So many geniuses in anime! What's wrong with me joining?

There was no reason for him to refuse something that only resulted in a small win or a big win.

"Hey! What does this have to do with me? Who gave you permission to drag me into this!"

As the two finalized the details, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt her anger surge upon realizing she had been implicated for no reason, and she slammed the table with a shout.

"What do you mean what does it have to do with you? Don't you think it's interesting and exciting?" Yukino Shita Hiyori stuck out her cute tongue and began to act adorable.

"How is this interesting? It's just me being forcibly bound into this by you, right?"

"Well, well, it's already like this anyway, you might as well just enjoy it."

"Enjoy your—" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but let out a string of profanities, but since she was helpless against her and knew this was just the kind of person she was, she could only sigh in resignation.

Seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka had given up resisting, Yukino Shita Hiyori turned back with a smile and looked at Sakurakoji Talent again.

"Alright, I'm ready on my end. Shall we start now?"

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"Very well, then, my question is..." Her tone shifted, and Yukino Shita Hiyori gave a cunning smile. Her slender, pale fingertip pointed at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was still covering her forehead and sighing. To the woman's astonishment, she asked mercilessly:

"What is her age? The margin of error must be within one year."

"You!" Hiratsuka Shizuka could no longer hold back. Without even winding up, she threw a punch straight at her.

"Too bad!" Having anticipated her reaction, Yukino Shita Hiyori caught the fist with precision, then moved like a snake to wrap herself around her, pinning her torso tightly to prevent any further movement.

If she had been even a second slower, she probably would have been carried out of here.

"Let go of me! You jerk!"

"Dragging me into this without permission is one thing, but now you're using my... as a question? Are you even human?"

"I have to teach you a lesson today and make you recognize the hierarchy between us!"

Ignoring her enraged Best Friend, Yukino Shita Hiyori struggled to keep her suppressed while looking at Sakurakoji Talent with a look of certain victory. "So, what is your answer?"

Watching the Asura field unfolding before him, Sakurakoji Talent felt sweat bead on his forehead. He had to admit, he truly hadn't expected the troublemaker Yukino Shita Hiyori to use this as a question to trap him.

If he answered wrong, she would win the game easily.

If he answered right, she could use it as an excuse to mock and tease Hiratsuka Shizuka.

She couldn't lose either way.

Wait, Yukino Shita Hiyori, are you even human? Is that all your friendship amounts to? What kind of sin did Shizukawaii commit to be persecuted by you like this?

He was cursing internally, but he dared not show a hint of it on his face.

This question, naturally, didn't stump him; the answer didn't even take a second to pop into his mind. But facing the furious Hiratsuka Shizuka, did he dare to blurt out the correct answer?

No! He could not!

Unless he wanted to offend her to the point of no return and have no further interaction with her, which was impossible given his condition.

Therefore, even though the question itself wasn't difficult, he had to bite the bullet and give a wrong answer.

You win, Yukino Shita Hiyori, I admit it—you're the more devious one here.

Sakurakoji Talent touched his face, put on a helpless expression, and went against his conscience to give the best possible answer for the moment: "Hmm, although I know it shouldn't be that simple, judging by this lady's appearance, could she have just turned 18?"

Upon hearing his answer, the violently struggling Hiratsuka Shizuka froze.

The face that had been twisted in anger softened, and a vibrant smile—one Yukino Shita Hiyori had never seen before—bloomed on her face. She fell into a state of intoxication, and the look she gave Sakurakoji Talent was filled with praise and admiration.

"Is that so? So in your eyes, I'm 18, is that right!"

"By the way, how old do you think she is this year?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka bent her arm and pointed as best she could at Yukino Shita Hiyori behind her.

"Hmm... this lady is also very young, maybe around 20?"

"Hahaha... did you hear that? In other people's eyes, I look younger than you!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling like she had finally scored a point today. She nudged Yukino Shita Hiyori, who was still restraining her, with her hip and teased.

"Heh~ not bad." Yukino Shita Hiyori's eyelid twitched. She stared intently at Sakurakoji Talent's calm face, a curious arc forming on her lips.

She hadn't expected that the question she'd asked with malicious intent would be dismantled by him like this, and that he would even turn the tables on her. It was easy to foresee that Hiratsuka Shizuka would definitely use this to mock her for some time to come.

Although he hadn't overestimated her age, why did he have to do that!

He actually estimated Hiratsuka Shizuka's age to be younger than hers!

Was it because she always acted so mature that her temperament actually made her look older? Yukino Shita Hiyori couldn't help but fall into self-doubt, feeling a rare sense of defeat.

Although she suspected Sakurakoji Talent might have done it on purpose, she couldn't be sure—after all, Hiratsuka Shizuka's appearance was indeed quite deceptive.

But no matter how young she looked, he shouldn't have guessed 18!

Observing the reactions of both, Sakurakoji Talent breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless, after this, his favorability with Hiratsuka Shizuka had definitely risen. As for Yukino Shita Hiyori... she didn't seem too angry either. The result was good.

"How about it? Did I guess right?"

Sakurakoji Talent asked a question he already knew the answer to, looking at Yukino Shita Hiyori with anticipation.

"Wrong, completely wrong! You're off by a mile, guh!"

Because she had relaxed her restraint on Hiratsuka Shizuka in order to retort, Yukino Shita Hiyori took a perfectly timed elbow strike to the abdomen from Hiratsuka Shizuka as she finished her sentence, forcing her to hunch over and cutting off whatever else she had intended to say.

"Well, well, even if it wasn't accurate, it was close enough. You did great!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka covered her mouth and waved her hand, signaling for Sakurakoji Talent not to worry about it.

"Eh~ what a pity, I really thought I had guessed it quite accurately." Sakurakoji Talent said in a regretful tone, as if he truly believed it.

"Haha... no, don't worry about it."

Enduring the constant slaps Hiratsuka Shizuka was landing on her back, Yukino Shita Hiyori struggled to stand up straight. The smile she directed at Sakurakoji Talent carried a hint of vengeance; to think he would subject her to such humiliation—she was going to bully him properly later!

Image: "Little Devil", Location: "Images/1754566077-100446961-113694061.jpg"

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies : Chapter 31: The Blushing Ichiji Hoshika

"Since you lost, then fulfill your promise." Yukino Shita Hiyori's eyes were filled with indignation as she signaled for him to honor the agreement.

"Don't be so impatient, we can just settle everything together in a moment." Sakurakoji Talent maintained his professional smile, implying she was being too hasty.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Since your question has been answered, it's my turn to ask. My question is... let's see, how about this one."

Sakurakoji Talent grabbed Ichiji Hoshika, who happened to be passing by to pick up some drinks, and pulled her in front of him amidst her startled gaze.

"My question is the same as yours. May I ask the fair age of our boss? And just like before, the margin of error must not exceed one year!"

"Wait, who gave you permission to use me as a question! Do you have any manners?"

Ichiji Hoshika, who had been confused about what he was doing, became just as furious as Hiratsuka Shizuka upon hearing that Sakurakoji Talent had dared to use her most sensitive topic to test someone else.

Does this guy have any idea about the pain of being an older woman?

I'm going to fire you!

"Besides, do you even know how old I am to be asking that?"

Sakurakoji Talent leaned his face close to her flushed earlobe and whispered a number.

Ichiji Hoshika felt her ear tickle from the light brush of his hair and breath, causing her to instinctively shrink back into his embrace. When she realized what he had said, her eyes widened instantly.

"How do you know that? Who told you! Was it Nijika? Or PA?"

"No! Even if you know, I won't allow you to—mmph!"

Just like he had done with Yukino Shita Hiyori, Sakurakoji Talent restrained Ichiji Hoshika in front of him, covering her red lips as she tried to continue resisting, and signaled to Yukino Shita Hiyori that she could start her answer.

Yukino Shita Hiyori was also a bit dazed, not expecting the other party to possess the Murong Clan's unique martial art—Star Shift.

Using the opponent's own methods against them, he had caught her completely off guard.

Glancing at Ichiji Hoshika, who also looked incredibly young despite her somewhat casual style of dress, she wore a troubled expression, unable to make a firm guess.

She looked very young, like a college student around twenty, and even felt younger than Hiratsuka Shizuka, but since Sakurakoji Talent dared to pose the question this way, it definitely wasn't that simple.

Damn it! Why are there so many young enchantresses in this world?

Yukino Shita Hiyori couldn't help but curse in her heart, feeling annoyed by her frequent setbacks today.

Hiratsuka Shizuka, on the other hand, looked at Ichiji Hoshika with interest. Unlike Yukino Shita Hiyori, her eyes sparkled with the realization of seeing a comrade. Could it be that she was also... perhaps the two of them could become good friends!

"How is it? Easy to guess, right?" Sakurakoji Talent looked at Yukino Shita Hiyori with a smile.

Easy to guess your head!

Yukino Shita Hiyori puffed out her cheeks; she had finally experienced what he felt like earlier. Sure enough, one can only empathize with others after experiencing it firsthand.

Forget it, continuing to think about it was useless. After a moment of deliberation, Yukino Shita Hiyori made her decision.

Shizuka, bless me!

"I guess... around 27 years old?"

"You guy!"

Upon hearing her answer, the one most agitated wasn't Sakurakoji Talent, but Hiratsuka Shizuka. She understood in an instant what this bad guy was thinking and instinctively threw a punch at her.

"A decent answer, but wrong!"

Sakurakoji Talent curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a look of victory, while Yukino Shita Hiyori felt nothing but regret.

Damn it! Even Shizuka's guess didn't work!

Could that woman be even older than Shizuka? No way, right?

Clutching her side where she had been struck, Yukino Shita Hiyori grimaced in frustration.

"Decent your head!"

Ichiji Hoshika launched a counterattack, breaking free from Sakurakoji Talent's hold. She struck him hard with her elbow, forcing him into the same pained posture as Yukino Shita Hiyori, and shouted with a blushing face.

Ignoring Sakurakoji Talent's rare moment of disarray, Ichiji Hoshika was filled with indignation, her usually cold and expressionless face now somewhat distorted. At the thought of the zero-distance physical contact she'd just had with him, Ichiji Hoshika felt her heart, single for many years, racing wildly.

Does this guy not understand the basic distance between men and women?

Or is it because he's so bewitching that he's just more oblivious to these things than the average person?

Image: "Shy", Location: "Images/1754566296-100446961-113694073.jpg"

"Are you two performing a comedy routine?" Watching the two people collapsed on the ground, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but retort.

"Eh~ what happened? What's wrong with Mr. Talent?"

Noticing the commotion, Ichiji Nijika, Yamada Ryo, and the others rushed over. Seeing Sakurakoji Talent's unnatural posture, they asked Ichiji Hoshika in surprise.

"Hmph! Ask him yourself in a bit!"

Ichiji Hoshika turned her head away, crossing her arms and refusing to speak.

"Ha..."

Seeing her Sister acting petulant for once, Ichiji Nijika felt quite curious and crouched down to poke Sakurakoji Talent.

"Mr. Talent, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it was just a joke, don't worry about it." Standing up, Sakurakoji Talent wiped away his seemingly non-existent expression of pain and responded with a nonchalant smile.

"?" Ichiji Nijika tilted her head, still not understanding.

"I was just playing a game with those two guests over there." Sakurakoji Talent downplayed the situation, avoiding the main reason for the incident.

Ichiji Nijika looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka and the other person, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes. These two... are actually quite pretty.

For some reason, a sense of crisis welled up in Ichiji Nijika's heart.

"What kind of game was it? Did you win or lose?" Interested, Yamada Ryo spoke up to ask.

"Hmm—one loss and one win, so it's a draw for now."