Omnibus Anime: Person in Music Anime, Relaxing and Happy

He gazed up at Bai Qiu's dashing retreating figure, Yamada Ryo unable to let it go for a long time.

"Gurgle..."

Yamada Ryo casually grabbed a handful of weeds and stuffed them into her mouth.

"So bitter..."

Why did she have to tell him that was fried chicken!

P.S.: I feel like I might not be able to go on! The plot's still there, but I always feel like the writing's not quite satisfying...

Chapter 27: Nagasaki Sosei's House Dinner

Speaking of which, if I'd traded the fried chicken with Yamada Ryo back there.

Could I have watched her eat grass?

Thinking about it that way, Bai Qiu felt a bit of a misstep!

No, no, no.

Bai Qiu shook his head, considering Yamada Ryo's trashy nature.

If he was this nice to her from the start, wouldn't she easily have him wrapped around her finger later?

[Repeatedly stimulated Takamatsu Tomo's memories of the band, Notes +500.]

Bai Qiu stopped walking, momentarily stunned.

Was he the kind of person who built his happiness on others' pain?!

"Little Sose, are you getting used to living here?"

On the sofa, a woman lay sprawled without any dignity, playfully kicking her legs up behind her, hands cupping her face as she looked toward the kitchen.

"Mother, don't call me Little Sose."

"I'm already grown up."

Nagasaki Sosei turned back, puffing out her chest coquettishly, a soup ladle still in her hand—clearly she was cooking.

"Also, I really like the new house, thank you, Mother."

"Sorry for always leaving you alone."

Nagasaki Sosei's mother said apologetically.

"It's okay, Mother, your work is already hard enough."

"Besides, even alone, I'm not really bored. I have lots of friends at school."

"Is that so? That's good."

The woman smiled with relief, as if putting her heart at ease. Having such a considerate daughter was wonderful.

Speaking of school, she then followed up, "Is high school life treating you well? Keeping up with the lessons?"

"I can manage!"

Nagasaki Sosei smiled sweetly.

The woman's face was full of smiles too. She was about to praise her daughter further when suddenly the phone rang.

This made her frown involuntarily.

The soup ladle in Nagasaki Sosei's hand trembled. A sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

Sitting up straight, she answered the call.

Nagasaki Sosei's mother instantly shed the gentle demeanor she'd just worn.

Her whole face changed, turning serious as she conversed with the person on the other end.

The call was very brief, but Nagasaki Sosei grew increasingly restless and uneasy.

"Sorry, Sose... Mother has an urgent order, I can't have dinner with you."

As she spoke, Nagasaki Mother had already stood up, slipped on her coat, and come before Nagasaki Sosei.

"It's... fine, Mother. It can't be helped."

Nagasaki Sosei forced a smile onto her face to comfort her.

"Mm, if anything happens, remember to contact Mother."

Nagasaki Mother nodded, then hugged her daughter reluctantly.

"Mm, okay."

Seeing her mother to the door, closing the main entrance behind her.

The smile on Nagasaki Sosei's face vanished completely, her complexion even turning somewhat pale.

She crouched down behind the door in dejection, biting her bloodless lips.

At this moment, the spacious, brand-new house felt to her as cold as the iron door at her back.

It wasn't the sound of leveling up—it was the elevator arriving at her floor.

First out, then in. Bai Qiu stepped out of the elevator.

At the same time, a black-clad figure stepped into it.

The figure faced Bai Qiu, offering a polite smile and a slight nod of greeting.

Bai Qiu returned the polite smile, though a flicker of surprise stirred within him.

After all, with only two households per floor, it was rare to see an unfamiliar face on his own floor.

Still, this outfit.

To Bai Qiu, it screamed quintessential corporate elite.

A meticulously tailored black suit, flawless and wrinkle-free, paired with a crisp, shoulder-length bob cut.

A smile that was just right—polite and warm, effortlessly inspiring goodwill.

No way this was just some ordinary floor-to-floor salesperson.

Well, he couldn't dwell on it.

Bai Qiu pulled out his keys, slid open the security gate, and a "click" rang out.

Just then, the door next door suddenly swung open.

Nagasaki Sosei poked her head out, beaming, and called out, "You're back, Mo—"

But when she got a clear look at the person outside, Nagasaki Sosei's face fell into a visibly dejected state, Her voice dropping to its lowest volume.

"—...Mother."

Bai Qiu jumped, turning his head in astonishment.

Inside Nagasaki Sosei's home.

Bai Qiu and Nagasaki Sosei sat facing each other.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Looking at the Nagasaki Sosei before him—friendly, gentle, virtuous, yet tinged with a hint of shyness and restraint—

Bai Qiu felt something was off.

It left him momentarily at a loss for words.

Just now, after being suddenly called "Mother,"

For some inexplicable reason, he'd been invited in by Nagasaki Sosei.

Nagasaki Sosei felt the same way. On the surface, she was calm and unruffled, But inside, she too harbored a mix of shyness and embarrassment.

In a spot Bai Qiu couldn't see, she kept fidgeting with her fingertips.

Just now, hearing the noise from outside the door, She'd mistakenly thought her mother had finished work early and come back.

After all, that had happened before.

So she'd opened the door with a delighted expression.

But it turned out to be just Bai Qiu from next door returning.

This left Nagasaki Sosei deeply disappointed.

And on top of that, Bai Qiu had caught her looking somewhat flustered.

For some reason, she'd gone ahead and pulled him in to have dinner together.

Maybe she didn't want to waste the lavish meal she'd prepared, Or maybe she simply wanted to thank Bai Qiu for his help last time, Or perhaps she just didn't want to eat alone!

Nagasaki Sosei said softly, "Bai Qiu-kun, wait a moment. I'll go serve the rice."

Bai Qiu nodded, not offering to help.

Because he felt he, too, needed a bit of time and space to calm down.

On the delicate round dining table, the food was giving off an enticing aroma.

Green Pepper Shredded Potatoes, Tomato Scrambled Eggs, Braised Eggplant, Teppanyaki Tofu Cubes.

And finally, a pot of vibrant green Vegetable Macaroni soup, standing out especially.

Bai Qiu glanced at it, his expression turning a bit subtle.

Wasn't something missing?

Considering that his relationship with Nagasaki-san wasn't yet at the point where he could casually crack jokes with her.

Especially since he was about to freeload a meal here.

Otherwise, Bai Qiu would definitely have asked at some point, "Nagasaki-san, are you really living up to your name and only eating vegetables?"

Fortunately, with the fried chicken Bai Qiu had brought, there was at least some meat.

So now it was five dishes and one soup.

Thinking of this, Bai Qiu smiled faintly.

At that moment, Bai Qiu was immensely grateful he hadn't handed the fried chicken over to Yamada Ryo.

Otherwise, he would have shown up empty-handed.

In that case, how embarrassing would that be!

It definitely wasn't because there was no meat to eat.

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth lifted as Bai Qiu thought of something amusing.

He took out his phone.

By accident, the Band-aid gifted by Takamatsu Tomo also fell out.

Bai Qiu first picked up the Band-aid and gently set it aside.

Then, using his phone, he took a photo of the bountiful dinner.

After that, he shared it into the Kessoku Band group chat.

The last message in the group chat was from a few days ago.