NOVPUB
Chapter 287 - Texts
"Stepsister..."
When Tobe returned to his room, he couldn't help but feel speechless at this possibility. While he didn't think that he would do anything to his stepmother, it might be different with the stepsister, especially when he knew how much the people in this country love being with the stepsister.
Then, again, he felt weird when he thought of himself with the stepsister, and frankly, there were many women in this world, and half of the population was female, so why did it have to be with the stepsister, or the stepmother?
Even if somehow, his stepsister or stepmother were a heroine, Tobe felt that it wasn't wise of him to get close to them with a purpose or an affection more than family, though.
Regardless, as he returned to his room, he decided to study, starting to review his studies to see whether there was a difference between this school and the schools that he had attended when he was still living as Ishigami and Satoshi in the past.
Only—
"Tobe-kun, why didn't you tell me your father was there?!"
"Hey? Are you still with your father?"
"If you have finished, give me a reply, okay?"
"....."
"Maaya..."
Even though it was only for a moment, Tobe could tell that he had a high chance of making Maaya his girlfriend, especially with how she was with him and how she contacted him.
Probably, in less than a month, he had a high chance of making her his girlfriend.
'But, Maaya, huh?'
When he thought of their interaction and how cute this girl was, he couldn't help but smile, thinking that it was quite nice despite what kind of weirdo this girl was.
Still, Maaya wasn't the only one who contacted him since Hiratsuka also sent him an email.
"Oh?"
As he chatted with Maaya, he looked at Hiratsuka's email.
"Good evening, Tobe-kun, this is Hiratsuka Shizuka, your teacher, and I want to talk to you about our appointment on the weekend..."
Formal and long.
Tobe wondered how someone could send him a formal a work-like exchange instead of a relationship between a man and a woman.
Moreover—
"Sorry, you haven't slept yet, right? If possible, I want you to give a reply right away."
"Tobe-kun? Have you read it? Or are you sleeping?"
"Hello?"
"...."
It was great that Hiratsuka didn't use LINE, but if she used it, Tobe was sure that she might continue to spam him and never let him go, especially after he read her chats.
Then again, he could see that from this exchange, it was clear that Hiratsuka didn't have much experience with the opposite gender.
Spamming.
It was something common, especially when the opposite didn't answer our response right away, yet being spammed was an annoying thing, and the lives of others didn't revolve around ourselves.
While a fast response was hoped for, if a certain situation didn't allow the other party to answer, especially during busy work, one shouldn't give so many chats till they were answered, as it was annoying.
As for what one should do, well, just chat normally like how one was with a family or a friend, since it was usually rare for one to give spam-like chats to the family or friend, right?
Rubbing his temple, he looked at her email and saw that the content was about their trip destination, which would be at—
"Sorry, I was studying. Katsuura City? You mean that coastal city on the corner of Chiba?"
"Ah, are you studying? Really?"
"....."
Was it so unbelievable for him to study?
Regardless, facing the bombardment of chats from Maaya and Hiratsuka, he could hold on and handle them well.
Yet, the two weren't the only ones who gave him a chat, since in the small apartment on the corner of Chiba, a girl couldn't concentrate on her study and kept staring at her smartphone, looking at the text that she was about to send him. Hesitant, worried, and many other feelings.
Usually, she wouldn't feel like this, especially when she wasn't interested in the relationship, and with her family's situation, she knew that she had to study and work hard so she wouldn't trouble her mother.
Staring at her old, small single apartment that exuded extreme loneliness, she had become wealthy, allowing her mother to live well, so her mother wouldn't have to work from night to morning again.
Yet when she thought of him, who had helped her this afternoon, she felt that she had to say something, especially when his help greatly helped her, since if she lost her wallet, it would be a disaster.
Still, her personality was awkward, and she tended to overthink things, especially when she wasn't sure what to say, and whether her thanks were even necessary. Tobe had told her that he did nothing special, yet for her, it was a special matter, and because of that, she wanted to thank him.
It would be great if he took the initiative to contact her, she thought, but then again, if he contacted him, would it be about the problem of Maaya?
When she thought about how close they were this afternoon, and how happy Maaya would be when she talked to him, she couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest.
Sighing, she laid her head on the table where she studied as she looked at the screen of her smartphone, staring at the chat that she was about to send.
"Good evening... no, that's too formal. Thank you. No, that's too short..."
As she kept thinking, repeating the same words, deleting them, and fixing them for only her who knows, before she sent them.
"Ah..."
Yet, after she sent the text, she realized that she had made a mistake, but fortunately, Tobe hadn't read her chat, so she edited it and erased the mistake, then waited for his response. A second was like a minute, and a minute was like an hour, but as she hesitated, thinking that he was busy or something, before she she continued her study, which was completely forgotten due to this chat, yet, even so, she couldn't look away from his chat record, and the sticker of a gorilla, which made her helpless before all of a sudden, she got his reply.
"No problem. I am glad that I can be of help."
With those words, they quickly erased all the worry on her heart as she showed a gentle expression on her face, feeling glad that she dared to send him a chat, but the more she felt this feeling, the greedier she became, so she texted him another, which then continued into a different chats.
Yet, for Tobe, who looked at the notices that kept increasing, without any intention to stop from Maaya, Hiratsuka, and Saki Ayase, he was glad that he didn't add Yukinoshita's contact information, too, or else, his night would be even more rowdy.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita sneezed as she read the new novel that she bought, before she looked at her quiet room, and her smartphone, which was completely quiet.
"I wonder what he is doing..."
She wondered whether Tobe was really studying and whether what he had said to her before was the truth, which made her think that it was necessary to get his contact information.
"Let's ask him tomorrow..."
Yet, was it okay?
As she thought so, she decided to look up on the internet, wondering how to ask for the contact information without being rude or being misunderstood to have a certain feeling.
Still, it wasn't only Yukinoshita, since many also stayed up quite late due to him for some reason, yet despite how enviable his position was, he chatted, "I will sleep first. See you tomorrow."
Leaving those words, he put his smartphone down on his table, went to his bed, and slept peacefully on the first day in the new world.
