I won't be a loser.

"There's nothing we can do about it. In real life, it's not just otaku who commit crimes. Even when walking down the street, you'll occasionally see some people following women. Even when there are patrol officers on the street, they'll still openly commit crimes and break the law."

Sighing softly, he spread his hands in the face of Aragaki Ayase's prejudice.

"Even if you become a virtual idol, you won't necessarily be attacked. The key issue is what type of virtual idol you become. If you're a good talker with a more humorous image, no one will have any strange thoughts about you."

"..."

Kanako Kurusu couldn't accept any strange images. The thought of being threatened and attacked made her retreat inwardly.

"The dangers do exist, but becoming a virtual idol also makes it easier to obtain benefits that are difficult to obtain in real life. Risks and benefits always coexist. It just depends on which one you choose, that's all."

"Kanako."

Aragaki Ayase did not deny that there was some truth in Kento's words, but she still did not like such a dangerous job and looked at her friend.

Kanako Kurusu wanted to refuse, but when she heard about the benefits, she pursed her lips.

Her family is not happy, and the relationship between her father and mother is very bad. She has been living with her sister now, and even her sister is responsible for her living expenses and tuition fees. That is why she became a model in order to relieve her sister's burden.

"You'll keep me safe, right?"

Raising her head, Kurusu Kanako looked at the man in front of her.

"..."

Facing the girl's gaze, the wise man nodded slightly.

"Of course, as a member of my firm, I will ensure your safety to the best of my ability."

"Then...I want to give it a try."

Under the gaze of Aragaki Ayase, Kurusu Kanako expressed her inner thoughts.

"Kanako, there's no need-"

"I know Ayase is worried about me, but I have my own considerations. Besides, I'm just trying it out. I don't necessarily want to become a virtual idol."

Looking at the worried Aragaki Ayase and the complicated look on Kurusu Kanako's face, Kousaka Kirino couldn't help but start to persuade them.

"Kanako is just trying it out, there's nothing wrong with that."

"..."

Aragaki Ayase had no choice but to agree and looked at the wise man who was sitting opposite them with a calm expression.

"Since Kanako and Kirino have said so, there's nothing I can do. I want to give it a try and see what this job is like. Is that okay?"

"You are most welcome."

Picture: "Kanako Kurusu", location: "Images/1679348200-100277911-110090337.jpg"

Image: "Aragaki Ayase", Location: "Images/1679348216-100277911-110090337.jpg"

— — — —

Thank you all for your monthly tickets and blades! Thank you all for your recommendation tickets!

Chiba New Story: 467. Life Talk

It was drizzling outside the window. The wise man was sitting in the restaurant, watching the drizzle falling, drinking the coffee in the cup, with a look of trance on his face.

"It's really rare to see you in a restaurant on a day like this. You didn't go to Qingpu, but came to me instead. Is it because you feel lonely, or do you want to change your taste?"

Saionji Oko, wearing the store uniform, came and sat down opposite Kento. She was wearing a white shirt with a black vest over it. The look on her made Kento wonder what it would look like if Saionji Oko wore a bunny girl outfit.

Although Xianren had never had any interest in bunny girl clothes, he couldn't help but feel curious and expectant about Saionji Yuko in front of him.

"I just came to take a look. There's no reason for it. I just suddenly felt that I should come here as a guest and patronize you."

"Hmm~ Like this."

He stared at the wise man in front of him carefully for a few seconds, then nodded slightly, as if he believed what the wise man said.

"How's business here been lately?"

"Are you interested in catering?"

"I'm a little interested, I guess. If the current work goes smoothly, we'll definitely collaborate with other industries in the future. Then, we can definitely collaborate and launch special dishes and drinks here to attract some fans to come and consume."

After thinking for a while, the wise man sitting in front of Saionji Yuko expressed his thoughts. Some of these ideas were too advanced and were still beyond the understanding of Saionji Yuko at the moment.

Even though she is not yet 40 years old, Yuko Saionji, who has taken charge of this industry at a young age, has basically limited her vision to her own life. She cannot fully understand the so-called "collaboration", let alone the fan economy.

"Then I'll wait for you to succeed, Miyamizu-kun~"

"I didn't feel anything before, but when I really tried it myself, I realized how troublesome it was to start my own business. I had no experience at all, and I was always making mistakes as I moved forward step by step."

He put down the coffee cup in his hand and sighed.

In the past, the sighs of wise men were mostly about sadness over the passing of time, but now they feel the burden of life falling on their shoulders. Sometimes they feel that their entire thinking has become rigid, and the pressure has caused them to have some inexplicable ideas, but they cannot tell others.

"That's life."

"You, who raised Shijie by yourself, are quite remarkable, and so is Wu."

Faced with the sudden praise, Saionji Yuko was a little uncomfortable for a moment. She looked at the boy in front of her in surprise and couldn't help laughing.

"Would you like to go for a drink together tonight?"

"Forget it today. I just came to take a look at your business and learn about the industry I don't understand. I still have some time in the evening, so I won't stay here."

He slowly stood up and looked at Saionji Yuko who was sitting opposite him.

"What a shame. Consider this coffee my treat."

"Well, thanks."

After thanking Saionji Oiko, Xianren got up and left the restaurant. Looking at his back as he left, Saionji Oiko felt a little emotional.

“It feels different than before.”

If it was the wise men of the past, they would have a sense of accumulation of time, but more of a sense of superficiality. But now one can clearly feel the sense of stability that comes from taking responsibility in them.

grown up.

But for Yuko Saionji, it is not clear whether growing up like this is a good thing or not.

Not all growing up is a good thing for people.

After leaving Saionji Yuko's restaurant, he returned to his former apartment. Standing on the street, watching the passers-by, he slowly came to the door of Kiyoura's house and gently pressed the doorbell. After waiting for a while, Kiyoura Setsuna came out of the house.

The girl was a little surprised to see that the person at the door was Xianren. She had not received any contact from him, and his sudden appearance in front of her caught the unprepared girl off guard, and her expression revealed deep surprise.

"A wise man?"

"do you have time at night?"

The girl looked back into the house, then looked at the wise man in front of her, was silent for a moment, and nodded.

"Have."

"So, come with me for a walk?"

"Is Sanye coming with her?"

"No, it's just the two of us."

In response to Xianren's invitation, Qingpu Shanna pursed her lips, nodded, and invited Xianren into the house. She asked him to wait in the living room for a while, and then she returned to the room, changed her clothes, put on a youthful and beautiful dress again, paired with a light sweater, and appeared in front of Xianren.

She had always been very clear about Xianren's preferences, so she didn't spend much time choosing clothes. She walked out of her room and appeared in front of Xianren.

"how?"

"It suits you very well. It looks very nice."

Looking at Qingpu Setsuna who reappeared in the living room and stood in front of him, Xianren smiled, gave an answer, and then invited the girl to accompany him out.

At this time, Mitsuha Miyamizu should still be attending private school, and she was spared the trouble of dealing with her younger sister. Starting from Koishikawa in Bunkyo Ward, she took the subway for just over ten minutes and arrived at the bustling Shibuya area.

The streets of Shibuya at night are no different from those during the day, and there are no noticeable decreases in the number of pedestrians on the road.

At least on the main streets, there are still many pedestrians. There is no reason for a wise man to go to those small paths with few pedestrians.

"The last time the two of you came here was quite a while ago, right?"

Standing on the street in Shibuya, he slowly turned his head to look at Kiyoura Setsuna who was holding his hand beside him. He vaguely remembered what happened last time he came here.

"Last date?"

"It was a date a long time ago, right?"

Xianren himself didn't remember the past events very clearly, so he checked again with Qingpu Setsuna beside him.

"Two people came together and bought couple shirts, but they only wore the clothes once and never wore them again."

Perhaps Xianren no longer had a very deep impression, but Qingpu Setsuna still had a very clear memory. The answer made Xianren silent. He turned his head to look at the girl beside him. His eyes drooped and the smile on his face became a little stiff.

They walked for a long time on the street, and walked it again together. The road they had walked before was basically the same one where Kiyoura Setsuna described the date scene long ago and told Kento about her inner emotions at that time. Kento, who was accompanying her, felt more and more depressed.

His feelings for Kiyoura Setsuna were more like going with the flow, and he gave a positive answer without thinking, as if it was an easy choice he made naturally to escape his own failed life.

Did he really like Kiyoura Setsuna?

Yes.

After such a long time, it is impossible that there is no feeling at all for Shanshan. They have even made a vow to plan for the future.

Afterwards, the person who took the initiative to propose the oath and then broke it was none other than himself.

After entering a restaurant, Xianren sat down in a small private room and handed the menu to Kiyoura Setsuna, asking her to take the order.

This is a Chinese restaurant. For Kiyoura Setsuna, the dishes here are not very common. She looked at the menu carefully, then looked up and asked Xianren if he had any recommendations.

"This is my first time at this restaurant, so I'm not too familiar with their specialties, but they should have dishes like Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, and Lion's Head Salad, right?"

Looking down at the menu, Qingpu Shanna quickly found the dishes that Xianren mentioned, wrote them down, looked at the other dishes, called the waiter, asked the waiter to recommend some, added the dishes he ordered, and finished ordering.

"Today, sage, it feels like we've returned to the old days. Did something happen?"

After finishing his order, Qingpu Setsuna looked at Xianren, as if he wanted to get some answer from his face. He stared into his eyes, as if seeking an answer.

"I've been busy with my work lately, but I suddenly remembered that you've already started college and we haven't seen each other for a long time. I wanted to check in on you and see if there's anything I can do to help you... That's about it."

"Xianren looks very tired. Does he feel happy being with her?"

He was stunned and looked at Qingpu Setsuna in front of him. The concerned look touched Xianren's heart. He couldn't help but grin, raised his right hand, pointed his middle finger at his eyebrows, and rubbed it gently to hide his expression.

"Well... life... is alright. I spend more time in Chiba. Haven't you... met her?"

The intermittent answer made a gleam in Qingpu Setsuna's eyes. She pursed her lips and faced the wise man's questions with still natural and appropriate manner, without showing any dissatisfaction.

"I've met you twice, but we didn't talk much. We just exchanged a few words about you, Xianren."

An implicit answer. In fact, almost every meeting with Feng Xiaochun ended in a bad mood.

The two people's images and personalities are highly similar in some aspects, but in terms of preferences, they have considerable differences. In addition, one is a girlfriend and the other is a wife. The relationship between the two is not impossible to ease, but it is also incompatible.

How could Qingpu Shanna really be as calm as he appeared to be about Xianren and Feng Xiaochun being together? He was just trying not to show it.

"Is that so? My business?"

"The new work is being carried out in Tokyo, right? Is she helping to take charge?"

"No, I'm currently working alone on this new job. Considering some things, I haven't asked anyone for help... Do you have any ideas for the future?"

Xianren didn't want to talk too much with Qingura Setsuna about his work.

The current work development is not very smooth, and Xianren does not want Qingpu Shunna to worry about his affairs after knowing about it, so he perfunctorily changed the subject.

"I used to have... but now I don't have any particular goals. If there's anything I can help with at work, I'd also like to do something for you, Xianren."

"For now, there's nothing I can help with, and I haven't officially started work yet. But in the future, there will probably be a lot of places where I can help. If you have time and are interested, you can come and have a look."

Faced with Qingpu Shanna's initiative to speak, he did not refuse outright. If he refused everything, it would only create a gap between Qingpu Shanna and him.

"Ah."

While we were chatting, the food was served on the table.

They ordered a bit too many dishes, and the two sat in the restaurant for a long time before taking the subway back to Koishikawa. He watched Setsuna enter the house and waved goodbye to her. Then he turned around and came to the door of Ogiwara Sayu's apartment. After ringing the doorbell, the girl showed a happy expression when she saw Xianren.

"Have you met Xige recently?"

"Well, although it's not in downtown Tokyo, it doesn't take too long to get to Yuge's school. She also comes back to Tokyo, so we meet often."

Mito Yuge's school is not in the 26 wards of Tokyo, but in one of the cities. It takes some time to go back and forth to Tokyo, and the transportation is convenient, so this time is still within an acceptable range.