Tokyo: Oreimo

"They're so enthusiastic, I can't refuse."

When Ryosuke received the text message, a wry smile appeared on his face.

All told, Hayakawa Rumi has extended an invitation to him at least three times.

The text message said that the other party was accompanying his sister to Chiba Prefecture on business, and since it was a rare opportunity, he invited him to dinner.

If we don't agree now, it would be quite disrespectful.

Ryosuke had no choice but to give an affirmative answer; there was nothing wrong with having dinner with a naturally naive office lady.

Previously, it was simply because I didn't have time. After all, a round trip to Tokyo takes three hours, and if it weren't on my way, there would be no need to specifically accept the invitation.

"What are you grinning about on your phone for, you idiot?"

At that moment, Ryosuke was tutoring Ayano in her room, and she noticed him replying to her messages.

"It's nothing. You should focus on your studies. Wednesday's tutoring session is canceled. I have some personal matters to attend to."

"Hmph, who cares about you!"

Takashiro Ryou glared at him, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

They're about the same age, but Ryosuke doesn't eat at home and his father never questions it, while Ryosuke is subject to a curfew.

That's just too unfair.

As she thought about it, Ling Nai became a little angry.

"I still really hate you."

"?"

Ryosuke looked completely bewildered.

.....

After finishing his tutoring session, Ryosuke returned to his room.

The phone vibrated again.

To his surprise, the sender was Ruri Aragaki.

“Brother, the senior I know has agreed to what we discussed last week and plans to discuss it with you.”

"Thank you for your hard work. What's the time and place?"

"She will come to Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday. As for the location, let your brother decide."

Is it also Wednesday?

Ryosuke frowned.

There was a clash! While agreeing to meet Hayakawa Rumi, Aragaki Ruri was also scheduled to arrive on the same day.

"Can we reschedule for another day?"

"It probably won't work. It's already been agreed that the senior is usually quite busy and only recently made time for it."

Ruri Aragaki also found it a bit strange. Although the two of them chatted from time to time, they rarely interacted like this recently.

Due to the nature of his work, this senior colleague rarely has access to his phone and usually only gets to reply to messages late at night.

"Okay, let's go to the same coffee shop as last time, how about 4:30?"

Chiba First High School usually lets out at 4 PM, so you should have enough time to get to the agreed meeting place.

After a brief discussion, having dinner with the editor should be fine.

With that in mind, Ryosuke replied.

...

Chapter 41 The Glory of the Knight King (The holidays are almost here, so here's an extra chapter to wish everyone a Happy New Year~)

Wednesday, after school.

Ryosuke quickly packed his bag and left school for the coffee shop.

Chiba Station isn't far from Chiba Daiichi High School, but walking there takes about 30 minutes and is still quite strenuous.

Meanwhile, in the cafe on the other side, the Hayakawa sisters were already seated and waiting.

"The other party replied at 4:30, but the time is so tight, I don't know if I'll make it in time."

"If you have other appointments, you can leave now."

Yesterday, Hayakawa Rumi also briefly told her younger sister about her recent experiences, and Shizuka also knew that she had other dates.

Meeting with the author in charge is a very important event for my sister, who is about to be officially appointed.

"Are you sure you can manage on your own?"

Hayakawa Rumi was a little worried. In her opinion, her younger sister was too young and might suffer if she dealt with people from the community on her own.

"No problem, the security here is very good."

Shizuka gave an affirmative answer.

She's not some naive girl who hasn't been in the workforce; she's someone who's been through the mill in a company.

"Then I'll go to the restaurant first. I'll come back to find you after the discussion."

With something on her mind, Hayakawa Rumi picked up her clothes and left the cafe.

......

Shizuka Hayakawa looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the cafe; the hands had already reached 4:25.

Just then, the door to the café was pushed open, and Ryosuke walked in, slightly out of breath.

He jogged the rest of the way.

"A seat by the window, black hair with blue highlights at the ends."

Based on the information provided by Ruri Aragaki, Ryosuke quickly located Shizuka Hayakawa inside the building.

He walked closer.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I was introduced by Ruri Aragaki. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ryosuke Takagi."

Ryosuke greeted him politely.

“I am Shizuka Hoshimi. Please don’t be shy, Takashiro-kun.”

Hayakawa Shizuka smiled back and revealed her stage name, the same name she used when dating Aragaki Ruri.

As she spoke, she rested her chin on her hand and looked at the boy in front of her.

Standard student attire; judging by the style of the uniform, is she a high school student? Or is she my age?

He's quite handsome, a real heartthrob. The fact that Liuli asked me for help, could it be that they're in a relationship?

Shizuka suddenly became curious about the relationship between Ruri Aragaki and the boy in front of her.

She originally thought it was a junior colleague who had introduced her to make music, but she never expected him to be so young.

Hayakawa Shizuka was somewhat disappointed.

In this day and age, producing music on your own is an extremely luxurious and expensive endeavor.

How much money could a high school student possibly have? It's probably just something he's doing for fun, right?

Upon seeing each other, Shizuka had lost much of her expectation.

After exchanging greetings, Ryosuke sat down and ordered a hot Americano from the waiter.

"Well then, Miss Hoshimi, let's get right to it and get down to business."

Ryosuke cut to the chase, explaining that he had other appointments to make and couldn't keep Hayakawa Rumi waiting too long.

"I'd like to have about fifteen pieces of background music produced. Could you please tell me how much it would cost?"

"Ten...fifteen poems?"

Shizuka Hayakawa was taken aback.

Are you kidding me?

"What's wrong? Is it very difficult?"

"Takashiro-kun probably doesn't have much of a concept of music production, right?"

"Probably."

Ryosuke has limited personal energy and doesn't have the time to study in a targeted manner from scratch; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked someone else to do it for him.

Shizuka Hayakawa's face showed an expression of "I knew it."

"Can I ask you first what you plan to do with the music you recorded? If it's just to show off in front of your classmates, it's better not to waste the money."

If they were complete strangers, Shizuka wouldn't offer any advice, but since it was an introduction from an acquaintance, she might as well mention it.

In the circles she's been in, the cheapest market price for recording music and ultimately digitizing it, based on a standard length of two minutes and thirty seconds, is currently 80 yuan per single.

It would indeed be cheaper if you let her do it.

However, it is still a considerable expense, a price that students cannot afford at all.

"Used in game soundtracks."

Ryosuke answered truthfully, saying that since they weren't exactly acquaintances, there was nothing he couldn't say.

"game?"

"Hmm, a visual novel."

"Is it the kind of thing that includes erotic content?"

"Yes."

Having received an affirmative answer, Shizuka Hayakawa's gaze towards Ryosuke became somewhat subtle.

You wouldn't guess from his appearance that the boy in front of you is an otaku?

Shizuka herself has a strong aversion to otaku, after all, it is a group of people who would be so perverted as to take pictures under her skirt from below the stage.