Chapter 57

"She's a nice person, and a beautiful one at that." Kogisora Yukina looked at Sakurakoji Talent.

"Leaving aside certain aspects, I suppose so." Sakurakoji Talent was somewhat hard to describe.

"Sakurakoji-kun lied to me that she was a black-hearted capitalist, she's nothing like that at all! You lied to me again!" Kogisora Yukina angrily accused him of his behavior.

"It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm not lying, everything I said is true."

"I don't believe you! No matter what you say now, I won't believe you!" Kogisora Yukina snorted and turned to face the side.

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent felt mentally exhausted; these days, nobody believes you when you tell the truth.

"Ah! This parfait is so delicious!" After returning to her seat and starting to enjoy the parfait, Kogisora Yukina covered her mouth in surprise after tasting it.

"Did Sakurakoji-kun make this?"

"Of course, I told you I'm the head chef of this restaurant, right? How is it? Delicious, isn't it?" He puffed out his chest proudly, full of confidence.

"Mmm! It's very—very delicious!" Unlike some people who have the malicious intent to deliberately say something bad, Kogisora Yukina generously offered her praise with a smile.

"I never knew Sakurakoji-kun was such a good cook. It feels like I've uncovered another secret about you. And—as a girl, I always feel a little inferior."

While praising him, she also gave him a complicated look.

Not only are her facial features exceptionally good, but her culinary skills, which are usually considered a standard for evaluating Feminine Charm, are also flawless. As a contemporary young woman who is being praised, it's understandable that she might find it hard to understand.

Putting aside her appearance, while she is not completely clueless about cooking, she doesn't have many opportunities to cook because there is a professional housewife in her family. She can only be said to be at the average level among her peers.

"Alright, stop talking, let's watch the show first." Sakurakoji Talent stopped her from saying anything more, placing her Hands near her ears and turning her gaze towards the stage.

"Waaah... Waaah."

Kogisora Yukina, whose attention was forcibly diverted, let out a soft moan, but the lively atmosphere of the scene, which was her first time experiencing it, and the performance on stage that far exceeded the students' level, quickly captured her attention and made her watch intently.

The only similar scene she could think of was the performances held in the gymnasium during the school's cultural festival.

But whether it's the lighting effects, the band's skill level, or the atmosphere, this place far surpasses that place. Before she knew it, she was completely captivated and became mesmerized.

She loved singing, so she was naturally even more drawn to this kind of scene. Usually, due to various reasons, she could only sing alone, occasionally dragging her mother and younger brother along. But here, everyone would occasionally join the lead singer in singing along, creating a lively atmosphere.

Originally quiet, she gradually immersed herself in the atmosphere, letting go of her reserve and spontaneously joining the audience in swaying her head and singing along, her face beaming with joy.

During pauses between songs, or when the band changed stages, she would take the opportunity to savor a few bites of food, then touch her face and hum softly, revealing a happy expression.

Since it was already late when she contacted us today, and it took Sakurakoji Talent quite a while to pick her up, her happiness didn't last long. About half an hour later, the emcee's lights announced the end of the performance.

"Eh~ It's over already?" Kogisora Yukina let out an undisguised sigh of regret, her expression and tone perfectly in sync.

That amount of time wouldn't even be enough for her to warm up when she's alone.

"Well, there's nothing I can do. We arrived too late today. If you want to watch for longer, you'll need to come earlier next time. By the way, our ticket sales start at 6 PM. It used to be 5 PM, but that was changed." Sakurakoji Talent found her genuine regret amusing and explained to her.

"However, since you're my friend, I can give you the privilege of early entry. Ah, but next time you'll have to pay. Just so you know, the total cost for the ticket and Drinks is 2000 yen, and any additional food or drinks will be charged separately."

"Wow, that's really not cheap... but it's definitely worth the price." Considering the prices on the menu earlier, she was a little surprised, but she could understand it perfectly.

Putting aside the professionally delicious food prepared by Sakurakoji Talent, the long and wonderful performances by the numerous bands selected here are more than enough to make the ticket price worthwhile. In fact, for a passionate enthusiast like her, it feels quite cheap compared to karaoke.

Do you like it?

"Yes! I loved it!" She smiled naturally for the umpteenth time, saying crisply and confidently, "The band's performance was fantastic, and the atmosphere here was amazing! I'll definitely come again next time!"

"Oh, right, how about we bring Mom and Takhiro next time?" She tapped her hand on her clapper, as if she had come up with a good idea.

"Oh, right, Takhiro is my younger brother's name." She added, fearing he might have questions.

"I see. But do your mother and brother also like this kind of performance?" Sakurakoji Talent asked, puzzled, indicating that she understood.

"Well, I think they'll like it..." Kogisora Yukina awkwardly put her hands behind her back. "You see, if I bring my mother over occasionally, we can save on the cost that time."

Sakurakoji Talent suddenly realized, and the teasing look in his eyes made her a little flustered. It seems that no matter how outstanding School Idol is, when it comes to being thrifty, they are no different from ordinary people.

"Haha, I understand. Let's call it a day then." He ended his interrogation of her and offered a suggestion. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

"I can go back by myself..." Kogisora Yukina said coyly, her cute, soft, pink lips pouting, still harboring resentment towards his earlier gaze.

"That won't do. Since I brought you out, I must return you safely." His tone was firm, leaving her no room for argument.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Her anger came quickly and went quickly, and she regained her usual gentle smile.

The two walked out of the dimly lit concert hall one after the other, step by step, up the stairs to the night sky outside.

"But it's quite late now, isn't it? Is your house security system okay?" Sakurakoji Talent only noticed this question when she saw the night sky reflected by the Japan outside.

When you're in an underground space like Starry, you often lose track of time and occasionally forget important things.

"No problem, I already told my family before I left, so it's okay if I'm a little late!" Kogisora Yukina patted her chest and said confidently.

"That's good. I was worried that if your family rules were very strict, you might get scolded. In that case, I would have no choice but to go with you. Please forgive me." Sakurakoji Talent touched his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hehe, that's not bad either." She covered her mouth and chuckled. "But this isn't the first time I've broken the curfew in front of Sakurakoji-kun, you know."

"Hmm?" Sakurakoji Talent was taken aback, recalling the night they first met a couple of days ago. "Could it be that...?"

"Yeah! My curfew is 10 o'clock, and it was way past that by then." Kogisora Yukina bent over with her hands behind her back, looking up at him from below. "Both times I broke curfew, it was because of Sakurakoji-kun -kun."

Sakurakoji Talent's heart skipped a beat for no reason; he found her expression incredibly cute, but he still said nonchalantly, "If you want me to be more careful in the future, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. If we continue dating, things like this will probably happen quite often."

"Hehe, that's not what I meant. But... I'm kind of looking forward to it." She skipped ahead and shouted into the night sky, "Sakurakoji-kun is an unrepentant idiot!"

"Hello!"

"Ha ha ha ha..."

"Then I'll be leaving now?"

After getting off at Minamisue Station, the two walked for a while until they arrived at the entrance of the building at the end of the line, which was still lit with soft lights. There, Sakurakoji Talent said this to her.

"Yes, thank you so much for making my evening so enjoyable!" Kogisora Yukina's playful antics along the way quieted down. "Also, thank you for bringing me back."

"That's what I should do. See you next time."

Sakurakoji Talent waved dismissively and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Kogisora Yukina reached out to stop her.

"?" He turned around, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Um, Sakurakoji-kun, would you like to come over to my house sometime? My family seems to be quite interested in you too." Kogisora Yukina felt incredibly embarrassed, remembering the text message she'd just checked on her phone.

Asking her to take the initiative to invite a friend she's only met a few times over to her home seems a bit too hasty, doesn't it?

What if he mistakenly thinks I'm a frivolous girl?

If I had known, I wouldn't have looked at my phone.

During the brief wait, she felt her heart beating faster than ever before, and her face was burning hot—she was definitely blushing! Ugh! How embarrassing!

Fortunately, she didn't have to feel embarrassed or anxious for long before the other party gave her a reply.

"Sure, then I'll trouble you next time. Goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye." She waved gently, watching him disappear at the end of the road.

Image: "Looking Up at You", Location: "Images/1756906547-100446961-113806625. jpg"

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 86 The "Encirclement" Plan Scheduled at the Meeting

After turning a few corners and reaching a main road out of Kogisora Yukina's sight, Sakurakoji Talent waved down a taxi and left Shinjuku for Aoyama.

Although he might not necessarily miss the last train, he didn't need to make himself suffer like that.

He spent half a day playing three different channels from noon to night today. He must have worked really hard!

He stayed up all night last night to finish the proposal for Kasumigaoka Utaha. If he weren't already used to it, he would have just given up and given up, his brain still foggy. Right now, all he wants to do is go back and take a shower and then get some sleep.

He's not bragging, but compared to him now, all those experienced Galgame experts, Normie playboys, and life and relationship mentors are utterly insignificant!

He felt that he was now terrifyingly strong!

... I'll check if Maid-chan is asleep when I get back. If she isn't, I'll ask her to run a bath and maybe tease her a bit to see if I can get some points. Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Sakurakoji Talent habitually thought to himself, his eyes unfocused.

Damn, why am I so proficient now? Is it a side effect of spending too much time on Bai Xue lately?

He shuddered, suddenly realizing he was heading further and further down the path of becoming a scumbag, and couldn't help but sigh, drawing a surprised look from the driver through the rearview mirror.

The Kogisora Family,

As she stepped into the entryway, Kogisora Yukina hummed an original song by a band she had just heard on the Starry, took off her brown knee-high boots, changed into indoor shoes, and neatly placed them aside.

Just as she was about to go upstairs to her room, she saw the brightly lit living room and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

While it's not unusual for someone to leave the light on for someone who's broken the curfew—and it's even possible that their mother, Kogisora Akina, is sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV while waiting for them—is it really necessary to turn on all the lights in the house?

"Aunt Tata~"

She gave a Kokoro, soft greeting and peeked her puzzled head into the living room from the doorway.

When she saw the scene inside, she was immediately startled. The other three people besides her were sitting properly at the square table where they were eating, seemingly waiting for something to begin.

The younger brother was lying on the table, idly playing with his phone. The father, Kogisora Susumu, sat in a chair with his arms crossed and a serious expression. The mother, Kogisora Akina, looked at him with a helpless smile and occasionally struck up a conversation with him.

"What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?" Although she had a bad feeling, she didn't run away and walked over to sit down next to Kogisora Takhiro.

"Ah, my sister's back." Kogisora Takhiro put away his phone and greeted her.

"Yes, I'm back. What's wrong, Takhiro?" Seeing that her parents didn't answer for the time being, she looked at her younger brother.

"Well, how should I put it... it's a temporary meeting to discuss the reasons why the core of the Kogisora Family —their eldest daughter—has been frequently breaking curfew at night lately, and whether appropriate measures should be taken in the Mirai."

Kogisora Takhiro shrugged indifferently, adopting an attitude of "it's none of my business."

"Gurgle~" Kogisora Yukina's head shrank back, her expression slightly bitter.

Unexpectedly, Sakurakoji Talent's prediction came true; a judgment array had indeed been set up at home in advance, waiting for her.

"But I already told Mom and Takhiro in advance, and I didn't come back too late, so it should be fine, right?" She looked at her father; needless to say, this scene was definitely set up at his request.

However, when faced with her question, Kogisora Susumu did not answer directly, but instead brought up another topic.

How did you get back?

"Just like last time, he brought me home, right to my doorstep."

Kogisora Susumu and continued, "That child, was his name Sakurakoji-kun?"

"So-yo." Kogisora Yukina had no idea what he was planning.

"If I remember correctly, you went out with him a few nights ago, right? And you two only met that day." Kogisora Susumu looked at his daughter and said to himself:

"Did you go to his workplace today? What kind of place is that?"

"It's a livehouse called 'Starry,' it's a really great place!" Speaking of this, Kogisora Yukina's feelings, which had just been extinguished by her separation from Sakurakoji Talent, were rekindled. "Although it might seem like a suspicious place hidden underground at first glance, it's actually a very lively and legitimate performance venue!"

"Every night, many independent bands perform there, and there are a lot of audience members. The lighting, sound, and atmosphere are excellent. Sakurakoji-kun's sweets are also delicious, and the owner is a very friendly and mature beauty!"

"Although we didn't get to watch for very long today because we arrived late, I still really enjoyed it!"

"By the way, how about Mom and Takhiro come with me next time? I'm sure you'll love it there!"

"Livehouse?" Kogisora Takhiro, who was watching the show, exclaimed.

"Is it that concert hall that gathers many independent musicians and provides them with a performance venue?"

"You knew that?" Kogisora Yukina raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Of course, because they're really popular lately, especially Girl Band. They've generated quite a bit of buzz among both male and female students." Kogisora Takhiro looked meaningfully at his sometimes eccentric older sister. "Or rather, why don't you know, sister? You clearly love singing so much."

"... You can sing all by yourself! It's not surprising you don't know that!" Kogisora Yukina pouted slightly, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Hey, it's definitely not because you intentionally hid your interests and hobbies, and your friends didn't tell you," he said, looking back at his phone screen and resting his chin on his hand.

"..." After he explained the reason so precisely, Kogisora Yukina was left speechless with mixed feelings.