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

"The consequences of standing me up are pretty serious," she said, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 69 - Your Topic Is a Bit Too Sharp

"...Never mind, just come over here first. You're blocking the customers behind you from ordering," Sakurakoji Talent said, pointing to the area behind the counter and gesturing for her to move.

After she walked in with a displeased expression, Sakurakoji Talent, while taking orders and serving the people behind her, said, "I honestly didn't expect you to come so soon."

"What do you mean by that! Do you think I'd come just because you invited me?" Touma Kazusa's displeasure grew. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just bored these past few days, and it happened to be convenient, so I came to see what you're up to and kill some time!"

"It has nothing to do with you!"

"Alright, alright," Sakurakoji Talent said, facing forward without turning his head. "Think about what you want to eat later. Tonight's bill is on me!"

Touma Kazusa shot a fierce glare at his back, then thought of something and let out a cruel scoff. "In that case, I want everything!"

"That won't do. It's not that I'm stingy with money, but I'm afraid you'll get a stomachache if you eat everything. Why don't you pick a few first, and you can order the rest next time."

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue in annoyance and picked up the menu. "What is this? You don't have many options here. You dare to open a shop with this?"

"Because this is primarily a livehouse, and even though the variety isn't much, the taste is guaranteed. Otherwise, so many customers wouldn't come, right?"

Based on her own experience, understanding that he wasn't lying, Touma Kazusa began to choose seriously.

By the time the queue was almost over, she put down the menu and made her decision.

"Give me a coffee, a coffee jelly, and a matcha parfait."

"For the coffee, we don't have extra sugar packets here, is that okay?" Sakurakoji Talent asked, looking at her hesitantly.

"What?! No sugar packets? Is this even considered a food establishment! Unbelievable!" Touma Kazusa's face flushed with anger as she exclaimed in dissatisfaction.

"Keep your voice down, keep it down," Sakurakoji Talent gestured for her to be quieter. "I already told you, this place's main business is band performances, not a proper tea restaurant."

Seeing her trembling with agitation and unable to speak, Sakurakoji Talent asked with a smile, "So, do you still want coffee? If it's too bitter for you, I can add more milk and make it a latte."

"Gulp," Touma Kazusa swallowed, feeling a bit humiliated. Gritting her teeth, she turned her head away. "...Just do that."

After finishing the orders behind her, he fluidly prepared her meal, not keeping her, who had lost patience, waiting too long. He placed the three items in front of her.

"Here you go, this is what you ordered. Please enjoy."

"It looks decent," Touma Kazusa said, crossing her arms and scanning the items with her eyes.

"It tastes decent too."

"Who knows? Maybe you're just boasting." She shrugged, her expression indifferent.

Despite her words, she picked up a plastic spoon, carefully scooped some jelly, and put it in her mouth.

"..."

She chewed without a sound, her expression unchanged, giving no clue to her thoughts.

"How is it?"

She didn't answer, just scooped another spoonful into her mouth, then another, her pace gradually quickening.

No further evaluation was needed. Sakurakoji Talent smiled faintly.

Soon, the small cup of jelly was finished. Touma Kazusa finally came to her senses, looked up sharply at Sakurakoji Talent, and seeing he wasn't paying attention, let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's acceptable, just a bit too small... Give me another one." She held up her empty cup as if bestowing a favor and offered it to him.

"You really are..." Sakurakoji Talent sighed. "Alright, this is the last one. Eat your matcha parfait first."

Seeing him flustered, Touma Kazusa's eyes gleamed with victory as she looked at the other emerald-green, gorgeous dessert. It looked even more delicious, and she couldn't help but swallow.

Glancing at Sakurakoji Talent, who was refilling her order, she attacked the parfait with gusto.

Unsurprisingly, she once again lost all awareness of her surroundings, merely stirring the dessert with her spoon.

Perhaps she and Kanau would have a lot in common, Sakurakoji Talent thought, watching her focused and dazed expression.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Sakurakoji Talent asked with a smile after she had finished all the desserts and was quietly savoring the sweetened latte.

"...Well, for you, it's probably pretty good. Worthy of praise," Touma Kazusa said, taking small sips of the warm brown liquid.

"Are you some kind of queen?" Sakurakoji Talent quipped.

"The band performance is starting soon. Have you seen one before?"

"No. Why would I watch such noisy, childish, and playful performances?"

"That's a harsh evaluation, but while it might be a bit noisy, it's actually quite interesting!" he tried to change her mind. "Especially now, with so many young people forming bands. Practicing together daily can also strengthen their relationships. It's 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, denying it.

"Then how do you know what it's like in reality? Aren't you just guessing?"

"No, I work here every day, after all. And some of my colleagues here are in bands." He pointed to Ichiji Nijika beside him, and Yamada Ryo and the clumsy Kanau in the distance. "The three of them are in a band together. They practice together daily and are very close."

Following his gaze, Touma Kazusa noticed the three, but her attention wasn't on them.

"I say," she said, lowering her gaze suspiciously, "are there too many female employees here? Including the manager and sound engineer from yesterday, aren't you the only guy here?"

"Uh, well, it's the service industry, you know. And lately, young women make up a considerable portion of the music scene." Pointed out by her, Sakurakoji Talent, who hadn't been questioned about it until now, was a bit speechless.

That topic is a bit too sharp.

"Really? I thought they all looked quite pretty. Is that why you chose to work here?" Touma Kazusa took a sip of her coffee, casting a disdainful gaze at him.

"...How could that be? Am I that kind of person?" Sakurakoji Talent retorted after a brief silence.

He had to admit, the other party was sometimes quite accurate in their judgment of people.

"Besides, even if you don't trust my character, you should trust my appearance, right? If I really had those intentions, would I go through all this trouble?"

Touma Kazusa paused. This was an angle she hadn't considered, but it did seem somewhat convincing?

The image of Sakurakoji Talent's true face from their last meeting flashed in her mind, and she reluctantly admitted to herself that he had a point.

Feeling somewhat defeated, Touma Kazusa let out a soft huff and fell silent, quietly waiting for the performance to begin.

The lights shifted rapidly, and the members of the first band to perform quickly walked onto the stage with their instruments. The clamor soon filled the entire underground performance hall.

As usual, there was no talking, and they launched directly into their first song. The deafening sound of the speakers completely drowned out the audience below, bringing the night's atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Once the song ended, the band went through their usual self-introductions and interaction segment, further elevating the entertainment value.

Each band performed a few songs, then took a few minutes to rest before the next band took the stage. The variety of musical styles and performance approaches kept things from becoming boring.

By the time all the performances were over, Touma Kazusa still hadn't offered any opinions.

"What are your thoughts after watching? Pretty good, right?" During the dispersal, Sakurakoji Talent poked her shoulder and asked, meeting her displeased gaze.

"What was good about it? It was too loud, had no aesthetic appeal, it was practically like setting off firecrackers!" Touma Kazusa gave an extremely harsh assessment.

"Pop music and rock, you can't compare them to classical music," Sakurakoji Talent shook his head and corrected. "Setting aside the style, I'm asking about the live atmosphere. This feeling of being immersed and celebrating wildly with everyone around you is quite special, isn't it?"

"...It's acceptable as a one-off experience, I suppose." Touma Kazusa was noncommittal.

"It's about time, I need to go back."

"Oh, do you want me to escort you?"

"What? You want to know my home address?" Touma Kazusa looked at him, her eyes teasing.

"You're overthinking it, Miss Touno. I was just concerned about you," Sakurakoji Talent shrugged, unfazed by her teasing.

Touma Kazusa averted her gaze, looking to the side. She moved her lips, and after a moment of silence, said, "Actually, my name isn't Touno Kazumi."

"Eh? But that's what you said last time, right?"

"Tsk," Touma Kazusa wore her signature displeased expression, glaring at him. "Th-at's wh-y, I deliberately lied to you last time! You probably figured that out, didn't you?"

"I see, it seems that was the case," Sakurakoji Talent nodded as if suddenly realizing something, as if recalling the event.

"--Aren't you angry?" Touma Kazusa stared at him, her eyes wide.

"There's nothing to be angry about, is there? I think it's perfectly normal for a pretty girl not to tell her real name to a stranger she's just met."

"...Is that so." A barely perceptible smile appeared on Touma Kazusa's face. "That's good."

"So, what's your real name?"

"Touma Kazusa."

"You're not going to tell me another alias this time, are you?" Sakurakoji Talent asked, sounding a bit suspicious.

"!" Touma Kazusa, whose mood had just brightened slightly, glared at him again. "What kind of person do you think I am!"

"Sorry, sorry! Look, it's common on TV, isn't it? They deliberately reveal one lie to make the other person lower their guard, and then tell another lie."

"Do you think this is a movie!" Touma Kazusa turned and left without looking back. "I'm leaving!"

"Be careful on your way, and come again next time!"

"Who would come again!"

"I'll treat you to the sweets you didn't finish today next time."

"..."

The other party didn't reply, merely pushed open the door and left.

Image: "Sexy Pianist", Location: "Images/1756213871-100446961-113772849.jpg"

Volume 1: The Daily Life of a Beehive: Chapter 70: Stomachache Begins!

The next afternoon, before going to work, Sakurakoji Talent first arrived in Shinjuku.

Thinking about it, he hadn't spent his days wandering around before work for quite some time since successfully winning over Aoyama Nanami.

However, this leisure time might be coming to an end today.

The location was the shopping street near Minejo University Affiliated High School, where Touma Kazusa attended. However, his purpose wasn't to meet Touma Kazusa, but to find another legendary woman who might be here.

Who could it be? It's really hard to guess... Sakurakoji Talent muttered inwardly.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but lately, he'd felt a constant, nagging sense of unease, like a thorn in his side, like sitting on pins and needles... as if someone had a kitchen knife to his throat.

Although his physical condition had improved significantly, to the point where he felt better each day than the one before, this mental heaviness had only grown with time.

Coincidentally, this feeling coincided with the changes in his physical body.

In just over a month, he already felt considerable pressure. Especially in the last half-month, this sense of crisis seemed to be escalating rapidly!

Although he had some guesses as to why, he couldn't stop now... he could only take it one step at a time.

Danger? Death? Being murdered by his lover? Those were things only people who survived could consider!

For someone like him, who had been on the brink of death since birth, what was there to fear! He was fearless.

Fortunately, for now, as long as he maintained this ambiguous single status, he should be safe, probably.

Casting useless thoughts from his mind, Sakurakoji Talent walked through the shopping street at a normal pace.

It was after school in the afternoon, and students without club activities had already started heading home or were looking for places to have fun with friends in small groups.

Because this area was close to Minejo High School, he occasionally saw high school students in uniform on the street.

Comparing the styles of the shops on both sides and walking the entire street twice, he arrived in front of a supermarket that also sold fruits and vegetables.

"This should be it, right?"

Since he didn't know the specific store name, he could only guess based on his memory.

"In any case, I'll know once I go inside and look."

He walked through the glass door and into the store, his gaze skillfully first falling on the cashier at the counter... not her.

The person's face was both unfamiliar and ordinary, truly unremarkable in this world, and couldn't possibly be the person he was looking for.

Bypassing the counter, he moved around the store, hoping to see someone else. The store was quite large, so it was unlikely there was only one staff member.

After basically browsing the entire store and seeing a few employees in different sections, none of them were the person he was looking for.

Could it not be here? Or perhaps that person wasn't working today? Sakurakoji Talent felt a sense of doubt, wondering if he had come to the wrong place.