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Chapter 43: Misunderstandings, Heading Home, and the Love Detective
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:43:01 +0000 UTCYamada Ryo considered her relationship with Aoki Kei to be… well, pretty decent.
In Japan, only people who are close use first names or nicknames.
So the nickname “Suki-san”—taken from the “Kei” (介) in Aoki Kei’s name was kind of a big deal.
If Aoki Kei ever asked if he could call her “Ryo,” she probably wouldn’t say no.
But suddenly calling out her name in the middle of a crowded street like that...
To be honest, it felt a little awkward, especially without any warning.
So Ryo paused, a bit caught off guard, blinking with a confused look in her eyes.
Kita Ikuyo, standing beside her, froze up completely.
If they were both girls, it’d be no big deal for them to start calling each other by their first names after getting to know each other a bit.
But Aoki Kei and Ryo weren’t the same gender.
Kita’s inner love detective radar blared to life.
Still, that wasn’t even the biggest issue right now.
If Ryo-senpai and Aoki-senpai were in a relationship, then... who was the mysterious girl standing next to Aoki-senpai right now?
The one who’d just asked, “Who is that woman?” with sharp suspicion?
A side chick?!
Kita Ikuyo hadn’t at all expected Aoki Kei to be that kind of person.
She’d always felt a mix of slight skepticism and secret support for the idea of Ryo-senpai dating him—but now, seeing this unfold live...
She looked at Aoki Kei. Then at Yamada Ryo.
...
‘Wait... why doesn’t Ryo-senpai look even a little upset?’
‘Is she so heartbroken she’s gone totally blank-faced?!’
Well—no time for overthinking!
Kita shook her head vigorously and turned back toward Aoki Kei, her expression serious and fierce.
“Aoki-senpai! I believe the most important thing in love is loyalty! Cheating and fooling around are absolutely 100% wrong!”
She spoke with such conviction and volume that several passersby turned their heads.
More onlookers gathered.
A small crowd had formed.
Aoki Kei’s eye twitched as he threw a pleading look at Ryo.
He wasn’t particularly bothered by attention, but Kita’s dramatic declaration was starting to test his patience.
As whispers spread and people began subtly watching the three girls and one guy dynamic unfold, Aoki Kei sighed deeply.
And there was no way he could untangle this mess with just a sentence or two.
‘Fantastic.’
Seeing Aoki Kei shoot her that “please help me” look, Yamada Ryo blinked calmly.
She glanced at Kita, who was now practically fuming with indignation.
Okay... maybe that joke went a bit too far.
Realizing her earlier comment had spiraled out of control, Ryo quickly stepped in.
“Sorry, Kita. That was just a joke—I’m not dating Suki-san. And, um... your voice was kind of loud just now.”
“Eh?”
Kita’s passionate anger instantly morphed into confusion.
She looked at Aoki Kei… then noticed all the people staring.
“......”
Her expression froze.
Slowly, she turned toward Ryo, her face going bright red.
“Ehhhh?!”
...
...
After Ryo’s explanation, and Aoki Kei giving a quick rundown of Takanashi Rikka’s situation, Kita’s face somehow turned even redder.
She muttered a few flustered complaints—“Ryo-senpai, that joke was too much! So irresponsible!”—and then bowed her head, sincerely apologizing to Aoki Kei.
Too embarrassed to speak again, she remained quiet afterward.
Though Aoki Kei insisted it wasn’t a big deal, Ryo still gave him a formal apology too, since the situation had gotten out of hand.
Even Takanashi Rikka, still mostly clueless about what just happened, followed suit and apologized out of sheer politeness.
After things calmed down, Aoki Kei asked if Ryo and Kita could help escort Rikka home, since, as he explained, “I’m still not great with Tokyo’s layout.”
The girls had no objections.
And since this whole mess had technically started because of him, Aoki Kei decided to come along as well.
And so, the four of them set off toward the address Rikka had given earlier.
The walk wasn’t too long, but it wasn’t exactly short either.
The weather was starting to heat up, and around midday, the sun made walking feel like a light workout.
After a while, Kei popped into a nearby convenience store and came out with four cold drinks.
He handed them out, and while thanking the girls, he suddenly remembered—
Back at Shibuya Station, he had called Yamada “Ryo.”
Out of courtesy, he brought it up.
“I called you ‘Ryo’ earlier… Sorry about that.”
Yamada Ryo didn’t seem bothered at all.
She shook her head and replied with a relaxed smile:
“It’s fine. Just ‘Ryo’ is okay too. Whatever’s easiest for you.”
“Ryo” was a bit smoother than “Yamada,” though it wasn’t a huge difference.
Still, Aoki Kei nodded in acknowledgment.
And off to the side, Kita Ikuyo’s love detective radar quietly started flashing again.
Although both Ryo-senpai and Aoki Kei insisted there was absolutely nothing between them beyond friendship, Kita Ikuyo still clung to her original belief:
‘Even if they’re not dating, there’s no way they’re just ordinary friends!’
She glanced at the two with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
But before her thoughts could spiral further, Ryo suddenly spoke and cut through the silence.
“By the way, I never asked what’s your name?” she said, her gaze turning to the eyepatch-wearing, bandage-wrapped, gothically dressed girl beside Aoki Kei.
Takanashi Rikka, in her full gothic outfit and dramatic appearance, didn’t hesitate.
With a serious expression, she declared:
“Bearer of the Eye of the Wicked Lord, Seeker of the Invisible Boundary Line… I am the wielder of the Tyrant’s Eye!”
“...”
Ryo blinked in surprise, but quickly caught on.
She nodded thoughtfully, and after a beat, replied in kind:
“I am the demon bassist from the Abyss of Eternal Darkness… the most wicked musician of the Dark Realm.”
Then, tilting her head toward Aoki Kei, she added, “And you, Suki-san?”
Aoki Kei didn’t wait for her to finish.
He cleared his throat and spoke solemnly:
“I am the former bearer of the Seven Deadly Sins, ruler of the Terminal Horizon, and the lone dictator of the Wandering Otherworld—Aoki Kei.”
“Ooh, cool,” Ryo said flatly, giving him a thumbs-up with her usual deadpan face.
Then she turned her gaze to Kita Ikuyo.
Still trying to process the surreal conversation, Kita blinked as all three stared at her.
“Huh? Wait, me too?”
She looked nervously between Ryo, Kei, and Rikka, clearly under pressure.
After a long, awkward pause, she finally stammered out:
“U-uh… I’m… the apprentice guitarist from the Abyss of Darkness… known as the Demon Guitarist… desu…”
“...”
Silence. No one said a word.
The four continued walking in dead silence—until a few seconds later, Ryo let out a sudden snort of laughter.
Aoki Kei, face dead serious, clenched his thigh with all his strength just to keep a straight face.
“...”
Kita took a deep breath, then blurted out with a teary voice:
“I hate you! I hate you, Ryo-senpai! Aoki-senpai! You guys are the worst!”
————————————————————————
Later...
The “dark bassist bullying the newbie guitarist” episode finally came to a close.
Thanks to Tokyo local Ryo and the energetic Kita, the group took a shortcut rather than backtracking the whole way.
By noon, Takanashi Rikka had successfully returned home.
Just before they left, Rikka rushed back out and added Aoki Kei on LINE.
She quickly sent him a message:
————————————————————————
[Wielder of the Tyrant’s Eye]: Thank you, Sealed One. Please also thank the Demon Bassist and the Demon Guitarist for me.
————————————————————————
Aoki Kei replied, “No problem.” Then showed the message to the other two girls.
After a solo lunch, Kei headed to the live house for afternoon band practice.
————————————————————————
That night—around 9 PM
Kita Ikuyo lay in bed, phone in hand, but eyes fixed on the ceiling, her mind wandering.
‘There’s definitely something strange between Ryo-senpai and Aoki-senpai… I’m dying to know!’
‘Wait… Nishika-senpai’s really close with Ryo-senpai, right? Maybe if I ask her, she’ll know something…’
Eyes lighting up with a spark of curiosity, Kita sat up and immediately grabbed her phone.
It wasn’t too late, so she opened LINE, scrolled to Nishika’s contact, and quickly typed out a message:
[Nishika-senpai, I think Ryo-senpai and Aoki-senpai are super close… do you know if there’s something going on between them?
I’m really curious! But if it’s a secret, that’s okay too. Thank you, Nishika-senpai!]
