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

After finishing the meal, the two washed the dishes together and sat for a while longer before Sakurakoji Talent stood up to take his leave.

"Thank you for your hospitality today." Sakurakoji Talent said to Shiina Mahiru as he put on his boots and stood at the door.

"Not at all, please excuse me if the hospitality was lacking." Shiina Mahiru bowed slightly.

"Then I'll be going now. If you have any problems in the future, feel free to contact me. Don't cry alone in the park anymore, okay?" Sakurakoji Talent raised his phone and shook it as a reminder.

"I wasn't crying..." Shiina Mahiru retorted softly, her face flushed, then she looked up and stared intently at his face.

"Thank you for your trouble today, Ogura-nee-san."

"It's I who troubled you." Sakurakoji Talent turned to leave, waving goodbye with his back.

"Ah, right, don't forget to send me the time and address of the graduation ceremony. I'll definitely be there." He quickly added just before the elevator doors closed.

As the elevator doors shut, a quiet atmosphere once again enveloped the hallway.

Watching the display screen showing the floor numbers gradually decreasing, Shiina Mahiru pressed her hands to her chest, her emotions in turmoil.

A familiar sense of loneliness welled up in her heart again. The feeling she thought she had long grown accustomed to made her uncomfortable once more, but thinking of the last words the other person left behind, a ray of light flickered in her heart.

Leaving the apartment she lived in, Sakurakoji Talent contacted the driver by phone and informed him of the location.

Then, he retraced his steps and returned to the park from before.

The few minutes' journey was quickly completed. He stood at the park entrance, illuminated by the streetlights, and waited for a while. A black car stopped steadily in front of him.

After getting into the car, without needing to be told, the car started again, embarking on the return journey.

Sakurakoji Talent took out his phone to check the time and found it was still early. Although it was past Starlight's working hours, even with the travel time back, the night had only just begun.

After all, it wasn't too late when he arrived, and he hadn't stayed at Shiina Mahiru's place for too long.

He propped his chin in his hand and fell into thought. It was rare that he didn't have to work tonight. Would it be a waste to just go straight home and sleep? Time should be utilized fully.

Just as he was contemplating how to spend the evening, a message notification chimed.

Glancing at it, the sender's name made him raise an eyebrow. It was Hoshino Ai.

Speaking of which, it had been a while since he last saw her. Half a month had passed since he last attended her event, and they were still maintaining their relationship as online acquaintances. Moreover, most of the time, it was she who initiated contact.

He had to admit, he was a rather incompetent "fan." Anyone else would probably suggest meeting up every few days, not be as lazy as him.

He entered the chat interface, and the message immediately turned to 'read.'

Tsk, what a useless feature, Sakurakoji Talent clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

How could such a feature, which offered no privacy or thinking time, have survived until now? He'd eventually force this trash software out of the market.

Muttering curses in his mind, he looked at the message content:

[Mr. Sakurakoji, are you free tonight?]

"Hmm?"

What did she mean? Was she trying to ask me out?

Although he was puzzled, he replied truthfully: [Yes, I happen to have the night off today.]

Soon, a reply was sent.

[That's great! I'm free tonight too!]

[Could you trouble yourself to go shopping with me tonight? I want to buy some things.]

Sakurakoji Talent was a bit surprised by Hoshino Ai's message. Such a coincidence?

He had just felt it would be a waste to end the night like this, and she proposed something that fit his wishes so perfectly. It was truly—great!

Two lines in one night, it barely counted as wasting time. He agreed decisively.

[No problem! But I'll need a little time to prepare. Let's set a time and place to meet.]

[Okay! Then let's meet at the front of Shinjuku Station in an hour, is that okay?]

An hour? It was a bit rushed, but it was about right. After considering the time it would take to go back and change, Sakurakoji Talent sent an OK emoji and received a shy, silly-smiling rabbit emoji in return.

"Ichiyo, we've got a job, speed it up!"

"Understood, Young Master."

Twenty minutes later, Sakurakoji Talent returned to Ten no Yashiro and entered his room, changing into casual men's street clothes. Multitasking had this one problem: you couldn't be in two places at once using the same identity.

After checking himself in the mirror and confirming everything was fine, he got into the elevator to go downstairs again, under Aoyama Nanami's complicated gaze.

The car stopped directly at the entrance and didn't leave, as taking public transport would be too time-consuming.

The streets at night were bustling with traffic, and even driving wouldn't be much faster. Fortunately, despite the rush, he still arrived near the meeting point a few minutes before the agreed time.

After getting out of the car, he jogged towards the bus stop. About a hundred meters away, he spotted his target.

It couldn't be helped; the figure wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses late at night was too recognizable.

He actually wanted to say that she didn't need to worry so much because her popularity as a small underground idol hadn't reached that level yet, but he felt it might be too hurtful to say it out loud.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Sakurakoji Talent hurried in front of her, slightly out of breath.

Hearing his voice, Hoshino Ai looked up. Upon seeing his face, her previously anxious and conflicted feelings immediately brightened, and a radiant smile appeared on her face.

"Not at all! It's not the agreed-upon time yet, I just got here too!"

"Good evening, Mr. Sakurakoji!"

"Oh, good evening." Sakurakoji Talent responded with a smile, saying against his better judgment, "Miss Hoshino, you look very cute today too!"

"Really?!"

Hoshino Ai happily looked at her clothes again, spinning around and hopping with energy. While she was very pleased with his compliment, she also seemed a bit disbelieving.

"Of course."

Of course—it was a lie. Sakurakoji Talent twitched the corner of his mouth, almost imperceptibly.

The outfit was ordinary, even a bit unfashionable, and couldn't compare to the idol costumes on stage. Moreover, she was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses late at night, which completely concealed any sense of fashion or trendiness.

He could tell that her personal fashion sense was indeed poor, or perhaps she simply didn't care about it.

"So, Miss Hoshino, what do you want to buy tonight?" he asked, getting to the core purpose of their outing.

She had only said she wanted him to accompany her shopping tonight, but hadn't specified what she wanted to buy.

"Ah, about that," Hoshino Ai's expression turned a bit awkward, and she fiddled with her hands behind her back, "Could you follow me first?"

Image: "Come with me", Location: "Images/1755441011-100446961-113736020.jpg"

Volume 1: The Troublemaking Daily Life : Chapter 51: A Date with Hoshino Ai

"Is this it?" Sakurakoji Talent asked.

"This is it," Hoshino Ai replied with certainty, her expression resolute.

"..." Sakurakoji Talent looked at the Shinjuku building before him, or more precisely, at a chain store of a well-known brand within it, and didn't know what to say.

The UNIQLO sign overhead was so conspicuous that it gave him a sense of déjà vu.

This was actually his first time here in this life. After all, he was no longer the poor person he once was. Now, he bought clothes directly from high-end flagship stores in major malls, or had them designed and made to order.

He had thought Hoshino Ai was cautiously leading him somewhere unspeakable, but it turned out to be just this?

"So you wanted to buy clothes, you didn't need to be so hesitant."

"Because I'd feel embarrassed," Hoshino Ai pouted, her eyebrows furrowed, giving him a look that said, 'You just don't understand.'

"UNIQLO is great, isn't it? It's very cost-effective, the designs are trendy! The materials are practical and skin-friendly, don't you think it's amazing?"

"Mhm, I think so too." Sakurakoji Talent was amused by her reaction. "If that's the case, you could have just told me directly."

"That won't do!" Hoshino Ai explained earnestly. "In the public's perception, idols usually wear fashionable designer brands and eat at high-end restaurants, but underground idols' salaries simply can't afford those things."

"If fans found out that their idols also wear affordable clothes and finish their bento boxes, many of them would be disillusioned."

"I was afraid you, Mr. Sakurakoji, would be disillusioned too, just like them."

"But I know now, so what's the point?" Sakurakoji Talent pointed out her self-deception helplessly.

"At, at least it delayed it for a while and gave me some time to prepare myself mentally!" Hoshino Ai paused, forcing herself to try and convince herself.

"So you called me here today because you wanted me to help you choose clothes?" he guessed her intention.

"Mhm, I think your taste is much better than mine, and you always dress so elegantly." Hoshino Ai nodded, then pulled Sakurakoji Talent into the brightly lit store. "Come on, follow me."

A few minutes later, "Mr. Sakurakoji, what do you think of this hat?" Hoshino Ai picked up a folded hat, brown-gray in color, and placed it on her head, eagerly asking for Sakurakoji Talent's opinion.

"..."

"Mr. Sakurakoji, I think these pants are also quite trendy and cool, what do you think?" She picked up a pair of ripped jeans and held them up against her legs.

"..."

"Mr. Sakurakoji, the model in this knitwear looks so good, I want to buy one too!" Hoshino Ai pointed to an exposed top on a poster, worn by a model with an estimated G-cup bust.

"..."

"Mr. Sakurakoji, don't you think long socks with leather shoes look good too? It seems to have a unique contrasting effect?" She pointed to the shoe section, her finger on her chin, lost in thought.

"..."

"Mr. Sakurakoji..."

"..."

"Alright, that's enough for now." Sakurakoji Talent grabbed Hoshino Ai, who was still enthusiastically trying on everything, his expression extremely serious, his gaze fixed on her with no room for refusal. "Miss Hoshino, from now on, you'll listen to my opinion on all outfits, okay?"

He couldn't take it anymore. Although he knew Hoshino Ai's fashion sense probably wasn't great, he never expected her to come up with so many bizarre combinations in such a short time. How did she even buy clothes before?

If he let her continue picking like this, he couldn't imagine how many eyes they would attract when they went out later. If word got out, his lifelong reputation in the design world would be ruined!

"Oh, oh." Startled by his imposing aura, Hoshino Ai immediately became obedient and could only nod in agreement.

"Mhm." Sakurakoji Talent nodded and walked along the shelves, his eyes constantly scanning the merchandise on both sides. After a quick survey, he began taking various clothing items—pants, hats, shoes, bags, and more—off the racks.

"These few are a set, and this is another set. I'll hold onto the rest for you for now. Go try these on first."

Holding a pile of clothes and bags, Hoshino Ai was half-forcibly pushed into the fitting room by him.

"Phew." After closing her inside, Sakurakoji Talent let out a long sigh of relief. He never imagined that when accompanying a woman shopping, the first thing to consider wouldn't be stamina, but the vast difference in aesthetic taste between them.

The several sales assistants nearby exchanged glances and smiled knowingly. They saw dozens of similar scenes almost every day.

But weren't these two who came today a bit too good-looking? Were they celebrities from somewhere?

Because of their outstanding looks, as soon as they entered the store, they had captured the attention of most of the staff. They were like they had their own spotlight effect in the crowd, making it hard not to notice them.

Five minutes later, the fitting room curtain was slowly pulled back. Hoshino Ai walked out with a slight blush, looking a bit embarrassed. She looked at him blankly and asked tentatively, "How is it? Does it look strange?"

She was wearing a brown cashmere trench coat on top, a knit shirt underneath, black slim-fit straight-leg pants, and long boots in the same color as the coat. A chain bag was slung over her shoulder, and she wore a pair of large sunglasses. Compared to her previous suspicious attire, her entire demeanor had undergone a qualitative change, as if she had instantly become a fashion darling of the streets.

Before Sakurakoji Talent could comment, a grand exclamation erupted from the side.

"It's wonderful! Miss, you look absolutely perfect in this outfit!" The female sales assistant beside her was captivated by the aura she exuded and couldn't help but praise her.

"Your boyfriend's taste is also excellent! The individual pieces are put together so harmoniously, it makes me want to buy a set just like it!"

"Are you two out on a date today? You two really are a perfect match!"

"No, he's not exactly my boyfriend..." Seeing the misunderstanding, Hoshino Ai quickly waved her hands to explain.

"I understand, I understand!" The sales assistant gave a knowing look, completely unfazed by her explanation.

"..."

"I think it's okay. Let's try the other sets." Knowing that explaining would be useless, Sakurakoji Talent urged her to continue.