For something where the only outcomes were a small win or a big win, he had no reason to refuse.
"Hey! What does this have to do with me? Who told you to drag me into this on your own?!"
As the two finalized the terms, Hiratsuka Shizuka, seeing herself implicated for no reason, immediately flew into a rage and slammed the table.
"What does it matter? Don't you think it's fun and exciting?" Yukino Shita Hiyori stuck out her cute tongue and put on an adorable expression.
"What's fun about it? You just forcibly tied me into this, didn't you?"
"Come on, it's already happened. Just enjoy it."
"I'll enjoy your—" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help swearing, but there was nothing she could do about her. Knowing that was simply the kind of person she was, she could only sigh helplessly.
Seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka had given up resisting, Yukino Shita Hiyori smiled and turned back to Sakurakoji Talent.
"Alright, I have no issues here. Shall we begin?"
"I'm ready anytime."
"Very well. Then my question is..." With a sly smile, Yukino Shita Hiyori abruptly changed tack. Her slender, pale fingertip pointed at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was still clutching her forehead and sighing. Under her stunned gaze, she mercilessly asked:
"How old is she? Your answer must be within one year of the correct age."
"You bastard!" Hiratsuka Shizuka finally couldn't take it anymore. Without even winding up, she threw a punch with her right hand.
"What a shame!" Having anticipated her reaction, Yukino Shita Hiyori caught her fist precisely. Then her body coiled around her like a snake, locking her in a tight embrace and preventing any further movement.
If she had reacted even a little slower, she would probably have ended up leaving lying down.
"Let go of me! You asshole!"
"It was one thing to drag me into this without permission, but now you're using my... as a question. Are you even human?"
"I have to teach you a lesson today and make you understand the chain of command!"
Ignoring her furious friend, Yukino Shita Hiyori desperately restrained her while looking at Sakurakoji Talent with the confidence of victory already in hand. "So, what's your answer?"
Watching the Shura Field unfold before him, Sakurakoji Talent started to sweat a little. He had to admit, he truly hadn't expected Yukino Shita Hiyori, such a lover of chaos, to use this question to set him up.
If he answered wrong, she could win the contest.
If he answered right, she could use it as an excuse to mock and toy with Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Either way, she lost nothing.
No, Yukino Shita Hiyori, were you still human? Was this all the friendship you had for your bestie? What sin had Shizukawaii committed to deserve such persecution from you?
He was cursing internally, but he didn't dare reveal the slightest hint of it on his face.
This question naturally wasn't difficult for him. The answer had popped into his head in less than a second. But facing the livid Hiratsuka Shizuka, could he really state the correct answer outright?
No! He couldn't!
Unless he wanted to offend her to death and ensure they would never interact again. But for the sake of his condition, that was obviously impossible.
Therefore, even though the question itself wasn't difficult, he could only grit his teeth and give a wrong answer.
You win, Yukino Shita Hiyori. I admit it, you're the more underhanded one this time.
Sakurakoji Talent touched his face and put on a helpless expression. Against his conscience, he gave the best possible answer at that moment. "Hmm, although I knew it couldn't be that simple, judging from this lady's appearance... could she have just turned eighteen?"
Upon hearing his answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been struggling violently, stopped moving.
Her face, which had been twisted with anger, softened. A lively smile that Yukino Shita Hiyori had never seen before bloomed across it. She became completely intoxicated, and her gaze toward Sakurakoji Talent was filled with praise and appreciation.
"I see. So I look eighteen in your eyes. I see!"
"By the way, how old do you think she is this year?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka bent her arm, trying her best to point at Yukino Shita Hiyori behind her.
"Hmm... this lady looks very young too. Around twenty, perhaps?"
"Hahaha... Did you hear that? In other people's eyes, I look younger than you!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help laughing. Feeling as though she had finally won one back today, she bumped the Yukino Shita Hiyori restraining her with her butt and teased her.
"Heh~ Not bad." Yukino Shita Hiyori's eyelid twitched as she stared intently at Sakurakoji Talent's utterly impassive face. An amused curve rose at the corner of her mouth.
She hadn't expected the question she had posed with a bit of malice to be dismantled so thoroughly by him. He had even turned the tables on her. It was foreseeable that Hiratsuka Shizuka would definitely use this to mock her for quite some time.
Although he hadn't guessed her age too high either, why?!
Why had Hiratsuka Shizuka's age been estimated as younger than hers?!
Was it because she always acted so maturely that her aura really made her seem older? Yukino Shita Hiyori couldn't help falling into self-doubt, feeling unusually frustrated.
Though she suspected Sakurakoji Talent might have done it on purpose, she couldn't be sure. Hiratsuka Shizuka's appearance really was deceptively youthful.
But no matter how young she looked, eighteen shouldn't have been the guess!
After observing both of their reactions, Sakurakoji Talent breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
No matter what, after this, Hiratsuka Shizuka's impression of him would definitely improve. As for Yukino Shita Hiyori... she didn't seem all that angry either. The result was still good.
"So? Was my guess correct?"
Sakurakoji Talent knowingly asked, looking expectantly at Yukino Shita Hiyori.
"Correct my ass! You weren't even remotely close—urk!"
Because she had relaxed her restraint on Hiratsuka Shizuka in order to refute him, Yukino Shita Hiyori took an elbow squarely to the stomach as she spoke the latter half of her sentence. She involuntarily bent over, and her remaining words were cut off.
"Come on, although it wasn't accurate, it was close enough. You did great!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka covered her mouth and waved, signaling Sakurakoji Talent not to mind it.
"Eh~ What a pity. I thought I'd guessed pretty accurately." Sakurakoji Talent sounded regretful, as though he genuinely believed it.
"Haha... no, don't worry about it."
Enduring Hiratsuka Shizuka's repeated slaps on her back, Yukino Shita Hiyori struggled to stand. Her smile toward Sakurakoji Talent carried a trace of vengeance. He had made her suffer such humiliation; she would have to bully him properly later!
Image: "Little Devil", location: "Images/1754566077-100446961-113694061.jpg"
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Blushing Ichiji Hoshika
"Since you lost, fulfill your promise." Yukino Shita Hiyori looked indignant as she motioned for him to honor their agreement.
"Don't be so impatient. We can settle everything together later." Sakurakoji Talent maintained his professional smile, indicating that she was being too hasty.
"Then what do you mean?"
"Since you've finished answering your question, it's my turn to ask one. My question is... let's go with this."
Sakurakoji Talent grabbed Ichiji Hoshika, who had happened to come over to pick up some Drinks, and pulled her in front of him under her startled gaze.
"My question is the same as yours. How old is our boss this year? The margin of error must also not exceed one year!"
"Wait, who gave you permission to use me as a question?! Do you have any manners?"
Ichiji Hoshika, who had initially been wondering what he was doing, became furious just like Hiratsuka Shizuka when she heard that Sakurakoji Talent had used the question she was most sensitive about to test someone without permission.
Did this guy even understand the suffering of older women?!
I'm firing you!
"Besides, do you even know how old I am before asking that?"
Sakurakoji Talent leaned close to her flushed earlobe and softly whispered a number.
Ichiji Hoshika felt her ear tickle from the light brush of his hair and breath. She instinctively shrank backward into his arms, but the moment she realized what he had said, her eyes widened instantly.
"How do you know? Who told you? Was it Nijika? Or PA?"
"No! Even if you know, I won't let you—mmph!"
Just like Yukino Shita Hiyori had done, Sakurakoji Talent restrained Ichiji Hoshika in front of him and covered her red lips to stop her from continuing to resist. He then gestured for Yukino Shita Hiyori to begin answering.
Yukino Shita Hiyori was somewhat dumbfounded as well. She hadn't expected him to know the Murong Clan's secret martial art—Star Shift.
Using her own methods against her, he had caught her completely off guard.
Glancing at Ichiji Hoshika's equally youthful appearance, which was merely dressed somewhat casually, Yukino Shita Hiyori looked troubled and couldn't quite decide.
She looked very young, like a college student around twenty, perhaps even a little younger than Hiratsuka Shizuka. But since Sakurakoji Talent dared to ask this question, it definitely couldn't be that simple.
Damn it! Why were there so many young-looking witches in this world?
Yukino Shita Hiyori couldn't help swearing inwardly, annoyed by her repeated failures today.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, on the other hand, looked at Ichiji Hoshika with interest. Unlike Yukino Shita Hiyori, her eyes shone with the light of seeing a kindred spirit. Could she also...? Perhaps the two of them could become good friends!
"So? Easy to guess, right?" Sakurakoji Talent looked at Yukino Shita Hiyori with a smile.
Easy my ass!
Yukino Shita Hiyori puffed out her cheeks. She had finally experienced what he had felt just now. Sure enough, only after experiencing something firsthand could one truly empathize with another person.
Whatever. There was no point thinking about it any longer. After pondering for a moment, Yukino Shita Hiyori made her decision.
Little Shizu, bless me!
"My guess is... around twenty-seven?"
"You bastard!"
The person most agitated by her answer wasn't Sakurakoji Talent, but Hiratsuka Shizuka. In an instant, she understood what this rotten woman was thinking and reflexively punched her.
"Not a bad answer, but it's wrong!"
The corner of Sakurakoji Talent's mouth lifted into a victorious smile, in stark contrast to Yukino Shita Hiyori's regret.
Damn it! Even Little Shizu was no good!
Could that woman be even older than Little Shizu? No way, right?
Clutching the kidney that had been painfully struck, Yukino Shita Hiyori bared her teeth in unwillingness.
"Not bad my ass!"
Ichiji Hoshika launched a furious counterattack, breaking free from Sakurakoji Talent's hold and driving her elbow hard into him. He made the same pose and expression as Yukino Shita Hiyori, while she blushed and shouted angrily.
Ignoring Sakurakoji Talent's rare moment of embarrassment, Ichiji Hoshika remained indignant. Even her pretty face, usually cool and expressionless, was somewhat distorted now. Thinking of the zero-distance physical contact just now, she could only feel her heart, single for so many years, beating wildly.
Did this guy not know the proper distance between men and women?
Or was he too alluring-looking, making him duller than normal when it came to such things?
Image: "Shy", location: "Images/1754566296-100446961-113694073.jpg"
"Are you two performing a comedy routine?" Seeing the two people who had fallen over, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help commenting.
"Eh~ What happened? What's wrong with Mr. Talent?"
Noticing the commotion here, Ichiji Nijika, Yamada Ryo, and the others hurried over. Seeing Sakurakoji Talent's unusual posture, they asked Ichiji Hoshika in surprise.
"Hmph! Ask him yourself later!"
Ichiji Hoshika turned her head aside and crossed her arms, unwilling to speak.
"Hah..."
Seeing her older sister sulk so rarely, Ichiji Nijika became curious as well. She crouched down and poked Sakurakoji Talent.
"Mr. Talent, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. We were just joking around, so don't worry about it." Rising to his feet, Sakurakoji Talent put away his seemingly nonexistent pained expression and answered with a casual smile.
"?" Ichiji Nijika tilted her head, still unable to understand.
"I was merely playing a game with those two guests over there." Sakurakoji Talent avoided the important details and sidestepped the main cause of the incident.
Ichiji Nijika looked toward Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukino Shita Hiyori, surprise appearing in her eyes as well. Those two... were quite pretty too.
For some reason, Ichiji Nijika felt a faint sense of crisis rise within her.
"What kind of game was it? Did you win or lose?" Yamada Ryo asked, interested.
"Hmm—one loss and one win. For now, I'd say it's a draw."
Before you continue