I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Sakurajima Mai bowed politely and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I don't have any plans to look for a boyfriend right now."

"No, this... I??? Huh???"

Inoue Shuya stared with wide, stunned eyes.

"Mai!"

Seeing Shuya's expression, Sakurajima Mai's mother quickly pulled her daughter aside.

She didn't dare let her daughter offend Shuya.

It wasn't just about the favor Shuya did them by choosing Mai as his partner; she had keenly observed that everyone's attitude toward Shuya was unique.

She knew Shuya had collaborated with many people, and if everyone treated him this way, it represented a very powerful influence.

"Just kidding. Shu-chan-senpai won't blame me, right?"

Before her mother could speak, Sakurajima Mai had already looked up, revealing a cute smile as she winked at Shuya.

"So cute!"

Shuya played along, clutching his heart.

"Hahaha! Shu-chan, you finally met your match!"

"Shu-chan has met his rival."

"So adorable!"

The Staff Members jeered, and Hirai Ryuji let out a whistle.

Shu-chan gave a wry smile, looked at the beaming Sakurajima Mai, and gave a thumbs up: "Mai-chan, you've got guts. I have a feeling you're going to be a huge star!"

He turned to Hirai Ryuji and said, "Uncle Hirai, you should be thanking me!"

"Why?"

Hirai Ryuji asked curiously.

"Heh, if it weren't for me, how could you be the first photographer for the future great actress, Sakurajima Mai!"

Inoue Shuya tilted his head back, pointing at himself proudly: "And as the one who discovered Mai-chan, I should go down in the history of the entertainment industry! In the future, I'll be able to tell reporters: 'Yes, Sakurajima Mai was discovered by me!' Heh, how cool would that be!"

Hirai Ryuji looked at him deeply and said, "You brat really have thick skin! But... for some reason, I actually think you might be right!"

He perked up and smiled at the group: "In that case, we can't keep our future great actress waiting! Get ready!"

"You got it!"

"Right away!"

The Staff Members busied themselves.

"Um, I'm so sorry, my daughter was so rude."

"No, no, it's my Shu-chan who's the handful."

Mai's mother and Hanazawa Sakura struck up a conversation, and the two began to chat.

Shuya leaned in toward Mai-chan with a smile: "Nervousness, gone?"

Sakurajima Mai's face flushed red. She hid her slightly trembling hands behind her back, puffed out her cheeks, and gave Shuya a shy, sidelong glare.

She looked charmingly naive and alluring.

Shuya had noticed it early on; while Mai-chan appeared to be handling everything with ease on the surface, her hands had been trembling slightly the whole time.

She had handled the entire situation with such composure—her mental fortitude was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Shuya felt that compared to someone like him who was essentially cheating, Sakurajima Mai's "big heart" was truly worthy of admiration.

One had to remember, she was only six years old.

She was so beautiful, her voice was lovely, and her responses were so poised—she was truly gifted by the heavens.

Shuya wondered if the original work she came from was an idol anime.

Regardless, Shuya knew that building a good relationship with Mai-chan was the right move; who knew, he might need to rely on her in the future.

...Oh, and by "rely on her," he meant it literally, not in the other sense, just so everyone knows.

But that was a story for another day; Sakurajima Mai was still a newbie, and she certainly couldn't compare to Shuya's status in the industry yet.

Mai clearly understood this as well.

She bowed her head to Shuya: "Thank you so much, Shu-chan-senpai, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely give it my all. Please take care of me."

"Ah, sure, let's work well together. By the way, I'm younger than you, so just call me Shuya. I'm not really a fan of honorifics."

Mai thought for a moment, and seeing Shuya's smiling face, she laughed: "...Mm, I understand. From now on, I'll call you Shuya."

"Great. As a welcome gift, let me treat you to some candy."

Shuya pulled a bar of lollipops from his small bag and handed it to her.

"Th-that... my mom doesn't let me eat things like this."

Sakurajima Mai did not take it, but she clearly wanted it, her eyes fixed intently on the lollipop.

She was still just a little girl, after all.

"I see."

Under Sakurajima Mai's reluctant gaze, Shuya withdrew the lollipop with a look of regret.

Then, Shuya fished out a tiny piece of candy and forcibly shoved it into Sakurajima Mai's small hand.

"Eh?"

Sakurajima Mai stared blankly at Shuya.

Shuya leaned in sneakily and whispered into her ear: "Don't worry, if no one finds out, it's not a crime! That lollipop from before was too conspicuous, so I swapped it for you."

"But..."

"Hurry, I'll keep watch for you!"

Sakurajima Mai fought the urge to tear open the wrapper, but she ultimately succumbed to Shuya's devilish temptation and consumed his sugar-coated shell.

The sweet flavor blossomed in her mouth, and having not eaten candy for many days, Sakurajima Mai was deeply moved.

Just then...

"Mai?"

"!!!"

Sakurajima Mai's mother suddenly called out to her daughter: "Come and greet Ms. Hanazawa, I completely forgot about this... Hmm? What are you doing?"

As it turned out, Sakurajima Mai had panicked, covered her little mouth, and hidden behind Shuya.

Pitiful, helpless, but incredibly cute.

"Hehe."

Facing the inquisitive gaze of Sakurajima Mai's mother, Shuya flashed an innocent, sparkling smile.

Hanazawa Sakura's smile stiffened; she could tell at a glance that her son was up to no good.

Just as she was thinking about how to smooth things over, Shuya had already calmly taken Sakurajima Mai's smooth, tender hand and fled, calling out loudly: "I'm taking Mai to familiarize herself with the venue, you two go ahead and chat, bye!"

"Mmph?!"

Sakurajima Mai was quickly dragged away by Shuya.

"Wait... Mai?"

"Well, well, let the children play."

Hanazawa Sakura pulled her back just in time and began to chat awkwardly with a chuckle.

Shuya dragged Sakurajima Mai to a deserted corner.

"Hahaha, sorry for suddenly dragging you away."

"Mm." Sakurajima Mai shook her head, revealing the most radiant smile she had shown yet: "Shuya, you're so interesting!"

To think he wasn't even afraid of that mother; he was truly amazing!

In Sakurajima Mai's heart, Shuya had left a deep impression.

"Oh, you're quite beautiful yourself."

"I know."

Sakurajima Mai nodded confidently and brushed back her long hair.

Even at such a young age, she already possessed the charming air of a peerless beauty.

Shuya let out a whistle.

Although he was devoted to Rena, that didn't mean he lacked an appreciation for beauty.

Sakurajima Mai's face flushed a little more, and she bit down on the candy in her mouth.

"By the way, do you have a phone, Mai?"

Shuya wanted a way to contact her, so he asked.

"I do, actually."

Sakurajima Mai was stunned for a moment, then took out her phone.

"Do you want to exchange numbers?"

Shuya took out his phone as well.

"Sure."

Sakurajima Mai exchanged numbers with Shuya without any wariness.

The two chatted in the corner, with Shuya explaining techniques for posing for advertisements. Sakurajima Mai listened very intently, knowing that for Shuya to tell her these things, he was definitely acting out of great kindness.

Before long, the sponsors arrived.

Shuya greeted Sakurajima Mai: "Let's go, I'll take you over to have a word with them."

"Ah? Oh!"

Mai was pulled by the hand by Shuya as they walked toward Blaise and the other person.

She looked at Shuya's back in a slightly dazed state.

Sakurajima Mai appeared very composed, but she had been quite nervous yesterday as well.

She didn't know how many times she had heard the name Inoue Shuya; in fact, there wasn't a single child star who hadn't heard of him.

Every teacher and adult, when training child stars, would keep the name Inoue Shuya on their lips, hoping that if they could produce someone like him, they would hit the jackpot.

Therefore, Sakurajima Mai felt the pressure, especially after knowing that she had been handpicked by Inoue Shuya out of hundreds of child stars.

The pride she felt was matched only by the pressure.

She was very afraid that Inoue Shuya might be a person with a bad temper.

Mai had also watched other children at work, and being mentally precocious, she really disliked those noisy kids.

She was afraid that Inoue Shuya was the same.

But after actually meeting him, she realized why Inoue Shuya's fame was so great.

Even in front of a crowd of adults, he remained composed and cheerful, never showing stage fright; instead, he controlled everyone's emotions and drove the atmosphere of the scene.

What was even more impressive was that he was trusted by everyone, and no one truly treated Shuya like a child.

He was simply a monster.

Sakurajima Mai knew that although she was older than him, she was far from his equal.

Fortunately, he was a good person.