Your hair is messy (22)
Naoki travels to a parallel universe where Kotoko doesn't love him. (2013 Japanese TV series)
43
Kotoko and Rika's relationship somehow improved. They always avoided everyone, stuck together secretly, whispered to each other, and no one knew what they were plotting.
When having a family barbecue, Rika would first serve the skewers she had grilled to Kotoko. She used her own secret sauce and controlled the heat just right. The food she made, even if it was just skewers, was not inferior to that of Kotoko's father, a professional chef.
There is indeed a wall between ordinary people and geniuses. Kotoko was eating skewers and sighing that the delicious food made her extremely satisfied. After praising Rika's cooking skills to the sky, Kotoko quietly told her about the food that Irie might like to eat, and asked Rika not to just sit there, but to start a new round of grilling skewers and send them to Irie after they were done.
The reason why she said "food that Irie might like to eat" was because Kotoko didn't quite know Irie's taste. She only vaguely remembered that Irie liked the beef she cooked, but she hadn't cooked it for a long time. The other ingredients were just what she asked Irie's mother a few days ago. She couldn't be wrong and should be able to help Rika.
As the old saying goes, to win a man's heart, you must first win his stomach. With Lijia's cooking skills, it is more than enough to win Irie's heart. Kotoko has enough confidence in her.
In addition, with the help of Kotoko, Rika successfully made a date with Irie.
The operation process was not difficult. Kotoko took the initiative to ask Irie out for dinner and a movie. She made a detailed romantic date plan (actually it was made by Rika) and showed it to Irie for review. Irie showed no interest, but did not raise any objections, which was equivalent to implicitly approving the date plan.
Then, when the date arrived, Kotoko suddenly said to Irie, "I have something to do at the hospital. Sorry, Irie-kun, you can go and have fun by yourself." Then she quickly left. This allowed Rika to naturally say, "It's okay. I can go with Naoki."
As Kotoko expected, Irie would certainly not refuse Rika's proposal. When they walked on the street together, everyone would look at them with envy, thinking that they were a match made in heaven, and that they were a perfect match from head to toe.
Although Irie was absent-minded throughout the date, Rika was already very satisfied. She was one step closer to her childhood dream. After a long separation, she finally returned to Naoki.
Kotoko also taught Rika how to knit a scarf and how to quickly establish a good relationship with Haomei in a short period of time.
"You'll probably marry Yuuki in the future. Once you marry Irie-kun, you and Yoshimi will be sisters-in-law. Yoshimi is a good girl, so you two will definitely get along well."
Rika took note of Kotoko's teachings. Omi was indeed a good girl who was easy to get along with, but no matter how much she liked Rika, she would not let her status surpass Kotoko. Perhaps it was because Kotoko was the matchmaker who brought her and Yuki together, so Kotoko was special and irreplaceable.
But it's not a big problem, there's still a long way to go. After Kotoko leaves, Rika will have plenty of time to complete the beautiful strategy.
Kotoko was responsible for doing her best to help Rika, which made Rika very dependent on her. Even if the strange little girl was not familiar with Kotoko, she would rush in and take a bath with her. Now that they were familiar with each other, it was even more amazing.
She came to Kotoko's bedroom alone in the middle of the night, wearing pajamas and holding a pillow.
"Kotoko, let's sleep together."
As usual, without Kotoko's consent, Rika had already thrown back the quilt and got into bed.
Qinzi: "..."
Forget it, let her be. Just remember to lock the door before going to bed next time.
Like an insecure child, Rika seized every opportunity to confirm: "Are you really going to give Naoki to me? Won't you be sad? That's Naoki."
"I can't help being sad. It's you who Irie-kun likes."
Kotoko's words successfully pleased Rika, and she smiled brightly: "Kotoko, thank you."
In addition to her daily assists, Kotoko would also, on a whim, act out scenes with Rika in public. While they were having dinner, she was the only one in the family who couldn't stop talking. She kept talking, saying how good Rika was and how wonderful Rika was. She felt happy with Rika's presence and really liked Rika. It would be great if Rika could stay in the Irie family forever.
Rika blushed at Kotoko's praise and quickly accepted the role: "If you don't mind, I will come to visit often in the future."
In the heartwarming scene, Yuki mercilessly complained: "You two, it's a bit disgusting to be so corny."
Naoki lowered his head and ate quietly without reacting.
He hated the fact that Kotoko and Rika were so incompatible that they escalated their conflict to the point of violence. But when Kotoko and Rika put aside their differences and drank and talked happily, he didn't seem happy about it.
The people in the nursing department also noticed that Kotoko and Rika's relationship had improved, because Kotoko really ate the lunch box that Rika made for her. Rika made two portions every day and when she brought them to the hospital, one for Naoki and one for Kotoko.
Everyone was confused and shocked. Had the power of "Legend of Dounan" increased? Kotoko was so powerful she could even capture her rival, right?
Agan covered his eyes and refused to look at Kotoko again: "Kotoko, please don't cast a spell on me. The person I love is Irie, and I don't want to fall in love with you."
Instead, Marina leaned forward and took a closer look at Kotoko's face. "We were worried that Rika would seduce Irie, but you're the one who got seduced first. Tell me the truth, when did you two start dating?"
Keita was heartbroken and said, "Kotoko, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. You and Rika...how can you be worthy of Irie?"
Kotoko didn't care about their collective madness. She knew that the way she and Rika were getting along now was a little weird, but when the truth was revealed in the future, everyone would naturally understand her good intentions.
Everything she did was for Irie-kun.
In Kotoko's plan, by the time Irie-kun and Rika got married, she and her father should have moved out of the Irie family. Now that their relationship is developing well, Kotoko has also started secretly looking for a rental house.
In fact, what she longed for more was a small house of her own. The new house of Aihara that was destroyed by a meteor was the source of all the misfortunes. Near the end of the story, Kotoko remembered it again and was full of hope, because she had transformed from an ignorant high school girl to a nurse of Aihara. She found the direction of her life, successfully realized her ideals, and is still striving for a better future.
Kotoko doesn't know what her final destination will be, but she believes that as long as she keeps working hard, everything she has lost in the past will come back into her life again. She believes it firmly and is full of expectations.
Everything was going smoothly until one day, Irie suddenly went to Kotoko's lounge to return her wallet that she had left at home. There was no one in the lounge, so Irie put the wallet on Kotoko's desk, but accidentally saw that on the newspaper spread out on the table, all the rental house advertisements were marked with black pen.
There were several similar newspapers. Irie picked them up and read them over and over again, wondering, "What is this?"
Deep love does not bring longevity, excessive wisdom will bring harm, and sometimes excessive intelligence is not necessarily a good thing. Irie was stunned where he stood, and suddenly realized the terrible purpose hidden behind Kotoko's recent strange words and deeds.
She kept asking Rika to stay, letting her wear her apron and do the housework she was responsible for. She even intentionally or unintentionally arranged for Rika to spend more time with her boyfriend. Although Rika was very ambitious and seemed to want to replace Kotoko, Kotoko didn't care at all.
Irie's mother said that Kotoko was broad-minded and always indulged her willful and ignorant little sister, but Irie always felt that something was wrong. Now he understood that Kotoko's indulgence of Rika and her broad-mindedness were secondary. The real reason was that she needed someone to replace her position in the Irie family because she was ready to retreat.
How could this happen? Irie didn't understand.
He clutched the newspaper tightly and walked out of the lounge in a daze. A colleague seemed to speak to him, asking if he was feeling unwell and why he looked so sad. Irie ignored everyone and searched every ward. Finally, he caught Kotoko working and dragged her to the rooftop.
The two had the most intense quarrel ever.
44
Kotoko didn't intend to quarrel. Although she was not concerned about the situation at first, after seeing the newspaper thrown on the ground by Irie, she didn't take it seriously and was secretly looking forward to Irie's reaction.
She took the initiative to withdraw and made it possible for Irie to be with his beloved Rika. He must be touched. Even if not, he should at least be very happy. However, not everyone has the blessing of regaining their beloved.
But Irie was neither moved nor happy, he was practically furious.
Kotoko was so frightened that she took seven or eight steps back, fearing that the mad Irie would push her off the roof. When she looked up, she saw Irie's red eyes, covered with a layer of clear light, as if they were filled with tears, giving people an extremely sad feeling.
What are you angry about? What are you sad about? Qinzi didn't understand.
After all these years, she still didn't understand Irie.
Kotoko didn't think she had done anything wrong. Her decision, her selfless and wise decision, benefited everyone. As long as they followed her plan, she, Irie, Rika, and even Yuki and those who hated the real-life Cinderella fairy tale would be relieved.
"Irie-kun, are you still angry with Rika, so you don't want to face your own heart?" Kotoko asked presumptuously, "I know Rika hurt you, but she didn't leave you to go to America voluntarily. She was only in fifth grade at the time and had to live with her parents. If you love her, you should understand her helplessness instead of resentment. Besides, she has always been thinking about you, and now you have finally reunited, why..."
"When did I ever say I'm Airika? You're not me, so why do you act like you know everything about me?! A hopeless idiot like you doesn't understand anything at all. You can only stab others with an innocent look on your face and make decisions for others self-righteously! Do you remember what you said to Nami? You said that the choice of my life should be in my hands, so what are you doing now?! What qualifications do you have to decide my life?!"
Irie was almost insane when he spoke to the end.
How could he possibly have romantic feelings for Rika? She was his childhood playmate and a sister whom he would not hate. The fact that he was still ambiguous with her even though he saw through Rika's feelings was just Irie's way of taking revenge on Kotoko.
He wanted to hurt Qinzi, and wanted to say that since you don't cherish me, then I won't cherish you either. I can also leave you aside and turn around to be nice to others. I can also not care about your feelings and stand on the side of others unconditionally. In this way, you can empathize with me, understand my pain, and suffer with me.
But Kotoko wasn't in pain. Rika's appearance had shown her the perfect person to take over Irie. She saw in him the opportunity to leave Irie and was ecstatic. Irie was like an object, casually given away by her. The object's joys and sorrows were unimportant, especially since it was an object that would soon be given to someone else.
The close relationship that Kotoko and Rika established in a short period of time was built on the basis of sacrificing Irie, but he knew nothing about it. What's funny is that the instigator who planned to hurt him also looked at a loss.
Kotoko whispered, "I know it's wrong to make a decision for Irie-kun without my permission, but I'm afraid you won't be able to resolve your feelings and miss out on Rika again. I'm really doing this for your own good..."
"What do you mean by 'for my own good'? Kotoko, stop pretending and deceiving others and yourself. You're helping Rika not for me and Rika, and you don't care about our story. You're just trying to cover up your own selfish motives under the guise of helping us. You want to leave the Irie family, but you don't want people to think you're ungrateful, so you have to act like you're 'forced to leave,' like you're forced to leave for my happiness. That way, no one will blame you, and you'll always be a good person."
When Kotoko heard this, she lost her mind as if her tail had been stepped on. "So what did you want to say, Irie-kun? You wanted to say that even though you care about Rika in everything, and you two are so old, and you hug each other without any hesitation, and even gave each other your first kiss, you actually don't like her at all. You like me. I'm the one who you can ignore and ignore whenever you want. You've proven it yourself, and I'm not even as good as Rika's girlfriend. When Rika picked on me, you ignored her. When I had a conflict with Rika, you stood on Rika's side and got angry at me without even asking why. Irie-kun, your love is really too deep, and I didn't realize it in time. It turns out I'm the bad guy who should be blamed!"
"You always remember my bad things." Irie murmured, "But even if I'm good to you, you still turn a blind eye..."
When the quarrel between the two was about to attract most of the hospital to mediate, Kotoko, who could not bear the onlookers any longer, left the rooftop first. She took half a day off in the afternoon and contacted Renko, wanting to stay at her house for a few days.
Irie also took a leave of absence and returned home alone.
The news of Irie and Kotoko's huge quarrel in the hospital soon spread back home. Irie's mother, who was an expert in intelligence gathering, felt hopeless. He had a small quarrel every two or three days, a big quarrel every five days, and a long cold war from time to time, which made Irie's mother, who was trying to mediate, feel bad.
Rika knew what Irie and Kotoko were arguing about, and it must have been related to her. As the person at the center of the controversy, it was difficult for her to say anything.
So Yuki became the only one who took the initiative to talk to Irie. To be honest, he really wanted Kotoko to break up with her brother. He had been looking forward to it since junior high school, and had been looking forward to it for many years. It was not until he fell in love that he gradually understood Irie's feelings. It takes pain to let go, but when the pain is unbearable, going with the flow may not be a bad option.
Yuki wanted to tell his brother: "If you really like Kotoko, you must tell her directly that you can only be good to her and not hurt her, because that guy is a fool who only responds to soft words and not hard ones. For example, when Rika-nee was injured last time..."
Irie suddenly smiled and looked at Yuki: "Are you trying to say that if I had stood firmly on Kotoko's side when Rika was hurt, she would have realized how much I like her? Yuki, Kotoko is different from Haomei. You don't understand her at all."
Even if Irie chose Kotoko, Kotoko would not be moved. She would forget about it as if nothing had happened. Because once she remembered Irie's kindness, she would reciprocate the favor driven by guilt, which means that she would also have to spend time and effort on Irie and give him the same kindness in return.
But she has so many things to do every day, eating, drinking, studying, working, and going bowling with friends... She really has no time to spare for Irie, so the essence of forgetting is to protect herself.
Moreover, the image of Irie as "mean", "cold" and "bad-tempered" was already deeply rooted in her mind. Kotoko thought this was fine. She didn't want to get to know Irie again and change her opinion of him. It would be a waste of her time and would not make much sense.
When Irie is in a bad state, Kotoko wants to push him to others. When Irie is in a good state, she is too lazy to pay attention to him. Anyway, he will become bad sooner or later. As Irie once said, he has no expectations of her. It is difficult to change one's nature, and Kotoko has no expectations of Irie either.
She thought she stayed because, as Irie had guessed, she didn't want to be the bad person who ruined the relationship. She hoped that even if she and Irie were separated, Irie's mother would still love her as always, treating her like her own daughter, and that she would be comforted by everyone, and have others tell her, "It's okay, Kotoko, you're not the one who made the mistake."
Who was wrong then? Irie? Rika? It didn't matter.
As long as it's not her, it doesn't matter who is wrong.
How selfish... This is exactly why Kotoko deceived herself. Irie-kun is too powerful. He knows her better than she knows herself. When he exposes her, he hits the nail on the head and tears off the mask that Kotoko used to disguise herself in an instant, forcing her to face herself and fall into the hell of guilt again.
She has finally come this far and really doesn't want to look back.
Kotoko could break up with Irie, but that would just confirm Irie's accusations against her, that she was a bad person who only thought about herself and didn't care about other people's feelings.
But in fact, she cares. She cares about Irie's mother, Irie's father, her nursing friends who chose the wrong couple, and even Rika who was teased by her unintentionally. She just doesn't care about Irie.
Because she didn't care about Irie, did she have to make it like she was against the whole world? Just for Irie?
No need.
Or, she could follow everyone's expectations and continue dating Irie, eventually getting married and having children. Irie wasn't such a bad match, it was just an option she didn't really want. Since Irie liked her, she would stay with him. She was willing to do her best to treat him well, treat him with respect, and spend her life with him.
If a lie can last a lifetime, it is no longer a lie, right?
She sacrificed herself to fulfill Irie-kun's obsession with her, so she isn't a bad person, right?
Qinzi was in a state of confusion.
People's joys and sorrows are not shared. Kotoko was gloomy, but Renzi, who had just washed up, was in a good mood. She hummed a cheerful song, put on a facial mask in front of the mirror, and sat down next to Kotoko. "Kotoko, guess what big gossip I heard a few days ago?"
"What?" Qinzi said weakly.
"Sano Hidekazu broke up with his girlfriend!"
“…”
"I heard they broke up a year ago. Apparently, that girl was too capable and ambitious. She was so focused on her career that she even left Hokkaido. Sano, on the other hand, longed for a comfortable and stable life. They had different visions of the future, so they broke up! Sano is still alone now. Fortunately, Sano is not in Tokyo, and you can't go to Hokkaido, Kotoko. Otherwise, even after all these years, I'm still worried that you, an idiot, would do something stupid. Hahahahaha."
Renzi was completely unaware that something was wrong. After finishing her gossip, she got up to look for essence water. She also rummaged through the drawers at home and found a lot of snacks. While chattering non-stop about promoting her products to Kotoko, she also talked about all sorts of troubles at work.
Kotoko couldn't hear anything.
She lay down on the sofa, as if falling into a soft dream. The light from the ceiling in front of her was so dazzling that it made her tears flow.
tbc
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