Chapter 12
The next day, in a quiet corner of the university cafeteria.
"So... that's why I probably can't accept your proposal, Shiratori-kun. Chasing so starry-eyed acting dream just isn't in the cards for ."
Takahashi Mio finished speaking with a gentle, sincere smile. Compared with yesterday, her look was a complete reboot: the carefully touched-up hair had been dyed back to true black, giving her a softer aura. She wore the pale-yellow sundress and silk blouse Shiratori Seiya had bought her yesterday, plus white heels that showed off her ivory ankles. Today's brief: "good-girlfriend chic."
"You look good. Really suits you." Seiya delivered the two dry complints the mont he sat down, which left Mio thoroughly underwheld. She'd overdosed on flattery from the saleswoman yesterday, true—but that was yesterday. Today's quota had to be refilled. And she'd especially wanted to hear them from this clueless blockhead. Sohow that would have felt like an achievent.
Instead, Seiya devoted his attention to picking every sliver of scallion and diced green pepper out of his lunch. He disliked many foods, but scallions and peppers topped the list. Cooked scallions turned limp and slimy; swallowing them made him queasy. Peppers were worse—his stomach had been delicate since childhood, and anything spicy or tough was off-limits. Perhaps because everything he hated happened to be green, he'd developed a general aversion to the color and refused to carry two-thousand-yen bills.
His prolonged silence made Mio's imagination run wild. Had she been too blunt? Mostly she'd told the truth about her father... but what if he thought she was just making excuses? For the thousandth ti she couldn't read him. In the few days since they'd t, she'd rarely seen him show strong emotion. Watching him move so unhurriedly made her feel the air itself pressing down on her.
Say sothing—give any reaction! she begged silently.
As for the students passing their table, she no longer cared if they noticed her eating with Shiratori Seiya. Between the shocks he'd given her and Haruno Reika's pep talks, she'd already accepted the label of "Seiya's girlfriend." So what if people knew? Next week her friends would et him anyway—no point hiding it. She was in college, dating; Seiya wasn't a downgrade.
Her gaze flicked to the scallion and pepper scraps on the edge of his plate. ntal note: he's picky. Probably fought with his mom over vegetables as a kid.
"It's not as rushed as you think."
Finally Seiya set down his chopsticks after excavating every last "contaminant," and looked up at her with a calm expression.
"!"
Mio jumped in her seat—she'd just finished cursing him in her head. Recovering, she blinked.
Seiya continued, unruffled. "I only suggested you beco an actor; I never said you'd step onstage tomorrow. Right now, apart from outstanding looks, you don't have screen presence."
"Heh." Mio produced a polite smile while her hands clenched under the table. She'd like to throttle him. Should she thank him for the complint? Couldn't the guy phrase anything nicely? Ten-plus years of school socialization—had no one taught him tact? He must've been the class outcast. No, correction—he still had no friends. Even Hojo Shione, if she'd really been his girlfriend, probably dumped him for this exact reason. Only I'm stupid enough to date him. Jerk.
"So don't overthink it," he went on. "Follow the study plan I drew up; improve step by step."
"Wait—" Mio's smile cracked completely. "What study plan? Did you even hear ? I'm not pursuing acting!"
"As for your family situation..." Seiya paused, black eyes locking onto hers. "You're different. I spotted your potential at first glance—potential you don't yet recognize. When you finally stand onstage, everyone will cheer, drawn to the light you emit. But before that, you have to block out the interference that hasn't even happened yet. It will only slow your stride."
He'd never promised her anything up front, he added, but if she trusted him, everything would work out. He hadn't anticipated the scale of her father's resistance. Maybe in the twenty-first century, with virtual idols everywhere, he'd overlooked old-school Showa-era stubbornness. Still, anything that threatened his inco had to be eliminated. Cutting off soone's money was like killing their parents—since Seiya's were already gone, this amounted to patricide. The mindset had to be dealt with, ruthlessly.
Mio sat frozen, heart racing—not with the earlier dread, but because Seiya had talked her right back into excitent. Her throat dried; her palms hurt from clenching. She almost blurted out, "What's the plan? What do I do? Can you really persuade my father?"
Her gaze flickered, then dropped to the table. She sipped her water and said nothing. After three—almost four—days, she'd finally discovered what made Seiya special beyond his money: his words. They were... hypnotic, making you want to believe, especially when his tone and eyes carried such certainty. As though whatever he said would beco the future.
(Except the bit about Hojo Shione being an ex-girlfriend; that defied all logic, and she refused to accept it.)
"I..." She opened her mouth, managed one syllable, then stalled.
Seiya shook his head, picked up his chopsticks again, and spoke in no particular hurry. "I'm not asking for promises. Maybe you still think this is unrealistic—let's get concrete. For every small goal you hit following my instructions, I'll wire you a million yen. Deal?"
"?!" Mio's eyes shot wide. In an instant, the image of her imposing father plunged into the Mariana Trench. She nearly demanded, "Give the first task, commander!"
But a sudden buzz cut the impulse, saving the last shred of her dignity.
Bzzzt.
Seiya had just lifted a bite of rice when the phone screen lit up. Caller ID: Aunt.
A bad premonition flashed. He set the chopsticks down, eyes narrowing. After two seconds of hesitation, he rose with the phone and headed off to take the call.
"Hold on a second."
"Okay."
Mio snapped her gaze away from the phone and gave a small nod, obedient as ever. She lifted her tea without a word and took a careful sip, curiosity flickering in her eyes. Then she rose, walked to the window, and stared out at the street.
Seiya was about to ask what was going on when a crack of thunder seed to split the air behind him.
"Seiya, did you break up with Shione?!"
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