"The consequences of ghosting me are this severe." A cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Volume One: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 69 — That Topic of Yours Is a Little Too Sharp
"...Forget it. Anyway, come over here first. You're blocking the customers behind you from ordering." Sakurakoji Talent pointed inside the counter, indicating that she should come over.
After she entered with an unhappy expression, Sakurakoji Talent collected money and handed out orders for the people behind her while saying, "The main thing is, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
"What do you mean? Did you think I'd definitely come just because you invited me?" Touma Kazusa grew even more displeased. "Don't misunderstand. I've just been terribly bored these past few days, and happened to have some free time, so I came over to take a look and kill some time!"
"It has nothing to do with you!"
"Okay, okay." Sakurakoji Talent faced forward without turning his head. "Think about what you want to eat later. I'm paying for everything tonight!"
Touma Kazusa glared fiercely at his back. Then, as though she had thought of something, she let out a cruel laugh and said, "In that case, I want everything!"
"That won't do. It's not that I mind spending the money—I'm worried your stomach will hurt after you eat it all. Pick a few things first. You can order the rest next time."
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue unhappily and glanced at the menu. "What? You don't have many things to choose from here. Do you really dare open a shop with this selection?"
"Because the main business here is the live house. Besides, just because there aren't many varieties doesn't mean the taste isn't guaranteed. Otherwise, why would so many customers come here?"
Based on her own experience, Touma Kazusa knew that he wasn't lying, so she finally began choosing in earnest.
By the time the line was nearly over, she put down the menu and made her decision.
"Give me a coffee, a Coffee Jelly, and a Matcha Parfait."
"As for the coffee, we don't have any extra sugar packets here. Is that all right?" Sakurakoji Talent looked at her hesitantly.
"What?! You don't even have sugar packets? Does this count as a restaurant? That's unbelievable!" Touma Kazusa's face flushed as she shouted in dissatisfaction.
"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down." Sakurakoji Talent gestured for her to lower the volume. "I told you, the main business here is band performances, not a proper café."
Seeing her trembling so excitedly that she couldn't speak, Sakurakoji Talent smiled and asked, "So, do you still want the coffee? If you can't handle it too bitter, I can add more milk and make it a latte."
"Guh." Touma Kazusa gritted her teeth in humiliation and turned her head away. "...Do that, then."
He finished the orders behind her first, then prepared her food with practiced ease. Without making the impatient girl wait too long, he placed the three items in front of her.
"All right, here's what you ordered. Please enjoy."
"It looks decent enough." Touma Kazusa folded her arms and scanned the food with her eyes before giving her assessment.
"It tastes pretty good, too."
"Who knows? Maybe you're just praising your own cooking." She spread her hands, her expression completely unconcerned.
Although she said that, she still picked up the plastic spoon and carefully scooped a spoonful of jelly into her mouth.
"..."
She chewed without making a sound. Her expression did not change at all, giving no hint of what she was thinking.
"How is it?"
She didn't answer. She simply scooped another spoonful into her mouth, followed by another. Her pace gradually quickened.
No further evaluation was necessary. Sakurakoji Talent smiled faintly.
Soon, the small cup of jelly was completely gone. Only then did Touma Kazusa belatedly realize what had happened. She abruptly looked up at Sakurakoji Talent, and after seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her, she relaxed and let out a breath.
"Well, it's passable. The portion was just too small... Give me another cup." She held up the empty cup as though granting him a favor and extended it toward him.
"You really are..." Sakurakoji Talent sighed. "Fine. This is the last one. Eat the Matcha Parfait first."
Seeing him suffer a setback, Touma Kazusa looked at the other dazzling green dessert with triumph in her eyes. It looked even more delicious, and she couldn't help swallowing.
After shooting a glance at Sakurakoji Talent as he prepared more food for her, she went at the parfait with all her might.
Naturally, she once again lost awareness of her surroundings and did nothing but move the plastic spoon.
She and Kanau might have a lot to talk about. Looking at her focused yet absent-minded appearance, Sakurakoji Talent thought to himself.
"Are you enjoying it?" After she had eaten all the desserts and was quietly savoring the sugared latte, Sakurakoji Talent asked with a smile.
"...Well, for you, I suppose it counts as pretty good. You deserve some praise." Touma Kazusa took small sips of the warm brown liquid and gave her opinion.
"Are you the Queen or something?" Sakurakoji Talent quipped.
"The band performance is about to begin. Have you watched one before?"
"No. Why would I watch such a noisy, childish, playtime-like performance?"
"That assessment is a little too harsh and hurtful. But although it's somewhat noisy, it's genuinely very interesting!" He tried to change her mind. "Especially since many young people nowadays like forming bands. Training together every day can also strengthen their relationships, making it a great way to make friends."
"What does that have to do with me?" Touma Kazusa looked at him indifferently. "Are you in a band too?"
"No, not yet." Sakurakoji Talent shook his head and denied it.
"Then how do you know what reality is like? Put bluntly, it's all just your guess, isn't it?"
"No. I work here every day, after all, and some of my coworkers are forming a band." He pointed at Ichiji Nijika beside them, as well as Yamada Ryo and the clumsy Kanau doing odd jobs in the distance. "The three of them are in the same band. They practice together every day and get along extremely well."
Following the direction he pointed, Touma Kazusa noticed the three girls, but her attention wasn't focused on them.
"I'm saying..." She lowered her brows suspiciously. "Aren't there too many female employees at this shop? Including the manager and sound engineer from yesterday, could it be that you're the only male here?"
"Uh, it's a service business, after all. And young women make up a considerable portion of people who play music these days." Having pointed out something no one had complained about until now, Sakurakoji Talent found himself at a loss for words.
That topic of yours is a little too sharp.
"Is that so? They're all quite pretty. You didn't choose to work here because of that, did you?" Touma Kazusa took a sip of coffee and cast him a scornful look.
"...Of course not. Do I look like that kind of person?" After a brief silence, Sakurakoji Talent defended himself.
He had to admit, she was pretty accurate at reading people sometimes.
"Besides, even if you don't trust my character, you should at least trust my looks, right? If I really had that kind of intention, would I need to go to so much trouble?"
Touma Kazusa paused. That was an angle she had never considered, but it did seem somewhat convincing.
The image of Sakurakoji Talent's true appearance from their last meeting surfaced in her mind. Reluctantly, she admitted that he did have a point.
Feeling as though she had lost somehow, Touma Kazusa gave a soft snort and said nothing more, quietly waiting for the performance to begin.
The lights changed rapidly. The members of the first band soon took the stage with their instruments, and noisy sounds quickly filled the entire underground performance hall.
As usual, nobody said anything. The first song began immediately, and the deafening sound completely drowned out the countless audience members below the stage, driving the nighttime atmosphere to its peak.
When the song ended, the band proceeded with the customary self-introduction and interaction segment, pushing the show's entertainment value another step higher.
Each band performed several songs before taking a few minutes to rest and making way for the next band. Different musical styles and performance approaches followed one after another, ensuring that nobody became bored.
Even after the performance ended completely, Touma Kazusa still offered no opinion.
"What did you think after watching it? Not bad, right?" At closing time, Sakurakoji Talent poked her shoulder and asked under her displeased gaze.
"What was good about it? It was too noisy and had no beauty at all. It was practically like setting off firecrackers!" Touma Kazusa gave an extremely harsh evaluation.
"Pop music and rock are different from classical music. You can't compare them directly." Sakurakoji Talent shook his head and corrected her. "Setting the style aside, I'm asking about the atmosphere. That feeling of being immersed in the scene and excitedly celebrating with everyone around you is pretty special, isn't it?"
"...As an occasional experience, it was acceptable." Touma Kazusa neither agreed nor disagreed.
"It's getting late. I'm going home."
"Oh, do you want me to walk you back?"
"What? Do you want to know my home address?" Touma Kazusa looked over teasingly.
"You're overthinking it, Miss Touno. I'm just showing some concern." Sakurakoji Talent shrugged, unaffected by her teasing.
Touma Kazusa looked away. Her lips moved, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Actually, my name isn't Touno Kazumi."
"Huh? But that's what you told me last time, wasn't it?"
"Tsk." Touma Kazusa wore her trademark displeased expression and condemned him with her eyes. "That's why—I deliberately lied to you last time! You should have noticed, right?"
"I see. I suppose that was the case." Sakurakoji Talent nodded as though he had just remembered.
"—You're not angry?" Touma Kazusa stared at him with wide eyes.
"What's there to be angry about? I think it's perfectly normal for a pretty girl not to tell a stranger she just met her real name."
"...I see." An almost imperceptible smile appeared on Touma Kazusa's face. "That's good."
"So what's your real name?"
"Touma Kazusa."
"You're not using a fake name this time too, are you?" Sakurakoji Talent asked suspiciously.
"!" Touma Kazusa, whose mood had just improved, glared at him again. "What do you take me for?"
"Sorry, sorry! Look, doesn't that happen all the time on television? Someone deliberately exposes one lie to make the other person lower their guard, then tells another lie."
"Do you think this is a movie?" Touma Kazusa turned and left without looking back. "I'm leaving!"
"Take care on the way home. Come again next time!"
"Who would come again?!"
"Next time, I'll treat you to the snacks you didn't finish today."
"..."
She said nothing and simply pushed open the door and left.
Image: "Sexy Pianist," Location: "Images/1756213871-100446961-113772849.jpg"
Volume One: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 70 — The Stomachache Begins!
The next afternoon, before work, Sakurakoji Talent first went to Shinjuku Ward.
Thinking about it carefully, after successfully winning over Aoyama Nanami, he had not wandered around before work for several days.
However, this leisure time might be coming to an end today.
The location was the shopping street near Minejo University's affiliated high school, where Touma Kazusa studied. But his purpose wasn't to meet Touma Kazusa—it was to search for another legendary woman who might be here.
Who could it be? This is really hard to guess... Sakurakoji Talent silently muttered to himself.
He didn't know whether it was just his imagination, but recently he had always felt as though something was stuck in his throat, a thorn was lodged in his back, and he was sitting on pins and needles... It was as if someone had placed a kitchen knife against his neck.
Although his physical condition had improved greatly—one could even say that every day was better than the last—this heaviness in his heart had grown increasingly oppressive with time.
Coincidentally, this feeling had progressed in sync with the changes in his body.
It had only been a little over a month, yet he already felt considerable pressure. Especially over the past two weeks, this sense of crisis seemed to have risen rapidly!
He had considered the possible cause, but he had no way to stop now... He could only take things one step at a time.
Danger? Death? A butcher knife? Those were things only people who had survived had the right to worry about!
For someone like him, who had hovered on the line between life and death since birth, what was there to fear? He was completely fearless, all right.
Fortunately, for now, it seemed that as long as he maintained this single status of neither approaching nor rejecting anyone, he should be safe. Probably.
Casting those useless thoughts out of his mind, Sakurakoji Talent walked through the shopping street at a normal pace.
It was after school in the afternoon. Students without club activities had already begun heading home or happily going out with friends in groups of two or three.
Since the street was close to Minejo High, he occasionally saw high school students wearing its uniform.
After comparing the appearances of the shops on both sides and walking through the entire street twice, he arrived in front of a supermarket that also sold fruits and vegetables.
"This should be the place, right?"
Since he didn't know the shop's exact name, he could only make a guess based on his impression.
"Anyway, I'll know once I go in and take a look."
He entered through the glass doors and habitually glanced at the cashier first... Not her.
The woman's face looked both unfamiliar and ordinary. In this world, she could only be described as unremarkable, so she couldn't possibly be the person he was searching for.
Ignoring the checkout counter, he began walking around the store, hoping to see someone else. The store was fairly large, so it was impossible for there to be only one employee.
After making a thorough circuit of the shop, he saw several employees stationed in different sections, but none of them were the person he was looking for.
Could this not be the place? Or is she not working today? Sakurakoji Talent grew doubtful, wondering whether he had gone to the wrong place.
Before you continue