Tokyo: Oreimo

Saito Ritsu chose this place for a simple reason: it has an open-air bath, and most importantly, the banquet hall is large enough to accommodate all seventy-plus members of Aniplex for a meal.

This time, the person in charge of coordinating the team building with Ritsu Saito was Rina Inoue. This recent graduate from Tokyo University of the Arts not only has excellent drawing skills, but is also highly adaptable to company affairs.

There are already signs that he has stood out from the ordinary members.

Half an hour before the siblings were to arrive at the station, they were notified in advance that a vehicle would be arranged to pick them up, so the siblings hardly had to worry about anything.

When Ryosuke pushed open the lattice door to the entrance, there was already someone waiting at the front desk.

"President Takashiro, welcome." The hotel's female manager, the so-called proprietress, was a gentle woman in her forties, dressed appropriately, and bowed. "Your colleagues have all checked in, and the banquet is scheduled to begin at eight o'clock."

"Thank you for your hard work, please take us there."

Ryosuke smiled politely and followed the other person into the hotel.

Ling Nai peeked out from behind him, looking around with great curiosity, pausing wherever she went, showing great interest in the interior decoration of the hotel.

The wooden structure has a high ceiling, and the niches on both sides of the corridor are filled with seasonal bellflowers. In addition to the smell of hot springs, there is also a faint scent of tatami grass in the air.

"This place is really nice," she whispered.

Yes, that's right.

Ryosuke was also visiting a hot spring inn for the first time, and he kept saying that just being in this atmosphere made him feel relaxed.

The female general in front smiled and led them through the long corridor. As they passed several guest rooms with their lights on, they could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside.

The Aniplex members had already quite comfortably enjoyed their respective nights before the hot springs.

"The president's room is a deluxe single room at the very back on the second floor," the female general introduced as she walked. "It has a private hot spring with bamboo fences, which is very convenient."

Hearing the landlady's introduction, Ling Nai couldn't help but excitedly ask, "Where's my room?"

"Miss Takashiro's room is located in the women-only area on the east side of the second floor, next to Miss Phoenix's room."

"What?! Why were I assigned to live so close to the Female Titan...?"

Ling Nai couldn't help but complain.

But the sound that came from behind her the next second made her tremble.

"Does my sister really hate me that much? This is really hurtful. I guess I need to work on improving our relationship, otherwise living together in the future won't be pleasant, will it?"

"Huh?"

The girl turned around and met Phoenix Inu Saori's smiling eyes, then immediately shrank behind Ryosuke.

She still couldn't handle this female giant.

"Stop teasing her."

Ryosuke chuckled at Ling Nai's reaction.

There's a saying that everything has its counter, and it seems that my little sister is only afraid of Phoenix Courtyard.

"Hehe, just trying to build rapport." Hououin Saori tossed a strand of wet hair over her shoulder and winked at him. "Do I look good in this outfit?"

Ryosuke only noticed it when he heard his friend say that.

The other person was wearing a dark purple yukata, with the belt loosely tied and the neckline slightly open, revealing a section of fair collarbone. Wet hair was draped over their shoulders, indicating that they had just arrived and had already soaked in the hot spring.

A slight blush lingered on her cheeks, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

"You bastard..."

Ling Nai noticed Ryosuke's expression and felt slightly annoyed. She put her small hand on his waist.

With his weakness exposed, Ryosuke snapped back to his senses and slapped away the girl's hand that was about to 'commit a crime'.

If you were to do that to him now, he would most likely embarrass himself in front of Phoenix Inuyasha, right?

"Hehe, you two siblings are still as fun as ever."

Phoenix Inu Saori couldn't help but giggle. Her loose yukata slipped slightly off her shoulders, revealing a bit of her fair skin. Ryosuke could only awkwardly look away.

"Shi Yuze, go back to the female general's room and change your clothes first. As for your sister, come with me."

Before Lingna could refuse, Phoenix Inu Saori walked up to her and put her arm around her shoulder.

"Let me go! I can walk by myself!"

The blonde girl muttered something, but the giantess beside her completely ignored her.

Feeling the massive object pressing against her chest from her arm, Ling Nai felt completely awful.

"Don't be shy, little sister."

The two, one big and one small, quickly left and turned the corner, disappearing from Ryosuke's sight.

"The two of you have a very good relationship," the female general said with a smile. "No wonder Miss Phoenix specifically requested to live next door to Miss Takashiro."

"Hmm? So it was designated?"

Ryosuke was a little surprised; he thought it was a random assignment.

Speaking of which, Ling Nai is really popular in the company; it seems like everyone likes her.

"It's getting late, so please come with me, President. The banquet will begin in a little while."

Ryosuke nodded and followed the female general to his room.

Chapter 171 Cheers!

The special room is much larger than the regular room and is divided into an inner room and a tea room. The window overlooks the Ureshino River embankment.

At night, you can't see the river clearly, only hear the gurgling of the water and the scattered lights on the opposite bank.

Ryosuke put down his luggage, changed into the yukata provided by the hotel, and was about to go to the banquet hall when there was a knock on the door.

"coming."

As the door opened, Phoenix Inu Saori leaned against the doorframe, having changed into a light blue yukata, her sash tied much more neatly than before.

The other person looked Ryosuke up and down, a smile of interest on their face.

"You look quite presentable in a yukata, Shigaze."

"is it?"

Ryosuke was wearing a navy blue yukata, which fit him perfectly.

"Why did you come here? Where is Ling Nai?"

"She was still changing clothes in the room. I wanted to help her get dressed, but she refused and pushed me out of the room."

"...Could you please stop teasing her?"

Ryosuke chuckled. How could Ling Nai possibly agree to let Phoenix Inu help her change her clothes?

“I didn’t,” she blinked innocently. “She’s just too easily embarrassed, just like you.”

Thanks for the invitation, please don't mention it.

Ryosuke smiled awkwardly, genuinely afraid that the other party might take the opportunity to tease him.

He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. "The banquet is about to begin, let's go."

The two walked side by side through the corridor toward the banquet hall.

As you pass through several rooms with their doors open, you can see a group of young members talking together, and someone fiddling with projection equipment in a corner.

"By the way, Shigaze." Phoenix Inu Saori suddenly slowed her pace and chuckled softly, "I heard Saito mention the aftermath of Kadokawa's situation today, did you know?"

Ryosuke turned to look at her. "What happened next?"

"Iori Setsuna." She said this name in a very indifferent tone, because she had never even met her before.

I learned about this name from rumors I saw online, combined with what Ling Nai said at the company.

"After she left Kadokawa, I heard that she went for interviews at several small publishing houses, but was rejected by all of them. Now she seems to be working at a convenience store."

Ryosuke paused for a moment, but quickly resumed his normal pace.

"is it?"

"I didn't realize you were so capable."

Phoenix Inu Saori chuckled softly.

Which aspect are you referring to?

"While promoting our work online, we use public opinion to defeat our opponents."

Ryosuke didn't reply.

“So,” Saori Hououin turned her head, her gaze landing on his face, “you did it, didn’t you?”

“I remember a girl came to join the company that day, her surname was Wu Geng, right? You seemed to have been chatting with her in the office for a long time, I overheard some of it.”

The corridor was quiet for a few seconds, with only faint laughter coming from the banquet hall in the distance.

Ryosuke's face showed a helpless expression.

"When did you develop the habit of eavesdropping?"

"Isn't it normal for me to pay attention when someone I like is alone with a woman of marriageable age in a closed space?"

Despite this blatant flirting, Ryosuke couldn't remain calm and showed an embarrassed expression.

"If you want to know next time, you can just walk in. I don't intend to hide it from you."

He continued, "Since the other party has been causing trouble for the company, we might as well resolve it all at once this time."

Phoenix Inu Saori suddenly laughed and leaned close to his ear.

"You're lying. You only did this to help your sister get revenge, right?"

Upon hearing the other person's words, Ryosuke stopped in his tracks.

As they spoke, the two had already reached the end of the corridor.

The lattice doors of the banquet hall were wide open, letting in warm yellow light that spilled out and fell on the tatami mats at the feet of the two people.

He chuckled softly and said:

"It was just a side thing to help her vent her anger."