Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 20 An Unplanned Encounter

Having just finished their first campus visit, the first-generation members, finally feeling a real sense of their celebrity status, showed no intention of resting on the bus back. Most of them were still full of energy, making a ruckus and creating quite a scene, as loud as five hundred ducks. This was a real hardship for the club president, who had chosen to hitch a ride to save himself some trouble. The noise made him dizzy, but since he was on their turf, he couldn't say much.

"Kubo-san, why don't you sit over here with me?"

Fortunately, Rito usually prays to the Compassionate Guanyin, and he's a nice person. In times of crisis, there are always people who care about you. Today, the steady Meimei is sitting next to him. She noticed that he didn't look well, so she gave up her seat by the window.

"Thank you so much, Meimei. I should have driven here myself."

Without any hesitation, Li Ren switched places with Meimei. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, slightly relieving his headache. He turned around and thanked the thoughtful girl.

"It's okay~" Meimei smiled sweetly, "That's how the older sisters are when they're in a good mood, Kubo-san, you'll have to get used to it soon."

"How am I supposed to get used to this!" Rito complained, glancing at the two most boisterous girls, Saito Yuri and Kawago Hina, and secretly grinding her teeth, already plotting how to secretly teach them a lesson.

A perverted Yudan and a sharp-tongued Hina, you just wait!

Just as he turned his gaze away and was silently calculating in his mind, he suddenly felt the texture of a foreign object touching his ear. He quickly turned his head, only to see a white earphone wire hanging between him and Meimei.

"Meow?"

Sensing his probing gaze, Meimei didn't explain. She simply turned her head away, her cheeks slightly flushed, and listened intently to the music while wearing her other earphone.

Seeing this, Rito didn't ask any more questions. He adjusted his headphones to a comfortable position, and the gentle sound of piano music instantly filled in, blocking out the outside noise. It was Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence," which, although somewhat out of place for the season, still possessed a soothing charm.

Seeing that he had put on his headphones, Meimei sat quietly, tilting her head slightly towards the window to watch the street scene rushing past. Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell on her hair, like musical notes falling on piano strings, adding a touch of vibrancy to her beauty. Her long eyelashes drooped down, and she would occasionally glance at Rito before quickly looking away.

The bus drove through the streets of Tokyo, filled with the chattering laughter and playful noises of girls. The music playing in his headphones kept changing. Although the songs were all old classics that were nostalgic for Rito, music has a charm that transcends time and retains its timeless brilliance, which seemed to bring him closer to the girl beside him.

"You have good taste in music. I thought girls your age would only like songs I've never heard before."

After listening to several songs, Rito suddenly spoke up, somewhat unexpectedly.

"Kubo-san isn't that much older than me, why are you saying such old-fashioned things?"

Meimei glanced at him, not liking his tone of treating her like a child.

"Oh, sorry." Rito smiled, not bothering to argue with the teenage Meimei, but Meimei seemed even more unhappy. She moved her lips, about to say something, when Rito's phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He frowned, took out his phone, and saw it was his father calling.

"I need to take this call," he said to Meimei, taking off his earphones and pressing the answer button.

"Riri, are you free?" The father's tone on the other end of the phone was as serious as ever. "If you're free, go to the airport and pick someone up for me."

"Pick someone up? Who?" Rito asked, startled.

"I told you before, I can't find the time to entertain that Miss Guan today, could you please go and serve her for me?"

The eldest daughter of the Guan family?

Li Ren's eyebrows furrowed slightly, which aroused Mei Mei's curiosity. However, he had no intention of explaining. After briefly understanding the situation from his father, he hung up the phone and began to pack his belongings.

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Two hours later, the glass curtain wall of the arrival hall at Narita International Airport was scorching hot from the afternoon sun, just like Rito's mood at that moment.

Yumiko Seki, a second-generation member of the Sakurazaka family, is also the apple of the eye of Seki Furniture, a furniture manufacturer in the Kyushu region. She is a true heiress.

(President, you seem to be in great shape during my recent Instagram live streams.)

Sure enough, even a system has to follow basic rules when it comes to adding people.

Rito leaned against the vending machine, twirling a Nogizaka46 keychain with the latest merchandise on his fingertips, lost in thought. He had drawn the president from the reward pool he received after the group's debut. He had assumed she would appear in his life like the other members, only after the next audition. However, the young lady completely ignored that. After seeing Nogizaka46 on TV, she immediately called her father, expressing her desire to come and see them. Since his father and Kaneki Ken happened to have considerable business dealings, this communication between the two families forced him to appear here.

"President, you're too impatient." Rito muttered under his breath, taking out his phone to dial a number, but his gaze was drawn to a figure at the exit.

The girl, dragging a dark brown leather suitcase, walked leisurely out of the exit. Today, she wore a simple white cotton-linen shirt with a wooden cherry blossom brooch at the collar. The sleeves were casually rolled up to her forearms, revealing her slender, fair wrists, which were adorned with a gold and silver bracelet. She wore khaki cargo pants and brown Martin boots. Her shoulder-length short hair was distinctive, with a few wisps falling beside her cheeks, making her skin appear almost translucent.

She stood amidst the bustling crowd, her brows slightly furrowed, looking down at the map in her hand. Despite her casual attire, she possessed a calm and gentle demeanor, standing out from the hurried travelers around her, as if she had just descended from heaven and mistakenly entered this noisy human world.

Li Ren watched with a smile for a while, then stepped forward.

"Is this Yumiko-san?"

Hearing the voice, the girl looked up at him. Her long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings, and her eyes held a hint of confusion before turning into a polite smile. Her Japanese had a slight Kyushu accent, but it was different from Shui Shui's, who was from Nagasaki. She spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, yet it had a strangely pleasant quality.

"You must be Kubo-kun. I'm Yumiko Seki. Just call me Yumiko." The president reached out and shook his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.