Chapter 80

"I used to live in the America, but I never participated in any competitions."

Why hasn't he made any sarcastic or critical remarks about Kawaragi Momoka's and the others' educational backgrounds so far? Is he just too kind? Of course not.

That's the reason.

At least they graduated from high school or junior high school, while he didn't even go to kindergarten!

Who could have a lower educational background than him?

LOL, he has no right to mock them at all.

However, in another sense, he may indeed be the most highly educated person: a PhD graduate from a "homebody university." Please enlighten me!

"Aren't you planning to pursue a career in this field?"

"Didn't I just say that having talent in this area doesn't necessarily mean you have to develop in this direction?" Sakurakoji Talent reiterated his point of view. "What, you think I have some talent?"

Touma Kazusa rolled her eyes at him, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Although this section was too simple and limited in its details, she could be certain from the performance that Sakurakoji Talent was no less talented than her.

She could dominate everyone in the National Competition at the beginning of her first year of high school, so he should be able to too.

Surprisingly, what he said was true.

Her thoughts drifted back to the night they first met, when he said he was very similar to her, and she had been dismissive of him at the time.

Whether it's appearance or personality, family background or career planning, range of activities or interpersonal relationships, there's absolutely no way that I could have anything in common with him.

But now it seems... they really do look somewhat alike.

However, unlike himself, whose only notable skill was playing the Piano, he seemed to surpass him in many other aspects...

Her gaze toward him grew increasingly complicated.

"Touma, do you want to become Piano?"

"I don't know," she glanced away at the equipment beside her, "And it's not a matter of wanting or not wanting; the success rate in this industry is among the lowest in all sectors."

"Music is the most illogical field. Some people can replicate a song they've heard at the age of three, and play it better than some adults at the age of five. It's the industry that relies most on talent."

"Do you even have the right to say that?" Sakurakoji Talent retorted.

"My talent is at best second-rate in the music world," Touma Kazusa said scathingly of herself. "Even if I work my hardest, I might not be able to support myself as a performer."

"When you say 'second-rate,' you probably mean in the grand scheme of music history, compared to those non-human beings, right?" he continued, resting his chin on his hand.

"..." Touma Kazusa gave him an unhappy look, as if to say, "You've said everything."

"Well, even if I don't become a musician, I can still just play around, right?" He raised his hands in surrender. "Some of my friends have been playing in bands lately, so using this to enter the entertainment industry isn't a bad idea, right? There's less competition."

"Or you could become a pop music composer and sell your songs to make money; with your talent, that wouldn't be a problem either."

"Let's put aside the issue of social hierarchy for now. As long as you can earn money to support yourself, that's all that matters. You probably listen to pop music regularly, right?"

"I've heard about it..." she frowned, "But I've never tried it."

"And it sounds simple, but if you don't earn a lot, it's hard to even maintain this house. Do you know how much this villa costs in a year?"

Although her mother would likely leave behind a large inheritance by the time she took over, she wasn't confident she could manage and maintain it effectively for decades.

"Why don't you give it a try? You're not really focused on training right now, and you're just going through the motions in class anyway. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot, would it?"

"What do you mean?" She suddenly had a feeling of being trapped.

"It's nothing, hahaha..." Sakurakoji Talent scratched the back of his head with his fair fingers, chuckled, and then looked into her eyes, his expression instantly becoming serious.

"I happen to have a project on hand right now that needs people to do some voice-over and music composition. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Sometimes, seizing any opportunity in life becomes an instinct.

Did he really come all this way just to see her?

Image: "Handsome", Location: "Images/1758036120-100446961-113858669. jpg"

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 112 High-Quality Human Men and Women

In Sakurakoji Talent's creative game planning, suitable candidates have already been found for the script and illustrations, and the software engineering will be outsourced. Now, all that's missing are the music and voice acting.

Putting aside the voice acting, you can't expect him to handle the music production all by himself, can you?

Although the requirements for the prologue can be lowered to some extent, the workload is still considerable; one person doing it alone would be exhausted.

Perfectly, the person right in front of me is the perfect candidate.

Not only can she voice the female lead, but she can also greatly help him with the music. With her and him, that should be enough.

First, compose the music, then hand it over to a professional band for recording.

Of all the people he knows, she's the only one who can immediately join the fight; the best the others are at best are those who have just formed a band.

Of course, deep down, he didn't really want to involve them.

"... What kind of project?"

"It's a visual text game that I'm leading. It's just started production and we need people to do the voice acting and music production. Are you interested in learning more?" He extended an invitation that was hard to tell if it was well-intentioned or not.

"Of course, I will be deeply involved, but it's not enough for me to do it alone. I hope someone can come and help me."

"You'll be paid according to market rates. You can also use this opportunity to get a feel for the industry; consider it a work internship."

"Hmm~~ Hmm~~" Her voice didn't reveal whether she was interested or not, but her eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

Two hours later, at the entrance of the Touma family mansion,

"Your lunchbox for tonight is there too. Just heat it up and eat it. I have to go to work now," Sakurakoji Talent said as she changed her shoes.

"... I see."

Touma Kazusa's eyes darted away; this scene felt a bit like...

"Nothing to say?"

"?" She tilted her head, puzzled.

"Sigh..." He sighed, holding up his phone. "Contact information, contact information, this time it should be fine, right?"

"Oh, oh." After realizing what he meant, she took out her own phone and exchanged it with him without any hesitation.

Looking at the new name added to his contact list, Sakurakoji Talent felt an even greater sense of accomplishment.

Although Touma Kazusa didn't immediately agree to participate in the production, saying she wanted to wait and see, she at least didn't seem averse to it, so the chances of success were still quite high—or rather, he would definitely find a way to bring her in.

"Then I'll be going. See Starry next time."

"Um."

He pushed open the door, glanced back at her, and left without looking back after receiving her response.

"Ha..." Touma Kazusa stared at the closed door, her mind in turmoil, a mix of emotions making it difficult for her to return to the living room.

This afternoon, because he departed from another location midway, he arrived at Starry a little earlier than usual.

As soon as he stepped into this underground space, Sakurakoji Talent spotted the guest who had come from afar.

"Oh, isn't this Teacher Shizuka? Long time no see!"

He was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Hiratsuka Shizuka to come today, and even earlier than him.

"Oh, it's Sakurakoji. You're still as annoying as ever," Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a laugh after recognizing the person.

"You're here early today, that's rare." Sakurakoji Talent quickly walked up to her.

"Well, teachers' schedules are the same as students', after all, spring break has started." She explained why she was there so early, but immediately looked exhausted, her eyes lifeless.

"Although there are still occasional meetings, lesson plan discussions, and lesson preparation... that's about it."

"Looks like you're working hard. You must be exhausted. Would you like me to give you a massage?" He rested his arms on the counter, showing his kind concern.

However, his rare suggestion, devoid of personal bias, received a strong response.

"What are you going to do!" Hiratsuka Shizuka assumed a defensive stance, looking at him warily, recalling the scene when he had played a trick on her last time she came.

Her face flushed whenever she recalled what happened.

After she went back last time, it took her a long time to fall asleep.

This time, although he kept his promise and didn't call her "Teacher Shizuka-cute" again, she wouldn't fall into his trap so easily.

This guy is far more wicked than he appears! He's probably up to no good again!

Sadly, there's nothing I can do about him...

"How could you be so mean! I was just trying to show you some concern!" Sakurakoji Talent wiped away imaginary tears from the corners of his eyes, looking as if he was hurt by her words.

Do I really look like a bad person?

"What do you think?" Hiratsuka Shizuka scoffed.

"If you're really feeling tired, just let Talent give you a massage," Ichiji Hoshika, who was sitting next to her, interrupting their conversation.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, he's a master massage therapist... mmm, it feels incredibly comfortable."

The memory of Sakurakoji Talent making her a masaki last time brought back fond memories. That guy was indeed very skilled in these areas.

How about I make him give me another massage later, as punishment for his skipping work for a few days? Yeah, let's do that!

"Really?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"If you don't believe me, just try it once. There's nothing to lose anyway, and I can't possibly do anything to you in front of everyone, can I?" he suggested with a chuckle.

"..." Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned, but then realized that her suspicious expression was rather pathetic, and quickly relaxed.

Hmph, what can a mere brat do to me? Why worry so much?

"Alright then," she agreed, while simultaneously brandishing her small fist as a warning.

"But I'm warning you, if you dare to try anything funny, I'll let you taste my iron fist!"

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Sakurakoji Talent stood up and walked behind her, placing his Hands on her tense shoulders.

"Relax," he said, patting the object on the shoulder.

"..."

Feeling her muscles begin to soften, he began his physical services.

While massaging her acupoints, joints, and stiff muscles to relax them, he started talking.

"Speaking of which, Teacher Shizuka, the new school year starts next month, right? Have you decided which grade you'll be teaching?"

"Second year of high school~" Hiratsuka Shizuka's pupils began to dilate, and her facial muscles relaxed.

Her skin deformed under his kneading, and every spot he pressed felt like it was melting, incredibly relaxed.

The tension that was originally caused by a busy and tense body is now being relieved by the stimulation brought about by the continuous trembling of the fascia.

She now understood why Ichiji Hoshika so highly; this kid really knew his stuff...

"Second year of high school... Second year of high school is not bad, second year of high school is very good..." Sakurakoji Talent narrowed his eyes, his hands still moving.

Since it's the second year of high school, that means the Second Miss and her friends should be making their appearance around now, right?

Should I go and get involved? But the other party is in Chiba, dozens of kilometers away, which is inconvenient for me to travel back and forth every day.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It doesn't matter what grade you're in, right?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said lazily, glancing at him with a slight smile.

"What?! You're starting to get interested in school too?"

"Why don't you transfer to my class? I'll 'train' you properly!"

"I'm not going to walk into the lion's den." He scoffed and decisively shook his head in refusal.

If he were assigned to work under her, he would surely face her continuous abuse of power every day.

"Besides, Teacher Shizuka, don't you think your idea is a bad deal?"