133: What did you say his name was?

Because her father was from the Western, the Sawamura family courtyard had a Western style.

Behind the spire-like towers modeled after English architecture, a lush garden spread out. 

The maze-like park, filled with flowers of various colors, was about the size of two football fields combined.

It took more than ten minutes just to walk from one end to the other.

Lawn, fountains, groundcovers, ponds, sculptures... 

Various facilities were combined in a way that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing, with clear divisions of space, orderly and in line with Western courtyard layout principles, symmetrical, regulated, and meticulous.

It could almost be a tourist attraction.

And hidden among the beautiful flower beds in a small pavilion, a short-haired girl, who insisted on tying her hair in a ponytail, was talking to her phone, "Takashi, do you think friendship isn't something that causes pain?"

At this moment, Takashi, who had just returned home and was simmering some pork rib soup, heard this, "…That doesn't sound very lighthearted. What's going on?"

"I went to the Sawamura family dinner today."

"Yeah."

"Nagisa wanted to go too, so I brought her along."

"Mm, and then?"

"That shameless woman actually took advantage of me not noticing and secretly flirted with Tsubasa."

"Eh?"

Takashi froze for a moment.

Nagisa and Tanuma Tsubasa? But didn't Nagisa dislike Tanuma Tsubasa?

Doesn't this mean he got betrayed?

No, wait.

Tanuma Tsubasa is Nagisa's boyfriend, so technically, he's the one who was betrayed by Tanuma Tsubasa.

Takashi casually thought to himself while scooping some soup with a ladle and sipping it.

"I suspect this is what happened when we went to the cinema that day."

"Ah, cough, cough."

The soup, which had slid down his throat, was suddenly sprayed out by Takashi.

"Takashi, what's wrong?"

"No, no, it's nothing. How do you know about this?"

Takashi now just wanted to know how this had been exposed.

That day, during the second half of the movie, Maki didn't even look his way.

It couldn't have been Nagisa who told her, right?

"She said it herself, and even took photos and showed them to us."

Takashi: "..."

What's wrong with her?

You kissed him, but why take pictures?

Play around, sure, but don't take pictures at a place like that. Is that too much to understand?

And even if you took the photos, you went and shared them with them.

You're really generous!

Takashi sincerely thought he and Nagisa were born with the wrong genders.

And he was glad that Nagisa had the wrong gender.

Otherwise, if she were a guy and lost her phone, it could cause unimaginable consequences.

Who knows how many girls would be ruined and end up featured on domestic highlights.

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. Ms. Sawamura was even beside us!"

Takashi stopped wiping the wall with a cloth.

"Maki, can I ask, is the Ms. Sawamura you're talking about named Sawamura Spencer Eriri?"

He'd wanted to ask this question last time.

Nagisa replied in surprise, "Yes, that's right. Why do you know her?"

Well, not just know her.

They had even met up before and held hands.

Of course, if you ask about their relationship...

Takashi could only say in his mind: "We're just ordinary friends, pure friendship." 

Takashi: "…I've heard of her."

What a battlefield.

How did these two meet?

Would it get exposed?

It shouldn't... right?

Thinking about Nagisa being there, Takashi suddenly lost confidence.

He didn't interact with Nagisa much, but he could tell that she wasn't someone easy to handle.

What if Eriri noticed something?

As he thought about this, Takashi sucked in a breath of cold air.

This absolutely cannot happen!

"Takashi, I really suspect that she invited me there just to show off her relationship with Tsubasa. She's just a..."

"Sorry, Maki, I've got other things to do. We'll talk later."

Normally, he wouldn't mind listening to Maki complain.

Listening to the love-hate drama between these three was kind of interesting.

But now, Takashi was too occupied with his own troubles and constantly at risk of being exposed, so he couldn't afford to listen to her complaints.

Finding a random excuse, he hung up the phone, leaving Maki to face the silence alone, muttering to herself, 

"Does Takashi think I'm annoying? He's changed, he definitely wouldn't have hung up on me first before. In the end, men are just..."

…

"Ms. Sawamura, you must have a lot of people chasing you since you're so beautiful."

At the garden party, Nagisa was holding Eriri's delicate arm, sitting on a bench, not letting her leave.

"No, I'm not as cute as Miss Kashiwagi."

On the surface, Eriri pretended to be polite with Nagisa, but inside, she was already bubbling with anger.

She didn't like her parents' banquet.

She didn't like attending banquets.

She especially didn't like Nagisa.

She didn't even know why, but the first time she saw Nagisa, she just really disliked her.

When Nagisa pulled out a picture of her secretly kissing her boyfriend, Eriri's dislike and irritation almost reached their peak.

She didn't even know where these feelings came from.

She used to dislike pretending to be nice to others, but she rarely disliked anyone.

"By the way, what call did Maki go to take? She's been gone for so long?"

Eriri really didn't want to stay with Nagisa anymore, and when she saw her about to speak again, she quickly changed the topic.

Nagisa knew Maki had intentionally left because she couldn't handle the tension and smiled as she thought of an excuse. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.

'She's not off to complain to Takashi, is she?'

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was possible.

That bold, short-haired Maki.

Behind my back, stealing my man, huh?

Takashi was the prey I had my eyes on.

Nagisa stood up from the bench, gritting her teeth, "She's definitely calling Takashi."

"Takashi?"

Eriri, who had been indifferent, immediately reacted when she heard the name "Takashi."

Now that Takashi was mentioned, she wasn't tired anymore.

She couldn't help but feel curious, smiling as she asked, "Takashi? Who is he? What's his relationship with Maki?"

Nagisa glanced at this naive fool and sneered, "His name is Watanabe Takashi, and it seems like he's in a relationship with Maki."

"Watanabe... Watanabe?"

Eriri, who had been smiling, suddenly stopped smiling.

Her pupils shrank sharply, and her whole body froze.

"You said his last name is Watanabe? His name is Watanabe Takashi?"

By the time Eriri realized what was happening, she had grabbed Nagisa's arms and screamed loudly.

If he were Takashi, Suzuki, or Kato, Eriri wouldn't have had such a big reaction.

But the fact that his last name was Watanabe made all the difference.

Watanabe Takashi's "Watanabe."

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