The girl's finger poked his chin. It felt a little cold. Shiratori Seiya frowned slightly, reaching out to grasp her index finger. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed everyone behind them was staring in their direction.
"Cut it out. Aren't you afraid of what people think anymore?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
With her finger trapped in his hand, Takahashi Mio didn't pull away. Instead, she scooted closer, practically draping her entire upper body over his shoulder, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Everyone at school already knows you've got two girlfriends. There are even rumors that I'm the side-piece. Explaining is useless at this point, so I might as well just own it."
"…"
Shiratori Seiya's heart stirred. He didn't care about the rumors himself, but he hadn't considered how they might be affecting Mio. He had almost no friends at school, so naturally, no one had bothered to fill him in on the gossip.
Watching Shiratori Seiya's face darken, Takahashi Mio smiled—like her scheme had worked perfectly.
"Feeling bad for me, are you? Why are you so soft-hearted? I feel like you're never gonna make any money at this rate."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Noticing the shift in his expression, she explained:
"Look, whether it's on TV, in newspapers, or in manga—everything says capital is evil. You've gotta be ruthless and play dirty to grab a piece of the pie. At this rate, you're just gonna get eaten alive…"
As she spoke, she picked up a pen, tore a piece of paper from her notebook, and slid it toward him.
"Come on, write…"
Shiratori Seiya looked at her deeply, then took the pen from her hand.
"Let's set aside whether I have the cash flow or bank statements for a second—I don't even have one billion yen. This kind of IOU has zero legal standing."
Takahashi Mio blinked. She paused.
"Ah? Then let's just make it a hundred million…"
"My point is, abandon this terrible plan."
"…"
Takahashi Mio pouted and slumped back in her chair like a deflated balloon.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Shiratori Seiya was silent for a moment.
"First… tell me about your father. What kind of person is he?"
"Him? He's the most boring person on the planet…"
Recalling her father's face, Takahashi Mio bit her lip and launched into full complaint mode:
"He's got the worst personality. As soon as he gets home from work, he stares at these beat-up old books he found somewhere, claiming they're 'lost ancient texts containing great wisdom.' But one time I flipped through them, and one page literally had a barcode on it.
And you'd think someone who reads so much would be logical, right?
Nope. He talks nonsense and always loves quoting 'the classics' to lecture people.
You can't even argue with him. If you try, he'll say stuff like, 'You're not even married yet and you're already defying your family,' then launch into another quote and drag you into a debate until you just give up and agree with him. It's so annoying.
He also likes to drink sometimes, leaving Mom and me to eat dinner alone. And every now and then, he brings people home to drink. That's bad enough, but he always finds a way to put down Mom and me in front of his guests. After everyone leaves, Mom and I are stuck cleaning up.
When he's drunk, he either passes out in bed or—like a total madman—grabs his fishing rod and goes out. One time he actually fell into the water. When Mom and I went looking for him, he was asleep in the river! If he hadn't been gripping the grass on the bank while sleeping, he probably would've drowned ages ago…"
"…"
This was the first time Shiratori Seiya had formally heard about Takahashi Mio's family. He listened to her scattered complaints, most of which revolved around the bizarre things Takahashi Yūfū had done.
Judging by Mio's attitude toward him, there was no doubt—this father might not exactly win any "Dad of the Year" awards.
After grumbling for over half an hour, perhaps worried she'd given Seiya too terrible an impression, she pursed her lips and reluctantly added:
"But… he's not completely useless. He's pretty good to Mom."
"When my mother was young, she apparently ran into some thugs. That old man took two stab wounds for her to protect her. I've seen the scars on his back—they're real…"
At this point, Takahashi Mio paused and glanced at Shiratori Seiya's left hand.
Seiya didn't notice her gaze. He stared at the desk, thought for a moment, then asked:
"What kind of work does your dad do?"
"Uh…"
Hearing that, Mio hesitated, then opened her mouth:
"He seems to do mechanical circuit repair? Something like that. Anyway, he works at a car factory…"
As if to cover up her lack of knowledge on the subject, she sighed again.
"It's so frustrating. He gets super into watching TV dramas and loves discussing and complaining about the plots with Mom every day… but I really don't get why it's not okay for his own daughter to want to be an actress. Does he not want to see me on TV or something?"
"…"
Shiratori Seiya didn't respond. He rested his forehead on his hand, closed his eyes, and frowned deeply.
He stayed completely still for several minutes. Mio couldn't help nudging his arm.
He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I just thought you fell asleep."
"…"
Shiratori Seiya still didn't reply. He just stared at the desk until the bell for the next class rang.
Takahashi Mio looked at his pained expression, and her mood—which had been down for two days—suddenly lifted significantly.
A warm feeling washed over her. That sense of having someone suffer alongside her bubbled up in her chest.
She couldn't help but giggle. But afraid the professor at the podium might notice, she covered her mouth, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.
After a while, as if unable to bear Seiya's worried look any longer, she reached over and poked him in the side.
When Shiratori Seiya turned to look at her, she pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and hesitated like she wanted to say something.
Then, suddenly, she smiled—her eyes curving into happy crescents.
"Don't look so upset. Let me tell you—if you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles, and you'll never get rid of them. Besides, things will work out somehow. At worst… I just won't go home anymore."
Then, without waiting for Seiya to respond, she asked:
"Oh, by the way, I'm kinda curious. When Hōjō decided to become a singer back then, did her parents not object at all? Did they just trust that she'd succeed?"
Hearing this, Shiratori Seiya was silent for a moment.
"Saying they completely trusted her wouldn't be accurate. It was more like… half-believing. But first, she won a school competition, then a singer's competition in Kyoto. After she started getting results, her family agreed."
Takahashi Mio nodded expressionlessly.
"Oh. She really is lucky."
After speaking, she picked up the mineral water bottle in front of Shiratori Seiya, twisted off the cap, and took a big gulp—as if that would wash away the sourness spreading through her chest.
Putting the bottle down, she licked her lips, stared at Shiratori Seiya for a while, and then suddenly asked:
"But… with all that big stuff happening to her, didn't she ask you for help? Like, to write her another song or something?"
Shiratori Seiya shook his head.
"She didn't ask. And it wouldn't have helped even if she did."
"Why?"
"Because I've hit rock bottom. My creative well is completely dry."
I win!
A surge of pure, undiluted pleasure rushed through Takahashi Mio.
This feeling—of coming out on top after a comparison—sent goosebumps prickling across her skin. Even her toes curled with a delightful thrill.
['Takahashi Mio' affection 70 → 75]
Buzz buzz.
Before the afterglow could fade from her fingertips, the phone on the desk suddenly lit up.
It was Shiratori Seiya's phone.
Takahashi Mio's gaze snapped to it instantly.
"Hōjō Shione: Can I treat you to a meal? There are some things I'd like to talk to you about…"
['Takahashi Mio' affection 75 → 70]
…