Tokyo: Oreimo

Ling Nai almost choked on the grapefruit tea.

"What? How is that possible?"

“Because when I watched them chat, the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward…” Inoue Rina blinked. “It’s the same at the company. Hououin-san is usually very serious, and she only smiles happily when the president comes.”

"Huh? Is the Giantess usually very fierce?"

Ling was quite surprised by this.

"Yes, Miss Phoenix is ​​very strict. Many members of the company are afraid of her. She can make people panic with just one look."

Rina Inoue was actually a little intimidated by Saori Hououin.

"How should I put it, it's that kind of authoritative feeling, probably the same as when a student faces the dean of students."

She gave an example.

"What? That's a funny statement." Takagi Ryouno couldn't help but laugh. "The Female Titan isn't that scary. She's actually quite easy to get along with."

The girl didn't dislike Hououin Saori, but she just couldn't handle her.

She's fine when they're alone, but she feels uncomfortable whenever Ryosuke is around and they're chatting and laughing together.

As for the reason... she herself couldn't explain it.

"Let's go check out the next one." Ling Nai shook her head, no longer thinking about these things, and walked out of the general store first.

……

It was already 4 p.m. when I got back to the hotel.

Ling Nai was carrying several paper bags filled with gifts for her father and Mieko. Inoue Rina said goodbye to her at the exit of the shopping street, saying that she was going to go to the hot spring street again to take some photos.

The girl walked back to the hotel alone, and when she reached the entrance to her room, she bumped into Saori Hououin, who was also heading back to her room.

Her hair was wet and dripping, and she had an expression on her face that Ling Nai had never seen before.

With her eyebrows curved and the corners of her mouth turned up, she seemed to radiate light from the inside out.

What puzzled Ling Nai most was that the other person was wearing a dry men's yukata.

"The Giantess?" Ling Nai was taken aback. "What's wrong with you? You look strange."

"nothing."

Saori looked at her, a shy expression on her face, and slipped straight into her room.

"?"

Ling Nai stared blankly at her departing figure, feeling that something was amiss.

But I can't quite put my finger on it.

"What the heck, this is so bizarre..."

She muttered as she closed the door, placed the paper bag on the tatami mat, and collapsed onto the bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, but her mind was filled with the expression on Phoenix Inu Saori's face from earlier.

That giantess actually had that kind of smile on her face.

"What's she being shy about? It's the first time I've ever seen her like this."

It's just like being completely conquered in a visual novel.

"Well, it has nothing to do with me."

Ling Nai hadn't planned to think about it too much and intended to take a nap.

I went out for a walk with Rina Inoue, but my head still ached from last night's hangover.

But after closing my eyes, the image of that men's yukata suddenly popped into my mind.

Why is it a men's style? She wasn't wearing this kind before, was she?

It's navy blue; although several other company members wear the same style yukata, it's unusual to see it on her...

"Wait, could it be that I'm wearing that guy's clothes?"

Ling Nai suddenly opened her eyes.

The image of the dark blue men's bathrobe, the wet hair, and the face that seemed to glow from the inside out played repeatedly in her mind, like a cassette tape that just kept playing and wouldn't stop.

"It has nothing to do with me," she told herself, then turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

But the more I try not to think about it, the clearer those images become.

She lifted her head from under the pillow and glanced at her phone.

Ryosuke didn't send any messages or have any missed calls.

Normally she wouldn't care about such things at all. Ryosuke wasn't the type of person to take the initiative to contact people, and she was used to it.

But for some reason today, the fact that her phone screen was completely blank made her feel particularly irritated.

"I just wanted to ask him what time he's leaving tomorrow," she said, giving herself an excuse as she opened her text message.

My fingers lingered on the keyboard for a long time.

In the end, she didn't send anything and placed her phone face down on the tatami mat.

Why should I care about such things?

She sat up in bed, ruffled her hair, and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"It's okay to wear that guy's yukata, right?"

The girl felt an overwhelming sense of unease and tossed and turned in bed, unable to find any relief.

.....

Dinner time.

In the banquet hall on the second floor, Aniplex members sat down in twos and threes. The atmosphere was more formal than the night before, but since it was the last night of the team building activity, everyone was not so reserved.

When Ryosuke arrived, most people were already seated.

He glanced at the seats and noticed that there was an empty seat next to Phoenix Inu Saori, while his younger sister across the table was already seated.

When Takashiro Ryono saw Ryosuke, her lips pursed slightly, and her gaze fell on him with a scrutinizing look.

"President! Over here!" Inoue Rina waved to Ling Nai, but Ryosuke still walked to the seat next to Saori.

Saori looked up at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, but said nothing.

"Hey~ Why did the club president go to the other side? Are you really close to Hououin-san?"

Rina Inoue's gaze towards the two men was rather ambiguous.

Although he confirmed with Ling Nai during the day that the two seemed not to be dating, their behavior in person was completely different.

To some extent, she thought their relationship was very sweet.

Such teasing remarks would occasionally be made at the company, but Ryosuke would always be embarrassed and beg for mercy.

To her surprise, she didn't see that kind of reaction on the young president's face this time.

Under Inoue Rina's shocked gaze, Ryosuke grasped Hououin Saori's hand beside him and smiled at her.

"Yes, we have a great relationship now because we're a couple."

pat-

Upon hearing this, Ling Nai lost her grip on her chopsticks and they fell onto the table.

Chapter 181 Mind Your Own Business?

Ling Nai paused for a moment, then casually picked up the chopsticks, lowered her head and wiped them with a tissue. Her movements seemed calm, but her fingertips trembled slightly.

"...You're kidding, right?" she whispered, so softly that even Inoue Rina beside her couldn't hear her.

"Really?!" Inoue Rina's eyes widened, and she jumped up from her seat. "President! Hououin-san! When did you start this?!"

This exclamation attracted the attention of many members in the vicinity.

A few tables away, Ritsu Saito was pouring sake when he was startled by Rina Inoue's loud shout and spilled the sake on the tablecloth.

He looked up and glared at Inoue Rina.

Is there anything to be surprised about in this kind of thing?

As someone who's been there, I think it's perfectly normal for young people to be in love, right?

But the surrounding discussions made him seem somewhat out of place.

"I knew it!" The club member next to her lowered his voice but sounded incredibly excited. "I felt something was off between the two of them when we were at the company before. The way Miss Hououin looked at the club president was completely different!"

You noticed it too?

"Who didn't notice? It's just that no one dared to say it!"

Whispers spread through the banquet hall.

Phoenix Inu Saori was caught off guard by Ryosuke's sudden public declaration. A blush rose to her face, and she tried to pull her hand back, but Ryosuke held it tightly, and she couldn't budge it even after two attempts.

"Is this revenge for how I teased you before, Shi Yuze?"

She spoke softly, her tone tinged with embarrassment and annoyance.

"What?" Ryosuke turned his head to look at her, a smile on his lips. "Weren't you quite bold when you were charging me 'interest' before? I don't think there's anything to hide."

Recalling the times when he was teased by Saori Hououin in the past, he found the expression on her face now quite amusing.

And there's nothing to hide. Back in my memory, the first thing to do when you're in a relationship is to post it on social media and show it off, right?

Since that method doesn't exist now, it's appropriate to announce it on this occasion.

"I didn't say you had to do it in front of everyone..."

Phoenix Inu Saori hadn't expected Ryosuke to be so aggressive after she'd spoken her mind, especially since he seemed like a virgin when they were together before.

That's incredibly bold, announcing something like that in front of so many people.

But he couldn't hide the joy on his face; the happiness in his heart was bubbling out like a hot spring.

"The president is right!" Inoue Rina was the first to stand up and cheer. "What's there to hide! This is a joyous occasion!"