Today's chance was a rare one.
Yes — if she let today slip by, she had no idea when the next chance would come.
Lin Ye came to Tokyo only rarely, a handful of times at most. Even tomorrow, she couldn't be sure he'd have time for her. She had to treasure every moment she got to spend with him. Every single one.
And today, with an opening this good, there was no way she could waste it.
No more regrets. That was what Ai Hoshino told herself.
Eating grilled skewers, enjoying herself beside Lin Ye — she was happy, genuinely happy. If only there were more days like this.
Sayaka Maizono, off to one side, watched the two of them being sickeningly sweet at each other. It really did hurt, but there was nothing to be done about it except swallow it quietly.
She'd come all this way, so she might as well enjoy the skewers and put every scrap of her attention into how good they tasted.
Little by little, that was exactly what Sayaka Maizono did, sinking into the flavors, which spared her from choking down quite so much of the couple's sugar.
Half an hour later, the skewers were gone. Only a scattering of bare bamboo sticks was left.
"I'm so full."
"It'll take days of extra training to burn off all these calories."
Sayaka Maizono rubbed her stomach, so stuffed she doubted she could stand up, let alone walk.
Ai Hoshino wasn't faring any better. She felt uncomfortable from head to toe. She'd eaten far too much — trading skewers back and forth with Lin Ye, she'd overdone it without noticing, unable to stop.
Before, it had been bliss. Now it was pure suffering. There was no room in her head for anything else.
Lin Ye came back from settling the bill. "Let's go. I'll take you both home."
He glanced at Ai Hoshino, who was still parked in her seat, showing not the slightest intention or impulse to rise.
"Help me," she said, holding out a hand.
Lin Ye took it and pulled her to her feet.
Sayaka Maizono braced herself against the table and barely managed to stand on her own.
The three of them made their slow way out of the restaurant.
And then Ai Hoshino took a quick step forward and laid both hands on Lin Ye's shoulders. "Carry me."
"You're a bit old for that."
"In front of Lin Ye, I've always been that same little girl," she said, with a sweet smile.
Lin Ye crouched, and she climbed onto his back.
Sayaka Maizono watched the whole thing, her eyes clouding with delight and envy.
"Sayaka, I'll allow you to hold Lin-kun's hand, you know!"
Sayaka Maizono went blank. "Huh?"
"I'm serious!"
But Sayaka Maizono shook her head hard, refusing. "No, no, that's really not necessary, I can walk by myself."
"Lin-kun wants to hold your hand!" Ai Hoshino tried a different angle.
That left Sayaka Maizono blank all over again.
"Talk nonsense one more time and I'm dumping you in a trash can."
"Could Lin-kun really bring himself to?" Ai Hoshino asked, all innocent puzzlement. "Would Lin-kun really have the heart to throw a lovely girl like me into—"
She didn't get to finish. Lin Ye turned and walked toward the nearest trash can with every sign of meaning to do exactly that.
At first Ai Hoshino didn't believe it. But once the gap narrowed past a certain point, she buckled.
"Sorry, sorry, Lin-kun, I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that, I really didn't mean it, just let me off!"
Straight to begging.
Lin Ye laughed under his breath and kept walking.
That only wound her tighter. She locked both arms around his neck in a death grip, radiating a firm refusal to be set down.
For her, letting go now meant walking into her own doom. She was an idol — there was no way she was going into some filthy, and worse, absolutely reeking, trash can.
"Lin-kun, don't throw me away, really, don't. I'll do anything you want! Just don't put me in the trash."
At this point, in full pleading mode, Ai Hoshino would have agreed to anything.
"Really?"
"Really, really, truer than solid gold. I mean it, so please relax! I'll agree to any condition you name."
She nodded hard and opened her eyes wide, pouring every drop of sincerity she had into her gaze to show how serious she was.
"Good. Then it's a deal."
His answer let her breathe out.
"What I want you to do is jump into the trash can yourself, Ai-chan."
Ai Hoshino: ???
Sayaka Maizono stared for a beat, then laughed before she could stop herself. "Pff—"
The sound was unmistakably loud.
Ai Hoshino heard every bit of it.
"Uu, uuu…"
She was being laughed at.
What dignity did Ai Hoshino have left?
Though, admittedly, a laugh from a junior wasn't something she cared all that much about.
"Ai-chan is not jumping into a trash can. Lin-kun isn't allowed to set that kind of condition!"
"Then what should I ask for?"
"Ai-chan — Ai-chan doesn't know!"
Ai Hoshino looked away, her face pained with embarrassment. She couldn't get the words out.
She had a fairly good idea of Lin Ye's tastes, actually. But how was she supposed to say that out loud?
With an outsider like Sayaka Maizono standing right there, she had neither the nerve nor the footing to steer things toward that kind of suggestive topic.
The lewd talk could wait until it was just her and Lin Ye, alone. Then they could not only talk about it, they could do it.
Tonight might even bring the thing she had been waiting and hoping for all this time.
It had been so long. She'd known Lin-kun for ages now.
It was time to take that step.
At the very least, this relationship deserved an upgrade.
Ai Hoshino wanted a boyfriend. A proper one, with an official, out-in-the-open romantic relationship attached.
Tonight, she would find her chance and confess to Lin-kun.
That was right. She would confess. She would tell Lin-kun how she felt.
Just deciding on it sent an inexplicable flutter of nerves through her.
The first confession of her life — as a girl, how could she not be nervous, not be anxious?
If, just if, Lin-kun turned her down, the humiliation would be unbearable. Even so, Ai Hoshino decided she couldn't give up. She had to keep pushing, keep at it.
Until she'd chased Lin Ye down and heard him accept, she wasn't going to stop.
Besides, Lin-kun had no girlfriend right now. He was single. She had all the opportunity in the world.
The two of them were this close, with all that flirting between them. The odds were very good that he'd say yes tonight.
The thought lifted Ai Hoshino's mood higher and higher, and left her all the more eager for what was coming.
"You don't know?" Lin Ye drew the words out, watching the girl in front of him with teasing eyes.
Ai Hoshino was gorgeous, adorable, and her small frame only sharpened the urge in a man to protect her.
You could say that, in a certain sense, Ai Hoshino was precisely the kind of girl who set off a man's protective instincts.
Lin Ye, being male, was no exception. The very first time they met, he'd taken a natural liking to her — the instinctive appreciation any man feels for a beautiful woman.
Everything after that had let him get to know her better, and taught him exactly what kind of girl she was.
If nothing else, the obedient, well-behaved way she'd conducted herself during the Strange Game had satisfied him completely.
Yes. If you had no strength of your own, then you listened, you followed his instructions, and left the rest to him. Nothing more required.
In the Strange Game, there were two ways to survive: be clever and resourceful, rely on your own wits and power — or cling tight to a big shot's leg, stop thinking altogether, and do exactly what the big shot said. Either way, you could live.
Ai Hoshino belonged to the second category. She saw her own situation clearly and acted accordingly.
How many other people would have managed that?
"Ai-chan really doesn't know. What is it Lin-kun wants Ai-chan to agree to? You say it yourself, and Ai-chan — Ai-chan will do her best to satisfy it."
By the end, Ai Hoshino's voice was thick with bashfulness.
Shy. The thought of the kind of lewd request Lin Ye might make flooded her with a shame so acute her body trembled with it.
Truth be told, she was willing.
Otherwise she wouldn't have dropped such an obvious hint. In fact, calling it a hint was generous — it was practically spelled out.
Sayaka Maizono stood off to the side, the night breeze lifting strands of her hair.
She'd already been force-fed a mouthful of their sweetness inside, stuffed full of it, uncomfortable, barely able to take it.
She'd assumed it was over, that she wouldn't have to witness any more.
Instead, they'd walked out of the restaurant and she'd immediately gotten another mouthful crammed down her throat.
It was too much.
Did women in love really love showing off this much?
All those half-veiled, half-open remarks — even she, a girl with zero experience, knew exactly what they meant.
Tonight, Senpai was probably going to end up in the same room as this man. In the same bed.
And if that ever got photographed—
Sayaka Maizono shook her head hard, flinging the thought out of her mind.
She shouldn't think like that. There was no reason to.
It had nothing to do with her.
All she had to do was her own job: keep the two of them a secret. That was enough. Anything beyond that wasn't hers to dwell on.
"Then never mind."
Ai Hoshino: ???
Sayaka Maizono: ???
Never mind what?
Lin Ye hadn't named anything he wanted Ai Hoshino to do at all.
But she quickly caught the curl at the corner of his mouth, and understood.
He was doing it on purpose.
He was deliberately provoking her, dangling the bait and pulling it back, stringing her along.
"Lin-kun, you're awful. You're really going to make Ai-chan say it herself. That's so mean."
Face flushed, Ai Hoshino poked his cheek and said slowly, "White stockings."
An image surfaced at once in Lin Ye's mind: those slender, pale legs of hers sheathed in innocent white.
"Black stockings… would be fine too! We can go buy some in a bit."
She'd worn black for him before.
From everything she knew about Lin Ye, black was what he preferred.
"Tonight, maybe… I'll wear both? Consider it my thanks for Lin-kun coming all this way to surprise me."
She had to work up her courage to get that sentence out.
After all, they weren't alone. Sayaka Maizono, her junior from the idol group, was right there, and saying something that provocative in front of her own junior was an assault on her own sense of shame.
But for Lin Ye's sake, to make him happier, she was willing. She'd throw herself in headfirst.
And if Sayaka overheard, well, she could live with that. Completely. She was fine allowing it.
Sayaka was her favorite junior; she'd never tease and torment her the way the other members would.
She had total faith in Sayaka Maizono.
A short distance away, Sayaka Maizono was reeling all over again.
Black stockings, white stockings.
Was that seriously a thing people played with?
Her gaze drifted downward and settled on Ai Hoshino's slim legs.
Long, fine legs, pale skin. Wrapped in a thin layer of black, they'd be sultry and magnetic; in a soft layer of white, pure and captivating.
Even she felt her heart stir.
Without meaning to, Sayaka Maizono glanced down at her own legs. Hers weren't bad either.
About on par with Ai-senpai's, from the look of them.
There were probably plenty of leg-obsessed men who'd like them too.
Which led Sayaka Maizono to file Lin Ye firmly into the category of leg-obsessed men.
"That's hardly enough of a thank-you. There's no fun in it."
Lin Ye's answer set Ai Hoshino pressing her lips together in thought.
Going a step further wasn't a problem for her in itself. But saying it out loud, offering it up unprompted, made her feel cheap.
She was willing to throw herself at him, sure, but even that took technique. A girl had to maintain a little reserve; she couldn't just fling herself over with no thought at all.
So… what to do?
Was there something she could offer that would satisfy Lin-kun more?
"Lin Ye, you'll definitely be happy with this."
With that, Ai Hoshino turned and walked over to Sayaka Maizono.
Which left Sayaka Maizono thoroughly confused. Why was Senpai coming over here?
Was something wrong? Had she run into some kind of problem?
"Sayaka, I need a favor."
Faced with Ai Hoshino's earnest expression, Sayaka Maizono blinked and answered on reflex, "What favor?"
But a bad feeling was already taking root.
"Am I good to you, normally?"
"Yes."
What else could she possibly say?
Ai Hoshino was unquestionably good to her. There was no arguing that. Back when she was still struggling to adjust, it was Ai Hoshino who had helped her, guided her, gotten her used to life in her new idol career. There had been none of the senior-leads-the-bullying nonsense.
"And was the yakitori good tonight?"
"Of course it was good," Sayaka Maizono said.
There was only ever one acceptable answer to that kind of question.
"Then… I need you to do me one tiny favor. It's very simple."
Sayaka Maizono's confidence drained away. Whatever her senior was about to ask, she doubted it was anywhere near simple.
Ai Hoshino leaned in close to her ear, and that lovely voice came.
"Tonight, wear white stockings!"
"Huh!"
Sayaka Maizono froze.
"I'll wear black for Lin-kun tonight, and you wear white for Lin-kun, Sayaka. That way Lin-kun gets to appreciate black and white at the same time."
"Th-this… this, this…"
Sayaka Maizono went scarlet. Her bright eyes flicked toward Lin Ye, mortified. She wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out. She had no idea what to do. Say yes, say no — it was impossibly hard!
"Sayaka."
"That's not okay! Mr. Lin is your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Well — he's still the boy you like, Senpai."
"Yes. I like him a lot. A whole lot."
"Then why would you want me to wear white stockings for him…"
"Because it's what Lin-kun likes! And anyway, Sayaka, you're my best girl friend. Letting him see doesn't feel like a loss to me at all. If anything, it makes me happier. So… please, Sayaka."
Ai Hoshino was outright pleading now.
It was just a look at some stockings. It was nothing.
She could accept that without any trouble.
Sayaka, though, was still hesitating. The whole thing felt wrong to her.
"So Sayaka isn't willing after all."
That one dejected sentence sent Sayaka Maizono's heart lurching. She felt like she ought to agree — and it really was only letting someone see a pair of stockings. Nothing at all.
"I, I don't own any white ones."
It was less a reason than an excuse.
"Don't worry, I've got some. And if not we can buy them. No — we're going to buy them, right now, this instant. The best stockings there are."
In that moment, Ai Hoshino's whole face lit up, all smiles.
Sayaka had been successfully talked into it.
With Sayaka added in, Lin Ye wouldn't stand a chance.
And Lin-kun hadn't voiced a single word of objection, which meant Lin-kun was looking forward to it too.
Ai Hoshino turned back toward Lin Ye, grinned, and stuck up a thumb, her whole face announcing how pleased she was.
Lin Ye shrugged. He hadn't refused.
There was no refusing something this good.
Sayaka wasn't Haruno.
Ai Hoshino had talked Sayaka Maizono into offering up some fanservice, and with a deal that sweet, there was no reason at all to say no. For him, accepting was the natural response.
One in black, one in white. A sight that easy on the eyes was going to be very satisfying.
Lin Ye was looking forward to it.
Ai Hoshino came to his side and hooked her arm through his. "Lin-kun, come on, let's find the nearest stocking shop that's still open. You get to pick."
"Sure."
His instant agreement told Ai Hoshino just how much he liked the idea.
One kind of stockings clearly wasn't enough for Lin Ye anymore. It had to be black and white, both at once.
Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino walked ahead. Sayaka Maizono followed behind, watching their backs.
The night wind blew under the dark sky, and she felt just a little cold.
If the feeling could be better than this — walking arm in arm must be wonderful.
She wondered when, someday, she'd get to experience it too.
She, Sayaka Maizono, wanted a boyfriend as well. A boyfriend like Lin Ye.
And if she had one, she'd be perfectly willing to wear stockings for him, to indulge certain needs and ideas of his.
Twenty-odd minutes later, the three of them stepped into a women's clothing store.
Stockings, lingerie, an overwhelming array of it.
Lin Ye was used to it and barely registered the visual impact of that kind of merchandise. Ai Hoshino and Sayaka Maizono were another story.
Sayaka Maizono in particular — this was the first time she'd ever set foot in a shop like this.
She'd never come before, never gone in even when she walked past.
This time was a genuine education.
Especially the more explicit pieces, all cut out and open in places. People wore these?
Sayaka Maizono had her doubts.
But if they were on sale, there had to be a market for them, which meant there were customers.
She couldn't imagine what went through the mind of someone buying underwear like that.
"Sir, ladies, is there anything I can help you with? I'd be happy to recommend a few of our most popular pieces."
The sales clerk had arrived, all warmth.
One look was enough for her to identify Lin Ye as the one who mattered.
Seeing that neither girl had any suggestions, Lin Ye simply swept his gaze around the shop and pointed at a few pairs of stockings near at hand.
"These two styles. Three pairs of each."
Startling.
Three pairs at once.
So this was… a stocking-ripping situation, was it?
Though generally speaking, people who played that game didn't buy stockings this expensive.
The clerk mused on it privately, then dropped the thought just as fast. It had nothing to do with her. All she needed was to close the sale as quickly as possible.
And collect her modest commission.
"One moment, please. I'll have these wrapped right away."
She stole a glance at the two girls.
Both wore hats and glasses to hide their faces, but those figures, that air about them — beautiful girls, no question.
What a shame. Tonight these two lovely things were going to be tangled up in bed with this handsome man.
As a woman herself, she felt a twinge of envy.
Still, the guy was rich, and he looked to be in excellent shape. On reflection, she decided the two girls weren't getting a bad deal either.
A few minutes later, the stockings were packaged and dropped into a bag.
Lin Ye picked it up. "Anything else you want? Don't hold back."
There were plenty of clothes here. Mostly lingerie, but some ordinary outerwear as well.
Lin Ye knew Ai Hoshino's finances weren't great. He'd already moved her into a new place and paid two years of rent in advance.
The girl had been mortified and had tried to refuse for the longest time, but in the end she'd quietly accepted.
That night, by way of repayment, Ai Hoshino had worn black stockings and let him touch her as he liked, and they'd gone somewhat further than that besides.
Lin Ye wanted the girl to live better. He had money now — more than he could spend — so covering Ai Hoshino's expenses was no burden at all. If she weren't so proud, so unwilling to simply take cash, he'd have transferred her a sum and told her to spend freely.
"This… it's really not necessary."
Ai Hoshino shook her head hard, refusing outright. She truly didn't want to accept.
Taking too much put pressure on her, weighed on her.
She wasn't even his girlfriend. Accepting gifts from him left her with no idea how she was supposed to pay him back.
She wanted to accept. What she lacked was a legitimate reason that would let her do it with a clear conscience.
"I wasn't asking you."
Ai Hoshino went still, staring blankly at him.
Not her? Then who?
Surely he wasn't asking Sayaka Maizono?
Sayaka Maizono, blank herself for a moment, lifted her head and looked at Lin Ye — and met his eyes, and realized he really had been speaking to her.
Holy crap, what was going on?
Lin Ye wasn't buying clothes for Ai-chan, he was buying them for her?
Something was very wrong here.
"Miss Maizono, what would you like? Go ahead and pick. Don't be shy."
Lin Ye's words confirmed exactly what both girls had been guessing.
"N-no, that's all right, it really isn't necessary!"
Sayaka Maizono shook her head violently.
The clothes here were so expensive she genuinely couldn't afford them, and there was no way she could accept them out of nowhere.
Ai Hoshino was even more lost. Why would Lin Ye do this? Wasn't that going too far?
Shouldn't he be buying things for her?
Under the gaze of both girls, Lin Ye walked over to a rack a short distance off.
He'd noticed Sayaka Maizono's eyes settling on this particular outfit several times, lingering for a good while.
"This outfit. One, in her size."
Startling.
Sayaka Maizono had never imagined he'd pick out the exact piece she'd fallen for.
She hurried over, already protesting. "Mr. Lin, Mr. Lin, really, it's not necessary, it really isn't."
She truly didn't want it. She truly didn't need it.
She liked it, yes, but she wasn't the sort of girl who casually accepted expensive gifts from other people.
What was she to Lin Ye, anyway? They weren't even friends. How could she possibly take something this costly?
So Sayaka Maizono did everything she could to stop him — and Lin Ye wouldn't hear it.
Off to the side, Ai Hoshino watched the two of them, and went cold all the way through.
It hurt. It hurt terribly. There was a hollow place where her chest should be.
Lin Ye's attention was entirely on Sayaka Maizono now. None of it was on her. She felt overlooked. Discarded.
It hurt so much.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the person she cared about most was doing this at her.
Was it only because she'd turned down the clothes? Was that why she was being treated this way?
She, she… she'd only felt that the state of their relationship made it inappropriate, that was all.
The truth was she wanted the things Lin Ye gave her, loved them. Even something small and worthless — she'd have loved it all the same.
Looking at the two of them standing together, Ai Hoshino regretted it. She regretted inviting Sayaka Maizono along today.
If things kept going this way, would Lin Ye-kun end up closer to Sayaka than to her? Would she be set aside and forgotten entirely?
That kind of future — Ai Hoshino didn't want it. Not the smallest part of it.
She sank completely into her own misery.
Sayaka Maizono, meanwhile, had most of her attention on Ai Hoshino — especially now, in the middle of this back-and-forth with Lin Ye. She was watching her senior closely, terrified Ai Hoshino would misunderstand.
And Ai Hoshino's expression, her whole reaction, made Sayaka Maizono realize at once that Ai-chan had misunderstood. Yes — Ai Hoshino had gotten the wrong idea, and Sayaka Maizono's composure evaporated.
She absolutely, positively did not have the slightest interest in Lin Ye. She'd simply been refusing. Him buying her a dress had come completely out of nowhere; she'd never seen it coming.
"Lin-kun, I really don't want it, I really don't. This outfit — it would be best as a gift for Senpai. You should give it to Senpai."
Sayaka Maizono said it immediately, making her position clear.
She was arguing his case now, even taking the garment and holding it out toward Ai Hoshino.
But Ai Hoshino just stood where she was, no reaction at all.
Like a doll that had lost consciousness.
"Senpai. Senpai… Senpai, please don't be like this!"
One look and Sayaka Maizono was nearly frantic.
If a misunderstanding over something like this cost her Ai Hoshino's regard, she would regret it — she absolutely would. She was starting to think she never should have come today, never should have tagged along for a late-night meal.
She'd have been better off going straight back to her apartment, showering, sinking into a nice hot bath, and resting.
She reached out to pat Ai Hoshino's shoulder, but Ai Hoshino flinched away as though dodging her, and that reflex hurt worse than anything.
Sayaka Maizono was on the verge of tears.
With nothing else for it, she turned to Lin Ye for help. He was the only one who could fix this now.
Lin Ye, for his part, was genuinely surprised by Ai Hoshino's reaction. Did one small act have that much destructive power over her?
A few more rounds of this and Ai-chan really would start crying.
"Mr. Lin, say something, explain, comfort her, please. I, I really… I'm begging you. If you can get Senpai to feel better, I, I… I'll accept the dress."
She couldn't think of any other bargaining chip; it was the only one she had on hand. She could hardly offer to wear white stockings and let him do whatever he wanted with her.
That was genuinely beyond her — not in a public place, with an outsider like the sales clerk standing right there. She wasn't that liberated.
The clerk watched the whole thing with her mouth open.
What exactly was happening here?
Was one little dress worth all this?
One girl wouldn't accept it, and that made the other girl unhappy. The dynamic here was completely beyond her.
Was this the world of rich people and beautiful faces?
A realm she'd never get to touch?
It was uncomfortable.
She had absolutely no idea what to do.
Never mind, then.
The clerk stopped thinking about it. It made no difference to her. Ideally they'd argue a while longer and buy a few more pieces — that would make her happier still.
So she told herself.
"It's settled, then."
"Mm-hm."
Ai Hoshino heard that exchange, and her mood sank further. She felt she should leave, that she shouldn't stand here watching Lin Ye and Sayaka flirt back and forth.
And now Lin Ye was going to comfort her for Sayaka's sake.
She'd rather go without.
Ai Hoshino lowered her head and turned her body slightly aside, not wanting Lin Ye to see her face.
"Ai-chan."
No response.
"The reason I'm buying Miss Maizono a dress is that I wanted to thank her on your behalf. For looking after you every day."
The instant the words landed—
Ai Hoshino's eyes flew wide. She spun around to look at him, disbelief written all over her face.
She didn't believe it. No, she didn't — and yet somewhere deep down she wanted to believe what he'd said.
Because if that was the reason — if Lin Ye was buying Sayaka clothes because of her — then how could she not be happy?
He'd been thinking of her, valuing her, the whole time.
After a brief flash of surprise, Sayaka Maizono broke into a smile.
She was delighted too. That answer of Lin Ye's had been perfect.
True or not, right now she could only treat it as true. It was the answer Senpai needed.
All she had to do was play her part.
Sayaka Maizono's eyes flickered, and she spoke up quickly. "Mr. Lin, you really could have just said that from the start!"
"If you had, I'd definitely have accepted it."
If he'd said so up front, none of this misunderstanding would have happened, and she'd never have had to see Ai-senpai looking so wretched and abandoned.
This was all Lin Ye's fault.
Thinking it over now, she suspected he'd done it deliberately — to see how she and Ai-senpai would react.
Otherwise there was no reason not to mention it in advance. She refused to believe Lin Ye hadn't realized that staying silent would cause misunderstandings.
"You believe what you just said?"
Lin Ye turned it back on her.
"Miss Maizono, I don't believe a word of it."
Sayaka Maizono pressed her lips together, faintly embarrassed. He had a point — thinking about it carefully, if he'd tried it that way, there was no chance she'd have accepted. She'd have pushed it back.
"Um, I probably wouldn't have taken it right away at first, but I definitely would have accepted in the end. It's Mr. Lin's thanks to me on Senpai's behalf, so of course I'd accept."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Mm-hm, mm-hm."
Sayaka Maizono nodded again and again.
Lin Ye raised a hand and pointed at several other garments.
"Those pieces too. I'll take them all. All in her size."
The clerk, watching this, went wide-eyed and speechless.
You could do that?
"Certainly, right away."
What was there to hesitate about? She went to fetch the clothes without pausing for a breath.
This was all commission!
The clerk saw a mountain of commission in front of her — enough that she decided if this man bought her a piece or two, she'd be willing to spend the night with him and let him do whatever he liked.
Anything he wanted, however he wanted it, without a moment's rest.
Even if he wrecked her.
She'd be glad to.
The envy in the clerk's eyes did not escape Ai Hoshino or Sayaka Maizono.
As women, young as they were, they were acutely sensitive to that sort of thing, and both dreaded that Lin Ye might notice and be tempted.
This woman was older, but she was still quite pretty. If Lin Ye happened to like older women, who knew whether his heart might stir.
That thought surfaced in Ai Hoshino's mind.
"Mr. Lin, I, I…"
Lin Ye raised a hand to signal Sayaka Maizono to stay quiet. "This is all thanks. Thanks for taking care of Ai-chan."
"Guh."
Sayaka Maizono lost the power of speech. She'd dug her own pit — refusing now would make her look like she didn't know how to behave.
But that many clothes, and all of them so expensive, all of them for her.
She genuinely couldn't stomach it. Accepting was wrong, refusing was wrong.
She found herself questioning Lin Ye's motives, worrying that he was trying to win her over and buy her affection with money. But then, with Ai-senpai standing right there — surely he wouldn't go that far?
If he really meant to make a move on her, this wasn't how you'd do it.
He'd invite her out alone, find an opening to express his interest. Not this, not right here with Ai-senpai present.
But if it wasn't to win her over, then what was Lin Ye after?
Simply expressing gratitude?
There was no way that was it.
And this method had obviously upset Ai-senpai.
So Sayaka Maizono mused, privately.
Right now she couldn't tell the difference, couldn't work out what was really going on.
After turning it over, she decided that if she couldn't figure it out, she'd stop trying.
That was what Sayaka Maizono told herself.
The clerk gathered everything up in high spirits.
Not a single item left behind.
She finished packing in short order and had all the clothes bagged.
Lin Ye turned to Ai Hoshino then and shrugged. "Ai-chan, are you sure there's nothing you want to buy?"
"…"
Ai Hoshino knew he was checking what she actually wanted.
So — did she want something, or didn't she?
Saying yes would make her earlier refusal look like empty posturing. Saying no meant watching her colleague Sayaka Maizono walk out with bags and bags of clothes while she had nothing but stockings. That hurt.
People.
It's comparison that undoes them.
One comparison, and an enormous gap opens up.
Ai Hoshino was becoming aware of that too.
____
Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉