All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 60: Marrying Eriri and Becoming a Stay-at-home Husband. (Sounds perfect to me)

Drip...

The sound of water running from the faucet in the bathroom continued to echo.

Hiding in the last stall of the women's restroom.

Gotou Hitori felt like her whole body was covered in a layer of gray.

They were kissing, then she suddenly ran into the restroom like this.

Indeed, my life is over now...

Her tiny soul, much like Bocchi, seemed to fly out from her mouth.

But, can't really blame!

Bocchi just couldn't take it anymore.

It felt like if she didn't run away, it would... be the end.

"Suppose I could reincarnate, please let me come back as a panda in my next life."

Gotou Hitori put her hands together, not sure which god she was praying to.

After a long moment, she had to face reality.

After Bocchi fixed her underwear situation.

She cautiously stuck her head out of the bathroom stall.

Wanting to see what Yukima Azuma was doing.

Had he angrily left?

Or was he standing outside with an angry face, waiting to judge her, the criminal who ran away in the middle of a kiss?

Just like the times before.

The scenario Bocchi imagined didn't happen.

Yukima Azuma was quietly standing outside the restroom.

When he saw Bocchi poke her head out, he waved at her.

Bocchi lowered her head, taking small steps to Yukima Azuma's side.

Yukima Azuma, as if nothing had happened, casually took her hand.

This made Bocchi feel a little more at ease.

"Ah... earlier..."

Bocchi was about to apologize.

Yukima Azuma's voice immediately drowned out her words.

"Let's watch this next time."

Bocchi heard that, looked up, and followed Yukima Azuma's hand as he pointed.

It was an advertisement for a movie that hadn't been released yet.

The movie Yukima Azuma pointed to had a large poster featuring a young couple embracing on a large ship.

It seemed to be a romance film.

The title of the movie was Titanic.

"Okay."

Bocchi nodded, agreeing right away.

Unlike before, when she felt pressured to agree because of societal expectations.

This time, she truly wanted to watch the movie with Yukima Azuma, so she nodded in agreement.

Her voice was 3% more confident than before.

The brief scene that had just occurred in the theater was quickly forgotten.

Yukima Azuma looked at the Titanic poster, his eyes full of anticipation.

Movies participating in the film festival were carefully prepared products, with their release dates already set.

Laplace Corporation had invested 10 million USD into Titanic, equivalent to 1.5 billion yen.

It was expected to receive a 3.5% share of the box office revenue.

The share percentage might seem small.

If this amount were invested in another movie, it would almost be enough to own the entire movie's rights.

However, when Titanic's box office revenue was announced,

This tiny share would really show its true value.

....

As they left the theater, the sky had turned dark.

The sun had set, and the sunset dyed the distant clouds a brilliant orange.

"Uh... are you really okay?"

Walking on the way home, Bocchi suddenly asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Bocchi?"

Yukima Azuma stopped and seriously faced Bocchi's question.

"A lot of things..." Bocchi lowered her head, speaking softly but seriously.

"That was expensive, right?" She tugged at the hem of her skirt.

"Even the food was expensive, there weren't any prices on the menu," she said, gripping the hem tightly.

"And all the things you do for someone like me, there's probably no benefit for you, Azuma-kun."

"On the street, people might say that holding my hand makes you look less valuable."

"I look ordinary, I have dark circles under my eyes, I slouch, and I smell like insecticide."

"I can't talk to others well, I'm so gloomy, and taking care of me must be a hassle, right?"

"Is it really okay to be friends with someone like me?"

Bocchi's words were a little scattered.

But her point came across clearly.

If it were any other time, getting Bocchi to say so much would have been harder than getting her into the University of Tokyo.

But now, for Yukima Azuma,

Bocchi tried her best to voice all the worries in her heart.

And the answer she got was:

"It's fine."

"But..." Bocchi looked up.

Her gaze met Yukima Azuma's unwavering one.

"No one is born knowing how to socialize or how to dress; you can learn it gradually."

"Bocchi's past life, not being able to make friends, not having the chance to accumulate experience, that was just by chance."

"Bocchi is very cute. If you have dark circles, don't stay up late; if you slouch, pay attention to fixing it."

"Standing next to you will never lower my value. I don't care about what others think."

"As for money and attention, don't you care about me? If I ran into trouble, would you help me?"

Hearing Yukima Azuma's question,

Bocchi tried to shake her head.

If Yukima Azuma were to face difficulties,

No matter how hard it was, she would surely try her best to help him.

"That's right, it's all about give and take. As long as Bocchi doesn't take my sacrifices for granted, there won't be any problems."

Yukima Azuma said, giving a slight smile.

At that moment, Bocchi truly broke down crying.

She cried loudly.

In Bocchi's heart, Yukima Azuma had been elevated from an angel to a deity.

No, it was even higher than a deity.

If Yukima Azuma started a cult,

Bocchi would definitely be a devoted follower.

.....

After Bocchi cried all her tears from being moved,

Their conversation dynamic had changed a lot.

When Bocchi spoke, she stuttered much less, and sometimes even looked into Yukima Azuma's eyes.

This couldn't be called just progress anymore.

It was a giant leap.

"Azuma-kun, is it really true that i can just learn how to socialize?"

"Yes, just talk to me more, try making a few friends, and you'll learn it quickly."

"Ah, really? I'll give it a try!"

"Best to find girls who share the same interests as you. If any boys come to hit on you..."

"What should I do?"

"You must firmly reject them."

Yukima Azuma revealed a smile that could be called somewhat intimidating.

Bocchi tried to nod.

Even though Bocchi didn't know how to reject someone,

When she remembered the intimidating smile she saw today,

She thought she could summon up the courage and do it successfully.

"As for money, I still feel a bit guilty, please take this."

Bocchi said, handing Yukima Azuma a small piggy bank.

"This is the wedding fund my mother saved for me."

Yukima Azuma didn't refuse and accepted it immediately.

"I'll take good care of it and use it at the right time."

In fact,

Compared to the money,

Yukima Azuma was more curious about where Bocchi had pulled out such a large piggy bank from.

As they approached the Gotoh family home,

Bocchi reluctantly let go of his hand.

"Azuma-kun, see you next time."

"Yeah, if you need anything, just contact me through Line. We're friends, so if there's trouble, you can talk to me."

As they were waving goodbye to each other,

Yukima Azuma suddenly felt a weight on his leg.

He looked down.

There, he saw a short-haired, pink-haired loli.

This girl resembled Bocchi by about seventy to eighty percent.

With the same hair color, it was almost instantly obvious that they were related.

"Hey, big brother! Hi, I'm Gotoh Futari, you're my sister's friend, right?"

Gotoh Futari hugged Yukima Azuma's leg, smiling energetically as she asked.

"That's right, I'm a friend of Hitori, and Futari is Hitori's little sister, right?"

Yukima Azuma picked up Gotoh Futari and responded.

As he held the little girl, Yukima Azuma noticed she was accompanied by a Shiba Inu dog.

"This is JimiHen."

"I see."

Seeing the two of them chatting happily,

Gotoh Hitori felt her heart get struck by an arrow.

Is this the social ability of an elementary school student and a dog? I completely can't fit in!

Gotoh Hitori thought to herself, wanting to quickly send her little sister back home.

However, she then heard Gotoh Futari shout into the house:

"Mom and Dad! My big sister brought her boyfriend home!"

Gotoh Hitori:?

Yukima Azuma:?

The front door almost immediately swung open.

Both of Gotoh's parents rushed out from inside the house.

They had been worried about Gotoh Hitori all day.

After all, Gotoh Hitori suddenly said she was going out with a friend.

It sounded very suspicious.

They were sure that Gotoh Hitori was talking about an imaginary friend.

But her going out was so unusual.

Gotoh Hitori hadn't returned, and they started to worry that their daughter might have been kidnapped.

So, when Gotoh Futari shouted,

The couple, passing through the hallway, rushed out.

When they came outside, they saw the young man standing next to their eldest daughter.

Both of them were stunned.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Gotoh, I'm Yukima Azuma, a friend of Gotoh Hitori."

Yukima Azuma spoke first.

"Ah, ah, Yukima-kun, hello, hello, would you like to come in and sit for a bit?"

Mrs. Gotoh quickly smiled and said in a soft tone:

"Sorry for the trouble, but I have something to do, I'll visit formally next time, please forgive me."

Yukima Azuma had to visit Sawamura's house as well, so it was best to politely refuse this time.

Mr. and Mrs. Gotoh immediately showed understanding.

Before leaving, Mr. Gotoh leaned closer and whispered to Yukima Azuma:

"Uh, Yukima-kun, you're not the kind of friend who's paid to be friends with my daughter, are you?"

Although his voice was very quiet, Gotoh Hitori still heard it.

Being suspected of hiring a friend by her father,

Gotoh Hitori felt like her heart was pierced by another 10 imaginary arrows.

Emotional damage!!!

'No matter what, I can't...'

Thinking about this, Gotoh Hitori suddenly started to reflect more carefully on her own personality.

'Well, it seems like I really could do this.'

So, it's fine.

"Really, it's not like that. My house is just over there. I happened to meet Hitori-san last Saturday, and it seemed like we got along, so we became friends."

Yukima Azuma smiled as he explained.

When Mr. Gotoh heard the teenager's detailed answer and saw his handsome face,

If he were really a hired friend, it would definitely cost a lot of money.

Mr. Gotoh trusted this explanation.

After bidding farewell to the Gotoh family, Yukima Azuma left.

Mrs. Gotoh watched Yukima Azuma's figure as he walked away, then turned back to look at her eldest daughter's white dress…

She had bought Gotoh Hitori many outfits.

There were all kinds of styles.

Among them were light, cute dresses like this one.

But Gotoh Hitori had never worn any of them.

She always wore that pink sports outfit all day.

So...

Mrs. Gotoh thought to herself and nodded.

Got it!

Next time when Yukima Azuma visits, she will definitely ask a bit about his future plans.

...

The next stop on the trip.

The Detective Hill slope.

The Sawamura family home.

As soon as Yukima Azuma knocked on the door,

It opened immediately.

Yukima Azuma was slightly surprised.

Do parents everywhere stand by the door, watching everyone like this?

It's like the aunties in the neighborhood who immediately run off to watch drama and spread rumors everywhere, like a camera powered by rice. (t/n: I just want to complain a little)

"What's on your mind, Yukima-kun?"

"Sorry, I got a little distracted. Sayuri-obasan, I came to visit, here's a gift, please accept it."

Yukima Azuma said as he handed over the box of fruit he bought on his way.

"Ara ara, you didn't have to bring a gift, just come right in."

Sayuri took the box of fruit.

She really didn't care much for little gifts like this.

After all, the Sawamura family was wealthy.

But Yukima Azuma bringing a gift when visiting showed his attitude.

She really liked that.

As soon as Yukima Azuma stepped inside, he smelled a sweet fragrance.

Sayuri went to the kitchen and brought out a plate of cookies.

"Eriri, she's in the room at the end of the upstairs hallway, probably still drawing."

"Yukima-kun, you can go upstairs to find her. We'll have cookies together, I need to watch the pot in the kitchen."

Yukima Azuma offered to help, but Sayuri shook her head.

Then, Yukima Azuma took the cookies and went upstairs.

At the end of the hallway, there was a room with a sign that read "Eriri."

Yukima Azuma paused for a moment, then thought to himself whether he should get a similar nameplate for himself. He felt that he'd definitely need it someday.

He knocked on the door.

From inside, Eriri's voice called out.

"Mom, you can come in, just leave the cookies on the table, I'm a little busy right now."

Yukima Azuma raised an eyebrow before entering the room.

Inside, Eriri was sitting in a chair.

She was wearing a green sports outfit, large black-rimmed glasses, and her hair was tied in a simple ponytail falling behind her.

At home, Eriri didn't act like a rich young lady—she wore whatever was comfortable.

Yukima Azuma thought to himself that he'd seen far too many sports outfits today.

On the long table in front of Eriri, there were scattered sheets of sketch paper everywhere.

She was focused on a graphics tablet in front of her, drawing rapidly.

Well, perhaps it was more accurate to say she was drawing with great enthusiasm.

Yukima Azuma glanced over.

The tablet Eriri was using appeared to be a new Wacom "Intuos Pro" model.

The price seemed to be around...

500,000 yen?

Yukima Azuma remembered it being somewhere around that range.

And Eriri seemed to have quite a few of them.

Although Yukima Azuma already knew that Eriri was a "True Oujou-sama".

At this moment, he couldn't help but think:

"Maybe I should just stop trying. I could just marry Eriri and live off her to climb the social ladder."

Despite that, Yukima Azuma looked at the table full of drafts.

The scene before him was filled with pictures that needed to be blurred.

And among them, most of the pictures had 'artistic' content.

Yukima Azuma fell into a state of contemplation.

Let's just say, he was looking with a critical eye.

This clavicle, this chest, these legs, this...

You look a like an upright person, but inside you are a pervert in the wardrobe!

....

A long while passed without hearing any movement.

Finally, Eriri looked up suspiciously.

Through her large black-rimmed glasses, her eyes met Yukima Azuma's critical gaze.

After a moment of stunned silence,

Eriri widened her eyes, mouth agape, letting out a shrill scream that could pierce eardrums.

"Ahhhh! What are you doing in my room!? Don't look!"

As she screamed, Eriri quickly started gathering the papers on the table.

However, she wasn't in the habit of cleaning up her desk.

The reference drafts were carelessly scattered everywhere.

It was clear she couldn't tidy everything up in such a short amount of time.

As for hiding...

Unless Eriri bent over the desk, she probably couldn't cover everything completely.

"Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, please calm down."

Yukima Azuma advised.

Hearing that, Eriri seemed to have steam rising from her head, dropped the paper she was holding on the table, and decided to give up.

Yukima Azuma had known for a long time that Eriri was drawing doujinshi.

Not only was it in he past life, but even during their time as a couple, they had entered each other's rooms before.

Although Eriri had been very careful to tidy up her room back then, Yukima Azuma, confident in his observational skills, had naturally picked up on her weaknesses.

After Eriri was forced to admit her secret, their relationship became even more passionate.

Eriri laid back on the chair, not caring about anything anymore.

Yukima Azuma handed her the cookies, casually taking the number-one graphics tablet with him.

As for Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, her drawing skills had improved significantly compared to before.

However, when it came to the story...

Let's just say, it was hard to describe.

"You, how did you end up at my house? You still haven't answered me!"

Eriri asked, biting into a cookie in frustration.