NOVEL WEB Chapter 286: Sigma Woman
Wuwuwuwuwu...
Minamoto Tamako sat on the toilet in the izakaya's bathroom stall, and two wide tears fell uncontrollably.
She wasn't exactly angry at everyone, just felt particularly embarrassed to have left the table in public over such a small matter. Clearly, everyone was happily chatting, but she became the one who ruined the atmosphere, and even fell when she came out...
Too ashamed to face anyone wuwuwu...
She dared not make a sound while crying, because there was someone in the neighboring stall, talking on the phone while using the toilet, and the voice came over: "That Keiko is so annoying, has no idea how to read the room! Everyone was having such a good time, why did she have to walk out with a straight face, really hard to deal with..."
Minamoto Tamako covered her face with her hands, thinking, I'm so sorry, I am this kind of person, I am Keiko who can't read the room!!
But what could she do?
She had barely managed to defeat (?) two candidates, preparing to press on and win decisively, when she suddenly found that her teammate gave Fushimi a rebirth buff, and the small soldiers she just knocked down resurrected, two down and three stood up, Mr. Fushimi cackled wildly, and Mummy-chan was cheering on the side, how could she not be frustrated?
Even though everyone spoke unthinkingly, it didn't stop her from feeling bad inside.
Thinking about it carefully, what was her relationship with Mr. Fushimi?
At the end of the day, they were just partners...
Since that's the case, what right did she have to be unhappy?
The more Minamoto Tamako thought, the more upset she became, especially with the resounding noise next door, and the pungent smell continuously assaulting her nose, making her mood even worse.
What on earth am I doing?
We said we'd investigate the true perpetrator behind the Heavenly Punishment together, yet till now there hasn't been any substantial progress...
Neither could she protect Sakurako, nor capture the real culprit, nor provide closure to Grandfather, and now there's a Cat Island kidnapping case, yet her mind is full of thoughts about love...
She's completely turned into an idiot!
And the kind of person she used to despise the most...
Women are such emotional creatures; one bad thing causes a chain reaction, and Minamoto Tamako even brought up her childhood bed-wetting, wishing she could drown her head in the toilet.
Should I just give up?
Love, for her, is even harder than solving cases...
Especially unrequited love, it's too exhausting, constantly guessing what Mr. Fushimi might be thinking—precisely her weakness, and conveniently Mr. Fushimi's strength.
That's right, she admitted, she does have a tiny crush on Mr. Fushimi.
If Mr. Fushimi confessed, she could reluctantly accept; but if she had to confess, just thinking about it makes her scared.
Too terrifying!
To fully entrust her feelings to another person, in her view, is like cutting open her heart for the other to see.
Minamoto Tamako wiped her tears, biting her thumb, and once the thought of giving up entered her mind, she couldn't stop it anymore.
If she gives up, they can remain as good partners, and maintaining the status quo isn't bad either...
If she gives up, she'll have more energy to solve cases, no longer distracted by emotions...
If she gives up, those restless feelings will surely settle down...
She reached into her pocket, feeling the glass bottle she had brought when changing clothes, both unwilling to give up and reluctant—she brought it with her before leaving home, she didn't even know why she had taken it.
Should I give up?
No, no, she must give up!
Absolutely cannot let sunk costs mislead her judgment!
As the daughter of the Kujo Family's eldest heiress, the future famous detective and police chief, she must become a rational to the point of being cold-hearted woman!
Just like Mummy-chan, who decides to divorce when she says so, hardly even glancing at men usually, that's her role model!
Minamoto Tamako's little eyebrows gradually stood up, her small mouth firmly pursed. She felt she had figured it out, had an epiphany, understood the ultimate truth of the world...
Feelings?
Hahahahahahahaha!!
Feelings are the most ruthless thing in the world!
This is reality, you can only choose between love and career! And she, Tamako, the future destined to be a famous detective and police chief, how could she let herself be swayed by such trivial things?
As for her grandfather pressuring her to get married, she simply wouldn't take it to heart—Kujo Yua could run from marriage, and she could too!
Then, gossip came from next door:
"But speaking of which, Keiko must have had a bad mood with that straight face, I heard her boyfriend dumped her... yeah, with her workaholic personality, who could stand that? No matter how much money she earns, what does it matter? Still gonna end up old and lonely..."
"..."
Minamoto Tamako felt as if her heart had been stabbed.
It's okay, it's okay, they're not talking about me...
And my career is more meaningful, helps others, not just about earning money for myself—everyone's smiles are more important than my own happiness, that is the creed of a famous police chief!
"Doing charity, so what? No matter how happy everyone seems, what's it got to do with her? It just makes her look more pathetic... You need to secure your own happiness first before you have the energy to share love with others, right? Otherwise, you're just numbing yourself..."
...
Minamoto Tamako was hit in the forehead again.
She wondered why, why is this world so malicious towards Keiko?
Even as a stranger, she couldn't ignore it; as Keiko's friend, how can anyone talk badly about Keiko behind her back?
Even talking badly is one thing, why let her hear it?
She's upset too!
She, just like Keiko, is going through a major setback in life!
Minamoto Tamako couldn't bear it any longer, she tapped on the partition and whispered, "Um... could you please lower your voice a bit?"
Unexpectedly, the person next door raised their voice instead:
"Huh? Wait a minute, there's a creep next door eavesdropping on my phone call..."
Minamoto Tamako was taken aback, thinking how did it become me eavesdropping? With such a loud voice, it's practically impossible not to hear!
She hadn't yet opened her mouth to explain when the person continued relentlessly, "I haven't even said you're crying annoyingly, if you want to vent emotions, could you go somewhere else? In the restroom, you should use the toilet, you haven't even lifted the lid, right? Really, old lady drives people crazy..."
Old... old lady?
Minamoto Tamako felt as if she had been roasted, she's only twenty-two years old, no matter what, she doesn't fit the category of 'old lady', right?
She wanted to refute but didn't know what to say. Indeed, in the restroom, one should use the restroom. The person next door was making good use of the toilet, and she was just hiding inside discreetly wiping her tears. She had no stance to criticize others' ways of using the toilet - maybe they just like gossiping while doing their business?
Thinking of this, Tamako couldn't stay any longer. She left the restroom with a belly full of sulk, looking like a pushover, head down, dejected.
After hiding for so long, it's time to go back...
After all, she's the one who invited everyone over, said she would treat everyone to dinner, so how does hiding in the restroom make any sense?
As Tamako walked down the corridor, the closer she got to the private room's curtain, the faster her heart raced. Just thinking about facing social death made her want to find a hole to crawl into.
Forget it, maybe she should hide again.
She turned her head and collided with someone.
Instinctively, she said sorry, looked up, and found it was Mr. Fu Jian. She hurriedly backed away like a cockroach, hands open with her back pressed against the wall: "You, you, you... why are you out?!"
Fushimi Roku wiped his hands with a tissue and said, "Chief Kujo asked, 'Can you keep eating?'... So I came out for a walk to digest."
Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Tamako was also a bit disappointed; turns out Mr. Fu Jian didn't come out to comfort her.
That makes sense, Mr. Fu Jian is about to meet three beautiful women, surrounded left and right, still seating one in the middle; how could he have time for her?
Oh, someone introducing a romantic partner makes them so boastful?
This time, she's the host, everyone should eagerly introduce partners to her — the old ones would go, new ones would come. Since she had already decided to give up on Mr. Fu Jian, she could definitely pick a better boyfriend!
Tamako puffed up her cheeks, secretly competing, determined to let the seniors introduce four... no, forty romantic partners!
Not only should she have more partners than Mr. Fu Jian, but also better: each from noble families, handsome, gentle, considerate, capable, unwaveringly loyal...
Minamoto Tamako fantasized for a while but still didn't have the courage to go back to the private room.
She was still feeling awful, scared of being mocked by the seniors, so she hurriedly found an excuse to sneak around Fushimi Roku, intending to hide back in the restroom.
Fushimi Roku didn't chase after her, he just stood behind watching.
Feeling even worse, Minamoto Tamako thought of how in TV dramas when the female lead is heartbroken and decides to leave the male lead, the male lead would chase her, grab her arm, and say, 'I don't want anyone else, only you.' Then the female lead would keep shaking her arm, shouting, 'Let go of me! Let go!'… shaking until both end up on the bed.
Before rounding the corridor, Tamako deliberately glanced back, only to find Fushimi Roku had disappeared. This guy didn't even wait for her in the corridor, surely went back to the private room on his own.
So heartless...
Really cold-hearted and indifferent...
Clearly sees her so upset, yet not a single word of comfort...
Feeling a nasal sting, Tamako planned to hide back in the restroom's warm springs to heal. Unbeknownst to her, when she turned the corner, she found the restroom door shut, with a "Cleaning in Progress, Do Not Disturb" sign standing at the entrance.
Why choose to clean early or late? Why clean at this very moment...
Is even heaven making things difficult for me?
Tamako hugged her knees, quietly crouched in the corner, imagining herself as a rain-soaked mushroom.
"Is anyone there...?"
"Hey!!"
"Is anyone there?!"
Her ears twitched; faint shouting came from inside the restroom. It sounded familiar, so curiously, she stood up, crossed the "Cleaning in Progress" sign, and gingerly pushed the door open.
The women's restroom's sink had a phone and a packet of tissues on it. Inside the stall, someone heard the door open, and urgently shouted:
"Is it the staff?! Just now a creepy guy barged into the women's restroom and snatched my tissues and phone!! I want to file a complaint against you, absolutely must complain! And that creepy guy, he must be caught!! How can there be such a lunatic?!"