Chapter 539

"..."

Perhaps to relieve their inner tension and anxiety, they practiced playing the song together for a full two hours.

Later, at Ogura Asahi's insistence, they reluctantly ended their ensemble performance for the day.

In the end, he was the only one who left RiNG; they planned to practice until their scheduled time was over before going back.

He went back to his room, quickly changed his clothes, and then, as promised to Sakurajima Mai and the others, went to the building where she lived.

After informing her via mobile phone, I obtained her specific house number.

Have you eaten yet?

Sakurajima Mai opened the door and calmly asked him as he walked down the hallway.

I had a snack in between.

"Come in and have something to eat. I saved some food for you. Futaba and I have already eaten."

"..."

"What are you doing?"

She frowned, crossed her arms, and looked over warily.

With tears welling in her eyes, Himemiya Chihaya covered her mouth and whispered, "I love Mai- san, the virtuous wife and loving mother~"

"Hey hey~ Don't talk nonsense."

Sakurajima Mai got him a pair of slippers, then turned and went back into the inner room to heat up his food in the kitchen.

The floor is covered with wooden flooring, and the interior decoration is also mainly in wood tones, giving it a distinctly Western classical style.

The living room and kitchen are a common open-plan style in ordinary apartments, without any partition doors. The advantage is that it is beautiful and looks grand, but the disadvantage is that cooking fumes will spread uncontrollably everywhere, and even the range hood cannot completely control them.

There was a small thing moving back and forth on the floor; it was a round robot vacuum.

"Good evening, Futaba. What are your thoughts on spending the night with Mai?"

He walked over to the sofa and sat down, smiling at Futaba Rio, who was resting there.

Futaba Rio glanced at him and frowned. "Although I thought it was stupid at first, I was quite shocked after experiencing it myself."

Witnessing such a supernatural phenomenon was a devastating blow to a staunch scientist like her.

However, since it exists, she still believes it can be explained scientifically.

"So, do you have any clues or speculations?"

"I think your thinking is correct."

Sakurajima Mai walked over to the two of them with a plate of curry, handed him the porcelain plate, and casually asked, "What does this mean?"

Futaba Rio took in the two's natural demeanor and further explained, "In other words, just like you think, the source is probably at school."

"As the previous observation theory stated, almost everyone ignored Sakurajima- senpai, treating the famous Sakurajima- senpai, who had enrolled a little later due to work, as if he were invisible."

"No one expressed any doubts; everyone unknowingly engaged in this invisible bullying."

"This is the atmosphere, the unique atmosphere of the school."

She further asserted, her expression solemn. "Sakurajima- senpai is not observed by anyone at the school, so Sakurajima- senpai's existence cannot be confirmed."

"For Sakurajima -senpai, the school was like a box containing a cat. I think that's what caused this."

Sakurajima Mai remained unmoved, probably having already heard it once, and even had the leisure to ask him, "How does it taste?"

"Delicious! It tastes even better than most high school students' cooking!"

"Really? That's good."

An.

"But it's not as good as what I make!"

Sakurajima Mai frowned, stepped forward, and pinched his cheek, pulling it away. "You don't have to say the last part!"

"Okay, I got it."

Once she released him, he rubbed his slightly reddened skin and looked at Futaba Rio: "So, what's interfering with Mai- san's existence might not be just one person, but the entire school of students?"

"You could say that."

"Then why is it that people outside the school don't recognize Ms. Mai, instead of the students?"

"It's probably because Sakurajima- senpai went out that this 'atmosphere' was taken out of the school. Even if it wasn't, air is easily contagious, and everyone these days is very good at reading between the lines."

"Hmm~ So what should we do?"

"Further analysis or searching for additional clues is needed."

"I see. Thank you for your hard work."

He said no more. The groundwork had been laid, and all that was left was to find an opportunity and a way to resolve it.

But what should we do?

While thinking about this, he unconsciously finished the curry rice on his plate.

"Give me the plates."

Sakurajima Mai reached out to take it.

"No, I'll do it. I'm very good at housework."

He went straight to the kitchen and found no other dishes or utensils in the clean sink.

While washing, he casually asked some irrelevant questions, "Miss Mai, did you buy this house or rent it?"

"Bought it with cash."

"What a rich woman! No wonder she's a former national-level actress. An ordinary high school student would go crazy if they met you."

Even among the geniuses and freaks around him, not counting family background, there were probably few as wealthy and capable as her.

A high school student can easily buy a house outright, and the size and decoration are quite nice... Maybe she could have done it when she was in elementary or middle school. Even if it's not in Tokyo, it's still a very large expense.

Even Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri wouldn't work; they haven't produced enough works, so their income is limited. I guess only freaks Okura Rumin and Yōkadō Sakuri could.

Although Ouka Mai's modeling work is very lucrative and she has a high profile, it is undeniable that she owes her success to her family.

Hoshino Ai's career has been on a roll lately, like she's suddenly unlocked her full potential, her popularity is skyrocketing, and she might catch up in a while, but not yet...

Does that include you?

"Oh, it's not that bad. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm quite wealthy, otherwise I wouldn't be able to travel around so leisurely every day."

"Then everything's fine, right?"

"That's true. I was just saying it casually, just expressing my feelings."

"..."

Chapter 487 Shura Field and a Male Beauty's Fault.

Within two minutes, he had washed the dishes and chopsticks, wiped them clean with a dry cloth, and neatly placed them in the cupboard.

Where are you staying tonight?

After he sat down on the dark brown single sofa, Sakurajima Mai asked him with concern.

In her view, since she was the one who summoned him all the way from Tokyo, she should at least be concerned about this matter.

But Himemiya Chihaya's next answer gave her a jolt.

"I rented a place here a few days ago, and I'll be moving in later."

He answered casually.

"You rented a place? When?!"

Sakurajima Mai's purple eyes widened slightly in surprise, which was unexpected.

She thought he would say he would go back that night, or stay in a hotel.

"Just a few days ago, after all, it's not good to stay at Relatives' houses all the time."

He made up an excuse to brush it off.

"Where is it?"

"It's nearby, not too far from here."

Sakurajima Mai frowned, looking worried, and asked, "Could it be... because of me?"

"Not really, it's just that I think I'll probably be coming to Fujisawa quite often in the future, so I just rented a place for now."

She clearly didn't think this was the truth, raising her eyebrows. "I understand. In that case, tell me how much your rent is, and I'll pay it for you."

"..."

Himemiya Chihaya neither refused nor agreed, but simply stared intently into her eyes. "Miss Mai, do you consider me a friend?"

Sakurajima Mai awkwardly turned her head away, her face flushed with embarrassment. "W-why are you suddenly asking that?!"

"It's nothing, it really didn't cost much, unlike Ms. Mai bought it outright with cash."

"Oh, so that's what you meant by that..."

"So don't worry about it. Besides, like I said, I have a lot of other things to do, and I'll probably be staying in Fujisawa more often from now on, not just for you."

"Okay, I understand..."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, she could only keep her gratitude to herself.

"Some other time, take me to see your place. I've already invited you to my house, so this isn't too much to ask, is it?"

"Not at all, not at all."

"Then it's settled."

"..."

He chatted with her for a while longer, and when Futaba Rio decided to take her leave, he got up and went with her.

Sakurajima Mai escorted the two downstairs, then added worriedly, "It's late, you two Kokoro ~ especially Futaba."

"It's alright, it's not too late."

Futaba Rio shook her head. "If we're talking about danger, I think Hinomiya and I are about the same."

Sakurajima Mai glanced at him and nodded with a smile.

His eyelids twitched, and he retorted unwillingly, "... No, Futaba, don't be fooled by my deceptive appearance; the dangers we face are fundamentally different."

"I've learned various Self-Defense Techniques and martial arts skills since I was a child, so I'm fairly safe in terms of physical strength."

"Even the most skilled fighter should run away when faced with wielding knives and guns; otherwise, it just shows a lack of intelligence. So, we're pretty much the same."

"That's generally true; it doesn't apply to someone who can easily jump from the third floor."

"Huh? What are you saying?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt like making a rant."

"..."

Final.

After Sakurajima Mai said, "Since you're so confident, I'll ask you to escort Futaba home," the two embarked on their journey home.

The two were very silent in the first half, especially Futaba Rio, who hardly said a word, perhaps because she was expressing her opposition to Sakurajima Mai's suggestion.

He continued talking until he had enough of the atmosphere and finally opened up.

"By the way, there's something I'm curious about. Could you please answer it for me, Futaba?"

"What?"

Futaba Rio, Hands in her pockets, focused on the road, only responding instinctively.

"I could tell at a glance that you and Mai are the same type of person."

"Um?"

"They're all people who don't have a single friend."