Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

"May I?"

Yuji Ito nodded slightly.

"Of course. We're a group, not some kind of dictatorship. Team bullying and such won't happen."

A light shone in Asada Sakura's eyes. "Then I want to do it every day..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ito Yujin interrupted him, saying, "But I still have to arrange the allocation of funds, including accommodation and meals."

That's still dictatorship.

Sakura Asada pouted, sulking, where Yuujin Ito couldn't see.

I thought he had become human, but it turns out he's still anthropomorphic.

"Do you know what activities your class has prepared for the cultural festival?" asked Yuji Ito.

"N-I don't know." Asada Sakura pressed her fingers against her head, trying hard to remember. "It seems to be a shooting game where you can get dolls or something."

"And what about you, Ito-kun?" Asada Sakura asked in return.

“It’s a haunted house.” Recalling his experience at school, Yuujin Ito continued, “It was Totsugi-sensei who suggested it.”

"Huh? Is it that cute teacher?" Asada Sakura asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes.” Yuji Ito nodded.

"I never expected that."

"I didn't expect that Ms. Toji was quite timid. She was startled many times while checking the arrangements just now."

"Then why did she even make the suggestion?"

Asada Sakura seemed genuinely curious, and she was unknowingly getting closer to Ito Yuujin.

She looked up at Yuuhito Ito's profile, hoping he would tell her the reason.

A cool breeze carrying the scent of early cherry blossoms blew between the two of them.

She said, "Haunted houses at cultural festivals are the best place to foster relationships!"

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Yuuhito Ito shook his head.

Emerging from a Yoshinoya restaurant near Tobita Station, Sakura Asada carried two neatly square paper lunch boxes in her arms.

The extra-large portion was for Anna Takikawa, and the large portion was for herself.

"Takikawa Anna, do you really want the extra-large beef bowl?" Ito Yujin folded the receipt in half and stuffed it into his wallet.

"I think so."

Asada Sakura's voice was broken by the evening breeze.

After all, it was the last dinner that didn't cost any money. If it were Takikawa herself, she would probably shout the slogan "I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money" and have another glass of juice.

In any case, Takikawa Anna is not going to have a good outcome tonight.

Just as she was wondering how Anna Takikawa would repay the debt, Yuujin Ito suddenly reached out and took the carrying rope for her.

“Allowing Anna Takigawa to cover ‘I’m So Annoying’ will earn 3 yen, plus 1 yen from YouTube, for a total of 4 yen.”

Asada Sakura listened attentively, and upon hearing the price of 4 yen, she was already thinking about her afternoon tea plans for the month.

Strawberry mille-feuille cake, Uji Kintoki shaved ice, and the TORAKU limited edition caramel pudding that I used to apologize last time.

But then I immediately thought of Da Tou at Anna Takigawa's place, and I realized that being able to eat at Yoshinoya was a very happy thing.

“At least…” she said softly, “at least there’s Yoshinoya.”

“Although I’ve saved up a little money, I still can’t eat at Yoshinoya every day,” Yujin Ito replied. “After all, I’m going to perform at a livehouse later, and if I don’t sell the tickets, I’ll have to pay out of my own pocket.”

"It's over."

It wasn't just Takikawa Anna who was ruined, but also Asada Sakura.

Will she be treated as an accomplice and punished along with everyone else?

How will a man who has just experienced a failed confession treat these two beautiful girls?

It must have been incredibly cruel and inhumane.

"Asada, have you considered a stage play?"

"Stage play?"

“Hmm,” Yujin Ito said, his obsidian eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I’m planning to have you participate in an acting role. To become an all-around idol, music alone isn’t enough.”

"But...but won't this cost a lot of money?" Asada Sakura became increasingly worried.

"Fashion styling classes, acting classes, dance classes, as well as clothing, cosmetics, and so on. There are so many places to spend money, this amount of money is far from enough."

Yuji Ito nodded slightly.

"Let's focus on performing well for tomorrow's show first, then we can think about other things. Anyway, we're starting from scratch, so there's nothing to worry about."

Asada Sakura lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering down, and murmured softly, "From zero... seems to be worse than this."

"what?"

"No...it's nothing." She wrapped Ito Yuuhito's coat tighter. "No, I mean, please continue to take care of me, Ito-kun."

The nights in early March were exceptionally quiet.

I just hope that Takikawa can escape beforehand.

It's completely unimaginable what Ito-kun cares about besides money.

No, being rejected after confessing my feelings today counts as one of those rejections.

If Anna Takigawa could dress up as the girl on the rooftop and shower Ito-kun with concern every day, she might be forgiven, or she might be completely drained.

The two returned to the apartment. The moment they opened the door, the cherry blossom petals on Asada Sakura's shoulder were swept away by the wind and fell into the gap in the entryway.

Anna Takikawa slumped at the dining table, looking utterly dejected.

"Welcome home~" she said weakly, waving her chopsticks. "Actually, you could have stayed longer. You don't need to care about my life or death at all."

They've used every trick in the book.

Yuji Ito placed the extra-large beef bowl in front of her, the sound of the aluminum foil packaging being torn open mingling with the aroma.

Asada Sakura looked at Takikawa Anna's eyes, which had suddenly lit up, and wondered how long her happiness would last.

"grateful!"

Anna Takikawa excitedly picked up her chopsticks and poked at the beef rice bowl, but in an instant, the lunchbox was snatched away by Yuujin Ito.

The steam from the beef rice stimulated her taste buds.

What are you trying to do?!

Ito Yujin slowly took the invoice out of his wallet and handed it to the spot where the lunchbox had been placed.

The table was still warm.

"A large bowl of beef rice plus song licensing fees, and lodging fees."

Yujin Ito's smile is sincere and makes people feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze.

But Asada Sakura knew that Takikawa Anna was truly doomed.

Anna Takikawa's expression froze instantly, her light blue eyes drifted upwards as she looked at the ceiling, her hands moving aimlessly.

"Ah, well... I mean... uh, I don't think I have any money left."

Cherry blossoms continued to fall with the cold wind, accumulating into small pink snowdrifts in the gaps of the entryway.

Chapter 48 "Cultural Festival I"

The March wind carried away the fallen petals of early cherry blossoms across the campus, and three short incense sticks were lit in the vermilion shrine in the corner.

Banners were laid out from the rooftop, hydrogen balloons pulled the notice boards, and people dressed in various anime mascot costumes walked back and forth.

The campus was filled with songs carefully selected by the radio station.

The annual Hibiya Cultural Festival has officially begun.

Yuujin Ito squeezed through the corridor, clutching his canvas bag, his uniform tie tilting to one side as the flow of people brushed against him.

When she saw the "Maid Cafe" sign for Class 2-A, she was suddenly dragged away.

"Senior~ Did you come here specifically to see me?"

Arriving at the corner of the stairwell, Mori-gami Chinatsu was dressed in a meticulously modified maid outfit: a short navy blue vest dress embroidered with lace, and white lace stockings that went past her knees.

Noticing that Ito Yuujin was staring at her, Morigami Chinatsu met his eyes, revealing her signature little fangs, "Senpai, you're such a pervert~"

"It just feels a bit strange."

"Don't I look good in this?" Chinatsu Mori lifted her skirt and twirled around. "It's a limited edition maid outfit, Chinatsu."

Then, she moved closer to Yujin Ito, stood on tiptoe, and her delicate collarbone was faintly visible.

"Helping the master tidy up his clothes is also a maid's duty."

He felt Chinatsu Mori's fingertips wrap around his neck, and then the bow tie suddenly tightened.

"Okay~"

As she finished speaking, Mori-gami Chinatsu suddenly leaned to the side and pressed against his arm, the ribbon on her bun brushing against Ito Yuujin's earlobe in the wind.

He pulled a pink Polaroid camera from his apron pocket. "Come on, senior~"

The moment the shutter clicked, sunlight streamed through the stairwell window, freezing the moment in time.

The camera lens captured their overlapping shadows; her dark green suit uniform contrasted with her navy blue skirt. When Morikami Chinatsu's fingers, resting on Ito Yujin's arm, made a "V" sign, Ito Yujin responded with the same gesture.

"Senior~ Do you want it?" Morigami Chinatsu held the Polaroid photo in her hand, looking at Ito Yuujin mischievously. "If you want it, you have to give it to the second-year A class for an honors award~"

"Chairman Nagano specifically instructed that we must be objective."

"The president also told us to come to school this morning to change into our uniforms, but you didn't show up either, did you, senior?" Chinatsu Mori gave Yuuhito Ito a beautiful eye roll.

"What uniform?" Yuji Ito asked, puzzled. He remembered the box with cat ears. "Then why aren't you wearing it?"