Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

"Of course, it's about making the other person fall in love with me, and then ruthlessly dumping them." Sena Jun said proudly. "I'm a master at manipulating emotions."

Sena Jun was still there, vividly describing her grand plan to "punish" Ito, from how to create chance encounters and display her charm, to playing hard to get and being aloof, and finally how to gracefully turn away while leaving him in agony...

She spoke vividly, as if she had already foreseen the fruits of victory.

Takikawa fell silent.

She lowered her head, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold edge of her phone.

Toying with someone's feelings? Making them fall in love and then dumping them? That sounds... a bit despicable.

But deep down, a tiny voice asks: What if... what if the person in question is that jerk who always annoys her, owes her money and then makes her block him and feel conflicted? Let him taste the feeling of being insecure and manipulated?

"Specifically... how should we do it?" Takikawa didn't look up, his gaze still fixed on the lawn.

"That's quite a long story, let me tell you in detail..." She leaned closer excitedly, ready to unleash her "strategy of love."

Just then, Sena Jun's voice abruptly stopped.

The excitement on her face instantly switched to a polite but slightly aloof professional smile, her gaze passing over Takikawa's shoulder and looking behind her.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

Takikawa's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition washed over him.

She stiffly and very slowly raised her head, following Sena Jun's gaze.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling, and against the light, a figure wearing a casual shirt and khaki pants was walking towards them.

The man walked casually, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless, his gaze fixed on them.

Yuhito Ito.

Takikawa felt a rush of heat to her cheeks, and she almost immediately lowered her head, burying her face even deeper, pretending to be engrossed in studying the last few grains of rice in the bento box.

What's with him?! Did he know I was going to mess with him, so he followed me to the film set? He's like a persistent ghost!

Sena Jun was very enthusiastic. She stood up with a perfectly timed sweet smile on her face: "Sir, who are you looking for? Do you need any help?"

Ito's gaze lingered on Takikawa's lowered head for a second before turning to Sena Jun and offering a polite smile.

"Thank you, no need to trouble yourself. I need to speak with Director Hase." He paused, his gaze returning to the figure that seemed to be shrinking into the ground. "Also, say hello. Good afternoon, Takikawa."

Once his name was called, Takikawa could no longer pretend to be an ostrich.

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the heat on her face, raised her head, and tried to make her expression look calm and even a little indifferent.

"Good afternoon." The voice was dry and monotone.

"You two know each other?" Sena Jun asked in surprise, glancing at Ito and then at Takikawa.

“Yes, fellow alumnus,” Ito replied succinctly.

Takikawa simply stared at him expressionlessly, a hint of...resistance? Or perhaps, a kind of stubbornness? in his eyes.

Although I removed someone from the blacklist without informing them, that's not the reason why Ito isn't contacting me.

"Oh, so you're a fellow alumna." Sena Jun suddenly realized, and she extended her hand. "I'm Sena Jun, and I'm acting with Takikawa."

Ito shook her hand politely. "Ito Yuhito. Nice to meet you."

"Mr. Ito, are you here to talk to the director about work?" Sena Jun tried to start a conversation.

"I guess so," Ito replied vaguely, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

His gaze fell on Takikawa again, as if he wanted to say something, but just then, the voice of a staff member came from afar.

"Mr. Ito, the director would like to ask you to come over for a moment."

"Excuse me, I'll take my leave." Ito nodded to Sena Jun, then looked at Takikawa, "I'll go ahead now, Takikawa."

Takikawa responded with a barely audible "hmm" through his nose.

Ito didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the director, his figure quickly disappearing into the busy crowd.

Sena Jun watched Ito walk away before turning her gaze away, then plopped back down next to Takikawa with a gossipy smile on her face.

"Takikawa, what's that handsome guy's name... Ito Yuujin? It's a nice name, and he has a good presence too. He also seems... well... thoughtful."

She nudged Takikawa lightly with her elbow.

“...He’s a complete jerk. And,” she paused, a hint of vengeful malice in her voice, “he’s the guy you’re looking for who wrote the theme song.”

"Huh?" Sena Jun's smile froze instantly, her eyes widening. "He...he's the culprit who made me eat boiled chicken breast every day and suffer at the hands of the director?!"

This has little to do with Ito. Even if Director Hase doesn't intend to further improve the quality, he won't change the meal arrangements.

"Yes, that's him."

Looking at Sena Jun's shocked expression, Takikawa felt a strange sense of relief.

However, the shock and anger on Sena Jun's face did not last long, but were quickly replaced by a kind of... frustration and loss.

Her shoulders slumped, and her once radiant face instantly wilted.

"What's wrong?" Takikawa was a little surprised. This reaction was not the "shared hatred" she had expected. "Weren't you going to punish him severely? Now that you know who it is, why the expression?"

Sena Jun sighed deeply, rested her chin on her knees, and said in a muffled voice, "Different... Takikawa."

"What's different?" Takikawa frowned.

"Didn't you notice?" Sena Jun raised her eyelids and looked listlessly at Takikawa. "He was...very cold to me just now."

"Cold?" Takikawa thought for a moment, "He...didn't he shake hands and greet you?"

“That’s just basic politeness.” Sena Jun’s voice was a little aggrieved. “The way he looked at me… was very calm, without any emotion. When I talked to him, he just responded perfunctorily, his mind was clearly not on the matter. A guy like that… has no chance with me.”

She paused, her tone becoming even more dejected.

"I know these kinds of guys too well. They're either already in a relationship, or their standards are ridiculously high, or... they're simply not interested in dating. My little tricks are completely useless against them. The more enthusiastic you are, the further away they're likely to run.

Sena Jun sighed again, turned her head, and looked at Takikawa with a mixture of envy and a little jealousy:

"Takikawa... I really envy you."

"Envious of me?" Takikawa was stunned. "Envious of what?"

"I envy him... for greeting you just now." Sena Jun's voice was light and airy. "Even though your attitude was so bad, he still made a point of talking to you. And..."

She recalled the look in Ito's eyes when he looked at Takikawa, "His feelings for you... are different."

Chapter 205 Image.....I don't want to stay on Earth anymore.

This statement did not give Takikawa any thought whatsoever.

There are many reasons for different ways of being treated; for example, the treatment will definitely be different for acquaintances and strangers.

Moreover, given Ito's greed, there must be some connection between Takikawa and his financial dealings.

"You've arrived." Director Hase heard Ito's footsteps approaching, but didn't even look up, his gaze remaining fixed on the storyboard in his hand.

Several documents were spread out on the small folding table next to him, along with a cup of steaming tea.

"Mm," Ito responded, sitting down on the folding chair next to the director.

"Have you eaten yet?" Director Hase finally looked up and glanced at him.

“No,” Ito said truthfully, “I came straight here after leaving the station.”

I definitely didn't come here at this time specifically to make it to lunch.

Director Hasegawa didn't say much, but gestured with his chin toward a young man who looked like an assistant.

The young man understood and quickly brought a boxed lunch to Ito.

"Thank you."

Ito took it, opened it, and saw that it was a normal Japanese bento box: rice, grilled fish, tempura, stew, pickled radish, and a small box of miso soup.

It's not exactly luxurious, but it's at least within the range of a normal bento box.

Ito didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

"You know why I called you here, it's mainly about the theme song." Director Hase put down the script, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Ever since that day, I've been listening to your previous demo recordings, and I think you should sing it."

Ito put down her chopsticks and looked at the director. "Hmm?"

On the phone, the other party only said they needed to speak with him, without specifying what it was. If it was about having Ito sing the theme song, according to the contract...

"You don't need to worry about the money." Director Hase said calmly, as if announcing a given fact. "As for Ms. Asada, the five million we promised her will still be paid as long as she finishes recording. She deserves it."

Ito was somewhat surprised.

It was director Hase who suggested Asada sing the theme song, and now he's doing it again? And.....

"And what about my payment?" he asked directly, this was the key question.

"Two million," Director Hasegawa stated the number decisively. "I'll have someone take you to the recording studio this afternoon, and we'll record it as soon as possible."

Two million? Three million less than Asada's? Ito quickly did the math in his head.

Although it was less than Asada's, two million was still a considerable sum, and Asada's share of the money was also saved.

Why not make an extra bit of money?

He nodded. "Okay, no problem."

He's always been pragmatic; as long as he gets the money, that's all that matters.

The two began discussing some recording details, such as emphasizing the song's emotional tone, whether the arrangement needed minor adjustments, whether the bass and drums needed to be strengthened, and the recording schedule.

As Ito listened, he rummaged through the food in his lunchbox.

The grilled fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the tempura was fried to perfection, and especially the fried shrimp, which was golden and crispy. He ate it with great relish.

Just then, a figure was "casually" pacing back and forth at the edge of the lawn not far away.

Anna Takikawa was holding an empty water bottle, seemingly looking for a trash can, but her eyes kept glancing furtively at the lunchbox in Ito's hand.

His eyes held curiosity, longing, and intense dissatisfaction.

She watched Ito pick up the golden-brown fried shrimp tempura with his chopsticks, watched him bite into the crispy outer layer, watched him chew with satisfaction...

Recalling my bland and tasteless boiled chicken breast bento, my mouth watered uncontrollably.

Her stomach was silently protesting, a mixture of craving for delicious food and resentment towards the crew's meals, driving her almost to the brink of madness.