On the other end of the phone, Takashi heard Eriri crying and his voice became anxious. "Eriri, are you crying?"
"Don't cry! What did I do wrong? Tell me, and I'll change."
Hearing the same kind of concern in Takashi's voice as before, Eriri felt even worse.
The feeling of discomfort was like a scissor, repeatedly cutting at her heart.
"Watanabe Takashi, how long do you plan to deceive me?"
Eriri cried out loud in the night wind, her voice filled with questioning.
"I know everything. I know everything now."
"Watanabe Takashi, you're really something!"
"How do you manage to split your heart between two girls?"
One moment treating her well, and the next moment dating Maki, making both of them think they're in a sweet relationship.
The worst part was, she was still foolishly immersed in it, thinking it was sweet!
"First you comfort her, then you come to comfort me. Aren't you tired, Watanabe Takashi?"
Tired, indeed!
Every day, the moment he woke up, he had to respond to messages. Either he was on a date, or on his way to one. Takashi was tired too.
But what could he do?
He couldn't slack off, not for her. Even if it was exhausting, he had to pretend.
Takashi's voice was confused. "What do you mean by splitting your heart between two girls? Eriri, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Eriri wiped away her tears forcefully, not beating around the bush, and directly said, "Watanabe Takashi, stop pretending, I know you have a girlfriend."
"What girlfriend?"
Since he already knew from Nagisa that Eriri went to find Maki, Takashi responded calmly, without hesitation.
He knew that at a time like this, he could not show any signs of hesitation.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
"You're still pretending to be dumb!"
"Watanabe Takashi, what kind of man are you?"
"You have the guts to play both sides, but no guts to admit it, huh!"
Seeing that it was all laid bare and Takashi still refused to admit it, Eriri was not just sad but extremely disappointed.
She didn't expect Takashi to be such a coward.
"I will admit to what I've done, but when have I ever played both sides?"
Takashi's voice was filled with righteousness, with no hint of guilt.
How could they say he was playing both sides?
Let's talk about facts. Did he really play both sides?
"Who told you something?"
"Fine, you won't admit it? Okay, I'll have your girlfriend talk to you!!!"
Seeing that Takashi wouldn't admit it, Eriri switched the phone to speaker mode and handed it to Maki.
'What kind of mess is this!'
Maki, hearing this, felt her head spin, silently blaming Nagisa for spilling the truth.
Takashi wouldn't admit to being her boyfriend, and she could understand that.
After all, they weren't really a couple.
Takashi also knew she liked Tanuma Tsubasa.
At that time, she admitted it to save face.
Now, Eriri was clearly quite close to Watanabe Takashi, and it was likely that she was the person Watanabe Takashi had feelings for.
What should she do if the two of them couldn't be together because of her?
Should she offer herself up to Takashi?
No, no, she belonged to Tanuma Tsubasa.
Should she have her aunt do something?
Lost in various thoughts, Maki spoke up, "Hey, Takashi, it's me."
Takashi didn't blush, nor did his heart race: "Who are you?"
"...Shouldn't I be asking you that? Who are you?"
Maki was stunned when she heard the voice.
The young man's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a slight hint of age and a smoky tone.
It was a pleasant voice, but it wasn't Watanabe Takashi's voice.
"Hello, my name is Watanabe Takashi."
Before making the call, Takashi had already figured out how to respond.
Perhaps Maki had heard his voice before, but how could she know if it was his true voice or one that he made sound like this?
Takashi had a little skill in fake voices.
He could mimic a range of voices, from a young boy to an older man, to even a girl's voice.
Back in the day, he used this fake voice to fool a kid into thinking he was a hellish fire.
Maki was still somewhat suspicious, hesitating as she asked, "Your name is really Watanabe Takashi?"
She knew someone named Watanabe Takashi.
How many people could there possibly be named Watanabe Takashi in the world?
"It looks like we've encountered a case of the same name," Takashi replied.
He had chosen the surname "Watanabe" because it was one of the top ten surnames in Japan.
There were over a million people with the surname Watanabe in Japan alone.
Though it wasn't as common as Sato, if you shouted "Watanabe!" on the street, several people would turn around.
Eriri sniffled: "Same name?"
"Yeah."
It sounded a bit far-fetched, but it wasn't entirely impossible.
"If you don't believe me, Eriri, you can compare the two phone numbers and see if they are different."
Takashi actually had two phone numbers.
One was the one he had when he first arrived.
The other was the one he got when he came to Tokyo.
The phone number he gave Eriri was his one from Hokkaido.
The one he gave Maki was the one he got later.
He got two phone numbers in order to separate work and life.
He originally thought about transferring Eriri and Utaha's numbers to his work phone, but in the end, he didn't bother, thinking their relationship wouldn't last too long and it would be easier to just delete them.
Good thing he didn't do it.
Otherwise, he would have been exposed today.
Actually, being exposed didn't bother Takashi.
But it couldn't happen now.
He had already lost Utaha today, and if he lost Eriri, he would have no points or small cash to count on.
Even if he did score, he would have to find someone to replace them.
"I'll check."
Maki took out her phone and compared the number Watanabe Takashi gave her with the one Eriri had. They found that they were indeed different.
'Could it really be a mistake?'
Eriri and Maki exchanged a glance. At this moment, they both thought of the same thing.
"If you still don't believe it, you can compare our photos with that same-named person and see if we look alike."
Takashi continued confidently, drawing them into his line of thought.
Actually, it would be easy to expose this excuse.
They could follow Nagisa's example and hire a private investigator. Takashi's lies would unravel on their own.
Takashi knew he was gambling.
He was betting that Eriri wouldn't investigate him.
"Then why is the handkerchief I gave you with her?"
Eriri believed most of Takashi's explanation.
Because deep down, she still didn't want to believe that the Watanabe Takashi who loved her so much would betray her.
If Eriri were asked who loved her most in the world, besides her parents, she would certainly answer without hesitation: Watanabe Takashi.
No one loved Eriri more than Watanabe Takashi. (Utaha: How ironic, I thought the same thing back then.)
Trust aside, she wanted to know why the handkerchief she gave him was with Maki.
'Handkerchief? What handkerchief?'
Takashi couldn't immediately remember.
But his brain was sharp, and with the system's enhancements, his memory was near-perfect.
After a moment's reflection, he recalled what handkerchief Eriri was talking about.
Then, his head started to hurt.
He really hadn't thought of how to explain the handkerchief.
Because he didn't expect that Maki would actually bring his handkerchief over.
'Damn!'
Takashi never thought that the scenario involving a small lamp would one day be mirrored in his life.
"Why aren't you answering? Are you guilty? You really are lying to me," Eriri shouted suspiciously.
At this moment, Eriri was at her most paranoid.
Now, if there was any woman around, she would think that she was involved with Watanabe Takashi.
No choice, the kid had become paranoid.
___
20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~
Check out the other translations too
___