Come to think of it, the package Ichiyo had prepared for him was really heavy. No wonder she had repeatedly suggested driving over today when he was leaving.
He adjusted the large gift bag in his hand. It was filled with all kinds of small dessert boxes, roughly fifteen or twenty of them. Their considerable weight pressed through the thin handles against his knuckles, tinting his originally fair skin red.
They were not going on a picnic or anything. Was there really a need to prepare this much?
Although he had been the one to suggest it, he had not expected to be the one bearing this weight in the end. Damn, was this the weight of life?
As random thoughts ran through his head, a shadow entered his vision as he passed a corner. Before he could adjust his posture, the two of them collided head-on. Sakurakoji Talent hurriedly raised the bag in his hand to protect it from harm.
Bang!
As expected, after a physical exchange of momentum, both of them tipped backward and fell to the floor.
Sakurakoji Talent had it worse. Since he was protecting the things in his hands, he did not use them to brace himself. His upper body slammed straight into the ground, intimately meeting the tiles.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow." He reflexively uttered the line, rubbed his head, then froze.
Uh, it did not actually hurt that much. Compared to the pain he dealt with every day, this barely even counted. Anime was just too realistic, making him instinctively feel like it should hurt a lot.
After realizing that, he looked at the other person on the ground. She was also rubbing the muscles of her butt, which had intimately met the floor. Her outstandingly delicate face was scrunched up as she let out a heartfelt cry: "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
"..."
Her reaction was so textbook that Sakurakoji Talent fell silent instead.
She had a petite figure and waist-length purple hair. One glance was enough to tell that she was a woman. Wearing a white hoodie and a blue-gray baseball cap, she looked like an ordinary outdoorsy girl.
"I'm sorry! I was running too fast and crashed into you! Are you okay?"
After getting up, the girl looked at him anxiously and apologized for her recklessness.
Sakurakoji Talent looked at her violet eyes, where her apology seemed practically tangible and sparkled like stars, and ten thousand alpacas galloped through his heart. Seriously, he could run into her too? What kind of clichéd Morning Drama plot was this?
"I'm fine. I should share the blame for not paying attention. You weren't hurt, were you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Hearing his answer, Hoshino Ai touched her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
That was close. If she had injured someone, her meager salary would not be enough to compensate them.
Image: "Girl at the Corner", location: "Images/1753759374-100446961-113654807.jpg"
"To express my apologies, please accept this."
Sakurakoji Talent took three food boxes from the bag and handed them to her.
"Huh? No, no! It was my fault for being too hasty!"
"No, didn't I say it too? I was also at fault for not watching where I was going because I was in a hurry. Please accept them. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty."
Faced with his persistence, Hoshino Ai looked helplessly at the dessert boxes suspended in the air, which clearly looked high-end.
What should she do? Should she take them or not?
It would be embarrassing to accept them, but they looked really delicious. They should taste much better than the boxed meals handed out at the venue, right? Hoshino Ai could not help producing some instinctive fluids in her mouth.
"Just take them." Sakurakoji Talent took the opportunity to stuff the items into her arms, drawing a startled cry from her.
"Also, to make sure you do not have any lingering problems afterward, I'd like to exchange contact information with you."
"If any injury-related issues come up later, feel free to contact me."
"Huh? There's really no need. I'm really fine, look." She lightly spun around to demonstrate how healthy she was.
"No. This is my principle as a person. Please don't refuse."
"Then... all right."
It was somewhat against her agency's rules, but seeing how firm his attitude was, refusing now would seem more unreasonable.
She had not expected him to be not only handsome, but also so kind-hearted. It seemed the world did not contain only filthy and painful things after all.
After exchanging Line accounts with her, Sakurakoji Talent was finally satisfied.
"Besides, I also wanted to cheer you on, Miss Hoshino Ai of B-Komachi."
"Huh?" For who knew how many times today, Hoshino Ai made a startled sound. She had been staring at the treasures in her arms, but his words shocked her into suddenly looking up at him. "I've been found out?"
"It was pretty obvious, after all." Sakurakoji Talent smiled brightly.
"What a shame. I thought my disguise was pretty good."
"But I didn't expect anyone to recognize me. I'm just a tiny Underground Idol, after all."
Hoshino Ai puffed out her cheeks, then grew a little happy. This was the first time she had been recognized on the street, even if it was because of an accident.
"Um, you..."
"My name is Sakurakoji Talent."
"Mm, Sakurakoji-san, are you... are you my fan?"
"More or less."
"Then why did you ask for my contact information just now?"
"Of course, so I can get close to you and eat you up completely."
"Huh?!" Hoshino Ai took two steps back and gave him a wary look, her eyes filled with vigilance.
"Of course, I'm joking." Sakurakoji Talent shrugged casually.
"Y-you were joking?"
"Don't worry. I'm not that kind of shameless stalker fan. I won't do things like following or peeping on you."
"Ah, I have something else to do, so I'll be going." He waved, then turned back to Hoshino Ai and said, "Good luck with work."
"Ah, mm! Goodbye!" Hoshino Ai hurriedly bowed too, then seemed to remember something. Her expression turned urgent, and her legs accelerated to thirty kilometers per hour again.
"I'm doomed! I'm almost late for rehearsal!"
Watching her retreating figure, Sakurakoji Talent shook his head with a smile and slowly walked away.
He was going to be late anyway, so he might as well just give up!
"This is way too good!"
Ichiji Nijika took a bite of the pudding Sakurakoji Talent had brought. Staring at the translucent pale-yellow crystal before her, her eyes gleamed as a blissful expression spread across her face, and she could not help praising it.
"Delicious~"
Yamada Ryo said nothing, simply continuing to lift spoonful after spoonful to satisfy her taste buds.
"Seriously! Where did you buy this? The taste is way too fancy. I want to go too."
Holding a spoon in one hand and propping up her rosy cheek with the other, PA voiced the same sentiment.
Although eating too many sweets would make people gain weight and ruin their figure, she could not care less now. With such delicious food before her, she felt she could eat however much there was.
"This was made by the woman at my... I bought it near my house. It's a little far from here."
"Is that okay? It looks really expensive. Can you still save any of your salary?"
Ichiji Hoshika was also enjoying the Coffee Jelly in her hand, but she still asked Sakurakoji Talent with concern. She suspected these desserts might cost the equivalent of two or three days of his wages.
"It's fine, it's fine. The Pastry Chef is an acquaintance, so I bought them very cheaply."
Sakurakoji Talent waved it off, having expected their reactions.
Although Ichiyo was the Sakurakoji Family's head maid, her dessert-making skills had reached a professional level. She was no worse than any star-rated pastry chef. His younger sister Ashiri dreamed of becoming a professional Pastry Chef and often followed her around to secretly learn from her.
"Well, for the sake of these delicious desserts, I'll forgive you for being late today."
"Please be late once every day from now on!"
"How nice. If I could eat something this delicious every day, I'd be willing to marry whoever made it."
"You gloomy woman, when did you become so flirtatious? Finish eating and get back to work!"
"Ehh~ You're so heartless, Hoshika-chan!"
"Who are you calling Hoshika-chan?!"
Watching the noisy scene before him, Sakurakoji Talent's lips curved upward. This feeling was not bad either.
Image: "Remember to like and save, thank you", location: "Images/1753760095-100446961-113654807.jpg"
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Starry's Food and Drink Renovation Plan
A few days later, during opening hours at the Starry counter.
A crowd of people had gathered before the ticket booth, but today, their target seemed to be something else.
"Hello, I'd like a caramel pudding, and Earl Grey Tea for the drink!"
"Certainly, please wait a moment. Drinks are all 500 yen, caramel pudding is 600 yen, making a total of 1,100 yen. Thank you for your patronage."
"Excuse me, I'd like a hot coffee."
"That'll be 500 yen, thank you."
"Hello! I'd like a Matcha Parfait and a Coffee Jelly! Plus two fruit teas!"
"The total is 2,800 yen. Here is your change, please keep it safe."
"..."
"..."
Faced with the nonstop orders and sparkling stares, Sakurakoji Talent handled everything with ease, moving quickly and accurately. Selling tickets, fetching drinks, packaging desserts, taking payment, and giving change—he did it all in one smooth flow without the slightest delay. No customer waited more than thirty seconds.
The Sticky Note drink menu, which had once contained only a few sparse lines, had been replaced with a black-backed board. The cheap plastic cups had been swapped for sturdy paper cups printed with the STARRY logo. The various desserts he had introduced were also wildly popular, selling out halfway through every day.
At the tuning station beside him, Ichiji Hoshika stared blankly at the unprecedentedly bustling scene before her, not knowing what to say.
"Isn't that guy a little too capable?" She nudged PA beside her.
"Indeed. He's practically the perfect all-purpose man. Even I can't help feeling my heart race, dokidoki."
"Be serious!"
"I am serious. Although the treats Mr. Talent brought last time were delicious, the things he introduced are just as tasty. And he makes them using some very simple ingredients too. It's incredible!"
"What, do you want to marry him?"
"That wouldn't be impossible. He's handsome, he can cook, and we have plenty of common topics. Ah~!"
PA held her face in both Hands, revealing a rare Shy expression as if she had already imagined their happy married life.
"Crazy woman..." Ichiji Hoshika frowned.
But Sakurakoji Talent really was outstanding to an excessive degree. There probably was no one who would not want their other half to be like that, right?
At least for her, cooking alone was incredibly attractive... No, no, no, what am I thinking? I'm a single, marriage-free person!
"By the way, should I give him a raise? These past few days' turnover has broken records."
"If you have any conscience at all."
"..."
Ichiji Hoshika fell silent, habitually scratched her hair, then sighed.
"Fine, I get it."
Sakurakoji Talent's proposed plan to improve Starry's food and Drinks had gone unexpectedly smoothly. In just a few days, drink sales had risen from their original guaranteed amount to a level that even Ichiji Hoshika found exaggerated, nearly surpassing ticket revenue.
Through word of mouth, some people even took the train from other places specifically to buy them. They left immediately after purchasing, without even considering buying a ticket to watch a performance.
It had only been a few days. One could imagine that this situation would only grow more and more extravagant in the future. Before long, they would probably have to introduce a new rule allowing only customers who had bought tickets inside.
In her twenty-nine years of life, Ichiji Hoshika had never seen anything so absurd at any live house. She had not expected it to happen in her own shop.
Food and beverage revenue was higher than ticket revenue. Was this still a live house?
Unlike Ichiji Hoshika and the others, who were amazed, Sakurakoji Talent only found it fulfilling. At least it gave him something fresh to do. Was the process of creating high-quality food not itself a form of artistic creation?
His previous life of repeating simple, mechanical work every day had inevitably left him feeling somewhat bored and dull.
Before you continue