"Ah, so you were here for Miss Momoka too..." Inoseri Nina turned to look at Kawaragi Momoka in sudden realization. "That makes sense. As expected of Miss Momoka, you really are a hugely popular singer. Even Mr. Talent is your fan."
Kawaragi Momoka tugged at the corner of her mouth, looking bitter and awkward. Since when had she become this popular?
"Um! Mr. Talent!" Inoseri Nina gathered her courage. "Could you sell me one of Miss Momoka's CDs?"
"Sure, but I'm not selling it. I'll just give it to you." Sakurakoji Talent handed her the CD he had just received from Kawaragi Momoka.
"How could I accept that? Mr. Talent bought this too!" Inoseri Nina hurriedly refused and moved to take out some money.
"Just accept it. Think of it as a gift from me for meeting again. What a coincidence that we ran into each other again so soon."
"Yes, I never expected we'd meet again so quickly either. Kawasaki really is small." Inoseri Nina happily agreed. "And I never thought you'd be a fan of Miss Momoka too. What an amazing surprise!"
"Exactly!"
"..." Watching the two chat happily, Kawaragi Momoka felt like an outsider who, despite being the idol herself, could not even join her fans' conversation. Her eyelids twitched.
Were these two really her fans? Was leaving her off to the side what fans were supposed to do?
"You two know each other?"
"Ah, yes! Today, I overshot my stop and ended up in Tokyo. Thanks to Mr. Talent helping me, I didn't overshoot my stop again. My phone had died too—it was a complete disaster!" Inoseri Nina vividly explained everything that had happened.
"I see... I can't believe something that coincidental could happen." Kawaragi Momoka was surprised by Nina's experience too. She had not expected such a story-like development to actually happen in real life.
"Also, um, Talent, right? I can't just accept this much money from you for no reason. Please take it back." She offered the large-denomination bills in her hand back to him.
"No, I told you already. It's payment for the CD and support for Miss Momoka's performance today. It's fine, you don't have to return it." Sakurakoji Talent waved his hand and refused.
"What are you going to do afterward? You gave me all the money in your wallet, didn't you?" Kawaragi Momoka frowned. "And I don't think my performance was worth this much."
"It's fine. I can withdraw more when I run out." Sakurakoji Talent said casually. "As for the value of music and performances, that differs from person to person, doesn't it? To me, a singing voice that moves people like yours is absolutely worth this price."
"Just hearing you sing tonight made this trip to Kawasaki worthwhile."
"..." The two girls fell silent at his words.
"Thank you." A faint pink blush rarely appeared on Kawaragi Momoka's face. She had not expected anyone to give her such high praise.
"...Could it be that Mr. Talent is actually very rich?" Noticing the dozen or so large bills in Kawaragi Momoka's hands, Inoseri Nina made an exaggerated jaw-dropping expression. Was this what Tokyo fangirls were like? Damn...
"From an ordinary perspective, I suppose I'd count as rich." Sakurakoji Talent did not deny it.
Though he had not said it outright, just the coat he was wearing was worth dozens of times more than what he had given Kawaragi Momoka. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance. But expecting the Kumamoto girl and the Hokkaido girl in front of him to recognize it instantly was asking a bit much.
"Could you be the Young Master of some family?" Kawaragi Momoka asked curiously.
"Who knows?" Sakurakoji Talent simply smiled and did not continue the topic.
Come to think of it, was this the first time he had shown off his wealth in front of people he had only just met?
Though he had done it intentionally in response to Kawaragi Momoka's teasing, and things had naturally developed this way, it should not cause any problems, right? Sakurakoji Talent considered what might happen next. Yeah, probably nothing would go wrong.
Image: "Miss mmk is fucking awesome!", Location: "Images/1755867924-100446961-113756497.jpg"
Author: I can't update too much. I'll post eight thousand words for now today, hehe.
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Running Away, Eating, and Staying the Night at the Kawaragi Residence
"Well, it looks like we can't keep performing tonight." Kawaragi Momoka sighed, at a loss for words over this unexpected situation.
Before tonight, she had never imagined something like this would happen. Her final concert was ending after only one song.
"Let's go! We'll talk somewhere else."
Just as they were about to leave and change locations, another unexpected development occurred.
"I say..."
"Hm?" X3
All three of them looked over at the same time. Were there more challengers?
A man and a woman dressed in an extremely unconventional fashion stood not far away. The woman, with short white hair and numerous ear piercings, licked her pink-lipsticked lips before speaking first.
"This has always been our spot. Could you sing somewhere else?"
Huh? Sakurakoji Talent stared blankly at the two aggressive troublemakers. Their appearance had caught him completely off guard, and he could not understand it.
No, how could you two still show up when the timeline had changed? The Phoenix Legend duo!
Were they fixed NPCs or something?
His mind raced as he searched his clear memories for why the two of them would appear here. And he actually found a few clues.
Compared to what the woman had said originally, she was missing the phrase, "I told you before." That meant the two had originally come over to warn Kawaragi Momoka, but she had ignored them. This should have been the first time they came to warn her, so it was perfectly reasonable for them to appear here... my ass!
Why did they always show up right when the girls were about to leave?
While he was thinking about all that nonsense, Kawaragi Momoka spoke irritably. She had already planned to leave, but being made to look like she was getting chased away still annoyed her.
"Huh? Then write your names here!"
"I mean you should go sing somewhere else!" The male member of the pair stepped forward and said to her in a raspy, irritated voice.
"Hah?" Kawaragi Momoka's gaze sharpened, and her beautifully shaped brows furrowed as she prepared to fire back.
But after glancing at the two beside her, she decided not to drag them into it. She turned around and quickly packed up her things, then said to Sakurakoji Talent and Inoseri Nina, "We're leaving."
"Uh, okay..." Inoseri Nina hurriedly put away her wallet and quickened her pace to follow.
Knowing what was about to happen, Sakurakoji Talent gave the duo a meaningful look. He stepped forward and said to Kawaragi Momoka, "Let me carry one of those. This bag with the amplifier isn't light, right?"
As he spoke, he took the bag containing the amplifier and microphone from her hands, freeing them.
"Oh, thanks."
The three crossed the crosswalk. Kawaragi Momoka turned to look at the band members across the road, who were watching them too. At the exact moment Inoseri Nina crossed over and the traffic light changed from green to red, she suddenly raised both hands, gave them the middle finger, and rapidly wagged her tongue up and down.
"You bitch!!"
"Go to hell!!"
The two furious curses came from across the road. Kawaragi Momoka turned and ran, shouting an instruction, "Let's go!"
"Huh?" Inoseri Nina looked utterly confused. After looking back and forth a few times, she hurriedly followed too.
"Why do I have to run too?!"
"Now that I think about it, you have nothing to do with me. If you say you're a stranger, they might let you go..."
She slowed down and looked back, only to see the two people charging after them at full speed.
"Stop right there!!"
"...They won't let us go." Together with Sakurakoji Talent, who had given up thinking, she each grabbed one of Inoseri Nina's hands and pulled her into a nearby alley to hide.
"Ehhh~~!"
After their pursuers had gone farther away, the group continued running until they finally stopped atop an overpass.
"Idiots!" Kawaragi Momoka raised her middle finger at the distant night sky again.
"What does that gesture mean?" Inoseri Nina asked in confusion, unable to understand why a single gesture could provoke such a huge reaction.
"It means thank you!" Kawaragi Momoka folded her arms awkwardly and explained with a straight face.
"Then why were they so angry?"
Kawaragi Momoka did not answer. She turned back with a smile and asked, "What are your names?"
"Nina. Inoseri Nina." With the torrent of headlights flowing continuously below them, Inoseri Nina introduced herself.
Thanks for still remembering me. Sakurakoji Talent interrupted the plot's momentum and inserted himself into the conversation. "Sakurakoji Talent. Please take care of me from now on."
"Oh, likewise." Kawaragi Momoka smiled and continued, "This isn't really a place to talk either. Let's go somewhere else—have you eaten yet?"
"Huh??" Sakurakoji Talent froze, feeling as though he might have misunderstood something.
More than ten minutes later, the three stood in front of the familiar restaurant with its yellow-and-green color scheme. Sakurakoji Talent swallowed.
No, we're eating again?
His expression turned slightly bitter. It had only been three hours since dinner, and even for a late-night snack, this seemed a little early. But Inoseri Nina said she had not eaten, so there was nothing he could do for the sake of her stomach. He could only helplessly follow them into the restaurant again.
"Hey, so that's what happened?" After hearing Inoseri Nina describe her day's journey, Kawaragi Momoka sighed.
"You really were unlucky, running into an uncle like that."
"Though I do like Kawasaki."
"Tell me about it." Inoseri Nina sighed, but her expression soon brightened. "But because of that, I got to meet Miss Momoka, so it turned out great!"
"I've kept the ticket from when Diamond Dust was originally going to perform in my hometown. If possible, could you sign it for me?"
She took out a rectangular ticket stub and handed it to Kawaragi Momoka.
"Heh~" Kawaragi Momoka accepted it with some surprise.
"Sorry for the wait, your large Beef Bowl." The waitress's muffled voice came through her mask as she placed the food before Inoseri Nina.
"This is... a Beef Bowl?!" Inoseri Nina stared in shock at the bowl of rice covered with a generous amount of beef.
"What? Is this your first time eating one? What planet are you from?" Seeing how surprised she was, Kawaragi Momoka teased her.
"Kumamoto desu..."
"They don't have Beef Bowl chain restaurants there?"
"They do! It's just that... my family requires us to eat dinner at home."
"Could it be... you're a young lady from a wealthy family?" This time, Kawaragi Momoka was the surprised one.
"Not really... Besides, when it comes to family background, Mr. Talent is clearly more like a young lady or Young Master, right?"
Glancing at Sakurakoji Talent, who was spacing out nearby, Kawaragi Momoka nodded in agreement. "That's true."
"It's so good! What is this? What the hell is this?!" After taking a bite, Inoseri Nina loudly exclaimed.
"Is it really that good?" Kawaragi Momoka asked gently, and received an affirmative answer.
"Yes!"
A few minutes later, an empty bowl that had been completely cleaned out sat before Inoseri Nina. Kawaragi Momoka checked the time.
"It's gotten this late already. What are you two planning to do? Nina, your things haven't been moved into your room yet, right?"
"What about you, Talent? Have you arranged somewhere to stay?"
"Uh, well, yes. My luggage won't arrive until tomorrow, and there's only an empty bed frame in there right now." Inoseri Nina made a small sound and admitted it.
"Absolutely—not. I came to watch Miss Momoka perform right after dinner and my walk! And..." Sakurakoji Talent shook his head as well, putting on a slightly cute act.
"And you gave all your money to me, right?" Kawaragi Momoka was rather speechless. "I'm telling you, why don't you just take this money back? You're making me feel really guilty."
"No, no, no. A man's promise is worth a thousand gold. It's my family's rule, so please don't make this difficult for me." Sakurakoji Talent made an X with his arms in front of him and firmly refused.
What a joke. If he took the money back now and then went outside to find a hotel for the night, would not all his work tonight have been for nothing?
"You really are impossible... Wait, your family even has family rules? You really are a Young Master, aren't you?" Kawaragi Momoka sounded helpless, though there was a trace of suspicion in her voice.
"Who knows?" Sakurakoji Talent kept that same smile and brushed it off.
His family naturally did have rules, but whether they included the one he had just mentioned was another matter.
"Ah! Speaking of family rules, my family has them too!" Inoseri Nina looked at Sakurakoji Talent as if he were a comrade, visibly excited.
"Huh, really? Does that mean my family is the only one without family rules? Or are families without them the minority?" Kawaragi Momoka looked somewhat stunned, as though she had been excluded.
"I don't think that's the case. I never met any classmates with family rules at school before either."
"That's what I thought!" Kawaragi Momoka breathed a sigh of relief, preserving her status as a normal person.
"No choice, then. Come with me." Kawaragi Momoka stood and headed outside. "I left money for all three meals on the table."
"Thank you for your patronage!"
At the entrance, she turned back and smiled at the two of them. "Despite how I look, I really do cherish my fans."
"Ah, yes!"
Before you continue