…
Poor Agari waited for a long... long time.
Some time later...
The three were walking back to school, carrying plastic bags in their hands.
Tadano had cold sweat running down his back as he felt a pair of resentful eyes behind him.
Kaede had a cheerful smile, her skin glowing with a pinkish hue.
Agari, on the other hand, looked gloomy, glaring daggers at a certain someone.
Tadano: "… *Cough* So, Agari, how are things going at the company?"
Agari wanted to ignore him, but seeing his expression, she couldn't help but respond.
Agari: "Thanks to the staff added by Master, Nakanaka-san has significantly improved the progress of her work. According to estimates, it will be ready to launch in three months."
Tadano: "That's great! How's the song recording going?"
Agari: "Both Ai-chan and Ado-san are giving their best efforts, and as for the BGM, the girls from Kessoku are surprisingly doing very well..."
Tadano smiled upon hearing that.
Tadano: "How's it going with their new member?" he asked.
Agari: "Kita-san is a kind girl, and she's formed a good bond with the rest of the group… although Hitori-chan is still a bit scared of her."
Tadano sighed at the fearful behavior of his subordinate.
After hiring the Kessoku band, it didn't take long for Tadano to find and recruit their newest member, Kita Ikuyo, who eagerly accepted the offer after witnessing Ai's performance at Starry. Kita had fallen in love with Ai's singing and Pochi's incredible guitar skills. So, knowing Ai would lead the group, she accepted without hesitation.
Tadano: "How is Pochi-chan? Is she getting along at the company? And how many times did she turn into a slug this week?" he asked.
Agari scratched her cheek, feeling a bit awkward.
Agari: "Well… Pochi... *Cough* Hitori-chan is doing relatively well. She's only turned into a slug three times this week. She's found a kindred spirit in Nakanaka-san..."
Tadano: "Now that I think about it, Nakanaka likes guitars and rock too. Good, keep encouraging that behavior. I expect a lot from someone as talented as her."
Agari nodded.
Tadano: "How's that little troublemaker's schedule?"
Agari: "Ai-chan only has a few rehearsals this week, along with some vocal practice. Other than that, she has the week off, Master… Ai-chan asked if she could get permission to go to the beach with her friends."
Tadano: "Hmm… fine. That girl needs to relax a little… besides, she's got a big concert at the National Theater soon, right?"
Agari: "Yes… it's scheduled for early December..."
Tadano: "Perfect. Let her go with her friends, but notify Yamai to prepare some security for her."
Agari: "Understood..."
Seeing Agari's resentful eyes, Tadano felt guilty.
With a wave of his hand, a small jar appeared.
Tadano: "Want some? It's Mochi I found at one of the stalls on the shopping street."
Agari looked at the jar with bright eyes, but her little pride told her she couldn't let this situation go so easily…
However...
*Crunch*
*Crunch*
Agari was walking while happily eating the mochi.
Tadano smiled as he watched her happiness return.
*Poke*
Or so he thought, until Kaede poked her cheek.
Kaede: "You shouldn't do that, Hito-kun… if you're going to reward her, at least make it a proper date. If you just give her snacks, it's like you're pacifying a pet…" the green-haired girl said.
However... Kaede seemed to forget a small detail about Agari.
*Tremble*
Hearing Kaede's words, Agari's masochistic side was activated, and her imagination ran wild… soon enough, her cheeks reddened, and a certain place couldn't help but feel hot and tingly as she thought of multiple scenarios where Tadano treated her like nothing more than an animal.
With red cheeks and a silly grin, Agari was lost in her thoughts.
Kaede was left speechless by her subordinate/friend's behavior.
...
In one of the cooking classrooms, a group of girls was preparing snacks for the other students.
Nene: "Fufufu… cute Onigiri, Shouko. Are you making them for someone special?"
Nene teased as she saw how focused Shouko was on preparing a specific batch of Onigiris.
Shouko was startled and almost dropped the Onigiri in her hands, but sighed in relief when she managed to place it intact on the plate. She then looked at Nene with resentment.
Nene scratched her cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed, but she reminded herself that she was the older sister and decided to double down.
Nene: "Oh come on, don't be mad. Tell me, they're for Hito-kun, right?" she said with a playful smile.
Shouko blushed but shyly nodded.
*Flash*
*Flash*
*Flash*
Several cameras quickly captured photos of Shouko's embarrassed and shy expression.
Nene rolled her eyes at the group of girls. At that moment, she remembered that despite Shouko's changes, she still had a group of die-hard fans following her.
Ignoring the strange group of girls, Nene approached Shouko with various vegetables in hand.
Shouko looked a bit confused.
Nene: "If we're going to make something special for him, why don't we decorate it a bit?" she said enthusiastically.
Shouko's eyes lit up, and she nodded excitedly at the idea.
Inaka, nearby, also wanted to join in and brought her own Onigiri.
Shouko and Nene were surprised.
Although Inaka was their friend, they didn't think she had that kind of feelings for Tadano.
It's worth noting that Tadano doesn't always pursue the girls he helps or even see them as more than friends.
For example, Ase-san and even Makeru-san are cases like this. Tadano likes to try to match these people with whom he believes they would get along better.
The couples he had successfully matched so far were Naruse and Ase, Ushiroda and Maeda, and finally, Makeru and Kometani.
A common joke among the group of friends was to playfully call Tadano "Cupid of Love."
Tadano accepted this nickname with pride and even felt proud of it.
Inaka had also been part of Tadano's matchmaking plans, but seeing her blushing cheeks and timid expression, Nene wondered if that would still be a good idea.
Nene didn't mind much if Tadano and Inaka got involved. Thanks to her best friend Kaede, those kinds of concerns were no longer on her mind.
Nene would shyly admit that a certain twisted feeling grew inside her whenever Tadano kissed one of their other "sisters" in front of her.
Heck, she even felt more stimulated when both she and Kaede participated in those acts together.
"Nene?" a voice asked.
At that moment, Nene snapped out of her thoughts.
She quickly shook her head to dispel any irrelevant ideas and looked at Shouko, who was calling her.
Nene promptly let Inaka join them, and the three of them began decorating the Onigiris together.
Once they finished, they covered them with a cloth and set them aside while they started making the rest of the Onigiris for everyone else.
Nene was surprised to see Inaka's skill at making Onigiris—she was so fast that she could easily pass for a conveyor belt.
"What scary countryside girls…" Nene thought.
Meanwhile, Shouko was very happy with her cat-shaped Onigiri.
Author's Note:
"Well, it was quite a long break, and I apologize for that. This author had a small relapse, which made it difficult for me to get out of that. Now I'm feeling a bit better, so I'll try to update a bit faster. That said, remember to drink plenty of water, and I love you all very much. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."
-------------------- nwnr