Hearing the keyword, Sakurakoji Talent was secretly delighted, though he kept a perfectly composed expression on the surface.
"Livehouse?"
"You don't know? It's a place that provides venues for bands to hold concerts, taking a certain percentage of ticket revenue for profit."
Yamada Ryo didn't notice anything amiss and began explaining, then wore an expression of resignation and mockery.
"Well, if an official performance doesn't reach the minimum amount, the band has to pay for the tickets out of pocket."
"Hm~ Sounds kind of interesting."
"You're interested?"
"A little."
"Then I'll take you there, as thanks for the meal."
"Can you?" Sakurakoji Talent was incredibly surprised.
"Leave it to me." Yamada Ryo patted her modest chest, looking completely confident.
He took the bait.
Sakurakoji Talent secretly rejoiced, imagining himself wearing a triumphant smile.
"Sorry for the trouble, then. Let's head over now."
The two stood up. Sakurakoji Talent took out his wallet, pulled out a brand-new Yukichi to pay the bill, then followed half a step behind Yamada Ryo toward their destination.
The rain outside had weakened, and since they walked beneath sheltered eaves, they didn't get particularly wet.
The destination was also in Shimokitazawa and wasn't far away. Before long, they arrived at the livehouse called "STARRY."
"'STARRY'? As in stars?"
"That's the name of the livehouse?"
Standing before a staircase leading underground and looking at the English letters formed by neon lights on the wall below, Sakurakoji Talent asked the person beside him.
"Mm-hm, that's right." Yamada Ryo confirmed.
"It's quite an unusual location."
"Keeping it underground means it won't disturb the nearby residents, and the manager lives right above it, so it's very convenient."
"That makes sense."
"One enough."
The two descended the stairs and entered this dim, hidden realm.
"So you brought someone here?"
Inside the shop, a mature woman with blonde hair, red eyes, a triangular tuft of hair sticking up from her forehead, and a black shirt sat behind the bar. Resting her expressionless face on one hand, she spoke to Yamada Ryo.
"That's right!" Yamada Ryo puffed out her chest and raised her head, not feeling there was anything wrong at all.
"Come on, this is still a legitimate establishment. Isn't it a little inappropriate to use my place to repay a favor? His ticket fee will be deducted from your future part-time wages."
"How can you do that?!"
Yamada Ryo's mentality exploded. She stared at Ichiji Hoshika in shock and disbelief, never expecting such cold words to come from her mouth.
"Ticket: 1,500 yen. Drink: 500 yen. Total: 2,000 yen."
"That's enough for a day's meals..."
Yamada Ryo collapsed at once, lying on the floor and muttering to herself, deeply shaken.
"Um, I was the one who asked her to bring me here. I'll pay for the ticket."
Seeing Yamada Ryo unable to get up, Sakurakoji Talent stepped forward to ease the situation. He couldn't bring himself to shamelessly let someone else pay for him.
Only then did Ichiji Hoshika turn her gaze toward him and examine the newcomer.
"Mm!" Ichiji Hoshika's pupils contracted. She involuntarily covered her eyes, peering through the gaps between her fingers.
She hurried out from behind the bar, pulled Yamada Ryo, who was still drawing circles on the floor, aside, and quietly asked:
"Hey, hey, what's going on? Where exactly did you find such a stunning beauty?"
"She approached me first. She couldn't bear to watch me eat grass, so she bought me a meal. Though I've paid it back now and still have some left over."
Yamada Ryo corrected her, turning her delicate face to one side with a completely lifeless expression.
"You went to eat grass again..." Ichiji Hoshika grabbed her by the collar and covered her face, unable to bear looking at her.
Image: "Mature Manager", location: "Images/1753552339-100446961-113645090.jpg"
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Gender Dispute
"The New Year just passed. You should have only recently received your New Year's money, right? You spent it all already?"
"It was because I got a large amount of New Year's money that I couldn't resist when someone was selling instruments. I accidentally bought too many. Ehehe."
Yamada Ryo tried to act cute, hoping to get away with it.
"You..." Ichiji Hoshika pressed her forehead, speechless before her younger sister's friend. Oh well, she was used to it by now.
"Um..."
Sakurakoji Talent interjected as a reminder. If he didn't interrupt them, who knew how long they would keep talking among themselves.
Though Starry was located in such an inconspicuous-looking corner, its business was unexpectedly good. With the show about to begin, quite a few people had already gathered below.
Many people had begun looking his way, and their gazes were especially fervent. One beautiful woman with Black Long Straight Hair near the bar gave him such a creepy look that it made his skin crawl. Though he was already used to being watched by others, he still felt uncomfortable.
And for some reason, the number of men looking at him was even higher than the number of women.
Could it be that this street was full of people like that?
Come to think of it, when he searched Shimokitazawa online, he seemed to have seen baffling phrases like "Beast Senior" and "114514."
"Ah, sorry. My name is Ichiji Hoshika, and I'm the manager here."
"I was just joking with Ryo earlier. We'll waive the ticket fee this time."
Ichiji Hoshika released Yamada Ryo from her Iron Hand, then turned back to explain the situation to Sakurakoji Talent.
"Eh? So my wages are safe?"
"Shut up for now."
"Ah, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Yamada Ryo's joy didn't last long before Ichiji Hoshika used Grasp of Undying to seize her head again.
"I see... Sorry for the trouble."
"My name is Sakurakoji Talent. Nice to meet you."
Sakurakoji Talent thanked her. Ichiji Hoshika waved it off indifferently, then returned behind the bar to sell tickets and prepare drinks for the audience members who arrived afterward.
"Here." After dealing with the waiting customers, Ichiji Hoshika handed him a cup of orange juice.
"Thank you." He carefully accepted it and took a sip. He was just getting thirsty.
Well, how should he put it?
The taste was average. Extremely average.
It seemed this place relied on the quality of its performances and had no intention of keeping customers with its food.
Quietly waiting for the performance to begin, Sakurakoji Talent sucked on the yellow liquid in the cheap transparent plastic cup as he thought to himself.
"Oh, Ryo, you're here!"
A lively voice rang out from the direction of the backstage, as though brightening the entire gloomy space.
Sakurakoji Talent looked toward the sound and unconsciously narrowed his eyes, almost unable to keep them open from the dazzling sight.
It was light! Someone was shining!
A girl with the same blonde hair and red eyes as Ichiji Hoshika, and a sixty or seventy percent resemblance to her, walked out from backstage. Her smile was as warm as a little sun, instantly illuminating the space.
"Yo, I'm here." Yamada Ryo made a cool greeting gesture and greeted her.
The girl smiled, then shifted her gaze and noticed Sakurakoji Talent sitting beside Yamada Ryo. She was briefly stunned by his looks as well. After coming back to herself, her face reddened slightly as she hurriedly asked:
"And this is?"
"This is Sakurakoji Talent. He's a friend I just met!"
"Hello, I'm Sakurakoji Talent."
Yamada Ryo casually reached out to introduce him. Sakurakoji Talent cooperatively waved and greeted her with a smile.
Ichiji Nijika hurriedly bent into a bow. "Ah, I'm Ichiji Nijika, a friend from the same school as Ryo. Please take care of me."
"Same here. Nice to meet you."
"By the way, Miss Sakurakoji, you're so beautiful." Looking at Sakurakoji Talent's exquisitely jade-like face, Ichiji Nijika let out a gasp of admiration. She had never seen someone this beautiful in real life, as though he had stepped straight out of a painting.
"Mm. Talent's looks are no less than mine." Yamada Ryo nodded fiercely in agreement.
"Thank you for the compliment... but I'm male." Sakurakoji Talent's facial muscles twitched as he awkwardly but politely corrected her mistake.
"Eh?"
"Eh?!"
"Ehhh!!!"
"You're lying!!!"
Yamada Ryo, Ichiji Nijika, and Ichiji Hoshika all turned to look at him with shocked expressions, each making a strange sound.
The Black Long Straight Hair woman beside the bar let out an especially piercing scream, making even Ichiji Nijika unable to resist looking over. It was her first time seeing Miss PA make such a loud noise.
"Y-you, what did you just say?"
Ichiji Hoshika was still the first to calm down. After a pause, she asked him, while the carton of Good Child fruit juice in her hand trembled slightly.
"I said I'm male?" Sakurakoji Talent tilted his head in confusion. Were his words really that difficult to understand?
"You're lying..." x4
Several people stared at his flawless, fair, crystal-clear, exceptionally soft and beautiful face, muttering to themselves as though their worldviews were collapsing.
Such a lovely face actually grew on a man?
God! Being unable to compare to women was one thing, but were they now unable to compare to men either? The group cried out in grief internally, involuntarily covering their faces with their hands.
Sakurakoji Talent was hurt as well. He hadn't even worn women's clothing today, so how had he been mistaken for a woman? Had he truly lost every masculine feature?
"Could it be that even Miss Yamada thought I was female?"
Yamada Ryo lowered her hands. Even she looked complicated and defeated at this moment. "Yeah."
"..."
Sakurakoji Talent ignored his image and lay facedown on the table, supporting his chin with an arm. His brows were tightly furrowed as he considered whether something had gone wrong with his image strategy.
"No wonder you're so tall. I thought you were a professional model earlier."
"But has no one ever told you, Miss—Mr. Talent, that you're so beautiful you look like a woman?"
Ichiji Nijika spoke up at the right moment, trying to break the strange atmosphere.
"I rarely go out, and I don't have many friends. But while walking around today, I was approached by some guys several times."
"That's exactly it!" x4
Everyone complained in unison. Walking around looking like that, of course people would misunderstand him.
"No, quite a few girls asked for my contact information too."
"And I wasn't wearing women's clothing today, nor was I using a fake voice. I don't think I'm that easy to mistake."
Sakurakoji Talent looked off to one side, trying to make one final rescue attempt.
Before you continue