Riki glanced at Toyokawa Sakiko, who was struggling to use translation software to read something on her computer on the sofa nearby. This probably counted as a bit of good luck.
Just as his mentor had said, the more talented someone was, the more likely their talent was to hold them back and lead them into a dead end. Before this, he'd spent many days working himself into dark circles under his eyes. It wasn't until Toyokawa Sakiko showed up that he gradually began to understand what music was all about.
"It's evening already. We can start making dinner soon."
Toyokawa Sakiko planned to pan-fry tonight's prize: a fresh silver cod.
She mixed up a marinade and put the silver cod in it, then sprinkled on some pepper. She placed the sliced cod in a frying pan and cooked it for a minute and a half, then flipped it over and cooked it for another minute. Finally, she turned off the heat and let the residual warmth cook the fish through.
"Riki, try it and see if it's edible. We don't have many seasonings at home," Toyokawa Sakiko said awkwardly.
Did she just say "at home"?
Riki cut off a small piece with the tip of his chopsticks and tried it, then frowned.
"Is it bad?" Toyokawa Sakiko asked nervously. "I'm pretty sure I cooked it for the right amount of time. Or was the fish not fresh?"
Riki frowned, then picked up another bite and offered it to Toyokawa Sakiko. She quickly opened her mouth and ate it.
Huh?
It was delicious.
Toyokawa Sakiko savored the fragrant, pan-fried fish and its juicy, tender texture. It had been so long since she'd eaten good seafood that she couldn't help closing her eyes blissfully.
Then why had Riki frowned?
Toyokawa Sakiko looked at Riki, who said in confusion, "I didn't say anything just now."
You were totally messing with me!
Toyokawa Sakiko glared at him, exasperated.
"Ahem. It's pretty impressive, but there's still plenty of room to improve. Don't get cocky," Riki said. He was a master of instant noodles, after all, and in no position to give Toyokawa Sakiko cooking advice.
But as the saying went, rather than improve yourself, it was better to put others down... No, that wasn't the point. The point was that Toyokawa Sakiko was at his place, so he could just be a freeloader.
"You should learn to cook properly. What if I'm not around one day..." Toyokawa Sakiko trailed off, then changed the subject as if nothing had happened and complained, "What would you do if I caught a cold?"
"Good point," Riki nodded.
He'd never be able to repay Sakiko for everything she'd done for him in this lifetime.
Looks like we'll be a couple in the next life too.
Toyokawa Sakiko smiled. She was about to put the pan-fried silver cod on a plate when she suddenly froze, staring at the chopsticks in her hand. Her cheeks flushed red.
Wait, did I just indirectly kiss him?
That was my first kiss!
No, no, could an indirect kiss really count as a first kiss?
Toyokawa Sakiko's thoughts were a mess. Her cheeks were as red as the sunset, and even her ears had turned scarlet.
"Are you okay?" Riki asked, puzzled.
"I-I'm fine," Toyokawa Sakiko said, lowering her head and speaking so softly it was almost inaudible.
This dummy didn't notice?
Toyokawa Sakiko breathed a sigh of relief. She was a little glad, but also a little annoyed.
How could you not notice?
Now I'm the only one flustered. Doesn't that make me look like an idiot?
Holy crap, that was an indirect kiss. I only just realized. Sakiko-bao, I really didn't do it on purpose. Riki kept his head down and ate his fish.
The two ate their meal in silence. Whenever their eyes met, they awkwardly looked away. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
The only sound in the dining room was the crisp clatter of chopsticks against plates.
"Um..."
"Um..."
They spoke at the same time. Toyokawa Sakiko brushed her hair back, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said, "I'll do the dishes."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Riki said with a quick nod.
"Don't mention it," Toyokawa Sakiko replied.
"You're too kind."
Kind my ass. Why not wish me good fortune while you're at it?
Riki wanted to slap himself. What the hell had he just said? Was he trying to start some kind of politeness loop?
But as he watched Toyokawa Sakiko walk away, he couldn't help smiling.
It had been an accident, but living with Toyokawa Sakiko had truly changed his life. It also made him want to protect her. It was as if a storm had ravaged her heart, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
There was no rushing the matter of money. And the other thing was...
"Mygo..." Riki murmured.
Nagasaki Sose: We're Definitely Not a Couple!
Nagasaki Sose sat in the café at Ring, looking at the messages on her phone.
Nagasaki Sose: [Hurry up and get over here. It's time to practice.]
Riki (contact name: Annoying): [111.]
Couldn't this guy ever talk properly?
Nagasaki Sose scowled. Rinrinzi, who was standing nearby with a tray, couldn't help smiling. "Soyo-chan, you seem so much more lively lately. You always used to smile, but it felt like there was a weight on your shoulders. Now you seem like a cheerful girl."
"Rinrin-senpai, please don't tease me," Nagasaki Sose said with a hurried wave and a smile.
There was no way she'd changed because of Riki. Absolutely not!
Nagasaki Sose remembered how Riki had walked her to her front door before. She paused, then said, "Rinrin-senpai, please give me a cup of... No, two cups of hot Earl Grey tea, please."
"Coming right up~"
As soon as Riki walked into the café, he felt an evil gaze on him. He turned and, sure enough, saw Nagasaki Sose glaring at him. He walked straight over and sat down, only to notice a cup of tea in front of him.
"Don't get the wrong idea. The café's running a buy-one-get-one-free deal today. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ordered you anything," Nagasaki Sose said coolly.
One look was all it took to tell: she was a tsundere.
Tsundere Sose-mama was so cute.
Nagasaki Sose noticed Rinrinzi giving her a knowing, teasing look and began to feel embarrassed.
Thanks, Narita Michi.
Did she win the G1?
"How has Sakiko been lately?" Nagasaki Sose asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"She and I went to the aquarium yesterday. She had a great time," Riki said.
Nagasaki Sose tightened her fingers around the teacup. "Why can she go with you, but not with us? We were all..."
"You're still only looking at this from your own perspective. Can't you try thinking about Sakiko for once?"
"So you're saying it's my fault!?"
Nagasaki Sose suddenly stood up and glared fiercely at Riki.
She simply couldn't stand him. Why couldn't they go with Sakiko, while Riki could? Thinking about how the happiness she'd once felt had now been taken away by Riki made her heart burn with jealousy.
Nagasaki Sose was so worked up that she suddenly slipped and fell forward. As the floor rushed toward her, she couldn't help closing her eyes. But the pain she expected never came. Instead, she landed on a cushion of flesh.
"Could you get up first? Thank goodness I'm a music student, or you'd have crushed my ribs," Riki said from the floor.
Nagasaki Sose froze for a moment. She was about to stand when she spotted three people walking in through the door.
Takamatsu Akari, Chihaya Anon, Shiina Riki: Huh?
So this was the kind of relationship you two had?
The three of them were stunned.
"N-No, you've got it wrong!" Nagasaki Sose's face turned bright red, and she hurried to explain.
"It's one thing if they get the wrong idea, but if you don't get up soon, I'm going to break a bone," Riki said, rolling his eyes.
Nagasaki Sose glared at him, but her body moved before her pride could stop it, and she quickly got off him.
"Why are you so heavy..." Riki grumbled. She was a high school student just like Toyokawa Sakiko, so where was all that extra weight coming from?
Wait, Sose was the group's mom. A Confucian scholar needed a big heart to gather people around him. Now he understood.
"You're so rude!" Nagasaki Sose snapped.
How was she heavy!?
Toyokawa Sakiko was working. Whenever there was a lull and no customers needed anything, she glanced at her phone on the table. No one had messaged her.
She used to keep her phone in her bag, but lately, perhaps by some strange force, she'd started leaving it on the table so she wouldn't miss any messages.
"Has your boyfriend messaged you? You've been staring at your phone," her coworker asked curiously.
"No, he hasn't," Toyokawa Sakiko said hesitantly. "But it's normal not to message, right? We don't have that much to talk about."
"No, no. When you're in the honeymoon phase, you can talk about anything. If you can't think of anything else, just tell him you like him," her coworker said with a mischievous grin.
"That would be a bit..." Toyokawa Sakiko hesitated. She and Riki were just friends, after all. Saying something like that would be going too far. "I should put my phone away after all, so it won't distract me from work."
Bzz.
Toyokawa Sakiko immediately grabbed her phone and opened it.
Riki: [(photo), in the practice room at Ring.]
The photo showed more than just Riki. There were also Nagasaki Sose and the others, along with a silver-haired girl whose name she didn't know.
For some reason, Toyokawa Sakiko felt terribly uneasy at the sight.
Riki was free to do whatever he wanted, wasn't he?
But she still wished he'd stay by her side.
"...Riki," Toyokawa Sakiko murmured softly.
What oppressive pressure!
Riki felt that Nagasaki Sose's gaze was growing increasingly hostile. Perhaps this was just a traditional Japanese art, though. After all, Riki knew of a Japanese prime minister named Abe who'd stopped speaking and thrown his weight around after someone spat at him during a speech. How rude.
"I'm only here to coach you. When you go onstage, this Wild Cat will perform with you. I have a feeling you're the five who belong together," Riki said. Kaname Runa stood beside him, looking thoroughly interested.
"Hi, I'm Chihaya Anon," Chihaya Anon said with an easygoing smile. Then she looked at Riki and added, "Riki, I look forward to working with you today too."
"Likewise," Riki said.
"By the way, are you Sose's boyfriend? You two seem pretty close," Chihaya Anon asked curiously.
Didn't she know that Sakiko was the only sun in his heart?
Nagasaki Sose stood behind Chihaya Anon with an expressionless face and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Chihaya, that's impossible."
Yikes. What terrifying murderous intent!
Chihaya Anon trembled in fear.
"By the way, I signed you up for a performance early next month. Get ready," Riki said.
"We're performing?" Takamatsu Akari asked.
"Of course," Riki said.
When Nagasaki Sose heard that, she narrowed her eyes. A glint flickered in them, as though she were plotting something.
After a round of practice in the rehearsal room, Shiina Riki frowned. Her gaze went straight to the person who'd performed the worst.
"Hey, Anon, have you actually been practicing? Your playing is awful!" Shiina Riki said bluntly, looking completely incredulous.
Before you continue