There are so many geniuses in crossover anime! What's wrong with adding me?

"And very—carefully, he wiped the food residue from the corners of her mouth."

"His eyes are also very gentle."

"He even patiently gave her instructions, even though we've never seen you like that before."

"But I can understand, that child is really cute, I even wanted to pat her head."

"..."

The two listed his "crimes" one by one, as if they were determined to nail him to the pillar of shame today, but Sakurakoji quickly interrupted.

"Stop, stop, stop! I was just getting a customer a meal she had left here to keep. How did I suddenly become the target of criticism?"

"Don't you think that's going too far?"

"I declare that I have absolutely no special relationship with that child!"

"Really?" Ichi Nijika's eyes still held some doubt.

"Are you sure this isn't just a stubborn attempt to evade a fine?" Yamada Ryoko questioned his motives.

"Only you would say that... I swear, that's absolutely not how it is!"

"Tsk, what a pity." Yamada Ryo clicked his tongue and let out a low, unwilling murmur.

Ichi Nijika felt a sense of relief, and then apologized for her rash behavior.

"Oh, I thought... Gomenase!"

"That's true. That child looks a bit too young and cute, doesn't he? Doesn't seem like he's even in middle school yet?"

"No, she's still a second-year junior high student." Sakurakoji Sai waved his hand and corrected.

However, he could understand. Although she wasn't much shorter than Ichiji Nijika, her cat-like gentle temperament easily evoked people's affection and made them misjudge her age.

"Is that so? Well, that's alright then."

"No, no, this doesn't seem quite right either. I think it's a bit too early."

Yamada Ryo frowned slightly, then seemed to remember something: "But how did you know she was a middle school student? Did she mention it just now?"

"..."

"really……"

"I already said it's not true!"

……

As night fell, Sakurakoji, her steps faltering, left the starry sky wearily.

He spent a lot of effort explaining himself to prove his innocence, which he found much more tiring than his job.

Especially after seeing them arguing endlessly, Ijichi Seika and PA, who thought they were just having a fight, also rushed over after hearing the noise. After learning what had happened, they joined in the condemnation of him.

Perhaps it was because he usually acted too perfectly that he finally revealed a flaw, which made them all tease him.

Fortunately, after a night of reasoned argument, he finally convinced the others that he was alright.

"I'm even thinking of asking for the day off tomorrow." Looking at the clear night sky, Sakurakoji sighed helplessly.

Of course, this is just a thought. If he really takes the day off tomorrow, who knows what kind of unfounded speculations they will make.

He walked toward the tram station, following the road he knew all too well.

……

the next morning,

After getting up, Sakurakoji received a text message that surprised him. The sender was Hoshino Ai.

"Mr. Sakurakoji, we have an outdoor photoshoot scheduled for noon today. Would you be interested in coming to watch?"

He thought for a couple of seconds, and after confirming that he had no other plans for the day, he gave his answer.

"Okay, could you please let me know the location and time? I'll be there on time."

"Of course, gifts of condolence are also included."

Ten minutes later, he received a reply from the other party, indicating that his work was now finished.

"That's not what I meant! I just wanted you to come and see for yourself how we actually work."

"Then, we don't need any gifts?"

"Mmm... Mr. Sakurakoji, you can be really mean sometimes!"

Sakurakoji smiled knowingly as he looked at the screen, his fingers continuing to tap lightly.

"Don't worry, I was just kidding."

"I'll leave the details of the itinerary to you later."

Hoshino Ai replied with a pink "Received" emoji, followed by the specific time and location information.

Seeing that no new conversations popped up on the screen for a long time, Sakurakoji casually put her phone into her clothes.

It seems the other party was afraid he might say something difficult to answer, so they took the initiative to end the conversation.

He left the room, went down the spiral staircase to the first-floor foyer, and then went to the mansion's kitchen.

This time, he didn't bother Yashima Ichiyo; he planned to do it himself.

Fortunately, Sakurakoji's kitchen always had a wide variety of ingredients on hand, so he didn't need to go out to buy any extra supplies.

He glanced at the time and began his performance.

……

Around 10:00 AM,

Sakurakoji Sai, carrying the same gift bag as last time, walked out of the mansion amidst the maids' farewells.

He opened the map, searched for the exact location of the address Hoshino Ai had sent, and mentally planned a general route. After connecting it with another location, he set off with a clear goal in mind, quickening his pace slightly.

At this time, it's not too late to head directly to Hoshino Ai's location, but if you want to take a slightly longer route, you'll need to hurry.

After several detours, he arrived at the convenience store with practiced ease.

He walked into the store to the sound of the girl's clear voice.

"Ah, it's Mr. Sakurakoji. Welcome! You're a bit early today. Are you just passing by to buy something?"

Good morning, Ms. Aoyama.

The shop's receptionist, Aoyama Nanami, greeted him warmly when he entered, and Sakurakoji Saito nodded in response.

Image: "Migrant Worker Warrior", Location: "Images/1753971685-100446961-113665310.jpg"

During this time, he would often stop by Fanxing to shop before going to work, and the two gradually became acquainted.

Aoyama Nanami usually comes to work after school in the afternoon, and she's usually not here at this time, but today is the weekend.

As a working soldier, she naturally didn't have the leisure to spend her time leisurely. With the boss's permission, her weekend shifts were also increased—all of which Sakurakoji Sai had found out in advance.

So, despite the tight schedule, after mentally rehearsing it and figuring it should be fine, he decided to come here first to build up his goodwill before heading to Hoshino Ai's place.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 18 Time Management is a Technical Skill

"I didn't come here to shop today, I just happened to be passing by and wanted to give you something."

"Eh? For me?"

Aoyama Nanami was clearly surprised, looking at him with a slightly astonished expression.

Sakurakoji took out a few small boxes from her gift bag, placed them on the cashier's counter, and pushed them over with her delicate white hands.

The black box with some transparency looked very high-end and must have been expensive. Inside were some things that were even whiter than his hands, which caught Aoyama Nanami's eye. She guessed that they were probably cream or something similar.

"A friend invited me over today, and I prepared some gifts for them."

"I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd stop by and give some to Miss Aoyama."

"Please accept this if you don't mind."

After putting down his things, Sakurakoji naturally withdrew his hand.

"Oh no! I can't do that!"

"I have no right to receive a reward without merit, so please take it back!"

Aoyama Nanami immediately waved her hand, looking somewhat bewildered and apprehensive. She certainly didn't have the nerve to accept something that looked so expensive.

"It's alright, I've prepared plenty anyway, they probably can't eat that much."

"If you can, please accept this, otherwise it might spoil later."

Sakurakoji had anticipated her reaction and smiled as he delivered the lines he had prepared beforehand.

As expected, Aoyama Nanami wasn't so resistant to this idea. Hearing that it might change, her expression became hesitant, but after a moment's hesitation, she accepted his kindness.

Wasting food is bad.

"Then I'll accept it without hesitation. Thank you so much!"

Aoyama Nanami gave a standard 90-degree bow, his voice earnest and sincere.

"It's okay, it's okay, I've already said it's too much, don't take it so seriously."

"However, this is also one of Miss Aoyama's virtues."

With a light laugh, Sakurakoji didn't linger and prepared to take his leave.

"Then I'll head over now, otherwise my friend might start nagging me."

"Ah, okay! Goodbye, Mr. Sakurakoji."

Hearing Sakurakoji praise her talent, Aoyama Nanami blushed slightly. Being praised by someone who was superior to her in every way made her feel a little ashamed. But when she heard that he was about to leave, she quickly responded.

"Also, thank you so much for today!"

Having already turned around, Sakurakoji waved his hand and, through the now-open automatic glass door, returned to the bustling street.

"We need to hurry."

He glanced at the time again and frowned slightly. Time management is a skill, and he wasn't very good at it yet. He might be late.

……

"too slow!"

When Sakurakoji arrived at the set, he was greeted with a loud and clear complaint.

The one who uttered the complaint was none other than Hoshino Ai. At this moment, she frowned her beautiful eyebrows, looked serious, crossed her arms, and stared at Sakurakoji Sai, seemingly waiting for his explanation.

"Sorry, sorry, I suddenly remembered something else on the way, so I was delayed for a while!"

"Has filming already finished?"

Sakurakoji was a little confused. He shouldn't have gone over the time limit by much. Could it be that the other party had started filming earlier and had already finished?

Seeing his slightly panicked expression, Hoshino Ai could no longer maintain her delicate, angry face and burst out laughing.

"Haha! No, I just wanted to say this line a long time ago! Sorry, sorry!"

"You lied to me?"

"Hmph, this is your punishment for being late."

Sakurakoji was somewhat taken aback; he had actually been deceived, and by Hoshino Ai no less.

However, it was indeed my fault, or rather, my time management skills were not mature enough. I could only smile helplessly and hand over the bag.

"Here, this is a gift for you."

Damn it, this experience will definitely be useful next time! You just wait!

"Oh! Thank you!"

Hoshino Ai carefully took the box with a look of delight. Looking at the box in the bag, which was the same as last time, her eyes, which had always been sparkling, seemed to brighten even more. It was clear that she was really looking forward to it.

Sakurakoji also expressed his admiration for Hoshino Ai's lively and agile personality.

It has to be said that among all the people he has met so far, Hoshino Ai is the most special one.

Putting everything else aside, just look at those eyes. What color haven't he seen before? But this is the first time he's ever seen eyes that can maintain a starry look all the time!