Chapter 83
"You bastard, how could you do something like this in the street? Don't you feel ashamed?" Hiratsuka Shizuka complained as she fastened her seatbelt.
"And you were hugging me so tightly, you're not trying to take advantage of me on purpose, are you?"
"Don't say that, my hair feels nice to the touch, doesn't it?" Sakurakoji Talent replied with a carefree chuckle.
As for whether his subtext was 'your waist feels very comfortable to hug,' we don't know.
Hearing him say that, Hiratsuka Shizuka did not refute it. Recalling the feeling from just now, she could only say that he was right.
It's hard to imagine that he, a guy, could take better care of his hair than she did, and that it felt even better to the touch than her own!
"Stop being so vain," she retorted stubbornly. "Hair is still just hair."
"Really? But good quality hair can be sold for money too."
"Ha, how much can hair sell for? A few thousand yen?" Hiratsuka Shizuka scoffed.
"A few hundred thousand yen, I guess." Sakurakoji Talent thought of someone. "Recently, someone said they were willing to pay that price for a lock of my hair."
"... Are you kidding me?"
"Unfortunately, that's not the case."
"What an unparalleled pervert, and a rich one at that!" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but exclaim.
"That's absolutely right." He wholeheartedly agreed.
"I really don't understand how rich people think."
Incidentally, that person was the woman who gave him the local specialty from his hometown—mackerel. She was an actress, and a very famous one at that, and also a freshman at the Philia Academy this year.
"So, did you sell it or not?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked curiously.
"No, how could I sell a part of my body because of someone else's fetish?" He pulled out a strand of hair, the pure white silk reflecting the light.
"You're actually someone with some principles—if what just happened hadn't happened, I might have thought so." Hiratsuka Shizuka scoffed. "So, where do you live?"
"I currently live in an apartment in Aoyama, Minato Ward. I'll give you directions."
He tapped the display screen in his car, opened the navigation software, and entered the address.
"Wow~ This address, I didn't realize you were so willing to spend money on it." She glanced at the location on the map, somewhat surprised.
The rent in this location must be quite expensive; ordinary working people definitely wouldn't be willing to live here.
Although Sakurakoji Talent's salary is not low, living here is still quite luxurious.
Sakurakoji Talent smiled silently and remained silent; he had no intention of revealing his financial situation to her.
Moreover, telling her is essentially the same as telling Ichiji Hoshika and the others, and he can imagine how much of a headache he will face when they question him.
Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't inquire further, after all, she had never thought his situation was that simple.
At his age, how many young people can you find who don't go to school and work full-time? Surprisingly, his family didn't object.
Unless he's extremely short of money, judging from his attire, his family doesn't seem to be particularly poor.
Twenty minutes later, the sports car roared to life as it arrived at the foot of the Ten no Yashiro.
"You live here?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked out the window at the towering building and couldn't help but whistle.
"Yes, thank you for bringing me back."
You're welcome~ This place is quite new.
"After all, it's a new building that only opened for occupancy this year," he explained briefly, opening the car door. "Wait here for me a moment, I'll go get you the local specialties I mentioned earlier."
"Hey, right here? Is it okay?"
She's currently parked in a temporary parking spot in front of the building entrance; if she parks there for an extended period, someone will likely come and chase her away.
"It's okay, it's okay, nothing will happen, I'll be right back."
After closing the car door, he went into the apartment, told the guards what was going on, and then headed for the elevator.
He didn't intend to invite Hiratsuka Shizuka upstairs for a chat, for the same reason mentioned above: if he ran into Aoyama Nanami and the others again, he wouldn't know how to explain it.
However, he thought to himself that sooner or later, others might come to visit, so he should prepare a regular temporary room.
Five minutes later,
He walked out of the apartment carrying two exquisitely crafted small porcelain jars with brightly colored patterns on their surfaces.
"Here, take this." Since it was inconvenient to open the car door, he came to the driver's side and handed her the can.
"Oh! This doesn't look very big, but it's quite heavy. It seems to have a lot of weight." Hiratsuka Shizuka Kokoro took it and placed it on the passenger seat, replying with a smile, "Thank you very much!"
"Okay, drive Kokoro, especially at night, and be safe."
"I know, I know, you really do have the potential to be a 'mom'."
"Bye-Bye."
See you next time!
Hiratsuka Shizuka waved casually, started her sports car amidst the roars of wild beasts, and sped away into the night, returning to her residence in Chiba.
He watched her enter the main road, then went back into the apartment building.
After returning to the top floor,
Sakurakoji Talent, who thought the day was over, suddenly remembered his conversation with Aoyama Nanami that morning.
Come to think of it, I didn't see her when I came up here. Was she studying in her room?
It's not impossible, after all, he usually hasn't returned by this time.
However, since I've thought about Shiina Mashiro, I should take advantage of the time I have now and go check on her.
Without even changing his clothes, he took his things and took the elevator to Shiina Mashiro's floor, stopped in front of her room, and rang the doorbell.
Ding dong~
Ding dong~
Ding dong~
Although the doorbell had been rung several times, there was still no response from inside.
"Is he not here?"
No, but it's so late, and Shiina Mashiro isn't him, so he shouldn't have a habit of being nocturnal.
Could something have happened? Thinking of this possibility, he frowned, his expression grave.
If it were anyone else, the possibility would be very small, but if it were Shiina Mashiro... it's really hard to ignore.
This is the only way!
He took out the apartment's master key from his pocket and opened the tightly closed door.
Needless to say, as the owner of the apartment, it's perfectly reasonable and normal for him to have keys to all the rooms, right?
Of course, Aoyama Nanami, who is currently acting as a temporary caretaker for Shiina Mashiro, also has a spare key card for her room.
"Mashiro, I'm coming in."
He felt relieved within three seconds of entering the room.
The fluorescent light from the display screen was so conspicuous in the dark room, and so was the light illuminating Shiina Mashiro's face.
She seemed focused on her work and was completely unaffected by the doorbell.
This is absurd for anyone else; no matter how focused they are on their work, they shouldn't be so deaf to this.
But in her case, it all seemed quite normal.
"Why aren't the lights on? Working in the dark is bad for your eyes." Facing the pitch-black room, he casually closed the door and turned on the light switch next to him.
Snap,
Bright, soft light instantly filled the room, dispelling all darkness.
This sudden and dramatic change finally caught Shiina Mashiro's attention, and she turned to look at the doorway.
"I was startled; it turns out it's Talent."
"It's been a few days, good evening, Talent."
She wasn't surprised how he got in, nor did she condemn his trespassing; she simply greeted him in a calm tone.
Despite the friendly welcome, Sakurakoji Talent remained silent, his gaze fixed on her as she sat with her legs drawn up in the swivel chair, as if he had been stunned by a skill.
After a while, he finally managed to speak:
"You startled me too. May I ask, Mashiro-san? What were you doing before I arrived?"
"Hmm?" Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, thought for a few seconds, then looked him straight in the eye and said, "Draw manga."
"Hmm, and before that?"
"Hmm... take a bath."
"Alright, that's enough," he gestured, "So, after you finished washing, didn't you realize you missed something?"
"Hmm?" She tilted her head and frowned again, this time seemingly unable to think of an answer, her expression both pitiful and adorable.
"What is it? Tell me, Talent."
She sat up from her seat and walked towards him step by step.
"STOP! Why are you standing up?!" Sakurakoji Talent quickly stopped her from getting any closer. "Look at yourself! Why aren't you wearing any clothes after taking a shower?!"
Shiina Mashiro looked down and saw a scene of fair, beautiful skin, without a single flaw, comparable to a masterpiece she herself had painted, appearing so openly before her eyes.
What happened?
Shiina Mashiro showed no shock, surprise, or fright whatsoever; her eyes remained calm as she gazed at him.
"Because my hair is still wet after showering, it's not dry enough to just use a towel."
So that seems to be the reason.
"Besides, we'll be sleeping anyway, so we don't need to wear clothes."
This seems to be her logic.
It turns out she's a proponent of sleeping naked; Sakurakoji Talent learned a useless piece of knowledge.
"... It should be dry by now, so why aren't you wearing it?"
"Why do I need to wear it? I'm the only one in the room." Shiina Mashiro looked at him, puzzled. "Besides, it's more comfortable not to wear it."
What if there were other people around?
Even if Nanami came, she wouldn't wear it, would she?
But now it's me who's here!
"Oh, right," she nodded as if she understood, but quickly asked, "How did Talent get in?"
"..."
Image: "Mashiro after a bath", Location: "Images/1758203161-100446961-113866017. jpg"
Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 116 Oh dear, leave you to me tonight!
Her meaning was clear: if no one is in the room, there's no need to wear it;
If there are people in the room, then it depends on the situation:
If the person who comes is Aoyama Nanami, since she is of the same sex, she won't wear it, nor does she need to;