Green plums cannot become lovers.

Akane Akasaka remained unfazed, maintaining her elegant smile, her lips slightly moving: "Of course, it's to introduce you to more people in the industry; it will benefit your future development."

"Anything else?" An and Asuka continued to press, their voices very low.

Akane Akasaka's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and replied in a low voice, "Uh... and also dealing with the pressure from my family to get married, and some... annoying flies."

"Tsk." An and Asuka couldn't help but click their tongues softly.

The soft click of her tongue immediately displeased Akane Akasaka. Taking advantage of adjusting her posture, she lightly pinched the inside of his arm with her fingers, but her smile became even brighter: "You brat, you don't seem very satisfied? Is it because I, Akane-nee, am not good enough for you? Or am I not pretty enough?"

Her tone was half joking and half threatening, but her eyes flashed with genuine displeasure—it didn't feel good to be disliked by this brat.

"She looks stunning," An and Asuka replied somewhat helplessly, and it was the truth. Akane Akasaka was indeed radiant tonight, holding her own even in this setting.

"Then you'd better perform well." Akane Akasaka took two glasses of milk from the waiter's tray and handed him one. "Otherwise, I'll lower your salary when we get back."

This threat was actually ineffective against An and Asuka, because he knew perfectly well that the other party would not reduce his salary.

However, he still nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, as you command."

The hushed conversation between the two looked more like a private conversation between intimate lovers to onlookers, making the expressions on Sato and the others' faces even more complicated.

Just then, Anwa Tendo arrived, accompanied by several elders. She was dressed in a deep purple formal kimono with a haori embroidered with her family crest, her hair styled in a classic updo and adorned with an exquisite tortoiseshell hairpin. Even in such a star-studded setting, this national treasure-level actress exuded a powerful aura, with guests making way and bowing wherever she went.

"Akane, Asuka-kun." An and Tendo greeted each other warmly, then turned to Sato and the others, "You're all here too."

"Tendou-sensei!"

Sato and the others immediately bowed respectfully, their attitude completely different from before.

Anhe Tiantong nodded slightly, then asked Anhe Feibiao, "Feibiao, are you getting used to it?"

Upon hearing that Anhe Tiantong cared so much about a boy, the others finally realized what was going on.

For the next hour or so, An and Asuka stayed almost the entire time with Akane Akasaka and An and Tendo.

He was introduced to one industry heavyweight after another—publishing presidents, film producers, renowned directors, music supervisors... Each name was well-known, and each title represented authority in a field.

The identity of Akane Kousaka as his "partner" has sparked countless speculations and curiosities, but it has also inadvertently opened many doors for him. No one would mistreat the person Akane Kousaka brought, and no one would be disrespectful to Anwa Tendo, especially since this boy is also Anwa.

An and Asuka's composure, poise, and eloquence in this situation earned them nods of approval from many of their seniors.

But such social engagements are ultimately tiring, requiring constant attention to etiquette, careful wording, maintaining a smile, and remembering the name and identity of every new acquaintance.

The hall became increasingly crowded, with conversations, laughter, and clinking glasses mingling with the music to create a dull clamor, and the air became somewhat stuffy due to the large number of people gathered there.

Anwa and Tendo were surrounded by a group of old friends, discussing an upcoming stage play. Akane Kousaka, meanwhile, was discussing a potential collaboration with a film producer. Taking advantage of the absence of attention, Anwa and Asuka quietly retreated to the edge of the hall and slipped out through an archway.

Outside the archway was a long corridor leading to the manor's courtyard. Compared to the hustle and bustle inside, it was as quiet as another world.

A cool evening breeze, carrying the chill of early winter, dispelled the somber atmosphere of the banquet. Ground lamps dotted the courtyard, illuminating the meticulously maintained garden and paths, and in the distance, the moonlight could be seen reflected on the artificial lake.

An and Asuka took a deep breath of the crisp, cool air, feeling their tense nerves relax slightly. They walked slowly along the corridor, looking for a quiet place to stay for a while.

However, they hadn't gone far when a familiar voice came from ahead, tinged with obvious surprise:

"Anhe?"

An and Asuka looked up and saw an unexpected figure standing next to a pillar at the end of the corridor.

Eriri Sawamura Spencer.

Her outfit tonight was completely different from what she usually wore at school.

Her golden pigtails were undone, and her long, smooth hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends curling naturally. She wore a light pink lace dress, the hem of which reached her knees, revealing her slender calves and delicate silver high heels.

Her face was lightly made up, which made her already delicate features stand out even more, and her azure eyes looked like precious gems under the courtyard lights.

At this moment, she was staring wide-eyed at An and Asuka, her expression filled with disbelief.

"Sawamura-kun?" Anwa and Asuka were also surprised. "What are you doing here?"

This level of banquet shouldn't be an occasion for ordinary high school students—even though Eriri is the ace of the art club and comes from a wealthy family.

Eriri's expression became somewhat subtle. She pursed her lips, her gaze shifted for a moment, and then answered in a low voice, "I... came with my mother."

She paused, then added as if making a decision, "Actually... this is my home."

"Your home?" An and Asuka were stunned.

He glanced back at the brightly lit, sprawling manor house behind him, then turned back to look at the girl in front of him.

Rumors about Eriri's family background flashed through my mind—half-blood, young lady, scion of a prestigious family.

But he never imagined that he would come from such a "prestigious" family.

It really makes you want to burst into song!

Eriri seemed to read something from his expression, her cheeks flushing slightly, whether from embarrassment or some other emotion, it was hard to tell. She turned her face away, her voice even lower: "Yes. My father was a British diplomat, and my mother was a descendant of Japanese nobility. This estate... is one of my mother's family's properties."

The air fell silent for a few seconds. In the courtyard outside the corridor, the fountain murmured softly, and the distant noise of a banquet could still be faintly heard, but here, there was only a subtle silence between the two of them.

An and Asuka suddenly remembered that rainy day, the girl sheltering from the rain under the eaves of the bookstore—wearing a ridiculous "Japanese" sports jacket, wearing dowdy black-rimmed glasses, and carrying a paper bag of anime merchandise, looking both disheveled and real.

She was completely different from the young lady in front of him, dressed in a haute couture gown and standing in the corridor of her own manor.

"Um, aren't you going in for the banquet?"

In the end, it was An and Asuka who spoke first.

Volume 1: Chapter 173 The Gradually Warming Relationship

"Um, aren't you going in for the banquet?"

In the end, it was An and Asuka who spoke first, breaking the delicate silence.

"No."

The young lady, dressed in an elegant gown, answered almost immediately, her tone carrying a capriciousness that seemed completely out of place with her appearance. She even puffed out her cheeks slightly, an expression that reminded An and Asuka of Marina's displeasure.

"Aren't you the organizers?" An and Asuka asked again, their gaze sweeping across the luxurious corridor and the archway at the end leading to the brightly lit hall.

"Who said the organizers have to participate all the time?" Eriri crossed her arms, a gesture that made her look more like one of those slightly proud and awkward girls in a manga.

"You have no idea how many parties our family hosts throughout the year—a cherry blossom viewing party in spring, a summer evening party to cool off, a moon-viewing party in autumn, a New Year's party in winter..."

She counted on her fingers, her voice full of weariness: "It's so boring. We always say the same things, meet the same people, even the menus are the same. When I was a kid, I thought it was novel, but now it's just torture."

Because of her family's status, the Sawamura family hosts several banquets of this scale every year. As the only daughter of this generation in the family, Eriri has been required to attend various social occasions, learn etiquette, practice her speech, and play the role of an impeccable young lady since she was old enough to understand. At first, it was out of curiosity, then it became an obligation, and now it's just exhaustion.

Those gorgeous dresses, exquisite makeup, and impeccable smiles all became costumes she had to wear. The real her just wanted to go back to her room, put on her glasses, wear comfortable loungewear, and spend an entire afternoon drawing on her digital tablet.

"Well, it seems you've had a tough time too." An and Asuka nodded, their tone genuinely understanding, not perfunctory.

After all, he already felt mentally exhausted just from attending such a banquet for the first time. The etiquette that required constant attention, the carefully chosen conversations, the faces and names that needed to be remembered—it was truly draining for someone accustomed to a simple life. Not to mention the girl in front of him, who had experienced all of this repeatedly since childhood.

Eriri glanced at him with some surprise. She had expected to hear polite remarks like "I'm so envious" or "Is this the troubles of a rich girl?"—those distant words she was already tired of hearing.

But An and Asuka spoke calmly and earnestly, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact: participating in activities you don't like can indeed be very tiring.

This understanding, devoid of any judgment, made her tense shoulders relax unconsciously.

"I'm glad you understand." Eriri breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

She even stretched lazily without any regard for her image—a gesture that contrasted sharply with her expensive Yueyi Yiliuyu dress, yet seemed all the more authentic.

Since the boy in front of her had already seen her most vulnerable and reclusive side, she felt no need to maintain that tiring facade in his presence. This strange sense of relaxation surprised even herself.

An and Asuka watched the girl stretch, noticing the childlike innocence that naturally shone through when she wasn't trying to maintain elegance, their expressions unchanged. Their gaze calmly swept over her slender neck, thin shoulders, and the rather unremarkable, even somewhat barren, figure beneath her formal attire, without lingering or offering any judgment, as if looking at something utterly ordinary.

This overly casual attitude actually made Eriri feel at ease. She lowered her arms, stood up straight again, but did not resume her standard young lady demeanor, instead casually leaning against a pillar in the corridor.

"By the way, who did you come with?" Eriri suddenly remembered this question and asked curiously. Those who can attend a banquet of this caliber are either heavyweights in the industry or scions of prominent families.

But this boy doesn't seem to be either.

“I’m working for our company’s boss,” An and Asuka replied naturally.

This answer surprised Eriri, and she widened her eyes slightly: "Company boss? Which company? Who is the boss?"

Isn't he only in his first year of high school? How come he's already working? And at a company that allows him to bring employees to events like this?

"Yes, I work at rouge en rouge, and my boss is Akane Akasaka," Anwa Asuka explained simply.

"Akane Kousaka?!" Eriri's eyes widened in surprise, her azure gaze filled with astonishment.

She knew this name—or rather, very few people in this industry didn't. Akane Akasaka, a renowned genius producer in the industry, the founder of rouge en rouge, known for her unique vision and strong tactics, is an extremely capable woman.

She never expected that the legendary Akane Akasaka was actually this boy's boss, and that she had brought him to the banquet.

"You, you, you wouldn't be..." Eriri's gaze lingered on An and Asuka's faces for a few seconds before a ridiculous guess slipped out, "...a pretty boy, right?"

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, but it was too late to take them back.

A slight crack appeared in An and Asuka's smile, and the corner of their mouths twitched subtly, but they quickly recovered.

He sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "Sawamura-kun really knows how to joke."

"Ahem." Eriri realized she had been too blunt and coughed awkwardly, her cheeks flushing slightly. She quickly changed the subject, trying to salvage the situation: "So, what do you do for a living? Ms. Kousaka's company... it can't be just an ordinary agency, right?"

She recalls that rouge en rouge had a wide range of businesses, from publishing to music to idol training.

"Well, in terms of music," An and Asuka replied somewhat vaguely.

"Music?" Eriri's eyes lit up again.

She recalled their conversation in the rain, and their discussion about "Summer" and "Hotaru no Hikari".

“Mm.” An and Asuka nodded without explaining further.

Eriri was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this and quickly asked, "Then can you play the 'Asuka' piece...?"

But soon, she realized something, her expression gradually calmed down, she frowned slightly, and began to look the boy up and down.

Wait, her favorite musician, the mysterious creator with two million followers on Bicobico who wrote songs like "Summer" and "Hotaru no Hikari," is named "Asuka."

The guy in front of me is also named "Asuka".

They all know music.

And... they've never appeared together!

All the clues quickly connected in my mind, and an amazing possibility surfaced.

“Wait,” Eriri took a step forward, almost touching An and Asuka, her azure eyes fixed on his, “You wouldn’t happen to be… that ‘Asuka’, would you?”

Upon hearing this, An and Asuka raised an eyebrow, a subtle expression appearing on their faces, seemingly surprised, yet also amused.

Instead of answering directly, he asked in return, "Does Sawamura-kun really think I'm that amazing?"

"Hmm, it's just too much of a coincidence." Eriri took a half step back, forcing herself to calm down. She crossed her arms and carefully examined the boy in front of her again—aside from being a bit more handsome and having a more composed demeanor, he looked no different from the other boys in the school.

In her imagination, that "Flying Bird" should be someone even more... special. Perhaps he is the heir of a musical family, or a genius living abroad. At the very least, he shouldn't be an ordinary high school student who would shelter from the rain with her under the eaves on a rainy day and who would smile wryly at her calling him a "pretty boy."

“So…” An and Asuka’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts, “Do you think I am that ‘Asuka’?”

Eriri was caught in a dilemma. She bit her lower lip, her gaze sweeping back and forth between An and Asuka's faces, trying to find conclusive evidence—or counter-evidence.

Finally, she shook her head, her tone uncertain: "I don't think... it is."

"Pfft." An and Asuka couldn't help but chuckle. The laughter was soft, yet exceptionally clear in the silent corridor, carrying a certain indescribable meaning.

"What are you laughing at?" Eriri glared at him, displeased.

“I just think Sawamura-kun is really contradictory.” Anwa Asuka suppressed her smile, but a gentle light still lingered in her eyes. “On the one hand, she feels there are too many coincidences and suspects that I am that person; on the other hand, she denies the possibility because of my ‘ordinary’ nature.”

Eriri's face flushed slightly. He was right; she was indeed conflicted.

"Ha, are you trying to say I'm troublesome?" She deliberately raised her chin, adopting an arrogant demeanor, trying to conceal her inner turmoil.

“No, that’s not it.” Anwa Asuka shook her head, a faint but genuine smile appearing on her lips. “I just think Sawamura-kun has a kind of endearing contrast.”

"C-C-Cute?!" Eriri's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato. She took two steps back, waving her hands helplessly. "What are you talking about?! Who, who's cute?!"

Completely unprepared for the other party to suddenly say such a thing, Eriri's mind went almost blank.

From childhood to adulthood, countless people have praised her for being "beautiful," "elegant," and "having a good temperament," but the word "cute"... especially when spoken by a boy her age, with that natural and earnest tone...

Looking at the flustered and incoherent girl in front of him, An and Asuka realized that they might have been too blunt. He had only meant to find her conflicted yet trying-to-remain calm amusing, like a kitten trying to act fierce, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so strong.

It seems that beneath this young lady's haughty exterior lies a rather innocent heart.

“I’m sorry, it was my rudeness.” An and Asuka apologized gently, trying to ease the tension. “What I mean is, Sawamura-kun shows different sides of himself at school and here… well, both are quite distinctive.”

This explanation didn't lessen Eriri's blush much, but at least she stopped her flustered gestures. She turned her face away and muttered softly, "He-he just knows how to say nice things..."

The corridor fell silent once again.

Just then, Akane Akasaka's voice came from the other end of the corridor, growing louder as it approached: