Chapter 076 Massaging Legs Openly / I Like You, Hiyori
"Senpai, Senpai! Morishita-senpai will probably approach you proactively soon. Just eat her up! This is all thanks to my hard work—you owe me one!"
Shimizu Akira and Shiina Hiyori had just finished ordering at this Chinese restaurant. He took out his phone, glanced at it casually, and saw this message that left him completely speechless.
That big trouble, Morishita Ai, was coming for him? How was that a "favor"?
'You're intentionally looking for trouble for me, aren't you?'
And what did "eat her up" even mean? He and Morishita Ai could only be considered ordinary friends; they weren't in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship at all!
Shiina Hiyori, noticing his expression from the side, said with concern, "You should probably make a call. I know you're usually busy. Was it your girlfriend calling again?"
Shimizu Akira rubbed his temples. "No, it's Amasawa Ichika. She sent a nonsensical message. Anyway, don't mind her. Let's just eat."
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After about ten minutes, the Chinese food the two had ordered was mostly served.
Shiina Hiyori had proactively suggested this shop, saying it was a restaurant highly recommended by Wang Mei-yu. In fact, Shimizu Akira had brought Haruka and Airi here last time; the taste was indeed quite good and was authentic Chinese cuisine, as the owner himself was from China.
This time, the two ordered a steamer of soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), a plate of shredded pork with green peppers, a plate of Mapo Tofu, plus two bowls of white rice.
Shimizu Akira picked up a soup dumpling, took a careful bite, and the broth immediately melted in his mouth, overflowing with fresh flavor.
"Is it good?" Hiyori asked, resting her chin on her hand.
"Yeah, not bad." Shimizu Akira swallowed. "You try one too."
Hiyori picked up her chopsticks, took a soup dumpling, and bowed her head to take a small bite.
"It's delicious," she said contentedly, setting down her chopsticks. "The skin is thin, the filling is generous, and the broth is very fresh."
"Right?" Shimizu Akira picked up another one. "A shop recommended by Wang-san won't be bad."
Hiyori nodded and took a sip from her teacup. She looked at the street view outside the window and then asked, "Shimizu-kun, what do you think is the most important thing for a good mystery novel?"
Shimizu Akira thought for a moment. "The trick? Or the twist?"
"Neither." Hiyori shook her head. "It's the characters."
"Characters?"
"Mm." Hiyori lightly poked the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. "A good story must first have characters that people remember. Tricks can be imitated, twists can be copied, but characters are unique."
Shimizu Akira looked at her. "So when you write a novel, you start with the characters first?"
"Yes." Hiyori nodded. "Establish the characters first, and then let them act on their own. Sometimes while writing, the characters will do things I didn't expect; that feeling is very interesting."
"Speaking of which, your father is a mystery writer, right?" Shimizu Akira took a bite of the Mapo Tofu. His mouth felt a bit numb from the spice, so he quickly shoveled in a mouthful of rice.
"Yes. My father is named Shiina Katsumi. He's a novelist with not much fame." Shiina Hiyori put a piece of green pepper into her mouth and, seemingly stung by the spice, hurried to take a sip of tea.
"Even though it's green pepper, it's quite spicy!" Shimizu Akira said quickly.
Shiina Hiyori hissed slightly on her tongue, appearing a bit embarrassed. "I'm not very good with spicy food."
"The Mapo Tofu is even spicier; you won't be able to eat either of these dishes. I'll order a non-spicy dish for you." Shimizu Akira quickly waved his hand. "Boss, please bring an order of 'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond' (He Tang Yue Se)."
A moment later, a plate of "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond" was brought out. Stir-fried lotus root slices, wood ear mushrooms, snow peas, and carrot slices—the colors were bright and it looked very refreshing.
Shiina Hiyori took a slice of lotus root and bit into it; it was crisp and the flavor was excellent. She finally didn't have to keep drinking water.
"This isn't spicy. Eat more of this." Shimizu Akira pushed the plate toward her.
"Mm." Hiyori took another slice. "Shimizu-kun, how did you know this shop had 'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond' without looking at the menu?"
"I came here last time with Haruka and Airi," Shimizu said. "The two of them aren't very good with spicy food either, so we ordered this dish."
"I see...!" Hiyori, after all, had known for a long time that he had several girlfriends. She didn't get angry; she just nodded, indicating she understood.
Shimizu Akira continued the previous topic: "Shiina, since your uncle is a novelist, that means his books have been published, right? Is it convenient to tell me what kind of mystery novels he writes?"
"Yes, he's had a few books published." Hiyori set down her chopsticks, took her phone out of her bag, scrolled for a bit, and then handed it to Shimizu Akira. "This is his list of works. Take a look."
Shimizu Akira took the phone. The screen displayed several book covers and synopses. The titles were very plain, like Mist Town, The Vanishing Witness, The Final Letter, and so on. The cover designs were also very simple, without flashy wraps or recommendation quotes.
"How are the sales?" Shimizu Akira asked.
"Average." Hiyori took the phone back and put it in her bag. "The best one, Mist Town, only had an initial print run of three thousand copies, and it took over half a year to sell out. It hasn't been reprinted since."
Books in Japan are not cheap, usually around 1,500 yen. Three thousand copies would be about 4.5 million yen, and the author's royalty income is roughly 10%. In other words, after selling for over half a year, the take-home pay was only about 450,000 yen—not even equal to two months' salary for an ordinary office worker.
It could be said that it was indeed very difficult for Uncle Shiina to support himself just by writing novels; he belonged to that class of writers who created purely out of love.
Shimizu Akira asked seriously, "Does he still write now?"
"He does." Hiyori nodded. "But he writes intermittently; it takes about a year to finish one book. He spends most of his time working part-time in a bookstore. While pursuing a dream is important, my father still has to live and support our family of three."
Shimizu Akira thought for a moment and asked again, "Does your mother support his decision?"
"Mother... didn't support it at first," Hiyori said softly. "She hoped Father would find a stable job, go to work and come home like a normal person, and receive a fixed salary every month. It wasn't that she didn't support him writing novels, but rather that she was worried about the family's livelihood."
"And later?"
"Later..." Hiyori thought back. "Later, Mother compromised. Because she discovered that Father really, truly loves writing novels. That kind of love isn't a whim; it's the kind where he'd die if he didn't do it."
"Mother said it like this—'Since he likes it so much, let him do it.'" Hiyori set down her chopsticks and mimicked her mother's pouting expression. "Anyway, we won't starve to death."
Shimizu Akira was amused by her cute appearance. "Your father's pursuit of his dream is certainly remarkable, but I always feel that your mother, who bears so much pressure behind the scenes, is even more impressive. Uncle really found a very good wife."
"Mm." Hiyori narrowed her eyes and smiled. "I also feel that my father got a huge bargain by being able to marry my mother."
The two ate quietly for a while.
"Shimizu-kun." Hiyori set down her chopsticks.
"Hm?"
"Which do you think is more important, dreams or reality?"
Shimizu Akira thought about it. "Both are important."
"If you could only choose one? Which would you pick?"
"If it were just me alone, I would naturally choose the former. But if I had a family and children, for the sake of better living conditions, I would probably choose the latter."
Hiyori stared at him for a few seconds. "You're very right. You can be willful when you're alone, but once you have a family, you can't only think about yourself."
"So your father is very lucky," Shimizu Akira said. "To have your mother supporting him."
"Mm." Hiyori smiled. "But Mother didn't support him from the start either. She said it took her a long time to figure it out. To like someone is to like everything about them. Including their dreams, their stubbornness, and their impracticalities."
'These two are truly a story of pure love.'
Hiyori instead rubbed her temples with some helplessness. "However, sometimes I feel that I might never be able to do what she did."
Shimizu Akira said with a smile, "You should be like your uncle, the type who pursues dreams, right? It's clear that you really love reading and writing."
Shiina Hiyori poked her rice with her chopsticks. "Yes. In an ordinary family, at most one willful person can be allowed; otherwise, life absolutely cannot go on."
She wanted to write novels, was very interested in tea ceremonies and flower arrangements, and had many things she wanted to pursue. If, like her mother, she simply supported her father's dream and gave everything up, she believed she could absolutely never do that, no matter how much she liked the other person.
Shiina Hiyori asked thoughtfully, "Shimizu-kun, do you have any dream you want to pursue? The kind of thing... you'd want to do even if it took your whole life."
Shimizu Akira said quite bluntly, "I don't have one."
"Eh?!" Shiina Hiyori was completely stunned. "None?"
"Yeah, I don't really have anything I must pursue yet." This man said it in a very "salted fish" manner.
"But... didn't you join the boxing club? Don't you want to make it to the national tournament and become a world-class boxer?" Shiina Hiyori asked with some surprise.
"Ah? No, no, you're overthinking it." Shimizu Akira said honestly, "I joined the boxing club at the beginning only because President Sato said joining a club provided extra funds, and I wanted to learn a bit of self-defense."
"This!" Hiyori's eyes widened. "The reasons are only those? Since you aren't interested in boxing, what major do you plan to choose for university? Have you thought about it?"
Shimizu Akira spread his hands. "I haven't really thought about that either..."
Shiina Hiyori didn't know what to say anymore. So, Shimizu Akira was not at all the type to pursue dreams with a heart full of passion.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that way; this person was usually slow and steady, one could even say a bit lazy and loose. The feeling he gave off was that "the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge."
'Why is this point strangely a bit like my own mother?'
Seeing that Shiina Hiyori had gone silent, Shimizu Akira thought she didn't believe him and added, "I'm not lying to you. Last year, Horikita-senpai invited me to be the Vice President, but because I was afraid of the trouble, I didn't go."
Shiina Hiyori stared at him. "Shimizu-kun, I know you aren't lying, you don't need to explain to me. But do your girlfriends know this?"
"They know, and they don't have any objections. Actually, my girlfriends are all people with great ambitions! Not to mention Kikyo, Suzune, and Honami—those three are competing for the Student Council President position and will probably go into politics outside; Chiaki's dream is to be a diplomat; Airi's dream is to be an idol; Haruka said she'd follow along with her; Masumi is very interested in drawing. If I have to say, it's only me and Kei who don't have something we must spend our lives doing." Shimizu Akira still told the truth.
Shiina Hiyori was practically moved to laughter by his words. How was it that the people dating Shimizu Akira were all career-driven women busy with their goals?
Looking at it this way, he and his group of girlfriends were simply a perfect match.
Shiina Hiyori didn't feel that Shimizu Akira lacked masculinity. She had heard that all the special exam strategies Shimizu Akira thought of were left to Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune to execute. He simply had the ability but didn't want to show his face.
She herself actually wanted to be busy with writing and such; wouldn't she personally be a good match for him too?
Unaccountably, Shiina Hiyori's inspiration for writing suddenly surged up. She immediately opened her bag, took out her diary, moved her food to the side, picked up a pen, and began writing on the dining table.
Shimizu Akira seemed to sense something and didn't intend to speak to her; he just stayed quietly by her side.
For half an hour, Shimizu Akira tried his best not to make any noise. He just sat quietly opposite her, sometimes looking out the window, sometimes looking down to take a sip of the tea that had already gone cold, and sometimes browsing his phone randomly.
Hiyori wrote very quickly, the pen tip rustling against the paper as if something were rushing her and she couldn't stop for a moment. She had long ago decided on the tricks and twists; what she was always stuck on was only the beginning—the plot of the first meeting between the female and male leads, and how to establish the characters for both.
She had thought about this segment for a long time and hadn't known how to start, but today she suddenly had the feeling.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally stopped her pen and let out a long breath. Raising her head, she found that Shimizu Akira had also just happened to put away his phone and was looking at her.
"Finished writing?" he asked.
"Mm." Hiyori nodded, looking down at the several pages she had filled with dense writing. "This segment... I finally wrote it out."
"Congratulations."
Hiyori couldn't help but smile. "You don't even ask what I wrote, and you're congratulating me?"
"What you wrote isn't important," Shimizu Akira said. "What's important is that you wrote it."
Hiyori stared at him for a few seconds, then looked down, closed the notebook, and put it back in her bag.
"You said earlier that I was very special; I think you are very special too."
"How am I special?"
"Others would ask 'What did you write?', 'Let me see', 'What kind of story is it?'" Hiyori said while zipping up her bag. "But you won't. You just waited quietly and asked nothing."
Shimizu Akira said speechlessly, "Is it possible that I was just simply hungry? Since you've finished writing, we can finally eat. To avoid affecting you, I didn't even dare let the owner take the dishes away. Now I can finally heat them up."
Hiyori's face turned bright red, and she gave him a glare. "Look how hungry you are!"
Those five words were said softly, without a trace of anger.
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Half an hour later, the two finished their meal, paid the bill, and walked out of the restaurant. Shimizu Akira glanced at the time; it was already 2:00 PM. Eating itself hadn't taken much time; it was mainly because Hiyori's inspiration had come suddenly, and the wait had been somewhat long.
"Are we still going to the shopping district on the east side of campus?" Shimizu Akira asked.
"No." Hiyori shook her head. "Going there was only to find inspiration. Since I already have it, there's no need to go anymore."
"No more writer's block? You can continue writing smoothly?"
"Mm."
"However, before that..." Shiina Hiyori cleared her throat twice. "As agreed, I'll have to trouble Shimizu-kun to come to my dormitory and help me massage my ankles and feet."
Shimizu Akira laughed instinctively. Even though the two had only spent four hours together and the walking part added up to less than an hour, logically the Detective Lady's feet shouldn't be very tired, yet she still said it.
What was this? Was it an intention to thank him after finding her inspiration?
Shimizu Akira was never a formal person; he nodded. "Then I won't be polite. Let's go, Shiina."
Shiina Hiyori gave him another glare.
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2:00 PM. The wind blew over, carrying the unique coolness of early autumn, making one feel very comfortable.
Hiyori walked beside Shimizu Akira, her steps much lighter than when they came, probably because the stone in her heart had finally fallen.
"Shimizu-kun."
"Hm?"
"You said earlier that to avoid affecting me, you didn't even dare let the owner take the dishes away. How long did you wait?"
"About forty minutes."
"I wrote for that long? Why didn't you wake me?"
"Dishes can be reheated if they get cold, but if your inspiration is broken, it might not be possible to reconnect it."
"...You, really."
"Really what?"
"You're really too good at taking care of people."
"Mainly because I've figured out my role. Didn't I accompany you today just to help you find inspiration?"
"You!"
The two walked toward the dormitory.
"Shimizu-kun."
"Hm?"
"Are you really willing to help me with the massage?"
"Didn't you suggest it proactively? Why ask this again now?"
"I... I was afraid you'd be embarrassed."
"What do I have to be embarrassed about? It's not like I haven't done it before. Besides, this counts as a reward for myself."
Hiyori's face reddened slightly. She took a deep breath and looked up. "Then let's go."
The two reached the dormitory building and took the elevator to the eighth floor. Hiyori took out her key card from her bag, swiped it on the access control, and the door opened.
"Come in."
Shimizu Akira followed her inside. There were even more books in Hiyori's dorm than the last time he came—not just on the bookshelves, but also placed on the desk and even a copy of A Ticket to the Graveyard on the bed.
"Sit." Hiyori pointed to the chair in front of the desk while she sat on the edge of the bed.
Shimizu Akira sat down and looked at her. "Start now?"
"Mm." Hiyori nodded, then took off her shoes and placed her feet on the edge of the bed. She was wearing a pair of white ankle socks; the socks were very clean, her ankles were slender, and the lines of her calves were very beautiful.
Shimizu Akira looked openly, then stood up, walked over to her, and squatted down.
"I'll press the ankles first," he said.
"Okay."
Shimizu Akira reached out and held her ankle. Hiyori's skin was very cool, but it slowly grew warm in Shimizu Akira's palm. His fingers pressed lightly on her ankle; Hiyori's body was still vaguely a bit stiff.
"Does it hurt?" Shimizu Akira asked.
"It doesn't hurt." Hiyori shook her head. "It's a bit sore."
"It seems we still walked quite a bit today."
"Mm."
Shimizu Akira's fingers moved slowly over her ankle, from the inside to the outside, from the Achilles tendon to the tibia. A wave of warmth traveled from Shiina Hiyori's ankle, giving her an inexplicable urge to squeeze her thighs together. She couldn't tell if this was a professional technique of Shimizu Akira's or if he was secretly doing some small maneuvers.
Hiyori quickly took a deep breath, only for there to be a light squeeze the next second. She looked up at Shimizu Akira; his expression was completely calm, as if he were doing something very professional, truly like a professional technician.
'Could it be that I'm overthinking? Is this really a proper massage this time?'
Shiina Hiyori held onto this curious feeling for five or six minutes. Shimizu Akira let go and looked at her foot. "Alright, it's time for the feet. The socks have to come off. Do you want to do it or should I?"
"I'll do it."
Hiyori's face reddened slightly as she leaned over and proactively took off her socks, revealing her fair feet. The toes were rounded, the nails were neatly trimmed, and the skin on the instep was delicate and smooth; the layer of faintly visible blood vessels was inexplicably exquisite and beautiful.
Shimizu Akira looked at her feet, admired them for two seconds, and then reached out to hold them. Hiyori bit her lower lip and didn't make a sound. Then, Shimizu Akira's fingers moved slowly over the soles of her feet, gently stroking along the smooth instep.
"You..." Hiyori felt that this person was being somewhat intentional and couldn't help but say one word.
"You walked for an hour; the main thing that's tired is the ankle. For that, I won't do extra movements and will give you a proper massage. But as for the feet, I see no problem with them, so I'm coming for them, Shiina," Shimizu Akira said openly.
So that was it.
Shiina Hiyori gave him a glare. "Then you're quite principled and quite honest. Do you want to touch my feet that much?"
"I do." Shimizu Akira nodded heavily.
"...Is it that comfortable to touch?"
"It's indeed quite nice. I said it last time—your feet are very beautiful, delicate and smooth, and they feel quite good."
Shiina Hiyori didn't know what to say anymore. But thinking about this man's gentleness and care for her today—even refusing several calls—and how he had been taking care of her during the date and keeping her very happy... today she had also overcome her writer's block thanks to him.
In any case, she didn't dislike it herself, so giving him a little bit of "benefit" was no big deal.
Seeing that she wasn't truly angry, Shimizu Akira laughed softly and lowered his head to continue the movements in his hands. Hiyori leaned against the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth of his palm and the thin calluses on his finger pads—those calluses were ground out from boxing practice, rough yet inexplicably reassuring. Like small electric currents, they sent waves from her feet to her brain.
At some point, she gave up the idea of curling her toes; instead, her toes trembled as they spread out.
"Ngh..." Hiyori still couldn't help but let out a heart-tugging soft moan. She casually picked up the mystery book by the bed to cover her face.
"Can you... change spots!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
This time, Shimizu Akira went up along the toes, past the ankle, and came directly to the calf area. Without the obstruction of socks, before him was a pure, unadorned bare leg. His palm pressed tightly against her calf, and Hiyori's breathing immediately became unsteady.
"Is it sore here?" Shimizu Akira pressed the calf muscle.
"A little." Hiyori's voice came from behind the book.
"When you walk a lot normally, the calves easily get tense. I'll massage it out for you."
"Mm."
Shimizu Akira kneaded it naturally. Hiyori's legs were not the fleshy type like Kamuro Masumi's; they were purely slender, giving the impression that they could be held in one hand and would easily break with a little force. But they felt very soft, perfectly matching the impression Shiina Hiyori gave off.
"Shiina, your calves are also very beautiful and feel very good."
Shiina Hiyori gave him a light kick. Previously it had at least followed the pattern of a massage, but this time after successfully reaching the calf, how come this person stopped even pretending?
Shimizu Akira noticed Shiina Hiyori's slight bashfulness and laughed, focusing on the operation at hand while not daring to use too much force. If he were to hurt his own Shiina, wouldn't he regret it to death?
Hiyori hummed a few times, but from start to finish, she didn't say anything to stop him.
"If you feel a bit unaccustomed to it, we can stop at any time."
"No. Since you waited for me for over half an hour during lunch, it's my turn this time."
'This deal is just too profitable.'
Shimizu Akira tried to go past the calf and reach the thigh area. To his surprise, the Detective Lady only gave his own thigh a kick and didn't mean to stop him. Hiyori's legs were very soft—not the firm kind resulting from exercise, but a softness unique to a young girl. Like cotton or silk, it made one want to stay a while longer. The knees as well gave him the feeling of an artwork that could easily be damaged.
As Shimizu Akira touched, he didn't dare use too much force; he just slowly retracted his strength, wanting to make Shiina Hiyori a bit more comfortable.
Shiina Hiyori felt Shimizu Akira's rhythm suddenly change. It was no longer that direct stroking, but a gentler, more restrained kneading and pressing. Inexplicably, this restraint instead caused her heart to slowly heat up. That itchy feeling spread from her legs to her whole body; Hiyori's breathing became unsteady, but since the book was still blocking her face, luckily she wasn't discovered by him.
"Shimizu."
"Hm?"
"Can you... use a little more force?"
"Is it okay?"
"Mm."
The strength in Shimizu Akira's hands increased somewhat. It was no longer that cautious stroking, but a more solid kneading, letting his palm stay on her skin for as long as possible. The itchy feeling became stronger and stronger, as if her heart were being rubbed by something. Shiina Hiyori's thighs unconsciously moved a bit closer to Shimizu Akira to make it easier for him to move.
In this state of reassurance and inexplicable heart-pounding, about fifteen minutes passed.
Shimizu Akira gave her shoulder a firm pat. "Alright, Shiina. That's enough for today's massage."
"Mm," Hiyori answered vaguely, pulling her feet back and tucking them into her slippers. Her face was still red, and the warmth of his palm remained on her thighs; that itchy and tingly feeling hadn't completely faded.
Only then did she realize that at some point, she had already tacitly allowed Shimizu Akira to touch her entire leg! Even though at the very beginning, they had only agreed on an ankle massage!
Hiyori stared at her feet for a good while, her heart welling up with shame, annoyance, and a trace of unspeakable... happiness and pleasure? What on earth was going on?
'Wait, what about the future?'
After this interaction, what kind of relationship would the two of them have from now on?
Shimizu Akira was already standing at the door, his gaze looking straight at her. "Hiyori, I can call you that, right?"
Shiina Hiyori answered softly, "...You can."
"Hiyori, after the next special exam is over, can I ask you out again? I have something very important to say to you," Shimizu Akira said seriously.
Shiina Hiyori's eyes widened.
'Something very important.'
Was this a confession? But why wait until after the next special exam? Why not now?
As if reading the doubt in her heart, Shimizu Akira explained, "Hiyori, don't think too much. I like you; you've known this all along. It's just that this Cultural Festival happens to allow for purchasing many things from outside, and I need some time to prepare various items. Hiyori, you're someone who likes romance; I still hope to leave you as great a memory as possible. I want to prepare some fireworks and things like that. Can you wait for me for a bit?"
Shiina Hiyori's heart raced, and her mind was a mess. He actually confessed directly? And said he wanted to prepare many things for a confession to her.
"Hiyori?" Shimizu Akira called her name softly from the doorway.
"I..." Hiyori looked up and met his eyes. "I understand. I'll wait."
"Then it's a deal."
"Mm." Hiyori nodded. "It's a deal."
"Then I'm leaving."
"Wait!" She called out to Shimizu Akira and then said straightforwardly, "I like you too. Just as you don't want me to think too much, I don't want you to think too much either."
"Mm."
Shimizu Akira smiled gently, pulled open the door, and walked out.
Hiyori stood in the room and buried her face in her pillow.
'How did we suddenly enter a plot of mutual confession!'
Except, it seemed the two of them weren't exactly dating yet. Because Shimizu Akira cared about her, he wanted to give her a super wonderful memory. She had heard from Honami that other girls didn't get this kind of treatment.
"So, when exactly is the next special exam? Surely we don't have to wait a month or even two? Shimizu-kun couldn't have done it on purpose... purposely leaving me with a lingering thought, just like a mystery novel where you can never see the ending!"
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