Naruto: Shinobi Payday - Chapter 48: Kakuzu vs Zeldris

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. I think you’re——”

Hearing that voice for the first time stopped me in my tracks. On my way home from school. On the playing field of our junior high, and at the bookshop in front of the station. And then in the empty lot where the white cat slept. Shiina Yuki, the strange girl who somehow knew all about me, always approached me like that.

We laughed, cried, got angry, held hands. Again and again, we repeated those disappearing memories and ephemeral promises. That’s why I never knew. I never knew the value of Yuki’s smiles or the meaning of her tears. Nor even the singular sentiment behind her many ‘Nice to meet you’s.

This is a captivating, heartrending tale of meetings and partings.

Broken-hearted and drunk, Yoshida, a 26-years old salaryman, stumbled upon a runaway-from-home high-schooler on his way back from the bar.

“Hey, you. JK.”*

“What the heck are you doing out here. Go home already.”

“Uncle, let me stay at your place for the night.”

“You can do ‘that’ to me if you let me stay.”

“If you meant that as a joke, it’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking. It’s fine by me.”

“Then allow me to tell you that I have no interest in brats.”

“Hmm?”

“Then, just let me stay.”

Notes:

[*] JK is slang for Joushikousei (high school girl)

Lu Lingche, heir to a prestigious family, is known for his handsome, aloof, cold, and obstinate demeanor, showing disdain for all women. Qiao Yin silently loved him for five years, sacrificing everything with the belief that she could warm his icy heart. However, just three months into their marriage, he planned to abandon her for another woman.

What did he mean by holding disdain for all women? It seemed that he was only holding disdain for her! Despite her broken heart, Qiao Yin embarked on a new life that led to a spectacular career, making her a top leader in her industry. When she encountered Lu Lingche again, his shock was palpable: “The competitor who cost me so much is you?”

Responding with a gentle smile, Qiao Yin greeted him: “President Lu, nice to see you.” While Lu Lingche remained well-dressed, cold, and rational during the day, in the quiet of the night, he lost control, embracing her tightly and pleading, “What do you want? I will give you anything. Don’t leave me.”

“President Lu, I already have a fiancé.”

“He’s now tied up on the rooftop. You have two choices. He dies and you marry me. Or he lives and I die?”

Perplexed, Qiao Yin questioned, “Weren’t you the one who wanted the divorce? Where is your so-called heart’s desire?”

“You have been my heart’s desire all this time!”

……………………………………………………………

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