Fast Forward To Dating! Right Now, Immediately!

Chapter 6

Ignoring the rude woman, Hayama stepped off the train and made his way towards his apartment. Conveniently located near the school, the apartment boasted excellent facilities, despite being slightly expensive. Apart from the cost, there were no other downsides to it.

After getting off the train, he found himself at the corner of the street, right where a bookstore stood. It was a small establishment, typically seeing no more than a hundred books sold daily. It rarely held any noteworthy events, but today was different. Surprisingly, a new book poster adorned the store's entrance, catching his attention.

"The highly anticipated debut work - Volume 1 of 'Love Metronome' by the emerging, talented author, Kasumi Utako - is now on sale! Purchase it now and receive a rare poster featuring Sayuka as a special bonus!"

"So, the girl who took the last seat was reading 'Love Metronome'? The advertisement in Japan can be quite exaggerated. They already label a new author as talented."

He paused for a moment, picked up a copy of "Love Metronome," and casually flipped through a few pages.

"It's somewhat childish, but still interesting. Not a bad choice for a bedtime read, I suppose."

After purchasing the book and grabbing some snacks from the convenience store, he made his way back to his apartment.

Beep.

A notification chimed from his phone. It was a message from Kato.

"Hey, Hayama-kun, just wanted to let you know that both Ginko and I made it home safely."

"I'm home too," he casually replied but then realized something was off. When did Kato become so close to Ginko? She even knew that Ginko had arrived home safely!

"Kato, you never cease to amaze me."

Despite Kato usually being unnoticed, there seemed to be a subtle charisma about her.

He pulled out the note Ginko had given him and sent a friend request before heading to the bathroom.

"Didn't get a chance to take a bath last night, so I'm gonna make the most of it today."

He tossed in a packet of warm, fizzy bath powder into the tub, closed his eyes, and surrendered to the serenity of the bath. Taking a dip not only helped him unwind and ease the tiredness, but it also worked wonders in rejuvenating his body. After an intense afternoon of playing soccer, a nice, hot bath was pure bliss.

After more than an hour, he eventually emerged from the bathroom. He glanced at his phone and noticed seven missed calls, all from an unfamiliar number.

"Who could be calling me?" He pondered, scratching his head in confusion. The number had never appeared on his phone before.

Just as he was about to return the call, his phone started ringing again, and to his surprise, it was the same mysterious number. Without hesitation, he tapped the answer button.

"Hello, is this Hayama?" The voice on the other end sounded all too familiar, leaving him with no doubt about the caller's identity – it was Yukinoshita Haruno.

"Haruno, did you change your phone number again?"

"Yup, turns out my old number got leaked. If you want to reach me, you'll have to use my private line," Haruno explained nonchalantly. Her tone had a casual air to it. Had Hayama not been privy to her true nature, he might have mistaken her for a carefree girl.

"Don't keep changing your number. We could simply use LINE for voice calls."

"Can I take that as Hayama wanting to video chat with me?" Haruno chuckled, her laughter carrying a delightful melody.

"Yeah, that's right! We can video chat while I'm in the bath!"

"Heh, men!" Haruno's tone was harsh, but a smile appeared on her face, "Your money has been transferred. Which account should I send it to?"

"Already? That's fast!" He sounded surprised. Usually, with those big companies, when they promise a transfer within three business days, it ends up taking at least seven days. But this time, the money was transferred on the second day itself.

"I'm on the lookout for talented people. How about joining my team with a salary in the millions of euros? Sound tempting?" she chuckled.

"Why would I? I made a 2 million euros bonus in just three hours!"

Suddenly, a rustling noise came through the phone, and he could tell that she was grinding her teeth in frustration.

"This time, transfer the money to my Japanese card and convert it into yen. I need to have some cash in yen since I'm still living in this country."

"Yen, huh? No problem. It'll be in your account by tomorrow."

Haruno's father was a Chiba prefectural council member, and their family also had a large construction company, so handling Japanese yen was a piece of cake for them.

"Thanks. When I get back to Chiba, I'll treat you to ramen with coriander."

"Ugh, no way..." From the tone of her voice, one could easily picture the disgusted expression on her face.

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now." he didn't have the habit of prolonging phone calls.

"Heh, typical men. Once you've had your way with a woman, you start losing interest, huh?" she reverted to her cunning nature.

"Well then, goodbye!" He hung up the phone.

Beep, beep, beep!

His phone kept buzzing, signaling a flurry of notifications on LINE. He hurriedly opened the app to find a flood of frustrated and angry emojis from Haruno.

"What's the matter? Should I look up mental health hospitals for you?" He typed.

"Look at little Hayama growing up! He actually had the guts to hang up on his big sister!" she shot back.

"If you've got something to say, just spit it out. I'm not afraid to end this call and even unfriend you if I have to."

Haruno stomped around her room, seething with anger, but she felt powerless to strike back at him.

"Guess who's back from overseas? Our little Yukino! She's even more adorable now than she was before. Don't you want to see her?"

"Little Yukino?" It took him a moment to recall Yukinoshita Yukino, but eventually, it clicked.

"So, you're talking about the girl who's usually a bit silly, gets picked on at school, but then goes home and cries her eyes out - Yukinoshita Yukino?"

His memories of Yukino only went as far as the third grade. They used to be classmates, but in fourth grade, Hayama had to switch schools because of his father's job. Their families had some occasional interactions afterward, but it didn't leave a lasting impression.

"If Yukino found out what you think of her, she'd be really sad."

"Seriously? She still cries like that even now?"

She abruptly fell silent, and he blinked in confusion.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Kato didn't even bother sending a message, and Ginko flat-out ignored the friend request. Hayama let out a yawn and lazily opened up "Love Metronome."

Chiba...

"Since when were you eavesdropping, Yukino?"

"Um, fr-from the moment you stomped your feet like a maniac!"

...

In the morning, Hayama woke up to find two messages waiting for him.

The first one was from Haruno.

23:22:49 - "Sorry, Hayama. Little Yukino saw your message! Make sure to wear a bulletproof vest when you go out."

The second message was from Ginko.

02:25:50 "Send me your soccer match schedule."

...

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