"Because of that song..." Inoseri Nina was just about to continue explaining when her expression suddenly changed in surprise. Her eyes instantly became beady as she followed the newly appeared figure.
A man pushed open the wooden door and walked in, saying hazily, "Good evening~"
"Good evening~~~" Inoseri Nina replied stiffly.
"If it gets too noisy at night, the neighbors will complain again," the man reminded them.
"What, are you heading out?" Kawaragi Momoka turned around and asked.
But before she could receive an answer, the other party closed the door again.
"Just now, just now, that was..." Inoseri Nina asked in a trembling voice.
"Just now, that was..."
"Your boyfriend! That was your boyfriend, right!?" She leaned forward, her face filled with disbelief as her gaze repeatedly shifted between the closed door and Kawaragi Momoka. "Living together? Isn't it too soon to live together...!"
Kawaragi Momoka gave her a sharp knock on the head and ruthlessly cut her off. "C—alm—down!"
"He's my roommate! We're just sharing the rent!"
"There's no way I could rent such a big place by myself!"
Inoseri Nina was knocked backward and fell over together with the barstool, but she immediately got back up and continued digging for answers. "But! That was a man just now, wasn't it?!"
"Yeah! But he's dating a man, so he's probably going to stay at his boyfriend's place tonight!" Kawaragi Momoka explained with an unconcerned look.
"Boyfriend?" Inoseri Nina looked troubled, as if she had encountered a difficult problem. A few seconds later, she hammered her right fist into her left palm, her expression brightening with sudden realization. Then—
"How terrifying! Tokyo is terrifying!!"
She covered her eyes with both hands, looking utterly horrified. After pulling up the hood of her sweatshirt, she bounced over to the sofa and lay facedown on it.
Sakurakoji Talent also looked relieved as he dropped his disguise. The odds were low, but if she found out his gender and then fell for him, he really couldn't handle it.
"Of course," Kawaragi Momoka said with an expression that seemed to say, Isn't that obvious? "If you have separate rooms, your schedules are different too, so you hardly ever see each other."
"But..." Inoseri Nina still seemed unable to accept it.
"Speaking of which, you should think about sharing a place too. If you're alone, you'll end up spending all your time working part-time jobs without realizing it." Kawaragi Momoka leaned her guitar against the wall and returned to the kitchen.
"How much is the rent?"
"Fifty thousand..."
"What about a part-time job?"
"I'll get one. I just haven't decided yet..."
"Is that really okay? In your current situation?"
"I have some savings, and I got a little money when I left home."
"What? Then it's easy for you. Do whatever you like. As long as you have money here, you can do anything..."
"How much can you know about me just from that!?"
"?" Kawaragi Momoka stopped wiping the dishes and turned around in confusion.
"Don't say things like it's easy..."
"Hey! STOP!" Seeing that she was about to unleash the gravity field again, Sakurakoji Talent shouted to interrupt her.
The two girls were startled and looked at him in unison, apparently wondering why he had suddenly spoken after pretending to be dead for so long.
Sakurakoji Talent had no choice. If he didn't stop them, they would end up staging another extreme chase, and he really didn't want to stay up in the middle of the night playing that game.
"Miss Momoka, I think what you just said was a little too presumptuous. Even if Miss Nina has some savings, that doesn't mean her life is easy, does it?" Sakurakoji Talent looked at Kawaragi Momoka. "Coming to Tokyo alone at her age must have taken a lot of courage, right?"
There was no way he could persuade the other one, so the only way to ease the situation was to make the relatively normal person give in. In other words—bullying the honest one.
"Ah, yeah, you're right. After all, she dropped out of high school and came here alone. It definitely couldn't have been easy." Kawaragi Momoka realized that she seemed to have said something wrong and looked back at Inoseri Nina. "Sorry, Nina. I went too far just now."
"No, it's fine..." Inoseri Nina also realized that she had been too irritable and her mood sank.
"So, Miss Nina, what do you want to do in the future?" Sakurakoji Talent took over the conversation for Kawaragi Momoka.
"There isn't anything I particularly want to do."
"?" Kawaragi Momoka asked in confusion, "There isn't anything you want to do?"
"I didn't come here because there was something I wanted to do. It's just that, nowhere..."
"It's just that you had nowhere to belong, and because you didn't want to lose or admit that you were the one at fault." Sakurakoji Talent picked up the thread, smiling lightly at the two girls who were looking at him. His eyes met Inoseri Nina's. "Right?"
"...Yes. Come to think of it, I did tell Mr. Talent about it." Inoseri Nina nodded. "It wasn't my fault, but they made it seem as if I had done something wrong. I didn't want to lose to that kind of atmosphere."
"I see. Then let me say it again: I'm sorry." From those words alone, Kawaragi Momoka seemed to understand her somewhat, and she apologized again.
As the two girls fell silent, Sakurakoji Talent acted as the lubricant between them while thinking of that woman. If she were here, she'd probably play this role, wouldn't she?
You're amazing, 486.
Come quickly! I can't hold out much longer!
"By the way, why did Miss Momoka return to Asahikawa? Did the band break up? I really liked Miss Momoka's songs." Sakurakoji Talent threw out a new question in a regretful tone.
"Well, yeah. It was just a common case of having a fight and going their separate ways." Kawaragi Momoka seemed a little melancholy at the mention of it.
"You mean Diamond Dust?" Inoseri Nina couldn't help asking.
"Yeah. When we disbanded, we discussed who would get that song, since the other members said they would continue making music."
"So you gave it to them?" Inoseri Nina added.
"I could always write another good song." Kawaragi Momoka's pretty profile seemed indifferent, but she immediately contradicted herself and smiled bitterly. "That's what I thought at the time, anyway..."
That was what she thought at the time, but then she discovered that reality wasn't so easy. Now she had no choice but to return home... Hajika, you idiot...
"Pfft." Inoseri Nina couldn't hold back her laughter.
"What?" Kawaragi Momoka frowned unhappily.
"Aren't you just a bleeding-heart?" Inoseri Nina buried her face in her arms and spoke in a muffled voice. "But I think it's really cool!"
"I think Miss Momoka is really cool like that too!" Sakurakoji Talent agreed.
"What!?" After being praised by both of them, two rare blushes rose on Kawaragi Momoka's handsome, beautiful face. She then puffed out her cheeks slightly and let out an unhappy snort.
"Ow, ow, ow!!" X2
The two of them rubbed their abused cheeks and glared at her indignantly, but all they received was her folding her arms and turning away, clearly saying, Serves you right.
"Come on, whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. We should go to sleep first," Sakurakoji Talent suggested.
"Good idea. It's already so late. I'll get the bedding for you."
After checking the time, Kawaragi Momoka recovered from her embarrassment and ran to the cabinet, where she began rummaging through everything. After several minutes of struggle, she finally pulled out two usable sets of bedding.
"Sorry, there aren't many sheets here. One of you may have to sleep on the sofa."
"It's fine. I'll sleep there." Sakurakoji Talent answered first.
"Then you'll have to make do with that. Nina, you can sleep with me."
After laying out one set of sheets on the floor and giving Sakurakoji Talent a blanket to cover himself with, Kawaragi Momoka invited Inoseri Nina.
"Eh, we're sleeping like this?" Inoseri Nina's eyes became beady again as her gaze swept repeatedly between Sakurakoji Talent and Kawaragi Momoka.
"Is there a problem?" Kawaragi Momoka tilted her head.
And you have to ask what the problem is? Mr. Talent is a man too!—Even though he's so pretty, is it really okay for all of us to spend the night in the same room?!
Inoseri Nina screamed inwardly, but seeing that neither of them cared in the slightest, she could only swallow her words.
"No problem..."
How terrifying! Men and women in big cities are so mature and terrifying!!!
"Then I'll turn off the lights. Is that okay?"
"Sure~" X2
That night, none of the three slept well.
For Inoseri Nina, it was her first time spending the night at someone else's home. The other person was the idol she had always admired, she was far from home, and there was also a man in the room! With so many things happening at once, she found it impossible to fall asleep.
For Kawaragi Momoka, the thought of leaving the city where she had spent three years the next day filled her heart with memories of the past and a sense of melancholy.
For Sakurakoji Talent... drinking too much coffee really did affect his sleep!
Image: "Do you like momoka?", Location: "Images/1755950734-100446961-113760241.jpg"
Author: By the way, can everyone say something? Why is everyone so quiet? Sa~bi~shi~
Oh, right, please vote generously to support me. Thank you!!
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 64 — I'm Reporting This! Momoka Actually!
"Are you leaving?"
Sakurakoji Talent opened his eyes on the sofa and looked at Kawaragi Momoka, who had packed her things and was preparing to leave. He asked softly.
Kawaragi Momoka, who had been facing away from the room and tiptoeing toward the exit, jolted at the sudden voice. She followed it to find Sakurakoji Talent still lying on the sofa, now awake, and gave him a helpless look.
"Sorry, I woke you."
"Have you decided to return home?" Sakurakoji Talent gazed up at her light-gray eyes, his tone gentle.
He couldn't exactly tell her that he had woken up the moment she got up and had pretended to sleep until now to avoid awkwardness.
"Yeah. After all, nothing will change if I keep holding on." Kawaragi Momoka intertwined her hands, her eyes calm and serious. "I'm sorry. You gave me so much support, but I still have to give up."
Even with the funds Sakurakoji Talent had given her, she could only muddle through for another month or two at most. There would be no point.
Sakurakoji Talent neither blamed nor persuaded her. He simply watched her in silence. Before making this decision, she must have struggled with it countless times. But reality was cruel—cruel enough to grind away all the passion that had once surged through her.
He had no intention of persuading her to stay for now, but that didn't mean he would do nothing. Everyone had their own role to play. In any case, she wouldn't be able to leave in the end.
"That's fine. Since it's your decision, I can't say much. But no matter what decision you ultimately make, I hope you'll follow your heart. That's the Miss Momoka I like." Sakurakoji Talent smiled, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
"Then, have a safe journey. I'll see you later."
"Like...?" Kawaragi Momoka touched her head, looking embarrassed by his words. At the same time, she was confused by his last sentence. "See you later?"
"Never mind. I'm leaving, then. Someone from the moving company will come by later to transport the luggage. Sayonara."
She turned around with a deliberately carefree air and waved. Then, as if remembering something, she stopped and added, "Also, about Nina—if she wakes up, could you explain things to her for me?"
As he listened to the wooden door close softly, Sakurakoji Talent looked at Inoseri Nina's profile on the floor. Her sleeplessness had left her in a deep sleep, and her little face wrinkled from time to time. He murmured, "That won't be possible, because I'm leaving too."
"Also, I'm reporting this! That momoka actually dared to sleep with a fan!"
Of course, the most infuriating part was that the fan wasn't him.
After lying there for a minute, he carefully rose from the sofa and stretched, stepping over Inoseri Nina.
Beside the kitchen, on the counter closer to the outside, lay two white notes. One was for him, and the other was for Inoseri Nina.
After scanning the contents, Sakurakoji Talent smiled softly and slipped his note into his pocket. He looked around, then tore a sheet of paper from the notebook beside him. It had already been torn before, so Kawaragi Momoka had probably used it previously.
Using a ballpoint pen, he wrote instructions for Inoseri Nina to pack the blankets into the boxes after waking up. After leaving several blank lines, he added at the end: "I'll leave the rest to you. See you tonight."
Thus, about five minutes after Kawaragi Momoka left, he carefully pushed open the stubborn wooden door and quietly departed, leaving Inoseri Nina alone.
Inoseri Nina felt as if something was moving on her nose. The skin on her brow and face crinkled. It was furry and a little itchy~
She finally couldn't stand it anymore! She abruptly opened her watery blue eyes and was startled by the enormous forest of fur before her. Her body shot upright, and she jerked her head backward, hitting the sofa.
"Ow, ow, ow—it doesn't really hurt?"
After rubbing her little head, she looked at the culprit who had disturbed her sleep.
"What? So it was you."
The entirely gray little creature looked at her and meowed, responding as if to say good morning.
She stood up somewhat dazedly and looked around. Not a single person was there. The other two companions from last night had vanished.
"Mr. Talent? Miss Momoka?"
Before you continue