Your hair is messy (Part 2)
Naoki travels to a parallel universe where Kotoko doesn't love him. (2013 Japanese TV series)
04
Naoki Irie has thought about many reasons that lead to plot changes, such as the butterfly effect. A butterfly gently flapping its wings in South America can cause a tornado in Texas, USA two weeks later, proving the complexity of the development of things.
And in his story, this confusing journey through time became the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings.
Time travel can be divided into two categories: "soul travel" and "body travel". "Soul travel" is mostly used in online novels, that is, the soul attaches to another body. It usually happens after the protagonist falls asleep, faints, or dies, and experiences a complete loss of consciousness and recovery of consciousness.
"Time travel" is more common in scientific research. No one has given an accurate answer to whether the human body can be teleported to the past and the future. The famous "grandfather paradox" points out the contradictions of time travel. Although there is no shortage of rebuttals, scientists who recognize time travel also give it very harsh triggering conditions.
Irie thought he was "wearing a new world". After saying "It's up to you", he turned around and passed through the time barrier and came to the world three years ago.
So the sudden dizziness at that time, the deletion of the scene where Kotoko confessed her love to him, and Naoki's disappearance three years ago... were all chain reactions caused by changing the initial conditions for the development of things.
Fortunately, these are just minor details that don't change the overall plot. Even without the opening chapter featuring a confession of love, their story still has to begin.
When Naoki Irie came to his senses, he felt like a drowning man who suddenly surfaced. Every breath he took was fresh and refreshing. He found the taste of being alive again through the time travel.
Kotoko moved to Irie's house early in the afternoon. In short, when Naoki Irie came home, she was already sitting on the sofa happily eating snacks.
Then she would jump up in surprise and say something stupid like "Uncle Irie looks nothing like Irie", and would be given a slap on the head by her father as punishment for her impoliteness.
Naoki Irie has predicted the future. He doesn't like everything to be under his control because it is boring, but Kotoko Aihara is always unexpected. Even if she has a chance to do it all over again, she refuses to follow the original trajectory, and instead becomes the only variable in his life.
Kotoko was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled happily: "Irie-kun!"
Irie-kun remained indifferent.
"That's great! It turns out Kotoko already knows her brother! Could they be classmates?" Irie's mother asked with a smile.
"No, no, even though Irie-kun doesn't know me, I've known him for a long time. At the entrance ceremony two years ago, Irie-kun's speech was truly wise and handsome!"
Isn't this the beginning of a love letter... Wait, what is this idiot trying to do? Isn't he going to confess his feelings in front of the elders of both parties?
Some things may seem outrageous at first, but when linked to Kotoko, they become reasonable. Irie Naoki's breath suddenly stopped.
Fortunately, the subsequent words like "The first time I saw you, I felt like I was hit by a meteor" did not appear. Kotoko paused, took a deep breath, and after gathering her lung capacity, she continued to talk about how Naoki helped her in the morning.
Yuuki, who came over with his homework book to cause trouble, couldn't get a word in.
The two fathers were busy praising Naoki, but Irie's mother's expression became more and more ambiguous, and it was obvious that she was planning to match the couple up.
In the end, Naoki was really sent upstairs by his mother to help Kotoko pack her luggage.
This time, there were no conflicts between them, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious. However, Kotoko still refused Naoki's help, saying, "Irie-kun, our moving in is already a big hassle for you. I can handle this little thing myself."
Then he was handed an envelope containing the money he had put into the Chi Ze donation box this morning.
Kotoko said sincerely, "Irie-kun, I can't accept your money. My father and I aren't short of money. It was Jin who took the initiative to organize the fundraiser. But I'm still very grateful for your kindness. If it weren't for you, with Jin's stubborn personality, he wouldn't have left so easily... and that would have made it even more awkward for me."
Naoki Irie knew that Kotoko was not short of money. Uncle Aihara was a very good father who had never treated his daughter badly, either mentally or materially. He raised Kotoko so well that she developed such an innocent, kind, tough and brave personality.
Irie Naoki also knew that Kotoko's stubbornness far surpassed Ikezawa Kinnosuke's, otherwise she wouldn't have pursued him relentlessly for so many years, repeatedly hitting her head against the wall and bleeding.
He was too lazy to argue with her about money, but he felt a sense of fate from it - no matter how his money was donated this morning, it would eventually come back to him, which was really boring.
"I don't need your thanks. I just hope that guy won't block the school gate."
Irie Naoki accepted the envelope, his tone and expression both cold and indifferent.
Aihara Kotoko didn't mind at all and continued to smile at him heartlessly: "Irie-kun, I think you are different from what they say - you are a gentle person."
gentle?
Perhaps only Kotoko Aihara could give such an evaluation. She always remembers the food but not the beating. If others show a little kindness, she can erase all the bad things in the past. When she is in a good mood, she thinks the whole world is sunny.
Naoki Irie felt helpless.
At this moment, he has not yet realized the seriousness of the problem.
05
Naoki Irie walked slowly in front. No matter how slow he slowed down, the person following behind him showed no sign of getting closer to him.
He didn't remember ever saying the original sentence "Please stay away from me when you walk", but Kotoko miraculously learned it without any instruction. Although she and Irie were walking on the same road and wearing the same school uniform, one was at the beginning of the street and the other at the end of the street, and there seemed to be thousands of mountains and rivers between them. At first glance, they were just strangers who had nothing to do with each other.
Naoki Irie couldn't stand it any longer and turned around: "Can't you follow closely? Come here."
Upon hearing the voice, Kotoko Aihara immediately ran to Irie with the half piece of bread she had not finished.
She said mysteriously, "Irie-kun, it's best if we don't walk together."
"……What?"
It’s not that Naoki Irie didn’t hear clearly, it’s that he didn’t understand.
But Kotoko assumed he meant both, so she repeated it in a gentle voice, explaining, "Irie-kun is always very popular. Because you helped me yesterday, there's already a lot of rumors going around! If you come to school with me again today, I don't know what everyone will say about you!"
"What's worse is, what if you're tied to me from now on? What if there's a girl you like and she misunderstands you? You've helped me so much, I can't repay you with evil and cause you more trouble."
Kotoko Aihara spoke with all her heart and thought it all out. She was almost moved by such delicate kindness.
It's a pity that I failed to move Naoki Irie.
Kotoko has done so many stupid things that every time she did something stupid, she caused a lot of trouble. She has long been the most stubborn label on Naoki Irie. Although everything has not happened yet after her rebirth, a fool is a fool, and Irie does not think she will be much smarter.
It's really ridiculous that someone who always rushes around in his own world suddenly starts saying "I don't want to cause you any trouble".
I haven't wanted to cause trouble for a long time, why should I do it again?
However, before he could answer, Kotoko took her bread and trotted back the way she had come.
Rujiang was unhappy and too lazy to call her. He looked at the mottled shadows of trees on the ground in front of him and left alone without looking back.
———————————
There was no confession at the school gate today.
Naoki Irie wrote a deep "X" on a blank piece of draft paper.
After these days of observation and research, he was certain that the world he was currently in was completely consistent with the memories stored in his head three years ago, with Kotoko being the only exception.
She did not declare her love as blatantly as she did three years ago; nor did she pester Irie for extra lessons, aspiring to get into the top 100 on the exam; and she kept her promise of "not causing you any trouble", insisting on being a stranger to Irie Naoki during her time at school - the kind of "strangers" where they wouldn't even say hello to each other if they met by chance.
Even when Irie offered to tutor her, Kotoko only managed to stick with it for two or three nights. Later, she began to make various excuses, preferring to stay at a friend's house rather than come back to face the strict Irie.
In the end, she naturally did not make it into the top 100 list.
On the day the results came out, Naoki Irie stood in front of the list for a long time.
He wondered if Kotoko had traveled through time with him, and was deliberately getting angry with him because she was heartbroken by the blind date.
Wasn't she like this in the past, always complaining with a look of grievance: "Don't treat others as fools just because you think you're smart!", or "I already know how terrible you are! I don't want to like you anymore!", or "How could I have liked someone like you for two years?"
I tried to give up countless times, but I still continued to persevere for two years.
Maybe this time is the same. Kotoko, who can also predict the future, plans to cut her losses in time and no longer cling to this unrequited love that has tormented her for many years.
However, after several attempts, Irie discovered that Kotoko actually knew nothing about the future. She was always laughing and joking, and did not seem to harbor any resentment, so the possibility of her being a time traveler could be completely ruled out.
So why, exactly, could their relationship never get back on track? Irie didn't understand.
The fact that Kotoko was living in Irie's house was soon discovered by Ikezawa and his gang. At the same time, the photo of them secretly taken by Irie's mother during the tutoring session was also exposed at school.
Kotoko did not seek advice from Irie. Firstly, she did not want to trouble him, secondly, she felt guilty, and thirdly, she thought she had suppressed the news successfully and would not let it spread widely on campus. So, she did not know that there was an even bigger trouble waiting for her.
Renko and Rimi secretly printed countless copies of Irie and Kotoko's photos, and not only posted them on the bulletin board but also stuffed them into the hands of every classmate who passed by like handing out flyers.
The entrance to the teaching building was blocked by the influx of onlookers, making it impossible to get through.
Irie, one of the parties involved, stood not far away, watching quietly.
He knew this day would come sooner or later, but he didn't do anything to stop it because he was curious about Kotoko's reaction, would it be embarrassment, guilt, or just the same helplessness as before.
He didn't go to Class F to find Kotoko in person. The last time he went to her to exchange his mother's misplaced lunch box, Kotoko had subtly hinted to him that such a small matter could be handled by asking a friend to pass on the message, so there was no need to go in person.
She didn't want to have any contact with Irie on campus, and Irie was willing to help her. Anyway, with the current situation where one person tells ten people, and ten people tell a hundred people, there will always be a classmate who will bring the words to her ears. It's just a matter of time.
Sure enough, Kotoko appeared at the stairs in a hurry, just as expected.
She didn't notice Irie, completely focused on processing the shock. Negative emotions continued to swell within her chest, until they overflowed, forming layers of low pressure surrounding her.
Then she rushed forward and snatched the photos from her two friends' hands: "What are you doing?!"
The originally bustling crowd turned into whispers because of her appearance, and then fell into complete silence due to her harsh questioning.
Jinko and Rimi had originally thought that if Kotoko found out, they would tease her with a smile, "Kotoko, don't be shy. A sweet relationship requires active pursuit" - that's what they had originally planned to say.
However, Kotoko's reaction was so intense that the words they had prepared earlier became quite inappropriate.
They felt they had gotten into trouble and couldn't help but say awkwardly, "Qinzi, we just thought..."
"You promised to keep my secret, why are you doing this?! Didn't we agree on that?! What the hell are you doing now?!"
Irie couldn't see Kotoko's face, but he could tell from her voice and Rimi's frantic grabbing for tissues that she was crying out of anger.
How strange.
In the past, Kotoko had described Irie as a "cold-blooded animal," declaring that being associated with him was terrible and something she should distance herself from as soon as possible. Yet, she couldn't help but approach him. Even an unintentional eye contact would fill her with joy for hours.
Now she is clearly saying "Irie-kun is so nice!" "Irie-kun is a gentle person!", but she refuses to walk side by side with him, rejects his suggestion of tutoring, and even loses her temper with her two best friends because of the false scandal between them.
This is actually what Irie should do. Irie, a high school student who has no good feelings towards Kotoko, is very resistant to such things.
When Rujiang thought about this, an idea suddenly struck him, and he finally solved the problem that had been bothering him for a long time.
The postponed/deleted plot may not be the public confession at the school gate, but the fact that two years earlier, Haruko did not fall in love at first sight with Irie, the representative of the freshmen, at the opening ceremony.
She didn't like him, and still doesn't like him today.
tbc
Some people may be curious, if Haruko doesn’t like Irie, then why does she deliberately avoid him?
On the one hand, as she said, she didn't want others to talk about Rujiang behind her back because of her. On the other hand, out of her own selfishness, she also didn't want others to talk about her because of Rujiang.
In fact, I think that people tend to seek benefits and avoid harm. If you get too close to a shining figure like Irie, you are destined to be involved in rumors, especially an ordinary high school girl like Kotoko who is not perfect. She will receive all kinds of bad reviews.
For example, "Why is Irie so close to her? She's just a dork from Class F. Do they have anything in common?"
"Is it because she likes Irie that she's pestering him?"
"It's impossible that Irie likes her anyway."
"She's just so-so in appearance. Irie definitely won't like her."
"So their parents are friends. I was wondering why Irie would associate with a woman like that. It turns out he's forced to do so."
………
When Kotoko was pursuing Irie, she was subjected to a lot of verbal abuse, but she was able to endure it all because of her love for Irie.
Now, she has lost the courage that comes from love, so naturally she can't bear it anymore. She doesn't want anything from Rujiang, so why should she bear the malice from others because of him? If she can't afford to provoke them, she can always avoid them.
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