Chapter 136

Even in the Entertainment Industry, there aren't any guys this handsome! But he actually came all the way here specifically to see Ai!

Are young girls really that popular? If I were ten years younger, I'd definitely be just as good as them!

Damn it, why didn't I meet such a handsome guy when I was in college?! If I had, I would have been willing to have a secret relationship with him!

If those guys who wanted me as their mistress had even half this level of good looks, I'd pay them anything.

Compared to that, Ichigo... a face with sunglasses, stubble, and absolutely no taste flashed through her mind. This huge contrast made Saito Kyoko, facing reality, want to die!

Her eyes lost their luster, her beautiful face was expressionless, and she staggered toward the room from which the sound had come, like a zombie that had lost the ability to think.

One minute later,

"Mr. Talent, you're here!" Hoshino Ai, dressed in a purple-pink idol outfit and with a few drops of Hoshino Ai on her forehead, rushed out of the rehearsal room. Anyone would think that her beautiful body radiated unparalleled joy.

Her eyes, which seemed to hold stars, radiated endless charm.

The person arrived before the voice did.

From Sakurakoji Talent's perspective, all he saw was a pink cannonball rushing in from inside, and behind the door she smashed open, several curious heads popped out.

"Hey, long time no see, Ai." Saying those words sent a stab of pain through his heart.

"Really—it's been so long! Almost a month, hasn't it?" Hoshino Ai pouted, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she complained.

"I'm sorry, I've been quite busy lately." He felt a pang of guilt.

What made him feel guilty wasn't the busyness itself, but rather the content of his busyness...

"Haha, I was just kidding~ I know Mr. Talent has a lot of important things to do!" Seeing that he was troubled, Hoshino Ai waved her hands up and down as if to put it casually, and let him off the hook easily.

"Besides, I didn't take the time to see you proactively, so I was also at fault. So let's call it even, okay?"

Her understanding and tolerance deeply moved Sakurakoji Talent, so he firmly shook his head. "No, it was my oversight, so I must compensate you!"

"Tell me! What do you want to eat or make? I'll spend the whole day with you!"

"I already said I didn't need it." Hoshino Ai smiled wryly, patting her head in frustration. She hadn't planned on him doing anything anyway.

She was already very happy when he contacted her yesterday to ask if she was free today.

Just then, her gaze inadvertently fell on the bag he was carrying, and her eyes widened in surprise:

"Mr. Talent! Could that be...?!"

"Yes, it's the same one as last time. I saw you really liked it, so I prepared this as a gift. It should be fine, right?" He held up the bag and looked at her.

"Absolutely no problem... This is the best gift ever!" Hoshino Ai quickly pursed her lips to prevent saliva from dripping down her face along with her sweat, her eyes fixed on the bag.

"That's good, these are all yours." He stuffed the bag into her arms.

"Hmm, it's a bit heavy," she said, surprised by the bag's weight, "But it's the weight of happiness! Hehehe..."

Her star-like face softened, and she looked even happier than before.

"Were you rehearsing just now?" Sakurakoji Talent asked curiously, looking at her attire and dampness.

"Yes! I'm preparing songs for our next underground performance with Takamine, Nino, and Watanabe!"

"Really? Takamine, Nino, and the others must be the ones in the back, right?"

Hearing this, she finally looked up from the bag. "Hmm? The back?"

Following his gaze, she and several teammates met Kyoko and the others' eyes.

Not far away,

"What do we do? It seems we've been discovered."

"So what if they found out? We never intended to hide it."

"By the way, isn't that the guy from the outdoor shoot last time?"

"Nonsense! Where else could you find such a strikingly handsome white-haired guy? His name is... Sakurakoji Talent Genius?"

"Huh? You've already met him? When?!" Saito Kyoko exclaimed in surprise, realizing that she seemed to be the only one who didn't recognize the handsome man.

"It was during the outdoor filming last time. He went over to show his support and offer his condolences. You weren't there, Kyoko, so you didn't see him."

"But the president is here, right? Did he see it and tell you?"

"Absolutely not!" Kyoko gritted her teeth, gripping the doorframe with extreme force.

"Well, if I were the club president, I probably wouldn't say anything either, since the other person is so... compared to myself... right?"

"Agree."

"I completely agree."

"..."

As they whispered among themselves, Hoshino Ai strode up to them with an air of indifference, her forehead covered in black lines, and her smile forced, "Everyone~ what are you doing here? If it's convenient, could you tell me?"

"Watching you and Sakurakoji-san being so affectionate."

"Since you're not here, we can't practice together, can we?"

"SuoSuo, it's not our problem!"

"..."

Caught off guard by their overly matter-of-fact answers, Hoshino Ai frantically shook her lotus-root-like pink arms, denying their claims. "W-what do you mean by 'all lovey-dovey'!"

"Don't bully me because I'm bad at studying! That's not what that word means!"

"We're just friends who haven't seen each other in a long time, so Mr. Talent came to visit me today. It's not what you're thinking!"

She squinted Kokoro behind her and added in a low voice, "Really!!"

Image: "Limited-time return of Hoshino Ai!", Location: "Images/1760624329-100446961-113978148. jpg"

P. S.: I've hit a roadblock with the plot, so I'll only be posting two chapters totaling 8,000 words today. I'm guilty! I confess!

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 176 I Want a Raise!

But her explanation was completely ignored by the group; instead, they looked at her with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.

"What are you talking about? It's been over a month since the last shoot, and you two still haven't reached base?"

"This child is hopeless. With such fresh and tender grass right next to her, she doesn't even notice it!"

"Ah, this is driving me crazy! I really want to go up in your place! I promise I'll take him down tonight!"

"..."

Unlike their excitement, Saito Kyoko regained her composure, a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor. After carefully considering the situation, she stroked her chin and looked at Hoshino Ai: "Ai, are you telling the truth?"

"If that's the case, it shouldn't be a problem for me to make a move against him, right?"

"Huh?!" XN

The people around her stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Miss Kyoko! I understand your feelings, but won't the president be sad?"

"It's vegetarian, it's vegetarian, the president doesn't deserve this!"

"..."

Hoshino Ai was utterly shocked upon hearing this, and it took her a long time to realize what she meant. Her face flushed red with excitement, she exclaimed, "Miss Kyoko! What are you saying! Don't you already have a company president?"

"Isn't it normal for relationships to come and go in modern society?" She shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "There's no rule saying you can't like someone else after marriage, is there?"

"What I'm trying to say is that there are many hunters like me in this society. If you're not Kokoro, your target will be captured by someone else."

"Love, what do you think? If you have any ideas, don't let yourself regret it."

"I..." Hoshino Ai hesitated, unsure how to answer.

If you were to ask her if she had any feelings for Sakurakoji Talent, the answer would certainly be yes. The fact that he was her closest fan and friend was enough for her to not treat him as an ordinary person.

Putting all that aside, his gentleness and support, his frequent online calls and texts, his good looks, his superb cooking skills...

It seems like things are getting weirder and weirder.

Oh, right! Speaking of cooking, she remembered the gift bag in her hand, opened it, glanced inside, and hesitated.

There are so many, sharing a few with them shouldn't be a problem, right?

Ugh... it hurts so much!

She bit her chin and Kokoro, with trembling hands, took out a few items and distributed them to them according to their numbers.

"These are gifts from Mr. Talent to comfort me. I'm giving them to you all. I have to leave early today, I'm very sorry!"

She handed the items over and then bowed her head to apologize to the group.

"Don't worry about us at a time like this, just hang in there!"

"It's okay! Missing a day of training is fine! It's more like Lucky!"

"Hey! What does the absence of love have to do with you? You better keep practicing, damn it!"

"Hey~~ How could this happen!"

"..."

Glancing at them, and weighing the small plastic box in her hand, Saito Kyoko looked earnestly at Hoshino Ai: "Ai, remember what I just said... and then, good luck!"

Faced with her expression devoid of any teasing, Hoshino Ai couldn't even muster a feeling of shyness.

"I... I understand?"

"Yes, go ahead! He's waiting for you!" Saito Kyoko smiled with relief.

Although this child seems to have a long way to go, at least he's taken the first step, right?

In this small agency, her biggest worry was Hoshino Ai. Unlike the other girls, her background was the most difficult, and she was also the most oblivious to relationships and interpersonal connections.

She may appear cheerful on the surface, but that's just because she keeps her emotions bottled up inside. She truly gives it her all to portray the perfect idol.

But no matter what, she was just an ordinary and clumsy girl.

Saito Ichigo, being a man, might not have noticed, but she could still detect it to some extent.

Previously, the relationships among the members of B-Komachi were rather tense—especially between the other members and Hoshino Ai was in the center position.

In short, it's jealousy.

But a little over a month ago, the tense atmosphere eased considerably, and Hoshino Ai became much more "clever," as if she had suddenly received guidance from someone else.

As she watched Hoshino Ai and Sakurakoji Talent figures, she hoped that this would serve as nourishment for the child to embark on the path to maturity and normalcy.

Wow! What is this?! It tastes delicious!

As she pondered these thoughts, the noise around her pulled her back to reality.

"Why are you eating already! What about training later?"

"Oh, eating this won't have any negative effects, or rather... it's just a way to replenish sugar?"

"Wow! This is so delicious!"

"Why did you also..."

"Stop talking, stop talking, you should try some too!"

"Mmm!"

"..."

Saito Kyoko picked up the delicate little box in her hand, examined it, and frowned slightly, feeling that she might have missed something.

Is there anywhere you'd like to go?

After leaving the Ichigo Pro office, Sakurakoji Talent asked Hoshino Ai a question.

"Hmm~ Even if you ask that~" Hoshino Ai hesitated, touching her chin with a puzzled expression, wearing a baseball cap to conceal her identity.