Tokyo: Oreimo

That's true, but it's just too gossipy.

"Mr. Kudo is right, we really should thank you properly, Ms. Hayakawa."

Ryosuke's expression turned somewhat serious.

An idol's time is precious, and the other party only offered 300,000 yen per song, which was already a loss for them.

He even spent so much time recording three songs for himself, completing them within a week; he deserves a proper thank you.

"No need. I really like the song that Takashiro-kun gave me. This is just what I should do to repay you."

Hayakawa Shizuka shook her head, feeling incredibly ashamed.

"Don't worry too much about that song."

Ryosuke understands the value of a good song, which is very high for an idol, but he doesn't want Shizuka Hayakawa to be burdened by it.

After all, his original intention in taking out "No, Thank You" was to use it to pay off a debt; it was a transaction in itself, and there was no question of repayment.

"Then, I'll take my leave now."

Ryosuke greeted them and turned to leave.

"Hey kid, aren't you going to sit down for a bit? Shizuka-chan has to record a song later, why don't you stay and listen?"

Mr. Kudo extended an invitation, but Ryosuke shook his head and declined.

"I have other things to do, maybe next time."

Watching Ryosuke's departing figure, Hayakawa Shizuka remained silent, simply watching him leave.

"Shizuka-chan, you're in danger right now."

"What are you talking about, Mr. Kudo?"

"If we're not frank, he might just run away."

"...Let's record the song first."

.......

After leaving the video store, Ryosuke glanced at the time.

It was almost 11 a.m.

He found his direction and walked to Akihabara.

Phoenix Institute usually goes to work in the electronics district on weekends. The meeting place we agreed to meet today was a fast food restaurant next to the LTC-PC specialty store, so we could meet during each other's lunch break.

......

"What? That really pretty girl didn't come out with us?"

Takashiro Ryouno had been staring at the exit, and was somewhat surprised to see someone come out alone.

Wouldn't my grand plan to catch him in the act of adultery fail before it even began?

She quickly left the coffee shop and followed Ryosuke at a distance. Her furtive behavior attracted the attention of many passersby, but the girl was completely unaware of it and continued to follow him closely.

As she followed, Takashiro Ryouno noticed that her brother's pace had quickened, so she was forced to speed up as well.

"Why is this guy walking so fast?"

The blonde girl was a little out of breath. She was not very strong, and she also had to keep an eye on Ryosuke's back, otherwise she would easily lose sight of her brother in the crowd.

As she rounded a corner, fearing she would completely lose sight of Ryosuke, she could only jog forward.

.....

By the time Ryosuke arrived in Akihabara, it was nearly noon.

He waited alone in the agreed-upon restaurant, resting his chin on his hand and gazing out the window, while fiddling with something that looked like a round radar in his hand.

Two rows away, Takashiro Ryouno kept her head down, trying to avoid being noticed by her older brother, and observed him with her head tucked in.

"Hmph, as expected of me, you didn't even notice me."

"Could it be that I'm a genius at stalking?"

Takashiro Ryou couldn't help but feel a little smug.

She sat quietly in her seat and waited until, more than ten minutes later, the door of the fast food restaurant was pushed open, and Phoenix Courtyard, dressed in a business suit, walked in.

The moment Ling Nai saw her, she locked onto her.

It has to be her.

For no other reason than that, in her opinion, Ryosuke Takashiro simply liked this style of dressing.

As Ling Nai had predicted, Phoenix Inu sat opposite Ryosuke.

"Speaking of which, isn't this woman incredibly tall?"

The girl was somewhat wary, because even with two rows of seats between them, the sofa in the booth couldn't block the other person's view.

In Japan, women who are over 1.7 meters tall can be called giants.

Phoenix Institute, wearing high heels, was clearly beyond that size.

"Long time no see, Shi Yuze. Did you bring any friends with you this time?"

As soon as Phoenix Inu sat down, he couldn't help but glance at Ling Nai in the back seat, his eyes curving into crescent shapes.

'What is this woman saying? This guy is clearly alone, where did he get friends from?'

'By the way, who is Shi Yuze calling again?'

Just as Takashiro Ryou was wondering, she noticed that Ryosuke in the front seat stood up, then turned around and put his hand on the back of the sofa booth.

Eyes facing each other.

"come over."

Ryosuke helplessly beckoned to his younger sister, gesturing for her to sit down.

Chapter 45 Simultaneously Possessing

Although she didn't want Ling Nai to meet Phoenix Courtyard, since Ling Nai had followed her all the way, ignoring her would be unnecessary.

"Huh?" Takashiro Ryouno was taken aback.

He then pretended not to hear and looked out the window.

"They're definitely not calling me; it must be some other friend."

"I disguised myself so well, and I wasn't discovered during the tracking process, so it couldn't be that they were calling me."

"I'm talking to you, Ling Nai, come here right now."

Ryosuke was speechless.

What is he pretending for? I've seen that outfit before. He's not blind. He walked into the fast food restaurant right in front of me. How could he not recognize me?

"What? When did you find out about me?"

Being addressed by her first name, Takashiro Ryou couldn't keep up the act any longer and angrily sat down in the booth where they were.

"I noticed it as soon as I went out. It was sneaking around and following people. Some passersby even pointed it out to me. It would be strange if I hadn't noticed it, right?"

Ryosuke glared at her.

"So even though you found me, you didn't call me?"

Ling Nai was somewhat angry.

So why did she follow him so carefully all the way?

"Because it's funny, watching your terrible performance."

"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

Takashiro Ryouna couldn't accept it. She had actually followed someone she hated like a clown the whole way and sat there for more than an hour in the coffee shop downstairs.

She was like an angry little tiger; if there hadn't been outsiders present, she probably would have gone berserk on the spot.

"Pfft, this is interesting. This must be your sister, Shi Yuze?"

Phoenix Institute couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing this.

"What? What's so funny? You're the one who wrote the computer program for him?"

Takashiro Ryou said with dissatisfaction, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.

"We've met before."

"Eh?" Phoenix Institute's words made Ling Nai's imposing manner subside. "When is it that I don't remember seeing you before?"

Ryosuke reminded her at just the right moment.

"At the CM exhibition, you wore similar attire and bought that 'Hot-Blooded Youth/Intense Fighting' item from her booth..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ling Nai covered his mouth with her hand.

“You were from that time…” Ling Nai’s expression changed.

She remembered that the woman at the stall was also tall, wearing a plaid shirt and thick glasses.

It's the same person? The change is too drastic!

Does that mean another person now knows her secret?

"Yes, it's rare to see someone who likes my work run away so quickly. I haven't even had a chance to express my gratitude."

Phoenix Institute rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Ling Nai with affectionate eyes.

This was the first time she had ever been looked at like this; the tiger cub had degenerated into a kitten in a very short time.

"My sister is such a lovely person too. I like you more and more, Shi Yuze. If I marry you, I can have both of you at the same time."

"Eh?" Upon hearing this, Takashiro Ryouno trembled, a rare expression of fear appearing on her face.

Ryosuke also felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly feeling like he was being harassed.

"You idiot, stop joking..."

He's only a freshman in high school and has absolutely no plans to get married yet; dating isn't a necessity for him either.