"And he was incredibly—thoughtful enough to wipe the food residue from the corner of her mouth."
"His gaze was also so gentle."
"And he patiently gave her some advice. We've never seen you act like that before."
"But I can understand it. That child really was cute. I even wanted to pat her head."
"..."
The two of them listed his "crimes" one by one, as though they were determined to nail him to the pillar of shame today. Sakurakoji Talent hurriedly cut them off.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop. I only took out a meal that a customer had left here for storage. How did I suddenly become the target of condemnation?"
"Don't you think that's going too far?"
"I declare that I absolutely have no special relationship with that child just now!"
"Really?" Ichiji Nijika still looked somewhat suspicious.
"Are you sure this isn't just stubborn denial to avoid the fine?" Yamada Ryo questioned his motives.
"Only you would do something like that... I swear, it's absolutely not like that!"
"Tch, what a pity." Yamada Ryo clicked her tongue and let out an unwilling murmur.
For some reason, Ichiji Nijika felt relieved. She then apologized for her rash behavior.
"I see, I thought... Guomai nasai!"
"That's true. That child looked a little too young and cute, didn't she? It felt like she hadn't even started middle school yet?"
"No, she was technically a second-year middle school student." Sakurakoji Talent waved a hand and corrected her.
Still, he could understand why. Although she was not much shorter than Ichiji Nijika, her docile, catlike disposition really did easily inspire affection, making people misjudge her age.
"Is that so? Then that's fine."
"No, no, that still doesn't seem very fine, does it? I think it's still a little too early."
Yamada Ryo frowned slightly, then seemed to remember something. "But how did you know she was a middle school student? Did she mention it just now?"
"..."
"As expected..."
"I already told you, it's not like that!"
That night, Sakurakoji Talent left Starry with somewhat unsteady steps, mentally exhausted.
To prove his innocence, he had spent a great deal of effort explaining himself. It felt far more exhausting than work.
Especially after Ichiji Hoshika and PA heard the unending argument and came over, thinking they were fighting. Once they learned what had happened, they joined in the crusade against him as well.
Perhaps because he usually seemed too perfect, they simply could not resist teasing him after finally finding a flaw.
Fortunately, after a night of arguing his case with reason, he finally convinced them that there was nothing wrong.
"Tomorrow... I almost want to take the day off." Sakurakoji Talent looked at the clear night sky and sighed weakly.
Of course, that was only a thought. If he really took leave tomorrow, who knew what baseless speculation they would come up with?
Following the route he knew by heart, he headed toward the train station.
The next morning,
After getting up, Sakurakoji Talent received a text message that surprised him somewhat. It was from Hoshino Ai.
"Sakurakoji-san, we have an outdoor location shoot this afternoon. Would you be interested in coming by to watch?"
He thought for two seconds, confirmed that he had no other plans today, and gave his answer.
"Sure. Sorry for the trouble, but please let me know the time and location. I'll be there on time."
"And there'll be snacks for the crew, too."
Ten minutes later, he received her reply. It seemed that her work had reached a stopping point.
"That's not what I meant! I just wanted you to come see what our actual work is like."
"So, no snacks for the crew?"
"Mumumumu... Sakurakoji-san, you can be really mean sometimes!"
Sakurakoji Talent smiled knowingly at the screen, his fingers lightly tapping away again.
"Don't worry, I'm joking."
"I'll leave the detailed arrangements to you."
Hoshino Ai replied with a "Got it" sticker of a pink-themed character, then sent over the specific time and location.
When no new messages appeared on the screen for a long while, Sakurakoji Talent casually slipped his phone into his clothes.
It seemed she was afraid he would say something else difficult to answer, so she had ended the conversation herself.
He left his room, descended the spiral staircase to the entrance hall on the first floor, and then headed into the mansion's kitchen.
This time, he did not trouble Yashiro Ichiyo. He intended to do it himself.
Fortunately, the Sakurakoji Family kitchen was always stocked with all kinds of ingredients, so he did not need to go out and buy anything extra.
After checking the time, he began his performance.
Around ten in the morning,
Sakurakoji Talent carried the same gift bag as last time and left the mansion amid the maids' farewells.
He opened his map, searched for the exact location of the address Hoshino Ai had sent, and mapped out a rough route in his mind. After linking it with another destination, he set off with purpose, quickening his pace slightly.
At this time, going directly to Hoshino Ai's location would not have made him late, but if he wanted to take a slight detour, he had to hurry.
After several turns, he arrived at the convenience store with practiced ease.
To the sound of a girl's clear voice, he entered the store.
"Ah, Sakurakoji-san. Welcome. You're a little early today. Did you stop by to buy something on the way again?"
"Good morning, Aoyama-san."
The store clerk, Aoyama Nanami, warmly greeted him upon seeing who had entered. Sakurakoji Talent nodded in return.
Image: "Part-time Warrior", location: "Images/1753971685-100446961-113665310.jpg"
During this period, he had often "stopped by" to browse and buy things before going to work at Starry, and the two of them had gradually become familiar.
Aoyama Nanami usually came to work part-time after school in the afternoon, so she normally would not be here at this hour. But today was the weekend.
As a Part-time Warrior, she naturally had no room for leisurely days. With the owner's approval, she had added weekend shifts as well—something Sakurakoji Talent had learned in advance.
So, although his schedule was a little tight, after running through it in his mind and deciding it should work, he chose to come here first and raise her favorability a little before heading to Hoshino Ai.
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Time Management Is a Technical Skill
"I'm not here to shop today. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to give you something."
"Eh? For me?"
Aoyama Nanami was clearly surprised and looked at him with slight bewilderment.
Sakurakoji Talent took several small boxes from his gift bag and pushed them across the counter with his fair, jade-like hand.
The black, slightly translucent boxes looked expensive at first glance. Inside was something even whiter than his hands, drawing Aoyama Nanami's attention. She guessed it was probably cream or something similar.
"A friend invited me over today, so I prepared some snacks for the crew."
"I happened to pass by here, so I thought I'd bring some for Aoyama-san."
"If you don't mind, please accept them."
After setting them down, Sakurakoji Talent naturally withdrew his hand.
"Eh! No, I can't! How could I possibly accept this!"
"I haven't done anything to deserve this. Please take them back!"
Aoyama Nanami immediately waved her hands, looking at a loss. Her expression was somewhat panicked. She did not have the nerve to calmly accept something that looked so expensive.
"It's fine. I prepared too much anyway, and they probably can't eat all of it."
"If you can, please accept it. Otherwise, it might spoil later."
Sakurakoji Talent had anticipated her reaction and smiled as he delivered the lines he had prepared beforehand.
Sure enough, Aoyama Nanami was not as resistant to that explanation. When she heard that it might go bad, her expression turned hesitant. After a moment of indecision, she accepted his kindness.
Wasting food was bad.
"Then I'll gratefully accept. Thank you so very much!"
Aoyama Nanami gave a proper ninety-degree bow, her voice earnest and sincere.
"It's fine, it's fine. I told you, it was extra. Don't be so serious."
"Though I suppose that's one of Aoyama-san's virtues."
With a light laugh, Sakurakoji Talent did not linger and prepared to take his leave.
"Then I'll be going. Otherwise, that friend might nag me."
"Ah, okay! Goodbye, Sakurakoji-san."
Hearing Sakurakoji Talent praise her, Aoyama Nanami's face could not help flushing slightly. Being praised by someone superior to her in every way only made her feel embarrassed. But when she heard that he was leaving immediately, she hurriedly responded.
"Also, thank you so very much for today!"
Sakurakoji Talent, already turned away, waved a hand and passed through the opened automatic glass doors, returning to the bustling street.
"I need to hurry."
After checking the time again, he furrowed his brows slightly. Time management was a technical skill, and he was not very proficient at it yet. He might end up late.
"Too slow!"
When Sakurakoji Talent arrived at the set, he was greeted by a vigorous complaint.
The person who voiced it was none other than Hoshino Ai. At the moment, she had her beautiful brows drawn together, a serious expression on her face, and her arms crossed as she stared at Sakurakoji Talent, seemingly waiting for his explanation.
"Sorry, sorry. I suddenly remembered something else on the way and got delayed for a while!"
"Have you already finished filming?"
Sakurakoji Talent was somewhat puzzled. He should not have gone over time by much. Had they started early and already finished?
Seeing his slightly flustered appearance, Hoshino Ai could no longer maintain the anger on her delicate face and burst out laughing.
"Haha! No, I've just always wanted to say that line once! Sorry, sorry!"
"You tricked me?"
"Hehe, this is your punishment for being late."
Sakurakoji Talent was somewhat stunned. He had actually been tricked—by Hoshino Ai, no less.
Still, he was indeed at fault first. Or rather, his great method of time management was not mature enough yet. He could only smile helplessly and hand over the bag in his hand.
"Here, these are snacks for the crew."
Damn it. I'll definitely put this experience to use next time! Just you wait!
"Oh! 3Q!"
Hoshino Ai happily accepted it with care. Seeing the same boxes as last time inside the bag, her star-filled eyes seemed to become even brighter and more dazzling. It was clear that she had truly been looking forward to this.
Sakurakoji Talent could only admire Hoshino Ai's liveliness and spirit.
Among everyone he had met so far, Hoshino Ai was undoubtedly one of the most unusual.
Putting everything else aside, just those eyes alone—what color had he not seen by now? Yet this was the first time he had seen someone whose eyes constantly held stars!
Before you continue