Chapter 167

"Hmm, more or less."

"I understand! We'll do that then!"

"Okay, thank you."

After a brief period of excitement, the group returned to their original table. After finishing their snacks, as part of introducing the new members, Ichiji Nijika led Kita Ikuyo and the others to the empty room at the back.

Ichiji Hoshika glanced at them, and after they had all disappeared from sight, she turned off her computer, got up, and went to the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can help you with, shop manager?" Noticing her graceful figure leaning against the wall, Sakurakoji Talent looked over.

"No, should I say there's something wrong, or nothing wrong...?"

Ichiji Hoshika's cheeks flushed slightly, and she fidgeted with her Hands, unsure of what to do with her golden hair. She kept stealing glances at him, looking unusually flustered.

Although one can occasionally see a hint of shyness and anger when her pride is exposed, it is truly rare to see such an expression of embarrassment and uncertainty about how to express herself. For a mature adult like her who rarely shows emotion, this is a rare sight indeed.

Although she might go unnoticed by the average person, she is, after all, a mature 29-year-old woman who has weathered many storms and spent years in the wild world of rock music.

Not to mention, when she was working in her teens, she was a "legendary" figure who could be called the Ochanomizu Great Demon King, even surpassing Yamada Ryo and the others.

With her rich life experience and calm demeanor, it's rare to even see her show any emotion—whether good or bad.

At least for Sakurakoji Talent, this was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

"It's strange that you're so hesitant," he said in surprise. After a moment's thought, he guessed, "Could it be that what you're about to say is related to me?"

"How could you... no, why would you think that?" She stopped herself in time and abruptly changed her lines.

"Hmm... intuition?" He feigned ignorance and glanced away.

It wasn't intuition, of course. It was just that among all the stars in the Starry, the only people who could leave Ichiji Hoshika feeling helpless were Ichiji Nijika and him.

Ichiji Nijika is very sensible and gentle, and very considerate of her, so she won't let her feel embarrassed to say anything (except when she's being tsundere).

Besides, she's not even here now, so Ichiji Hoshika has no reason to worry.

The only possibility is that it's related to his unruly and unpredictable behavior, and his constant arguing and sabotage of the store manager.

Even PA, who often helps her translate tsundere lines, wouldn't be as free (or rude) as him due to the realities of their positions.

"Another intuition?" Ichiji Hoshika frowned in frustration, then said in a defiant tone, "Fine, it really is related to you."

"Ha~ What is it?" He wasn't entirely uninterested.

"Well, it's just..." She hesitated before speaking, "Could you help Nijika and the others out sometimes?"

"Help Nijika and the others?" Sakurakoji Talent was taken aback, not quite understanding. "Do they need my help? I think things are fine as they are."

If it were the original Kessoku Band, there might still be something to say, but now that Kanau has joined, even compared to most debuting bands, their average skill level is already not much lower.

What's lacking now is the time for mutual understanding and further refinement of each other's strengths.

"Even so, you also know, right?" Ichiji Hoshika in a somber tone, "Although Bocchi and Koneko are very strong, they each have significant personality problems."

"Nijika and the others are much weaker than the two of them, I'm worried there might be some problems."

"Moreover, they don't really understand the formal industry, let alone bands and livehouses. Every livehouse and the people in it have a different way of doing things."

Even though Ichiji Nijika others spend all their time at Starry, they only know about Starry as a place, and cannot claim to know about the Livehouse genre.

Once they leave, they will find that the outside world is very different from what they imagined.

"There are too many members with strong personalities in their team. I'm worried that if we rely on Nijika alone, she won't be able to manage everything."

After a moment's hesitation, Ichiji Hoshika gave another reason.

Although she knew her sister was very capable, even she would feel overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure facing so many eccentric characters all at once.

In this situation, she would feel much more at ease if she could have a reliable person with good judgment, experience, and similar age to them, someone with whom she could share common interests, to assist her.

"Isn't there one right here...?" As she thought this, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Sakurakoji Talent her eye, and her mind suddenly clicked.

His strength and age are undeniable, and as for his insight and experience, although she doesn't know much about his private life, his behavior and thinking far exceed what one would expect from someone his age.

He can definitely help Nijika and the others!

Rather, she's simply the perfect choice!

If this could further deepen his relationship with Nijika and achieve another goal, that would be even better...

"I see..."

He thought about it for a moment and decided it wasn't a big problem. He had already helped one band, so helping one or two bands was the same to him.

But that's what they say...

"So, if I work hard, what kind of reward will the store manager give me?" He took two steps closer to her and asked with a smile.

"A reward? What do you want?" Ichiji Hoshika pouted and frowned, knowing that this kid wouldn't agree so easily.

"That depends on your sincerity, store manager."

"Will you give me a raise?" Ichiji Hoshika probed.

"But I'm not short of money right now."

"Then what else do you want?" she asked, puzzled. Besides this, she had nothing else to give.

Sakurakoji Talent didn't answer. Instead, he walked up to her, facing her as she leaned against the wall. He placed his Hands on the wall and pulled her into his arms.

"What... what do you want to do?"

Looking directly at his face up close, Ichiji Hoshika's heart skipped a beat. Her arms, which had been wrapped around her chest, loosened, and her orange-red eyes darted around erratically. She was no longer composed.

By the way, is this called "Kabe-don"?

It's the kind of thing couples like to do these days... even though she was already leaning against the wall.

She used to be so focused on playing music that the only things that could bring her joy were high-quality musical instruments.

After her mother passed away, she also had to take care of Nijika, who was only 9 years old at the time, which is why she has never been in a relationship to this day.

Well, she wasn't really interested in it to begin with.

But why is my heart beating so fast right now? And my face feels hot too, what's going on?!

Could it be that I really have a thing for this guy named Talent...?

No, no!

I can't do this! He's the person Nijika likes, and there's such a big age gap between us! I can't do this!

But, but, it's really hard to control my heartbeat, just like when I first stood on stage to perform!

Her plump, eggshell-white face was tinged with rouge, and his action seemed to strip away her strong, independent woman persona, leaving her standing there uneasily like a little girl.

Image: "Boss looks good", Location: "Images/1761832731-100446961-114033167. jpg"

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 213 The Frustration of a Three-Second Difference

What do you want to do?

"That's exactly the look I wanted you to make," Sakurakoji Talent eyes slightly closed as he looked at her with amusement.

Ichiji Hoshika usually has a blank expression, rarely showing any emotional fluctuations, and even her voice is hard to describe as calm or lazy.

Compared to other "older" girls like Hiratsuka Shizuka, she possesses even greater composure and emotional resilience in her interactions with others.

When Hiratsuka Shizuka speaks to people, she is at least able to express all her emotions. Even when facing students much younger than herself, she doesn't bother to hide her true feelings. It's just that her maturity can occasionally be sensed from subtle details in her words and actions.

Ichiji Hoshika remained serene throughout, rarely showing any anger.

Is this what it means to be two years older in terms of numbers?

Just kidding, this is probably her true emotional personality, which seems to have remained basically unchanged from her high school days until now.

Whether she's dealing with a Social Anxiety Disorder high school girl or a glib and dirty man from the outside world, she always maintains that "half-dead" yet composed demeanor.

In some ways, Hiratsuka Shizuka is similar, also not hiding her true self. The only difference is that Hiratsuka Shizuka is energetic and passionate, while hers is quiet and indifferent.

There are very few things that can concern her, probably just her sister and her band, and a few things about her age and appearance—being criticized for trying to look young or not matching her age is ultimately quite hurtful.

Ah~ the sadness of being a single woman in your late twenties~

Therefore, seeing her anxious and helpless state only fuels Sakurakoji Talent.

You know, humans are always more excited about things they don't see often than usual—but why is that?

What did our ancestors do to write this into our genes?

Hmm~ Hysteria~

As he slowly approached, the distance between their foreheads was no more than a palm's width.

At such close range, the faint fragrance emanating from Ichiji Hoshika was clearly not the scent of a high-end perfume, Aromatherapy, or sachet; it was probably shampoo or laundry detergent.

Maybe there's a faint hint of her natural scent mixed in? If she does, I'll be foolish enough to ask her next time.

He found it hard to imagine that someone with no sense of style, who often wore black shirts and wide-legged black and white striped pants and was too lazy to even comb her hair, would be interested in things like perfume and makeup—and there was a reason why she hadn't been in a relationship yet.

Her aesthetic sense is only on par with that of Gotou Hitori.

Wait, could it be that she, like Touma Kazusa, doesn't comb her hair because she doesn't know how? He blinked, feeling like he'd discovered a blind spot.

Thinking about it carefully, it's not impossible. After all, the hairstyle I used to style for Ichiji Nijika was just a simple side ponytail.

As he approached with his face, Ichiji Hoshika couldn't help but shrink slightly, her heart pounding so hard she could almost hear it. Her lotus-colored face turned to one side, and her thin lips, which had been lonely for 29 years, kept exhaling warm breath.

Her beautiful orange eyes, full of tender affection, were filled with confusion; her long eyelashes trembled, and she had almost given up thinking and resisting.

After admiring her Shy, girlish expression for a while, so different from her usual proud and serene demeanor, Sakurakoji Talent unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes sweeping over her with satisfaction.

This semi-coercive approach, coupled with the other party's perfectly anticipated reaction, was like a superior placebo for the evil S-gene within him.

I'm in such a great mood!

"It's nothing, I just want you to promise me one thing, store manager."

After his inner turmoil subsided, he spoke softly, his unusual breath brushing against her cheek as he spoke.

"Hmm~" Ichiji Hoshika hummed softly, the fine hairs on his face almost standing on end. The scent and temperature of his body had never been so clearly perceived by his senses.

"W-What's wrong?"

"I haven't decided yet, why don't you just say yes?" he suggested casually.

He didn't really have any good ideas for what to ask for right now.

Ichiji Hoshika frowned at the uncertain conditions, slightly displeased. "What is this? Do you want a wishing ticket?"

What if he makes outrageous demands later if she agrees now?

"There's nothing I can do, I really don't want anything right now. So, will you agree or not?"

After saying that, he deliberately leaned forward and advanced a few centimeters.

"Ugh!" Ichiji Hoshika's heart skipped a beat, feeling bewildered by his aggressive behavior.

The figure that suddenly grew larger in my eyes was incredibly oppressive and stimulating!

"I... I agree."

She was no longer able to dwell on what the Mirai might hold; all she wanted was to escape her current predicament. Her urgent and agitated state even made her forget that she was the store manager, the highest-ranking person there.

"Excellent, the deal is done."

Just as Sakurakoji Talent was about to move away from her, he heard a panicked cry.

"Manager! Talent! What's going on with you guys?!"

At the kitchen entrance, PA, who was just about to come over to get a cup of tea, couldn't help but gasp in surprise at the shocking scene.

But being a young woman in her twenties, she understood in an instant and hurriedly turned her head and waved her hands, saying, "I'm so sorry! I've disturbed you!"

"I... I never imagined you two were in this kind of relationship! I'm so sorry!"

"I'm leaving right now! I'm absolutely not thinking about how pathetic it is to lose to an older store manager!!"

"Waaaaah~ Waaaah~~"

After saying that, she didn't even bother to take the tea; she covered her face, turned around, and ran away briskly.

"..."X 2

The previous atmosphere was instantly swept away. After shifting their gaze from the entrance back, the two stared at each other, their eyes locked in silence.