Chapter 506

Senna Ajisai smiled sweetly and bowed her head politely in farewell, composed and elegant.

No wonder she was the Student Council President in junior high... Couldn't the pink-haired girl next door learn from her?

"No, I didn't do anything."

"Um, that..."

She tapped her fingertips somewhat hastily, a cute shyness shimmering in her phoenix eyes, "Can Reina and the others still play with you after this?"

"You see, I'm not very familiar with games and 'Smart Lens,' so if possible..."

"Sure, if I have time."

"Ha~ Thank you so much! Mr. Talent is indeed very gentle!"

"People often say that, although I don't really think so..."

Sakurakoji Talent sighed softly.

Actually, he didn't want to be an ordinary gentle boy, but for some reason, this impression seemed to be getting worse in other people's eyes.

Does he look gentle? He's super fierce, okay?!

When he gets angry, he'll even beat up his own father!

--If it were someone else, he could honestly say he wasn't gentle, but she seemed particularly helpless with gentle people, so he figured he shouldn't push himself too hard.

"Also, if I have the chance next time, I'd like to go shopping and bake desserts with Mr. Talent. Oh! If it's convenient, would you like to come to my house?"

She suddenly became very interested.

"Is this Hydrangea's home?"

"Well! Since we've already been to Mr. Talent and Rena-chan's houses, I thought I should invite you to visit mine too... But I have two younger brothers who are still in elementary school, and they might be a bit naughty and noisy."

"I'd love to, thank you for inviting me!"

Sakurakoji Talent's eyes narrowed slightly. "There are actually people eager to speed things up? That's really something!"

"It's a deal then! See you next time!"

"Take care on your way home, bye-bye~"

"Mr. Talent too!"

He watched her figure disappear into the station, then walked towards the deserted shadows.

Before heading to the Starry, let's go back to the apartment first.

Ten minutes later.

"Hmph~ Hmm? What brings you here?"

"Aren't you welcoming me?"

"You know the answer already."

"Tsk, feelings have faded! It's only been a few days since we last saw each other, and feelings have faded, Second Miss!"

"Shut up! Don't call me Second Miss!"

"Then... Yukino?"

"Do you want to disappear into a deserted corner in the thick of night, Sakurakoji- kun?"

A cruel smile crept across Yukino Shita Yukino's lips.

"Assassination is assassination, why make it sound so poetic?"

Sakurakoji Talent scoffed, arms crossed, and said dismissively, "We're colleagues who work together in the same workplace, what's wrong with calling each other by name?"

"First, I was just covering for someone who was lazy and didn't receive any salary; second, you were mostly absent when I was there, so we weren't really working together, much less being partners."

She packed up the order and handed it to the customer at the counter, "Sorry to keep you waiting, here's your order."

Then, attending to the guests who followed closely behind. "What would you two like?"

"Pudding, coffee, parfait... Okay, I got it. Here's your change."

Turning around, in the break between preparing the meal, she continued, "Third, if you have any free time, go do the work you're supposed to be doing, instead of saying these pointless things to me."

Having spent so much time with Amo Reiko, he obviously didn't have time to come over for work, so he called for reliable reinforcements in advance.

"That's what they say, but there aren't many customers left, and it's not my turn to help. If I get involved now, wouldn't it seem like I'm stealing the credit?"

He glanced at the group, which now consisted of only a few people, and offered his opinion.

"I'm just fulfilling my promise, not seeking any achievement. Don't apply your common-sense evaluation methods to me."

"So cool~ You're so cool, Yukino Shita -kun! That's why I like you!"

"I'm sorry, although it's only natural to like someone, and you're quite outstanding among humans, I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now. If you'd allow me to lower my standards a little, what do you think of the cicadas that have just sprouted from the flowerbed by the door?"

Are there cicadas already here?

"I don't know, but if we look carefully, we might be able to find one or two?"

"..."

An awkward silence fell between them. He leaned against the wall, engrossed in his phone, until Yukino Shita Yukino finished serving the last customer.

"You really aren't helping at all."

With her work finished, Yukino Shita Yukino gave him a cold glance.

"I've already used summoning tickets, so if I start working now, it feels like I'm missing out!"

Sakurakoji Talent awkwardly pinched his chin.

"That wasn't the reason I gave just now. You really are a man..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Say what you want to belittle me first!"

He raised his hand to stop him, then pointed to the phone and asked, "Yukino Shita- kun, do you usually follow the news?"

"What are you doing now...? If it's international news or breaking news, I might read some of that. What's wrong?"

Instead of resting immediately, Yukino Shita Yukino walked to the side, picked up her cute-colored apron again, tied it on, and bent down to clean the kitchen.

What a hardworking and graceful woman! Sakurakoji Talent smiled and gave her a mental thumbs up, but made no move to help her.

He got tired from playing games all afternoon and needs to rest now.

"Do you know what the biggest news is online today?"

"..."

Yukino Shita Yukino paused, her fingertips resting on the base of her oval face as she pondered, "You mean, that upcoming VR device, right?"

"Wow~ You've seen it too?"

"After all, its advertisements and news were everywhere during the day."

Born into a family of business tycoons and politicians, she was more sensitive to these things than the average person; she could tell at a glance that it was definitely a deliberate publicity stunt by the company behind it.

However, she still couldn't understand what kind of power and financial resources were needed for this.

"So what are your thoughts on it?"

"I don't know. Although it's touted as a groundbreaking new technology, we can't know for sure until the launch event and actual hands-on experience. Aren't there many similar products over the years?"

"Hmm~ I suggest you pay more attention to this in the future, you definitely won't be disappointed, the product is very interesting!"

"The press conference isn't starting for a while yet, why are you...?"

Yukino Shita Yukino suddenly stopped, staring intently at him, remembering the message her sister had told her after they went back last time.

The other party's family background seemed to far exceed her expectations, and was even much more powerful than her own.

"Have you tried it?"

"That's right, would you like to experience it beforehand?"

"..."

He took out a brand-new, unopened square box from his belongings and handed it to her. "Here, consider it a gift to thank you for covering my shifts during this time."

"..."

"Don't like the color? No problem, I have other ones, come and pick one."

She stared intently into his bag for a few seconds, exhaling the sweet aroma of cream and bread, and chose a color she liked. "... Thank you, how much is it? I'll pay you later."

"The press conference hasn't even started yet, so there's no pricing yet. Besides, as I said, this is to thank you for your help during this time; talking about money would be vulgar."

Yukino Shita Yukino nodded slightly, it was unclear whether she was indicating acceptance or meaning she would give it to her after the press conference.

How do I use this?

"Just wear it like a contact lens; anything you can do with your phone, it can do too."

He demonstrated it to her using the Smart Lens he had used before, "Like this."

"I see, it even glows... That's really amazing."

"Please refer to the built-in instruction manual for details."

To avoid attracting attention, he quickly took it off again and changed the subject. "Miss Haruno didn't come today. Did she go to the company to keep an eye on this?"

Since the last time I played a little prank on her on the night my parents came over, she's been coming more often—though she hasn't come many times because the visits are short, and sometimes he's not even there when she arrives.

But compared to the previous situation where they might only come once a month, this is a significant improvement.

"... Maybe so. I heard Mother also..."

Yukino Shita Yukino frowned slightly, seemingly reluctant to discuss the matter.

Whether it's because of her age, because her older, more capable sister has already taken the opportunity, or because her mother isn't entirely satisfied with her overall abilities... it seems unlikely that she'll be able to inherit the Snow's Legacy and enter politics in the Mirai.

However, if Sakurakoji Talent were to see her situation, he would probably burst out laughing.

Isn't this a free opportunity for subordinates to Gekokujo superiors? What are you waiting for?

If it were him, he would have unleashed a series of smooth moves that would have made his mother and sister surrender, willingly offering up everything!

"That's normal, because this is a little thing that's about to change the world."

He gave a simple, slight smile.

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Yukino Shita Yukino glanced at the item in her hand again, her gaze suspicious.

That's how amazing it is.

And I will make it more and more powerful, he silently vowed to himself.

He wasn't going to reveal his relationship with it, not only because that would be too pretentious, but also because... it would hinder his interpersonal relationships.

Not to mention now, even in the past, his resume was a form of silent bullying to others.

Even someone as strong as his Okura Rumin, sometimes felt so hurt by the blows that she wanted to withdraw into herself, and couldn't get over it for over a decade, let alone others.

Distance and information asymmetry create beauty; if you were to reveal his information without any concealment, he would be treated as less than human.

Oh dear, just leverage the other person's interests and strengths, find some common ground, and gradually build rapport. There's no need to be so inhumane.

Hearing him say that, Yukino Shita Yukino felt an urge to open the box right now.

Limited by her status as an ordinary student, she couldn't receive more detailed information or make deeper judgments like her older sister and mother, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested in these things.

"Didn't Classmate Yuihama come today?"

After looking around for a while, he asked out of curiosity.

"Why is it based on the premise that I will come with Classmate Yuihama?"

"Because she's clingy?"

She sighed helplessly, offering no rebuttal. "Ha... class starts tomorrow, I didn't call her."

"Okay, then I'll take care of things here for a while. You should go home early and be careful."

"I see."

Chapter 462 A Certain Superman in Tachikawa.