Although she did not know what he was thinking, she somehow seemed able to understand him a little.
She felt that he was somewhat like herself.
While she was lost in thought, her teammates lost interest in her and shifted their target to someone else.
"Hey, handsome, what's your relationship with Ai?"
"Nino!"
Hoshino Ai cried out in shock at her teammate, who had suddenly entered her field of vision and taken the initiative to speak to the protagonist. When had she gotten over there?
For some reason, a hint of anxiety rose within her, and she was about to step forward to stop her.
But several B-Komachi members who had been near her exchanged knowing looks and rushed forward together to restrain her.
"Ah! What are you doing?! Let me go!"
Hoshino Ai struggled desperately against the people who had pinned down her limbs and torso, leaving her unable to move. Unfortunately, one person's strength was ultimately too limited, and she could only remain trapped where she was.
"Give it up, Ai! We won't stop until we get the answer we want today!"
"It's one thing if you bother me, but you can't cause trouble for Sakurakoji-san!"
"Oh~ So his surname is Sakurakoji? That's one useful piece of information!"
"Go, Nino! We'll keep Ai pinned down!"
"E—no—ugh!!"
"Sto—op!!"
"..."
Ignoring the chaotic commotion behind them, one of the girls, having failed to get anything out of Hoshino Ai, turned her curious gaze toward Sakurakoji Talent, hoping to learn something from him.
His skin was not the least bit dull beside his snow-white hair, and his ruby-like eyes were clear and translucent. His tall, slender frame and exceptional bearing... Observing him up close made Nino's heart skip a beat, and a rosy flush spread across her face.
Who could possibly resist this?!
Sakurakoji Talent turned his gaze toward the girl who had suddenly struck up a conversation with him. Upon noticing Hoshino Ai tied up in the background, he more or less figured out what was going on and smiled knowingly.
"We're just ordinary friends."
"But Ai said you were our fan?"
"Mm, that was indeed what I told her at first."
"So you really are our fan? There's nothing special between you and Ai?"
"Nothing, at least not for now."
"Eh~ How boring. I thought there had to be something between you two."
The girl looked as though her guess had been wrong and found the answer somewhat hard to accept, so she continued asking.
"Then why did you come here today?"
"Last time, I told Miss Hoshino that I wanted to see what an idol's work looked like on-site. She invited me here today to watch, and I thought I'd visit while I was at it."
Sakurakoji Talent calmly explained the whole situation without a single flaw. Nino accepted his explanation with sudden understanding, but she also noticed something that caught her attention.
"I see. But you two keep in touch privately?"
"Occasionally. When Miss Hoshino and I first met, we exchanged contact information for certain reasons."
"Heh~"
Nino revealed a mischievous smile. This counted as an unexpected gain.
"Then..."
"My name is Sakurakoji Talent."
"Then what do you think, Sakurakoji-san? Look, our Ai is so cute, and she's even a little idol. Don't you have any other thoughts?"
Just as Sakurakoji Talent was about to state his position, a voice that kept drawing closer interrupted the conversation.
"Ni~no~!"
Having finally broken free, Hoshino Ai charged over and wrapped both arms tightly around Nino's neck. Her slender arms erupted with astonishing strength.
"Cough! I'm dying! I'm dying!"
Nino slapped desperately at her snow-white arms, but it was useless. After a brief struggle, her wrists finally drooped limply.
Seeing her surrender, Hoshino Ai, her expression panicked, finally turned to Sakurakoji Talent and said apologetically,
"I'm sorry, Sakurakoji-san. My friend got too excited!"
"It's okay. She didn't ask anything out of line. Though... if you don't let go of her soon, she might be in danger."
The corner of Sakurakoji Talent's eye twitched as he gave a dry laugh and pointed at someone who had already become a corpse.
Hoshino Ai followed the direction of his finger and seemed only then to notice her teammate's unfocused eyes and the foam nearly spilling from her mouth. She was instantly startled and hurriedly let go.
"Nino! Are you okay?!"
"Nino! Say something, answer me!"
"Please! Don't die!"
The other members who had rushed over stared blankly at the scene, never expecting it to turn out like this.
"Ai killed Nino?"
"How did this happen?! It's all because we failed to hold her down!"
"Rest in peace, Nino. We'll inherit your will."
"Let's secretly bury her somewhere and find someone else to replace her. It's not like anyone pays attention anyway."
"I'm not dead yet! You bastards!"
Hearing their whispers, the person lying on the ground suddenly sat upright, fury written across her face as she roared at her unreliable teammates.
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: The One Thing That Absolutely Wouldn't Do
"What are you all making such a fuss about? Do you know you're causing trouble for the crew?"
As they roughhoused with one another, a blond man in sunglasses walked over, rubbing his hair with an annoyed expression.
"Ah! President!"
The group that had been fighting instantly separated and stood obediently in place.
As the source of the disturbance, Hoshino Ai also stood awkwardly in front of Sakurakoji Talent with her hands clasped together, like a child who knew she had done something wrong.
"Ai, explain what happened."
With just one glance, the man understood who was at the center of the incident and addressed Hoshino Ai.
At the same time, he was somewhat surprised. It was not unusual for Hoshino Ai to be at the center of an incident. He had assumed the group had gotten into another argument like before and hurried over, but this situation did not seem to be that.
"Yes! President Sato!" Hoshino Ai replied loudly.
"What a shame! My name is Saito, you damn idol! Isn't it about time you remembered my name?"
Veins bulged on Saito Ichigo's forehead as he held back his anger and pointed out her mistake with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
There was probably only one person in the world who could repeatedly get the name of her own boss wrong.
"Eh~ But I'm not good at remembering people's faces and names. What can I do?"
"Can you even call yourself an idol?! Remember it!"
After calming himself down, Saito Ichigo pushed up his sunglasses and helplessly returned to the previous topic.
"So, what happened?"
"It's nothing. One of my friends came by today to observe the set, and Takamine and Watanabe got a little excited, that's all."
Hoshino Ai blinked her lively eyes several times as a few drops of cold sweat appeared beside her forehead, calmly explaining herself without changing expression.
"Then look at me when you say that!"
After turning his attention to the others and having a brief conversation, Saito Ichigo finally figured out what had happened and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it was not an internal fight, that was fine.
Having answered the question that concerned him most, he finally turned his gaze toward the other central figure behind this storm.
Seeing him look over, Sakurakoji Talent gave a small wave and offered a friendly expression.
"Where did this idol come from?"
Saito Ichigo froze on the spot and could not help rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly.
"He's Ai-chan's friend."
Saito Ichigo stiffly looked at Hoshino Ai and received an affirmative answer.
"This is Sakurakoji-san. He's my... friend."
When she said the word friend, Hoshino Ai felt her heart skip a beat. Was Sakurakoji-san really her friend? She could not be sure; she had merely chosen the most suitable word for the situation.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Ai, whose interpersonal relationships were a complete mess and who always kept to herself, had a friend? And such a handsome guy at that?
Saito Ichigo looked at Sakurakoji Talent again, let out a heavy breath, then strode forward with an incomparably solemn expression, looking as if he were about to make a major life decision.
"Kid, do you want to become an idol?"
"???"
Sakurakoji Talent was full of question marks. Mister, what did you say?
How had this suddenly turned to that? Were there no normal people in the entertainment industry?
"Eh! President! Isn't that what you said when you first met me?"
"Changing your affections so quickly? That's Japan's men for you..."
Was President Saito trying to recruit Sakurakoji-san?
Witnessing this shocking scene, Hoshino Ai covered her mouth in surprise before loudly voicing her dissatisfaction.
Yet an inexplicable feeling also rose within her. If Sakurakoji-san agreed, then they would be coworkers from now on. They would probably see each other every day, right?
At that thought, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
She was not ready for that yet!
"Just shut up for a moment!"
Saito Ichigo turned around and scolded her before looking back at Sakurakoji Talent and saying gently,
"So, what do you think, Sakurakoji-san? Are you interested? I guarantee with my lifelong integrity that you'll become hugely popular!"
"No! I'll definitely make you hugely popular!"
Saito Ichigo's instincts told him that the person before him was definitely an unpolished gem. He absolutely could not let him go!
If he missed this chance, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
This feeling was like the impulse Hoshino Ai had given him when he first met her. As an old hand who had spent years struggling in the industry, the only things he trusted were his instincts and his eye for talent. They would never be wrong!
He already had Hoshino Ai, but what manager would ever complain about having too many outstanding artists under his wing?
Besides, male artists and female artists did not conflict with one another at all.
He stared at Sakurakoji Talent without blinking, anxiously awaiting his answer.
Since he had been willing to come and see the behind-the-scenes work, he probably was not completely uninterested. But Saito Ichigo had no idea just how interested he might be.
After his brief surprise, Sakurakoji Talent regained his composure.
This was not the first time he had been invited by a talent scout. Saito Ichigo was not the first, and probably would not be the last.
Sometimes, while walking down the street, he would get approached by talent scouts from small agencies he had never even heard of. Some were as irritating as stubborn stains and could not understand human speech, so he generally chose to ignore them outright.
Before you continue