Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 68 Never to Return, A Youthful Journey

Rito opened his mouth, feeling like he had a lot to say—like when you two became so close, what Yumiko told you, and why she didn't tell you—but he swallowed all the words back down.

Forget it, it's too strange to ask her about this. Let's find the person in question.

Thinking this to himself, Rito gave a few perfunctory words and was about to leave to find Yumiko when Kobayashi suddenly called him back. Perhaps sensing something, she asked:

"President, are you alright?"

The girl's eyes were as moist as ever, as if she were going through some kind of rainy season. Li Ren turned her head, trying to make her expression seem natural, and nodded: "Of course, why do you ask?"

"Hmm? It's nothing." Kobayashi's eyes flickered, her hands secretly clenching behind her back, but she maintained a calm expression, shaking her head with a smile: "Then congratulations to you and Yumiko. Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret."

"Okay, I'll stop here for now, I have something to do."

Rito gave her a deep look, and his departing figure looked somewhat disheveled.

When he arrived at the parking lot, the car with Miko inside already had its lights on. The headlights cast a blurry oval circle on the gray concrete pillars. She was sitting in the driver's seat, the engine still running, her hands gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles slightly white. When she saw Rito emerge from the elevator, a fleeting fervor flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, switching between high and low beams to flash him.

Rito walked straight to the car, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat.

"Long time no see. Why didn't you say hello before coming to Tokyo?"

Before seeing Yumiko, Rito really wanted to see her, but when he actually saw her, he didn't know where to start. After a long silence, he finally managed to squeeze out an opening remark.

Yumiko glanced at him and could clearly sense that he was absent-minded. For some reason, she suddenly became a little angry.

"Did you see that?" the president asked expressionlessly, as if she were the one who was questioning her.

"I saw it." Rito paused for a moment, lowered his head, and sighed.

"How does it feel?" the president then asked.

"How did it feel?" Rito repeated, giving a wry smile. "You thought you'd traveled through time, but I'm sure you have your reasons."

"What if I say no? What if I acted on my own initiative, preemptively and then forced you to admit a fait accompli? What would you do then, Liren?"

Yumiko suddenly interrupted him, her words harsh and her expression exaggerated, a side of her that Rito had never seen before. She was like a cat whose foot had been stepped on, looking unreasonably agitated.

Rito didn't answer, but silently reached out and covered the back of her hand. Her skin was slightly cool from the air conditioning, and the two of them trembled slightly upon contact.

The atmosphere froze for a few seconds. Yumiko turned to look out the window. Her previously high spirits deflated rapidly, like a punctured balloon, due to the physical contact. She gripped his hand tightly, her lips trembling slightly, and then spoke.

"Riri, would you like to hear a story from me?"

Li Ren nodded vigorously: "Of course, I'd like to hear the details."

A moment of silence fell over the carriage. The fluorescent lights overhead emitted a faint hum, and the occasional distant elevator notification could be heard from outside. The chairman's profile was beautiful; his rounded jawline appeared thin in the afterglow of the car headlights, like a thread stretched too taut, ready to snap at the slightest pressure.

"Do you believe there are things in this world that humans cannot yet understand?" she asked, her voice very soft, as if afraid of waking something.

Rito didn't answer, he just looked at her.

"I've been able to hear a voice since I was little." She took one hand off the steering wheel, placed it next to her temple, tapped it lightly with her fingertips, and then let it fall. "It's not a hallucination or a split personality; there really is another entity. It's very powerful. From childhood to adulthood, it has helped me a lot. Even the current scale of Guan Family Furniture is, in a sense, thanks to it."

After speaking somewhat hastily, Yumiko immediately looked at Rito to observe his reaction, but Rito merely pursed his lips, his expression neither sad nor happy, showing little reaction. Yumiko felt uncertain, but lacked the courage to ask, so she could only continue speaking.

"I've always felt lucky, but that changed after I met you."

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, a shadow fell over them.

"It started urging me to get closer to you, from initial suggestions to later reminders, and finally to warnings. Last fall, it gave me an ultimatum."

She took another deep breath and then uttered the sentence word by word, her tone completely flat, as if she were reading a verdict that had nothing to do with her.

"If the marriage cannot be finalized within a year, the Guan family business will face a fatal blow and the risk of bankruptcy is extremely high."

The man's back left the chair back.

The only sounds in the car were the low hum of the air conditioner and Yumiko's soft breathing, while the electrical hum of the parking lot lights suddenly became very loud.

"Interesting." Rito stroked his chin expressionlessly, told her to wait for him, and then plunged his thoughts into the system space, shouting out loud.

Normally, the system wouldn't be summoned by just one sentence, but this time, it actually responded.

"Host, I'm here."

"What's going on with Yumiko?" Rito didn't waste any more words and asked directly.

"Researched: The family of Yumiko Seki has changed too much from the original world line. Directly modifying it would consume too much of her original power. In order to save resources, a guide system has been specially introduced for her."

"Then what about forcing her to marry me?" Rito followed up with another question.

"Beep, no relevant files found. Please resolve the issue yourself." The electronic voice rang out without hesitation, making one highly doubt whether the so-called search process had actually occurred.

Fuck you!

After giving the system a standard middle finger, Rito reopened his eyes and looked at Yumiko. Her gaze was evasive, her earlobes were tinged with a faint pink, her ten fingers were intertwined, and her muscles were tense, as if she was waiting for something.

Rito remained silent for a long time, and then said something that Rito had never expected.

"Actually, I have other things in my mind too."

Yumiko's eyes widened suddenly. She turned her head and stared at him intently. Rito didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on the gray concrete pillars outside the windshield. His expression was calm, but his tone was serious, definitely not joking.

"It's complicated, and I can't explain it in a short time, but it's also very difficult to deal with, so I trust you, Yumiko, because our situation is more similar than anyone can imagine."

His fingers gently stroked the president's hair, his heart filled with deep regret. He had thought of many reasons for Yumiko's situation, but he never expected it would end up being because of this.

"Who have you told about the marriage?"

He quickly changed his mind and asked again. Although Guan Furniture was a behemoth in the eyes of ordinary people, the second largest furniture merchant in the Kyushu region, it was not an unbearable price for him. If there was time, he would give up several years' worth of income to give Meizi the opportunity to choose freely.

Unfortunately, Yumiko glanced at him and then said that in order to ensure everything went smoothly, she had already leaked the news before coming, and it wouldn't be long before the entire second-generation circle knew that the two were getting married.

Li Ren was speechless and then laughed. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was his father.

He answered the call, pressed the speakerphone button, and placed it on the island counter.

"Rito, what's going on? Why are you keeping your marriage to Yumiko a secret from me? Even if you know that your Uncle Kan and Aunt Kan won't object, we still have to go through the motions, right? Are you in such a hurry?"

On the phone, the father, unusually, joked around, and it was clear that he was quite satisfied with the marriage. Rito and Yumiko exchanged glances, seemingly discussing who should speak first. After some back and forth, Yumiko finally gave in, coughed, and greeted them.

"Uncle Kubo, it's me, Yumiko. I'm really sorry for not asking for your permission beforehand. It was all my idea, so please don't blame Rito."

"Oh, it's Yumiko."

The father paused for a moment, then asked a few kind words of concern, urging Liren to treat the woman well, before asking, "Isn't getting married in September a bit too rushed? Did you two decide on this? Do your parents know, Yumiko?"

Yumiko replied, "It was a decision made by Rito and me. Although it was a bit rushed, we didn't intend to make it too grand, so it should be fine."

Hearing her say that, Kubo's father didn't say anything more, indicating that her father had already called to question her, and then hung up the phone.

"Tsk, how come I didn't know I participated in this discussion?"

Rito put his phone back in his pocket, a slight smile playing on his lips. It was too late to back out now, and Yumiko was indeed a wife he had considered. He could only tell himself to look forward and learn to accept the vicissitudes of fate.

Sensing the subtle change in his mindset from his tone, Yumiko breathed a sigh of relief, smiled sweetly, and gave Rito a playful smirk. The two laughed for a while before quickly stopping in tacit agreement.

"Do you need any help with the hotel?"

Rin-jin started to get into character and started to care about serious matters.

Yumiko shook her head, indicating that she could handle such a small matter by herself. Seeing this, Rito didn't ask any more questions and told her to prepare some invitations so he could invite the guests.

"It's all prepared."

Yumiko took a paper bag from the back seat; it was full of unopened invitations. Rito took it, glanced at it, and prepared to get out of the car and leave.

"I'll be going now. Keep in touch if anything comes up."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Yumiko bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Rito turned around in confusion, waiting for her to speak.

"Come a little closer." Yumiko beckoned him to come closer. Rito bent down, bringing his ear close to her lips, waiting to hear what secret she had to tell. But she didn't speak; instead, she reached out, cupped his face, turned his head slightly, and kissed him.

This was a kiss that wasn't particularly sensual or skillful, and shouldn't have belonged to a couple about to get married. But considering that this marriage was already mixed with so many other factors, and might not even have followed the wishes of both parties, it didn't seem surprising at all.

Yumiko slowly stepped back, still cupping his face in her hands. Her eyes were slightly red, but the corners of her mouth were curved in a smile.

"I've said so much just now, but I haven't said the most important thing yet." She paused, her thumb gently tracing his cheekbone. "Although the proposal was forced upon me by that voice, wanting to marry you—is my own wish."

Rihito looked at her. Her pupils shone brilliantly in the dim light, like amber washed clean. He remembered the first time he saw her at the airport, standing in the crowd like a solitary white camellia. He remembered her gazing up at the night sky under the Disney fireworks, her eyes reflecting the entire starry sea. He remembered the words she spoke in his living room, burdened by immense pressure.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, almost as if he wanted to meld her into his bones. Her shoulders were thin, and he could feel the outline of her shoulder blades through her trench coat, but her back was very straight, and it didn't slump even in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he said, his lips brushing against the top of her head, his voice slightly hoarse, "Yumiko, I can't be a man who is devoted to one person. I don't want to lie to you about that."

Yumiko chuckled softly in his arms. "Do you think I don't understand you? I've known what kind of person you are since the first day I met you. You're so good to Nagahama, so good to Hashimoto, so good to everyone you've set your sights on. Why do you think I hesitated for so long?" She lifted her face from his chest, looking up at him. "It's not because I mind you being with other people, it's because I'm afraid you'll be with everyone else, but not with me."

Rito didn't say anything, but just hugged her tighter.

"Alright, we still have plenty of time to spend together, let's take it slow..." Yumiko stepped out of his embrace, rubbed her eyes with her fingers, took a deep breath, and her voice regained its usual teasing composure, "By the way, I don't want to stay in a hotel anymore. Don't forget to contact the real estate agent and find a few apartments, just make sure they're not worse than Songtao's."

Rito nodded. He opened the car door, walked to the driver's side, bent down and gently kissed her forehead, then turned and walked towards the elevator. Behind him, he heard Yumiko starting the engine; the headlights swept an arc across the gray concrete pillar before disappearing on the parking lot exit ramp.

By the time he returned to Songtao's house, it was completely dark. The living room lights were off; Nana Min had arranged to go shopping with Sayuri that evening, and now he was alone. He placed the invitation he'd gotten from Yumiko on the coffee table, sat on the sofa for a while, and then picked up his phone.

The message he sent to Nana Min took longer than usual. He typed and deleted, typed and deleted again, finally sending only one line: "Yumiko is here."

The reply came quickly, so quickly that he almost thought Nana Min had been holding her phone waiting for some message. But when he opened it, he found that her reply was only two lines long.

"Okay, congratulations."

"Treat her well."

Rito stared at those two lines of text for a long time before turning off his phone. He leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the unlit chandelier on the ceiling, and suddenly remembered the night Nanamin first came here. She was wearing his white shirt, standing in the kitchen cutting octopus sausages. He thought he would make her life better than he remembered, but now it seemed that might not be the case.