Impressive, impressive. He applauded in his heart.
Was there really anyone who could keep themselves from looking into her eyes? Anyone who could was practically superhuman.
Could this be the source of her charm? Sakurakoji Talent wondered wildly.
"So, what's the situation now?"
He swept his gaze around. Workers were busy everywhere, but he wasn't a professional and couldn't tell how far things had progressed.
"We just finished lunch, and everyone's preparing for the afternoon's work."
"We're filming the outdoor scenes for our new MV this time. Once everything's ready, we can start shooting right away."
"To save money, we're working with another team today. The other team went this morning, and we're doing the first shoot in the afternoon."
"Thanks to that, we got free boxed lunches from the production crew! Did you eat, Sakurakoji-san? If not, I can get one for you. There should still be some left."
"No, it's fine. I ate before coming." Sakurakoji Talent shook his head and refused. His eyes flicked toward the seat beside Hoshino Ai, where a clean plastic container lay on the ground.
Sakurakoji Talent guessed that this was the boxed lunch ordered by the production crew. There wasn't a trace of food left in it.
With his excellent eyesight, which meant he didn't need glasses, Sakurakoji Talent still couldn't find a single grain of rice in the container.
"Is there anything Miss Hoshino doesn't like to eat?" he asked casually.
"Nothing, really! If I had to name something, I don't like plain white rice very much. It always makes me worry there might be something hard inside, like sand or glass."
Sakurako Talent's gaze froze. He quietly pulled his eyes away, then looked back at Hoshino Ai.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Hoshino Ai tilted her head cutely when she noticed his gaze.
"Nothing. I'm just looking forward to seeing your performance."
"Ehh~ Don't put pressure on me! My acting is very ordinary, you know? The president even asked whether I wanted to go somewhere for further training after some time."
"Then I'm looking forward to it even more. I won't watch a performance if there's no fun to be had from seeing someone mess up."
"Mm! You're still so mean, Sakurakoji-san." Hoshino Ai puffed out her cheeks, her expression resentful.
"Hahahaha."
"..."
Sakurakoji Talent's condemnation didn't last long. Hoshino Ai soon returned to her sunny smile and continued chatting with him, repeatedly exclaiming in amazement at some of the novel things he mentioned... Perhaps her personality simply didn't allow her to remain depressed for long.
Chatting with Sakurakoji Talent made Hoshino Ai feel relaxed again after a long time. Recently, she had endured severe training every day while being scolded by various directors and instructors for her poor acting and singing. She was almost depressed.
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The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 19 My Money Doesn't Care Who You Are
Just as Hoshino Ai hadn't noticed the passage of time and wanted to continue immersing herself in this comfortable atmosphere, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Ai! The shoot's about to start!"
A blond man wearing sunglasses waved from a distance and called out loudly.
"Ah! It's time! Sakurakoji-san, I'll go over first!"
"Yeah, good luck!"
"Got it! I'll do my best!" Hoshino Ai made a winking OK sign.
"If you don't perform well, I'll record it from the side and send it to your phone later."
"Geez, stop saying such mean things!"
However, his interruption had eased Hoshino Ai's nervousness considerably. After bidding him farewell with a smile, she dashed toward the cameras.
Watching her energetic figure run off and feeling the progress within him increase again, Sakurakoji Talent smiled as well.
In just half a day, his progress had increased by roughly ten ten-thousandths! If the denominator were changed to one hundred thousand, that would be a full hundred points of progress!
At this rate, how could he possibly fail to accomplish his grand undertaking?
"Hehe, hehehehe..." Sakurakoji Talent lowered his head, his back trembling as he let out a sinister, underworldly laugh. The passing production staff all hurried away in fear.
After calming down, he began reflecting on his behavior during this period. Had he been too lax?
Although this was nice, it still felt a little slow. He couldn't afford not to get acquainted with more people.
But this sort of thing required fate. It wasn't as if he could simply use the power of money to tie everyone up, throw them in front of himself, then whip their faces with banknotes until they cried and begged on their knees to become his good friends.
Although... that didn't seem entirely impossible?
He shook his head hard and drove the strange thought from his mind. Sakurakoji Talent's senses returned to normal.
No, no. How could he engage in such crooked behavior...? Even if he had to do it, he should wait until he truly had no other choice!
He hoped these people wouldn't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Otherwise, his money wouldn't care who they were!
A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes as Sakurakoji Talent prayed for a bright tomorrow.
Say it! You're doing this willingly!
After finishing his prayer, he softly called, "Amen." Then, leaving behind the blazing radiance shining down from Heaven like the light of the Virgin Mary, Sakurakoji Talent walked in the direction Hoshino Ai had left. He stopped in a patch of shade nearby and quietly waited for filming to begin.
Before long, everything was ready, and filming officially started.
Several girls dressed in matching outfits faced the camera under the director's instructions, taking turns displaying the dance they had rehearsed countless times. Their lively movements glittered beneath the sunlight, and the vigor of youth seemed to imprint itself on the hearts of everyone watching as their slender, powerful limbs traced graceful arcs through the air.
Sakurakoji Talent's only thought was: It must be pretty hot, right?
Although the outdoor air wasn't particularly hot, dancing and moving vigorously under the sun for a long time certainly didn't look easy.
Even though they were familiar with the choreography, they still had to repeatedly record it in different settings to achieve a better result. They also had to constantly change their positions to compare different visual effects.
Besides the dancing, there were many close-up shots of each girl. Sometimes, a single shot had to be filmed a dozen or even twenty times.
Soon, the sun that had been directly overhead gradually began to sink westward. In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed.
Somehow, Sakurakoji Talent had found a chair and was now sitting openly near the director and dance instructor. With his arms crossed and a solemn expression, he looked as though he were preparing some harsh criticism.
Because of his powerful presence and stunning appearance, no one dared come over to question him or ask who he was. They simply assumed he was a famous model or actor from somewhere.
Ignoring the curious gazes around him, Sakurakoji Talent secretly listened to the production team's conversation.
"As expected of inexperienced young girls. Their acting is really average. It takes several tries just for them to get into character."
"I listened to the song too. Their singing is nothing special either. It'll be difficult for them to become popular."
"Can't be helped. They're only Underground Idols with a little fame. Their ability is about what you'd expect."
"Heh. If business hadn't been bad lately, I wouldn't have bothered coming. A mass-produced Clique like this will probably disappear into a corner before long, right?"
"The only one with anything worth watching is the girl in the center position. But even she doesn't seem particularly outstanding."
"Come to think of it, it's strange. Aside from her looks, there's nothing especially remarkable about her, but she always gives me a peculiar sense of attraction."
"Ah, I think her name is Hoshino Ai? I saw her at an indoor performance last time. I feel like... her acting seems a little better than it was then?"
"Being only a little better won't let her survive in this cruel industry! Sooner or later, she'll be buried beneath the waves of the times."
"..."
Sakurakoji Talent nodded repeatedly as he listened, his expression serious, as though he completely agreed with their opinions.
To be fair, although Hoshino Ai was someone he knew, objectively speaking, there was nothing special about her aside from her appearance.
He had met countless professionals and seen so many top-tier performances that he was sick of them. As things stood, Hoshino Ai...
She had no dancing ability, no acting ability, and only mediocre singing skills. Among the countless idol and band groups of the present day, she couldn't even make a ripple.
Her prospects are worrying. Sakurakoji Talent picked up a cup of bubble tea purchased in bulk by the production crew and sucked out the sugar through the straw as he thought.
With skills like these, she wants to make it...? Ah, no, she wants to become a national idol?
Still, that had nothing to do with him.
His goal was to deepen his relationships with them and strengthen their bonds, but he had no intention of interfering with other people's futures or careers. That would be far too burdensome.
After quietly waiting for everything to end, he took a bottle of salt soda and walked over to Hoshino Ai, handing it to her.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Thank you! I was thirsty!"
Hoshino Ai accepted it delightedly, her smile brilliant. She didn't seem tired at all.
However, judging from the beads of sweat on her body and the darker color of her clothes, Sakurakoji Talent guessed that what she wanted most right now was probably to rush home, collapse onto the sofa, and lie there without moving.
After taking a few sips and recovering a little, Hoshino Ai shook the bottled water in her hand and gestured toward the others nearby. "Do you girls want some?"
"No, thanks... By the way, Ai! Who's this? He's unbelievably handsome!"
"Could he be your boyfriend? He isn't your boyfriend, is he?"
"Could he be some famous model from the entertainment industry? Or an actor senior from somewhere?"
"Why did he come over to give you water? What's your relationship with him?!"
"..."
The other members of B-Komachi didn't even have time to care about their own fatigue. They grabbed Hoshino Ai and shook her back and forth while whispering demands for details.
"I'm getting dizzy, I'm getting dizzy! Stop it! I can't take it anymore!"
Circles gradually appeared in Hoshino Ai's eyes as she hurriedly stopped her teammates from attacking her.
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The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 20 Just Ordinary Friends
Unable to withstand everyone's relentless questioning, Hoshino Ai wore a conflicted expression and answered uncertainly:
"It's just... the relationship between an ordinary fan and an idol?"
But this answer clearly failed to convince them. They all immediately protested, sighing as they voiced their own opinions.
"Do you really think we'll believe that excuse? If you're going to lie, at least come up with something more believable."
"Exactly. When have you ever seen a fan with such high quality?"
"That's right. When it comes to fans of idols like us, they're either a bunch of repressed otaku men and women, or fanatical groups who aren't popular in real life and hope to find emotional support. How could there be a fan who's obviously a heartthrob and so calm?"
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Hoshino Ai couldn't help commenting.
"Can't be helped. That's reality. Of course, the most miserable ones are us, who have no choice but to attract them by every possible means, only to remain lukewarm despite using every trick we have and face being eliminated by reality at any moment."
"Stop, I'm going to cry."
"Ahaha..."
Seeing everyone's mood gradually sink, Hoshino Ai could only laugh awkwardly from the side.
"Hey, Ai-chan, what exactly is your relationship with him?"
"Exactly! Stop brushing us off with that excuse! I want more explosive news!"
"Haven't you already decided what the answer is yourself?"
Surrounded by them once again, Hoshino Ai held her hands in front of herself to refuse, but she still couldn't withstand their enthusiasm.
Women were such strange creatures. For some reason, whenever they encountered romantic gossip, they always became this excited.
Come to think of it, ever since the team had just formed, she hadn't had such a close conversation with them in a long time. She really ought to thank Sakurakoji-san for that.
"Although you girls say that, he really did say he was our fan. As idols, I don't think it's right to question our fans' sincerity or motives."
After thinking it over repeatedly, this was the only conclusion Hoshino Ai could reach. Come to think of it, she really hadn't had any particularly deep conversations with Sakurakoji-san. Whenever she messaged him, she merely complained one-sidedly, and he comforted her.
Do I really know almost nothing about him?
With that thought, she turned her gaze toward Sakurakoji Talent, who was standing alone some distance away. He appeared completely unaware of the commotion on their side and was calmly admiring the scenery of the hills.
His figure was so mysterious and distant that she couldn't help staring at him in a daze.