Chapter 54

After finalizing the general arrangements with Kasumigaoka Utaha in the afternoon, he went straight to work at Starry Sky, completely putting the game aside, since it wasn't something that could be done in a short time anyway.

Seeing her now rekindled the memories of that evil plan in his mind.

He stared intently at the 'game Female Protagonist's in front of him, already planning how to trick her into participating. With a ready-made character design and voice acting, it would be a huge waste not to make good use of her. Why do you think he chose this damn stomach-ache game?

It's because we happened to have readily available materials, and also... putting characters from two works by the same author together to make the same game—that sounds intriguing!

Moreover, the person in front of me is not only able to help with the voice acting for the game, but is also a rare top talent in music production!

If we can bring her in, the game's preparations will be more than half done. Then we can figure out how to get the other Female Protagonist to join in—interesting! So interesting! Gentlemen, I'm getting excited!

"What are you planning?" Touma Kazusa frowned, glancing at him with displeasure.

"... We've been exposed?"

"Do you really think you've hidden it well?"

Is it that obvious?

"The expression on your face is practically screaming that you're a villain and want to trample on me. And what's with that disgusting flush? It's so repulsive!" Touma Kazusa looked at him with revulsion. The fact that she didn't slap him on the spot was only because she had just eaten sweets and was in a relatively good mood due to the hormones.

"Ahem," Sakurakoji Talent tried to ease the awkwardness, then asked her with a smile, "By the way! Touma!"

"You said you've been pretty free lately, right? How about we join a fun activity?"

"If it's related to your expression just now, get the hell out of here!"

Ya-le ya-le...

The first attempt failed, but Sakurakoji Talent didn't give up. He continued to persuade her, "It's really interesting! You don't have much else to do anyway, right? It's nice to participate in some activities with others, isn't it?"

"Leaving aside whether I'm actually free or not," Touma Kazusa took a sip of the extra-sweet coffee Sakurakoji Talent had specially made for her, glancing sideways, "Why should I participate in those kinds of events with you? Does this place also serve to interfere in the private lives of its guests?"

"Don't say that, aren't we doing a demolition attack?"

"I don't remember ever becoming friends with you. We've only met a few times at most, and we know each other's names, right?" She retorted without holding back. "Or is it that friends are such cheap and easily obtained things to you?"

"If that's the case, I think I need to reassess how stupid you are."

Tsk, she's really hard to fool. Faced with such a troublemaker, Sakurakoji Talent puffed out his cheeks and muttered to himself.

If everyone could be like Shiina Mahiru, not only would she be easy to talk to and manage, but she could also provide a lot of points at once. She's an incredibly rare and valuable character!

Only after comparing her to people born in the Year of the Hedgehog can one realize how precious her character is; she is truly Angel!

Sakurakoji Talent, reminisced about the Angel now located dozens of kilometers away in the neighboring city, and felt a deep loathing for the sarcastic, arrogant, and loyal dog-like character before him.

Although they all become adorable, loyal, and clingy later on, the difficulty and process of winning them over in the early stages are vastly different, aren't they?

"Your words hurt me deeply! Although what you said doesn't seem to be wrong." Sakurakoji Talent sighed and exhaled a breath of stale air, then began to retort, "But when it comes to stupidity, I don't want to be called stupid by you."

"Touma- san, who doesn't even do her homework, is she really going to have trouble getting into high school next year?"

"... What could be wrong?" Touma Kazusa shifted her gaze to the live stage, her expression unchanged.

"I hope that's true." Sakurakoji Talent chuckled. "Well, it doesn't really matter. High school is just about getting a diploma. For someone who's already decided on their Mirai career path, good or bad grades don't really matter."

"Even if you want to pursue higher education, as our store manager said, as long as you're not picky, you can always find a university to attend."

"Wow~ You finally said something decent tonight." Touma Kazusa smiled and nodded in agreement.

"That's right! Even if you get good grades, it doesn't mean anything. Humans aren't just learning machines. There are always things we're good at and things we're not good at. As long as you can do well in the areas you're good at, that's enough."

"Grades are completely unimportant!"

"That makes sense, but the premise is that you can graduate smoothly with the minimum requirements." Sakurakoji Talent said with his chin resting on his hand and his eyes narrowed, teasingly adding, "Well, anyway, there shouldn't be anyone who can't even do that, right?"

"..." Touma Kazusa seemed to be captivated by the performance on stage, staring intently at the band members' energetic movements, remaining silent.

Seeing that she had completely lost her previous arrogance, Sakurakoji Talent secretly gave a victory sign and chuckled to himself.

"By the way, have you been eating properly lately? You're not still eating fast food every day, are you?" Instead of pressing his advantage, he changed the subject after winning a small round.

After that, a long silence fell between them; she seemed to have no intention of continuing to speak to him.

Just when Sakurakoji Talent thought she might be angry, she spoke up again.

"... None of your business."

"A healthy body is the foundation of everything. Although I don't know your daily routine, you still need to eat properly. Even when you eat out, you should pay attention to a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, and you should also buy some fruit to keep at home..." Sakurakoji Talent while wiping the cups, giving a long list of life tips.

But his words clearly didn't resonate with her; instead, they caused her delicate brows to furrow even deeper. Finally, at one point, she could no longer bear it:

"Stop nagging! Are you my mother? What do you even know about me...?"

At this point, she suddenly remembered that the other person seemed to be in a similar situation, living apart from their parents and residing alone in Tokyo. Thinking of this, she couldn't say anything more, and her angry expression calmed down.

"Look, she's in such a hurry again." Sakurakoji Talent glanced around. Fortunately, in the hall where the sound system was constantly echoing, her little commotion was nothing and not many people paid attention.

"It's precisely because I live alone that I need to pay extra attention to these things. Catching a cold or fever is a minor issue, but what if malnutrition leads to a sallow complexion, thinness, and dry hair, which will affect my appearance?"

"Especially for someone like you who doesn't have many friends, if you have a problem, no one will remind you. You could Kokoro embarrass yourself terribly. Don't you think that's scary?"

He pulled out a mirror from somewhere, examined the portrait in it, and after confirming that there were no oversights, put it back.

"..." Upon hearing his insights, Touma Kazusa's face twitched, though she had a lot of curses she wanted to say.

She thought she would have to hear those tired, pedantic arguments again, but she never expected it to be for this reason.

"Anyway, no one will pay attention to me, so what difference does it make whether I maintain it or not? It's much easier to just be casual." She turned her face to the side, her deep, magnetic voice almost drowned out by the noisy environment.

"Completely wrong! That's just wishful thinking on the part of a lazy person!" Sakurakoji Talent's tone and expression turned serious as he corrected her directly. "The most important reason for maintaining one's appearance is not for others to admire, but for oneself!"

"Seeing your perfect, confident self in the mirror every day will change your entire day's atmosphere and make you feel happier. It will even lessen the urge to die, and you'll feel that it would be such a waste to actually die."

"You don't dress up because you're in a good mood; you use dressing up to improve your mood! The reason you're so lazy and aimless every day is because you haven't found a goal to motivate you. It's such a waste of your good looks!"

"..." Stunned by his stern lecture, Touma Kazusa even genuinely believed for a moment that she had committed some heinous crime.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies - Chapter 82: Can Sending a Message Really Shura Field?

"I didn't expect you to be such a narcissistic person." Touma Kazusa couldn't help but chuckle at him, letting out a faint sneer.

"What's wrong with being narcissistic? It's a healthy mindset." Sakurakoji Talent continued to wipe the glasses, pretending to be very busy. According to statistics, most bartenders do this not to clean the glasses, but to show that they are busy and professional.

Even though this isn't a bar, standing around doing nothing would still look a bit silly, wouldn't it?

"Besides, for someone as perfect as me, it's very difficult to feel inferior even if I wanted to."

"Stop talking, I'm about to throw up." Touma Kazusa made a gagging face while covering her mouth.

"Even you, Touma, though I don't know about other aspects of you, I think at least in terms of appearance, you have the same right to be narcissistic as me." He ignored her exaggerated behavior, put down his glass, and faced her, saying:

"So don't say things like 'because nobody cares, it's not important for your daily management.'"

"..." Touma Kazusa looked to the side, her expression calm and unreadable, her fair fingers stroking her smooth black hair.

Do you think I'm good-looking?

"Sigh~ Is that even a question? Although you're not as pretty as me, anyone would probably think you're a beautiful young woman in the prime of your youth, right? Although you're not as pretty as me."

"You really are infuriating!" She gritted her teeth and glared at Sakurakoji Talent, the fine wrinkles between her brows suggesting she wanted to strangle him.

"There's nothing I can do, it's the truth. Even if I try to flatter you by lying, you won't be happy, will you?" Sakurakoji Talent chuckled and pulled out a strand of snow-white hair from behind her head, a color completely opposite to her own, and played with it in her hand.

That's the advantage of having long hair; you don't need to ask anyone for help when you want to have fun, you can just take it out and entertain yourself anytime.

"You can choose not to tell me." She glared at him, her expression displeased.

"You're so rigid! Making jokes more often can help build relationships."

"There's no affection between us that can be fostered. Even if there were, it would definitely be a karmic entanglement."

"Don't jump to conclusions about things that haven't happened yet. The world is full of possibilities; who knows what the Mirai holds?"

"Unless the world is attacked by Otherworlder and is about to be destroyed, I probably won't have any deeper interactions with you," Touma Kazusa said, spreading her Hands casually.

"..." Sakurakoji Talent stared at her intently, then said, "I never expected to hear such 2D terms as 'Otherworlder' coming from you. It's really surprising. I feel like your persona is about to collapse."

"Don't get me wrong! This was just a scene from a late-night anime that happened to be playing on TV when I was bored. I just happened to borrow it!" She slammed her hand on the table angrily as she explained, her face slightly flushed.

"Hey, hey, let's just say that's how it is." Sakurakoji Talent gave her a warm smile.

"Gurgle!" Her expression gradually turned fierce, her unexpectedly well-developed breasts above her slender waist heaved up and down, her knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white, as if she might suddenly attack and hurt someone at any moment.

This prompted Sakurakoji Talent to quickly change the subject. "Speaking of which, now that you're on vacation, Touma, what are your plans? Aren't you going to travel or do something else to relax?"

Touma Kazusa glared at him disdainfully at his tendency to change the subject at unfavorable times. "You're not a child anymore. Who gets excited and wants to run around as soon as they have a holiday?"

"That's true. Anyway, it probably doesn't make much difference to you whether you have a holiday or not." Sakurakoji Talent, knowing full well what was going on, jumped to conclusions. "Then how about you try cooking during the holiday? If you learn, you can make your own bento boxes when you go to school. That would be great, wouldn't it?"

"Why should I do housework and cooking myself when the nanny can do it?"

"Hmm? If you have a housekeeper to cook for you, why do you still eat out every day?" Sakurakoji Talent asked, puzzled.

"That was... because it was too annoying, so I refused." Her tone was slightly agitated.

The specific reason for his frustration is probably something that shouldn't be pursued further here, Sakurakoji Talent Saiki judged.

"By the way, let's exchange contact information? That way we can keep in touch at other times. Actually, I wanted to do this last time, but I felt you would get impatient and refuse outright, so I held back." Sakurakoji Talent took out his phone from his pants and suggested to her.

"Why do you think I wouldn't refuse now? I'd like to hear your reasons." She glanced at him, her eyes cold.

"That's because... ah." Just as he was about to answer, Sakurakoji Talent stopped speaking softly when he saw the unread message displayed on his open phone screen. After seeing the contact's name, his Hands trembled so much that he almost dropped his phone.

"So you've finally developed dementia early because you've been meddling in too many people's business? You can't even hold your phone properly," Touma Kazusa said sarcastically from the side.

"Maybe..."

Upon seeing the other person's name, Sakurakoji Talent lost all interest in arguing with her. He felt a chill run down his spine, a strange feeling of being caught cheating. At the very top of the chat box, it read: Kogisora Yukina.

Why did just the fact that these two names appeared together make him feel parched and surrounded by danger?

"What? Someone texted you?" Touma Kazusa asked, noticing him staring at his phone.

"Hmm... I guess so."

"Judging from your reaction, you're not a woman, are you?" Her usually calm tone seemed to have grown even more displeased.

"..."

"Let's go back!" She abruptly stood up and walked towards the gate of the Starry Sky Gate.

"So sudden?" Sakurakoji Talent was surprised, then continued the previous topic, "What about their contact information—"

"Don't get me wrong, Sakurakoji," she turned around, crossing her arms, her attitude visibly cold, "I've said it many times, I don't want to get along with you."

"Your only use is that you make pretty good desserts."

After saying that, she turned and strode away, leaving him with a graceful silhouette.

"..."

"Ha..." Sakurakoji Talent let out a long sigh. He hadn't expected that just exchanging a message online before even meeting in person would cause such a commotion. Was this the power of a love-hate relationship between sworn enemies? It was terrifying.

He couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight of the person on his phone who had caused the incident.

I never expected that she would contact me in such a short time. Recalling her personality, I felt like I was being entangled by a different kind of woman.

If he could, he'd rather be the one secretly plotting and harassing others, able to attack or defend as needed. He didn't want to be actively targeted and preyed upon by yanderes and those with a strong preference for certain women, then locked in some dark corner and subjected to torture, or even dismemberment...

Stop, that's enough, you don't need to think about it anymore.

Fortunately, this time her partner, although a little willful and scheming, is not harmful. She is the type who, even if her partner betrays her, will quietly stand at a distance and wait for him to change his mind until she is sure she has been dumped.

In a sense, she was Angel and the Perfect Girlfriend in some ways.

Unfortunately, his life was full of hardships, and women were destined to only slow down his ability to draw his sword!

He examined the girl's letter:

[Sakurakoji-kun, what are you doing right now?]

We've started our spring break these past couple of days, but I don't really have any plans yet. Right now, I'm just enjoying some awesome, idle time at home!

[So boring. gif]

He smiled knowingly, as if he could see her lying on the bed, holding her phone in Hands, her legs swinging in the air.

After thinking for a while, he carefully considered his words and decided to tell the truth about his current situation.