The young and energetic girls were like lively little birds, their chirping voices crisp and pleasant to the ear, even their fluttering skirts made one think of the layered petals of a folding rose. When three pairs of eyes filled with hope and longing looked over at the same time, who could bear to refuse?
"Sorry, my phone's out of battery."
Being asked for contact information by cheerful and cute JKs was no longer anything new to him. Compared to those bolder and more aggressive older women, the little girls still in school were obviously lower-leveled and easier to reject.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
The girl named "Aiko" had looks that could score about eight out of ten, and within the golden pyramid of the class's social circle, she was also a strong figure among the popular ones. Hearing this, she paused for a moment, then pulled out a small white portable charger from her small handbag, and said earnestly with a face full of enthusiasm, "It's okay! I have a power bank! You can use it!"
Kaito: "..."
Normally, among those who had approached him to strike up a conversation in the past, a large portion would back off sensibly after the first rejection. But a small portion had more persistence and wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted, the hardest type to deal with.
To deal with such people, making excuses only gave them more chances to cling on. The best solution was to reject them directly.
But before Kaito could open his mouth, Ichiji Seika stepped between the two, wearing her signature expression of disgust, and bluntly said, "Sorry, customer, this is a livehouse, and we don't provide additional services like exchanging contact information. If you want to watch a performance, please buy a ticket, not hit on my staff."
It had to be said, as a mature woman nearing thirty, when the store manager wasn't acting tsundere, she was quite imposing.
Especially her expressionless face, which had a kind of cold rock musician vibe, making her look hard to approach.
"S-sorry!", The few female students shrank their necks. But the charm of a handsome guy was too hard to resist. After hesitating for a moment, they still couldn't help but ask, What if... I have money?"
'Even if you have money, still no.'
'This is a livehouse, not a host club.'
Besides, Seika herself wasn't short on money. The reason she opened this livehouse was more to support her little sister's musical dreams.
With the store manager lady's firm rejection, the three young JKs finally left, though clearly unwilling.
They had still wanted to linger a while longer, but couldn't stand the terrifying gaze of this blonde big sister. It was seriously like a fierce wild mother wolf guarding her food.
Better run.
Watching their figures disappear around the staircase corner, Kaito finally looked toward Seika and nodded slightly, "Thanks, manager, for stepping in."
Seika's expression didn't change, carrying the calm and collected demeanor of a master, as if she hadn't taken this matter to heart. That is, if one ignored the slightly reddened tip of her ear hidden beneath her long hair.
"After all, you're someone Nijika invited," She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Just now, I said you were a staff member… sorry, I was in a hurry, don't take it seriously."
"Of course not," Kaito shook his head. Seeing the manager still looked a bit self-conscious, he thought for a moment and tried to lighten the mood, "As a temporary staff member, I probably won't need to buy tickets next time I come to watch a show, right?"
This kind of harmless little joke, of course Seika wouldn't take seriously. She turned her face away and seemed to lightly "hmph."
'Don't even mention buying a ticket, as long as you're willing to marry me—my little sister Nijika, I'll give you the store.'
But of course, such words were not suitable to say aloud. The tsundere store manager turned her eyes back to the laptop in front of her and used the action of typing on the keyboard to hide her emotions.
"That depends… on whether you can satisfy me."
"Satisfy with what?"
A side ponytail girl had somehow come over, tilting her head with a curious look, "Sis and Kaito-kun, what are you two talking about?"
"Ahem, I meant, please me," Seika accidentally choked on her own saliva. She must have been infected by a certain Trashy Ryou, since weird thoughts kept popping up in her head. She quickly recounted the earlier little episode.
"I see…", Nijika wasn't too interested in the JK group that came to flirt. But she was quite interested in the "staff" excuse her sister used. Her wine-red pupils sparkled, "Speaking of which, Kaito-kun, do you want to really work at the store?"
It wasn't strange that she had such an idea.
The ancients said: warfare requires timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.
Love is like a battlefield. Unlike Bocchi and Kita, Nijika, who attended Shimokitazawa University, had already lost the advantage of location from the start.
Although Kaito had a good relationship with her and would occasionally visit the store, the frequency wasn't high, only about once or twice a week.
Nijika had to juggle schoolwork and the store, so she had little time to take the initiative.
But…
If Kaito also worked at the store, the situation would be very different.
The time they spent together would at least not be as pitifully little as it was now.
There's a saying: feelings develop over time.
Just imagining that in the future, she and Kaito would become fellow workers, spending each day together and naturally moving toward the altar… Nijika blushed and felt even more determined to make it happen.
Even Seika beside her seemed a bit tempted. If the rice was cooked into porridge, then as the store manager, she could say that classic line, ["Kaito-kun, you don't want to lose this job too, right?"]
Unfortunately…
"If it's just occasionally helping out, that's fine," Kaito didn't think too much and directly rejected her proposal, "As for working part-time, I don't have that kind of plan for now."
He already had an exorcism side job and wasn't short on money. In his free time, he'd rather go home and keep company with Mutsumi, lest that little cucumber wither away again.
"I-I see…", Nijika clearly looked a bit disappointed.
But she couldn't force others to do what they didn't like, so she could only take a step back and carefully asked, "Then… next time, can I come visit Kaito-kun's house? And also, see Kumiko…"
She had wanted to visit Kumiko before and had even bought a game disc as a gift. But the timing hadn't been right, the little sword spirit was evolving back then and had slept for several days.
She had planned to find another time to visit, but had been busy with band matters lately, and somehow it had been delayed until today.
"Of course you can."
The child's mom wants to see the child, Kaito had no reason to stop her, and didn't plan to.
Although they weren't a mother and daughter in the traditional human sense, that little sword spiritg girl clearly saw Nijika as her mother.
Moreover, ever since he accidentally caught Kumiko browsing some strange stuff last time, the little girl had been pretending to be dead and avoiding him, not even playing her favorite games anymore.
Perhaps Nijika's visit could be the key to breaking the ice?
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