So Many Geniuses in Omni-Anime! What's Wrong with Adding Me? The Cat Café and the Unexpected Guest

What was this for? It was really hard to guess... Her parents did not want to think too deeply about it.

"..."

"..."

Seeing Sakurakoji Talent's appearance, Yukina's parents fell silent. They exchanged glances, then turned their gazes back to Kogisora Yukina.

"Yukina, is this child really a boy?" Her mother looked awkwardly to the side and asked softly, her lips stiff.

"Of course he is! Do you think I can't tell someone's gender?"

"But... right?" Her mother looked toward her father.

"...Mm." Even her stern father looked a little uncomfortable, offering only a brief sound of agreement.

"Still, this child really is beautiful. No wonder Takhiro..." She covered her mouth and stopped herself at the right moment, then suggested to Yukina, "His name was Sakurakoji-kun, right? Yukina, invite him over sometime."

"How did this even get to this point? I never said I was inviting Sakurakoji-kun to our house." Kogisora Yukina's expression was complicated.

"You already exchanged contact information with him, so what's the big deal?" Yukina's mother waved her hand up and down through the air and smiled. "What's his full name?"

"Sakurakoji Talent..."

"So he's Talent-kun. What a lovely name!"

Why were you so pleased about that? Seeing her mother like this, Kogisora Yukina could not help complaining inwardly.

"Do you know anything about his family?" Her father seemed to care more about this.

"Mm. I don't know much, but his parents currently live in New York because of work. He and his younger sister returned to Tokyo two months ago. Though, for some reason, he and his sister don't live together, but they still see each other pretty much every day," Kogisora Yukina said carefully.

"Huh? He has a younger sister too? Does she look like him? Sis, please!" Takhiro clasped his hands together beside them, practically begging.

"Shut up!" Kogisora Yukina covered her forehead helplessly, pained by the fact that she had such a younger brother.

"His family situation and financial circumstances don't seem to have any problems either..." Her father muttered quietly, stroking his chin.

"And he seems refined and polite too. If he's the person Yukina wants to date, then your father and I won't object, right, dear?" Her mother added softly from the side.

"That's a different matter!" Her father's expression immediately turned solemn as he answered in a deep voice.

"Mom!"

Kogisora Yukina glared at her mother in embarrassment and anger, feeling utterly exhausted.

This night was far too long.

Image: "Just putting one here," location: "Images/1756385245-100446961-113781340.jpg"

The next morning after singing karaoke with Kogisora Yukina, Sakurakoji Talent got up at his usual time. After breakfast, he sat by the floor-to-ceiling window and flipped through the latest finance and fashion magazines.

Though he no longer involved himself much in such matters, it was a habit cultivated over many years, and he still treated it as a good way to pass the time.

Although he had left work halfway through the previous night, he had spent quite a while outside, and Starry's usual closing time was not particularly late anyway, so he had not woken earlier than usual.

He took a sip of fragrant tea and began his pleasant morning.

When he did not need to raise affection levels or make plans, he was quite relaxed. At most, he occasionally looked up to watch the maid busying herself indoors.

Thinking of this, he asked the other person in the room, "Nanami, have the school procedures been completed?"

Aoyama Nanami had been working here for nearly half a month. Although he had said he would help her transfer to Philia Academy, he had not had time to handle it personally. Instead, he had asked his younger sister and Great Aunt—the two who would soon enroll at Philia—to take care of it.

Over the past few days, he had been exceptionally busy running all over the place and had not asked either of them about it. Now that he remembered, he might as well ask Aoyama Nanami.

Hearing him, Aoyama Nanami paused in the middle of bending over with her hips raised while meticulously wiping the hard-to-reach corners of the furniture. She stood up, faced him, and answered brightly, "Yes! Lady Ashiri and Lady Rumin have already helped me settle it. I've even received the admission notice. Thank you so much!"

"That's good." Sakurakoji Talent walked to the window and looked at the two neighboring buildings connected by an elevated corridor.

Philia Academy's building was practically next to Ten no Yashiro. It took less than five minutes to get there after leaving the building, so many wealthy students chose to rent apartments in the newly opened Ten no Yashiro. Quite a lot of people had already moved in.

Aoyama Nanami walked to his side and looked quietly at the nearby building with him. Only a few days ago had she learned that the famous Philia Academy was actually so close to this place. There was basically no commuting time at all. The news had shocked her.

"School starts soon. How are you feeling?" Sakurakoji Talent asked with concern.

"I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also worried that I won't be able to keep up. After all, I'm transferring in halfway through. I don't know whether I'll fall behind..." Aoyama Nanami's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she voiced her concern.

Compared with students who had enrolled there in their first year, someone like her who transferred in during the second year would definitely have some academic gaps.

"That's true, but I believe you'll be fine." Sakurakoji Talent smiled. "Your grades in regular subjects have always been excellent, and you've trained properly in your specialized courses through part-time work and extracurricular classes. Even if there are some gaps, they probably won't be too large. The first year is mostly foundational learning anyway."

"Still, Philia's pace is indeed much faster than outside schools. I'll ask someone to prepare all three years' worth of textbooks and daily assignments for you. Spend the remaining half month studying them on your own first."

"And you're still taking those extracurricular training classes, right? If there's anything you don't understand, ask the teachers there first."

"Yes! I'm still attending those classes." Aoyama Nanami's eyes curved as she confirmed it.

Although she had long stopped attending the school where she had already fulfilled her attendance requirements, she had never given up on her professional courses outside school.

"Um... Thank you very much, Talent Young Master. Thank you for preparing so much for me." Looking at him with a slightly bashful expression, she fidgeted with her Maid Outfit and spoke awkwardly.

Sometimes, she really could not figure out what this Young Master was thinking, and his teasing jokes often left her troubled. But one thing was certain: Sakurakoji Talent was a good person.

An incurably good person, at that!

Otherwise, he would not have helped her so unconditionally just because he had seen someone he had only met a few times fall into trouble.

His usual jokes often made her blush furiously, but they had never crossed her bottom line.

Judging by his background, he was unquestionably a Young Master, yet he possessed none of the bad habits of privileged children. He was courteous in his dealings with others, and even toward maids like them, he never acted arrogantly—though the young ladies seemed to be the same. That was probably thanks to good family upbringing.

What she found most unbelievable was that, unlike the boys in her former class, Sakurakoji Talent possessed looks that could look down upon anyone, yet he had never relied on that advantage to chase after women everywhere. He did not flirt around, and there was not even a single magazine of that kind in his room—he hardly seemed like a hot-blooded young man in the prime of youth.

Could it be... Though she did not want to believe it, this dangerous thought sometimes arose in her heart.

No! Absolutely not!

Since both the Young Master and the young ladies treated her so well, for the Sakurakoji Family's future, she absolutely could not let something like that happen!

Aoyama Nanami made up her mind. That was right—the Young Master had surely just grown up surrounded by too many beauties, so his interest in such things had not awakened yet. He definitely was not what she imagined!

Then her task was to help the Young Master complete this stage of transformation, let him discover his instincts, and face his desires honestly. Aoyama Nanami's expression gradually became serious without her noticing.

But what should she do?

Should she do as the senior maids in the residence had said? As a qualified maid, should she learn from the maids of ancient Europe and devote herself wholeheartedly to serving him...! No, no! Absolutely not! There had to be another way!

At that thought, Aoyama Nanami's face flushed pink, mist gathering in her eyes. Her already adorable face became even more adorable.

Sakurakoji Talent, who was staring blankly outside the building, did not notice the complicated and ever-changing thoughts of the person beside him at all. If he knew she had not only given him the good-guy card but also started doubting his sexual orientation, he might very well fly into a rage and subject her to some boundary-crossing punishment!

After thinking for a while, he suddenly brought up a topic Aoyama Nanami had never even considered.

"Nanami, do you think it would be better if I opened a cat café?"

"Huh?" Aoyama Nanami froze, having no idea what he was talking about. Why had he suddenly brought that up?

"I'm very sorry, could you say that again? I didn't hear you clearly." To make sure she had not misheard, she could only ask carefully once more.

"I said, do you think I should open a cat café now?"

"...Could you explain why you suddenly brought up this topic? I'm curious."

"It's nothing special. I just thought that a lot of young people like cats and dogs these days, especially cats."

"And what does that have to do with anything? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with you, Talent Young Master. Or do you like them too?" Aoyama Nanami looked confused, completely unable to understand his train of thought.

Because other people liked them, he wanted to open a cat café? Was his allowance insufficient, so he wanted to start a business to make money?

If that was the case, she advised him to stop while he still could—lest he squander even the little money he had left.

"No, I neither like nor dislike them. But... forget it, I know the answer now." Only after saying it did he realize there was no need to discuss this sort of question with her, nor could he reveal all the calculations in his heart to her.

"Huh, then that's good..." Aoyama Nanami still looked bewildered, but since he had said so, she did not continue asking.

Having made his decision, Sakurakoji Talent stopped speaking.

A cat café... It should be useful in some way, right?

Better safe than sorry. He would open one first, prepare a few cats of every possible breed, decorate it in a quieter style, and put it down in the Underground Street. Even if it turned out to be useless, it would not cost much anyway.

Someone should like it. He could already think of several people who liked cats.

If he followed his steps, then even if it was only slightly useful, his effort would not have been wasted.

Things seemed to be getting interesting. Sakurakoji Talent's lips curled into an arc.

"Good morning." After the usual greeting, Sakurakoji Talent walked into Starry.

"Oh? We have a rare guest today." Sakurakoji Talent looked surprised at the person beside the bar.

"Shut up! Got a problem with that?" Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had just arrived, took out a pack of white cigarettes and snapped back at him over her shoulder.

"Not at all. On the contrary, your gracious presence has brought great honor to our humble establishment." Sakurakoji Talent naturally did not dislike her attitude. If anything, he greatly welcomed her arrival.

Unfortunately, she had not come to see him this time. Or rather, most of the time, she had not come to see him.

Ever since Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukino Shita Hiyori had come to Starry last time and he had half-dragged them onto the stage to perform a song, the two of them seemed to have taken a liking to the place. Whenever they had time, they would occasionally come by to relax.

Unexpectedly, the person Hiratsuka Shizuka got along with best was not Sakurakoji Talent, but Ichiji Hoshika.

Perhaps because their ages had both been poked at last time, the two had unexpectedly hit it off. After learning that the other was also an older "beautiful girl" close to her own age, they seemed to have found common ground. Their relationship had become remarkably sympathetic.

Thus, Hiratsuka Shizuka had received the special privilege of entering early without waiting for opening hours—as the owner's new best friend.

Although Sakurakoji Talent was somewhat envious of this, there was nothing he could do. No matter how capable he was, he could not change his age.

Unless he proposed to Hiratsuka Shizuka on the spot, his standing in her eyes probably could not compare to Ichiji Hoshika's anytime soon.

"Good that you know." She was quite satisfied with Sakurakoji Talent's tact.

Or perhaps having someone of such high caliber suffer a setback before her satisfied her competitive and conquering instincts.

If only those brats at school could be as sensible as him, she sighed.

Image: "Shizukawaii Returns," location: "Images/1756470743-100446961-113785751.jpg"

Thinking of those troublesome people made her feel irritated.

She had not even been teaching for many years, yet she felt as though she was about to enter middle age early.

"Work is so annoying, I don't want to work~" She pressed her ample chest against the counter and wailed, then reached for a cigarette.

"Huh?" Her soft hand found nothing. After searching repeatedly to no avail, she had no choice but to raise her head.

She found herself facing Ichiji Nijika's sunny yet serious expression. Nijika had experience dealing with smokers.

"No smoking indoors!" She raised an X again and refused.

"Ehhh~~~!" Hiratsuka Shizuka switched into spoiled-child mode and said willfully, "What's the harm, Nijika-chan?"

Far from Chiba, where no one knew her, she could freely reveal the side of herself that was inconvenient to show normally. That was also one reason she liked coming to Starry.

"No, Miss Shizuka. It's for everyone's sake." Ichiji Nijika did not react at all to her pleading. She had seen this kind of scene far too many times with her own sister and was practically immune to it.

"You're stingy!"

"Even if I am, no means no!"

Seeing that she could not persuade her, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned toward Ichiji Hoshika sitting beside her and nudged her with a hand.

"Hey, hey, control your little sister. Look at how badly I'm being bullied."

"Heh, do you think you're the only one getting bullied?" Ichiji Hoshika shot her a sidelong glance and gave a faintly miserable smile. "If you provoke her, at most she confiscates your cigarettes. If I provoke her, I might not even have food to eat every day!"

"...Tch, you useless sister-con." Hiratsuka Shizuka clicked her tongue and mocked her new best friend for being useless.

"...Shut up." Ichiji Hoshika's pretty face reddened slightly, but unwilling to admit it, she turned her head away.

Taking in this harmonious scene, Sakurakoji Talent smiled and joined the conversation. "Teacher Shizuka-cute came very early today. Did you come right after school?"

"Don't call me Teacher Shizuka-cute, you brat!" Hiratsuka Shizuka slammed the table and glared sharply at him.

"Eh? Compared with Teacher Shizukawaii, do you prefer being called Teacher Shizukakkoii? That doesn't sound as nice, does it?" Sakurakoji Talent hesitated. "And no matter how you look at it, Shizukawaii makes you seem younger."

"Call me Miss Hiratsuka properly, brat!" A dangerous smile appeared on Hiratsuka Shizuka's face, and a vein bulged at her temple.