Asanuma Nono
Yuko went to her cram school as usual the next day.
The car that was responsible for picking us up has been repaired.
Her grades are actually quite good; she should be in the top 30 of her grade. However, if she wants to maintain that level, simply studying at school isn't enough. Most families who want good grades, or whose parents want good grades, will enroll her in extracurricular tutoring if they can afford it.
Yuko sat down in her seat, and class started promptly five minutes later.
Time flew by, and the first class ended quickly. After class, Yuko was reviewing what she had just learned.
"Knock knock"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the table.
She looked up and saw a girl with dyed red hair and exquisite makeup standing next to her desk, her right hand, which was decorated with manicured nails, resting on her desk.
"Yuko, are you interested in going to a blind date?"
Upon hearing this, Yuko even doubted whether she was hallucinating.
The outgoing girl didn't seem to care whether Yuko reacted or not, and continued, "One of our people has had something come up, so we're short one person. You don't have class tomorrow, right? Please help me."
Now there was no reason to refuse. Yuko said somewhat awkwardly, "I've never participated in a mixer before, won't that cause trouble for everyone?"
The girl realized that Yuko hadn't refused, so she knew there was a chance. Her eyes crinkled into a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, with a face like yours, you can get forgiven for anything."
Yuko nodded reluctantly, "Alright then. Um... I haven't asked your name yet."
Now it was the other person's turn to be surprised. She stood there with her mouth agape for a long time, unable to close it: "No way, you agreed to go to the blind date without even knowing my name?"
This was actually quite impolite, but Yuko wasn't angry. Instead, she looked serious and said, "Because you invited me."
"You can refuse. You're not the kind of pushover who can't say no, are you? What if I'm using this social event as an excuse to trick you into doing something bad?"
"Huh?" Yuko looked at her with an expression that said, "Are you a liar?"
The girl was completely speechless. She took out her phone and said, "I'm telling you, you're going to get taken advantage of like this. My name is Asanuma Nono, you can just call me Nono. What's your email address?"
"Email?" Yuko asked, as if she had never heard of the word before.
Asanuma Nono: "...You're such a treasure. Oh well, it's okay if you don't have an email address, a phone number will do."
Big Baby Yuko took out her phone, and the two exchanged contact information.
Asanuma Nono closed her phone and winked at Yuko: "See you at Shibuya Station tomorrow at four o'clock, Yuko." Then she left like the wind.
Yuko was left feeling somewhat depressed.
After class resumed, Yuko tried hard to recall the person named Asanuma Nono. Since the cram school started, she seemed to have only seen her a few times, and each time she would slip away halfway through the class.
Thinking about tomorrow's social gathering.
What should we do...?
After school, sitting in the car, with the dazzling lights outside the window, Yuko stared at her phone.
She wanted to ask someone for advice, but when she looked through her contacts, besides her family and some company staff who served her, there were only Keisuke Machi, Kazutora Hanomiya, and Nono Asanuma from Gangga.
Using the process of elimination in her mind, Yuko dialed a number.
The call was answered quickly.
"Yuko? It's rare for you to call." The other person seemed a little surprised. "Is something the matter?"
"Well, I've run into a little problem and wanted to ask Dad for his advice."
Her thinking was simple: her father, as the elder, had the most experience and should understand these things.
She asked softly, "What should we do at a social gathering?"
Takiya Hideo: ...
Who's going on a social event?
Yuko?
He's only 13 years old?
As a father, he instinctively wanted to stop her, but then he thought that Yuko was too bored staying at home all day, and upon further reflection, he realized that his daughter didn't even have any friends her own age.
Besides, there's nothing wrong with a social gathering; what can a bunch of kids do?
He suppressed his impulse and gave some reluctant advice: "It's not a big deal, Yuko, just act as usual."
After saying that, he asked Yuko about the time and place of the matchmaking event tomorrow, and finally solemnly instructed her: "If any annoying guys bother you, remember to tell Daddy when you get back."
Yuko nodded blankly, and hung up the phone after saying goodbye to her father. Relieved by her father's advice, Yuko stopped thinking about the matchmaking event.
On the other end, Takiya Hideo was still worried. After thinking it over, he realized he couldn't be the only one feeling uneasy, so he dialed his eldest son's number.
"Yuanzhi, your sister is going to a blind date tomorrow."
Genji, who was playing pool outside, almost crushed his phone.
-
People who don't keep their promises are trash.
This is a principle that Yuko learned from her father and brothers and has always adhered to.
On this day, Yuko didn't wear her school uniform. Instead, she wore a light blue Peter Pan collar top and a white cotton skirt. Her hair was braided and pulled to one side, with two small diamond hair clips adorning her temples. She had dressed up a bit.
After she got out of the car, the driver, Kuroki, left, telling her to call him before he came to pick her up.
Yuko checked the time: 3:50.
Amidst the bustling crowds at the subway station entrance, Yuko chose a shady spot to wait.
"Yuko~"
Yuko heard Asanuma Nono's shouts from afar and looked in the direction of the sound. Asanuma Nono still had her long, curly red hair, short skirt, and slouch socks, her lips glossy—a trendy and sexy girl's outfit. Only, there was another person beside her, a girl with dyed blonde hair.
After they reunited, Asanuma Nono introduced the two strangers to each other: "This is Emma, Emma, and this is Yuko. There are only three of us girls today."
Emma was also dressed in a trendy and sexy style. She had big, round eyes with slightly droopy corners, which made her look somewhat alluring when she looked up.
"Nice to meet you," Yuko said with a nod.
"Ah, nice to meet you." Emma stared at her face for a few seconds, then exclaimed, "You really are as beautiful as Ye Ye said."
Asanuma Nono linked arms with one of them and said, "Let's not talk here, it's so hot. Let's go to the drink shop we agreed on and sit in the air conditioning."
The three entered the shopping street, and as they approached the store, Asanuma Nono stopped and whispered to them, "Don't go in yet, let's quietly see if there's anything worth buying."
Emma gave Ye Ye a thumbs up and praised, "As expected of Ye Ye, I don't want to waste my time on ugly men either."
"Is it alright to do this?" The honest Yuko felt that doing so seemed a bit impolite.
“Of course, this is called effective socializing.” Asanuma Nono used a term that sounded impressive but was not clear to Yuko, and she was convinced.
So the three girls, in order of height (Emma, Yuko, Nono), were stacked in the corner of the shop window at the entrance.
Emma and Ye Ye made brackets with their hands in front of their eyes to block the glare from the glass and see the store clearly.
Yuko was sandwiched between the two girls. It was the first time she had ever acted so furtively, and she felt inexplicably nervous. She asked them, "Did you see that?"
"Ah, I see it there."
"Ugh, what is this? I can't get interested at all."
"That awful Yamada! He even told me his friends are all handsome guys from prestigious universities. I hope I never run into him again!"
"But it's good that I came to see it first."
"Let's go." Ye Ye stood up, grabbed her bag, tossed it aside, and casually ran her fingers through her hair. "Change the itinerary. No social gathering today, let's go shopping."
Emma cheered, "Yay!"
Yuko: "?"
Emma clung to Yuko's arm and took her hand, saying, "Yuko, let's go. You've already gone out, you must have something to do before you go back."
Emma, who was initially very polite, not only had intimate physical contact with Yuko after spending just ten minutes with her, but also upgraded her address from Yuko to Yuko-chan.
Yuko, a shut-in with no friends, was completely led by the nose.
The three girls first went to a jewelry store. Passing by a claw machine, they spent over forty coins before finally winning one. Nono and Emma generously gave it to Yuko, which flattered Yuko. Then they went to take some photo booth pictures, and Yuko made funny faces and acted ugly for the first time in her life.
The three of them looked at the developed photos.
"Haha, Ye Ye, you're so ugly."
"Emma, you're no better off, okay?"
Holding a plush toy in one arm, Yuko looked at the group photo of the three of them. She felt a strange mix of emotions – happy, shy, and excited. Her mind was a mess, and she couldn't help but smile.
Emma and Ye Ye, who were chatting, stopped and looked at her.
Yuko looked at them, puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Emma laughed and said, "No, it's just that Xiaoyou's smile is so beautiful that I was mesmerized."
Yuko was a little shy. She said in a low voice, "This is the first time I've ever gone out like this."
"How should I put it?" Ye Ye stroked her chin thoughtfully, as if searching for a suitable description, "I feel like we're kidnappers who abducted a rich young lady."
Emma immediately distanced herself, retorting, "What do you mean 'we'? Ye Ye, you look like a kidnapper. Xiao You, quickly call the police and have them take her away."
Yuko was amused by their interaction.
But happy times always pass too quickly, and the time for the three of them to part ways came.
Emma and Nono said they would wait until the car to pick up Yuko arrived before leaving. While waiting, Yuko nervously asked, "Um... could you ask me out again next time?"
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and then answered in unison, "Of course."
"Then, then we..." Yuko lowered her head, twisting her fingers, and stammered out the last part of her sentence, "...are we friends?"
"Little You is such a fool."
"We've been that way for a long time."
The two rushed over and hugged Yuko tightly. Yuko felt as if fireworks were exploding in her heart, and her face turned bright red.
Even after she got home, her face was still flushed with excitement, and she was in a daze. She couldn't even concentrate on the TV series that evening. When she saw her father, she was eager to share it with him.
"Dad, listen to me! I've made a friend!"
"Really? What kind of friend is it?"
"They're such lovely and kind people! We even took a picture together. Let me show it to you!" Yuko brought the photo from her room and happily pointed it out to her father. "This is Emma, and this is Nono. They even gave me a gift!"
Takiya Hideo saw this as a good opportunity for education, so he asked probingly, "Now that you've received a gift, Yuko, have you thought about what to give in return?"
As expected, Yuko, who had no experience, was in a dilemma. She began to think about what gift she should give in return.
Takiya Hideo continued, "More important than a tangible gift is the thought behind it. Yuko's thoughtfulness in considering what to give shows she's a good friend. However, many things in this world are not permanent, and friendship is no exception. If one day you're no longer so happy together and can no longer be friends, then Yuko needs to know when to let go, okay?"
Yuko, who had been given a heads-up by her father, seemed to understand but didn't quite, yet she still nodded: "Mm!"
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