Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

"Eh~! Eh~!" Asada's tone was a little anxious, "I, I didn't mean to refuse you, but one thing at a time, you have to apologize to me first."

"No, you don't need to say much. Just saying 'I was wrong' will make me forgive you."

Still no one responded.

"It's okay if you don't apologize, but at least give me a proper confession." Asada stood on the chair, rubbing her legs together. "Just saying 'As long as you like me' is too cunning."

There was still no response.

"One sentence, 'I like you,' would have been enough... I... I'm not a difficult girl to deal with." Asada's voice sounded a little aggrieved. "That's... that's not excessive."

Asada squatted on the chair, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms. A wave of grievance washed over her, overwhelming her.

After waiting for so long and saying so much, Ito hasn't responded at all.

He must have done it on purpose! That despicable guy!

"If you don't want to say anything..." Her muffled voice came from the crook of her arm, thick with a nasal tone, "I...I absolutely will not agree..."

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"As long as you like me, that's enough" is just a perfunctory response... There wasn't even a proper confession...

She, Asada Sakura, is not so easily fooled.

Just as she was immersed in her grievances and disappointment, a warm hand suddenly gently covered the back of her tightly clenched fist.

Asada's body stiffened abruptly.

That touch... wasn't Ito's hand.

Ito's hands aren't that soft.

Asada subconsciously looked up, her vision blurred by tears. She blinked hard, trying to focus.

What came into view was Miki Hayakawa's face with a sincere smile. She had somehow appeared beside the chair, slightly bent over, and was looking at her intently with her beautiful fox-like eyes, without blinking.

“Sakura,” Hayakawa Miki’s voice was so gentle it could melt your heart. She held Asada’s hand and shook it gently. “Please marry me.”

".......Huh?" Asada Sakura was completely dumbfounded.

My mind went blank; all my grievances and disappointment were instantly shattered by this sudden request that was completely beyond my comprehension.

She stared blankly, her mouth agape, her eyes wide open, like a frightened hamster.

She instinctively turned her stiff neck, looking around blankly, trying to understand this magical scene.

Across from the dining table, the seat Ito had just been sitting in was empty.

In the living room, there was only her and... Hayakawa Miki with a "deeply affectionate" expression?

Then, her gaze settled on the bedroom doorway.

Ito had already come out of the bedroom at some point and was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes calmly watched the bizarre scene in the living room, his gaze clearly conveying the words, "Just as I expected."

Upon seeing Ito, Hayakawa's smile widened even further, and he could hardly contain his joy as the corners of his mouth turned upwards.

He slightly bent his knees, assuming a posture that was almost like kneeling on one knee, while his other hand was placed on his chest.

"Sakura is so cute, gentle, and a great cook. She's the perfect marriage partner. I really like her, so please marry me."

"I do have some savings, so I can have little cakes every day after I get married!"

(The apartment's layout is roughly such that if you come out of the bedroom door, you'll face the balcony and be able to see Asada sleeping.)

Chapter 204 Arrogant?

April 20th, Thursday, sunny.

The cherry blossoms in Zasen are beautiful, but after seeing them so many times, it's easy to get visually fatigued.

The heavy workload, the oppressive atmosphere on the crew, the repetitive rehearsals, and the hypocritical interpersonal interactions.

"Hey~"

Bury your face deep into your arms, close your eyes, hold your breath, and let the pendant on your phone case fall naturally to your knees.

Squatting on the lawn with the boxed lunches distributed by the film crew next to him, this is a rare moment of free time for Takikawa each day.

"Haven't they contacted you yet? So who exactly is this person that would make our Takikawa so concerned?"

A slightly teasing voice came from not far away, and the owner of the voice was gradually approaching.

A stylishly dressed girl with a cool short haircut naturally squatted down next to Takikawa. Sena Jun bit a disposable chopstick, rolled up her sleeves, then put her hands together and said, "I'm starting to eat." before opening the bento box.

"Ugh~ Why is it this kind of dish again! I'm really going to protest." Sena Jun looked bitter.

After Sena Jun arrived, Takikawa put her phone away; she wasn't the kind of girl who would forget about her own life because of a man.

"I'm starting to eat."

Today's meals were still bland. Despite engaging in high-intensity exercise every day, all we could eat was boiled chicken breast and broccoli, and the rice was only a small fist-sized portion.

Forcing himself to swallow the bland food, Takikawa reminisced about his school days.

At least the bento boxes prepared by the chef at the Niino family's restaurant tasted great, the food cooked by Asada was also delicious, and it was very pleasant to be with Ms. Hayakawa. And then there's that guy Ito...

Shaking his head, he knew he couldn't think about it anymore. The image of that guy kept popping into his mind; this was too terrible.

She didn't think about Ito at all, not even a little bit, and she never will.

"No matter how many times I see it, I still think Takikawa, you're really amazing," Sena Jun said with genuine admiration, watching Takikawa eat without changing his expression and even seem to speed up his eating.

"...You'll get used to it."

“It’s just a habit…” Sena Jun held a small piece of chicken breast with her chopsticks, but before she could even put it in her mouth, just smelling the aroma, she quickly put it back into her bento box.

"But I've been eating here since I joined the crew, and I just can't get used to it... In fact, my aversion to it has intensified. The chef doesn't even put in enough salt; he's practically wasting food."

As he spoke, his nostrils twitched, and he smelled that awful odor again.

"Ugh~" She covered her mouth with her hand, making a gagging motion.

Seeing this, Takikawa silently turned away to avoid being contaminated, and poured water into his mouth to swallow the food that he hadn't chewed yet.

These are some tips she's learned over the years; she's always known that life as an artist is tough.

"Try to eat something; we have a long scene to film this afternoon and evening."

"That's true, but Director Hase is too demanding. Some scenes were already quite good in the second or third take, but he still insisted on reshooting them."

Sena Jun barely managed to eat a small bite of rice. "The progress has been extended indefinitely. Judging from the current situation, this kind of thing will continue for a long time."

"The same routine is repeated all day long, and my nerves are constantly on edge."

Sena Jun chewed her rice, "Hell, this is hell!"

This wasn't the first time Sena had complained to Takikawa. This kind of scene had been happening constantly since the first day he joined the crew, which was also the first day he was late.

Having already incurred Director Hase's displeasure for being late, he could only survive by constantly trying to impress others.

Perhaps it really is as they said... Oh no, these days are truly awful.

"Takikawa, it's so nice to have a life like this where you have something to look forward to every day."

"Why do you say that?"

“Look, even though I have a lot of fans, as an artist I can’t talk freely with them. Almost everything I can do every day is predetermined.” Sena Jun took out her phone. “The only time I can use electronic devices is when I’m eating, but I have no idea what to do with this.”

"Things like bricks, and online messages also annoy me."

"It's really nice... to have something to look forward to every day." She closed the box; she really couldn't eat the bento anymore.

"Expectations? I have no expectations. I'm just absorbing some online knowledge every day. After all, I'm still so young, I can't really become an old fogey."

"Really?" Sena Jun looked Takikawa up and down. "Is that really true?"

"Yes." Takikawa nodded affirmatively.

“Takikawa, I’ve discovered that you’re not honest at all.” Sena Jun shook her head helplessly. “Do you think you can acquire knowledge about the internet from chatting with other people?”

"Besides, it's the same person's chat box, and there's not a single new piece of content added. The text they type is constantly being deleted and edited, and they're unwilling to send even the last word."

"..." Takikawa's sky-blue pupils remained unchanged. "You've mistaken me for someone else."

“I can’t be wrong.” Sena Jun looked up at the clouds drifting in the blue sky. “Takikawa, you’re such a tsundere.”

"Tsundere? Tsukikawa turned her head instantly, she really couldn't believe that this word would be associated with her.

“You’re just being tsundere, and the worst kind of tsundere.” Sena Jun didn’t notice the change in Takikawa’s state. “Tsundere is already outdated in this version, and you don’t even have the kind of insincere concern that tsundere usually does.”

"For example, if you really can't bring yourself to show concern for the other person, you can at least say something like, 'Hey, are you still alive? I haven't heard from you at all!' to let them know you exist."

"What kind of nonsense is it to sit around staring at your phone all day, waiting like an idiot! Is the other person some kind of caveman who returned from the Ice Age? They don't even have time to reply to a message, are they in some remote mountain area with no signal?"

“If you don’t take the initiative, how can you expect the other person to think of you?” Sena Jun paused for a moment, looking into Takikawa’s eyes. “Besides, you’re so beautiful, even just saying a few words would be a huge reward.”

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of failure? If I were half as good-looking as you, Takikawa, I would have at least eight boyfriends."

“I’m not afraid.” Takikawa turned his head to the side. “I don’t care about him at all.”

"Then please hand over your phone. I'll give you mine. We're both learning about the internet anyway, so it doesn't matter which phone you use."

"No!" Takikawa responded quickly, and then, seeing Sena Jun's "I knew it" look in her eyes, he knew that he had been exposed.

It's all that bastard Ito's fault, making me look so pathetic.

“Takikawa, you’ve probably never been in a relationship before, right? Do you need me to teach you a few tricks?” Sena Jun raised an eyebrow at Takikawa. “I guarantee you’ll make the other person unable to resist you.”

Even if you don't need it, you can still learn it first, just in case.

Takikawa was somewhat tempted, not by the thought of Ito being unable to live without him in the future, but by his interest in... this kind of knowledge.

That's it!

What are the conditions?

"It's simple, just give me the contact information of the guy who wrote the theme song."

“…” Takikawa fell silent.

"It's all that guy's fault for igniting Director Hase's fighting spirit, which is why I'm so exhausted every day," Sena Jun said to herself. "I'm going to punish him severely!"

"How should we punish them?" Takikawa asked quietly.