Shiratori Seiya's indifferent tone struck Hōjō Shione like a sudden winter breeze—sharp, cold, and utterly unexpected.
The girl's lips parted slightly, her shimmering eyes widening with unmistakable surprise. For a heartbeat, maybe two, she simply stood there, frozen in place like a character who'd just had her script ripped away.
Then, slowly, realization dawned across her delicate features. A flicker of disappointment passed through her gaze, and when she finally spoke, her voice had dried up like autumn leaves.
"...Mm. I know you're worried about Suzune. I'll take her away now."
But even as the words left her mouth, Hōjō Shione made no move to leave. Instead, she turned her head toward Takahashi Mio, hesitating for just a moment before speaking again.
"Um... would it be alright if I added you as a friend? It's truly an honor to have such a beautiful fan like you. I'd love to get to know you..."
Her voice dripped with a gentleness so disarming that refusing her felt almost cruel. Almost impossible.
Shiratori Seiya's brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to intervene—
"May I?" Takahashi Mio's voice slipped quietly into his ear.
"Of course!" Shione's face brightened. "It's because of wonderful fans like you that I've been able to come this far... Ah, but I don't have my phone on me right now. Would it be convenient for you to add me instead?"
Takahashi Mio studied the idol's earnest expression, something stirring in her chest. After a thoughtful pause, she held out her phone.
"Thank you~"
Shione accepted it with a warm smile, her fingers moving swiftly across the screen. Within ten seconds, she returned the device. Then, before Shiratori Seiya could say another word, she immediately continued:
"I'm sorry Suzune caused you trouble. We'll be going now."
She reached for her sister's arm, turning to leave. Over her shoulder, she cast a helpless glance at the younger Hōjō and sighed. "Honestly... she's sick and still insisted on seeing Seiya. Didn't I tell you he'd be angry?"
Takahashi Mio's ring finger twitched.
She bit down on the tip of her tongue, her gaze growing complicated as she watched the two figures retreat until they vanished entirely from view.
Then she turned to Shiratori Seiya.
"Aren't you going after her?" she asked. "If this were a drama, you'd be sprinting down the street right about now."
Shiratori Seiya shot her a flat look.
"Reality isn't a drama. Why would I chase after her?" He paused, his eyes narrowing. "More importantly... why are you here?"
Takahashi Mio blinked innocently, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Like I said earlier—I just happened to run into her. And like Hōjō Shione said... it was a coincidence."
Shiratori Seiya studied her face for a long moment, his doubts refusing to settle. He pressed further:
"What did Suzune say to you?"
Takahashi Mio tilted her head slightly, watching his expression carefully as she turned the question over in her mind. Finally, she spoke with deliberate hesitation:
"What do you think she would say to me?"
Given Hōjō Suzune's personality... probably nothing pleasant.
But before Shiratori Seiya could respond, a dejected expression washed over Takahashi Mio's face.
"She asked if I was really your girlfriend," the girl said, her voice soft. "Then she asked if I'd cast some kind of spell on you—otherwise, how could I have stolen her sister's boyfriend..."
She let out a self-deprecating laugh, her gaze turning almost reproachful as she looked at him.
"So Hōjō Shione really was your girlfriend? I thought you were joking before." Her eyes glistened, and she bit her lower lip. "I didn't expect her sister to like you too..."
The girl's words dripped with jealousy, tears threatening to spill as she continued:
"What's it like, being liked by two sisters at the same time? Showing reluctance to let you go right in front of your current girlfriend... As a guy, that must feel pretty great, huh?"
"..."
Shiratori Seiya watched her unusual behavior, his frown deepening. He took a slow breath, then spoke in a tone that left no room for argument:
"If you keep talking like that, I'm deducting fifty percent of your end-of-term bonus."
Takahashi Mio froze.
The resentful, jealous expression on her face locked up mid-performance—and then, just like that, it vanished completely.
"Eh?!"
"No!"
As Takahashi Mio's emotions snapped back to normal, Shiratori Seiya felt the nauseating tension between them dissolve like morning mist. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her.
"Done pretending?"
Takahashi Mio immediately pressed her hands together, her eyes shining with exaggerated remorse. "My bad, my bad, my bad~"
Seeing this, Shiratori Seiya looked her straight in the eyes and explained seriously:
"I've already broken up with her. And I have no relationship with her sister. If I absolutely had to define it... 'acquaintance' would be generous. Barely friends. Got it?"
He paused. "And about you adding her as a friend—"
Takahashi Mio blinked, cutting him off before he could finish. "What, I can't add her?"
Her tone shifted to one of righteous defense. "You know how huge this is for a fan, right? Adding an idol as a friend? Are you really going to deduct my bonus for this too?"
"..."
Shiratori Seiya found himself at a loss.
His ex-girlfriend adding his current girlfriend's contact info... It felt strange, no doubt about it. But Takahashi Mio's reasoning wasn't entirely unreasonable.
If she chose to view Hōjō Shione as a goal to strive toward... that might actually be a good thing.
Seeing him fall silent, Takahashi Mio pressed her advantage, her expression turning pitiful. "Besides, I was just acting earlier! You don't have to go straight to deducting money—that's way too scary."
"Even acting needs to be appropriate for the situation."
"Okay, okay... I thought you'd like that kind of thing."
"Nobody likes a love triangle drama. Especially when one of the corners is an ex."
"Oh? So... what did you think of my acting? I learned it from some books, you know..."
"It was decent. Barely passable."
"Eh? I thought I did pretty well! How could you tell?"
Shiratori Seiya shook his head and explained:
"It was too deliberate. It didn't make logical sense..."
Takahashi Mio was someone he had personally selected. She hadn't even been in a relationship during high school—the most prime period for falling in love.
There was no way she'd develop feelings for him after only two weeks.
Shiratori Seiya didn't think he possessed that kind of charm.
Still, he had to admit—Takahashi Mio's acting had a certain level of skill. If he hadn't known her true nature, if he hadn't understood that there were zero romantic entanglements between them...
He might have actually been fooled by those expressions she'd just worn.
Should I say it's worthy of S-rank acting talent?
He made a mental note to buy another appraisal card soon—he wanted to see how far she was from LV2. At this rate, she might reach LV3 in less than half a year...
Feeling quietly satisfied, Shiratori Seiya said, "In a few days, I'll arrange for you to train with a professional instructor. You should improve even faster."
"Oh..."
Takahashi Mio nodded, then glanced at the two tickets still in his hand. "Um... I remember Hōjō Shione's concert is next month, right? That won't interfere with anything, will it?"
"You want to go that badly?"
Shiratori Seiya tucked the tickets casually into his pocket, studying her profile. "Is her concert more important than your two million?"
Takahashi Mio raised an eyebrow, her tone turning dead serious.
"Absolutely not."
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she looked at him with hesitant hope. "But... could you give me the tickets?"
"What for?"
"Well, since I can't go... I'll sell them to someone who actually wants them. Maximize their value, you know."
"..."
Shiratori Seiya found himself momentarily speechless.
But honestly? Watching Takahashi Mio act like a money-grubbing little gremlin...
It was weirdly reassuring.