CHAPTER 453: CHAPTER 338: GO TO HELL, MR. FUSHIMI! (3)

This is indeed shameless, but Minamoto Tamako didn’t have the heart to argue.

She buried her face in her elbow, her body trembling, looking genuinely heartbroken.

Fushimi Roku didn’t understand what she was upset about and repeatedly asked. Only then did Tamako whisper, "Do you, do you despise me?"

"Despise you for what?" Fushimi Roku was confused.

"Despise, despise me for being a robber—wahhhh—"

Halfway through her words, Tamako’s voice changed, and she turned over, lying on the sofa, bawling like a boiling kettle.

"..."

Fushimi Roku had no words. He knew that at the time, Tamako took a nail clipper, and he knew Tamako just wanted to take a car to escape. He had randomly claimed she was a master robber.

If they really went to court, how could he prove he was robbed? There were no weapons at the scene, just a nail clipper; the police probably wouldn’t bother with such a case and at most would step in to mediate, leaving the parents to criticize and educate her afterward.

Only Tamako would take such matters to heart.

"What’s there to despise." Fushimi Roku patted her small head.

"But I despise myself..." Tamako said in a muffled voice, "I, I want to prove myself..."

Her voice still had a sobbing tone: "During the police academy’s opening ceremony, I saw you... Do you know how I felt at that moment? I was thinking... ’Ah, so Mr. Driver was moved by my words,’ ’So I changed a person’s life’..."

"I said so many grand things back then, wanting to become a famous detective, wanting to become a famous police chief... In front of others, it doesn’t matter if I don’t become a famous detective or a police chief..."

"But... but..."

"Only by Fushimi’s side must I become a famous detective, must I become a famous police chief!"

With reddened eyes, she raised her head, looking at Fushimi Roku: "Can you understand? You must understand! After all, you were already about to give up back then, deciding to live a different life... It was because of what I said that made you come to the police academy, made you refuse to inherit your father’s pub, made you come to Tokyo’s Sugamo to be a patrol police..."

"If I can’t do it, if I can’t fulfill the words I said back then, then wouldn’t I... wouldn’t I just be a big mouth?"

"And also..."

"If I can’t prove I’m right, then wouldn’t what you said back then become correct?"

Tamako buried her head in his arms, clutching his shirt, shouting in a near-outburst, "I don’t want that! I’m not willing!"

"I don’t want to be seen as a robber in your eyes!"

"I must become a famous police chief!"

"I must become a famous detective!"

"On the day my words come true, I will take you back to Sapporo, to that convenience store entrance. We’ll take a taxi, head towards the coastal road... You’ll sit with me in the backseat, saying to me ’Thank goodness you were right’; and I’ll say ’If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten this far’..."

"And then... and then..."

"You’ll say ’Thanks to you for guiding me’, ’You’ve always been my role model’, ’I like you, Tamako’, ’Let’s walk the road ahead together’..."

Tamako’s voice grew lower, gradually turning into incoherent sobs: "It should be like this..."

"But now you’re going to die..."

"I’ve become a robber..."

"And I was drunk last night..."

...

Tamako’s voice was so low that Fushimi Roku could only hear vague murmurs. Only until this moment did she truly bare her heart; for her, the process was not sweet, but rather exceptionally painful.

But at least she took this step.

Fushimi Roku could feel it; his shirt was wet from tears, and the girl in his arms was petite and fragile, trembling, fearful, unwilling but helpless.

For some reason, his chest felt inexplicably blocked, suddenly fearful of death.

"It’s okay, cheer up; at least we’ve started dating now." Fushimi Roku tried to create a relaxed atmosphere.

"No, no, no!" Tamako pressed her forehead against his chest, beating it, shouting with a sobbing tone, "What does this count for? What does this count for?! Are you fulfilling your last wish? Do you truly like me? Does a false confession even count as a confession?!"

Fushimi Roku fell silent.

He knew what he should say at this time.

Not only Kujo Yua but also Kazama Takuya, including Minamoto Tamako, tried to get Fushimi Roku to speak up and express his feelings.

They repeatedly pushed Fushimi Roku to a point of no retreat, but he always found a way to turn the tide, and he even enjoyed this process for a while — hiding his intentions, making those who loved him anxious, gave him an inexplicable sense of superiority, which is why heartless men and women enjoy keeping admirers as backups.

However, at this moment, for the first time, Fushimi Roku admitted defeat.

No one could defeat him, no one could corner him, except himself.

...

"I like you."

...

"Eh?" Tamako suddenly raised her head, almost thinking it was her imagination: "What did you just say?"

"If you didn’t hear it, forget it," Fushimi Roku immediately withdrew, "I’m going to buy breakfast."

Tamako grabbed his hand, her eyes, washed by tears, looking up at Fushimi Roku, her pupils shiny: "You said you like me? You said it, right? I heard it! I heard it!"

"What’s so surprising about that." Fushimi Roku turned his face away.

Tamako pounced on him, causing him to stagger, falling onto the sofa. Looking up, he saw Tamako lying on his chest, clutching his shirt, tears and snot unchecked: "Say it again!"

"But you heard it..."

"Say it again!" Tamako’s voice lowered, pleading: "Please, just say it again?"

Fushimi Roku rarely felt his face heat up, opened his mouth — as the best debater of his alma mater, a law firm’s star lawyer, an lv10 negotiation and debate expert, he was never nervous in any situation, nor did he ever stutter.

There was only one person in front of him, but he stuttered.

"I-I like you..."

Fushimi Roku snapped back to reality, in anger and embarrassment, added: "Okay now? Don’t push it!"

Tamako brightened, excitement overwhelming, couldn’t help but ask: "You really don’t despise me?"

"I don’t despise you." Fushimi Roku found her very cute.

"You don’t see me as a big mouth?"

"I don’t." Fushimi Roku thought she was very diligent.

"Don’t you find me annoying?"

"Not annoying." Fushimi Roku thought too quiet was lonely.

"Then, then what do you like about me?"

"I don’t know." Fushimi Roku really couldn’t pinpoint it.

Perhaps because he liked Minamoto Tamako, it was not her strengths or weaknesses but liked every bit.

Tamako laughed through her tears, snot bubbling accidentally, quickly covered her nose, sniffing hard.

Fushimi Roku pulled two tissues, handed them over, and said: "Feeling better now?"

"So, Fushimi really cares about my mood," Tamako sat up, blew her nose hard, turning her face away, said: "Still so so... now a bit conflicted."

Fushimi Roku frowned, sensing foreboding.

Based on his understanding of Tamako, he could guess what she wanted to say next but couldn’t help but ask: "Conflicted about what?"

"Conflicted about whether to agree or not." Tamako raised a finger, seriously saying: "I’m not a frivolous woman; this kind of thing surely needs careful consideration..."

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Fushimi Roku responded three times, chuckling coldly: "It was you who first said you liked me, so it’s me who should consider whether to date or not."

"What nonsense, clearly you said it first." Tamako wiped away tears and snot in her excitement as she leaned over him.

Even though Mr. Lu was about to die, the matter weighed heavily on her heart like Dharma. She teased Fushimi because she knew he couldn’t bear to see her cry.

"No, no, no, you said it first," Fushimi Roku said, realizing that something was amiss as he spoke.

—That sentence didn’t seem to just represent Tamako liking him.

Unable to bear it any longer, Fushimi Roku decided to take a step back. Sincerely, he said, "If you promise me, that you’ll try to live on, I’ll agree to be with you."

"What are you talking about? You clearly said it first," Tamako chided, her feet stomping: "Then go and die already!"

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