"Akira, are you looking for sothing?"
After walking a while out of the bookstore, led silently by his hand, Shouko couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
"Huh?"
Akira snapped out of his thoughts, retracting his gaze from the alleyway they'd just passed.
He shook his head. "It's nothing."
He debated telling her what he'd noticed—but decided against it. No point making her suspicious too.
They were only one more street from ho. And since the other party hadn't made any kind of move this whole ti, maybe he'd just imagined it...
"Mm-hmm."
Shouko nodded and dropped the subject, trusting his judgnt.
Just as they were a few steps from ho, a voice suddenly called out from behind:
"Little friends! Hey—wait, wait up!"
Akira and Shouko turned around simultaneously. As they did, Akira discreetly reached into his pocket and gripped the anti-wolf electric baton Shouko had helped him choose back at the bookstore.
What t their eyes was a middle-aged man in a black suit and a brown duckbill cap, jogging toward them. He stopped a ter away, catching his breath.
"Hehe..."
The man laughed awkwardly, raising both hands as if to reassure them.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Uncle's not a bad guy, alright?"
Akira didn't respond—his eyes stayed cautious.
The man reached into his inner jacket pocket and produced a stack of business cards. He offered the top one to them.
"I work for Futaba dia. Here's my card—take a look."
Akira released Shouko's hand briefly, took the card, and gave it a quick glance—then subtly compared the photo to the man's face. It matched.
He more or less figured out why this guy had stopped them. Still, he kept the baton gripped in his other hand, just in case. But his expression returned to calm.
Silence hung between them until the man forced a laugh and spoke again.
"To put it simply, Uncle here works in scouting. I specialize in finding kids with good looks—to beco TV stars."
He must've assud they hadn't understood the business card, so he simplified it.
"Oh, you're a talent scout," Shouko said plainly.
The man looked pleasantly surprised. "Yes, yes! Smart little one, aren't you?"
To show his friendliness, he reached out as if to pat Shouko's head—but the sudden buzz of electric arcs from Akira's baton made him freeze.
He instantly yanked his hand back, startled.
What the hell? Why were these two kids walking around with an actual stun baton?
And not even a cheap one—the model Akira held was high-voltage, max discharge.
The scout laughed nervously and changed the subject.
"Say, are your mom and dad at ho? I'd like to speak with them directly."
"Sure," Akira replied calmly, sliding the baton back into his pocket and taking Shouko's hand. "We live just up ahead. You can follow us."
Let Shizuka-chin handle this one.
She'd probably reject the guy instantly, and it'd be faster than arguing in the street.
Besides, if Akira turned him away now, he'd just keep pestering them.
"Great, great!"
The man smiled with an awkward chuckle and followed along.
He had been observing these two for two or three days now.
From what he'd seen, they left and returned to the sa house every day.
If they weren't siblings, they were definitely cousins or sothing.
But given how close they seed—maybe they were really brother and sister.
Or... was it sothing more old-fashioned?
A child bride? A future son-in-law?
Hah, he laughed silently to himself, what am I even thinking?
"We're back!" x2
"Excuse !"
Miyamura Shizuka, still lounging in the living room and thinking about dinner, barely reacted at first—until she heard a third voice. A man's voice.
She paused her drama and stood up. Walking to the front hall, she found Akira and Shouko taking off their shoes—and behind them, a middle-aged man in a suit.
Her brows drew together slightly.
"Hello," she asked politely but firmly. "May I ask who you are?"
The man looked up and instantly lit up.
So this was the mother?
Even from afar, he'd noticed how unusually good-looking this family was—but up close, the effect was even stronger.
A real jackpot.
"Hello, ma'am!"
He quickly bowed, introduced himself, and handed over a business card—just like he had outside.
Shizuka glanced at it. Not a salesman, huh.
She nodded toward the shoe cabinet. "Akira, grab him a pair of guest slippers."
"No need, no need," the man said quickly. "I'm fine in socks."
They didn't push it.
He followed them into the living room.
Akira went to the kitchen, grabbed a guest cup, and filled it with water before handing it over.
"Ah, thank you." The man accepted it with a nod and sip. Then he turned back to Shizuka.
"So, I'll be direct. I think your two children have the potential to beco child stars."
Akira ignored him entirely and sat down beside Shouko, peeling an orange from the table.
Shizuka blinked, then gave a light, practiced smile.
"Hm... I appreciate the thought, but my husband and I aren't planning to put our children into the entertainnt industry."
"Oh, but—"
The man leaned forward, trying to sound persuasive. "It's a great opportunity! So many benefits—inco, scholarships, career tracks—"
Neither Shizuka nor Akira responded.
They both knew better. He was only talking about the perks—not a word about the drawbacks. The industry was a minefield. Blood, sweat, stress... and most didn't even make it.
Still, Shouko's expression flickered.
So part of her was… tempted.
The ntion of benefits—helping Mom, easing her burden—sparked a thought.
The man noticed, and seized the mont.
"Little friends," he said, smiling. "Imagine it—you two could be stars! Little brother, you'd have all the girls after you. And little sister—you'd be just as popular."
He thought he was being clever.
But that sentence hit a landmine.
Shouko's interest vanished instantly. She turned sharply toward Akira—
He was calmly focused on peeling the orange, completely unfazed.
Only then did she relax.
If he'd shown even a hint of excitent, she thought, I would've bitten him right then and there.
As for helping Mom?
She rembered what Akira had said—Shizuka had been promoted at work. Now she was part of Uncle Miyamura's middle-upper managent.
Even if Shouko beca a child star today, they wouldn't make real money for years.
By then, Shizuka might be promoted again. And instead of helping, Shouko's "career" would just beco another source of stress.
No thanks.
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