from a particularly outstanding university, this was already a very good choice.
“Yeah, I don’t want to go to Futaba Corporation.” Hiroshi Nohara swallowed the bread in his mouth, nodded with a light smile, and said, “I have my own arrangement.”
As he spoke, he looked toward the corner.
Misae also lifted her little face to look over, her delicate features showing some doubt: “Hiroshi-kun, you don’t… really want to become a manga artist, do you?”
In the nearby wall corner, there was a drawing board, along with stacks of white paper and drawing tools piled in the corner.
Before, Misae had known that Hiroshi Nohara loved drawing and taking some embarrassing photos and films.
But now, on the major life issue of career.
For Hiroshi Nohara, an economics university student, wanting to become a manga artist was indeed shocking and unacceptable to Misae.
“Don’t worry, not a full-time manga artist.” Hiroshi Nohara naturally understood Misae’s thoughts.
A reassuring smile appeared on his face. He even reached out and scraped the tender bridge of Misae’s nose, who looked stunned like a dazed bear, and smiled, saying, “Just part-time as a manga artist. If I can make money, great; if not, it’s just an extension of my hobby.”
“Oh oh.” Misae nodded in a way that showed she didn’t quite understand but thought it sounded impressive and thus agreed.
But she quickly reacted.
Blinking her eyes, she licked the oil stain from the corner of her pink lips and asked doubtfully, “Then where do you plan to work?”
“Tokyo Broadcasting System.” Hiroshi Nohara said.
“Tokyo Broadcasting… System!?”
Misae widened her eyes in surprise, now looking even more like a cute version of a dazed bear.
“Yes, my classmate’s uncle works as a producer at Tokyo Broadcasting System, so I asked him to recommend me.”
Hiroshi Nohara said, “Today I’m planning to go for an interview. And from what I’ve heard, this classmate’s uncle is recently preparing a horror-type animation project, so I’ve prepared a trump card.” As he spoke, he looked at the white paper stacked in the corner.
If looked closely, those white papers were actually manga drawings that had been drawn and organized.
“So… awesome.” Misae sighed in a way that showed she didn’t understand but thought it sounded impressive.
After all, from the time she met him until now, she clearly knew that Hiroshi Nohara was a very capable person!
Yeah, capable.
As she thought about it, Misae slightly lowered her head, a blush of shy annoyance appearing on her little face.
“By the way, Misae.” Hiroshi Nohara suddenly spoke up.
“What’s wrong, Hiroshi-kun?” Misae looked up in confusion.
“Don’t go to that Koyamada Trading Company you mentioned wanting to join last time.” Hiroshi Nohara said.
“Huh?” Misae was slightly stunned, not understanding why Hiroshi Nohara said this.
Her pink lips pursed lightly, her expression a bit aggrieved as she said, “Hiroshi-kun, you’re 23 this year, a university graduate. You don’t understand the struggles of us high school graduates. The position at Koyamada Trading Company is just a mall salesperson, but it’s still a good job.”
Academic discrimination exists everywhere.
Moreover, although Misae Nohara had attended the private Kato Kiyomasa Women’s Junior College, it was a private girls’ school, and she graduated in just a few months from a short-term program.
Society didn’t recognize that kind of education at all.
She could only comfort herself.
So, Misae was quite satisfied with that position at Koyamada Trading Company.
“How about opening your own coffee and dessert shop?”
Hiroshi Nohara smiled without saying more, instead looking at Misae and saying, “That way, you’d be your own boss, no need to watch a superior’s face, and have free time, right?”
Misae was stunned by Hiroshi Nohara’s words: “Hiroshi-kun, what… what do you mean open a coffee and dessert shop?”
